Food warmer with refrigerator function
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current food warmers require multiple steps and resources for logistics and temperature management, as they need to be pre-heated and often require separate refrigeration to prevent dish degradation, especially in varying outdoor conditions.
Innovation Solution
A dual-function food warmer with a box-shaped body containing a treatment chamber, integrated heating means, and a combined refrigerating unit that uses a heat-exchange wall and a removable refrigerating unit with a condenser, compressor, fan, and closed refrigerant circuit to maintain temperature control, allowing for both refrigeration and heating without transferring dishes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If dishes are transported in separate carriers and heated in separate food warmers at destination, then heating function is provided, but logistics complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the refrigerator and food warmer into a single integrated appliance. The treatment chamber serves dual purposes: it can be cooled by the refrigerating unit or heated by the heating assembly, eliminating the need for separate carriers and heating devices. This merging resolves the contradiction by simplifying logistics (one appliance handles both cooling and heating) while managing device complexity through shared structural components.
Solution Approach 2:
The treatment chamber is designed as a universal space that can perform multiple functions: storing dishes cold, heating dishes, and maintaining temperature. The chamber structure, door, and control systems are shared across both refrigeration and heating modes, allowing a single device to replace multiple separate appliances and simplify the overall system.
2Loss of time
If separate refrigeration and heating devices are used, then temperature control is provided, but time and resources for transferring dishes increase
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the refrigerator and food warmer into one appliance with a shared treatment chamber, the patent eliminates the time-consuming process of transferring dishes between separate devices. The chamber remains in place while the temperature control mode changes, directly reducing transfer time while managing complexity through integrated design.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the refrigerating unit is thermally connected to the treatment chamber through the separating wall, then heat exchange efficiency is improved, but thermal interference between heating and refrigeration may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The separating wall acts as a thermal intermediary between the refrigerating unit and treatment chamber. It provides controlled thermal connection for efficient heat exchange during refrigeration while the control system manages thermal interference during heating operations, balancing heat exchange efficiency with temperature control stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the thermal connection through the separating wall based on operational mode. During refrigeration, the wall provides efficient thermal coupling; during heating, the control system manages the thermal dynamics to prevent interference, allowing the same structural element to serve different thermal management needs.
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
Simplifies logistics and temperature management by enabling dishes to be stored and heated in a single appliance, maintaining safety and quality across different climatic conditions without the need for external refrigeration or heating devices.
Implementation Method 1
the evaporator is housed in the first interspace... the gas coming from the evaporator condenses in the condenser
Implementation Method 2
the refrigerating unit is thermally connected to the treatment chamber by means of the separating wall itself, acting as a heat-exchange wall as well
Implementation Method 3
the gas coming from the evaporator condenses in the condenser
Implementation Method 4
heating means to heat the treatment chamber
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A food warmer (1) is described with dual function: refrigerator for keeping the dishes cold before they are eaten, avoiding their degradation, and real food warmer to warm the dishes or keep them hot. The food warmer (1) comprises a box-shaped body (2) inside which a treatment chamber (3) to treat dishes is defined, and heating means (4) to heat the treatment chamber, for example electric resistors and possibly air circulation fans. A refrigerating unit (5) is combined with the treatment chamber (3) to remove heat therefrom. The user can selectively activate the heating means or the refrigerating unit, as necessary. The refrigerating unit (5) is separated from the treatment chamber by a wall (8), but is thermally connected to the treatment chamber by means of the separating wall (8) itself, the latter acting as heat-exchange wall as well. The food warmer comprises an interspace (9) delimited by the heat-exchange wall (8) and by a further insulating wall (10), wherein an evaporator (11) is housed in said interspace (9) and fed witha refrigerant liquid.