Steam cooking appliance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Steam cooking appliances face challenges in maintaining sufficient cooking space due to the volume occupied by water tanks and often experience steam supply interruptions during cooking.

Innovation Solution

A steam cooking appliance design featuring a separable water tank positioned on a backguard outside the cooking cavity, with a steam supply unit outside the cavity to heat water from the tank and generate steam, ensuring continuous steam supply without reducing the cooking space.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a water tank is added to the steam cooking appliance, then water supplementation becomes easier, but the cooking space is reduced due to the volume occupied by the water tank

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewater supplementationVSAvoidcooking space
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The water tank is extracted from the cooking cavity and positioned on the backguard instead. This separation allows the water tank to be easily accessible for refilling while keeping the cooking space completely clear and unaffected by the water tank's volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Reliability

If the water tank size is increased to ensure sufficient water supply, then steam supply continuity is improved, but the cooking space is further reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesteam supply continuityVSAvoidcooking space
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

By extracting the water tank from the cooking cavity and placing it on the backguard, the invention enables the water tank to be enlarged without compromising cooking space. This ensures continuous steam supply while maintaining adequate cooking volume.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Device complexity

If the water tank is positioned inside the cooking cavity, then the appliance structure is simplified, but electronic components are exposed to heat and moisture

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveappliance structureVSAvoidheat and moisture exposure
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The water tank is extracted from the cooking cavity and positioned on the backguard, separating it from the heat and moisture environment. This protects electronic components from harmful exposure while maintaining a compact and integrated appliance structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The backguard serves as an intermediary structure that accommodates the water tank in a position that is both accessible and protected from the cooking environment's heat and moisture, while still maintaining structural integration.

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 allows for a larger water tank size without compromising cooking space, ensuring consistent steam supply and minimizing heat and moisture exposure to electronic components.

Implementation Method 1

a steam supply unit disposed outside the cavity to heat water supplied from the water tank, thereby generating steam

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectPhase change (water to steam): Phase Change

Implementation Method 2

a steam supply unit disposed outside the cavity to heat water supplied from the water tank

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectHeating: Heating

Data Source

PatentEP2775217B1Steam cooking appliance
Publication Date: 2017.09.06 LG ELECTRONICS INC
  • EP2775217B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2775217B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2775217B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided is a steam cooking appliance. The steam cooking appliance includes a main body having a cavity that provides a cooking space in which a food is accommodated, a water tank separably coupled to the main body outside the cavity, and a steam supply unit disposed outside the cavity to heat water supplied from the water tank, thereby generating steam, the steam supply unit supplying the generated steam into the cooking space within the cavity.