Electric Grill Drip Tray Shield for Burn-Safe Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electric grills pose a risk of burns when users attempt to lift them, as the drip tray can become excessively hot and is accessible from underneath, leading to accidental contact.
Innovation Solution
A perforated wall part or net-like surface structure is implemented as a contact protection under the drip tray, made from poorly thermally conductive materials, ensuring a safe distance to prevent direct contact and burns, which can be integrated with the housing or attached separately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the drip tray is made accessible from underneath for easy cleaning and maintenance, then ease of operation is improved, but the risk of burns to users increases due to thermal hazards
Solution Approach 1:
A protective element is introduced as an intermediary component between the user's hand and the hot drip tray. This element acts as a thermal mediator that allows users to access and clean the drip tray from below without direct contact with the heated surface, thereby maintaining ease of operation while eliminating burn risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective element utilizes the thermal properties of materials to convert the harmful thermal radiation and conduction from the hot drip tray into a beneficial barrier. By positioning this element in the thermal path, it absorbs or blocks heat while allowing mechanical access, thus converting the thermal hazard into a protected interface.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a solid metal protection wall is used under the drip tray to prevent burns, then protection against harmful factors is improved, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates due to high thermal conductivity
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element employs a porous or perforated structure that allows thermal energy to pass through less efficiently compared to solid metal. The porous geometry creates thermal resistance through increased path length and reduced material density, while still providing mechanical protection and maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective element changes the thermal parameters of the system by introducing a material with lower thermal conductivity between the user and the hot drip tray. This parameter change reduces heat transfer rate while maintaining the protective function, thereby addressing both safety and energy conservation requirements.
3Ease of manufacture
If the contact protection is designed as a separate component, then ease of manufacture and retrofitting is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective element is designed as a segmented or modular component that can be manufactured separately and then assembled into the final device. This segmentation allows for specialized manufacturing processes optimized for the protective element while maintaining overall device functionality, balancing manufacturing ease with assembly complexity.
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 solution effectively prevents burns by creating a safe barrier under the drip tray, allowing for safe handling of the grill while maintaining ease of manufacturing and retrofitting options.
Implementation Method 1
the contact protection be designed as a perforated wall part and/or that the contact protection be designed as a net-like surface structure... made from poorly thermally conductive materials
Data Source
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AI summary
The device has a housing (1) provided with a drip tray (2) for taking up juices dripping from grilled food and for taking up water. A heating body (3) is arranged above the drip tray for heating the grilled food and overlapped by grill rust (5) or a grilled food carrier. A base frame (6) carries the housing including carried components. A contact protection (7) is arranged under the drip tray at small distance from the drip tray and formed as a punched wall part and netlike planar formation. The contact protection is formed as a separate component made of plastic. USE : Electrical grill device. ADVANTAGE : The contact protection is arranged under the drip tray at the small distance from the drip tray and formed as the punched wall part, so that direct contact of hands of a user below the drip tray can be avoided, thus preventing the hands of the user from being burnt while using the device. The arrangement of the contact protection at the housing avoids manipulation of the contact protection by the user. DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS : The drawing shows an exploded perspective view of a grill device. 1 : Housing 2 : Drip tray 3 : Heating body 5 : Grill rust 6 : Base frame 7 : Contact protection.