JP5595880B2 - Cooker - Google Patents

Description

  Embodiments of the present invention relate to a cooking device provided with a steam unit.

  Conventionally, a cooking device provided with a steam unit is known. The steam generated by the steam unit is supplied to the cooking chamber, and the food to be cooked is heated or steamed. The steam unit heats water supplied from a separately provided water storage tank with the heat of the heater to generate steam.

JP 2002-272604 A

  Some conventional cooking devices supply water to a steam unit using a pump from a water storage tank provided at a position lower than the steam unit, for example. There is also a type of supplying water to a steam unit from a water storage tank provided above the steam unit by using a pump or its own weight.

  Here, when water is supplied from the water storage tank to the steam unit, water may be excessively supplied from the water storage tank to the steam unit due to malfunction of the electric system or valve, and there is a possibility that the water overflows into the steam unit or the heating cooker cabinet. there were.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a heating cooker that suitably supplies water from a water storage tank to a steam unit.

According to the heating cooker of the embodiment, a cooking chamber for storing a cooked product, a steam unit for supplying steam into the cooking chamber, and a water storage tank provided outside the cooking chamber for supplying water to the steam unit The steam unit includes a case having a space-like steam generation chamber having a capacity larger than that of the water storage tank, a heat source for heating the steam generation chamber to a temperature capable of generating steam, and the water from the water storage tank. A valve that controls the supply of water and a valve drive unit that drives the valve according to the temperature of the steam generation chamber, and the valve is pressed against the valve seat by water from the water storage tank toward the steam unit. A valve body that cuts off the supply of water and a valve stem that extends from the valve body to the steam unit, wherein the valve drive unit is disposed at the tip of the valve stem When the heat transferred from the steam generation chamber is less than the steam generation possible temperature, the valve is closed, and when the temperature exceeds the steam generation possible temperature, the valve stem is deformed. Then, the valve body is lifted from the valve seat to open the valve .

The front view which shows the external appearance of the state by which the door of the heating cooker in this embodiment was open | released. Sectional drawing which follows the II-II line of the heating cooker of FIG. The external appearance block diagram of the surface of a steam unit. The external appearance block diagram of the back surface of a steam unit. Sectional drawing which follows the VV line in case the valve unit of the steam unit of FIG. 3 is a closed state. Sectional drawing in alignment with the VI-VI line in case the valve unit of the steam unit of FIG. 3 is an open state.

  An embodiment of a heating cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an external appearance of the heating cooker 1 in the present embodiment in a state where the door 5 is opened.
2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in a state where the door 5 of the heating cooker 1 of FIG. 1 is closed. FIG. 2 shows only the configuration necessary for the description of the present embodiment, and the illustration of other configurations is omitted.

  The heating cooker 1 in this embodiment includes heating means such as a magnetron, a heater, and a steam unit, and performs cooking such as range cooking, oven cooking, and steam cooking of an object to be cooked accommodated in the cooking chamber 3. be able to.

  The cabinet 2 of the heating cooker 1 has a rectangular box shape in which an outer box 6 and an inner box 7 having an open front surface are combined. The inside of the inner box 7 functions as a space-like cooking chamber 3 whose front surface is open. The food is taken in and out of the cooking chamber 3 through this opening.

  The cabinet 2 is fitted with a door 5 having a handle 4. The door 5 rotates within a predetermined range around a horizontal axis at the lower end. The front surface of the cooking chamber 3 is closed when the surface of the door 5 is rotated in a vertical direction, and is opened when the surface of the door 5 is rotated in a horizontal direction.

  The cabinet 2 has a steam unit 20, a water storage tank 10, and a water supply tube 11 in the space between the inner box 7 and the outer box 6.

  The steam unit 20 is provided on the right side of the inner box 7 in the figure. The steam unit 20 supplies the generated steam into the cooking chamber 3 through the steam jet 8 provided in the inner box 7. The water storage tank 10 stores water supplied to the steam unit 20. The water storage tank 10 is a space between the inner box 7 and the outer box 6 and is provided above the steam unit 20. The water storage tank 10 is, for example, a drawer type and is detachable. The water supply tube 11 guides water falling from the water storage tank 10 using its own weight to the steam unit 20.

FIG. 3 is an external configuration diagram of the surface of the steam unit 20.
FIG. 4 is an external configuration diagram of the back surface of the steam unit 20.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 3 when the valve 29 is in a closed state.
6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3 when the valve 29 is in the open state.

  The steam unit 20 mainly includes a case 22, a heater 23, a valve unit 24, and a bimetal 25.

  The case 22 is manufactured by die-casting a metal such as aluminum, for example, and a space-like steam generation chamber 26 is formed inside the case 22. The steam generation chamber 26 has a larger capacity (volume) than the water storage tank 10. A steam supply port 27 for supplying steam generated in the steam generation chamber 26 is provided on the back surface of the case 22. The steam supply port 27 is directly or indirectly connected to the steam outlet 8 (FIG. 1) provided in the inner box 7.

  The heater 23 is embedded in the case 22 as a water evaporation heat source. The heater 23 is a U-shaped sheathed heater and is disposed around the steam generation chamber 26 of the case 22. The heater 23 is integrally formed with the case 22 on the basis of, for example, pouring molten metal in a state of being housed in a die casting mold for manufacturing the case 22, and the outer peripheral surface of the heater 23 is in close contact with the case 22. ing.

  The heater 23 generates steam in the steam generation chamber 26 by indirectly heating the water supplied from the water supply port 28 of the valve unit 24 and falling into the steam generation chamber 26 through the wall surface of the steam generation chamber 26. . Both end portions of the heater 23 protrude from the case 22, and power supply lead wires (not shown) are connected to both end portions of the heater 23.

  The valve unit 24 mainly includes a water supply port 28, a valve 29, and a flow path 30.

  The water supply port 28 is connected to one end of the water supply tube 11. The valve unit 24 includes a valve body 31, a valve rod 32, and a valve seat 33. When the valve body 31 is opened, the valve seat 33 allows the water supply port 28 and the flow path 30 to communicate with each other. The flow path 30 is provided from the valve seat 33 to the steam generation chamber 26 of the case 22, and guides water from the water supply port 28 to the steam generation chamber 26.

  The bimetal (valve drive unit) 25 is disposed at the tip of the valve rod 32 and drives the valve to control opening and closing. When the bimetal 25 does not reach the temperature at which steam can be generated, the bimetal 25 maintains a linear flat plate state as shown in FIG. The bimetal 25 is deformed by thermal expansion at a temperature T (for example, 110 ° C. to 120 ° C.) higher than the temperature at which steam can be generated, and has a convex shape as shown in FIG. 6, for example. At this time, the bimetal 25 lifts the valve stem 32.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the steam unit 20 includes a thermistor 35 that is used to detect the indoor temperature of the steam generation chamber 26.

  Next, the effect | action of the heating cooker 1 in this embodiment is demonstrated.

  The heating cooker 1 starts heating the heater 23 when the user instructs cooking of the food using steam. At this time, since the bimetal 25 does not reach the temperature T at which deformation due to thermal expansion starts, it is in a straight flat plate state, and the valve 29 is closed as shown in FIG.

  When the heating progresses and the steam generation chamber 26 and the vicinity thereof reach a temperature T higher than the temperature at which steam can be generated, the bimetal 25 is deformed into a convex shape. As a result, the valve stem 32 is moved in the opening direction by the bimetal 25 as shown in FIG. The valve body 31 forms a gap between the valve seat 33 and the water supply port 28 and the flow path 30 to communicate with each other. Thus, the valve 29 is opened only when the temperature T is higher than the temperature at which steam can be generated.

  The water supplied from the water storage tank 10 via the water supply tube 11 is sequentially guided to the steam generation chamber 26 through the water supply port 28 and the flow path 30 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. Water becomes steam in the steam generation chamber 26 due to the heat of the heater 23, and is supplied from the steam supply port 27 to the cooking chamber 3 through the steam outlet 8 of the inner box 7.

  On the other hand, when the temperature in the steam generation chamber 26 and the vicinity thereof decreases and becomes a temperature lower than the temperature T, the bimetal 25 returns to a flat plate state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5, the valve stem 32 moves in the valve closing direction. The valve body 31 comes into contact with the valve seat 33, the valve 29 is closed, and the water supply port 28 and the flow path 30 are shut off. As a result, unnecessary water is not supplied to the steam generating chamber 26 when the temperature of the steam unit 20 becomes lower than the temperature at which steam can be generated.

  Here, when the water stored in the water storage tank 10 is excessively supplied to the steam unit 20 due to a malfunction of the valve unit 24 or the like, the capacity of the steam generation chamber 26 is larger than the capacity of the water storage tank 10. 26 does not overflow into the cabinet 2 or the cooking chamber 3.

  According to this heating cooker 1, since the capacity of the steam generation chamber 26 is made larger than the capacity of the water storage tank 10, even if a malfunction such as the valve unit 24 occurs, The impact can be minimized.

  In addition, the cooking device 1 uses the bimetal 25 for opening and closing the valve 29. As a result, when the steam generating chamber 26 reaches a temperature at which steam can be generated, water is supplied from the water storage tank 10 to the steam unit 20, and when the temperature is lower than the temperature at which steam can be generated, from the water storage tank 10. Water is not supplied to the steam unit 20. As a result, there is no need to electrically control the valve 29 in accordance with the temperature of the steam generation chamber 26, and the steam unit 20 can have a simple configuration. Further, the valve 29 driven by the bimetal 25 can suppress excessive supply of water from the water storage tank 10.

  Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the equivalents thereof.

  In addition, the heating cooker according to the present invention only needs to have a capacity of the steam generation chamber larger than the capacity of the water storage tank, and the heating cooker uses electric means such as a pump to supply water from the water storage tank to the steam unit. Including. Moreover, the cooking apparatus provided in the lower part is included as well as the water tank provided above the steam unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Heating cooker 2 Cabinet 3 Cooking chamber 6 Outer box 7 Inner box 8 Steam outlet 10 Water storage tank 11 Water supply tube 20 Steam unit 22 Case 23 Heater 24 Valve unit 25 Bimetal 26 Steam generation chamber 27 Steam supply port 28 Water supply port 29 Valve 30 Channel 31 Valve body 32 Valve rod 33 Valve seat

Claims (1)

A cooking room for storing food,
A steam unit for supplying steam into the cooking chamber;
A water storage tank provided outside the cooking chamber to supply water to the steam unit;
The steam unit includes a case having a space-shaped steam generation chamber having a larger capacity than the water storage tank, a heat source for heating the steam generation chamber to a temperature capable of generating steam, and supply of water from the water storage tank. A valve for controlling, and a valve drive unit for driving the valve according to the temperature of the steam generation chamber,
The valve includes a valve body that is pressed against a valve seat by water directed from the water storage tank to the steam unit and blocks the supply of water, and a valve rod that extends from the valve body to the steam unit.
The valve drive unit is a bimetal disposed at the tip of the valve stem, and when the heat transmitted from the steam generation chamber does not reach the steam generation possible temperature, the valve is closed, and the steam generation A heating cooker, which is deformed when the temperature reaches or exceeds a possible temperature and lifts the valve body from the valve seat via the valve rod to open the valve .

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