Humidity detection device and steam oven

Abstract

This application relates to a humidity detection device and a steam oven / microwave oven, comprising a detection body and a metal gasket. The detection body has a mounting portion and a probe portion protruding from the mounting portion. The metal gasket includes a pad portion fitted onto the probe portion and a toothed ring portion fixed to the side of the pad portion away from the mounting portion and arranged around the probe portion. The side of the toothed ring portion away from the pad portion has tooth tips for abutting against the inner cavity of the steam oven / microwave oven. This design ensures that the steam oven / microwave oven has a humidity detection function while preventing microwave leakage, thus making the steam oven / microwave oven meet microwave leakage technical standards.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of steam oven and microwave integrated appliance, and in particular to a humidity detection device and a steam oven and microwave integrated appliance. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most steam ovens / grills / microwave ovens lack humidity detection. Without humidity monitoring, the intelligent cooking function cannot meet complex cooking needs due to a lack of necessary parameters, especially for ingredients with specific humidity requirements; missing humidity data can easily lead to cooking failure. To implement humidity detection, a detection hole needs to be made inside the oven cavity to install a humidity sensor. However, this results in microwave leakage at the detection hole when the steam oven / grill is in microwave heating mode, failing to meet the microwave leakage standards for cooking equipment. Utility Model Content

[0003] Given the microwave leakage problem at the humidity detection port of existing steam ovens, it is necessary to provide a humidity detection device and a steam oven.

[0004] According to one aspect of this application, a humidity detection device is provided, comprising: a detection body and a metal gasket; wherein the detection body has a mounting portion and a probe portion protruding from the mounting portion; the metal gasket includes a pad portion sleeved on the probe portion and a toothed ring portion fixed on the side of the pad portion away from the mounting portion and arranged around the probe portion, wherein the side of the toothed ring portion away from the pad portion is provided with tooth tips for abutting against the inner cavity of a steam oven / grill / microwave oven.

[0005] With this configuration, the probe passes through the detection hole of the steam oven and monitors the humidity in the inner pot, providing humidity data for intelligent cooking. At the detection hole, this application also provides a metal gasket with toothed tips. Since the gasket body is fitted onto the probe, when the humidity detection device is installed at the detection hole, the metal gasket abuts against the outer wall of the inner pot, thereby ensuring the electromagnetic shielding effect at the detection hole. The multiple toothed tips can form a microwave shielding structure with the tiny holes formed by the outer wall of the inner pot, which helps to reduce microwave leakage caused by the assembly gap between the detection body and the inner pot.

[0006] In one embodiment, the toothed ring portion includes a connecting ring fixedly connected to the pad portion and a plurality of first spring pieces arranged circumferentially at intervals on the side of the connecting ring away from the pad portion and providing the tooth tips.

[0007] With this design, the toothed ring is elastic, especially ensuring that the tooth tips have a certain deformation capacity. In this way, when the humidity detection device is installed at the detection hole of the inner liner, it can at least ensure that each tooth tip abuts against the outer wall of the inner liner, ensuring the effectiveness of the microwave shielding structure at the detection hole. If the tooth tips do not contact the outer wall of the inner liner, multiple small holes will be connected, and if the hole diameter is larger than the critical wavelength, the microwave shielding structure will fail.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first spring extends outwardly from the connecting ring.

[0009] With this design, the first spring will deform when it comes into contact with the inner liner, further reducing the aperture of the microwave shielding structure, thereby improving the electromagnetic shielding effect.

[0010] In one embodiment, the connecting ring has a notch located between two adjacent first spring pieces.

[0011] This design allows adjacent first spring pieces to have independent deformation space, preventing the deformation of a single spring piece from causing the surrounding spring pieces to shift. It ensures that each tooth tip can fit tightly according to the condition of the inner liner at the corresponding position, eliminating microwave leakage points caused by poor local fitting. At the same time, it reduces the weight of the metal gasket, preventing uneven force around the inspection hole after assembly due to excessive weight, and indirectly ensuring the sealing performance of the inspection hole and the component.

[0012] In one embodiment, the metal gasket further includes a plurality of second springs extending from the pad portion toward the mounting portion, the second springs abutting against the mounting portion.

[0013] This design serves two purposes: firstly, the elastic support of the second spring sheet compensates for the assembly gap between the mounting part of the detection body and the pad part of the metal gasket, preventing the detection body from becoming loose and causing the probe part to shift; secondly, the first and second spring sheets can absorb vibrations, preventing the humidity detection device from becoming loose and causing microwave leakage gaps, thus enhancing the microwave leakage prevention effect.

[0014] In one embodiment, a plurality of second springs are arranged at equal intervals around the probe portion.

[0015] This configuration, with multiple second springs arranged at equal intervals, ensures uniform force distribution on the mounting section and prevents microwave leakage gaps caused by the tilting of the metal gaskets, which could result in the separation of the local tooth tips from the outer wall of the inner liner.

[0016] In one embodiment, the humidity detection device further includes a rubber ring fitted onto the probe portion and abutting against the side of the pad portion opposite to the mounting portion.

[0017] This design allows the rubber ring to seal the gap between the detection hole and the probe, preventing steam leakage. The rubber ring also provides support between the metal gasket and the outer wall of the inner liner. When the humidity detection device presses against the outer wall of the inner liner, the rubber ring bears most of the pressure, and the tips of the metal gasket only need to rest against the outer wall of the inner liner and form a microwave shielding hole, thus avoiding significant deformation of the metal gasket. The relatively low pressure between the metal gasket and the outer wall of the inner liner also prevents the tips of the metal gasket from damaging the inner liner.

[0018] In one embodiment, the detection body includes a receiving box, a sealing seat covering the opening of the receiving box, and a closed temperature detector and an open temperature detector housed in the receiving box; the bottom of the receiving box has an air hole to form the probe part with the closed temperature detector and the open temperature detector; the receiving box includes a box body and a stop ring extending from the opening of the box body and abutting against the sealing seat to form the mounting part with the sealing seat.

[0019] This setup allows the humidity level inside the liner to be inferred by utilizing the temperature difference between the closed and open temperature detectors; the housing and cover combine to form a protective shell for the two detectors, protecting them from accidental impacts; the stop ring provides an installation reference for the humidity detection device, which helps improve the accuracy of the humidity detection device's installation position.

[0020] In one embodiment, the cover has a recessed groove communicating with the receiving box and a wire harness groove extending from the groove sidewall of the recessed groove.

[0021] This setup neatly organizes the detector connection lines in the sink and cable tray, preventing poor contact caused by messy wiring, ensuring stable transmission of detection data, and preventing the wires from shifting or tangling due to vibration or high temperature. This also prevents wire damage from affecting the normal operation of the device, ensuring the humidity detection function remains effective, providing stable parameter support for smart cooking, and facilitating future wiring inspection and maintenance, thus improving maintenance efficiency.

[0022] According to another aspect of this application, this application also provides a steam oven / grill combo, comprising: a steam oven / grill main body and a humidity detection device, wherein the steam oven / grill main body has an inner cavity and a detection hole communicating with the inner cavity; and the humidity detection device is installed in the detection hole.

[0023] This setup allows for real-time and accurate detection of humidity within the inner liner cavity via a humidity detection device, providing essential parameters for intelligent cooking, meeting the cooking needs of humidity-sensitive ingredients, and improving cooking results. Furthermore, the microwave shielding structure formed by the toothed tips of the metal gasket against the outer wall of the inner liner prevents microwave leakage through the detection hole, ensuring the product meets microwave leakage standards, improving product safety and compliance, and enhancing market competitiveness. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a humidity detection device provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A front view of the humidity detection device shown.

[0026] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The humidity detection device shown is a cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0027] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the metal gasket;

[0028] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the detection body in the middle;

[0029] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle container box;

[0030] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle cover seat.

[0031] Figure label:

[0032] 10. Detection body; 101. Mounting part; 102. Probe part; 11. Receiving box; 1101. Air vent; 1102. First bolt hole; 1103. Support step; 111. Box body; 112. Stop ring; 113. Extension plate; 114. Limiting plate; 12. Cover seat; 1201. Sinking groove; 1202. Cable harness groove; 1203. Second bolt hole; 121. Cover body; 122. First bracket; 123. Second bracket; 13. Enclosed temperature detector; 14. Open temperature detector; 15. Circuit board; 16. Sealing gasket; 17. Adhesive component;

[0033] 20. Metal washer; 201. Tooth tip; 21. Pad portion; 22. Gear ring portion; 221. Connecting ring; 2211. Notch; 222. First spring; 23. Second spring;

[0034] 30. Rubber ring. Detailed Implementation

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] Currently, most mainstream steam ovens and microwave combination appliances on the market suffer from a common technical shortcoming: a lack of real-time humidity monitoring capabilities within the cooking cavity. This deficiency directly impacts the device's intelligence. The inability to obtain crucial humidity parameters during cooking makes it difficult for the system to accurately control the cooking environment. This is particularly problematic when handling ingredients with high humidity requirements, such as baking bread or steaming seafood. The lack of humidity data often results in ingredients being either too dry or too wet, severely affecting the final cooking outcome. Theoretically, this could be addressed by installing dedicated detection holes for humidity sensors within the appliance's interior. However, this approach inherently carries the safety hazard of microwave leakage. When the appliance switches to microwave heating mode, these detection holes become weak points for microwave leakage. Even with conventional sealing measures, it's difficult to completely prevent microwave energy leakage, making it difficult for the appliance to meet microwave leakage safety standards and posing potential health risks to users.

[0042] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a humidity detection device and a steam oven / microwave oven that can both detect humidity and prevent microwave leakage.

[0043] Please see Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a humidity detection device provided in this application. Figure 2 for Figure 1 The above is a front view of the humidity detection device. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The humidity detection device shown is a cross-sectional view along the AA direction.

[0044] like Figure 1 As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the humidity detection device consists of a detection body 10, a metal gasket 20 fitted onto the detection body 10, and a rubber ring 30. The detection body 10 includes a mounting portion 101 and a probe portion 102 protruding from the mounting portion 101. The metal gasket 20 specifically includes a pad portion 21 and a toothed ring portion 22. The pad portion 21 is fitted onto the probe portion 102, and the toothed ring portion 22 is fixed to the side of the pad portion 21 facing away from the mounting portion 101 and arranged around the probe portion 102. The side of the toothed ring portion 22 facing away from the pad portion 21 has tooth tips 201 for abutting against the inner liner of the steam oven / grill combo. The rubber ring 30 is fitted onto the probe part 102 and placed on the side of the metal gasket 20 away from the mounting part 101. During actual installation, the probe part 102 of the detection body 10 is inserted into the detection hole, and the tooth tip 201 of the metal gasket 20 abuts against the outer wall of the inner liner to form a ring of small holes around the detection hole. Each small hole is independent of each other, and the size of each small hole is smaller than the microwave critical wavelength, so as to shield the microwave leakage at the detection hole on the inner liner. The two sides of the rubber ring 30 abut against the outer wall of the inner liner and the pad part 21 of the metal gasket 20 at the same time, and bear the main extrusion force. At the same time, it can also seal the detection hole to prevent steam leakage.

[0045] In summary, the humidity detection device provided in this application not only meets the humidity detection function of the steam oven and microwave oven, but also solves the microwave leakage problem caused by the opening of the detection hole, thus enabling the steam oven and microwave oven to meet the requirements of microwave leakage technical standards.

[0046] Further as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the metal gasket 20 is provided in one embodiment of this application. The toothed ring portion 22 is composed of a connecting ring 221 and a plurality of first spring pieces 222. The connecting ring 221 is fixedly connected to the pad portion 21. The plurality of first spring pieces 222 are arranged circumferentially on one side of the connecting ring 221 from the pad portion 21. The tooth tip 201 is located at the end of the first spring piece 222 away from the connecting ring 221. The first spring piece 222 extends outward from the connecting ring 221 at an angle, which ensures the elasticity of the first spring piece 222 and facilitates processing. The connecting ring 221 has a notch 2211 located between two adjacent first spring pieces 222.

[0047] The metal gasket 20 provided in this application is manufactured using a die-casting process. First, a hollow bowl-shaped structure is initially formed using a mold, at which point the gasket portion 21 is formed. Then, the upper rim of the bowl-shaped structure is cut to form multiple grooves or multiple pointed structures at the rim. Further, the pointed structures are locally bent or cold-bent to form multiple first spring pieces 222 and notches 2211. It is understood that the shape of the first spring piece 222 can be, but is not limited to, an isosceles trapezoid, an isosceles triangle, etc., as long as the circumferential width of the free end of the first spring piece 222 is less than the circumferential width of the fixed end. The free end is the end of the first spring piece 222 away from the connecting ring 221, and the fixed end is the end of the first spring piece 222 connected to the connecting ring 221. The notch 2211 can also be of other shapes, as long as it is located on both sides of the first spring 222 along the circumferential direction. The purpose of this setting is to improve the deformation capability of the first spring 222, while having less impact on the connecting ring 221 and the pad 21. The purpose is to ensure that when the metal pad 20 is pressed against the outer wall of the inner liner, all the tooth tips 201 can press against the outer wall of the inner liner, ensuring that the microwave shielding hole is always smaller than the microwave critical wavelength.

[0048] It is understood that in other embodiments, the bottom of the notch 2211 may also be arc-shaped to reduce stress concentration.

[0049] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the metal gasket 20 further includes a plurality of second spring pieces 23 extending from the pad portion 21 to the mounting portion 101, and the second spring pieces 23 abut against the mounting portion 101. Specifically, the plurality of second spring pieces 23 are arranged at equal intervals around the probe portion 102. The elastic support of the second spring pieces 23 compensates for the assembly gap between the mounting portion 101 of the detection body 10 and the pad portion 21 of the metal gasket 20, avoiding the problem of the probe portion 102 being misaligned due to the loosening of the detection body 10; on the other hand, the first spring piece 222 and the second spring piece 23 can absorb vibration, preventing the generation of microwave leakage gaps due to loosening between the humidity detection device and the inner liner, which is beneficial to enhancing the microwave leakage prevention effect. The equal intervals of the plurality of second spring pieces 23 make the mounting portion 101 uniformly stressed, preventing the microwave leakage gap caused by the partial separation of the tooth tip 201 from the outer wall of the inner liner due to the tilting of the metal gasket 20. In this embodiment provided in this application, a punching hole is provided on the metal pad at the position corresponding to the second spring piece 23, that is, the second spring piece 23 is made by a punching process.

[0050] like Figure 3 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the detection body 10 includes a housing box 11, a cover seat 12, a closed temperature detector 13, and an open temperature detector 14; wherein, the cover seat 12 covers the opening of the housing box 11, and the closed temperature detector 13 and the open temperature detector 14 are housed in the housing box 11; the bottom of the housing box 11 has an air hole 1101 to form a probe part 102 with the closed temperature detector 13 and the open temperature detector 14, and the housing box 11 includes a box body 111 and a stop ring 112 extending from the opening of the box body 111 and abutting against the cover seat 12 to form the mounting part 101 with the cover seat 12.

[0051] Please refer to the following: Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 The container 11 is provided with a support step 1103. Due to the presence of the support step 1103, the container 11 has a tower-like shape, that is, it is composed of a small diameter section and a large diameter section along the axial direction. The detection body 10 also includes a circuit board 15, a sealing gasket 16 attached to the side of the circuit board 15 facing the bottom of the container 11, and an adhesive component 17 attached to the support step 1103. In this way, the circuit board 15, the sealing gasket 16, and the adhesive component 17 divide the container 11 into two independent upper and lower spaces to prevent steam leakage.

[0052] like Figure 3 and Figure 7 As shown, the cap holder 12 further includes a recessed groove 1201 communicating with the receiving box 11 and a cable tray groove 1202 extending from the sidewall of the recessed groove 1201. Specifically, the cap holder 12 comprises a cap body 121, a first support 122 extending radially from the cap body 121, and a second support 123, wherein the recessed groove 1201 is located within the cap body 121, the first support 122 has a first bolt hole 1102, and the cable tray groove 1202 is provided by the second support 123. Figure 6As shown, the receiving box 11 also includes an extension plate 113 extending radially from the stop ring 112. The extension plate 113 has second bolt holes 1203 corresponding to the first bracket 122. The receiving box 11 also includes a limiting plate 114 arranged around the edge of the stop ring 112 to form a limiting space for accommodating the sealing body 121. This structural design ensures that the receiving box 11 and the sealing seat 12 are structurally compatible and will not misalign after assembly. It is worth noting that the radial extension of the second bracket 123 along the sealing body 121 alters the wiring of the two detectors. By actively intervening in the wiring, the wires are arranged more neatly within the wire harness 1202, avoiding potential contact problems caused by messy wiring and ensuring stable transmission of detection data. The neat wiring layout also facilitates later wiring maintenance, greatly improving maintenance efficiency. In practical applications, this structural design demonstrates good adaptability and stability, providing strong support for the intelligent cooking of the steam oven / grill combo.

[0053] This application also provides a steam oven / grill combo, including a steam oven / grill main body and a humidity detection device. The steam oven / grill main body has an inner cavity and a detection hole communicating with the inner cavity; the humidity detection device is installed in the detection hole. Based on the structure of the humidity detection device, this application uses the humidity detection device to accurately detect the humidity inside the inner cavity in real time, providing necessary parameters for intelligent cooking, meeting the cooking needs of humidity-sensitive ingredients, and improving cooking results; the microwave shielding structure formed by the tooth tips 201 of the metal gasket 20 pressing against the outer wall of the inner cavity prevents microwave leakage from the detection hole, ensuring that the product meets microwave leakage standards, improving product safety and compliance, and enhancing market competitiveness.

[0054] In addition to the humidity detection device, the steam oven and microwave combination appliance provided in this application also has an intelligent voice control module. The intelligent voice control module includes 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 humidity detection device to perform humidity detection and monitoring functions, thereby realizing intelligent control of humidity monitoring and improving the user experience of using this intelligent appliance.

[0055] 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.

[0056] The above embodiments only illustrate several implementation methods of this utility model, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but 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 humidity detecting device, characterized by, include: The detection body (10) has a mounting part (101) and a probe part (102) protruding from the mounting part (101). and The metal gasket (20) includes a pad portion (21) sleeved on the probe portion (102) and a toothed ring portion (22) fixed on the side of the pad portion (21) away from the mounting portion (101) and arranged around the probe portion (102). The toothed ring portion (22) is provided with tooth tips (201) on the side away from the pad portion (21) for abutting against the inner liner of the steam oven.

2. The humidity detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gear ring portion (22) includes a connecting ring (221) fixedly connected to the pad portion (21) and a plurality of first spring pieces (222) arranged circumferentially at intervals on the side of the connecting ring (221) away from the pad portion (21) and providing the tooth tip (201).

3. The humidity detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first spring piece (222) extends outward from the connecting ring (221).

4. The humidity detection device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The connecting ring (221) has a notch (2211) located between two adjacent first spring pieces (222).

5. The humidity detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The metal gasket (20) also includes a plurality of second springs (23) extending from the pad portion (21) to the mounting portion (101), the second springs (23) abutting against the mounting portion (101).

6. The humidity detection device according to claim 5, characterized in that, Multiple second springs (23) are arranged at equal intervals around the probe portion (102).

7. The humidity detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The humidity detection device also includes a rubber ring (30) sleeved on the probe part (102) and abutting against the side of the pad part (21) away from the mounting part (101).

8. The humidity detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The detection body (10) includes a container (11), a cover seat (12) covering the opening of the container (11), and a closed temperature detector (13) and an open temperature detector (14) housed in the container (11). The bottom of the housing (11) is provided with an air hole (1101) to form the probe part (102) with the closed temperature detector (13) and the open temperature detector (14). The housing (11) includes a housing (111) and a stop ring (112) extending from the opening of the housing (111) and abutting against the cover seat (12) to form the mounting part (101) with the cover seat (12).

9. The humidity detection device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The cover seat (12) has a recessed groove (1201) communicating with the receiving box (11) and a wire harness groove (1202) extending from the groove sidewall of the recessed groove (1201).

10. A steam oven / grill combo, characterized in that, include: The steam-roasting micro-body has an inner cavity and a detection hole communicating with the inner cavity; and The humidity detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the humidity detection device is installed in the detection port.

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