Cooking equipment

Abstract

A cooking device (10) comprises a main machine (60) and a liquid storage tank (50). Wherein the main machine (60) is arranged outside the liquid storage tank (50), and the main machine (60) and the liquid storage tank (50) are arranged in parallel on a placement plane. Therefore, the overall stability of the cooking equipment (10) can be effectively improved, and the liquid storage tank (50) and the main machine (60) are prevented from shaking and tilting.

Description

cooking equipment Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to the technical field of cooking equipment, and in particular to a cooking equipment. Background Art

[0002] A slow cooker is a device that uses low-temperature slow cooking technology to cook food. In actual use, the food can be placed in a vacuum bag, which is then placed in a liquid storage tank containing liquid at a specific temperature (for example, below 100 degrees Celsius). The food is then immersed in the liquid for a certain period of time for low-temperature cooking. However, in the process of implementing the present invention, the inventors discovered that existing cooking devices have at least the following problems: the liquid storage tank and the main unit are poorly stable after installation, and the size of the display screen on the main unit is limited, affecting the user experience.

[0003] This manual aims to provide a cooking device that can effectively improve the overall stability of the cooking device, prevent the liquid storage tank and the host from shaking or tilting, and make it more convenient to set a larger display screen on the host to improve the user experience.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] Some embodiments of the present specification provide a cooking device, comprising a main unit and a liquid storage tank; wherein the main unit is disposed outside the liquid storage tank, and the main unit and the liquid storage tank are arranged side by side on a placement plane.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present specification provide a cooking device, comprising a main unit and a liquid storage tank; wherein the main unit is arranged outside the liquid storage tank, and the bottom surface of the main unit and the bottom surface of the liquid storage tank are both in contact with a placement plane. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] This specification will be further described in the form of exemplary embodiments, which will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are not limiting, and in these embodiments, the same numbers represent similar structures, wherein:

[0008] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a module of a cooking device according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0009] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a module of a liquid circulation system according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0010] FIG3 is an exemplary flowchart of installing a cooking device according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0011] FIG4 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking device according to other embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0012] FIG5 is a side view of the cooking device shown in FIG4;

[0013] FIG6 is a front view of the cooking apparatus shown in FIG4;

[0014] FIG7 is a schematic structural diagram of the connection between the liquid storage tank and the liquid inlet and outlet components according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0015] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a container joint according to some embodiments of the present specification;

[0016] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of a host connector according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0017] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a joint cover assembly according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0018] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of the connection between a liquid storage tank and a liquid inlet and outlet assembly according to other embodiments of this specification;

[0019] FIG12 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly shown in FIG11;

[0020] FIG13 is a schematic structural diagram of a main engine pipeline assembly according to some embodiments of this specification;

[0021] FIG14 is a schematic structural diagram of a second liquid inlet pipeline and a second liquid outlet pipeline according to some embodiments of this specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of this specification. For ordinary technicians in this field, this specification can also be applied to other similar scenarios based on these drawings without paying any creative work. It should be understood that these exemplary embodiments are provided only to enable technicians in the relevant fields to better understand and implement the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way. Unless it is obvious from the language environment or otherwise explained, the same reference numerals in the figures represent the same structure or operation.

[0023] The terms used herein for cooking equipment in the description of the various described embodiments are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term "and / or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that the term "comprising" when used in this specification refers to the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts.

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are provided in the following detailed description to provide a thorough understanding of the various described embodiments. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other embodiments, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks are not described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments.

[0025] The terms used in the description of the various embodiments described herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various embodiments described and in the appended claims, the singular forms "one" and "the / said" are intended to also include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "and / or" used herein refer to and encompass any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that the term "comprising" when used in this specification refers to the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements and / or parts.

[0026] As used herein, the term “if” may be interpreted to mean “when…,” “in response to determining,” or “in response to detecting,” etc., depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases “if it is determined that…” or “if [stated condition or event] is detected” may be interpreted to mean “upon determining…,” “in response to determining…,” “upon detecting [stated condition or event],” or “in response to detecting [stated condition or event],” depending on the context.

[0027] In some embodiments, the cooking device may include a liquid storage tank and a main unit disposed below the liquid storage tank. A liquid inlet and a liquid outlet are provided at the bottom of the liquid storage tank, and are connected to the pipeline in the main unit. The liquid in the liquid storage tank flows into the pipeline on one side of the main unit under the action of gravity. In some cases, since the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank are disposed at the bottom of the liquid storage tank, once the liquid storage tank is removed from above the main unit or the liquid storage tank is placed under the faucet to collect water, the sealing of the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet cannot be optimal, resulting in dripping / leaking. Therefore, the liquid storage tank cannot be used as a separate water tank or water container. In addition, dripping / leaking may also cause stains on the cabinets, floors, or the main unit at the lower end and the display screen on the main unit, etc.

[0028] In some cases, when the console is positioned below the liquid tank, the tank's position will be too high (the total height is the sum of the height of the placement surface and the console). Due to the large capacity of the liquid tank, once the user fills it with water, it is difficult or requires considerable effort to move the filled tank to the console and align the two, connect the piping, or detach the tank from the console. Furthermore, due to the high center of gravity of the liquid tank, even a slight shake increases the likelihood of the tank falling.

[0029] In other cases, because the main unit is located below the liquid tank, the tank limits the size of the display when it is installed, making it impossible to install a large display on the main unit. This can affect the user's ability to interact with the cooking equipment or view video content such as recipes displayed on the display. Furthermore, the display's tilt angle relative to the placement surface is also limited by the volume of the main unit below, making it difficult to achieve the optimal viewing and operation angle for the user.

[0030] In some embodiments, the cooking device may include a liquid storage tank and a stick-type main unit. The stick-type main unit may be connected to the side wall of the liquid storage tank via a clamping mechanism, with one portion of the stick-type main unit located inside the liquid storage tank and the other portion located outside. In some cases, the clamping mechanism is cumbersome, making installation and removal of the stick-type main unit from the liquid storage tank more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Furthermore, installation and removal of the stick-type main unit from the liquid storage tank may require the user to insert their hands into the liquid storage tank, potentially getting their hands wet by the liquid in the tank.

[0031] In other cases, when the stick-type main unit is clamped to the side wall of the liquid storage tank, the top cover of the liquid storage tank may not be accurately placed on the open end of the liquid storage tank. Therefore, it is necessary to design a top cover specifically for the connection between the stick-type main unit and the liquid storage tank, or use a matching liquid storage tank and top cover, which also reduces the user experience.

[0032] In other cases, a display screen is also mounted on the top of the main unit. The limited cross-sectional area of ​​a stick-type main unit along its height also precludes the installation of a large display screen. Large displays are also heavy, potentially shifting the center of gravity of the cooking device, making it prone to tilting. This is especially true when the main unit is clamped to the side of a liquid storage tank, where the force of the user touching the touch screen increases the likelihood of tilting.

[0033] In some cases, when the stick-type main unit is clamped to the side wall of the liquid storage tank, a portion of the stick-type main unit may extend into the liquid in the tank. Because the stick-type main unit itself has a certain size, it will affect the volume / liquid level of the liquid in the tank, or occupy a portion of the tank's capacity. This may limit the ability to accurately control the liquid temperature in the tank or to subsequently add other functions, such as ice boxes or vacuum bag attachments.

[0034] This specification provides a cooking device comprising a main unit and a liquid storage tank. By improving the placement of the main unit and the liquid storage tank, the main unit is positioned entirely outside the storage tank's compartment, allowing the liquid storage tank to be arranged side by side with the main unit. In some cases, this side-by-side arrangement allows the liquid storage tank to directly contact the placement surface, thereby lowering its center of gravity and improving the overall stability of the cooking device. Furthermore, the liquid storage tank does not need to be moved above the main unit during installation or removal, simplifying installation and removal. In other cases, the side-by-side arrangement of the liquid storage tank and the main unit reduces the restrictions placed on large displays on the main unit, facilitating the installation of larger displays and improving user interactivity. In some embodiments, this specification also improves the connection between the main unit and the liquid storage tank, eliminating the need for users to reach into the tank during installation or removal, preventing their hands from getting wet by the liquid in the tank. Furthermore, since the main unit is clamped to the side wall of the tank, a separate design for the tank's top cover is unnecessary. Furthermore, the main unit's size is not limited by the liquid tank, allowing for a larger display screen. Arranging the main unit and liquid tank side by side further meets user demands for larger displays. Finally, when connected to the liquid tank, the main unit does not occupy additional volume, making it easier to precisely control the liquid temperature in the tank or add other functions later.

[0035] 1 and 4 to 6 , in some embodiments, the cooking device 10 may include a main unit 60 and a liquid storage tank 50. When the cooking device 10 is operating normally, the main unit 60 may be disposed outside the liquid storage tank 50, and the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 may be arranged side by side on a placement plane 90.

[0036] In this embodiment, the host 60 being disposed outside the liquid storage tank 50 may mean that the host 60 is located outside the storage space of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, the inner surface of the side walls and the bottom wall of the liquid storage tank 50 may enclose and define a storage space for storing liquids and ingredients, and the host 60 is located completely outside the storage space. For another example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, the storage space of the liquid storage tank 50 is enclosed by the inner surface of the side walls, the bottom wall, and the outer shell 715 of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 of the liquid storage tank 50. Therefore, it can be considered that the host 60 is completely outside the storage space. The placement plane 90 may refer to a surface used to place the structure of the liquid storage tank 50 and the host 60. For example, the surface of a storage cabinet. Another example is a kitchen countertop. A parallel arrangement may mean that the liquid storage tank 50 and the host 60 are arranged side by side on the placement plane 90, with neither one being located above or below the other.

[0037] In some embodiments, the parallel arrangement may include the liquid tank 50 and the main unit 60 being arranged along the length direction of the liquid tank 50. The length direction of the liquid tank 50 may refer to the length direction of the side wall of the liquid tank 50, including the length direction of the long side and the length direction of the short side of the liquid tank 50. For example, when the main unit 60 is disposed on the shorter side wall (i.e., the short side) of the liquid tank 50, the liquid tank 50 and the main unit 60 may be considered to be arranged along the length direction of the long side of the liquid tank 50. In another example, when the main unit 60 is disposed on the longer side wall (i.e., the long side) of the liquid tank 50, the liquid tank 50 and the main unit 60 may be considered to be arranged along the length direction of the short side of the liquid tank 50.

[0038] To facilitate understanding of the lengthwise direction of the liquid storage tank 50, this specification uses the liquid storage tank 50 shown in Figures 4 to 7 and 11 as an example. In some embodiments, the liquid storage tank 50 may include four interconnected side walls and a bottom wall 55 disposed on one side of the side walls. The four side walls and the bottom wall 55 together enclose a storage space. The four side walls may include two first side walls 53 and two second side walls 54. The length of the first side walls 53 is greater than the length of the second side walls 54. Therefore, the first side walls 53 are the long sides of the liquid storage tank 50, and the second side walls 54 are the short sides (also called wide sides) of the liquid storage tank 50. The lengthwise direction of the first side walls 53 can be indicated by arrow X in Figures 4 and 6. The lengthwise direction of the second side walls 54 can be indicated by arrow Y in Figures 5 and 6. The connecting surface between the first side walls 53 and the second side walls 54 can be a curved surface, thereby giving the internal contour of the liquid storage tank 50 a rectangular parallelepiped shape. As shown in FIG5 , the main unit 60 is disposed on the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 . In this case, the liquid storage tank 50 and the main unit 60 can be considered to be arranged along the length direction of the short side of the liquid storage tank 50. Therefore, the length direction of the short side of the liquid storage tank 50 is the arrangement direction of the liquid storage tank 50 and the main unit 60, which can be indicated by arrow Y in FIG5 and FIG6 . The arrangement direction here can refer to the direction in which the liquid storage tank 50 and the main unit 60 are arranged. The height direction of the liquid storage tank 50 can refer to the height direction of the first sidewall 53 and the second sidewall 54, as indicated by arrow H in FIG6 and FIG7 . The height direction of the liquid storage tank 50 is perpendicular to the length and width directions.

[0039] In some cases, after the main unit 60 and liquid tank 50 are arranged side by side on the placement surface 90, the bottom surface of the liquid tank 50 can directly contact the placement surface 90, effectively lowering the center of gravity of the liquid tank 50 and effectively reducing the possibility of the liquid tank 50 tilting or falling. Furthermore, since the liquid tank 50 does not restrict the size of the display screen 161, a large display screen 161 can be installed on the main unit 60. This makes it easier for users to interact with the cooking device 10 or view video content such as recipes displayed on the display screen 161. Furthermore, the tilt angle of the display screen 161 relative to the placement surface is not limited by the volume of the main unit 60 itself, effectively achieving the optimal viewing and operation angle for the user.

[0040] In other cases, because the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 are arranged side by side, there is no need to provide a liquid outlet and liquid inlet below the liquid storage tank 50. Instead, liquid exchange between the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 is achieved through the liquid inlet and outlet components and the main unit piping components provided in some embodiments of this specification. Even when the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 are separated, the liquid storage tank 50 can still be used as a separate water tank or water container.

[0041] In some embodiments, the host computer 60 can be connected to the longer sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, in the embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 6, the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 is the longer sidewall, i.e., the longer side of the liquid storage tank 50. The host computer 60 can be mounted on the first sidewall 53. In other embodiments, the host computer 60 can be mounted on the shorter sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, the host computer 60 can be mounted on the second sidewall 54 of the liquid storage tank 50.

[0042] In some embodiments, the height of the host 60 may be greater than the height of the liquid tank 50. The height of the liquid tank 50 may refer to the dimension from the top to the bottom of the liquid tank 50, and may be represented by H1 in FIG5 . The height of the host 60 may refer to the dimension of the host 60 in the height direction of the liquid tank 50, and may be represented by H2 in FIG5 .

[0043] In some embodiments, the shape of the liquid storage tank 50 can include cylindrical (e.g., a cylinder), prismatic (e.g., a cuboid, a cube, etc.), pyramidal (e.g., a cone, a pyramid, etc.), or any other feasible shape. The shape here refers to the outer contour of the liquid storage tank 50. Figure 5 exemplifies the structure of one type of liquid storage tank 50. The outer contour of this liquid storage tank 50 is roughly cuboid-like (i.e., based on a cuboid, the connecting surface between the first side wall 53 and the second side wall 54 is replaced by a curved surface). The main unit 60 is disposed on the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50. It should be noted that Figure 5 is for illustrative purposes only and does not limit the shape of the liquid storage tank 50 or the positional relationship between the liquid storage tank 50 and the main unit 60. For example, the outer contour of the liquid storage tank 50 can be cylindrical, for example, the liquid storage tank 50 can be a cylindrical structure. In this embodiment, when the main unit 60 is entirely located outside the storage space of the cylindrical structure, the main unit 60 and the cylindrical structure can be considered to be arranged side by side.

[0044] In some embodiments, the liquid storage tank 50 may have a double-layer structure. The liquid storage tank 50 may include an inner layer and an outer layer. The outer and inner layers may be interconnected, with air separating the outer and inner layers to reduce heat loss from the liquid storage tank 50. In some embodiments, the length L1 of the outer layer of the liquid storage tank 50 may be 343.86 mm. In some embodiments, the width L2 of the outer layer of the liquid storage tank 50 may be 255.89 mm. In some embodiments, the height of the outer layer of the liquid storage tank 50 may range from 241.89 mm.

[0045] In some embodiments, the difference between the outer and inner dimensions of the tank 50 may be greater than or equal to 5 mm. For example, the length, width, and height of the inner layer of the tank 50 are each 5 mm smaller than the outer dimension of the tank 50.

[0046] In some embodiments, the size of the liquid storage tank 10 can be determined by the size of the vacuum bag. In some embodiments, two types of vacuum bags are used: one large vacuum bag can be placed along the long side of the liquid storage tank 10, and four small vacuum bags can be placed along the wide side of the liquid storage tank 10. The large vacuum bag can measure 300 mm by 215 mm (long side length * short side length). The small vacuum bag can measure 210 mm by 215 mm.

[0047] In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the small vacuum bag to the area of ​​the first sidewall 102 can range from 0.7 to 1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the small vacuum bag to the area of ​​the first sidewall 102 can range from 0.7 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the small vacuum bag to the area of ​​the first sidewall 102 can be 0.73. In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the large vacuum bag to the area of ​​the second sidewall 103 can range from 0.7 to 1. In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the large vacuum bag to the area of ​​the second sidewall 103 can range from 0.7 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the ratio of the area of ​​the large vacuum bag to the area of ​​the second sidewall 103 can be 0.77. If the size of the vacuum bag and the size of the liquid storage tank 50 are too small, the gap between the vacuum bag and the inner wall of the liquid storage tank 50 will be small, making it difficult for liquid to flow around the vacuum bag, resulting in uneven temperature of the liquid around the vacuum bag and uneven heating of the food in the vacuum bag. If the ratio is too small, it will result in wasted space. In some embodiments, the volume of the liquid storage tank 10 may be greater than or equal to 12L.

[0048] In some embodiments, the length of the main unit 60 along the long side of the liquid storage tank 50 (i.e., the length of the first side wall 53) may range from 100 mm to 300 mm. In some embodiments, the length of the main unit 60 along the length of the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 may range from 200 mm to 250 mm. In some embodiments, the length of the main unit 60 along the length of the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 may be 223.48 mm.

[0049] In some embodiments, the ratio of the length of the main unit 60 along the length of the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 to the length L1 of the first side wall 53 is in a range of 0.3 to 0.8. In some embodiments, the ratio of the length of the main unit 60 along the length of the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 to the length L1 of the first side wall 53 is in a range of 0.4 to 0.7. In some embodiments, the ratio of the length of the main unit 60 along the length of the first side wall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 to the length L1 of the first side wall 53 is in a range of 0.6 to 0.65.

[0050] As shown in FIG5 , in some embodiments, the bottom surface of the main unit 60 and the bottom surface of the liquid reservoir 50 can both be in contact with the placement plane 90. In some cases, the liquid in the liquid reservoir 50 may oscillate, causing the liquid reservoir 50 to wobble. The amplitude of this wobble increases as the volume of liquid in the liquid reservoir 50 increases. In some cases, compared to an arrangement in which the main unit 60 is positioned below the liquid reservoir 50, the center of gravity of the liquid reservoir 50 is not affected by the height of the main unit 60. Furthermore, when both the liquid reservoir 50 and the main unit 60 are in contact with the placement plane 90, the main unit 60 and the liquid reservoir 50 can simultaneously provide support, improving the stability of the liquid reservoir 50 and the main unit 60 and reducing the probability of the liquid reservoir 50 and the main unit 60 tilting or falling.

[0051] As shown in Figures 1 and 4 to 6, in some embodiments, the cooking device 10 may further include a display screen 161, which may be disposed on the main unit 60. In some embodiments, the display screen 161 may be disposed at the highest position of the main unit 60. As shown in Figure 5, one end of the main unit 60 is in contact with the placement plane 90, and the back of the display screen 161 is connected to the end face of the main unit 60 away from the placement plane 90, so that the display screen 161 is at the highest position of the main unit 60. In some cases, raising the height of the display screen 161 can, on the one hand, prevent the display screen 161 from colliding with the liquid storage tank 50 when the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 are connected. On the other hand, it can prevent the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 from splashing onto the display screen 161, thereby affecting user operation.

[0052] In conjunction with Figures 5 and 6, in some embodiments, the display screen 161 can form a certain angle relative to the placement plane 90 to facilitate the user to view and / or operate the display screen 161. The plane of the display screen 161 can be represented by A in Figure 5, and the placement plane 90 can be parallel to plane B in Figure 5. The angle between plane A and plane B can be represented by α in Figure 5. In some embodiments, the value range of the angle α between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90 may include 15 degrees to 75 degrees. In some embodiments, the value range of the angle α between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90 may include 25 degrees to 65 degrees. In some embodiments, the value range of the angle α between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90 may include 30 degrees to 60 degrees.

[0053] In some embodiments, the angle α between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90 can be adjusted. Exemplarily, the display screen 161 is rotatably connected to the end surface of the host 60. For example, the display screen 161 can be connected to the end surface of the host 60 using a hinge connection, a pin connection, a gear connection, etc., so that the display screen 161 can rotate relative to the end surface of the host 60.

[0054] In some embodiments, the user can manually adjust the angle between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90, for example, by directly holding the display screen 161 and rotating it relative to the end face of the host 60. In other embodiments, the cooking device 10 can automatically adjust the angle between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90. Exemplarily, the cooking device 10 may include an angle adjustment component. The angle adjustment component may include a position detection device and a mechanical control component. The position detection component can be used to detect the position of the user. The mechanical control component can adjust the angle between the plane of the display screen 161 and the placement plane 90 according to the position of the user. In some embodiments, the position detection device may include a visual sensor (e.g., a camera), a distance sensor (e.g., an optical distance sensor, an infrared distance sensor, an ultrasonic distance sensor, etc.), etc.

[0055] In some embodiments, the lowest point of the display screen 161 may be higher than the highest point of the liquid tank 50. As shown in FIG5 , the third sidewall 1611 on the left side of the display screen 161 is at the lowest point of the display screen 161, while the third sidewall 1611 on the left side is higher than the highest point of the liquid tank 50. Therefore, the entire display screen 161 is located above the liquid tank 50.

[0056] In some cases, because the display screen 161 is higher than the liquid tank 50, liquid in the liquid tank 50 is less likely to splash onto the display screen 161. Furthermore, the higher position of the display screen 161 makes it easier to install a larger display screen 161. This larger display screen 161 can enhance interactivity and make it easier for users to view video content such as recipes. In other cases, it can also prevent the display screen 161 from being obstructed by the liquid tank 50. Furthermore, it can prevent the liquid tank 50 from colliding with the display screen 161 during docking with the main unit 60.

[0057] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the liquid tank 50 near the display screen 161 does not overlap with the sidewall of the display screen 161 near the liquid tank 50 in the height direction. FIG5 exemplifies a side view of the cooking device 10. As shown in FIG5 , when the liquid inlet / outlet assembly 71 is mated with the main unit piping assembly 72, the third sidewall 1611 near the liquid tank 50, near the display screen 161, is spaced a certain distance from the first sidewall 53 near the liquid tank 50, near the display screen 161. Therefore, the sidewall of the liquid tank 50 near the display screen 161 does not overlap with the sidewall of the display screen 161 near the liquid tank 50. This effectively creates a clearance area between the sidewall of the liquid tank 50 near the display screen 161 and the sidewall of the display screen 161 near the liquid tank 50. In some cases, this clearance area can effectively prevent the liquid tank 50 from colliding with the display screen 161 during docking with the main unit 60.

[0058] In some embodiments, the long side of the display screen 161 can be smaller than the long side of the liquid storage tank 50. The long side of the display screen 161 is the length of the third sidewall 1611. In some embodiments, the short side of the display screen 161 can be smaller than the short side of the liquid storage tank 50. The short side of the display screen 161 is the length of the fourth sidewall 1612.

[0059] As shown in conjunction with Figures 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the cooking device 10 may include a liquid circulation system 70, which can be used to allow liquid to flow between the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50. In some embodiments, the main unit 60 may include a main unit piping assembly 72, and the liquid storage tank 50 may include a liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71. When the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 is mated with the main unit piping assembly 72, liquid can flow between the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50. The liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 can be discharged from the liquid storage tank 50 through the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 and enter the pipeline on one side of the main unit 60 (for example, the main unit piping assembly 72). Then, it flows into the liquid storage tank 50 through the main unit piping assembly 72 and the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71, thereby forming a liquid circulation between the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50.

[0060] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 and the host pipe assembly 72 may be detachably connected. In other embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 and the host pipe assembly 72 may be fixedly connected.

[0061] In some embodiments, the liquid circulation system 70 may further include a pumping device 75. The pumping device 75 may be used to pump liquid to the host pipe assembly 72 and the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 to transport liquid from the host 60 side to the interior of the liquid storage tank 50, or to transport liquid from the interior of the liquid storage tank 50 to the host 60 side.

[0062] In some embodiments, the specific coordination between the pumping device 75 and the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 or the host pipe assembly 72 is related to the type of pumping device 75. In some embodiments, the type of pumping device 75 may include a reciprocating pump, a plunger pump, a piston pump, a diaphragm pump, a rotor pump, a peristaltic pump, and the like. For ease of understanding, a peristaltic pump is used as an example. The peristaltic pump can be disposed outside the first liquid inlet line 711, the second liquid inlet line 721, the first liquid outlet line 712, and the second liquid outlet line 722, and pumps the liquid in the liquid inlet line 210 and the liquid outlet line 220 by squeezing the liquid inlet line 210 and the liquid outlet line 220. In another example, the pumping device 75 can also be a hydraulic pump, which can be directly connected to the liquid inlet line (e.g., the first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721) and the liquid outlet line (e.g., the first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722), and pumps the liquid by changing the pressure in the line.

[0063] In some embodiments, the host 60 may include a vacuum pump. The vacuum pump is arranged on the pipeline of the liquid circulation system 70. After the cyclic heating or cyclic cooling process of the liquid circulation system 70 is completed, the pumping device 75 stops working and the liquid no longer circulates. At this time, the vacuum pump can be started. When the vacuum pump is in a working state, it can discharge the residual liquid in the pipeline of the liquid circulation system 70 to the liquid storage tank 50 through the self-priming function. The self-priming function of the vacuum pump can refer to: when the vacuum pump is working, it can pump air to form a negative pressure after vacuum in the pipeline related to the liquid circulation, and the residual liquid in the pipeline of the liquid circulation system 70 is discharged under the action of the negative pressure.

[0064] In some embodiments, after the vacuum pump discharges residual liquid from the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, an air segment may form in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70. When an air segment forms in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, an air segment may also exist inside the pumping device 230, resulting in the pumping device 75 not being filled with liquid. This may cause the pumping device 230 to be unable to aspirate liquid or aspirate liquid very slowly, thereby affecting the normal operation of the cooking device 10. In this case, the vacuum pump can be activated before the pumping device 230 of the cooking device 10 is activated. The self-priming function of the vacuum pump can be used to create a vacuum in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, thereby generating suction to remove the air in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, allowing the liquid in the liquid storage tank 10 to fully or partially fill the pumping device 75, thereby enabling the pumping device 75 or the cooking device 10 to function normally.

[0065] By providing a vacuum pump in the cooking apparatus 10, on the one hand, after the liquid circulation heating or cooling process of the cooking apparatus 10 is completed, the self-priming function of the vacuum pump can be used to discharge the residual liquid in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70 into the liquid storage tank 50, thereby ensuring that no liquid remains in the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70. On the other hand, before the liquid circulation heating or cooling process of the cooking apparatus 10 begins (that is, before the pumping device 75 is activated), the self-priming function of the vacuum pump is used to generate suction to remove air from the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, allowing the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 to flow through the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70 into the pumping device 75, thereby ensuring the normal operation of the pumping device 75.

[0066] In some embodiments, the main unit 60 may further include a heating assembly 74, which may be used to heat the liquid in the pipeline (e.g., the pipeline of the main unit pipeline assembly 72) delivered to one side of the main unit 60, thereby controlling the temperature of the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50. Exemplarily, the heating assembly 74 may include a heating element provided on the main unit 60, which may include a heating tube, a heating strip, etc. For example, a heating tube with a certain temperature may be provided outside the pipeline of the main unit pipeline assembly 72 to heat the liquid delivered to the main unit pipeline assembly 72.

[0067] As shown in conjunction with Figures 1 to 2 and Figures 7 to 12, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and a first liquid outlet pipeline 712. The first liquid inlet pipeline 711 can be in communication with the liquid inlet 51 of the liquid storage tank 50, and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 can be in communication with the liquid outlet 52 of the liquid storage tank 50. The main body pipeline assembly 72 may include a second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and a second liquid outlet pipeline 722. The second liquid inlet pipeline 721 can be in communication with the first liquid inlet pipeline 711, and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 can be in communication with the first liquid outlet pipeline 712. The second liquid inlet pipeline 721 is also in communication with the second liquid outlet pipeline 722. The liquid inlet 51 may refer to the opening through which liquid enters the interior of the liquid storage tank 50 from the outside. The liquid outlet 52 may refer to the opening through which liquid is discharged from the interior of the liquid storage tank 50. In this embodiment, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 can enter the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 through the liquid outlet 52 and then be transported to the second liquid outlet pipeline 722. After being heated by the heating assembly 74, the liquid flows into the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and then flows back into the liquid storage tank 50 through the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the liquid inlet 51.

[0068] The interface where the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 meet can be referred to as the first interface 713. The interface where the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 meet can be referred to as the second interface 714. FIG11 illustrates the structure of the first interface 713 and the second interface 714. In the embodiment shown in FIG11, the first interface 713 and the second interface 714 of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 are not connected to the main unit pipeline assembly 72.

[0069] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are not directly located on the liquid storage tank 50, but are instead located on the liquid inlet / outlet assembly 71. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG11 , the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are both located on the outer shell 715 of the liquid inlet / outlet assembly 71. Liquid inlet and outlet lines connect the interior of the liquid storage tank 50 to the pipelines on the side of the main unit 60 for liquid transport. In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 may be located on the same sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG11 , the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are both located on the outer shell 715 of the liquid inlet / outlet assembly 71. The outer shell 715 is located on the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 and is flush with the inner surface of the first sidewall 53. Therefore, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can be considered to be both located on the first sidewall 53. In another example, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 may both be disposed on the second side wall 54 of the liquid storage tank 50 .

[0070] In some cases, the liquid ejected from the liquid inlet 51 may collide with the sidewall opposite the liquid inlet 51, thereby forming several liquid splits flowing in different directions (e.g., upper left, upper right, etc.). Because the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are located on the same sidewall, the suction force of the liquid outlet 52 causes the several splits to return along different paths to the sidewall where the liquid inlet 51 is located, ultimately converging at the liquid outlet 52. As the several splits return to the liquid outlet 52, they can agitate the liquid in different areas, thereby causing more liquid to mix and further improving the uniformity of the liquid temperature within the liquid storage tank 50.

[0071] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can be disposed on different sidewalls of the liquid storage tank 50. In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can be disposed on two opposing sidewalls. For example, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can be disposed on two opposing first sidewalls 53 or second sidewalls 54, respectively. In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can be disposed at opposite ends of a diagonal line on the inner wall of the liquid storage tank 50.

[0072] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are located on the same sidewall, and the main unit 60 can be located on the same sidewall. In some cases, liquid needs to enter the liquid storage tank 50 through the liquid inlet 51 and exit the liquid storage tank 50 through the liquid outlet 52. The liquid exiting the liquid storage tank 50 is transported to the main unit 60 through the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70, and then flows back into the liquid storage tank 50 through the pipes of the liquid circulation system 70. Therefore, when the liquid inlet 51, the liquid outlet 52, and the main unit 60 are located on the same sidewall, the size of the various pipes of the liquid circulation system 70 can be shortened, which helps to reduce the size of the entire cooking device 10. As shown in conjunction with Figures 4 to 6 and Figure 11, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are both located on the housing 715 of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71. Therefore, it can be considered that the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 can both be located on the first sidewall 53. The main unit 60 can also be located on the first sidewall 53.

[0073] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 is located above the highest water level line of the liquid storage tank 50 and is close to the first docking port 713. At least a portion of the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 is located above the highest water level line of the liquid storage tank 50 and is close to the second docking port 714. In some cases, the liquid pressure at the liquid inlet 51 can be reduced. Reducing the liquid pressure can facilitate the entry of liquid into the liquid storage tank 50 from the liquid inlet 51, thereby improving the liquid stirring effect. In some cases, it can be prevented that the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 enters the pipeline on the side of the main unit, causing the pipeline to stink. In other cases, it can be prevented that the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 flows out of the second docking port 714 when the second docking port 714 is disconnected from other structures (for example, the pumping assembly 75).

[0074] This specification also provides another cooking device 10. As shown in Figures 1 and 4 through 6 , in some embodiments, cooking device 10 may include a main unit 60 and a liquid storage tank 50. The main unit 60 is disposed outside the liquid storage tank 50, and the bottom surfaces of the main unit 60 and the bottom surfaces of the liquid storage tank 50 are both in contact with a placement plane 90.

[0075] In some embodiments, the cooking device 10 may further include a display screen 161, which may be provided on the host 60. More details about the liquid storage tank 50, the host 60, and the display screen 161 may be found in other embodiments of the specification and will not be repeated here.

[0076] In some embodiments, the host 60 may be disposed on a longer side wall of the liquid storage tank 50 .

[0077] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are arranged on the same side wall, and the host 60 can be arranged on the side wall where the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52 are located.

[0078] In some embodiments, the main unit 60 may include a main unit piping assembly 72, and the liquid storage tank 50 may include a liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71. When the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 is coupled with the main unit piping assembly 72, a channel for liquid to flow between the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50 is formed. The liquid circulation system in this embodiment may be the same as or similar to the liquid circulation system 70 in other embodiments of this specification, and will not be further described here.

[0079] In some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and a first liquid outlet pipeline 712. The first liquid inlet pipeline 711 may be in communication with the liquid inlet 51 of the liquid storage tank 50, and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 may be in communication with the liquid outlet 52 of the liquid storage tank 50. The main pipeline assembly 72 may include a second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and a second liquid outlet pipeline 722. The second liquid inlet pipeline 721 can be in communication with the first liquid inlet pipeline 711, and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 can be in communication with the first liquid outlet pipeline 712. The second liquid inlet pipeline 721 is also in communication with the second liquid outlet pipeline 722. The liquid inlet 51 may refer to an opening through which liquid enters the interior of the liquid storage tank 50 from the outside. The liquid outlet 52 may refer to an opening through which liquid is discharged from the interior of the liquid storage tank 50. In this embodiment, the liquid in the liquid storage tank 50 can enter the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 through the liquid outlet 52 and then be transported to the second liquid outlet pipeline 722. After being heated by the heating assembly 74, the liquid flows into the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and then flows back into the liquid storage tank 50 through the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the liquid inlet 51.

[0080] This specification also provides another liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a housing 715. The housing 715 may be a plate-like structure, with the surface of the plate-like housing 715 flush with the inner surface of the first sidewall 53. The housing 715 is provided with a liquid outlet 52 and a liquid inlet 51. As shown in Figure 12, in some embodiments, the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 and the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may be provided on a side of the housing 715 away from the interior of the liquid storage tank 50, and are respectively connected to the liquid inlet 51 and the liquid outlet 52.

[0081] As shown in conjunction with Figures 11 and 12, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a first docking port 713, a second docking port 714, a first liquid outlet pipeline 712, and a first liquid inlet pipeline 711. The first liquid outlet pipeline 712 can be connected to the second docking port 714 and the liquid outlet 52, respectively. The first liquid inlet pipeline 711 can be connected to the first docking port 713 and the liquid inlet 51, respectively. The first docking port 713 and the second docking port 714 can be used to dock with the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 of the main body pipeline assembly 72.

[0082] It should be noted that although the specific structures of the first docking port 713, the second docking port 714, the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 are not shown in Figure 7, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 in Figure 7 still has related structures such as the first docking port 713, the second docking port 714, the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712.

[0083] In some embodiments, the housing 715 may be part of the sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG11 , the housing 715 may be part of the first sidewall 53, and the other components of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may be connected to the housing 715, and thus connected to the liquid storage tank 50. In some embodiments, the housing 715 may be integrally formed with the sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. In other embodiments, the housing 715 may be independent of the sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG7 , the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 may have a notch that fits into the housing 715, and the housing 715 may be embedded in the notch. In some embodiments, the housing 715 may be fixedly connected to the sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50.

[0084] As shown in Figures 11 to 14, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a protruding structure disposed on the outer side of the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50, with a first docking port 713 and a second docking port 714 disposed at the top of the protruding structure. The host pipe assembly 72 may include a front shell 723 disposed on the host 60 and a host pipe connection structure 724 disposed within the top of the front shell 723. The front shell 723 is movable in height and has a mounting slot 725 defined on one side. The host pipe connection structure 724 may include a second liquid inlet pipe 721 and a second liquid outlet pipe 722. Among them, when matching the main unit 60 and the liquid storage tank 50, the protruding structure can be accommodated in the mounting groove 725, and by moving the front shell 723 along the height direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 13), the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 in the front shell 723 are respectively extended into the first docking port 713 and the second docking port 714, and matched with the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712.

[0085] In some embodiments, a sealing member 726 is provided on the second liquid inlet pipe 721 and the second liquid outlet pipe 722 to ensure a tight fit between the second liquid inlet pipe 721 and the second liquid outlet pipe 722 after being inserted into the first docking port 713 and the second docking port 714, and to enhance sealing. An exemplary sealing member may be a silicone ring.

[0086] This specification provides a liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71. FIG7 exemplarily illustrates the structure of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 when connected to a liquid storage tank 50. As shown in FIG7 , the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a housing 715. The housing 715 may define a housing space for accommodating other components of the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71, such as a first liquid inlet line 711 and a second liquid inlet line 721. In some embodiments, the housing 715 is disposed on the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50 and protrudes toward the interior of the liquid storage tank 50. In some embodiments, the housing 715 may include a first sidewall 7151 and a second sidewall 7152. The first sidewall 7151 is connected to the second sidewall 7152 and the first sidewall 53 of the liquid storage tank 50, respectively. The second sidewall 7152 is located on the side of the first sidewall 7151 away from the first sidewall 53. The first sidewall 7151 is provided with a liquid outlet 52, and the second sidewall 7152 is provided with a liquid inlet 51.

[0087] This specification also provides another assembly for implementing liquid circulation. As shown in Figures 8 to 10, in some embodiments, the liquid inlet and outlet assembly 71 may include a container connector 731, which may be provided with a first liquid inlet line 711 and a first liquid outlet line 712. The host pipe assembly 72 may include a host connector 732, which may be provided with a second liquid inlet line 721 and a second liquid outlet line 722. When the host connector 732 and the container connector 731 are connected, the first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721 are connected, and the first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722 are connected.

[0088] The container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 may refer to a joint structure used to seal the two components. When the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 are mated, it can be considered that the first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721 are sealed together, and the first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722 are sealed together.

[0089] The first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721 can be used to transport liquid from the main unit 60 to the interior of the liquid storage tank 50. It should be noted that the main unit 60 side in one or more embodiments of this specification may refer to the pipelines in the main unit pipeline assembly 72 provided on the main unit 60. The first liquid inlet line 711 can be connected to the liquid inlet 51 of the liquid storage tank 50. One end of the second liquid inlet line 721 can be connected to the second liquid outlet line 722, and the other end can be directly connected to the second liquid outlet line 722. After the first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721 are connected, the liquid in the pipeline on the main unit 60 can enter the interior of the liquid storage tank 50 through the second liquid inlet line 721, the first liquid inlet line 711, and the liquid inlet 51 in sequence. The first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722 can be used to transport liquid from the liquid storage tank 50 to the main unit 60. In some embodiments, the first liquid outlet line 712 can be connected to the liquid outlet 52 of the liquid storage tank 50. One end of the second liquid outlet line 722 can be connected to the first liquid outlet line 712, and the other end can be directly connected to the second liquid inlet line 721. After the first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722 are connected, the liquid inside the liquid storage tank 50 can enter the side of the main unit 60 through the liquid outlet 52, the first liquid outlet line 712, and the second liquid outlet line 722 in sequence.

[0090] In some embodiments, in addition to the joint structure, the docking structure may also include a detachable structure such as a latch structure, a flip structure, and a snap structure.

[0091] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the container connector 731 may further be provided with a guide post 737. The host connector 732 may further be provided with a guide groove 738 adapted to mate with the guide post 737. The guide post 737 may be located outside the first positioning post 733 of the container connector 731. The guide groove 738 may be located outside the first positioning hole 734. The guide post 737 and the guide groove 738 can be used to guide the mating of the first positioning post 733 and the first positioning hole 734. The outside of the first positioning post 733 may refer to the side of the first positioning post 733 away from the first liquid inlet line 711 or the first liquid outlet line 712. For example, the guide post 737 in Figure 9 is located outside the first positioning post 733. The outside of the first positioning hole 734 may refer to the side of the first positioning hole 734 away from the second liquid inlet line 721 or the second liquid outlet line 722. For example, the guide groove 738 in Figure 9 is located outside the first positioning hole 734.

[0092] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in some specific embodiments, the container connector 731 is provided with two guide posts 737, each of which is disposed on the outside of the first positioning post 733. The host connector 732 is provided with two guide slots 738, each of which is disposed on the outside of the first positioning hole 734. Before docking the host connector 732 and the container connector 731, the guide posts 737 can be mated with the corresponding guide slots 738. When the guide posts 737 slide in the guide slots 738, the guide slots 738 can limit the shaking of the guide posts 737, thereby limiting the relative shaking of the container connector 731 and the host connector 732. By limiting the direction of relative movement between the host connector 732 and the container connector 731, the mating of the first positioning post 733 and the first positioning hole 734 is guided.

[0093] In some embodiments, the guide post 737 may have a draft angle so that the guide post 737 can fall out of the die-casting mold after casting.

[0094] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in some embodiments, there can be two first positioning posts 733 and two first positioning holes 734. The two first positioning posts 733 are disposed outside the first liquid inlet conduit 711 and the first liquid outlet conduit 712, respectively. The two first positioning holes 734 can be disposed outside the second liquid inlet conduit 721 and the second liquid outlet conduit 722, respectively, to correspond to the positions of the first positioning posts 733.

[0095] The outer side of the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 may refer to a side of the first liquid inlet pipeline 711 and the first liquid outlet pipeline 712 away from the other, such as the location of the first positioning post 733 in FIG8 . Similarly, the outer side of the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 may refer to a side of the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722 away from the other, such as the location of the first positioning hole 734 in FIG9 .

[0096] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, in some embodiments, the positioning structure may further include a second positioning post 735 and a second positioning hole 736 adapted to mate with the second positioning post 735. The second positioning post 735 may be disposed on the container connector 731, located between the first liquid inlet line 711 and the first liquid outlet line 712. The length of the first positioning post 733 may be greater than that of the second positioning post 735. The second positioning hole 736 may be disposed on the main body connector 732, located between the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722. When the second positioning post 735 extends into the second positioning hole 736 by a second predetermined distance, the container connector 731 and the main body connector 732 mate. In this embodiment, because the length of the first positioning post 733 is greater than that of the second positioning post 735, when the first positioning post 733 initially mates with the first positioning hole 734, the second positioning post 735 has not yet mate with the second positioning hole 736. The process of mating the first positioning post 733 with the first positioning hole 734 is equivalent to the initial positioning of the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732. As the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 move relative to each other, when the first positioning post 733 extends into the first positioning hole 734 to a first predetermined distance, the second positioning post 735 can mate with the second positioning hole 736. The process of mating the second positioning post 735 with the second positioning hole 736 is equivalent to the secondary positioning of the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732. When the second positioning post 735 extends into the second positioning hole 736 to a second predetermined distance, the first liquid inlet line 711 and the second liquid inlet line 721 can be mated, and the first liquid outlet line 712 and the second liquid outlet line 722 can be mated.

[0097] In some embodiments, the extension direction of the first positioning post 733 and the second positioning post 735 can be parallel to the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50. In some cases, when the extension direction of the first positioning post 733 and the second positioning post 735 is parallel to the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50, the mating direction of the container connector 731 and the host connector 732 can be restricted so that the mating direction of the container connector 731 and the host connector 732 is parallel to the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50.

[0098] As shown in conjunction with Figures 8 to 10 , in some embodiments, the main unit 60 is further provided with a connector cover assembly 739. The connector cover assembly 739 may include a slider 7391 that is movable between a covering position and an open position. When the liquid reservoir 50 is coupled to the main unit 60, the slider 7391 may be movable from the covering position to the open position. When the liquid reservoir 50 is separated from the main unit 60, the slider 7391 may be movable from the open position to the covering position.

[0099] The covering position may refer to a position in which the slider 7391 covers the openings of the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722 on the main unit connector 732. Conversely, the open position may refer to the position in which the slider 7391 is positioned when the openings of the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722 on the main unit connector 732 are exposed. In this embodiment, when the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 are not mated, the slider 7391 provided on the main unit 60 may be in the covering position, covering the openings of the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722 on the main unit connector 732. In some cases, this can effectively prevent dust and other impurities from entering the main unit piping assembly 72 and causing pipe blockage. When the main unit connector 732 and the container connector 731 need to be mated, the slider 7391 can be controlled to move from the covering position to the open position, thereby exposing the openings of the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722.

[0100] As shown in conjunction with Figures 8 to 10, in some embodiments, the connector cover assembly 739 may include an elastic member 7394, which can be used to provide a biasing force to enable the slider 7391 to move from the open position to the covering position. In this embodiment, when the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 are mated, a force can be applied to the slider 7391. Under the action of the force, the slider 7391 can move from the covering position to the open position, thereby exposing the openings of the second liquid inlet line 721 and the second liquid outlet line 722, facilitating docking. During the movement of the slider 7391 from the covering position to the open position, the elastic member 7394 can be squeezed, causing the elastic member 7394 to generate a biasing force. When the container connector 731 and the main unit connector 732 are mated, the slider 7391 will remain in the open position, at which time the elastic member 7394 will continue to be squeezed. When the host 60 is to be separated from the liquid storage tank 50, the container connector 731 and the host connector 732 can be directly separated. At this time, the biasing force provided by the elastic member 7394 can make the slider 7391 move from the open position to the covering position, covering the openings of the second liquid inlet pipeline 721 and the second liquid outlet pipeline 722.

[0101] As shown in FIG10 , in some embodiments, the slider 7391 may include an inclined surface 7393 and a mounting surface 7392 disposed opposite the inclined surface 7393. An elastic member 7394 may be disposed on the mounting surface 7392. When a thrust is applied to the inclined surface 7393 along the height of the liquid storage tank 50, the slider 7391 may move from the covering position to the open position. When the thrust is removed, the slider 7391 returns to the covering position under the action of the biasing force. In this embodiment, the direction of movement of the slider 7391 (as indicated by the arrow in FIG10 ) may be perpendicular to the mounting surface 7392.

[0102] This specification also provides an installation and operation method for a cooking device 10. Using FIG3 as an example, in some embodiments, the cooking device 10 may include a liquid storage tank 50 and a main unit 60. A container connector 731 may be provided on the sidewall of the liquid storage tank 50. A main unit connector 732 may be provided on the main unit 60. The installation and operation method for the cooking device 10 includes:

[0103] Step 310: Maintain the main unit 60 and the liquid reservoir 50 in a mating position. The mating position may mean that the mating direction of the main unit connector 732 and the container connector 731 is parallel to the height of the liquid reservoir 50. For example, when the open end of the liquid reservoir 50 is facing upward along the height of the liquid reservoir 50, the liquid reservoir 50 can be considered to be in the mating position. For another example, as shown in Figure 4, when the central axis of the main unit 60 is perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to the placement plane 90, the main unit 60 can be considered to be in the mating position.

[0104] Step 320 , mate the liquid storage tank 50 with the host 60 along the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50 so that the container connector 731 mates with the host connector 732 .

[0105] In some embodiments, before performing step 320 , the positioning posts may be coupled with the positioning holes along the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50 .

[0106] 8 and 9 are used as examples to illustrate, in some embodiments, the positioning posts may include a first positioning post 733 and a second positioning post 735, and the positioning holes may include a first positioning hole 734 and a second positioning hole 736. The first positioning post 733 may be adapted to fit within the first positioning hole 734, and the second positioning post 735 may be adapted to fit within the second positioning hole 736. In some embodiments, the length of the first positioning post 733 may be greater than the length of the second positioning post 735. For more details about the first positioning post 733, the first positioning hole 734, the second positioning post 735, and the second positioning hole 736, please refer to the relevant descriptions of FIG8 and FIG9 and will not be repeated here.

[0107] In some embodiments, before performing step 320 , the guide groove 738 may be coupled with the guide post 737 to guide the coupling between the positioning post and the positioning hole.

[0108] In some embodiments, before performing step 320 , the liquid storage tank 50 and the host 60 can also be brought closer in the height direction of the liquid storage tank 50 to move the slider 7391 from the covering position to the open position, so that the host connector 732 is exposed and can be matched with the container connector 731 .

[0109] The cooking device 10 and the cooking device installation and operation method 300 of the embodiment of the present specification may bring about beneficial effects including but not limited to: (1) By placing the liquid storage tank and the main unit side by side, the liquid storage tank can be directly in contact with the placement plane, thereby lowering the center of gravity of the liquid storage tank and improving the overall stability of the cooking device. In addition, when installing or removing the cooking device, there is no need to move the liquid storage tank above the main unit, which reduces the difficulty of installation and removal; (2) By placing the liquid storage tank and the main unit side by side, the liquid storage tank can reduce the restrictions on the large-size display screen installed on the main unit, so as to facilitate the installation of a larger-size display screen and improve the user's interactivity with the display screen; (3) When the liquid storage tank and the main unit are both in contact with the placement plane, the center of the liquid storage tank will not be affected by the height of the main unit. The main unit and the liquid storage tank can provide support force at the same time, thereby improving the stability of the liquid storage tank and the main unit and reducing the probability of the liquid storage tank and the main unit tilting and falling; (4) By placing the display screen at the highest position of the main unit, on the one hand, it can prevent the display screen from colliding with the liquid storage tank when the main unit and the liquid storage tank are connected. On the other hand, it can prevent the liquid in the liquid storage tank from splashing onto the display screen and affecting user operation.

[0110] The basic concepts have been described above. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above disclosures are merely illustrative and do not constitute limitations of this specification. Although not explicitly stated herein, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and revisions to this specification. Such modifications, improvements, and revisions are suggested in this specification and remain within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of this specification.

[0111] This specification also uses specific terms to describe the embodiments of this specification. For example, "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and / or "some embodiments" refer to a feature, structure, or characteristic associated with at least one embodiment of this specification. Therefore, it should be emphasized and noted that references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "an alternative embodiment" two or more times in different locations in this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, certain features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of this specification may be appropriately combined.

[0112] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various aspects of this specification may be illustrated and described by a number of patentable categories or situations, including any new and useful process, machine, product or combination of substances or any new and useful improvements thereto. Accordingly, various aspects of this specification may be performed entirely by hardware, entirely by software (including firmware, resident software, microcode, etc.), or by a combination of hardware and software. The above hardware or software may be referred to as "data blocks", "modules", "engines", "units", "components" or "systems". In addition, various aspects of this specification may be represented as a computer product located in one or more computer-readable media, which includes computer-readable program code.

[0113] In addition, unless expressly stated in the claims, the order of the processing elements and sequences described in this specification, the use of alphanumeric characters or other names, are not intended to limit the order of the processes and methods of this specification. Although the above disclosure discusses some embodiments of the invention that are currently considered useful through various examples, it should be understood that such details are for illustrative purposes only, and the appended claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, the claims are intended to cover all modifications and equivalent combinations that are consistent with the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this specification. For example, although the system components described above can be implemented by hardware devices, they can also be implemented only by software solutions, such as installing the described system on an existing server or mobile device.

[0114] Similarly, it should be noted that, in order to simplify the presentation of this specification and thus facilitate understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments of this specification sometimes combine multiple features into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, this disclosure method does not imply that the subject matter of this specification requires more features than those recited in the claims. In fact, an embodiment may have fewer features than all of the features of a single disclosed embodiment.

[0115] In some embodiments, numbers are used to describe the quantity of components and attributes. It should be understood that such numbers used in the description of the embodiments are modified by modifiers such as "about", "approximately" or "substantially" in some examples. Unless otherwise stated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicate that the numbers are allowed to vary by ±20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical data used in the description and claims are approximate values, which may change according to the required features of individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical data should take into account the specified significant digits and adopt the general method of retaining digits. Although the numerical fields and data used to confirm the breadth of their range in some embodiments of this specification are approximate values, in specific embodiments, the settings of such numerical values ​​are as accurate as possible within the feasible range.

[0116] Finally, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification are intended only to illustrate the principles of the embodiments of this specification. Other variations may also fall within the scope of this specification. Therefore, by way of example and not limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of this specification may be considered consistent with the teachings of this specification. Accordingly, the embodiments of this specification are not limited to the embodiments explicitly described and illustrated in this specification.

Claims

1. A cooking device comprising a main unit and a liquid storage tank; in, The host is arranged outside the liquid storage tank, and the host and the liquid storage tank are arranged side by side on a placement plane. 2 . The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the main unit is arranged on a longer side wall of the liquid storage tank. 3 . The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the main unit is arranged on a shorter side wall of the liquid storage tank.

4. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank are arranged on the same side wall of the liquid storage tank, and the main unit is arranged on the same side wall. The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the main unit is greater than the height of the liquid storage tank. 6 . The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the main unit and a bottom surface of the liquid storage tank are both in contact with the placement plane. 7 . The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a length of the main unit along a long side of the liquid storage tank to a length of the long side of the liquid storage tank is in a range of 0.3 to 0.

8.

8. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the liquid storage tank comprises a liquid inlet and outlet assembly, and the host comprises a host pipeline assembly; When the liquid inlet and outlet assembly is connected to the main unit pipeline assembly, a channel for liquid to flow between the main unit and the liquid storage tank can be formed.

9. The cooking device according to claim 8, wherein the liquid inlet and outlet assembly comprises a first liquid inlet pipeline and a first liquid outlet pipeline, wherein the first liquid inlet pipeline and the first liquid outlet pipeline are respectively connected to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank; The main machine pipeline assembly includes a second liquid inlet pipeline and a second liquid outlet pipeline, the second liquid inlet pipeline can be communicated with the first liquid inlet pipeline, the second liquid outlet pipeline can be communicated with the first liquid outlet pipeline, and the second liquid outlet pipeline is communicated with the second liquid inlet pipeline.

10. The cooking device according to claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the liquid inlet pipeline is located above the highest water level line of the liquid storage tank and close to the first docking port; and at least a portion of the liquid outlet pipeline is located above the highest water level line of the liquid storage tank and close to the second docking port.

11. The cooking device according to claim 9, wherein the main unit further comprises a heating component, and the heating component is used to heat the liquid in the main unit pipeline assembly.

12. The cooking device according to claim 1, further comprising a display screen, wherein in a height direction of the liquid storage tank, a lowest point of the display screen is higher than a highest point of the liquid storage tank. 13 . The cooking device according to claim 12 , wherein in a height direction of the liquid storage tank, a side wall of the liquid storage tank close to the display screen does not overlap with a side wall of the display screen close to the liquid storage tank. The cooking device according to claim 12 , wherein the display screen is provided at a highest position of the main unit. 15 . The cooking device according to claim 12 , wherein the angle between the plane of the display screen and the placement plane ranges from 30 degrees to 60 degrees.

16. The cooking device according to claim 9, wherein the liquid inlet and outlet assembly comprises a container joint, and the container joint is provided with the first liquid inlet pipeline and the first liquid outlet pipeline; The host pipeline assembly includes a host connector, and the host connector is provided with the second liquid inlet pipeline and the second liquid outlet pipeline; When the host connector and the container connector are connected, the first liquid inlet pipeline and the second liquid inlet pipeline are connected, and the first liquid outlet pipeline and the second liquid outlet pipeline are connected.

17. The cooking device according to claim 16, Two first positioning posts are provided on the container joint, and the two first positioning posts are respectively provided on the outside of the first liquid inlet pipeline and the first liquid outlet pipeline; The host connector is provided with two first positioning holes, the first positioning column is adapted to the first positioning holes, and the two first positioning holes are respectively provided on the outside of the second liquid inlet pipeline and the second liquid outlet pipeline; in, When the distance that the first positioning column extends into the first positioning hole reaches a first preset distance, the host connector and the container connector are mated.

18. The cooking device according to claim 16, A second positioning post is provided on the container joint, the second positioning post is provided between the first liquid inlet pipeline and the first liquid outlet pipeline, and the length of the first positioning post is greater than the length of the second positioning post; The host connector is provided with a second positioning hole, the second positioning column is adapted to the second positioning hole, and the second positioning hole is provided between the second liquid inlet pipeline and the second liquid outlet pipeline; When the distance by which the second positioning post extends into the second positioning hole reaches a second preset distance, the container connector and the host connector are mated.

19. The cooking device according to claim 16, wherein the main unit is further provided with a joint covering assembly, the joint covering assembly comprising: a slider movable between a covering position and an open position; When the liquid storage tank is connected to the host, the slider moves from the covering position to the opening position; when the liquid storage tank is separated from the host, the slider moves from the opening position to the covering position. 20 . The cooking apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the joint cover assembly comprises an elastic member configured to provide a biasing force to enable the slider to move from the open position to the covering position.

21. The cooking device according to claim 20, wherein the slider includes an inclined surface and a mounting surface opposite to the inclined surface, and the elastic member is arranged on the mounting surface; when a thrust is applied toward the inclined surface along the height direction of the liquid storage tank, the slider moves from the covering position to the opening position; when the thrust disappears, the slider returns to the covering position under the action of the biasing force.

22. A cooking device comprising a main unit and a liquid storage tank; in, The main unit is arranged outside the liquid storage tank, and the bottom surface of the main unit and the bottom surface of the liquid storage tank are both in contact with the placement plane.

23. The cooking device according to claim 22, wherein the main unit is arranged on a longer side wall of the liquid storage tank.

24. The cooking device according to claim 22, wherein the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank are arranged on the same side wall of the liquid storage tank, and the main unit is arranged on the same side wall.

25. The cooking device according to claim 22, wherein the liquid storage tank comprises a liquid inlet and outlet assembly, and the host comprises a host pipeline assembly; When the liquid inlet and outlet assembly is connected to the main unit pipeline assembly, a channel for liquid to flow between the main unit and the liquid storage tank can be formed.

26. The cooking device according to claim 25, wherein the liquid inlet and outlet assembly comprises a first liquid inlet pipeline and a first liquid outlet pipeline, wherein the first liquid inlet pipeline and the first liquid outlet pipeline are respectively connected to the liquid inlet and the liquid outlet of the liquid storage tank; The main machine pipeline assembly includes a second liquid inlet pipeline and a second liquid outlet pipeline, the second liquid inlet pipeline can be communicated with the first liquid inlet pipeline, the second liquid outlet pipeline can be communicated with the first liquid outlet pipeline, and the second liquid outlet pipeline is communicated with the second liquid inlet pipeline.

Images