Cooking appliance

Abstract

A cooking appliance comprising a first fan (1) arranged to produce an air flow in a cooking chamber (51) and a motor (2), wherein the first fan (1) comprises: a shaft connection part (11) connected to a motor shaft (21) of the motor (2); a hub (12) coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11); and a plurality of blades (13) connected to the hub (12) and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the hub (12), a first air outlet (1211) being defined between the hub (12) and any two adjacent blades (13), circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades (13) having a diameter that decreases in a direction approaching the motor (2).

Description

[0001] Cooking appliance

[0002] Field

[0003] The present application relates to the technical field of cooking appliances, and in particular, to a cooking appliance.

[0004] Background

[0005] An air fryer is a cooking appliance that uses hot air for "frying". An air fryer replaces hot oil with hot air and uses hot air to form a circulating heat flow in a closed pot to cook food. At the same time, hot air can also blow away moisture on the surface of food, achieving an effect similar to frying on food materials.

[0006] In the related art, during operation, an air fryer achieves circulation of gas in a cooking chamber by means of a centrifugal fan, so as to heat food with hot air circulation and achieve an effect of cooking food without oil. The air outlet direction of the centrifugal fan is perpendicular to the central axis of the fan and causes air to be blown directly to an inner wall of the cooking chamber after the air is discharged from terminal ends of fan blades, resulting in a large energy loss of the air in the process of colliding with the inner chamber and reduction in wind speed, thereby affecting the circulation efficiency of the hot air in the chamber and penetration of food by hot air, and resulting in a long food cooking time and worsening in the effect on food materials, which affects the taste.

[0007] Summary

[0008] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the relevant art to a certain extent.

[0009] To this end, embodiments of the present application propose a cooking appliance, which has the advantages of having a small angle between the air outlet direction and the inner wall of the cooking chamber, low energy loss of hot air in the cooking chamber, high wind speed and good penetration of food.

[0010] The cooking appliance according to embodiments of the present application comprises a motor and a first fan arranged to produce an air flow in a cooking chamber, the first fan comprising a shaft connection part connected to a motor shaft of the motor, a hub coaxially connected to the shaft connection part and a plurality of blades, the plurality of blades being connected to the hub and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the hub, a first air outlet being defined between the hub and any two adjacent blades, circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades having a diameter that decreases in a direction approaching the motor .

[0011] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, when the first fan rotates, the larger the diameter of the circumscribed circle at a certain position of the plurality of blades, the greater the linear velocity of the edge of the blade at that position, and thus the greater the wind speed and the smaller the air pressure. By providing that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades in the first fan gradually decreases in a direction approaching the motor, the edge of blades generates an air pressure difference between different axial positions of the shaft connection part, making airflow with a low wind speed will flow toward airflow with a high wind speed, thereby causing the air outlet direction of the first fan to tilt from the radial direction of the shaft connection part to the axial direction of the shaft connection part. In addition, by providing that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades gradually decreases in a direction approaching the motor, it is ensured that the air outlet direction of the first fan is opposite to the motor, thereby ensuring that the motor does not interfere with airflow and thus cause additional energy loss.

[0012] In this case, the first fan can be mounted above a cooking chamber in such a way that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades gradually decrease in a direction away from the cooking chamber, thereby ensuring that the air out of the first fan blows obliquely downward into the cooking chamber and thus reducing the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan and an inner wall of the cooking chamber, so that energy loss caused by airflow colliding with the inner wall of the cooking chamber is lower, the airflow flows faster in the cooking chamber, resulting in better penetration of food, shorter food cooking time and better cooking taste.

[0013] Optionally, the hub comprises a centrifugal air hood with both inner and outer contours in the shape of a truncated cone, the plurality of blades being located in the centrifugal air hood and connected to an inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood, the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood having an inclination angle a relative to a horizontal direction, wherein 8°<a<90°. In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the blades are connected to the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood, the circumscribed circle trajectory of the blades is coplanar with the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood. In this case, by providing that the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood is greater than 8° and less than 90°, the first fan is prevented from being similar to a centrifugal fan and impeller in the relevant art, and it is ensured that the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan and the axial direction of the shaft connection part is an acute angle.

[0014] Optionally, 15°<a<80°. In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the hub is greater than 15° and less than 80°, the angle between the air outlet direction and the axial direction of the shaft connection part will not be too close to 90° due to the angle a being too small or too large, and the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan and the inner wall of the cooking chamber can be controlled to be smaller, thereby further reducing energy loss caused by airflow colliding with the inner wall of the cooking chamber.

[0015] Optionally, the dimension of the centrifugal air hood in the axial direction of the shaft connection part is L, wherein 15mm<L<60mm. In the fan assembly of the present application, without changing the inclination angle of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood, on one hand, by providing that the axial dimension L of the centrifugal air hood is less than or equal to 60mm, an excessive maximum diameter of the circumscribed circle of the blades due to the volume of the centrifugal air hood being too large is avoided, thereby avoiding loud noise and poor dynamic balance due to excessive vibration amplitude of the blades; on the other hand, by providing that the axial dimension L of the centrifugal air hood is greater than or equal to 15mm, it is avoided that the area of the blades' air-pushing surface is too small, which would lead to a reduction in air volume and wind speed and thereby affect the food cooking taste and food cooking efficiency.

[0016] Optionally, a projection of the blades in a radial direction of the shaft connection part extends in a first direction that forms an angle p with an axial direction of the shaft connection part, wherein -60°<p<60°. In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the angle p between the first direction and the axial direction of the shaft connection part is greater than or equal to -60° and less than or equal to 60°, that is, the first fan can be either a forward-inclined fan or a backward-inclined fan, and regardless of whether it is a forward-inclined fan or a backward-inclined fan, the forward inclination angle and the backward inclination angle do not exceed 60°, it is ensured that the airflow generated by the first fan has a high flow rate while the first fan has a high working efficiency and low noise.

[0017] Optionally, the centrifugal air hood has a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other in the axial direction of the shaft connection part, a diameter of the centrifugal air hood at the first end being smaller than that at the second end, and the hub further comprises an annular substrate, an outer edge of the annular substrate being connected to the first end of the centrifugal air hood, and an inner edge of the annular substrate being coaxially connected to the shaft connection part. In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the annular substrate is connected to the end of the centrifugal air hood with a smaller diameter, the volume of the annular substrate can be designed to be smaller and the manufacturing cost is lower. In addition, the end of the centrifugal air hood with a larger diameter is provided to be open, so that airflow in the cooking chamber can enter the centrifugal air hood through the opening of the end, thereby ensuring reliable circulation of airflow in the cooking chamber.

[0018] Optionally, the hub further comprises an upper clamp plate coaxially connected to the shaft connection part and a lower clamp plate, wherein the blades are in the shape of a right-angled trapezoid, fixed between the upper clamp plate and the lower clamp plate, and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the shaft connection part.

[0019] Optionally, each of the blades has a lower end with a width L1 and an upper end with a width L2, L2<0.8L1.

[0020] Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises a second fan, wherein the motor shaft of the motor is connected to the second fan, the second fan is located between a motor body of the motor and the first fan and blows air toward the motor body. By providing the second fan that blows towards the motor body, the fan assembly of the present application can accelerate heat dissipation of the motor so as to prolong the service life of the motor.

[0021] Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises an inner liner, a pot, a heating assembly, and a protective cover, wherein the motor is mounted to the inner liner, the pot is connected to the inner liner, the pot and the inner liner define the cooking chamber, and the first fan is located on a side of the motor facing the cooking chamber; wherein the heating assembly is connected to the inner liner and is located on a side of the first fan away from the motor; and wherein the protective cover is connected to the inner liner, the protective cover and the inner liner defining a protective chamber, the protective chamber being separated from the cooking chamber by the protective cover, the first fan being located in the protective chamber, the protective cover being provided with a second air outlet. In the cooking appliance of the present application, the heating assembly is provided on the side of the first fan away from the motor, that is, the heating assembly is located on the air inlet side of the first fan instead of on the air outlet side of the first fan. In this case, airflow generated by the first fan during operation first penetrates food and then collides with the heating assembly. Energy loss caused by the collision between the airflow and the heating assembly will not affect the flow rate of the airflow before penetrating the food, resulting in good penetration of the food. In addition, separation of the first fan from the cooking chamber by the protective cover effectively prevents the first fan from being exposed, making the cooking appliance highly safe to use. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a partial enlarged view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application at a first fan.

[0024] Fig. 3 is an exploded view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Fig. 4 is a schematic view of a first fan in a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0026] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a first fan in a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0027] Fig. 6 is another schematic view of a first fan in a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Fig. 7 is another cross-sectional view of a first fan in a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Fig. 8 is yet another schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Fig. 9 is yet another cross-sectional view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0031] Fig. 10 is yet another schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0032] Fig. 11 is an exploded view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0033] Fig. 12 is a schematic view of blades in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Reference numerals in the accompanying drawings:

[0035] 1 : first fan; 11 : shaft connection part; 12: hub; 121 : centrifugal air hood; 1211 : first air outlet; 122: annular substrate; 123: upper clamp plate; 124: lower clamp plate; 13: blade: 2: electric motor: 21 : motor shaft; 3: second fan; 4: inner liner; 5: pot; 51 : cooking chamber; 6: heating assembly; 7: protective cover; 71 : protective chamber; 72: second air outlet; 8: nut; 9: bushing; 10: heat insulation plate; 101 : through hole.

[0036] Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0037] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to be used to explain the present application, but should not be understood as limiting the present application.

[0038] The fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application is described below in conjunction with Figs. 1 to 9.

[0039] The fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application comprises a first fan 1. The first fan 1 comprises a shaft connection part 11 , a hub 12 and blade 13. The hub 12 is coaxially connected to the shaft connection part 11. There are a plurality of blades 13. The plurality of blades 13 are connected to the hub 12 and arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the hub 12. A first air outlet 1211 is defined between the hub 12 and any two adjacent blades 13. The diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades 13 gradually decreases in an axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 .

[0040] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, when the first fan 1 rotates, the larger the diameter of the circumscribed circle at a certain position of the plurality of blades 13, the greater the linear velocity of the edge of the blades 13 at that position, and thus the greater the wind speed and the smaller the air pressure. By providing that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades 13 in the first fan 1 gradually decreases in the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 , the edge of the blades 13 generates a pressure difference between different axial positions of the shaft connection part 11 , making airflow with a low wind speed flow toward airflow with a high wind speed, thereby causing the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 to tilt from the radial direction of the shaft connection part 11 to the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11.

[0041] In this case, the first fan 1 can be mounted above a cooking chamber 51 in such a way that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades 13 gradually decreases in a direction away from the cooking chamber 51 , thereby ensuring that the air out of the first fan 1 blows obliquely downward into the cooking chamber 51 and thus reducing the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 and an inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 , so that energy loss caused by airflow colliding with the inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 is lower, and the airflow flows faster in the cooking chamber 51 , resulting in better penetration of food, shorter food cooking time and better cooking taste.

[0042] It should be noted that the shaft connection part 11 can be a circular plate or a nearly circular plate, in which a special-shaped hole matching the motor shaft 21 of the motor 2 is provided. The motor shaft 21 cooperates with the special-shaped hole to achieve the relative fixation of the motor shaft 21 and the first fan 1 in the circumferential direction of the motor shaft 21. In addition, the width of the blades 13 at each position in its extension direction is the same.

[0043] Optionally, the hub 12 comprises a centrifugal air hood 121 with both inner and outer contours in the shape of a truncated cone. The plurality of blades 13 are located in the centrifugal air hood 121 and connected to an inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121. The inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 has an inclination angle a, wherein 8°<a<90°.

[0044] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, by providing that the blades 13 are connected to the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 , the circumscribed circle trajectory of the blades 13 is coplanar with the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121. In this case, by providing that the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 is greater than 8° and less than 90°, the first fan 1 is prevented from being similar to a centrifugal fan and impeller in the relevant art, and it is ensured that the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 and the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 is an acute angle.

[0045] For example, when a is equal to 0° or 90°, the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 is perpendicular to the axis of the shaft connection part 11.

[0046] It should be noted that the inclination angle of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 is equal to the inclination angle of the outer circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 , and the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 refers to the angle between its inclination direction and a horizontal direction, the horizontal direction being perpendicular to the axial direction of the centrifugal air hood 121 .

[0047] Further, 15°<a<80°. By providing that the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the hub 12 is greater than 15° and less than 80°, the angle between the air outlet direction and the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 will not be too close to 90° due to the angle a being too small or too large, and the angle between the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 and the inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 can be controlled to be smaller, thereby further reducing energy loss caused by airflow colliding with the inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 ..

[0048] For example, the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the hub 12 may be 15°, 45°, and 80°.

[0049] Optionally, the dimension of the centrifugal air hood 121 in the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 is L, wherein 15mm<L<60mm. The dimension of the centrifugal air hood 121 in the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 is also the axial dimension of the first fan 1 .

[0050] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, without changing the inclination angle of the inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood 121 , on one hand, by providing that the axial dimension L of the centrifugal air hood 121 is less than or equal to 60mm, an excessive maximum diameter of the circumscribed circle of the blades 13 due to the volume of the centrifugal air hood 121 being too large is avoided, thereby avoiding loud noise and poor dynamic balance due to excessive vibration amplitude of the blades 13; on the other hand, by providing that the axial dimension L of the centrifugal air hood 121 is greater than or equal to 15mm, it is avoided that the area of the blades' air-pushing surface is too small, which would lead to a reduction in air volume and wind speed and thereby affect the food cooking taste and food cooking efficiency.

[0051] Optionally, the projection of the blades 13 in the radial direction of the shaft connection part 11 extends in a first direction that forms an angle p with the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 , wherein -60°<p<60°. In the fan assembly according to the embodiments of the present application, by providing that the angle p between the first direction and the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 is greater than or equal to -60° and less than or equal to 60°, that is, the first fan 1 can be either a forward-inclined fan or a backward-inclined fan, and regardless of whether it is a forward-inclined fan or a backward-inclined fan, the forward inclination angle and the backward inclination angle do not exceed 60°, it is ensured that the airflow generated by the first fan 1 has a high flow rate while the first fan 1 has a high working efficiency.

[0052] Taking the case where the first fan 1 rotates counterclockwise when viewed from above as an example. In this case, when viewed from the front, the blades 13 of the first fan 1 move from left to right. In this case, when the upper end of the blades 13 is tilted to the left relative to the lower end, the first fan 1 is a backward-inclined fan. When the upper end of the blades 13 is tilted to the right relative to the lower end, the first fan 1 is a forward-inclined fan.

[0053] For example, it can be provided that the first fan 1 is a forward-inclined fan, in which case 0° < p<60°. In this case, the first fan 1 can make the airflow have a higher flow rate and generate an appropriate air volume. It can be provided that the first fan 1 is a backward-inclined fan, in which case -60°<p<0°. In this case, the first fan 1 can generate a larger air volume and an appropriate flow rate. It can also be provided that p is equal to 0°, which can also allow the first fan 1 to meet air volume and flow rate requirements.

[0054] In some embodiments, as shown in Figs. 4 to 9, the centrifugal air hood 121 has a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other in the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11. The diameter of the centrifugal air hood 121 at the first end is smaller than the diameter at the second end. The hub 12 further comprises an annular substrate 122. An outer edge of the annular substrate 122 is connected to the first end of the centrifugal air hood 121. An inner edge of the annular substrate 122 is coaxially connected to the shaft connection part 11 .

[0055] In the fan assembly of the embodiments of the present application, by providing that the annular substrate 122 is connected to the end of the centrifugal air hood 121 with a smaller diameter, the volume of the annular substrate 122 can be designed to be smaller and the manufacturing cost is lower. In addition, the end of the centrifugal air hood 121 with a larger diameter is provided to be open, so that airflow in the cooking chamber 51 can enter the centrifugal air hood 121 through the opening of the end, thereby ensuring reliable circulation of airflow in the cooking chamber 51 .

[0056] It should be noted that, as shown in Figs. 10 to 12, the hub 12 can also comprise an upper clamp plate 123 and a lower clamp plate 124. The upper clamp plate 123 is coaxially connected to the shaft connection part 11. The lower clamp plate 124 is a ring plate. The blades 13 are in the shape of a right-angled trapezoid. The height direction of the blades 13 is consistent with the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11. The two ends of the blades 13 in the height direction are respectively inserted to the upper clamp plate 123 and the lower clamp plate 124 through pins, so that the plurality of blades 13 are fixed between the upper clamp plate 123 and the lower clamp plate 124 and are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the shaft connection part 11. In this case, the inclined surfaces of the blades 13 are provided facing outward in the radial direction of the shaft connection part 11. In order to ensure that the inclined surfaces of the blades 13 have an inclination sufficient to produce a better effect of changing the wind direction, it is provided that the width of the lower end of the blades 13 is L1 , and the width of their upper end is L2, wherein L2<0.8L1.

[0057] Similarly, when the first fan 1 made of the above structure rotates, since the width of the lower part of the blades 13 is greater than the width of the upper part of the blades 13, when the first fan 1 discharges air, the air outlet at the edge of the lower part of the blades 13 is farther away from the central axis and has a wind speed V1 that is greater than the wind speed V2 at the air outlet at the edge of the upper part of the blades 13. According to the principle that the greater the wind speed, the lower the air pressure, the pressure at the air outlet at the edge of the lower part of the blades 13 is lower than the pressure at the air outlet at the edge of the upper part of the blades 13. Airflow at the air outlet at the edge of the upper part of the blades 13 will flow towards the air outlet at the edge of the lower part of the blades 13, and airflow at the edge of the first fan 1 will flow obliquely downward along the oblique edge of the blades 13. Thus, it is ensured that the air out of the first fan 1 blows obliquely downward into the cooking chamber 51 , so that energy loss caused by airflow colliding with the inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 is lower and the airflow has a higher flow rate in the cooking chamber 51 and better penetration of food.

[0058] Optionally, as shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the fan assembly further comprises a motor 2. A motor shaft 21 of the motor 2 is connected to the shaft connection part 11 . The diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades 13 gradually decreases in a direction approaching the motor 2. In the fan assembly of the embodiments of the present application, by providing that the diameter of the circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades 13 gradually decreases in a direction approaching the motor 2, it is ensured that the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 is opposite to the motor 2, thereby ensuring that the motor 2 does not interfere with airflow and thus cause additional energy loss.

[0059] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the fan assembly further comprises a second fan 3. The motor shaft 21 of the motor 2 is connected to the second fan 3. The second fan 3 is located between a motor body of the motor 2 and the first fan 1 . The second fan 3 blows air toward the motor body. By providing the second fan 3 that blows towards the motor body, the fan assembly of the embodiments of the present application can accelerate heat dissipation of the motor 2 so as to prolong the service life of the motor 2.

[0060] For example, the second fan 3 can be a centrifugal fan or an axial flow fan, which is not limited by the present application. The cooking appliance according to embodiments of the present application comprises the fan assembly as described in the above embodiments.

[0061] The technical advantages of the cooking appliance according to the embodiments of the present application are the same as those of the fan assembly of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the cooking appliance is an air fryer, and the air fryer further comprises an inner liner 4, a pot 5, a heating assembly 6 and a protective cover 7. The motor 2 is mounted to the inner liner 4. The pot 5 is connected to the inner liner 4. The pot 5 and the inner liner 4 define a cooking chamber 51 . The first fan 1 is located on the side of the motor 2 facing the cooking chamber 51. The heating assembly 6 is connected to the inner liner 4 and is located on the side of the first fan 1 away from the motor 2. The protective cover 7 is connected to the inner liner 4. The protective cover 7 and the inner liner 4 define a protective chamber 71. The protective chamber 71 is separated from the cooking chamber 51 by the protective cover 7. The first fan 1 is located in the protective chamber 71. The protective cover 7 is provided with a second air outlet 72..

[0063] In the cooking appliance of the present application, the heating assembly 6 is provided on the side of the first fan 1 away from the motor 2, that is, the heating assembly 6 is located on the air inlet side of the first fan 1 instead of on the air outlet side of the first fan 1 . In this case, airflow generated by the first fan 1 during operation first penetrates food and then collides with the heating assembly 6. Energy loss caused by the collision between the airflow and the heating assembly 6 will not affect the flow rate of the airflow before penetrating the food, resulting in good penetration of the food. In addition, separation of the first fan 1 from the cooking chamber 51 by the protective cover 7 effectively prevents the first fan 1 from being exposed, making the air fryer highly safe to use

[0064] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred means or element must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, a features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of the present application, a "plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0065] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "mounted", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or communication with each other; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can be an internal connection of two elements or an interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0066] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "on top of" or "on" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "underneath" or "under" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0067] In the present application, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, illustrative references to the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the described specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, unless there is a conflict between them.

[0068] Although the above embodiments have been shown and described, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and cannot be construed as limitations of the present application. Changes, modifications, substitutions and variations of the above embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art are all within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

Claims1. A cooking appliance comprising a first fan (1) arranged to produce an air flow in a cooking chamber (51) and a motor (2), characterized in that the first fan (1) comprises:- a shaft connection part (11) connected to a motor shaft (21) of the motor (2),- a hub (12) coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11), and- a plurality of blades (13) connected to the hub (12) and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the hub (12), a first air outlet (1211) being defined between the hub (12) and any two adjacent blades (13), circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades (13) having a diameter that gradually decreases in a direction approaching the motor (2).

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the hub (12) comprises a centrifugal air hood (121) with both inner and outer contours in the shape of a truncated cone, the plurality of blades (13) being located in the centrifugal air hood (121) and connected to an inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood (121), an inner circumferential face of the centrifugal air hood (121) having an inclination angle a relative to a horizontal direction, wherein 8°<a<90°.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 2, wherein 15°<a<80°.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a dimension of the centrifugal air hood (121) in the axial direction of the shaft connection part (11) is L, wherein 15mm<L<60mm.

5. The cooking appliance according to any one of preceding claims, wherein a projection of the blades (13) in a radial direction of the shaft connection part (11) extends in a first direction that forms an angle p with an axial direction of the shaft connection part (11), wherein -60°<p<60°.

6. The cooking appliance according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the centrifugal air hood (121) has a first end and a second end that are opposite to each other in the axial direction of the shaft connection part (11), a diameter of the centrifugal air hood (121) at the first end being smaller than that at the second end, and wherein the hub (12) further comprises an annular substrate (122), an outer edge of the annular substrate (122) being connected to the first end of the centrifugal air hood (121), and an inner edge of the annular substrate (122) being coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11).

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the hub (12) further comprises an upper clamp plate (123) coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11) and a lower clamp plate (124), wherein the blades (13) are in the shape of a right-angled trapezoid, fixed between the upper clamp plate (123) and the lower clamp plate (124), and arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction of the shaft connection part (11).

8. The cooking appliance according to claim 7, wherein each of the blades (13) has a lower end with a width L1 and an upper end with a width L2, L2<0.8L1 .

9. The cooking appliance according to any one of preceding claims, further comprising a second fan (3), wherein the motor shaft (21) of the motor (2) is connected to the second fan (3), the second fan (3) is located between a motor body of the motor (2) and the first fan (1) and blows air toward the motor body.

10. The cooking appliance according to any one of preceding claims, further comprising: an inner liner (4), the motor (2) being mounted to the inner liner (4); a pot (5) connected to the inner liner (4), the pot (5) and the inner liner (4) defining the cooking chamber (51), the first fan (1) being located on a side of the motor (2) facing the cooking chamber (51); a heating assembly (6) connected to the inner liner (4) and located on a side of the first fan (1) away from the motor (2); and a protective cover (7) connected to the inner liner (4), the protective cover (7) and the inner liner (4) defining a protective chamber (71), the protective chamber (71) being separated from the cooking chamber (51) by the protective cover (7), the first fan (1) being located in the protective chamber (71), the protective cover (7) being provided with a second air outlet (72).

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