Movable Grill Heating Plate Locking for Uniform Cooking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Standard double-side electric grills fail to cook food uniformly, with the outside being overcooked while the inside remains undercooked due to the outer part acting as a thermal shield, and newer models with movable upper heating plates can crush soft food products during cooking.
Innovation Solution
An electric grill design featuring a bell-shaped body with a movable upper heating plate that adjusts to the thickness of food products, combined with microwave heating, and a heating-plate locking device that prevents excessive pressure after a set cooking time to ensure uniform cooking without crushing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the upper heating plate is made movable to adjust for different food thicknesses, then cooking uniformity is improved, but the risk of crushing soft food products increases
Solution Approach 1:
The upper heating plate is made movable relative to the bell-shaped body, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position based on food thickness. This dynamic adjustment ensures consistent contact pressure for uniform cooking while preventing excessive pressure that would crush soft foods.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates a control mechanism that monitors cooking progress and automatically adjusts the position of the upper heating plate. This feedback control ensures optimal pressure is applied throughout the cooking process, maintaining uniform cooking without crushing the food.
2Productivity
If microwave heating is added to heat the inside of food products, then cooking efficiency is improved, but the complexity of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines microwave heating technology with traditional thermal heating in a single cooking appliance. The microwave generator and heating elements are integrated within the bell-shaped body, allowing simultaneous or sequential operation to efficiently cook both the interior and exterior of food products.
3Device complexity
If the upper heating plate is fixed at a specific height in the bell-shaped body, then the structure is simplified, but it cannot adapt to different food thicknesses reducing cooking effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The upper heating plate is designed with movable mounting on the bell-shaped body, enabling it to adjust its height position. This dynamic configuration allows the heating plate to adapt to various food thicknesses while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through guided movement mechanisms.
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 design achieves uniform cooking of both sides of food products while maintaining their softness and appearance by allowing the upper heating plate to adjust to food thickness and locking in place to prevent excessive pressure, ensuring optimal heat transfer and cooking efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
these new double-side electric grills are also provided with one or more microwave generators which are located inside the box-like casing, below the lower heating plate, and are structured for flooding microwaves into the closed cavity during the cooking cycle
Implementation Method 2
two electric heating devices, namely two resistors, which are inserted into or located immediately on the back of both the upper and the lower heating plate so to heat up the heating plates, or to directly heat up the food products abutting on said heating plates
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance (1) includes a lower casing (2), a lower food-contacting heating plate (3), and an upper bell-shaped body (4) which is movably mounted on the lower casing (2) so as to be movable to and from a closed position. An upper food-contacting heating plate (5) is located inside the bell-shaped body (4) so as to be positioned, when the bell-shaped body (4) is in the closed position, over the lower heating plate (3). The upper food-contacting heating plate (5) is connected to the bell-shaped body (4) to move freely inside the bell-shaped body (4) in a direction (d0) substantially perpendicular to the reference laying plane of the upper heating plate (5). A heating-plate locking device (14) selectively impairs movement of the upper heating plate (5) in the moving direction (d0), and a control unit (9) controls the heating-plate locking device (14).