Exhaust window assembly, cover assembly and multifunctional cooking utensil

Abstract

The present application relates to an exhaust window assembly (3) comprising an exhaust window (31), an exhaust pipe (32) connected to the exhaust window (31) and having an at least partially open lower end, and an air door (33) hinged to the lower end of the exhaust pipe (32), the air door (33) being pivotable between a first position (33A) in which the air door (33) is located in a vertical plane and extends vertically downward from the lower end of the exhaust pipe (32), and a second position (33B) in which the air door (33) is located in a vertical plane and extends vertically downward from the lower end of the exhaust pipe (32). And when the air door (33) is at the second position (33B), an angle alpha is formed between the air door (33) and the vertical plane. After the exhaust window assembly is installed on the multifunctional cooking utensil, the position of the movable air door of the exhaust window assembly can be automatically adjusted according to the amount of air exhausted from the cooking utensil, so that the size of the exhaust port covered by the air door is automatically adjusted, and different ventilation requirements under different cooking modes are met. The utility model further relates to a cover assembly (1) comprising the exhaust window assembly (3) and a multifunctional cooking utensil (10) comprising the cover assembly (1).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, and in particular to an exhaust window assembly for a multifunctional cooking utensil, a cover assembly including the exhaust window assembly, and a multifunctional cooking utensil including the cover assembly. Background Art

[0002] In order to facilitate users and reduce the space occupied in the kitchen, multifunctional cooking appliances have appeared on the market, especially multifunctional cooking appliances that combine convection cooking functions (such as air frying / baking) and conduction cooking functions (such as steaming and pressure cooking). Such cooking appliances can be roughly divided into two categories: one is a cooking appliance with multiple pot lids, and users can achieve different cooking functions by selecting different pot lids; the other is a cooking appliance equipped with only one pot lid, which can switch between different cooking modes, so that different cooking functions can be achieved without changing the lid. Obviously, the latter type of cooking appliance is more convenient for users to use and occupies much less space. However, convection cooking mode and conduction cooking have different ventilation requirements. In convection cooking mode, the cooking space needs to be connected to the atmosphere, and usually a large amount of hot air is discharged from the cooking appliance to the atmosphere, so the cooking appliance needs to have a larger exhaust port, while in conduction cooking mode, it is just the opposite.

[0003] Some known single-lid multifunctional cooking appliances include an exhaust window assembly for exhausting air, and generally, the ventilation requirements in different cooking modes are met by manually opening or closing the damper of the exhaust window assembly. That is, when performing convection cooking, the damper is manually operated to the open position to increase the exhaust port, and when performing conduction cooking, the damper is manually operated to the closed position to reduce or completely eliminate the exhaust port. Obviously, such multifunctional cooking appliances that require manual intervention are not convenient to use, and users may also forget to perform corresponding operations in corresponding modes, resulting in poor cooking results or even danger. Utility Model Content

[0004] One of the purposes of the present application is to overcome the above-mentioned technical problems, namely to provide a multifunctional cooking utensil which is more convenient to use and can automatically adjust the size of the exhaust port.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present application, an exhaust window assembly for a multifunctional cooking appliance is provided, comprising an exhaust window, an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust window and at least partially open at the lower end, and a damper hinged at the lower end of the exhaust pipe, wherein the damper can pivot between a first position and a second position, wherein in the first position, the damper is in a vertical plane and extends vertically downward from the lower end of the exhaust pipe, and in the second position, the damper forms an angle α with the vertical plane. After the exhaust window assembly having the above structure is installed on the multifunctional cooking appliance, its movable damper can automatically adjust its position according to the amount of air exhausted from the cooking appliance, so that during the entire operation of the multifunctional cooking appliance, the size of the exhaust port covered by the damper can be automatically adjusted without manual intervention, thereby meeting different ventilation requirements in different cooking modes.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, the angle α is comprised between 0° and 90°.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, the exhaust pipe is a tubular structure with a roughly rectangular cross-section and a completely open lower pipe opening, including a front wall and a rear wall and two opposite side walls connecting the front wall and the rear wall. The damper is a roughly rectangular flat plate and is hinged to the two opposite side walls near the rear wall. The width W1 of the damper is smaller than the width W2 of the lower pipe opening.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present application, a cover assembly for a multifunctional cooking appliance is provided, comprising a cover exhaust passage, an exhaust port connected to the cover exhaust passage, a hot air assembly comprising a fan and a heating element, and an exhaust window assembly as described above, wherein the damper can pivot between a first position and a second position in response to the operation of the fan, thereby closing or opening the exhaust port.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the cover assembly further includes a recess having a shape substantially complementary to that of the vent window assembly, and the vent window assembly is detachably placed in the recess.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the recess is defined by a vertical side wall including an exhaust port and a horizontally extending bottom wall. When the damper is in the first position, the damper fits against the vertical side wall and can completely cover the exhaust port and there is a gap between the lower end of the damper and the bottom wall.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present application, a multifunctional cooking utensil is provided, comprising a body having an opening at the top and the cover assembly as described above, wherein the cover assembly can be covered at the opening.

[0012] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory and cannot limit the present invention. Other features, purposes and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the specification, drawings and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that these drawings are only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present utility model. For the purpose of illustration, these drawings may not be drawn completely to scale.

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic stereoscopic diagram of a multifunctional cooking appliance in an open state according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0015] Figure 2 is a schematic stereoscopic view of a multifunctional cooking appliance in a closed state according to some embodiments of the present application, wherein the exhaust window assembly has not yet been installed in place.

[0016] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Enlarged view of the middle exhaust window assembly.

[0017] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Bottom perspective view of the center exhaust window assembly.

[0018] Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-functional cooking appliance in a closed state according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0019] Figure 6 yes Figure 5 Enlarged view of the part in the dashed box.

[0020] Reference numerals list

[0021] 10 multifunctional cooking appliance; 1 cover assembly; 11 recess; 12 air inlet cover; 13 air inlet port; 14 motor; 15 fan; 16 heating element; 17 exhaust port; 18 vertical side wall of the recess; 19 bottom wall of the recess; 2 body; 21 opening; 3 exhaust window assembly; 31 exhaust window; 32 exhaust pipe; 33 damper; 34 vent hole; 35 mounting hole; 36 protruding pin; 37 side wall; 38 front wall; 39 rear wall. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Here, exemplary embodiments will be described in detail, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the utility model. Instead, they are only examples of devices, systems, equipment and methods consistent with some aspects of the utility model.

[0023] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The schematic perspective views respectively show a multifunctional cooking device 10 in an open state and a closed state according to some embodiments of the present application. The multifunctional cooking device 10 comprises a body 2 having an opening 21 at the top, and a cover assembly 1 that can cover the opening 21. Figure 1 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 As shown, the lid assembly 1 includes a hot air assembly having a fan 15 and a heating element 16, a lid exhaust channel, and an exhaust port 17 connected to the lid exhaust channel. In addition, the lid assembly 1 may also include conventional components such as an air intake cover 12, an air intake port 13, and a motor 14 for driving the fan 15, which are not described in detail here. The multifunctional cooking utensil 10 may also include another heating element (not shown) located at the bottom of the body 2. The multifunctional cooking utensil 10 according to the embodiment of the present application is configured to be able to work in a variety of cooking modes including a convection cooking mode, a conduction cooking mode, and a combination cooking mode according to the needs of the user without replacing the lid assembly.

[0024] In the present application, the "convection cooking mode" includes any cooking mode that produces a dry cooking environment in the cooking space, such as but not limited to air frying, baking, grilling, and dehydrating. In this mode, the fan 15 and the heating element 16 are working, and the other heating element located at the bottom of the body 2 may work or not work as needed; the "conduction cooking mode" includes any cooking mode that produces a moist cooking environment in the cooking space, such as but not limited to pressure cooking, steam cooking, and slow cooking. In this mode, the heating element 16 and / or the other heating element located at the bottom of the body 2 are working, and the fan 15 is not working; the "combination cooking mode" includes any combination of the convection cooking mode and the conduction cooking mode, such as but not limited to the steaming-then-baking mode (referred to as the steam baking mode) and the pressure cooking-then-air frying mode.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present application, Figure 2 As shown, the cover assembly 1 further comprises an exhaust window assembly 3 and a recess 11 having a shape substantially complementary to the exhaust window assembly 3, wherein the exhaust window assembly 3 can be detachably placed in the recess 11, that is, the user can easily insert the exhaust window assembly 3 into or remove it from the recess 11 without using any tools. In this way, the user can conveniently remove the exhaust window assembly 3 for thorough cleaning.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 As shown, the exhaust window assembly 3 includes an exhaust window 31, an exhaust pipe 32 connected to the exhaust window 31 and having a lower end at least partially open, and a damper 33 hinged to the lower end of the exhaust pipe 32. Figures 3 to 6As shown, the damper 33 can pivot between a first position 33A and a second position 33B. In the first position, the damper 33 is in a vertical plane and extends vertically downward from the lower end of the exhaust pipe 32. In the second position, the damper 33 forms an angle α with the vertical plane. Preferably, the angle α is included between 0° and 90°. Figure 6 As shown, after the exhaust window assembly 3 is installed in place in the recess 11, the damper 33 can pivot between the first position 33A and the second position 33B in response to the operation of the fan 15, thereby closing or opening the exhaust port 17. In other words, when the fan 15 is not running (for example, when the multi-function cooking appliance is in the conduction cooking mode), the damper 33 is in a naturally suspended state, just covering the exhaust port 17, and the steam generated in the cooking appliance will be discharged through the gap beside the damper 33, and then enter the exhaust pipe 32 from the open lower end of the exhaust pipe 32, and finally be discharged to the atmosphere from the vent 34 on the exhaust window 31; and when the fan 15 is running (for example, when the multi-function cooking appliance is in the convection cooking mode), the fan 15 will generate wind in the cover exhaust channel, and the wind will blow toward the exhaust port 17, blowing up the damper 33 covering the exhaust port 17, so that the exhaust port 17 is at least partially opened, so that the air discharged from the exhaust port 17 bypasses the damper 33 and is discharged to the atmosphere from the vent 34 on the exhaust window 31 through the exhaust pipe 32. Figure 5 , Figure 6 Arrow A in the figure shows the direction of air flow. Since the position of the air door 33 can be automatically adjusted according to the operation of the fan 15, the size of the exhaust port can be automatically adjusted during the entire operation of the multifunctional cooking appliance without manual intervention, thereby meeting different ventilation requirements in different cooking modes.

[0027] It is understandable that the greater the operating power of the fan 15, the greater the air volume at the exhaust port 17, the greater the height at which the damper 33 is lifted, that is, the greater the angle α between the damper 33 and the vertical plane, and the closer it is to 90°. However, the closer the angle α is to 90°, the smaller the angle between the damper 33 and the horizontal plane where the lower end of the exhaust pipe 32 is located, the more the lower end opening of the exhaust pipe 32 is blocked by the damper 33, and the smaller the amount of air discharged into the atmosphere from the vent 34 through the exhaust pipe 32. Therefore, when the angle α is approximately equal to 45°, the amount of air discharged into the atmosphere from the vent 34 on the exhaust window 31 is ultimately the largest.

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present application, Figure 2 and Figure 6As shown, the recess 11 is defined by a vertical side wall 18 including an exhaust port 17 and a horizontally extending bottom wall 19. When the damper 33 is in the first position 33A, the damper 33 is attached to the vertical side wall 18 and can completely cover the exhaust port 17, and there is a gap between the lower end of the damper 33 and the bottom wall 19. Since the damper 33 is attached to the vertical side wall 18 and can completely cover the exhaust port 17 when the damper 33 is in the first position 33A, the gap around the damper 33 can be minimized to ensure relative sealing in the conduction cooking mode. At the same time, since there is a gap between the lower end of the damper 33 and the bottom wall 19, the damper 33 can be smoothly pivoted without being stuck due to interference with the bottom wall 19.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present application, Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the exhaust duct 32 is a tubular structure with a roughly rectangular cross-section and a completely open lower pipe opening 30, including a front wall 38 and a rear wall 39 and two opposite side walls 37 connecting the front wall 38 and the rear wall 39. The damper 33 is a roughly rectangular flat plate and is hinged to the two opposite side walls 37 at a position close to the rear wall 39. The width W1 of the damper 33 is smaller than the width W2 of the lower pipe opening 30 (i.e., the distance between the front wall 38 and the rear wall 39). However, it should be understood that the exhaust duct 32 can also have other cross-sectional shapes, such as square, polygonal, and semicircular, and accordingly, the damper 33 has a shape that is roughly the same as the cross-sectional shape. In the present application, the "front wall" refers to the outer wall or the wall close to the user when the exhaust window assembly 3 is in normal use on the multi-functional cooking utensil 10, and the "rear wall" refers to the inner wall or the wall away from the user. In the above embodiment, as Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, two opposite side walls 37 of the exhaust pipe 32 each include a mounting hole 35, and the damper 33 includes a convex pin 36 at both ends thereof, and each convex pin 36 is inserted into the mounting hole 35 on the corresponding side, so that the damper 33 is hinged to the two opposite side walls 37. Of course, the convex pins can also be provided on the inner surface of the side wall 37, and corresponding mounting holes can be provided at both ends of the damper 33. It should be understood that the damper 33 can also be hinged to the lower end of the exhaust pipe 32 by any other suitable mechanism.

[0030] Since the damper 33 is a substantially rectangular flat plate and is hinged to two opposite side walls 37 at a position close to the rear wall 39, after the exhaust window assembly 3 is installed in place in the recess 11, when the damper 33 is in the first position 33A, the horizontal distance between it and the vertical side wall 18 of the recess 11 is minimized, thereby minimizing the gap between the damper 33 and the exhaust port 17 as much as possible, ensuring relative sealing in the conduction cooking mode. At the same time, since the width W1 of the damper 33 is smaller than the width W2 of the lower pipe opening 30, even if the damper 33 is blown to a nearly horizontal position, it will not completely cover the lower pipe opening 30 and prevent air from being discharged through the exhaust pipe 32.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those generally understood by those skilled in the art of the present application. The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing a specific embodiment, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular forms of "a", "an" and "the" used in this application are also intended to include plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates other meanings. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" that may be used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0032] Terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "thickness", "radial", "axial" and the like that may be used herein to indicate relative positions in space are for the purpose of convenience of description to describe the relationship of one feature relative to another feature as shown in the accompanying drawings, and are not limited to one position or one spatial orientation. It is understood that, depending on the placement of the product, the terms of relative positions in space may be intended to include different orientations in addition to the orientation shown in the drawings, and should not be understood as limiting. In addition, the descriptive word "horizontal" that may be used herein is not completely equivalent to being along the direction perpendicular to the gravity, and a certain angle of inclination is allowed. Words such as "include" or "comprise" and the like used herein mean that the elements or objects appearing before "include" or "comprises" include the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprises" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects.

[0033] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed on..." another element, it can be directly on the surface of the other element or at a distance from the surface of the other element. The terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0034] It should be understood that the terms “first”, “second” and similar terms used in the present application specification do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components.

[0035] The above are only preferred implementations of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An exhaust window assembly (3) for a multifunctional cooking appliance (10), characterized in that: The exhaust window assembly (3) comprises an exhaust window (31), an exhaust pipe (32) connected to the exhaust window (31) and having its lower end at least partially open, and a damper (33) hinged to the lower end of the exhaust pipe (32), wherein the damper (33) is capable of pivoting between a first position (33A) and a second position (33B). In the first position (33A), the damper (33) is in a vertical plane and extends vertically downward from the lower end of the exhaust pipe (32). In the second position (33B), the damper (33) forms an angle α with the vertical plane.

2. The exhaust window assembly (3) according to claim 1, wherein: The angle α is comprised between 0° and 90°.

3. The exhaust window assembly (3) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The exhaust pipe (32) is a tubular structure with a roughly rectangular cross section and a completely open lower pipe opening (30), comprising a front wall (38) and a rear wall (39) and two opposite side walls (37) connecting the front wall (38) and the rear wall (39); the damper (33) is a roughly rectangular flat plate and is hinged to the two opposite side walls (37) at a position close to the rear wall (39); the width W1 of the damper (33) is smaller than the width W2 of the lower pipe opening (30).

4. A lid assembly (1) for a multifunctional cooking appliance (10), comprising a lid exhaust passage, an exhaust port (17) connected to the lid exhaust passage, and a hot air assembly comprising a fan (15) and a heating element (16), characterized in that: The cover assembly (1) comprises an exhaust window assembly (3) as claimed in any one of the above claims, and the damper (33) can be pivoted between a first position and a second position in response to the operation of the fan (15), thereby closing or opening the exhaust port (17).

5. The cover assembly (1) according to claim 4, wherein: The cover assembly (1) further comprises a recess (11) having a shape substantially complementary to that of the exhaust window assembly (3), and the exhaust window assembly (3) is detachably placed in the recess (11).

6. The cover assembly (1) according to claim 5, wherein: The recess (11) is defined by a vertical side wall (18) including an exhaust port (17) and a horizontally extending bottom wall (19); when the damper (33) is in a first position, the damper (33) is attached to the vertical side wall (18) and can completely cover the exhaust port (17), and a gap is provided between the lower end of the damper (33) and the bottom wall (19).

7. A multifunctional cooking utensil (10), comprising a body (2) having an opening (21) at the top, characterized in that: The multifunctional cooking appliance (10) further comprises a cover assembly (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, and the cover assembly (1) can be arranged to cover the opening (21).

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