Household appliance including a body having a component housing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances, particularly cooling appliances, face difficulties in accessing system components during mounting and maintenance due to complex assemblies and connections, making the process cumbersome and costly.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance design featuring a component housing with an access opening allows external access to system components, including conduits and electrical cables, through a box-shaped structure connected to the outer wall via screws or adhesive elements, with sealing and fixation devices to secure and isolate components from insulation material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If system components are integrated into the appliance body without external access, then the appliance structure remains compact and simple, but accessing components during mounting and maintenance becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance structure is segmented by introducing a separate component housing that can be independently accessed. The component housing is divided into an outer housing and an inner housing, creating a modular structure that allows access to system components without disassembling the entire appliance. This segmentation enables maintenance personnel to access components through the access opening while keeping the rest of the appliance intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The component housing with system components is extracted from the main appliance body as a separate accessible unit. The housing includes an access opening that allows components to be taken out or accessed externally, separating the maintenance-accessible portion from the sealed appliance interior. This extraction principle enables easy removal and replacement of system components without opening the appliance insulation.
2Productivity
If system components are exposed externally for easy access, then mounting and maintenance become quick and easy, but components become exposed to insulation material and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The inner housing is nested within the outer housing, creating a protective enclosure for system components. The inner housing specifically contains components and prevents direct exposure to insulation material, while the outer housing provides additional protection and structural support. This nested structure allows external access while maintaining protective barriers against harmful factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The component housing acts as an intermediary structure between the system components and the appliance insulation. The housing walls, including the rear wall positioned between components and insulation material, serve as a mediator that prevents direct contact between components and harmful insulation material, while still allowing access through the access opening.
3Reliability
If components are enclosed in a sealed housing, then components are protected from environmental factors, but accessing components requires disassembly and increases labor costs
Solution Approach 1:
The component housing is pre-configured with an access opening and fixation devices during manufacturing. The inner and outer housings are preliminarily assembled with connection elements and sealing structures already in place. This preliminary action ensures that components are protected while maintaining easy access capability without requiring complex disassembly procedures during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure incorporates detachable connection elements that allow dynamic transition between sealed and accessible states. The fixation devices can be easily engaged and disengaged, enabling the housing to switch between a protected sealed state during operation and an accessible state during maintenance, optimizing both protection and repairability at different stages.
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance, particularly a cooling appliance, includes a body with an outer wall facing outside and an inner wall spaced apart from the outer wall. One or more system components are located between the walls. An external component housing, which is disposed inside the body, has an access opening for reaching at least a portion of the respective system components from outside.