Heating cooker

Abstract

A heating cooker according to the present disclosure comprises a heating chamber, a circulation fan, a convection heater, and a water supply body. The heating chamber can accommodate an object to be heated. The circulation fan suctions in air from the heating chamber and blows the suctioned air into the heating chamber. The convection heater heats the air suctioned in from the circulation fan. The water supply body supplies water to hot air generated by the circulation fan and the convection heater.

Description

heating cooker

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a microwave oven and a convection oven in which water supplied to a steam generator is heated and boiled inside the steam generator, and the generated steam is supplied to a heating chamber.

[0003] JP 2014-234940 A

[0004] In microwave ovens equipped with conventional boiler-type steam generators, it is necessary to secure power to supply not only the heater included in the steam generator, but also the magnetron and another heater disposed in the heating chamber. However, because boiler-type steam generators require a large amount of power, it is difficult to quickly cook the heated food by using another heat source in combination.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cooking appliance that can quickly cook food by using a steam generating device in combination with another heat source.

[0006] The cooking device according to the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, a circulation fan, a convection heater, and a water supplier. The heating chamber is capable of accommodating an object to be heated. The circulation fan draws air into the heating chamber and blows the drawn air out into the heating chamber. The convection heater heats the air drawn in by the circulation fan. The water supplier supplies water to the hot air generated by the circulation fan and the convection heater.

[0007] The cooking device according to the present disclosure can supply steam to the heating chamber with lower power than conventional cooking devices.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device according to the embodiment with the door open. FIG. 3 is a front view of the cooking device according to the embodiment with the door open. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device according to the embodiment as seen from the front. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device according to the embodiment as seen from the side. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the cooking device according to the embodiment as seen from the rear with the door closed and the outer shell of the main body removed. FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a water supplier and a nozzle in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 7B is a partially cutaway perspective cross-sectional view of the water supplier and the nozzle in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a front view of the back wall of the heating chamber in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 9 is a front view of a convection device in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the convection device in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the convection device in the cooking device according to the embodiment. FIG. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cooking device according to the present embodiment as seen from the side, showing the circulating flow within the heating chamber. Fig. 13 is a plan view of a flow path forming portion in a cooking device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a flow path forming portion in a cooking device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 15A is a perspective view showing another example of a nozzle for supplying water to a water supplier in a cooking device according to the present embodiment. Fig. 15B is a perspective view of the nozzle shown in Fig. 15A. Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing another example of a convection device and a water supplier in a cooking device according to the present embodiment.

[0009] A cooking device according to a first aspect of the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, a circulation fan, a convection heater, and a water supplier. The heating chamber is capable of accommodating an object to be heated. The circulation fan draws air into the heating chamber and blows the drawn air out into the heating chamber. The convection heater heats the air drawn in by the circulation fan. The water supplier supplies water to hot air generated by the circulation fan and the convection heater.

[0010] According to this aspect, steam generated when water from the water supplier comes into contact with hot air can be supplied to the heating chamber, thereby making it possible to supply steam together with hot air to the heating chamber with lower power than conventional methods.

[0011] In a cooking device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect, the water supplier is arranged in the hot air generation area behind the heating chamber. According to this aspect, steam can be supplied to the heating chamber together with hot air with lower power than before.

[0012] In a cooking device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first or second aspect, the water supplier is arranged in the flow path forming portion at the top of the heating chamber. According to this aspect, steam can be supplied to the heating chamber together with hot air with lower power than conventional methods.

[0013] In a cooking device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the first aspect, the water supplier includes a water supplier tray or a metal foam. According to this aspect, steam can be supplied to the heating chamber together with hot air with lower power than conventional cooking devices.

[0014] A cooking device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to any of the first to fourth aspects, further includes a water tank, a pump, a water supply path connecting the water tank to the water supplier via the pump, and a water sprayer that sprays water sent from the water tank via the water supply path to the water supplier. According to this aspect, water can be finely sprayed onto the water supplier, thereby promoting the generation of steam by hot air.

[0015] In a cooking device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the fifth aspect, the water supplier is arranged below a nozzle arranged at the end of the water supply path. The water sprayer is a plurality of legs arranged between the water supplier and the water supply path. Each of the plurality of legs has a guide groove. Each guide groove has a plurality of branching grooves. According to this aspect, water can be finely sprayed onto the water supplier, which can promote the generation of steam by hot air.

[0016] In a cooking device according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the fifth aspect, the water supplier is disposed below a nozzle disposed at the end of the water supply path. The water sprayer is a plurality of outlets disposed on a side surface of the nozzle. According to this aspect, water can be finely sprayed onto the water supplier, thereby facilitating the generation of steam by hot air.

[0017] Hereinafter, a cooking device 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] (Embodiment) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance 1. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 1 with a door 4 open. Fig. 3 is a front view of the cooking appliance 1 with the door 4 open.

[0019] [Overall Configuration] Cooking device 1 is a commercial cooking device capable of heating at high power output, and is used, for example, in convenience stores, fast food restaurants, etc. Cooking device 1 performs microwave heating, radiant heating, and hot air circulation heating alone, or at least two of these in sequence or simultaneously, depending on the cooking contents.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the cooking appliance 1 includes a main body 2, a machine chamber 3, and a door 4. The main body 2 has a heating chamber 5 therein. The machine chamber 3 is provided below the heating chamber 5. The door 4 is provided on the front of the main body 2 in an openable and closable manner. The door 4 has a handle 24.

[0021] Door 4 can be rotated around hinges provided at the bottom on both sides of door 4 by the user holding handles 24 and pulling or pushing them. An operation display unit 6 is provided on the front of main body 2, on which the user can perform setting operations for cooking appliance 1 and display the setting contents, etc.

[0022] In this embodiment, as shown in the following drawings, the side of the main body 2 on which the door 4 is located is defined as the front of the cooking appliance 1, and the opposite side is defined as the rear of the cooking appliance 1. The right side of the cooking appliance 1 when viewed from the front is defined as the right side of the cooking appliance 1, and the left side of the cooking appliance 1 when viewed from the front is defined as the left side of the cooking appliance 1. The vertically upward side is defined as the upper side of the cooking appliance 1, and the opposite side is defined as the lower side of the cooking appliance 1.

[0023] With the door 4 closed (see FIG. 1 ), the cooking device 1 heats an object to be heated in the heating chamber 5 using microwaves or the like. With the door 4 open (see FIG. 2 ), the object to be heated is placed in the heating chamber 5 or removed from the heating chamber 5.

[0024] The heating chamber 5 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space with a front opening. The door 4 is disposed on the front of the main body 2 and covers the front opening of the heating chamber 5 in an openable and closable manner. The heating chamber 5 is sealed by covering the front opening with the door 4, and contains an object to be heated. In this state, the object to be heated is cooked using at least one of the hot air circulating heating section, the radiant heating section, and the microwave heating section.

[0025] The hot air circulating heating unit is provided behind the heating chamber 5 and near the ceiling of the heating chamber 5. The radiant heating unit is provided near the ceiling of the heating chamber 5. The microwave heating unit includes, for example, a magnetron provided below the bottom of the heating chamber 5. The bottom of the heating chamber 5 is made of a material that easily transmits microwaves, such as glass or ceramic.

[0026] The heating chamber 5 can accommodate a table 7 on which to place the object to be heated, and a tray 8 disposed below the table 7 to catch grease dripping from the object to be heated. The table 7 is a removable table made of, for example, ceramic. The tray 8 is disposed on the bottom surface of the main body 2 of the cooking appliance 1.

[0027] The tray 8 is made of ceramic, specifically cordierite. Cordierite is a ceramic made of magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide, and silicon oxide, and has low thermal expansion and excellent thermal shock resistance. Therefore, even if microwaves are concentrated on the surface of the mounting table 7, there is no problem with the safety of the mounting table 7.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance 1 as seen from the front. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance 1 as seen from the side. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, a grill heater 9, which is a radiant heating unit, is provided near the top surface of the upper part of the heating chamber 5. The grill heater 9 is a bent sheathed heater. The grill heater 9 is used in a grill mode in which an object to be heated is cooked by radiant heat.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, a microwave heating unit 21 is provided in the machine room 3. The microwave heating unit 21 includes a magnetron 15, an inverter 16, and a cooling fan 17, and is controlled by a control unit (not shown) including a microcomputer.

[0030] The magnetron 15 generates microwaves. The inverter 16 drives the magnetron 15. The cooling fan 17 draws in air through a ventilation panel provided at the front of the machine room 3 and sends it out rearward as cooling air. This cooling air cools the inverter 16, magnetron 15, and other components arranged inside the machine room 3.

[0031] 4 and 5 , the microwave heating unit 21 further includes a waveguide 18, a microwave supply unit 19, and a stirrer 23. The waveguide 18 transmits microwaves generated by the magnetron 15 downward in the heating chamber 5. The microwave supply unit 19 is an opening located below the center of the bottom surface of the heating chamber 5 and on the upper surface of the end of the waveguide 18. The microwaves transmitted by the waveguide 18 are radiated into the interior of the heating chamber 5 via the microwave supply unit 19.

[0032] The stirrer 23 is provided below the center of the bottom surface of the heating chamber 5 and above the microwave supply unit 19. The stirrer 23 has blades for stirring the radiated microwaves, and is driven to rotate by a stirrer drive unit (not shown), which is a motor provided in the machine chamber 3. The microwaves radiated from the microwave supply unit 19 are stirred by the stirrer 23. As a result, the stirred microwaves are radiated uniformly from the bottom surface of the heating chamber 5 into the interior of the heating chamber 5.

[0033] Furthermore, the cooking appliance 1 includes a hot air generating mechanism 22 (hot air circulating heating section) in addition to the grill heater 9 and the microwave heating section 21. The hot air generating mechanism 22 includes a convection device 20 disposed in the main body 2 behind the heating chamber 5.

[0034] The convection device 20 includes a convection heater 10, a circulation fan 11, and a fan drive unit 12. The convection heater 10 is a heat source for hot air circulation heating. The fan drive unit 12 is a motor for driving the circulation fan 11. The convection heater 10 and the fan drive unit 12 are controlled by a control unit (not shown).

[0035] The heating chamber 5 is provided with a rear wall 5a (see FIG. 4) having a number of openings disposed on its rear surface. The convection device 20 operates by driving a circulation fan 11 to draw air from the heating chamber 5 through the openings in the rear wall 5a, heats the drawn air with a convection heater 10, and blows the heated air into the heating chamber 5.

[0036] Furthermore, the hot air generating mechanism 22 includes a flow path forming unit 13. The flow path forming unit 13 is disposed in front of the inner wall 5a of the heating chamber 5 and above the grill heater 9. As described above, the grill heater 9 is disposed near the ceiling surface at the top of the heating chamber 5.

[0037] The flow path forming section 13 has an air guide 14 therein, which regulates the flow speed and blowing direction of the air blown from the circulation fan 11 into the heating chamber 5. The arrangement, function and configuration of the flow path forming section 13 and the air guide 14 will be described in detail later.

[0038] As shown in Figure 5, the cooking appliance 1 further includes an internal temperature sensor 50 and an empty-heat detection sensor 51. The internal temperature sensor 50 is located near the top surface of the heating chamber 5 and detects the internal temperature of the heating chamber 5. The empty-heat detection sensor 51 is located near the top surface of the heating chamber 5 and detects a so-called "empty-heat" state in which heating is performed without any object to be heated being present in the heating chamber 5. The internal temperature sensor 50 and the empty-heat detection sensor 51 are each formed of a thermistor, for example.

[0039] The position of the internal temperature sensor 50 is closely related to the positions of the respective components of the grill heater 9, microwave heating unit 21, and hot air generation mechanism 22. In particular, the internal temperature sensor 50 is disposed at a predetermined position in the circulation flow path formed by the hot air generation mechanism 22. The internal temperature sensor 50 detects the internal temperature when at least the circulation fan 11 of the hot air generation mechanism 22 is operating.

[0040] The location of the empty-heating detection sensor 51 is also closely related to the locations of the respective components of the grill heater 9, microwave heating unit 21, and hot air generating mechanism 22. In particular, the empty-heating detection sensor 51 is placed at a predetermined position that can absorb microwaves radiated from the bottom surface of the heating chamber 5. The empty-heating detection sensor 51 detects empty-heating by taking advantage of the property that microwaves concentrate on a dielectric when heating is performed without an object to be heated being present in the heating chamber 5.

[0041] [Configuration of water supplier 40] Cooking device 1 includes water supplier 40 as a characteristic component of the present disclosure. Hereinafter, water supplier 40 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 to 7B. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of cooking device 1 as seen from the rear with door 4 closed and the outer shell of main body 2 removed. Fig. 6 includes an enlarged view of a portion of cooking device 1 (portion indicated by a dashed line).

[0042] As shown in Fig. 6, the water supplier 40 is disposed in an upper space within the main body 2 behind the inner wall 5a of the heating chamber 5. Hereinafter, this space will be referred to as the hot air generation region CH (see also Fig. 5). The cooking device 1 further includes a water tank 41, a pump 42, and a water supply path 43 in association with the water supplier 40.

[0043] The water tank 41 is disposed below the heating chamber 5. The water supply path 43 is disposed between the water tank 41 and the water supplier 40. The pump 42 is disposed midway along the water supply path 43. That is, the water supply path 43 connects the water tank 41 and the water supplier 40 via the pump 42. The water supply path 43 has a nozzle 44 provided at its tip on the water supplier 40 side. The nozzle 44 is disposed above the water supplier 40.

[0044] With this configuration, when a control unit (not shown) drives the pump 42 , water in the water tank 41 is sent via the water supply path 43 and supplied to the water supplier 40 .

[0045] The water supplier 40 is made of a metal foam. A metal foam is a cellular structure of metal (e.g., aluminum) that has many small spaces filled with gas. This configuration allows the water supplier 40 to hold many fine water droplets in the small spaces of the metal foam, and the fine water droplets can be supplied from the metal foam to the hot air generating mechanism 22 (specifically, the convection device 20).

[0046] When convection heater 10 and circulation fan 11 are driven, pump 42 supplies water stored in water tank 41 to water supplier 40. Convection device 20 converts fine water droplets in water supplier 40 into steam using the generated hot air, and supplies the steam and remaining fine water droplets together with the hot air to heating chamber 5 via opening confluence 25 (see FIG. 4). Opening confluence 25 will be described later.

[0047] The metal foam constituting the water supplier 40 is preheated by hot air generated by operating the convection heater 10 and the circulation fan 11. When water is supplied to the water supplier 40 once the temperature inside the container reaches a predetermined temperature higher than 100°C, the water is instantly vaporized by the heated metal foam. As a result, the vapor is supplied to the heating chamber 5 through the opening assembly part 25 together with the hot air.

[0048] Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the water supply body 40 and the nozzle 44. Fig. 7B is a partially cutaway perspective cross-sectional view of the water supply body 40 and the nozzle 44. As described above, the nozzle 44 is disposed at the tip of the water supply path 43 on the water supply body 40 side and above the water supply body 40.

[0049] 7A and 7B, the water supply body 40 is not connected to the nozzle 44, but is disposed below the nozzle 44 across a space. Four legs 45 are disposed in the space between the water supply body 40 and the nozzle 44.

[0050] The four legs 45 are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction and extend radially from the nozzle 44 in a plan view. In the present embodiment, the four legs 45 extend in four directions (forward, backward, left, and right) from the nozzle 44 in a plan view.

[0051] Each of the four legs 45 has a guide groove 46. The guide groove 46 has one groove and a plurality of grooves that are connected to and branch off from the groove. In this embodiment, the four legs 45 have the same structure.

[0052] With this configuration, water dripping from the nozzles 44 is supplied to each of the legs 45 and dispersed over the legs 45 via the guide grooves 46. As a result, water is sprayed over a wide area from the four legs 45.

[0053] With this configuration, water can be supplied over a wide area of ​​the water supplier 40, so that fine water droplets can be supplied from the foam metal to the hot air generating mechanism 22. In addition, water can be supplied over a wide area to the foam metal of the preheated water supplier 40, so that more steam can be generated from the foam metal. In this embodiment, the legs 45 correspond to the water spraying unit.

[0054] [Detailed configuration of hot air generating mechanism 22] Figure 8 is a front view of the rear wall 5a of the heating chamber 5. As shown in Figure 8, the rear wall 5a has an opening collection portion 25. The opening collection portion 25 has a number of openings formed by punching. The opening collection portion 25 has a first opening collection portion 25a provided in a central region A of the rear wall 5a and a second opening collection portion 25b provided in an upper region B of the rear wall 5a. Each opening of the opening collection portion 25 has a shape that prevents microwaves radiated into the heating chamber 5 from leaking to the outside.

[0055] The first opening collection section 25a is formed with a large number of openings distributed so as to be concentrated in the central region A. The first opening collection section 25a is an intake port for drawing air from the heating chamber 5 into the hot air generation mechanism 22 (see FIG. 5) located at the rear. The second opening collection section 25b is formed with a large number of openings distributed so as to be lined up on the left and right in the upper region B. The second opening collection section 25b is an outlet port for blowing hot air from the hot air generation mechanism 22 (see FIG. 5) to the upper part of the heating chamber 5.

[0056] Water supplied from the water supply body 40 (see FIG. 5) is supplied to the flow path forming portion 13 (see FIG. 5) through the second opening collection portion 25b while being vaporized.

[0057] In this embodiment, the openings of the first opening assembly portion 25 a and the second opening assembly portion 25 b have the same shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this, and these openings may have shapes according to the specifications (suction volume / blow volume, etc.) of the cooking appliance 1.

[0058] In this embodiment, the first opening assembly 25a and the second opening assembly 25b are provided at a predetermined distance apart.

[0059] Fig. 9 is a front view of the convection device 20 arranged in the hot air generation region CH (see Fig. 5). Fig. 9 shows the convection device 20 as seen from the front with the back wall 5a of the heating chamber 5 removed. Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the convection device 20. Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the convection device 20. Fig. 12 is a partial cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance 1 as seen from the side, showing the circulating flow within the heating chamber 5.

[0060] As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the convection device 20 includes a convection heater 10 disposed behind the rear wall 5a. The convection heater 10 is composed of a single spiral sheathed heater. The spiral portion of the convection heater 10 faces the central region A of the rear wall 5a shown in Figure 8.

[0061] As shown in Figure 11, a circulation fan 11 and a fan drive unit 12 for drawing air into the heating chamber 5 are provided behind the convection heater 10. The circulation fan 11 is a centrifugal fan that draws air from the center of the circulation fan 11 and blows it out in a centrifugal direction.

[0062] Air drawn in from the heating chamber 5 by the circulation fan 11 is heated by the convection heater 10. The heated air is drawn into the circulation fan 11 via a catalyst 26 that purifies the air passing through, and is blown out as hot air in the centrifugal direction. In this embodiment, the circulation fan 11 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front.

[0063] 9 to 11, an air guide including an air guide frame 27 and a hot air circulation frame 28 is provided around the convection heater 10 and the circulation fan 11 so as to surround them. The air guide frame 27 has a first air guide 27a and a second air guide 27b.

[0064] The first air guide 27a is a substantially cylindrical frame that surrounds the convection heater 10. The second air guide 27b guides the hot air blown out in the centrifugal direction from the circulation fan 11 to the second opening collector 25b (see FIG. 4). As a result, the hot air is blown out from the second opening collector 25b to the flow path forming portion 13 (see FIG. 12) near the top surface of the heating chamber 5.

[0065] The air guide frame 27 is a circular frame fixed to the hot air circulation frame 28. The hot air circulation frame 28 is a rectangular frame body that surrounds the air guide frame 27 from above, below, left, and right. The area defined by the first air guide 27a faces a central area A, which is the central portion of the rear wall 5a.

[0066] Therefore, air in the heating chamber 5 is drawn into the circulation fan 11 through the central region A of the rear wall 5a and heated by the convection heater 10 to become hot air. This hot air is guided to the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28 by the second air guide 27b arranged around the circulation fan 11.

[0067] The hot air is then sent forward along the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28 (see arrow A2 in Figure 10). To ensure that the hot air is blown out approximately uniformly near the ceiling of the heating chamber 5, a plate-shaped third air guide 28a is provided on the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28, and a plate-shaped fourth air guide 28b is provided on the right inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28.

[0068] The water droplets and steam supplied from the water supply body 40 are supplied to the flow path forming section 13 via the second opening collection section 25b together with the hot air guided by the third air guide 28a, the first air guide 27a and the hot air circulation frame 28.

[0069] The second opening assembly 25b may be connected to the flow path forming unit 13 and also to the heating chamber 5. With this configuration, the path from the convection device 20 to the heating chamber 5 is shortened when the flow path forming unit 13 is not used (see arrow P in FIG. 12 ). Therefore, the water droplets and steam supplied from the water supplier 40 can be supplied to the heating chamber 5 at a higher temperature.

[0070] In the present embodiment, one each of the third air guide 28 a and the fourth air guide 28 b is provided, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and a plurality of the third air guides 28 a and a plurality of the fourth air guides 28 b may be provided.

[0071] In this embodiment, as described above, the circulation fan 11 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front. Therefore, the third air guide 28a is provided at a position approximately one-third of the width of the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28 from the left end of the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28, and extends downward to guide the hot air into the heating chamber 5.

[0072] The fourth air guide 28b is provided on the upper part of the right inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28, and extends substantially parallel from the right inner surface toward the center of the hot air circulation frame 28 to guide the hot air to the flow path forming part 13. The positions of the third air guide 28a and the fourth air guide 28b are set appropriately depending on the specifications of the circulation fan 11, the shape of the hot air circulation frame 28, etc.

[0073] The hot air circulation frame 28 has a heat insulating frame (not shown) arranged around the outer periphery of the hot air circulation frame 28 with a heat insulating material (not shown) in between to prevent heat from being transmitted to the outside.

[0074] Air in the heating chamber 5 is sucked into the center of the hot air generation region CH through the central region A of the rear wall 5a (see arrow A1 in FIG. 12 ) and guided by the first air guide 27a to the convection heater 10. The air is heated by the convection heater 10 to become hot air, which is then blown out from the circulation fan 11.

[0075] The hot air is supplied near the top surface of the heating chamber 5 by the second air guide 27b and the hot air circulation frame 28 (including the third air guide 28a and the fourth air guide 28b) arranged outside the circulation fan 11 (see arrow A2 in Figures 10 and 12).

[0076] 9 to 11, air guide frame 27 has a notch 27c in its bottom. Specifically, first air guide 27a and second air guide 27b meet at the bottom of air guide frame 27. Notch 27c is provided in both first air guide 27a and second air guide 27b at the portion where the two air guides meet.

[0077] In the air guide frame of a conventional cooking appliance that does not have the notch 27c, debris such as food debris sucked in by the circulation fan 11 can accumulate on the lower inner surface of the air guide frame.

[0078] In this embodiment, the notches 27c provided in the air guide frame 27 can prevent dust and detergent from accumulating in the air guide frame 27.

[0079] As described above, the first air guide 27 a is a substantially cylindrical member that guides the air drawn into the convection device 20 by the circulation fan 11 to the convection heater 10 .

[0080] The first air guide 27a has a notch 27d (see Figures 10 and 11) on the side of the first air guide 27a to allow a portion of the convection heater 10 arranged inside the air guide frame 27 to extend outside the air guide frame 27.

[0081] The notch 27c has a substantially rectangular shape. The depth of the notch 27c from the front edge of the first air guide 27a is substantially the same as the width of the first air guide 27a. The notch 27c is provided in a substantially horizontal portion located at the bottom of the first air guide 27a.

[0082] The substantially horizontal portion located at the bottom of the first air guide 27a is closest to the bottom of the hot air circulation frame 28. Therefore, a small space C (shown by an oval in FIG. 9 ) is formed between the bottom of the first air guide 27a and the bottom of the hot air circulation frame 28.

[0083] The second air guide 27b guides the air blown out in the centrifugal direction from the circulation fan 11 so that it is blown out near the top surface of the heating chamber 5. The second air guide 27b is disposed so as to surround the circulation fan 11 in order to guide the air blown out by the circulation fan 11.

[0084] Specifically, the second air guide 27b has a generally U-shaped configuration in front view, like a horizontally facing cylinder with an opening at the top. The air from the circulation fan 11 is sent out through this opening and guided to the vicinity of the ceiling of the heating chamber 5.

[0085] The second air guide 27b has a notch 27d (see Figures 10 and 11) on the side of the second air guide 27b to allow a portion of the convection heater 10 arranged inside the air guide frame 27 to extend outside the air guide frame 27.

[0086] Specifically, first air guide 27a and second air guide 27b contact each other at the side of air guide frame 27. Notch 27d is provided in both first air guide 27a and second air guide 27b at the portion where the two air guides contact each other.

[0087] The second air guide 27b guides the air sent out by the circulation fan 11, and therefore has a larger dimension in the depth direction than the first air guide 27a.

[0088] The notch 27d has a substantially rectangular shape. The depth of the notch 27d from the front edge of the second air guide 27b is substantially the same as the width of the second air guide 27b. The notch 27d is provided in a substantially horizontal portion located at the bottom of the second air guide 27b.

[0089] The substantially horizontal portion located at the bottom of second air guide 27b is closest to the bottom of hot air circulation frame 28. Therefore, a small space C (shown by an oval in FIG. 9 ) is formed between the bottom of second air guide 27b and the bottom of hot air circulation frame 28.

[0090] In this embodiment, second air guide 27b is disposed below and outside first air guide 27a and is in partial contact with first air guide 27a. In other words, first air guide 27a is disposed so as to overlap the inside of substantially U-shaped second air guide 27b.

[0091] The water supplier 40 is disposed below the upper portion of the first air guide 27 a and below the upper portion of the hot air circulation frame 28 .

[0092] [Configuration of the Surrounding Area of ​​the Air Flow Guide 14] Fig. 13 is a plan view of the flow path forming portion 13 in the cooking appliance 1. Fig. 13 shows the arrangement of the flow path forming portion 13, the air flow guide 14, the grill heater 9, and the like on the ceiling surface of the heating chamber 5. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the flow path forming portion 13, showing the flow of hot air defined by the flow path forming portion 13.

[0093] In the embodiments described so far, the water supplier 40 is disposed in the hot air generation region CH at the rear of the heating chamber 5 (see FIG. 6 ). However, in the configurations shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 , the water supplier 40 is disposed in the flow path forming section 13. That is, the water supplier 40 may be disposed in the hot air generation region CH or in the flow path forming section 13.

[0094] As shown in Figures 13 and 14, the hot air blown out from near the top surface of the rear wall 5a of the heating chamber 5 has its flow rate and flow path determined by the flow path forming portion 13 and the air guide 14, and flows through the circulation flow path at the top of the heating chamber 5.

[0095] The flow path forming section 13 has an inlet 13a on the rear left side. The hot air blown out from the upper region B of the rear wall 5a flows into the flow path forming section 13 from the inlet 13a and is guided by the air guide 14 in the flow path forming section 13. As a result, the hot air is blown out at a desired flow rate near the grill heater 9 provided near the ceiling of the heating chamber 5.

[0096] 14, the flow path forming portion 13 has a plurality of air guides 14 and an outlet 13d that connects the flow path forming portion 13 with the heating chamber 5. The outlet 13d has a circular shape and is disposed at a position in the flow path forming portion 13 that corresponds to approximately the center of the heating chamber 5 in a plan view.

[0097] The flow path forming section 13 is composed of a rectangular bottom wall 13c and three side walls (side walls 13b1, 13b2, and 13b3). The side walls 13b1, 13b2, and 13b3 are provided on the left side, right side, and front side of the rectangular bottom wall 13c, respectively. No side wall is provided on the rear side. With this configuration, the flow path forming section 13 has an inlet 13a at its rear for hot air to flow in.

[0098] Flow path forming section 13 is a semi-private space that is surrounded by a left side wall 13b1, a right side wall 13b2, and a front side wall 13b3, except for inlet 13a and outlet 13d. By guiding the hot air through flow path forming section 13 formed in this manner, it is possible to reliably define a circulation flow path for the hot air inside heating chamber 5.

[0099] The rear of the flow path forming section 13 is substantially in contact with the second opening assembly 25b of the rear wall 5a so that air blown out from the second opening assembly 25b flows into the inlet 13a. The rear of the flow path forming section 13 is open, and the inlet 13a and the second opening assembly 25b are arranged to overlap in a front view. With this structure, the flow path forming section 13 can take in hot air blown out from the circulation fan 11 and passed through the second opening assembly 25b.

[0100] 13 and 14 , the air guide 14 includes a first air guide 14a and a second air guide 14b, and defines the path in the flow path forming section 13 of the air blown out from the circulation fan 11 through the second opening collection section 25b. The first air guide 14a and the second air guide 14b are approximately perpendicular to the bottom wall 13c of the flow path forming section 13.

[0101] The first air guide 14a is disposed behind the outlet 13d and is positioned away from the center in the left-right direction (center line Q in FIG. 14 ) toward the side where the amount of air blown from the circulation fan 11 into the heating chamber 5 is relatively small.

[0102] The second air guide 14b is disposed forward of the outlet 13d and is positioned away from the center in the left-right direction (center line Q in FIG. 14 ) toward the side where the amount of air blown out from the circulation fan 11 into the heating chamber 5 is relatively large.

[0103] This arrangement allows the blown hot air to be guided to the outlet 13d from multiple directions, and further allows the direction of the hot air flowing into the heating chamber 5 from the outlet 13d to be directed almost directly downward.

[0104] The hot air that has passed through the inlet 13a flows toward the outlet 13d via the water supplier 40. This hot air converts the water contained in the numerous cavities of the foam metal that constitutes the water supplier 40 into steam. As a result, the steam can be blown down from the outlet 13d toward the heating chamber 5 together with the hot air (see arrow A10 in FIG. 12 ).

[0105] In addition, the metal foam constituting the water supplier 40 is preheated by hot air generated by operating the convection heater 10 and the circulation fan 11. When water is supplied to the water supplier 40 once the temperature inside the container reaches a predetermined temperature higher than 100°C, the water is instantly vaporized by the heated metal foam. As a result, the steam can be blown down from the outlet 13d into the heating chamber 5 together with the hot air (see arrow A10 in FIG. 12).

[0106] With this configuration, the water supplier 40 can hold many fine droplets of water in the small space of the foam metal, and can supply the fine droplets of water from the foam metal to the hot air generating mechanism 22 (specifically, the flow path forming portion 13). The configuration for supplying water to the water supplier 40 is the same as that described above.

[0107] [Air Flow in Hot Air Generating Mechanism 22 and Arrangement of Air Guide 14] As described above, air in heating chamber 5 is drawn into convection device 20 through first opening assembly part 25a by driving circulation fan 11, and then guided to convection heater 10 by first air guide 27a. The air is heated by convection heater 10 to become hot air, and is blown out in the centrifugal direction by circulation fan 11.

[0108] The hot air blown out from the circulation fan 11 is sent to the upper inner surface of the hot air circulation frame 28 by the second air guide 27b, and is then blown out approximately uniformly by the third air guide 28a and the fourth air guide 28b toward the vicinity of the ceiling of the heating chamber 5. Thereafter, the hot air blown out from the convection device 20 passes through the second opening collection part 25b and flows into the flow path forming part 13 from the inlet 13a.

[0109] The hot air blown out from the convection device 20 is blown out forcefully in the centrifugal direction as it passes through the second opening collector 25b due to the suction effect of the circulation fan 11. As described above, the circulation fan 11 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front. The air flow will be described below.

[0110] Most of the hot air that has passed through the second opening assembly portion 25b is blown forward and slightly to the left (arrow A3), as shown in Fig. 14. Of the hot air indicated by arrow A3, the hot air near the first air guide 14a (arrow A4) is guided by the first air guide 14a to the outlet 13d.

[0111] Of the hot air indicated by arrow A3, the hot air near side wall 13b1 is guided to outlet 13d by side wall 13b1 (arrow A5) or by second air guide 14b (arrow A6).

[0112] Of the hot air that passes through the second opening collection section 25b, the hot air (arrow A7) that is blown out to the right of the first air guide 14a is guided to the outlet 13d by the water supplier 40 and the side wall 13b2 (arrow A8).

[0113] Of the hot air (arrow A7) blown out to the right of the first air guide 14a, the hot air (arrow A9) that reaches the side wall 13b3 is guided to the outlet 13d by the side wall 13b3 and the second air guide 14b.

[0114] 14, the air guide 14 and side walls 13b1 to 13b3 guide the air that has flowed into the flow path forming section 13 to the outlet 13d from multiple directions. This allows the hot air to be blown into the heating chamber 5 almost straight down without tilting in any direction. As a result, an object to be heated placed in the center of the heating chamber 5 can be heated more uniformly.

[0115] The detailed arrangement and orientation of the air guides 14 when the circulation fan 11 is configured to rotate clockwise in a front view will be described below. In this embodiment, the first air guide 14a is provided to the rear right of the outlet 13d and extends from the vicinity of the outlet 13d toward the rear right. The second air guide 14b is provided to the front left of the outlet 13d and extends from the vicinity of the outlet 13d toward the front left.

[0116] This arrangement allows the air guide 14 to guide the blown-out hot air from multiple directions to the outlet 13d. Furthermore, the air guide 14 can guide the blown-out hot air to the outlet 13d so that the angle at which the hot air blows out is directed almost directly downward when the hot air flows from the outlet 13d into the heating chamber 5, thereby enabling the object to be heated more uniformly.

[0117] 14 , the first wind guide 14a and the second wind guide 14b are respectively disposed on the right and left sides of the center line Q in the left-right direction of the flow path forming section 13. That is, in a plan view, the first wind guide 14a and the second wind guide 14b are disposed on different sides of the center line Q so as to sandwich the center line Q in the left-right direction of the flow path forming section 13 therebetween.

[0118] As shown in FIG. 13, in the flow path forming portion 13, the angle α (α<90 degrees) that the first wind guide 14a makes with respect to the side wall 13b3 is larger than the angle β (β<90 degrees) that the second wind guide 14b makes with respect to the side wall 13b3.

[0119] Conversely, if the circulation fan 11 is configured to rotate counterclockwise when viewed from the front, the first air guide 14a and the second air guide 14b in this embodiment can be arranged left to right in reverse, thereby achieving the same effect as when the circulation fan 11 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front.

[0120] [Another Configuration of the Nozzle 44 for Supplying Water to the Water Supply Body 40] Fig. 15A is a perspective view showing another example of the nozzle 44 for supplying water to the water supply body 40. Fig. 15B is a perspective view including an enlarged perspective view of a main part of the nozzle 44 shown in Fig. 15A.

[0121] As shown in Fig. 15A, the water supplier 40 is not connected to the nozzle 44, but is disposed below the nozzle 44 across a space. As shown in Fig. 15B, the nozzle 44 has a generally cylindrical shape with a central axis X extending in a generally vertical direction. The nozzle 44 includes four jetting ports 44a arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction on the side surface at the end of the nozzle 44. The four jetting ports 44a have the same width in the circumferential direction.

[0122] With this configuration, water ejected from the four ejection ports 44a is dispersed in four directions (forward, backward, left, and right) perpendicular to the central axis X in a plan view.

[0123] With this configuration, water can be supplied over a wide area of ​​the water supplier 40, so that fine water droplets can be supplied from the foam metal to the hot air generating mechanism 22. In addition, water can be supplied over a wide area to the foam metal of the preheated water supplier 40, so that more steam can be generated from the foam metal. In this embodiment, the outlet 44a of the nozzle 44 corresponds to the water spraying section.

[0124] [Another Configuration of the Water Supply Body 40] Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing another example of the convection device 20 and the water supply body 40. The water supply body 40 shown in Fig. 16 has an evaporating dish instead of a foam metal. This evaporating dish has a plurality of divided compartments, each capable of storing water. The water on the evaporating dish is heated and blown away by the above-mentioned hot air, and is converted into steam. The steam is finally supplied into the heating chamber 5. The evaporating dish of this configuration corresponds to a water supply dish.

[0125] The present disclosure is applicable to cooking appliances for heating food, specifically ovens, microwave ovens, and the like.

[0126] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Cooking appliance 2 Main body 3 Machine compartment 4 Door 5 Heating chamber 5a Back wall 6 Operation display unit 7 Placement base 8 Tray 9 Grill heater 10 Convection heater 11 Circulation fan 12 Fan drive unit 13 Flow path forming unit 13a Inlet 13b1, 13b2, 13b3 Side wall 13c Bottom wall 13d Outlet 14 Air guide 14a First air guide 14b Second air guide 15 Magnetron 16 Inverter 17 Cooling fan 18 Waveguide 19 Microwave supply unit 20 Convection device 21 Microwave heating unit 22 Hot air generating mechanism 23 Stirrer 24 Handle 25 Opening collection unit 25a First opening collection unit 25b Second opening collection unit 27 Air guide frame 27a First air guide 27b Second air guide 27c Notch 27d Notch 28 Hot air circulation frame 28a Third air guide 28b Fourth air guide 40 Water supplier 41 Water tank 42 Pump 43 Water supply path 44 Nozzle 44a Spout 45 Legs 46 Guide groove 50 In-chamber temperature sensor 51 Dry-baking detection sensor

Claims

1. A cooking device comprising: a heating chamber capable of accommodating an object to be heated; a circulation fan configured to draw in air from the heating chamber and blow the drawn-in air out into the heating chamber; a convection heater configured to heat the air drawn in by the circulation fan; and a water supplier configured to supply water to the hot air generated by the circulation fan and the convection heater.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply body is disposed behind the heating chamber.

3. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the water supplier is disposed in the hot air generating area or the flow path forming section.

4. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the water supply body includes a water supply tray or a foam metal.

5. The heating cooker of claim 1, further comprising a water tank, a pump, a water supply path connecting the water tank to the water supply body via the pump, and a water spray unit configured to spray water delivered from the water tank via the water supply path onto the water supply body.

6. A cooking device as described in claim 5, wherein the water supply body is positioned below a nozzle located at the end of the water supply path, and the water spraying unit is a plurality of legs positioned between the water supply body and the water supply path, each of the plurality of legs having a guide groove.

7. The cooking device according to claim 5, wherein the water supply body is disposed below a nozzle disposed at the tip of the water supply path, and the water spraying section is a plurality of nozzles disposed on the side of the nozzle.

Images