Household cooking oven

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cooking ovens experience chaotic airflow distribution, leading to uneven cooking due to the geometric shape of the bulkhead and fan impeller direction, resulting in unsymmetrical and unbalanced heating across different cooking levels.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates an air-suction cavity with longitudinally extended inlet openings in the bulkhead, which creates a controlled airflow distribution by guiding air through specific passageways and deflectors, ensuring symmetrical and balanced heating across multiple cooking levels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If a conventional bulkhead with grid openings is used, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the airflow distribution becomes chaotic and uneven across cooking levels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveairflow distribution uniformityVSAvoidbulkhead structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bulkhead is divided into multiple functional zones: upper inlet openings for drawing air from above cooking levels, lower inlet openings for drawing air from below cooking levels, and a central outlet opening. This segmentation allows independent control of airflow paths to achieve balanced distribution across different cooking levels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the bulkhead are assigned different functions: the upper portion has inlet openings for suction, the lower portion has inlet openings for suction, and the central region has the outlet opening. This local differentiation of functionality enables precise control over airflow patterns to eliminate chaotic distribution.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Manufacturing precision

If the fan impeller rotates in a fixed direction, then the mechanism is simple, but the airflow pattern becomes unsymmetrical and unbalanced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheating symmetryVSAvoidairflow control mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bulkhead features asymmetric placement of inlet openings relative to the central outlet opening. The upper and lower inlet openings are positioned to create balanced airflow paths despite the asymmetric geometry, compensating for the fixed rotation direction of the fan impeller to achieve symmetrical heating.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

3Manufacturing precision

If a single central outlet opening is used, then the structure is simple, but the airflow cannot be distributed evenly to multiple cooking levels

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemulti-level airflow distributionVSAvoidopening configuration
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The solution transitions from a single-point outlet to a distributed opening system across different spatial dimensions. Multiple inlet openings are positioned at different heights (upper and lower) and distances from the center, creating a three-dimensional airflow distribution pattern that evenly reaches multiple cooking levels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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 provides consistent and homogeneous heating across different cooking levels, ensuring uniform cooking time and quality, with adjustable airflow rates to accommodate various cooking needs.

Implementation Method 1

a fan, that is usually positioned in the area circumscribed by the resistance. The fan impeller is usually a centrifugal one... Thanks to the action of the fan, the same air is sucked towards the central zone, to the grid of the bulkhead

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectForced Convection: Forced Convection

Implementation Method 2

In the air distribution chamber is operatively arranged at least one heating resistance , which usually has a circular shape... the air is heated by the electric resistance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectJoule Heating: Joule Heating

Implementation Method 3

the distribution chamber wherein it's located has an output section, for the airflow to the cooking chamber... the air is heated by the electric resistance and is pushed towards the air output devices of the distribution chamber, to flow substantially along the side walls of the muffle, toward the cooking chamber

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP2743593B1Household cooking oven
Publication Date: 2020.03.18 WHIRLPOOL EMEA SPA
  • EP2743593B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2743593B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2743593B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A household cooking oven (1) comprises a bearing structure (2), a muffle (5) and a front door (4) to close frontally the muffle (5), in the muffle (5) there being present a bulkhead (10) generally facing a rear muffle wall (5a), the bulkhead (10) dividing the inside of the muffle (5) in a front cooking chamber, that extends between the door (4) and the bulkhead (10), and a rear air-distribution chamber, that extends between the bulkhead (10) and the rear muffle wall (5a). In the air-distribution chamber there are operatively arranged at least one heating resistance (11) and an impeller (12) of a centrifugal fan (12, 13). The air-distribution chamber has an outlet section (15, 22) for delivery of air to the coking chamber and an inlet section (20-23) for intake of air from the cooking chamber, the outlet section (15, 22) comprising passageways (22) in generally peripheral positions of the air-distribution chamber. According to the invention, the inlet section comprises an air-suction cavity or chamber (20) defined in the bulkhead (10), the air-suction cavity (20) having at least one inlet (23), defined in a front (10b) of the bulkhead (10) and oriented towards the cooking chamber, and at least one outlet (21), defined in a back of the (10a) of the bulkhead (10) and oriented towards the impeller (12) of the fan.