CN114636143B

CN114636143B - Cooking device and steam generator thereof

Info

Publication number: CN114636143B
Application number: CN202011493486.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 霍延凯; 司鹏; 赵鹏飞; 奚俊男; 张红帅; 唐相伟
Original assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea Kitchen Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea Kitchen Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-16
Filing date: 2020-12-16
Publication date: 2024-06-18
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-16
Also published as: CN114636143A

Abstract

The invention discloses a cooking device and a steam generator thereof. The shell is provided with a containing cavity, and comprises a water inlet and a steam outlet which are communicated with the containing cavity; the first heating piece is arranged on the shell and is used for heating the liquid in the accommodating cavity to form steam; the steam-water separation plate is arranged in the accommodating cavity and used for separating steam from being discharged from the steam outlet after bypassing the steam-water separation plate. Therefore, the steam generated by heating the liquid by the first heating element vertically flows upwards, after the steam-water separation plate is contacted, the flowing direction of the steam is changed, and the inertia of liquid drops is large, so that the liquid drops can not change the flowing direction along with the steam, but directly impact on the steam-water separation plate and drop and flow back under the action of gravity, so that the steam-water separation plate is arranged on the flowing path of the steam, the steam is not hindered from being discharged, and the liquid drops carried in the steam can be separated, so that the dryness and the quality of the steam are improved.

Description

Cooking device and steam generator thereof

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of cooking kitchen ware, in particular to a cooking device and a steam generator thereof.

Background

Steam is used as a traditional food cooking medium and is widely applied to kitchen appliances such as steaming boxes, steaming ovens, micro-steaming and baking integrated machines and the like. The principle of steam cooking food is to heat the food by using high-temperature steam, and the higher the steam temperature is, the higher the temperature in the cooking cavity can be, so that the cooking time can be shortened, and the cooking time can be saved. In addition, the degreasing and salt-reducing effects of the cooking can be achieved by utilizing high-temperature steam, and the nutritional value of the cooking is improved.

Thus, cookware having a steam reheating function has been gradually developed to raise the temperature of steam by reheating the steam in the cooking cavity. When the steam generator works, liquid in the accommodating cavity can be boiled vigorously, if the height of the steam generator is designed to be too low, steam generated by the liquid can carry a large amount of liquid drops to be sprayed out from the steam outlet to influence the quality of the steam, so that when the steam generator is designed, the height of the steam generator needs to be set higher, which is undoubtedly unfavorable for the miniaturization design of products.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a cooking device and a steam generator thereof, which aim to solve the technical problem of more liquid drop content in steam in the prior art.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts a technical scheme that: there is provided a steam generator comprising: the shell is provided with a containing cavity, and comprises a water inlet and a steam outlet which are communicated with the containing cavity; the first heating piece is arranged on the shell and is used for heating the liquid in the accommodating cavity to form steam; and the steam-water separation plate is arranged in the accommodating cavity and used for blocking the steam from bypassing the steam-water separation plate to the steam outlet for discharging.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the main surfaces of the steam-water separation plates intersect with the vertical direction.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the steam-water separation plate comprises a first separation plate and a second separation plate, wherein the main surface of the first separation plate is in a horizontal direction, and the second separation plate is connected with the first separation plate and is bent downwards relative to the first separation plate.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the shell comprises a top wall, a bottom wall and side walls, wherein the top wall and the bottom wall are oppositely arranged, the first heating piece is arranged on the bottom wall, the steam-water separation plate is connected to the side walls, and the first heating piece is positioned between the first heating piece and the steam outlet.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the steam generator comprises a liquid level sensor, wherein the liquid level sensor is connected to the top wall of the accommodating cavity, and the detection end of the liquid level sensor is arranged at intervals with the bottom wall.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the steam generator comprises a heat transfer element, the heat transfer element is wrapped on the bottom wall and at least part of the side wall of the shell and is in heat conduction connection with the shell, and the first heating element is in heat conduction connection with the heat transfer element.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the first heating element is arranged between the bottom wall of the shell and the heat transfer element and is in heat conduction connection with the shell and the heat transfer element.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the heat transfer member includes a first heat transfer plate, a second heat transfer plate, and a third heat transfer plate, which are sequentially bent and connected, the second heat transfer plate is disposed opposite to the bottom wall at intervals, the first heating member is sandwiched between the second heat transfer plate and the bottom wall, and the first heat transfer plate and the third heat transfer plate are respectively stacked on the outer sides of the side walls and are in heat conduction connection with the side walls.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the steam generator includes a temperature controller connected to at least one of the heat transfer member, the housing, and the first heating member for detecting a heating temperature of the first heating member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the steam generator includes a second heating element disposed in the accommodating cavity for heating the steam.

In order to solve the technical problems, the invention adopts a technical scheme that: there is provided a cooking device comprising a main body provided with a cooking cavity and a steam generator as described above, the steam generator being connected to the main body, steam generated by the steam generator entering the cooking cavity for heating food material contained in the cooking cavity.

The beneficial effects of the application are as follows: compared with the prior art, in the embodiment of the application, the steam generated by heating the liquid by the first heating element vertically flows upwards, and after the steam-water separation plate is contacted, the flow direction of the steam is changed, and because the inertia of liquid drops is large, the flow direction of the steam cannot be changed along with the steam, and the liquid drops directly impact on the steam-water separation plate and drop and flow back under the action of gravity, the steam-water separation plate is arranged on the flow path of the steam, so that the steam is not hindered from being discharged, and the liquid drops carried in the steam can be separated, so that the dryness and the quality of the steam are improved.

Drawings

For a clearer description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings that are needed in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below, it being obvious that the drawings in the description below are only some embodiments of the present invention, and that other drawings can be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art, wherein:

fig. 1 is a schematic view of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a steam generator according to an embodiment of the present application with parts removed;

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a portion of the components of a housing in an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of the steam generator of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic bottom view of the steam generator of FIG. 2;

Fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of the steam generator of fig. 2;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view of a first heating element of the related art mated with a housing;

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the steam generator of FIG. 8 and a partially enlarged schematic view thereof;

Fig. 10 is an exploded structural view of the steam generator of fig. 8;

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view of a steam generator according to an embodiment of the present application with parts removed;

FIG. 12 is a schematic side view of a steam generator in accordance with an embodiment of the application;

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of the steam generator of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a steam generator in yet another embodiment of the application;

Fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view showing the cooperation of the second heating element and the return flow channel plate in an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention will be made clearly and fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which it is evident that the embodiments described are only some, but not all embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments, which can be made by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without making any inventive effort, are intended to be within the scope of the invention.

Reference herein to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments. The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those listed steps or elements but may include other steps or elements not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. The present invention provides a cooking apparatus 100, the cooking apparatus 100 includes a main body 10 and a steam generator 20, the main body 10 is provided with a cooking cavity 12, the steam generator 20 is connected to the main body 10, and steam generated by the steam generator 20 enters the cooking cavity 12 for heating food materials accommodated in the cooking cavity 12.

The cooking device 100 may be, for example, a cooking utensil with a steam heating function, such as a steam box, a steam oven, a microwave oven, or a micro-steaming and baking integrated machine. The cooking utensil is provided with a cooking cavity 12 for cooking food material, which is accommodated in the cooking cavity 12.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a steam generator according to an embodiment of the application with parts removed. The steam generator 20 generally includes a housing 21, a first heating member 22, and a second heating member 23. The housing 21 is formed with a receiving chamber 212, and the housing 21 includes a water inlet 214 and a steam outlet 216 communicating with the receiving chamber 212; the first heating element 22 is disposed on the housing 21 and is used for heating the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 to form steam; the second heating element 23 is disposed in the accommodating chamber 212 for heating the steam.

The working principle of the steam generator in this embodiment is: the water inlet 214 is connected with the water pump for carry liquid to holding chamber 212, liquid storage is in holding chamber 212, and first heating element 22 heating liquid produces steam, and steam rises to the position department of second heating element 23, and second heating element 23 carries out the secondary heating to steam to promote the temperature and the dryness fraction of steam, realize no tiny liquid drop in the steam, promote the quality of steam, steam after the secondary heating is discharged steam generator 20 through steam outlet 216, gets into cooking chamber 12 in order to heat the food material of placing in cooking chamber 12.

By disposing the first heating member 22 and the second heating member 23 in the accommodating chamber 212 at the same time, the structure of the steam generator 20 can be made compact, and the volume of the steam generator 20 can be effectively reduced. By arranging the second heating piece 23 to heat the steam, the dryness of the steam can be improved, no tiny liquid drops in the steam are realized, and the quality of the steam is ensured. The reheated steam can further raise the temperature of the cooking cavity 12 to increase the cooking speed. The second heating element 23 can also maintain a higher operating temperature of the receiving chamber 212 to reduce vapor condensation.

As shown in fig. 2, the housing 21 includes oppositely disposed top and bottom walls 211, 213 and a side wall 215 connected between the top and bottom walls 211, 213.

In this embodiment, the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 213 are disposed in parallel at intervals, and have a substantially rectangular shape, and the side wall 215 is connected to the outer circumferences of the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 213 to enclose a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped accommodating chamber 212 with the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 213. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, the top wall 211 and the bottom wall 213 may also be circular, triangular, trapezoidal, oval, etc. in shape to form other shapes of the housing 21.

Wherein, the shell 21 can be made of stainless steel materials to avoid the shell 21 from being rusted, polluting liquid and steam and causing food safety problems.

Alternatively, in a specific embodiment, stainless steel plates with a thickness of 0.8mm may be used to form the top wall 211, the bottom wall 213 and the side walls 215 by punching, so as to simplify the production process of the housing 21 and improve the production efficiency.

Further, as shown in fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a part of elements of the housing in an embodiment of the application. The ribs 217 may be integrally formed by stamping at least a portion of the housing 21 (e.g., the side wall 215) while the top wall 211, the bottom wall 213, and the side wall 215 are formed in a suitable size by stamping, and the ribs 217 may enhance the structural strength of the housing 21, prevent the housing 21 from being deformed by heat, and also prevent the housing 21 from being deformed by external force.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, the reinforcing ribs 217 may be disposed on at least a portion of the surface of the housing 21 by welding, bonding, or the like, for enhancing the structural strength of the housing 21, and the disposition of the reinforcing ribs 217 is not particularly limited in this embodiment.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 3, the reinforcing ribs 217 may include two reinforcing ribs 217 disposed vertically. Or the reinforcing ribs 217 may further include a plurality of reinforcing ribs 217 that are arranged in a net shape, or the plurality of reinforcing ribs 217 may also be arranged in parallel at intervals, and the number and arrangement of the reinforcing ribs 217 are not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Since the liquid is generally distributed at the bottom of the accommodating cavity 212 under the action of gravity, as shown in fig. 2, the first heating element 22 may be disposed on the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, so that the first heating element 22 contacts the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 to achieve heating.

The first heating element 22 may be made of a metal or alloy material with low hardness, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, for example, so as to facilitate the processing and forming of the first heating element 22. The number of the first heating elements 22 may be one or at least two, and at least two first heating elements 22 are disposed side by side on the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21.

Further, the first heating element 22 may be disposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21 to separate the first heating element 22 from the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212, so that on one hand, scale generated by the first heating element 22 can be avoided, on the other hand, contact between the aluminum product and the liquid can be avoided, and further, safety problem of the aluminum product food is solved.

Further, at least part of the surface of the first heating element 22 may be configured as a plane, and then the plane is welded and fixed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, and when the first heating element 22 is powered on, the heat generated by the first heating element 22 is transferred to the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, so as to heat the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212. Through adopting the welded mode to be connected the diapire 213 of first heating member 22 and casing 21, can make the contact of first heating member 22 and casing 21 inseparabler, and then reduce the transmission loss of heat, promote heat conduction efficiency.

Alternatively, a brazing process may be employed to weld at least a portion of the surface of the first heating member 22 to the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21. Brazing refers to a welding method in which a brazing filler metal with a melting point lower than that of a weldment and the weldment are heated to a brazing filler metal melting temperature at the same time, and gaps of solid workpieces are filled with liquid brazing filler metal to connect metals. Thus, the brazing material can be sandwiched between the flat surface of the first heating member 22 and the outer surface of the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, and melted by heating to closely join the first heating member 22 and the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21. The welding is performed through brazing, the welding process is simple, and a more compact welding structure can be formed, so that the heat conduction efficiency is higher.

Wherein, as shown in fig. 2 and 4, fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of the steam generator in fig. 2. The second heating element 23 includes a first coil portion 231, a second coil portion 232, and a bending connection portion 233, where a plane in which the first coil portion 231 is located and a plane in which the second coil portion 232 is located are spaced apart in parallel, and the bending connection portion 233 connects the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232.

By arranging the second heating element 23 in a double-layer coil structure, the length of the second heating element 23 can be prolonged to the maximum extent in a limited space, so that the heating power of the second heating element 23 is improved, and the steam outlet temperature of the steam generator 20 is improved.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, the second heating element 23 may be disposed in a spiral shape or in a wave shape, which is not particularly limited in the embodiments of the present application.

In the present embodiment, by connecting the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 with the bent connection portion 233, the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 can be connected in series to supply power to the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 simultaneously by one power supply source.

Specifically, the bent connection portion 233 connects the first end of the first coil portion 231 and the first end of the second coil portion 232, and the second end of the first coil portion 231 and the second end of the second coil portion 232 are respectively extended outside the housing 21 so as to electrically connect the power source to the second heating member 23.

In order to further increase the contact area between the second heating element 23 and the steam and increase the heat transfer efficiency, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, a heat spreading plate 234 may be further disposed on the second heating element 23.

Specifically, the heat spreading plate 234 may be connected to at least one of the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 to increase the contact area of the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 with the steam.

Alternatively, the heat spreading plate 234 may be disposed in the interval between the first coil part 231 and the second coil part 232, so that the structure of the second heating member 23 is more compact, and the volume of the second heating member 23 is reduced.

The heat spreading plate 234 may be made of stainless steel plate, and then welded and fixed in the space between the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232 by means of laser welding or the like. By arranging the heat spreading plate 234 made of stainless steel plates, the heat spreading plate 234 can be prevented from being rusted, the steam is prevented from being polluted, and the food safety problem is avoided.

Or in other embodiments, the heat spreading plate 234 may also be disposed on the opposite end surfaces of the first coil portion 231 and the second coil portion 232.

As shown in fig. 2, a water inlet 214 may be provided on the bottom wall 213 to facilitate the input of liquid into the receiving chamber 212. The water inlet 214 is generally configured as a circular tube with a tube diameter of 8-12mm. For example, it may be specifically set to 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm or the like. The water inlet 214 may further be made of stainless steel and the wall thickness may be set to 0.6-0.8mm, for example, specifically 0.6mm, 0.65mm, 0.7mm, 0.75mm, 0.8mm, etc. Through setting up the water inlet 214 that the stainless steel was made, can avoid water inlet 214 to take place the corrosion, avoid polluting steam, appear food safety problem. By providing a wall thickness of a suitable thickness, the water inlet 214 can be ensured to have sufficient structural strength, so that the water inlet 214 is conveniently connected with an external water supply pipeline.

Since the first heating element 22 is disposed on the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, in order to avoid interference between the water inlet 214 and the first heating element 22, the water inlet 214 may be disposed on a side of the side wall 215 near the bottom wall 213, so as to avoid the first heating element 22 disposed on the bottom wall 213, so that the layout of the elements of the steam generator 20 is more reasonable.

As shown in fig. 2, a steam outlet 216 may be provided on the top wall 211 so that steam rises to the top wall 211 under the influence of buoyancy and exits the receiving chamber 212 through the steam outlet 216. The steam outlet 216 is generally provided in a circular tube shape with a tube diameter of 12-14mm. For example, it may be specifically set to 12mm, 12.5mm, 13mm, 13.5mm, 14mm or the like. By providing the steam outlet 216 with a suitable size, the steam discharging resistance can be reduced, so as to facilitate steam discharging, reduce the pressure in the accommodating cavity 212, and prevent the water level from fluctuating severely due to the large pressure, so that the liquid drops are splashed out along with the steam from the steam outlet 216.

The steam outlet 216 may further be made of stainless steel, and the wall thickness may be set to 0.6-0.8mm, for example, specifically, 0.6mm, 0.65mm, 0.7mm, 0.75mm, 0.8mm, or the like. By arranging the steam outlet 216 made of stainless steel, the steam outlet 216 can be prevented from being rusted, the pollution of steam is avoided, and the food safety problem is solved. By providing a wall thickness of a suitable thickness, it is ensured that the steam outlet 216 has sufficient structural strength for facilitating the connection of the steam outlet 216 with an external steam line.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, the steam outlet 216 may be disposed on a side of the sidewall 215 near the top wall 211, so that the outer surface of the top wall 211 is smoother, so as to facilitate the mating connection with the main body 10, and the overall height of the steam generator 20 may be reduced.

Since the liquid evaporation can reduce the volume of the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212, if the water is not supplied into the accommodating cavity 212 in time, dry heating will occur, and the temperature of the first heating element 22 exceeds the maximum working temperature due to dry heating, so that damage occurs.

Thus, in the present embodiment, the steam generator 20 may be provided to include a temperature controller 24, and the temperature controller 24 is connected to the first heating member 22 for detecting the heating temperature of the first heating member 22.

Specifically, the temperature controller 24 may be connected to the first heating element 22 by, for example, screws, fastening or welding, and the temperature controller 24 is connected to the zero line and the live line of the first heating element 22 in series, where when the temperature controller 24 detects that the temperature of the first heating element 22 exceeds the disconnection temperature of the temperature controller 24, the temperature controller 24 cuts off the circuit of the first heating element 22, so as to avoid damage caused by the temperature of the first heating element 22 exceeding the highest working temperature. The off temperature of the thermostat 24 may be flexibly set as needed, and may be, for example, 220 ℃, 230 ℃, 240 ℃, 250 ℃, 260 ℃, 270 ℃, or the like.

Or in another embodiment, when the temperature controller 24 detects that the temperature of the first heating element 22 exceeds the off temperature of the temperature controller 24, the water pump is controlled to supply water to the accommodating cavity 212 through the water inlet 214 so as to reduce the temperature of the first heating element 22, thereby protecting the first heating element 22.

Further, as shown in fig. 2, the number of the temperature controllers 24 may be at least two, and the at least two temperature controllers 24 are arranged at intervals along the extending direction of the first heating element 22, so that the temperature of the first heating element 22 is monitored by using the at least two temperature controllers 24 at the same time, when the temperature distribution on the first heating element 22 is uneven, the connection with the power source may be disconnected or water may be supplied into the accommodating cavity 212 when the temperature of the partial area of the first heating element 22 is higher, so as to protect the first heating element 22, and avoid the detection error of the temperature controllers 24 and damage to the first heating element 22 due to the uneven temperature distribution of the first heating element 22.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic bottom view of the steam generator of fig. 2. The number of the temperature controllers 24 may be three, and the three temperature controllers 24 are uniformly spaced along the extending direction of the first heating member 22, i.e., the length direction of the bottom wall 213, so as to detect the temperatures of the two ends and the middle position of the first heating member 22, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

If the water level of the liquid in the accommodating chamber 212 is too high, the liquid in the accommodating chamber 212 is easily brought into contact with the second heating member 23, and thus, not only the heating efficiency of the second heating member 23 is lowered, but also scale is generated on the second heating member 23.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the steam generator 20 may further include a liquid level sensor 25, where the liquid level sensor 25 is disposed on the top wall 211 of the housing 21 and is located in the accommodating cavity 212, and a detection end of the liquid level sensor 25 is spaced from the bottom wall 213.

When the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 contacts the detecting end of the liquid level sensor 25, the liquid level sensor 25 sends out a signal for stopping water supply, so as to control the water pump to stop water supply to the accommodating cavity 212, so that the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 is always in the interval between the detecting end of the liquid level sensor 25 and the bottom wall 213, and the liquid is prevented from contacting the second heating element 23. When the liquid stops contacting with the liquid level sensor 25, the liquid level sensor 25 sends out a water supply signal, so as to control the water pump to supply water into the accommodating cavity 212, thereby avoiding the phenomenon that the volume of the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 is too small to reduce the steam generation amount and even dry combustion occurs, and further affecting the cooking effect.

In a specific embodiment, for example, a minimum distance between the axis of the liquid level sensor 25 and the side wall 215 of the housing 21 may be greater than or equal to 15mm, and a distance between the detection end of the liquid level sensor 25 and the bottom wall 213 may be greater than or equal to 15mm, so as to control the water level in the accommodating cavity 212 to be greater than 15 mm. Or in other embodiments, various parameters of the liquid level sensor 25 may be set according to the size of the steam generator 100, which is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Further, since the second heating member 23 and the liquid level sensor 25 are both connected to the top wall 211, if the distance between the second heating member 23 and the liquid level sensor 25 is set too large, the volume of the housing 21 of the steam generator 20 may be large, and if the distance between the second heating member 23 and the liquid level sensor 25 is set short, the liquid level sensor 25 may be heated to be damaged.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the steam generator 20 may be provided to include a radiation separator 26, where the radiation separator 26 is disposed between the liquid level sensor 25 and the second heating element 23, so as to block heat generated by the second heating element 23 from being transferred to the liquid level sensor 25, thereby protecting the liquid level sensor 25 and prolonging the service life of the liquid level sensor 25.

Optionally, in this embodiment, the axis direction of the liquid level sensor 25 may be set to be a vertical direction, and the installation direction of the radiation partition 26 may also be set to be a vertical direction, so that the radiation partition 26 and the liquid level sensor 25 are arranged at parallel intervals, which not only facilitates the installation of the radiation partition 26, but also makes the distance between the radiation partition 26 and the liquid level sensor 25 uniform, so as to avoid affecting the detection of the liquid level sensor 25.

Further, the present application may further improve the structure of the steam generator 100 in the above-described embodiment in several ways to improve the performance of the steam generator 100.

First embodiment

At present, in order to raise the temperature of steam reheating, a longer second heating element 23 is generally provided to prolong the contact time between the second heating element 23 and steam, thereby raising the heat exchange efficiency between the second heating element 23 and steam and raising the temperature of steam. However, as the length of the second heating member 23 increases, the size of the accommodating chamber 212 for accommodating the second heating member 23 must be set larger, which results in a larger volume of the steam generator 20, thereby being disadvantageous in the miniaturization of the product.

Thus, as shown in fig. 2, the steam generator 20 according to the present application may be provided with a vortex generating assembly 27, wherein the vortex generating assembly 27 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 212, and the second heating member 23 is located between the vortex generating assembly 27 and the steam outlet 216. In this way, the steam generated by the first heating element 22 will pass through the vortex generating assembly 27 before entering the second heating element 23, and the vortex generating assembly 27 can guide and disturb the airflow direction of the steam, so as to generate strong and stable vortex, so as to increase the heat convection coefficient of the steam and the second heating element 23, improve the heating efficiency of the steam, and compared with the increase of the length of the second heating element 23, the application can set the second heating element 23 with relatively shorter length, thereby reducing the volume of the steam generator 20.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, fig. 6 is a schematic plan view of the steam generator of fig. 2. The vortex generating assembly 27 may include a flow guide 272 and a vortex generating member 274, the vortex generating member 274 being located between the flow guide 272 and the second heating member 23, the vortex generating member 274 forming an obstruction in the flow direction of the flow guide 272.

Specifically, the steam generated by the first heating element 22 first contacts the guiding element 272, and under the guiding action of the guiding element 272, the airflow direction of the steam passing through the guiding element 272 can be fixed. When the steam flowing to a certain direction flows to the position of the vortex generating member 274, the vortex generating member 274 forms a block in the flow direction of the steam to disturb the steam flow, and strong and stable vortex is generated.

Optionally, in a specific embodiment, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, the flow guiding member 272 includes a plurality of first flow guiding plates 2721, the plurality of first flow guiding plates 2721 are arranged in parallel and spaced, the vortex generating member 274 includes a plurality of second flow guiding plates 2741, the plurality of second flow guiding plates 2741 are arranged in parallel and spaced, and each second flow guiding plate 2741 is connected to a corresponding first flow guiding plate 2721, and the flow guiding directions of the first flow guiding plates 2721 and the second flow guiding plates 2741 are different.

Specifically, the first baffle 2721 and the second baffle 2741 are both in a flat plate shape, and the plurality of first baffles 2721 are arranged in parallel at intervals to form a first air flow channel 2723 between adjacent first baffles 2721, and the flow direction of the air flow in the first air flow channel 2723 is parallel to the extending direction of the first baffle 2721. The plurality of second guide plates 2741 are arranged in parallel at intervals to form second air flow channels 2743 between adjacent second guide plates 2741, and the flow direction of air flow in the second air flow channels 2743 is parallel to the extending direction of the second guide plates 2741. Because the first air guide plates 2721 and the second air guide plates 2741 are connected in a one-to-one correspondence manner, each second air flow channel 2743 is communicated with one first air flow channel 2723, and because the flow guide direction of the first air guide plates 2721 is different from the flow guide direction of the second air guide plates 2741, the flow direction of the air flow flowing towards the fixed air under the action of the first air flow channels 2723 is changed after entering the second air flow channels 2743, and vortex is formed.

In this embodiment, by arranging the flow guiding member 272 as a plurality of first flow guiding plates 2721 spaced in parallel and arranging the vortex generating member 274 as a plurality of second flow guiding plates 2741 spaced in parallel, the structure of the vortex generating assembly 27 can be simplified, the production cost can be reduced, and the production efficiency can be improved.

Alternatively, in a specific embodiment, the first and second baffles 2721 and 2741 may be provided as stainless steel plates having a thickness of 0.4-0.6mm and a flat plate shape. By arranging the first and second guide plates 2721 and 2741 as stainless steel plates in a flat plate shape, the processing process of the first and second guide members 272 and 272 can be simplified, the vortex generating assembly 27 is manufactured by adopting the stainless steel plates, and the first and second guide members 272 and 272 can be prevented from being corroded, so that steam and food are polluted, and the problem of food safety is solved.

In other embodiments, other types of vortex generating assemblies 27 may be provided for forming vortex-shaped steam, where the structure of the vortex generating assembly 27 may be a structure in the related art, and the structure of the vortex generating assembly 27 is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Further, the extending direction of the first deflector 2721 may be set to be a vertical direction, so that the guiding direction of the first deflector 2721 is along the vertical direction, so that the steam rises under the action of the buoyancy, and the flow resistance of the steam is reduced. The included angle α between the second baffle 2741 and the first baffle 2721 may be set to be greater than 90 degrees, so that strong and stable vortex may be formed on one hand, and a downward guiding effect of the second baffle 2741 on the steam may be avoided on the other hand, so that the steam is condensed after encountering the second baffle 2741.

In a specific embodiment, the interval between two adjacent first baffles 2721 may be 8-12mm, for example, may be specifically 8mm, 9mm, 10mm, 11mm, 12mm, or the like. The angle α between the second baffle 2741 and the first baffle 2721 may be set to 120 ° -160 °, for example, may be set to 120 °, 130 °, 140 °, 150 °, 160 °, or the like.

Since a large amount of bubbles are generated after the liquid in the accommodating chamber 212 boils, if the bubbles contact the second heating member 23, the heating efficiency of the second heating member 23 is lowered, and impurities in the liquid are accumulated on the second heating member 23 to form scale.

Thus, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, in the present embodiment, the steam generator 20 further includes a bubble breaking orifice plate 28, the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 is disposed between the first heating element 22 and the vortex generating assembly 27, and a plurality of spaced bubbles 282 are formed on the bubble breaking orifice plate 28. When the bubbles generated by boiling liquid contact the bubble breaking orifice plate 28, the bubble breaking holes 282 on the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 can cut and break the bubbles, so that the bubbles are prevented from exceeding the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 and reaching the position of the second heating piece 23, the heating efficiency of the second heating piece 23 can be improved, and scale generation on the surface of the second heating piece 23 can be avoided.

In the present embodiment, the bubble-breaking orifice plate 28 is flat and is spaced from the bottom wall 213, and the outer periphery of the bubble-breaking orifice plate 28 is completely abutted against the side wall 215.

Since the temperature at the position where the housing 21 contacts the first heating member 22 is highest, in the present embodiment, if the first heating member 22 is provided on the bottom wall 213, air bubbles are generated in the bottom wall 213 and lifted to the position of the bubble breaking hole plate 28 by the buoyancy, by completely abutting the outer periphery of the bubble breaking hole plate 28 with the side wall 215, air bubbles generated on the bottom wall 213 can be completely broken, and air bubbles are prevented from entering the side of the bubble breaking hole plate 28 near the second heating member 23 through the gap between the outer periphery of the bubble breaking hole plate 28 and the side wall 215, i.e., contact of air bubbles with the second heating member 23 can be prevented.

Alternatively, in a specific embodiment, the foam breaking orifice plate 28 may be disposed in parallel with the bottom wall 213 at a spacing, and the spacing between the foam breaking orifice plate 28 and the bottom wall 213 may be set to 15mm-20mm. For example, it may be specifically set to 15mm, 16mm, 17mm, 18mm, 19mm, 20mm or the like.

When the first heating member 22 is disposed outside the bottom wall 213 and at least part of the side wall 215 of the housing 21, the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 also needs to be disposed between the first heating member 22 and the vortex generating assembly 27, i.e., the front projection of the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 on the side wall 215 needs to be located at the upper part of the front projection of the first heating member 22 on the side wall 215, so as to avoid that bubbles generated by heating at the contact position of the side wall 215 of the housing 21 with the first heating member 22 enter the side of the bubble breaking orifice plate 28 close to the second heating member 23.

Alternatively, the cell-breaking plate 28 may be made of stainless steel plate and a plurality of spaced-apart cells 282 may be formed in the stainless steel plate by stamping. The broken holes 282 may be arranged in a regular array, or may be arranged in a staggered manner.

In one embodiment, the plurality of broken cells 282 are arranged at equal intervals, and the interval between adjacent broken cells 282 may be set to 6-8mm. For example, it may be specifically set to 6mm, 6.5mm, 7mm, 7.5mm, 8mm or the like. The broken cells 282 may be circular in shape, and the diameter of the circular broken cells 282 may be 2 to 3mm, for example, 2.0mm, 2.2mm, 2.4mm, 2.6mm, 2.8mm, 3mm, or the like may be specifically set. Or the shape of the broken cells 282 may be also set to be triangular, square, oval, or the like.

Further, as shown in fig. 2, a cell breaking plate 28 may be provided between the vortex generating member 27 and the bottom wall 213 to avoid air bubbles from entering the inside of the vortex generating member 27.

In this embodiment, one end of the plurality of first baffle plates 2721 facing away from the second baffle plates 2741 may be connected to the hole breaking plate 28, so that the plurality of first baffle plates 2721 are supported by the hole breaking plate 28, that is, the fixed vortex generating component 27 is supported by the hole breaking plate 28, so that the connection structure of the vortex generating component 27 may be simplified, and the installation of the steam generator 100 is more convenient.

Or in other embodiments, a plurality of first baffles 2721 and a plurality of second baffles 2741 may be attached to the side wall 215 to support and secure the vortex generating assembly 27 with the side wall 215.

Second embodiment

Currently, most of the first heating elements 22 are electric heating tubes, and the highest design power density exists in the first heating elements 22 according to the design and structural characteristics of the steam generator 20 and the use environment. In other words, the highest design power density of the first heating element 22 is dependent on the design features of the steam generator 20 and the environment of use. If the power density of the first heating element 22 exceeds the maximum design power density, this may result in an excessive temperature of the first heating element 22, directly affecting the life and reliability of the first heating element 22. In addition, for a given power steam generator 20, the greater the maximum design power density value that the first heating element 22 allows, the shorter the length of the first heating element 22 can be designed, the more advantageous the miniaturised design of the steam generator 20.

As shown in fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic plan view of the first heating member and the housing in the related art. One surface of the first heating member 22 is attached to the housing 21, and is used for heating the liquid in the accommodating chamber 212 to generate steam. The other three faces of the first heating element 22 are in heat dissipation in contact with ambient air. Since the natural convection heat transfer coefficient (10-20W/m 2K) between the first heating member 22 and the air is much lower than the boiling heat transfer coefficient (10000W/m 2K or more) at the side contacting the housing 21, the poor heat exchange with the air results in a higher temperature of the first heating member 22, resulting in a lower maximum design power density of the first heating member 22. This results in two problems: 1. the steam generator 20 is small in size and difficult to miniaturize. Because the size of the steam generator 20 is reduced under the condition that the design power of the first heating element 22 is not changed, the length of the first heating element 22 is shortened, the power density is increased, and the service life of the first heating element 22 is influenced once the maximum design power density value is exceeded; 2. restricting the steam generator 20 from increasing in power. Because the highest design power density of the first heating element 22 is low, exceeding the highest design power density can result in the first heating element 22 being too hot, directly affecting the useful life and reliability of the first heating element 22.

Therefore, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of a steam generator according to another embodiment of the present application, and fig. 9 is a schematic sectional view of the steam generator of fig. 8 and a partially enlarged schematic view thereof. A groove 218 may be formed on the outer surface of the housing 21, and a protrusion 219 may be formed correspondingly in the accommodation chamber 212; the first heating element 22 is at least partially embedded in the groove 218 for heating the liquid contained in the containing cavity 212.

In this way, the contact area between the surface of the first heating element 22 and the housing 21 can be increased, so that the heat generated by the first heating element 22 can be transferred to the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 more quickly, the working temperature of the first heating element 22 is reduced, the highest design power density value of the first heating element 22 is further improved, and the reliability of the steam generator 20 is improved. And the first heating element 22 is embedded in the groove 218 on the shell 21, so that the protruding height of the first heating element 22 relative to the shell 21 can be reduced, the miniaturization design of the steam generator 20 is facilitated, the installation space requirement of the steam generator 20 is reduced, meanwhile, the manufacturing materials are saved, and the production cost of the steam generator 20 is reduced.

Alternatively, when the first heating member 22 is disposed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21, a groove 218 recessed toward the inside of the accommodating chamber 212 may be formed on the outer surface of the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21 by punching, and a protrusion 219 protruding toward the inside of the accommodating chamber 212 may be formed on the inner surface of the bottom wall 213 to simplify the processing process of the housing 21 and improve the production efficiency.

Alternatively, in other embodiments, when the first heating member 22 is disposed on the side wall 215 of the housing 21, the groove 218 may be formed on the side wall 215 of the housing 21, which is not particularly limited.

Further, as shown in fig. 9 and 10, fig. 10 is an exploded structural view of the steam generator of fig. 8. The groove 218 may be provided as a strip-shaped groove 218, the first heating member 22 may be provided as a columnar heating pipe, and the side surfaces of the heating pipe may be heated, the heating pipe is embedded in the groove 218, and the surfaces of the groove 218 are in contact with the side surfaces of the heating pipe. By providing the strip-shaped groove 218 and the columnar heating pipe, the first heating element 22 can be installed more conveniently; and through setting up the surface of recess 218 and all contacting with the side surface of heating pipe, can make the area of contact of first heating piece 22 and casing 21 maximize to the area of casing 21 that increases and first heating piece 22 contacted promotes heating efficiency, promotes the radiating efficiency to first heating piece 22 simultaneously.

Further, as shown in fig. 9, an orthographic projection of the opening 2182 of the bar-shaped groove 218 on the bottom surface 2184 of the bar-shaped groove 218 may be provided to completely cover the bottom surface 2184 of the bar-shaped groove 218. That is, the size of the opening 2182 of the strip groove 218 is greater than or equal to the size of the bottom surface 2184 of the strip groove 218, and the included angle between the bottom surface 2184 and the side surface 2186 of the strip groove 218 is greater than or equal to 90 degrees, so that the groove 218 with a larger opening can be formed, and the side surface 2186 of the groove 218 has a certain draft angle, so that the first heating element 22 can be mounted conveniently, and the contact area between the first heating element 22 and the housing 21 can be further increased.

As shown in fig. 9, in a specific embodiment, the size of the opening 2182 of the strip groove 218 may be greater than the size of the bottom surface 2184 of the strip groove 218, and the included angle between the bottom surface 2184 and the side surface 2186 of the strip groove 218 is greater than 90 degrees and equal to 90 degrees, respectively, so that the cross section of the strip groove 218 perpendicular to the extending direction thereof is in a right trapezoid shape. In other embodiments, the cross section of the strip-shaped groove 218 perpendicular to the extending direction thereof may be rectangular, isosceles trapezoid, non-isosceles trapezoid, triangle, etc., and the embodiment of the application is not limited thereto.

Further, as shown in fig. 9, the surface of the first heating element 22 exposed by the opening 2182 of the recess 218 is flush with the surface of the housing 21 in which the recess 218 is provided. That is, the first heating element 22 is completely accommodated in the recess 218, and the height of the first heating element 22 is equal to the depth of the recess 218, so as to fully utilize the contact area between the first heating element 22 and the housing 21, and make the bottom surface 2184 of the housing 21 smoother.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the steam generator 20 further includes a heat transfer plate 29, and the heat transfer plate 29 is connected to the housing 21 and covers the exposed surface of the first heating member 22.

Specifically, the area of the heat transfer plate 29 is larger than the area of the exposed surface of the first heating element 22, and by providing the heat transfer plate 29 connected to the housing 21, on the one hand, the heat generated by the exposed surface of the first heating element 22 can be transferred to the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21 by the heat transfer plate 29 to further increase the heating power of the first heating element 22 and increase the heat dissipation of the first heating element 22, and the heat transfer plate 29 can also protect the first heating element 22.

The heat transfer plate 29 may have a flat plate structure, so that the heat transfer plate 29 is attached to the housing 21 and the first heating element 22 more tightly, so as to facilitate heat transfer. The heat transfer plate 29 may be made of aluminum plate, aluminum alloy plate, etc. with good heat conductivity, so as to reduce heat transmission loss and improve heat utilization rate.

Alternatively, the heat transfer plate 29 and the first heating member 22 may be welded to the housing 21, so that on the one hand, the heat transfer plate 29, the first heating member 22 and the housing 21 may be more tightly connected, facilitating heat transfer, and in addition, the connection structure may be simplified.

In a specific embodiment, the first heating member 22, the heat transfer plate 29 and the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21 may be welded using a brazing process. Specifically, the brazing material may be sandwiched between the exposed surface of the first heating member 22 and the heat transfer plate 29, between the first heating member 22 and the housing 21, between the heat transfer plate 29 and the surface in contact with the housing 21, and by heating, the brazing material is melted to closely join the first heating member 22, the heat transfer plate 29 and the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21.

Further, in the present embodiment, the thermostat 24 may be connected to a side of the heat transfer plate 29 facing away from the first heating member 22 for detecting the heating temperature of the first heating member 22.

Specifically, the temperature controller 24 may be mounted and fixed on a side of the heat transfer plate 29 facing away from the first heating element 22, and the connection structure and connection manner of the temperature controller 24 are the same as those of the above embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

Third embodiment

When the steam generator 20 is in operation, the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 will boil severely, if the height of the steam generator 20 is designed to be too low, the steam generated by the liquid will carry a large amount of liquid drops to be ejected from the steam outlet 216, which affects the quality of the steam, so that when the steam generator 20 is designed, the height of the steam generator 20 needs to be set higher, which is definitely unfavorable for the miniaturization design of the product.

Referring to fig. 11, fig. 11 is a schematic plan view of a steam generator according to an embodiment of the application with parts removed. The steam generator 20 may further include a steam-water separation plate 30, where the steam-water separation plate 30 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 212, for blocking the steam from being discharged around the steam-water separation plate 30 to the steam outlet 216.

Specifically, the steam-water separation plate 30 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 212 and may further be disposed at a position close to the steam outlet 216, where the steam generated by heating the liquid by the first heating element 22 flows vertically upwards, and after contacting the steam-water separation plate 30, the flow direction of the steam changes, and since the inertia of the liquid drops is large and cannot change the flow direction along with the steam, the liquid drops directly impact on the steam-water separation plate 30 and drip and flow back under the action of gravity, in this embodiment, by disposing the steam-water separation plate 30 on the flow path of the steam, not only the steam is not hindered, but also the liquid drops carried in the steam can be separated, so as to improve the dryness and quality of the steam.

Alternatively, the major surfaces of the steam-water separation plates 30 may be arranged to intersect the vertical direction, i.e. the vertical upward flow direction of the steam, to provide a barrier to the steam.

When the steam-water separation plate 30 is a flat plate or the main body of the steam-water separation plate 30 is a flat plate, the main surface of the steam-water separation plate 30 refers to the surface of the steam-water separation plate 30 with the largest area, that is, the surface parallel to the plane of the steam-water separation plate 30.

Further, as shown in fig. 11, the steam-water separation plate 30 may be further provided to include a first separation plate 301 and a second separation plate 302, the main surface of the first separation plate 301 being in a horizontal direction, the second separation plate 302 being connected to the first separation plate 301 and being bent downward with respect to the first separation plate 301.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, one end of the first separating plate 301 is connected to the side wall 215 of the housing 21, and is located between the first heating element 22 and the steam outlet 216, and is disposed parallel to and spaced from the top wall 211, and the steam outlet 216 is disposed on the top wall 211, and the first separating plate 301 is located on an extending path of the steam outlet 216 to block steam. The second separation plate 302 is connected to the other end of the first separation plate 301 and is bent downward, so that when the flow direction of the steam is changed to be along the horizontal direction by the first separation plate 301, the second separation plate 302 bent downward can change the flow direction of the steam again, and at this time, the droplets entrained in the steam can be further separated again under the barrier action of the second separation plate 302, so as to further improve the dryness of the steam.

Alternatively, in an embodiment, three sides of the first separation plate 301 may be connected to the side wall 215 of the housing 21, the other side of the first separation plate 301 is spaced apart from the side wall 215 of the housing 21, and the second separation plate 302 is disposed on the side of the first separation plate 301 spaced apart from the side wall 215.

In another embodiment, two or one side edges of the first separation plate 301 may be connected to the side wall 215 of the case 21, the other two or three side edges of the first separation plate 301 may be spaced apart from the side wall 215 of the case 21, and the second separation plate 302 may be disposed on the two or three side edges of the first separation plate 301 spaced apart from the side wall 215 to increase the gap between the steam-water separation plate 30 and the side wall 214 and reduce the flow resistance of steam.

Alternatively, in a specific embodiment, the steam-water separation plate 30 may be manufactured by stamping a stainless steel plate, so as to simplify the manufacturing procedure of the steam-water separation plate 30, and by setting the steam-water separation plate 30 to be a stainless steel plate, the steam-water separation plate 30 is prevented from being corroded, so that steam is prevented from being polluted, and food safety problems occur.

Further, in order to ensure the operational reliability of the first heating element 22, there is a design requirement for the maximum operating temperature of the first heating element 22. That is, the first heating member 22 has the highest design power density value, and this limit value restricts the first heating member 22 from being designed to a smaller size, thereby affecting the miniaturization design of the steam generator 20.

Accordingly, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, fig. 12 is a schematic side view of a steam generator in an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 13 is a schematic exploded view of the steam generator in fig. 12. A heat transfer member 31 may be further disposed in the steam generator 20, where the heat transfer member 31 is wrapped around the bottom wall 213 and at least a portion of the side wall 215 of the housing 21 and is thermally connected to the housing 21, and the first heating member 22 is thermally connected to the heat transfer member 31. In this way, the contact area between the first heating element 22 and the housing 21 can be enlarged by using the heat transfer element 31, so that the bottom wall 213 and at least part of the side wall 215 of the housing 21 are heated by using the heat transfer element 31, so that the heat of the first heating element 22 can be transferred to the liquid in the accommodating cavity 212 more quickly, the working temperature of the first heating element 22 is reduced, the highest design power density value of the first heating element 22 is further improved, and the reliability of the steam generator 20 is improved. Moreover, in the case of a certain power and maximum operating temperature of the first heating element 22, the power density of the first heating element 22 can be made larger, and accordingly the size of the first heating element 22 can be designed smaller.

The heat transfer element 31 may be made of a material with good heat conductivity, such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, or copper, for example, so as to improve the heat transfer efficiency of the heat transfer element 31 and reduce the heat transfer loss.

Further, the first heating member 22 may be provided between the bottom wall 213 of the housing 21 and the heat transfer member 31, and thermally connected to the housing 21 and the heat transfer member 31. So, the surface of the first heating element 22 is in heat conduction connection with the shell 21, and the surface of the first heating element 22 deviating from the shell 21 is in heat conduction connection with the heat transfer element 31, so that heat on all surfaces of the first heating element 22 can be transferred out as soon as possible, heat dissipation of the first heating element 22 is facilitated, and the highest design power density value of the first heating element 22 is further improved. And by disposing the first heating member 22 between the heat transfer member 31 and the housing 21, the first heating member 22 can be isolated from other elements, and the operation performance of other elements is prevented from being affected by too high temperature of the first heating member 22.

Alternatively, the first heating element 22 may be connected to the housing 21 or the heat transfer element 31 by welding, screw connection, or the like, or the first heating element 22 may be fixed by using the clamping force of the heat transfer element 31 and the housing 21 to the first heating element 22, and the fixing manner of the first heating element 22 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Further, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, the heat transfer member 31 includes a first heat transfer plate 311, a second heat transfer plate 312, and a third heat transfer plate 313, which are sequentially bent and connected, the second heat transfer plate 312 is disposed at an interval opposite to the bottom wall 213, the first heating member 22 is interposed between the second heat transfer plate 312 and the bottom wall 213, and the first heat transfer plate 311 and the third heat transfer plate 313 are respectively stacked on the outer side of the side wall 215 and are thermally connected to the side wall 215.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the first heat transfer plate 311, the second heat transfer plate 312, and the third heat transfer plate 313, which are sequentially bent and connected, may be formed in a bent manner. The second heat transfer plate 312 is arranged in parallel with the bottom wall 213 at a distance, the first heat transfer plate 311 is arranged in parallel with one of the side walls 215 of the housing 21 at a distance, and the third heat transfer plate 313 is arranged in parallel with the other opposite side wall 215 of the housing 21 at a distance. The heat generated by the first heating member 22 is transferred to the second heat transfer plate 312 and the housing 21, the heat on the second heat transfer plate 312 is transferred to the first heat transfer plate 311 and the third heat transfer plate 313, and the heat on the first heat transfer plate 311 and the third heat transfer plate 313 is transferred to the side wall 215 of the housing 21, whereby the liquid in the receiving chamber 212 can be heated by the bottom wall 213 and the opposite side walls 215 of the housing 21.

By providing the heat transfer member 31 as the first heat transfer plate 311, the second heat transfer plate 312, and the third heat transfer plate 313 which are bent and connected, the processing and manufacturing of the heat transfer member 31 can be facilitated, the production efficiency can be improved, and the heat transfer member 31 and the housing 21 can be fixedly connected.

In this embodiment, the temperature controller 24 may be connected to the heat transfer member 31 or the housing 21 in addition to the first heating member 22 for detecting the heating temperature of the first heating member 22. It will be appreciated that when the temperature controller 24 is connected to the first heating element 22, the temperature detected by the temperature controller 24 is the temperature of the first heating element 22. When the temperature controller 24 is connected to the heat transfer member 31 or the housing 21, the temperature detected by the temperature controller 24 needs to be added with a temperature difference to be the temperature of the first heating member 22. The magnitude of the temperature difference may be calculated based on the experimentally measured temperature difference between the first heating member 22 and the heat transfer member 31 or between the first heating member 22 and the housing 21, and the embodiment of the present application is not particularly limited.

It will be appreciated that the steam-water separation plate 30 in the present embodiment may be applied to the steam generator 20 including only the first heating member 22, in addition to the steam generator 20 including the second heating member 23.

Fourth embodiment

Referring to fig. 14, fig. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of a steam generator according to still another embodiment of the present application. The steam generator 20 in this embodiment includes a steam flow guiding plate 32, the steam flow guiding plate 32 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 212, the accommodating cavity 212 is divided into a steam generating cavity 321 and a steam reheating cavity 323, the steam flow guiding plate 32 is connected to one side wall 215 and is spaced from at least another side wall 215 to form a communication port 325 for communicating the steam generating cavity 321 and the steam reheating cavity 323, and projection of the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216 on the steam flow guiding plate 32 are spaced; the first heating member 22 is used for heating the liquid in the steam generation cavity 321 to form steam; the second heating element 23 is disposed in the steam reheating chamber 323 for heating the steam.

In this embodiment, a steam flow guiding plate 32 is disposed in the accommodating cavity 212, the accommodating cavity 212 is divided into a steam generating cavity 321 and a steam reheating cavity 323 which are communicated by the steam flow guiding plate 32, the first heating element 22 heats liquid to generate steam in the steam generating cavity 321, the steam enters the steam reheating cavity 323 through a communication port 325, and the second heating element 23 heats the steam in the steam reheating cavity 323 and is discharged out of the steam generator 20 through a steam outlet 216. The steam flow direction can be changed by arranging the steam flow guiding plate 32, the flow path of the steam in the steam reheating cavity 323 is prolonged, the contact time between the second heating element 23 and the steam is prolonged, the heat exchange amount is increased, the temperature of the steam is increased, and the steam is prevented from being directly sprayed out from the steam outlet 216 without being fully heated by the second heating element 23. In addition, the steam flow guiding plate 32 in the embodiment has a simple structure, is convenient to install, and can greatly simplify the production and installation cost of the steam generator 20.

The steam conduction plate 32 may be formed by stamping a stainless steel plate, so as to improve the production efficiency of the steam conduction plate 32. Moreover, by adopting the stainless steel plate, the steam conduction plate 32 can be prevented from being rusted, so that the problems of pollution to steam and food safety are avoided.

Alternatively, in this embodiment, the side edge of the steam flow guiding plate 32 facing away from the steam outlet 216 may be spaced from the side wall 215 of the casing 21, and three side edges of the steam flow guiding plate 32 may be connected to the side wall 215 of the casing 21, so that the distance between the steam outlet 216 and the communication port 325 is maximized, and the flow path of steam in the steam reheating cavity 323 is maximized.

Since the flow path of the steam in the steam reheating chamber 323 is the interval between the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216, the interval between the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216 can be set larger to extend the contact time of the steam with the second heating member 23. However, if the space between the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216 is set too large, the volume of the steam generator 20 may be increased, which is disadvantageous in the miniaturized design of the steam generator 20.

Accordingly, as shown in fig. 14, a return flow path plate 326 may be provided in the steam reheating chamber 323, and the return flow path plate 326 may be provided in the space between the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216, for extending the flow path of steam.

Specifically, the return flow path plate 326 is configured to change the flow direction of the steam in the steam reheating chamber 323, thereby extending the flow path of the steam in the steam reheating chamber 323 to extend the contact time of the steam with the second heating member 23.

In a specific embodiment, the number of the reverse flow channel plates 326 may include at least two, and at least two reverse flow channel plates 326 are disposed at intervals in parallel along the extending direction of the second heating member 23, that is, in parallel along the interval direction of the communication port 325 and the steam outlet 216.

Or at least two reverse flow channel plates 326 are staggered along the extending direction of the second heating element 23, the arrangement mode of the reverse flow channel plates 326 is not particularly limited in the embodiment of the present application, as long as the flow direction of the steam can be changed.

Further, as shown in fig. 15, fig. 15 is a schematic perspective view of the cooperation of the second heating element and the return flow channel plate in an embodiment of the present invention. The reverse flow channel plate 326 may be sleeved on the first coil pipe portion 231 and the second coil pipe portion 232, so that the reverse flow channel plate 326 is fixed by using the first coil pipe portion 231 and the second coil pipe portion 232, and the second heating element 23 and the reverse flow channel plate 326 which are integrally formed. Thus, the fixing structure of the return flow path plate 326 can be simplified, and the installation efficiency of the return flow path plate 326 can be improved.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 14 and 15, the upper surface of the steam conduction plate 32 and the lower surface of the reverse flow channel plate 326 may be fixedly connected together, so that the steam conduction plate 32 may be used to support the second heating element 23 and the reverse flow channel plate 326, so as to improve the stress stability of the second heating element 23.

Further, as shown in fig. 14, a liquid level sensor 25 may be connected to the top wall 211 of the housing 21, and a detection end of the liquid level sensor 25 is inserted into the communication port 325 for detecting the height of the liquid in the steam generating chamber 321. In this embodiment, the larger-sized communication ports 325 are formed between the steam drainage plate 32 and the side wall 215 at intervals, so that not only the rising resistance of steam can be reduced and the circulation of steam is facilitated, but also the liquid level sensor 25 can be avoided, so that the installation of the liquid level sensor 25 is facilitated.

It will be appreciated that the structures in the above embodiments may be used in combination with each other.

The foregoing is only illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention, and all equivalent structures or equivalent flow modifications which may be made by the teachings of the present invention and the accompanying drawings or which may be directly or indirectly employed in other related art are within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A steam generator, comprising:

The shell is provided with a containing cavity, and comprises a water inlet and a steam outlet which are communicated with the containing cavity;

the first heating piece is arranged on the shell and is used for heating the liquid in the accommodating cavity to form steam; and

The steam-water separation plate is arranged in the accommodating cavity and close to the steam outlet and is used for blocking the steam from being discharged from the steam outlet after bypassing the steam-water separation plate;

the second heating piece is arranged in the accommodating cavity and is used for heating the steam;

the vortex generating assembly is arranged in the accommodating cavity, the second heating element is positioned between the vortex generating assembly and the steam outlet, and the vortex generating assembly is used for guiding and disturbing the airflow direction of the steam; the vortex generating assembly comprises a flow guiding piece and a vortex generating piece, wherein the vortex generating piece is positioned between the flow guiding piece and the second heating piece, and forms an obstruction in the flow guiding direction of the flow guiding piece; the vortex generating piece comprises a plurality of second guide plates which are arranged in parallel at intervals, each second guide plate is connected with a corresponding first guide plate, and the guide directions of the first guide plates and the second guide plates are different;

and the at least two reverse flow channel plates are sleeved on the second heating piece and used for prolonging the flow path of the steam, and the at least two reverse flow channel plates are arranged in parallel at intervals or staggered along the extending direction of the second heating piece.

2. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein the major surface of the steam-water separator plate intersects a vertical direction.

3. The steam generator of claim 2, wherein the steam-water separation plate comprises a first separation plate and a second separation plate, the first separation plate having a major surface oriented horizontally, the second separation plate being connected to the first separation plate and bent downwardly relative to the first separation plate.

4. The steam generator of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises oppositely disposed top and bottom walls and side walls connecting the top and bottom walls, the first heating element is disposed in the bottom wall, and the steam-water separator plate is connected to the side walls and is located between the first heating element and the steam outlet.

5. The steam generator of claim 4, wherein the steam generator comprises a liquid level sensor connected to a top wall of the receiving cavity, and wherein a detection end of the liquid level sensor is spaced from the bottom wall.

6. The steam generator of claim 4, comprising a heat transfer element wrapped around the bottom wall and at least a portion of the side walls of the housing and in heat conductive communication with the housing, the first heating element in heat conductive communication with the heat transfer element.

7. The steam generator of claim 6, wherein the first heating element is disposed between the bottom wall of the housing and the heat transfer element and is in thermally conductive connection with the housing and the heat transfer element.

8. The steam generator of claim 7, wherein the heat transfer member comprises a first heat transfer plate, a second heat transfer plate and a third heat transfer plate which are sequentially bent and connected, the second heat transfer plate is arranged at an interval opposite to the bottom wall, the first heating member is arranged between the second heat transfer plate and the bottom wall in a clamped manner, and the first heat transfer plate and the third heat transfer plate are respectively arranged on the outer side of the side wall in a laminated manner and are in heat conduction connection with the side wall.

9. The steam generator of claim 6, comprising a temperature controller coupled to at least one of the heat transfer member, the housing, and the first heating member for detecting a heating temperature of the first heating member.

10. A cooking device comprising a main body provided with a cooking cavity and a steam generator according to any one of claims 1-9, the steam generator being connected to the main body, steam generated by the steam generator entering the cooking cavity for heating food material contained in the cooking cavity.