JP2006038316A - Heating cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To expand a capacity of a cooking chamber for heating cooking and to easily mount and demount a water tank of a steam generator. <P>SOLUTION: A cooked object is placed in a space of a main body 1 provided with a heater heating source such as a hot air oven unit and a planar heater or a heating source by a magnetron, main electric components such as an inverter board 12 relating to driving control of the heating source and a cooling fan device, and further incidental components such as a wave guide tube at its back face and lower face excluding a side part of the cooking chamber 2, a tank unit such as the water tank 19 and a tank case 23 constituting the steam generator is mounted at a lower part of the main body 1, and the water tank 19 can be mounted and demounted from a front face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating cooker having a steam cooking function.

Conventionally, a heating cooker having a steam cooking function in addition to a heating cooking function of cooking based on a heating source such as a heater or a magnetron has been considered. This steam cooking function is useful, for example, for cooking with a good finish without cooking or cooking the cooked food. However, the steam generator has a configuration in which a water tank for water supply and a steam generator are connected in communication, and the water tank is disposed on the side surface of the cooking chamber in the cooker body, and supplies or cleans water. Therefore, it is configured to be detachable from the main body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent No. 3503896 (refer to page 6 and FIG. 10)

  However, in the above configuration, since the water tank is once protruded to the side of the main body and then pulled forward, the attaching / detaching operation is troublesome and it is necessary to secure a predetermined space on the side surface of the installed main body. There are restrictions on the installation conditions of the cooking device. In addition, the arrangement of the water tank on the side of the cooking chamber requires that the size of the cooking chamber (in this case, the lateral direction) be reduced unless the main body is enlarged, or at least to make the cooking chamber wider. Due to its unreasonableness, it had difficulties such as not being able to obtain a smooth flow of steam, or being unable to meet the needs of the market that wanted to be able to cook as much food as possible while being compact. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cooking device that can widen the volume of a cooking chamber and facilitates the operation of attaching and detaching a water tank.

  In order to achieve the above object, the cooking device of the present invention comprises a cooking function and a steam generator that cooks food to be cooked in a cooking chamber inside the main body based on a heating source such as a heater or a magnetron. With a steam cooking function for cooking based on the steam supply of the above, the heating source and the electrical equipment for controlling the heating source are arranged in the main body excluding the side of the cooking chamber, and the steam generating device, It is composed of a steam generator that steams water sent from a water tank for water supply and supplies it into the cooking chamber, and the main feature is that the water tank is provided in the lower part of the main body so that it can be inserted and removed from the front. It is.

    According to the cooking device of the present invention, it is possible to widen the space by using the space on the side of the cooking chamber, and it is possible to sufficiently secure the inner volume of the cooking chamber without increasing the size of the main body. This is based on the fact that there is enough space for large amounts of food to be cooked and large forms, and cooking can be done well, and when steam cooking is performed, the flow of steam is smooth. It can be made to work evenly and efficiently on the object to be cooked, and cooking with a good finished state is possible.

  In addition, the water tank is located at the bottom of the main unit and can be inserted and removed from the front, so it can be easily attached and detached without any restrictions on the surrounding objects. It is possible to provide a cooking device suitable for practical use such that the water tank can be provided by utilizing the gap in the lower part of the main body and does not hinder the widening of the cooking chamber.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
First, the schematic configuration of the entire heating cooker will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. As shown in the front view of FIG. 3A and the front view of FIG. Inside the main body 1 is formed a cooking chamber 2 that accommodates an object to be cooked and cooks it. Although the volume of the cooking chamber 2 will be described in detail later, it is particularly wide in the left-right direction, and a door 3 is provided to open and close the large front opening. Accordingly, the door 3 has a size and a shape over the entire front surface of the main body 1, and its lower end is pivotally supported so that the transparent window portion 4 and cooking conditions such as cooking menu and time can be set. An operation unit 5 to be set is provided.

A leg cover 6 is attached to the front of the lower part of the main body 1, which conceals the lower part of the main body 1, such as the leg parts 7 at the four corners provided in the lower part, from the front (front side). It is provided to increase the appearance and design effect.
4 is a plan view excluding the ceiling portion of the main body 1 and cross-sectional views (a) and (b) of different cut surfaces in FIG. 5, particularly showing the arrangement configuration of main electrical components. As will be described below, the product is provided using other space except the side surface of the cooking chamber 2 in the main body 1. For example, a magnetron 8 that generates microwaves, which is one of the heating sources, is disposed in the lower rear portion of the main body 1 as shown in FIG. 4 and the waveguide 9 is provided on the lower surface of the cooking chamber 2. And connected to the central portion of the cooking chamber 2 as an excitation port 9a. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5 (b) in particular, a hot air oven unit 10 using another heater element as a heating source is provided on the back surface of the cooking chamber 2, which includes a heater 10a, a fan 10b, and a fan motor 10c. Further, a planar heater 11 is provided on the ceiling portion of the cooking chamber 2.

In addition, similarly, an inverter board 12 and a cooling fan device 13 (see FIG. 4) are disposed on the back side of the cooking chamber 2, and a motor 15 that rotationally drives the rotating antenna 14 as shown in FIG. And a noise filter PC board 16 (see FIG. 4) are mounted. In addition, a flat glass or ceramic tray 17 serving as a substantial bottom plate of the cooking chamber 2 is provided above the rotating antenna 14, and microwaves from the excitation port 9a are reflected and stirred by the rotating antenna 14, The tray 17 is transmitted so that the inside of the cooking chamber 2 can be irradiated evenly and uniformly.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the electrical components are arranged using the space on the back and bottom surfaces of the cooking chamber 2, so that the cooking chamber 2 can be widened in the left and right side directions, and the main body 1 can be enlarged. And a large internal volume can be secured.

Next, the steam generator 18 that enables steam cooking will be described with reference to FIGS. In particular, FIG. 2 shows a schematic configuration of the entire steam generator 18, in which a water tank 19 is provided at the lower part of the main body 1, and steam is generated via a pump 20 and a water supply pipe 21 for feeding water in the water tank 19. The configuration is such that the device 22 is connected in communication.
Among them, the water tank 19 is provided so as to be detachable from the front surface of the main body 1, and its specific configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 1. The tank case 23 is fixed to the main body 2 with screws, the opening end of the tank case 23 is disposed close to the leg cover 6, and the pump 20 is fixed to the upper surface of the rear portion of the tank case 23.

  The water tank 19 is inserted into the tank case 23 so as to be detachable from the front surface (front surface) in the directions indicated by arrows C1 and C2. The water tank 19 includes a container portion 19a, a detachable lid 19b, and a handle 19c on the front surface. In particular, the front surface having the handle 19c is formed on the leg cover 6 except for the handle 19c in consideration of the design effect. The configuration is adapted to the shape, and only the handle 19c protrudes forward and faces. In the present embodiment, the water tank 19 is provided with a color different from that of the leg cover 6 for easy discrimination.

Further, in order to stably hold the water tank 19 inserted into the tank case 23 at a predetermined position, a locking means is provided at the bottom or side portion, and for example, a mountain-shaped elastic protrusion made of a leaf spring on the tank case 23 side. On the other hand, a concave portion 25 is provided on the side of the water tank 19 corresponding to this position, and both are detachably engaged so that they can be stably held at a predetermined position.
Further, an L-shaped pipe 26 is fixed to the rear portion of the water tank 19. One end of the pipe 26 opens near the bottom of the water tank 19, and the other end of the pipe 26 is led out to the rear outside, and is inserted into and removed from the water tank 19. However, the end led out rearward is joined to the joint 27 connected to the water supply pipe 21 so as to be able to contact and separate. In this case, the water tank 19 is held in a predetermined position by the locking means, so that the water tank 19 is maintained in a joined state with the joint 27, and a state in which the water tank 21 is connected in watertight communication with the water supply pipe 21 is obtained.

  The configuration of the steam generator 22 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. In this case, a U-shaped sheathed heater 28 is made of aluminum die-cast and embedded in a hollow evaporation container 29, and in the hollow portion. The water supply pipe 21 is connected. Accordingly, the water supplied into the evaporation container 29 is heated to generate steam, which can be supplied from the plurality of discharge ports 30 to the inside of the cooking chamber 2.

Next, the operation of the cooking device configured as described above will be described.
After the object to be cooked is stored in the cooking chamber 2, the operation is started by setting cooking conditions such as a desired cooking menu and setting of a heating source using the operation unit 5 provided on the door 3. Therefore, the oven cooking by the hot-air oven unit 10 that is selected and set, the microwave cooking by the magnetron 8, or the steam cooking by the steam generator 18 is performed individually or in combination.

  However, there is no conventionally used rotary table in the cooking chamber 2, only the flat tray 17 is laid at the bottom, and a relatively small evaporation container 29 is arranged on the left side of the side. However, since the heating source that is another large component part and the electrical equipment that controls the heating source are concentrated on the back and bottom surfaces of the cooking chamber 2, the horizontal space of the cooking chamber 2 is left in the cooking chamber 2. Therefore, it is possible to form a large-sized cooking chamber 2 having an opening that occupies most of the front surface of the main body 1 without changing the size of the main body 1. For this reason, the door 3 that opens and closes the front opening is sized over the entire front surface of the main body 1, and an operation unit 5 is provided on the door 3 so that the setting operation such as cooking conditions can be easily performed. .

  In addition, the water tank 19 of the steam generator 18 has a relatively large component structure, and must be configured to be detachable for water supply, cleaning, and the like. The so-called tank unit occupying space including 23 tends to be large. However, in this embodiment, the water tank 19 is arranged using the space (gap) formed by the leg 7 at the lower part of the main body 1 so as not to obstruct the volume expansion of the cooking chamber 2. Since it can be inserted / removed from the front of the main body 1 (in the direction of arrows C1, C2 in FIG. 1), it is easy to operate, and it is not restricted by the adjacent objects as when inserting / removing from the side. Is also advantageous.

  Further, the tank unit such as the water tank 19 is covered with a leg cover 6 disposed in front of the tank unit, and the front surface of the water tank 19 facing the front is configured to match the shape of the leg cover 6 except for the handle 19c. The appearance design can be kept good, for example. However, the water tank 19 is colored differently from the leg cover 6 so that the operation of inserting / removing the water tank 19 is not troublesome.

  Therefore, when the steam generator 18 functions, the water tank 19 in the storage state of FIG. 1 is pulled forward (in the direction of the arrow C1) through the handle 19c. Then, the lid 19b is removed, a predetermined amount of water required for steam cooking is supplied from the upper surface opening, the lid 19b is closed again, and then inserted into the tank case 23 (in the direction of arrow C2) through the leg cover 6. When stored to a predetermined position, the elastic protrusion 24 is engaged with the recess 25 and positioned, and the rear end portion of the pipe 26 of the water tank 19 is joined to the joint 27 in a watertight state. The communication connection is maintained.

  In this state, the operation of steam cooking can be started. Usually, the temperature in the cooking chamber 2 is raised in advance and the operation is controlled so that the supplied steam is effectively operated. After the sheet heater 11 is preheated to a predetermined temperature, steam is generated and steam cooking is started. Thus, the pump 20 is driven and controlled, and water in the water tank 19 is sequentially supplied from the pipe 26 to the evaporation container 29 through the water supply pipe 21. This water is heated by the sheathed heater 28 in contact with the evaporation container 29 in a high temperature state, instantaneously steamed and supplied into the cooking chamber 2 from the discharge port 30, and a food not shown is added by steam. Cook hot.

As described above, the present embodiment has the following effects.
The cooking object is heated by a heater heating source such as a hot air oven unit 10 or a planar heater 11 or a heating source by a magnetron 8, main electrical components such as an inverter board 12 and a cooling fan device 13 related to the drive control thereof, and further a conductive material. The tank units such as the water tank 19 and the tank case 23 constituting the steam generator 18 are disposed in the space with the main body 1 excluding the side of the cooking chamber 2, including accessory parts such as the wave tube 9. Is arranged at the lower part of the main body 1 and the water tank 19 can be inserted and removed from the front surface thereof.

  Thereby, an indoor space can be expanded using the surplus space produced in the side of the cooking chamber 2, and the internal volume of the cooking chamber 2 can be enlarged without enlarging the main body 1. Therefore, it is possible to secure a space space that can be satisfactorily cooked even when a large amount of food is to be cooked or a large form, and hot air from the hot air oven unit 10 and steam from the steam generator 18 are efficiently applied to the food to be cooked. It is possible to cook with a good finish and no unevenness.

  Further, the water tank 19 of the steam generator 18 is also located in the lower part of the main body 1 and can be easily inserted and removed from the front surface, so that it can be easily installed without any restrictions on the surroundings of the main body 1, especially adjacent objects. At the same time, the lower part of the main body 1 can effectively utilize the gap between the installation surface originally supported by the legs 7, and the main body 1 can be made large in spite of the fact that the steam generator 18 is provided. Without increasing the width of the cooking chamber 2.

  Moreover, the water tank 19 is provided so as to be covered with the leg cover 6 provided in front of the lower part of the main body 1, and the appearance design from the front surface is not particularly impaired. In addition, since the front surface of the water tank 19 faces the front of the leg cover 6 and the water tank 19 is easily distinguished as a color different from that of the leg cover 6, the leg cover 6 The design effect can be improved by making the exterior design such as shape common to the front surface of the water tank 19.

  And since the volume of the cooking chamber 2 can be expanded as mentioned above, the front opening can be made into the magnitude | size covering substantially the whole surface, and it has the advantage that it becomes easy to take in / out to-be-cooked object. However, the door 3 that opens and closes the large front opening is of course the size of the entire surface, but the operation unit 5 for setting the cooking conditions can be easily dealt with by providing the door 3, and the operation unit 5 is the water tank. Since it is located above 19, it is possible to provide a cooking device effective for practical use, such as when there is no risk of wetting the operation unit 5 with water when water is supplied to or removed from the tank 19.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings. For example, the water tank has a different color from the leg cover as a whole, but at least only the handle may have a different color. Various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

The expanded sectional view of the principal part which shows one Example of this invention Sectional view showing the overall schematic configuration (A) Front view of cooking device, and (b) Front view with door removed Top view with the ceiling removed (A) A cross-sectional view cut along the line AA in FIG. 4 and (b) a cross-sectional view cut along the line BB.

Explanation of symbols

  In the drawings, 1 is a main body, 2 is a cooking chamber, 3 is a door, 5 is an operation part, 6 is a leg cover, 7 is a leg part, 8 is a magnetron (heating source), 9 is a waveguide, and 10 is a hot air oven unit. (Heating source), 11 is a planar heater (heating source), 12: inverter board (electrical component), 13: cooling fan device (electrical component), 18: steam generator, 19: water tank, 20 is a pump, 21 Is a water supply pipe, 22 is a steam generator, and 23 is a tank case.

Claims (3)

What has a cooking function for cooking based on a heating source such as a heater or a magnetron, and a steam cooking function for cooking based on a steam supply from a steam generator for a food item stored in a cooking chamber inside the main body ,
The heating source and the electrical equipment for controlling the heating source are disposed in the main body excluding the side of the cooking chamber, and the steam generator is configured to steam water sent from a water tank for water supply into the cooking chamber. A steam cooker characterized in that a water tank is provided in the lower part of the main body so as to be detachable from the front surface.   A leg cover is mounted in front of the lower part of the main body, and a handle of a water tank is provided on the leg cover so as to face forward, and at least a handle is provided with a color distinguishable from the leg cover. Cooking device. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein an operation unit for setting cooking conditions is provided at a position above the water tank.

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