Glass-Ceramic Cooktop With Flat Underside for Clear Display Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing glass-ceramic cooktops face challenges in achieving balanced light and infrared transmittance, display capability, and esthetic appearance due to structural features like knobs on the underside, which cause light distortion and reduced visibility of electronic components and cooking zones.
Innovation Solution
A smooth, flat, and coplanar underside is designed for the glass-ceramic cooktop, eliminating knobs and allowing for uniform coatings that provide distortion-free displays and improved mechanical stability, with optional coatings forming masking regions for light transmission and electrically conductive heating elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If knobs are added to the underside of the glass-ceramic cooktop, then mechanical stability is improved, but light distortion occurs and visibility of electronic components and cooking zones is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the knobs from the underside of the glass-ceramic cooktop. By extracting this structural feature that caused light distortion, the invention achieves clear visibility of electronic components and cooking zones through the glass-ceramic surface, while maintaining mechanical stability through alternative means such as a reinforced flat structure.
2Illumination intensity
If a smooth flat underside is used, then light distortion is prevented and visibility is improved, but mechanical stability may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the structural parameters of the glass-ceramic cooktop by采用 a smooth flat underside without knobs. To compensate for potential mechanical stability reduction, the invention adjusts other parameters such as glass-ceramic composition, thickness distribution, and internal reinforcement structures to maintain adequate strength while achieving optimal light transmission and visibility.
3Ease of manufacture
If V2O5 is used as the only colorant, then coloring is achieved, but display capability in the wavelength range starting from 420 nm is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a composite coloring approach by combining V2O5 with additional colorants such as NiO, CoO, and/or Fe2O3. This composite material strategy allows the glass-ceramic cooktop to achieve both the desired black coloration and improved display capability in the 420 nm wavelength range, as each colorant contributes different optical absorption characteristics that complement each other.
4Ease of manufacture
If light transmittance is reduced to 0.8-2.5% for esthetic appearance, then black color is achieved, but display capability and visibility are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality differentiation by using selective masking regions with different light transmission properties. Certain areas of the glass-ceramic cooktop have modified optical characteristics to allow enhanced light transmission for display elements and cooking zone visibility, while other areas maintain low transmittance for esthetic black appearance. This creates spatially varying optical properties that satisfy both esthetic and functional requirements.
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 configuration enhances display sharpness, mechanical stability, and energy efficiency by preventing light distortion and allowing clear visibility of electronic components and cooking zones, while maintaining an esthetic black appearance from the top.
Implementation Method 1
the glass-ceramic material of the cooktop has transmittance values of greater than 0.1% in the visible light range in the total wavelength region greater than 420 nm, a light transmittance in the visible range of 0.8-2.5%, and a transmittance of 0-85% in the infrared at 1600 nm
Implementation Method 2
a transmittance of 0-85% in the infrared at 1600 nm
Implementation Method 3
A smooth, flat, and coplanar underside is designed for the glass-ceramic cooktop, eliminating knobs and allowing for uniform coatings
Data Source
AI summary
A glass-ceramic cooktop is provided that is made of glass-ceramic material with a flat upper side and an underside. The glass-ceramic material has transmittance values of greater than 0.1% in the visible light range in the total wavelength region greater than 420 nm, a light transmittance in the visible range of 0.8-2.5%, and a transmittance of 0-85% in the infrared at 1600 nm, and wherein the glass-ceramic material has high quartz mixed crystals as the prevalent crystal phase. The underside is flat, unstructured, and coplanar with the upper side.