Upper cover assembly and cooking device

Abstract

An upper cover assembly and a cooking device, belonging to the technical field of cooking equipment. The upper cover assembly is used for being provided with a blocking member (1) on a side facing a cooking accommodating cavity (6) of a cooking equipment, the blocking member (1) is coated with a thermal catalytic coating, and the thermal catalytic coating comprises a thermal catalyst and an adhesive. The blocking member (1) can, by means of physical interception, block cooking fume grease generated by cooking, so as to prevent the cooking fume grease from contaminating the interior of the upper cover assembly due to sputtering or volatilization. In addition, the thermal catalytic coating on the blocking member (1) can use heat provided by cooking as a heat source, and, under the participation of oxygen in the air, the cooking fume grease undergoes a catalytic oxidation reaction, and the cooking fume grease is degraded into water and carbon dioxide.

Description

Upper cover assembly and cooking device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 30, 2023, with application number 202311644760.1, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of kitchenware, and in particular to an upper cover assembly and a cooking device. Background Art

[0003] In recent years, the widespread use of a wide variety of small kitchen appliances with diverse functions has satisfied the desire of many residents to easily cook and enjoy delicious food at home. Air fryers, in particular, have become extremely popular. However, these small kitchen appliances produce a large amount of grease and volatile fumes during the cooking process, which can easily splash or evaporate into cooking components outside the cooking cavity, such as the upper cover assembly. Some upper covers are difficult to completely disassemble and clean, so grease easily accumulates, creating blind spots for cleaning and causing numerous problems in daily cleaning. The long-term accumulation of grease not only affects the appearance but also makes it more likely to breed bacteria, threatening people's health. Technical issues

[0004] The main purpose of this application is to provide an upper cover assembly and a cooking device, which are intended to reduce or avoid oil accumulation and improve cleaning efficiency. Technical Solutions

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present application proposes an upper cover assembly, which is used to provide a blocking member on the side facing the cooking cavity of the cooking utensil, and the surface of the blocking member is coated with a thermocatalytic coating, which includes a thermocatalyst and an adhesive.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present application, the thermal catalyst includes a manganese-based thermal catalyst, and the manganese-based thermal catalyst includes manganese oxide. The manganese oxide has a general structural formula MnOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0007] In some embodiments of the present application, the manganese oxide includes at least one of MnO2, Mn2O3, and Mn3O4.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present application, the manganese oxide is doped with metal elements, and the metal elements include alkali metal elements and / or noble metal elements.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present application, the alkali metal element includes at least one of K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ce, La, and Ba;

[0010] And / or, the precious metal element includes at least one of Pt, Pd, Au, Ru, Rb, and Ag.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present application, the general structural formula of the manganese oxide doped with metal elements includes MnCoOx, MnCuCoOx, PtMnOx and PtMnCuOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present application, the solid content of the thermocatalytic coating is 30%-90%;

[0013] and / or, the roughness of the thermocatalytic coating is in the range of 10 μm to 800 μm;

[0014] And / or, the thickness of the thermocatalytic coating ranges from 100 μm to 1 mm.

[0015] In some embodiments of the present application, the thickness of the thermocatalytic coating ranges from 600 μm to 1 mm.

[0016] In some embodiments of the present application, the thermocatalytic coating contains oxygen atoms, which are composed of combined oxygen and adsorbed oxygen. Calculated based on the area characterized by XPS, the content of adsorbed oxygen in the thermocatalytic coating is 10%-50%.

[0017] In some embodiments of the present application, the adhesive includes an organic adhesive and / or an inorganic adhesive.

[0018] In some embodiments of the present application, the organic binder includes at least one of polyethersulfone and polyamide-imide;

[0019] And / or, the inorganic binder includes at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicate.

[0020] In some embodiments of the present application, the thermocatalytic coating further includes a carrier.

[0021] In some embodiments of the present application, the carrier includes at least one of alumina, silicon carbide, diatomaceous earth, silica, activated carbon, pumice, zeolite, molecular sieve, nickel oxide, zinc oxide, vanadium oxide, cerium oxide, copper oxide and titanium dioxide.

[0022] In some embodiments of the present application, the thermocatalytic coating is applied to a surface of the blocking member facing the cooking cavity;

[0023] Alternatively, the thermocatalytic coating is applied to a surface of the blocking member facing the cooking cavity and a surface of the blocking member facing away from the cooking cavity.

[0024] In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking member includes a through-hole structure.

[0025] In some embodiments of the present application, the shape of the through-hole structure includes at least one of a circle, a square, and a triangle;

[0026] And / or, the pore size of the through-hole structure ranges from 1 mm to 1.5 cm.

[0027] In some embodiments of the present application, the material of the blocking member includes metal, and the metal includes iron, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum plating, and nickel plating;

[0028] Alternatively, the barrier member comprises a metal plating layer, and the metal plating layer comprises at least one of an aluminum plating layer and a nickel plating layer.

[0029] In some embodiments of the present application, the thickness of the metal coating is 0.3 mm-3 mm.

[0030] In some embodiments of the present application, the upper cover assembly includes a heating assembly, and the blocking member is disposed between the cooking cavity and the heating assembly.

[0031] In some embodiments of the present application, the upper cover assembly further includes a fan blade, and the fan blade is arranged on a side of the heating assembly away from the blocking member.

[0032] In some embodiments of the present application, the fan blades include downwind blades and upwind blades, and the downwind blades and the upwind blades are sequentially arranged on a side of the heating component away from the blocking member.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present application, a reflective cover is provided between the downwind blade and the upwind blade, and the reflective cover has a through-hole structure.

[0034] In some embodiments of the present application, the through-hole structure of the reflector is provided at the center and peripheral positions of the reflector.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present application, the blocking member, the heating assembly, the downwind blade, the reflector, and the upwind blade are arranged in sequence, the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the heating assembly is set to a, the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the downwind blade is set to b, and the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the reflector is set to c, wherein a=5mm-50mm; and / or b=5mm-50mm; and / or c=15mm-100mm; and / or the ratio of a:b:c is 1:2:3.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present application,

[0037] The straight-line distance between the blocking member and the upwind blade is set to d, where d=30mm-150mm;

[0038] And / or, the straight-line distance between the heating assembly and the downwind blade is set to e, then e=10mm-40mm;

[0039] And / or, the straight-line distance between the downwind blade and the reflector is set to f, then f=15mm-80mm.

[0040] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present application also provides a cooking utensil, which includes the upper cover assembly described above in the present application.

[0041] In some embodiments of the present application, the cooking appliance includes an air fryer. Beneficial effects

[0042] Beneficial effects that this application can achieve:

[0043] The present application provides a blocking member on the side of the upper cover assembly facing the cooking cavity of the cooking utensil, which can physically intercept and block the oil smoke and grease generated by cooking, thereby preventing the oil smoke and grease from contaminating the upper cover assembly due to splashing or volatilization; in addition, the surface of the blocking member is also coated with a thermal catalytic coating, which can use the heat provided by cooking as a heat source, and catalytically oxidize the oil smoke and grease with the participation of oxygen in the air, degrading the oil smoke and grease into water and carbon dioxide, thereby achieving a long-term self-cleaning function, reducing or avoiding the accumulation of oil and dirt inside the upper cover assembly, making it easier to clean, and improving cleaning efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0045] FIG1 is an exploded view of an embodiment of a top cover assembly of the present application;

[0046] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the flow direction of airflow through a blocking member in a cooking appliance in one embodiment of the present application;

[0047] FIG3 is an exploded view of a cooking utensil according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0048] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0049] Reference number name Reference number name 1 blocking member 2 heating component 3 lower fan blade 4 reflection cover 5 upper fan blade 6 cooking chamber

[0050] The realization of the objectives, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0051] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0052] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present application (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0053] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in this application are for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in this field. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

[0054] In recent years, the widespread use of a wide variety of small kitchen appliances with diverse functions has satisfied the desire of many residents to easily cook and enjoy delicious food at home. Air fryers, in particular, have become extremely popular. However, these small kitchen appliances produce a large amount of grease and volatile fumes during the cooking process, which can easily splash or evaporate into cooking components outside the cooking cavity, such as the upper cover assembly. Some upper covers are difficult to completely disassemble and clean, so grease easily accumulates, creating blind spots for cleaning and causing numerous problems in daily cleaning. The long-term accumulation of grease not only affects the appearance but also makes it more likely to breed bacteria, threatening people's health.

[0055] In view of this, the present application provides an upper cover assembly for a cooking utensil. The upper cover assembly is provided with a barrier on a side facing the cooking cavity of the cooking utensil, and the surface of the barrier is coated with a thermocatalytic coating comprising a thermocatalyst and an adhesive.

[0056] It is understandable that the cooking cavity refers to a container for placing food and heating and cooking the food, such as the frying bucket of an air fryer, the oven of an oven, etc.

[0057] The present application provides a blocking member on the side of the upper cover assembly facing the cooking cavity of the cooking utensil, which can block the oil smoke and grease generated by cooking by physical interception, preventing the oil smoke and grease from contaminating the upper cover assembly due to splashing or volatilization and causing oil accumulation; in addition, the surface of the blocking member is also coated with a thermal catalytic coating, which contains a large number of catalytic active sites, can use the heat provided by cooking as a heat source, and with the participation of oxygen in the air, it can undergo a catalytic oxidation reaction with the oil smoke and grease, degrading the oil smoke and grease into water and carbon dioxide, thereby achieving a long-term self-cleaning function, reducing or avoiding oil accumulation in the upper cover assembly, making it easier to clean, and improving cleaning efficiency.

[0058] In some embodiments, the thermal catalyst includes a manganese-based thermal catalyst, which includes manganese oxide having the general structural formula MnOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1. Manganese-based thermal catalysts, especially those containing manganese oxide, have a good oxidative degradation effect on oil fume and grease, and can degrade oil fume and grease into water and carbon dioxide under the conditions of a heat source and oxygen in the air.

[0059] In some embodiments, the manganese oxide includes at least one of MnO2, Mn2O3, and Mn3O4. The above types of manganese oxides have a good oxidative degradation effect on oil smoke and grease. Under the conditions of heat source and oxygen in the air, the oil smoke and grease can be quickly degraded into water and carbon dioxide, which is conducive to achieving the purpose of thorough oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease during the cooking process, reducing or avoiding the accumulation of oil stains on the upper cover assembly.

[0060] In some embodiments, the manganese oxide is doped with metal elements, including alkali metal elements and / or precious metal elements. It should be noted that the aforementioned metal elements are doped into the crystal lattice of the manganese oxide. By doping with precious metals and / or alkali metals, the onset temperature of the thermal catalytic coating for catalytic oxidation of oil smoke and grease can be lowered, and the onset temperature can reach 80°C. The purpose of oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease can be achieved at conditions between 80°C and 500°C, which includes the conventional cooking temperature range. Oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease can be achieved during the cooking process, preventing the accumulation of oil stains on the upper cover assembly.

[0061] In some embodiments, the alkali metal elements include at least one of K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ce, La, and Ba. The above types of alkali metal elements can easily reduce the onset temperature of catalytic oxidation of the thermal catalytic coating to 80°C.

[0062] In some embodiments, the noble metal element includes at least one of Pt, Pd, Au, Ru, Rb, and Ag. The noble metal elements mentioned above can easily reduce the onset temperature of the catalytic oxidation of the thermal catalytic coating to 80°C.

[0063] In some embodiments, the general structural formula of manganese oxides doped with metal elements includes MnCoOx, MnCuCoOx, PtMnOx and PtMnCuOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1. The above-mentioned manganese oxides doped with metal elements can reduce the onset temperature of the catalytic oxidation of oil smoke and grease by the thermal catalytic coating, which can reach 80°C. It can achieve the purpose of oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease under conditions of 80°C to 500°C, and 80°C to 500°C includes the conventional cooking temperature range. The oil smoke and grease can be oxidized and degraded during the cooking process, so that the oil smoke and grease are degraded more thoroughly, thereby preventing oil accumulation in the upper cover assembly.

[0064] In some embodiments, the solid content of the thermal catalytic coating is 30%-90%, and can be any solid content in the range of 30%-90%, such as 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, etc. Within the above solid content range, it is beneficial to ensure that the thermal catalytic coating exerts better catalytic oxidation activity, so that the oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease is more thorough;

[0065] In some embodiments, the roughness of the thermocatalytic coating ranges from 10 μm to 800 μm. For example, the roughness can be any of 10 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 50 μm, 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 350 μm, 400 μm, 450 μm, 500 μm, 600 μm, 650 μm, 700 μm, 750 μm, and 800 μm. Under these roughness conditions, a large number of catalytically active sites in the thermocatalytic coating are exposed to the air, increasing their contact area with oil fume and grease. Furthermore, the coating can enhance the interception of oil fume and grease and prolong its residence time on the coating surface, resulting in more thorough degradation of the oil fume and grease.

[0066] In some embodiments, the thickness of the thermocatalytic coating ranges from 100 μm to 1 mm, further from 600 μm to 1 mm. For example, the thickness can be any value within the range of 100 μm to 1 mm, such as 100 μm, 150 μm, 200 μm, 250 μm, 300 μm, 350 μm, 400 μm, 500 μm, 600 μm, 700 μm, 800 μm, 900 μm, 950 μm, or 1 mm. Within the above thickness range, the thermocatalytic coating can be prevented from being too thin, which could cause oil smoke and grease to penetrate the coating and adhere to the barrier before being fully degraded, thereby corroding the barrier. Furthermore, the coating can be prevented from being too thick, which could lead to poor adhesion and the tendency for the thermocatalytic coating to decompose and fall off during long-term use.

[0067] The thermocatalytic coating contains oxygen atoms, which are composed of adsorbed and bound oxygen. Adsorbed oxygen has a strong adsorption capacity for oxygen and can absorb oxygen from the air to oxidatively degrade oil smoke and grease. Calculated based on the area characterized by XPS, the adsorbed oxygen content in the thermocatalytic coating accounts for 10%-50% of the oxygen atoms, and can be any value within the 10%-50% range, such as 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, or 50%. With this adsorbed oxygen content, the thermocatalytic coating can absorb a large amount of oxygen for oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease, thereby promoting the oxidative degradation of oil smoke and grease.

[0068] The adhesive in the thermal catalytic coating can firmly fix the thermal catalyst on the surface of the barrier and fully expose the catalytic active sites in the thermal catalyst to the air, thereby increasing the contact area with the oil fume and grease, and degrading the oil fume and grease more thoroughly.

[0069] In some embodiments, the adhesive includes an organic adhesive and / or an inorganic adhesive, which can be an organic adhesive, an inorganic adhesive, or a composite adhesive of an organic adhesive and an inorganic adhesive. Inorganic silicone adhesives have the advantages of good temperature resistance, chemical corrosion resistance, and high strength, and are inexpensive. Organic silicone adhesives have strong adhesion, and have both good temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, and also have electrical insulation properties. Organic adhesives and inorganic adhesives are compounded to obtain organic-inorganic adhesives. Organic-inorganic adhesives are beneficial for combining the advantages of organic adhesives and inorganic adhesives, improving temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, and having strong adhesion and electrical insulation properties, so that the thermal catalytic coating maintains strong adhesion under long-term high-temperature cooking conditions, preventing the coating from powdering and falling off, extending its service life and ensuring the catalytic activity of the coating.

[0070] In some embodiments, the organic adhesive includes at least one of polyethersulfone and polyamide-imide. The above-mentioned types of organic adhesives have excellent temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, can maintain strong adhesion under long-term high-temperature cooking conditions, prevent the coating from powdering and falling off, extend the service life of the thermal catalytic coating and ensure the catalytic activity of the coating.

[0071] In some embodiments, the inorganic adhesive includes at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicate. The above-mentioned types of inorganic adhesives have excellent temperature resistance and chemical corrosion resistance, can maintain strong adhesion under long-term high-temperature cooking conditions, and extend the service life of the thermal catalytic coating.

[0072] In some embodiments, the thermal catalytic coating also includes a carrier, which can increase the roughness of the thermal catalytic coating, enhance the physical interception effect on oil fume and grease, and prolong the residence time of oil fume and grease on the coating surface. In addition, it can also promote the catalytic active sites in the thermal catalyst to be exposed to the air in large quantities, increase the contact area between the catalytic active sites and oil fume and grease, and make the oil fume and grease degradation more thorough.

[0073] In some embodiments, the support comprises one or more of alumina, silicon carbide, diatomaceous earth, silica, activated carbon, pumice, zeolite, molecular sieve, nickel oxide, zinc oxide, vanadium oxide, cerium oxide, copper oxide, and titanium dioxide. The above supports are advantageous in increasing the roughness of the thermal catalytic coating and promoting the exposure of a large number of catalytically active sites in the thermal catalyst to air.

[0074] In some embodiments, the thermal catalytic coating is applied to the surface of the barrier facing the cooking cavity. The oil smoke and grease generated by cooking food in the cooking cavity are first physically intercepted by the barrier and come into direct contact with the thermal catalytic coating on the surface of the barrier. The thermal catalytic coating quickly oxidizes and degrades the oil smoke and grease, reducing or preventing the oil smoke and grease from continuing to enter the interior of the upper cover assembly and forming oil accumulation.

[0075] In some embodiments, the thermal catalytic coating is applied to the surface of the barrier facing the cooking cavity, as well as to the surface of the barrier facing away from the cooking cavity. This can oxidatively degrade oil smoke and grease adhering to the surface of the barrier facing away from the cooking cavity as the airflow refluxes, making the cooking utensil easier to clean.

[0076] In some embodiments, the barrier comprises a through-hole structure, for example, a barrier mesh. The barrier with a through-hole structure facilitates airflow within the cooking cavity, allowing carbon dioxide and moisture generated by the oxidation and degradation of oil smoke and grease to be discharged from the cooking appliance through the airflow, preventing moisture from flowing back and affecting the appearance and taste of the food. It also promotes hot air circulation within the cooking cavity and is suitable for cooking appliances that utilize hot air circulation to cook food, such as air fryers.

[0077] In some embodiments, the through-hole structure has a shape of at least one of a circle, a square, and a triangle. The above through-hole shapes are beneficial for promoting the flow of air and the circulation of hot air in the cooking cavity.

[0078] In some embodiments, the through-hole structure has an aperture range of 1 mm to 1.5 cm, and can be any aperture value within the range of 1 mm to 1.5 cm, such as 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, 100 mm, 200 mm, 300 mm, 400 mm, 500 mm, 600 mm, 700 mm, 800 mm, 900 mm, 1 cm, 1.1 cm, 1.2 cm, 1.3 cm, 1.4 cm, or 1.5 cm. Within this aperture range, a large amount of oil smoke and grease can be intercepted while promoting airflow and hot air circulation within the cooking cavity.

[0079] In some embodiments, the barrier member is made of metal, including iron, stainless steel, and aluminum. Barrier members made of these metals are durable and hard, which facilitates forming a smooth thermocatalytic coating on the surface and provides a strong bond between the barrier member and the thermocatalytic coating.

[0080] In some embodiments, the barrier member includes a metal coating, wherein the metal coating includes at least one of an aluminum coating and a nickel coating, so that a strong bonding force can be formed between the barrier member with the metal coating and the thermocatalytic coating.

[0081] In some embodiments, the thickness of the metal plating layer is 0.3 mm to 3 mm. The metal plating layer in the above thickness range can improve the corrosion resistance of the barrier element and enhance the durability.

[0082] In some embodiments, the upper cover assembly also includes a heating assembly, which provides a cooking heat source for the cooking utensil. At the same time, the thermal catalytic coating can also utilize the heat generated by the operation of the heating assembly to stimulate catalytic activity, and catalytically oxidize the oil smoke and grease under the action of oxygen in the air, degrading it into carbon dioxide and water.

[0083] In some embodiments, the barrier is provided between the cooking cavity and the heating assembly. It is understandable that the heating assembly is provided inside the upper cover of the cooking utensil, and the barrier separates the heating assembly from the cooking cavity. The thermocatalytic coating on the surface of the barrier needs to exert catalytic activity under thermal conditions. The heating assembly is provided inside the upper cover, and the heating assembly and the barrier are close to each other. During the cooking process, it can ensure that a heat source is continuously provided to the thermocatalytic coating, so that the thermocatalytic coating maintains a strong catalytic activity during the cooking process. In addition, when the user cooks food, the oil smoke and grease generated by the food in the cooking cavity will be directly intercepted by the barrier and oxidized and degraded into carbon dioxide and water, which can reduce or prevent the oil smoke and grease from entering the upper cover assembly and contaminating the heating assembly.

[0084] In some embodiments, the upper cover assembly further includes a fan blade, which is located on the side of the heating assembly facing away from the barrier. It is understood that the fan blade is also located within the upper cover, with the heating assembly separating the barrier and the fan blade. By arranging the heating assembly and fan blade within the upper cover, carbon dioxide and water generated by the degradation of cooking fumes and grease can be promptly removed.

[0085] In some embodiments, the fan blades include lower and upper fan blades, which are sequentially arranged on the side of the heating assembly facing away from the blocking member. By providing the heating assembly and the two sets of fan blades, food can be cooked using a hot air circulation method. The upper cover assembly of this embodiment is suitable for an air fryer.

[0086] In some embodiments, a reflective cover is provided between the downwind blade and the upwind blade. The reflective cover has a through-hole structure. The reflective cover with a through-hole structure is conducive to promoting the circulation of airflow and hot air in the cavity of the cooking utensil, and can quickly take away the carbon dioxide and water generated by the degradation of oil smoke and grease through the fan blades.

[0087] In some embodiments, the through holes of the reflective cover are arranged at the center and peripheral positions of the reflective cover, and the reflective cover and the downwind blades and upwind blades are located on the same axis. This can promote airflow and hot air circulation in the cavity of the cooking utensil. In addition, the carbon dioxide and water generated by the degradation of oil smoke and grease can be taken away in time through the through hole structure of the reflective cover.

[0088] In some embodiments, referring to FIG1 , a barrier 1, a heating assembly 2, downwind blades 3, a reflector 4, and upwind blades 5 are arranged in sequence within the upper cover assembly. The combination of the heating assembly 2, downwind blades 3, reflector 4, and upwind blades 5 can be applied to a cooking appliance that cooks food by circulating hot air, such as an air fryer. The barrier 1 is located on the outermost side of the upper cover assembly facing the cooking chamber, and can physically intercept cooking fumes and grease. The barrier 1 also utilizes a thermal catalytic coating on the surface to promptly degrade the fumes and grease, thereby reducing or preventing the fumes and grease from entering the interior of the upper cover assembly and contaminating other components, leading to the accumulation of oily dirt.

[0089] In conjunction with Figures 1 and 2, the blocking member has a through-hole structure. When food needs to be cooked, the food is placed in the cooking cavity. The downwind blades 3 and the upwind blades 5 in the upper cover assembly rotate to promote the flow of hot air in the cooking cavity, and the food is cooked by hot air circulation. The grease and oil smoke particles generated by the food during the cooking process are splashed or flow with the airflow of hot air to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing the cooking cavity and are intercepted. Some of them pass through the through-hole structure of the blocking member 1 and flow to the downwind blades 3, the heating assembly 2 and the reflector 4 and adhere to them. A small amount of oil smoke flows back to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing away from the cooking cavity with the return airflow generated by the blades. In one embodiment, a thermal catalytic coating is applied to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing the cooking cavity and the surface facing away from the cooking cavity, which is beneficial to catalytically oxidize the oil smoke that flows back to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing away from the cooking cavity with the return airflow generated by the blades, further promotes the degradation of oil smoke and grease, and makes the cooking device easier to clean.

[0090] In this embodiment, the barrier 1, heating assembly 2, downwind blades 3, reflector 4, and upwind blades 5 are arranged in sequence. The linear distance between the barrier 1 and the heating assembly 2 is set to a, the linear distance between the barrier 1 and the downwind blades 3 is set to b, and the linear distance between the barrier 1 and the reflector 4 is set to c. In this case, a = 5 mm - 50 mm; and / or b = 5 mm - 50 mm; and / or c = 15 mm - 100 mm; and / or the ratio of a:b:c is 1:2:3. This not only blocks and degrades a large amount of oil smoke and grease, but also promotes airflow and hot air circulation within the cavity, promptly removing the carbon dioxide and water produced by the degradation of the oil smoke and grease from the cavity.

[0091] In one embodiment, the straight-line distance between the blocking member 1 and the upwind blade 5 is set to d, and d=30mm-150mm; and / or the straight-line distance between the heating assembly 2 and the downwind blade 3 is set to e, and e=10mm-40mm; and / or the straight-line distance between the downwind blade 3 and the reflector 4 is set to f, and f=15mm-80mm. The straight-line distance between the blocking member and the upwind blade is set to d, and d=30mm-150mm.

[0092] Under the limitation of the straight-line distance between various components in the above-mentioned upper cover assembly, it is beneficial to promote the airflow and hot air circulation in the cavity of the cooking utensil, and promptly bring the carbon dioxide and water generated by the degradation of oil smoke and grease out of the cavity.

[0093] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 3 , the upper cover assembly of the cooking appliance includes a barrier 1, a heating assembly 2, a downdraft blade 3, a reflector 4, an updraft blade 5, and a cooking cavity 6. From bottom to top, they are: cooking cavity 6, barrier 1, heating assembly 2, downdraft blade 3, reflector 4, and updraft blade 5. Barrier 1, located on the outermost side of the upper cover assembly facing cooking cavity 6, physically intercepts cooking fumes and oils. Its thermal catalytic coating promptly degrades the fumes and oils, reducing or preventing them from entering the interior of the upper cover assembly, contaminating other components, and accumulating oily contaminants.

[0094] In this embodiment, the blocking member 1 has a through-hole structure. When food needs to be cooked, the food is placed in the cooking cavity 6. The downwind blades 3 and the upwind blades 5 in the upper cover assembly rotate to promote the flow of hot air in the cooking cavity, and the food is cooked by hot air circulation. The grease and oil fume particles generated by the food during the cooking process are splashed or flow with the airflow of hot air to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing the cooking cavity 6 and are intercepted. Some of them pass through the through-hole structure of the blocking member 1 and flow to the downwind blades 3, the heating component 2 and the reflector 4 and adhere to them. A small amount of oil fume flows back to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing away from the cooking cavity 6 with the return airflow generated by the blades. In one embodiment, a thermal catalytic coating is coated on the surface of the blocking member 1 facing the cooking cavity 6 and the surface facing away from the cooking cavity 6, which is beneficial to catalytically oxidize the oil fume that flows back to the surface of the blocking member 1 facing away from the cooking cavity 6 with the return airflow generated by the blades, further promotes the degradation of oil fume and grease, and makes the cooking device easier to clean.

[0095] In this embodiment, the upper blades 5 are primarily used to dissipate heat from the upper cover drive components, while the lower blades 3 are used to circulate hot air within the cooking cavity. However, since the hot air circulates throughout the entire cooking chamber, some small molecules of grease and oil smoke not blocked by the barrier 1 can pass through the barrier 1 and flow through the various components of the upper cover along the hot air circulation path. This can still lead to grease residue and incomplete catalytic self-cleaning. Therefore, in some embodiments, a catalytic coating can also be applied to the surface of the reflector 4. This can oxidize and degrade grease and oil smoke pollutants that pass through the barrier 1 and accumulate on the reflector 4 during hot air circulation, thereby improving the degradation of oil smoke pollutants and making the cooking appliance easier to clean.

[0096] In this embodiment, the cooking appliance further comprises an air outlet directed toward the upper wind blade 5 or toward the corner of the top wall of the reflector 4. Thus, grease and oily fume pollutants that pass through the barrier 1 and the reflector 4 and circulate with the hot air into the space above the reflector 4 can be discharged from the air outlet driven by the upper wind blade 5. This reduces the accumulation of grease and oily fume pollutants and makes the cooking appliance easier to clean. The present application also provides a cooking appliance comprising the upper cover assembly described above. The cooking appliance of the present application at least has all the beneficial effects of the upper cover assembly, which will not be further described here. In some embodiments, the cooking appliance includes an air fryer. The air fryer has a compact structure. The upper cover assembly is generally provided with a heating element, a fan blade, a reflector, and other components. The heating element and the fan blades realize hot air circulation, and the food in the cooking chamber is heated and cooked by the hot air circulation. Therefore, the oil smoke and grease generated by the food during the cooking process are easily volatilized or splashed into the interior of the upper cover assembly, causing pollution to the heating element, the fan blades, the reflector, and other components. The upper cover of the air fryer is generally difficult to disassemble and clean. Over time, the upper cover assembly is prone to oil accumulation, which in turn causes carbonization and rusting of the upper cover assembly, which not only affects the appearance but also easily breeds bacteria and affects health. When the upper cover assembly of the present application is applied to the air fryer, the blocking member in the upper cover assembly can physically intercept the oil smoke and grease generated by the cooking of food in the cooking chamber, and the thermal catalytic coating on the surface promptly degrades the oil smoke and grease into carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide and water are then carried out of the air fryer cavity by the fan blades, which can reduce or avoid the pollution of the upper cover assembly by oil smoke and grease, reduce the accumulation of oil stains, and make it easier to clean.

[0097] The technical solution of the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0098] Examples 1 to 13

[0099] Preparation of blocking parts

[0100] An iron mesh with an average pore size of 1 mm and a porosity of 90% was used as a substrate, and a thermal catalyst was coated on the substrate to obtain a barrier mesh with a thermal catalytic coating on the surface. Specific conditions of the thermal catalytic coating in the barrier meshes of Examples 1 to 13 are shown in Table 1.

[0101] Performance tests of Examples 1 to 13:

[0102] Using a 1 ml pipette, a drop of vegetable oil was placed on the surface of each screen maintained at 200°C in Examples 1 to 13. The coating surface was observed after 5, 10, and 15 minutes to determine if a glossy film had formed. A control group was also tested using the iron screen substrate from Example 1, which was not coated with the thermocatalytic coating.

[0103] Judgment basis:

[0104] Excellent: No film after 5 minutes;

[0105] Good: No film after 10 minutes;

[0106] Medium: No film after 15 minutes;

[0107] Poor: There is still a film after 15 minutes.

[0108] Examples 14 to 24

[0109] Preparation of retaining net

[0110] The thermal catalytic coating of Example 1 was applied to the surfaces of the baffles of Examples 14 to 24 respectively, and then the baffles of each embodiment and the heating assembly, downwind blades, reflector, and upwind blades were installed in the upper cover of the air fryer in sequence with reference to the order of Figure 1.

[0111] The surfaces of the screens of Examples 14 to 24 facing the cooking cavity of the air fryer and the surfaces facing away from the cooking cavity are coated with the thermocatalytic coating of Example 1, and the thickness of each is 100 μm.

[0112] The specific condition differences of the screens in Examples 14 to 24, the straight-line distance between the screens and the heating assembly, and the straight-line distance between the screens and the downwind blades are shown in Table 2.

[0113] Performance tests of Examples 14 to 24 and Comparative Example 1:

[0114] Place 200g of soybean oil and 5g of tap water in the air fryer, adjust the temperature to 200℃ and run it for 24 hours. Observe whether there is a film on the baffle and reflector, and calculate the area ratio of the film to the baffle and reflector.

[0115] Judgment basis:

[0116] Excellent: film area / (screen + reflector) area ratio <5%;

[0117] Good: the ratio of film area to (net + reflector) area is 5-20%;

[0118] Medium: the ratio of film area to (screen + reflector) area is 10-50%;

[0119] Poor: The ratio of membrane area to (net + reflector) area is >50%.

[0120] Table 1

[0121] Experimental group Catalyst type Binder solid content (%) Adsorbed oxygen content (%) Performance Example 1 MnO2 polyethersulfone 6015 Excellent Example 2 MnO2 inorganic silicon 6024 Excellent Example 3 MnO2 organic-inorganic silicon 8028 Excellent Example 4 MnO2 alumina 8023 Excellent Example 5 MnO2 polyamide-imide 8018 Excellent Example 6 Mn2O3 organic-inorganic silicon 8019 Excellent Example 7 MnNiOx organic-inorganic silicon 8029 Excellent Example 8 MnFeOx organic-inorganic silicon 8024 Excellent Example 9 MnCoOx organic-inorganic silicon 8029 Excellent Example 10 MnCuOx organic-inorganic silicon 8024 Excellent Example 11 MnCuCeOx organic-inorganic silicon 8027 Excellent Example 12 MnZnOx organic-inorganic silicon 8025 Excellent Example 13 PtMnOx organic-inorganic silicon 8034 Excellent Control group / / / 0 Poor

[0122] Note: “ / ” in Table 1 means no addition.

[0123] Table 2

[0124]

[0125] It can be seen from Table 1 that the thermal catalytic coating on the surface of the barrier member of the present application has a better oxidative degradation effect on oil smoke and grease.

[0126] As can be seen from Table 2, the barrier net of the present application is installed in the air fryer. The barrier net can physically intercept the oil smoke and grease generated by cooking food in the cooking cavity, and timely degrade the oil smoke and grease into carbon dioxide and water through the thermal catalytic coating on the surface, and then carry the carbon dioxide and water out of the cavity of the air fryer through the fan blades, which can reduce or avoid the pollution of the upper cover assembly by oil smoke and oil, reduce the accumulation of oil and dirt, and make it easier to clean.

[0127] The iron mesh of the control group of Examples 1 to 13 is not coated with a thermocatalytic coating, and the catalytic effect is poor. It can be seen that even if a blocking mesh is set in the upper cover assembly of the cooking utensil, without coating with a thermocatalytic coating, the purification effect of oil fume pollutants is still not ideal.

[0128] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present application, or direct / indirect application in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A cover assembly, wherein: The upper cover assembly is provided with a blocking member on one side facing the cooking accommodating cavity of the cooking utensil, and a surface of the blocking member is coated with a thermal catalytic coating, wherein the thermal catalytic coating comprises a thermal catalyst and an adhesive.

2. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The thermal catalyst includes a manganese-based thermal catalyst. The manganese-based thermal catalyst includes manganese oxide. The manganese oxide has a general structural formula of MnOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

3. The upper cover assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The manganese oxide includes at least one of MnO2, Mn2O3, and Mn3O4.

4. The upper cover assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The manganese oxide is doped with metal elements, and the metal elements include alkali metal elements and / or noble metal elements.

5. The upper cover assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The alkali metal element includes at least one of K, Ca, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Zr, Ce, La, and Ba; And / or, the precious metal element includes at least one of Pt, Pd, Au, Ru, Rb, and Ag.

6. The upper cover assembly according to claim 5, wherein: The general structural formula of the manganese oxide doped with metal elements includes MnCoOx, MnCuCoOx, PtMnOx and PtMnCuOx, where X is a natural number greater than or equal to 1.

7. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The solid content of the thermal catalytic coating is 30%-90%; and / or, the roughness of the thermal catalytic coating ranges from 10 μm to 800 μm; And / or, the thickness of the thermocatalytic coating is in the range of 100 μm-1 mm.

8. The upper cover assembly according to claim 7, wherein: The thickness of the thermal catalytic coating ranges from 600 μm to 1 mm.

9. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The thermal catalytic coating contains oxygen atoms, which are composed of combined oxygen and adsorbed oxygen. Calculated based on the area characterized by XPS, the content of adsorbed oxygen in the thermal catalytic coating is 10%-50%.

10. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The binder includes an organic binder and / or an inorganic binder.

11. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The organic binder comprises at least one of polyethersulfone and polyamide-imide; And / or, the inorganic binder includes at least one of silicon oxide, aluminum oxide and silicate.

12. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The thermocatalytic coating also includes a carrier.

13. The upper cover assembly according to claim 12, wherein: The carrier includes at least one of alumina, silicon carbide, diatomaceous earth, silicon dioxide, activated carbon, pumice, zeolite, molecular sieve, nickel oxide, zinc oxide, vanadium oxide, cerium oxide, copper oxide and titanium dioxide.

14. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The thermocatalytic coating is applied to the surface of the blocking member facing the cooking cavity; Alternatively, the thermocatalytic coating is applied to a surface of the blocking member facing the cooking cavity and a surface of the blocking member facing away from the cooking cavity.

15. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The blocking member comprises a through-hole structure, and the aperture of the through-hole structure ranges from 1 mm to 1.5 cm.

16. The upper cover assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The material of the blocking member includes metal, and the metal includes iron, stainless steel, aluminum, aluminum plating, and nickel plating; Alternatively, the barrier member comprises a metal plating layer, and the metal plating layer comprises at least one of an aluminum plating layer and a nickel plating layer.

17. The upper cover assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein: The upper cover assembly includes a heating assembly, and the blocking member is arranged between the cooking accommodating cavity and the heating assembly.

18. The upper cover assembly according to claim 17, wherein: The upper cover assembly further comprises a fan blade, and the fan blade is arranged on a side of the heating assembly away from the blocking member.

19. The upper cover assembly according to claim 18, wherein: The fan blades include a lower fan blade and an upper fan blade, and the lower fan blade and the upper fan blade are sequentially arranged on a side of the heating component away from the blocking member.

20. The upper cover assembly according to claim 19, wherein: A reflective cover is provided between the downwind blade and the upwind blade, and the reflective cover has a through-hole structure.

21. The upper cover assembly according to any one of claims 19 to 20, wherein: The blocking member, heating assembly, downwind blade, reflective cover, and upwind blade are arranged in sequence, the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the heating assembly is set to a, the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the downwind blade is set to b, and the straight-line distance between the blocking member and the reflective cover is set to c, wherein a=5mm-50mm; and / or b=5mm-50mm; and / or c=15mm-100mm; and / or the ratio of a:b:c is 1:2:

3.

22. The upper cover assembly according to claim 21, wherein: The straight-line distance between the blocking member and the upper wind blade is set to d, then d=30mm-150mm; And / or, the straight-line distance between the heating component and the downwind blade is set to e, then e=10mm-40mm; And / or, the straight-line distance between the downwind blade and the reflector cover is set to f, then f=15mm-80mm.

23. A cooking appliance, wherein: The cooking utensil comprises the upper cover assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 22.

24. The cooking appliance according to claim 23, wherein The cooking appliance comprises an air fryer.

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