Actuation unit for a household appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The assembly of hand blenders is complex and costly due to the need for manual screw connections to compensate for tolerance gaps, leading to susceptibility to errors and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
An actuating unit with a circuit board, an actuating button, and an actuating element featuring a protruding portion that fits into a recess, allowing for tolerance compensation without a screw connection, enabling easier assembly and reducing assembly risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual screw connections are used to compensate for tolerance gaps, then assembly reliability is improved, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the screw connection component from the assembly system. Instead of using screws to compensate for tolerance gaps, the design extracts this function and replaces it with a tolerance-compensating structure integrated into the actuating button assembly, thereby simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining assembly reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a tolerance-compensating element as an intermediary between the actuating button and the circuit board. This intermediary component absorbs the tolerance gaps through its elastic deformation capability, eliminating the need for screw connections and reducing assembly complexity while ensuring reliable electrical contact
2Reliability
If manual screw connections are used to compensate for tolerance gaps, then assembly reliability is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating button assembly is designed to self-align and self-compensate for tolerance gaps through its elastic structure. The component automatically adjusts to fit within the tolerance range during insertion, eliminating the need for manual screw tightening operations and thereby increasing assembly productivity while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
By removing the screw connection requirement, the patent eliminates the time-consuming manual tightening operation from the assembly process. The tolerance compensation function is extracted and integrated into the button's elastic structure, allowing for faster assembly without compromising reliability
3Manufacturing precision
If tolerance compensation is achieved by manual alignment and screw locking, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the actuating button to an elastic deformable structure. This parameter change allows the component to passively adapt to tolerance variations through elastic deformation during assembly, achieving manufacturing precision without requiring manual alignment skills or complex locking procedures, thereby improving ease of manufacture
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an actuation unit for a household appliance (100), and to a household appliance that preferably can be electrically driven. The actuation unit comprises an actuation element (20) having an actuation element base (21), wherein the actuation element has a protrusion section (23) extending from the actuation element base, said protrusion section being introduced into a recess (113) in an actuation button (110) in such a way that the actuation element and the actuation button have, in the assembled state, a degree of freedom in a direction corresponding to the extent of the protrusion section and in a further direction.