Adjustable Temperature Probe Stabilizer Wings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Temperature probes used in cooking face challenges in stabilizing at varying depths and angles within different types of food items, leading to inconsistent measurements and potential dislodgment during cooking.
Innovation Solution
A temperature probe design featuring a stabilizer with cantilevered silicone wings that increase friction and effective surface area contact, adapting to secure the probe at desired insertion lengths, ensuring accurate temperature measurement across a range of insertion depths and angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the probe is inserted at different depths and angles for different food items, then the probe can adapt to various food types and sizes, but the probe becomes difficult to stabilize and may dislodge during cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer wings are designed to be flexible and dynamic, automatically adjusting their configuration based on the insertion depth. As the shaft is inserted into the food item, the wings flex outward to engage with the food surface, providing stable anchoring at varying depths without requiring manual adjustment or complex mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer wings change their physical state from a retracted position during insertion to an extended engaged position once insertion is complete. This parameter change allows the probe to transition from a low-profile insertion mode to a stabilized measurement mode, ensuring reliability across different insertion depths and angles
2Ease of operation
If the probe uses a simple shaft design for easy insertion, then the probe is easy to operate, but the probe lacks stabilization mechanism and may dislodge
Solution Approach 1:
The probe is segmented into distinct functional components: a simple shaft for easy insertion and a separate stabilizer assembly with wings for retention. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specialized function optimally - the shaft provides ease of operation while the stabilizer ensures reliable anchoring without complicating the overall design
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer wings are pre-configured in a retracted position that facilitates easy insertion, then automatically deploy to the engaged position once the shaft reaches the desired depth. This preliminary configuration ensures that the stabilization mechanism does not interfere with insertion while automatically providing retention afterward
3Reliability
If the probe uses a stabilizer with large surface area contact, then the probe stabilizes better at various insertion depths, but the stabilizer becomes more complex in structure
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer wings are constructed as flexible, thin structures that can elongate and conform to the food item surface. This flexibility allows the wings to increase their effective contact area dynamically as they engage with the food, providing excellent stabilization without requiring complex rigid structures or multiple adjustable components
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 probe effectively stabilizes at different insertion depths and angles, providing consistent temperature readings and secure placement, enhancing cooking precision and convenience by adapting to various food types and sizes.
Implementation Method 1
the wings comprise textured inner surfaces in order to increase frictional contact between them and said object upon engagement against said object as said degree of insertion increases
Data Source
AI summary
A meat probe has a shaft, plug, and stabilizer for measuring a parameter (e.g., temperature) of a piece of meat and communicating the measurement to a cooking appliance. The stabilizer may have a plurality of wings. For example, two wings may be cantilevered about a proximal end that is at the shaft. As the shaft is inserted into the piece of meat, the wings are bent outwardly about the proximal end. In another example, four wings are connected on opposite ends to a first and second base, and the shaft extends through the first and second bases. As the shaft is inserted into the piece of meat, the second base is pushed upward, decreasing the distance between the first and second base and bending the wings about a middle portion.