Bread Cooker Plate Linkage and Venting for Uniform Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food cooking appliances with two heating plates suffer from non-uniform cooking due to pressure and temperature variations, especially when cooking leavened foods that emit gases, as the traditional hinge-based systems fail to maintain consistent conditions.
Innovation Solution
A food cooking appliance with a movable upper heating plate connected by parallelogram linkage means to a lower heating plate, featuring vent channels for pressure relief and a variable calibration spring to maintain parallel alignment and adjust resistance, allowing the plates to open when gas pressure exceeds a threshold, ensuring uniform cooking conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a hinge-based plate positioning system is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the cooking uniformity deteriorates due to pressure and temperature variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a parallelogram linkage system that enables dynamic adjustment of the upper plate position. This mechanism allows the plates to maintain parallel alignment while accommodating volume changes in leavened food during cooking, thereby preserving cooking uniformity without requiring a complex fixed structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a variable calibration spring that modifies the resistance force exerted on the upper plate. By adjusting the spring constant, the system adapts to different cooking conditions and food types, maintaining optimal pressure and temperature conditions throughout the cooking process
2Manufacturing precision
If a parallelogram linkage system is used to maintain parallel plates, then cooking uniformity improves, but the system cannot accommodate pressure changes from leavened food
Solution Approach 1:
The parallelogram linkage is combined with a variable calibration spring that provides dynamic resistance adjustment. This allows the system to maintain parallel plate alignment while adapting to pressure changes generated by leavened food, resolving the contradiction between structural rigidity and pressure accommodation
Solution Approach 2:
The variable calibration spring changes its resistance parameter based on cooking conditions. As the spring constant can be adjusted, the system adapts to different pressure levels generated by expanding food, maintaining both parallel alignment and pressure accommodation
3Stability of the object's composition
If the upper plate is fixed to maintain constant pressure, then pressure stability improves, but the ability to release excess cooking gases deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a movable upper plate connected via parallelogram linkage and variable calibration spring. This dynamic configuration allows the plate to rise when gas pressure exceeds the spring resistance, automatically venting excess gases while maintaining pressure stability during normal cooking
Solution Approach 2:
The variable calibration spring provides a pressure-dependent feedback mechanism. When gas pressure builds up beyond the spring's resistance force, the upper plate automatically lifts to release pressure, then returns to its original position when pressure normalizes, creating a self-regulating system
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 improves cooking uniformity by maintaining consistent pressure and temperature conditions within the cooking chambers, allowing for efficient cooking of foods that expand during the cooking process, such as bread, by automatically adjusting the plate distance based on internal gas pressure.
Implementation Method 1
Heating surfaces, in use, face each other and transfer heat, mainly by thermal conduction, necessary for cooking food that, to this end, is in contact with both of them
Implementation Method 2
linkage means further comprise opening means configured for operating the linkage means and for moving the plates away from each other such to allow the cavities to be opened towards the external environment when gas pressure inside said cavities exceeds a threshold value. Preferably linkage means are parallelogram linkage means and opening means comprise a variable calibration spring
Implementation Method 3
at least one vent channel intended to put one or more cavities in fluid communication with an environment outside the appliance, when the plates are in the closed position
Data Source
AI summary
An appliance for cooking food including an upper heating plate and a lower heating plate provided with surfaces facing each other. The upper plate being movable between a closed position in which the upper and the lower plates are in contact with each other and an open position in which the upper and the lower heating plates are spaced apart. The appliance further includes parallelogram linkage constrained to the upper plate and to the lower plate to allow the upper plate to be lifted from or to approach in a parallel manner the lower plate. The appliance further includes one or more cavities for housing food to be cooked at least at one of said surfaces and at least one vent channel to put one or more cavities in fluid communication with an environment external to the appliance when plates are in the closed position.