Patent Grant
8065997
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 and 35 U.S.C. 365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0130611 (filed on Dec. 20, 2006) and 10-2007-0007104 (filed on Jan. 23, 2007, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present disclosure relates to a heating cooking appliance.
A heating cooking appliance is an apparatus that heats and cooks food. The present disclosure particularly addresses a gas cook top that generates heat through gas combustion to heat and cook food. This cook top, which employs a hot plate (also referred to as a ‘nob’), is gaining increasing popularity.
A cook top includes a burner system in which gas is combusted, and the heated air is used to heat the hot plate. Food in a vessel atop the hot plate is cooked by heat radiated from the hot plate.
However, heating cooking appliances according to the related art only have a heating function to heat food at high temperatures and do not incorporate a warming function to keep food warm. Unlike oven ranges with a warming drawer below the stovetop to keep food warm, related art heating cooking appliances lack this convenient function.
Embodiments provide a heating cooking appliance provided with a function that preserves food on the heating cooking appliance by heating a plate. In one embodiment, a heating cooking appliance includes: a case; a plate covering a top of the case; a burner system provided below the plate and defining a heating region on the plate, the heating region heating food; and a warm zone guide defining a warm zone region on the plate through exposing at least a portion of an undersurface of the plate to combustion gas generated from the burner system during exhausting of the combustion gas.
The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Referring to
Also, added external features of the heating cooking appliance include an exhaust grill 50 formed at the rear portion of the cooking appliance for exhausting combusted gas, and a switch 51 formed at the approximate frontal portion of the ceramic plate 1 for on/off controlling of gas combustion.
While the location and shape of the exhaust grill 50 and the switch 51 be varied in configuration and type, an exhaust for exhausting combusted gas and a switch for performing the on/off controlling of combusting gas are, of course, required.
The internal space defined by the case 2 and the ceramic plate 1 holds a plurality of components for performing gas combustion and exhausting, and controlling of the cooking appliance. A configurative description of the inside will be given.
First, three burner pots 4 are provided in the internal space to sufficiently mix gas with air to allow uniform combustion afterward. A mixing tube unit 6 is disposed on the side surface of each burner pot 4 to supply a gas mixture through the side surface of the burner pot 4.
Also, a nozzle unit 5 is disposed at a uniform distance from the mixing tube unit 6, and discharges gas toward the inlets of the mixing tube unit 6.
A burner frame 11 is disposed on top of the burner pots 4. The burner frame 11 supports the positions of the burner pots 4 and provides an exhaust passage 111 for exhausting spent gas combusted on a glow plate 12. Here, the burner frame 11 partitions only the lower part of the exhaust passage 111. A separate warm zone guide 14 is provided to define at least a portion of the top surface of the exhaust passage 111. The warm zone guide 14 performs a warm zone function in a region of the ceramic plate 1—that is, a region corresponding to an opening 16. In order to accurately designate the region of the ceramic plate 1 in which the warm zone function is performed, a warm zone indicator 15 may be displayed in a predetermined manner on the region of the ceramic plate 1 aligned vertically with the opening 16. The warm zone function is lower than a temperature suitable for heating and cooking, and maintains the ceramic plate 1 at a temperature suitable for preserving and warming food.
An exhaust unit 10 for externally exhausting spent gas is disposed at the rear of the burner frame 11, and the exhaust grill 51 is disposed above the exhaust unit 10.
The glow plate 12 is disposed on the open upper side of the burner pot 4, and the glow plate 12 is heated at high temperatures generated by the combusting of the air-gas mixture. When the glow plate 12 is heated, radiant energy in a frequency range corresponding to the physical properties of the glow plate 12 is emitted.
The radiant energy of the glow plate 12 includes at least visible light frequencies, so that a user can perceive, by means of the visible light, that the heating cooking appliance according to the present disclosure is operating. Of course, the glow plate 12 also functions to heat food, and to heat the ceramic plate 1 that also heats food.
A heat insulator 13 is provided below the burner pots 4 to simultaneously support each burner pot 4 and prevent combustion heat generated when gas mixture combusts from being transferred to the outside. The heat insulator 13 will be described with reference to the drawings.
A description of the structure for supplying gas to the nozzle unit 5 will be given.
Gas from the outside is supplied through a main gas supply line 8 to the heating cooking appliance, and the supply of gas to each burner system is mediated through a gas valve 7 (which is controlled by the switch 51). After passing through the gas valve 7, the gas passes through a respective branch gas supply line 9 to each of the nozzle units 5.
Here, in order for the burner system to supply and combust a gas mixture, it may include at least a nozzle unit 5, a mixing tube unit 6, a burner pot 4, and a glow plate 12.
Referring to
The smaller-sized burner pot 4 in the center of the case 2 is supplied with gas-air mixture from front to rear, and the mixture of air and gas is completely mixed in a second stage within the burner pot. After the gas mixture is combusted on the glow plate 12, the spent gas is exhausted through the exhaust unit 10 at the rear.
On the other hand, the two comparatively larger burner pots 4 on either side of the case 2 are supplied with gas and air from rear to front. After the gas mixture is mixed in a second stage within the burner pot, the mixture is combusted on the glow plate 12 and then exhausted toward the rear of the burner pot 4.
The above arrangement of the burner pots 4 is intended to optimally configure a heating burner system. Also,
The combusted gas is exhausted rearward through an exhaust passage 111 defining a gap between the warm zone guide 14 and the burner frame 11. However, because the combusted gas flowing through the exhaust passage 111 that has already been used for heating food is still at a high temperature of several hundred ° C., the ceramic plate 1 aligned vertically with the exhaust passage 111 is also heated to several hundred ° C. According to tests, when warm zone guides 14 are absent, the ceramic plate 1 reaches 200° C.
When the region of the ceramic plate 1 aligned vertically to the exhaust passage 111 attains this high temperature, a user, believing that only the regions of the glow plates 12 will be hot, may contact other regions of the ceramic plate—namely, the regions vertically aligned with the exhaust passage 111—and sustain burns.
This compromise in safety can be prevented by the warm zone guide 14.
Thus, the warm zone guide 14 performs a primary function of sustaining a designated region (i.e., a warm zone region) of the ceramic plate 1 at a temperature suitable for warming food, and a secondary function of preventing the heat passing through the exhaust passage 111 from being transferred to the ceramic plate 1 in order to increase the margin of user safety.
Referring to
Here, the mixing tube unit 6 is aligned with the openings 42 of the burner pot 4. Also, because the mixing tubes 61 and the openings 42 provided on the mixing tube unit 6 are mutually provided in plurality to respectively align, the amount of air that enters along with the gas is maximized. The alignment of the mixing tube unit 6 and the openings 42 will be described below.
The mixing tube 61, when starting at the end of its inlet, initially provides a nozzle shape that gradually narrows in diameter, and then adopts the shape of a diffuser from the diametrically narrowest point to expand conically outward.
The continuance between the diffuser portion of the mixing tube 61 and the diametrically increasing section of the opening 42 may be employed to reduce airflow resistance. That is, the diffusion angle of the air and the mixing tube 61 may be the same.
A description on the effects of the burner system will be given.
The gas discharged from the nozzle unit 5 enters the mixing tube unit 6 at high speed. Here, because the gas passes at high speed through the inlet of the mixing tube unit 6, the neighboring region of the opening of the mixing tube unit 6, according to Bernoulli's Theorem, becomes low in pressure. Therefore, outside air also enters the mixing tube 61, and the vapor that passes through the mixing tube 61 becomes a mixture of gas and air. The gas mixture that passes through the mixing tube unit 6 passes through the openings 42 and enters the interior of the burner pot 4, after which it is mixed a second time to combust on the glow plate 12.
Also, the combustion heat from the gas mixture heats the glow plate 12 to make the glow plate 12 glow red and generate radiant heat.
Here, a large number of tiny holes are formed in the glow plate 12, through which the gas mixture passes and combusts, and spent gas is exhausted through the exhaust passage 111 and guided to the exhaust unit 10.
As already described above, when the combusted gas that passes through the exhaust passage 111 is several hundred degrees Celsius. When the heat from this combustion gas is transferred to the ceramic plate 1, the safety of a user may be compromised. Therefore, the warm zone guide 14 is provided below the ceramic plate 1. Here, an opening 16 is defined in a predetermined portion the warm zone guide 14, and combusted gas passes through the opening 16 to heat the undersurface of the ceramic plate 1 exposed to the exhaust passage 111, thereby maintaining a uniform temperature.
In this manner, the heat that can be transferred to the ceramic plate by means of the warm zone guide 14 can be prevented from being conducted elsewhere, and only a certain region of the ceramic plate can be warmed to a temperature suitable for warming food, in order to warm food.
To allow the warm zone guide 14 to properly function, the warm zone guide 14 may be made of a metal material with high thermal conductance.
Referring to
The nozzle unit 5 is straightly formed because the plurality of inlets formed on the mixing tube unit 6 is arranged in a straight line, unlike the circular burner pot 4. Therefore, the arrangement of the burner system may become more compact.
Thus, because a plurality of mixing tubes 61 are provided horizontally in alignment with the mixing tube unit 6, the amount of air that enters along with the gas discharged from the nozzle unit 5, or the air ratio, can be increased.
In other words, by installing a plurality of mixing tubes 61, a large amount of air is suctioned into each mixing tube 61 along with the gas. The difference between the above suctioning of a large volume of air, and suctioning gas through a single mixing tube 61 becomes readily apparent.
For example, in the case where gas is suctioned through a single mixing tube, only the atmosphere around the single mixing tube is of low pressure so the air in that vicinity is suctioned; however, when gas is suctioned through a plurality of mixing tubes, the total volume from which air enters increases, so that the combined amount of air suctioned through all of the mixing tubes is greater.
The mixing tubes 61 of the mixing tube unit 6 are provided at the same height in alignment. Of course, the centers of alignment may be slightly offset, but they remain substantially aligned. As such, by providing aligned mixing tubes 61, the gas mixture entering the inside of the burner pot 4 collides together generating greater vortices, further mixing the air and gas and therefore raising the combustion efficiency of the gas. A limit to height discrepancies of the mixing tubes 61 is imposed because the height at which the mixing tubes 61 can be disposed is restricted by how the openings 42 may be formed.
The directions in which the mixing tubes 61 extend may be the same direction. That is, the lines of extension for the mixing tubes 61 may not intersect one another. Therefore, as described above, the gas mixture that enters the burner pot 4 from different mixing tubes is able to promote the creation of vortices, so that the manufacturing process of the mixing tube unit 6 is simplified, and the manufacturing process of the nozzle unit 5 aligned with the mixing tube unit 6 can also be made simpler and easier.
In addition, the number of mixing tubes 61 provided on the mixing tube unit 6 is five, as shown in the diagrams. Under the above circumstances, the mixing tube configuration may be one where the mixing tubes 61 are aligned and evenly divided across the diameter of the burner pot, and the outermost mixing tubes 61 are substantially disposed at the ends of the burner pot diameter, in order to improve the mixing efficiency of the gas mixture entering the burner pot 4. This is because the formation of vortices within the burner pot is facilitated.
Referring to
Thus, because the mixing tube unit 6 is integrally formed, when it is fastened once to the burner pot 4, the five mixing tubes are aligned simultaneously. Therefore, there is little possibility that the mixing tubes 61 become misaligned with the openings 42, the mixing tubes 61 become misaligned with the nozzle unit 5, and the distances between the respective inlets of the mixing tubes 61 and the nozzle unit 5 become different so that the amount of gas and air entering the respective mixing tubes 61 become different. Compared to visually aligning each of the plurality of mixing tubes fastened to the nozzle unit 5 on the respective openings, the above embodiment is more precise.
The effects of the above integrally formed mixing tube unit 6 is that even when there is a slight offset between the centers of the discharge holes on the nozzle unit 5 for discharging gas and the inlets of the mixing tubes 61, there is substantially less possibility of a reduced low pressure region brought about by a larger offset of a discharge hole from the centers of a mixing tube inlet, which causes a drastic reduction of efficiency in air entering the inlet.
By thus fastening the mixing tube unit 6 to the burner pot 4, manufacturing and assembling efficiency can be achieved, the seal between the mixing tube unit 6 and the burner pot 4 can be improved, and the rate of defects and material costs can be lowered.
The above method of fastening each mixing tube 61 to the mixing tube unit 6 may employ the method of fastening the plurality of mixing tubes 61 to the mixing tube unit 6 while supported on a predetermined jig, or alternately, providing the plurality of mixing tubes 61 on the mixing tube unit 6 integrally from the start.
Because the inlets of the plurality of mixing tubes 61 can be aligned when fastening the mixing tubes 61 to the mixing tube unit 6 using a predetermined jig, the distances between the nozzle unit 5 and the inlets of the plurality of mixing tubes 61 can be comparatively uniform.
Referring to
In order to increase the heat transfer efficiency of the warm zone guide 14 and evenly support the warm zone guide 14, the lower wall 145 may be large in size. If the thermal conductance of the warm zone guide 14 is sufficient, the lower wall 145 may be omitted.
An opening 16 is defined in the upper wall 141 of the warm zone guide 14. The combustion gas directly contacts the undersurface of the ceramic plate 1 through the opening 16. Thus, the region of the ceramic plate 1 that is aligned with the opening 16 is heated by the combustion gas and defines a warm zone region.
To maintain the integral strength of the warm zone guide 14, a plurality of reinforcing portions 144 are provided on the upper wall 141.
The front end of the warm zone guide 14 is formed in a curved shape corresponding to the shape of the burner pot 4. Other portions of the warm zone guide 14 are provided in shapes corresponding to the shape of the burner frame 11.
The temperature distribution curves taken laterally across the ceramic plate 1 will be referred to in the following description of the warm zone formed by the warm zone guide 14.
Referring to
Conversely, when a warm zone guide 14 is employed, the combustion gas contacts the ceramic plate 1 only through the opening 16. Therefore, the warm zone region—the warm zone indicator 15 in FIG. 1—aligned with the opening 16 has a width (W) that is directly heated, while the temperature of the remaining regions drops drastically in an outward direction from the warm zone region.
Here, while combustion gas is required to directly warm the opening 16 region of the ceramic plate 1, the temperature of ceramic plate 1 at the opening 16 can be maintained at approximately 60° C. This is because the heat is quickly dissipated through the inner material of the ceramic plate 1 to other areas.
Heat from combustion gas directly contacting the warm zone guide 14 is dissipated to other regions through the left wall 143, the right wall 142, and the lower wall 145, so that it is not used to heat the ceramic plate 1. Of course, the heat of upper wall 141 may be transferred through radiation to the underside of the ceramic plate 1. However, because the heat is transferred through radiation (and not directly through conduction) to the ceramic plate 1, it is either transmitted externally from the ceramic plate 1 or is cooled to a certain degree in the gap between the ceramic plate 1 and the upper wall 141, so that it does not have a large thermal effect on the ceramic plate 1.
In this manner, with the use of a warm zone guide 14 according to the present disclosure, because warming of the ceramic plate 1 occurs in only certain regions the remaining regions of the ceramic plate 1 that do not directly heat food are maintained at a safe temperature. Of course, food and cookware can be placed on a certain warm zone region to keep food at a constant temperature, so that users are given a higher level of convenience.
Referring to
In detail, the heat insulator 13 may include ceramic material for blocking the transfer of heat generated from the combusted gas in the burner system to the outside of the case 2. The heat insulator 13 may be formed by molding or through other means.
The overall thickness of the heat insulator 13 may be within a range that allows the burner system to be mounted on the heat insulator 13 without having the top of the burner system protrude outside the case 2.
In order to mount the burner pots 4, the nozzle unit 5, the mixing tube unit 6, and the burner frame 11 on the heat insulator 13, a pot mount 131, nozzle unit mount 132, mixing tube unit mount 133, and frame mount 134 are respectively formed in the heat insulator 13.
Specifically, with the burner system mounted in the respective mounts, the burner system is enclosed by the heat insulator 13 on all sides except the top. Thus, the heat generated from the respective components of the burner system can be simultaneously prevented from being transferred to the outside. In addition, heat transfer between the respective components of the burner system can be blocked.
Here, each mount is formed corresponding to the components of the burner system. That is, in the case of the two larger burner pots 4 that receive a gas mixture in a direction from the rear-to-front of the heating cooking appliance, the mixing tube unit mount 133 and the nozzle unit mount 132 are sequentially formed rearward from the pot mounts 131.
On the other hand, in the case of the middle, smaller-sized burner pot 4, gas mixture is supplied from front-to-rear of the heating cooking appliance, so that the mixing tube unit mount 133 and the nozzle unit mount 132 are formed frontward from the pot mount 131.
Here, the burner frames 11 extend rearward from the burner pots 4, and a frame mount 134 is respectively formed at the rear of the heat insulator 13 to mount each burner frame 11.
Tube insert slots 135 in which the gas supply line 9 is inserted is formed in the heat insulator 13 to correspond to the layout of the gas supply line 9. In this case, the heat insulator 13 can further block heat transferred along the gas supply line 9.
In order to install the heat insulator 13 in the above configuration, the heat insulator 13 is first placed in the case 2. Then, the burner pots 4 and mixing tube units 6 are placed on the heat insulator 13, and the nozzle unit 5 and the gas supply line 9 coupled to the nozzle unit 5 are mounted at the same time, completing the installation.
Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the burner system is supported by the heat insulator 13, so that a separate supporting member for supporting the burner system and securing its position is not required.
The heat insulator 13 is configured to block heat by simply placing the heat insulator 13 on the case 2. Thus, assembly during manufacturing can be facilitated, manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the installation time for the heat insulator 13 can be drastically cut, reducing the overall manufacturing time.
Here in the present embodiment, a single heat insulator may be placed on all the burner systems to block heat; alternately, respective heat insulators may be provided in a number corresponding to the number of burner systems. In this case, each of the heat insulators are installed in the case, and the respective burner systems are seated on the respective heat insulators, so that a separate supporting member is not required and the manufacturing time of the product can be reduced.
Likewise, the heat insulator especially blocks the transfer of combustion heat to the case 2, and the warm zone guide 14 prevents the transfer of the combustion heat to the ceramic plate 1.
Referring to
In this burner system according to the present embodiment, sufficient collision amongst the gas mixture occurs within the burner pot 4 to create sufficient turbulence. Therefore, the moving velocity components of the gas mixture that were originally moving forward are negated, and mixing of air and gas inside the entire burner pot 4 occurs. Then, the gas combustion takes place as the gas mixture rises through the glow plate 12, where the combusting gas moves uniformly therethrough.
Therefore, in a burner system with burners on either side of the above heating cooking appliance, despite the flow directions of inflowing and discharged gas being opposed with respect to the center of the burner system, gas is able to flow without any flow resistance.
The present embodiment may be applied to a food preserving function of a cook top type heating cooking appliance, and the operating modes of the heating cooking appliance may be varied to provide convenience to users.
Also, without the addition of other complex components, food warming can be performed using only the warm zone guide provided on the exhaust passage, to substantially reduce manufacturing costs.
Further, excessive heating of regions of the ceramic plate other than the heating regions and warming regions is prevented, contributing to the safety of users and preventing discoloring or burning of proximate kitchen furnishings.
In addition, a separate supporting member is not required to support the burner system, because the burner system is supported on the heat insulator that blocks the transfer of combustion heat to the outside.
Still further, because a single heat insulator is placed within the case and the burner system is positioned on the heat insulator, the heat insulator itself costs less, and the time expended to install the heat insulator is reduced, reducing the overall manufacturing time of the product.
The second embodiment is characterized in that all portions are the same as in the first embodiment, with the exception of the opening defining the warm zone region being of a different shape. Thus, unaddressed aspects are covered by the pertinent descriptions in the first embodiment.
Referring to
Of course, the opening 161 may be provided in alternate shapes.
The third embodiment is characterized in that all portions are the same as in the first embodiment, with the exception of the opening defining the warm zone region being altered. Thus, unaddressed aspects are covered by the pertinent descriptions in the first embodiment.
Referring to
For example, when the heating cooking appliance is operating, the heating region on the ceramic plate may be used for heating food, and the warm zone region may be used for warming food. However, when the heating cooking appliance is not operating, because the warm zone region cannot be used if the heating cooking appliance is not turned on, when a user wishes to warm food for a certain duration after the heating cooking appliance is turned off, the heating cooking appliance must be continuously operated for a certain duration.
To overcome these limitations, in order to enable the heating cooking appliance to maintain the temperature for a certain duration in the warm zone region after the appliance is switched off, a separate heat accumulator 162 is installed in the opening according to the first embodiment. Under these conditions, at the operating stage of the heating cooking appliance when the warm zone region is not required, the warm zone region is gradually increased in temperature, and after the heating cooking apparatus is switched off and the warm zone region is needed, the residual heat is gradually radiated, so that the warming feature of the heating cooking apparatus can function more effectively. Of course, this is also able to reduce fuel consumption. The heat accumulator may be provided respectively at both the top and bottom of the warm zone guide.
The fourth embodiment is characterized in that all portions are the same as in the first embodiment, with the exception of the warm zone guide being altered. Thus, unaddressed aspects are covered by the pertinent descriptions in the first embodiment.
Referring to
Specifically, the warm zone guide 163 extends horizontally from an upper end of the burner frame 11. The warm zone guide 163 defines the top surface of the exhaust passage 111. The warm zone guide 163 defines an opening 164 that designates the warm zone region.
The present embodiment is not limited to the above, and may include the embodiments below.
First, although the exhaust passage has been described as extending rearward, it is not limited thereto, and may direct exhaust in any direction with respect to the ceramic plate. Moreover, the warm zone region may be provided at any region corresponding to the location of the exhaust passage.
Also, in order to thermally seal the region formed by the exhaust passage more effectively, the warm zone guide may be formed thicker or include an added insulating material.
The left wall 143 and the right wall 142 are described as being the only portions of the warm zone guide 14 contacting the burner frame; however, in order to quickly transfer heat from the upper wall 141 to other areas, the warm zone guide 14 may be exposed to other parts within the heating cooking apparatus (and even made to contact other parts if required) and may contact a heat sink of a predetermined shape that is exposed to the outside.
The temperature of the warm zone region may be controlled by inserting a heat insulator between the upper wall of the warm zone guide and the undersurface of the ceramic plate so that heat from the upper wall is not directly conducted to the ceramic plate, or by preventing combustion gas from entering the gap between the ceramic plate and the warm zone guide.
Furthermore, the opening in the warm zone according to the present embodiment may not be provided. In this case, the heat transferred to the ceramic plate is dissipated to the outside in order to reduce the temperature of the ceramic plate. Here, the warm zone guide may be called a heat blocking member.
Although embodiments have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this disclosure. More particularly, various variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.
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| 10-2007-0007104 | Jan 2007 | KR | national |
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