Rise
—
Easy Access Oven Rack
Student - Fall 2019
By design, ovens put a user in an uncomfortable lifting position. Actions such as bending over to lift a heavy item from a hot oven can be even more difficult and dangerous for people with limited mobility than for those who are able-bodied. Rise aims to eliminate these barriers to oven use. I worked in a group of 18 students in the class, Product Engineering Processes, to design Rise. Rise is integrated into an oven design and liscensed to a manufacturing company. A motor drives a tensioned cable system to slide the rack holder out horizontally and then lift it by rotating upward. Using a speed controller, the system can maintain a constant lifting speed. Rise has a maximum load of 20 pounds which is about the weight of an average turkey.
A seven-bar linkage system
was used in the preliminary
design. The mechanism
was activated opening the
oven door. User research
revealed that they did not
want to activate the
mechanism every time they
opened the door.
Additionally, the linkage
system was considered too
complicated to continue to
persue.
A further design utilized a
counterweight system to
decrease the force that a
user would need to input
to lift a rack out of the oven.
However, this mechanism
was not able to account for
differing weights.
Of three designs displayed
at a finalizing design review,
the images to the left inspired
the final chosen design. This
design is a four-bar linkage
system that would slide out
horizontally while rotating
upwards. The mechanism
would be actuated by a motor using
a button. This
system was later
improved upon for
the final design.
Rise utilizes a dual-stage mechanical system, composed of sliders, linkages, and a rack
holder. The mechanism is made out of stainless steel and is designed to withstand up to
600 degrees Fahrenheit. It is actuated by a motor that sits behind the insulated oven
interior. If a user attempts to utilize Rise without the door fully open, a limit switch on the
oven door detects that it’s not safe to actuate Rise and inhibits the function of the motor.
The image to the left is of Rise within the oven
interior.The sliding motion is due
to conical rollers shown in the image to the right that self-correct, as train wheels do.
All racks are
removable. The
rising racks
include clear silicon
covers to ensure
that the food
does not slide
while in motion. Wrapped in a blue silicon cover, a raised lip at the front of each rising rack is also
included as a backup safety feature for slipping foods.
The buttons in the image directly below activate Rise wirelessly. Therefore, a user can mount the device in a place most convenient for them. In the image below and to the right is a button integrated directly into the oven that can be used as a substitute for the wireless remote.
The buttons in the image directly below activate Rise wirelessly. Therefore, a user can mount the device in a place most convenient for them. In the image below and to the right is a button integrated directly into the oven that can be used as a substitute for the wireless remote.
For the final presentation,
I performed the on-stage
demonstration. I joined
the stage with 3 others
who presented user
research, mechanical
design, and market
projections.
The
presentation was held in a theater that was filled
with approximately 1100
guests. Additionally,
70,000 unique IPs
watched an online live
stream of the
presentation. The core of
Rise is to elevate an oven
user’s experience by
redefining inclusivity and
convenience in the
kitchen.