Motor Speed Display Using Variable Light Intensity in Kitchen Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen appliances with motor speed displays require a large number of display elements to achieve good resolution, making them complex and costly to manufacture, and the displays are not intuitive for users who primarily need to understand relative speed changes.
Innovation Solution
A kitchen appliance with a reduced number of optical display elements that vary intensity monotonically with motor speed, allowing users to discern speed changes through intensity variations, simplifying construction and user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a large number of display elements are used to display motor speed with good resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of display element intensity from discrete on/off states to continuous variable intensity levels. Each display element can assume different intensity levels corresponding to different motor speeds, allowing a small number of elements to represent a large range of speed values through intensity variation rather than requiring many discrete elements
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds the dimension of intensity variation to the display elements. Instead of using multiple discrete elements arranged in space to indicate speed, the invention uses the intensity dimension of each element to encode speed information, transforming a spatial encoding problem into an intensity encoding problem
2Measurement precision
If a large number of display elements are used to achieve good resolution, then measurement precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the operational parameter of display elements from discrete switching to continuous intensity modulation. This allows fewer elements to provide the same information density, reducing the total number of components needed and thereby lowering manufacturing costs while maintaining or improving display resolution
3Ease of operation
If discrete display elements are used to indicate speed, then ease of operation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from discrete on/off display element states to continuous intensity variation. This provides intuitive operation similar to discrete indicators while achieving much finer resolution through the continuous range of intensity levels, allowing users to perceive subtle speed changes through intensity gradients
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 enables intuitive and cost-effective display of motor speed with reduced complexity, allowing users to recognize speed changes without needing absolute speed values, thus simplifying the appliance's design and manufacturing while maintaining good resolution.
Implementation Method 1
at least one lamp, in particular a light-emitting diode, which can be assigned a light guide for guiding the light from the lamp to a display field on a housing of the kitchen appliance
Data Source
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AI summary
A kitchen appliance (1) comprising an adjustable speed electric motor (3) for driving a processing tool (4), wherein the kitchen appliance (1) comprises detection means for detecting the speed of the motor (3) and at least one optical display element (11, 12) for displaying a speed of the motor (3), said element able to be controlled by the detection means. The optical display element (11, 12) is able to be controlled by the detection means in such a way that a display element (11, 12) intensity other than zero varies as a function of motor speed at least within a speed range associated with the optical display element (11, 12). The invention makes it possible, in an advantageous manner, to easily and cost-effectively manufacture and intuitively handle a kitchen appliance (1) that can display the speed of a motor (3) with good resolution.