Cooking Chamber Batch Air Drying Without Continuous Circulation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Modern cooking appliances face challenges in reducing moisture emissions during cooking processes, which lead to high humidity in the kitchen, affecting cooking results and desirability of emission-free operation.

Innovation Solution

A cooking appliance with a processing device that extracts air from the cooking chamber, dries it using a dryer unit, and feeds it back into the chamber, eliminating the need for a circulating air circuit, thus reducing moisture emissions efficiently and cost-effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-generated harmful factors

If a circulating air circuit is used to dry air in the cooking chamber, then moisture emissions are reduced, but device complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemoisture emissionsVSAvoidcirculating air circuit
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The air drying process is divided into discrete batches rather than continuous circulation. The processing device extracts specific charges of air, dries them individually in the dryer unit, and returns them to the cooking chamber. This segmentation eliminates the need for complex continuous circulation systems while maintaining effective moisture removal.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The harmful moisture component is extracted from the air charge in the dryer unit through condensation. By removing moisture from discrete air batches rather than attempting to manage it through continuous circulation, the system simplifies the overall air handling architecture while effectively reducing moisture emissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-generated harmful factors

If a circulating air circuit is used to dry air in the cooking chamber, then moisture emissions are reduced, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemoisture emissionsVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous air circulation requiring constant energy input, the system uses periodic batch processing. Air charges are extracted, dried, and returned in discrete cycles. This periodic operation allows the dryer unit to be optimized for energy efficiency in batch mode rather than continuous operation, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining moisture emission reduction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Object-generated harmful factors

If constant air circulation is implemented, then moisture is continuously removed, but cooking process quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemoisture removalVSAvoidcooking process quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-generated harmful factorsVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adapts to different cooking requirements by allowing selective air drying. Unlike constant circulation that continuously disturbs the cooking environment, the batch processing approach enables the cooking chamber atmosphere to remain stable during cooking, with air drying activated only when needed. This dynamic approach preserves cooking quality while effectively removing moisture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 allows for significant reduction in moisture emissions, optimizing cooking conditions, maintaining a favorable kitchen atmosphere, and achieving cost-effective and compact air drying with improved thermal insulation.

Implementation Method 1

drying in batches means that other requirements can be placed on the dryer unit, so that it can be particularly well optimized in terms of energy consumption and installation space

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCondensation: Condensation

Data Source

PatentEP3437478B1Cooking device and method for using a cooking device
Publication Date: 2020.05.13 MIELE & CO KG
  • EP3437478B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance (1) with a heated cooking chamber (11) that can be closed by a cooking chamber door (101) and with a preparation device (3) connected to the cooking chamber (11) for drying air from the cooking chamber (11). The preparation device (3) is suitable and configured to draw a batch of air from the cooking chamber (11) and transfer it to a drying unit (4), dry the batch of air by means of the drying unit (4), and return it to the cooking chamber (11) after the drying process.