Cooking appliance for multi-zone cooking at different temperatures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current oven appliances struggle to accurately determine and manage different cooking times and power levels for multiple food items in multiple zones, often resulting in undercooked or overcooked food.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with multiple independently operable heating elements and a controller that receives user inputs for different temperature requests across various zones, determining a heating pattern to direct each heating element accordingly, allowing for precise temperature control in each zone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple heating elements are used to cook multiple food items simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooking chamber is divided into multiple independently controllable zones, each with its own heating element. This segmentation allows different food items to be cooked simultaneously at different temperatures and power levels, improving productivity while maintaining manageable complexity through modular zone control
Solution Approach 2:
The heating elements are designed to be independently operated with variable power levels, allowing dynamic adjustment of heating intensity for each zone. This enables precise temperature control for different cooking requirements while optimizing energy distribution across multiple food items
2Manufacturing precision
If different temperature zones are implemented, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each cooking zone is equipped with independent temperature control capabilities, allowing different temperature settings for different regions of the cooking chamber. This local quality approach enables precise temperature control for specific food items without requiring complex system-wide control, as each zone operates independently
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows independent adjustment of temperature parameters for each heating zone, enabling precise control over cooking conditions. By changing temperature parameters locally in each zone rather than uniformly across the entire chamber, the system achieves high manufacturing precision with manageable control complexity
3Reliability
If independent heating elements are used for each zone, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into multiple independent heating elements, each responsible for a specific cooking zone. This segmentation improves reliability by isolating failures to individual zones rather than affecting the entire system, while the modular nature keeps complexity manageable
Solution Approach 2:
Each heating element is independently controlled and optimized for its specific zone, ensuring reliable temperature control for food items in that region. This local quality approach maintains high cooking accuracy without requiring complex interconnections between heating elements
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 precise cooking operations across multiple zones, ensuring that food items are cooked to the correct temperature, reducing the risk of undercooking or overcooking and allowing for simultaneous cooking of items at different temperatures.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of heating elements provided within the cooking chamber, each of the plurality of heating elements being independently operated
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking appliance includes a cabinet forming a cooking chamber, the cooking chamber defining a plurality of cooking zones therein; a plurality of heating elements provided within the cooking chamber; a user interface; and a controller operably connected with the plurality of heating elements and the user interface, the controller configured to perform a cooking operation. The cooking operation includes receiving a first temperature request for a first cooking zone; receiving a second temperature request for a second cooking zone, the second cooking zone being different from the first cooking zone and the second temperature request being different from the first temperature request; determining a heating pattern of the plurality of heating elements based on the first temperature request, the second temperature request, the first cooking zone, and the second cooking zone; and directing each of the plurality of heating elements according to the determined heating pattern.