Squeegee apparatus with a cooking plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Raclette appliances consume high amounts of electricity due to their high electrical power requirements for heating and cooking, which is inefficient and costly.
Innovation Solution
A raclette appliance with a cooking plate featuring a reflection surface with an emissivity of 0.60 to 0.80, configured to reflect thermal radiation back to the base and cooking cups, reducing the electrical power needed while maintaining optimal cooking performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high electrical power is used to heat and cook food, then cooking performance is improved, but electrical consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful thermal radiation that would otherwise be lost from the cooking plate into a beneficial resource by reflecting it back to the cooking cups. The reflective coating on the lower face of the cooking plate captures thermal radiation emitted by the heating element and redirects it to heat the food in the cooking cups, thereby improving cooking performance while reducing electrical consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameter of the cooking plate's lower face by applying a reflective coating with specific reflectivity characteristics. This parameter change enables the plate to reflect thermal radiation back to the cooking cups, creating a more efficient heating system that requires less electrical power to achieve the same cooking performance.
2Loss of energy
If thermal radiation is reflected back to the base, then energy efficiency is improved, but cooking plate design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the reflective coating only to the lower face of the cooking plate, specifically the surface that faces the heating element and cooking cups. This localized application of the reflective property ensures that thermal radiation is reflected back to the cooking area without requiring the entire cooking plate assembly to be redesigned, thus minimizing the increase in device complexity.
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 efficient cooking and melting of food with reduced electrical consumption by reflecting thermal radiation and absorbing heat, thus optimizing energy use.
Implementation Method 1
the reflection surface being configured to reflect part of a thermal radiation emitted by the electric heating resistor towards the base and therefore towards cooking cups arranged on the base
Implementation Method 2
the reflection surface allows the latter to absorb calories emitted by the electric heating resistor, and therefore to store heat
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
The raclette appliance (1) comprises a base (3) configured to receive cooking cups; an electrical heating resistor (5) arranged above and at a distance from the base (3); and a cooking plate (6) configured to at least partially cover the electrical heating resistor (5), the cooking plate (6) comprising a lower face oriented towards the base (3) and an upper face comprising a cooking surface (7). The lower face of the cooking plate (6) comprises a reflection surface (12) having an emissivity of between 0.60 and 0.80, the reflection surface (12) being configured to reflect a portion of thermal radiation emitted by the electrical heating resistor (5) towards the base (3).