Condensing device and steam oven

Abstract

The application relates to a condensing device and a steam oven, which comprise a wind guide assembly, a fan assembly and a condensing assembly. The wind guide assembly is provided with a fan mounting groove, a wind guide cavity, a communication hole communicated with the fan mounting groove and the wind guide cavity, an exhaust hole communicated with the wind guide cavity and a first air inlet hole communicated with the fan mounting groove. The fan assembly is mounted in the fan mounting groove, and an air outlet of the fan assembly is connected to the communication hole. The condensing assembly comprises a condensing pipe arranged in the wind guide cavity, a first communication pipe connected to an air inlet end of the condensing pipe and a second communication pipe connected to an air outlet end of the condensing pipe and the first air inlet hole. The first communication pipe is used for connecting an inner cavity of the steam oven. The steam condensing path and the steam exhaust path are coupled through the structural combination scheme of arranging the condensing pipe in the wind guide cavity, efficient and continuous condensing of steam is realized, too much steam exhaust is avoided to influence the indoor environment, the integration of the condensing device is improved, and the occupation of the top space of the steam oven is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of steam oven technology, and in particular to a condensation device and a steam oven. Background Technology

[0002] Steam ovens are gaining popularity due to their convenience, speed, ease of use, and professional features. However, users are also demanding more from their customers regarding the user experience, a key aspect of which is reducing steam exhaust volume. Excessive steam exhaust volume is a crucial performance indicator, referring to the amount of steam emitted per unit time during steaming. Too much steam can cause condensation, leading to dampness and mold growth on kitchen items, and can also result in a "steam overload," negatively impacting the user experience. Therefore, reducing steam exhaust volume minimizes safety and cleaning risks, reduces water consumption, extends refill intervals, and achieves the benefits of convenience, time-saving, water conservation, and environmental friendliness.

[0003] Since the steaming mode requires an excessive amount of steam in the inner cavity to avoid the problem of food being undercooked, simply reducing the amount of steam generated contradicts the principle of steaming food. The existing solution for dealing with excess steam is to design a separate condenser box. The hot air carrying steam first passes through this box to cool down before the hot air with less steam is discharged. However, the condensation effect of this box has an upper limit. This means that the amount of steam discharged by the steam oven with this box is relatively small in the early and even middle stages of cooking, but in the later stages of cooking, or when the steaming time is longer, the condensation effect of the box fails, resulting in an increase in the amount of steam discharged. Utility Model Content

[0004] Given that existing steam ovens have the problem of excessive steam exhaust during long-term steaming, it is necessary to provide a condensation device and a steam oven.

[0005] According to one aspect of this application, a condensation device is provided for a steam oven, including an air guide assembly, a fan assembly, and a condensation assembly; wherein, the air guide assembly has a fan mounting groove, an air guide cavity, a connecting hole connecting the fan mounting groove and the air guide cavity, a first air inlet connecting the fan mounting groove, and an exhaust hole connecting the air guide cavity; the fan assembly is installed in the fan mounting groove, and the exhaust port of the fan assembly is connected to the connecting hole; the condensation assembly includes a condenser pipe disposed in the air guide cavity, a first connecting pipe connected to the air inlet end of the condenser pipe, and a second connecting pipe connecting the air outlet end of the condenser pipe and the first air inlet, the first connecting pipe being used to connect to the inner cavity of the steam oven.

[0006] With this configuration, this application achieves the coupling of the steam condensation path and the steam exhaust path by arranging the condenser pipe in the air guide cavity, thus realizing efficient and continuous steam condensation, avoiding excessive steam exhaust from affecting the indoor environment, while also improving the integration of the condensation device and reducing the space occupied on the top of the steam oven.

[0007] In one embodiment, the condenser tube has multiple condensation sections connected end to end.

[0008] This configuration extends the residence time of gas in the air guide cavity by setting multiple condensation sections, and the multiple condensation sections also increase the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser tube, which helps to improve the condensation effect.

[0009] In one embodiment, a plurality of the condensation sections are arranged vertically at intervals, and the first connecting pipe is connected to the lowest condensation section.

[0010] This setup facilitates the return of condensate, making it easier to recycle and reuse this condensate, thus reducing the number of times water needs to be added during steaming.

[0011] In one embodiment, the condensation section extends upward at an angle from beginning to end.

[0012] This setup helps guide the condensate backflow, reduces condensate residue in the condenser tubes, ensures unobstructed airflow path in the condenser tubes, and also helps reduce the pressure on the subsequent drying of the condenser tubes.

[0013] In one embodiment, two adjacent condensation sections are staggered in the horizontal direction.

[0014] This design ensures that condensate always slides down the pipe wall, preventing condensate from dripping into the condenser tube and helping to reduce the risk of gas-liquid blockage in the condenser tube.

[0015] In one embodiment, the condenser tube includes a condensing portion fixedly connected to the air guide assembly and providing the condensing section, and a connecting portion detachably connected to two adjacent condensing portions.

[0016] This design facilitates the formation of an airflow path when installing the condenser tube into the air guide assembly, and also makes subsequent cleaning of the condenser tube easier.

[0017] In one embodiment, the connecting part is a rubber component; the condensing part is a metal component.

[0018] With this setup, the air guide assembly is usually made of metal, which makes it easy to fix the condenser to the air guide assembly, and the connecting part is made of rubber for easy replacement.

[0019] In one embodiment, the air guide cavity is divided into a first extension section extending upward from the connecting hole and a second extension section extending upward from the first extension section, and the condensation assembly is installed on the first extension section.

[0020] This design folds the airflow path in the air guide cavity, which helps to form vortices in the air guide cavity and further promotes heat exchange between the air guide assembly and the gas in the air guide cavity. This makes the gas temperature in the air guide cavity more uniform and helps to ensure the heat exchange stability between the condenser tube and the gas in the air guide cavity.

[0021] In one embodiment, the air guide assembly is further provided with a second air inlet that communicates with the fan mounting slot, and the condensation device further includes a third connecting pipe, a three-way two-way valve and a fourth connecting pipe that communicate with the second air inlet, wherein the first connecting pipe, the second connecting pipe and the fourth connecting pipe are respectively connected to the three-way two-way valve.

[0022] This design takes into account the rapid steam exhaust requirements of the steam oven in baking mode. In baking mode, the gas in the inner cavity can be directly introduced into the fan mounting slot and discharged directly without condensation, thereby reducing the humidity in the inner cavity as quickly as possible.

[0023] According to another aspect of this application, this application also provides a steam oven, including a steam oven body and a condensation device, wherein the steam oven body has an inner cavity, and the air inlet of the condensation device is connected to the inner cavity.

[0024] With this configuration, thanks to the condensation device provided in this application, the first airflow channel leading to the first connecting pipe is opened in steam mode, guiding hot air with excess steam to preferentially pass through the condensation component. This results in lower humidity of the hot air discharged from the air guide cavity, and the returned condensate can be reused by the steam generating component, reducing the number of times the steam oven needs to be refilled in steam mode. In baking mode, the system switches to the second airflow channel through the third connecting pipe, guiding hot air with a small amount of steam directly from the air guide cavity without condensation, ensuring that the humidity in the inner cavity remains at a low level and guaranteeing the cooking effect. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 This application provides a schematic diagram of the structure of a steam oven; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the intermediate condenser unit; Figure 3 for Figure 3 A perspective view of the condensation device shown in plan view; Figure 4 for Figure 3 The front view of the condenser shown.

[0026] Figure label: 10. Air guide assembly; 101. Fan mounting slot; 102. Air guide cavity; 1021. First extension section; 1022. Second extension section; 103. Connecting hole; 104. Exhaust hole; 105. First air inlet; 106. Second air inlet; 20. Fan assembly; 30. Condensation assembly; 301. Inlet end; 302. Outlet end; 31. Condensation pipe; 311. Condensation section; 3111. Condensation segment; 312. Connecting part; 32. First connecting pipe; 33. Second connecting pipe; 34. Third connecting pipe; 35. Fourth connecting pipe; 40. Three-way two-way valve; 200. Steam oven main unit. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this utility model. However, this utility model 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 utility model. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0028] In the description of this utility model, 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", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this utility model and simplifying the description, and are not intended to 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 utility model.

[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 indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0030] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly 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 explicitly limited. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] In this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can mean that the first feature is in direct contact with the second feature, or that the first feature is in indirect contact with the second feature through an intermediate medium. Furthermore, "above," "on top of," and "over" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature can mean that the first feature is directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0032] It should be noted that when an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or there may be an intervening element. When an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or there may be an intervening element. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and similar expressions used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0033] Steam ovens have gained increasing popularity among modern cookware due to their convenience, speed, ease of use, and enhanced professional capabilities. However, this has also led to higher demands on the user experience, with some functional improvements needed. One crucial aspect is reducing the exhaust volume of steam ovens. Exhaust volume is a key indicator of a cooker's performance; it refers to the amount of steam emitted per unit time during steaming mode. Excessive exhaust volume results in condensation on cool surfaces in the kitchen, causing dampness, mold growth, and a "steam overload" experience for those near the oven. Therefore, reducing exhaust volume not only minimizes safety and cleaning hazards caused by high-temperature steam but also reduces water consumption in the tank, extending refill intervals and avoiding frequent fillings, thus achieving convenience, time-saving, water-saving, and environmentally friendly benefits.

[0034] To reduce exhaust volume, there are two existing solutions: one is to use a steam generator to control the amount of steam, and the other is to condense the gas in a condenser box before it is discharged.

[0035] The first solution reduces the amount of steam generated, which contradicts the principle of steaming food. Steaming often requires a large amount of excess steam to fully exchange heat with the food within a certain time, ensuring the food's texture and doneness. Therefore, even under heavy loads or normal conditions, steam generators often result in undercooked food when used.

[0036] In the second solution, the condenser box has a heat capacity limit. That is, when the evaporation mode is running continuously, the temperature of the condenser box will rise and eventually fail.

[0037] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a condensing device and a steam oven that can achieve efficient and continuous condensation.

[0038] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2The condensation device provided in this application includes an air guide assembly 10, a fan assembly 20, and a condensation assembly 30. The air guide assembly 10 has a fan mounting slot 101, an air guide cavity 102, a connecting hole 103, a first air inlet 105, and an exhaust hole 104. The connecting hole 103 connects the fan mounting slot 101 and the air guide cavity 102, the first air inlet 105 connects to the fan mounting slot 101, and the exhaust hole 104 connects to the air guide cavity 102. The fan assembly 20 is installed in the mounting cavity, and the exhaust port of the fan assembly 20 is connected to the connecting hole 103, thereby guiding the fan mounting slot. The gas in 101 enters the air guide cavity 102 and exits through the exhaust port 104. The condensing assembly 30 includes a condenser pipe 31, a first connecting pipe 32, and a second connecting pipe 33. The condenser pipe 31 is located in the air guide cavity 102. The first connecting pipe 32 connects to the air inlet end 301 of the condenser pipe 31. The second connecting pipe 33 connects to the air outlet end 302 of the condenser pipe 31 and the first air inlet 105 of the fan mounting slot 101. The first connecting pipe 32 connects to the inner cavity of the steam oven, so that excess steam in the inner cavity will enter the condensing device through the first connecting pipe 32. In the condensing device, the fan assembly 20 can blow away the heat of the condenser pipe 31. At the same time, the negative pressure created by the fan assembly 20 in the fan mounting slot 101 can guide the gas in the inner cavity into the condensing assembly 30. Therefore, the hot air with steam will first enter the condenser pipe 31 under the guidance of the first connecting pipe 32, and the steam will partially condense, thus obtaining hot air with lower humidity, which will then enter the air guide assembly 10 through the second connecting pipe 33. This application achieves the coupling of the steam condensation path and the steam exhaust path by arranging the condenser pipe 31 in the air guide cavity 102, realizing efficient and continuous steam condensation, avoiding excessive steam exhaust from affecting the indoor environment, and also improving the integration of the condensation device and reducing the space occupied on the top of the steam oven.

[0039] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, specifically, in one embodiment provided in this application, the condenser tube 31 has multiple condensing sections 3111 connected end to end. By setting multiple condensing sections 3111, the residence time of gas in the air guide cavity 102 is extended, and the arrangement of multiple condensing sections 3111 also increases the heat exchange area of ​​the condenser tube 31, which helps to improve the condensation effect. Furthermore, the multiple condensing sections 3111 are arranged vertically at intervals, and the first connecting pipe 32 is connected to the lowermost condensing section 3111. This is to facilitate the return of condensate, and this returned condensate can be recycled, thereby reducing the number of times the steam oven needs to be refilled with water; the arrow in the figure indicates the direction of condensate return.

[0040] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, to further facilitate the return of condensate and prevent condensate from clogging the condenser tube 31, the condenser section 3111 extends upwards from beginning to end. In this way, condensate slides down the condenser section 3111 from top to bottom, preventing accumulation in each section and ensuring unobstructed airflow within the condenser tube 31. This also helps reduce the pressure on the subsequent drying process of the condenser tube 31. Specifically, in one embodiment provided in this application, the condenser tube 31 comprises three condenser sections 3111: the upper condenser section 3111 has an inclination angle of 2°, the middle condenser section 3111 has an inclination angle of 5°, and the lower condenser section 3111 has an inclination angle of 5°.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown in the illustration, adjacent condensing sections 3111 are staggered in the horizontal direction. Specifically, the tail end of the upper condensing section 3111 is offset from the head end of the lower condensing section. This ensures that the condensate inside the pipe always flows close to the pipe wall, preventing blockage of the pipe by condensate droplets when the pipe diameter is small, thus avoiding poor gas and liquid flow. In one embodiment of this application, multiple condensing sections 3111 are arranged on the same inclined plane. It is understood that in other embodiments, the multiple condensing sections 3111 may not be coplanar, for example... Figure 4 The beginning of the uppermost condensing section 3111 can also be located to the left of the end of the lower condensing section 3111 and extend to the upper left.

[0042] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment provided in this application, in order to facilitate assembly and subsequent cleaning of the condenser pipe 31, the condenser pipe 31 includes a condensing section 311 fixedly connected to the air guide assembly 10 and providing a condensing section 3111, and a connecting section 312 detachably connected to two adjacent condensing sections 311. Specifically, the condensing section 311 is a metal part, and the connecting section 312 is a rubber part. Optionally, in this application, the air guide plate is also a metal part. In other words, the condensing section 311 is essentially a metal pipe passing through the air guide assembly 10. The middle part of the metal pipe is located in the air guide cavity 102 and is used as the condensing section 3111. The two ends of the metal pipe are located outside the air guide cavity 102. The connecting section 312 is a rubber pipe and is used to connect the first and last ends of two adjacent metal pipes, as shown in the figure.

[0043] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in this embodiment provided in this application, the air guide cavity 102 is divided into a first extension section 1021 and a second extension section 1022. The first extension section 1021 extends upward at an angle from the connecting hole 103, and the second extension section 1022 extends horizontally from the first extension section 1021. The condensing section 3111 is installed on the first extension section 1021. This arrangement folds the airflow path in the air guide cavity 102, which is beneficial for forming vortices in the air guide cavity 102, further promoting heat exchange between the air guide assembly 10 and the gas in the air guide cavity 102. This results in a more uniform gas temperature in the air guide cavity 102, which helps to ensure the heat exchange stability between the condenser tube 31 and the gas in the air guide cavity 102. In addition, this arrangement is also suitable for the structural characteristics of multiple condensing sections 3111 in the condenser tube 31 arranged in vertical layers, reserving installation space for the subsequent addition of condensing sections 3111.

[0044] In a steam oven, in addition to the steaming mode, the baking mode also requires steam removal. For example, when baking ingredients with high moisture content, such as vegetables, it is necessary to remove the moisture as soon as possible to ensure the cooking effect and prevent the ingredients from becoming mushy.

[0045] Based on this, such as Figure 1 As shown, this application designs a switching system to address this practical need. Specifically, the condenser also includes a three-way two-way valve 40, a third connecting pipe 34, and a fourth connecting pipe 35. The air guide assembly 10 also has a second air inlet 106 connected to the fan mounting slot 101. The third connecting pipe 34 connects the three-way two-way valve 40 and the second air inlet 106. The first connecting pipe 32 connects to the three-way two-way valve 40, and the fourth connecting pipe 35 connects the three-way two-way valve 40 and the inner chamber. Through this switching system, to meet the need for rapid exhaust during baking mode, the three-way two-way valve 40 can selectively close the first airflow channel to the first connecting pipe 32 and open the second airflow channel to the third connecting pipe 34, guiding the gas in the inner chamber directly into the fan mounting slot 101. This reduces exhaust resistance and avoids the problem of insufficient humidity reduction in the inner chamber caused by the backflow of the oil-water mixture.

[0046] like Figure 1 As shown, this application also provides a steam oven, including a steam oven body 200 having an inner cavity and a condensation device installed on the top of the steam oven body 200, wherein the fourth connecting pipe 35 of the condensation device is connected to the inner cavity.

[0047] It is worth noting that in the condensation device provided in this application, the two-section design of the air guide component 10 also forms an accommodating space with the top surface of the steam oven body 200, which optimizes the spatial layout of the top of the steam oven. In this way, it also reserves equipment installation space for other control components in the steam oven body 200 or subsequent microwave function upgrades.

[0048] The steam oven can be controlled by a voice module, which is equipped with a controller, a voice receiving module, and a voice parsing module. The voice receiving module receives user commands, and the voice parsing module parses the commands. Based on the parsed commands, the controller controls the steam oven to perform corresponding operations, thereby realizing intelligent control of the steam oven and improving the user experience.

[0049] 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.

[0050] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of several implementations of this utility model, and while the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of this utility model, and these all fall within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model patent should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A condensation device for a steam oven, characterized in that, include: The air guide assembly (10) has a fan mounting slot (101), an air guide cavity (102), a connecting hole (103) connecting the fan mounting slot (101) and the air guide cavity (102), an exhaust hole (104) connecting the air guide cavity (102) and a first air inlet hole (105) connecting the fan mounting slot (101). A fan assembly (20) is installed in the fan mounting slot (101), and the exhaust port of the fan assembly (20) is connected to the connecting hole (103); and The condensing assembly (30) includes a condensing pipe (31) disposed in the air guide cavity (102), a first connecting pipe (32) connected to the air inlet end (301) of the condensing pipe (31), and a second connecting pipe (33) connected to the air outlet end (302) of the condensing pipe (31) and the first air inlet hole (105). The first connecting pipe (32) is used to connect the inner cavity of the steam oven.

2. The condensation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The condenser tube (31) has multiple condensation sections (3111) connected end to end.

3. The condensation device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple condensing sections (3111) are arranged vertically at intervals, and the first connecting pipe (32) is connected to the lowest condensing section (3111).

4. The condensation device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The condensation section (3111) extends upwards from the beginning to the end.

5. The condensation device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The two adjacent condensation sections (3111) are staggered in the horizontal direction.

6. The condensation apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that, The condenser tube (31) includes a condenser section (311) fixedly connected to the air guide assembly (10) and providing the condenser section (3111) and a connecting section (312) detachably connected to two adjacent condenser sections (311).

7. The condensation apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, The connecting part (312) is made of rubber; the condensing part (311) is made of metal.

8. The condensation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air guide cavity (102) is divided into a first extension section (1021) that extends upward from the connecting hole (103) and a second extension section (1022) that extends upward from the first extension section (1021). The condensation component (30) is installed on the first extension section (1021).

9. The condensation device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The air guide assembly (10) is also provided with a second air inlet (106) connected to the fan mounting slot (101). The condensation device also includes a third connecting pipe (34), a three-way two-way valve (40) and a fourth connecting pipe (35) connected to the second air inlet (106). The first connecting pipe (32), the second connecting pipe (33) and the fourth connecting pipe (35) are respectively connected to the three-way two-way valve (40).

10. A steam oven, characterized in that, include The main steam oven (200) has an inner cavity. The condensing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the air inlet of the condensing device is connected to the inner cavity.

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