Cooking appliance with sensor units which are located outside the cooking compartment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances face challenges in effectively sensing properties of the cooking space or items within, particularly due to issues like sensor contamination, thermal radiation, and heat loss, which affect the accuracy and durability of temperature detection and image capture.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a motor-driven changing device that adjusts the position of multiple sensor units, including optical and IR cameras, in front of a shared opening in the cooking chamber wall, allowing for selective use of sensors, protection from contamination, and reduced heat loss by only exposing the required sensor unit to the cooking space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensor units are permanently positioned in front of the cooking chamber opening for continuous monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but sensor contamination from steam and grease increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit is made movable rather than fixed, allowing it to dynamically change position between an active measurement position in front of the opening and a protected standby position. This dynamic positioning enables the sensor to access the cooking chamber for measurements while being protected from contamination when not in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the sensor's operational function from its protection requirement by dividing its position into distinct states: active measurement position and protected standby position. This segmentation allows the sensor to fulfill its measurement purpose while minimizing exposure to harmful environmental factors.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensor units are permanently installed in the cooking chamber for simultaneous monitoring, then measurement precision is improved, but heat loss from the cooking chamber increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensor units share a single common opening in the cooking chamber wall instead of each requiring separate openings. This merging of access points reduces the total surface area open to the environment, thereby minimizing heat loss while still allowing multiple sensors to perform measurements alternately or simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
A single opening serves multiple functions by accommodating different sensor units at different times. The opening is designed to be accessible to various sensor types (optical, infrared, etc.), making it a universal access point that reduces the need for multiple separate openings.
3Reliability
If sensor units are protected from the cooking chamber environment, then reliability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to blocked sensor access
Solution Approach 1:
The protective arrangement is dynamic rather than static, allowing the sensor to move between protected and exposed states. When measurement is required, the sensor moves to a position where it has direct access to the cooking chamber through the opening, ensuring measurement precision. When not in use, it returns to the protected position, ensuring reliability.
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 enables precise and protected measurement of cooking space properties, reduces contamination risk, and minimizes heat loss by alternating sensor use and using a protective pane for specific spectral ranges, enhancing the appliance's ability to detect temperature, humidity, and chemical variables effectively.
Implementation Method 1
a motor-operated movable device ('changeover device') is present, the changeover device is equipped with at least two sensor units for detecting at least one property of the cooking chamber, and the changeover device can be adjusted by motor movement
Implementation Method 2
a cooking appliance comprising an infrared sensor located outside a cooking chamber, which uses a plurality of infrared sensor elements to detect the temperature of an object being heated
Implementation Method 3
using a protective pane for specific spectral ranges
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
A cooking appliance (1) has: - a cooking chamber (3) delimited by means of a cooking chamber wall (2); - at least one sensor unit (6, 7) arranged outside the cooking chamber; and - an opening (10) in the cooking chamber wall, through which opening at least one property of the cooking chamber can be detected by means of the at least one sensor unit, wherein a motor-movable changing device is provided outside the cooking chamber, which changing device is equipped with at least two sensor units for detecting at least one property of the cooking chamber, and the changing device can be set in such a way, by motorized movement, that one of the sensor units can be positioned in front of the opening at a time. A method is used to operate a cooking appliance (1), wherein, during cooking operation, at least one of the sensor units is brought from a standby position to an active position, when required, by movement of the changing device, a measurement is carried out there by means of this sensor unit, and this sensor unit is returned to the standby position immediately after the measurement. The invention can be advantageously applied in particular to domestic cooking appliances, in particular to baking ovens and/or microwave devices.