Household Appliance Force Sensor Mounting Without Screw Fasteners
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances, such as dishwashers, face challenges in attaching force transducers for support and stability without requiring extensive assembly or additional components, particularly when they lack a complete outer housing.
Innovation Solution
The use of force transducers with open or enclosed recesses that engage with tabs or hook-like holders on the container's rear wall, allowing for secure attachment without screws, facilitated by bending or edging processes that can be automated, enabling easy assembly and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If force transducers are attached by screwing to the container, then reliable support and stability are achieved, but assembly effort increases and additional fastening components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the fastening function from separate screw components and integrates it into the force transducer itself. The force transducer is designed with a pressing element that directly engages with the container wall, eliminating the need for separate fastening means while maintaining reliable support and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the fastening function with the force transducer body. The pressing element is an integral part of the force transducer, combining the measurement function and the attachment function into a single component, thereby reducing assembly complexity and eliminating separate fastening components.
2Reliability
If screws are manually fixed through bores in the force transducers, then secure attachment is achieved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing element is pre-configured in the force transducer during manufacturing, ready to engage with the container wall. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for manual screw fixation during assembly, significantly reducing assembly time while maintaining secure attachment through the pre-designed pressing mechanism.
3Strength
If force transducers are mounted on the outside of the container, then support against kitchen furniture and resistance to external forces are achieved, but additional components and assembly steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The force transducer is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously provides external support against kitchen furniture, resists external forces during transport and storage, and serves as the attachment mechanism itself. This universality eliminates the need for separate mounting brackets or fastening components, reducing the total number of parts while maintaining structural strength.
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
This solution simplifies the attachment process, enhances stability by distributing force effectively, and eliminates the need for separate fastening means, thereby reducing assembly time and material requirements while maintaining support against kitchen furniture and resisting external forces during transport or storage.
Implementation Method 1
at least a partial area of the at least one tab or similar hook-like holder is tilted by around 70 to 90° in particular bent, preferably folded over
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The appliance (1) has rear force sensors (4, 5) and front force sensors (6, 7) attached to a container (2). The sensors support the appliance with respect to a surrounding kitchen furniture or a wall in an installed state and/or support the appliance against external forces in a stacked or raised position during transportation or temporary storage. The sensors are indirectly or directly held at the container. One of the sensors is provided with an open or closed recess. Flaps or hook-like holders engage in the recess in a mounted position of the sensors. The flaps are attached to an outer area of the container. The force sensors are formed as plastic injection molded parts.