Appliance Hinge Damping via Removable Cartridge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hinges for domestic appliances with internal dampers face challenges in inserting and effectively harmonizing damping members within limited spaces, leading to irregular operations and complex assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A hinge design featuring a box-shaped element with a helical spring, a compression rod, a connecting rod, and a gas or fluid damping cylinder, where the damping cylinder is housed in a removable cartridge and actuated by a rocker lever, simplifying the mechanism and improving precision and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If damping members are inserted in the limited space available for housing the hinges, then the damping action is provided, but the damping capacity is reduced due to space constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The damping member is nested within the hinge structure by housing the damping cylinder inside the box-shaped element. The piston rod extends through the lever, allowing the damping component to be integrated into the existing hinge geometry without requiring additional external space.
2Ease of operation
If damping members are introduced in the hinges, then the door closing is slowed down, but the actuation of the damping member becomes complex and imprecise due to multiple dynamically connected elements
Solution Approach 1:
The actuation of the damping member is merged with the existing hinge movement. The lever that naturally moves during door operation directly acts as the actuating mechanism for the damping cylinder, eliminating the need for separate actuation components and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The piston rod serves as an intermediary element that connects the lever movement to the damping cylinder. As the lever moves during door operation, the piston rod transmits this motion to compress or extend the damping cylinder, precisely controlling the damping action through the natural hinge movement.
3Reliability
If the stroke of the damping member is predetermined with maximum effectiveness in a specific stretch, then the damping action is optimized for that interval, but it is difficult to harmonize with the angular stretch of the hinge movement
Solution Approach 1:
The damping cylinder is designed with dynamic stroke characteristics that adapt to the hinge movement profile. The piston rod connects to the lever at a point that allows the damping stroke to vary dynamically during the door closing process, providing maximum damping effectiveness precisely when needed in the angular stretch of the hinge movement.
4Reliability
If prior art dampened hinges have quite articulated actuation mechanisms, then the damping action is achieved, but the assembly process becomes relatively complex
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is segmented into distinct functional components: the box-shaped element housing the damping cylinder, the lever with the piston rod, and the elastic elements. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured and assembled independently, simplifying the overall assembly process while maintaining the damping functionality.
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
The design provides a structurally simple, effective, and practical damping solution that ensures smooth and silent door closure without user intervention, reducing the complexity of assembly and enhancing operational precision.
Implementation Method 1
suitable damping means have been introduced in the hinges... The use of internal dampers in hinges in order to slow the closing or opening of the of the door is well known in the prior art
Implementation Method 2
Elastic elements act on the above-mentioned lever which influence the movement of the door during both opening and closing
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Described is a hinge for doors of electrical household appliances, comprising a box-shaped element (6) and a first lever (5) pivoted on the box-shaped element (6) by means of a first pin (7); one of either the box-shaped element (6) or the first lever (5) being fixable to a frame (2) and the other being fixable to a door (3), to make the door (3) tiltably movable relative to the frame (2) between a closed position and an open position; first elastic means (8) supported by the box-shaped element (6) and designed to apply an elastic action on the first lever (5), a rod (12) for connecting the first lever (5) to the first elastic means (8), the connecting rod (12) being positioned in a slidable fashion inside the box-shaped element (6); a damping member (17) for applying a damping action during the reciprocal motion of the first lever (5) and the box-shaped element (6), in the proximity of reaching the closed position; a cartridge (18) for containing the hydraulic damping member (17), the cartridge (18) being fixed to the box-shaped element (6).