Sliding Hinge Mechanism for Concealed Appliance Door Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional household appliance doors, such as oven doors, open by rotating outward, limiting accessibility due to their extension from the front of the appliance, requiring users to reach forward to access the heating compartment.
Innovation Solution
A household appliance with a door that slides inside the housing when opened, utilizing a hinge mechanism with a guide element, wheels, and a hydraulic damper to control the door's movement, allowing it to be concealed within the appliance, enhancing accessibility and sealing efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door rotates outward to open, then the door can be easily operated with simple hinge mechanism, but the door extends forward limiting accessibility to the heating compartment
Solution Approach 1:
The door movement is changed from a simple rotational motion in one dimension to a combined sliding and rotating motion in multiple dimensions. The guide element constrains the door to slide along a predetermined path that includes both horizontal and vertical components, allowing the door to clear the front surface and open in a different spatial dimension, thus improving accessibility without complicating the basic hinge operation
2Device complexity
If the door slides inside the housing when opened, then accessibility is improved and door is concealed, but the hinge mechanism becomes more complex with guide elements and wheels
Solution Approach 1:
A guide element is introduced as an intermediary component between the door and the housing structure. This guide element simplifies the overall mechanism by providing a predetermined sliding path that constrains the door's movement, eliminating the need for complex multi-component hinge assemblies while achieving the desired concealed opening motion
Solution Approach 2:
The guide element and wheel combination creates a self-guiding system where the door's own weight and movement naturally follow the predetermined path defined by the guide element. The mechanism uses the door's motion itself to engage and disengage from the guide element, reducing the need for additional actuators or complex control systems
3Device complexity
If the door is fully concealed within the appliance, then accessibility and aesthetics are improved, but sealing and closure security become more difficult to ensure
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is designed to guide the door into a precise predetermined position before the door is fully closed. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the door aligns correctly with the housing opening, with the guide element maintaining proper spacing and orientation, thereby ensuring effective sealing and closure security before the final closed position is reached
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 provides improved accessibility and ensures a secure, sealed closure by allowing the door to be fully opened and concealed within the appliance, reducing the need for forward reaching and enhancing operational convenience.
Implementation Method 1
a hydraulic damper to control the door's movement
Data Source
Figure 1~1A
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
A household appliance (1) having at least one door (3) which comprises a guide element (30) sliding within a first guide (31) constrained to a structure (3A) of the household appliance (1), the door comprising a second guide (32) inside which a joint (6) of a first hinge (5) is slidingly engaged, the first hinge (5) comprising a frame (7) fixed to the structure (3A) of the household appliance, the joint (6) and the frame (7) being reciprocally hinged at a first point (A), the joint (6) being also hinged at a second point (B) - other than the first point (A) - to a tie rod (8) to which a load is applied by an elastic element (9) constrained to the frame (7), the hinge (5) comprising a damper (10) configured to brake the door motion of the door when the door (3) is nearing the closed position.