Split Rice Cooker Single-Layer Bottom Wall for Compact Heating

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing split electric rice cookers have a poor heating effect due to a large distance between the inner pot and the heating element, leading to increased volume, cost, and reduced safety performance.

Innovation Solution

A split electric rice cooker design featuring a single-layer wall structure with an inner-pot heat insulation piece and a base plate through hole, reducing the distance between the heating element and the inner pot, enhancing heat transfer efficiency while minimizing the risk of the heat insulation piece deforming or catching fire.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the inner pot is raised to increase the distance between the inner pot and the heating element, then the plastic piece is protected from heat deformation, but the heating efficiency deteriorates and the cooker volume increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety performanceVSAvoidheating efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The bottom wall of the cooker is divided into two functional layers: an insulating layer (plastic piece) and a heating layer (metal layer). This segmentation allows the plastic piece to provide thermal insulation protection while the metal layer conducts heat efficiently to the inner pot, resolving the contradiction between safety and heating efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The bottom wall uses a composite structure combining plastic material (for insulation) and metal material (for heat conduction). This composite design enables the plastic piece to protect against heat deformation while the metal layer ensures efficient heat transfer, simultaneously achieving safety and heating efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If the inner pot is raised to protect the plastic piece from heat, then the cooker volume increases and manufacturing cost increases, but the heating effect deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety performanceVSAvoidcooker volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of increasing the vertical distance (one-dimensional solution) to protect the plastic piece, the invention adds a horizontal dimension by introducing a metal heat-conducting layer between the heating element and the inner pot. This allows the plastic piece to remain close to the heating element while still being protected, maintaining compact cooker volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

3Reliability

If the distance between the inner pot and the plastic piece is kept large to prevent deformation, then the plastic piece is protected from heat, but the heating efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveplastic piece durabilityVSAvoidheating efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

A metal heat-conducting layer is introduced as an intermediary between the heating element and the inner pot. This intermediary layer conducts heat efficiently to the inner pot while allowing the plastic piece to maintain a larger distance from the heat source, thus protecting the plastic piece without compromising heating efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 design reduces the cooker's volume, saves costs, improves heating efficiency, and enhances safety performance by maintaining a closer distance between the heating element and the inner pot, ensuring effective heat transfer and prolonged service life of components.

Implementation Method 1

a base (100) for heating

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

heating element and an inner pot... so that the inner pot can be well heated by a sensing element

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal radiation: Thermal Radiation

Implementation Method 3

inner-pot heat insulation piece (230)... a distance between the inner pot and the plastic piece should be kept relatively large so that the plastic piece doesn't deform due to the influence of the heat of the inner pot

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal insulation: Thermal Insulation

Data Source

PatentEP3415045B1Separable rice cooker
Publication Date: 2023.07.26 FOSHAN SHUNDE MIDEA ELECTRICAL HEATING APPLIANCES MFG CO LTD
  • EP3415045B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a split electric rice cooker (1000). The split electric rice cooker (1000) includes: a base (100); and a cooker (200) suitable to rest on the base (100) and separable with respect to the base (100), the cooker (200) being provided with an inner pot therein and having a cooker bottom wall, the cooker bottom wall being located below the inner pot, and the cooker bottom wall being constructed as a single-layer wall structure.