Household appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances, such as dishwashers, face challenges in providing a space-efficient and automatic door pivoting mechanism that prevents uncontrolled door opening and ensures safety against object collision and entrapment.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance design featuring a pivotable door connected to a housing via a cable and a roller, where the cable is driven by a motor, utilizing a frictional force-fit to transfer drive force and incorporating a spring element to compensate for door weight, with a gearing system for precise torque control and a control device for automated door movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cable and spring element are used to compensate for door weight, then the door can be prevented from falling down, but the device complexity increases and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The motor-driven roller integrates the driving function and cable guidance into a single component, merging what would traditionally be separate elements (motor, cable guide, spring mechanism) into one compact unit. This reduces device complexity while maintaining the door compensation function through the frictional force-fit between the roller and cable.
2Reliability
If friction elements are provided to make door pivoting more difficult, then door control is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts door control characteristics through the motor-driven roller that can actively modulate cable tension. The frictional force-fit provides controlled resistance that adapts to operational needs, allowing easy manual opening while preventing uncontrolled closing, thus resolving the contradiction between control reliability and ease of operation.
3Extent of automation
If an electromotive drive is provided to open or close the door automatically, then automation is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is integrated directly into the roller component, creating a motor-driven roller that combines the electromotive drive with the cable guidance function. This merging eliminates the need for separate drive mechanisms, reducing overall device complexity and space requirements while maintaining full automation capability for door opening and closing operations.
4Device complexity
If a motor-driven roller is used to move the cable directly, then space is saved and automation is achieved, but the reliability of force transfer must be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The frictional force-fit between the roller and cable acts as an intermediary mechanism that reliably transfers motor-driven force to cable movement. This friction-based connection provides sufficient force transfer reliability for automated door operation while maintaining a compact design, as the friction interface naturally accommodates force variations without requiring complex mechanical connections.
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 enables a space-saving, automatic, and safe door operation that prevents uncontrolled opening and facilitates manual closing, while ensuring the door can be fully or partially opened/closed automatically, reducing the risk of object collision and entrapment.
Implementation Method 1
a transfer of drive force from the roller to the cable takes place exclusively with the aid of a frictional force-fit
Implementation Method 2
a spring element which is connected to the door and to the cable and which is designed to compensate at least partially for a weight of the door
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance includes a housing, a door pivotably connected to the housing, a cable connected to the door, a roller in contact with the cable, and a motor configured to drive the roller to move the cable such as to effect a pivoting movement of the door.