Abstrict
A microwave oven includes a cooking chamber, a magnetron for directing
microwaves into the chamber, and an electric heater disposed within
the cooking chamber. The heater is mounted for rotation about a
horizontal axis so as to be moved between horizontal and vertical
orientations. A fan disposed outside the cooking chamber blows air
through apertures formed in a wall of the cooking chamber to cause
heat within the cooking chamber to be circulated. The heater is
of inverted U-shape when vertically oriented and is rotated by an
electric motor between the vertical and horizontal positions.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A microwave oven having a body constituting an enclosure and
a cooking chamber formed by a cavity within the body, the apparatus
comprising:
a heater assembly including a support mounted in the body for rotation
relative thereto and a heating element fixed to the support and
situated in the cooking chamber for movement between different positions
therein in response to rotation of the support;
power generating means fixed to the body adjacent one side of the
cavity to generate an operating power for rotation of the heater;
and
power transmission means for transferring the power generated by
the power generating means to the heating element, the power transmission
means comprising a gear rotated by the power generating means, and
a transmission member having a first end rotatably mounted to the
gear by a projection extending between the first end and the gear,
the transmission member including a second end pivotally connected
to the support.
2. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1 wherein the power transmission
means includes position sensing means in order to discriminate a
position of the heating element and to turn off the power generating
means.
3. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1 including convection
means to forcibly circulate the heat generated by the heating element
within the cooking chamber.
4. A microwave oven as defined in claim 3, wherein the convection
means comprises:
a motor fixed to the body adjacent to the cavity; and
a fan rotated by the motor.
5. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1 wherein the gear constitutes
a driven gear, the power transmission means further comprising a
drive gear directly driven by the power generating means and meshing
with the driven gear.
6. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1, wherein the heater support
comprises:
a flange member formed with holes through which two ends of the
heating element pass;
a bracket member fixed to the flange member by a fastener for common
rotation therewith;
the second end of the transmission member being pivotally connected
to the bracket member by a protrusion extending between the bracket
and the transmission member; and
a spacer for maintaining a gap between the bracket member and the
flange member to facilitate rotation thereof.
7. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1, wherein the gear includes
a lateral surface, the protrusion comprising a pin fixed to the
lateral surface.
8. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmission
member is a rod.
9. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1, wherein the heating
element includes a pair of legs interconnected by a connecting portion,
the heating element having an inverted U-shape when in a vertical
position, to enable food to be placed between the legs.
10. A microwave oven as defined in claim 1, wherein the transmission
member moves generally translationally when the gear is rotated.
11. A microwave oven comprising:
a body forming a cooking chamber;
a magnetron for generating microwaves to cook food within the chamber;
an electric heating element disposed in the cooking chamber for
rotation about a generally horizontal axis, enabling the orientation
of the heating element to be changed between a horizontal orientation
and a vertical orientation, the heating element including a pair
of legs interconnected by a connecting portion, the connecting portion
being rotatably mounted to the body in an upper portion of the cooking
chamber and defining the generally horizontal axis, the heating
element forming an inverted U-shape when in the vertical orientation
to enable food to be placed between the legs; and
an electric motor operably connected to the connecting portion
for rotating the heating element about the axis.
12. A microwave oven according to claim 11, further including a
support for the heating element, the support being mounted in a
vertical wall of the body for rotation about the axis, the heating
element including first and second ends, both of the ends being
mounted in the support alongside one another.
Description BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microwave oven employing a magnetron
and a heater for performing an oven (microwave) cooking function,
a grill cooking function, a convection cooking function and a combination
cooking function, and more particularly to a heater position control
apparatus of a microwave oven by which a heater position can be
changed to a place where a user requires when food is cooked or
a cooking chamber is cleaned, to thereby cause the food to be easily
cooked, and at the same time, to cause the cooking chamber to be
easily cleaned, while construction thereof is simple to thereby
reduce the manufacturing cost and to improve productivity as well.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, a microwave oven equipped with a magnetron and a heater
for performing an oven cooking function, a grill cooking function,
convection cooking function and a combination cooking function has
been disclosed in various forms.
As a prior art for a conventional microwave oven, Japanese patent
publication No. Sho 62-60617 applied for in Dec. 17, 1982 by Matsushita
Electric Company and published in Japan on Dec. 17, 1987 is disclosed.
The Japanese patent publication No. Sho 62-60617, as illustrated
in FIG. 1, includes a heating chamber A, a high frequency oscillator
4, a sensor 5 for detecting humidity of food heated by the high
frequency oscillator 4 or for detecting concentrated degree of gas,
and a heater 6 for heating the food, whereby the sensor 5 is disposed
near the heater 6 in order to directly receive radiant heat of the
heater 6.
However, there is a problem in that the conventional microwave
oven cannot easily grill-cook the food because the heater 6 is fixedly
disposed within the heating chamber A, and a ceiling of the heating
chamber A cannot be simply cleaned since the heater 6 is in the
way.
Furthermore, there is another problem in that, when the food is
heated by the heater 6 for grill-cooking the food, the heat generated
from the heater 6 is not convected but is only radiated downwards,
thereby preventing the food from being easily cooked.
In order to solve the above-referenced problems, a microwave oven
according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,914 has been disclosed. However,
there is still another problem in the said microwave oven according
to the U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,914 in that a construction for controlling
the position of the heater is complicated to thereby increase a
manufacturing cost thereof and decrease productivity thereof.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is therefore disclosed to solve the aforesaid
problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide
a heater position control apparatus of a microwave oven by which
position of a heater can be automatically moved to a place where
a user requires, to thereby cause the food to be easily cooked and
to cause a cooking chamber to be easily cleaned.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a heater
position control apparatus of a microwave oven by which a construction
for controlling the position of the heater can be compactly made,
to thereby improve a productivity and to reduce a manufacturing
cost thereof.
In order to accomplish the objects of the present invention, there
is provided a heater position control apparatus of a microwave oven
employing a body constituting an enclosure thereof and a cooking
chamber formed by a cavity within the body, the apparatus comprising:
a heater disposed at the cooking chamber to thereby be rotated
therein;
power generating means for being fixed to one side of the cavity
in order to generate an operating power for rotation of the heater;
power transmission means for transferring the power generated from
the power generating means; and
heater supporting means for being rotated by the power transmitted
from the power transmission means to thereby support the heat.
According to the present invention of the heater position control
apparatus of a microwave oven, the user can easily change a position
of the heater to a place where it is required and at the same time,
the food can be easily cooked because the heat generated from the
heater is forcibly circulated within the cooking chamber, and the
cooking chamber can be easily cleaned.
Furthermore, construction thereof is compactly made up so that
a manufacturing cost can be reduced and productivity can be increased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the invention,
reference should be made to the following detailed description taken
in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating a microwave
oven according to the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating an inner
construction of a microwave oven in a state where a heater according
to the present invention is disposed adjacent the rear of a cooking
chamber;
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view for illustrating the inner
construction of the microwave oven in a state where the heater accoridng
to the present invention is disposed at a ceiling of the cooking
chamber;
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view for illustrating exploded
principal parts according to the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a side view for schematically illustrating a portion
of the microwave oven as viewed in the direction of arrows 5--5
in FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
In FIG. 2, 3, 4 and 5, reference numeral 10 denotes a body of a
microwave oven wherein a cavity 12 constituting a cooking chamber
11 is inherently disposed so as to perform an oven cooking, grill
cooking, convection cooking or a combination cooking.
The body 1 possesses a magnetron 13 for generating microwaves to
thereby cause the food to be oven-cooked and a heater 20 for generating
the heat to thereby cause the food to be grill-cooked.
The cavity 12 for constituting the cooking chamber 11 of the body
10 is provided at one side thereof with power generating means 60
for generating the power so that the heater 20 can be moved by a
control signal of control means (not shown), power transmission
means 40 for transferring the power generated from the power generating
means 60, heater supporting means 30 for being rotated about a horizontal
axis by the power transferred by the power transmission means 40
to thereby support the heater 20, and position sensing means 70
for being fixed to one side of the power transmission means 40 so
that a new position of the heater 20 supported by the heater supporting
means 30 can be discriminated to thereby deactivate the power generating
means 60.
In other words, the cavity 12 is provided at one side thereof with
a support member 50 as a support for the power generating means
60 for generating the power by the control signal of the control
means (not shown) in order to move the heater 20.
Furthermore, the support member 50 supports the power transmission
means 40 for transferring the power generated from the power generating
means 60 so that the heater 20 can be moved.
In other words, the power transmission means 40 includes a first
gear member 41 for being inserted onto a shaft 61 of the power generating
means 60 to thereby be rotated by the power of the power generating
means 60, a second gear member 42 carrying a protrusion 421 and
meshing with the first gear member 41 for being rotated in cooperation
with the first gear member 42, and a transmission member 44 for
being fixed at one end thereof to the protrusion 421 of the second
gear member 42 and for being mounted at the other end thereof to
the heater supporting means 30, to thereby transfer rotation of
the second gear member 42 to the heater supporting means 30, whereby
the power generated from the power generating means 60 can be transferred
to the heater supporting means 30 to thereby move the position of
the heater 20.
The second gear member 42 is rotatably mounted on a support shaft
43 fixed on the support member 50 to thereby be rotated in cooperation
with the first gear member 41.
The heater 20 comprises a heater element having a pair of legs
20A, 20B interconnected by a connector portion 20C. The connector
portion defines the rotational axis A which is located in an upper
portion of the cooking chamber. When the heater element is in a
vertical orientation, it forms an inverted U-shape, whereby food
can be placed between the legs 20A, 20B, as shown in FIG. 2.
Furthermore, the heater supporting means 30 includes a disk 31
having holes 311 through which respective ends of the heater 20
pass, holes 312, and a bracket member 33 for being fixed to the
disk 31 by fasteners 34 such as bolts or the like so that the flange
member 31 can be rotated, and for being protruded by a protruder
331 so that one end of the transmission member 44. A spacer member
32 is provided for maintaining a gap between the bracket member
33 and the disk 31 so that both members 31 and 33 can be easily
rotated.
The bracket member 33 is formed with an opening 332 of approximate
oval shape so as to permit one end of the heater 20 to pass therethrough
and a top hole 333 so as to be fixed to the flange member 31 by
the bolts 34.
In other words, when the power transferred by the transmission
member 44 of the power transmission means 40 is transferred to the
bracket member 33, the bracket member 33 is rotated, and because
the disk 31 is rotated in cooperation with the rotation of the bracket
member 33, the heater 20 supported on the disk 31 is in turn rotated.
Meanwhile, the position sensing means 70 serves to detect the position
of the heater 20 to thereby turn off the power generating means
60.
In other words, because the position sensing means 70 is fixed
to one side of the second gear member 42 of the power transmission
means 40 to thereby detect the rotation of the second gear member
42 and serves to detect the position of the heater 20 by way of
detection of rotation of the second gear member 42, the position
of the heater 20 is discriminated to thereby transmit a control
signal of control means (not shown) to deactivate the power generating
means 60 when the heater is in a desired position.
Furthermore, the cavity in which the power generating means 60
and the like are fixed is formed at the other end thereof with convection
means 80 for forcibly circulating the heat generated from the heater
20 within the cooking chamber 11 so that the food can be easily
and convectionally cooked.
In other words, the convection means 80 includes a motor 82 for
being fixed to the cavity 12 to receive power from an elelctric
power supply means (not shown), thereby generating the power, and
a fan 81 for being rotated by the power generated by the motor 82,
thereby wind power is provided into the cooking chamber 11 to thereby
circulate the heat generated from the heater 20 forcibly.
Furthermore, the cavity 12 where the fan 81 is disposed is perforated
by a plurality of air holes 83.
An operational effect of the heater position control apparatus
of the microwave oven thus constructed according to the present
invention will now be described.
First of all, when the user wants to dispose the heater 20 on a
ceiling portion of the cooking chamber 11 in order to grill-cook
the food, he or she controls control means (not shown) to thereby
position the heater 20 adjacent the ceiling portion of the cooking
chamber as illustrated in FIG. 3.
When the user wants to dispose the heater 20 at a rear portion
of the cooking chamber 11 in order to clean the ceiling portion
of the cooking chamber 11 or to barbecue the food, he or she controls
the control means (not shown) to thereby position the heater 20
adjacent the rear portion of the cooking chamber 11 as illustrated
in FIG. 2.
In other words, when the control means (not shown) is controlled,
power is generated from the power generating means 40, and by way
of the power of the power generating means 40, the first gear member
41 provided at the shaft 61 of the power generating means, 60 is
rotated.
Furthermore, in cooperation with the rotation of the first gear
member 41, the second gear member 42 meshed into the first gear
member 41 is rotated, and the rotation of the second gear member
42 is transferred to the bracket member 33 by the transmission member
44.
As the bracket member 33 is rotated by the transmitted power of
the transmission member 44, the disk 31 fixed to the bracket member
33 is caused to be rotated.
The heater 20 supported on the disk 31 is rotated to thereby position
the heater 20 at the rear portion of the cooking chamber 11.
At this time, when the heater 20 is positioned at the rear portion
of the cooking chamber 11, the position sensing means 70 serves
to transmit a control signal to control means (not shown), turn
off the power generating means 60.
In other words, when the user wants to shift the position of the
heater 20, the control means is controlled to thereby cause the
power generating means 60 to generate the power, and the power generated
by the power generating means 60 is transferred to the heater supporting
means 30 by the power transmission means 40, thereby shifting the
position of the heater 20 supported to the heater supporting means
30.
Furthermore, when the heater 20 is shifted to a predetermined position
controlled by the user, the position sensing means 70 detects this,
thereby transmitting a control signal to the control means, so that
power supply from the power generating means 60 is cut off and the
heater 20 can be shifted to a position the user requires.
Meanwhile, when the heat is radiated from the heater 20, power
is supplied to the motor 82 of the convection means 80 by a control
signal of the control means (not shown) to thereby cause the motor
82 to generate the power, and the fan 81 is rotated by the power
of the motor 82.
The wind power generated by the rotation of the fan 81 is supplied
into the cooking chamber 11 through the plurality of air holes 83,
and the heat generated by the heater 20 is forcibly circulated by
the wind power supplied to the cooking chamber 11 to thereby cause
the food to be convection-cooked.
As is apparent from the foregoing, according to the present invention
of the heater position control apparatus of a microwave oven, the
heater can be easily shifted to a user-wanted position to thereby
enable effective cooking of the food, and at the same time, to enable
a easy performance of cooking chamber cleaning for betterment of
microwave oven quality.
According to the present invention of the heater position control
apparatus of a microwave oven, the heat generated by the heater
can be forcibly circulated in the cooking chamber by the convection
means, thereby enabling the food to be convectionally cooked.
According to the present invention of the heater position control
apparatus of a microwave oven, a construction for shifting the position
of the heater is simple to thereby reduce a manufacturing cost and
to increase the productivity thereof.
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