Citrus Juicer Arm Latching and Damping for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electric citrus juicers with arm-assisted mechanisms have a disproportionate height due to spring-assisted arm return, leading to storage and transit issues, and potential jolting during arm retraction, which can cause physical shifts or disconcerting reactions.
Innovation Solution
A citrus juicer design featuring a latching mechanism to keep the arm in a lowered position during storage and transit, using torsion springs or resilient means, and a rotary viscous damper to control the arm's return to the raised position, ensuring a smooth and compact operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If spring assistance is provided to ensure the arm returns to its fully raised position, then the arm can reliably return to the raised position, but the appliance height becomes disproportionate and excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the spring assistance mechanism that forces the arm to return to the fully raised position. Instead, the arm is allowed to remain in the lowered position during storage and transit, extracting the problematic height-increasing function while maintaining the essential juicing capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the arm position dynamic and adaptable - it can be lowered and locked for compact storage, or raised during operation. The latching mechanism enables the arm to maintain either position as needed, transforming from a fixed spring-return system to a flexible positioning system.
2Reliability
If powerful spring assistance is used to reliably fully raise the lever, then the arm returns reliably, but a strong reaction force is generated when the arm reaches the fully raised position and encounters the mechanical stop
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the powerful spring assistance that causes the harmful reaction force. By removing the spring mechanism entirely, the source of the jolting and reaction forces is extracted from the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides a latching mechanism that allows the arm to be positioned and locked in advance in a lowered position for storage. This prevents the arm from being forcibly raised and encountering the mechanical stop, thereby cushioning against the harmful reaction forces before they can occur.
3Length of moving object
If the arm is allowed to remain in the lowered position for storage, then the appliance height is reduced for compact storage, but the arm may not reliably return to the raised position for operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent provides a latching mechanism that allows the user to preliminarily position and lock the arm in the lowered position for storage before use. This preliminary action ensures the arm stays compact during storage while allowing easy transition to the raised operational position when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The latching mechanism is designed to be user-operable, allowing the user to easily latch the arm in the lowered position for storage and unlatch it for operation. The system serves itself by maintaining the desired position without requiring continuous external force or complex automation.
4Length of moving object
If a latching mechanism is added to hold the arm in the lowered position, then compact storage is achieved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latching mechanism is segmented into simple, discrete components that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation allows for easier manufacturing, maintenance, and potential simplification of individual parts while achieving the overall function of compact storage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for compact storage and transit without excessive height, preventing jolting and physical shifts, while ensuring the arm returns smoothly to its raised position, enhancing user experience and appliance stability.
Implementation Method 1
The urging means conveniently comprises one or more torsion springs
Implementation Method 2
the arm is further provided with a damping means adapted to resist movement of the arm towards its raised position
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to citrus juicers of the kind in which a reamer is supported upright on a shaft driven by an electric motor so that half of a citrus fruit may be pressed down onto the reamer for juice extraction. Typically such juicers are fitted with an arm (20) that carries a hollow pressing member which is intended to be lowered, by pivoting the arm, so as to press a half-fruit onto the reamer, and it is usual for the arm (20) to return to its fully raised position after use. Accordingly, the arm (20) is spring-urged towards its raised position and tends to adopt the raised position during storage and transit. The invention provides a latching means (50) to latch the arm (20) in a lowered position, thus allowing the juicer to be stored and moved around with the arm latched down, thereby making the juicer more compact and easier to handle. It is particularly preferred that the arm (20) is further provided with a damping device, such as a rotary viscous damper (60), to control upward movement of the arm (20) when it is released from the latching means (50).