Sequential Zone Broiling to Prevent Circuit Breaker Trips in Ovens
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooking instruments struggle to systematically and consistently produce complex meals with precision and speed, as they require multiple instruments and manual adjustments based on food progression, lacking an intelligent system for automatic cooking.
Innovation Solution
A cooking instrument with an infrared-based heating system, a power component capable of drawing maximum power without tripping circuit breakers, and a control system that dynamically adjusts heating sequences and intensities using sensors and feedback loops to achieve even cooking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional cooking instruments are used to cook complex meals, then multiple cooking instruments and manual adjustments are required, but the cooking process cannot be systematically automated with precision and speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple heating elements (top, bottom, side heating elements) into a single cooking instrument, integrating functions that would traditionally require multiple separate instruments. This merging enables comprehensive heating coverage and systematic automation within one device, resolving the contradiction between automation extent and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking instrument is designed with multi-functional heating capabilities, where a single device can perform various cooking operations (broiling, baking, roasting) through different combinations of heating elements. This universality eliminates the need for multiple specialized instruments while maintaining precise control over the cooking process.
2Productivity
If maximum power is drawn from the power source to cook food quickly, then cooking speed increases, but circuit breakers may trip
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic power management where the controller selectively activates different heating elements based on cooking requirements. The system can draw maximum power when needed (activating multiple heating elements simultaneously) while managing power consumption during other phases, thereby achieving fast cooking without consistently overloading the circuit breaker.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking instrument uses periodic heating cycles with alternating phases of high-power heating and lower-power operation. This periodic action allows the system to deliver intense heating for speed while providing intervals that prevent continuous maximum power draw, thus avoiding circuit breaker trips.
3Loss of time
If heating elements are activated simultaneously to cook different sections of food, then cooking time is reduced, but power consumption increases and may trip circuit breakers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the heating system into separate, independently controllable heating elements (top, bottom, side elements). This segmentation allows the controller to activate only the specific elements needed for the current cooking phase, reducing overall power consumption while still achieving efficient cooking by targeting specific food sections rather than heating everything simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heating elements are activated based on the specific cooking requirements of different food sections. The system applies heating locally where needed rather than uniformly across all elements, optimizing power usage by matching energy input to actual cooking needs at each moment in the cooking process.
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
Enables efficient and consistent cooking of complex meals by focusing power on specific subsections of the food surface, reducing power consumption and cooking time while ensuring even heating and precise control.
Implementation Method 1
A cooking instrument with an infrared-based heating system
Data Source
AI summary
Several embodiments include a cooking appliance/instrument (e.g., oven). The cooking instrument can draw an alternating current (AC) power and generate a maximum available power for a heating system of the cooking instrument via a power component that converts the drawn AC power. The cooking instrument can then directionally heat each of different zones in a cooking chamber of the cooking instrument in sequence using one or more heating elements of the heating system on at least one side of the cooking chamber such that each step in the sequence utilizes the maximum available power for the heating system.