Home appliance having leveling door handle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home appliances with fixed door handles can cause user inconvenience, such as hand damage and difficulty in locating the handle during door operation, due to the fixed relative position of the handle with respect to the door.
Innovation Solution
A home appliance design that allows the angle of the handle to vary with the opening and closing angle of the door, using a link rod system with guide protrusions and joints to smoothly rotate the handle and latch in linkage with the door, ensuring the latch moves to a hidden position when the door is open.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the handle is fixed to the door to rotate integrally with the door, then the handle maintains a fixed relative position with respect to the door, but this causes user inconvenience and potential hand damage during door operation
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to change its angle relative to the door according to the opening and closing angle of the door. The link rod mechanism dynamically adjusts the handle position, allowing it to rotate independently from the door while maintaining proper orientation for user grip, thus resolving the contradiction between fixed position stability and operational ease
2Ease of operation
If the handle is spaced from the front surface of the door by a predetermined distance, then the user can hold the handle, but the back of the user hand may be touched to the door while lowering, causing potential hand damage
Solution Approach 1:
The handle distance from the door surface is dynamically adjusted based on the door's opening angle. When the door is closed or partially open, the handle maintains sufficient spacing for safe gripping. As the door opens, the link rod mechanism adjusts the handle position to prevent the user's hand from contacting the door, thereby eliminating the harmful factor while preserving accessibility
3Ease of operation
If the handle moves according to the operation of the door, then user convenience is improved, but the mechanism becomes more complex requiring link rods and joints
Solution Approach 1:
A link rod is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the door and the handle. This single intermediate component, coupled with simple joints, enables the handle to move appropriately with door operation without requiring a complex mechanical system. The link rod translates door movement into handle position adjustment, achieving the desired functionality with minimal added complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A home appliance in which an opening and closing operation of a door and a turning operation of a handle are connected through five joints, so that the turning operation of the handle can be performed smoothly, and a latch for fixing the door to a body moves to a position parallel to the door when the door is opened, so that a user is prevented from being interfered with the latch while opening the door and using a cavity of the home appliance.