Electric pot having improved relay installation position
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric pots face issues with relay damage due to frequent movement, increased manufacturing costs from wireless communication methods, and compromised communication performance due to heat and foreign substances, while also struggling to meet product standards with larger diameters when using 6-terminal-type power modules.
Innovation Solution
The electric pot design relocates the relay to the supporter, utilizing a 4-terminal-type power module and a simple circuit configuration without additional communication means, minimizing relay damage and product diameter, and enhancing communication performance by eliminating the need for infrared communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the relay is installed in the pot main body, then the pot can be lifted and moved easily, but the relay is frequently damaged due to movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the electric pot system into two separable parts: the pot main body (which can be lifted and moved) and the supporter base (which contains the relay). This segmentation allows the relay to be protected in the stationary base while the pot body remains mobile for easy operation.
2Reliability
If the relay is installed in the supporter, then the relay damage risk is reduced, but a 6-terminal-type power module is required increasing product diameter
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of installing the relay in the pot main body (conventional approach), the patent inverts the arrangement by installing the relay in the supporter base. This reversal protects the relay from damage while using a compact 4-terminal power module to minimize the base size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the relay from the pot main body and places it in the supporter base, separating the mobile cooking vessel from the control components. This extraction allows the use of a simpler 4-terminal power module in the base, reducing the overall product diameter.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wireless communication components are added, then communication functionality is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for separate wireless communication components by having the microcontroller directly control the relay through built-in input/output ports. The system serves its own control needs using existing onboard resources, avoiding additional communication modules and reducing manufacturing costs.
4Adaptability or versatility
If infrared communication components are installed, then wireless communication is enabled, but communication performance is deteriorated by heat and foreign substances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes infrared communication components from the system entirely, extracting only the essential control functionality. The microcontroller directly controls the relay through onboard ports, eliminating infrared transmitters and receivers that would be vulnerable to heat interference and foreign substance contamination.
Data Source
AI summary
An electric pot may have an improved relay installation position. The electric pot may include a supporter and a pot main body provided with a heater driven to provide heat through an electric connection with connection terminals. The supporter may include a relay part that optionally switches between a connection of the power supply to a third connection terminal and a disconnection of the power supply to the third connection terminal.