Retractable Appliance Door Contacts Along the Guide Slot
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances with door-side and housing-side electrical contacts face challenges in efficiently and reliably supplying energy to door-side electrical consumers due to space constraints and potential for mechanical interference and short circuits, especially in steam cooking appliances where condensation occurs.
Innovation Solution
A guide apparatus with laterally positioned housing-side electrical contacts and a door-side guide path on the door's narrow edge, combined with a resilient second electrical contact and a decoupling element on the hinge rocker, allows for compact, precise, and reliable coupling of electrical contacts, preventing short circuits and ensuring energy supply only when the door is almost closed, thus enhancing energy efficiency and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If electrical contacts are arranged on support elements in conventional positions, then electrical energy can be supplied to door-side consumers, but the layout requires more space and complicates the guiding of door movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the housing-side electrical contact from a conventional central location to an adjacent position relative to the guide slot, utilizing lateral spacing. This dimensional repositioning reduces the space required for contact layout while maintaining reliable coupling through the guide apparatus that ensures precise relative positioning during door movement.
2Ease of operation
If the door is lowered into the storage space, then the door can be stowed away, but electrical contacts must be reliably coupled and decoupled during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The guide apparatus serves as an intermediary mechanism that simultaneously guides the door movement into the storage space and ensures reliable electrical contact coupling. The guide slot and guide path work together to constrain the relative motion between door-side and housing-side contacts, maintaining electrical connectivity throughout the movement sequence without interfering with door operation.
3Ease of operation
If electrical contacts are positioned to allow door movement, then the door can be opened and closed, but the contacts are exposed to mechanical interference and potential short circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical contact from the main door body and positions it adjacently to the guide slot in the housing-side wall. This separation removes the contact from areas subject to high mechanical stress and potential short circuits, while the guide apparatus ensures the contact remains properly positioned for reliable coupling during normal door operation.
4Device complexity
If the guide apparatus is configured with lateral guide slots, then the door guiding is simplified, but the electrical contact arrangement must be compact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the electrical contact arrangement with the guide slot structure, positioning the housing-side contact directly adjacent to the guide slot. This integration allows the guide apparatus to perform dual functions: guiding door movement and maintaining electrical contact alignment, thereby simplifying the overall device while requiring minimal additional space for the contact arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance includes a housing having a receiving space for food and a storage space disposed below the receiving space. A door for closing an opening of the receiving space of the housing is insertable into the storage place when the door is opened and includes at least one electrical consumer, a first electrical contact coupled to the electrical consumer, and a housing-side second electrical contact electrically coupled to the first electrical contact for supply of electrical energy to the consumer as a function of an operating position of the door. The door is guided into the storage space by a guide apparatus which has a housing-side horizontal guide slot arranged laterally in relation to the door in a side wall of the storage space. The second electrical contact is arranged adjacent to the guide slot in the side wall of the storage space.