Cooking appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing cooking appliance knobs face issues with misalignment due to assembly tolerance, leading to operational failures and aesthetic degradation, and lack a reliable mechanism for fine adjustment of gas flow rate without separate components, compromising safety and user convenience.
Innovation Solution
A knob assembly with a supporting frame, actuating ring, and a display device that includes a Hall sensor and magnet for precise rotation sensing, a joint to absorb positional errors, and a design that restricts knob rotation without pushing, ensuring accurate alignment and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a knob is directly connected to a valve assembly, then the structure is simple, but misalignment occurs due to assembly tolerance accumulation
Solution Approach 1:
The knob assembly is divided into separate components: a knob body, a connection element, and a valve assembly. The connection element acts as an independent segment that absorbs tolerance accumulation between the knob and valve assembly, preventing misalignment while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
A connection element is introduced as an intermediary component between the knob and valve assembly. This mediator absorbs the assembly tolerance and prevents direct transmission of misalignment, ensuring precise knob positioning without complicating the overall structure.
2Ease of operation
If a knob allows free rotation, then operation is convenient, but rotation without pushing creates safety issues
Solution Approach 1:
The knob mechanism dynamically changes its rotational characteristics based on push state. When pushed, the knob can rotate freely for convenient operation. When not pushed, the mechanism restricts rotation to prevent accidental gas valve activation, thus adapting to operational needs while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotational freedom parameter of the knob is changed based on the push state. In the pushed state, rotational resistance is reduced for easy operation. In the non-pushed state, rotational resistance increases to restrict movement, ensuring safety without compromising operational convenience.
3Ease of operation
If multiple control functions are integrated into one knob, then user convenience is improved, but the mechanism becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The knob assembly is designed with multi-functionality, integrating both timer setting and firepower control functions into a single knob. The connection element and valve assembly work together to enable these multiple functions without requiring separate control mechanisms, thus improving user convenience while managing complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If assembly tolerance is not compensated, then manufacturing is easier, but operational reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The connection element is designed beforehand to compensate for assembly tolerance. This pre-built tolerance compensation mechanism ensures reliable knob operation without requiring complex manufacturing processes or tight tolerance controls, thus maintaining ease of manufacture while improving operational reliability.
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
The solution enhances the reliability and safety of the knob operation by preventing misalignment, allowing for precise control of firepower and timer settings, improving user convenience, and reducing the risk of gas leakage while maintaining a clean and intuitive interface.
Implementation Method 1
a display device which is arranged at the knob ring; a knob ring sensor which senses a rotation operation of the knob ring
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a cooking apparatus comprising: a support frame fastened to an inner surface of a case; an operation ring rotatab 1 y coupled to the support frame; a knob ring which is coupled so as to rotate integrally with the operation ring at an outer surface of the case, and includes a knob body forming an outer appearance and a knob ring rear plate coupled to a rear surface of the knob body and supporting a knob shaft that extends therethrough; a display device disposed at the knob ring; a knob ring sensor for detecting a rotation of the knob ring; a valve assembly fixed to the inside of the cooking apparatus; a joint coupled to a valve shaft of the valve assembly; and a knob which is stably placed outside the knob ring and includes the knob shaft coupled to the joint.