Turntable oscillation during cooking appliance meal cook cycle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooking an entire meal typically requires multiple appliances and operations due to varying cooking times, temperatures, and energy sources for different food types, increasing preparation time and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with integrated microwave, upper heater, lower heater, and convection modules, along with a rotating turntable and controller, allows for simultaneous and sequential use of these energy sources during a single meal cook cycle, optimizing energy delivery to multiple food items based on their specific requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple appliances and operations are used to cook diverse meal components, then each food type can receive optimal cooking conditions, but the preparation time and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cooking functions (microwave heating, radiant heating, convection heating) into a single cooking appliance. The cooking system integrates a microwave module, upper heater module, lower heater module, and convection module with a turntable, allowing diverse meal components to be cooked simultaneously in one appliance rather than requiring multiple separate appliances or sequential operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking appliance is designed to perform multiple cooking functions simultaneously - microwave radiation, radiant heating from multiple directions, and convection circulation. This multi-functional capability allows the single appliance to adapt to the diverse cooking requirements of different food types (meat, vegetables, starches) that previously required multiple specialized appliances.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple appliances and operations are used to cook diverse meal components, then each food type can receive optimal cooking conditions, but the operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple cooking functions (microwave heating, radiant heating, convection heating) into a single cooking appliance. The cooking system integrates a microwave module, upper heater module, lower heater module, and convection module with a turntable, allowing diverse meal components to be cooked simultaneously in one appliance rather than requiring multiple separate appliances or sequential operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking appliance is designed to perform multiple cooking functions simultaneously - microwave radiation, radiant heating from multiple directions, and convection circulation. This multi-functional capability allows the single appliance to adapt to the diverse cooking requirements of different food types (meat, vegetables, starches) that previously required multiple specialized appliances.
3Reliability
If sequential cooking operations are used for different food types, then each food can be prepared optimally, but the total cooking time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous and simultaneous cooking action by operating multiple heating modules concurrently. The microwave module, upper heater module, lower heater module, and convection module can all be active at the same time, providing continuous useful cooking action to multiple food items simultaneously, eliminating the idle time and sequential processing that characterized previous cooking methods.
Solution Approach 2:
The turntable provides dynamic rotation to continuously change the position of food items relative to the multiple heating sources. This dynamic positioning ensures that different portions of food receive appropriate exposure to microwave energy, radiant heat from above and below, and convection currents, allowing optimal cooking conditions to be maintained throughout the simultaneous cooking process.
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
Enables efficient and streamlined cooking of diverse meal components in a single cycle, reducing preparation time and complexity by providing tailored energy exposure to each food type within the appliance.
Implementation Method 1
a microwave module for delivering microwave energy into the cooking cavity
Implementation Method 2
an upper heater module having one or more heating elements. The cooking appliance also includes a lower heater module having one or more heating elements
Implementation Method 3
a convection module having one or more heating elements and a convection fan operable to move air across the one or more heating elements of the convection module and into the cooking cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance includes a cooking cavity, a microwave module, a convection module, an upper heater module and a lower heater module. A turntable is rotatably mounted in the cooking cavity. The cooking appliance is operable for, and related methods may include, activating at least one of the microwave module, the upper heater module, the lower heater module, and the convection module, while also rotating the turntable within the cooking cavity within the cooking cavity. The cooking appliance is further operable for, and related methods may also include rotating the turntable in a back-and-forth motion during at least a portion of a cook cycle.