Oven Door Hinge Assembly for Upper Chamber Access and Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Double oven range appliances face difficulties in accessing and monitoring food items within the upper cooking chamber due to its smaller size and poor visibility, making it inconvenient for users to handle and observe cooking progress.
Innovation Solution
The oven appliance features a hinge assembly with a hinge arm and gasket that allows the door to pivot and slide, enabling easier access and visibility by moving the door along a transverse direction and pivoting between vertical and peak positions, while a gasket seals the gap to prevent heat from entering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional hinge is used to mount the door, then the door can be opened to access the cooking chamber, but the door cannot be moved far enough to allow easy access to food items in the upper cooking chamber
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge assembly is designed to allow the door to pivot through a wide arc from the closed position to an extended position, transforming the static hinge into a dynamic mechanism that adapts its range of motion to provide both access and visibility
Solution Approach 2:
The door movement is extended beyond the traditional 90-degree opening into a third spatial dimension, allowing the door to reach forward and extend outward, creating a peak position that provides both access and viewing angle
2Ease of operation
If the door is opened fully to access food items, then accessibility is improved, but visibility of food items remains poor due to the small size of the upper cooking chamber
Solution Approach 1:
By extending the door forward in the transverse direction rather than simply opening it outward, the invention creates a new viewing dimension that allows users to see into the small upper cooking chamber from an optimized angle
3Ease of operation
If the door is moved along the transverse direction and pivoted to a peak position, then access and visibility are improved, but heat loss and insulation are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing system is divided into multiple segments including a primary gasket that seals the door to the cabinet and a secondary gasket that seals the hinge arm to the door, creating layered protection against heat loss
4Loss of energy
If a gasket is added to seal the hinge arm opening, then heat insulation is improved, but the complexity of the hinge assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is designed to be self-sealing through its material properties and geometric configuration, automatically conforming to the hinge arm and door surfaces without requiring additional actuation or complex mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
An oven appliance includes a hinge assembly. The hinge assembly couples a door to slide assemblies such that the door is pivotable. The hinge assembly includes a hinge arm that extends through an opening of the door. The hinge arm has a plurality of rounded edges at the opening of the door. A gasket is mounted to the door at the opening of the door. The gasket extends around the hinge arm and contacts the hinge arm at the rounded edges of the hinge arm.