Cooking appliance for cooking food with or without pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances with pressure cooking capabilities are complex for users to operate, requiring manual adjustment of steam outlet valves and lid locking mechanisms for selecting cooking modes, which complicates the cooking process and increases manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a control member that simplifies the selection of cooking modes by moving the steam outlet valve between positions for pressure and non-pressure cooking, integrated with a rotating ring and teeth mechanism for easy lid locking and unlocking, allowing users to switch between cooking modes with a single action.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual adjustment of steam outlet valve and lid locking mechanism is required for selecting cooking modes, then cooking functionality is achieved, but user operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the steam outlet valve control and lid locking mechanism into a single integrated control member. When the control member is rotated to different positions, it simultaneously controls both the steam outlet valve position and the lid locking state, eliminating the need for separate manual adjustments of each component.
Solution Approach 2:
The control member serves multiple functions: it controls the steam outlet valve between open and closed positions, locks and unlocks the lid, and indicates the selected cooking mode through its position. This multi-functional design reduces the number of separate controls needed.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate controls for steam outlet valve and lid locking are provided, then precise control is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple control functions into a single control member, reducing the total number of components that need to be manufactured, assembled, and quality-checked. This integration directly lowers manufacturing complexity and cost.
3Reliability
If integrated control member is used for valve and lid control, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The control member is designed with distinct control positions (first position for open valve/unlocked lid, second position for closed valve/locked lid) that clearly segment the operational states. This segmentation ensures that each position reliably corresponds to a specific operational mode, maintaining reliability while simplifying the interface.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The present invention relates to a cooking appliance (2) comprising a housing (3) having a cooking vessel (4) configured to receive food to be cooked; a lid (5) pivotally mounted on the housing (3) between an open position and a closed position; a steam outlet valve (21) which is movable between a first valve position in which the steam outlet valve (21) connects the interior of the cooking vessel (4) with the exterior of the cooking appliance (2), and a second valve position in which the steam outlet valve (21) fluidly isolates the interior of the cooking vessel (4) from the exterior of the cooking appliance (2); a lid locking mechanism (26) configured to lock the lid (5) in the closed position;and a control element (30) configured to be operated by a user and to control the locking and unlocking of the cover (5) relative to the housing (3).