Tool and drive device for a motor driven kitchen appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor-driven kitchen appliances lack effective safety mechanisms to prevent injuries from tools still in operation during improper use, such as opening the lid while the appliance is running.
Innovation Solution
A tool with a drive shaft and coupling mechanism featuring a sleeve that can be displaced by a restoring force to separate from the counter-coupling, ensuring the tool is not driven when the lid is opened, thereby preventing operator contact with rotating cutting instruments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a braking mechanism is used to stop the tool when the lid is removed, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the safety function from a complex braking mechanism and implements it through a simple coupling disengagement system. When the lid is removed, the coupling between the drive shaft and counter-coupling automatically disengages, taking the tool out of the drive path and preventing it from rotating, thereby stopping it without requiring a separate braking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a braking mechanism to stop a rotating tool (active safety), the invention inverts the approach by using a coupling disengagement mechanism that prevents the tool from being driven in the first place when the lid is removed (passive safety). The spring element pushes the coupling away from the counter-coupling, ensuring the tool cannot be activated unless the lid is properly in place.
2Reliability
If a spring element is used to push the casing away from the counter-coupling, then safety is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is pre-loaded to automatically push the casing away from the counter-coupling when the lid is removed, performing the safety action in advance before any potential hazard can occur. This preliminary action ensures that even with normal manufacturing tolerances, the coupling will reliably disengage without requiring high-precision manufacturing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a spring element to change the positional parameter of the casing relative to the counter-coupling. The spring provides a force that overcomes normal manufacturing variations and ensures consistent disengagement distance, making the safety mechanism robust against manufacturing precision limitations.
3Reliability
If the coupling is designed to automatically disengage when the lid is removed, then safety is improved, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is designed to be self-actuating through the spring element. When the lid is removed, the spring automatically pushes the casing away from the counter-coupling, causing the coupling to disengage without requiring any additional action from the operator. This self-service mechanism maintains ease of operation while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling system incorporates dynamic elements (spring, movable casing) that automatically respond to the lid's position. The spring provides a restoring force that dynamically adjusts the coupling engagement based on whether the lid is attached or removed, making the safety function automatic and intuitive without complicating operation.
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
This solution effectively prevents injuries by ensuring the tool is not operational when the lid is removed, enhancing safety during improper use and providing a simple, intuitive mechanism for production and handling.
Implementation Method 1
a restoring means, and the casing (8) is displaceable in a coupling direction relative to the coupling (7) by the restoring force of the restoring means (9)
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a tool (2) for a motor driven kitchen appliance (1) on which an instrument (3) for processing food products is disposed, said tool comprising a drive shaft (6) on the end of which a coupling (7) is formed, and a sleeve (8) disposed partially or completely enclosing the drive shaft (6), wherein the tool (2) comprises a return means (9) and the sleeve (8) can be slid relative to the coupling (7) in a coupling direction of the coupling (7) by the return force of the return means (9). An embodiment of the tool (2) according to the invention in a motor driven kitchen appliance (1) is shown in Fig. 1. The invention further relates to a drive device for driving a tool (2) for a motor driven kitchen appliance (1) comprising a counter-coupling, wherein the counter-coupling comprises an ejecting element and a return means, and the ejecting element can be slid relative to the counter-coupling in a counter-coupling direction of the counter-coupling by the return force of the return means. The tool (2) and the drive device are intended to provide a safety mechanism that is simple to implement in production and simple and intuitive to operate by an operator and that is not necessarily based on a braking device. Injuries that could be caused by a tool that is still driven can be prevented by means of the invention.