Self-service heating service cabinet

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of self-service food service cabinets, and provides a self-service heating service cabinet which comprises a cabinet body. An accommodating cavity is formed in the cabinet body; a goods taking opening is formed in one side of the cabinet body; a heating device, a first air supply device and a second air supply device are arranged in the cabinet body; the first air supply device drives airflow to flow through the heating device, so that the heated air is distributed in the accommodating cavity; and the second air supply device forms an air flow barrier at the goods taking opening. The problems that an existing closed heating service cabinet loses a large amount of heat and is high in energy consumption due to frequent door opening are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of self-service food service cabinet technology, and more particularly to a self-service heating service cabinet. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new business models such as unmanned retail, smart catering, and instant delivery, self-service equipment with heating functions is widely used in convenience stores, office buildings, schools, transportation hubs, and other places. Users expect to be able to retrieve food or meals heated to a suitable temperature from these devices at any time, thus placing high demands on the equipment's heat preservation performance, heating efficiency, and ease of use.

[0003] Most heating service cabinets on the market currently adopt a closed structure, heating or keeping items inside the cabinet warm through built-in heating elements (such as electric heating tubes, infrared lamps, etc.) when the cabinet door is closed. However, this type of closed design has obvious drawbacks in actual use: users need to open the cabinet door every time they retrieve goods, which is not only cumbersome and affects the user experience, but also causes a large amount of hot air to escape rapidly and cold air to rush in during the opening process, resulting in a sudden drop in the temperature inside the cabinet; in order to restore the set temperature, the heating system needs to be restarted and run for a long time, resulting in energy waste and potentially shortening the equipment's lifespan due to frequent start-stop cycles.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides a self-service heating cabinet. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a self-service heating cabinet, aiming to solve the problems of excessive heat loss and high energy consumption caused by frequent opening of the door in existing enclosed heating cabinets. The technical solution is as follows: A self-service heating cabinet includes a cabinet body; a receiving cavity is provided inside the cabinet body; a retrieval opening is provided on one side of the cabinet body; a heating device, a first air supply device, and a second air supply device are provided inside the cabinet body; the first air supply device drives airflow through the heating device, so that the heated air is distributed in the receiving cavity; the second air supply device forms an airflow barrier at the retrieval opening.

[0006] Based on the above technical solution, the second air supply device is located below the cargo opening, and the air outlet direction of the second air supply device is upward.

[0007] Preferably, the airflow barrier formed by the second air supply device extends vertically along the picking opening.

[0008] Preferably, the cabinet is further provided with an auxiliary heating device, which is located in the upper part of the accommodating cavity.

[0009] Based on the above technical solution, the heating device includes an air duct disposed within the accommodating cavity and an electric heating tube disposed within the air duct; the air duct includes a bottom air duct and a side air duct that are interconnected, and the electric heating tube is disposed within the bottom air duct; the first air supply device is disposed at one end of the bottom air duct and tilts towards the extension direction of the bottom air duct to supply air, so as to drive the airflow to flow sequentially through the bottom air duct and the side air duct and be heated by the electric heating tube; a plurality of ventilation holes are provided on the wall of the side air duct to send hot air into the accommodating cavity.

[0010] Beneficial effects Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. By setting a second air supply device at the loading opening, a vertical airflow barrier parallel to the opening plane is formed, effectively preventing hot air from overflowing from the cabinet and cold air from intruding from the outside, thus solving the technical problem that open heating cabinets cannot maintain a stable temperature due to rapid heat loss.

[0011] 2. The pickup opening adopts a fully open or partially covered structure, so users do not need to open the door, scan the code to trigger or wait for mechanical action. They can directly reach out to pick up the food, which improves the pickup speed and is especially suitable for application scenarios with high traffic and fast pace.

[0012] 3. The heating system, employing bottom air ducts and side air supply, combined with upper iodine-tungsten lamps for auxiliary radiant heating, achieves combined hot air flow and radiant heating, resulting in more uniform temperature distribution. Furthermore, the replenishment door and the retrieval opening are positioned opposite each other, ensuring that replenishment operations do not interfere with users retrieving their meals. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only one embodiment of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other embodiments can be derived from the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0014] Figure 1 : A schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2 : Side structural cross-sectional view of the present invention; Figure 3 : A perspective view of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples: Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0016] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0017] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, a self-service heating cabinet includes a cabinet body 1.

[0019] The cabinet 1 has a receiving cavity; food or meals are placed in the receiving cavity.

[0020] The cabinet 1 is equipped with a heating device, a first air supply device 4, and a second air supply device 9; the first air supply device 4 drives the airflow through the heating device, so that the heated air is distributed in the accommodating cavity.

[0021] Specifically, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the heating device includes an air duct disposed within the accommodating cavity and an electric heating tube 3 disposed within the air duct; the air duct includes a bottom air duct 71 and a side air duct 72 that are interconnected, and the electric heating tube 3 is disposed within the bottom air duct 71; the first air supply device 4 is disposed at one end of the bottom air duct 71 and is inclined toward the extension direction of the bottom air duct 71 to supply air, so as to drive the airflow to flow sequentially through the bottom air duct 71 and the side air duct 72 and be heated by the electric heating tube 3; a plurality of ventilation holes are provided on the wall surface of the side air duct 72 to send hot air into the accommodating cavity.

[0022] The electric heating element 3 is placed inside the bottom air duct 71, which utilizes the space at the bottom of the cabinet and facilitates maintenance or replacement. The airflow turns from the bottom air duct 71 into the side air duct 72, forming a U-shaped or L-shaped circulation path from the bottom to the side.

[0023] After being heated by the electric heating element 3, hot air is delivered into the accommodating cavity through multiple distributed ventilation holes on the side air duct 72 wall. This air delivery method avoids the uneven heating phenomenon caused by traditional top or single-point air delivery, allowing heat to diffuse from the sides and bottom towards the center area, significantly improving the uniformity of the temperature field within the cavity, making it particularly suitable for simultaneous heating of multiple layers of food containers. The bottom air duct 71 is made of a thermally conductive material, which helps heat to spread rapidly laterally across the duct wall. It also aids in heating the bottom of the accommodating cavity.

[0024] The second air supply device 9 forms an airflow barrier at the retrieval opening 2, and the airflow blown out by the second air supply device is hot air. Specifically, the second air supply device 9 is located below the retrieval opening 2, and the air outlet direction of the second air supply device 9 is upward. The airflow barrier formed by the second air supply device 9 extends vertically along the retrieval opening 2.

[0025] Hot air, being less dense, naturally rises. If the retrieval opening 2 is open, hot air inside the cabinet can easily escape from it. The second air supply device 9 blows air upwards from below, forming a vertical airflow barrier. The high-speed upward-spraying airflow forms an "air curtain" on the opening plane, physically blocking the exchange of air between the inside and outside.

[0026] Preferably, the flow direction of the airflow barrier is parallel to the plane where the receiving opening 2 is located. The parallel airflow only flows at the opening interface, without directly impacting the interior of the receiving cavity, and will not disturb the established hot air circulation field.

[0027] The angle between the air delivery direction of the first air supply device 4 (such as a fan) and the extension direction of the bottom air duct 71 is 15 to 45 degrees. This 15 to 45-degree tilt angle allows the airflow to enter the bottom air duct 71 in a moderately inclining manner, effectively propelling the air along the duct's extension direction while avoiding violent impact, thus reducing flow resistance and energy loss. The electric heating element 3 is installed within the bottom air duct 71, and its heating efficiency depends on sufficient contact between the airflow and the surface of the electric heating element 3. Compared to parallel air delivery, the tilt angle increases the amount of heat absorbed by the air per unit time, accelerates the heating rate, and improves overall thermal efficiency.

[0028] Preferably, the included angle is 30 degrees. A 30-degree angle can provide sufficient axial component (along the direction of the air duct) to drive the air to flow over a long distance and avoid the air volume attenuation at the end of the air duct, while retaining an appropriate normal component (perpendicular to the air duct wall) so that the airflow can moderately scour the inside of the air duct and the surface of the electric heating tube 3, thereby enhancing heat exchange.

[0029] An auxiliary heating device 5 is also provided inside the cabinet 1, and the auxiliary heating device 5 is located in the upper part of the accommodating cavity.

[0030] In another embodiment, the auxiliary heating device is an iodine-tungsten lamp 5. An iodine-tungsten lamp is a high-intensity infrared radiation heat source that directly heats objects (such as the surface of a lunchbox) through infrared radiation. It does not rely on air convection, has a short energy transfer path, and low energy loss. Compared to traditional electric heating wires or PTC convection auxiliary heaters, iodine-tungsten lamps are more suitable for localized, rapid, and precise heating scenarios.

[0031] In the actual heating process, the upper food container may heat up slowly due to obstruction or insufficient heat radiation. Placing the auxiliary heating device 5 on the top can directly supplement the heating of the upper space and the top food container, effectively eliminating the problem of cold at the top and hot at the bottom or local underheating, and improving the overall temperature uniformity.

[0032] The cabinet 1 has a retrieval opening 2 on one side. A replenishment door 8 is hinged to the cabinet 1, and the replenishment door 8 is positioned opposite to the retrieval opening 2.

[0033] The pickup opening 2 faces the user and is used for self-service food pickup. It is located on the front of the equipment or on one side of the pedestrian flow. The replenishment door 8 is located on the back and is exclusively for maintenance personnel to replenish food. The pickup opening 2 and the replenishment door 8 are completely separated in terms of operation path, so users will not be interrupted, wait, or be obstructed by replenishment operations when picking up food, ensuring the smoothness and immediacy of self-service.

[0034] The food retrieval opening 2 is a completely open structure. Users can directly reach in and retrieve their food without any operation (such as lifting the lid, pushing the door, or scanning a code to open the door), making the retrieval path the shortest and the operation the most intuitive. Furthermore, the structure is simple and has a low failure rate. Although the opening is completely open, heat loss is still effectively suppressed by the vertical parallel airflow barrier formed by the second air supply device 9.

[0035] In another embodiment, a cover plate 21 is provided above the retrieval opening 2, covering a portion of the area of ​​the retrieval opening 2. The area of ​​the cover plate 21 is less than half the area of ​​the retrieval opening 2. The cover plate 21 covers the upper part of the opening, which is the area where hot air is most likely to escape. By only blocking less than half of the area, it can significantly reduce natural convection.

[0036] The equipment automatically maintains heating and insulation: the first air supply device 4 drives air to flow through the electric heating tube 3 in the bottom air duct 71, and the hot air is evenly delivered into the accommodating cavity through the ventilation holes of the side air duct 72. The auxiliary heating device 5 (such as an iodine tungsten lamp) provides infrared radiation supplemental heating to the upper layer of food to ensure uniform overall temperature.

[0037] The second air supply device 9 (such as a fan) continuously blows air upwards, forming a vertical airflow barrier parallel to the opening plane. The formed "air curtain" prevents hot air from escaping from the cabinet and cold air from entering, maintaining a basically stable internal temperature even if the opening is constantly open.

[0038] It should be noted that the first air supply device and the second air supply device in this embodiment are both general standard parts or components known to those skilled in the art. Their structure and principle can be learned by those skilled in the art through technical manuals or conventional experimental methods.

[0039] The present invention has been described above by way of example, but the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Any modifications or variations made based on the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-service heating cabinet, characterized in that: Includes a cabinet (1); the cabinet (1) has a receiving cavity; the cabinet (1) has a retrieval opening (2) on one side; the cabinet (1) is equipped with a heating device, a first air supply device (4) and a second air supply device (9); the first air supply device (4) drives the airflow through the heating device, so that the heated air is distributed in the receiving cavity; the second air supply device (9) forms an airflow barrier at the retrieval opening (2).

2. The self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second air supply device (9) is located below the picking opening (2), and the air outlet direction of the second air supply device (9) is upward.

3. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 2, characterized in that: The airflow barrier formed by the second air supply device (9) extends vertically along the picking opening (2).

4. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: An auxiliary heating device (5) is also provided inside the cabinet (1), and the auxiliary heating device (5) is located in the upper part of the accommodating cavity.

5. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating device includes an air duct disposed in the accommodating cavity and an electric heating tube (3) placed in the air duct; the air duct includes a bottom air duct (71) and a side air duct (72) that are interconnected, and the electric heating tube (3) is disposed in the bottom air duct (71); the first air supply device (4) is disposed at one end of the bottom air duct (71) and tilted toward the extension direction of the bottom air duct (71) to drive the airflow to flow through the bottom air duct (71) and the side air duct (72) in sequence and be heated by the electric heating tube (3); the side air duct (72) has a plurality of ventilation holes on its wall surface for sending hot air into the accommodating cavity.

6. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the air supply direction of the first air supply device (4) and the extension direction of the bottom air duct (71) is 15 to 45 degrees.

7. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 4, characterized in that: The auxiliary heating device is an iodine-tungsten lamp (5).

8. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cabinet (1) is hinged with a replenishment door (8), which is positioned opposite to the retrieval opening (2).

9. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pickup opening (2) is a completely open structure.

10. A self-service heating cabinet according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper part of the picking-up opening (2) is provided with a cover plate (21) that covers part of the area of ​​the picking-up opening (2), and the area of ​​the cover plate (21) is less than half of the area of ​​the picking-up opening (2).

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