Shock absorber and dishwasher including the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional shock absorbers in dishwashers fail to prevent scratches on the inner door surface due to separation or deformation during transportation, and they do not securely attach to the rack, leading to movement and collision issues.
Innovation Solution
A shock absorber with a body made of flexible material, featuring receiving grooves and a pressing portion with inclined surfaces, securely couples to the rack and tub, preventing vertical movement and rotation, and is designed to minimize contact with the door using a soft material to reduce scratches.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a foamed shock absorber is disposed between the rack and the inner surface of the door, then the rack movement is cushioned, but the shock absorber separates from the rack during transportation and fails to prevent scratches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the shock absorber and scratch prevention function into a single integrated component. The shock absorber body is made of flexible material that directly contacts the door surface, merging the cushioning function and scratch prevention function into one element, eliminating the need for separate attachment components that would separate during transportation.
Solution Approach 2:
The shock absorber uses composite material structure with a flexible material body that provides both shock absorption and scratch prevention properties. The flexible material characteristics allow it to cushion rack movement while its surface properties prevent scratching of the door, combining multiple material functions in one component.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an additional member made of different PE material is attached to the foamed shock absorber to prevent scratches, then scratch prevention is improved, but the additional member becomes separated from the shock absorber during transportation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the scratch prevention function into the shock absorber body itself rather than using a separate additional member. The flexible material of the shock absorber directly contacts the door surface, providing scratch prevention without requiring separate components that would detach during transportation.
3Force
If a conventional foamed shock absorber with large or fixed thickness is disposed between the rack and the door, then shock absorption is provided, but the door cannot be closed due to space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber uses flexible material that provides dynamic thickness adjustment. The material can compress and deform to accommodate varying door-to-rack distances, allowing the door to close properly while maintaining shock absorption capability. The flexibility enables the shock absorber to adapt to different spatial constraints during door operation.
4Ease of operation
If the rack is configured to be drawn forward out of the tub, then rack accessibility is improved, but the rack moves due to external force during transportation and scratches the door
Solution Approach 1:
The shock absorber is installed in advance to provide preliminary protection against rack movement during transportation. By positioning the flexible material between the rack and door before transportation, it pre-empts and prevents the harmful scratching action that would otherwise occur when external forces cause the rack to move.
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 shock absorber effectively prevents separation from the rack and tub, maintains secure attachment during transportation, and minimizes scratches on the inner door surface by using a soft material in contact with the door, ensuring the dishwasher's integrity and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a body made of flexible material
Implementation Method 2
one surface of the shock absorber, which comes into contact with the inner surface of the door, is made of soft material
Data Source
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AI summary
A shock absorber (300) and a dishwasher (100) including the same are disclosed. The dishwasher (100) includes a tub having a dish introduction port formed in a front surface thereof, a door (122) for opening and closing the dish introduction port and a rack (200) having moving casters so as to be drawn out of and introduced into the tub (130), dishes being placed on the rack (200), and the shock absorber (300) is disposed between the tub (130) of the dishwasher and the rack (200) and includes a body (310), a receiving groove (351,361) formed in one side surface of the body (310) so as to receive a portion of the rack (200), and a pressing portion (330) provided on a remaining surface of the body (310) so as to press and support a portion of the tub (130) to thus press the body (310) downwards.