Multi-Sided Rotatable Tine Design for Adaptable Dishwasher Racks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dishwasher racks with fixed configurations struggle to accommodate a variety of dishware shapes and sizes, leading to inefficient loading and the need for multiple wash cycles, as they often prevent certain items from being loaded due to their shape, size, or height.
Innovation Solution
A top rack with a central body and adjustable engagement elements, controlled by an actuator, allowing for multiple configurations of engagement elements to be selected, such as varying height and gap spacing, enabling better accommodation of diverse items by rotating the central body and altering the shape of the engagement elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rack has a fixed permanent design with projecting tines, then the rack structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but it cannot accommodate dishware of varying shapes and sizes efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The rack employs adjustable tines that can be moved between multiple positions along the rack structure, transforming the static fixed design into a dynamic configurable system. This allows the rack to adapt its configuration to accommodate different dishware shapes and sizes while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack structure is divided into modular components with individual adjustable tines that can be independently positioned. This segmentation allows each tine to be configured separately to match the specific dimensions and shapes of different dishware items, enhancing versatility without requiring complete structural redesign.
2Productivity
If a rack has a fixed permanent design, then the manufacturing process is simple, but multiple wash cycles are required due to inefficient loading
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable tine mechanism enables the rack to be reconfigured for different loading scenarios, allowing users to optimize rack space utilization for each wash cycle. This increases productivity by enabling complete loading of the dishwasher in single cycles rather than requiring multiple partial cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack allows changes in the positional parameters of the tines to optimize spacing and configuration for different dishware arrangements. This flexibility enables maximum space utilization and efficient loading patterns that improve washing productivity without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rack has fixed projecting tines, then the rack design is straightforward, but certain items cannot be loaded due to shape, size, or height constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable tines can be repositioned to create custom configurations that accommodate diverse item shapes, sizes, and heights. Users can adjust the tines to match the specific dimensions of items to be loaded, eliminating the restrictions imposed by fixed tine designs while maintaining operational simplicity through intuitive adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A domestic appliance (100; 200), and a dishwasher (100) in particular, which includes a rack (400; 500) which is able to be reversibly pulled out from within the domestic appliance (100; 300), in particular a dishwasher (100) for the placement of dishware and/or crockery, wherein the rack (400; 500) includes an actuator (405; 505, 506) configured to rotate a multi-sided rotatable tine body (408; 508, 509) such as to select between a discrete number of predetermined tine configurations which differ in tine height, spacing, and the distance between tines.