Cooking Vessel Filling Control for Variable Pan Sizes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Professional cooking appliances with electronically controlled water filling systems face challenges in adapting to different vessel sizes, making it difficult to transfer cooking programs with absolute volume specifications to vessels of varying capacities without manual arithmetic adjustments, which is inconvenient and prone to errors.

Innovation Solution

The method involves calculating the target filling quantity by multiplying the nominal volume of the cooking vessel by a relative degree of filling, allowing for automatic adaptation to different vessel sizes, and includes a plausibility check to prevent overfilling, with the calculated quantity being transmitted to the fluid filling device.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If absolute volume specifications are used in cooking programs, then filling precision is improved, but adaptability to different vessel sizes deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefilling precisionVSAvoidadaptability to different vessel sizes
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter representation from absolute volume (liters) to relative degree of filling (percentage or ratio). The control device stores and processes the degree of filling rather than absolute volume, allowing the same cooking program to adapt automatically to different vessel sizes while maintaining precise filling control through the calculated target volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If manual arithmetic adjustments are required for different pan sizes, then adaptability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different pan sizesVSAvoidease of operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The control device performs the arithmetic operations automatically without user intervention. When a cooking program is transferred or when different vessels are used, the system self-calculates the appropriate filling quantity by multiplying the stored degree of filling by the actual vessel volume, eliminating the need for manual arithmetic adjustments and maintaining operational simplicity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If degree of filling is stored instead of absolute volume, then adaptability to different vessel sizes is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different vessel sizesVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces an intermediary calculation step where the control device multiplies the stored degree of filling by the actual vessel volume to determine the target filling quantity. This intermediary process (the multiplication operation) allows the system to maintain simple storage of relative values while achieving accurate absolute filling control for any vessel size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP2583599B1Method for automatically filling a cooking device and cooking device for the same
Publication Date: 2013.12.18 MKN MASCHINENFABRIK KURT NEUBAUER GMBH & CO KG
  • EP2583599B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2583599B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2583599B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The method involves selecting and storing a filling level of a cooking vessel of a cooking device relative to nominal values of the vessel. The nominal values are stored in a permanent storage of an electronic device controller of the device. A target quantity of a desired filling of the vessel is calculated by multiplying the nominal values with the relative filling level. The calculated target quantity value is transmitted to a controllable fluid filling device. A stored cooking program with the selected filling level is transferred to another device controller of another cooking device. An independent claim is also included for a cooking device.