Mixer Lid Locking With Small DC Motor and High Gear Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen appliances with electrically operated mixers face challenges in lid locking mechanisms, particularly in terms of efficiency, user handling, and safety, as they often require separate operations for locking and mixer speed selection, and lack effective overload protection and monitoring.
Innovation Solution
A kitchen appliance design utilizing a small direct-current electric motor with a high reduction gear train (greater than 50:1) for lid locking, where the motor operates independently for lid locking and mixer operation, with a microcontroller for monitoring motor current and torque limitation, allowing automatic lid locking and unlocking based on mixer speed and detecting improper lid attachment or overload conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a small electric motor with high reduction gear train is used for lid locking, then the installation space and motor size are reduced, but the locking torque requirement becomes more challenging to meet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces a purely mechanical locking system with an electrically actuated system using a small DC motor (1-10 watts) coupled with a high reduction gear train (>50:1). This substitution enables precise control of locking torque while maintaining compact dimensions, as the electrical system can generate high torque through electromagnetic force amplified by the gear reduction mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the motor system by selecting very low power consumption (1-10 watts) combined with extremely high gear reduction (>50:1). This parameter combination transforms a potentially bulky high-torque motor into a compact low-power unit that delivers sufficient locking force through mechanical advantage from the gear train.
2Reliability
If separate operations are required for lid locking and mixer speed selection, then operational safety is improved, but user handling complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the lid locking operation with mixer speed selection into a single integrated user action. When the user selects a mixer speed, the system automatically executes both the speed setting and lid locking sequences, eliminating the need for separate manual locking operations while maintaining safety through automated interlocking mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs automatic lid locking and unlocking based on mixer operation states without requiring direct user intervention. The microcontroller monitors mixer speed and automatically engages or releases the locking mechanism, allowing the system to serve itself in maintaining safety while simplifying user interaction to merely speed selection.
3Reliability
If a microcontroller with motor current monitoring is implemented, then overload protection and safety are enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the microcontroller continuously monitors motor current to detect overload conditions. This feedback loop enables real-time detection of abnormal operating states and automatic protective responses, enhancing reliability while keeping the control architecture relatively simple through straightforward current threshold comparison and basic control logic.
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 compact, efficient lid locking mechanism that simplifies user operation, ensures safety by preventing lid removal during mixing, and automatically manages lid locking and unlocking based on mixer speed, reducing the risk of liquid spillage and damage from overload.
Implementation Method 1
the electric motor is a direct-current motor
Implementation Method 2
the electric motor acts on a locking part by means of a reduction gear train having a reduction greater than 50:1
Data Source
AI summary
An electrically operated kitchen appliance includes a mixing container, an electric-motor operated mixer in the mixing container, and a lid for the mixing container, wherein the lid preferably can be locked by an electric motor. A combination of at least the following features is proposed: the electric motor (19) producing the locking has an output power of 1 to 10 watts; the electric motor acts on a locking part via a reduction gear train having a reduction greater than 50:1; the electric motor is a direct-current motor. A kitchen appliance of the type in question may furthermore have a first electric motor for locking the lid and a second electric motor for driving the mixer. The kitchen appliance may be designed in such a way that, when a rotational speed of the mixer is preselected, the first electric motor first performs the lid locking independently and the second electric motor is released to drive the mixer thereafter.