Household appliance, in particular dishwasher
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household dishwashers face challenges in precisely aligning and securely fastening the front panel to the appliance door, leading to potential collisions, increased noise, and material wear due to misalignment of fastening elements, which complicates assembly and can result in operational issues.
Innovation Solution
A fastening device with a coupling element that carries two fastening elements at a predetermined distance, ensuring precise alignment and secure positioning without relying on manual skill, featuring a one-piece design with additional fastening elements and a hook-like configuration to minimize friction and facilitate easy assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If templates are used to position fastening elements during assembly, then alignment can be attempted, but the assembly process becomes complex and time-consuming, and precise alignment cannot be reliably ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element is pre-configured with fastening elements at the correct spacing and positioning during manufacturing. This preliminary action ensures that when the coupling element is installed on the appliance door, the fastening elements are automatically positioned at the correct locations without requiring complex templates or manual measurement during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling element serves as an intermediary component that carries the fastening elements. Instead of directly positioning multiple fastening elements on the appliance door (which requires complex alignment), the coupling element acts as a mediator that simplifies the positioning process by providing a single reference point for installation.
2Ease of manufacture
If fastening elements are not precisely aligned, then assembly becomes simpler, but friction increases leading to noise and material wear
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling element with pre-positioned fastening elements performs the alignment function automatically during installation. The design ensures that when the coupling element is mounted correctly, the fastening elements self-align with the counter-contours on the appliance door, eliminating the need for complex external alignment tools and ensuring proper alignment without increasing assembly complexity.
3Area of stationary object
If the front panel protrudes beyond the appliance door to cover base area, then coverage is improved, but collision with the dishwasher base occurs during door pivoting
Solution Approach 1:
The front panel is designed to be displaceable relative to the appliance door through the adjustment unit. When the door pivots during opening or closing, the front panel can move dynamically along the guide track to avoid collision with the dishwasher base, while still maintaining its protruding position to provide adequate base area coverage when the door is closed.
4Reliability
If a displaceable front panel is implemented to avoid collision, then operational reliability is improved, but friction and noise increase during displacement
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening device uses multiple fastening elements (at least two) distributed along the height of the front panel, carried by the coupling element. This segmentation provides multiple contact points that distribute the load and constrain the front panel's movement more effectively, reducing unnecessary friction and noise during the displacement operation while maintaining collision avoidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, with a housing (4) providing a treatment chamber (10) and having a loading opening (5) for access to the treatment chamber (10), with an appliance door (6) pivotally mounted about a pivot axis for a fluid-tight closure of the loading opening (5), with a front panel (8) slidably mounted on the appliance door (6) between two end positions, and with an adjustment unit which, when the appliance door (6) pivots about the pivot axis, forcibly adjusts the front panel (8) along a guide track between the two end positions, and with a fastening device (20) which serves for the slidable arrangement of the front panel (8) on the appliance door (6), wherein the fastening device (20) has two fastening elements (22, 23) arranged one above the other in the height direction (21) of the front panel (8).which each interact with a counter contour (34, 46) provided on the side of the appliance door, wherein the fastening device (20) has a coupling member (25) which carries the two fastening elements (22, 23) which are spaced apart from each other by means of the coupling member (25), wherein the distance between the two fastening elements (22, 23) corresponds to the distance between the two counter contours (34, 46) on the side of the appliance door.