Grill Grease Tray Water Level Control to Prevent Overheating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Professional cooking appliances with grills face issues due to prolonged use, leading to water evaporation in grease collector trays, requiring frequent manual topping and risking overheating and operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a grease collector tray that includes a solenoid valve, float-level control, and anti-grease filter, allowing automated water management and humidity control, ensuring the tray remains filled and preventing overheating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual water topping is used in traditional appliances, then the tray can be refilled, but the operation is uncomfortable and risky with frequent interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables automatic water refilling through a control unit that monitors water level via a sensor and activates a solenoid valve to refill the tray when needed, eliminating manual intervention and allowing the system to service itself
Solution Approach 2:
A water level sensor provides continuous feedback to the control unit about the water level in the tray, creating a closed-loop control system that automatically refills water when the level drops, eliminating the need for manual monitoring and refilling
2Duration of action of stationary object
If the tray is left without water during prolonged use, then the appliance can operate continuously, but the tray becomes overheated causing permanent deformation and operational issues
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively refills water before the tray becomes completely empty by using a sensor to detect low water levels and automatically activating the solenoid valve to refill, preventing overheating and permanent deformation before they occur
Solution Approach 2:
The water level sensor provides continuous monitoring and feedback to the control unit, enabling real-time detection of water level drops and automatic refilling activation, ensuring the tray never operates without water protection
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple tray design is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the tray cannot be automatically monitored and refilled
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it monitors the water level via the sensor, controls the solenoid valve for refilling, and manages the overall water management system, allowing a single component to handle multiple tasks in the automation process
Solution Approach 2:
The solenoid valve acts as an intermediary component between the control unit and the water supply, translating electrical control signals into mechanical valve actuation to enable automatic water refilling while keeping the tray structure itself simple
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
Ensures safe, uniform cooking, reduces manual intervention, and maintains correct operation by maintaining the water level in the tray, preventing overheating and ensuring efficient cleaning and operation.
Implementation Method 1
a solenoid valve (12) connected to a control unit (14)
Implementation Method 2
a level control device, which in its most simple form consists of a float slidable within its own vertical guide
Implementation Method 3
The float can be advantageously surrounded by an anti-grease filter (22), the function of which is to prevent grease from coming into contact with the float (18)
Implementation Method 4
a water-containing tray (8) in which the cooking greases are collected... leads in time to the evaporation of this water, and the need to frequently top it up
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
A cooking appliance with a grill (24) and with a grease collector tray (8) positioned below said grill, comprising: a level sensor (18) applied to said tray (8), a transducer (20) for the signal generated by said level sensor (18), acting via a control unit (14) on shutoff means (12) provided in a feed circuit of said tray, activation means for said shutoff means (12), acting in the sense of feeding water into said tray (8) at the beginning of the appliance operating period, to a level below the normal operating level, then powering the heating elements of the grill (24), and finally activating said transducer (20) to feed water into said tray until the normal operating level is reached.