Door Lock With Multi-Contact Mechanism to Prevent False Interruption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional door locking mechanisms in household appliances are overly sensitive, leading to unintended interruptions in appliance operation due to minor disturbances such as the door being lightly pulled or vibrating.
Innovation Solution
A door locking device with a combination of a door sensing contact, a main power contact, a cut-out trigger, and a cut-out pin, which distinguishes between minor disturbances and forced door opening, ensuring accurate control of the appliance's power supply.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional door switches or sensors are used to immediately stop the appliance when the door is pulled or not fully closed, then the safety mechanism is activated, but the appliance operation is unintentionally interrupted due to minor disturbances such as light pulling or vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The door locking device is segmented into multiple independent functional components: a door sensing contact that detects door position, a main power contact that controls power supply, a cut-out trigger that responds to forced opening, and a cut-out pin that activates the power cut. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function without being overly sensitive to minor disturbances, thereby maintaining both safety and operational continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cut-out trigger acts as an intermediary between the door sensing contact and the main power contact. It requires a specific threshold of force or displacement to activate, filtering out minor vibrations or light pulls while still responding to forced door opening. This intermediary mechanism prevents false activation while maintaining safety functionality.
2Measurement precision
If the door sensing contact is highly sensitive to detect door opening, then the door status can be accurately sensed, but minor disturbances such as vibration cause false detection and unintended interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The door locking device incorporates dynamic characteristics through the cut-out trigger mechanism, which requires a certain threshold of displacement or force to activate. The system transitions from a static, highly sensitive state to a dynamic response that filters out minor vibrations. The cut-out trigger and cut-out pin work together to create a dead zone that prevents false detection while maintaining accurate detection of actual door opening events.
3Device complexity
If a simple door switch mechanism is used, then the device complexity is low, but the system cannot distinguish between minor disturbances and forced door opening
Solution Approach 1:
The door locking device achieves multi-functionality with a unified structure. The same basic components (sensing contact, power contact, trigger, and pin) serve multiple purposes: detecting door position, controlling power supply, and distinguishing between normal operation and forced opening. This universal design provides enhanced functionality without proportionally increasing device 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
The device effectively prevents unnecessary interruptions by accurately differentiating between minor disturbances and forced door openings, ensuring the appliance operates efficiently and safely.
Implementation Method 1
a driving mechanism, such as an electromagnetic driving mechanism, for actuating the coupling member between the first and second positions
Data Source
AI summary
A door locking device for a door of a household appliance includes a door sensing contact having an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration, a sensing pin configured to activate the disengaged configuration of the door sensing contact when the door is opened, a main power contact having an engaged configuration and a disengaged configuration, a cut-out trigger configured to activate the disengaged configuration of the main power contact when the door is open, a cut-out pin configured to disengage the main power contact and the door sensing contact when the door is forcibly opened, a locking pin moveable between a door-locked and a door-unlocked position.