Laboratory cabinet
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing laboratory cabinets require users to first open the exterior door before they can open the interior door, which can disrupt climatic conditions within the cabinet and is not user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
A laboratory cabinet with adjustable means, such as a swiveling bolt or magnetic catch, allowing the interior door to be opened independently or together with the exterior door, ensuring that the interior door setting remains unchanged when the exterior door is closed, and enabling easy access without disturbing the climatic conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the interior door is opened independently of the exterior door, then user-friendliness and ease of access are improved, but the risk of unauthorized or unintended changes to door settings increases
Solution Approach 1:
The bolt is designed as an adjustable means that can dynamically change its position between locked and unlocked states. When unlocked, the interior door can be opened independently; when locked, it must open together with the exterior door. This dynamic adjustability allows the system to adapt to different operational requirements while maintaining security against unauthorized changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter of the interior door from fixed (must open with exterior door) to variable (can open independently or with exterior door based on bolt position). By adjusting the bolt's position, the door opening mode parameter is changed, providing flexibility in operation while ensuring authorized control over the interior door's behavior.
2Productivity
If the interior door is opened independently of the exterior door, then climatic conditions are better maintained, but the device complexity increases due to additional locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The door system is segmented into two independent controllable units: the exterior door and the interior door, connected by an adjustable bolt mechanism. This segmentation allows the interior door to be opened independently to maintain climatic conditions, while the bolt provides a simple mechanical means to link or unlink the doors as needed, avoiding complex electronic control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable bolt acts as an intermediary mechanism between the exterior door and interior door. It provides a simple mechanical linkage that can be easily adjusted between locked and unlocked positions, mediating the relationship between the two doors without requiring complex control systems, thereby maintaining climatic stability with minimal added complexity.
3Ease of operation
If the adjustable means are made accessible when the exterior door is closed, then ease of operation is improved, but unauthorized or unintended changes to the door opening mode can occur
Solution Approach 1:
The bolt is designed to be inaccessible when the exterior door is closed, preventing any premature or unauthorized adjustment of the door opening mode. The inaccessibility serves as a preliminary protective measure that ensures only authorized personnel can change the bolt's position when the exterior door is open and under supervision, thereby preventing unintended changes while maintaining operational ease when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable bolt is extracted from the interior of the cabinet and positioned such that it is only accessible when the exterior door is open. This extraction of the adjustment mechanism from the enclosed space ensures that no unauthorized changes can be made when the cabinet is closed, while still allowing easy adjustment when the exterior door is open and the user has legitimate access.
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
Enhances user-friendliness by allowing flexible door operation while maintaining controlled climatic conditions, preventing unauthorized changes and ensuring easy access without disturbing the interior environment.
Implementation Method 1
The catch is embodied as a permanent magnet arranged on either the exterior door or on the interior door, which interacts with the other of the exterior door and the interior door, or with a different magnetic element arranged on the other of the exterior door and the interior door
Data Source
AI summary
A laboratory cabinet, for instance a cold chamber, a heating cabinet, a drying cabinet, or an incubator, can have a housing featuring at least one exterior door, featuring at least one interior space which can be closed by means of an interior door, such that the laboratory cabinet features adjustable means, such that as a function of the position of the means, the interior door can be opened together with the exterior door or independently of the exterior door, such that the means are inaccessible when the exterior door is closed.