Cooking appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10539331-B2
Application number	US-201715696749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 6, 2017
Priority date	Jun 5, 2017
Publication date	Jan 21, 2020
Grant date	Jan 21, 2020

Abstract

A cooking appliance for cooking food or other items is provided. The cooking appliance may include a main body having a cooking chamber; a fan cover provided on a back surface and forming an accommodation space separated within the cooking chamber, the fan cover having a suction port at a front of the fan cover and at least one exhaust port at a side of the fan cover; a heating element provided in the accommodation space to generate heat; a convection fan that generates an air circulation flow in the cooking chamber; and at least one guide vane, provided between a side surface of the cooking chamber and the at least one exhaust port, that guides a flow of air so that air discharged toward the side surface through the at least one exhaust port flows toward a front of the cooking chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance comprising:
a main body having a cooking chamber and including a back surface defining a rear boundary surface of the cooking chamber and a side surface defining a lateral boundary surface of the cooking chamber;
a fan cover provided at the back surface and forming an accommodation space inside of the cooking chamber, including a suction port at a front of the fan cover, and at least one exhaust port at at least one side of the fan cover;
a heating element installed in the accommodation space to generate heat;
a convection fan that generates a flow of air such that air in the cooking chamber is suctioned into the fan cover through the suction port, heated in the fan cover, and discharged to the cooking chamber through the at least one exhaust port, the flow of air being discharged to the cooking chamber toward the side surface through the at least one exhaust port to flow toward a front side of the cooking chamber at at least a certain rate when the side surface is spaced from the exhaust port by a first distance; and
at least one guide vane, provided between the side surface and the at least one exhaust port, that guides the flow of air such that the air discharged toward the side surface through the at least one exhaust port flows toward the front side of the cooking chamber when the side surface is spaced from the exhaust port by a second distance which is greater than the first distance, wherein the main body includes an extended connection surface which is formed in a same plane as the back surface and which connects the back surface and the side surface so that the side surface is spaced from the at least one exhaust port by the second distance, and wherein the at least one guide vane is provided on the extended connection surface so as to be arranged between the at least one exhaust port and the side surface.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , wherein the at least one guide vane includes:
a coupling plate coupled to the main body inside of the cooking chamber; and
a guide plate that protrudes from the coupling plate toward the front side of the cooking chamber and guides the flow of air discharged through the at least one exhaust port to be directed to the front side of the cooking chamber.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein a distance between the at least one exhaust port and the guide plate is shorter than a distance between the at least one exhaust port and the side surface.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the guide plate includes a flow guide surface which is formed on a first side surface of the guide plate facing the at least one exhaust port, and which guides the flow of air discharged through the at least one exhaust port, and wherein the flow guide surface forms an obtuse angle with a plane formed by the extended connection surface between the fan cover and the flow guide surface.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the guide plate includes a flow guide surface which is formed on a first side surface of the guide plate facing the at least one exhaust port, and which guides the flow of air discharged through the exhaust port, and wherein the flow guide surface forms an inclined surface which is inclined in a direction between the front side of the cooking chamber and a direction of the flow of air discharged through the at least one exhaust port.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the guide plate includes a flow guide surface which is formed on a first side surface of the guide plate facing the at least one exhaust port, and which guides the flow of air discharged through the at least one exhaust port, and wherein the flow guide surface covers an edge connecting the extended connection surface between the fan cover and the flow guide surface and the side surface.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the coupling plate forms a plane extending in a direction parallel to a direction of the flow of air discharged through the at least one exhaust port, and wherein a curved surface fillet which connects the coupling plate and the guide plate, is formed in a connection portion between the coupling plate and the guide plate.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the at least one guide vane forms a “λ,” shape.

9. A cooking appliance, comprising:
a main body forming a cooking chamber including a back surface and a side surface;
a fan cover attached to the back surface that forms an accommodation space between the back surface and the fan cover and including a suction port on a first surface and at least one exhaust port on a second surface different from the first surface;
a heating element provided within the accommodation space;
a convection fan provided within the accommodation space and configured to circulate air within the cooking chamber through the accommodation space to be heated by the heating element; and
at least one guide vane attached to the back surface and located adjacent to the second surface of the fan cover, wherein the convection fan circulates air from the accommodation space through the at least one exhaust port toward the at least one guide vane which directs the air toward a front of the cooking chamber, wherein the at least one guide vane includes a coupling plate attached directly to the back surface and a guide plate extending from the coupling plate at a predetermined angle with respect to the coupling plate, wherein the guide plate is angled such that a first edge of the guide plate closest to the side surface is closer to the front of the cooking chamber than a second edge of the guide plate closest to the fan cover, and wherein the first and second edges run from a top to a bottom of the guide plate.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 9 , wherein the at least one guide vane includes a curved surface fillet connecting a first surface of the coupling plate with a first surface of the guide plate such that air flows from the accommodation space over the first surface of the coupling plate, the curved surface fillet, and the first surface of the guide plate towards the front of the cooking chamber.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 10 , wherein the at least one exhaust port includes a first exhaust port on the second surface facing a first side of the cooking chamber and a second exhaust port on a third surface opposite the second surface and facing a second side of the cooking chamber, and wherein the second surface and the third surface are perpendicular to the first surface.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 11 , wherein the at least one guide vane includes a first guide vane adjacent to the first exhaust port and a second guide vane adjacent to the second exhaust port.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 9 , wherein the heating element is a gas burner formed to partially surround the convection fan.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 9 , further including a reflector plate within the accommodation space and attached to the back surface of the cooking chamber.

15. A cooking appliance comprising:
a main body having a cooking chamber and including a back surface defining a rear boundary surface of the cooking chamber and a side surface defining a lateral boundary surface of the cooking chamber;
a fan cover provided at the back surface and forming an accommodation space inside of the cooking chamber, including a suction port at a front of the fan cover, and at least one exhaust port at at least one side of the fan cover;
a heating element installed in the accommodation space to generate heat;
a convection fan that generates a flow of air such that air in the cooking chamber

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Seok Jun Ho
• Kim Youngsoo
• Lee Jong Ho

Classifications

• F24C15/322 Primary

  with forced circulation · CPC title

• F24C15/2007

  from oven cavities · CPC title

• F24C3/004

  of the closed type · CPC title

• F24C3/087

  in baking ovens · CPC title