Household Appliance Control Lever Assembly for Play-Free Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional manual control devices for household appliances suffer from imprecision and fragility due to clearance between the control lever and control axis, leading to perceived imprecision and potential positioning faults.

Innovation Solution

A manual control device with a movable part mounted on a support part, connected via a transmission element that eliminates play between the moving part and control axis, ensuring precise movement transmission and stable positioning on a support plate, with locking elements to secure the device to the plate, preventing external disassembly and enhancing safety.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the control lever is directly connected to the control axis, then the structure is simple, but play and positioning defects occur between the control lever and control axis

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructure simplicityVSAvoidpositioning precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

A transmission element is introduced as an intermediary component between the control lever and control axis. This transmission element eliminates play while maintaining structural simplicity, resolving the contradiction between device complexity and positioning precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the control axis is supported by an independent support, then the control axis is stable, but positioning defects occur between the control lever and control strip

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol axis stabilityVSAvoidlever-to-strip positioning
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The support for the control axis and the positioning mechanism for the control strip are merged into a single integrated structure. This eliminates positioning defects between the control lever and control strip while maintaining the stability of the control axis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Ease of operation

If the control lever allows free movement, then ease of operation is improved, but play between components increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol lever operabilityVSAvoidcontrol precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The transmission element acts as a mediator that allows the control lever to move freely for ease of operation while simultaneously eliminating play between components, thus maintaining control precision and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3312862B1Manual control device for an electrical household appliance
Publication Date: 2023.12.20 GRP BRANDT
  • EP3312862B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3312862B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3C
  • EP3312862B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A manual control device for a household appliance, the control device (100) being associated with a control shaft, a movement action on the control device (100) causes a movement of the control shaft. The control device (100) comprises: - a moving part (1) and a support part (2) for the moving part (1), the moving part being movable relative to the support part, and the moving part and the support part having connecting means (12, 23) for connecting the moving part (1) and the support part (2) to each other; and - a transmission element (30) mounted between the moving part (1) and the associated control shaft, the transmission element (30) transmitting a movement of the moving part (1) relative to the support part (2) to the control shaft.