Cutlery basket for a dishwasher and dishwasher
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cutlery baskets in dishwashers are limited in accommodating items of larger dimensions, leading to inefficient space utilization and suboptimal cleaning and drying results, as they either collide with washing compartment walls or require manual washing.
Innovation Solution
A cutlery basket with a frame and two pivotably connected inserts, allowing adjustable clear height and independent pivoting, enabling multiple operating positions to accommodate both larger and smaller items while optimizing space and drainage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the cutlery basket has a fixed low height to accommodate standard cutlery, then space utilization is optimized for conventional items, but items with larger dimensions cannot be placed in the basket without colliding with washing compartment walls
Solution Approach 1:
The cutlery basket incorporates a pivotable insert that can be rotated between a first operating position (substantially horizontal) and a second operating position (pivoted at an acute angle). This dynamic transformation allows the basket to adapt its internal geometry, providing greater clear height and capacity for larger cutlery items when needed, while maintaining a compact profile for standard items during normal operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the cutlery basket uses a fixed structure to simplify design and manufacturing, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to accommodate varying cutlery sizes and optimize drainage is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cutlery basket is divided into a frame and a separate pivotable insert. This segmentation allows the insert to be independently rotated between different operating positions, providing adaptability for various cutlery sizes and drainage optimization without requiring the entire basket structure to be complex. The simple frame supports the functional insert, maintaining overall structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotable insert introduces a single dynamic element that enables the basket to transform between different configurations. This dynamic feature provides multiple operating positions for accommodating varying cutlery sizes and optimizing drainage, while the rest of the structure remains simple and easy to manufacture.
3Ease of operation
If the cutlery basket maintains a horizontal bottom surface for easy loading, then ease of operation is improved, but drainage efficiency and drying results are suboptimal
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable insert can be rotated to a second operating position where it is pivoted at an acute angle relative to the horizontal. This dynamic adjustment creates an inclined bottom surface that significantly improves drainage efficiency and drying results, while the insert remains easy to load when in the first horizontal operating position.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutlery basket can be adjusted between different operating positions depending on the washing cycle requirements. During the washing phase, the horizontal position facilitates easy loading, while during the drying phase, the inclined position enhances drainage and drying efficiency, creating a periodic optimization of functionality throughout the washing cycle.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a dishwasher (1) comprising at least one cutlery basket (4), which is designed to hold cutlery in a horizontal position and the clearance height of which can be adapted in a first sub-region (11). The invention is characterised in that the clearance height can be adapted in at least some sections of at least one second sub-region (12) of the cutlery basket (4).