Automatic Door Closure for Dishwashers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household appliances, particularly dishwashers, require an automatic door locking mechanism that can differentiate between various operational states to ensure convenient initial opening and secure final closure, while preventing unwanted opening during specific program modes.
Innovation Solution
A door locking system featuring a pivoting lever and tension bracket with a drive mechanism that transitions through multiple positions, adjusting contact pressure and coupling forces to facilitate easy initial opening and secure final closure, with varying tensile forces required based on the lever's position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an automatic door closure mechanism is implemented, then convenience is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The door closure mechanism operates automatically without user intervention. The drive unit detects when the door is open and autonomously activates the tension bracket and pivoting lever system to close and lock the door, eliminating the need for manual operation while maintaining simple user interaction
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediate mechanical components (tension bracket, pivoting lever, drive unit) that mediate between the user's opening action and the desired closed state. These intermediaries translate simple door movement into automated closure and locking actions, improving convenience while distributing system complexity across multiple specialized components
2Reliability
If high contact pressure is applied to secure the door closed, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hold-down device dynamically adjusts contact pressure based on door position. During normal operation, high contact pressure secures the door firmly closed. When opening is required, the system transitions to a low-contact-pressure state that allows easy manual override, resolving the contradiction between secure closure and ease of opening
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the contact pressure parameter conditionally - high pressure is applied when the door is closed to ensure reliability, while low pressure is applied when opening is needed to maintain ease of operation. This parameter switching is achieved through the hold-down device's positional dependency and manual override capability
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
Enables automatic and secure door closure with adjustable opening forces, ensuring convenience during loading and preventing accidental opening during operation, while allowing easy manual opening when necessary.
Implementation Method 1
A hold-down device is provided which is arranged on the pivoting lever and which produces a contact pressure between the tension bracket and the pivoting lever in the event that the pivoting lever and tension bracket are coupled
Data Source
AI summary
The appliance (2) has a door-sided pivot lever couplable with a device-sided clamping yoke (1) and pivotally supported around a rotational axis (d1) between two positions. A door-sided drive (31) tightens a door (8) at the appliance by transition of the lever from the one of the positions into the other position using the yoke. A door-sided downholder (5) generates pressing force between the yoke and the lever, and generates larger forces in the latter position of the lever than in the former position. The downholder is pivotable around another rotational axis. An independent claim is also included for a method for closing a door of a household appliance.