Cooking Appliance Panel Unit Design for Hidden Water Tank Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional steam ovens face design challenges in accommodating a water tank and controller without compromising aesthetics, usability, or increasing the appliance's size, often resulting in exposed internal structures and reduced convenience due to the placement of these components.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance design where the panel unit covers and exposes the water tank entrance, allowing for a rear placement of the water tank and integrating the controller within the panel unit to maintain a sleek front appearance while ensuring easy access and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the water tank entrance is disposed at the front portion to improve user accessibility, then user accessibility is improved, but the entrance interferes with the door and requires relocation
Solution Approach 1:
The water tank entrance is relocated from the front horizontal plane to the upper vertical plane, changing the spatial dimension of access. This allows the water tank to be filled from above without interfering with the front door, resolving the conflict between accessibility and door interference.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If both the water tank entrance and controller are disposed at the upper portion to avoid the door, then door interference is avoided, but the cooking appliance size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller and water tank entrance are merged into a single integrated panel unit. This consolidation allows both components to share the same upper portion space, avoiding the need to allocate separate spaces that would increase the overall appliance dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
The panel unit is designed to be movable, capable of opening to expose the water tank entrance and closing to cover it. This dynamic design allows the entrance to be accessible when needed while maintaining a compact closed appearance, preventing permanent size increase.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the water tank entrance is disposed at the upper portion to avoid the door, then door interference is avoided, but the entrance harms the aesthetic of the cooking appliance
Solution Approach 1:
A panel unit acts as a flexible cover that can open and close over the water tank entrance. When closed, this panel provides a sleek, continuous surface that hides the entrance and maintains aesthetic appearance, while allowing access when opened.
4Shape
If a separate cover is provided to cover the water tank entrance, then the entrance is covered, but the protruding cover harms the aesthetic and interferes with controller movement
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is merged with the controller into a single integrated panel unit. This eliminates the need for a separate protruding cover structure, as the controller housing itself serves as the cover, providing a sleek appearance without additional complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance includes a casing having a cavity and a tank chamber therein, and a door opening and closing the cavity. A front housing is disposed in front of a front frame, which is disposed in front of the casing, and above the door, and an entrance of the tank chamber is formed at the front housing. The water tank is dischargeable forward of the casing through the entrance of the tank chamber. A panel unit is disposed in front of the front housing at a first position to cover the entrance of the tank chamber, and opens the entrance of the tank chamber at a second position where the panel unit is moved from the first position.