Electric Cooker Heating Control for Low-GI Rice and Spill Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric cookers fail to ensure adequate water contact with rice, leading to compromised taste and difficulty in producing cooked rice with low Glycemic Index (GI), and pose safety hazards due to uncontrolled water boiling.
Innovation Solution
An electric cooker method with a heating element, spill detection unit, and steamer design that controls water contact and retention through preset times and cycles, using a water permeable area and pressure control to optimize rice washing, cooking, and steaming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is boiled vigorously within the internal pot to cook rice, then cooking speed is improved, but water over-spilling occurs and safety hazards are created
Solution Approach 1:
The spill detection unit continuously monitors the water level in the internal pot and provides feedback to the control unit. When water reaches a predetermined level indicating potential overflow, the control unit automatically adjusts or stops heating, preventing over-spilling while maintaining efficient cooking speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating process is made dynamic through multiple heating stages with varying power levels. The system transitions between different heating intensities based on cooking progress and water level conditions, optimizing both cooking speed and safety by preventing vigorous boiling that causes overflow.
2Productivity
If water is boiled vigorously to speed up cooking, then cooking efficiency is improved, but water cannot come into stable contact with rice and absorption is affected
Solution Approach 1:
The heating process is divided into multiple stages with varying intensities. During water absorption phases, heating is reduced or暂停 to allow stable water-rice contact. During evaporation phases, heating is intensified to maintain cooking efficiency. This dynamic control ensures both reliable absorption and high cooking efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking process employs periodic heating cycles alternating between heating phases and resting phases. During heating phases, energy is supplied to evaporate water and cook rice. During resting phases, heating is reduced or stopped to allow water to stabilize and be absorbed by rice, ensuring reliable water-rice contact while maintaining overall cooking efficiency.
3Reliability
If continuous heating is applied to ensure adequate water contact with rice, then water absorption is improved, but water over-spilling and safety hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
The spill detection unit provides real-time feedback on water level conditions. The control unit uses this feedback to dynamically adjust heating intensity, applying heat only when water levels are safe and reducing or stopping heating when overflow risk is detected, ensuring both adequate absorption and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
Heating intensity is dynamically adjusted based on real-time water level conditions rather than applying continuous maximum heating. The system transitions between different heating levels to maintain adequate water-rice contact while preventing overflow, achieving both reliability and safety.
4Reliability
If multiple heating stages with preset times are implemented to control water contact, then rice quality and low GI are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking process is divided into periodic stages (heating, resting, water absorption, evaporation) with preset durations. Each stage serves a specific function in achieving low GI rice quality. The control unit manages these predefined stages, making the complexity manageable through standardization and automation of the cooking sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses automated control with preset programs that manage the complex multi-stage heating process without requiring user intervention. The control unit automatically transitions between stages based on time and sensor feedback, allowing the device to self-manage the complex cooking sequence while ensuring high rice quality.
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 method effectively produces cooked rice with low GI and improved taste by ensuring consistent water absorption and preventing water spills, enhancing user satisfaction and safety.
Implementation Method 1
the heating element heats up the internal pot
Implementation Method 2
the bottom of the steamer has an open structure that extends towards the bottom wall and/or side wall of the internal pot. The steamer comprises a water permeable area
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a method for controlling electric cookers, which comprises the following steps: the heating element (80) within the electric cooker heats up the internal pot (10), and the cooker enters the rice washing and cooking step; in a single rice wash-and-cook cycle, the heating element (80) heats up the internal pot (10) until the spill detection unit (40) comes into contact with water, at this point, the heating element (80) stops operating and the cooker will continue with the rice wash-and-cook cycle up to the first preset time tl, and this cycle is repeated Nl times; the cooker then enters the rice-steaming step, in which the heating element (80) heats up the internal pot (10) again. The present invention provides an effective method for controlling electric cookers, which can lower the Gl value and improve the taste of cooked rice.