Dishwasher Door Seal Structure for Overflow Drainage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dishwasher designs face challenges in achieving a complete seal between the door and the washing container due to the movement of the door seal, requiring additional processing measures like notches and embossings, which increase effort and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A dishwasher design featuring a uniformly continuous door seal fixed to the washing container's edge with a stepped structure that allows for overflow and includes a drainage channel, eliminating the need for notches and simplifying production, while ensuring effective sealing and water management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a door seal is used to seal the gap between the door and washing container, then water and steam overflow is prevented, but additional processing measures (notches, embossings, retaining clips) are required to achieve complete sealing at the contact areas
Solution Approach 1:
The container snout is divided into a raised edge region for sealing and a lowered overflow area for drainage, allowing the seal to be simple and continuous while still achieving effective water containment through the stepped structure
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped structure acts as an intermediary element between the seal and the overflow area, creating a mechanical barrier that guides water flow without requiring complex modifications to the seal itself
2Ease of manufacture
If the door seal is made uniformly continuous without notches, then production is simplified and the seal strength is maintained, but complete sealing at the contact areas becomes difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The container snout is segmented into different height levels (raised edge region and lowered overflow area), allowing a simple continuous seal to achieve effective sealing through the geometric design rather than through complex seal modifications
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing solution moves from modifying the seal in the horizontal plane to creating a vertical height difference through the stepped structure, allowing water to be contained by the height difference rather than by complex seal geometry
3Adaptability or versatility
If overflow areas are created in the container spout, then water drainage is enabled, but additional processing measures and retaining clips are required, increasing manufacturing effort
Solution Approach 1:
The overflow area is merged with the raised edge region to form an integrated stepped structure, allowing water drainage to be achieved through the geometric design alone without requiring separate drainage components or complex processing
Solution Approach 2:
The stepped structure itself provides the drainage function through its geometry, with water naturally flowing from the raised edge region to the lowered overflow area without requiring additional active drainage mechanisms
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A dishwasher (1), in particular a household dishwasher, with a washing compartment (2) for holding crockery, cutlery or similar items to be washed to be cleaned, which can be closed on its front side (V) facing the user by a door (3) that can be moved relative to the washing compartment (2). wherein at least one door seal (D) is provided for sealing a gap (21) between in particular the lower area (18) of the door (3) and the washing compartment (2) and wherein the door seal (D) is provided on at least one of the washing compartment ( 2) facing inner area (3b) of the door (3), the so-called inner door, and on a raised edge area (20) of a bottom area (15) of the washing container (2), the so-called container snout, located in the vicinity of the front side (V), is designed so that the door seal (D), at least at its end fixed to the edge region (20) of the washing compartment (2), is the same over its course transverse to the dishwasher (1). moderately continuous and a stepped structure (23) is arranged in front of the edge area towards the front side (V), which in at least one sealing area (26) protrudes beyond the height of the upper edge of the edge area (20) and in at least one required overflow area (27). at most the same height as the door seal (D) ends at its connection to the edge area (20).