Cooking Lid Steam Flow Measurement Using Air-Steam Mixture Temperature
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lids for cooking containers cannot accurately measure steam flow rates during established boiling conditions, as temperature sensors are unable to differentiate between the start of boiling and ongoing boiling, leading to inadequate control over heating power.
Innovation Solution
A lid with a steam flow measurement device featuring a chamber with a primary steam admission orifice and air intake perforations, creating an air/steam mixture that passes through a temperature-sensitive element, allowing for the differentiation of boiling regimes based on temperature measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a temperature sensor is used to detect steam flow rate, then the start of boiling can be detected, but the steam flow rate cannot be measured during established boiling conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary substance (air) that mixes with steam to create an air/steam mixture. This mixture has a temperature that varies continuously with steam flow rate, allowing the temperature sensor to measure steam flow rate accurately during established boiling conditions. The air acts as a mediator that transforms the measurement problem from detecting temperature (which plateaus at 100°C) to detecting mixture temperature (which continues to vary with flow rate).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter being measured from pure steam temperature to air/steam mixture temperature. By introducing ambient temperature air into the chamber, the mixture temperature becomes a continuous function of steam flow rate rather than plateauing at the boiling point. This parameter transformation enables continuous measurement across all boiling regimes.
2Measurement precision
If the temperature sensor measures steam temperature directly, then boiling start can be detected at 100°C, but the measurement cannot differentiate between gentle and strong boiling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses air as an intermediary that carries information about steam flow rate through the mixture temperature. The air/steam mixture temperature preserves information about the quantity of steam produced, which would be lost if only pure steam temperature were measured. This intermediary approach prevents information loss while enabling differentiation of boiling regimes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback relationship where the mixture temperature continuously reflects the steam flow rate, which in turn reflects the heating power. This feedback loop allows the measurement system to provide continuous information about cooking conditions, enabling users to adjust heating power to achieve desired boiling regimes.
3Measurement precision
If air is admitted into the steam flow to create an air/steam mixture, then the temperature can characterize different boiling regimes, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The chamber serves multiple functions: it collects steam from the cooking container, mixes it with ambient air, allows the mixture to equilibrate, and provides a measurement point for the temperature sensor. By making the chamber multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate components for each function, thereby reducing overall device complexity while achieving precise measurement across all boiling regimes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the steam collection, air mixing, and temperature measurement functions into a single integrated chamber structure. The primary orifice for steam admission and the multiple perforations for air intake are combined in one component, and the temperature sensor measures the resulting mixture temperature. This merging approach simplifies the device compared to having separate systems for steam collection, air mixing, and measurement.
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
Enables accurate measurement of steam flow rates, allowing users to adjust heating power for successful cooking by characterizing gentle, strong, or very strong boiling conditions, ensuring consistent cooking results.
Implementation Method 1
The air mixes with the steam along the path of the air/steam mixture
Implementation Method 2
The air/steam mixture circulates in the chamber only by a phenomenon of natural convection
Implementation Method 3
the temperature sensitive element being arranged on the trajectory of the air/steam mixture to emit a signal representative of the temperature of the air/steam mixture
Implementation Method 4
The admission of steam into the chamber causes a suction of air at ambient temperature through the intake perforations
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a lid (1) intended to cooperate with a cooking container (40), said lid (1) comprising a hood (2) equipped with a device for measuring the steam flow rate (10) produced during so-called "aqueous" cooking, said steam flow rate measuring device (10) comprising a chamber (11) arranged above the hood (2) which has at least one primary orifice 3) for admitting steam into said chamber (11), said chamber (11) comprising at least one steam discharge orifice (18) and a temperature-sensitive element (28, 30).According to the invention, the chamber (11) has at least one air inlet perforation (15) to generate with the primary steam inlet orifice (3) an air/steam mixture which will follow in the chamber (11) a trajectory towards at least one discharge orifice (18), the temperature-sensitive element (28, 30) being arranged on the trajectory of the air/steam mixture to emit a signal representative of the temperature of the air/steam mixture, said signal also being representative of the steam flow rate produced during cooking.