Cooking device

Abstract

To stably operate a door arm and a roller in a heating cooker.SOLUTION: The heating cooker includes an exterior, a heating chamber formed in the exterior and having an opening, a door 2 for opening and closing a front opening of the heating chamber, a hinge part for rotatably supporting a lower end of the door, a door arm 11 pivotally supported by the door, a spring connected to one end side of the door arm for pulling the door arm in a closing direction via the door arm, and a roller 13 for guiding the door arm when the door is opened and closed by a pulling force of the spring, and has a groove 13a on an outer periphery of the roller. The door arm may be installed to surround the roller, and an 11a of an inner circumferential surface of the door arm and a bottom surface of the groove of the roller may be in contact with each other in a movement trajectory of the door arm.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance having a door arm. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a cooking appliance with a structure in which a combination of a tension spring, a door arm, and a roller biases the door in the closing direction when the door is opened or closed, causing the door arm and roller to slide, and when the door is completely opened by sliding the door arm and roller, the door is kept in the open state (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-250522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The conventional configuration leaves room for improvement in terms of stable operation of the door arm and roller.

[0005] The present disclosure is intended to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and aims to enable stable operation of the door arm and roller. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the cooking device of the present invention comprises an exterior, a heating chamber formed within the exterior and having a front opening, a door for opening and closing the front opening of the heating chamber, a hinge portion for rotatably supporting the lower end of the door, a door arm journaled on the door, a spring connected to one end of the door arm and pulling the door in the closing direction via the door arm, and a roller for guiding the door arm by the pulling force of the spring when the door is opened or closed, the roller having a groove on its outer periphery, and the door arm is installed so as to surround the roller, and the inner circumferential surface of the door arm comes into contact with the bottom surface of the groove of the roller during the movement trajectory of the door arm. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The cooking appliance of the present invention allows the door to be opened and closed stably and smoothly by the door arm and roller, and can prevent the door arm from tilting excessively or rattling excessively. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the cooking device according to the present embodiment is open; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the outer casing of the cooking device according to the present embodiment is removed; [Figure 4] 1 is a right side view of the cooking device of the present embodiment with the exterior removed and the door closed. [Figure 5] 1 is a right side view of the cooking device of the present embodiment with the exterior removed and the door opened about 30 degrees. [Figure 6] 1 is a right side view of the cooking device of the present embodiment with the exterior removed and the door opened about 60 degrees. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the rear of the cooking device of the present embodiment with the door opened approximately 60 degrees; [Figure 8] 1 is a right side view of the cooking device of the present embodiment with the exterior removed and the door open. [Figure 9](a) Partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in Figure 8; (b) Partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in Figure 6; (c) Partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in Figure 5; (d) Partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in Figure 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A cooking appliance according to a first aspect of the present disclosure comprises an exterior, a heating chamber formed within the exterior and having a front opening, a door for opening and closing the front opening of the heating chamber, a hinge portion for rotatably supporting the lower end of the door, a door arm journaled on the door, a spring coupled to one end of the door arm and pulling the door in the closing direction via the door arm, and a roller for guiding the door arm by the pulling force of the spring when the door is opened or closed, the roller having a groove on its outer periphery, the door arm being disposed so as to surround the roller, and the inner circumferential surface of the door arm coming into contact with the bottom surface of the groove of the roller during the movement trajectory of the door arm.

[0010] This allows the door to be opened and closed stably and smoothly using the door arm and roller, and prevents the door arm from tilting excessively or rattling excessively.

[0011] In the heating cooker according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, in the first aspect, during the movement trajectory from the closed state of the door to just before the open state, the inner surface of the door arm and the bottom surface of the groove of the roller come into contact on the upper side of the door arm, but do not come into contact on the lower side of the door arm.

[0012] This allows the door to be opened and closed stably and smoothly using the door arm and roller, and prevents the door arm from tilting excessively or rattling excessively.

[0013] In the cooking device according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, in the first or second aspect, there is a case where the outer surface of the door arm and the side of the groove of the roller come into contact with each other on the upper and / or lower side of the door arm during the movement trajectory of the door arm.

[0014] This allows the door to be opened and closed stably and smoothly using the door arm and roller, and prevents the door arm from tilting excessively or rattling excessively.

[0015] Hereinafter, as an embodiment of the cooking device of the present invention, a cooking device using at least a heater as cooking means will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the cooking device of the present invention is not limited to the cooking device configuration described in the following embodiment, but includes cooking device configurations equivalent to the technical ideas described in the following embodiment.

[0016] The embodiments described below are examples of the present invention, and the configurations, functions, operations, etc. shown in the embodiments are merely examples and do not limit the present invention. Among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims that represent the highest concepts are described as optional components.

[0017] (Embodiment 1) [Configuration of the main body and cooking means] Hereinafter, a cooking device according to the present embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the cooking device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the cooking device according to the present embodiment of Fig. 1 with the door open.

[0018] In this embodiment, the door 2 side of the cooking device body is the front, and the opposite side of the exterior 1 from the door 2 is the front. is defined as the rear, and the left and right sides in FIG. 1 are defined as the left and right sides of the exterior casing 1 of the cooking appliance, respectively.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cooking appliance is configured so that a front opening 4b of a heating chamber 4 provided inside an exterior 1 of the main body can be opened and closed by a door 2. A handle 3 is provided at the upper end of the door 2, and a user grasps the handle 3 to rotate the door 2, opening and closing the front opening 4b of the heating chamber 4 in an up-and-down manner. The interior of the heating chamber 4 is substantially sealed when the door 2 is closed, and food to be heated, which is placed inside the heating chamber 4, is cooked in a substantially sealed state.

[0020] As shown in Fig. 1, on the front of the cooking appliance, a setting unit 5 is provided on an upward-opening door 2, which has a dial-like knob and various setting buttons for setting various cooking conditions such as cooking temperature and cooking time. The setting unit 5 provided on the front of the cooking appliance also has a display unit that displays various cooking conditions and the heating state during cooking.

[0021] The cooking means in the cooker of this embodiment include a flat heater unit 8 (upper heater), a lower heater (e.g., a sheathed heater, not shown), and a microwave heating unit (not shown) that heats food by irradiating it with microwaves. A steam heating unit that heats food with steam, and a hot air circulation unit that heats food by circulating hot air inside the heating chamber 4 may also be used. The lower heater is a sheathed heater in which a coiled nichrome wire serving as a heating element is threaded through a metal pipe, but it may also be a tubular lamp heater that emits infrared rays.

[0022] A machine room (not shown) is provided in the space between the bottom wall 4a and the bottom plate 7 of the heating chamber 4. This machine room contains a magnetron, which is an example of a heat source, an inverter board (inverter device) that controls the output of the magnetron, a control unit (control board) that controls devices (upper heater, lower heater, etc.) that realize the functions of the cooking appliance, and a cooling fan unit (not shown) that generates cooling air to cool them. The machine room also functions as a heat-insulating space.

[0023] The microwave heating unit, which includes a magnetron (not shown), which is an example of a heating source, has an antenna (see FIG. 4) that radiates microwaves provided below the bottom wall 4a of the heating chamber 4, and the directional antenna radiates microwaves in a desired direction into the interior of the heating chamber 4. When a steam heating unit is provided, a water tank is provided inside the exterior 1, and water from the water tank is heated to a high temperature by a boiler steam heater, and the generated steam is sprayed intensively into the interior of the heating chamber 4. When a hot air circulation unit is provided, a rear heater provided on the rear side of the heating chamber 4 heats the air drawn in from the heating chamber 4, and the hot air is supplied into the interior of the heating chamber 4.

[0024] The cooker of this embodiment is provided with multiple cooking means such as various heaters and magnetrons, and the user can select the appropriate cooking means by selecting the desired cooking means or the cooking contents. The user places the food to be cooked in the heating chamber 4 of the cooker, closes the door 2, sets the cooking means and cooking contents in the setting unit 5, and presses the start button to start the cooking operation.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 2, the cooking device of this embodiment is configured so that a heating dish 6 on which an object to be heated is placed can be stored inside the heating chamber 4. The heating dish 6 can be placed on the upper or lower level inside the heating chamber 4, and steps are formed on both side walls of the heating chamber 4 so that the heating dish 6 can slide and can be supported. A heating element (not shown) is embedded in the mounting surface. The heating element absorbs microwaves and generates heat, and ferrite or the like is used for the heating element.

[0026] In this embodiment, an example is described in which ferrite is embedded in the heating dish 6 as the heating element, but the heating element may be any element that absorbs microwaves and generates heat, and may be configured by applying the heating element to the back surface of the heating dish 6. Furthermore, the main material of the heating dish 6 may be any material that has excellent thermal conductivity, and may be configured from metal or ceramic.

[0027] In addition, in this embodiment, the heating dish 6 is described as being supported by a step on the side wall of the heating chamber 4, but it may also be suspended from the ceiling wall, or may be provided with feet that protrude downward on the heating dish 6 and placed on the bottom wall of the heating chamber 4.

[0028] The antenna that radiates microwaves into the heating chamber 4 is disposed directly below the approximate center of the bottom wall 4a of the heating chamber 4. The antenna in this embodiment has directivity in the microwave radiation direction and is configured to radiate circularly polarized waves directly above the antenna. Therefore, the antenna in this embodiment is provided with a rotation mechanism (not shown) so that the antenna's radiation port rotates to radiate microwaves uniformly inside the heating chamber 4, and is also configured to radiate circularly polarized waves to the heating element of the heating plate 6 located directly above the antenna for dielectric heating. Therefore, the object to be heated placed on the bottom wall 4a of the heating chamber 4 is microwave-heated by microwaves that are supplied into the heating chamber 4 after passing through the bottom wall 4a from the antenna.

[0029] The bottom wall 4a of the heating chamber 4 is made of a material (e.g., ceramic) that transmits microwaves from the antenna, and the other wall surfaces of the heating chamber 4, namely the side wall, back wall, and ceiling wall, are made of steel or aluminum-plated stainless steel (SUS). Each wall surface may also be coated with a non-stick coating layer made of, for example, fluororesin or silicone resin. By forming such a coating layer, it is possible to prevent the adhesion of dirt such as oil and grease scattered during cooking and cooking residue, and even if dirt does adhere, it is easy to wipe off the dirt.

[0030] Furthermore, a coating layer with a self-cleaning function may be formed on each wall surface of the heating chamber 4, which decomposes and automatically cleans off grease scattered during cooking when heated during cooking. Methods for imparting a self-cleaning function to the coating layer include, for example, blending a manganese oxide-based catalyst species that promotes oxidative decomposition into the coating layer, or adding platinum, which has a significant effect on oxidative decomposition at low temperatures, or palladium, which is highly active in the medium to high temperature range. Furthermore, a method of adding cerium, which has an adsorption property, may also be used.

[0031] As described above, the object to be heated (food) placed on the heating plate 6 stored inside the heating chamber 4 is heated and cooked by the heating plate 6, which has reached a high temperature due to the heat from the heating element that is dielectrically heated by microwaves. In this embodiment, however, the upper surface of the object to be heated (food) placed on the heating plate 6 is heated by the flat heater unit 8 provided on the upper part of the ceiling wall of the heating chamber 4, and mainly the lower surface of the object to be heated (food) placed on the bottom wall 4a is heated by the lower heater provided below the bottom wall 4a of the heating chamber 4.

[0032] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which the exterior packaging 1 of the cooking device of this embodiment has been removed. As shown in Fig. 3, a flat heater unit 8 is provided on the ceiling side of the exterior packaging 1 of the cooking device, i.e., in the portion including the ceiling wall of the heating chamber 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the upper part of the heating chamber 4 in the cooking device is configured with the flat heater unit 8.

[0033] An internal temperature detection unit 9 serves as an internal temperature detection means for detecting the internal temperature of the heating chamber 4. For example, a thermistor is provided near the right rear corner of heating chamber 4. The internal temperature information detected by internal temperature detection unit 9 is transmitted to a control unit (control board, not shown) and used to control various cooking operations. Although the thermistor is provided near the right rear corner of heating chamber 4, it may be provided anywhere, such as the left rear corner, the right front corner, or the left front corner, as long as it is located in a position where the internal temperature inside heating chamber 4 can be detected.

[0034] [Door arm configuration] Fig. 4 is a right side view of the cooking device of this embodiment with the exterior casing removed and the door closed. Fig. 5 is a right side view of the cooking device of this embodiment with the exterior casing removed and the door opened about 30 degrees. Fig. 6 is a right side view of the cooking device of this embodiment with the exterior casing removed and the door opened about 60 degrees. Fig. 8 is a right side view of the cooking device of this embodiment with the exterior casing removed and the door opened.

[0035] As shown in Figures 3, 4 to 6, and 8, a hinge portion 10 is attached to a metal plate extending from the front of the main body inside the lower end of the door 2 so that the door 2 can be opened upward. The hinge portion 10 rotatably supports the lower end of the door 2, so that a user can grasp the handle 3 to rotate the door 2 and open and close the front opening 4b of the heating chamber 4 vertically.

[0036] Furthermore, one end of spring 12 is hooked into a notch (which may be a hole) provided in bottom plate 7, and the other end of spring 12 is hooked into a notch (which may be a hole) provided in one end of door arm 11.

[0037] The other end of the door arm 11 is attached to the door 2, and a rotatable roller 13 is attached to the outer wall of the heating chamber 4. The door arm 11 is installed between the door 2 and the spring 12 so as to surround the roller 13 in the shape of an elongated ring, and when the door 2 is opened or closed, a part of the door arm 11 comes into contact with the roller 13, causing the roller 13 to rotate, thereby guiding the door arm 11.

[0038] The pulling force of the spring 12 also biases the door 2 in the closing direction via the door arm 11. When a user opens the door 2, the pulling force of the spring 12 biases the door 2 in the closing direction, and at the same time, the force of gripping the handle 3 and pulling it towards the user, together with the weight of the door 2, causes part of the door arm 11 to come into contact with the roller 13, which rotates counterclockwise in Figure 5, for example, and thus the roller 13 guides the door arm 11 forward.

[0039] Furthermore, when a user closes the door 2, the force of grasping the handle 3 and lifting it upward and the pulling force of the spring 12 cause a part of the door arm 11 to come into contact with the roller 13, causing the roller 13 to rotate, for example, clockwise in Figure 6, so that the roller 13 guides the door arm 11 backward.

[0040] The hinge portion 10, door arm 11, spring 12, and roller 13 are arranged in the same structure not only on the right side of the cooking appliance but also on the left side.

[0041] When a user opens the door 2 from a closed state, the door 2 moves in the order of Figures 4, 5, 6, and 8, and is opened as shown in Figure 8. At this time, the spring 12 expands as the door progresses through the states of Figures 4, 5, 6, and 8. Also, the door arm 11 moves forward relatively more than the roller 13 as the door progresses through the states of Figures 4, 5, 6, and 8.

[0042] On the other hand, when the user closes the door 2 from an open state, the door 2 moves in the order of Figs. 8, 6, 5, and 4, and is closed as shown in Fig. 4. At this time, as the door 2 progresses through the states of Figs. 8, 6, 5, and 4, the spring 12 contracts. As the state of FIG. 4 progresses, the door arm 11 moves rearward relative to the roller 13.

[0043] 4, when door 2 is closed, a gap is provided in front of roller 13 and within the long ring-shaped door arm 11. This gap is larger than the lateral area of ​​circular roller 13, so when spring 12 is detached from bottom plate 7 during manufacturing or repair of the cooking appliance, door arm 11 can be detached from roller 13 by shifting door arm 11 backward until this gap reaches the position of roller 13.

[0044] Fig. 7 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of the rear of the cooking device of this embodiment with the door opened at approximately 60 degrees. In Fig. 7, door arm 11 has inner circumferential surface 11a, outer circumferential surface 11b, and outer circumferential surface 11c. Roller 13 has groove 13a on its outer periphery, and has a portion where bottom surface 13a1 of groove 13a and inner circumferential surface 11a of door arm 11 come into contact.

[0045] In Figure 7, the bottom surface 13a1 of the groove 13a of the roller 13 and the inner surface 11a of the door arm 11 are in contact with each other on the upper side of the door arm 11, and the bottom surface 13a1 of the groove 13a of the roller 13 and the inner surface 11a of the door arm 11 are not in contact with each other on the lower side of the door arm 11, so there is a gap on the lower side.

[0046] 9A is a partial enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in FIG. 8; FIG. 9B is a partial enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in FIG. 6; FIG. 9C is a partial enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in FIG. 5; and FIG. 9D is a partial enlarged view of the vicinity of the door arm in FIG. 4.

[0047] In Fig. 9(a), when the door 2 is open, the bottom surface 13a1 depicted by the dashed arc line P is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 11a of the door arm 11. Furthermore, in Fig. 9(b), when the door 2 is opened about 60 degrees, the bottom surface 13a1 is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 11a of the door arm 11 at point X. The contact point at point X is also shown in the cross section of the door arm 11 and roller 13 in Fig. 7.

[0048] 9(c), when the door 2 is opened by about 30 degrees, the bottom surface 13a1 at point Y is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 11a of the door arm 11. Furthermore, in FIG. 9(d), when the door 2 is closed, the bottom surface 13a1 at point Z is in contact with the inner peripheral surface 11a of the door arm 11.

[0049] In all of Figures 9(b) to (d), the inner surface 11a of the upper side M of the door arm 11 and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are in contact, but the inner surface 11a of the lower side N of the door arm 11 and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are not in contact, so there is a gap.

[0050] 9(a), when the door 2 is in the open state, the bottom surface 13a1 depicted by the dashed arc line P is in contact with the inner circumferential surface 11a of the door arm 11, but in the movement trajectory of the door 2 from the closed state to just before the open state, the inner circumferential surface 11a of the upper side M of the door arm and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are in contact, but the inner circumferential surface 11a of the lower side N of the door arm and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are not in contact. Therefore, when the door 2 is closed even slightly from the open state, the inner circumferential surface 11a of the upper side M of the door arm and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are in contact, but the inner circumferential surface 11a of the lower side N of the door arm and the bottom surface 13a1 of the roller 13 are not in contact.

[0051] Furthermore, in Fig. 7, both side surfaces 13a2 of the groove 13a of the roller 13 are in contact with both outer surfaces 11b of the door arm 11, but the side surfaces 13a2 and the outer surfaces 11b may not be in contact with each other and may have a gap therebetween. Since only the bottom surface 13a1 and the inner peripheral surface 11a are in contact with each other, the contact area between the door arm 11 and the roller 13 is small, and therefore the door arm 11 can be configured to be locked as little as possible and prevented from becoming immobile.

[0052] Furthermore, even if the door arm 11 tilts left or right due to rattle when the door 2 is opened or closed or due to manufacturing errors, part of the outer surface 11b of the door arm 11 and part of the side surface 13a2 of the roller 13 come into contact on the upper side M and / or lower side N of the door arm 11, so extreme tilting or rattle of the door arm 11 can be prevented.

[0053] Furthermore, even if both side surfaces 13a2 and both outer surfaces 11b of the groove 13a on the upper side M of the door arm 11 are designed to be in contact from the beginning, it is better to leave a gap between both side surfaces 13a2 and both outer surfaces 11b of the groove 13a on the lower side N of the door arm 11 and not have them in contact, as this will minimize the risk of the door arm 11 locking and becoming immovable. [Industrial Applicability]

[0054] As described above, according to the cooking device of the present disclosure, the door arm and roller can be operated stably, and therefore the present disclosure is useful in cooking devices such as microwave ovens and toaster ovens. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 1. Exterior 2-door 3 handle 4 Heating cabinet 4a Bottom wall 4b Front opening 5. Settings 6 Heating Plate 7 Bottom plate 8 Flat heater unit (upper heater) 9. Temperature detection unit inside the cabinet 10 Hinge part 11 Door arm 11a Inner surface 11b External surface 11c Outer surface 12 Springs 13 Laura 13a Groove 13a1 Bottom 13a2 side

Claims

1. a heating chamber formed within the exterior and having a front opening; a door for opening and closing the front opening of the heating chamber; a hinge portion for rotatably supporting a lower end of the door; a door arm pivotally supported by the door; a spring connected to one end of the door arm and pulling the door in a closing direction via the door arm; and a roller for guiding the door arm by the pulling force of the spring when the door is opened or closed; The roller has a groove on its outer periphery, the door arm is installed so as to surround the roller, and the inner periphery of the door arm and the bottom surface of the groove of the roller come into contact with each other during the movement trajectory of the door arm.

2. 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein, during the movement trajectory of the door from the closed state to just before the open state, the inner peripheral surface of the door arm and the bottom surface of the groove of the roller come into contact with each other on the upper side of the door arm, but do not come into contact with each other on the lower side of the door arm.

3. 3. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the door arm and the side surface of the groove of the roller come into contact with each other on an upper side and / or a lower side of the door arm in a movement locus of the door arm.

Images