Open-Front Heated Food Cabinet With Rear-Wall Air Recirculation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Supermarkets face challenges in keeping hot, ready-to-eat food products warm and accessible to customers while minimizing heat loss and preventing external cool air from entering the display area.
Innovation Solution
A heated food storage and display cabinet with flow-inducing fans and heater elements in the upper region, directing heated air downward and across the open front to create a heated air curtain, ensuring uniform air distribution and maintaining the temperature within the cabinet using independently controlled fans and electric heating elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the cabinet has an open front for customer access, then ease of operation is improved, but heat loss increases and external cool air enters the chamber
Solution Approach 1:
A curtain of heated air is introduced as an intermediary barrier across the open front of the cabinet. This air curtain acts as a thermal mediator that allows visual access and customer interaction while preventing direct thermal exchange between the warm interior and cool exterior environment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic principles by generating a flow of heated air that moves across the open front to create a protective barrier. The flow inducing means generates this pneumatic curtain that physically blocks cool air infiltration while maintaining the open front configuration for customer access
2Temperature
If heated air is circulated to maintain temperature, then temperature stability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Air is pre-heated by the heater means before being introduced into the chamber circulation system. This preliminary heating action ensures that the air entering the circulation loop already carries thermal energy, reducing the continuous energy demand of the heater and improving overall thermal efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The flow inducing means operates continuously to circulate pre-heated air throughout the chamber, maintaining uniform temperature distribution without requiring intermittent high-power heating cycles. This continuous circulation ensures stable temperatures while optimizing energy utilization
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 effectively maintains a consistent temperature of 60 to 90 degrees Celsius within the cabinet, preventing heat loss and maintaining the warmth of food products, while ensuring easy access and visibility of the food through an open front.
Implementation Method 1
heater means arranged in an upper region thereof, the flow inducing means being operable to draw air from an upper portion of the enclosed chamber, direct the air over the heater means to heat the air
Implementation Method 2
flow inducing means and heater means arranged in an upper region thereof, the flow inducing means being operable to draw air from an upper portion of the enclosed chamber, direct the air over the heater means to heat the air and subsequently urge the heated air down the rear wall of the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A heated food storage and display cabinet (10) comprises an open fronted enclosed chamber (30) within which packs of food can be stored, the cabinet (10) including flow inducing means (52) and heater means (54) arranged in an upper region thereof, the flow inducing means being operable to draw air from an upper portion of the enclosed chamber (30), direct the air over the heater means (54) to heat the air and subsequently urge the heated air down the rear wall (18) of the chamber (30) and across the floor (22) of the chamber (30) towards the open front of the chamber (30), said heated air being subsequently directed upwardly and rearwardly across the open front of the chamber (30) by an airflow direction member (78) of the chamber (30) to provide a heated air curtain (70) across the open front of the chamber, wherein a portion of the heated air (64,68) passes into the chamber (30) as said heated air moves down the rear wall (18) and across the floor (22) so as to pass over and around packs of food stored therein.