Device for presenting cold and/or hot food
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for presenting cold and hot food struggle with user-friendly operation, particularly in maintaining correct temperature and humidity settings over time, and providing a fresh appearance through occasional steam bursts, especially in display cases with multiple compartments.
Innovation Solution
A device with a touch screen control system for each compartment, featuring programmable LED lighting and infrared lamp control, integrated with a programmable controller and capacitive slide function, allowing for easy selection of climate settings and operation via an external computer interface, along with external operating units for managing multiple presentation fields.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed program display device with specific parameters is used, then temperature and humidity control is achieved, but operation complexity increases and user-friendliness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into multiple independent touch-sensitive buttons, each controlling a specific function (temperature, humidity, steam bursts). This allows untrained personnel to operate each function independently without needing to understand the entire complex system, resolving the contradiction between reliable temperature control and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
A microprocessor-based control unit acts as an intermediary between the user and the cooking appliance systems. The microprocessor interprets simple button presses and automatically executes the appropriate control sequences for temperature regulation, humidity control, and steam bursts, making the system easy to operate while maintaining reliable temperature control.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple cooking appliances are networked with interaction functions, then functionality increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed with universal communication capabilities that can interface with multiple different cooking appliances through standard networking protocols. This allows the same control unit to work with various appliance types (ovens, steamers, etc.) without increasing the complexity of individual appliance designs, enabling interaction functions while maintaining manageable system complexity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The cabinet has an operating device including a touch screen (3) with an integrated electronic programmable controller (8), which changes climate-adjustments of a heat maintaining region and a cooling region based on presented food. The touch screen includes a capacitive slide-function and a resistive and/or inductive key function. An interface for connection to an external computer i.e. laptop, is provided for the touch screen. An external operating unit performs the climate-adjustments. Different colored LEDs provide illumination.