CN111513540A

CN111513540A - Cooking utensil

Info

Publication number: CN111513540A
Application number: CN201910735929.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 吕华; 陈建新
Original assignee: Zhejiang Supor Electrical Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Zhejiang Supor Electrical Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-02
Filing date: 2019-08-09
Publication date: 2020-08-11
Anticipated expiration: 2039-08-09
Also published as: CN111513543B; CN211408559U; CN211984938U; CN211483984U; CN111513544A; CN211795799U; CN211795800U; CN111513542A; CN111513539A; CN211795797U; CN111513545B; CN211408560U; CN111513546A; CN211483988U; CN111513538A; CN111513542B; CN211408565U; CN211483985U; CN211795796U; CN111513543A

Abstract

The invention provides a cooking appliance, which comprises a cooker body provided with an inner pot, a cover body, a steam generating device and a detection device comprising a trigger piece and a detection piece. The cover body is arranged on the cooker body in an openable and closable manner and forms a cooking space with the inner pot when the cooker body is covered. The steam generating device is used for generating steam for assisting cooking, is arranged in the cover body and comprises a steam generating cavity and a steam cover plate. The steam generating chamber is to receive water to be heated to generate steam, and is capable of communicating with the cooking space through the steam passage to introduce the steam into the cooking space. The steam cover plate is connected to the cover body and can be opened and closed relative to the steam generating cavity. The detection piece is triggered by the trigger piece to be in a first state when the steam cover plate is covered, and is in a second state which is not triggered when the steam cover plate is opened. According to the cooking utensil, whether the steam cover plate is covered or not can be judged according to the state of the detection piece, so that reminding is carried out, the situation that the steam cover plate is forgotten to be covered is avoided, and the safety is good.

Description

Cooking utensil

Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the technical field of cooking appliance devices.

Background

Currently, some cooking appliances (such as rice cookers) on the market are provided with steam generation devices capable of generating additional steam to assist in cooking. Generally, the steam generating device is provided in a pot of the cooking appliance. When the cover is opened, the container for containing water of the steam generating device can be observed, and the user can carry out operations such as water adding and the like. The cooker body of this kind of cooking utensil still needs to set up the space that is used for holding steam generator under the prerequisite in the space of pot in guaranteeing to hold to lead to holistic size great, be difficult for placing and carrying, bring certain puzzlement for user's use.

In this regard, the applicant has devised a cooking appliance in which a steam generating device is provided in a cover body to reduce the size of the cooking appliance. The steam generating device is provided with a steam cup cover which is covered on a container for containing water so as to prevent the water in the container from pouring and flowing out when the position of the cover body is changed. In the daily use process, the steam cup cover needs to be opened to execute operations such as water adding and the like. The steam cup cover is forgotten to be covered due to negligence and the like. At this time, if cooking is performed or the lid is directly opened, a risk of water in the steam generating device overflowing is easily generated.

Accordingly, there is a need for a cooking appliance that at least partially solves the problems of the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

In this summary, concepts in a simplified form are introduced that are further described in the detailed description. This summary of the invention is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

To at least partially solve the above problems, the present invention provides a cooking appliance, comprising:

the cooker body is internally provided with an inner pot;

the cover body is arranged on the cooker body in an openable and closable manner, and when the cooker body is covered by the cover body, a cooking space is formed between the cover body and the inner pot; and

a steam generating device for generating steam for assisting cooking, the steam generating device being provided in the cover body, comprising:

a steam generation chamber for containing water to be heated to generate steam, the steam generation chamber being communicable with the cooking space through a steam passage to introduce the steam into the cooking space; and

a steam cover panel detachably connected to the cover body and openable and closable with respect to the steam generating chamber to open or close the steam generating chamber; and

the detection device comprises a trigger piece and a detection piece, wherein the detection piece is triggered by the trigger piece to be in a first state when the steam cover plate is covered, and is in a second state which is not triggered when the steam cover plate is opened.

According to the cooking utensil provided by the invention, whether the steam cover plate of the steam generating device is covered or not can be judged according to the state of the detection piece of the detection device, so that a user is reminded, the situation that the steam cover plate is forgotten to be covered, namely the cooking utensil is used is avoided, and the safety is good.

Optionally, the cooking appliance comprises a control device configured to inhibit operation of the cooking appliance when the detection member is in the second state. Therefore, the cooking utensil can be automatically forbidden to work when the steam cover plate is opened, and the safety is improved.

Optionally, the detecting member is configured as a micro switch disposed on the cover body, and the triggering member is configured to trigger a triggering lever of the micro switch when the steam cover plate is covered. Therefore, the detection device is simple in structure and easy to realize.

Optionally, the trigger lever is movably disposed on the cover body, the trigger lever moves in response to the covering of the steam cover plate and moves to actuate the micro switch, and the detection device further includes an elastic member, the elastic member applies an elastic force to the trigger lever to enable the trigger lever to move reversely to a position where the micro switch cannot be actuated; alternatively, the trigger lever is fixedly disposed on the steam cover plate. Therefore, the arrangement mode of the trigger rod can be selected as required.

Optionally, the detecting element is configured as a reed switch disposed on the cover, the triggering element is configured as a magnetic field generating device disposed on the steam cover, the reed switch is located within a magnetic field acting range of the magnetic field generating device when the steam cover is closed, and the reed switch is located outside the magnetic field acting range of the magnetic field generating device when the steam cover is opened. Therefore, the detection device is simple in structure and easy to realize.

Optionally, the steam cover plate is pivotably connected to the cover body by a pivot shaft, and the reed switch and the magnetic field generating device are both disposed at a position away from the pivot axis defined by the pivot shaft. Therefore, the magnetic field generating device can not trigger the magnetic reed switch when the steam cover plate is opened.

Optionally, the upper surface of the cover body is provided with a recess portion recessed downward to accommodate the steam generating device, and the magnetic reed switch is disposed at a side of the steam cover plate. Therefore, the magnetic reed switch is positioned at the side part of the steam generating device, the space in the cover body can be fully utilized, and the structure is compact.

Optionally, the detecting element is configured as a detecting electrode disposed on the cover body, the triggering element is configured as a metal element disposed on the steam cover plate, and a capacitance value detected by the detecting electrode changes in a process of closing the steam cover plate. Therefore, the detection device is simple in structure and easy to realize.

Optionally, in the process from opening to closing of the steam cover plate, the change of the facing area between the metal piece and the detection electrode is greater than or equal to 30mm². Thereby, a large change in the capacitance value detected by the detection electrode can be ensured.

Optionally, the detection electrode and the metal piece are both configured as a flat plate or an arc-shaped plate structure; alternatively, one of the metal member and the detection electrode is configured as a cylindrical structure, and the other is configured as a columnar structure that extends into the cylindrical structure when the steam cover plate is closed. Thus, the specific structures of the detection electrode and the metal member can be selected as required.

Optionally, the cooking appliance further comprises a prompting device, and the prompting device responds to the state of the detection piece and sends out prompting information corresponding to the state of the detection piece. Therefore, the state of the current steam cover plate of the user can be prompted through the prompt information, and the method is visual.

Optionally, the prompt message includes at least one of a sound message, a light message, and a text message. Thus, the specific form of the prompt message can be selected as desired.

Drawings

The following drawings of embodiments of the invention are included as part of the present invention for an understanding of the invention. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings, there is shown in the drawings,

fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lid of the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partially in section, of the cover shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective angled partial cut-away view of the lid of the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 6 is a partially cut-away view of a cover of a cooking appliance according to a second embodiment of the present invention, in a perspective view; and

fig. 7 is a partially cut-away view of a cover of a cooking appliance according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in a perspective view.

Detailed Description

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without one or more of these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments of the invention.

In the following description, a detailed structure will be presented for a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. It is apparent that the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art.

The invention provides a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance according to the present invention may be an electric rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, or other cooking appliances, and the cooking appliance according to the present invention may have various functions such as cooking porridge, cooking soup, cooking, etc., in addition to the function of cooking rice. Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, the cooking appliance 1 according to the present invention may include a pot body 40 and a lid body 10. The pot body 40 may be substantially configured in a rounded rectangular parallelepiped shape, and an inner pot 41 is provided inside thereof. The inner pot 41 may be configured to be removably disposed in the pot body 40. For example, in one embodiment, the pot body 40 may be provided with a cylindrical inner pot receiving portion, and the inner pot 41 may be freely put into or taken out of the inner pot receiving portion. The removable arrangement allows the user to easily remove the inner pot 41 for cleaning. Of course, in other embodiments, the inner pot 41 may be fixedly provided in the pot body 40 in a non-removable manner. The pot body 40 is also usually provided therein with a heating means for heating the inner pot 41.

As shown in fig. 1, the lid body 10 is provided to the pot body 40 in a manner openable and closable. Therefore, the lid body 10 generally has a shape conforming to the shape of the pot body 40, so that the pot body 40 can be easily covered. In the present embodiment, the lid body 10 may be pivotably connected to the pot body 40 by a pivot shaft (not shown). The pivot axis defines a pivot axis AX as shown in fig. 2. When the lid body 10 is opened with respect to the pot body 40, the opening of the inner pot 41 in the pot body 40 is exposed, and the user can add food materials to the inner pot 41 or take cooked food out of the inner pot 41. When the lid body 10 is closed on the pot body 40, it covers the inner pot 41 and forms a cooking space with the inner pot 41. A sealing member is further provided between the cover body 10 and the inner pot 41 to maintain a good sealing property of the cooking space.

The cooking appliance 1 according to the invention is also provided with steam generating means. As shown in fig. 2, a steam generating device 20 for generating steam for assisting cooking is provided in the cover 10. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 4, a first steam passage 11 is provided on the cover 10. In a state where the lid body 10 covers the pot body 40, the steam generating device 20 can communicate with the cooking space through the first steam passage 11 so as to introduce steam into the cooking space for assisting cooking. Taking an electric cooker as an example, the specific operation of the auxiliary cooking may be to introduce the steam generated by the steam generating device 20 into the cooking space during the cooking process, and heat the rice from above, so that the rice can be uniformly heated, and the heating efficiency is improved; alternatively, after the rice is cooked, the steam generated by the steam generator 20 may be introduced into the cooking space to keep the rice warm and fresh, thereby maintaining a good taste.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 2 to 4, in the present embodiment, the steam generating device 20 includes two parts, namely, a steam generating component 21 and a steam sealing component 22.

The steam generating assembly 21 is provided with a steam generating chamber 23 for containing water to be heated for generating steam. Preferably, the steam generating chamber 23 may be positioned to form a depressed receiving portion (not shown), and a water container is provided in the receiving portion. The receiving space of the water container constitutes the steam generating chamber 23. Thereby, the steam generating chamber 23 can be conveniently provided. Further, the water container may be configured to be disposed in the accommodating part in a manually detachable manner. The user can conveniently take out the water container for cleaning or replacement. Of course, the steam generating chamber 23 may also be configured in other forms, such as a recess integrally formed with the cover 10.

Furthermore, the steam generating assembly 21 comprises heating means for heating the water inside the steam generating chamber 23 to generate steam. Therefore, the heating means may preferably be provided below or at the side of the steam generating chamber 23. As shown in fig. 4, in the present embodiment, the heating device 24 is configured to include a heating pan 241 and an electric heating tube 242. Wherein the heating pan 241 includes a bottom wall and a side wall extending upward from an edge of the bottom wall. Thereby, the bottom wall and the side wall constitute a space for accommodating the water container and surround the water container from below and from the sides. The electric heating tube 242 is disposed in the heating plate 241. In the illustrated embodiment, the electric heating tube 242 is disposed inside a sidewall of the heating pan 241. However, the electric heating tube 242 may be provided in the bottom wall of the heating pan 241, or the electric heating tube 242 may be provided in both the side wall and the bottom wall. Of course, the heating device can also be configured in other forms, such as an electromagnetic heating device or the like.

The steam sealing member 22 is connected to the cover 10 and can be opened and closed with respect to the steam generating chamber 23. Fig. 3 and 4 show the steam seal 22 in a closed state, in which the steam seal 22 closes the steam generating chamber 23. The steam containment assembly 22 is shown in an open state in fig. 2. The user can observe the water level and the degree of cleanliness (whether scale is present, etc.) in the steam generation chamber 23 by opening the steam sealing member 22, and then decide whether to perform operations such as adding water or cleaning the steam generation chamber 23.

In one embodiment, the steam enclosure assembly 22 may be configured in the form of a steam cover plate 25, and the steam cover plate 25 is provided with a seal 26 at a location corresponding to the steam generating chamber 23 on a side facing the steam generating chamber 23. When the steam-tight assembly 22 is in the closed state, the sealing member 26 is interposed between the steam cover plate 25 and the edge of the steam generating chamber 23 to perform a sealing function and prevent steam from leaking.

In order to guide the steam generated in the steam generation chamber 23 into the cooking space in a state where it is sealed by the sealing member 26, a second steam passage 251 is provided on the steam cover plate 25. The second steam passage 251 has a second steam inlet 252 and a second steam outlet 253. It will be appreciated that the second steam inlet 252 is located within the sealing area of the seal 26 and the second steam outlet 253 is located outside the sealing area of the seal 26. When the steam enclosure assembly 22 is in the closed state, the second steam outlet 253 interfaces with the first steam inlet 111 of the first steam channel 11. As shown in fig. 4, the steam generated in the steam generating chamber 23 can flow into the second steam passage 251 through the second steam inlet 252, continue to flow, and enter the first steam passage 11 through the second steam outlet 253 and the first steam inlet 111, which are coupled. And finally flows out of the first steam outlet 112 of the first steam channel 11 into the cooking space under the cover 10.

As shown in fig. 5, the cooking appliance 1 further includes a detection device 30 for detecting an open/close state of the steam cover 25. The detection device 30 comprises a detection member 31 and a trigger member 32. When the steam cover 25 is closed, the detecting member 31 is triggered to be in the first state by the trigger member 32. When the steam cover 25 is opened, the trigger 32 does not act on the detecting member 31, and the detecting member 31 is in the second state of being not triggered. Thus, the open/close state of the steam cover 25 can be determined by the state of the detector 31.

Typically, a control device (not shown) is provided within the cooking appliance 1 to control its operation. Preferably, the detecting member 31 of the detecting device 30 may be electrically connected to the control device. The control device identifies the current state of the detection piece 31 according to the signal sent by the detection piece 31, and further judges the opening and closing state of the steam cover plate 25. Preferably, the control means may be configured to control the cooking appliance 1 to inhibit its operation when the detection member 31 is in the second state (i.e., the steam cover 25 is open). At this time, even if the user presses a button to start cooking, the cooking appliance 1 cannot perform a cooking operation such as heating, thereby ensuring safety.

Although not shown in the figures, it is understood that the cooking appliance may also be provided with a reminder device. The prompting device is configured to send out prompting information corresponding to different states of the detecting piece 31. Specifically, when the detecting member 31 is in the first state, the prompting device sends a prompting message that the steam cover plate 25 is closed. When the detecting member 31 is in the second state, the prompting device sends a prompt message that the steam cover plate 25 is opened. The prompt message may be at least one of a text message, a sound message, a light message, and the like, according to the user population. Accordingly, the prompting device can be configured in the form of a display screen, a loudspeaker, a signal light, or the like.

Further preferably, the prompting device may be electrically connected with the control device. The control device coordinates the work of each device and controls the prompting device to send out corresponding prompting information according to the judgment result, thereby simplifying the control program.

Specifically, in the first embodiment shown in fig. 5, the detecting member 31 is configured as a micro switch, and accordingly, the trigger member 32 is configured in the form of a trigger lever for triggering the micro switch. In the following description, the detecting member 31 may also be referred to as a micro switch 31, and the triggering member 32 may also be referred to as a trigger lever 32. The microswitch 31 and the trigger lever 32 are both provided on the lid body 10. The trigger bar 32 is movably disposed along the vertical direction, and the micro switch 31 is disposed on the side of the trigger bar 32. The trigger lever 32 is further provided at a position on the middle upper side thereof with a pressing portion 34 extending toward the microswitch 31.

As shown in fig. 2, the upper end of the trigger lever 32 protrudes from the upper surface of the cover 10. When the steam cover plate 25 is closed, it presses the upper end of the trigger rod 32 to move it downward, and at this time, the pressing part 34 of the trigger rod 32 moves downward together with it and gradually contacts the reed of the microswitch 31 tilting toward the trigger rod 32, so that the reed moves toward the body of the microswitch 31 and contacts the other electrode on the body of the microswitch 31. At this time, the microswitch 31 is changed from an off state (corresponding to the second state of the detection member) to an on state (corresponding to the first state of the detection member). In other words, the microswitch 31 is now in the triggered first state, and it can be determined that the steam cover 25 is currently closed.

In addition, the detecting device 30 further includes an elastic member 33 which acts on the trigger lever 32 to move in the reverse direction to the direction of triggering the microswitch 31. When the steam cover 25 is opened, the pressing force applied to the trigger lever 32 disappears, and the trigger lever 32 is moved by the elastic member 33 to a position where the microswitch 31 cannot be triggered. At this time, the microswitch 31 is turned from the on state to the off state. In other words, the microswitch 31 is now in the second, non-activated state, and it can be determined that the steam cover 25 is currently open.

In the present embodiment, the microswitch 31 is provided on the side of the trigger lever 32, and the space in the lid body 10 can be utilized reasonably, thereby avoiding the excessive thickness of the lid body 10 due to the vertical arrangement of the components. Of course, when the thickness of the cover 10 can satisfy the installation requirement, the microswitch 31 may be provided below the trigger lever 32, so that the pressing portion 34 may be omitted and the microswitch 31 may be directly triggered by the body of the trigger lever 32. Alternatively, the trigger lever 32 can also be arranged directly fixed to the steam cover 25. The skilled person can reasonably select and design the specific triggering mode according to the requirement, as long as the triggering rod 32 can trigger the microswitch 31 when the steam cover plate 25 is covered.

Fig. 6 shows a cooking appliance 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the cooking appliance 2 according to the second embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the cooking appliance 1 according to the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 5, except for the structure of the detection means. Therefore, only the lid 210 is shown in fig. 6, and the pot body is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the detection device 230 includes a reed switch as the detection member 231 and a magnetic field generation device as the trigger member 232. In the following description, the detecting member 231 may also be referred to as a reed switch 231, and the triggering member 232 may also be referred to as a magnetic field generating device 232. Among other things, the magnetic field generating device 232 may be a magnet, which is readily available and low cost.

Specifically, the reed switch 231 is disposed on the cover 210, so as to be electrically connected to the control device. The magnetic field generating device 232 is disposed on the steam cover 225 and moves therewith. Thus, the steam cover 225 can be easily removed for cleaning regardless of the electrical connection.

When the steam cover 225 is closed, the magnetic field generating device 232 moves along with it to a position close to the reed switch 231. At this time, the reed switch 231 is located within the range of action of the magnetic field generated by the magnetic field generating device 232, and is kept in a normally closed or normally open state by the action of the magnetic field. In other words, when the reed switch 231 is triggered by the magnetic field generating device 232 to be in the first state, it can be determined that the steam cover 225 is currently closed.

When the steam cover 25 is opened, the magnetic field generating device 232 is moved to a position away from the reed switch 231. At this time, the reed switch 231 is located outside the range of action of the magnetic field generating device 232, and becomes normally open or normally closed when the magnetic field is lost. In other words, when the reed switch 231 is in the second state, which is not triggered, it can be determined that the steam cover 225 is currently open.

Typically, the steam cover 225 is pivotally opened and closed by a pivot shaft (not shown). Preferably, both the reed switch 231 and the magnetic field generating means 232 are disposed at a position away from the pivot axis defined by the pivot axis, so that the magnetic field generating means 232 is kept at a sufficient distance from the reed switch 231 when the steam cover 225 is opened, ensuring that the reed switch 231 is located outside the range of action of the magnetic field.

Preferably, the upper surface of the cover 210 is provided with a recess portion recessed downward to accommodate the steam generating device. When the steam cover plate 225 is closed, it nests within the recess. This makes it possible to make the cover 210 compact. In addition, the reed switch 231 may be disposed inside the sidewall of the recess, that is, on the side of the steam cover 225. Therefore, the space in the cover 210 can be reasonably utilized, and the cover 210 is prevented from being too thick due to the fact that all parts are arranged along the vertical direction.

Fig. 7 shows a cooking appliance 3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. Herein, the cooking appliance 3 according to the third embodiment has substantially the same configuration as the cooking appliance 1 according to the first embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 5, except for the structure of the detection means. Therefore, only the lid 310 is shown in fig. 7, and the pot body is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the detection device 330 includes a detection electrode as the detection member 331 and a metal member as the trigger member 332. In the following description, the detecting element 331 may also be referred to as a detecting electrode 331, and the triggering element 332 may also be referred to as a metal element 332. The detection electrode 331 is disposed on the cover 310 and electrically connected to the control device. Metal 332 is disposed on and moves with steam cover 325.

When the cover 325 is closed, the metal member 332 is moved to a position opposite to the detection electrode 331. In this case, a capacitor can be formed between the metal part 332 and the detection electrode 331, and a capacitance value can be detected from the detection electrode 331. As the steam cover 325 is closed, the facing area of the metal part 332 and the detection electrode 331 is increased and/or the relative distance is decreased, and the detected capacitance value is increased. The state of the capacitance value becoming larger can be regarded as the first state of the detection electrode 331 triggered by the metal part 332, and it can be determined that the steam cover 325 is currently closed.

When the steam cover 325 is opened, the metal member 332 moves therewith. The facing area of the metal member 332 and the detection electrode 331 is reduced and/or the relative distance is increased, and the capacitance value detected from the detection electrode 331 becomes smaller. The state in which the capacitance value becomes smaller can be regarded as the second state in which the detection electrode 331 is not triggered, and it can be determined that the steam cover 325 is currently opened accordingly.

Of course, the relative positions of the metal part 332 and the detection electrode 331 can also be set so that when the steam cover 325 is closed, the facing area of the metal part 332 and the detection electrode 331 is decreased and/or the relative distance is increased, and correspondingly, when the steam cover 325 is opened, the facing area of the metal part 332 and the detection electrode 331 is increased and/or the relative distance is decreased. At this time, the state where the capacitance value becomes large is the second state where the detection electrode 331 is not triggered, and the state where the capacitance value becomes small is the first state where the detection electrode 331 is triggered by the metal member 332.

Preferably, the variation range of the facing area of the metal piece 332 and the detection electrode 331 is greater than or equal to 30mm during the covering or the opening of the steam cover 325²To ensure that a significant change in capacitance can be detected by the detection electrode 331. For example, the variation of the facing area of the two may be 40mm²、50mm²、60mm²Or 70mm²And the like.

As shown in fig. 7, in the present embodiment, the metal member 332 and the detection electrode 331 are each configured as a flat plate structure, and are opposed in a plane-to-plane manner. However, in different embodiments, the metal piece 332 and the detection electrode 331 may also be configured in the form of an arc-shaped plate. Alternatively, one of the metal member 332 and the detection electrode 331 may be configured as a cylindrical structure, and the other may be configured as a columnar structure, and the capacitor may be configured so as to extend into the cylindrical structure in the axial direction through the columnar structure.

The cooking appliance according to the present invention has been described above. According to the cooking utensil provided by the invention, whether the steam cover plate of the steam generating device is covered or not can be judged according to the state of the detection piece of the detection device, so that a user is reminded, the situation that the steam cover plate is forgotten to be covered, namely the cooking utensil is used is avoided, and the safety is good.

Unless defined otherwise, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Terms such as "disposed" and the like, as used herein, may refer to one element being directly attached to another element or one element being attached to another element through intervening elements. Features described herein in one embodiment may be applied to another embodiment, either alone or in combination with other features, unless the feature is otherwise inapplicable or otherwise stated in the other embodiment.

The present invention has been described in terms of the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are for purposes of illustration and description only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described embodiments. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many variations and modifications may be made to the teachings of the invention, which fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A cooking appliance, characterized in that it comprises:

the cooker comprises a cooker body (40), wherein an inner pot (41) is arranged in the cooker body (40);

the cover body (10), the cover body (10) can be arranged on the cooker body (40) in an opening and closing way, when the cover body (10) covers the cooker body (40), a cooking space is formed between the cover body (10) and the inner pot (41);

a steam generating device (20), the steam generating device (20) being used for generating steam for assisting cooking, the steam generating device (20) being provided in the cover body (10), comprising:

a steam generating chamber (23), the steam generating chamber (23) for containing water to be heated to generate steam, the steam generating chamber (23) being communicable with the cooking space through a steam passage to introduce the steam into the cooking space; and

a steam cover plate (25), the steam cover plate (25) being openable and closable relative to the steam generating chamber (23) to open or close the steam generating chamber (23); and

a detection device (30), the detection device (30) comprises a trigger piece (32) and a detection piece (31), the detection piece (31) is triggered by the trigger piece (32) to be in a first state when the steam cover plate (25) is covered, and is in a second state which is not triggered when the steam cover plate (25) is opened.

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, comprising control means configured to inhibit the operation of the cooking appliance when the detecting member (31) is in the second state.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the detection member (31) is configured as a microswitch arranged on the cover (10), and the triggering member (32) is configured as a triggering lever for triggering the microswitch when the steam cover plate (25) is closed.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein the trigger bar is movably disposed on the cover body (10), the trigger bar moves in response to the covering of the steam cover plate (25) and the micro switch, the detecting device (30) further comprises an elastic member (33), and the elastic member (33) applies an elastic force to the trigger bar to reversely move the trigger bar to a position where the micro switch cannot be triggered;

alternatively, the trigger lever is fixedly arranged on the steam cover plate (25).

5. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the detecting member (231) is configured as a reed switch disposed on the cover body (210), and the triggering member (232) is configured as a magnetic field generating device disposed on the steam cover plate (225), wherein the reed switch is located within a magnetic field acting range of the magnetic field generating device when the steam cover plate (225) is closed, and the reed switch is located outside the magnetic field acting range of the magnetic field generating device when the steam cover plate (225) is opened.

6. The cooking appliance according to claim 5, wherein the steam cover (225) is pivotably connected to the lid (210) by a pivot axis, the reed switch and the magnetic field generating device being both disposed at a location remote from the pivot axis defined by the pivot axis.

7. The cooking appliance according to claim 5, wherein the upper surface of the cover body (210) is provided with a recess portion recessed downward to accommodate the steam generating device, and the reed switch is provided at a side of the steam cover plate (225).

8. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the detecting member (331) is configured as a detecting electrode provided on the cover (310), and the triggering member (332) is configured as a metal member provided on the steam cover (325), and a capacitance value detected from the detecting electrode is changed during the closing of the steam cover (325).

9. The cooking appliance according to claim 8, wherein the change of the facing area between the metal member and the detection electrode is greater than or equal to 30mm during the process from opening to closing of the steam cover plate (325)²。

10. The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the sensing electrode and the metal member are each configured as a flat or arcuate plate structure;

alternatively, one of the metal piece and the detection electrode is configured as a cylindrical structure and the other is configured as a columnar structure that extends into the cylindrical structure when the vapor cover plate (325) is closed.

11. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, further comprising a prompting device that issues a prompt corresponding to the state of the detecting member (31) in response to the state of the detecting member (31).

12. The cooking appliance of claim 11, wherein the prompt message comprises at least one of an audible message, a light message, and a text message.