Automatic bread maker and ingredient box for the same
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bread makers require users to manually mix and measure ingredients, which is time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to inconsistent bread quality and a low fault-tolerant process.
Innovation Solution
An automatic bread maker with a supporting ingredient box and a sawtooth blade mechanism that pierces a film to unload ingredients into a stock bin, combined with a controlled baking process and water management system, simplifying the bread-making process and reducing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If users manually mix and measure ingredients, then flexibility in ingredient selection is maintained, but preparation time increases and errors occur
Solution Approach 1:
The ingredient box is divided into multiple compartments, each storing different ingredients. The hanging rack system segments the delivery process by allowing individual ingredient boxes to be independently positioned and pierced, enabling systematic organization and automated delivery of multiple ingredients without increasing overall system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses gravity-fed delivery where ingredients automatically flow from the ingredient box through the pierced film into the baking pan without requiring manual intervention. The sawtooth blade mechanism self-activates to pierce the film when the ingredient box is positioned, creating a self-service ingredient delivery system that reduces preparation time while maintaining simplicity
2Manufacturing precision
If ingredient composition is standardized, then bread taste consistency improves, but adaptability to different recipes decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The ingredient box is segmented into multiple compartments, each dedicated to a specific ingredient. This segmentation allows the system to maintain standardized proportions within each compartment while enabling flexible combination of different ingredients for various recipes. Each compartment can be independently filled with precise measurements, ensuring consistency while adapting to different bread formulations
Solution Approach 2:
The hanging rack and piercing mechanism serve as a universal delivery system that can accommodate different types of ingredient boxes with varying compositions. The standardized delivery mechanism works with any ingredient configuration, allowing the system to maintain consistent delivery precision while supporting recipe variety through flexible ingredient box design
3Productivity
If automated ingredient delivery is implemented, then preparation time reduces, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex piercing action is extracted and simplified to a single sawtooth blade mechanism that performs the entire film-piercing operation in one motion. The ingredient delivery function is extracted from manual mixing and integrated into the hanging rack system, where gravity naturally feeds ingredients through the pierced film. This extraction approach automates the delivery process while keeping the mechanical components simple and minimal
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed so that the ingredient box, when hung on the rack, automatically positions itself at the correct height and orientation for piercing. The gravity-fed design creates an equipotential state where ingredients naturally flow downward through the pierced film into the baking pan without requiring additional motors or actuators, achieving automated delivery through gravitational potential energy
4Extent of automation
If film piercing mechanism is added, then ingredient unloading automation improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sawtooth blade mechanism is designed to self-activate when the ingredient box is hung on the rack. The mechanical interaction between the box positioning and the blade creates automatic piercing without requiring separate control systems or additional actuators. This self-service approach achieves automated unloading while keeping the mechanism simple and integrated into the existing hanging structure
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 streamlines the bread-making process, reduces preparation time, ensures consistent taste, and enhances fault tolerance by automating ingredient unloading and water control, allowing for mass production of high-quality bread with varied recipes.
Implementation Method 1
a sawtooth blade mechanism that pierces a film to unload ingredients
Implementation Method 2
when the lid is pressed down to couple to the position of the housing, the ingredient box is driven to be positioned to be pierced by the sawtooth blade
Implementation Method 3
when the ingredient box is pierced, the bread ingredient of the ingredient box is dropped down to the stock bin
Implementation Method 4
a driving mechanism is further disposed to control the cover to be open or to be closed relative to the wall to make the bread ingredient inside the stock bin fell down from the drop opening or kept inside the stock bin
Data Source
AI summary
An automatic bread maker includes a housing; a baking pan disposed inside the housing to mix or heat bread ingredients and disposed with an upwardly facing entrance; and a hanging rack disposed inside the housing that accommodates a bread ingredient box and a stock bin disposed below the hanging rack and above the upwardly facing entrance. The hanging rack is disposed with a sawtooth blade that faces upwardly to pierce the bread ingredient box and the stock bin is disposed with a drop opening that faces the upwardly facing entrance and that has a size that is smaller than that of the entrance so that, when the bread ingredient box is pierced, the bread ingredients drop down into the stock bin, and wherein a driver is further disposed to control opening and closing of a cover of the stock bin to discharge at least a portion of the bread ingredients.