Cooking Appliance Lid Safety Cam for Simple Cover Interlock
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical cooking appliances face challenges in ensuring safety and simplicity, as they often require complex and costly designs with integrated electrical circuits in the lid, which can pose safety risks and increase manufacturing complexity.
Innovation Solution
A domestic electrical cooking appliance with a removable cover that uses a control finger to actuate a cam, which in turn opens or closes the electrical circuit, eliminating the need for circuit components on the lid and allowing for the use of simplified safety switches, while ensuring safety through an elastic element that returns the circuit to an open position.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrical components are integrated into the cover to detect cover position, then safety can be ensured, but the cover becomes complex and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical circuit components from the cover and relocates them to the housing. The cover is reduced to a simple mechanical structure with a control finger, while the housing contains the cam and safety switch. This extraction eliminates the need for complex electrical integration in the cover while maintaining safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a cam as an intermediary mechanical element that translates the control finger's movement into switch actuation. The cam converts the cover's positional information into mechanical motion that directly operates the safety switch, eliminating the need for complex electrical sensors in the cover.
2Ease of manufacture
If the control key actuation direction is restricted to depression only, then simplified switches can be used, but the design freedom for switch installation is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the dimension of control key actuation from lateral or angular forces to vertical depression force. By designing the cam to push the control key downward in the direction of depression, the system uses the third dimension (vertical) to resolve the conflict between switch simplicity and installation flexibility.
3Device complexity
If the cover is made simple without electrical components, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but safety detection capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electrical detection systems with a mechanical detection and actuation system. The control finger mechanically engages the cam, which mechanically actuates the safety switch. This mechanical substitution maintains safety detection capability while keeping the cover simple and free of electrical components.
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 provides a safe and cost-effective electrical cooking appliance with a simple lid design, reducing manufacturing complexity and ensuring safety by using a control finger to actuate the cam, which opens or closes the electrical circuit, and an elastic element for automatic return to the open position, thus preventing electrical supply when the cover is incorrectly positioned or removed.
Implementation Method 1
a cam with at least one control surface arranged to actuate a control key of said at least one safety switch in a direction of depression of the command key
Implementation Method 2
an elastic element that returns the circuit to an open position
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The invention relates to a household electrical food-cooking appliance including: a housing (10) having a container (20) arranged such as to receive the food to be cooked; a removable cover (30) arranged such as to close the container (20) while cooking; at least one safety switch (41, 45) arranged in the housing (10) in order to turn on at least one electrical circuit of the appliance when the cover (30) is not closing the container (20) and in order to turn off said at least one electrical circuit when the cover (30) is closing the container (20); and a cam (50) having at least one control surface (52, 56) arranged such as to actuate a key (42, 46) for controlling said at least one safety switch (41, 45) in a direction in which the control key (42, 46) is pressed. Said appliance is characterized in that the cover (30) includes a control finger (31) arranged such as to actuate a surface (53) for inputting the cam (50) in a direction for moving the input surface (53) in a direction that is different from the one in which the key is pressed while the container (20) is open, such as to turn on said at least one electrical circuit, and while the container (20) is closed, such as to turn off said at least one electrical circuit.