Gas cooking appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas cooking appliances face challenges in ensuring proper alignment and secure orientation of the regulating valve with respect to the control panel, which can affect the ease of operation and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A bracket with a base and arms is secured to the valve body and control panel, featuring complementary housings and pins or protrusions for precise alignment and centring, allowing the valve to be securely attached while enabling easy replacement of external components like the bezel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a bracket is used to secure the valve body to the control panel, then the valve orientation and handle alignment are improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is divided into a base portion that attaches to the valve body and arm portions that attach to the control panel, allowing independent positioning and alignment of each segment to achieve proper handle alignment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket acts as an intermediary component between the valve body and the control panel, providing a mechanical link that ensures proper orientation and alignment of the valve handle with the control panel opening without requiring direct attachment
2Stability of the object's composition
If the valve is securely attached to the control panel, then the orientation stability is improved, but the ease of repair deteriorates due to difficulty in replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed as a separate, removable component that can be detached from both the valve body and the control panel, allowing the valve to be easily replaced by simply removing the bracket without damaging or modifying the control panel structure
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is pre-configured with attachment features that facilitate both secure mounting and easy removal, allowing the valve to be quickly installed or replaced by attaching or detaching the bracket without requiring complex assembly or disassembly procedures
3Manufacturing precision
If complementary housings and pins are used for precise alignment, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional alignment features
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket arms feature asymmetric pin configurations and complementary housing shapes that provide precise alignment in specific orientations, ensuring the valve handle aligns correctly with the control panel opening while using simple geometric forms
Solution Approach 2:
The complementary housings and pins are designed to automatically align the bracket arms with the control panel features during assembly, providing self-aligning functionality that ensures precise positioning without requiring additional adjustment mechanisms or complex alignment procedures
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
Gas cooking appliance comprising a control panel (1), a valve (2) comprising a valve body (20) and an operating shaft (21), a control knob comprising a handle coupled to the operating shaft (21) of the valve (20), and a bracket (4) comprising a base (40) secured to the valve body (20) and at least two arms (41a, 41b) extending from the base (40) and being secured to the control panel (1). The control panel (1) comprises one housing (15a, 15b) for each arm (41a, 41b), each housing (15a, 15b) having a shape complementary to at least one part of the end (410a, 410b) of the corresponding arm (41a, 41b), said at least one part of each end (410a, 410b) being fitted in the respective housing (15a, 15b).