Patent Grant
10462857
This U.S. application claims priority and benefits of Chinese Application No. 201510603634.0 and 201520732541.3 filed Sep. 21, 2015. The entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a field of electric appliances, and more particularly, to a microwave heating device.
A drawer-typed microwave oven in the related art adopts two following methods to detect whether a drawer door is in place: in a first method, it is determined by collecting and calculating an amount of pulse signals in a whole travel; in a second method, it is determined according to an amount of pulse signals collected in a predetermined period. However, the first method is susceptible to an external environment, such as power failure, voltage fluctuation or external signal interference, and then fails, thus resulting in a poor reliability of the drawer-typed microwave oven; the second method increases the load of an electric motor, which makes the electric motor easy to be burned down and damaged and results in a shot working life of the electric motor. In addition, since the electric motor is required to collect and feed back the pulse signals in the above two methods, the electric motor has a complex configuration, a high technological requirement and a quality requirement, thus resulting in a high cost of the drawer-typed microwave oven.
Embodiments of the present invention seek to solve at least one of the problems existing in the related art to at least some extent. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention provide a microwave heating device, which has a reliable detection whether the drawer door is in place, a long working life and a low cost.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a microwave heating device, including: an oven body defining a microwave heating chamber therein and provided with a door opening detection switch and a door closing detection switch; a drawer door provided with a door opening touch configuration and a door closing touch configuration, installed on the oven body and movable between an open position in which the microwave heating chamber is opened and a closed position in which the microwave heating chamber is closed, wherein when the drawer door is in the open position, the door opening touch configuration touches the door opening detection switch and the door closing touch configuration releases the door closing detection switch; when the drawer door is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration touches the door closing detection switch and the door opening touch configuration releases the door opening detection switch; a driving device configured to drive the drawer door to move between the open position and the closed position, installed on one of the oven body and the drawer door and connected with the other one of the oven body and the drawer door in a drive way; and a controller configured to communicate with the door opening detection switch, the door closing detection switch and the driving device.
With the microwave heating device according to embodiments of the present invention, a position of the drawer door can be detected automatically, and an accuracy of the detection is high. Thus, the drawer door can be opened and closed automatically, and an improved operation reliability can be obtained. In addition, since an electric motor is not required to collect pulse signals, the electric motor having a simple structure and a low cost can be used, and the load of the electric motor is not increased, so that a configuration of the microwave heating device is simplified, a manufacture cost thereof is reduced and a working life thereof is improved.
In some embodiments, a guiding rail is disposed on the oven body, a guiding rail connection plate is disposed on the drawer door, and the guiding rail connection plate is movably fitted with the guiding rail.
In some embodiments, the door opening touch configuration is configured as a position limiting block disposed at the guiding rail connection plate, and the door closing touch configuration is configured as a door hook disposed at the drawer door.
In some embodiments, an interlocking bracket is disposed on the oven body, the door opening detection switch and the door closing detection switch are installed at the interlocking bracket, in which when the drawer door is in the closed position, the door hook is caught on the interlocking bracket; when the drawer door is in the open position, the position limiting block is stopped by the interlocking bracket.
In some embodiments, the door closing detection switch includes a monitoring switch, a primary switch and a secondary switch respectively communicating with the controller, in which when the drawer door is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration touches the monitoring switch, the primary switch and the secondary switch respectively; when the drawer door is in the open position, the door closing touch configuration releases the monitoring switch, the primary switch and the secondary switch respectively.
In some embodiments, a first primary switch and a second primary switch are provided, the monitoring switch and the first primary switch are disposed at a left side of the oven body, the secondary switch and the second primary switch are disposed at a right side of the oven body, and two door closing touch configurations are provided and disposed at a left side and a right side of the drawer door respectively; when the drawer door is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration at the left side of the drawer door touches the monitoring switch and the first primary switch respectively, and the door closing touch configuration at the right side of the drawer door touches the secondary switch and the second primary switch respectively; when the drawer door is in the open position, the door closing touch configuration at the left side of the drawer door releases the monitoring switch and the first primary switch respectively, and the door closing touch configuration at the right side of the drawer door releases the secondary switch and the second primary switch respectively.
In some embodiments, the monitoring switch and the first primary switch are disposed horizontally, and the first primary switch is located below the monitoring switch; the secondary switch is disposed vertically, and the second primary switch is disposed horizontally and located below the secondary switch.
In some embodiments, each of the monitoring switch, the primary switch, the secondary switch and the door opening detection switch is configured as a microswitch.
In some embodiments, the driving device includes: an electric motor installed in the oven body and communicating with the controller; a push rod device connected with the electric motor and the drawer door respectively and configured to transform a rotational movement of the electric motor into a linear movement of the drawer door.
In some embodiments, the push rod device includes: a driving pulley and a driven pulley rotatably installed on the oven body respectively, and the electric motor being connected with the driving pulley in a drive way; a push rod drive belt fitted over the driving pulley and the driven pulley, and the electric motor be configured to drive the driving pulley to rotate so as to move the push rod drive belt; a push rod connected with the push rod drive belt and the drawer door and driven by the push rod drive belt to move linearly so as to move the drawer door between the open positon and the closed position.
In some embodiments, the driving device further includes a variable-speed drive assembly and the electric motor is connected with the driving pulley in a drive way by the variable-speed drive assembly.
In some embodiments, the variable-speed drive assembly includes: an electric motor pulley connected with the electric motor in a drive way; a variable-speed pulley connected with the driving pulley in a drive way; a variable-speed drive belt fitted over the electric motor pulley and the variable-speed pulley and driven by the electric motor pulley to rotate the variable-speed pulley.
Additional aspects and advantages of embodiments of present invention will be given in part in the following descriptions, become apparent in part from the following descriptions, or be learned from the practice of the embodiments of the present invention.
These and other aspects and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following descriptions made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Oven body 1, microwave heating chamber 10, door closing detection switch 15, monitoring switch 111, primary switch 112, secondary switch 113, door opening detection switch 12, guiding rail 13, interlocking bracket 14,
Drawer door 2, door opening touch configuration 21, door closing touch configuration 22, guiding rail connection plate 23, control panel 24,
Driving device 3, electric motor 31, push rod device 32, push rod 321, driving pulley 322, driven pulley 323, push rod drive belt 324, variable-speed drive assembly 33, electric motor pulley 331, variable-speed pulley 332, variable-speed drive belt 333,
Transformer 41, capacitor 42, controller 43,
Microwave emitter 5, waveguide tube 6, fan assembly 7.
Reference will be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention. Embodiments of the present invention will be shown in drawings, in which the same or similar elements and the elements having same or similar functions are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the descriptions. The embodiments described herein according to drawings are explanatory and illustrative, not construed to limit the present invention.
A microwave heating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in the following with reference to
Specifically, the microwave heating device 100 may be a microwave oven or a microwave roaster embedded into a wall or a cabinet.
As shown in
The oven body 1 has a microwave heating chamber 10 therein, and the food is heated in the microwave heating chamber 10. The oven body 1 is provided with a door opening detection switch 12 and a door closing detection switch 15. The drawer door 2 is provided with a door opening touch configuration 21 and a door closing touch configuration 22, and the drawer door 2 is installed on the oven body 1 and movable between an open position in which the microwave heating chamber 10 is opened and a closed position in which the microwave heating chamber 10 is closed, and thus it is convenient for a user to put the food into the microwave heating chamber 10 to be heated, or to take the food out of the microwave heating chamber 10. For example, after the food is put into the drawer, the drawer door 2 is moved backwards from the open position as shown in
As shown in
The driving device 3 is configured to drive the drawer door 2 to move between the open position and the closed position, and the driving device 3 is installed on one of the oven body 1 and the drawer door 2 and connected with the other one of the oven body 1 and the drawer door 2 in a drive way, and thus the driving device 3 can be supported so as to drive the drawer door 2 to move. For example, as shown in
The controller 43 is configured to communicate with the door opening detection switch 12, the door closing detection switch 15 and the driving device 3 respectively, thus implementing the automatic opening or closing of the drawer door 2.
A process for operating the microwave heating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention will be described in details in the following with reference to drawings, by an example in which an initial position of the drawer door 2 is the closed position. It may be understood that, at this time, the door opening touch configuration 21 releases the door opening detection switch 12.
When the food needs to be heated, the controller 43 communicates with the driving device 3 and drives the driving device 3 to move the drawer door 2 forwards, and in a forward movement of the drawer door 2, the drawer door 2 gradually opens the microwave heating chamber 10. When the drawer door 2 reaches the open position as shown in
With the microwave heating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention, when the drawer door 2 is in the open position, the door opening touch configuration 21 touches the door opening detection switch 12 and the door closing touch configuration 22 releases the door closing detection switch 15; when the drawer door 2 is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration 22 touches the door closing detection switch 15 and the door opening touch configuration 21 releases the door opening detection switch 12, and thus the position of the drawer door 2 can be detected automatically, and the accuracy of the detection is high, so that the drawer door 2 can be closed or opened automatically. Furthermore, a mechanical detection is used, which is less affected by external factors and has a high working reliability. In addition, since the driving device 3 is not required to collect pulse signals, the driving device 3 having a simple structure and a low cost can be used, and the load of the driving device 3 is not increased, so that a configuration of the microwave heating device 100 is simplified, a manufacture cost thereof is reduced and a working life thereof is improved.
As shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
In some embodiments as shown in
In further embodiments of the present invention, a first primary switch 112a and a second primary switch 112b which are included in the primary switch 112 are provided, the monitoring switch 111 and the first primary switch 112a are disposed at a left side of the oven body 1, the secondary switch 113 and the second primary switch 112b are disposed at a right side of the oven body 1, and two door closing touch configurations 22 are provided and disposed at a left side and a right side of the drawer door 2 respectively. When the drawer door 2 is in the closed position, the door closing touch configuration 22 at the left side of the drawer door 2 touches the monitoring switch 111 and the first primary switch 112a respectively, and the door closing touch configuration 22 at the right side of the drawer door 2 touches the secondary switch 113 and the second primary switch 112b respectively. When the drawer door 2 is in the open position, the door closing touch configuration 22 at the left side of the drawer door 2 releases the monitoring switch 111 and the first primary switch 112a respectively, and the door closing touch configuration 22 at the right side of the drawer door 2 releases the secondary switch 113 and the second primary switch 112b respectively. Thus, the communication reliability of the controller 43 and the detection accuracy of the position of the drawer door 2 are improved.
In other words, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
As shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
In some embodiments, as shown in
Furthermore, as shown in
A microwave heating device 100 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention will be described in details in the following with reference to the drawings. It may be understood that, the following descriptions only are exemplary, but not construed to limit the present invention.
As shown in
Specifically, the oven body 1 has a microwave heating chamber 10 therein. A microwave emitter 5, a transformer 41, a capacitor 42 and a fan assembly 7 are disposed in a rear side of the oven body 1. The transformer 41 and the capacitor 42 are adapted to support the microwave emitter 5, and the fan assembly 7 is capable of dissipating heat of the microwave heating device 100. A waveguide tube 6 is disposed in a top of the oven body 1 and configured to guide the microwave into the microwave heating chamber 10. An interlocking bracket 14 is disposed at each of a left side and a right side of the oven body 1, a door closing detection switch 15 and a door opening detection switch 12 are installed on the interlocking bracket 14 and each of the door closing detection switch 15 and the door opening detection switch 12 is configured as a microswitch. The door closing detection switch 15 includes a monitoring switch 111, a primary switch 112 and a secondary switch 113. The monitoring switch 111 and the primary switch 112 are horizontally disposed on the interlocking bracket 14 at the left side, and the primary switch 112 is located below the monitoring switch 111. The secondary switch 113, the primary switch 112 and the door opening detection switch 12 are disposed on the interlocking bracket 14 at the right side, the secondary switch 113 is disposed vertically, and the primary switch 112 is disposed horizontally and located below the secondary switch 113 and above the door opening detection switch 12.
The drawer door 2 is disposed within the microwave heating chamber 10 and movable in a front and rear direction. A guiding rail 13 is fixed at each of the left side and the right side of the oven body 1, and correspondingly, a guiding rail connection plate 23 fitted with the guiding rail 13 is disposed at each of a left side and a right side of the drawer door 2, so that a sliding of the drawer door 2 can be supported. Also, a roller is fixed at a rear end of the drawer door 2 so as to facilitate an easy sliding of the drawer door 2. A control panel 24 is disposed at a front end of the drawer door 2, and buttons configured to control working conditions of the microwave heating device 100 are provided in the control panel 24. A door opening touch configuration 21 and a door closing touch configuration 22 are disposed on the drawer door 2. The door opening touch configuration 21 is configured as a position limiting block disposed at a rear end of the guiding rail connection plate 23 at the left side, and the door closing touch configuration 22 is configured as a door hook disposed at each of a left side and a right side of a rear surface of the drawer door 2.
The driving device 3 is installed at a bottom of the oven body 1 and includes an electric motor 31 and a push rod device 32. The push rod device 32 is configured to transform a rotational movement of the electric motor 31 into a front and rear movement of the push rod 321. In this way, the push rod device 32 is driven by the electric motor 31 and the push rod 321 is connected with the drawer door 2, and thus it only needs to press down a corresponding “open” or “close” button in the control panel 24 by the user to control the opening and closing of the drawer door 2. The controller 43 may be configured as a computer board in the rear side of the oven body 1 and communicate with the door opening detection switch 12, the door closing detection switch 15 and the driving device 3 respectively.
The door hook is disposed on the drawer door 2. When the drawer door 2 is closed, the door hook tightly grips the interlocking bracket 14, and then the microwave heating device 100 can cook the food.
When the microwave heating device 100 is in operation and the user presses down the “open” button in the control panel 24, the controller 43 sends out a signal to control the electric motor 31 to rotate forward after receiving a corresponding instruction, and the rotation of the electric motor 31 is transformed into a forward movement of the push rod 321 by the push rod device 32, so as to open the drawer door 2. When the drawer door 2 is opened and moved to a predetermined maximum travel, the position limiting block presses down the door opening detection switch 12, and then the door opening detection switch 12 feeds back a signal and the controller 43 determines that the drawer door 2 is opened in place, and thus the driving device 3 stops working and the drawer door 2 stops moving. After putting the food into the drawer door 2, the user presses down the “close” button in the control panel 24, and then the controller 43 sends out a signal to control the electric motor 31 to rotate backward and the push rod device 32 controls the push rod 321 to move backward so as to close the drawer door 2. After the drawer door 2 is closed, the door hooks at the left side and the right side touch the monitoring switch 111, the primary switch 112 and the secondary switch 113 on the interlocking bracket 14, and then the monitoring switch 111, the primary switch 112 and the secondary switch 113 feed back signals to the controller 43 and the controller 43 determines that the drawer door 2 is closed in place, and thus the driving device 3 stops working and the drawer door 2 stops moving. Then, the user can select a corresponding cooking function according to his own requirements.
With the microwave heating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention, the position of the drawer door 2 is determined by using a mechanical positioning, and the drawer door 2 can be opened or closed automatically. Furthermore, the microwave heating device 100 according to embodiments of the present invention works reliably and has a simple structure, a low cost and a long working life.
In the specification, unless specified or limited otherwise, relative terms such as “up”, “down”, “front”, “rear”, “left”, “right”, “horizontal”, “vertical”, “top”, “bottom”, “inner”, “outer”, as well as derivative thereof should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawings under discussion for simplifying the description of the present invention, but do not alone indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, and be constructed or operated in a particular orientation. Thus, these terms shall not be construed to limit the present invention.
In the description of the present invention, unless specified or limited otherwise, it should be noted that, terms “mounted,” “connected” and “coupled” may be understood broadly, such as permanent connection or detachable connection, electronic connection or mechanical connection, direct connection or indirect connection via intermediary, inner communication or interreaction between two elements. These having ordinary skills in the art should understand the specific meanings in the present invention according to specific situations.
Reference throughout this specification to “an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “one embodiment”, “another example,” “an example,” “a specific example,” or “some examples,” means that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases such as “in some embodiments,” “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment”, “in another example,” “in an example,” “in a specific example,” or “in some examples,” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment or example of the present invention. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.
Although explanatory embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above embodiments cannot be construed to limit the present invention, and changes, alternatives, and modifications can be made in the embodiments without departing from spirit, principles and scope of the present invention.
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