Food Processor Safety Latch for Controlled Mounting Order
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Solution Overview
Problem
Household food-processing devices lack a safety mechanism that ensures the processing tool cannot be accessed or operated unintentionally, as existing safety mechanisms only prevent activation after the upper portion is mounted, but not ensure proper mounting order.
Innovation Solution
A safety system that allows only one mounting order, where the receiving unit (bowl) must be properly mounted before the device can be operated, using a safety latch that blocks the base unit's mounting until the bowl is detected and secured, and maintains this blockage during operation to prevent de-mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a safety mechanism is provided to block the switch after mounting the upper portion, then activation safety is improved, but the mounting order cannot be ensured and the processing tool can still be accessed unintentionally
Solution Approach 1:
The safety latch is positioned to block the second interlocking mechanism before the base unit is mounted. The receiving unit must be attached first, which moves the safety latch to release the blocking, allowing the base unit to be mounted subsequently. This preliminary blocking action ensures proper mounting order and prevents unintended access to the processing tool.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety latch acts as an intermediary element between the first interlocking mechanism (receiving unit attachment) and the second interlocking mechanism (base unit attachment). It mediates the mounting sequence by being positioned by the first mechanism and controlling the availability of the second mechanism, ensuring that the base unit can only be mounted after the receiving unit is properly attached.
2Ease of operation
If the base unit is made detachable for ease of cleaning and storage, then ease of operation is improved, but safety during operation is reduced as the processing tool can be accessed
Solution Approach 1:
The safety system dynamically changes state based on the mounting configuration. The safety latch is movable between blocked and released positions, and the interlocking mechanisms engage and disengage dynamically. This allows the device to be easily detachable for cleaning and storage while maintaining safety during operation through the controlled mounting sequence.
3Reliability
If a safety latch mechanism is added to control mounting order, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The safety latch is integrated into the existing interlocking mechanism structure. The first and second interlocking mechanisms work together with the safety latch as a unified system rather than separate components. This merging approach provides mounting order control while minimizing the increase in device complexity by using a coordinated system of interconnected elements.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 2c~2d
AI summary
The present invention relates to household food-processing devices. In order to provide a household food-processing device with a mounting system ensuring that it is not possible to touch the processing tool in an operating state, a household food-processing device (10) is provided that comprises a base unit (12), a processing tool unit (14) with a processing tool (18) for processing supplied food, and a receiving unit (16) with a receiving volume (20) for receiving the processed food. The base unit provides a driving force for actuating the processing tool. The receiving unit is mountable to the processing tool unit, and the base unit is mountable to the processing tool unit. The processing tool unit is provided with a safety mounting mechanism (38) defining a mounting order, according to which the base unit is mountable to the processing tool unit only when the receiving unit is mounted to the processing tool unit; and according to which the de-mounting of the receiving unit from the processing tool unit is blocked when the base unit is mounted to the processing tool unit.