Self-Cleaning Food Processor Using Steam and Controlled Water Volume
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional soybean milk machines require manual cleaning and are prone to residual stains and bacterial growth due to their design, which complicates the cleaning process and poses food safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A self-cleaning food processor with a crushing assembly and a cleaning process that includes infiltration, steaming, and diffusion/converging stages, utilizing steam and controlled water volumes to effectively clean the cup body and lid, driven by a crushing device that ensures thorough scouring and rinsing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the cup body is made deep to increase capacity, then the volume of the crushing cavity is increased, but the cleaning water cannot wash the whole cup wall during cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the cup body detachable from the base, allowing the cup to be removed for cleaning. This dynamic configuration enables the cleaning water to access all surfaces of the cup body including the bottom, resolving the issue where a deep fixed cup body cannot be thoroughly cleaned.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the cup body is fixed in the base, then the structural stability is improved, but the inner surface cannot be fully cleaned and bacteria breed easily
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the food processor into separable components: a detachable cup body and a base. This allows the cup body to be removed for thorough cleaning, preventing residual stains and bacterial growth while maintaining structural stability when assembled.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual cleaning is required, then the cleaning thoroughness can be ensured, but the operation complexity and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the cup body to clean itself through detachable design that allows cleaning water to reach all surfaces including the bottom. This automatic cleaning capability reduces manual intervention while ensuring thorough cleaning, resolving the contradiction between cleaning quality and operational convenience.
4Device complexity
If the cup body is made non-detachable, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cleaning water volume required increases and cleaning effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamics by making the cup body detachable, which allows a small volume of cleaning water to effectively clean all surfaces including the bottom. This dynamic configuration eliminates the need for large water volumes required by fixed deep cup designs, reducing both water consumption and 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 self-cleaning process efficiently removes residues from the cup body and lid, reducing bacterial growth and manual cleaning efforts, thereby enhancing food safety and processing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the heating device heats the cleaning water in the cup body until boiling to generate the steam
Implementation Method 2
heats the cleaning water in the cup body until boiling to generate the steam
Implementation Method 3
heats the cleaning water in the cup body until boiling to generate the steam, for steaming the residues remaining on the inner wall of the crushing cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A self-cleaning food processor includes a body and a crushing assembly. The crushing assembly includes a cup body, a cup lid, a crushing electric motor and a crushing device, wherein the cup lid cooperates with the cup body to form a crushing cavity, an output shaft of the crushing electric motor extends into the crushing cavity, the crushing device is located in the crushing cavity and is connected to the output shaft of the crushing electric motor, and the volume of the crushing cavity is V1. A cleaning process is provided after the food processor completes food processing, and in the cleaning process, cleaning water, the volume of which is no less than V0, is injected into the cup body at least twice, and the crushing device is controlled to drive the cleaning water to move in the crushing cavity, wherein 0.2V1≤V0≤0.6V1.