Dispenser Actuating Lever Illumination Without Moving Electrical Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing refrigeration devices with ice and water dispensers face increased production complexity due to the need for electrical components and lines in actuating levers, leading to potential electrical line deformation and reduced device lifespan.
Innovation Solution
A refrigeration device design where the light source is positioned at a distance from the actuating lever through an air gap, eliminating the need for electrical components and allowing the actuating lever to be hinged between positions without electrical lines, ensuring consistent light coupling and simplified production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If electrical components and lines are installed in the actuating lever for illumination, then the actuating lever can be illuminated, but the production complexity increases and the reliability decreases due to potential electrical line deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical components (LED and electrical lines) from the actuating lever structure. Instead of embedding the LED inside the lever, the invention positions the LED externally and uses optical coupling through the lever material itself, thereby eliminating the need for electrical connections within the moving lever and reducing production complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating lever material itself acts as an intermediary between the external light source and the user's view. The lever material couples the light optically, serving as both the mechanical actuator and the light-guiding element, thus eliminating the need for separate electrical wiring while maintaining illumination functionality
2Illumination intensity
If electrical lines are installed in the actuating lever, then the actuating lever can be illuminated, but the reliability decreases due to electrical line deformation and material fatigue
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes electrical lines from the actuating lever by positioning the light source externally. This extraction eliminates the source of electrical line deformation and material fatigue, thereby improving reliability and device lifespan while maintaining the illumination function through optical coupling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the electrical-mechanical system (electrical lines connected to moving lever) with an optical system. The external LED couples light through the lever material optically, eliminating mechanical electrical connections that would deform and fail over time, thus improving reliability
3Ease of manufacture
If the light source is positioned at a distance from the actuating lever through an air gap, then the actuating lever can be embodied free from electrical components, but the light coupling efficiency may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the air gap distance as a critical parameter to balance manufacturing simplicity and light coupling efficiency. By carefully selecting and controlling the air gap dimension, the system achieves effective optical coupling without requiring direct contact or complex alignment mechanisms, thus maintaining both ease of manufacture and illumination intensity
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 design simplifies the installation and operation of actuating levers, maintains consistent light brightness across positions, and extends the device's lifespan by avoiding electrical line deformation, while providing an optically attractive and harmonized appearance for both ice and water dispensers.
Implementation Method 1
a light source is disposed, in the light-emitting direction of the light source, at a distance from a light-coupling surface of the actuating lever through an air gap
Implementation Method 2
the light-coupling surface is embodied such that in the first position and in the second position the degree of coupling-in of the light emitted by the light source is of equal size
Implementation Method 3
the light-coupling surface is a surface of a prism section of the actuating lever
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigeration device includes an ice or water dispenser having an actuating lever. A light source is spaced apart in a light-emitting direction of the light source by an air gap from a light-coupling surface of the actuating lever.