Blender Rotatable Blade Assembly with Lid-Actuated Motor Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blenders are inconvenient for users due to the need for repeated button pressing or knob turning for pulsed operation and lack robust cutting and crushing capabilities, especially when processing ice.
Innovation Solution
A blender system with a rotatable blade assembly featuring cutting blades with varying radii of curvature and a crushing blade, oriented to change leading and trailing surfaces based on rotation direction, and a lid with a hinged actuator lever that activates the motorized unit by intersecting with a slidable actuator shaft, preventing unwanted activation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional blenders use buttons or knobs on the base for motor actuation, then the motor can be controlled, but the operation becomes inconvenient and requires repeated user actions
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly automatically returns to its initial position after completing a blending cycle, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The spring mechanism self-returns the blade assembly to the retracted position, allowing the system to service itself and prepare for the next operation without user action.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly is pre-positioned in a retracted initial position where it does not contact food products. This preliminary positioning prevents unwanted activation and prepares the system for controlled operation, requiring user action only when blending is actually needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional blenders use single-type cutting blades, then the structure is simple, but the ability to process diverse food products including ice is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly is divided into distinct functional components: crushing blades with blunt edges for ice and hard foods, and cutting blades with sharp edges for softer foods. This segmentation allows each blade type to be optimized for its specific function while working together in a unified assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the blade assembly have different properties - crushing blades have blunt edges and different orientations for impacting hard foods, while cutting blades have sharp edges for slicing softer foods. Each local region is optimized for its specific processing task, providing versatility without requiring completely separate devices.
3Ease of operation
If the blade assembly remains stationary in one position, then the structure is simple, but the ability to control operation and prevent unwanted activation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The blade assembly transitions from a static position to a dynamic system that can rotate between a retracted initial position and an operational position. This dynamic positioning allows the blade assembly to be active only when needed, providing operational control while minimizing complexity through a single degree of freedom motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly operates in periodic cycles: it rotates to the operational position for blending, then automatically returns to the retracted position. This periodic motion between two positions enables controlled operation and prevents unwanted activation during non-operational times.
Data Source
AI summary
A blender system includes a container having a rotatable blade assembly therein, a lid covering an open end of the container, and a base with a motorized unit. When the container is coupled with the base, the motorized unit is adapted to drive rotation of the rotatable blade assembly. The lid includes a hinged actuator lever adapted to actuate the motorized unit. A detent extends from the hinged actuator lever and passes through a series of apertures and presses against a slidable actuator shaft disposed in the container and maintained in its position by a spring force, thereby depressing a switch for the motorized unit. A rotatable blade system includes cutting blade(s) and crushing blade(s). The crushing blade extends longitudinally outwardly from a hub. When the hub rotates in a first direction or second direction opposite the first direction, a face of the crushing blade is leading or trailing, respectively.