Electrothermal heating device
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrothermal heating devices pose a risk of accidental contact with the socket-side electroconductive part, dirt adherence, and object collisions due to exposed electroconductive pins, which can lead to user injury or malfunction.
Innovation Solution
A protective member within the plug socket restricts movement of the socket-side electroconductive part, creating a closed space to prevent external contact, with a switching mechanism allowing easy insertion of the power source plug without additional actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the socket-side electroconductive part is exposed for easy plug insertion, then ease of operation is improved, but user safety deteriorates due to risk of accidental contact and burns
Solution Approach 1:
The closing plate is nested within the plug socket structure, forming a protective cover that encloses the electroconductive pins. The closing plate can slide or rotate to open/close the opening, allowing the electroconductive parts to be protected when not in use while remaining accessible during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing plate serves as an intermediary element between the user and the electroconductive pins. It provides a physical barrier that prevents direct contact with hot or live components, while still allowing electrical connection to be made when the plate is opened.
2Ease of operation
If the socket-side electroconductive part is exposed, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to dirt adherence and contact resistance increase
Solution Approach 1:
The closing plate creates a nested protective structure that encloses the electroconductive pins within the plug socket, preventing dirt and contaminants from adhering to the contact surfaces while maintaining easy access during normal operation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a protective cover is added to close the opening, then user safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The closing plate is implemented as a thin, simple plate structure that can slide or rotate, providing effective protection without adding significant complexity to the plug socket design.
Solution Approach 2:
The closing plate is designed to be automatically opened when the power source plug is inserted, eliminating the need for separate manual opening actions or complex control mechanisms.
4Ease of operation
If the closing plate is made rotatable or slidable to enable opening, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to potential accidental opening
Solution Approach 1:
The closing plate is biased by a spring to remain in the closed position, creating a preliminary counter-action that prevents accidental opening. The plate only opens when sufficient force is applied to overcome the spring bias, such as during deliberate plug insertion.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric heating device includes a box-shaped plug socket provided with a socket-side electroconductive part electrically connected to an electric heater; a power source plug provided with a plug-side electroconductive part electrically connectable to the socket-side electroconductive part and attachable to and detachable from the plug socket; a movement-restricting mechanism for restricting the movement of a protective member both toward and away from a socket-side electroconductive part in a protected state in which the protective member closes an opening of the plug socket and the socket-side electroconductive part are positioned within an interior space; and a switching mechanism for switching the protective member from a restricted movement state into a restriction released state, in which the restriction of movement by the movement restriction mechanism is released, as the power source plug is inserted into the plug socket.