Sliding Hinge Mechanism for Decorative Panel Clearance in Dishwashers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dishwasher designs face challenges in integrating decorative front panels that are longer than the door, leading to interference with the baseboard and requiring additional mechanisms like articulated or telescopic structures, which are cumbersome and necessitate multiple dishwasher versions.
Innovation Solution
A hinge mechanism that allows the decorative front panel to slide orthogonally within the hinges, utilizing a driving mechanism integrated into the hinges to facilitate the sliding motion without external components, enabling the use of shorter decorative panels and eliminating the need for recesses in the baseboard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an articulated lever mechanism is added to automatically slide the decorative front panel, then the panel can be moved upwards during door opening, but the mechanism becomes cumbersome and protrudes below the hinges, requiring multiple dishwasher versions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sliding function and the hinge function into a single integrated unit. The decorative front panel is directly connected to the rotating bracket, which rotates about the fulcrum pin to provide both the hinge rotation and the sliding motion simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate articulated lever mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism serves multiple functions: it acts as both the pivot point for door rotation and the driving mechanism for sliding the decorative front panel. The rotating bracket performs dual roles by both rotating about the fulcrum pin and guiding the sliding block along the elongated guide structure, making the system universally applicable without requiring version-specific mechanisms
2Ease of operation
If a telescopic mechanism is used to slide the decorative front panel, then the panel can be moved during door opening, but the mechanism is cumbersome and requires multiple dishwasher versions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the telescopic sliding function with the hinge rotation function. The rotating bracket integrates both the rotational pivot capability and the elongated guide structure for sliding, eliminating the need for separate telescopic mechanisms that would add complexity and require multiple versions
3Adaptability or versatility
If the decorative front panel is made longer to match furniture, then aesthetic integration is improved, but interference with the baseboard occurs during door opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the position of the decorative front panel dynamic rather than fixed. The panel is connected to the sliding block that moves along the elongated guide structure, allowing the panel to automatically adjust its vertical position during door opening and closing, thus avoiding interference with the baseboard while maintaining aesthetic integration
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a recess is provided in the baseboard to receive the projecting portion of the decorative front panel, then interference is avoided, but room is wasted and different dishwasher versions are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for static recesses by implementing dynamic sliding motion. The decorative front panel automatically moves upward during door opening through the rotating bracket mechanism, so no permanent recess space is required in the baseboard, maximizing the usable volume of the dishwasher
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A
Figure 2B
AI summary
A hinge (235;535;635;735) is proposed for use in a domestic appliance (100) to rotationally connect a door (125,130) of the appliance to a body (105) of the appliance, wherein a decorative front panel (140) can be mounted in front of the door and arranged slidably in an essentially orthogonal direction relative to a rotation axis (242) of the door with respect to the body, the hinge including a support bracket (240) for connection to the body, a rotating bracket (241) for connection to the door, the rotating bracket being rotationally connected to the support bracket, and a driving mechanism (245-249;545-551;645-646,665,261-263;750,751,785,786,787,788) arranged to interact both with the support bracket and the rotating bracket to be operated when the rotating bracket is rotating. In the solution according to an embodiment of the invention, the rotating bracket includes an elongated guide structure (270) extending essentially orthogonally to the rotation axis of the door and a sliding block (271-274;271-274;671-674;771-778) for connection to the decorative front panel, the sliding block being slidably guided along the elongated guide structure, wherein the sliding block cooperates with the driving mechanism to achieve a sliding of the sliding block along the elongated guide structure and a corresponding sliding of the decorative front panel with respect to the door during the rotation of the rotating bracket.