Infrared-Guided Cooker Heating Control for Different Pot Sizes

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional heating cookers fail to ensure even heating and prevent boiling over, as they do not consider the size of the container, leading to inadequate convection and uneven heating in small containers or insufficient boiling in large containers.

Innovation Solution

A heating cooker with an infrared sensor to detect temperatures, a container size measurement unit to determine the container's size, and a heating control unit to adjust heating energy based on the container's size, ensuring proper energy distribution and preventing boiling over by controlling air bubble generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If heating power is increased to ensure sufficient boiling in large containers, then heating effectiveness is improved, but boiling over occurs in small containers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheating effectivenessVSAvoidboiling over

Core Design Contradiction:

TemperatureVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The heating cooker dynamically adjusts the heating power based on the detected container size. When a small container is detected, the heating power is reduced to prevent boiling over; when a large container is detected, the heating power is increased to ensure sufficient boiling and convection. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between heating effectiveness and preventing boiling over.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the heating power parameter according to the container size parameter. By detecting the container size and adjusting the heating power accordingly, the system optimizes the heating process to achieve effective boiling in large containers while preventing boiling over in small containers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Object-generated harmful factors

If heating power is reduced to prevent boiling over in small containers, then boiling over is prevented, but convection and even heating are insufficient in large containers

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveboiling over preventionVSAvoidconvection and even heating

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-generated harmful factorsVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The heating cooker dynamically adjusts the heating power based on the detected container size. When a small container is detected, the heating power is reduced to prevent boiling over; when a large container is detected, the heating power is increased to ensure sufficient boiling and convection. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between heating effectiveness and preventing boiling over.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the heating power parameter according to the container size parameter. By detecting the container size and adjusting the heating power accordingly, the system optimizes the heating process to achieve effective boiling in large containers while preventing boiling over in small containers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Device complexity

If fixed heating power is used regardless of container size, then device simplicity is maintained, but heating performance varies inadequately across different container sizes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveheating control simplicityVSAvoidheating performance uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The heating cooker automatically detects the container size and adjusts the heating power without user intervention. The infrared sensor detects the container, the control unit determines the container size, and the heating power is automatically adjusted. This self-service approach maintains operational simplicity while achieving optimized heating performance for different container sizes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses infrared detection to obtain feedback information about the container size, then adjusts the heating power based on this feedback. This closed-loop control ensures that the heating performance is optimized for each container size while maintaining simple operation for the user.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

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 ensures effective convection and prevents boiling over in containers of varying sizes by adjusting heating energy density and cycle, providing uniform heating and preventing boiling over.

Implementation Method 1

an infrared sensor that is disposed substantially above the one or more heating units, the infrared sensor having a plurality of pixels that detect temperatures above the placement unit for the container as temperature information

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectInfrared radiation detection: Infrared Radiation

Data Source

PatentEP4050971A1Heating cooker

Publication Date: 2022.08.31 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD

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AI summary

A heating cooker comprises: a placement unit on which a container is placed; one or more heating units arranged below the placement unit, for heating the container; an infrared sensor disposed substantially above the one or more heating units, the infrared sensor having a plurality of pixels that detect temperatures above the placement unit for the container as temperature information; a container size measurement unit measuring size of the container, based on the temperature information; and a heating control unit controlling heating energy applied to the container by each of the one or more heating units, based on the size of the container.