Pressure Cooker Vent Valve for Fast Decompression Without Food Spraying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing domestic pressure cookers face issues with slow decompression, which can lead to sudden pressure drops causing food to boil and spray debris, compromising safety and cleanliness, and they lack ergonomic design, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A pressure cooking appliance with a leak rate regulating means that automatically increases the exhaust circuit flow capacity as pressure decreases, preventing sudden pressure drops and incorporating a user-controlled decompression mechanism for safe and efficient operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the exhaust orifice dimensions are increased to accelerate decompression, then the decompression speed is improved, but the pressure drops suddenly causing liquid water to boil and spray food debris
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the exhaust orifice size variable rather than fixed. The exhaust valve (7) can adjust the opening degree of the exhaust orifice (8) dynamically during the decompression process. This allows the system to start with a smaller effective opening to control the rate of pressure drop and prevent sudden boiling, then progressively increase the opening as pressure equalizes, thereby resolving the contradiction between fast decompression and preventing food spraying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the flow capacity parameter of the exhaust circuit during the decompression process. The leak rate regulating means (20) automatically increases the flow capacity as pressure decreases, while the exhaust valve (7) controls the opening degree parameter to regulate the decompression rate. This dynamic parameter adjustment prevents sudden pressure drops that cause boiling while still achieving complete decompression.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the exhaust orifice dimensions are kept small to prevent sudden pressure drops, then food spraying is prevented, but the decompression process becomes slow
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic control of the exhaust valve (7) to adjust the effective opening area during decompression. Initially, the valve maintains a restricted opening to prevent food spraying, then progressively increases the opening as pressure drops, ultimately achieving full opening for rapid final decompression. This dynamic adjustment resolves the time loss issue while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous useful action through the leak rate regulating means (20) that automatically increases exhaust circuit flow capacity as pressure decreases. This continuous adjustment ensures that the decompression process maintains optimal speed throughout all stages without interruption, preventing both food spraying during high pressure and excessive decompression time during low pressure.
3Device complexity
If a fixed-size exhaust orifice is used, then the device structure is simple, but the decompression speed cannot be optimized across different pressure conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic control elements (exhaust valve (7) and leak rate regulating means (20)) that automatically adjust the exhaust circuit characteristics during operation. The valve mechanism and flow capacity regulation add controlled complexity only when needed for optimization, while maintaining relatively simple overall structure for manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The leak rate regulating means (20) operates automatically based on pressure conditions without requiring manual intervention. The system self-regulates the exhaust circuit flow capacity according to the prevailing pressure, eliminating the need for complex manual control mechanisms while achieving optimized decompression performance across different operating conditions.
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 appliance achieves rapid and controlled decompression, preventing food spraying and ensuring user safety and appliance cleanliness, while maintaining a simple, compact, and cost-effective design with enhanced reliability and ergonomic operation.
Implementation Method 1
an activatable decompression means (4) designed to, when activated, adopt an opening configuration in which it provides communication between the interior of the enclosure (3) and the exterior (5) of the device, through an exhaust circuit (6)
Implementation Method 2
it comprises a leak rate regulating means (20) designed to cooperate with the decompression means (4), when the latter is in the open configuration, in order to automatically increase the flow capacity of the exhaust circuit (6) when the pressure prevailing within the enclosure (3) decreases
Implementation Method 3
the decompression means generally comprise a valve (7) mounted to move relative to a seat (8) which puts the inside of the enclosure (3) in communication with the outside of the device (1)
Data Source
Figure 1~4
Figure 5~6
Figure 7~11
AI summary
The apparatus (1) has a decompression unit (4) activated to adopt an open configuration in which the decompression unit provides communication between an inner side of an enclosure (3) and an outer side of the apparatus through a exhaust circuit (6). A control unit is actuated by a user to control activation of the decompression unit. A leak volume regulating unit (20) cooperates with the decompression unit to automatically increase flow capacity of the circuit when pressure (P) inside the enclosure is decreased.