JP2002364852A - Convection oven - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a convection oven which is more inexpensive and is capable of secure cooking. SOLUTION: A convection oven 1 comprises a heating chamber 2 having a heating space, heating means 43 for heating air, a heat air supply section 4 for supplying the air heated with the heating means to the heating space in the heating chamber. The convection oven 1 is provided with a pump 54 for injecting water into the heating chamber in the form of mist, the heating means converts the water in the form of mist injected from the pump, and the heated air supply section supplies the vapor into the heating space in the heating chamber together with the head air.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a convection oven for baking an object to be cooked by heating it with hot air.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, trays on which objects to be cooked are placed are
2. Description of the Related Art A convection oven is known in which a plurality of convection ovens are simultaneously mounted in a heating chamber to perform a baking process. Such a convection oven includes a heating device having an indoor circulation fan, a burner, and the like at the rear of the heating chamber, and exhausts air heated by the heating device from the side of the heating chamber into the room,
Thereby, the cooking object is baked, and the exhausted air is sucked by the indoor circulation fan behind the heating chamber, heated again, and exhausted into the room.

[0003] In addition to the oven function described above,
There is also known a steam convection oven that has a steam function capable of strongly heating and steaming an object to be cooked by using steam, and can cook a frozen bread, a roast beef, and the like in a short time.

[0004]

However, in the conventional convection oven, the heated air may be blown unbalanced to the object to be cooked, causing uneven grilling of the object to be cooked. In addition, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of rectifying plates for adjusting the flow of air in the heating chamber, which increases the number of parts of the convection oven and increases the manufacturing cost.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and has as its object to provide a convection oven which is cheaper and can perform reliable cooking.

[0006]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a heating chamber 2 having a heating space and a heating means for heating air are provided. In the convection oven 1 provided with a heating air supply unit 4 for supplying the air heated by the heating means to the heating space in the heating chamber, water is sprayed into the heating chamber. A pump (e.g., a plunger pump 54) for injecting the water in the form of a jet, wherein the heating means converts the atomized water injected by the pump into steam, Is supplied to the heating space in the heating chamber from above.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the water is atomized by the pump and is injected into the heating chamber, and the atomized water is heated by the heating means to become steam. The steam is gently supplied from above to the heating space in the heating chamber by the heating air supply unit together with the heated air. Therefore, when the object to be cooked is placed in the heating space, the object to be cooked is gradually baked from above by hot air containing steam, so that reliable cooking can be performed. Further, since there is no need to provide a flow straightening plate for adjusting the flow of air in the heating chamber, the number of parts of the convection oven can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Furthermore, since the water is supplied in the form of a mist into the heating chamber, it is easy to vaporize the water by the heating means, so that the steam can be reliably supplied to the heating chamber, and cooking with less failure is performed. Can be.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the convection oven 1 according to the first aspect, the heating means comprises a metal plate (for example, an aluminum plate 44) having a plurality of holes (for example, small holes 44a) formed therein. It is characterized by being placed on the upper surface.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effect as that of the first aspect is obtained. In particular, the heating means is mounted on the upper surface of the metal plate having the plurality of holes formed therein. Therefore, the metal plate having excellent thermal conductivity is heated by the heating means, and the mist water sprayed by the pump is turned into steam by both the heating means and the metal plate. And
Since this steam is supplied to the heating space in the heating chamber by passing through the small holes formed in the metal plate, the mist-like water is more efficiently vaporized over a wide range as compared with the case where only the heating means is used. Can be changed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the convection oven 1 according to the first or second aspect, the heating air supply unit includes a fan 41, a motor for rotating the fan (for example, a fan motor 42), Wherein the fan and the motor are disposed above the heating chamber.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effects as those of the first or second aspect can be obtained. In particular, since the fan and the motor are disposed in the upper part of the heating chamber, By connecting the fan directly to the motor and rotating the fan, the wind generated by the fan can reliably supply steam together with the heated air toward the heating space of the lower heating chamber.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the convection oven 1 according to the third aspect, the pump is arranged so that atomized water is sprayed toward the fan.
The heating means is arranged below the fan.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effect as that of the third aspect of the invention can be obtained. In particular, mist water is injected toward the fan by the pump,
Then, the air is blown off by the rotating fan in the direction of the heating means arranged below the fan. Therefore, the atomized water can be diffused in a wide range, so that it can be more reliably vaporized and supplied to the heating space of the heating chamber.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of a convection oven according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The convection oven 1 shown in FIGS.
A rectangular heating chamber 2 having a heating space therein, and a heating chamber 2
An inner plate 3 for forming a circulation path of heated air therein; a heated air supply unit 4 provided at an upper portion of the heating chamber 2 for supplying heated air to the heating chamber 2; A pump mechanism section 5 for feeding mist of water into the heating chamber 2 and an operation panel 6 for inputting various settings such as firing conditions are provided.

The heating chamber 2 includes a heating chamber main body 21 and an opening / closing door 22 for closing an opening 21a on the front of the heating chamber main body 21. The opening / closing door 22 is provided with a handle 221 provided on the upper part in a lower front direction. By pulling it, it turns forward.

The inside of the opening / closing door 22 has a double glass structure, and a heat release port 22c for releasing heat in the gap between the inner glass 22a and the outer glass 22b of the double glass.
Are provided on the side surface of the door 22. A similar heat release port 22e is also provided at the outer edge of the inner door surface 22d of the opening / closing door 22 that contacts the front surface of the heating chamber main body 21. The heating chamber main body 21 is provided with a sensor (not shown) for detecting whether or not the opening / closing door 22 is closed.

The wall surface of the heating chamber main body 21 has a double structure, and the outside of the inner wall member 211 is covered with a heat insulating material 212, and the outside of the inner wall member 211 is covered with an outer wall member 214 while having a hollow portion 213. Covered. Then, the outer wall member 214
Has a heat release port 2 for releasing heat in the hollow portion 213.
14 a is provided, thereby making it difficult for the heat of the heating chamber 2 to be transmitted to the outer wall surface member 214.

Left and right side wall portions 211 of the inner wall member 211
At the lower part of “a”, there are provided tray locking portions 24, 24 for placing a tray 23 on which an object to be cooked is placed. Further, on the lower surface of the inner wall surface member 211, a receiving tray (not shown) for receiving a piece of bread or meat juice as a food to be cooked is freely disposed.

An inner plate 3 having a rear wall portion 31a and an upper wall portion 31b is provided in the heating chamber main body 21, and the space in the heating chamber main body 21 surrounded by the inner plate 3 is a firing space A. ing.

The rear wall 31a of the inner plate 3 is
The rear wall portion 211b and the upper wall portion 31b of the inner plate 3 are disposed so as to face the upper wall portion 211c of the heating chamber main body 21 at appropriate intervals. Further, the heating chamber body 21
The space between the rear wall portion 211b and the rear wall portion 31a of the inner plate 3 is the first ventilation passage 32. Similarly, the upper wall portion 211c of the heating chamber body 21 and the upper wall portion of the inner plate 3 31
The space sandwiched by b is the second ventilation path 33.

The lower portion of the rear wall portion 31a of the inner plate 3 is largely cut away, leaving a small portion on the left and right sides, to form a ventilation hole 34. The hot air blown into the baking space A from the heating air supply unit 4 provided at the upper part of the heating chamber 2 is first sent to the first ventilation path 32 through the ventilation holes 34, and further from the first ventilation path 32 to the first ventilation path 32. The air is sent to the two ventilation paths 33 and returns to the heated air supply unit 4 again.

In the center of the upper wall 31b of the inner plate 3,
A fan mounting hole 35 communicating with the fan 41 provided on the upper wall surface portion 211c of the heating chamber main body 21 is formed.

A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature inside the heating chamber main body 21 is located below the first ventilation passage 32, that is, just above the ventilation hole 34, behind the rear wall 31a of the inner plate 3. The temperature sensor 7 transmits the measured temperature as a temperature signal to a control unit (not shown). The control unit transmits a control signal to the sheathed heater 43 based on the temperature signal, so that the temperature in the heating chamber main body 21 can be appropriately adjusted.

A heating air supply section 4 and a pump mechanism section 5 are provided at the upper center of the heating chamber main body 21, and the heating air supply section 4 mainly corresponds to the fan mounting hole 35 of the inner plate 3. A fan 41 provided at the position, a fan motor 42 provided above the fan 41 and rotating the fan 41, a sheath heater 43 arranged below the fan 41, and a sheath heater 43 And an aluminum plate 44 to be used.

The fan 41 is composed of four blades 41a fixed radially from the center.
Is connected to a rotating shaft (not shown) of a fan motor 42 housed in the upper space 9 separated from the heating chamber main body 21 by the partition plate 8. When the fan motor 42 rotates, the fan 41 rotates, A wind is generated in the direction of the sheath heater 43. The fan motor 42 is connected to the operation panel 6.
The rotation speed can be adjusted based on an input from the controller or a control signal from a control unit (not shown).

Below the fan 41, that is, slightly below the upper wall 31b of the inner plate 3, an aluminum plate 44 is mounted in the heating chamber body 21 in parallel with the upper wall 31b. As shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of small holes 44a are formed on the entire surface of the aluminum plate 44, and a sheath heater 43 is mounted on the upper surface of the aluminum plate 44.

The sheath heater 43 can adjust the heating temperature of air based on an input from the operation panel 6 or a control signal from a control unit (not shown).
In order to efficiently heat the aluminum plate 44 over the entire surface, the aluminum plate 44 is bent so as to have an E-shape in plan view.

Since the sheathed heater 43 has a configuration in which a coil-shaped heating wire is inserted into the center of a metal pipe, the sheathed heater 43 is hardly affected by water droplets. At the same time, the aluminum plate 44 in contact with the sheath heater 43 is heated by heat. The sheathed heater 43 and the heated aluminum plate 44 evaporate mist-like water, which is ejected from a discharge nozzle 55 described later toward the fan 41 and blown off toward the sheathed heater 43, to evaporate. The steam is supplied to the firing space A through the small holes 44 a formed in the aluminum plate 44 together with the hot air from the fan 41.

The pump mechanism 5 supplies mist-like water into the heating chamber main body 21 when sintering is performed using steam (steam), and is mainly provided at the upper part of the heating chamber 2. It is stored in the space 9.

The pump mechanism 5 includes a water supply port 51 provided on an upper wall portion 214b of the outer wall member 214 and a water supply port 51.
A water absorption pipe 53 provided between the tank 52 and the plunger pump 54;
2 includes a plunger pump 54 that sucks up water sent from the second through the water absorption pipe 53, a discharge nozzle 55 connected to the plunger pump 54, and the like.
It is arranged so as to be located near the fan 41 in the heating chamber main body 21.

The water supply port 51 is provided with a detachable lid 51a. When water is injected from the water supply port 51, the water is accumulated in a tank 52 arranged in the upper space 9, so that the plunger pump 54 needs to be directly connected to the water supply. Disappears.

An electromagnetic valve (not shown) is provided in the water absorption pipe 53, and the amount of water supplied to the plunger pump 54 based on an input from the operation panel 6 or a control signal from a control unit (not shown). Can be adjusted.

The plunger pump 54 converts a plunger (not shown) into a cylinder (not shown) by electromagnetic vibration.
Pressure is applied to the water in the cylinder by reciprocating within the cylinder. Even if the power supplied to the convection oven 1 is about 100 volts, a high pressure can be applied. Good mist water can be supplied.

A discharge nozzle 55 connected to the plunger pump 54 is provided in the heating chamber main body 21 through a nozzle mounting hole (not shown) formed in the partition plate 8.
The tip of the discharge nozzle 55 faces the blade 41 a of the fan 41.

As shown in FIG. 5, an operation panel 6 provided in front of the upper space portion 9 has a power switch 61, a display section 62 for displaying a time until completion of baking, and the like, Select the type and input it, leave it to you, select the course, and select the desired type of baking, such as browning switch 63. Enter the heating time, heating temperature, air volume, steam time, etc. when setting manual baking. A control unit (not shown) generates respective control signals in response to these input instructions, and adjustment is performed based on the control signals.

Next, the operation of the convection oven 1 having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to a frozen pan (for example, croissant or the like)
Will be described as an example of cooking by automatic firing. However, the order of processing until the start of baking the frozen bread does not necessarily have to be the following order.

When baking the frozen bread, first, water for securing a steam time corresponding to the number of the breads to be frozen is poured from the water supply port 51 and stored in the tank 52. Then
The power switch 61 is turned on to select a desired one from the optional course selection switch 63 and the baking switch 64, and press the start switch 66 to start baking. Note that, since the automatic firing is performed, the setting of the temperature, the air volume, the firing time, and the like are automatically performed by the control unit.

When firing is started, current is first applied to the fan motor 42 and the sheath heater 43 in order to perform preheating, and the fan 41 rotates by rotating a rotating shaft (not shown) of the fan motor 42. . By the rotation of the fan 41, air is blown below the fan 41, and the air is heated by the sheath heater 43 on the way to generate hot air.

The fan 41 simultaneously heats the air that has returned to the fan 41 through the first ventilation passage 32 and the second ventilation passage 33 after blowing into the firing space A. The air in 21 circulates and is gradually heated. At the time of preheating, the temperature inside the heating chamber main body 21 is heated to, for example, about 200 to 230 degrees.

After the completion of the preheating, the desired frozen pan is evenly placed on the tray 23, and the door 22 is closed. At this time, whether or not the opening / closing door 22 is completely closed is sensed by the sensor, and if it is not closed, some notification (for example, blinking of a lamp (not shown)) is made.

When the freezing pan is arranged in the heating chamber main body 21 and the opening / closing door 22 is normally closed, the water stored in the tank 52 is sucked up by the plunger pump 54 based on the control signal of the control section. The water is sprayed from the discharge nozzle 55 toward the fan 41 for about 30 seconds, for example. Then, the atomized water hits the blades 41a of the rotating fan 41 and is blown off toward the lower sheath heater 43. Here, the atomized water evaporates due to the heat of the sheath heater 43 and the aluminum plate 44. The steam is supplied to the baking space A through the small holes 44a of the aluminum plate 44 together with the hot air generated from above by the fan 41.

The hot air containing steam is applied to the firing space A from above.
The object to be cooked which is gently blown out and placed on the tray 23 provided below the firing space A is fired gradually and evenly. At this time, since the steam sent together with the hot air adheres to the surface of the frozen bread to form a moisture film, the frozen bread is baked from the inside while maintaining an appropriate humidity.

After passing through the tray 23, the hot air passes through the ventilation holes 34.
Through the first ventilation passage 32, which is outside the firing space A, is further raised from the first ventilation passage 32, is sent to the second ventilation passage 33, and returns to the fan 41 again. .
As described above, the hot air is configured to circulate in the heating chamber main body 21, thereby preventing cooling of the hot air and reducing the power consumption of the sheath heater 43.

In the convection oven 1, for example, steam is supplied for about 30 seconds almost simultaneously with the start of baking after preheating, and after 3 to 5 minutes, a second steam is supplied.
It is supplied for about 0 seconds. Then, 3 to 5 minutes after the second supply, the third supply of steam is performed for about 10 seconds. From the start of firing to the end of firing, the temperature in the heating chamber 2 is, for example, 190 degrees in the case of a croissant, 8 minutes,
It is controlled to be about 14 minutes at 200 degrees, but by dividing the supply of steam into three degrees, the humidity of the frozen pan during baking is always kept appropriately, and the surface of the frozen pan is protected by a moisture film. In addition, overheating of the surface can be prevented.

After the third steam supply, the frozen bread is baked only with hot air, so that the inside is swollen sufficiently and protected by a moisture film, and then the surface is uniformly baked with dry hot air. As a result, uneven baking and overbaking are less likely to occur, and the appearance is beautifully baked.

According to the convection oven 1 according to the present invention described above, the hot air containing steam generated by the heating air supply unit 4 provided at the upper part of the heating chamber main body 21 and the pump mechanism unit 5 is supplied to the baking space. Since the food is gently blown into A from above, the food placed on the tray 23 provided in the baking space A can be gradually and uniformly fired from above. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a rectifying plate for adjusting the flow of air in the heating chamber, the number of parts of the convection oven 1 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the aluminum plate 44 has excellent thermal conductivity, the aluminum plate 44 is efficiently heated by the heat of the sheath heater 43 mounted on the aluminum plate 44, so that the atomized water sprayed from the discharge nozzle 55 The vapor can be quickly evaporated together with the heater 43 to produce steam. Further, the electromagnetic vibration causes the plunger pump 54 to efficiently supply the atomized water into the heating chamber main body 21. Therefore, even if the power supplied to the convection oven 1 is as weak as about 100 volts, the convection oven may be used. There is no hindrance to driving 1.

In addition, since the steam is supplied in three steps by the automatic baking by the control unit and the supply timing and the supply time are controlled, the surface of the object to be cooked is appropriately controlled by the moisture film brought by the steam. To prevent overheating of the surface of the food,
Firing with few failures can be performed. Further, the convection oven 1 does not need to use expensive parts for each part including the fan 41. Therefore, suitable for mass production,
An inexpensive convection oven can be provided.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the convection oven of the above embodiment, and details can be appropriately changed. For example, the heating chamber 2 does not necessarily have to have a double structure, and the object to be cooked may be meat, pizza, or the like in addition to the frozen bread. The shape of the sheath heater 43 need not be an E-shape in plan view as long as the aluminum plate 44 can be heated without waste.

[0050]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, water is atomized by the pump and injected into the heating chamber, and the atomized water is heated by the heating means to become steam. The steam is gently supplied from above to the heating space in the heating chamber by the heating air supply unit together with the heated air. Therefore, when the object to be cooked is placed in the heating space, the object to be cooked is gradually baked from above by hot air containing steam, so that reliable cooking can be performed. Further, since there is no need to provide a flow straightening plate for adjusting the flow of air in the heating chamber, the number of parts of the convection oven can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Further, since the water is supplied in the form of a mist into the heating chamber, it is easy to vaporize the water by the heating means, so that the steam can be reliably supplied to the heating chamber, and cooking with less failure is performed. Can be.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effect as the first aspect of the invention can be obtained. In particular, the heating means is mounted on the upper surface of the metal plate in which a plurality of holes are formed. Therefore, the metal plate having excellent thermal conductivity is heated by the heating means, and the mist water sprayed by the pump is turned into steam by both the heating means and the metal plate. And
Since this steam is supplied to the heating space in the heating chamber by passing through the small holes formed in the metal plate, the mist-like water is more efficiently vaporized over a wide range as compared with the case where only the heating means is used. Can be changed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effects as those of the first or second aspect can be obtained. In particular, since the fan and the motor are disposed in the upper part of the heating chamber, By connecting the fan directly to the motor and rotating the fan, the wind generated by the fan can reliably supply steam together with the heated air toward the heating space of the lower heating chamber.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, it is needless to say that the same effect as that of the third aspect of the invention can be obtained. In particular, the mist water is injected toward the fan by the pump,
Then, the air is blown off by the rotating fan in the direction of the heating means arranged below the fan. Therefore, the atomized water can be diffused in a wide range, so that it can be more reliably vaporized and supplied to the heating space of the heating chamber.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a convection oven according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the convection oven shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the convection oven shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating details of a sheathed heater and an aluminum plate.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating details of an operation panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Convection oven 2 Heating chamber 4 Heated air supply part 41 Fan 42 Fan motor (motor) 43 Sheath heater (heating means) 44 Aluminum plate (metal plate) 44a Small hole (hole) 54 Plunger pump (pump) A Firing space (Heating space)

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A convection comprising a heating chamber having a heating space, heating means for heating air, and a heating air supply unit for supplying air heated by the heating means to the heating space in the heating chamber. An oven, comprising: a pump that sprays water into the heating chamber in a mist form; wherein the heating unit converts the mist of water sprayed by the pump into steam, and the heated air supply unit, together with the heated air. A convection oven configured to supply the steam to the heating space in the heating chamber from above. 2. The convection oven according to claim 1, wherein said heating means is placed on an upper surface of a metal plate having a plurality of holes formed therein. 3. The convection oven according to claim 1, wherein the heating air supply unit includes a fan and a motor for rotating the fan, and the fan and the motor are provided at an upper part of the heating chamber. A convection oven, which is provided. 4. The convection oven according to claim 3, wherein the pump is arranged so that atomized water is sprayed toward the fan, and the heating means is arranged below the fan. A convection oven characterized by the following.