Motorized Retractable Oven Sensor With Protective Closure
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing household cooking appliances face challenges in selectively exposing sensors to the cooking compartment while protecting them from harsh cooking conditions, such as high temperatures and hostile atmospheres, which can damage sensors designed for brief measurements.
Innovation Solution
A household cooking appliance with a guide sleeve on the cooking compartment wall allows a sensor to be longitudinally movable by motor power, with a closure element that opens or closes the cooking compartment-side end opening to expose or protect the sensor, enabling temporary measurement without permanent exposure to hostile conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the sensor is permanently positioned in the cooking compartment for continuous measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but the sensor is damaged by thermal and chemical stress from harsh cooking conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable sensor assembly that can dynamically change its position between a retracted state (protected from harsh conditions) and an extended state (positioned for measurement). The sensor is mounted on a movable support structure that allows it to be positioned in front of the cooking compartment opening only when measurement is required, thereby resolving the contradiction between needing the sensor close to the cooking compartment for accurate measurement and protecting it from damaging thermal and chemical stress.
2Reliability
If the sensor is retracted away from the cooking compartment for protection, then sensor durability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to increased distance from the measurement target
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a movable sensor assembly that can dynamically change its position between a retracted state (protected from harsh conditions) and an extended state (positioned for measurement). The sensor is mounted on a movable support structure that allows it to be positioned in front of the cooking compartment opening only when measurement is required, thereby resolving the contradiction between needing the sensor close to the cooking compartment for accurate measurement and protecting it from damaging thermal and chemical stress.
3Reliability
If a protective closure is added to shield the sensor, then sensor durability is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the protective closure function with the sensor mounting structure into a single integrated assembly. The closure element is directly associated with the movable sensor support, such that moving the sensor assembly automatically opens or closes the protective covering. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate mechanical components and simplifies the overall device structure while still providing protection when the sensor is retracted.
4Productivity
If the sensor is continuously exposed to the cooking compartment for real-time monitoring, then productivity is improved through continuous monitoring, but the sensor is subjected to excessive thermal stress reducing its lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic measurement cycles where the sensor is extended into the cooking compartment only during brief measurement intervals and then retracted. The control system activates the sensor periodically rather than continuously, allowing it to perform temperature measurements at scheduled intervals while remaining protected from continuous exposure to harsh thermal and chemical conditions, thereby extending sensor lifespan while maintaining monitoring capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A household cooking appliance includes a cooking compartment wall delimiting a cooking compartment, a guide sleeve provided on the cooking compartment wall and having a cooking compartment-side end opening which opens into the cooking compartment, a sensor housed in the guide sleeve for longitudinal movement by motor power, and a closure element designed for movement by motor power together with the sensor between a closed position in which the closure element closes the end opening as the sensor is located in an end-opening-distal rest position, and an open position in which the closure element clears the end opening as the sensor is located in an end-opening-proximal measuring position.