Cooking utensils

Abstract

This invention discloses a cooking appliance, including a cavity assembly and a hot air assembly. The cavity assembly encloses a cooking cavity and includes a first plate with spaced-apart air inlet areas and at least one air outlet area. Each air inlet area includes at least one air inlet hole for airflow into the cooking cavity. The air inlet hole has a guiding structure for directing the airflow into the cooking cavity at an acute angle to the first plate. The hot air assembly includes a hot air hood, a centrifugal fan, and a heating element. The hot air hood and the first plate enclose a heating cavity. The heating element is located within the heating cavity, between the air outlet area and the air inlet area. Each air outlet area corresponds to a centrifugal fan, whose centrifugal blades draw the airflow from the cooking cavity through the air inlet area into the heating cavity. The guiding structure directs the airflow, causing it to enter the cooking cavity at an acute angle to the first plate, reducing energy consumption during vertical airflow turning and improving energy conversion efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of household appliance technology, and more particularly to a cooking appliance. Background Technology

[0002] This section provides only background information relevant to this disclosure and is not necessarily prior art.

[0003] Cooking appliances with hot air functions are gaining popularity due to their unique ability to reduce fat and oil intake. These appliances typically include a hot air assembly, which consists of a heating element, a centrifugal fan, and a hot air shroud. When the hot air assembly is running, the centrifugal fan and heating element start simultaneously. The centrifugal fan draws air from the cooking chamber through the air outlet on the hot air shroud and, through centrifugal force, flings the air radially outwards. This flung air is then heated by the heating element and enters the cooking chamber through the air inlet on the hot air shroud, thus heating the food inside.

[0004] However, in the existing technology, the centrifugal fan has an axial suction and radial discharge structure. The airflow in the cooking chamber is drawn out by the centrifugal fan through the air outlet and flows along the axial direction of the centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan causes the axially flowing airflow to flow out radially. The outflowing airflow flows in a direction parallel to the hot air hood. When the airflow reaches the position of the air inlet, it needs to flow into the cooking chamber through the air inlet in a direction perpendicular to the hot air hood. That is, the process of the airflow flowing from the heating chamber into the cooking chamber needs to undergo a vertical turn. This process will cause a large amount of energy of the airflow to be consumed, reducing the energy conversion efficiency of the cooking appliance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The objective of this invention is to at least solve the problem of how to improve the energy conversion efficiency of cooking appliances. This objective is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention provides a cooking utensil, the cooking utensil comprising:

[0007] A cavity assembly surrounds a cooking cavity. The cavity assembly includes a first plate that forms part of the cooking cavity. The first plate has spaced air inlet areas and at least one air outlet area. The air inlet area includes at least one air inlet hole for airflow to enter the cooking cavity. The air inlet hole is provided with a guiding structure for making the airflow entering the cooking cavity form an acute angle with the first plate.

[0008] A hot air assembly is provided on the outside of the cooking cavity and includes a hot air hood, a centrifugal fan, and a heating element. The hot air hood and the first plate enclose the heating cavity. The heating element is provided inside the heating cavity and located between the air outlet area and the air inlet area. Each air outlet area corresponds to one centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan blades are provided inside the heating cavity and are arranged opposite to the air outlet area. The centrifugal fan blades are used to draw the airflow in the cooking cavity through the air outlet area to the heating cavity and drive the airflow to the air inlet area in a direction parallel to the first plate.

[0009] According to the cooking appliance of the present invention, the heating chamber is connected to the cooking chamber via an air inlet area and an air outlet area on the first plate. Driven by a centrifugal fan, airflow circulates between the cooking chamber and the heating chamber through the air outlet area and the air inlet area to supply hot air to the cooking chamber. Air in the cooking chamber enters the heating chamber through the air outlet area, and the airflow in the heating chamber is heated by the heating element before entering the cooking chamber through the air inlet area. Driven by the centrifugal fan, the airflow flows in the heating chamber in a direction parallel to the first plate. When it reaches the air outlet area, a guiding structure guides the airflow, causing it to enter the cooking chamber through the air inlet at an acute angle to the first plate. This reduces energy consumption during the vertical turning of the airflow, thereby improving the energy conversion efficiency of the cooking appliance.

[0010] In addition, the cooking appliance according to the present invention may also have the following additional technical features:

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first plate includes a middle position, the middle position being within the range of the air inlet area, and the air outlet area being spaced apart from the middle position.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple air outlet areas, and the multiple air outlet areas are arranged circumferentially at intervals outside the air inlet area.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the cavity assembly further includes a second plate and a third plate, the second plate and the third plate being arranged vertically at intervals, the first plate constituting the side wall of the cooking cavity, the second plate constituting the top wall of the cooking cavity, the third plate constituting the bottom wall of the cooking cavity, the minimum distance between the air outlet area and the second plate being a first distance, the distance between the air outlet area and the third plate being a second distance, and the first distance being greater than the second distance.

[0014] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first plate includes a plurality of corner positions, and at least one of the corner positions is provided with the air outlet area.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first plate body includes:

[0016] The first plate portion, wherein at least one air outlet area is provided on the first plate portion, and the first plate portion is also provided with mounting holes;

[0017] The second plate has multiple air outlets, at least a portion of which are located on the second plate. The second plate is embedded in the mounting hole and closes the mounting hole. The second plate is rotatable relative to the mounting hole.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present invention, the hot air assembly further includes a driving member disposed outside the heating cavity, the driving member including a driving shaft that extends into the heating cavity and is connected to the second plate portion to drive the second plate body to rotate relative to the mounting hole.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide structure is disposed on the side of the first plate facing the heating cavity.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide structure is connected to a portion of the opening of the air outlet.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide structure is integrally formed with the air outlet.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present invention, the guiding structure includes an air guide surface, which is set at a preset angle to the first plate, wherein the preset angle is greater than or equal to 21 degrees and less than or equal to 35 degrees.

[0023] In some embodiments of the present invention, the air outlet area of ​​the air outlet region is a first area, the air inlet area is a second area, and the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present invention, the shape of the air inlet is circular, elliptical, or polygonal;

[0025] And / or, the air outlet area includes at least one air outlet, the shape of which is circular, elliptical or polygonal.

[0026] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, the following are specific embodiments of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a cooking utensil according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A partial structural diagram of the cooking utensil shown;

[0030] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the structure at position AA shown in the figure (the thick black arrows in the figure indicate the direction of airflow).

[0031] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The exploded structural diagram of the structure shown is shown below.

[0032] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second plate shown;

[0033] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of the second plate shown from another perspective;

[0034] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of the second plate shown (section lines not shown);

[0035] Figure 8 for Figure 7 The diagram shows an enlarged view of part B of the structure shown.

[0036] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0037] 100. Cooking utensils;

[0038] 10. Cavity assembly;

[0039] 11. Cooking cavity;

[0040] 12. First plate; 121. First plate section; 1211. Mounting hole; 122. Second plate section; 123. Air inlet area; 1231. Air inlet hole; 1232. Guide structure; 124. Air outlet area; 1241. Air outlet hole; 13. Second plate; 14. Third plate;

[0041] 20. Hot air assembly;

[0042] 21. Centrifugal impeller; 22. Heating element; 23. Drive element; 24. Heating chamber;

[0043] a. Preset angle. Detailed Implementation

[0044] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0045] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not construed as requiring them to be performed in a particular order described or illustrated unless the order of performance is explicitly indicated. It should also be understood that additional or alternative steps may be used.

[0046] Although terms such as first, second, third, etc., may be used in this document to describe multiple elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or segments should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be used only to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or segment from another. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, terms such as "first," "second," and other numerical terms used herein do not imply order or sequence. Therefore, the first element, component, region, layer, or segment discussed below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or segment without departing from the teachings of the exemplary embodiments.

[0047] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "inside," "outside," "middle," "outer," "below," "below," "above," "over," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation, other than those depicted in the figure. For example, if the device in the figure is flipped, an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" would subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0048] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a cooking appliance 100 is provided. The cooking appliance 100 includes a cavity assembly 10 and a hot air assembly 20. The cavity assembly 10 surrounds a cooking cavity 11. The cavity assembly 10 includes a first plate 12, which constitutes part of the cooking cavity 11. The first plate 12 has spaced-apart air inlet areas 123 and at least one air outlet area 124. The air inlet area 123 includes at least one air inlet hole 1231 for airflow to enter the cooking cavity 11. The air inlet hole 1231 is provided with a guide structure 1232, which is used to guide the airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 to interact with the first plate 124. The body 12 is set at an acute angle. The hot air assembly 20 is located outside the cooking cavity 11 and includes a hot air hood, a centrifugal fan and a heating element 22. The hot air hood and the first plate 12 enclose the heating cavity 24. The heating element 22 is located inside the heating cavity 24 and between the air outlet area 124 and the air inlet area 123. Each air outlet area 124 corresponds to a centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan blades are located inside the heating cavity 24 and are arranged opposite to the air outlet area 124. The centrifugal fan blades are used to draw the airflow in the cooking cavity 11 through the air outlet area 124 into the heating cavity 24 and drive the airflow to the air inlet area 123 in a direction parallel to the first plate 12.

[0049] According to the cooking appliance 100 of the present invention, the heating chamber 24 is connected to the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet area 123 and the air outlet area 124 on the first plate 12. Driven by the centrifugal fan blades, the airflow circulates between the cooking chamber 11 and the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet area 124 and the air inlet area 123 to supply hot air into the cooking chamber 11. Air in the cooking chamber 11 enters the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet area 124, and the airflow in the heating chamber 24 is heated by the heating element 22 before entering the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet area 123. Driven by the centrifugal fan blades, the airflow flows in the heating chamber 24 in a direction parallel to the first plate 12. When it reaches the air outlet area 124, the guiding structure 1232 guides the airflow, causing it to enter the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet hole 1231 at an acute angle to the first plate 12. This reduces energy consumption during the vertical turning of the airflow and improves the energy conversion efficiency of the cooking appliance 100.

[0050] In addition, in this application, the guiding structure 1232 guides the heated airflow so that the heated airflow enters the cooking cavity 11 through the air inlet 1231 at an acute angle to the first plate 12. This causes the airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 to enter at an angle relative to the first plate 12. Compared with the existing vertical airflow, this changes the direction of airflow entry, making the airflow distribution in the cooking cavity 11 more uniform, thereby improving the uniformity of heating the food.

[0051] It should be understood that the centrifugal impeller 21 is coaxially arranged with the air inlet area 123, and the centrifugal impeller 21 has an axial air inlet and radial air outlet structure. The centrifugal impeller 21 is rotatably installed in the heating chamber 24. When the centrifugal impeller 21 rotates, the airflow in the cooking chamber 11 enters the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet area 124 under the drive of the centrifugal impeller 21. The centrifugal impeller 21 turns the airflow entering the heating chamber 24 and throws it radially out, so that the airflow in the heating chamber 24 flows towards the air outlet area 124 in a direction parallel to the first plate 12. The airflow needs to flow through the heating element 22 to reach the air outlet area 124. When the airflow passes through the heating element 22, the airflow is heated. The heated airflow enters the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet area 123 and forms hot air. The hot air flows in the cooking chamber 11, thereby realizing the heating of the food in the cooking chamber 11.

[0052] Meanwhile, the airflow thrown out by the centrifugal impeller 21 forms a rotating airflow in the heating chamber 24. The rotation axis of the airflow is perpendicular to the first plate 12. After being heated by the heating element 22, the airflow enters the air inlet 1231 tangentially under the guidance of the guide structure 1232, and enters the cooking chamber through the air inlet 1231, so that the angle between the airflow entering the cooking chamber 11 and the first plate 12 is less than 90 degrees.

[0053] In addition, when the airflow heated by the heating element 22 reaches the position of the air outlet 1241, the airflow is first guided by the guiding structure 1232, flows into the air inlet 1231 under the guidance of the guiding structure 1232, and enters the cooking cavity 11 through the air inlet 1231.

[0054] In this application, the first plate 12 constitutes part of the cooking cavity 11. Taking the cooking cavity 11 as a rectangular structure as an example, the first plate 12 can constitute the side wall (left side wall, right side wall or rear side wall) of the cooking cavity 11, or it can constitute the top wall or bottom wall of the cooking cavity 11.

[0055] It should be noted that the centrifugal fan also includes a drive motor, which is located outside the heating chamber 24 to reduce the risk of motor failure due to the high temperature inside the heating chamber 24. The drive shaft of the drive motor passes through the hot air shroud and connects to the centrifugal impeller 21, and the drive motor drives the centrifugal fan blades to rotate through the drive shaft.

[0056] In addition, the heating element 22 is a component such as a metal tube, graphite tube or quartz tube, and the heating element 22 is arranged around the air outlet area 124 so that the airflow reaching the air outlet area 124 can be heated, thereby improving the uniformity of airflow heating and thus improving the uniformity of airflow temperature entering the cooking cavity 11 through the air outlet area 124.

[0057] In addition, the heating element 22 is fixed to the first plate 12 by snap-fit ​​or by a connector. The heating element 22 can be thermally connected to the first plate 12, that is, during operation, the heating element 22 can radiate heat into the cooking cavity 11 through the first plate 12 to improve the heat utilization rate of the heating element 22; the heating element 22 can also be heat-insulated from the first plate 12, in which case the occurrence of excessive local temperature of the first plate 12 is reduced.

[0058] In some embodiments of the present invention, the air inlet 1231 is circular, elliptical or polygonal in shape.

[0059] This design allows the air inlet 1231 to be better matched with the cooking appliance 100, reducing the impact of the air inlet 1231 on airflow and thus improving the efficiency of airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 through the air inlet 1231.

[0060] In some embodiments of the present invention, the air outlet area 124 includes at least one air outlet 1241, which is circular, elliptical or polygonal in shape.

[0061] This design allows the air outlet 1241 to be better matched with the cooking appliance 100, reducing the impact of the air outlet 1241 on the airflow, and thus improving the efficiency of the airflow entering the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet 1241.

[0062] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first plate 12 includes a middle position, which is located within the air inlet area 123, and the air outlet area 124 is spaced apart from the middle position.

[0063] Specifically, the center position of the first plate 12 refers to the geometric center of the first plate 12 (for example, when the first plate 12 is a rectangle, the center position is the position of the intersection of the two diagonals of the rectangle). The cavity assembly 10 encloses a cooking cavity 11, which includes multiple walls. The first plate 12 constitutes one of the multiple walls, and the center position of the first plate 12 is positioned opposite to the center position of the cooking cavity 11.

[0064] When cooking food in the cooking cavity 11, the food in the middle of the cooking cavity 11 is usually larger and requires more heat to cook. In this application, the middle position is set within the area of ​​the air inlet area 123, and the air outlet area 124 is set at a distance from the middle position. This allows the cooking cavity 11 to have a structure of air inlet in the middle and air outlet on the side. This structure can increase the air volume in the middle position of the cooking cavity 11, allowing the food to fully contact the hot airflow, thereby improving the cooking quality of the food.

[0065] It should be understood that the middle position of the first plate 12 within the range of the air intake area 123 means that the middle position of the first plate 12 can coincide with the center of the air intake area 123 (the geometric center of the air intake area 123), or it can be separated from the center of the air intake area 123.

[0066] In this application, the air outlet area 124 and the air inlet area 123 are spaced apart on the first plate 12. The distance between them is such that the air outlet airflow and the air inlet airflow do not affect each other. That is, there will be no situation where the airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 from the air inlet area 123 leaves the cooking cavity 11 directly through the air outlet area 124 without being heated. This can effectively improve the cooking effect on the food.

[0067] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figures 1 to 4 As shown, there are multiple air outlet areas 124, which are circumferentially spaced outside the air inlet area 123.

[0068] Specifically, both the air inlet area 123 and the air outlet area 124 are located on the first plate 12, with the middle position of the first plate 12 within the area of ​​the air inlet area 123, and the air outlet area 124 being spaced apart from the middle position. Multiple air outlet areas 124 are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the air inlet area 123, and each air outlet area 124 is equipped with a centrifugal fan.

[0069] When the cooking appliance 100 is running, the centrifugal fan corresponding to each air outlet area 124 operates. Driven by the centrifugal impeller 21, the airflow in the cooking chamber 11 enters the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet area 124. The centrifugal impeller 21 turns the airflow entering the heating chamber 24 and throws it radially out, so that the airflow in the heating chamber 24 flows towards the air outlet area 124 in a direction parallel to the first plate 12. The airflow driven by each centrifugal impeller 21 flows towards the location of the air outlet area 124. The airflow needs to flow through the heating element 22 to reach the air outlet area 124. When the airflow passes through the heating element 22, the airflow is heated. The heated airflow enters the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet area 123 and forms hot air. The hot air flows in the cooking chamber 11, thereby heating the food in the cooking chamber 11.

[0070] By setting multiple air outlet zones 124, the air intake of the heating chamber 24 can be increased, the gas pressure inside the heating chamber 24 can be increased, and the flow rate of the airflow flowing into the cooking chamber 11 through the air outlet zones 124 is increased, thereby shortening the cooking time of the food in the cooking chamber 11 and improving the cooking efficiency.

[0071] It should be noted that there are multiple air intake zones 123 (two or more), specifically two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight, etc.

[0072] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cavity assembly 10 also includes a second plate 13 and a third plate 14, which are arranged vertically at intervals. The first plate 12 forms the side wall of the cooking cavity 11, the second plate 13 forms the top wall of the cooking cavity 11, and the third plate 14 forms the bottom wall of the cooking cavity 11. The minimum distance between the air outlet area 124 and the second plate 13 is the first distance, and the distance between the air outlet area 124 and the third plate 14 is the second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance.

[0073] Specifically, the cavity assembly 10 surrounds the cooking cavity 11. The cavity assembly 10 includes multiple plates, each of which includes a first plate 12, a second plate 13, and a third plate 14. The first plate 12, the second plate 13, and the third plate 14 each constitute a portion of the cooking cavity 11.

[0074] In this application, the cooking cavity 11 is a rectangular cavity, wherein the second plate 13 forms the top wall of the cooking cavity 11, the third plate 14 forms the bottom wall of the cooking cavity 11, and the first plate 12 forms the side walls (left side wall, right side wall, or rear side wall) of the cooking cavity 11. The first distance between the air outlet area 124 and the second plate 13 is set to be greater than the second distance between the air outlet area 124 and the third plate 14, so that the air outlet area 124 is located closer to the third plate 14, that is, the air outlet area 124 is located closer to the lower part of the cooking cavity 11.

[0075] It should be understood that the hot airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 through the air inlet area 123 is hotter than the airflow inside the cooking cavity 11. This airflow moves from bottom to top, easily leading to a higher temperature at the top of the cooking cavity 11, resulting in poor temperature uniformity within the cooking cavity 11. In this application, by positioning the air outlet area 124 near the lower part of the cooking cavity 11, the airflow can be driven to move from top to bottom within the cooking cavity 11, thereby enabling thorough mixing of the airflow within the cooking cavity 11 and effectively improving the uniformity of the airflow within the cooking cavity 11.

[0076] In this application, the minimum distance between the air outlet area 124 and the second plate 13 is the third distance, and the minimum distance between the air outlet area 124 and the third plate 14 is the fourth distance. The third distance can be greater than the fourth distance, the third distance can be equal to the fourth distance, or the third distance can be less than the fourth distance.

[0077] It should be noted that the second plate 13 and the fourth plate are arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and the second plate 13 and the fourth plate are respectively connected to the first plate 12. The connection methods include, but are not limited to, welding, bonding, snap-fitting or connection via connectors.

[0078] Furthermore, the first plate 12, the second plate 13, and the third plate 14 can be metal plates or non-metal plates. All three plates can be flat, or partially flat. When the first plate 12, the second plate 13, and the third plate 14 are not flat, the hot airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 through the air inlet area 123 can collide with the non-flat areas, thereby achieving further mixing of the hot airflow and further improving the temperature uniformity within the cooking cavity 11.

[0079] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the first plate 12 includes multiple corner positions, and at least one corner position is provided with an air outlet area 124.

[0080] Specifically, in this application, the cavity assembly 10 surrounds the cooking cavity 11, which is a rectangular cavity. The cavity assembly 10 includes multiple plates, which include a first plate 12, a second plate 13, a third plate 14, a fourth plate, and a fifth plate, respectively. The first plate 12, the second plate 13, the third plate 14, the fourth plate, and the fifth plate surround the cooking cavity 11.

[0081] The first plate 12 forms the rear sidewall of the cooking cavity 11, the second plate 13 forms the top wall of the cooking cavity 11, the third plate 14 forms the bottom wall of the cooking cavity 11, the fourth plate forms the left sidewall of the cooking cavity 11, and the fifth plate forms the right sidewall of the cooking cavity 11. The fourth sidewall is connected to the first, second, and third sidewalls respectively (the connection methods include, but are not limited to, welding, bonding, snap-fitting, or connection via connectors), and the fifth sidewall is connected to the first, second, and third sidewalls respectively (the connection methods include, but are not limited to, welding, bonding, snap-fitting, or connection via connectors).

[0082] The first plate 12 has four corner positions. The first corner position is connected to the second plate 13 and the fourth plate, the second corner position is connected to the second plate 13 and the fifth plate, the third corner position is connected to the third plate 14 and the fourth plate, and the fourth corner position is connected to the third plate 14 and the fifth plate. Vertically, the first and second corner positions are located at the upper part of the cooking cavity 11, while the third and fourth corner positions are located at the lower part of the cooking cavity 11. In this application, an air outlet area 124 is provided at each of the third and fourth corner positions, which can increase the speed at which hot air enters the cooking cavity 11 and effectively improve the temperature uniformity within the cooking cavity 11.

[0083] It should be noted that the air outlet area 124 can be set at intervals with the corner position, or it can be set flush with the corner position.

[0084] In some embodiments of the present invention, the first plate body 12 includes a first plate portion 121 and a second plate portion 122. At least one air outlet area 124 is formed on the first plate portion 121. The first plate portion 121 is also provided with a mounting hole 1211. There are multiple air outlet holes 1241. At least a portion of the air outlet holes 1241 are formed on the second plate portion 122. The second plate portion 122 is embedded in the mounting hole 1211 and closes the mounting hole 1211. The second plate portion 122 can rotate relative to the mounting hole 1211.

[0085] Specifically, the mounting hole 1211 is formed on the first plate portion 121 and is a circular hole. The second plate portion 122 is a circular plate and is embedded in the mounting hole 1211. The second plate portion 122 and the first plate portion 121 are coplanar. The second plate portion 122 closes the mounting hole 1211 and can rotate relative to the mounting hole 1211. There is a gap between the mounting hole 1211 and the second plate body 13 (the gap is greater than 0 mm and less than or equal to 5 mm). By setting the gap, the interference between the second plate portion 122 and the first plate portion 121 caused by manufacturing tolerances can be reduced.

[0086] The air outlet area 124 is formed on the first plate 12, and at least a portion of the air outlet holes 1241 of the air inlet area 123 are formed on the second plate portion 122. By setting the air outlet holes 1241 on the second plate portion 122, the flow direction of the airflow flowing into the cooking cavity 11 through the air outlet holes 1241 can be adjusted by rotating the second plate portion 122, thereby improving the uniformity of the airflow in the cooking cavity 11.

[0087] In addition, the rotation of the second plate portion 122 relative to the mounting hole 1211 can be driven by the drive member 23 or by hand.

[0088] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 3 As shown, the hot air assembly 20 also includes a drive member 23 disposed outside the heating chamber 24. The drive member 23 includes a drive shaft that extends into the heating chamber 24 and is connected to the second plate portion 122 to drive the second plate body 13 to rotate relative to the mounting hole 1211.

[0089] Specifically, a drive member 23 is provided, and the drive shaft of the drive member 23 is connected to the second plate portion 122. The drive member 23 can be used to drive the rotation of the second plate portion 122, thereby improving the convenience of driving the second plate portion 122.

[0090] It should be noted that the second plate 122 can be adjusted at an angle in the cooking cavity 11 and fixed in position during cooking, or it can be in a rotating state in the cooking cavity 11.

[0091] In some embodiments of the present invention, the guide structure 1232 is disposed on the side of the first plate 12 facing the heating cavity 24.

[0092] Specifically, driven by the centrifugal impeller 21, the airflow in the cooking chamber 11 enters the heating chamber 24 through the air outlet area 124. The centrifugal impeller 21 turns the airflow entering the heating chamber 24 and throws it radially out, so that the airflow in the heating chamber 24 flows towards the air outlet area 124 in a direction parallel to the first plate 12. The airflow driven by each centrifugal impeller 21 flows towards the location of the air outlet area 124. The airflow needs to flow through the heating element 22 to reach the air outlet area 124. When the airflow passes through the heating element 22, the airflow is heated. The heated airflow enters the cooking chamber 11 through the air inlet area 123 and forms hot air. The hot air flows in the cooking chamber 11, thereby realizing the heating of the food in the cooking chamber 11.

[0093] By placing the guide structure 1232 on the side of the first plate 12 facing the heating chamber 24, the airflow heated by the heated component 22 is guided by the guide structure 1232 before reaching the air inlet, thereby improving the guiding effect of the guide structure 1232 on the airflow and effectively improving the energy conversion efficiency.

[0094] It should be noted that the guide structure 1232 protrudes from the surface of the first plate 12 in order to guide the airflow to the air inlet and into the cooking cavity 11.

[0095] In addition, the guide structure 1232 can be a guide rib, a guide plate, or a pressed structure formed in the air outlet 1241.

[0096] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the guide structure 1232 is connected to part of the opening of the air outlet 1241.

[0097] Specifically, the guide structure 1232 protrudes from the surface of the first plate 12. A portion of the guide structure 1232 is connected to a portion of the air outlet 1241, while the other portion is suspended. After the airflow heated by the heating element 22 reaches the air inlet area 123, it first reaches the suspended position. The suspended position guides the airflow towards the air outlet and enters the air outlet through the connection between the guide structure 1232 and the air outlet, and then enters the cooking cavity 11 through the air outlet.

[0098] The guiding structure 1232 in this application is simple in structure and can improve the guiding effect on airflow.

[0099] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the guide structure 1232 and the air outlet 1241 are integrally formed.

[0100] Specifically, the guide structure 1232 is a press-formed structure formed on the vent hole, and is processed and manufactured by stamping, casting, or 3D printing. This design is simple in structure and easy to process, which can effectively reduce manufacturing costs.

[0101] In this application, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the guide structure 1232 is connected to part of the opening of the air outlet 1241, and the guide structure 1232 and the air outlet 1241 are integrally formed, so that the air inlet 1231 is set as a fish scale hole. The fish scale hole structure allows the airflow heated by the heating element 22 to enter the air inlet 1231 tangentially, and the air inlet 1231 enters the cooking cavity 11 tangentially, thereby reducing the energy loss during the airflow turning process and improving the energy conversion efficiency.

[0102] In some embodiments of the present invention, such as Figure 8 As shown, the guide structure 1232 includes an air guide surface, which is set at a preset angle α with the first plate 12, wherein the preset angle α is greater than or equal to 21 degrees and less than or equal to 35 degrees.

[0103] Specifically, the preset angle α formed by the air guide surface and the first plate 12 is an acute angle, so that when the airflow heated by the heating element 22 reaches the position of the air outlet area 124, the air guide surface can receive the airflow and guide it to the air outlet 1241, and then enter the cooking cavity 11 through the air outlet 1241.

[0104] In this application, the preset angle α is set to be greater than or equal to 21 degrees and less than or equal to 35 degrees. By specifically setting the preset angle α, the air guide surface is made more suitable for guiding airflow, and the loss of airflow during the flow process is reduced, increasing the speed of the airflow entering the cooking cavity 11, further increasing the amount of air entering the cooking cavity 11, thereby improving the cooking quality of the food in the cooking cavity 11.

[0105] It should be noted that the preset angle α can be 21°, 23°, 25°, 27°, 28°, 30°, 32°...35°.

[0106] In addition, the guide surface can be either a plane or an arc-shaped surface. When the guide surface is an arc-shaped surface, the preset angle α is the angle between the bottom of the arc-shaped surface and the first plate 12.

[0107] Furthermore, the guide structure 1232 is a molded structure formed at the air inlet 1231. The side of this molded structure facing the cooking cavity 11 is concave, and the inner surface of this concave structure is set as an arc surface. By setting the inner surface of the molded structure as an arc surface, the obstruction of the airflow by the molded structure is reduced, resulting in better airflow and further increasing the amount of airflow entering the cooking cavity 11, thereby further improving the cooking effect of food in the cooking cavity 11.

[0108] In some embodiments of the present invention, the air outlet area of ​​the air outlet area 124 is a first area, the air inlet area 123 is a second area, and the ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

[0109] Specifically, the air outlet area is larger than the air inlet area. By making the air outlet area larger than the air inlet area, when the centrifugal impeller 21 runs in the heating chamber 24, the amount of air entering the heating chamber 24 is greater than the amount of air leaving the heating chamber 24. This causes the heating chamber 24 to be in a pressurization process, and the pressure inside the heating chamber 24 increases. This can increase the jet speed of the airflow through the air inlet 1231 into the cooking chamber 11, thereby increasing the amount of air entering the cooking chamber 11. At the same time, it can also make the temperature inside the cooking chamber 11 more uniform, thereby improving the cooking effect on the food.

[0110] The air outlet area of ​​the air outlet area 124 is the first area, and the air inlet area 123 is the second area. The ratio of the first area to the second area is set to be greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3, so that the parameters are optimized and the effect of airflow entering the cooking cavity 11 is further improved.

[0111] It should be noted that the ratio of the first area to the second area can be 1, 1.2, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2.1, 2.5, 2.7, 2.9...3.

[0112] In this application, the angle α between the air guide surface and the first plate 12 and the ratio of the first area to the second area directly affect the air outlet speed and air outlet efficiency. For details, please refer to Table 1.

[0113] Table 1

[0114] Parameter b (°) Parameter c Air velocity (m / s) Output efficiency (PQ / shaft work of centrifugal fan) 21 1 5.2 78.1％ 35 3 11.8 69.2％ 30 2.1 10.6 75.6％

[0115] The relationship between parameters b and c and air outlet speed and efficiency: The larger the values ​​of parameters b and c in their respective value curves [21, 35] and [1, 3] intervals, the greater the air outlet speed, but the lower the air outlet efficiency. The smaller the values ​​of parameters b and c, the lower the air outlet speed and the higher the air outlet efficiency. Therefore, according to the design requirements of rapid heating and high uniformity, it is necessary to maximize the air outlet efficiency and air outlet speed. So the optimal solution is b = 30, c = 2.1, with an air outlet speed of 10.6 m / s. Under the premise of controlling variables, it is 2.6 times higher than the traditional form, and the air outlet efficiency is 5.1 times higher, achieving a good performance improvement. Moreover, after experimental testing, the overall cooking effect is optimal under this parameter value.

[0116] In this invention, the cooking appliance is an oven or a microwave-steam-grill combination appliance, etc. The structure of other parts of the cooking appliance can be referred to the prior art, and will not be described in detail here.

[0117] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A cooking utensil, characterized in that, The cooking appliance includes: A cavity assembly surrounds a cooking cavity. The cavity assembly includes a first plate that forms part of the cooking cavity. The first plate has spaced air inlet areas and at least one air outlet area. The air inlet area includes at least one air inlet hole for airflow to enter the cooking cavity. The air inlet hole is provided with a guiding structure for making the airflow entering the cooking cavity form an acute angle with the first plate. A hot air assembly is provided on the outside of the cooking cavity and includes a hot air hood, a centrifugal fan, and a heating element. The hot air hood and the first plate enclose the heating cavity. The heating element is provided inside the heating cavity and located between the air outlet area and the air inlet area. Each air outlet area corresponds to one centrifugal fan. The centrifugal fan blades are provided inside the heating cavity and are arranged opposite to the air outlet area. The centrifugal fan blades are used to draw the airflow in the cooking cavity through the air outlet area to the heating cavity and drive the airflow to the air inlet area in a direction parallel to the first plate.

2. The cooking utensil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first plate includes a middle position, which is located within the air inlet area, and the air outlet area is spaced apart from the middle position.

3. The cooking utensil according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of air outlet areas is multiple, and the multiple air outlet areas are arranged circumferentially at intervals outside the air inlet area.

4. The cooking utensil according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cavity assembly further includes a second plate and a third plate, which are arranged vertically at intervals. The first plate forms the side wall of the cooking cavity, the second plate forms the top wall of the cooking cavity, and the third plate forms the bottom wall of the cooking cavity. The minimum distance between the air outlet area and the second plate is a first distance, and the distance between the air outlet area and the third plate is a second distance. The first distance is greater than the second distance.

5. The cooking utensil according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first plate includes multiple corner positions, and at least one of the corner positions is provided with the air outlet area.

6. The cooking utensil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first plate includes: The first plate portion, wherein at least one air outlet area is provided on the first plate portion, and the first plate portion is also provided with mounting holes; The second plate has multiple air outlets, at least a portion of which are located on the second plate. The second plate is embedded in the mounting hole and closes the mounting hole. The second plate is rotatable relative to the mounting hole.

7. The cooking utensil according to claim 6, characterized in that, The hot air assembly also includes a drive member disposed outside the heating chamber. The drive member includes a drive shaft that extends into the heating chamber and is connected to the second plate to drive the second plate to rotate relative to the mounting hole.

8. The cooking utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The guide structure is located on the side of the first plate facing the heating cavity.

9. The cooking utensil according to claim 8, characterized in that, The guide structure is connected to a portion of the opening of the air outlet.

10. The cooking utensil according to claim 9, characterized in that, The guide structure is integrally formed with the air outlet.

11. The cooking utensil according to claim 8, characterized in that, The guiding structure includes an air guide surface, which is set at a preset angle to the first plate, wherein the preset angle is greater than or equal to 21 degrees and less than or equal to 35 degrees.

12. The cooking utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The air outlet area of ​​the air outlet region is the first area, and the area of ​​the air inlet region is the second area. The ratio of the first area to the second area is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.

13. The cooking utensil according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The shape of the air inlet can be circular, elliptical, or polygonal; And / or, the air outlet area includes at least one air outlet, the shape of which is circular, elliptical or polygonal.

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