Appliance Door Hinge Slot With Tapered Pin Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional appliances, such as dishwashers and ovens, face issues with inadvertent removal of doors during service and installation due to the need to lift the door upwardly, which can lead to accidental decoupling from the tub without the use of fasteners or locking pins.
Innovation Solution
The appliance features a bracket with a hinge slot that includes a tapered pin retainer and pin opening, allowing the door to be pivotally mounted while preventing inadvertent removal by guiding the pin into a tapered channel that restricts movement parallel to the central axis, ensuring the door remains securely attached.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is mounted to the tub using hinges without fasteners or locking pins to enable easy removal, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates as the door may be inadvertently removed during service and installation
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge slot is segmented into distinct functional zones: a tapered inlet for easy pin insertion, a channel for pin movement during operation, and a tapered pin retainer with a pin opening at the bottom to prevent inadvertent removal. This segmentation allows the hinge to provide both easy removal when intended and prevention against accidental removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge slot extends in a vertical dimension with the pin retainer positioned at the bottom portion, creating a dimensional barrier that prevents the pin from being accidentally removed upward while still allowing intentional removal by accessing the pin opening at the bottom of the slot.
2Reliability
If fasteners or locking pins are used to securely attach the door to the tub to improve reliability, then the door retention is improved, but the device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge slot combines multiple functions into a single integrated structure: it provides the pivot axis for door rotation, guides pin movement through the channel, and prevents inadvertent removal through the tapered pin retainer. This merging eliminates the need for separate fasteners or locking pins, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered pin retainer and channel structure automatically guides and retains the pin without requiring additional fastening components. The geometry of the hinge slot itself provides the retention mechanism, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for extra parts.
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance with a case and a door is provided. A bracket of the appliance is mounted to the case and includes a hinge slot. The hinge slot of the bracket has a channel, a tapered pin retainer and a pin opening. A pin of the door is disposed within the pin opening of the hinge slot in order to pivotally mount the door to the case.