Patent Application
20240093876
The disclosure relates to a cooking apparatus including a camera configured to image an inside of a cooking chamber.
In general, a cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber and a heating device configured to heat the cooking chamber to cook food. The cooking apparatus may include an oven using an electric heater or gas as a heating device and a microwave oven using a magnetron configured to generate microwaves as a heating device.
The cooking apparatus may be equipped with a camera to image an inside of the cooking chamber. The type, state, etc. of food may be recognized using the installed camera, and the cooking apparatus may be controlled accordingly.
The inside of the cooking chamber may be heated to a high temperature and the camera may be vulnerable to heat. Accordingly, a structure for properly cooling the camera is required to prevent the camera from being damaged or malfunctioning due to high temperature heat.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus including a structure in which a camera is disposed above a cooking chamber to clearly image an inside of the cooking chamber, the structure capable of cooling the camera to prevent a temperature rise of the camera caused by heat generated in the cooking chamber.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus capable of preventing foreign substances such as water and oil from entering through a suction duct used to cool a camera.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus including a cooling structure capable of efficiently cooling a lower portion of a camera close to a cooking chamber.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus including an electronic compartment cooling structure for cooling an entire electronic compartment formed outside a cooking chamber, and a camera cooling structure for intensively cooling a camera.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus capable of efficiently cooling an electronic component such as a circuit board disposed in an electronic compartment.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus capable of preventing a flow of air for cooling a camera from interfering with a flow of air for cooling an entire electronic compartment.
Embodiments of the disclosure may provide a cooking apparatus capable of increasing a viewing angle of a camera by installing the camera to be maximally close to a transparent member of a cooking camber.
The technical challenges of the present document are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical challenges not mentioned will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art from the following description.
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body including the inner case which forms a cooking chamber, the heating device configured to heat the cooking chamber, the transparent member configured as at least a portion of the upper wall of the inner case, and the camera disposed above the transparent member. The camera and the transparent member are configured so that the camera is operable to capture an image, through the transparent member, of an inside of the cooking chamber.
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body including a cooking chamber and an electronic compartment, the heating device and configured to heat the cooking chamber, a camera configured to capture an image of an inside of the cooking chamber, a housing including a camera receiving member which forms a camera receiving space in which the camera is positioned, an electronic compartment cooling fan configured to form a first air flow that passes about an outer surface of the camera receiving member in a front and rear direction of the main body to cool the camera receiving member, and a camera cooling fan configured to form a second air flow that passes through the camera receiving portion and around the camera in a left and right direction of the main body. The first airflow may pass through the camera receiving member in a front and rear direction of the main body. The second air flow may pass through the camera in a left and right direction of the main body.
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body including the inner case, the cooking chamber formed inside the inner case, and the electronic compartment formed outside the inner case, one or more hangers formed in the cooking chamber, a shelf that is mountable to at least one of the one or more hangers, the shelf including: a shelf member configured to support food to be cooked, and a holder that is couplable to the at least one of the one or more hangers to mount the shelf thereto, a transparent member configured as at least a portion of an upper wall of the inner case, and the camera disposed above the transparent member, the camera and the transparent member are configured so that: the camera is operable to capture an image, through the transparent member, of an inside of the cooking chamber, and the camera is operable to capture an image of an entire area of the shelf member while the shelf is mounted to any of the one or more hangers.
The various embodiments and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technology disclosed herein to specific forms, and the disclosure should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives to the corresponding embodiments.
In describing the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to designate similar constituent elements.
A singular expression may include a plural expression unless they are definitely different in a context.
The expressions “A or B,” “at least one of A or/and B,” or “one or more of A or/and B,” A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B or/and C,” or “one or more of A, B or/and C,” and the like used herein may include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
The term of “and/or” includes a plurality of combinations of relevant items or any one item among a plurality of relevant items.
Herein, the expressions “a first”, “a second”, “the first”, “the second”, etc., may simply be used to distinguish an element from other elements, but is not limited to another aspect (importance or order) of elements.
When an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “(functionally or communicatively) coupled,” or “connected” to another element (e.g., a second element), the first element may be connected to the second element, directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third element.
In this disclosure, the terms “including”, “having”, and the like are used to specify features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, elements, or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more of the features, elements, steps, operations, elements, elements, or combinations thereof.
When an element is said to be “connected”, “coupled”, “supported” or “contacted” with another element, this includes not only when elements are directly connected, coupled, supported or contacted, but also when elements are indirectly connected, coupled, supported or contacted through a third element.
Throughout the description, when an element is “on” another element, this includes not only when the element is in contact with the other element, but also when there is another element between the two elements.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in
The inner case 11 may define the cooking chamber 40 and the electronic compartment 50. The inner case 11 may have a substantially box shape. The inner case 11 may include an upper wall 12, a lower wall 13, a left wall 14, a right wall 15, and a rear wall 16.
The cooking chamber 40 may cook food at a high temperature. The cooking chamber 40 may be formed in such a way that a front side is opened to take in and out of food. Heating devices 5 and 8 may be provided in the cooking chamber 40 to heat the cooking chamber 40. The heating devices 5 and 8 may include an electric heater including a heating element and configured to generate heat when electricity is supplied. However, the heating devices 5 and 8 are not limited thereto, and may include a gas burner configured to generate heat using gas or a magnetron configured to generate microwaves.
The heating devices 5 and 8 may include an upper heating device 5 and a fan heating device 8. The upper heating device 5 may be disposed in an upper portion of the cooking chamber 40 to heat the food from an upper side of the food. The fan heating device 8 may be disposed around a convection fan 6 configured to allow convection of the air inside the cooking chamber 40.
According to embodiments, the cooking apparatus 1 may include at least one of the upper heating device 5 and the fan heating device 8. In addition, the cooking apparatus 1 may further include a lower heating device provided in a lower portion of the cooking chamber 40.
The convection fan 6 for convection of air inside the cooking chamber 40 may be provided in the cooking chamber 40. The convection fan 6 may be disposed at the rear of the cooking chamber 40. The convection fan 6 may be covered and protected by a fan cover 9. The fan cover 9 may be coupled to the rear wall 16 of the inner case 11. A through-hole may be formed in the fan cover 9 to allow air to flow. The convection fan 6 may be driven by a convection fan motor 7. The convection fan motor 7 may be supported on a support plate 29 disposed between the rear wall 16 of the inner case 11 and a rear plate 25 of the outer case.
A shelf 190 on which food to be cooked is placed may be disposed in the cooking chamber 40.
Various electronic components such as a circuit board 3 configured to control an operation of the cooking apparatus 1 may be arranged in the electronic compartment 50. According to embodiments, a steam generator (not shown) configured to generate steam may be provided in the electronic compartment 50. According to embodiments, an automatic opening and closing device (not shown) configured to automatically open and close a door 2 may be provided in the electronic compartment 50.
The electronic compartment 50 may be formed to surround the cooking chamber 40. The electronic compartment 50 may insulate between the cooking chamber 40 and an outer case of the main body 10 to prevent heat inside the cooking chamber 40 from being discharged to the outside of the main body 10. Air may flow in the electronic compartment 50 for insulation. A separate insulating material (not shown) may be provided in the electronic compartment 50 to surround the inner case 11 for insulation. The insulating material may be formed of glass fiber, asbestos, or the like.
The main body 10 may include the outer case forming an exterior of the cooking apparatus 1. The inner case 11 may be received inside the outer case. The electronic compartment 50 may be formed between the inner case 11 and the outer case. The outer case may include an upper plate 21, a lower plate 22, a left plate 23, a right plate 24, the rear plate 25, and a front plate 26. A through-hole 19 through which air flows into the electronic compartment 50 may be formed in the left plate 23, the right plate 24, the rear plate 25, and the like. According to embodiments, the through-hole 19 may also be formed in the upper plate 21 or the lower plate 22.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include a control panel 27. The control panel 27 may include a display configured to display various operation information of the cooking apparatus 1 and an inputter through which a user can input operation commands. The inputter may include a touch panel. The inputter may include a button or a knob.
The control panel 27 may be provided on a front upper portion of the cooking apparatus 1. The control panel 27 may be mounted on a panel bracket 28 coupled to the main body 10. The control panel 27 may be mounted on a front surface of the panel bracket 28. The panel bracket 28 may include a bracket opening 28a to allow at least a portion of a rear surface of the control panel 27 to be cooled by an electronic compartment cooling fan 60. A bottom member 28b of the panel bracket 28 may be positioned in front of an electronic compartment duct 70 to be a height corresponding to an upper surface of the electronic compartment duct 70. The bottom member 28b of the panel bracket 28 may guide air discharged toward the front of the main body 10 through a discharge port 72 of the electronic compartment duct 70.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include a door 2 provided on the front surface of the main body 10 to open and close the cooking chamber 40. The door 2 may be rotatably provided on the front surface of the main body 10. The door 2 may be provided to be opened and closed while rotating in an up and down direction with respect to a lower end.
A locking device 4 configured to lock the door 2 while the door 2 is closed may be provided in the electronic compartment 50.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include a base plate 30 provided in the electronic compartment 50 to allow various components of the electronic compartment 50 to be installed. The base plate 30 may be provided above the inner case 11 to be spaced apart from the inner case 11 by a predetermined distance. The insulating material (not shown) may be provided or an air heat insulating layer may be formed between the base plate 30 and the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11.
The electronic compartment duct 70 may be coupled to an upper surface of the base plate 30. The electronic compartment duct 70 may divide the electronic compartment 50 into an electronic component space 51 and an exhaust space 52. The exhaust space 52 may be formed between the electronic compartment duct 70 and the base plate 30. The base plate 30 may include a plate opening 31 formed to allow a camera 80 to image, or capture an image of, the cooking chamber 40. The plate opening 31 may be formed at a position corresponding to a transparent member 17 provided on the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11.
The electronic compartment duct 70 may include a suction port 71 through which air is sucked from the electronic component space 51 to the exhaust space 52. The electronic compartment duct 70 may include the discharge port 72 configured to discharge air in the exhaust space 52 to the outside of the electronic compartment duct 70. Air in the electronic compartment 50 may be discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the electronic compartment duct 70. The discharge port 72 may be formed in front of the electronic compartment duct 70. Thus, air in the electronic compartment 50 may be discharged to the front of the main body 10.
The electronic compartment duct 70 may include a housing duct opening 73 through which a housing 110 of a camera cooling duct 100 passes, and a lighting duct opening 74 through which a lighting device 160 passes.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 configured to cool the electronic compartment 50. The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may be driven by an electronic compartment cooling fan motor 61. The electronic compartment cooling fan motor 61 may be mounted on a motor mount 75 coupled to the electronic compartment duct 70. The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may cool the electronic compartment 50 by moving air inside the electronic compartment 50.
The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may be provided in the electronic compartment 50. The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may be disposed adjacent to the suction port 71 of the electronic compartment duct 70. The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may include a centrifugal fan configured to suck air in an axial direction and discharge the air in a radial direction.
The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may suck air from the outside of the main body 10 into the electronic compartment 50 through the through-hole 19 formed in the left plate 23, the right plate 24, and the rear plate 25. The electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may cool the entire electronic compartment 50 by forming air flow throughout the electronic compartment 50.
When the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 operates, the air outside the main body 10 may be sucked into the electronic component space 51 of the electronic compartment 50, and the air in the electronic component space 51 may be sucked into the exhaust space 52 formed by the electronic compartment duct 70. Air in the exhaust space 52 may be discharged toward the front of the main body 10.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include the camera 80 configured to image the inside of the cooking chamber 40. The camera 80 may be disposed in the electronic compartment 50. The camera 80 may image the inside of the cooking chamber 40 through the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11. For this, the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11 may include the transparent member 17 through which the camera 80 sees through. The camera 80 may be disposed above the transparent member 17 and may image the inside of the cooking chamber 40 through the transparent member 17.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include the lighting device 160 to brightly illuminate the cooking chamber 40 when the camera 80 images the cooking chamber 40. The lighting device 160 may be disposed in front of the camera 80. The lighting device 160 may be installed to penetrate the electronic compartment duct 70 and the base plate 30. The lighting device 160 may include a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) and a light guide plate provided to guide light emitted from the light source.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include a camera cooling fan 90 (refer to
The cooking apparatus 1 may include the camera cooling duct 100 configured to, when the camera cooling fan 90 is driven, allow air outside the main body 10 to be sucked to cool the camera 80 and to be discharged to the electronic component space 51 of the electronic compartment 50.
As illustrated in
The housing 110 may include a camera receiving space 124 provided to receive the camera 80 and a cooling fan receiving space 114 provided to receive the camera cooling fan 90. The suction duct 130 may be coupled to the housing 110 to suck air from outside the main body 10 and guide the air to the camera receiving space 124. The discharge duct 140 may be coupled to the housing 110 to discharge air from the camera receiving space 124 of the housing 110 to the electronic component space 51 of the electronic compartment 50.
However, according to embodiments, the discharge duct 140 may be omitted. In this case, air in the camera receiving space 124 of the housing 110 may be directly discharged from the housing 110 to the electronic component space 51.
The housing 110 may be coupled to an upper surface of the electronic compartment duct 70. An inlet 115 through which air flows into the housing 110 and an outlet 116 through which air flows out of the inside of the housing 110 may be formed on an upper surface of the housing 110. An exit 137 (refer to
The housing 110 may be formed by combining an upper housing 111 and a lower housing 121. The upper housing 111 may include an upper housing base 112, and the lower housing 121 may include a lower housing base 122 coupled to the upper housing base 112. A coupling protrusion 121b of the lower housing base 122 may be inserted into the upper housing base 112 to allow the upper housing 111 and the lower housing 121 to be coupled to each other. However, the coupling method is not limited thereto and the upper housing 111 and the lower housing 121 may be coupled to each other by various other coupling methods.
However, in other embodiments unlike the illustrated embodiment, the housing 110 may be integrally formed.
The above-described inlet 115 and outlet 116 may be formed in the upper housing 111. The upper housing 111 may include a cooling fan receiving member 113 protruding upward from the upper housing base 112 to form a cooling fan receiving space 114. The cooling fan receiving space 114 may be formed inside the cooling fan receiving member 113. That is, the cooling fan receiving member 113 may be formed to surround the cooling fan receiving space 114.
The camera cooling fan 90, a camera cooling fan motor 91 configured to drive the camera cooling fan 90, and a fan case 92, in which the camera cooling fan 90 is mounted, may be received in the cooling fan receiving space 114. The camera cooling fan 90 may include a centrifugal fan configured to suck air in an axial direction and discharge the air in a radial direction. The cooling fan receiving space 114 may be located below the inlet 115.
The suction duct 130 may be coupled to the upper housing 111. For this, a suction duct coupler 111a may be formed in the upper housing 111. The discharge duct 140 may be coupled to the upper housing 111. For this, a discharge duct coupler 111b may be formed in the upper housing 111.
The lower housing 121 may include a camera receiving member 123 protruding downward from the lower housing base 122 to form the camera receiving space 124. The camera receiving member 123 may pass through the housing duct opening 73 of the electronic compartment duct 70. The camera receiving member 123 may pass through the housing duct opening 73 of the electronic compartment duct 70 and be disposed in the exhaust space 52 inside the electronic compartment duct 70.
The camera receiving space 124 may be formed inside the camera receiving member 123. That is, the camera receiving member 123 may be formed to surround the camera receiving space 124.
The lower housing base 122 may be located on the upper surface of the electronic compartment duct 70, and the camera receiving member 123 may protrude downward toward the exhaust space 52 of the electronic compartment duct 70. Accordingly, the camera receiving space 124 formed inside the camera receiving member 123 may be located at a height corresponding to the exhaust space 52. The camera receiving space 124 may be located below the outlet 116.
The camera 80 may be coupled to the lower housing 121 to be disposed in the camera receiving space 124. The camera 80 may be coupled to the lower housing base 122. For this, a coupling hole 121a may be formed in the lower housing base 122.
The camera 80 may include a camera substrate 82 including an image sensor, a barrel 83 extending downward from the camera substrate 82 and having a cylindrical shape, a lens 85 disposed at an end of the barrel 83, and a camera bracket 81 provided to mount the camera 80 to the housing 110.
The camera bracket 81 may be coupled to the lower housing 121. The camera bracket 81 may include a camera coupler 81a protruding laterally toward the lower housing base 122, and a camera coupling hole 82b formed in the camera coupler 81a. The camera coupling hole 82b of the camera 80 and the coupling hole 121a of the lower housing base 122 may be coupled through a separate fastening member such as a screw, pin, bolt, or rivet.
The camera receiving space 124 may be located downstream of the cooling fan receiving space 114 in the direction of air flow. That is, air introduced into the housing 110 through the inlet 115 may flow into the camera receiving space 124 via the cooling fan receiving space 114. Air introduced into the camera receiving space 124 may cool the camera 80 and exit through the outlet 116.
A connection flow path 118 provided to guide air of the cooling fan receiving space 114 to the camera receiving space 124 may be formed in the upper housing 111.
The camera receiving space 124 and the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be horizontally and vertically spaced apart from each other. That is, the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be disposed above the camera receiving space 124. As described above, the camera receiving space 124 may be formed at a height corresponding to the exhaust space 52, and the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be formed at a higher position than the exhaust space 52.
The camera receiving space 124 and the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be arranged along the left and right direction of the main body 10. In this embodiment, the camera receiving space 124 may be disposed on the left side of the cooling fan receiving space 114, but according to embodiments, the camera receiving space 124 may be disposed on the right side of the cooling fan receiving space 114.
Because the camera receiving space 124 and the cooling fan receiving space 114 are horizontally and vertically spaced apart from each other, the connection flow path 118 connecting the camera receiving space 124 and the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be formed to be inclined. The upper housing 111 may include an inclined surface 117 to allow the connection flow path 118 to be inclined therein.
The lower housing 121 may include an upper opening 125 formed in an upper portion of the camera receiving space 124. Air may flow into the camera receiving space 124 through the upper opening 125, and air may flow out of the camera receiving space 124 through the upper opening 125. That is, the camera receiving space 124 may include an upper suction and upper discharge structure.
The upper housing 111 may include a guide rib 119 provided to divide the upper opening 125 into one area 125a (refer to
By the guide rib 119, air in the cooling fan receiving space 114 may be introduced into the camera receiving space 124 through the area 125a of the upper opening 125 and the air in the camera receiving space 124 may flow out of the camera receiving space 124 through the other area 125b of the upper opening 125.
In addition, the guide rib 119 may guide air, which is introduced into the camera receiving space 124, to the lower side of the camera 80. That is, the air introduced into the camera receiving space 124 may be guided to the lateral side or the lower side of the camera 80 by the guide rib 119, and thus the camera 80 may be uniformly cooled as a whole. Alternatively, the camera 80 may be cooled sequentially from the bottom to the top, that is, in the direction from the lens 85 to the camera substrate 82.
As described above, the lower portion of the camera 80, which is close to the cooking chamber 40 and thus receives the most heat, may be cooled first, and thus it is possible to increase a cooling efficiency of the camera 80.
The lower housing 121 may include a lower opening 126 formed in a lower portion of the camera receiving space 124. The lower opening 126 may be formed in a lower portion of the camera receiving member 123. The camera 80 received in the camera receiving space 124 may image the inside of the cooking chamber 40 through the lower opening 126.
The lower opening 126 may be open to allow air to flow. That is, a blocking member such as glass may not be provided in the lower opening 126. Because the blocking member such as glass is not provided in the lower opening 126, the camera 80 may be installed closer to the cooking chamber 40.
According to this embodiment, the lens 85 of the camera 80 may be disposed at a height corresponding to the lower opening 126. According to embodiments, the lens 85 of the camera 80 may be disposed lower than the lower opening 126. Further, according to embodiments, a blocking member (not shown) may be provided in the lower opening 126 to block the lower opening 126. The blocking member may be formed of a transparent material.
A lower cooling flow path 129 may be formed between the lower opening 126 and the transparent member 17 provided on the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11.
Air sucked from the outside of the main body 10 by the camera cooling fan 90 may be supplied to the upper surface of the transparent member 17 through the lower cooling flow path 129 and thus the transparent member 17 may be cooled. Accordingly, it is possible to obtain an effect of blocking heat, which is to be transmitted to the camera 80, from the transparent member 17. In addition, the lens 85 at the bottom of the camera 80 may be cooled more efficiently by the air flow that descends to the transparent member 17 and then rises again.
In addition, foreign substances attached to the surface of the lens 85 may be effectively cleaned from the lens 85 by U-shaped airflow that descends and ascends around the lens 85. The transparent member 17 may be formed by a transparent material mounted to the opening of the upper wall 12. The transparent material may be formed of various materials that are see-through, and the transparent material may include at least one of layered glass 18. The at least one glass may be formed of heat-resistant tempered glass or borosilicate glass. An air insulation layer may be formed between the at least one glass. However, the transparent member 17 may be formed of a material other than glass, such as plastic that is transparent and resistant to heat.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include a sealing member 150 provided to seal the lower cooling flow path 129 to prevent air in the lower cooling flow path 129 from leaking into the electronic compartment 50. When the air of the camera cooling duct 100 leaks into the exhaust space 52 of the electronic compartment 50 through the lower cooling flow path 129, a pressure loss in the camera cooling duct 100 may occur and the air may interrupt a flow of air discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the exhaust space 52. That is, when the airflow through the camera cooling fan 90 and the camera cooling duct 100 is not separated from the airflow through the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 and the electronic compartment duct 70, each cooling efficiency may be reduced.
The sealing member 150 may seal the lower cooling flow path 129 to prevent air in the lower cooling flow path 129 from leaking into the electronic compartment 50. The sealing member 150 may be formed of an elastic material such as rubber, and may adhere between the lower surface of the housing 110 and the upper surface of the upper wall 12. Particularly, an upper surface of the sealing member 150 may be in close contact with the lower surface of the camera receiving member 123 of the housing 110, and a lower surface of the sealing member 150 may be in close contact with an upper surface of the glass 18 forming the upper wall 12 or the transparent member 17.
The sealing member 150 may have a ring shape including a hollow 151, and the camera 80 may image the inside of the cooking chamber 40 through the hollow 151. The sealing member 150 may be mounted in the opening 31 of the base plate 30.
The suction duct 130 may be coupled to the housing 110 to suck air from the outside of the main body 10 and guide the air to the housing 110. The suction duct 130 may suck air from the outside of the main body 10 at a relatively lower temperature than that of the electronic compartment 50.
Therefore, the camera 80 may be cooled more effectively than other electronic components. The suction duct 130 may suck outside air from the rear of the main body 10. For this, the suction duct 130 may be coupled to the rear plate 25 forming the rear surface of the main body 10. An outside air inlet 25a (refer to
As mentioned above, because the suction duct 130 sucks air from the rear of the main body 10, foreign substances such as water or oil may be prevented from entering the camera 80 or the camera cooling fan 90.
The discharge duct 140 may be coupled to the housing 110 to discharge air, which cools the camera 80, from the housing 110. The discharge duct 140 may discharge air into the electronic component space 51 of the electronic compartment 50. As the discharge duct 140 discharges air into the electronic component space 51, the air discharged from the discharge duct 140 may not collide with or merge with air that is discharged to the front side along the exhaust space 52 of the electronic compartment duct 70 by the blowing force of the electronic compartment cooling fan 60. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a reduction in cooling efficiency of the electronic compartment performed by the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 and the electronic compartment duct 70.
Particularly, the discharge duct 140 may discharge air toward the circuit board 3 disposed in the electronic component space 51. The circuit board 3 is an electronic component that is relatively vulnerable to heat. As described above, because air flowing by the camera cooling fan 90 is directly sucked from the outside of the main body 10, the air may have a relatively lower temperature than air flowing by the electronic compartment cooling fan 60. Because the low-temperature air, which is moved by the camera cooling fan 90, is supplied toward the circuit board 3, the circuit board 3, which is vulnerable to heat, may be efficiently cooled.
However, the discharge duct 140 may be omitted from the camera cooling duct 100 according to embodiments. When the discharge duct 140 is omitted, air may be discharged into the electronic component space 51 through the outlet 116 of the housing 110.
As illustrated in
An entrance 134 of the suction duct through which air is sucked to the suction flow path 132 may be formed on one end 133 of the suction duct 130. The entrance 134 of the suction duct may be connected to the outside air inlet 25a of the rear plate 25.
The exit 137 of the suction duct through which air is discharged from the suction flow path 132 may be formed on the other end 136 of the suction duct 130. The exit 137 of the suction duct may be connected to the inlet 115 of the housing 110.
The one end 133 of the suction duct 130 may be coupled to the rear plate 25 forming the rear surface of the main body 10. For this, a coupler 135a and a coupling hole 135b for coupling with the rear plate 25 may be formed at the one end of the suction duct 130. A separate fastening member such as a screw, pin, rivet, or bolt may be coupled to the coupling hole 135b.
The other end 136 of the suction duct 130 may be coupled to the housing 110. A coupler 138a and a coupling hole 138b for coupling with the housing 110 may be formed at the other end 136 of the suction duct 130.
The discharge duct 140 may include a discharge duct body 141 including a discharge flow path 142 formed therein. The discharge duct body 141 may be integrally formed, or may be formed by coupling two or more parts.
The entrance 144 of the discharge duct through which air flows into the discharge flow path 142 may be formed at one end 143 of the discharge duct 140. The entrance 144 of the discharge duct may be connected to the outlet 116 of the housing 110.
An exit 147 of the discharge duct through which air is discharged from the discharge flow path 142 may be formed at the other end 146 of the discharge duct 140. The exit 147 of the discharge duct may discharge air toward the circuit board 3.
The one end 143 of the discharge duct 140 may be coupled to the housing 110. For this, a coupler 145a and a coupling hole 145b for coupling with the housing 110 may be formed at the one end 143 of the discharge duct 140.
The other end 146 of the discharge duct 140 may be supported on the base plate 30 disposed in the electronic compartment 50. Alternatively, the other end 146 of the discharge duct 140 may be supported by the electronic compartment duct 70 disposed in the electronic compartment 50.
A leg 149 extending downward to be supported by the base plate 30 or the electronic compartment duct 70 may be provided on the other end 146 of the discharge duct 140. A discharge guide 148 may be formed at the exit 147 of the discharge duct 140 to guide air discharged from the exit 147.
As illustrated in
When the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 is driven, the air in the electronic component space 51 may be sucked into the suction port 71 of the electronic compartment duct 70, pass through the exhaust space 52, and then be discharged to the outside of the main body 10 through the discharge port 72. That is, the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may form a first air flow (refer to a double line arrow in
When the camera cooling fan 90 is driven, air outside the main body 10 may be sucked into the camera cooling duct 100, cool the camera 80 and be discharged to the electronic component space 51. That is, the camera cooling fan 90 may form a second air flow (refer to a single line arrow in
The housing 110 of the camera cooling duct 100 may include the camera receiving member 123 forming the camera receiving space 124 to receive the camera 80. The camera receiving member 123 may protrude to the lower side of the housing 110 and may be disposed inside the exhaust space 52. Accordingly, the first air flow flowing through the exhaust space 52 by the electronic compartment cooling fan 60 may pass through the camera receiving member 123. Accordingly, the first air flow may be in contact with an outer surface of the camera receiving member 123 to cool the camera receiving member 123. That is, the first air flow may indirectly cool the camera 80 disposed inside the camera receiving member 123 by cooling the camera receiving member 123.
The first air flow may pass through the camera receiving member 123 with respect to the front and rear direction of the main body 10. Conversely, the second air flow may pass through the camera 80 with respect to the left and right direction of the main body 10. Accordingly, the first air flow and the second air flow may directly or indirectly cool the camera 80 in directions perpendicular to each other. Accordingly, the camera 80 may be cooled by the double air flow and the cooling efficiency of the camera may be increased.
The housing 110 may include a branch guide 127 protruding from one surface of the camera receiving member 123 to minimize a resistance when the first air flow passes through the camera receiving member 123. The branch guide 127 may protrude in a triangular or streamlined shape. The first air flow toward the camera receiving member 123 may be diverged to the left and right of the camera receiving member 123 by the branch guide 127, and the first airflow may be smoothly performed.
As illustrated in
As mentioned above, the camera 80 according to the embodiment may be installed as close as possible to the transparent member 17 of the cooking chamber 40 by the U-shaped structure composed of the camera cooling duct 100, the lower opening 126, and the lower cooling flow path 129. Accordingly, a viewing angle of the camera 80 configured to image the inside of the cooking chamber 40 through the transparent member 17 may be increased.
For example, a viewing angle (a) of the camera 80 may be 80 degrees or more based on the left and right direction of the main body 10 (refer to
The viewing angle may be determined by a width of the transparent member 17 and a distance between the camera 80 and the transparent member 17.
For example, as shown in
In addition, a viewing angle (b) of the camera 80 may be 55 degrees or more based on the front and rear direction of the main body 10 (refer to
As mentioned above, according to the embodiment, the camera 80 may be widely disposed on the transparent member 17, and thus the camera 80 may have a wide viewing angle. Accordingly, the camera 80 may image a wider area.
In addition, because the camera 80 has a wide viewing angle as described above, the cooking apparatus 1 may be configured to image an entire area of the shelf 190 regardless of an installation height of the shelf 190 in the cooking chamber 40.
The cooking apparatus 1 may include the shelf 190 disposed in the cooking chamber 40 to place food to be cooked thereon. Hangers 181, 182, 183, and 184 to which the shelf 190 is mounted may be provided on the left wall 23 and the right wall 24 of the cooking chamber 40.
The hangers 181, 182, 183, and 184 may include a first-stage hanger 181 to a fourth-stage hanger 184 according to height. According to embodiments, fewer hangers or more hangers may be provided.
The shelf 190 may be detachably mounted to any one of the first-stage hanger 181 to the fourth-stage hanger 184. The shelf 190 may include a shelf member 191 on which food to be cooked is placed, and a holder 192 provided on a lateral side of the shelf member 191 so as to be coupled to the hangers 181, 182, 183, and 184. The shelf member 191 may be formed substantially horizontally to support food to be cooked. The shelf member 191 may have a shape corresponding to the shape of the cooking chamber 40, such as, a square or a circle. The size of the shelf member 191 may correspond to or be slightly smaller than the size of the cooking chamber 40.
The holder 192 may have a shape extending upward from an edge of the shelf member 191. The holder 192 may have a shape extending upward from the edge of the shelf member 191 and then extending laterally again. The holder 192 may include a holding structure such as a hook formed on the edge of the shelf member 191.
The shelf 190 may include a tray. The shelf 190 may include a wire rack formed by coupling a plurality of wires to cross each other.
According to embodiments, the cooking apparatus 1 may be configured to allow the camera 80 to image an entire area of the shelf member 191 even when the shelf 190 is mounted on any of the hangers 181, 182, 183, and 184.
For this, it is required to appropriately determine a width of the shelf member 191, a width of the transparent member 17, a distance between the camera 80 and the shelf member 191, and a distance between the camera 80 and the transparent member 17.
For example, as shown in
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body 10 including the inner case 11 which forms a cooking chamber 40, the heating device 5 and 8 configured to heat the cooking chamber 40, the transparent member 17 configured as at least a portion of the upper wall 12 of the inner case 11, and the camera 80 disposed above the transparent member 17. The camera and the transparent member are configured so that the camera is operable to capture an image, through the transparent member, of an inside of the cooking chamber 40.
A viewing angle (a) of the camera 80 along a left and right direction of the main body 10 is 80 degrees or more.
The viewing angle (a) of the camera 80 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, a width (f) of the transparent member 17 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, and a distance (g) between the camera 80 and the transparent member 17 may satisfy the following relationship: tan (a/2)=f/(2*g).
A viewing angle (b) of the camera 80 along a front and rear direction of the main body 10 may be 55 degrees or more.
The cooking apparatus 1 may further include one or more hangers formed in the cooking chamber, and a shelf that is mountable to at least one hanger among the one or more hangers.
The shelf 190 may include the shelf member 191 configured to support food to be cooked.
In response to the shelf 190 being mounted to a highest hanger 184 among the one or more hangers, the camera 80 may be configured to capture an image of an entire area of the shelf member 191 of the shelf 190.
while the shelf is mounted to the highest hanger among the one or more hangers, a width (f) of the transparent member 17 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, a distance (g) between the camera 80 and the transparent member 17, the width (w) of the shelf member 191 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, and a distance (h) between the camera 80 and the shelf member 191 may satisfy the following relationship: f/g≥w/h.
The cooking apparatus 1 may further include the camera cooling fan 90 configured to cool the camera, and the housing 110 including the camera receiving space 124 in which the camera is positioned.
The housing 110 may include the inlet 115 through which air flows into the housing, and the outlet 116 through which air flows out of the housing.
The inlet 115 and the outlet 116 may be formed at a higher position than the camera 80 positioned in the camera receiving space.
The housing 110 may include the lower opening 126 formed in a lower portion of the camera receiving space 124.
A lower cooling flow path is formed in the housing to pass under the camera between the lower opening 126 and the transparent member 17 to allow the air in the camera receiving space to be transferred to the transparent member 17 of the upper wall through the lower opening.
The cooking apparatus 1 may further include the sealing member 150 disposed around the lower opening to seal the lower cooling flow path 129 to prevent leakage of air from the lower cooling flow path 129.
The sealing member 129 may be formed of a rubber material and be in close contact between a lower surface of the housing 110 and an upper surface of the upper wall 12.
The sealing member may have a ring shape including the hollow 151. The camera 80 may be configured to capture an image of the inside of the cooking chamber through the hollow 151.
The cooking apparatus 1 may further include the base plate 30 arranged between the upper wall 12 and the housing 110, the base plate including a base plate opening 31 formed so that the camera is operable to capture an image of the inside of the cooking chamber.
The sealing member 150 may be mounted to the base plate opening 31.
The camera cooling fan 90 may include a centrifugal fan configured to suck air in an axial direction and discharge the air in a radial direction.
The lens 85 of the camera 80 may be disposed at a height corresponding to the lower opening 126.
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body 10 including a cooking chamber and an electronic compartment, the heating device 5 and 8 configured to heat the cooking chamber, a camera configured to capture an image of an inside of the cooking chamber, a housing including a camera receiving member which forms a camera receiving space in which the camera is positioned, an electronic compartment cooling fan configured to form a first air flow that passes about an outer surface of the camera receiving member in a front and rear direction of the main body to cool the camera receiving member, and a camera cooling fan configured to form a second air flow that passes through the camera receiving portion and around the camera in a left and right direction of the main body. The first airflow may pass through the camera receiving member 123 in a front and rear direction of the main body 10. The second air flow may pass through the camera 80 in a left and right direction of the main body 10.
The housing 110 may include the branch guide 127 protruding from one surface of the camera receiving member 123 to allow air, which flows from the electronic compartment cooling fan to the camera receiving member, to be diverged to both left and right sides of the camera receiving member.
According to an embodiment, the cooking apparatus includes the main body 10 including the inner case, the cooking chamber formed inside the inner case, and the electronic compartment formed outside the inner case, one or more hangers formed in the cooking chamber, a shelf that is mountable to at least one of the one or more hangers, the shelf including: a shelf member configured to support food to be cooked, and a holder that is couplable to the at least one of the one or more hangers to mount the shelf thereto, a transparent member configured as at least a portion of an upper wall of the inner case, and the camera 80 disposed above the transparent member, the camera and the transparent member are configured so that: the camera is operable to capture an image, through the transparent member, of an inside of the cooking chamber, and the camera is operable to capture an image of an entire area of the shelf member while the shelf is mounted to any of the one or more hangers.
As for the camera, while the shelf is mounted to a highest hanger among the one or more hangers, the width (f) of the transparent member 17 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, the distance (g) between the camera 80 and the transparent member 17, the width (w) of the shelf member 191 along the left and right direction of the main body 10, and in response to the shelf 190 being mounted to the nth-stage hanger 184, the distance (h) between the camera 80 and the shelf member 191 may satisfy the following relationship: f/g≥w/h.
A viewing angle in which the camera 80 receives light through the transparent member 17 may be 80 degrees or more along a left and right direction of the main body 10, and may be 55 degrees or more along a front and rear direction of the main body 10.
As is apparent from the above description, a cooking apparatus may include a camera cooling structure configured to prevent a temperature rise of a camera caused by heat generated in a cooking chamber.
Further, it is possible to prevent foreign substances such as water and oil from entering through a suction duct used to cool a camera.
Further, a bottom of a camera may be efficiently cooled.
Further, a camera cooling structure for intensively cooling a camera may be separated from a cooling structure for cooling an entire electronic compartment, and thus an efficiency of the cooling structure for the electronic compartment may not decrease.
Further, an electronic component such as a circuit board as well as a camera may be efficiently cooled.
Further, a camera of a cooking apparatus may image an entire shelf regardless of an installation height of the shelf.
Further, a camera cooling structure may provide a uniform and strong air flow to a bottom of the camera, and thus it is possible to prevent a foreign substance from being attached to the camera or it is possible to remove a foreign substance attached to the camera.
The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be apparent from the following description to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.
Although a few embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2022-0113826 | Sep 2022 | KR | national |
| 10-2023-0015112 | Feb 2023 | KR | national |
This application is a by-pass continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of International Application No. PCT/KR2023/012420, filed on Aug. 22, 2023, which claims priority to Korean Patent Applications No. 10-2022-0113826, filed on Sep. 7, 2022, and No. 10-2023-0015112, filed on Feb. 3, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/KR2023/012420 | Aug 2023 | US |
| Child | 18524953 | US |
