Appliance Door Spacer Assembly for Precise Front Gap Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional household appliances, such as ovens, face challenges in maintaining a constant gap width and parallelism between stationary and mobile parts of the front panel due to the one-piece unadjustable connection of front strips, leading to assembly issues and instability.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating adjustable spacers with clamping elements and screws to set a defined distance between the stationary and mobile parts of the appliance front, allowing for fine adjustments during assembly to achieve consistent gap width and parallelism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If front strips are connected as one-piece unadjustable parts, then manufacturing is simpler, but gap width consistency and parallelism deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The front strip connection is segmented into multiple adjustable sections rather than being a single unadjustable piece. Each section can be independently positioned using spacers and fastening points, allowing precise control of gap width and parallelism while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The front strip connection transitions from a static unadjustable structure to a dynamic adjustable structure. The spacers and fastening points enable the front strips to be positioned and adjusted during assembly, providing the flexibility needed to achieve consistent gap width and parallelism across different installation scenarios.
2Device complexity
If front strips are connected as one-piece unadjustable parts, then device complexity is reduced, but assembly precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The front strip connection structure is divided into modular segments with discrete spacers and fastening points. This segmentation maintains relatively simple device complexity while enabling precise adjustment of gap parallelism through the individual positioning of each segment during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Spacers are introduced as intermediary elements between the front strips and the appliance front. These spacers serve as mediators that enable precise control of gap dimensions and parallelism without significantly increasing the overall device complexity, as they are simple geometric elements that facilitate accurate positioning.
3Manufacturing precision
If spacers are used to adjust gap width, then gap precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are designed to perform multiple functions: they set the gap width, maintain parallelism, and provide positioning references during assembly. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving precise gap control.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer structure incorporates integrated fastening points and positioning features that enable self-alignment and self-securing during assembly. This self-service capability reduces the need for complex adjustment mechanisms and external tools, maintaining relatively simple device complexity while achieving precise gap width consistency.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance comprising a stationary device front and a device door (6) that can rotate about a stationary rotational axis and that is arranged at a defined distance from parts (5) of said device front. In order to maintain an adjustable, defined distance, at least one spacer (11) is arranged between the parts (5) of the device front that are adjacent to the closed device door (6) and the adjoining device door (6), said spacer being supported on at least one part of the stationary device front and on hinged parts of the rotational axis (7) of the mobile device door (6).