Oven comprising weight sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooking food in an oven is challenging due to the difficulty in determining completion without opening the door, risking interruption of the cooking cycle and potential burns, and users lack specific information about cooking temperatures and times, which can be inaccurate.
Innovation Solution
An oven equipped with a three-dimensional scanning system and weight sensors to detect food characteristics, providing information on volume, shape, weight, and nutritional values without opening the door, allowing for improved cooking condition evaluation and interaction with the appliance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the oven door is opened to observe the food, then the user can directly evaluate the cooking progress, but the cooking cycle is interrupted and the user risks burns from high temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of sensors (weight sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors) and a processing unit that acts as a mediator between the food in the oven and the user. These sensors continuously monitor cooking parameters and transmit information to the user interface without requiring direct observation through door opening, thus eliminating the harmful exposure to high temperature while maintaining information flow about cooking progress
2Loss of information
If the oven door is opened to observe the food, then the user can evaluate cooking completion, but the cooking cycle is interrupted in an uncontrolled manner
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where sensors continuously monitor weight, temperature, and humidity parameters, and the processing unit analyzes this data to provide real-time information about cooking progress through the user interface. This closed-loop feedback system allows users to monitor cooking completion without interrupting the thermal environment, maintaining cooking cycle reliability while providing continuous information about food state
3Ease of operation
If recipe books are used to determine cooking temperatures and times, then the user has cooking guidance, but the information may be inaccurate for specific food characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the oven system to perform self-service by automatically detecting food characteristics through sensors (weight, volume, shape, density calculations) and using the processing unit to determine optimal cooking parameters. This eliminates the need for generic recipe books and provides customized, accurate cooking guidance based on the actual physical properties of the specific food item being cooked, thereby improving both ease of operation and parameter precision
4Measurement precision
If sensors are added to detect food characteristics, then cooking information accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves multi-functionality by designing a sensor system where a single weight sensor serves multiple purposes: measuring food weight directly, calculating volume through geometric modeling, determining density, and inferring other physical characteristics. The processing unit integrates data from these sensors to provide comprehensive food characterization and cooking parameter optimization, thereby improving measurement precision while limiting the increase in device complexity through functional integration
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 reliable evaluation of food characteristics and cooking conditions, allowing users to modify or improve cooking operations, enhancing user safety and cooking accuracy by providing essential information on cooking time and temperature.
Implementation Method 1
at least one weight sensor configured for detecting the weight of a food positioned on a shelf
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an oven (101) comprising a heated cavity (102) for cooking a food (201), supporting means (103) positioned in the heated cavity (102) and configured for supporting a shelf (105) in the heated cavity (102); the supporting means (103) comprise at least one weight sensor (104) configured for detecting the weight of a food (201) positioned on the shelf (105).