Appliance having a user interface adaptive to changing positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing appliances, such as stand mixers, face challenges in maintaining user interface visibility and accessibility due to movable components, requiring manual adjustment by users, which can be cumbersome and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
The appliance is designed to control the position and orientation of the user interface relative to movable components, such as a head unit, using sensors and controllers to maintain a constant and accessible position automatically, ensuring readability and usability regardless of the component's movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the user interface is placed on a movable component to improve visibility and accessibility, then the user interface can be positioned in more locations, but the user interface orientation changes with component movement requiring manual adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The user interface is made dynamically adjustable in position and/or orientation in response to component movement. The system automatically detects when a component moves and adjusts the user interface accordingly, transforming a static interface into a dynamic one that adapts to changing conditions, thereby resolving the contradiction between flexible placement and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-adjustment of the user interface without requiring manual intervention from the user. Sensors detect component position changes and automatically trigger user interface repositioning or reorientation, allowing the system to serve itself and eliminate the need for users to manually adjust the interface.
2Device complexity
If the user interface position is fixed on a movable component, then the component structure remains simple, but the user interface visibility changes with component movement
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than keeping the user interface fixed, the system implements dynamic adjustment mechanisms that activate only when needed. This allows the basic component structure to remain relatively simple while adding intelligence to automatically maintain user interface visibility, balancing structural simplicity with operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect component movement and provides feedback to a controller that adjusts the user interface position or orientation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures the user interface remains visible and accessible without requiring complex mechanical structures, as the adjustment is triggered and controlled by automated feedback systems.
3Device complexity
If manual adjustment of the user interface is required, then the system structure remains simple, but user convenience decreases when hands are occupied
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically detects component movement and adjusts the user interface without requiring any manual action from the user. This self-service capability allows users to operate the appliance with both hands occupied while the system handles user interface adjustments autonomously, significantly improving user convenience with minimal additional complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical adjustment with an automated system using sensors and controllers. Instead of requiring users to physically move or rotate the user interface, electronic sensors detect component position and electronically control the user interface adjustment, substituting mechanical user action with an automated electromechanical system.
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance comprises a component having a user interface. The appliance is arranged to control a feature of the user interface in dependence on a change in the position (such as a locational or rotational position) of the component.