Material, cleaning device and cooking appliance

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11583145-B2
Application number	US-201716616931-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 21, 2017
Priority date	Jul 12, 2017
Publication date	Feb 21, 2023
Grant date	Feb 21, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a material cleaning device and a cooking appliance: The device includes a cleaning cavity, a material transport pipe, a cleaning inlet pipe and a cleaning and sealing assembly. The upper part of the cleaning cavity is provided with a material feeding port and an air inlet; the air inlet is used for transporting an air flow to the cleaning cavity to assist in material discharging; the cleaning inlet pipe is able to be connected to a water source and an air source, the cleaning and sealing assembly is provided at a material discharging port and is connected to the cleaning inlet pipe so as to open or close the material discharging port under the driving of the cleaning inlet pipe; and the cleaning and sealing assembly is provided with a transport hole in communication with an output end of the cleaning inlet pipe and the inner space of the cleaning cavity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A material cleaning device for a cooking appliance, comprising:
a cleaning cavity, wherein an upper part of the cleaning cavity is provided with a material feeding port and an air inlet, a bottom of the cleaning cavity is provided with a material discharging port, and the air inlet is used for transporting air flow to the cleaning cavity to assist material discharging;
a material transport pipe communicated with the material feeding port and used for transporting materials to be cleaned to the cleaning cavity;
a cleaning inlet pipe, wherein an input end of the cleaning inlet pipe is able to be connected to a water source and an air source, and an output end of the cleaning inlet pipe extends into the cleaning cavity and is able to move up and down relative to the cleaning cavity;
a cleaning assembly provided at the material discharging port and connected to the output end of the cleaning inlet pipe, and the cleaning assembly is provided with a transport hole communicated with the output end of the cleaning inlet pipe and an inner space of the cleaning cavity; and
a driving device comprising a driving member and a transmission assembly connected to the driving member, and the transmission assembly is connected to the cleaning inlet pipe to drive the cleaning inlet pipe to move up and down, and the cleaning inlet pipe drives the cleaning assembly to move up and down;
wherein the cleaning assembly is configured to open or close the material discharging port under movement of the cleaning inlet pipe.

2. The material cleaning device of claim 1 , wherein the cleaning assembly comprises:
a housing matched with a shape of the material discharging port, and the housing is provided with the transport hole; and
a joint installed at a top of the housing and connected to the output end of the cleaning inlet pipe and communicated with the cleaning inlet pipe and the inner space of the housing.

3. The material cleaning device of claim 2 , wherein the cleaning and sealing assembly further comprises:
a spray head installed at a bottom of the housing and provided opposite to the joint, wherein a water spraying port of the spray head is communicated with a cooking chamber of the cooking appliance, and the spray head is configured to move relative to the joint;
wherein when the cleaning inlet pipe moves up and down, the housing is configured to move up and down, and at the same time the joint and the spray head are driven to move relatively, wherein when the housing closes the material discharging port, the spray head is isolated from the joint, and when the housing opens the material discharging port, the spray head is communicated with the joint.

4. The material cleaning device of claim 3 , wherein the cleaning assembly further comprises:
a spring positioned in the housing and configured to enable the joint to be communicated with the spray head when the housing opens the material discharging port.

5. The material cleaning device of claim 4 , wherein
the joint being movably installed on the housing, a limiting boss being provided at a lower end of the joint, the spray head being fixedly installed on the housing, the spring being sleeved on the joint, and an upper end and a lower end of the spring respectively abutting against the housing and the limiting boss and being in a compression state;
wherein, when the cleaning inlet pipe moves upwards, the housing closes the material discharging port; and when the cleaning inlet pipe moves downwards, the housing opens the material discharging port.

6. The material cleaning device of claim 5 , wherein the housing comprises:
a top cover, wherein the joint is provided on the top cover on which the transport hole is provided;
a bottom cover connected to a lower end of the top cover, wherein the spray head is installed on the bottom cover and penetrates through the bottom cover;
a shape of the top cover and/or the bottom cover corresponds with a shape of the material discharging port.

7. The material cleaning device of claim 6 , wherein the top cover
is provided with the joint, a lower end surface of the top cover is provided with a first annular plate sleeved outside the joint and has a gap with the joint and is connected to the bottom cover, and the first annular plate is provided with a communication hole; and
wherein the top cover comprises a sealing cover sleeved outside of the first annular plate and positioned between the lower end surface of the top cover and an upper end surface of the bottom cover and matched with a shape of the material discharging port, wherein the sealing cover is an elastomer, the sealing cover is provided with the transport hole, and the transport hole is communicated with the communication hole.

8. The material cleaning device of claim 7 , wherein
the upper end surface of the bottom cover being provided with a second annular plate, the second annular plate being connected to the first annular plate, and the bottom cover being connected to the top cover; wherein a third annular plate is provided in the sealing cover, the third annular plate is sleeved outside the second annular plate and is attached to an outer surface of the second annular plate, and the transport hole is positioned above the third annular plate.

9. The material cleaning device of claim 8 , wherein
a limiting surface being further provided in the sealing cover, and an upper end surface of the second annular plate abutting against the limiting surface.

10. The material cleaning device according to claim 6 , further comprising:
a sealing member installed on the bottom cover and sleeved at an inlet of the spray head.

11. The material cleaning device of claim 2 , further comprising:
a plurality of transport holes, and the plurality of transport holes being uniformly distributed along a circumferential direction of the housing; and
the plurality of transport holes are formed in an upper part of the housing, and a cross sectional area of the upper part of the housing becomes larger from top to bottom; and
the upper part of the housing is a rotating body, and the cross sectional area of the rotating body changes from top to bottom, the plurality of transport holes are formed in the rotating body, the plurality of transport holes are in a strip shape integrally and rotating along a wall surface of the rotating body and extend obliquely.

12. The material cleaning device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a limiting member matched with the transmission assembly and used for limiting movement amplitude of the transmission assembly.

13. The material cleaning device of claim 12 , wherein the transmission assembly comprises:
a gear connected to an output shaft of the driving member; and
a rack slider meshed with the gear and connected to the cleaning inlet pipe and extending in a vertical direction to drive the cleaning inlet pipe to move up and down;
wherein the limiting member is positioned above the rack slider so as to limit amplitude of upward movement of the rack slider.

Assignees

• Foshan Shunde Midea Electrical Heating Appliances Mfg Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhou Zhongbao
• Pan Dianguo
• Yang Baomin
• Liu Xiaoli
• Zhou Ya
• Ho Pofeng

Classifications

• A47J43/24 Primary

  Devices for washing vegetables or the like · CPC title

• B02B1/06

  Devices with rotary parts · CPC title

• A47J27/0802 Primary

  Control mechanisms for pressure-cookers · CPC title