Planetary Mixer Attachment with Helical Gears for Small-Volume Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional food mixers often perform poorly when the wrong attachment tool is used, require users to learn through trial and error for mixing times and speeds, struggle with small volumes of ingredients, and have issues with ingredient splashing and visibility due to design limitations.
Innovation Solution
A food mixing machine with a tilted bowl and adjustable lid, featuring a motor-driven mixing tool that can rotate within the bowl, a lid with a recessed aperture for efficient ingredient addition, and a control system that detects tool attachments and automatically adjusts operational settings, ensuring effective mixing and user safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mixer tool is configured to fit tightly against the bottom surface of the bowl, then mixing effectiveness is improved, but the tool may be damaged if the bowl is not correctly positioned or if heavy ingredients resist the tool
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing tool incorporates a spring mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the tool's position relative to the bowl bottom. The spring enables the tool to maintain contact with the bowl bottom for effective mixing while providing compliance to accommodate positioning variations and prevent damage from excessive force or misalignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring constant and pre-load of the spring mechanism can be designed to optimize the contact force between the mixing tool and bowl bottom. By carefully selecting these parameters, the system achieves sufficient mixing effectiveness while limiting the maximum force to prevent tool damage under adverse conditions.
2Ease of operation
If conventional mixers use a central opening in the lid directly above the mixing tool, then ingredient addition is simple, but ingredients are placed on top of the tool which slows mixing and wastes ingredients
Solution Approach 1:
The lid opening is positioned at the periphery of the lid rather than at the center, changing the spatial dimension of ingredient addition. This peripheral positioning allows ingredients to be added away from the mixing tool path, eliminating the problem of ingredients being placed on top of the tool while maintaining easy access for the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The lid is designed with a separate peripheral opening distinct from the central mixing area, segmenting the ingredient addition function from the mixing function. This separation allows ingredients to be added without interfering with the mixing tool operation, improving both ease of operation and mixing productivity.
3Productivity
If the mixer runs at high speeds to improve mixing efficiency, then productivity increases, but powdery or liquid ingredients may splash or float out of the bowl
Solution Approach 1:
The bowl is tilted at an angle relative to the vertical axis, creating an asymmetric configuration. This tilt causes ingredients to settle toward one side of the bowl during mixing, creating a deeper effective mixing zone and reducing the likelihood of splashing at the bowl rim, even at high mixing speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The bowl features a curved, rounded bottom surface rather than a flat bottom. This curvature helps guide ingredients smoothly during the mixing motion, reducing turbulence and splashing while maintaining effective mixing action at high speeds.
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 improved mixing quality, especially for small volumes, reduces ingredient waste, enhances user interaction, and maintains a clean mixing environment by preventing splashing and allowing for efficient tool operation.
Implementation Method 1
The mixing tool may be movable along the longitudinal axis of the bowl and may comprise a first gear surface engaging a second gear surface torqued by the motor. The first gear surface and the second gear surface may be helical.
Data Source
AI summary
A variable-engagement planetary food mixing tool for attachment to a motorized food mixing apparatus is presented. The tool has a body that has a driveshaft engagement portion and a first longitudinal axis. The tool also has a sun gear concentric with the first longitudinal axis, wherein the sun gear has a first helical gear surface. A planet gear with a second longitudinal axis is also included, wherein the second longitudinal axis is non-parallel to the first longitudinal axis. The planet gear has a second helical gear surface extending around the second longitudinal axis. The planet gear is configured to engage the first helical gear surface of the sun gear in one or more positions along the second longitudinal axis. A mixing member is connected to the planet gear and moves around the first longitudinal axis while rotating around the second longitudinal axis as the planet gear traverses the sun gear.