Pivoting Cord Guide Assembly for Hand Mixer Strain Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hand mixers with electrical cords often suffer from cord management issues, leading to tangling and strain on the cord, which can hinder user convenience and longevity of the appliance.
Innovation Solution
A cord attachment assembly for hand mixers featuring a pivotable cord guide with a retaining clip and locking mechanism, allowing the cord to swivel and lock into position, providing strain relief and improved cord management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cord is fixed rigidly to the hand mixer, then the electrical connection is stable, but the cord becomes prone to tangling and strain
Solution Approach 1:
The cord guide is made pivotable about a pivot axis, allowing it to rotate between a first position (where the cord exits cleanly) and a second position (where the cord can be repositioned). This dynamic capability enables the cord to adapt to different usage scenarios, reducing tangling and strain while maintaining stable electrical connection through the locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The cord guide acts as an intermediary component between the cord and the hand mixer body. It provides a pivotable connection point that mediates between the need for stable electrical connection and the need to prevent cord strain, allowing the cord to move independently without transmitting stress directly to the motor connection.
2Ease of operation
If the cord guide is made pivotable to prevent tangling, then cord management improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cord attachment assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the cord guide body, the pivot mechanism, the retaining clip with locking tabs, and the notches. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall design while achieving the desired pivotable functionality for improved cord management.
3Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to retain the cord guide in position, then the cord stability improves, but the ease of repositioning may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to engage and disengage automatically through the interaction between the locking tabs and notches. When the cord guide is rotated to a locked position, the tabs snap into the notches automatically, providing self-locking without requiring additional user action. The mechanism can be easily released by applying slight rotational force, maintaining ease of repositioning while ensuring stability when locked.
Data Source
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AI summary
A hand mixer (10) includes an outer casing (12) and a mixing element (28) coupled to an electric motor. The hand mixer includes a cord guide (52) that is configured to pivot about a pivot axis (68), an electrical cord (30) extending through the cord guide, and a retaining clip (54) that engages the cord guide to couple the cord guide to the outer casing. The hand mixer also includes a locking mechanism (180) operable to retain the cord guide in a first position about the pivot axis.