Dishwasher Door Sealing Assembly for Leak-Protected Control Panels

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Solution Overview

Problem

Dishwashers face challenges in protecting control panel components from liquid ingress, particularly when the appliance door is open, leading to potential damage from dripping liquids penetrating through gaps between the control panel and inner door elements, which often requires expensive encapsulation or diversion methods.

Innovation Solution

A dishwasher design featuring a one-piece sealing assembly formed by a two-component extruded part, with a plastic injection-molded control panel and integrated liquid drainage chambers, allowing for flexible geometric design and reduced sealing efforts, ensuring the control panel remains fluid-tight and protecting internal components.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If complex encapsulation housings or additional shielding parts are used to protect electronic components from liquid ingress, then protection against liquid penetration is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against liquid ingressVSAvoidcomplexity of housing and shielding structures

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing system is divided into two functional components: a sealing element (e.g., rubber profile) for elastic sealing contact and a sealing bed (e.g., foam strip) for absorption and gap-filling. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while simplifying the overall structure compared to complex encapsulation housings.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing element acts as an intermediary between the control panel and the inner door element, creating a protective barrier against liquid ingress without requiring complex encapsulation of electronic components. The sealing bed serves as a mediator that absorbs irregularities and ensures consistent sealing contact.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If additional shielding foils or complex housings are installed to prevent liquid penetration, then protection against liquid ingress is improved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprotection against liquid ingressVSAvoidmanufacturing cost

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing system uses inexpensive, replaceable components (sealing element and sealing bed) that can be easily manufactured and installed. These simple profiles and strips are much cheaper than complex encapsulation housings or shielding foils, while providing effective liquid protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing element is designed as a flexible profile (e.g., rubber strip) that can be easily molded and installed. This flexible approach replaces rigid, expensive encapsulation structures with simple, cost-effective sealing profiles that conform to the mating surfaces.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Reliability

If multiple separate sealing components are used, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but assembly complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing effectivenessVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sealing element and sealing bed are combined into a single integrated assembly that is pre-mounted on the control panel. This merging reduces the number of separate components that need to be handled during assembly, while maintaining the dual-functionality of elastic sealing and absorption/gap-filling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The sealing bed is pre-mounted on the control panel in a preliminary assembly step, creating a prepared sealing surface before the final assembly with the inner door element. This preliminary action simplifies the final assembly process by eliminating the need to install separate sealing components at that stage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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

The solution effectively prevents liquid ingress into the control panel's electronic components, reducing assembly complexity and costs by using a flexible sealing structure that allows for easy assembly and enhanced rigidity, while maintaining fluid-tight integrity and reducing the need for additional sealants.

Implementation Method 1

a seal formed from a sealing element and a sealing bed is arranged at least in sections between the control panel and the inner door element

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSealing:

Implementation Method 2

the control panel is produced using the plastic injection molding process

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectInjection molding:

Implementation Method 3

liquid penetrating the side flanks of the control panel can be drained off through liquid drainage chambers

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity drainage: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP2378945B1Dishwasher

Publication Date: 2012.10.17 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH

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AI summary

The invention relates to a dishwasher, in particular a domestic dishwasher, at least having a domestic-appliance door which has at least one front operating panel (1) and an internal door element (3), between which a seal formed at least from a sealing element (29) and a sealing bed (33) is arranged at least in certain sections. According to the invention, the sealing element (29) and the sealing bed (33) form a single-piece structural unit, in particular a two-component extrusion.