An air fryer

Abstract

This utility model discloses an air fryer: it includes an air fryer body having a cooking cavity and an insertion port connected to the cooking cavity for inserting a frying basket; an air duct connected to the side of the air fryer body away from the insertion port and extending along the height direction of the air fryer body, the air duct having an air inlet end and an air outlet end, the air outlet end being connected to the top of the cooking cavity; and a hot air assembly including a fan assembly and an electric heating element, the fan assembly being connected to the side of the air fryer body away from the insertion port, and the air outlet of the fan assembly being connected to the air inlet end of the air duct, the electric heating element being connected inside the air duct. This air fryer has a compact structure and small size.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of kitchen appliance technology, specifically an air fryer. Background Technology

[0002] An air fryer is a cooking device that rapidly heats airflow using heating elements, and then uses a high-powered fan to bring the heated airflow into contact with the food, thus achieving a frying effect. It is popular because the food it produces tastes good, is low in oil, and contains fewer harmful substances. Air fryers typically have a hot air assembly, which includes an electric heating element and a fan assembly. The electric heating element is usually a heating wire or heating tube, and the fan assembly blows the heat generated by the heating element into the inner pot or food cooking cavity to bake the food.

[0003] In related technologies, the hot air assembly of air fryers is generally located above the cooking cavity or on top of the fryer body. For example, Chinese patent application CN221330985U, entitled "Hot Air Assembly for Air Fryer and Air Fryer," places the hot air assembly above the cooking cavity to blow hot air into the cooking cavity for baking food. Because the hot air assembly is located on top of the fryer body, this type of air fryer is quite tall, making it difficult to place within the height limits of a cabinet.

[0004] In order to reduce the overall height of the air fryer and expand the volume of the cooking cavity, some air fryers place the hot air assembly on the back of the air fryer. For example, in the applicant's earlier patent application with publication number CN222367566U entitled "An Air Fryer", the hot air assembly is connected to the side of the shell away from the cooking cavity insertion port, that is, the hot air assembly is connected to the back of the air fryer.

[0005] The aforementioned air fryers have the following drawbacks in actual use: because the motor and heating element of the hot air assembly are distributed sequentially along the axial direction of the motor shaft, the overall thickness of the hot air assembly is relatively thick, the structure is not compact, and the overall volume of the air fryer is large, making it difficult to achieve miniaturization of the air fryer. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by this application is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned related technologies and provide an air fryer with a compact structure and small size.

[0007] The technical solution of this application is to provide an air fryer having the following structure: including... The fryer body has a cooking cavity and an insertion port that communicates with the cooking cavity and allows a frying basket to be inserted into the cooking cavity; An air duct is connected to the side of the fryer body away from the insertion port and extends along the height direction of the fryer body. The air duct has an air inlet end and an air outlet end, and the air outlet end is connected to the top of the cooking cavity. The hot air assembly includes a fan assembly and an electric heating element. The fan assembly is connected to the side of the fryer body away from the insertion port, and the air outlet of the fan assembly is connected to the air inlet of the air duct. The electric heating element is connected inside the air duct.

[0008] In some embodiments, the electric heating element extends within the air duct from the air outlet end of the air duct toward the air inlet end of the air duct.

[0009] In some embodiments, the electric heating element is a U-shaped tube segment formed by continuously bending an electric heating tube and stacking multiple segments along the length of the air duct.

[0010] In some embodiments, the air outlet of the air duct forms an airflow outlet at the top of the cooking cavity, and the opening direction of the airflow outlet is inclined from top to bottom into the cooking cavity.

[0011] In some embodiments, the air duct is provided with a heat dissipation hole on the side away from the cooking cavity, and the heat dissipation hole is connected to a heat dissipation window on the outer wall of the fryer body.

[0012] In some embodiments, the air duct has an inclined section and an arc-shaped section integrally formed with the inclined section, the air outlet is disposed at the outer end of the arc-shaped section, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the arc-shaped section is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the inclined section.

[0013] In some embodiments, the outer end of the arc-shaped segment is provided with a guide vane that extends into the cooking cavity.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fan assembly includes a housing, a motor, and an impeller. The housing has the air outlet and an air inlet communicating with the cooking cavity. The impeller is rotatably connected inside the housing and is driven by the shaft of the motor. The impeller is configured as a cross-flow fan blade and is arranged along the width direction of the fryer body.

[0015] In some embodiments, a guide vane is connected to the top of the cooking cavity, and the guide vane is inclined downward from the air outlet of the air duct toward the insertion port.

[0016] In some embodiments, a foldable or unfoldable control panel is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fryer body.

[0017] In summary, the air fryer of this application has the following advantages compared with related technologies: the hot air assembly of the air fryer is connected to the side of the fryer body away from the insertion port, thus avoiding the hot air assembly occupying the space at the top of the fryer body, thereby reducing the overall height of the air fryer and expanding the height or volume of the cooking cavity; in addition, the fan assembly of the hot air assembly is set below the air duct and the air outlet of the fan assembly is connected to the air inlet of the air duct, and the electric heating element of the hot air assembly is connected inside the air duct. This not only avoids the fan assembly and the electric heating element being arranged sequentially along the depth or length of the fryer body, but also prevents the electric heating element from occupying the internal space of the fryer body, thereby making the depth or length of the fryer body smaller. Therefore, the air fryer has a compact structure and small size. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the rear structure of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional cross-sectional view of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional assembly diagram of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the hot air assembly and the air duct of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the air duct of an air fryer according to some embodiments of this application.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 1. Fryer body; 100. Cooking cavity; 101. Air guide plate; 102. Through hole; 103. Heat dissipation window; 104. Insertion port; 105. First heat dissipation grille; 106. Second heat dissipation grille; 2. Frying basket; 3. Hot air assembly; 300. Fan assembly; 3000. Shell; 3001. Air outlet; 3002. Air inlet; 3003. Impeller; 3004. Motor; 301. Electric heating element; 4. Air duct; 400. Air inlet end; 401. Air outlet end; 402. Inclined section; 403. Arc-shaped section; 404. Heat dissipation hole; 405. Airflow outlet; 406. Air guide plate; 5. Control panel. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] In the description of the embodiments of the application, it should be understood that the terms "lateral", "longitudinal", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "vertical", "top", "bottom", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0029] 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 one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise expressly defined.

[0030] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "fixation," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection, a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or they can refer to the internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] See Figures 1 to 8As shown in the figure, this application discloses an air fryer, the structure of which includes an air fryer body 1 and an air fryer basket 2. The air fryer body 1 includes an outer shell, a cooking cavity 100, an electronic control unit, an operation panel 5, and an inner liner connected to the outer shell. The cooking cavity 100 is formed in the space defined by the inner liner. An insertion port 104 is provided on the side of the air fryer body 1 near the user, which is connected to the cooking cavity 100 and allows the air fryer basket 2 to be inserted into or removed from the cooking cavity 100. The air fryer also includes an air duct 4 and a hot air assembly 3. The air duct 4 is connected to the air fryer body 1 away from the insertion port 104. The air duct 4 extends along the height of the fryer body 1 on one side and has an air inlet end 400 and an air outlet end 401 opposite to the air inlet end 400. The air outlet end 401 extends to the top of the cooking cavity 100 and is connected to the inside of the cooking cavity 100. The hot air assembly 3 includes a fan assembly 300 and an electric heating element 301. The fan assembly 300 is connected to the side of the fryer body 1 away from the insertion port 104, and the air outlet 3001 of the fan assembly 300 is connected to the air inlet end 400 of the air duct 4. The electric heating element 301 is connected inside the air duct 4.

[0032] In this embodiment, the electronic control unit is also the controller of the air fryer. The electronic control unit is electrically connected to the operation panel 5 and the fan assembly 300 and electric heating element 301 of the hot air assembly 3, respectively, and is used to control the operation of the fan assembly 300 and electric heating element 301 through the operation panel 5.

[0033] It is not difficult to understand, see Figure 3 As shown, a through hole 102 is provided on the side wall of the cooking cavity 100 near the fan assembly 300, connecting the cooking cavity 100 and the fan assembly 300. Air in the cooking cavity 100 can enter the fan assembly 300 through the through hole 102. The airflow generated by the fan assembly 300 is blown upward from bottom to top through the air duct 4. When it passes through the electric heating element 301 in the air duct 4, its temperature rises, forming a hot airflow. This hot airflow is then blown upward from the air outlet 401 of the air duct 4 and diffuses downward from the cooking cavity 100 to reach the surface of the food. Finally, it enters the fan assembly 300 through the through hole 102. Therefore, the cooking cavity 100, the fan assembly 300, the air duct 4, the electric heating element 301, and the cooking cavity 100 form a hot airflow circulation path, thereby circulating and heating the food for baking.

[0034] In this embodiment, the fan assembly 300 and electric heating element 301 of the hot air assembly 3 of the air fryer are both connected to the side of the fryer body 1 away from the insertion port 104. This avoids the hot air assembly 3 occupying the space at the top of the fryer body 1, thus reducing the overall height of the air fryer and expanding the height or volume of the cooking cavity 100. In addition, the fan assembly 300 of the hot air assembly 3 is placed below the air duct 4 and the air outlet 3001 of the fan assembly 300 is connected to the air inlet 400 of the air duct 4. The electric heating element 301 of the hot air assembly 3 is connected inside the air duct 4. This avoids the fan assembly 300 and the electric heating element 301 being arranged sequentially along the depth or length of the fryer body 1, thus making the depth or length of the fryer body 1 smaller. Therefore, the air fryer has a compact structure and small size.

[0035] It is easy to understand that in this embodiment, the electric heating element 301 is connected inside the air duct 4. Compared with the prior art, where the electric heating element 301 is placed at the top of the cooking cavity 100 or on the side of the cooking cavity 100 away from the insertion port 104 and distributed axially with the motor, the electric heating element 301 does not occupy the internal space of the air fryer. Instead, it cleverly utilizes the internal space of the air duct 4. Therefore, the air fryer with the electric heating element 301 connected inside the air duct 4 has a compact structure, which allows the air fryer to be set to a smaller size and volume.

[0036] Further in this embodiment, see Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the fan assembly 300 includes a housing 3000, a motor 3004, and an impeller 3003. The housing 3000 is a hollow cuboid and is arranged along the width direction of the fryer body 1 and connected to the side of the fryer body 1 away from the insertion port 104. The width direction refers to the direction from the left to the right of the fryer body 1 when a person is facing the front of the fryer body 1. The top of the housing 3000 is provided with an air outlet 3001 extending along the length of the housing 3000, and the side of the housing 3000 near the cooking cavity 100 is provided with an air inlet 3002 that communicates with the through hole 102 on the side wall of the cooking cavity 100; the impeller 3003 is configured as a cross-flow fan blade and is arranged along the length of the housing 3000, that is, the axial direction of the impeller 3003 is consistent with the width direction of the fryer body 1. The impeller 3003 is rotatably connected inside the housing 3000 and is driven by the shaft of the motor 3004. Under the drive of the motor 3004, the impeller 3003 rotates to draw airflow through the air inlet 3002 of the housing 3000 and into the air duct 4 through the air outlet 3001 of the housing 3000 and the air inlet end 400 of the air duct 4.

[0037] Understandably, the impeller 3003 is configured as a cross-flow fan blade and is arranged along the width direction of the fryer body 1. Compared with the prior art, where the blades are mounted on the shaft of the motor 3004 and the blades and motor 3004 are arranged sequentially along the length or depth direction of the fryer body 1, the thickness of the fan assembly 300 is reduced, thereby reducing the volume of the fan assembly 300. This allows the fan assembly 300 to occupy less internal space in the fryer body 1, thus enabling the fryer body 1 to be smaller and more compact.

[0038] It is easy to understand that the larger the surface area of ​​the electric heating element 301, the faster the airflow in the air duct 4 heats up when it comes into contact with the surface of the electric heating element 301; therefore, in this embodiment, see again... Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the electric heating element 301 extends from the air outlet 401 to the air inlet 400 within the air duct 4. This arrangement allows the airflow within the air duct 4 to heat up rapidly. Furthermore, as the airflow travels from the air inlet 400 to the air outlet 401, it can sequentially contact and heat the surface of the electric heating element 301, or extend the time the airflow spends passing over the surface of the electric heating element 301, thereby enabling rapid heating and improving cooking efficiency.

[0039] To further increase the surface area of ​​the electric heating element 301 and improve the heating rate of the airflow, the electric heating element 301 is configured as an electric heating tube, which is formed by a continuous bending process to create multiple U-shaped tube segments stacked along the length of the air duct 4. This configuration increases the surface area of ​​the electric heating element 301, enabling the airflow to heat up quickly and further improving cooking efficiency.

[0040] It is understandable that when the electric heating element 301 is connected inside the air duct 4, the temperature of the air duct 4 itself will inevitably rise after the electric heating element 301 is energized and heated. If heat cannot be dissipated in time, the temperature of the fryer body 1 will rise, shortening its service life. Therefore, in this embodiment, see... Figure 3 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, a heat dissipation hole 404 is provided on the side of the air duct 4 away from the cooking cavity 100, and the heat dissipation hole 404 is connected to the heat dissipation window 103 on the outer wall of the air fryer body 1. This arrangement allows the heat on the air duct 4 to dissipate outward through the heat dissipation hole 404 and the heat dissipation window 103 for rapid heat dissipation, preventing the air duct 4 from overheating. In particular, after the air fryer is used, the heat dissipation hole 404 and the heat dissipation window 103 can quickly dissipate the heat on the air duct 4.

[0041] Further in this embodiment, see Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the air duct 4 is composed of two outer shells joined together. From bottom to top, it has an inclined section 402 and an arc-shaped section 403 integrally formed with the inclined section 402. The lower end of the inclined section 402 is set as the air inlet 400 of the air duct 4, and the air outlet 401 is located at the outer end of the arc-shaped section 403. The cross-sectional area of ​​the arc-shaped section 403 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the inclined section 402. This arrangement causes the airflow to be compressed to a certain extent within the air duct 4, thereby increasing the airflow pressure. When the airflow diffuses outward through the air outlet 401, it has a higher flow velocity, which allows the hot airflow to quickly reach the surface of the food in the cooking cavity 100, improving cooking efficiency.

[0042] In some embodiments, see again Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the air outlet 401 of the air duct 4 forms an air outlet 405 at the top of the cooking cavity 100, and the opening direction of the air outlet 405 is inclined from top to bottom into the cooking cavity 100. By setting the opening direction of the air outlet 405 of the air outlet 401 of the air duct 4 to be inclined from top to bottom into the cooking cavity 100, the airflow can quickly reach the surface of the food inside the cooking cavity 100 when it diffuses into the cooking cavity 100 through the air outlet 401.

[0043] Further in the above embodiments, see Figure 4 and Figure 8 As shown, the top of the outer end of the arc-shaped segment 403 is provided with a guide vane 406 that extends into the cooking cavity 100. That is, a guide vane 406 extending into the cooking cavity 100 is provided at the top of the air outlet 401 of the air duct 4. The guide vane 406 can guide the airflow from top to bottom into the cooking cavity 100, preventing the airflow blown out from the air outlet 401 from blowing directly towards the top of the cooking cavity 100, thereby improving cooking efficiency.

[0044] In some embodiments, see Figure 4 and Figure 6 As shown, a guide vane 101 is connected to the top of the cooking cavity 100. The guide vane 101 is inclined downward from the air outlet 401 of the air duct 4 towards the insertion port 104. The guide vane 101 can quickly guide the airflow that is directly blown towards the top of the cooking cavity 100 downward into the cooking cavity 100, further improving cooking efficiency.

[0045] In some embodiments, see Figure 5As shown, because the air guide plate 101 at the top of the cooking cavity 100 is inclined downward, a space is formed between the upper part of the air guide plate 101 and the inner wall of the top of the fryer body 1. Therefore, a groove is provided on at least one side wall of the fryer body above the air guide plate 101. The bottom wall of the groove is configured as a first heat dissipation grille 105 that communicates with the space mentioned above, and a cooling fan is connected in the groove. The cooling fan can accelerate the airflow and heat dissipation in the space between the air guide plate 101 and the inner wall of the top of the fryer body 1 through the first heat dissipation grille 105.

[0046] In some embodiments, a heat dissipation structure is also provided at the bottom of the fryer body 1. Specifically, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 As shown, a recessed part is provided at the bottom of the outer shell of the fryer body 1. A second heat dissipation grille 105 is provided at the bottom of the recessed part, and a heat dissipation fan is connected inside the recessed part. The heat dissipation fan can diffuse the heat at the bottom of the cooking cavity 100 outward through the second heat dissipation grille 105 to achieve the purpose of rapid heat dissipation.

[0047] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, a foldable or unfoldable control panel 5 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fryer body 1. Specifically, the control panel 5 is rotatably connected to the side wall of one side of the fryer body 1. When in use, the control panel 5 can be rotated open, and when not in use, the control panel 5 can be rotated and folded. Alternatively, when in use, the control panel 5 can be rotated and adjusted to a suitable angle for convenient user operation. Moreover, when unfolded for use, it can be kept away from heat sources for easy heat dissipation.

[0048] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0049] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application 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 this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An air fryer characterised in that: include The fryer body has a cooking cavity and an insertion port that communicates with the cooking cavity and allows a frying basket to be inserted into the cooking cavity; An air duct is connected to the side of the fryer body away from the insertion port and extends along the height direction of the fryer body. The air duct has an air inlet end and an air outlet end, and the air outlet end is connected to the top of the cooking cavity. The hot air assembly includes a fan assembly and an electric heating element. The fan assembly is connected to the side of the fryer body away from the insertion port, and the air outlet of the fan assembly is connected to the air inlet of the air duct. The electric heating element is connected inside the air duct.

2. The air fryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric heating element is arranged inside the air duct from the air outlet end to the air inlet end of the air duct.

3. The air fryer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electric heating element is a U-shaped tube segment formed by continuously bending electric heating tubes and stacking them along the length of the air duct.

4. The air fryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air outlet of the air duct forms an airflow outlet at the top of the cooking cavity, and the opening direction of the airflow outlet is inclined from top to bottom into the cooking cavity.

5. The air fryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air duct has a heat dissipation hole on the side away from the cooking cavity, and the heat dissipation hole is connected to the heat dissipation window on the outer wall of the fryer body.

6. The air fryer of claim 1, wherein: The air duct has an inclined section and an arc-shaped section integrally formed with the inclined section. The air outlet is located at the outer end of the arc-shaped section, and the cross-sectional area of ​​the arc-shaped section is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the inclined section.

7. The air fryer of claim 1, wherein: The outer end of the arc-shaped segment is provided with a guide vane that extends into the cooking cavity.

8. An air fryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that: The fan assembly includes a housing, a motor, and an impeller. The housing has an air outlet and an air inlet that communicates with the cooking cavity. The impeller is rotatably connected inside the housing and is driven by the shaft of the motor. The impeller is configured as a cross-flow fan blade and is arranged along the width direction of the fryer body.

9. The air fryer of claim 1, wherein: The top of the cooking cavity is connected to an air guide plate, which is inclined downward from the air outlet of the air duct toward the insertion port.

10. The air fryer of claim 1, wherein: A foldable or unfoldable control panel is rotatably connected to the side wall of the fryer body.

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