Food Processing Machine Rotary Door Locking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ice cream making machines pose safety risks and product spatter issues due to the possibility of operators accessing the internal space before the stirrer has come to a complete stop, violating increasingly stringent safety standards and potentially causing accidents or spattering of contents.
Innovation Solution
A machine with a rotary element and stop mechanism that requires a specific number of turns to transition from a retaining configuration to a disengaged configuration, ensuring the stirrer has stopped before allowing access, and featuring a dual-door system with an outer door locking mechanism to prevent premature opening and spatter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the door is opened before the stirrer has come to a complete stop, then access to the internal space is allowed, but safety risks and product spatter occur
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically lock the door before the stirrer stops rotating. The rotary element with helical projection engages with the groove in the rotating shaft, creating a locked state that prevents door opening until the stirrer has come to a complete stop. This preliminary locking action eliminates the risk of premature door opening and ensures safety before access is granted.
Solution Approach 2:
A rotary element acts as an intermediary between the door locking system and the stirrer rotation status. The rotary element with helical projection translates the rotational position of the stirrer into a locking or unlocking state of the door, serving as a mediator that connects the stirrer's motion state to the door's accessibility without requiring direct monitoring or control systems.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to prevent premature door opening, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is merged with the existing door assembly and stirrer rotation system. The rotary element is integrated into the door structure, and its helical projection directly engages with the groove in the rotating shaft. This merging eliminates the need for separate locking components, sensors, or control systems, achieving safety enhancement without significant increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is self-regulating and automatically responds to the stirrer's rotation status. As the stirrer rotates, the helical projection naturally engages or disengages from the groove based on the rotational position, providing automatic locking without requiring external control, sensors, or additional energy input. The system uses the stirrer's own motion to control the locking state.
3Reliability
If the door is locked during stirrer operation, then safety is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism transitions dynamically between locked and unlocked states based on the stirrer's rotation. During operation, the helical projection engages the groove to lock the door. When the stirrer stops, the projection naturally disengages, automatically unlocking the door. This dynamic behavior ensures safety during operation while maintaining ease of access when the stirrer is stationary.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism operates in periodic cycles corresponding to the stirrer's rotation. The helical projection engages and disengages from the groove in a periodic manner as the stirrer rotates, creating automatic locking during operation and automatic unlocking when the stirrer stops. This periodic action ensures the door is locked only when necessary while remaining easily accessible when safe.
Data Source
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AI summary
A machine (1) for making liquid or semi-liquid food products is provided with a processing chamber (15) for making a liquid or semi-liquid food product and comprises a frame (10) that defines an opening (16) giving access to the chamber (15); a stirrer (17) mounted inside the chamber (15); a cooling system, provided with at least one heat exchanger associated with the chamber (15) in order to cool it; closing means (20) connected to the frame (10) and movable between a closed configuration, where they at least partly occlude the opening (16), and an open configuration, where they allow access to the chamber (15) through the opening (16), the closing means (20) comprise at least one door (21; 22; 23) hinged to the frame (10); retaining means (30) acting on the closing means (20) to keep them in the closed configuration. The retaining means (30) comprise a rotary element (31), connected to one between the door (21; 22; 23) and the frame (10) and a respective stop (35) provided on the other between the door (21; 22; 23) and the frame (10); the rotary element (31) is rotatably movable about a respective axis of rotation (R) between a retaining configuration, where it engages the stop (35) to stop the opening movement of the door (21; 22; 23), and a disengaged configuration, where it disengages the stop (35) to allow the opening movement of the door (21; 22; 23).