Cooktop Thermal Radiation Sensing With Wavelength Filter Cooling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cooking devices face challenges in accurately detecting the temperature of cooking areas without contact, leading to potential overheating and reduced user freedom due to obstructive sensor placement and limited installation space for heat sensors.

Innovation Solution

A cooking device with a sensor unit for contactless detection of thermal radiation, featuring a thermally conductive filter device and adhesive connecting means to dissipate heat, allowing for accurate temperature measurement without obstructing the cooking area and providing improved installation flexibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a temperature sensor is placed in the cooking utensil with the food, then temperature detection is possible, but the sensor must be fished out later and may be accidentally eaten

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature detectionVSAvoidsensor safety
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor is extracted from the cooking utensil and positioned in the hob's heating device instead. This allows temperature detection without the sensor being in contact with food, eliminating the safety hazard of accidental ingestion while maintaining measurement capability through non-contact or indirect measurement methods.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor acts as an intermediary by measuring temperature through the bottom of the cooking utensil rather than direct contact with food. The sensor detects thermal radiation or temperature changes transmitted through the utensil material, providing indirect measurement that avoids contamination risks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If a hob sensor is arranged above the hob to determine temperature without contact, then temperature detection is possible, but other objects or pots must not stand in the way and the sensor restricts user freedom of movement

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetemperature detectionVSAvoiduser freedom of movement
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of placing the sensor above the hob where it obstructs user movement, the sensor is inverted to the opposite side - integrated into the heating device below or at the side of the hob. This maintains the non-contact temperature detection capability while eliminating the obstruction problem, allowing users to move freely above the cooking surface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor positioning is moved from the vertical dimension (above the hob) to the horizontal or integrated dimension (within the hob structure). By embedding the sensor in the heating device rather than suspending it above, the system achieves temperature detection without occupying the spatial volume needed for user movement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Ease of operation

If a thermal sensor is placed below the hob plate to detect thermal radiation, then the sensor does not restrict user freedom of movement, but there is little installation space and the area below the hob heats up causing reduced accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser freedom of movementVSAvoidtemperature detection accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor is extracted from the problematic location below the hob plate and repositioned within the heating device structure. This eliminates the overheating issue caused by proximity to the heated area while preserving the benefit of not restricting user movement, as the sensor remains integrated in the device rather than being an external component.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The sensor measures temperature indirectly through thermal radiation from the cooking utensil bottom rather than direct exposure to the heated hob area. By detecting radiation that has traveled from the food/utensil interface, the sensor avoids the high-temperature zone below the hob plate while maintaining measurement accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 enables precise and reproducible temperature detection, preventing overheating and enhancing user convenience by maintaining sensor accuracy and reducing installation constraints.

Implementation Method 1

a sensor unit for contactless detection of thermal radiation

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal radiation detection: Thermal Radiation

Implementation Method 2

The filter device is designed and suitable for reflecting electromagnetic radiation depending on the wavelength and transmitting it depending on the wavelength

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic radiation filtering: Filter (optical)

Implementation Method 3

The connecting means is designed and suitable for at least partially thermally conductively connecting the filter device to at least one part of the sensor device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Data Source

PatentEP2775791B1Cooking device
Publication Date: 2015.07.01 MIELE & CO KG
  • EP2775791B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2775791B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP2775791B1 patent drawingFigure 5~7

AI summary

The cooking device (1) has a cooking area (11) with a cooking location (21), and a heating device (2) for heating a cooking region (31). A sensor device (3) detects physical size and state of the cooking region, and includes a sensing unit for contactless detection of thermal radiation. A portion of sensor device is thermally conductively connected to a filter unit by a partially adhesives connection unit. The filter unit is adapted to reflect electromagnetic radiation as a function of the wavelength and to transmit electromagnetic radiation as a function of wavelength.