Dishwasher Door Actuating Assembly for Automatic Post-Cycle Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dishwasher appliances often leave dishes and crockery wet after a drying cycle, requiring manual drying and potentially leading to customer dissatisfaction and service calls.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher appliance with an actuating member that automatically rotates the door to an unsealed position after a cycle, using a sensing assembly and actuator assembly to facilitate air circulation for drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the door remains sealed during the drying cycle, then the tub is properly sealed to contain humid air, but the dishes and crockery remain wet requiring manual drying
Solution Approach 1:
The door actuating mechanism enables the door to automatically open itself after the drying cycle without user intervention. The sensor detects when the drying cycle is complete and automatically triggers the actuating member to rotate the door to an unsealed position, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring manual user action.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces a purely mechanical door opening system with an automated system that uses a sensor to detect cycle completion and an actuating member (such as a motor or solenoid) to automatically rotate the door. This substitution of mechanical manual operation with an automated electromechanical system resolves the contradiction between automation and complexity by providing the automated function through integrated sensor-actuator coordination.
2Productivity
If manual drying is required, then the drying cycle can be simple, but user time and effort are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The door actuating mechanism performs the door opening action in advance of when the user would need to manually dry the dishes. By automatically opening the door immediately after the drying cycle completes, the system prepares the environment for efficient drying (allowing humid air to escape) before the user interacts with the appliance, thereby eliminating the need for users to spend additional time on manual drying.
3Ease of operation
If the door is automatically opened, then drying efficiency is improved, but the door mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The door actuating mechanism is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects cycle completion through a sensor, automatically opens the door to enable drying, and can be integrated with the existing door hinge and sealing mechanisms. This multi-functionality allows a single integrated system to handle both the sensing and actuating tasks, reducing the need for separate complex subsystems and thereby improving ease of operation while managing overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A dishwasher appliance includes: a tub defined by a top wall, a sidewall coupled with the top wall, and a bottom wall coupled with the sidewall. The dishwasher appliance further includes a door rotatably coupled with at least one of the sidewall and the bottom wall. The door includes a contact flange. The dishwasher appliance further includes an actuating member coupled with the sidewall. The actuating member is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. The actuating member in the extended position engages the contact flange.