Domestic appliance and part thereof
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum cleaners, particularly handheld and stick vacuums, face manufacturing tolerance issues that lead to slack or play in triggers, affecting responsiveness and reliability due to varying manufacturing variances, resulting in potential rattle and reduced functionality.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a biasing member that urges the trigger towards the active position to accommodate manufacturing variance, allowing for more relaxed manufacturing tolerances and reducing the likelihood of accidental deactivation, while a second biasing member can prevent unintended activation, ensuring a responsive and reliable switching mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manufacturing tolerances are tightened to eliminate trigger play, then trigger responsiveness is improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
A biasing member (spring) is introduced as an intermediary element between the trigger and switch assembly. This spring absorbs manufacturing variances and trigger play, ensuring reliable trigger responsiveness without requiring tight manufacturing tolerances. The biasing member compensates for dimensional variations in the trigger mechanism components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the trigger is designed with play or slack, then manufacturing is easier, but trigger responsiveness and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member dynamically adjusts the trigger's operational parameters by applying a spring force that compensates for play and slack. This allows the mechanism to maintain reliable responsiveness despite variations in manufacturing tolerances, as the spring force ensures consistent engagement between the trigger and switch assembly.
3Device complexity
If the trigger mechanism is simplified to reduce complexity, then manufacturing cost decreases, but trigger reliability and responsiveness worsen due to increased play
Solution Approach 1:
The biasing member serves as a simple intermediary component that significantly improves trigger reliability without adding complex mechanisms. This single spring element compensates for play in simplified trigger designs, maintaining responsive operation while keeping the overall mechanism simple and cost-effective to manufacture.
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
This solution enhances the responsiveness of the trigger, reduces rattle, and allows for more flexible manufacturing tolerances, decreasing tooling costs and waste by ensuring the switch assembly can connect to the power source quickly and reliably, improving user experience and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a first biasing member which is arranged to urge the trigger away from the passive position and towards the active position
Implementation Method 2
the first biasing member taking up any slack in the trigger may allow the switch assembly to enter the motor-connecting state more quickly when the trigger is operated by the user
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 3
AI summary
A domestic appliance comprises an electric motor; a switch assembly for selectively connecting the motor to a power source; a handle; and a manually-operable trigger movable relative to the handle between an active position and a passive position. The trigger and the switch assembly are arranged such that the switch assembly is in a motor-connecting state when the trigger is in the active position, and is in a motor- disconnecting state when the trigger is in the passive position. The domestic appliance comprises a first biasing member which is arranged to urge the trigger away from the passive position and towards the active position.