Removable Roller Food Heater Cleaning Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hot dog heating devices cannot be easily cleaned by submersion due to the risk of damaging electrical components, requiring more laborious cleaning methods.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a food heater with removable rollers that can be decoupled from the drive system and heating elements, allowing for separate cleaning by submersion in a cleaning fluid, and a mechanism to reconnect them for heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the rollers are made removable and washable, then ease of cleaning is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional coupling/decoupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The food heater is divided into separate modules: removable rollers and a stationary base containing electrical components. This segmentation allows the rollers to be detached for cleaning while the base remains in place, resolving the contradiction between ease of cleaning and device complexity by creating independent cleanable sections.
Solution Approach 2:
The rollers are extracted as removable components from the main heating device. By taking out the rollers that come into contact with food and juices, they can be separately washed without risking damage to the electrical heating elements and control components that remain in the base.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the rollers are made removable for cleaning, then cleaning safety is improved, but ease of operation worsens due to additional steps for removal and reattachment
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanisms are pre-designed with user-friendly features such as quick-release latches or snap-fit connections that simplify the removal and reattachment process. This preliminary design consideration reduces the operational burden despite adding the removal step, maintaining ease of operation while enabling safe cleaning.
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
Facilitates easy cleaning and maintenance of the rollers and base structure without risking electrical component damage, improving efficiency and reducing labor in the cleaning process.
Implementation Method 1
an electric heating element positioned inside the rollers heat the rollers
Data Source
AI summary
Food heating devices and methods of removing one or more rollers from food heating devices are disclosed herein. An embodiment of a food heating device configured in accordance with the present disclosure includes a base structure, a food rotating system, a food heating system, and a plurality of rollers. One end of a roller can be left unsupported, either by separating a sidewall of the base structure or by separating an insert from the sidewall. In turn, an opposite end of the roller can be disconnected from the food rotating system, and the roller can be displaced axially with respect to the food heating system, which remains fixed relative to base structure. Accordingly, the roller(s) can be removed, cleaned separately, and subsequently reinstalled or replaced with respect to the base structure.