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), whereinthe first fan (1) comprises: a shaft connection part (11) connected to a motor shaft of the motor; a hub (12) coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11), a first air inlet (1221) being provided at an end of the hub (12) away from the motor (2); 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 increases 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. The bottom of the centrifugal fan is an open structure. Gas in the cooking chamber enters the centrifugal fan from the bottom of the centrifugal fan and then blows out from the side of the centrifugal fan and re-enters the cooking chamber, thereby realizing the circulation of gas in the cooking chamber. However, this open bottom structure of the centrifugal fan is prone to cause a large amount of local circulation turbulence, that is, part of the airflow blown out from the side of the centrifugal fan does not pass through the cooking chamber, but directly enters the centrifugal fan from the bottom of the centrifugal fan, resulting in a large loss of wind energy and making it impossible to blow enough wind to the surface of food, which results in a longer cooking time and poor uniformity of food effect and 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 less local circulation turbulence formed when a first fan is working, low energy loss of hot air, and a large amount of hot air circulating in a cooking chamber.

[0010] The cooking appliance according to embodiments of the present application comprises a first fan arranged to produce an air flow in a cooking chamber and a motor, the first fan comprising a shaft connection part connected to a motor shaft of the motor, a hub and a plurality of blades, , the hub being coaxially connected to the shaft connection part, a first air inlet being provided at an end of the hub away from the motor, 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, the diameter of circumscribed circles of the plurality of blades gradually increasing in a direction approaching the motor.

[0011] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, when the motor drives the first fan to rotate, air enters the hub through the first air inlet and is discharged through the first air outlet. 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 blades 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 increases in the direction approaching the motor, the edge of the blades generates a pressure difference between different axial positions of the shaft connection part, 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 to tilt from the radial direction of the shaft connection part to the direction approaching the motor, that is, hot air flows from the first air outlet in a direction away from the first air inlet and is less likely to directly enter the first air inlet to form a local circulation turbulence, thereby effectively reducing energy loss of the hot air and resulting in a large volume of hot air circulating in a cooking chamber, higher food cooking efficiency, and a better food cooking effect.

[0012] 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.

[0013] 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 inclination angle of the air outlet direction of the first fan relative to the radial direction of the shaft connection part in a direction away from the first air inlet can be controlled to be larger, thereby further reducing the likelihood of forming local circulation turbulence.

[0014] 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 away from the motor, an inner edge of the annular substrate being coaxially connected to the shaft connection part; there are a plurality of first air inlets which are all arranged in the annular substrate. Preferably, a shortest distance between an edge of the first air inlets and an edge of the annular substrate being L1 , wherein 10mm<L1 <30mm. In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the shortest distance L1 between an edge of the first air inlets and an edge of the annular substrate is greater than or equal to 10mm, the risk of increasing local circulation turbulence due to the distance between the first air inlets and the first air outlet being too small, and by providing that the shortest distance L1 between an edge of the first air inlets and an edge of the annular substrate is less than or equal to 30mm, it is ensured that the first air inlets have a sufficient cross-sectional area, thereby ensuring that the first fan has a high air intake efficiency.

[0015] Optionally, a dimension of the centrifugal air hood in an axial direction of the shaft connection part is L2, wherein 15mm<L2<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 L2 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 L2 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.

[0017] Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises a second fan, the motor shaft of the motor being connected to the second fan, the second fan being located between a motor body of the motor and the first fan, the second fan blowing 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.

[0018] Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises an inner liner, a pot and a heating assembly, 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; and wherein the heating assembly is connected to the inner liner and is located in the hub of the first fan. 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.

[0019] Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises a protective cover connected to the inner liner, the protective cover and the inner liner defining a protective chamber that is separated from the cooking chamber by the protective cover, the first fan being located in the protective chamber, the protective cover having a second air outlet facing the first air outlet and having a second air inlet facing the first air inlet. In the cooking appliance of the present application, by providing the protective cover connected to the inner liner and defining the protective chamber for accommodating the first fan, that is, separating the first fan from the cooking chamber by means of the protective cover, the first fan can be effectively prevented from being exposed, making the air fryer highly safe to use.

[0020] Description of the Drawings

[0021] Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Fig. 2 is another cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Fig. 4 is another schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application and corresponding circulating airflow.

[0026] Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application and corresponding circulating airflow and local circulation turbulence.

[0027] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0028] Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a first fan in a fan assembly according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0029] Reference numerals in the accompanying drawings:

[0030] 1 : first fan; 11 : shaft connection part; 12: hub; 121 : centrifugal air hood; 1211 : first air outlet; 122: annular substrate; 1221 : first air inlet; 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 : second air outlet; 72: second air inlet; 73: protective chamber.

[0031] Detailed Description of the Embodiments

[0032] 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.

[0033] The fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application is described below in conjunction with Figs. 1 to 6.

[0034] The fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application comprises an electric motor 2 and a first fan 1 . The first fan 1 comprises a shaft connection part 11 , a hub 12 and a plurality of blades 13. The shaft connection part 11 is connected to a motor shaft 21 of the motor 2. The hub 12 is coaxially connected to the shaft connection part 11. A first air inlet 1221 is provided at one end of the hub 12 away from the motor 2. 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 increases in a direction approaching the motor 2.

[0035] In the fan assembly according to embodiments of the present application, when the motor 2 drives the first fan 1 to rotate, air enters the hub 12 through the first air inlet 1221 and is discharged through the first air outlet 1211. 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 increases in the direction approaching the motor 2, 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 direction approaching the motor 2, that is, hot air flows from the first air outlet 1211 in a direction away from the first air inlet 1221 and is less likely to directly enter the first air inlet 1221 to form a local circulation turbulence, thereby effectively reducing energy loss of the hot air and resulting in a larger volume of hot air circulating in a cooking chamber 51 , higher food cooking efficiency, and a better food cooking effect.

[0036] 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. When the fan assembly of the present embodiment is mounted in an air fryer, hot air circulation in the cooking chamber 51 is specifically as follows: hot air discharged from the first air outlet 1211 of the first fan 1 is discharged obliquely upward, and after colliding with an inner wall of the cooking chamber 51 , it goes down along the inner wall and converges at the bottom of a frying basket, then penetrates the frying basket and food in the frying basket and goes up to the first air inlet 1221 , and finally enters the hub 12 from the first air inlet 1221 and is discharged from the first air outlet 1211 again.

[0037] 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 hub 12 has an inclination angle a, wherein 8°<a<90°.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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 .

[0040] 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.

[0041] In some embodiments, 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 inclination angle of the air outlet direction of the first fan 1 relative to the radial direction of the shaft connection part 11 in a direction away from the first air inlet 1221 can be controlled to be larger, thereby further reducing the likelihood of forming local circulation turbulence.

[0042] For example, the inclination angle a of the inner circumferential face of the hub 12 may be 15°, 45°, and 80°.

[0043] Optionally, as shown in Figs. 3 to 6, 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. The hub 12 further comprises an annular substrate 122. An outer edge of the annular substrate 122 is connected tothe first end of the centrifugal air hood 121 away from the motor 2. An inner edge of the annular substrate 122 is coaxially connected to the shaft connection part 11. There are a plurality of first air inlets 1221 and they are all arranged in the annular substrate 122. The shortest distance between an edge of the first air inlets 1221 and an edge of the annular substrate 122 is L1 , wherein 10mm<L1<30mm.

[0044] In the fan assembly of the present application, by providing that the shortest distance L1 between an edge of the first air inlets 1221 and an edge of the annular substrate 122 is greater than or equal to 10mm, the risk of increasing local circulation turbulence due to the distance between the first air inlets 1221 and the first air outlet 1211 being too small, and by providing that the shortest distance L1 between an edge of the first air inlets 1221 and an edge of the annular substrate 122 is less than or equal to 30mm, it is ensured that the first air inlets 1221 have a sufficient cross-sectional area, thereby ensuring that the first fan 1 has high air intake efficiency.

[0045] For example, there are a plurality of first air inlets 1221 and they are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular substrate 122. The shortest distance L1 between the edge of the first air inlets 1221 and the edge of the annular substrate 122 can be 10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm.

[0046] In some embodiments, the dimension of the centrifugal air hood 121 in the axial direction of the shaft connection part 11 is L2, wherein 15mm<L2<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 .

[0047] 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 L2 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 L2 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, 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 and the service life of the air fryer that uses it.

[0052] For example, the second fan 3 can be a centrifugal fan or an axial flow fan, which is not limited by the present application.

[0053] The cooking appliance according to embodiments of the present application comprises the fan assembly as described in the above embodiments.

[0054] 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.

[0055] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the cooking appliance is an air fryer, and the air fryer further comprises an inner liner 4, a pot 5 and a heating assembly 6. 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 in the hub 12 of the first fan 1 .

[0056] In the cooking appliance of the embodiments 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.

[0057] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the air fryer further comprises a protective cover 7. The protective cover 7 is connected to the inner liner 4. The protective cover 7 and the inner liner 4 define a protective chamber 73. The protective chamber 73 is separated from the cooking chamber 51 by the protective cover 7. The first fan 1 is located in the protective chamber 73. The protective cover 7 has a second air outlet 71 facing the first air outlet 1211 and has a second air inlet 72 facing the first air inlet 1221. In the cooking appliance of the embodiments of the present application, by providing the protective cover 7 connected to the inner liner 4 and defining the protective chamber 73 for accommodating the first fan 1 , that is, separating the first fan 1 from the cooking chamber 51 by means of the protective cover 7, the first fan 1 can be effectively prevented from being exposed, making the air fryer highly safe to use.

[0058] 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.

[0059] 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 feature 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.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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.

[0063] 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), a first air inlet (1221) being provided at an end of the hub (12)away from the motor (2); 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 increases 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 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) away from the motor (2), an inner edge of the annular substrate (122) being coaxially connected to the shaft connection part (11); and wherein there are a plurality of first air inlets (1221) which are all arranged in the annular substrate (122).

5. The cooking appliance according to claim 4, wherein a shortest distance between an edge of the first air inlets (1221) and an edge of the annular substrate (122) is L1 , wherein 10mm<L1<30mm.

6. The cooking appliance according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein a dimension of the centrifugal air hood (121) in an axial direction of the shaft connection part (11) is L2,wherein 15mm<L2<60mm.

7. 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°.

8. 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.

9. 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); and, a heating assembly (6) connected to the inner liner (4) and located in the hub (12) of the first fan (1).

10. The cooking appliance according to claim 9, further comprising a protective cover (7) connected to the inner liner (4), the protective cover (7) and the inner liner (4) defining a protective chamber (73) that is separated from the cooking chamber (51) by the protective cover (7), the first fan (1) being located in the protective chamber (73), the protective cover (7) having a second air outlet (71) facing the first air outlet (1211) and having a second air inlet (72) facing the first air inlet (1221).

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