Cooking appliance comprising a lowerable door, which has a specific retaining spring for a bearing bush
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances with lowerable doors face challenges in maintenance and cleaning due to fixed door designs that do not allow easy removal of the door as a separate component, and complex mechanical devices are required to facilitate handle pivotability, increasing space and weight.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance design with a door that can be lowered into a storage space, featuring a handle fixed on the door leaf, utilizing a retaining spring and guide element for smooth movement and easy removal, along with a noise-damping sleeve and adjustable guide element to maintain the coupling position and reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the handle is arranged in a movable manner on the door to allow pivotability during door movement, then the operability of the door is improved, but the device complexity and weight increase due to complex mechanical devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the handle pivotability function from complex mechanical devices and integrates it into the door structure itself. The handle is designed with a pivotable connection to the door leaf, allowing it to rotate independently while maintaining a fixed position relative to the door during operation. This simplifies the overall mechanism by eliminating separate mechanical pivot devices.
2Device complexity
If the handle is arranged in a fixed location on the door leaf, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation deteriorates as the handle cannot be grasped from the front when the door is fully opened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the handle pivotable relative to the door leaf. The handle can rotate around a pivot axis to change its orientation. When the door is in the closed position, the handle is in a first angular position accessible from the front. When the door is fully opened, the handle pivots to a second angular position that maintains accessibility. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between fixed position simplicity and operational accessibility.
3Reliability
If the door is incorporated in a fixed manner to maintain structural stability, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of repair deteriorates as the door cannot be easily removed for maintenance and cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the door assembly into separable components: the door leaf, the guide element, and the retaining spring mechanism. The guide element can be removed from the guide track by compressing the retaining spring, allowing the door to be detached from the housing. This segmentation enables easy removal for maintenance and cleaning while maintaining structural stability when assembled, as the retaining spring provides secure engagement during normal operation.
4Ease of repair
If a retaining spring is used to maintain the coupling position of the guide element, then the ease of repair is improved by enabling easy door removal, but the reliability may deteriorate due to potential loss of coupling position
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining spring provides a mechanical feedback mechanism that automatically maintains the coupling position of the guide element in the guide track. When the door is assembled, the spring is compressed and exerts a continuous force to keep the guide element engaged with the guide track, ensuring reliable positioning. When removal is needed, the spring can be compressed further to release the engagement. This feedback mechanism ensures both easy removability and reliable positioning during operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Facilitates easy and reliable removal and mounting of the door, reduces noise, and maintains mechanical stability with minimal parts, enhancing maintenance and operation while minimizing unwanted noise and heat exposure.
Implementation Method 1
The guide element is supported movably on the door and connected directly to a first end of a retaining spring on the door. This retaining spring maintains a coupling position of the guide element on the door.
Implementation Method 2
along with a noise-damping sleeve and adjustable guide element to maintain the coupling position and reduce noise
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance includes a housing having a cooking chamber and a storage space, which is separate from the cooking chamber. A door is movably arranged on the housing for closing the cooking chamber and for lowering into the storage space in an opened state of the door. A handle is arranged in a fixed location on the door. Movably supported on the door is a guide element which is connected directly to a first end of a retaining spring on the door so as to maintain a coupling position of the guide element on the door. A guide track is mounted in the storage space for guiding the guide element on the door.