Inflatable Pan Separator Seal for Tolerance-Compensating Cooking Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pan separating devices for cooking containers require high manufacturing and installation accuracy due to narrow tolerance ranges for sealing, making them inflexible and difficult to use with containers having larger tolerances or varying temperatures, and they often need additional seals for compensation.
Innovation Solution
A pan separating device with a plate-shaped base, a seal connected to its edge, and a pressurization system that inflates the seal to clamp against the cooking container's wall and bottom, ensuring reliable sealing across different manufacturing tolerances and temperature ranges without requiring specific container modifications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanical clamping device is used to fix the crucible separating device, then the device can be mechanically secured in the cooking container, but it requires high manufacturing and installation accuracy due to narrow tolerance ranges for sealing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the sealing mechanism from rigid mechanical contact to flexible pneumatic inflation. The seal element transitions from a static component requiring precise positioning to a dynamically adjustable inflatable structure that can compensate for dimensional variations, thereby reducing manufacturing and installation accuracy requirements while maintaining sealing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a pressurization device that inflates a seal element with gas or liquid pressure. This pneumatic/hydraulic mechanism replaces the mechanical clamping device, allowing the seal to expand and conform to the cooking container surface, thereby achieving reliable sealing without requiring high manufacturing precision
2Adaptability or versatility
If a rigid seal is used in the crucible separating device, then the structure is simple, but it cannot compensate for thermal expansion and manufacturing tolerances across different temperature ranges
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an inflatable seal element whose volume and shape can be dynamically adjusted through pressurization. This allows the seal to adapt to thermal expansion and contraction of the cooking container across different temperature ranges, providing temperature range adaptability while maintaining relatively simple device structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transforms the seal from a static rigid component to a dynamic inflatable structure. The seal can change its physical state and dimensions in response to pressure changes, enabling it to compensate for thermal expansion and manufacturing tolerances while maintaining adaptability across temperature ranges
3Reliability
If the seal is highly elastic to compensate for millimeter-level deviations, then sealing reliability improves, but additional complex pressurization systems are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a pressurization device with inflatable elements to achieve reliable sealing. The controlled inflation mechanism allows the seal to compensate for millimeter-level deviations while maintaining manageable system complexity through the use of standard pneumatic/hydraulic components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible inflatable seal elements that can deform and conform to the cooking container surface. These flexible shells provide the necessary elasticity to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and thermal expansion while working in conjunction with the pressurization system to achieve reliable sealing
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 allows for versatile use in various cooking containers, providing reliable and adjustable sealing, compensating for unevenness and thermal expansion, and enabling separate cooking zones with different temperature control without additional fixing or sealing provisions on the container.
Implementation Method 1
the seal is pressurized by the pressurizing device. The seal is thereby inflated until it protrudes outwards over the edge of the base body and rests against the peripheral wall and the bottom of the cooking container
Implementation Method 2
the seal makes it possible to compensate for unevenness on the floor or the peripheral wall of the cooking container and also to compensate for normal manufacturing tolerances and thermal linear expansion in the entire application temperature range
Data Source
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AI summary
A pan separating device (10) for dividing a pan-like cooking container (14) into different cooking zones (44, 46) has a plate-shaped base body (20), at least one seal (26) assigned to an edge (22, 24) of the base body (20). and having a closed interior volume, and a pressurizing device (28) connected to the seal (26). The invention also relates to an assembly with cooking container and pan separating device.