Oven Light Lens Locking with Spring Tongues for Easy Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oven lights face issues with the lens baking onto the housing due to high temperatures and contamination, making removal difficult and causing stress on the housing, which can lead to deformation and operational problems, and there is a lack of a hermetic seal that allows vapors to penetrate.
Innovation Solution
A tubular sheet-metal housing with radially inwardly projecting and elastically deflectable spring tongues that provide a friction-fit connection with a cup-shaped glass lens, ensuring ease of installation and removal, preventing accidental unscrewing, and maintaining a hermetic seal by compensating for radial stresses and preventing polygonal deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the lens is tightly secured to the housing using conventional locking members, then the lens is firmly fixed and protected, but the lens bakes onto the housing due to high temperatures and tightening torque, making removal difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The locking members are designed as spring tongues that can elastically deflect, changing their mechanical state from rigid to flexible. This allows them to apply sufficient fixing force during installation while automatically reducing stress during thermal expansion, preventing the lens from baking onto the housing and enabling easy removal.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring tongues provide a dynamic fixing mechanism that adapts to thermal conditions. During high-temperature operation, the spring tongues can deflect to accommodate thermal expansion differences between the lens and housing, maintaining contact without excessive force that would cause baking.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the housing is rigidly constructed to provide structural stability, then the housing maintains its shape, but the housing deforms into a polygon due to tightening torque and thermal stress
Solution Approach 1:
The spring tongues transform the housing's mechanical properties from rigid to elastically flexible at the locking interfaces. This allows the housing to maintain its overall circular shape while accommodating localized stresses from tightening and thermal expansion without deforming into a polygon.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the stop surface is positioned close to the flanged edge to prevent lens rotation, then the lens is securely positioned, but vapors penetrate through the gap and cause contamination in the control area
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is separated from the positioning function. The spring tongues provide positioning through their elastic contact, while a distinct sealing element (gasket or seal ring) prevents vapor penetration. This segmentation allows both functions to be optimized independently without compromising either lens positioning or vapor protection.
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 ensures secure and easy installation and removal of the lens, prevents baking onto the housing, maintains a hermetic seal to prevent vapor penetration, and reduces stress on the housing, thereby enhancing the operational reliability and maintenance of oven lights.
Implementation Method 1
radially inwardly projecting and radially elastically deflectable spring tongues
Implementation Method 2
friction-fit connection with a cup-shaped glass lens
Implementation Method 3
compensating for radial stresses and preventing polygonal deformation
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical light has a tubular sheet-metal housing centered generally on an axis and formed with a plurality of angularly spaced, radially inwardly projecting, and radially elastically deflectable spring tongues. A socket in the housing holds a light bulb. A cup-shaped glass lens has a dome formed with a generally cylindrical collar dimensioned to fit into the housing with the dome fitting over a light bulb in the socket. The collar is formed with a plurality of angularly spaced and radially outwardly open L-shaped grooves each fittable with a respective one of the tongues. Each groove has an axially extending and open leg and an angularly extending leg. The angularly extending legs each have an outer flank and an inner flank between the respective outer flank and the dome.