Food cooking unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking units face issues with accurate heat regulation and safety shutdowns due to weak thermocouple signals, leading to false positives and increased complexity and cost, especially with the use of infrared sensors vulnerable to high temperatures and complex gas flow control systems.
Innovation Solution
A food cooking unit with multiple gas burners, thermocouples connected directly to safety valves and an electronic control device, using oversized relays to minimize signal loss and prevent false shutdowns, along with a single variable-pitch regulating electrovalve for precise control, and a protective germanium glass screen for the infrared sensor to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an infrared sensor is positioned close to the cooking zone to monitor food temperature, then temperature monitoring accuracy is improved, but the sensor is exposed to high temperatures that can damage it
Solution Approach 1:
A germanium glass protective screen is introduced as an intermediary between the infrared sensor and the cooking zone. This screen allows infrared radiation to pass through while blocking harmful high temperatures, enabling the sensor to monitor food temperature accurately without being exposed to damaging heat conditions
2Reliability
If the thermocouple signal is connected through multiple components and connections to the safety electrovalve, then the safety system is more comprehensive, but signal loss increases causing false positives and unnecessary shutdowns
Solution Approach 1:
The thermocouple signal connection is extracted from the complex multi-component circuit and directly connected to the electronic control device. This eliminates intermediate connections and components that cause signal loss, allowing the control device to reliably detect flame status and trigger safety shutdowns without false positives
3Ease of operation
If multiple fixed-pitch electrovalves are used to control gas flow to each burner, then precise gas flow control is achieved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single variable-pitch regulating electrovalve is used to control gas flow to multiple burners instead of multiple fixed-pitch electrovalves. This universal approach provides precise gas flow control for all burners while reducing the number of components, simplifying the system, and lowering costs
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
This solution reduces the risk of false positives and accidental shutdowns, allows for precise heat control, and protects the infrared sensor from high temperatures, resulting in a safer, more efficient, and cost-effective cooking unit with improved reliability and user control.
Implementation Method 1
at least one thermocouple to detect accidental shutdown of the gas burners
Implementation Method 2
Cooking units equipped with an infrared sensor and an electronic control device which allows regulating several gas burners
Data Source
AI summary
Food cooking unit composed of gas burners (1) and an ignition source (2) feed with gas through regulation electrovalves (3) and an ignition source electrovalve (13); a food monitoring sensor (5) focused towards the cooking zone and/or a weight sensor (15); at least one thermocouple (6) in thermal contact with the flames and in connection with a safety electrovalve (4) and an electronic control device (7) connected to said food monitoring sensor (5), to said at least one regulating electrovalve (3) and to the ignition source electrovalve (13) and that stores different regulation programs and that regulates the regulating electrovalve (3) and/or interrupts the thermocouple connection with the safety electrovalve in response to the signals obtained from the food monitoring sensor (5) and/or from the weight sensor (15) and/or the thermocouple (6).