Cooktop-to-Hood Interworking for Automatic Smoke Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cooking systems require manual operation of kitchen devices, such as hoods, during food preparation, which can be inconvenient and pose safety risks due to the use of gas or electricity.
Innovation Solution
A system that enables communication between a cooking apparatus and a kitchen device, using a transmitter and receiver to automatically control the kitchen device based on sensed thermal energy or smoke, allowing for wireless signal transmission and automatic operation of the hood to manage food smells and smoke, and includes a sensing unit to alert users of potential safety hazards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of kitchen devices is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates due to inconvenience
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking apparatus automatically detects cooking conditions through sensing units and triggers the hood operation without user intervention. The system serves itself by monitoring thermal energy, smoke, or operational status and autonomously controlling connected kitchen devices, eliminating the need for manual hood operation while maintaining simple individual device structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the cooking apparatus with communication units (transmitter/receiver), sensing units, and control logic to create an integrated system. Multiple functions (cooking, sensing, communicating, and automatic hood control) are merged into a coordinated system that operates as a unified whole, improving ease of operation while distributing complexity across multiple components.
2Productivity
If manual operation of kitchen devices is used, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity deteriorates due to time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of cooking conditions through sensing units that continuously monitor thermal energy, smoke, and operational status. By detecting cooking start conditions in advance and automatically triggering hood operation, the system eliminates the time delay associated with manual hood activation, thereby improving productivity without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking apparatus incorporates sensing units that provide real-time feedback on cooking conditions (thermal energy, smoke presence, operational status). This feedback mechanism enables automatic adjustment and control of connected kitchen devices, ensuring they operate precisely when needed and improving overall system productivity through continuous monitoring and responsive control.
3Ease of operation
If automatic operation is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to safety concerns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with automated electronic control systems. Transmitters and receivers communicate cooking status and control signals automatically, substituting human manual control with electronic sensing and actuation. This substitution improves ease of operation while enhancing reliability through consistent, error-free automatic control of kitchen devices based on real-time cooking conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces communication units (transmitters and receivers) as intermediaries between the cooking apparatus and connected kitchen devices. These intermediaries reliably transmit operational status and control signals, ensuring accurate and dependable communication that maintains system reliability while enabling automatic operation and improving ease of use.
4Productivity
If sensing units are added to detect thermal energy, then productivity is improved through automatic control, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing units are designed with multi-functionality, detecting multiple parameters (thermal energy, smoke presence, operational status) using integrated sensors. This universal approach allows a single sensing system to perform multiple detection functions, improving productivity through comprehensive monitoring while minimizing the increase in device complexity by avoiding redundant separate sensors for each parameter.
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 system enhances user convenience by automating the operation of kitchen devices during cooking, improving safety by automatically controlling the cooking apparatus and reducing the risk of accidents from smoke and fire.
Implementation Method 1
The first sensing unit may be a thermos couple heated by thermal energy and generating electromotive force
Implementation Method 2
The cooking apparatus may comprise an amplifying circuit amplifying the electromotive force generated by the thermos couple
Implementation Method 3
The kitchen device may be a hood provided near the cooking apparatus and the hood may comprise a fan controlled by the second controller to suck the smell of cooked food
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a system interworking between a cooking apparatus for cooking food and a kitchen device in communication with the cooking apparatus, the system comprising a cooking apparatus comprising a first transmitter transmitting an electrical signal to the kitchen device; and a first controller controlling the first transmitter to transmit the electrical signal to the kitchen device; and a kitchen device comprising a second receiver receiving the electrical signal transmitted by the first transmitter; and a second controller controlling the driving of the kitchen device according to the electrical signal received by the second receiver.