Wheel shelf for a dish washing appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dish washing appliance racks often experience issues with wheels getting caught or snagged when deploying or stowing, leading to bumps or delays due to discontinuous wheel shelves across the gap between the door and tub.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an intermediate pivotable wheel shelf that bridges the gap between the first and second wheel shelves, creating a continuous horizontal wheel shelf when the door is open, allowing the rack to smoothly transition between stowed and deployed positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a discontinuous wheel shelf configuration is used between the door and tub, then the structure is simpler, but the rack experiences bumps and delays when deploying or stowing
Solution Approach 1:
An intermediate wheel shelf is introduced between the first wheel shelf (attached to the tub) and the second wheel shelf (attached to the door). This intermediary component bridges the gap created when the door opens, maintaining wheel support continuity and preventing the rack from experiencing bumps or delays during deployment and stowing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate wheel shelf is designed to be movable relative to both the tub and the door, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position as the door opens and closes. This dynamic configuration ensures that the wheel shelf remains substantially continuous and horizontal throughout the door's range of motion, eliminating operational disruptions while adapting to changing geometric relationships between the door and tub.
2Ease of operation
If the door is hinged to open outward, then access through the opening is improved, but a gap is created between the door and tub that disrupts the wheel shelf continuity
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate wheel shelf acts as a mediator that spans the gap created by the hinged door opening. It connects the stationary first wheel shelf on the tub with the moving second wheel shelf on the door, ensuring that the wheel support surface remains continuous and reliable even when the door is in the open position, thus preventing rack wheels from encountering disruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The intermediate wheel shelf dynamically responds to the door's angular position, maintaining its bridging function across the gap. As the door rotates from closed to open positions, the intermediate shelf adjusts accordingly, preserving wheel shelf continuity and reliability throughout the motion range while allowing full door opening for access.
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
Ensures seamless deployment and stowing of the rack by maintaining a continuous wheel surface across the gap, preventing wheel snagging and ensuring smooth movement.
Implementation Method 1
the intermediate wheel shelf may include a biasing member. In various embodiments, the biasing member may tension the intermediate wheel shelf towards a first pivoting position
Implementation Method 2
the intermediate wheel shelf may include a biasing member. In various embodiments, the biasing member may tension the intermediate wheel shelf towards a first pivoting position
Implementation Method 3
the intermediate wheel shelf may include a second hinge, wherein the intermediate wheel shelf may be pivotable about the second hinge
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf for an appliance such as a dish washing appliance. The shelf may include an intermediate wheel shelf. The intermediate wheel shelf may include a biasing member. The intermediate wheel shelf may be pivotable between one or more positions. The intermediate wheel shelf may form a substantially continuous wheel shelf configuration with one or more wheel shelves.