Integrated Cleaning System for Kitchen Appliances
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen and catering appliances are difficult to manufacture, require frequent maintenance, and are not user-friendly for cleaning.
Innovation Solution
A kitchen and catering appliance design featuring a collection tank, return system, and solid additive units for generating wash solutions with additives like cleaners and descalers, using sensors and pumps to control additive concentration and distribution, with protective measures for the sensor and additive containers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complex cleaning systems with multiple components are used, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cleaning agent storage, dissolution, dosing, and distribution functions into an integrated cleaning system. The cleaning agent container, water supply, pump, and spray nozzles are merged into a single coordinated system that automatically prepares and distributes cleaning solutions, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning system is designed to handle multiple cleaning agents and perform various cleaning functions through a single integrated apparatus. The system can store different cleaning agents in separate containers, dissolve them using the same water supply and pump mechanism, and distribute them through coordinated spray nozzles, making the system universally applicable for different cleaning needs.
2Reliability
If frequent maintenance is required to ensure proper cleaning, then cleaning reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system incorporates automatic dosing mechanisms that self-regulate the amount of cleaning agent dispensed based on operational parameters. The pump system automatically adjusts flow rates and the dosing mechanism self-calibrates, reducing the need for manual intervention and maintenance while ensuring consistent cleaning performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes sensors and control mechanisms that monitor cleaning agent levels, water flow rates, and spray performance. This feedback allows the system to automatically adjust operations and alert users when maintenance is needed, improving reliability while minimizing the frequency and complexity of user interventions.
3Reliability
If multiple cleaning agents are used sequentially, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but loss of time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous operation by automatically transitioning between different cleaning agents without interrupting the cleaning process. The pump and spray system remain active while the dosing mechanism switches between cleaning agent containers, ensuring continuous useful action and eliminating idle time between agent changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic switching between different cleaning agents based on pre-programmed sequences or sensor-triggered events. This periodic action allows the system to cycle through different cleaning agents at optimal intervals, maintaining cleaning effectiveness while minimizing total cycle time through efficient timing and coordination.
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 appliance is easy to manufacture, requires minimal maintenance, and allows for reliable, user-friendly cleaning with sequential use of different wash solutions, ensuring effective cleaning without additive detachment.
Implementation Method 1
a pump, at least two connections for two storage containers containing different cleaning chemicals, a water inlet with which water can be supplied to the cleaning chemical assembly, a first rinsing circuit with which the pump can transfer liquid from the collection container into one of the two storage containers
Implementation Method 2
a heating/convection unit in or on the food compartment, by means of which the food compartment can be heated and/or circulated with air
Implementation Method 3
the heating/convection unit can also generate steam to treat the food in the food compartment
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a kitchen and/or catering appliance (1), in particular a cooking appliance, comprising a food chamber (3) for the treatment and/or storage of food, in particular designed as a cooking chamber, a collection container (7) for storing a liquid washing liquor, a washing liquor line (8) for directing the washing liquor from the collection container (7) into the food chamber (3), at least one solid unit (9) with a receptacle (10) for inserting a container (80) with solid additive (81), a supply line (11) leading to the receptacle (10) for supplying a fluid (81) that dissolves the additive, and a discharge line (12) leading from the receptacle (10) towards the collection container (7) for discharging the fluid together with the dissolved additive (81), and at least one supply pump (13) for pumping the fluid, preferably the washing liquor, through the at least one supply line.