Actuation Unit Self-Aligning Assembly for Household Appliances

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Solution Overview

Problem

The assembly of stick blenders with multiple components leads to long tolerance chains, requiring manual screw connections for alignment, which increases production costs and susceptibility to errors.

Innovation Solution

An actuation unit with a circuit board, actuation button, and actuation element featuring a protrusion portion that fits into a recess, allowing for alignment and tolerance compensation without the need for screws, simplifying assembly and reducing error risks.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If manual screw connections are used for alignment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and production time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical screw connection system with a self-aligning geometric system. The actuation button features a conical outer surface that cooperates with a corresponding conical recess in the actuation element, enabling automatic alignment through geometric constraints rather than manual screw adjustment. This substitution eliminates the need for threaded fasteners while maintaining precise alignment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The actuation button is designed to self-align with the actuation element through its conical geometry. When the button is inserted into the housing, the conical surfaces automatically guide the components into proper alignment without requiring external adjustment tools or manual intervention. The system serves itself by using its own geometric features to achieve precise positioning.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Manufacturing precision

If manual screw connections are used for alignment, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvealignment precisionVSAvoidassembly speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the time-consuming manual screw connection process with an instant self-aligning geometric system. The conical surfaces of the actuation button and actuation element automatically establish precise alignment upon insertion, eliminating the need for manual adjustment and fastening operations. This dramatically reduces assembly time while maintaining alignment precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The conical alignment features are pre-formed as integral parts of the actuation button and actuation element during their respective manufacturing processes. This preliminary preparation of alignment geometry ensures that when components are assembled, the alignment function is already built-in, eliminating the need for time-consuming on-site adjustment and fastening operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple components are assembled in sequence, then functionality is improved, but tolerance chains increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefunctional capabilityVSAvoidtolerance accumulation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the alignment function into the actuation button itself through integrated conical surfaces. Instead of requiring separate alignment operations between multiple components, the conical geometry of the button and its corresponding recess create a unified self-aligning interface. This merging of alignment and actuation functions reduces the number of independent tolerance-critical interfaces in the assembly chain.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

4Manufacturing precision

If screw connections are used for tolerance compensation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetolerance compensationVSAvoidassembly simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the complex screw connection system with a simple conical geometric interface. The conical outer surface of the actuation button fits into a corresponding conical recess, providing automatic tolerance compensation through the self-aligning nature of conical geometry. This eliminates the need for threaded fasteners and manual adjustment procedures, dramatically simplifying the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the actuation button by incorporating conical surfaces with specific angles and dimensions. These conical parameters are designed to accommodate tolerance variations while maintaining proper alignment and functionality. By optimizing the conical geometry parameters, the system achieves tolerance compensation without requiring complex assembly operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11600456B2Actuation unit for a household appliance

Publication Date: 2023.03.07 DE LONGHI BRAUN HOUSEHOLD GMBH

AI summary

An actuation unit for a household appliance, preferably an electrically drivable, household appliance, includes an actuation element, having an actuation element base. The actuation element has a protrusion portion extending from the actuation element base, which is inserted into a recess of an actuation button, such that the actuation element and the actuation button have, in an assembled state, a degree of freedom in a direction corresponding to the extension of the protrusion portion and in a further direction.