Microwave steaming equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to a microwave steaming device which can enable water to be efficiently changed into water vapor to steam food in a microgravity environment, and the taste and taste requirements of passengers are met. The microwave steaming equipment comprises a microwave generator used for emitting microwaves; the steaming tool is arranged on the microwave emitting side of the microwave generator and used for containing food; the water absorption piece is provided with a porous structure and is used for absorbing water under the capillary action; and the water absorption piece is arranged in the steaming tool, is positioned in the microwave heating area of the microwave generator, and is used for generating water vapor under the action of microwave heating so as to steam the food in the steaming tool.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of steaming technology, and in particular to a microwave steaming device. Background Technology

[0002] As a special group of people, astronauts working in microgravity face significant limitations, not only in the diversity of their food but also in the methods of food preparation. Currently, there are no food steaming devices available in microgravity, only a low-temperature, low-pressure evaporation process. However, there is still a need to enrich the crew's menu, improve the taste of food, and enhance the cooking experience.

[0003] In addition, in household products on the ground (such as steam-microwave combination ovens, steam-oven combination ovens, or steam-microwave-oven combination ovens), steaming food usually adopts the following two methods: The first is the steam generator method, which involves die-casting the heating element and water pipe into an aluminum block. The heating element first heats the aluminum block at high temperature, and then the aluminum block transfers the heat to the water pipe, causing the water inside the pipe to evaporate and heat the food; The second method is to directly add water through a water pump, so that the water flows to the heating plate at the bottom of the product's inner cavity and is then heated into steam.

[0004] However, both of the above solutions have many problems in a microgravity environment: the water in the pipe (or on the heating plate) will not adhere to the pipe wall (or plate surface) without gravity, but will float in the pipe (or cavity) in clumps, which will affect the heating of the water and result in very low evaporation efficiency. The steam generated will contain a large amount of liquid water. When the water adhering to the pipe wall (or plate surface) generates bubbles when heated, the bubbles will not float due to the lack of gravity. They will not only not detach from the water surface, but will also accumulate on the pipe wall (or plate surface), which will seriously affect the direct transfer of heat to the liquid water.

[0005] Furthermore, to solve the above problems, existing systems usually need to add centrifugal structures to allow water to adhere to the pipe wall (or plate surface), which makes the whole system more complex and less reliable. Utility Model Content

[0006] Based on this, it is necessary to address the problem that existing food steaming methods cannot be used in space stations due to water not adhering to the walls in a microgravity environment. This application provides a microwave steaming device that can efficiently turn water into steam in a microgravity environment to steam food, thus meeting the taste and texture requirements of the crew.

[0007] According to one aspect of this application, one embodiment of this application provides a microwave steaming apparatus, comprising:

[0008] A microwave generator is used to emit microwaves;

[0009] A steaming vessel, positioned on the microwave emitting side of the microwave generator, is used to hold food; and

[0010] A water-absorbing element, wherein the water-absorbing element has a porous structure for absorbing water by capillary action; and the water-absorbing element is disposed inside the steamer and located in the microwave heating area of ​​the microwave generator for generating water vapor under microwave heating to steam the food located inside the steamer.

[0011] In one embodiment of this application, the microwave steaming device further includes a microwave shielding plate; the microwave shielding plate is disposed inside the steaming vessel to divide the internal space of the steaming vessel into a steaming chamber and an evaporation chamber that are interconnected; the evaporation chamber is located between the steaming chamber and the microwave emission area of ​​the microwave generator, and the water-absorbing element is located inside the evaporation chamber.

[0012] In one embodiment of this application, the microwave shielding plate is a metal plate with openings.

[0013] In one embodiment of this application, the aperture ratio of the microwave shielding plate is between 5% and 10%.

[0014] In one embodiment of this application, the absorbent element is laid on the inner wall of the evaporation chamber.

[0015] In one embodiment of this application, the steamer includes a pot body with the water-absorbing material lined on its inner wall and a lid detachably formed in the pot body; the microwave shielding plate is sandwiched between the pot body and the lid.

[0016] In one embodiment of this application, the steamer further includes a pressure relief valve installed on the cover; the pressure relief valve has a pressure relief threshold of 10 kPa.

[0017] In one embodiment of this application, the steamer further includes a humidity sensor mounted on the lid and communicatively connected to the microwave generator.

[0018] In one embodiment of this application, the microwave generator includes a plate microwave oven and a microwave heating cover, the microwave heating cover being detachably disposed on the emitting side of the plate microwave oven; the steamer is fixedly mounted inside the microwave heating cover, and the evaporation chamber of the steamer is located adjacent to the plate microwave oven.

[0019] In one embodiment of this application, the absorbent element is a ceramic component or a polymer component.

[0020] In summary, the microwave steaming equipment of this application can effectively solve this problem by utilizing the porous structure of the water-absorbing component. Specifically, when the water in the water-absorbing component is heated by microwaves, the bubbles will float upward along the pore walls of the porous structure. In addition, the liquid water is distributed on the entire material of the water-absorbing component, and its local surface tension is very small (compared to a large water mass). This allows the steam to escape from the water-absorbing component due to the volume expansion when it changes from liquid to gas, and then fill the steamer to steam food in a microgravity environment, which is convenient for meeting the taste and texture requirements of passengers. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a microwave steaming apparatus according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart of a microwave steaming method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] Explanation of key component symbols:

[0024] 1. Microwave steaming equipment; 10. Microwave generator; 11. Plate microwave oven; 12. Microwave heating cover; 20. Steaming appliance; 201. Steaming chamber; 202. Evaporation chamber; 21. Pot body; 22. Lid; 23. Pressure relief valve; 24. Humidity sensor; 30. Water absorption component; 40. Microwave shielding plate.

[0025] The above description of the main component symbols, together with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0028] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0029] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components, unless otherwise expressly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0030] Considering that existing food steaming methods not only fail to adhere to the pipe wall (or plate surface) in a microgravity environment, but also clump together and float in the water pipe (or inner cavity), affecting the heating of the water and resulting in very low evaporation efficiency, the final steam will contain a large amount of liquid water; moreover, even if some water adheres to the pipe wall (or plate surface), the bubbles generated by heating will not float due to the lack of gravity, and will easily accumulate on the pipe wall (or plate surface), thus seriously affecting the direct transfer of heat to the liquid water; therefore, this application provides a microwave steaming device that can efficiently turn water into steam to steam food in a microgravity environment, meeting the taste and texture requirements of passengers.

[0031] Specifically, see the attached document. Figure 1 As shown, one embodiment of this application provides a microwave steaming apparatus 1, which may include a microwave generator 10 for emitting microwaves, a steaming vessel 20 for holding food W, and a water-absorbing component 30. The steaming vessel 20 is disposed on the microwave emitting side of the microwave generator 10. The water-absorbing component 30 has a porous structure for absorbing water under capillary action; and the water-absorbing component 30 is disposed within the steaming vessel 20 and located in the microwave heating area of ​​the microwave generator 10, for generating water vapor under microwave heating to steam the food W located within the steaming vessel 20.

[0032] It is worth noting that while water vapor can be generated by directly heating water with microwaves in environments with gravity, such as on Earth, in microgravity environments such as space, the friction between water molecules within a floating water mass during microwave heating generates high localized heat. Furthermore, the high surface tension of the water mass causes steam to accumulate and fail to dissipate quickly, eventually leading to bursting and splashing when it reaches a certain level. However, the microwave steaming device 1 of this application effectively solves this problem by utilizing the porous structure of the water-absorbing element 30. Specifically, when the water in the water-absorbing element 30 is heated by microwaves, bubbles float upwards along the pore walls of the porous structure. In addition, the liquid water is distributed across the entire material of the water-absorbing element 30, resulting in very low local surface tension (compared to a large water mass). This allows steam to escape from the water-absorbing element 30 due to volume expansion when changing from liquid to gas, thus filling the steaming vessel 20 to steam food W in a microgravity environment, thus satisfying the taste and texture requirements of the occupants.

[0033] Furthermore, the water-absorbing component 30 mentioned in this application can be implemented as a ceramic component such as alumina ceramic, silicon carbide ceramic or zirconium oxide ceramic, or as a polymer component such as foam plastic or fiber, or as a component made of other porous materials such as carbon fiber, as long as it can absorb water through capillary action while being heat-resistant. This application will not elaborate further on this.

[0034] More specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the microwave steaming device 1 may further include a microwave shielding plate 40, which is disposed within the steaming vessel 20 to divide the internal space of the steaming vessel 20 into a steaming chamber 201 and an evaporation chamber 202 that are interconnected. The steaming chamber 201 is used to hold food W. The evaporation chamber 202 is located between the steaming chamber 201 and the microwave emission area of ​​the microwave generator 10, and the water-absorbing component 30 is located within the evaporation chamber 202. In this way, the microwave shielding plate 40 can separate the food W from the water-absorbing component 30, ensuring that most of the microwaves heat the water in the water-absorbing component 30 within the evaporation chamber 202 to form water vapor, which then enters the steaming chamber 201 to steam the food W. Only a small portion of the microwaves enters the steaming chamber 201 to heat the food W, ensuring that the rate of steam generation is always greater than the rate of food heating, so as to obtain a better food steaming effect.

[0035] For example, the microwave shielding plate 40 may be implemented as a metal plate with openings to provide good microwave shielding while allowing steam to pass through.

[0036] Optionally, the microwave shielding plate 40 has an opening ratio between 5% and 10% to allow some microwaves to enter the steaming cavity 201 to directly heat the food W, which is beneficial to improving the cooking speed of the food W. It is understood that the opening ratio mentioned in this application refers to the percentage of the cross-sectional area of ​​all openings on the metal plate.

[0037] Optionally, the water-absorbing element 30 is laid on the inner wall of the evaporation chamber 202 to increase the surface area of ​​the water-absorbing element 30, so that the steam can better escape from the water-absorbing element 30, which helps to ensure sufficient steam volume and achieve good steaming effect.

[0038] Optionally, such as Figure 1 As shown, the steamer 20 includes a pot body 21 with the absorbent component 30 lined on its inner wall and a lid 22 detachably covering the pot body 21. A microwave shielding plate 40 is sandwiched between the pot body 21 and the lid 22 to form an evaporation chamber 202 between the microwave shielding plate 40 and the pot body 21, and a steaming chamber 201 between the microwave shielding plate 40 and the lid 22. This allows for flexible placement and removal of food W and the absorbent component 30, reducing the difficulty of replenishing the absorbent component 30 with water in a microgravity environment. It is understood that in a microgravity environment, users can inject water into the absorbent component 30 using a syringe, or place the absorbent component 30 into a water bag to absorb water; this application will not elaborate further on these aspects.

[0039] Optionally, such as Figure 1 As shown, the steamer 20 also includes a pressure relief valve 23 installed on the lid 22, which creates a micro-pressure environment inside the steamer 20 during the steaming process, which is beneficial for the rapid cooking of food W; at the same time, it can also make full use of steam energy and reduce steam leakage. It is understood that, unlike the steam overflow phenomenon during the steaming process of household products, the microgravity environment requires the full utilization of energy. The pressure relief valve 23 of this application can minimize steam leakage and improve energy utilization efficiency.

[0040] Optionally, the pressure relief valve 23 has a pressure relief threshold of 10 kPa; when the internal pressure of the steamer 20 exceeds 10 kPa, the pressure relief valve 23 starts to automatically release air and relieve pressure; and when the internal pressure of the steamer 20 is less than 10 kPa, the pressure relief valve 23 automatically closes.

[0041] In addition, such as Figure 1As shown, the steamer 20 further includes a humidity sensor 24 installed on the cover 22 and communicatively connected to the microwave generator 10. This sensor monitors the humidity inside the steaming chamber 201 in real time, feeding back to the control unit to adjust the power of the microwave generator 10 in real time. This ensures the humidity inside the steaming chamber 201 is maintained at a set level, resulting in a good steaming effect. It is understood that the absorption rate and amount of steam by food W differ before and after the steaming process, and other situations may occur that reduce the amount of steam. Therefore, the microwave steaming device 1 of this application can adjust the power of the microwave generator 10 in real time based on the real-time monitoring results of the humidity sensor 24, maintaining sufficient steam in the steaming chamber 201 to achieve a good steaming effect.

[0042] It is worth noting that, such as Figure 1 As shown, the microwave generator 10 may include a plate microwave oven 11 and a microwave heating cover 12. The microwave heating cover 12 is detachably mounted on the emitting side of the plate microwave oven 11 to form a microwave heating cavity for accommodating the steamer 20. The steamer 20 is fixedly mounted inside the microwave heating cover 12, and the evaporation cavity 202 of the steamer 20 is located adjacent to the plate microwave oven 11.

[0043] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, for the bottom-emitting microwave generator 10, the microwave heating cover 12 is located above the plate microwave oven 11; the evaporation chamber 202 of the steamer 20 is located below the steaming chamber 201 of the steamer 20, arranged adjacent to the plate microwave oven 11. In this way, the microwaves emitted by the plate microwave oven 11 first heat the water absorbed by the water-absorbing member 30 in the evaporation chamber 202 to form steam, and then heat the food W in the steaming chamber 201 after the microwaves attenuate. It is understood that in other examples of this application, the microwave generator 10 can also be top-emitting or side-emitting. In this case, only the placement direction of the steamer 20 needs to be adjusted accordingly to ensure that the microwaves first contact and heat the water in the water-absorbing member 30; this application will not elaborate further on this.

[0044] It is worth mentioning that, according to another aspect of this application, such as Figure 2 As shown, one embodiment of this application further provides a microwave steaming method, which may include the steps of:

[0045] S100: Absorbs a predetermined mass of water through capillary action via the absorbent element; and

[0046] S200: Using a microwave generator, water located inside the water-absorbing element is heated by microwaves to generate steam for steaming food.

[0047] It is worth noting that, on the one hand, the amount of water in the absorbent varies depending on the type of food being steamed; it is only necessary to ensure that the absorbent volume is greater than the actual amount of water needed for steaming. On the other hand, the amount of steam required for different cooking stages during the steaming process also varies. To meet the required amount of steam for steaming, in the above embodiments of this application, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the microwave steaming method may further include the following steps:

[0048] S300: Real-time monitoring of humidity inside the steamer to obtain humidity profile information; and

[0049] S400: Based on the humidity curve information and the preset steaming program, the real-time power of the microwave generator is adaptively adjusted to meet the steaming requirements of food.

[0050] Understandably, based on this humidity curve information, the microwave steaming method of this application can obtain the amount of steam per minute and the cumulative amount of steam before the current moment through integration or other means, and compare them with the steam threshold per minute and the cumulative steam threshold of the corresponding cooking stage, respectively. When the amount of steam per minute is less than the steam threshold per minute and the cumulative steam is less than the cumulative steam threshold, the power of the microwave generator is increased to quickly heat the water absorption element to replenish the amount of steam, ensuring that there is sufficient steam in the steamer to meet the food steaming requirements in a microgravity environment.

[0051] For example, taking three portions of frozen steamed buns, each weighing approximately 80g, the process is as follows: First, before steaming, the user can inject 90ml of water into the absorbent using a syringe or place the absorbent in a water bag containing 90ml of water. Next, the absorbent is placed inside the steamer's pot, followed by the microwave shield, food, and lid. Then, the entire steamer is placed in the microwave heating area of ​​the microwave generator. When steaming begins, the user can select the food type through the microwave generator's screen or identify the food type by scanning its QR code before steaming (each bag of food eaten by astronauts has a unique QR code). Finally, after the program identifies the food type, it calls the pre-tested steaming program, which may include, but is not limited to, the entire cooking time, microwave power during startup, humidity signal monitoring and feedback during the process, and real-time power control throughout.

[0052] For example, the entire cooking time for steaming buns is eight minutes. The microwave power during the start-up phase is 800W (600W for vegetables / seafood, 800W for staple foods, etc.), generating 8g to 10g of steam per minute and accumulating it (the first 30 seconds are the heating process and no calculation or feedback is performed), while maintaining the two important parameters of power and humidity. However, when the amount of steam absorbed by the buns is too large, some steam condenses, and / or the steam is automatically released and depressurized, the amount of steam per minute inside the steamer will be less than the set steam threshold per minute, and the accumulated steam amount will be less than the accumulated steam threshold. At this time, the microwave generator is controlled to increase its power (up to 900W) to quickly heat the water absorption component to replenish the steam. Following the above logic, the eight-minute countdown is completed.

[0053] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0054] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of several implementation methods of this application, and their descriptions are quite specific and detailed. However, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this application, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A microwave steaming device, characterized in that, include: A microwave generator is used to emit microwaves; A steamer, located on the microwave emitting side of the microwave generator, is used to hold food. as well as A water-absorbing element, wherein the water-absorbing element has a porous structure for absorbing water by capillary action; and the water-absorbing element is disposed inside the steamer and located in the microwave heating area of ​​the microwave generator for generating water vapor under microwave heating to steam the food located inside the steamer.

2. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The microwave steaming equipment also includes a microwave shielding plate; the microwave shielding plate is disposed inside the steaming vessel to divide the internal space of the steaming vessel into a steaming chamber and an evaporation chamber that are interconnected; the evaporation chamber is located between the steaming chamber and the microwave emission area of ​​the microwave generator, and the water-absorbing component is located inside the evaporation chamber.

3. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The microwave shielding plate is a metal plate with openings.

4. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The opening ratio of the microwave shielding plate is between 5% and 10%.

5. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The absorbent element is laid on the inner wall of the evaporation chamber.

6. The microwave steaming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The steamer includes a pot body with the water-absorbing material lined on its inner wall and a lid that is detachably opened in the pot body; the microwave shielding plate is sandwiched between the pot body and the lid.

7. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The steamer also includes a pressure relief valve installed on the cover; the pressure relief valve has a pressure relief threshold of 10 kPa.

8. The microwave steaming equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The steamer also includes a humidity sensor mounted on the lid and communicatively connected to the microwave generator.

9. The microwave steaming apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The microwave generator includes a plate microwave oven and a microwave heating cover, the microwave heating cover being detachably mounted on the emitting side of the plate microwave oven; the steamer is fixed inside the microwave heating cover, and the evaporation chamber of the steamer is located adjacent to the plate microwave oven.

10. The microwave steaming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The absorbent component is made of ceramic or polymer.

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