Improving Microwave Oven Safety in Truck Cabins : Preventing Projectiles on Crash/Brake

Sammanfattning: Large trucks may have an integrated microwave oven, or a driver may add oneas a standalone solution, to allow heating food during long-haul transports. If a crash occurs with an item inside the oven, it may thrust against the door with such force that it opens from the inside. The goal of this thesis work is to develop a concept for a universally applicable solution that prevents flying parts from within the oven on a crash, as that presents a safety hazard for anyone inside the cabin. The thesis work was conducted according to a stage gate process, which included four phases: Context, Ideation, Concept Development, and Concept Design. It includes interviews, company visits, literature searches, design methodology, concept comparisons and computer aided design. The thesis work concludes with three concepts, all of which are locking solutions that are applied externally onto a microwave oven. They include a bolt latch, a solenoid lock, and a bolt latch integrated with the oven’s door button. All solutions traverse the transition area between door and panel.