JP2005195248A - Steam cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a steam cooker desirable in appearance, adaptable for domestic use and capable of selectively heating a heated object while uniformly and quickly giving a great amount of upward and downward heat to the heated object, having high heating efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: Steam generated by a steam generator 50 is heated in a sub-cavity 40 provided in a ceiling portion of a heating chamber 20 into an overheated condition by the steam heater 41 and blown from an upper blow hole 43 provided in the ceiling portion of the heating chamber 20 and side blow holes 46 provided in the lower parts of side walls on both sides of the heating chamber 20. The heated object is supported floating from the bottom face of the heating chamber 20 by a rack 22. The steam is blown from the side blow holes 46 to the lower side of the heated object 90. When a block plate 60 is set on the rack 22, the side blow holes 46 are blocked by ear portions 61 of the block plate 60 and the blow of the steam is concentrated on the upper blow hole 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

    The present invention relates to a steam cooker.

Many proposals have been made so far regarding steam cookers that perform cooking using steam. Examples thereof can be seen in Patent Documents 1 to 3. Patent Document 1 describes a steam cooking apparatus that injects steam into a food tray. Patent Document 2 describes a cooking device that sends superheated steam to an oven cabinet, or converts the steam in the oven cabinet to superheated steam by radiation heating. Patent Document 3 describes a cooking device that supplies superheated steam to one or both of the entire heating chamber and the vicinity of the food.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-67902 (full text description, page 4-6, FIG. 1-3) JP-A-8-49854 (page 2-3, FIGS. 1, 2-8) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-141881 (page 3-5, FIG. 1-3)

    The steam cooking device described in Patent Document 1 is a business device, and supplies steam from a steam supply pipe to a plurality of food trays. This configuration is visually undesirable because the steam supply pipe is exposed in the heating chamber, and is not suitable for a domestic cooker. In addition, the steam injection range is limited by the shape of the steam supply pipe, and it is difficult to spray steam evenly on the object to be heated (food) in the heating chamber.

    The heating and cooking apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is configured to wrap and heat-cook the object to be heated with steam, instead of injecting steam toward the object to be heated, and to quickly give a large amount of heat to the object to be heated. Is unsatisfactory.

    The cooking device described in Patent Document 3 supplies steam from above to the vicinity of the food through the first steam guiding means. By making the steam superheated steam, the upper surface of the food can be colored. However, the lower surface portion of the food is only heated by the steam supplied to the entire heating chamber through the second steam induction means, and does not receive as much heat as the upper surface portion. Not only does the color become dark, but the temperature rise itself is lower than that of the upper surface. That is, the degree of heating varies depending on the part of the food, and the cooking finish is uneven.

    Moreover, in the heating cooking apparatus of patent document 3, the pipe for supplying a vapor | steam to the foodstuff vicinity part protrudes in the heating chamber. Similar to Patent Document 1, this configuration is visually undesirable and is not suitable for a household cooking device. In addition, the spray range of the steam is spot-like, and it is difficult to spray steam evenly on the food.

    The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is a visually preferred steam cooker suitable for use at home, and does not heat the entire heating chamber, but the upper surface of an object to be heated. An object of the present invention is to provide a steam cooker with high heating efficiency capable of intensively heating an object to be heated by uniformly and quickly applying a large amount of heat to the lower surface portion. Moreover, it aims at providing the steam cooker which can be switched to heating only from the upper direction as needed.

(1) The steam cooker of the present invention has the following configuration:
(A) Heating chamber in which an object to be heated is placed (b) Steam generator (c) The object to be heated provided in the ceiling of the heating chamber and supplied with steam from the steam generator Upper blow holes for jetting in the direction of the side (d) Side blow holes provided in the lower portions of the side walls on both sides of the heating chamber for jetting the steam supplied from the steam generator in the direction of the object to be heated.
(E) A closing means capable of closing the side fumarole.

    (2) In the steam cooker having the above-described configuration, the closing means is formed on a support means for supporting the object to be heated in a state of floating from the bottom surface of the heating chamber.

    (3) In the steam cooker configured as described above, the leg portion of the support means is a closing means.

    (4) In the steam cooker having the above-described configuration, steam generated by the steam generator is introduced into a subcavity provided in a ceiling portion of the heating chamber, and steam is transmitted from the subcavity to the upper and side vent holes. Distribute

    (5) In the steam cooker configured as described above, the subcavity is provided in a ceiling portion of the heating chamber.

    (6) In the steam cooker having the above configuration, a heating means for heating the steam introduced into the subcavity is provided.

    With the above configuration, the following effects are achieved.

    (1) Vapor is ejected from the upper fumarole provided in the ceiling portion of the heating chamber and the side fumarole provided in the lower portion of the side wall on both sides of the heating chamber. Since the piping system for supplying steam does not become exposed in the heating chamber, it is visually preferable as a cooking device for home use. Further, since the object to be heated can be sprayed not only from above but from the side and from both sides, the portion to which the steam from above does not hit is cooked in the same manner as the upper surface portion. Thereby, the cooking result with a good appearance without unevenness can be obtained. In addition, since the object to be heated receives heat uniformly from the entire surface, it is sufficiently heated to the center in a short time.

    In addition, if necessary, the side air holes can be closed by the closing means, and the steam can be ejected only from the upper air holes, so that it is possible to apply the steam to the object to be heated only from the upper surface. Considering the case where the object to be heated is heated in the container, the steam can be concentrated on the object to be heated in the container without applying steam to the outside of the side wall or bottom wall of the container, resulting in energy loss. Few. Moreover, the container wall is not heated more than necessary, and it does not become difficult to take out. Here, the closed state does not require until the side fumaroles are completely obstructed, and steam leakage in a range that does not affect cooking by vapor jetting from the upper fumaroles is allowed.

    (2) Since the closing means is formed on the supporting means for supporting the object to be heated while floating from the bottom surface of the heating chamber, there is little risk of losing the closing means.

    (3) Since the leg portion of the support means is used as the closing means, the configuration is simplified.

    (4) Since the steam generated in the steam generator is once introduced into the subcavity provided adjacent to the heating chamber and then distributed to the upper and side nozzle holes, the side nozzle holes are blocked. Therefore, the amount of steam ejected from the upper fumarole increases. That is, a large amount of heat energy can be supplied from the upper fumaroles to quickly heat the object to be heated.

    (5) Since the subcavity is provided in the ceiling portion of the heating chamber, the distance between the subcavity and the upper blow hole is short. That is, since the steam entering the subcavity is ejected from the upper fumarole in a state where the temperature does not drop so much, if the vapor is ejected intensively from the upper fumarole, the object to be heated can be heated at a high speed.

    (6) Since the steam introduced into the subcavity is heated by the heating means, the temperature of the steam can be increased to the required temperature in the immediate vicinity of the heating chamber, and there is little heat loss during the air supply.

    Hereinafter, 1st Embodiment of the steam cooker by this invention is described based on FIGS. 1 is an external perspective view, FIG. 2 is an external perspective view with the heating chamber door open, FIG. 3 is a front view with the heating chamber door removed, FIG. 4 is a basic structural diagram of the internal mechanism, and FIG. Is a basic structural diagram of the internal mechanism viewed from a direction perpendicular to FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a top view of the heating chamber, FIG. 7 is a control block diagram, and FIG. 8 is a basic structural diagram similar to FIG. 9 shows a basic structure similar to FIG. 5 and shows a different state from FIG. 5, FIG. 10 shows a top view of the bottom panel of the subcavity, and FIG. 11 shows a specific heating mode. FIG.

    The steam cooker 1 includes a rectangular parallelepiped cabinet 10. A door 11 is provided in front of the cabinet 10. The door 11 rotates in a vertical plane centering on the lower end. By grasping the upper handle 12 and pulling it forward, the door 11 is changed from the vertical closed state shown in FIG. 1 to the horizontal open state shown in FIG. 90 ° attitude change is possible. The door 11 has a configuration in which a left portion 11L and a right portion 11R, which are finished with a metal decorative plate, are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of a central portion 11C having a see-through portion fitted with heat-resistant glass. An operation panel 13 is provided on the right portion 11R.

    When the door 11 is opened, the front of the cabinet 10 is exposed. A heating chamber 20 is provided at a location corresponding to the central portion 11 </ b> C of the door 11. A water tank chamber 70 is provided at a location corresponding to the left side portion 11L of the door 11. No opening is provided at a location corresponding to the right portion 11R of the door 11, but a control board is disposed inside the location.

    The heating chamber 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the front side facing the door 11 is entirely open. The remaining surface of the heating chamber 20 and the inner surface of the door 11 are formed of a stainless steel plate. Heat insulation measures are taken around the heating chamber 20 and inside the door 11. A stainless steel plate receiving tray 21 is placed on the floor of the heating chamber 20, and a stainless steel wire rack 22 on which the heated object 90 is placed is placed on the receiving tray 21.

    Steam in heating chamber 20 (normally, the gas in heating chamber 20 is air, but when steam cooking is started, air is replaced by steam. In this specification, the gas in heating chamber 20 is steam. The explanation will be made assuming that it has been replaced with (3)), and circulates through the external circulation path 30 shown in FIG.

    The starting point of the external circulation path 30 is the air blower 25 provided on the outer upper part of the heating chamber 20. The blower 25 includes a centrifugal fan 26, a fan casing 27 that accommodates the centrifugal fan 26, and a motor (not shown) that rotates the centrifugal fan 26. A sirocco fan is used as the centrifugal fan 26. A DC motor capable of high-speed rotation is used as a motor for rotating the centrifugal fan 26.

    A suction port 28 is provided at the upper corner of the side wall at the back of the heating chamber 20, and the steam in the heating chamber 20 is sucked into the fan casing 27 through this. As shown in FIG. 3, the suction port 28 is formed by arranging a plurality of horizontal slits vertically, and the upper slit is longer and shorter as it goes down to form a right triangle opening as a whole. Yes. The right angle of the right triangle is adjusted to the angle of the side wall at the back of the heating chamber 20. That is, the opening degree of the suction port 28 is larger as it is closer to the upper side of the side wall at the back of the heating chamber 20. The closer to the left side, the larger.

    The external circulation path 30 after exiting the discharge port of the fan casing 27 is mainly composed of a pipe having a circular cross section. A first pipe 31 is connected to the discharge port portion of the fan casing 27. An exhaust port 32 is provided at the end of the first pipe 31. An elbow-shaped second pipe 33 is connected slightly upstream from the exhaust port 32. The horizontal portion of the second pipe 33 enters the upper part of the steam generator 50 (details will be described later) to form a steam suction ejector 34. The discharge end of the second pipe 33 is drawn and becomes an inner nozzle of the vapor suction ejector 34.

    A third pipe 35 of the external circulation path 30 is connected to the outlet of the steam suction ejector 34. The discharge end of the third pipe 35 is connected to a subcavity 40 (details will be described later). A bypass pipe 36 branched from the first pipe 31 is connected to the third pipe 35.

    The subcavity 40 is provided on the ceiling portion of the heating chamber 20 at a location corresponding to the center portion of the ceiling portion in plan view. The subcavity 40 has a circular shape in plan view, and a steam heater 41 serving as a steam heating means is disposed inside thereof. The steam heater 41 is a sheathed heater. An opening having the same size as the subcavity 40 is formed in the ceiling portion of the heating chamber 20, and a bottom panel 42 constituting the bottom surface of the subcavity 40 is fitted therein.

    The bottom panel 42 is made of a metal plate, and a plurality of upper blow holes 43 are formed. Each of the upper blow holes 43 is a small hole directed directly below, and is distributed over the entire panel. The upper blow holes 43 are two-dimensionally distributed in a plane, that is, two-dimensionally distributed. However, the bottom panel 42 may be provided with projections and depressions to take into account three-dimensional elements.

    The bottom panel 42 is finished in a dark color on both the upper and lower surfaces by a surface treatment such as painting. The bottom panel 42 may be formed of a metal material that changes color to dark when used repeatedly. Alternatively, the bottom panel 42 may be formed of a dark-colored ceramic molded product.

    Instead of forming the bottom surface of the subcavity 40 with the separate bottom panel 42, the top plate of the heating chamber 20 can also be used as the bottom surface of the subcavity 40 as it is. In this case, the upper blow hole 43 is provided at a position corresponding to the subcavity 40 in the top plate, and both the upper and lower surfaces thereof are finished in a dark color.

    Small sub-cavities 44 are provided outside the left and right side walls of the heating chamber 20 as shown in FIG. The subcavity 44 is connected to the subcavity 40 by a duct 45 and receives supply of steam from the subcavity 40 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The duct 45 is constituted by a pipe having a circular cross section. It is desirable to use a stainless steel pipe.

    In the lower portion of the side wall of the heating chamber 20, a plurality of side air holes 46 are provided at locations corresponding to the subcavities 44. Each side blow hole 46 is a small hole directed in the direction of the object to be heated 90 put in the heating chamber 20, more precisely, below the object to be heated 90, and the object to be heated 90 placed on the rack 22. Steam is ejected in the direction of. The height and direction of the side blow holes 46 are set so that the jetted steam enters under the object to be heated 90. In addition, the position and / or direction of the side fumarole 46 is set so that the steam ejected from the left and right meets under the object 90 to be heated.

    The side blow holes 46 may be formed in a separate panel, or may be formed by directly punching small holes in the side wall of the heating chamber 20. This is the same as the case of the upper fumarole 43. However, unlike the case of the subcavity 40, it is not necessary to finish the portion corresponding to the subcavity 44 in a dark color.

    Note that the sum of the area of the left and right side air holes 46 is larger than the area of the upper air holes 43. In order to supply a large amount of steam to the side blow holes 46 having such a large area, a plurality of (three in the figure) ducts 45 are provided for each sub-cavity 44.

    Returning to FIG. 4, the description will be continued. One end of a steam discharge pipe 47 is connected to the upper portion of the heating chamber 20. The other end of the vapor discharge pipe 47 is connected immediately before the exhaust port 32 of the first pipe 31. In the first pipe 31, an electric damper 48 is provided between the connection point of the second pipe 33 and the connection point of the steam discharge pipe 47. The damper 48 opens and closes a passage from the blower 25 to the exhaust port 32.

    Next, the structure of the steam generator 50 will be described. The steam generator 50 includes a cylindrical pot 51 arranged with a center line vertical. The upper part of the pot 51 is closed, and the steam suction ejector 34 is formed as described above.

    The pot 51 is made of a metal having good thermal conductivity. Copper or aluminum is suitable as the metal. However, in the case of copper or a copper alloy, since patina is generated, it is possible to use stainless steel which is slightly inferior in heat conductivity but is not concerned about patina.

    The water in the pot 51 is heated by a steam generating heater 52 provided in close contact with the outer surface of the pot 51. The steam generating heater 52 is an annular sheathed heater.

    As can be seen in FIG. 6, the planar shape of the pot 51 is flat, and the flat surface is disposed along the side wall at the back of the heating chamber 20. Three sets of steam suction ejectors 34 in the external circulation path 30 are provided, and three third pipes 35 are connected to the subcavity 40.

    The bottom of the pot 51 is formed in a funnel shape, and the drain pipe 53 hangs down from there. The lower end of the drain pipe 53 is bent toward the heating chamber 20 at a predetermined angle, and passes through the side wall of the heating chamber 20 and onto the tray 21. A drain valve 54 is provided in the middle of the drain pipe 53.

    Water is supplied to the pot 51 through a water supply pipe 55. The water supply pipe 55 is connected to the drain pipe 53 at a location above the drain valve 54. A water level sensor 56 is provided at the highest point of the water supply pipe 55.

    From the location where the water level sensor 56 is provided to the end of the pipe, the water supply pipe 55 is formed in a U-shaped pipe, and a water absorption pump 57 is installed in the middle thereof. The end of the water supply pipe 55 faces sideways, and a funnel-shaped receiving port 58 is formed here.

    A rectangular parallelepiped water tank 71 is inserted into the water tank chamber 70. An elbow-shaped water supply pipe 72 extending from the water tank 71 is connected to the receiving port 58 of the water supply pipe 55.

    The steam cooker 1 is provided with a closing means capable of closing the side fumarole 46 as an accessory. The closing means in the first embodiment is a closing plate 60 shown in FIG. The closing plate 60 is made of a stainless steel plate and is used by being placed on the rack 22. At both ends of the closing plate 60, there are ears 61 bent downward, and these ears 61 close the side air holes 46 from the inside of the heating chamber 20. The closing plate 60 is used as necessary, and is stored outside the heating chamber 20 when not in use.

    It is the control device 80 shown in FIG. 7 that controls the operation of the steam cooker 1. The control device 80 includes a microprocessor and a memory, and controls the steam cooker 1 according to a predetermined program. The control status is displayed on the display unit in the operation panel 13. An operation command is input to the control device 80 through various operation keys arranged on the operation panel 13. The operation panel 13 is also provided with a sound generating device for producing various sounds.

    In addition to the operation panel 13, the blower 25, the steam heater 41, the damper 48, the steam generation heater 52, the drain valve 54, the water level sensor 56, and the water absorption pump 57 are connected to the control unit 80. In addition, a water amount sensor 81 for measuring the amount of water in the water tank 71, a temperature sensor 82 for measuring the temperature in the heating chamber 20, and a humidity sensor 83 for measuring the humidity in the heating chamber 20 are connected.

    The operation of the steam cooker 1 is as follows. First, an operation in the case where cooking is performed without using the closing plate 60 will be described. First, the door 11 is opened, the water tank 71 is pulled out from the water tank chamber 70, and water is poured into the tank from a water supply port (not shown). The fully filled water tank 71 is pushed into the water tank chamber 70 and set at a predetermined position. After confirming that the tip of the water supply pipe 72 is firmly connected to the receiving port 58 of the water supply pipe 55, the door 11 is closed and the power key in the operation panel 13 is pressed to turn on the power. Then, the water absorption pump 57 starts operation, and water supply to the steam generator 50 starts. At this time, the drain valve 54 is closed.

  Water accumulates from the bottom of the pot 51. When the water level sensor 56 detects that the water level has reached a predetermined level, the water supply is stopped there.

    After the predetermined amount of water is put in the pot 51 in this way, energization to the steam generating heater 52 is started. The steam generating heater 52 heats the water in the pot 51 through the side wall of the pot 51.

    Simultaneously with the energization of the steam generating heater 52, or when the water in the pot 51 reaches the predetermined temperature, the energization of the blower 25 and the steam heater 41 is also started. The blower 25 sucks the steam in the heating chamber 20 from the suction port 28 and sends the steam to the external circulation path 30. Since the centrifugal fan 26 is used to send out the steam, a higher pressure can be generated compared to the propeller fan. In addition, since the centrifugal fan 26 is rotated at a high speed by a direct current motor, the flow velocity of the airflow is extremely fast.

    Since the flow velocity of the airflow is high in this way, the cross-sectional area of the flow path can be smaller than the flow rate. Therefore, the pipe forming the main body of the external circulation path 30 can have a circular cross section and a small diameter, and the surface area of the external circulation path 30 can be reduced compared to the case where the external circulation path 30 is formed by a duct having a rectangular cross section. For this reason, although hot steam passes through the inside, heat dissipation from the external circulation path 30 is reduced, and the energy efficiency of the steam cooker 1 is improved. Even when the external circulation path 30 is wound with a heat insulating material, the amount of the heat insulating material is small.

    At this time, the damper 48 closes the passage from the blower 25 to the exhaust port 32. The steam pumped from the blower 25 enters the second pipe 33 from the first pipe 31, and further enters the subcavity 40 through the third pipe 35.

    When the water in the pot 51 boils, saturated steam at 100 ° C. and 1 atm is generated. The saturated steam joins the circulating airflow passing through the external circulation path 30 at the steam suction ejector 34. Since the ejector structure is used, saturated steam is quickly sucked up and sucked out. Further, because of the ejector structure, no pressure is applied to the steam generator 50, and the release of saturated steam is not hindered.

    Steam is blown into the downstream side of the steam suction ejector 34 from the first pipe 31 through the bypass pipe 36. The presence of the bypass pipe 36 reduces the pressure loss of the circulation system, and the centrifugal fan 26 can be driven efficiently.

    The steam exiting the steam suction ejector 34 flows into the subcavity 40 at a high speed. The steam entering the subcavity 40 is heated to 300 ° C. by the steam heater 41 and becomes superheated steam. A part of the superheated steam is ejected downward from the upper fusible hole 43. Another part of the superheated steam goes to the subcavity 44 through the duct 45 and is ejected laterally from the side air holes 46.

    8 and 9 show the flow of steam in a state where the object to be heated 90 is not put into the heating chamber 20. The steam blows downward from the upper blow hole 43 at a momentum reaching the bottom surface of the heating chamber 20. The steam that collides with the bottom surface of the heating chamber 20 turns to the outside. The steam begins to rise after exiting the downwardly flowing air stream. Since steam, especially superheated steam, is light, this direction change occurs naturally. As a result, convection is generated inside the heating chamber 20 as shown by the arrows in the drawing, in which the air is blown down at the center and rises outside the center.

    In order to form a clear convection, the arrangement of the upper fumaroles 43 is also devised. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the arrangement of the upper blow holes 43 is dense at the center of the bottom panel 42 and sparse at the peripheral edge. As a result, the steam blowing force is weakened at the peripheral edge of the bottom panel 42 and does not hinder the rise of steam, so that convection appears more clearly.

    Steam is ejected sideways from the side fumarole 46. The steam meets the central portion of the heating chamber 20 and then mixes with the convection generated by the steam from the upper blow hole 43. Convective steam is sequentially sucked into the suction port 28. Then, after making a round of the route called the subcavity 40 from the external circulation path 30, the flow returns to the heating chamber 20. In this way, the steam in the heating chamber 20 repeats circulation such that it exits the external circulation path 30 and returns to the heating chamber 20.

    As time passes, the amount of steam in the heating chamber 20 increases. The surplus steam is discharged from the steam discharge pipe 47 to the outside of the heating chamber 20 through the exhaust port 32. If the steam is discharged into the cabinet 10 as it is, dew condensation occurs in the cabinet 10 and undesired results such as generation of rust and electric leakage are caused. If it is discharged as it is outside the cabinet 10, it will cause condensation on the wall of the kitchen. Therefore, it is assumed that the vapor passes through a maze-shaped dew passage (not shown) provided in the cabinet 10 to avoid the above problem. The water flowing down from the dew passage is guided to the tray 21 and treated together with water generated for other reasons after cooking.

    When the superheated steam starts to be ejected, the temperature in the heating chamber 20 rises rapidly. When the temperature sensor 82 detects that the temperature in the heating chamber 20 has reached the cookable area, the control device 80 displays a message to that effect on the operation panel 13 and sounds a signal. A user who knows that cooking is possible by sound and display opens the door 11 and puts an object to be heated 90 in the heating chamber 20.

    When the door 11 is about to open, the control device 80 switches the open / close state of the damper 48 and opens the passage from the blower device 25 to the exhaust port 32. The steam in the heating chamber 20 is sucked by the blower 25 and discharged from the exhaust port 32. The steam pressure-fed by the blower 25 goes straight to the exhaust port 32 and there is almost no part that turns to the steam generator 50. For this reason, the amount of steam flowing into the subcavity 40 is reduced, and the steam jets from the upper and lower jet holes 43 and 46 are extremely weak, if any. Therefore, the user is not exposed to steam on the face or hands to cause burns. The damper 48 opens a passage to the exhaust port 32 while the door 11 is open.

    If the air blower 25 is stopped and exhausted from the exhaust port 32, a time lag occurs until the steady air blow state is reached. In this embodiment, the air blower 25 is already in operation, The time lag is zero. Further, since the circulating airflow that has flowed around the heating chamber 20 and the external circulation path 30 becomes the exhaust airflow from the exhaust port 32 as it is, there is no time lag for changing the direction of the airflow. Thereby, the vapor | steam in the heating chamber 20 is discharged | emitted without delay, and the time until opening of the door 11 is attained can be shortened.

    The situation that the user is about to open the door 11 can be notified to the control device 80 as follows, for example. That is, a latch for keeping the door 11 closed is provided between the cabinet 10 and the door 11, and a latch lever for unlocking the latch is provided so as to be exposed from the handle 12. A switch that opens and closes in response to the movement of the latch or the latch lever is arranged inside the door 11 or the handle 12, and when the user performs an unlocking operation by grasping the handle 12 and the latch lever, the switch switches to the control device 80. Make sure the signal is sent.

    When the object to be heated 90 is placed on the rack 22 and the door 11 is closed, the damper 48 returns to a state in which the passage to the exhaust port 32 is closed. As a result, the inflow of steam into the subcavity 40 is resumed, and the upper air hole 43 and the side air holes 46 resume the ejection of superheated steam, and the cooking of the article 90 to be heated begins.

    The superheated steam heated to about 300 ° C. and ejected from the upper blow hole 43 collides with the object to be heated 90 and transfers heat to the object to be heated 90. In this process, the steam temperature is reduced to about 250 ° C. The superheated steam that has contacted the surface of the object to be heated 90 releases latent heat when dew condensation occurs on the surface of the object to be heated 90. This also heats the article 90 to be heated.

    As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, after applying heat to the article 90 to be heated, the steam turns outside and flows out of the air stream blowing down. As described above, since the steam is light, the vapor starts to rise after coming out of the down-flowing air current, and forms a convection as shown by an arrow inside the heating chamber 20. By this convection, while maintaining the temperature in the heating chamber 20, the heated object 90 can continue to collide with the superheated steam that has just been heated in the subcavity 40, and heat can be rapidly and rapidly applied to the heated object 90. Can be given.

    The steam ejected laterally from the side fumaroles 46 enters under the rack 22 from the left and right and meets under the heated object 90. The steam jet direction from the side blow holes 46 is a tangential direction to the surface of the object 90 to be heated, but when the steam from the left and right meet in this way, the steam does not escape straight to the other side. It stays below 90 and overflows. For this reason, an effect similar to that of spraying steam in the normal direction of the surface of the object to be heated 90 is generated, and the heat of the steam is reliably transmitted to the lower surface portion of the object to be heated 90.

    As described above, the object to be heated 90 is cooked in the same manner as the upper surface portion up to the portion where the vapor from the upper fumarole hole 43 does not hit by the vapor from the side fumarole hole 46. Thereby, the cooking result with a good appearance without unevenness can be obtained. Moreover, since the to-be-heated object 90 receives heat equally from the whole surface, it is fully heated to a center part for a short time.

    The vapor from the side fumarole 46, which was initially about 300 ° C, falls to about 250 ° C after it hits the object 90 to be heated, and heat is transferred to the object 90 in the process. . Further, latent heat is released when condensation is formed on the surface of the object to be heated 90, and the object to be heated 90 is heated.

    The steam from the side blow holes 46 gives heat to the lower surface portion of the article 90 to be heated, and then joins the convection generated by the steam from the upper blow holes 43. Convective steam is sequentially sucked into the suction port 28. And after making a round of the subcavity 40 from the external circulation path 30, it returns to a heating chamber. In this way, the steam in the heating chamber 20 repeats circulation such that it exits the external circulation path 30 and returns to the heating chamber 20.

    The side fumarole 46 is separated from the subcavity 40 and is disadvantageous compared to the upper fumarole 43 in terms of vapor ejection. However, since the area sum of the left and right side air holes 46 is larger than the area sum of the upper air holes 43, a sufficient amount of steam is also induced in the side air holes 46, and the Uneven heating on the bottom surface is reduced.

    Since the object to be heated 90 is heated while circulating the gas in the heating chamber 20, the energy efficiency of the steam cooker 1 is high. Since the superheated steam from above is ejected downward from the plurality of upper air holes 43 distributed over the entire surface of the bottom panel 42 of the subcavity 40, almost the entire heated object 90 becomes steam from above. It will be wrapped up. Combined with the collision of the superheated steam with the object 90 to be heated and the large area of the collision, the heat contained in the superheated steam is quickly and efficiently transmitted to the object 90 to be heated. Further, the steam that has entered the subcavity 40 is heated by the steam heater 41 and expands, whereby the momentum of the jet increases and the collision speed with the object 90 to be heated increases. Thereby, the to-be-heated object 90 is heated more rapidly.

    Since the centrifugal fan 26 can generate a higher pressure than the propeller fan, the jet output from the upper blow hole 43 can be increased. As a result, it becomes possible to eject superheated steam with a momentum reaching the bottom surface of the heating chamber 20, and the object to be heated 90 can be heated strongly. The centrifugal fan 26 is rotated at a high speed by a direct current motor and blows powerfully, so that the above-mentioned effect appears more remarkably.

    In addition, the strong blowing power of the blower 25 greatly helps to quickly exhaust air from the exhaust port 32 when the door 11 is opened.

    The bottom panel 42 of the subcavity 40 absorbs radiant heat emitted from the steam heater 41 well because the top surface is dark. Radiant heat absorbed by the bottom panel 42 is radiated and radiated to the heating chamber 20 from the bottom surface of the bottom panel 42, which is also dark. For this reason, the temperature rise of the subcavity 40 and its outer surface is suppressed, safety is improved, and the radiant heat of the steam heater 41 is transmitted to the heating chamber 20 through the bottom panel 42, so that the heating chamber 20 is heated more efficiently. .

    The planar shape of the bottom panel 42 may be circular, or may be a rectangle similar to the planar shape of the heating chamber 20. Further, as described above, the ceiling wall of the heating chamber 20 may also be used as the bottom panel of the subcavity 40.

    If the object to be heated 90 is meat, the oil may drip as the temperature rises. If the heated object 90 is a liquid contained in a container, it may boil and partly spill out. What has dripped or spilled is received by the tray 21 and waits for processing after cooking is completed.

    If steam is continuously generated by the steam generator 50, the water level in the pot 51 is lowered. When the water level sensor 56 detects that the water level has dropped to a predetermined level, the control device 80 restarts the operation of the water absorption pump 57. The water absorption pump 57 sucks up the water in the water tank 71 and replenishes the evaporated water. When the water level sensor 56 detects that the water level in the pot 51 has risen to a predetermined level, the control device 80 stops the operation of the water absorption pump 57 again.

    After cooking is completed, the control device 80 displays a message to that effect on the operation panel 13 and sounds a signal. A user who knows the end of cooking by sound and display opens the door 11 and takes out the object 90 to be heated from the heating chamber 20. At this time as well, the open / close state of the damper 48 is switched, and the steam in the heating chamber 20 is discharged from the exhaust port 32. For this reason, the user can take out the object 90 to be heated safely.

    When there is a long rest time until the next cooking, or when there is no plan to cook until the next morning in a cold region, after cooking, the drain valve 54 is opened through the operation panel 13, and the pot 51 Drain the water. In this way, it is possible to avoid a situation where germs and algae propagate in the water in the pot 51 or the water in the pot 51 freezes.

    Next, an operation when cooking by using the closing plate 60 will be described. When the closing plate 60 is set on the rack 22, the result is as shown in FIG. The closing plate 60 may be set before the steam cooker 1 is turned on, or may be set at the timing when the object to be heated 90 is put into the heating chamber 20.

    When the closing plate 60 is set, the side portion fumarole 46 is closed by the ear portion 61. For this reason, the superheated steam is not ejected from the side air holes 46, and the superheated steam is concentrated in the upper air holes 43. Such a cooking method is appropriate when the entire object to be heated 90 is accommodated in the container 91. The superheated steam from the upper blow hole 43 is mainly blown to the object 90 to be heated and hits the container 91, so that the wall portion of the container 91 is heated easily and does not become so hot that it becomes difficult to take out. In this case as well, convection is generated inside the heating chamber 20 such that it blows down at the center and rises outside.

    The side fumarole 46 need not be completely occluded. It does not matter if some of the superheated steam leaks out. In short, it is only necessary that the main force of the ejection of superheated steam is transferred to the upper fusible hole 43 so that the superheated steam is not blown from the side to the wall of the container 91.

    A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 12 is a basic structural view similar to FIG. 11 showing a specific heating mode.

    In the second embodiment, when the side blow hole 46 needs to be closed, another rack 22 a having a structure different from that of the normal rack 22 is used. An ear 61a similar to the ear 61 of the closing plate 60 is fixed to the rack 22a. When the rack 22a is placed on the tray 21, the ear 61a closes the side fumarole 46.

    A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a basic structural view similar to FIG. 11 showing a specific heating mode.

    Also in the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, when it is necessary to close the side blowing holes 46, another rack 22b having a structure different from that of the normal rack 22 is used. A support leg 62 made of a stainless steel plate is fixed to the rack 22b. The support leg 62 has a substantially V-shaped front shape, and when placed on the tray 21, the side leg air holes 46 are closed at the end not fixed to the rack 22 b.

    In each of the above embodiments, the configuration in which the vapor in the heating chamber 20 is returned to the heating chamber 20 from the external circulation path 30 through the subcavity 40 is adopted, but a configuration different from this is also possible. For example, new steam may be constantly supplied to the subcavity 40, and steam overflowing from the heating chamber 20 may be continuously discharged from the steam discharge pipe 47.

  In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

    INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for all cookers that perform cooking with superheated steam, whether for home use or business use.

External appearance perspective view of a steam cooker according to the first embodiment External perspective view of the heating chamber with the door open Front view with the heating chamber door removed Basic structure of internal mechanism Basic structure of the internal mechanism viewed from the direction perpendicular to FIG. Top view of heating chamber Control block diagram The same basic structure as FIG. 4 but showing a different state from FIG. The same basic structure as FIG. 5 but showing a different state from FIG. Top view of bottom panel of subcavity Basic structure similar to FIG. 5 showing a specific heating mode Basic structure similar to FIG. 11 according to the second embodiment Basic structure similar to FIG. 11 according to the third embodiment

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Steam cooker 20 Heating chamber 22 Rack 25 Air blower 28 Suction port 30 External circulation path 40 Subcavity 41 Steam heater 42 Bottom panel 43 Upper blow hole 45 Duct 46 Side blow hole 50 Steam generator 60 Closure board 61 Ear part 90 Heated object 91 Container 22a Rack 61a Ear part 22b Rack 62 Support leg

Claims (6)

Steam cooker with the following configuration:
(A) Heating chamber in which an object to be heated is placed (b) Steam generator (c) The object to be heated provided in the ceiling of the heating chamber and supplied with steam from the steam generator (B) Side vent holes that are provided at the lower portions of the opposite side walls on both sides of the heating chamber, and that eject steam supplied from the steam generator toward the object to be heated.
(E) A closing means capable of closing the side fumarole.   2. The steam cooker according to claim 1, wherein the closing means is formed in a supporting means for supporting the object to be heated in a state of floating from a bottom surface of the heating chamber.   The steam cooker according to claim 2, wherein a leg portion of the support means is a closing means.   The steam generated in the steam generator is introduced into a subcavity provided adjacent to the heating chamber, and the steam is distributed from the subcavity to the upper and side nozzle holes. Steam cooker of any one of -3.   The steam cooker according to claim 4, wherein the subcavity is provided in a ceiling portion of the heating chamber.   The steam cooker according to claim 4 or 5, further comprising heating means for heating the steam introduced into the subcavity.

Images