Food processor with adjustable blade assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food processors lack an efficient mechanism to adjust the cutting thickness of food items, limiting their versatility in producing cut food items of varying thicknesses.
Innovation Solution
A food processor design featuring a rotating disk that is upwardly and downwardly movable relative to a cutting blade, with a user-operated pin and lever mechanism allowing for adjustable cutting positions, and a blade support with slots to accommodate different cutting blade positions, enabling the production of cut food items of varying thicknesses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed cutting blade assembly is used, then the structure is simple, but the cutting thickness cannot be adjusted
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade assembly is made dynamically adjustable through a height adjustment mechanism that allows the blade to move vertically relative to the rotating disk. Users can change the cutting thickness by adjusting the blade position, transforming a static structure into a dynamic one that adapts to different cutting requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The blade assembly is segmented into multiple adjustable height positions using a rack and pinion mechanism. The rack is divided into discrete segments with teeth that engage with the pinion, allowing the blade to be positioned at specific intervals. This segmentation enables precise control over cutting thickness while maintaining structural organization.
2Measurement precision
If a manually operated adjustment mechanism is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adjustment precision and control are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The manual adjustment mechanism is replaced with an automated height adjustment system driven by the motor that rotates the disk. The pinion gear, engaged with the rack, automatically translates the rotational motion into precise vertical movement of the cutting blade, eliminating the need for manual operation while providing accurate thickness control.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack and pinion mechanism provides inherent feedback through its gear engagement system. As the pinion rotates, it engages with specific teeth on the rack, providing tactile and positional feedback that ensures the blade reaches precise height positions. This feedback mechanism enables accurate repeatability in cutting thickness adjustment.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the rotating disk is freely movable, then the adjustment flexibility is improved, but the stability and locking reliability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage the cutting blade at predetermined height positions along the rack. As the pinion rotates and moves the blade upward or downward, it automatically locks into place when a tooth engages with the corresponding position on the rack, providing preliminary action that ensures stable positioning before cutting begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack acts as an intermediary element between the rotating pinion and the cutting blade. It provides a structured interface with evenly spaced teeth that mediate the transition from rotational motion to precise vertical positioning. This intermediary mechanism ensures that the blade can be adjusted flexibly while maintaining reliable locked positions during operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A food processor includes a bowl with a removable lid. Food items are advanced into the bowl through a feed tube formed in the lid where they are cut by a blade assembly. A rotating disk is adjustable relative to the blade assembly to vary the thickness of the food items cut by the blade assembly.