Household appliance for preparing food in an outer part displaying optical information
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household appliances for food preparation have limited optical information display capabilities, making it difficult for users to perceive operating conditions from a distance due to restricted light transmission and narrow gaps for information presentation.
Innovation Solution
The appliance incorporates a second outer part, designed like a beam, which is permeable to light and backlit for optical information display, allowing light to radiate through and be visible from the front, enhancing the display area and intensity, and can be positioned as a vertical bar adjacent to the door for wide optical information display.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If light information is displayed through a narrow gap between front panels, then the appliance structure is simple, but the perceptibility and display area are restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from displaying optical information through a narrow linear gap (one-dimensional limitation) to using an entire beam-like outer part as the display surface (two-dimensional expansion). The light-guiding element is integrated into the beam structure, allowing light to illuminate the entire front surface area of the beam, thereby dramatically increasing the display area from a narrow gap to a substantial vertical surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The beam-like outer part serves multiple functions: it acts as both a structural closure element of the appliance and an optical information display surface. By integrating the light-guiding element into this multi-functional component, the patent eliminates the need for separate display structures, thereby increasing display area without proportionally increasing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If the door is closed, then the appliance is compact and safe, but the optical information display is obscured and not perceptible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a light-guiding element as an intermediary between the light source and the external environment. This light-guiding element is integrated into the beam-like outer part and acts as a mediator that conducts light from the interior light source through the closed door structure to the exterior, enabling optical information to be displayed reliably even when the door is closed and the appliance is in normal operating condition.
3Illumination intensity
If light is radiated through a very narrow gap, then the appliance structure is simple, but the light intensity and perceptibility from distance are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent expands the light transmission from a narrow linear gap (one-dimensional) to the entire front surface of a beam-like structure (two-dimensional). This dimensional expansion allows light to be distributed across a much larger surface area, significantly increasing the effective light intensity and perceptibility from distance without requiring a proportional increase in light source power or structural complexity.
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 configuration enables clear and extensive optical information display, allowing users to perceive operating conditions from a greater distance, improving the reliability and clarity of visual information, such as temperature and air circulation modes, through a larger surface area.
Implementation Method 1
a light-guiding element which is arranged on the inside below a control panel in the area of an oven muffle and is covered by the door when the door is closed
Implementation Method 2
The second outer part is designed separately from the first outer part. The second outer part is designed like a beam and is arranged on the front of the household appliance
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a household appliance (1) for preparing food, comprising a housing (2) having a first outer part (3, 10), on which an operating device (4) for adjusting the operating conditions of the household appliance (1) is formed, and comprising at least one second outer part (11, 13, 14) which is separate from the first outer part (3, 10), shaped like a beam and arranged on the household appliance (1) on the front side, wherein at least sections of the second outer part (11, 13, 14) are designed to be permeable to light in the spectral range that is visible for humans, and wherein the second outer part can be back-lit for the optical display of information via the second outer part (11, 13, 14).