Electric cooker having a composite heat source

• US 7,390,994 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2006
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Baek, Seung Jo, Park, Byeong Wook, Oh, Doo Yong, Ryu, Seung hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung; Philip H
• Application Number:
  US11/456,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20070131675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 713 Days
• Field of Search: 219620-627, 219/601, 219/632, 219672-677, 219/443.1, 2194501-45213, 99D/IG.14, 994/51
• US Class Current: 219/601
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2206/022 Special supports for the induction coils
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/1263 using coil cooling arrangements

Abstract

An electric cooker having a composite heat source includes an external case having an air inlet and an air outlet, a cooking plate mounted on an upper surface of the external case to be a top plate thereof, a heat generating unit mounted between the external case and the cooking plate, the heat generating unit including a work coil and an electric heater and arranged coaxially with the air inlet with respect to a center of the air inlet, a cooling unit coaxially arranged with respect to the center of the air inlet between the air inlet and the heat generating unit, the cooling unit cooling the heat generating unit, an air duct provided below the heat generating unit, and a reflector forming an outer cover of the electric heater.

Claims

1. An electric cooker having a composite heat source comprising:

an external case having an air inlet and an air outlet;

a cooking plate mounted on an upper surface of the external case to be a top plate thereof;

a heat generating unit mounted between the external case and the cooking plate, the heat generating unit including a work coil and an electric heater and arranged coaxially with respect to a center of the air inlet;

a cooling unit arranged coaxially with respect to the center of the air inlet between the air inlet and the heat generating unit, the cooling unit cooling the heat generating unit;

an air duct provided below the heat generating unit; and

a reflector forming an outer cover of the electric heater,

wherein the reflector includes a plurality of openings in which terminals of the electric heater are accommodated and forms a second passage provided between the openings thereof, and

the reflector and the air duct are configured to guide air introduced through the air inlet to a first passage formed between the electric heater and the work coil and then to the second passage.

2. The cooker as defined in claim 1, wherein the air inlet is provided on a floor of the external case and the air outlet is provided on a lateral surface of the external case.

3. The cooker as defined in claim 1, wherein the work coil heats a cooking vessel mounted on the cooking plate.

4. The cooker as defined in claim 1,

wherein the work coil inductively heats the cooking vessel disposed on the cooking plate;

and the electric heater is arranged about the work coil.

5. The cooker as defined in claim 1,

wherein the heat generating unit further comprises an adiabatic plate disposed between the cooking plate and the work coil;

the work coil inductively heats the cooking vessel disposed on the cooking plate; and

the electric heater is arranged about the work coil.

6. The cooker as defined in claim 1, wherein the cooling unit comprises:

a blowing fan disposed on a floor surface of the external case and coaxially arranged with respect to the center of the air inlet between the air inlet and the heat generating unit; and

the air duct provides a third passage between the blowing fan and the heat generating unit.

7. The cooker as defined in claim 6, wherein the air duct is a cylindrically structured body to guide outside air introduced by the blowing fan to the heat generating unit.

8. The cooker as defined in claim 6, wherein an adiabatic duct is coaxially provided with respect to the center of the air duct.

9. The cooker as defined in claim 1,

wherein the heat generating unit is equipped in plural numbers of at least two sets, the cooling unit is equipped in plural sets to correspond to each heat generating unit, and each cooling unit is interconnected by connecting ducts.

10. An electric cooker having a composite heat source comprising:

an external case formed with an air inlet disposed on a floor surface and an air outlet formed at a lateral surface thereof;

a cooking plate disposed so as to form a top plate of the external case;

a blowing fan disposed on a floor surface of the external case and coaxially arranged with respect to a center of the air inlet upwards of the air inlet;

a plurality of heat generating units disposed between the external case and the cooking plate and coaxially arranged with respect to a center of the air inlet upwards of the blowing fan, each of the heat generating units including a work coil and an electric heater;

a plurality of cylindrical air ducts provided between the blowing fan and the heat generating unit to guide air sucked by the blowing fan to be blown to each heat generating unit; and

a plurality of reflectors, each reflector forming an outer cover of the electric heater,

wherein each reflector includes a plurality of openings in which terminals of the electric heater are accommodated and forms a second first passage provided between the openings thereof, and

the reflectors and the air duct are configured to guide air introduced through the air inlet to a first passage formed between the electric heater and the work coil and then to the second passage.

11. The cooker as defined in claim 10, wherein an adiabatic duct is coaxially provided with respect to the center of each air duct.

12. The cooker as defined in claim 10, wherein the heat generating unit is equipped in plural numbers of at least two sets, and the blowing fan and the air duct are equipped in plural sets to correspond to each heat generating unit, and each air duct is inter-connected by connecting ducts.