Cooktop Grate Temperature Sensor with Dual-Probe Correction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Gas cooktop appliances face challenges in accurately measuring cooking utensil temperatures due to heat transfer from the grate to sensors, and existing solutions like spring-loaded sensors complicate assembly and cleaning while allowing spills to pass through.
Innovation Solution
A cooktop appliance design featuring a grate with sensor fingers, where a first temperature probe extends above the surface and a second probe is positioned within the finger, allowing for accurate temperature measurement of cooking utensils while minimizing heat interference and preventing spills from reaching electrical components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a temperature sensor is mounted within the grate to conveniently sense cookware temperature, then the sensor location is unobtrusive and convenient, but the sensor is significantly heated by convective heat from the gas burner and heat transfer from the grate, compromising measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensor is divided into two separate probes: a first temperature probe that contacts the cookware for direct temperature sensing, and a second temperature probe that contacts the grate to measure grate temperature. This segmentation allows the system to distinguish between cookware temperature and grate-induced temperature, enabling accurate cookware temperature measurement while maintaining convenient grate-mounted sensor placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The second temperature probe acts as an intermediary to measure the grate temperature, which then serves as a reference value for correcting the first temperature probe's reading. By introducing this intermediate measurement, the system can compensate for heat transfer effects from the grate to the cookware, thereby improving measurement accuracy while keeping the sensor mounted on the convenient grate location.
2Measurement precision
If a spring-loaded sensor passes through the gas burner to press against cookware, then the sensor can directly contact the cookware, but assembly and cleaning of burner parts is greatly complicated and spills pass through the gas burner
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensing function is extracted from the gas burner assembly and relocated to the grate structure. Instead of having the sensor pass through the gas burner, the sensor is now mounted on the grate fingers, which are separate from the burner components. This extraction simplifies burner assembly and cleaning while maintaining the ability to measure cookware temperature through direct contact.
Solution Approach 2:
The grate structure is given a dual function: it continues to support cookware while also serving as the mounting structure for the temperature sensor. By making the grate multi-functional, the system eliminates the need for separate sensor mounting mechanisms that would complicate the burner assembly, thereby simplifying the overall device structure.
3Measurement precision
If openings in the gas burner and cooktop components accommodate spring-loaded sensors, then the sensor can contact cookware, but spills pass through the gas burner to sensitive areas
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical sensor components are extracted from the gas burner assembly and relocated to the grate structure. By removing the electrical components from the burner area, the system eliminates the need for openings in the gas burner, thereby preventing spills from reaching electrical components while maintaining temperature measurement capability through the grate-mounted sensor.
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 design enables precise temperature measurement of cooking utensils by accounting for heat transfer from the grate and prevents spills from reaching sensitive areas, improving both accuracy and maintenance ease.
Implementation Method 1
measuring a first temperature with the first temperature probe and measuring a second temperature with the second temperature probe... determining the temperature of the cooking utensil based on the first temperature measurement and the second temperature measurement
Data Source
AI summary
A cooktop appliance includes a gas burner disposed on a panel of the cooktop appliance and a grate with a plurality of fingers positioned above the gas burner. The plurality of fingers includes a sensor finger. A temperature sensor is mounted to the sensor finger of the plurality of fingers of the grate. The temperature sensor includes a first temperature probe extending above a top surface of the sensor finger at a first end of the sensor finger and a second temperature probe positioned within the sensor finger between the top surface of the sensor finger and a bottom surface of the sensor finger.