Range Top Coil Temperature Cutoff for Unattended Cooking Fire Risk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electric cooking technologies lack effective means to prevent cooking accidents, such as boiling over or ignition, due to unattended cooking, as they rely on manual heat adjustments and lack remote temperature sensing capabilities, leading to potential fires.
Innovation Solution
A temperature sensing device is integrated along the coil or in a drip pan to remotely monitor the temperature of cooking utensils, with a switch that interrupts power if the temperature exceeds a predetermined threshold, primarily sensing radiant heat to prevent ignition temperatures, and can be easily installed or replaced with traditional coil elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a temperature sensing device is integrated along the coil or in a drip pan to remotely monitor temperature, then cooking safety is improved by preventing ignition temperatures, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensing device is integrated within the existing coil structure or drip pan assembly, nesting the safety function inside the current device hierarchy. This allows the temperature monitoring capability to be added without creating a completely separate system, thereby improving safety while limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature sensing device automatically monitors cooking conditions and triggers safety mechanisms without requiring user intervention. The system self-regulates by detecting temperature thresholds and initiating appropriate responses, improving reliability while reducing the operational burden on users.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the switch interrupts power when temperature exceeds threshold, then harmful factors are reduced by preventing fires, but the productivity decreases due to interrupted cooking
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensing device takes preliminary action by monitoring temperature trends and interrupting power before dangerous conditions develop. By detecting early signs of overheating and preemptively cutting power, the system prevents fires while allowing cooking to resume quickly once the temperature drops, thus minimizing productivity loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic temperature monitoring and intermittent power interruption rather than continuous shutdown. Power is restored in periodic cycles once temperature conditions improve, allowing cooking to continue with minimal disruption while maintaining safety through repeated monitoring and controlled interruption.
3Measurement precision
If the temperature sensing device is located along the coil, then measurement precision is improved by sensing radiant heat, but the device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The temperature sensing device is positioned at specific locations along the coil where radiant heat measurement is most effective. By placing sensors at strategic points rather than uniformly throughout the system, the patent achieves precise temperature measurement while minimizing integration complexity through localized rather than distributed sensor placement.
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
This solution significantly reduces the likelihood of cooking fires by maintaining temperatures below ignition levels, ensuring safer cooking practices without requiring constant user attention, although it does not completely prevent boiling.
Implementation Method 1
remotely sensing temperatures at a location spaced from the heating portion of coils of a burner element so as not to sense a significant amount of conducted heat, but instead primarily sense radiant heat from the traditional coil element construction
Implementation Method 2
An electrical resistance core is typically embedded within an alloy sheath and wound in the shape of concentric circles
Data Source
AI summary
A range has burner coil elements which have temperature switches as a portion of the replaceable coils. Upon reaching a predetermined temperature, the switch opens and power through the burner element is secured. The burner elements are preferably open coil units. Lowering the temperature in a cooking utensil below common ignition temperatures while still allowing boiling is an objective of many embodiments.