Movable Door Handle Linkage to Prevent Hand Jamming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional home appliances with large doors pose user inconvenience due to the need to apply significant force and change hand posture to open or close them, leading to potential hand jamming and injury between the door handle and penetration hole, especially as the door size and weight increase.
Innovation Solution
A home appliance design featuring a handle assembly with a link that converts door rotation into handle rotation, incorporating an elastic member and screen to manage the gap between the handle link and penetration hole, allowing smooth operation and preventing hand jamming by varying the link length and position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the door size and capacity are increased, then the storage capacity and functionality are improved, but the door weight increases making it difficult to open and close
Solution Approach 1:
A counterweight is provided that applies an upward force on the door to counteract its weight. The counterweight system includes a counterweight member connected to the door through a linkage mechanism, creating a balanced state where the door requires minimal force to open and close, directly resolving the contradiction between large door size and ease of operation.
2Device complexity
If the handle is fixed to the door, then the structure is simple, but the user must change hand posture and apply significant force to operate the heavy door
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed to be movable rather than fixed, capable of rotating about a handle rotating shaft. When the door is opened or closed, the handle automatically rotates to maintain an ergonomic orientation relative to the user's hand, eliminating the need for hand posture changes and reducing operational force requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The handle performs periodic rotational movements synchronized with the door's opening and closing cycles. This periodic rotation ensures the handle remains in the most convenient position for user interaction throughout the door's motion, improving ease of operation without significantly increasing structural complexity.
3Device complexity
If the handle link is positioned close to the penetration hole, then the mechanism is compact, but the user's hand may be jammed between the handle link and penetration hole causing injury
Solution Approach 1:
A protective member is provided that preliminarily prevents the user's hand from entering the dangerous zone between the handle link and penetration hole. The protective member acts as a barrier before the jamming can occur, blocking the user's hand from reaching the hazardous area while allowing normal door operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective member serves as an intermediary element between the user's hand and the dangerous mechanism area. It mediates the interaction by physically blocking access to the hazardous zone while maintaining the compact mechanism design, thus preventing hand jamming without requiring significant spatial separation.
4Ease of operation
If the handle rotates with the door, then the handle remains accessible, but the linkage mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The handle rotation mechanism is merged with the existing door linkage system. The handle rotating shaft and counterweight linkage are integrated into a unified mechanism where components serve dual functions: the linkage that moves the counterweight also drives the handle rotation, reducing overall complexity while maintaining handle accessibility throughout door operation.
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 solution enhances user safety and convenience by preventing hand injury and facilitating easy door operation, maintaining handle accessibility and reducing the force required to close the door, even when the user's hand is near the penetration hole.
Implementation Method 1
a link for converting rotation of the door into rotation of the handle link, a length of the link being variable to allow the rotation of the door in a state in which the rotation of the handle link is restrained
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3(a)~3(b)
AI summary
Disclosed is a home appliance having a door (300), and more particularly, a home appliance for assisting a user in easily opening or closing a door. The home appliance includes a cabinet having a chamber for receiving an object, a door (300) for opening or closing the chamber at a front side of the cabinet by being rotated about a door rotating shaft (461), the door (300) having a penetration hole (311) formed in a front surface thereof, a handle (410) provided on the front surface of the door (300) for assisting a user in opening or closing the door (300), a handle link (420) for rotating about a handle link rotating shaft (422) provided inside the door (300), a length of the handle link (420), exposed to an outside of the door (300) through the penetration hole (311), being variable as an opening angle of the door (300) increases, and a link (440) for converting rotation of the door (300) into rotation of the handle link (420), a length of the link (440) being variable to allow the rotation of the door (300) in a state in which the rotation of the handle link (420) is restrained.