Heating assembly for cooking appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooking appliances, such as toasters and toaster ovens, suffer from slow cooking times and poor cooked food quality due to inefficient heating mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A heating assembly with a curved shape and exposed electrical resistance heating elements that emit infrared radiation directly into the cooking cavity, minimizing heat loss and optimizing radiation directionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional heating mechanisms are used in toasters and toaster ovens, then the heating element is protected by guards, screens, or covers, but this obstructs infrared radiation and slows cooking time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes protective covers, screens, or guards that traditionally shield heating elements, allowing infrared radiation to travel directly from the heating element to the food without obstruction. This extraction of protective components eliminates the barrier that slowed heat transfer while maintaining heating element functionality through alternative positioning and structural design
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element is configured in a curved or arcuate shape that follows the contour of the cooking cavity, allowing infrared radiation to be emitted directly toward the food surface without being blocked by flat protective barriers. The curved geometry optimizes radiation directionality and eliminates shadow zones created by conventional straight heating elements with protective covers
2Productivity
If heating elements are positioned close to the cooking cavity for direct radiation, then cooking efficiency improves, but heat loss to the support structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed with differentiated thermal properties - the portion contacting the heating element has low thermal conductivity to minimize heat loss, while the portion providing structural support maintains high mechanical strength. This local quality differentiation allows the heating element to be positioned close to the cooking cavity for efficient radiation while preventing excessive heat transfer to the support structure
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure utilizes composite materials or multi-layer construction combining thermal insulators with structural materials. This composite approach enables the support to simultaneously provide mechanical stability and thermal isolation, allowing the heating element to operate at high temperatures close to the food without significant heat loss to the support structure
3Productivity
If heating elements are made flexible and resilient for curved shaping, then direct radiation geometry is optimized, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is manufactured with an inherent curved or arcuate cross-sectional shape that matches the desired installation geometry. This pre-formed curvature eliminates the need for complex post-manufacturing bending or shaping operations, as the element can be directly installed in its final curved configuration while maintaining structural integrity and optimal radiation geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The heating element utilizes materials with specific physical properties - such as controlled flexibility, resilience, and thermal conductivity - that enable it to be shaped into curved configurations during manufacturing while maintaining structural stability during operation. By carefully selecting and controlling material parameters, the element achieves both the desired curved geometry for direct radiation and ease of manufacturing through standard fabrication processes
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 results in faster cooking times and improved food quality by providing focused infrared radiation without intermediate components that could obstruct heat transfer.
Implementation Method 1
The heating element may include a metal material that emits infrared and other electromagnetic radiation when electrical current is passed through the metal material
Implementation Method 2
electrical resistance heating element
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance, such as a toaster or oven, has a lifting arm including ribs that form a support surface for a food product in a cooking cavity of the appliance. Each rib can include an opening configured to permit infrared radiation from a heating assembly to pass through the rib to the food product supported by the lifting arm and/or to reduce a thermal mass and capacitance of the lifting arm. The heating assembly can include a support and/or heating element with a curved shape having a concave side facing a cooking cavity. The support and/or heating element can have a planar shape when unstressed and a curved shape when stressed. The heating element may be coupled to the support so as to be slidably movable relative to the support, e.g., so the heating element can slide relative to the support.