Side-Accessible Appliance Hinge Receiver Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adjustable hinge receivers for appliances require repeated door opening and closing to adjust the oven door position, and they can stick due to gravity-based operation without an active mechanism, making it difficult to adjust the door's position without manual force or jostling.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable appliance hinge receiver with a base, a slide body, and an adjustment system that includes a rotatable adjustment shaft and an adjustment member, allowing for sliding movement along an axis without needing to open the door, and featuring inclined ramps to actively adjust the door position without relying on gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the adjustment screw is located adjacent the front wall of the appliance body, then the receiver can be adjusted, but the door must be opened at least partially to rotate the adjustment screw
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustment mechanism is repositioned from a location requiring door opening to a side-accessible location on the receiver base. The adjustment screw is now accessible from the side of the appliance, allowing adjustment without opening the door, thus eliminating the time loss from repeated door opening and closing operations.
2Device complexity
If the receiver operates by gravity, then the structure is simple, but the receiver sticks or jams when adjusting downward
Solution Approach 1:
A spring mechanism is introduced to counteract the gravitational force acting on the receiver. The spring applies an upward force that opposes gravity, enabling smooth downward adjustment without sticking or jamming. This active mechanism compensates for the simple gravity-based structure, improving reliability while maintaining overall simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring mechanism provides automatic assistance in the downward adjustment direction, eliminating the need for user force to overcome gravity. The system self-corrects the sticking problem by using the spring's stored energy to maintain smooth movement throughout the adjustment range.
3Ease of operation
If the adjustment screw is accessible from the side, then the door doesn't need to be opened, but the receiver base structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The receiver base is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides the mounting structure for the hinge, incorporates the adjustment mechanism with side-accessible screw, and integrates the spring compensation system. By making the base multi-functional, the design achieves side accessibility without proportionally increasing overall complexity, as the same structural elements serve multiple purposes.
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
Enables precise adjustment of the oven door position without opening the door and prevents sticking by using an active mechanism to move the slide body, improving usability and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
an adjustment shaft extending between and rotatably supported by the first and second side walls of the base. The adjustment shaft is rotatable relative to said base about an axis of rotation... rotation of the adjustment shaft in one of the first and second rotational directions causes the adjustment member to bear against the first ramp and induce sliding movement of the slide body relative to the base along said adjustment axis
Implementation Method 2
An adjustment system includes a first inclined ramp connected to the slide body... rotation of the adjustment shaft in one of the first and second rotational directions causes the adjustment member to bear against the first ramp and induce sliding movement of the slide body relative to the base along said adjustment axis
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable appliance hinge receiver includes a base including spaced-apart first and second lateral walls. A slide body is slidably connected to the base and located between the lateral walls. The slide body slides relative to the base along an adjustment axis. At least one hinge mounting structure is connected to the slide body and is adapted to be engaged by an associated hinge. An adjustment system includes a first inclined ramp connected to the slide body and an adjustment shaft that extends between and that is rotatably supported by the first and second lateral walls of the base. The adjustment shaft is rotatable relative to the base about an axis of rotation. The adjustment system also includes an adjustment member engaged with the adjustment shaft and selectively movable along the axis of rotation in opposite first and second directions in response to rotational movement of the adjustment shaft in opposite first and second rotational directions such that rotation of the adjustment shaft in one of the first and second rotational directions causes the adjustment member to bear against the first ramp and induce sliding movement of the slide body relative to the base along the adjustment axis.