Kitchen appliance accessory and kitchen appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen appliance accessories often experience accidental disengagement during use due to motor vibrations, leading to potential spillage and damage from food products entering the appliance.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates slanted engagement members and locking ribs/slots, ensuring the second housing portion is rotatably locked onto the first, with a vertical displacement exceeding the clearance height, preventing accidental disengagement by ensuring the second housing portion cannot fully disengage from the first due to the design's geometry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the first housing portion and second housing portion are designed with a simple engagement mechanism, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability of preventing accidental disengagement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The engagement members are designed with slanted surfaces that create a curved engagement path. When the second housing portion is rotated onto the first, the slanted engagement members guide the second housing portion downward by a vertical displacement distance greater than the clearance height, creating a self-locking effect that prevents accidental disengagement while maintaining a simple rotational engagement motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The engagement mechanism is designed to preemptively counteract disengagement forces. The slanted engagement members are configured so that during the engagement rotation, the second housing portion is forced downward past the clearance height, creating an interference condition that must be overcome to disengage, thereby preventing accidental separation during motor vibrations.
2Reliability
If the vertical displacement distance is increased to exceed the clearance height, then the reliability of preventing accidental disengagement is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the specific geometric requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The design specifies critical geometric parameters: the vertical displacement distance must exceed the clearance height between the bottom surface of the second housing portion and the main body. This parameter relationship creates the anti-disengagement effect. The slanted engagement members are designed with specific angles and dimensions that ensure the vertical displacement exceeds the clearance when the second housing portion is rotated onto the first.
3Reliability
If the slanted engagement members are designed with a large vertical displacement distance, then the reliability of secure engagement is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to increased assembly force requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The slanted engagement members create a guided rotational path that distributes the assembly force throughout the engagement motion. Instead of requiring a single large force to overcome the entire vertical displacement, the slanted surfaces guide the second housing portion through a rotational motion that progressively engages the components, making assembly easier while still achieving the required vertical displacement for secure locking.
Data Source
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AI summary
A kitchen appliance accessory (10) for engaging with a main body (110) of a kitchen appliance (100) is disclosed. The kitchen appliance accessory comprises a first housing portion (20) comprising an inner surface carrying first slanted engagement members (22) and an outer surface carrying a plurality of locking ribs (21) for locking the kitchen appliance accessory onto the main body (110) of the kitchen appliance (100) and a second housing portion (30) comprising an outer surface carrying further slanted engagement members (32) and a bottom surface opposing a main surface of said main body and separated from said main surface by a clearance having a clearance height (B) when the kitchen appliance accessory is locked onto said main body. The second housing portion is rotatably lockable onto the first housing portion by engagement of the first slanted engagement members with the further slanted engagement members, said engagement causing a vertical displacement of the second housing portion towards the first housing portion by a vertical displacement distance (A) exceeding said clearance height (B).