Cooking appliance comprising a cleaning device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliance cleaning devices require expensive, resistant materials for the drain valve due to aggressive media, leading to high costs and inefficiencies in liquid handling and solid removal.
Innovation Solution
A pump system with a shared hydraulic circuit, including a drain pump and a circulating pump, eliminates the need for a valve by actively conveying liquid and solids from the collection container to the drain line, using a riser and check valve to prevent unintentional flow and contamination, while optimizing pump operation through separate delivery chambers and decentralized power electronics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a valve is used in the drain line to control liquid flow, then liquid flow control is achieved, but the valve must be made of expensive resistant material (stainless steel) due to aggressive media
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the valve component from the drain line by implementing an active pump system that positively displaces liquid and solids. The pump's active pumping mechanism replaces the passive valve control, removing the need for expensive resistant materials in the drain line while maintaining reliable liquid flow control through the pump's controlled discharge operation.
2Area of stationary object
If a single hydraulic circuit is used for both drain pump and circulation pump, then installation space is reduced, but unintentional liquid flow from collection container to drain pipe must be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces a check valve as an intermediary component in the drain line to prevent unintentional liquid flow from the collection container to the drain pipe. This check valve acts as a one-way gate that allows liquid flow only when the drain pump is actively operating, while blocking any passive or unintentional flow paths. This solution maintains the space-efficient single hydraulic circuit while ensuring reliable prevention of unwanted liquid discharge.
3Device complexity
If the drain pump and circulation pump are integrated into the same collection container, then device complexity is reduced, but complete emptying of the collection container becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The invention positions the drain pump at the lowest point of the collection container, utilizing the vertical dimension and gravitational potential to maximize emptying efficiency. By locating the pump at the bottommost position, the system exploits gravity to facilitate complete drainage of liquid and solids from the container. This spatial arrangement in the vertical dimension enables thorough emptying while maintaining the integrated pump system design.
4Reliability
If the circulation pump impeller is positioned above the drain pump impeller, then liquid with minimal solids is pumped to cooking chamber, but solids accumulate at the bottom of the collection container
Solution Approach 1:
The invention implements periodic operation of the drain pump to periodically remove accumulated solids from the bottom of the collection container. The system alternates between circulation mode (pumping liquid to cooking chamber) and draining mode (removing solids accumulation). This periodic action prevents excessive solid buildup while maintaining continuous cleaning capability, balancing the prevention of recontamination with solid removal requirements.
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
This solution reduces costs by eliminating the need for a valve, ensures efficient liquid handling and solid removal, and prevents contamination of the cooking chamber, while optimizing pump efficiency and reducing installation space and temperature-related issues.
Implementation Method 1
The drain pump is sized to pump the liquid, along with any solids present in the collection tank, through the riser pipe into the drain pipe
Implementation Method 2
a check valve is provided in the riser pipe. This check valve, which is preferably located in a lower section of the riser pipe or near the drain pump, prevents backflow of liquid already present in the riser pipe into the collection container
Implementation Method 3
The riser pipe is designed so that the liquid must be pumped above a maximum permissible liquid level in the collection tank to remove it
Data Source
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AI summary
The apparatus has a collecting container (6) for receiving liquid withdrawn from a cooking space (2) over an exhaust opening (17). An inlet feeds fresh water or cleaning fluid into an inlet spacer (13) that is controlled by a valve (31). A rolling over spacer is provided over the container. The liquid is supplied into the cooking space from a circulating pump (8). A discharge line (16) discharges the liquid from the cooking space. An emptying pump (7) is provided at the container. Solid materials are conveyed into the drain line from the container through the circulating pump. An independent claim is also included for a pumping system for a cleaning apparatus.