Sous Vide Cooker Heating Unit for Precise Temperature Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Sous vide cooking requires precise control of temperature and time, which is challenging with existing cooking apparatuses, often necessitating a separate device for effective sous vide cooking due to the long cooking duration and difficulty in temperature and time control.
Innovation Solution
A cooking apparatus with a housing, heating unit, and door configuration that includes a temperature sensing device and heat-transfer ribs for uniform heating, along with a rib structure to prevent water and foreign material leakage, allowing for modular mounting and improved insulation and heating efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a separate cooking apparatus is used for sous vide cooking, then temperature control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the sous vide heating unit with a conventional cooking apparatus housing, integrating temperature-controlled water heating functionality into an existing kitchen appliance. This merging approach allows the system to achieve precise temperature control for sous vide cooking while avoiding the need for a completely separate dedicated device, thus reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooking apparatus is designed to perform multiple cooking functions including conventional heating and precise temperature control for sous vide cooking. The heating unit can operate in different modes (high-temperature conventional cooking and low-temperature precise heating), making the device universal and eliminating the need for separate specialized apparatuses.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the heating unit is fixed to the bottom of the housing, then heating efficiency is improved, but adaptability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating unit is designed as a separable component that can be detached from the housing bottom. This segmentation allows the heating unit to be fixed during cooking operations for optimal heating efficiency, while also enabling easy removal for cleaning, maintenance, or adaptation to different cooking requirements, thus maintaining both efficiency and adaptability.
3Ease of operation
If the door is made transparent to view food, then ease of operation is improved, but insulation performance worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The door incorporates a transparent panel (glass or transparent material) that allows users to view the food during cooking without opening the door. The transparent door is designed with proper sealing and insulation structures to minimize heat loss, balancing the need for visibility with energy conservation requirements.
4Reliability
If ribs are added to prevent water leakage, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Ribs are added specifically at the critical interface between the heating unit and housing bottom where water leakage is most likely to occur. This localized structural modification provides effective leakage prevention at the problem area without requiring complex sealing systems throughout the entire apparatus, thus improving reliability with minimal increase in overall 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
Enables precise temperature control and efficient sous vide cooking while preventing leakage and ensuring uniform heating, enhancing cooking performance and usability.
Implementation Method 1
a heating unit (230) provided in the housing (210) and contacting a bottom surface of the container (220) to heat the container (220)
Implementation Method 2
heat-transfer ribs for uniform heating
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A cooking apparatus may include a housing having an open top surface and having a cooking space formed therein; a door provided on a top of the housing to open and close the cooking space; a container inserted into the housing, the container having an open top surface to receive food to be cooked therein; and a heating unit provided in the housing and contacting a bottom surface of the container to heat the container. The heating unit may include a heating unit body defining a support surface that supports the container; a heater provided in the heating unit body; and a rib that extends downward from the heating unit body to prevent water or foreign material from entering between the heating unit and a bottom of the housing.