Dishwasher Furniture Panel Linkage for Tight Gap Door Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances, such as dishwashers, face challenges in maintaining a small gap between the appliance door and adjacent furniture while preventing collisions during door operation, which is complicated by the need for a technically complex adjustment unit with multiple pivoting levers.
Innovation Solution
A simplified adjustment unit using a four-bar linkage with a closed structure, where the gear member is connected to the thrust joint to adjust the furniture leaf between end positions, reducing assembly effort and preventing the furniture panel from sliding due to gravity, and allowing for a compact design that minimizes mechanical load and installation space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a complex adjustment unit with multiple pivoting levers is used to adjust the furniture leaf, then the collision between the furniture leaf and furniture wall is prevented, but the device complexity and assembly effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple pivoting levers into a single integrated lever that performs both the adjustment function and the collision prevention function. This lever is articulated at multiple points (first articulation point on appliance door, second articulation point on furniture leaf, third articulation point on housing) to create a unified mechanical structure that eliminates the need for separate adjustment and collision prevention mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The single lever serves multiple functions simultaneously: it adjusts the furniture leaf position during door opening/closing, prevents collision with the furniture wall, and guides the movement of the furniture leaf. This multi-functional design reduces the number of components while maintaining all necessary functions.
2Device complexity
If the furniture leaf is held only in a guide, then the structure is simplified, but the furniture panel slides in the direction of the floor due to gravity, making assembly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment unit is pre-assembled as a functional unit before installation. The lever is already articulated at all three points (appliance door, furniture leaf, housing) during manufacturing or pre-assembly, so that during final installation, only the connection between the lever and furniture leaf needs to be made. This preliminary assembly action eliminates the need for complex on-site adjustments.
3Reliability
If the adjustment unit extends into the base recess area, then the adjustment function is achieved, but the usable space for drawers or other components is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lever is positioned and oriented in three-dimensional space to achieve the adjustment function without occupying excessive horizontal space in the base recess. By utilizing vertical space and optimizing the articulation point positions, the design maintains the adjustment functionality while preserving usable space for drawers or other components in the horizontal plane.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, with an appliance door (1) which is pivotally mounted about a pivot axis (S) and on which a furniture panel (13) is mounted so as to be transversely displaceable along an axis between two end positions, and with an adjustment unit (21) which, when the appliance door (1) pivots about the pivot axis (S), forcibly adjusts the furniture panel (13) along the axis between the two end positions, the axis extending in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis (S), and the adjustment unit (21) comprising at least a first joint with which the appliance door (1) is pivotally connected to the housing of the household appliance, a second joint designed as a sliding joint with which the furniture panel (13) is mounted so as to be transversely displaceable along the axis on the appliance door (1), a third joint with which a gear element (31) is connected to the housing of the household appliance, and a fourth joint.the fourth joint is connected to the push joint, in order to adjust the push joint between the two end positions when the appliance door (1) pivots.