Appliance Door Locking Mechanism With Two-Pulse Solenoid Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing door locking and unlocking devices for household appliances can inadvertently lock the door without a further pulse due to hysteresis, leading to hazardous situations, and have complex structures with no direct interaction between the retaining member and solenoid transmission.
Innovation Solution
A locking and unlocking device with a support casing, a retaining member, a locking member, and an annular toothed wheel with a cam profile, where the locking member is directly interacted with by a solenoid actuator and a resilient mechanism, requiring two energizing pulses for reliable operation and preventing unintended unlocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a toothed wheel with cam profile is used to control the locking member, then the door can be locked and unlocked, but the door may be locked inadvertently without a further pulse due to hysteresis
Solution Approach 1:
The solenoid is designed to actively push the locking member outward to prevent it from engaging with the toothed wheel's cam profile. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the potential harmful effect of the cam profile causing inadvertent locking, ensuring the locking member remains disengaged until properly commanded
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a switch that detects the position of the locking member relative to the toothed wheel to provide feedback control. The switch prevents the solenoid from actuating when the locking member is already in a position that would cause inadvertent locking, creating a safety feedback loop that eliminates the hazard
2Ease of operation
If a complex transmission mechanism with sliding cursor and lever is used, then the locking member can be controlled, but the device structure becomes highly complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the complex intermediate transmission elements (sliding cursor, lever, driving teeth) from the system. The solenoid core directly interacts with the locking member, removing unnecessary mechanical complexity while preserving the essential locking control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The solenoid core and locking member are directly coupled, merging two previously separate components into a unified interaction system. This eliminates the need for complex transmission mechanisms and simplifies the overall device structure
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
Ensures reliable locking and unlocking operations by requiring two pulses for unlocking, preventing unintended locking due to electromagnetic interference, and simplifying the mechanism with direct interaction, enhancing safety and reducing complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the control means comprise a solenoid or coil with a core coupled to the locking member
Implementation Method 2
a resilient mechanism, wherein the solenoid actuator and the resilient mechanism directly interact with one another
Data Source
AI summary
A device for locking and unlocking the door of an electric household appliance. The device includes an electrically controlled actuator (25, 26), which can be coupled to a movable control member (20) through a movable transmission member (29), and which, as a consequence of successive activations, tends, through the transmission member (29), to make the control member (20) alternately assume a first position and a second position, in which the control member (20) retains and frees, respectively, the locking member (9), maintaining it in the disengaged position and allowing its passage into the engaged position, respectively.