Closed-Container Temperature Sensing for Food Core Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the core temperature of food are either destructive, costly, or unreliable, failing to accurately monitor the internal temperature of food during cooking, which can lead to undercooking or overcooking issues affecting nutrition, taste, and food safety.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that adjust heating power in a closed container to measure the change in internal temperature, using pre-established relationships between temperature changes and core food temperatures, allowing for non-destructive and accurate core temperature determination without complex setups.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a needle-shaped thermometer is punched into the food to measure core temperature, then temperature measurement is achieved, but the method becomes destructive and troublesome requiring significant manual work
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the cooking container as an intermediary to measure core temperature indirectly. Instead of inserting a thermometer into the food, the system measures the temperature of the container holding the food, which correlates with the food's core temperature. This eliminates the need for physical penetration of the food and reduces manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical needle thermometer insertion method with a non-contact or indirect sensing approach. By using sensors that detect temperature through the container wall or via thermal radiation, the system substitutes the mechanical penetration method with a more elegant sensing mechanism that doesn't require manual puncturing.
2Measurement precision
If electromagnetic radiometry or magnetic resonance thermometry is used to sense temperature deep into the food, then non-destructive measurement is achieved, but the setup becomes complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature sensing function from complex electromagnetic or magnetic resonance systems and simplifies it to measuring the container's temperature. By taking out only the essential measurement need (temperature) and achieving it through a simpler proxy (container temperature rather than direct food internal temperature), the system avoids the complexity of deep-tissue electromagnetic sensing while still obtaining the required information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple, low-cost temperature sensors that can be easily integrated into or near the cooking container, replacing expensive electromagnetic radiometry or magnetic resonance equipment. These simpler sensors provide sufficient accuracy for cooking applications without requiring complex infrastructure.
3Temperature
If the heating source continuously heats the oven to maintain thermal steady state, then constant temperature is maintained, but the internal ambient temperature cannot reflect the inner temperature of the food
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces periodic interruptions to the continuous heating process. By periodically pausing or modulating the heating source, the system creates temperature fluctuations in the oven environment. During these transitions, the relationship between oven temperature and food core temperature becomes dynamic and informative, allowing the ambient temperature measurements to reflect the food's internal temperature state.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a static thermal steady state to a dynamic heating process. By making the heating source adjustable and responsive, the system creates dynamic temperature conditions where the oven ambient temperature changes correlate with the food's thermal state. This dynamic approach allows temperature measurements to carry information about the food's core temperature that was unavailable in the static steady state.
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
Enables effective and low-cost monitoring of core food temperatures, ensuring proper cooking without damaging the food, improving food safety and taste by correlating internal container temperature changes with core food temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
the heating source is switched on, which heats up the air around it by both radiation and conduction
Implementation Method 2
the heat transferred by the air through convection
Implementation Method 3
Heat flows spontaneously from a system of higher temperature to one of lower temperature
Data Source
AI summary
The invention proposes a method of determining core temperature of food in a closed container, the method including the steps of: adjusting heating power supplied to the container to allow internal temperature of the container to change within a predetermined duration; obtaining information related to the change of internal temperature of the container; and determining the core temperature of the food based on the information related to the change of internal temperature and predetermined relationships between information related to change of internal temperature of the container and core temperatures of the food. The invention also proposes an apparatus for determining core temperature of food and a food processing device.