Hand-Held Mixer Ejector Design to Prevent Working Member Swapping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing hand-held mixers lack protection against accidental swapping of working members, which can lead to improper operation and potential damage to the mixer's drive unit.

Innovation Solution

The hand-held mixer incorporates an ejector with different heights of working surfaces and varying lengths of working member shanks, ensuring that working members are fixedly fastened only in their correct positions, preventing accidental swapping by blocking incorrect insertions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If an ejector with uniform working surfaces is used, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but working members can be accidentally swapped to incorrect positions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprevention of working member swappingVSAvoidejector structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The ejector features asymmetric working surfaces at different heights relative to the mounting plane. The first working surface is positioned at a first height while the second working surface is positioned at a second height, creating an asymmetric configuration that prevents working members from being incorrectly inserted into wrong spindles. This asymmetric design ensures that only the correct working member with matching shank length can be properly engaged and ejected.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If working members have uniform shank lengths, then manufacturing is simpler, but positions of working members cannot be distinguished to prevent swapping

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveworking member position identificationVSAvoidworking member manufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The working members feature differentiated local qualities in the form of varying shank lengths. Each working member has a specific shank length tailored to its intended spindle position. The first working member has a first shank length while the second working member has a second shank length, creating local differentiation that enables proper identification and prevention of swapping, while maintaining uniformity in other manufacturing aspects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3323328B1Hand-held electric mixer
Publication Date: 2023.09.06 BSH HAUSGERATE GMBH
  • EP3323328B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3323328B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

A hand-held mixer provided to drive a first working member (11) and a second working member (12) through included in its housing (1) spindles (31, 32), having fastening elements (24, 25) and a toothed ring transmitting the torque from a motor shaft. It has an ejector (26), which has a first part (27) and a second part (28) of a working surface (35), located at different heights in relation to mounting plane (21).