Cooking Container Airflow Holes for Uniform Hot-Air Recirculation

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing autonomous cooking apparatuses fail to distribute heat uniformly within the cooking compartment, leading to inhomogeneous cooking and inefficient energy use due to the conformation of return exits and internal container barriers.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus features a suction mouth connected to through holes on the lateral and base walls of the internal container, allowing for a forced circulation of hot air that recirculates and distributes heat uniformly across the food, with holes extending along the container's height and arranged in overlapping rows.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If the return exit is positioned in the upper part of the cooking chamber without through holes in the internal container, then the structure is simple, but the hot air flow does not penetrate through the food, resulting in non-uniform cooking and excessive energy consumption

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidcooking uniformity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The invention divides the internal container into multiple sections by creating through holes in its walls. These holes segment the container's interior space, allowing hot air to pass through different zones of the food rather than flowing along a single surface path, thereby achieving uniform cooking while maintaining structural simplicity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from surface-level hot air circulation to three-dimensional penetration by introducing vertical through holes through the container walls. This dimensional change enables hot air to flow through the depth of the food, not just across the surface, resolving the contradiction between simple structure and uniform cooking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the internal container acts as a barrier to protect food, then food protection is improved, but the hot air flow path is constrained, preventing deep penetration and causing non-uniform cooking

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefood protectionVSAvoidheat distribution
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The internal container is transformed from a solid barrier into a porous structure with through holes. This allows the container to simultaneously protect food (by containing it) and permit hot air penetration (by providing flow paths through the walls), resolving the contradiction between protection and heat distribution

Inventive Principle:
Principle #31Porous materials

3Manufacturing precision

If through holes are added to the internal container to improve heat distribution, then cooking uniformity is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooking uniformityVSAvoidcontainer structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container structure is segmented into multiple zones defined by the through holes, allowing independent control of hot air flow paths. This segmentation achieves uniform cooking across different food layers while the modular nature of the holes keeps the manufacturing process relatively simple

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 ensures uniform heating of food, optimizing cooking results and reducing energy consumption by ensuring all parts of the food are evenly cooked and energy is used efficiently.

Implementation Method 1

at least one heating device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Implementation Method 2

at least one element to generate a flow of air to the food... the flow of air must be distributed uniformly inside the container and between the food

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Data Source

PatentEP3493722B1Autonomous apparatus for cooking food, and corresponding method
Publication Date: 2021.06.23 DE LONGHI APPLIANCES SRL
  • EP3493722B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3493722B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3493722B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

Autonomous apparatus for cooking food comprising a support body (12), an openable lid (14), an internal container (16) which can be extracted/inserted with respect to said support body (12) and open at the top, at least a heating device (18), one or more elements (20) to generate a flow of air toward the inside of said container (16). The air flow generator element (20) is connected to a return exit (28) with a suction mouth (30) made in correspondence with an internal wall (12b) of said support body (12) and cooperating with a plurality of through holes (32) made on at least one portion of the lateral wall (24) of the internal container (16).