Cooking Chamber Tilt Control for Sensorless Food Portioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances with tilting mechanisms for transferring flowable or pourable materials into smaller containers are complex and costly due to the use of multiple sensors, which increases the risk of errors and requires complicated safety mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a motor-driven tilting mechanism that uses a potentiometer to determine the volume of contents in the cooking chamber, allowing for direct control of the tilting process without sensors, enabling easy portioning of food into identical or varying sizes by controlling the motor and tilting mechanism based on voltage values.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to determine the rotational position and fill level of the cooking chamber, then the precision of volume measurement is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the volume measurement function from complex sensor systems and implements it through a simplified approach using a single potentiometer integrated into the motor. The potentiometer directly measures the rotational position of the motor, which corresponds to the tilt angle of the cooking chamber, allowing volume calculation without requiring separate sensors for position and fill level detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor serving the tilting mechanism is given a dual function: it not only provides the mechanical tilting action but also houses a potentiometer that serves as the measurement device. This integrated approach allows the same component to perform both actuation and measurement functions, eliminating the need for separate sensor systems.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect the rotational position and fill level, then the measurement accuracy is improved, but the susceptibility to errors and malfunctions increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the vulnerability associated with multiple sensors by extracting the measurement function to a single potentiometer integrated into the motor. This reduces the number of potential failure points and eliminates errors related to sensor calibration, positioning, and synchronization that would arise with multiple separate sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor's own position feedback mechanism (the potentiometer) is used to determine the cooking chamber orientation. The system uses its inherent mechanical feedback rather than relying on external sensing systems, making the measurement process more reliable and less susceptible to environmental factors and sensor failures.
3Extent of automation
If a motor-driven tilting mechanism with multiple sensors is implemented, then the automation level is improved, but the cost of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is designed to perform dual functions: providing mechanical power for tilting and housing the potentiometer for position measurement. This multi-functional design maintains high automation capability while significantly reducing component count and manufacturing cost compared to systems using separate motors and sensor arrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the measurement function into the existing motor structure by integrating a potentiometer directly into the motor assembly. This combination eliminates the need for separate sensor mounting, wiring, and calibration processes, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while preserving automation benefits.
4Manufacturing precision
If sensors are used to determine the position of the drive, then the control precision is improved, but the number of components and susceptibility to errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the position sensing function from the overall system and embeds it directly within the motor through the potentiometer. This approach maintains precise control of the tilting mechanism while reducing the total component count by eliminating separate position sensors and their associated wiring and calibration systems.
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 simplifies the process of portioning food by eliminating the need for sensors, reducing costs, and minimizing the risk of errors, while providing a user-friendly interface for determining the volume and portioning of food without requiring complex calculations or measurements.
Implementation Method 1
a motor (20), with a tilting mechanism (30) driven by the motor (20) via a drive (22) for tilting the cooking chamber (10)
Implementation Method 2
The motor (20) has a potentiometer (21) which supplies a voltage value depending on a position of the drive (22)
Implementation Method 3
the cooking chamber (10) is designed to be tiltable. It is tilted about a rotation or tilting axis so that its contents can flow out
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 6
AI summary
A cooking appliance has a cooking chamber (10) that can be filled with a liquid or pourable material, a motor (20), a tilting mechanism (30) driven by the motor (20) via a drive (22) for tilting the cooking chamber (10) from one working position to at least one other position and back, as well as an appliance control unit (40) and an operating unit (50). The motor (20) has a potentiometer (21). Depending on the position of the drive (22), the potentiometer (21) provides a voltage value, which is supplied to the appliance control unit (40). The appliance control unit (40) determines the volume of the liquid or pourable contents of the cooking chamber from the voltage value. Depending on inputs to the operating unit (50), the volume is portioned and the motor (20) is controlled accordingly.