Rotating IR Mirror Layout for Clean Microwave Temperature Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infrared sensors in heating cookers, particularly microwave ovens, face contamination from oil and water vapor and microwave interference, making it difficult to accurately measure food temperature using infrared ray detection.
Innovation Solution
A heating cooker design incorporating a path change unit, such as a mirror, to redirect infrared rays away from contamination sources and interference, allowing the infrared sensor to receive rays from different regions within the cooking chamber while maintaining a constant distance, enabling accurate temperature measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the light receiving portion of the infrared sensor is exposed to the cooking chamber to receive infrared rays, then the temperature measurement capability is improved, but the sensor becomes contaminated by oil vapor or water vapor and receives microwave interference
Solution Approach 1:
A mirror is introduced as an intermediary component between the cooking chamber and the infrared sensor. The mirror reflects infrared rays from the cooking chamber to the sensor's light receiving portion, which is positioned outside the cooking chamber. This mediator allows the sensor to receive infrared radiation without direct exposure to the cooking environment, preventing contamination by oil vapor and water vapor while blocking microwave interference.
2Measurement precision
If the infrared sensor is positioned inside the cooking chamber for direct detection, then the measurement accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases due to protection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared sensor is extracted from the cooking chamber environment and positioned outside. The mirror system extracts the infrared radiation function from the sensor location, allowing the sensor to be placed in a protected position while maintaining detection capability through optical redirection.
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 prevents sensor contamination and interference, allowing for precise temperature measurement across the cooking chamber, enhancing cooking control and food monitoring.
Implementation Method 1
The path change unit may include a mirror to reflect an infrared ray, thereby changing a path of the infrared ray.
Implementation Method 2
the temperature of food is measured using a method in which the intensity of infrared rays generated from the food is measured, and the temperature of food is calculated based on the measured intensity of infrared rays.
Data Source
AI summary
A heating cooker including an infrared ray detection device is disclosed. The heating cooker includes a body, an inner case disposed within the body, and provided therein with a cooking chamber to cook food, a detection hole formed at one side wall of the inner case, to allow an infrared ray generated in the cooking chamber to exit outwardly from the cooking chamber, a path change unit disposed in the vicinity of the detection hole, to change a path of the infrared ray passing through the detection hole, and an infrared sensor disposed to be spaced apart from the path change unit, to receive the infrared ray, the path of which has been changed. The path change unit is rotatable to enable the infrared sensor to receive infrared rays having different paths while being generated in different regions in the cooking chamber.