Foldable Grill and Heat Source Design for Adjustable Cooking Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional grill apparatuses face issues with uneven cooking, partial burning, and inefficient use of space and time when grilling large quantities of food, as well as complex preparation and storage processes.
Innovation Solution
A grill apparatus with a foldable heat generating unit and grill unit, featuring multiple grill plates and heaters that can be unfolded or folded to control cooking time and space usage, allowing for infrared radiation and efficient oil collection, enabling flexible cooking and convenient storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large number of frying pans or grills are used to grill a large amount of meat or cook food in a short time, then the cooking capacity and speed are improved, but the preparation and after-use treatment processes become complicated and the storage space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple grill plates are integrated into a single apparatus structure, allowing multiple cooking surfaces to be combined in one unit. The heat generating units are also merged into a centralized system that can serve multiple plates simultaneously, reducing the need for separate preparation and treatment of multiple independent grills.
Solution Approach 2:
The grill plates are designed to be stacked or nested within each other when not in use, with smaller plates fitting into spaces between larger plates. The heat generating units can also be nested or folded into compact configurations, allowing the entire apparatus to occupy minimal storage space while maintaining full cooking capacity.
2Productivity
If a large number of frying pans or grills are used to grill a large amount of meat or cook food in a short time, then the cooking capacity and speed are improved, but the storage space required increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grill plates are designed to be stacked or nested within each other when not in use, with smaller plates fitting into spaces between larger plates. The heat generating units can also be nested or folded into compact configurations, allowing the entire apparatus to occupy minimal storage space while maintaining full cooking capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The apparatus incorporates movable and adjustable components that allow the grill plates and heat generating units to be reconfigured from a compact stored state to an expanded cooking state. The plates can be pulled out or unfolded from a compact bundle into a spread-out cooking configuration, providing dynamic adaptation between storage and usage states.
3Ease of operation
If conventional grills or meat grill plates are used, then the cooking process is simple, but the meat surface partly burns due to direct flame contact or heat concentration
Solution Approach 1:
Different regions of the grill plate have different thermal properties or heat distribution characteristics. The plate is designed to create localized heat zones that prevent excessive concentration in any single area, ensuring uniform cooking across the entire surface without burning. This may involve varying the plate thickness, material composition, or adding thermal management features in specific locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The meat grill plate serves as an intermediary between the heat source and the meat, mediating the heat transfer process. Rather than direct flame contact, the plate distributes heat evenly across its surface, acting as a thermal buffer that prevents localized burning while maintaining effective cooking temperatures. The plate material and design are optimized to provide this intermediate heat management function.
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 apparatus allows for efficient cooking of large quantities of food in a shorter time, with even heating and reduced burning, while being compact and easy to prepare and store, addressing the limitations of traditional grills.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of heat sources are folded on each other or unfolded from each other, to radiate heat downward from the plurality of heat sources
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a grill apparatus having a foldable heat generating unit and a grill unit, in which a plurality of heat sources are folded on each other or unfolded from each other, to radiate heat downward from the plurality of heat sources, and cook food through the plurality of heat sources, thereby controlling the amount and the time of cooking the food according to user's necessity by folding or unfolding the plurality of heat sources on each other or from each other. The grill apparatus includes: the foldable grill unit on which a food is put and cooked, in which a plurality of grill plates can be mutually unfolded or folded; and the foldable heat generating unit disposed on a support pillar disposed vertically from the grill unit and in which a plurality of heaters can be mutually unfolded or folded while applying infrared rays to the grill unit.