Oven Gas Sensor Placement for Cooking Accuracy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional domestic ovens rely on recipe-based cooking time settings, lacking the ability to monitor actual food cooking progress and prevent burning, as existing gas sensors are prone to dirt and high temperatures, affecting signal accuracy.

Innovation Solution

A MOS-type gas sensor positioned in the oven's intake duct, pre-filtered signals are analyzed to determine cooking levels, with a user interface allowing users to set cooking preferences and display the food's degree of doneness, using a microprocessor to manage heating elements and prevent overcooking.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the gas sensor is positioned inside the oven compartment near the food, then the monitoring of cooking progress is more accurate, but the sensor is exposed to dirt from the oven and high cooking temperatures, affecting signal accuracy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecooking progress monitoring accuracyVSAvoidsensor exposure to dirt and high temperatures

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary chamber (intake duct) between the food and the gas sensor. The cooking gases pass through this duct, allowing the sensor to monitor cooking progress indirectly without being directly exposed to the harsh environment inside the oven compartment. This mediator protects the sensor while maintaining monitoring capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The gas sensor is extracted from the direct cooking environment and positioned in the intake duct, separating it from the harmful factors (dirt, high temperatures) while still allowing it to detect cooking-related gas emissions. This extraction maintains the sensor's functionality while protecting it from degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the gas sensor is positioned in the intake duct away from the food, then the sensor is protected from dirt and high temperatures, but the monitoring of cooking progress may be less accurate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensor protection from dirt and high temperaturesVSAvoidcooking progress monitoring accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The intake duct serves as an intermediary channel that conducts cooking gases from the food to the sensor. This mediator ensures that the sensor remains protected while still receiving sufficient gas samples to accurately monitor cooking progress, resolving the contradiction between protection and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If traditional recipe-based cooking time settings are used, then the oven operation is simple, but the ability to monitor actual food cooking progress and prevent burning is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoven operation simplicityVSAvoidfood cooking progress monitoring and burning prevention

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the gas sensor continuously monitors cooking gases and sends signals to the control unit. This feedback loop allows the system to automatically adjust cooking parameters or alert the user based on actual cooking progress, maintaining simplicity while improving reliability through automated monitoring.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The oven system performs self-monitoring and self-adjustment using the gas sensor and control unit. The system automatically detects cooking status and can prevent burning without requiring complex user intervention, maintaining ease of operation while enhancing reliability through autonomous functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

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 enables accurate monitoring of cooking progress, preventing food from burning and allowing for automatic achievement of desired cooking levels, while maintaining sensor integrity by positioning the sensor in a protected area.

Implementation Method 1

a gas sensor (10) positioned in an intake duct (C) of the oven (F)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGas sensor detection:

Data Source

PatentUS8618450B2Domestic oven and cooking process that uses the same

Publication Date: 2013.12.31 WHIRLPOOL CORP

AI summary

A domestic oven comprises heating means, a gas sensor connected to a central processing and control unit and a user interface connected to the central processing unit by means of which the user can set the type of food placed in the oven compartment. The user interface comprises means for setting the desired degree of cooking of the food and is capable of processing the signal of the gas sensor in such a way as to determine the optimal cooking end time of the food. The central processing unit interrupts the electrical supply to the heating means on the basis either of said cooking end time, modified if necessary on the basis of degree of cooking set by the user, or of the food type set by the user.