Cooking Appliance Frame Cooling for Compact Electronics Layout

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cooking appliances are bulky and inefficient in heat management, with electronic components often exposed to high temperatures due to lack of effective cooling and maintenance-intensive air filtration systems, which compromises their compactness and stability.

Innovation Solution

A compact cooking appliance design featuring a self-supporting frame that houses all electronic components, including an active cooling fan without a filter, and a component carrier with cooling fins, ensuring efficient air circulation and heat dissipation within the frame, while maintaining a sleek and stable form factor.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If electronic components are housed outside the frame for accessibility, then assembly is easier, but the device becomes bulkier and heat management becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly accessibilityVSAvoiddevice bulkiness
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the frame structure with the housing to form an integrated unit. The frame is designed as a self-supporting structure that simultaneously serves as the outer housing, eliminating the need for separate housing components. This integration allows electronic components to be mounted directly on the frame's inner surfaces, reducing overall device volume while maintaining assembly accessibility through strategically placed mounting areas.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a filter is installed for air filtration, then air quality improves, but maintenance requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveair qualityVSAvoidmaintenance requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the filter component entirely from the air circulation system. Instead of using a filter to clean the air, the design relies on natural air circulation through the frame structure and the heat dissipation process itself to maintain air quality. This extraction of the filter element eliminates maintenance requirements while still achieving the goal of clean air circulation through passive means.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Stability of the object's composition

If the frame forms a closed structure, then structural stability improves, but heat dissipation becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidheat dissipation
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating selective openings and ventilation areas at specific locations on the frame where heat accumulation occurs. The frame maintains its closed and stable structure in most areas, but incorporates localized air circulation channels and openings strategically positioned to facilitate heat dissipation from electronic components without compromising overall structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

4Temperature

If cooling fins are added to the component carrier, then heat dissipation improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat dissipation efficiencyVSAvoidcomponent carrier complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the cooling fins directly with the component carrier structure, making them an integrated part of the mounting platform rather than separate attachments. The component carrier is designed with fin structures that extend from its surfaces, creating a unified heat dissipation system. This integration improves heat dissipation efficiency while avoiding the complexity of separate cooling component assemblies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

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

The solution provides effective heat management, maintaining temperatures between 60°C to 85°C on electronic components and preventing heat accumulation, eliminating the need for air filtration maintenance and enhancing the appliance's compactness and stability.

Implementation Method 1

an active cooling device for the electronic/electrical components, with at least one electrically driven cooling unit housed inside the frame. This cooling unit is in particular a cooling fan

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

a component carrier made of metal, preferably light metal such as aluminum, which is designed as a separate part opposite the frame, is provided inside the frame. The component carrier carries one or more electrical or electronic components on one side. Such a component is in particular a solid state relay... The component carrier has cooling fins for this purpose

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal Conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2695552B1Cooking device
Publication Date: 2016.11.23 FRIMA T
  • EP2695552B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2695552B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2695552B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The apparatus has swingable lids (14, 16) for opening and closing tiltably mounted, heatable crucibles (10, 12). The crucibles are provided with a front edge (18), a rear edge and a lateral edge (22). A table top frame (26) is provided at the front edge of the crucible in a frame-free manner, and designed in a T-shape. The crucibles extend along the rear and lateral edges, and arranged next to each other in a parallelepiped shape. A central web (28) upwardly projects opposite to a top surface of the closed lids. A transformer is accommodated in a transverse web (30).