Pressure Cooker Coupling Mechanism for Lid Misalignment Detection

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pressure cookers lack a simple and effective mechanism to prevent pressure buildup when the lid is incorrectly placed, compromising safety and ease of cleaning.

Innovation Solution

A pressure cooker design featuring a lid and cooking vessel with rotatable handles that include a coupling group and coupling device, allowing for mechanical uncoupling and coupling to ensure a fluid-tight seal, with a sealing element that is applied or retracted to prevent pressure buildup when the lid is correctly or incorrectly aligned.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a traditional pressure cooker design is used, then the structure is simple, but it lacks effective pressure build-up prevention when the lid is incorrectly placed

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling device is designed to detect incorrect lid placement before pressure build-up can occur. When the lid is incorrectly placed, the coupling elements remain mechanically uncoupled, preventing the sealing element from being applied and thus preventing pressure build-up in advance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Solution Approach 2:

The coupling device acts as an intermediary mechanism between the lid and cooking vessel. It mediates the coupling process by using coupling elements that must be properly aligned and coupled to enable the sealing element to be applied, thereby ensuring correct lid placement

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of operation

If the lid handle is permanently fixed, then the structure is stable, but it is difficult to remove and clean

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The lid handle is segmented from the lid body through the coupling group mechanism. The coupling elements allow the handle to be detachably coupled to the lid, enabling easy removal for cleaning while maintaining stability during use through proper coupling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Manufacturing precision

If multiple separate components are used for coupling, then the function is precise, but the cleaning process becomes complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The coupling group combines multiple coupling elements into an integrated assembly that works together to achieve precise coupling alignment. The sealing element is integrated with the coupling mechanism, so that when the coupling elements are properly coupled, the sealing element is automatically applied, reducing the number of separate components that need to be cleaned

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11540657B2Pressure cooker

Publication Date: 2023.01.03

AI summary

Pressure cooker having a lid comprising a lid handle and a cooking vessel comprising a vessel handle, wherein the cooking vessel is closeable with the lid in a fluid-tight manner by means of a closure mechanism by the lid handle and the vessel handle being placed one above the other, wherein one of the two handles comprises a coupling group which has two coupling elements which can be mechanically coupled to, or uncoupled from, each other, and the other of the two handles comprises a coupling device constructed for said coupling together and/or said uncoupling in such a manner that, when the lid handle and the vessel handle are placed one above the other, the two coupling elements are either mechanically uncoupled from each other by means of the coupling device or mechanically coupled to each other.