Steaming equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to steaming equipment which can collect food residues while recycling steam to meet space cooking requirements. The steaming equipment comprises a steam generating device; the steaming box assembly comprises a steaming box body communicated with the steam generating device and a fixing frame arranged in the steaming box body; the condensing and recycling assembly comprises a condensing box, a recycling box communicated with the condensing box, a negative pressure fan arranged in the recycling box and used for forming negative pressure in the recycling box, and a residue discharging pipeline with two ends respectively connected with the steaming box body and the recycling box and provided with a residue discharging valve; the condensing box comprises a condensing box body with an opening and closing opening, a plurality of first condensing nets arranged in the condensing box body at intervals, and an exhaust pipeline of which the two ends are respectively connected with the condensing box body and the steaming box body; the recycling box is provided with a recycling cavity which is communicated with the condensation box body and the negative pressure fan and used for recycling condensate and a collecting cavity which is communicated with the residue discharging pipeline and the recycling cavity and used for collecting food residues.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of space cooking, in particular to a steaming device. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the continuous deepening of human space exploration activities, astronauts as a special group need to survive in outer space for a long time, so the food heating technology in microgravity environment is a problem to be solved. Since the steamer is convenient to use and can be used as an important device for food processing in spacecraft such as space stations, the food heating technology of the steamer in the microgravity environment is the focus of current research.

[0003] However, during space flight, due to the particularity of the space microgravity environment, the traditional steamer is prone to problems such as steam splashing, floating residues and the like when steaming food, and the floating water droplets or food residues not only affect the health of astronauts, but also seriously threaten the operation safety of spacecraft / space stations. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to solve the problems that the traditional steamer is prone to steam splashing, floating residues and the like when steaming food, and cannot meet the requirements of space cooking. The present application provides a steaming device which can recover steam and collect food residues at the same time, and meets the requirements of space cooking.

[0005] In an embodiment of the present application, the present application provides a steaming device for steaming food in a microgravity environment, comprising:

[0006] a steam generating device for generating water vapor;

[0007] a steaming box assembly comprising a steaming box body in communication with the steam generating device and for receiving the water vapor, and a fixing frame arranged in the steaming box body and for restraining food; and

[0008] a condensation recovery assembly comprising a condensation box, a recovery box in communication with the condensation box, a negative pressure fan arranged in the recovery box and for forming a negative pressure in the recovery box, and a residue discharge pipeline having two ends respectively connected to the steaming box body and the recovery box and provided with a residue discharge valve; the condensation box comprises a condensation box body having an opening and closing opening, a plurality of first condensation nets arranged in the condensation box body at intervals, and an exhaust pipeline having two ends respectively connected to the condensation box body and the steaming box body; the recovery box has a recovery cavity in communication with the condensation box body and the negative pressure fan and for recovering condensate, and a collection cavity in communication with the residue discharge pipeline and the recovery cavity and for collecting food residues.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present application, the recovery tank comprises a recovery tank body connected with the condensing tank body and the residue discharge pipeline, and a collection cage arranged in the recovery tank body; the collection cage covers the outlet of the residue discharge pipeline to divide the internal space of the recovery tank body into the recovery cavity and the collection cavity.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present application, the recovery tank further comprises a plurality of second condensing meshes arranged in the recovery cavity at intervals, and the second condensing meshes are located on the airflow path between the condensing tank and the negative pressure fan.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, the first condensing mesh is a diamond-shaped condensing mesh; and the second condensing mesh is a punched mesh plate.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, the flow area of the residue discharge pipeline is greater than the flow area of the exhaust pipeline.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, the steaming tank comprises an air exchange valve mounted on the steaming tank body.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, the steaming tank further comprises a heating film covering the inner wall of the steaming tank body, a shielding mesh plate arranged in the steaming tank body and corresponding to the steam outlet of the steam generator, and an image recognition device arranged in the steaming tank body and used for acquiring the image of the food restrained by the fixing frame.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, the fixing frame comprises a rod member lapped in the steaming tank body and / or a steaming cage detachably arranged in the steaming tank body.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, the steam generator comprises a water tank, a water pump connected with the water tank, and a steam generator connected with the water pump; the steam generator comprises a heat exchange pipe, a heating rod and a heat-conducting shell, both ends of the heat exchange pipe are in communication with the water pump and the steaming tank body respectively; the heat exchange pipe spirally extends around the heating rod; the heat-conducting shell wraps outside the heat exchange pipe and the heating rod, and fills the gap between the heat exchange pipe and the heating rod.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, the heating rod has a plurality of heating sections arranged along the spiral central axis of the heat exchange pipe in sequence and with heating power increasing in sequence, and the heating power of the heating section adjacent to the water inlet end of the heat exchange pipe is less than the heating power of the heating section adjacent to the steam outlet end of the heat exchange pipe.

[0018] In summary, since the condensate and food residue are collected in the recovery cavity and the collection cavity of the recovery tank respectively after the food is steamed, when the steaming tank is opened to take out the food, not only the problem of water vapor splashing will not occur, but also the food residue will not float out of the steaming tank, which helps to protect the health of astronauts and ensure the safe operation of the spacecraft / space station. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A perspective view of a steaming device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 A top view of a steaming device according to the above embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A perspective view of Figure 2 A plane sectional view of the steaming device shown at A-A;

[0022] Figure 4 A perspective view of Figure 2 A perspective sectional view of the steaming device shown at B-B.

[0023] Explanation of main element symbols:

[0024] 1, steaming device; 10, steam generating device; 11, water tank; 12, water pump; 13, steam generator; 131, heat exchange pipe; 132, heating rod; 1320, heating section; 133, heat conduction shell; 134, temperature sensor; 20, steaming tank assembly; 21, steaming tank body; 22, fixing frame; 221, rod; 222, steaming cage; 23, air exchange valve; 24, heating film; 25, shielding net plate; 26, image recognition device; 30, condensation recovery assembly; 31, condensation tank; 310, opening and closing opening; 311, condensation tank body; 312, first condensation net; 313, exhaust pipe; 32, recovery tank; 3201, recovery cavity; 3202, collection cavity; 321, recovery tank body; 322, collection cage body; 323, second condensation net; 33, negative pressure fan; 34, residue discharge pipe; 340, residue discharge valve; 40, mounting base; W, food.

[0025] The above explanation of main element symbols in combination with the drawings and specific embodiments further details the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the above objectives, characteristics and advantages of the present application more apparent, more comprehensible, the specific embodiments of the present application are described in detail below. In the following description, a large number of specific details are set forth in order to provide a sufficient understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the purpose of facilitating the description of the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0028] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0029] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or it can be integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or it can be electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly limited. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] Considering that the traditional steaming box is prone to have problems such as steaming steam and floating residues when steaming food, and the floating water droplets or food residues not only affect the health of astronauts, but also seriously threaten the operation safety of spacecraft / space station. Therefore, the present application provides a steaming device which can recover steam while collecting food residues, meeting the requirements of space cooking.

[0031] Specifically, referring to the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 to 4As shown, one embodiment of this application provides a steaming device 1 for steaming food in a microgravity environment. The steaming device 1 may include a steam generator 10 for generating water vapor, a steaming chamber assembly 20, and a condensation recovery assembly 30. The steaming chamber assembly 20 includes a steaming chamber body 21 connected to the steam generator 10 and used to receive the water vapor, and a fixing frame 22 disposed within the steaming chamber body 21 for restraining food W. The condensation recovery assembly 30 includes a condensation chamber 31, a recovery chamber 32 communicating with the condensation chamber 31, a negative pressure fan 33 disposed within the recovery chamber 32 for creating negative pressure within the recovery chamber 32, and a slag discharge pipe 34 connected at both ends to the steaming chamber body 21 and the recovery chamber 32, and equipped with a slag discharge valve 340.

[0032] More specifically, such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the condenser 31 includes a condenser body 311 with an opening and closing port 310, a plurality of first condensation meshes 312 spaced apart within the condenser body 311, and an exhaust pipe 313 with its two ends connected to the condenser body 311 and the steaming chamber 21, respectively. The recovery box 32 has a recovery chamber 3201 connected to the condenser body 311 and the negative pressure fan 33 for recovering condensate, and a collection chamber 3202 connected to the slag discharge pipe 34 and the recovery chamber 3201 for collecting food residue.

[0033] In this way, during the steaming process, the water vapor generated by the steam generator 10 first enters the steaming chamber 21 to heat and steam the food W constrained by the fixing frame 22, and then enters the condensing chamber 311 through the exhaust pipe 313 to condense into water droplets at the first condensing mesh 312. At the same time, in order to prevent the air pressure inside the condensing chamber 311 from becoming too high, the opening 310 of the condensing chamber 311 is opened to release pressure. Then, after the food is steamed, the opening 310 of the condensing chamber 311 is closed, and the negative pressure fan 33 is turned on to create a negative pressure area in the recovery box 32, so that the water droplets condensed inside the condensing chamber 311 are drawn into the recovery chamber 3201 of the recovery box 32 for recycling. Finally, after the condensate recovery is completed, the exhaust pipe 313 of the condensation box 31 is blocked, and the slag discharge valve 340 of the slag discharge pipe 34 is opened; at this time, the food residue inside the steaming box 21 will enter the collection chamber 3202 through the slag discharge pipe 34 under the action of the negative pressure fan 33, and be collected in the collection chamber 3202.

[0034] It is worth noting that since the condensate and food residue are collected in the recovery cavity 3201 and the collection cavity 3202 of the recovery tank 32 respectively after the food steaming is completed, when the steaming tank assembly 20 is opened to take out the food W, not only the problem of water vapor splashing does not occur, but also the food residue does not fly out of the steaming tank assembly 20, which helps to protect the health of astronauts and ensure the safe operation of the spacecraft / space station.

[0035] In addition, as shown in Figure 3 The steaming tank assembly 20 can also include an air exchange valve 23 installed on the steaming tank body 21. In this way, during the process of steaming food, the air exchange valve 23 is closed to block the external air and internal steam from entering and exiting the steaming tank body 21 through the air exchange valve 23, ensuring that the steaming tank body 21 steams food better; while in the process of recovering condensate and / or collecting food residue, the air exchange valve 23 is opened to allow external air to enter the steaming tank body 21, so that the gas in the steaming tank body 21 can flow, so that water vapor can enter the condensing tank 31 through the exhaust pipeline 313 to be condensed and collected in the recovery cavity 3201, and food residue can enter the recovery tank 32 through the residue discharge pipeline 34 to be collected in the collection cavity 3202.

[0036] Exemplarily, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 The recovery tank 32 can include a recovery tank body 321 connected with the condensing tank body 311 and the residue discharge pipeline 34, and a collection cage 322 arranged in the recovery tank body 321, which encloses the outlet of the residue discharge pipeline 34 to divide the internal space of the recovery tank body 321 into the recovery cavity 3201 and the collection cavity 3202.

[0037] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 The flow area of the residue discharge pipeline 34 is greater than that of the exhaust pipeline 313, so as to allow water vapor to flow from the exhaust pipeline 313 into the condensing tank body 311 while allowing food residue to enter the collection cavity 3202 from the residue discharge pipeline 34.

[0038] It is worth noting that in order to prevent smaller food residue from entering the exhaust pipeline 313, the air inlet of the exhaust pipeline 313 can be provided with a mesh screen or a gas-liquid separation membrane to block food residue from entering the exhaust pipeline 313 while allowing water vapor to flow from the exhaust pipeline 313 into the condensing tank body 311. In addition, in order to prevent condensate from being discharged from the opening 310 and the negative pressure fan 33, the opening 310 and the air inlet of the negative pressure fan 33 of the present application can also be provided with a gas-liquid separation membrane to block water droplets from passing through while allowing gas to pass through, so as to better recover the condensate.

[0039] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the recycling box 32 further comprises a plurality of second condensing nets 323 arranged in the recycling cavity 3201 of the recycling box body 321 at intervals, and the second condensing nets 323 are located on the airflow path between the condensing box 31 and the negative pressure fan 33, so as to further condense water vapor when collecting condensed liquid, ensure that water vapor is completely condensed, and improve the recycling efficiency of water vapor.

[0040] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4 , the first condensing net 312 is implemented as a diamond-shaped condensing net; and the second condensing net 323 is implemented as a punched net plate.

[0041] According to the above embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the steaming box assembly 20 can further comprise a heating film 24 wrapped around the inner wall of the steaming box body 21, for heating the steaming box body 21, so that the temperature of the inner wall of the steaming box body 21 is maintained at about 110°C, avoiding the liquefaction of water vapor in the steaming box body 21, and helping to improve the heat exchange efficiency between water vapor and food W and improve the steaming effect.

[0042] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the steaming box assembly 20 further comprises a shielding net plate 25 arranged in the steaming box body 21 and corresponding to the steam outlet of the steam generating device 10, so that the water vapor flowing out of the steam outlet of the steam generating device 10 is dispersedly flowed under the shielding effect of the shielding net plate 25, so as to fill the steaming box body 21 faster and improve the steaming efficiency of food.

[0043] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 , the steaming box assembly 20 further comprises an image recognition device 26 arranged in the steaming box body 21, for acquiring the image of the food W constrained by the fixing frame 22, so as to identify the steaming state of the food W.

[0044] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the fixing frame 22 comprises a rod member 221 lapped in the steaming box body 21 and / or a steaming basket 222 detachably arranged in the steaming box body 21, so as to use the rod member 221 to fix dumplings or steamed buns, or use the steaming basket 222 to fix granular food such as rice. Preferably, the steaming basket 222 is slidably sleeved on the rod member 221, so as to be used alone or in combination.

[0045] According to the above embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figures 2 to 4As shown, the steam generator 10 can include a water tank 11, a water pump 12 connected with the water tank 11, and a steam generator 13 connected with the water pump 12; the steam generator 13 includes a heat exchange pipe 131, a heating rod 132, and a heat-conducting shell 133, both ends of the heat exchange pipe 131 being communicated with the water pump 12 and the steaming tank 21 respectively. The heat exchange pipe 131 spirally extends around the heating rod 132. The heat-conducting shell 133 is wrapped outside the heat exchange pipe 131 and the heating rod 132, and fills the gap between the heat exchange pipe 131 and the heating rod 132. In this way, when the water in the water tank 11 flows into the heat exchange pipe 131 under the action of the water pump 12, the heat-conducting shell 133 will transfer the heat generated by the heating rod 132 to the heat exchange pipe 131 to heat the water flowing in the heat exchange pipe 131, so that the water flowing into the heat exchange pipe 131 is evaporated into water vapor to flow into the steaming tank 21 for food steaming.

[0046] Notably, although in the microgravity environment of space, water is prone to not sticking to the pipe wall, since the heat exchange pipe 131 spirally extends, so that the water rotates spirally when flowing along the heat exchange pipe 131 to generate centrifugal force, therefore the water flowing in the heat exchange pipe 131 is more likely to contact the inner wall of the heat exchange pipe 131 under the action of centrifugal force, so as to increase the heat exchange area. At the same time, the spiral extension of the heat exchange pipe 131 helps to greatly reduce the overall length of the steam generator 13 while ensuring that the heat exchange pipe 131 is long enough to meet the heat exchange demand, so as to meet the small volume requirement of the space station.

[0047] In addition, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 Since the heat-conducting shell 133 is wrapped outside the heat exchange pipe 131 and the heating rod 132, and fills the gap between the heat exchange pipe 131 and the heating rod 132, the heat-conducting shell 133 of the present application can further improve the heat conduction efficiency between the heating rod 132 and the heat exchange pipe 131, so as to ensure that the heat generated by the heating rod 132 can be quickly transferred to the heat exchange pipe 131 to heat the water in the pipe to generate steam.

[0048] Optionally, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4 The heat-conducting shell 133 is implemented as an aluminum block casted on the heating rod 132 and the heat exchange pipe 131, so as to improve the heat conduction efficiency while protecting the heating rod 132 and the heat exchange pipe 131 from being damaged.

[0049] Optionally, as shown in Figure 4As shown, the heating rod 132 has a plurality of heating sections 1320 arranged along the spiral central axis of the heat exchange pipe 131 in sequence and with heating power increasing in sequence, and the heating power of the heating section 1320 adjacent to the water inlet end of the heat exchange pipe 131 is less than the heating power of the heating section 1320 adjacent to the steam outlet end of the heat exchange pipe 131, so as to improve the energy utilization efficiency while generating saturated steam. For example, the heating power of the plurality of heating sections 1320 increases from 250W to 600W in sequence, and the difference between the heating power of two adjacent heating sections 1320 is 50W.

[0050] It is worth noting that the heat exchange pipe 131 can be but is not limited to being implemented as a copper capillary tube, so as to guide the water to flow inside the heat exchange pipe 131 by capillary action while better conducting heat from the outside of the pipe to the inside of the pipe, causing the water flow in the pipe to adhere to the wall, so as to carry out more efficient heat exchange. Preferably, the inner diameter of the heat exchange pipe 131 is implemented as 2mm, so as to ensure that the water in the pipe adheres to the wall and improves the heating efficiency.

[0051] Optionally, as shown in the drawings, Figure 4 The steam generator 13 also includes a temperature sensor 134 fixed to the heat-conducting shell 133 and abutting the steam outlet end of the heat exchange pipe 131, for detecting the steam outlet temperature of the heat exchange pipe 131, so as to accurately determine the working state of the steam generator 13.

[0052] Optionally, the water pump 12 is implemented as a high-precision flow pump for controlling the amount of water supplied to the steam generator 13, thereby controlling the amount of steam generated. Preferably, the amount of water supplied to the steam generator 13 via the water pump 12 is between 6mL / min and 12mL / min.

[0053] In addition, as shown in the drawings, Figures 1 to 4 The steam generator 1 can further include a mounting base 40, and the steam generator device 10, the steaming box assembly 20 and the condensate recovery assembly 30 are all fixed to the mounting base 40, so as to integrally fix the steam generator 1 in the spacecraft or space station.

[0054] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist, they should be considered as the scope of the present disclosure.

[0055] The above embodiments only express several implementation ways of the present application, and the description is specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation to the patent scope. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled in the art, several modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An apparatus for steaming food in a microgravity environment, the apparatus comprising: The steam generator device is used to generate water vapor. The steaming box assembly comprises a steaming box body and a fixing frame arranged in the steaming box body and used to constrain food. The condensing recovery assembly comprises a condensing box, a recovery box connected with the condensing box, a negative pressure fan arranged in the recovery box and used to form negative pressure in the recovery box, and a residue discharge pipeline connected with the steaming box body and the recovery box and provided with a residue discharge valve. The recovery box comprises a recovery box body connected with the condensing box body and the residue discharge pipeline, and a collection cage arranged in the recovery box body. The collection cage covers the outlet of the residue discharge pipeline to divide the internal space of the recovery box body into the recovery cavity and the collection cavity.

2. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 1, wherein The recovery box further comprises a plurality of second condensing nets arranged in the recovery cavity, and the second condensing nets are located on the airflow path between the condensing box and the negative pressure fan.

3. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The first condensing net is a diamond-shaped condensing net, and the second condensing net is a punched net plate.

4. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 3, wherein The flow area of the residue discharge pipeline is greater than the flow area of the exhaust pipeline.

5. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The steaming box comprises an air exchange valve mounted on the steaming box body.

6. The vaporizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The steaming box further comprises a heating film covering the inner wall of the steaming box body, a shielding net plate arranged in the steaming box body and corresponding to the steam outlet of the steam generator device, and an image recognition device arranged in the steaming box body and used to obtain the image of food constrained by the fixing frame.

7. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The fixing frame comprises a rod arranged in the steaming box body and / or a steaming cage detachably arranged in the steaming box body.

8. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The steam generator device comprises a water tank, a water pump connected with the water tank, and a steam generator connected with the water pump.

9. The vaporizing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The steam generator comprises a heat exchange pipe connected with the water pump and the steaming box body at two ends, a heating rod, and a heat-conducting shell.

10. The vaporizing apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The heat exchange pipe spirally extends around the heating rod. The heating rod has a plurality of heating sections arranged along the spiral central axis of the heat exchange pipe in sequence and having heating power increasing in sequence. The heating power of the heating section adjacent to the water inlet end of the heat exchange pipe is less than the heating power of the heating section adjacent to the steam outlet end of the heat exchange pipe.

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