Variable Heating Popcorn Machine With Auger And Scraping Wires
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing continuous popcorn machines fail to produce consistent, high-quality coated or flavored popcorn due to accumulation of ingredients in components, which hinders proper operation and heat transfer, and they struggle to replicate the quality of kettle-based machines.
Innovation Solution
A popcorn machine with a process chamber featuring variable heating profiles, including a tubular design with differential heating zones and thermocouples for temperature control, along with a rotatable auger and scraping wires to manage ingredient flow and cleaning, allowing for efficient popping and coating within the machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If flavorings or coatings are added to mesh drum or auger driven popcorn machines, then flavored or coated popcorn can be produced, but ingredients accumulate within the drum or auger preventing proper operation and heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the coating application process from the traditional post-popping stage and implements it within the popping chamber itself. The coating is applied to the inner surface of the popping chamber wall, and popcorn kernels are coated as they pass through the chamber, eliminating the need for separate coating components that would accumulate ingredients.
Solution Approach 2:
The popping chamber wall acts as an intermediary surface that carries the coating material. Instead of directly applying coating to the auger or drum components, the coating is first deposited on the chamber wall, which then transfers it to the popcorn during the popping process, preventing direct contact and accumulation on moving parts.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sticky flavorings are added to mesh drum or auger driven popcorn machines, then flavored popcorn can be produced, but the flavorings accumulate and prevent rotation of components or significantly reduce heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the heat transfer path from the problematic auger or drum components and relocates it to the popping chamber wall. Heating elements are positioned against the chamber wall, maintaining direct thermal contact while the coating application occurs on the same wall surface, separating the heat transfer function from the coating application function.
3Device complexity
If traditional continuous popcorn machines use uniform heating, then simplicity is maintained, but they fail to produce consistent, high-quality popcorn comparable to kettle-based machines
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into multiple heating zones along the length of the popping chamber, each with independent temperature control. This allows different sections of the chamber to maintain optimal temperatures for different stages of the popping process, replicating the controlled cooking cycle of kettle-based machines while maintaining continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the popping chamber are assigned different heating characteristics. The patent implements variable heating profiles where specific zones provide higher or lower temperatures based on the local requirements of the popcorn processing stage, ensuring consistent quality throughout the continuous popping process.
Data Source
AI summary
Popcorn machines having process chambers with variable heating profiles, and associated systems and methods of operation are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a popcorn machine includes a tube having an upper tube portion and a lower tube portion. The upper tube portion and the lower tube portion form a circumferential boundary of a tubular process chamber for popping popcorn. A first heating element can be positioned to heat a first heating zone, and a second heating element can be positioned to heat a second heating zone. A first thermocouple can be positioned to measure a temperature at a transition point between the first heating zone and the second heating zone, and a second thermocouple can be positioned to measure a temperature in the second heating zone. A rotatable auger can be positioned at least partially within the tube to move ingredients through the process chamber.