Sliding Decorative Door Panel for Full-Opening Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
In household appliances like dishwashers and ovens, decorative panels mounted on doors often prevent the door from opening fully due to their length, and existing solutions like sliding mechanisms can be cumbersome or require detachment, which is undesirable.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance design featuring a door that opens by bending, with a hinge at its lower edge, a vertically mounted channel on the door, and a pin on the panel that slides within this channel, utilizing a spring-based balancing mechanism to keep the panel aligned with the door when closed and allowing it to slide as the door opens, ensuring the panel does not obstruct the door's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the panel is kept longer than the body for visual concerns, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the panel gets stuck at the lower side of the body and prevents the door from opening
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is designed to dynamically change its position relative to the door during operation. When the door is closed, the panel extends beyond the door for aesthetic purposes. When the door opens, the panel automatically retracts along the channel to avoid obstruction. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between maintaining aesthetic appearance and enabling door operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A sliding mechanism consisting of a pin and channel acts as an intermediary between the panel and the door. This intermediary mechanism allows the panel to be coupled to the door when closed but decoupled during opening, enabling the panel to move independently relative to the door to avoid getting stuck while maintaining aesthetic alignment when closed.
2Ease of operation
If sliding means are mounted between the panel and door to enable door opening, then the door can open 90 degrees, but the detaching of the panel from the door causes various objections
Solution Approach 1:
The sliding mechanism provides a dynamic connection between the panel and door that transitions from coupled (when closed) to decoupled (when opening). The pin moves along the channel, allowing the panel to slide relative to the door rather than detach completely, maintaining structural integrity while enabling full door opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection between panel and door is segmented into multiple interaction points through the channel and pin system. Instead of a single rigid connection or complete detachment, the segmented sliding interface allows controlled relative movement, distributing the mechanical interaction along the channel length and preventing complete separation while enabling door operation.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the panel is mounted rigidly to the door, then the panel maintains stable position, but the panel prevents the door from opening due to its length
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system transitions from a static rigid connection to a dynamic sliding connection. The pin moving along the channel allows the panel to maintain a fixed position relative to the door when closed (stability) while enabling relative movement during door opening (operability). This dynamic mounting resolves the contradiction between positional stability and operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid mounting is segmented into a guided sliding connection. Instead of direct rigid attachment, the panel is connected through the pin-channel interface that provides guidance and constraint when closed but allows movement when opening is required, segmenting the functional requirements of stability and mobility into different operational states.
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 the door to open fully without the panel getting stuck, maintaining the panel's decorative alignment and allowing for easy adjustment of spring tension to accommodate different panel weights and sizes, ensuring seamless operation and versatility.
Implementation Method 1
which has a spring located on the door
Implementation Method 2
which slides the panel on the door as the effect of the panel weight decreases while the door is opened
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance (1) comprising a body (2) which is disposed into the furniture, a door (3) which allows access into the body (2) and moves by rotating around a horizontal axis and which is opened by holding a handle, a hinge (4) which connects the door (3) to the body (2), and a decorative panel (5) which is slidably mounted onto the door (3).