Cookware Weight Sensor Integration for Automatic Boil-Dry Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing food preparation systems with cooking utensils lack the ability to automatically detect weight changes during the preparation process, leading to manual weighing and potential issues like boiling dry, which reduces operating comfort and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a sensor unit with multiple sensor elements and a bridge circuit into the cooking utensil to detect weight parameters, allowing for automatic and continuous monitoring of food weight, thereby preventing unwanted changes such as boiling dry.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual weighing methods are used to determine food weight, then the operator can obtain weight information, but the operator cannot detect weight changes during the food preparation process automatically
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking utensil is equipped with a sensor unit that automatically detects weight changes during the cooking process. The system serves itself by continuously monitoring the weight of food in the utensil without requiring manual intervention, thereby eliminating the need for operators to manually weigh food and detect weight changes throughout preparation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical weighing operations with an electronic sensor unit integrated into the cooking utensil. The sensor unit uses electronic sensing elements to detect weight changes, substituting the mechanical action of manual weighing with automated electronic measurement, thereby improving both measurement precision and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If no weight monitoring is implemented during cooking, then the system remains simple, but unwanted changes such as boiling dry cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit continuously monitors weight changes during the cooking process and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the system can automatically adjust cooking parameters or alert the operator to prevent unwanted changes such as boiling dry, thereby improving cooking process control through real-time weight monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor unit is pre-installed in the cooking utensil to enable continuous weight monitoring before problems occur. By having the monitoring capability in place from the beginning, the system can detect weight changes early and take preventive actions before unwanted changes like boiling dry happen, rather than reacting after the problem occurs.
3Extent of automation
If multiple sensor elements are integrated into the cooking utensil, then weight parameters can be detected automatically, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit with multiple sensing elements is integrated into the cooking utensil as a unified component. By merging the sensing elements and their evaluation circuitry into a single integrated unit, the system achieves automatic weight detection while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity through consolidated design.
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
Enhances operating comfort by automating weight detection, ensuring precise and reliable weight monitoring, and preventing issues like boiling dry, thus improving the overall efficiency of the food preparation process.
Implementation Method 1
The sensor unit has a number of sensor elements, in particular four sensor elements, which are arranged in a bridge circuit
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a food preparation system (10a), especially a cooking system, comprising at least one item of cookware (12a), which delimits at least to some extent at least one food receiving space (14a) for receiving at least one item of food. In order to provide a system of the generic type with improved properties in respect of ease of use, the item of cookware (12a) has at least one sensor unit (16a) designed to detect at least one weight parameter.