Worm-Driven Levelling Feet Adjustment for Rear Appliance Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, face challenges in adjusting the height of rear levelling feet, which are often inaccessible and can induce torques that may damage plastic parts during manual actuation, leading to increased costs and reduced reliability in positioning and alignment.
Innovation Solution
A height-adjusting device featuring a threaded shaft with flattened sections or axially extending grooves for interlocking passage through an adjustment housing, driven by a worm wheel and worm, with a torque limiting element to prevent damage from excessive torque, allowing for easy and reliable adjustment of multiple levelling feet with a single tool.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual actuation of height-adjusting devices is used to adjust rear levelling feet, then height adjustment is achieved, but torques may damage plastic parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by incorporating a torque limiting element that prevents excessive torque from damaging plastic parts during manual actuation. The torque limiting element is designed to slip or disengage when a predetermined torque threshold is exceeded, thereby protecting the plastic components from damage while still allowing effective height adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary mechanism (torque limiting element) between the manual actuation force and the plastic parts. This intermediary element absorbs or limits the torque transmission, preventing direct damage to the plastic components while still enabling the height adjustment function.
2Ease of manufacture
If threaded shaft passes through adjustment housing without interlocking, then assembly is simple, but levelling foot may rotate during adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by providing the threaded shaft with flattened sections or axially extending grooves that create an asymmetric cross-section. This asymmetric design prevents the shaft from rotating within the adjustment housing while maintaining a relatively simple assembly process. The flattened sections or grooves engage with corresponding features in the housing to provide anti-rotation capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple different height-adjusting devices are used for different levelling feet, then specific adjustment needs are met, but tool variety increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing a standardized height-adjusting device that can be used for all levelling feet of the household appliance. The adjusting rod with a standardized tool holder allows a single tool to actuate all height-adjusting devices, eliminating the need for multiple different tools while maintaining the ability to adjust each levelling foot independently.
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
This solution enables efficient and intuitive height adjustment of household appliances, reducing costs and preventing damage to plastic parts, while ensuring stable positioning and alignment, even in inaccessible areas, with a compact and cost-effective design.
Implementation Method 1
A worm wheel mounted rotatably in the adjustment housing and configured as a nut, which is configured as an output gear at its outer circumference and which is driven by way of a worm connected to an adjusting rod
Implementation Method 2
a threaded shaft, which passes vertically through an adjustment housing fixed to the housing and has a foot plate
Data Source
AI summary
A household appliance includes a housing, height-adjustable levelling feet arranged on an underside of the housing, and height-adjusting devices for adjusting a height of the leveling feet, respectively. Each height-adjusting device includes an adjustment housing fixed to the housing, a threaded shaft passing vertically through the adjustment housing in an interlocking manner and including a foot plate, a worm wheel as an output gear at an outer circumference thereof which is mounted rotatably in the adjustment housing and threadably engaged with the threaded shaft, and a worm connected to an adjusting rod and forming a drive gear for driving the worm wheel. The threaded shaft can have along a length thereof a flattened section which rests against the adjustment housing at one point at least, or two flattened sections arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft, or two axially extending grooves arranged on opposite sides of the threaded shaft.