Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Yuzi Ando

Shinya Ueda

Kazuyuki Matsubayashi

Tatsuya Tsuda

Yuko Nakajima

Rika Nozawa

Noriko Ohashi

Mari Terada

Koichi Tateda

Masanobu Fujii

Masato Nakatani

Yuichi Mori

Hirokazu Tahara

A steam cooking apparatus having a steam generating device that generates steam to be fed to a heating chamber and a vapor heating heater that heats the steam generated by the steam generating device to provide superheated steam. The steam cooking apparatus includes a first heating mode using the superheated steam obtained from the vapor heating heater and a second heating mode using hot air or radiation heat obtained by using the vapor heating heater without use of the steam generating device so that the second heating mode produces heat without a supply of steam.

Steam cooking apparatus

In a steam cooker, a tray-shaped case () of a steam temperature-raising device () has a recessed part () into which steam from a steam generator flows through steam supply ports (A-C) provided in a first sidewall (). First and second steam superheaters () are placed in the recessed part () of the tray-shaped case () so as to be axisymmetrical with respect to a center line (L). A plurality of steam outlets (A-A,B-B) for supplying steam into a heating chamber sideways are provided in second and third sidewalls (A,B) adjoining the sidewall () having the steam supply ports (A-C) of the recessed part (), and on the opposite side of the steam supply ports (A-C). The tray-shaped case () is placed on a ceiling panel of the heating chamber and at steam outlets with an opening of the recessed part () directed downward.

Steam cooker

Midway along an outer circulation passage provided outside a heating chamber, a steam generating device is arranged, and, through the outer circulation passage, steam is fed to the heating chamber. A control device controls a steam generating heater arranged inside the steam generating device and a vapor heating heater provided in a space through which an air stream flowing through the outer circulation passage is returned to the heating chamber, and forms a cooking sequence by using, singly or in combination, a first heating mode that uses superheated steam obtained as a result of the steam being heated with the vapor heating heater and a second heating mode that uses hot air or radiation heat obtained by making the vapor heating heater produce heat without supply of steam.

In a steam cooker, a tray-shaped case () of a steam temperature-raising device () has a recessed part () into which steam from a steam generator flows through steam supply ports (A,B,C) provided in a first sidewall (). The recessed part () has a planar shape roughly symmetrical with respect to a center line (L) of a steam flow entering through the steam supply ports (A,B, andC). First and second steam superheaters () are placed in the recessed part () of the tray-shaped case () so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center line (L). A spiral heat radiation fin () having a fin pitch of 10 mm or less is wound around the first steam superheater (). The tray-shaped case () is placed on a ceiling panel of a heating chamber and at steam outlets with an opening of the recessed part () directed downward.

A humidity detecting circuit for detecting the ambient humidity in a cooking chamber, which includes a constant current source, a first temperature-detecting resistor self-heated by the constant current source to detect the ambient humidity and having one terminal connected to an output terminal of the constant current source, and a second temperature-detecting resistor having one terminal connected to the one terminal of the first temperature-detecting resistor to detect the ambient temperature. An operational amplifier having an inverting input terminal, a noninverting input terminal and an output terminal is provided, the inverting input terminal being connected to the other terminal of the second temperature-detecting resistor so that the terminal voltage of the first temperature-detecting resistor may be inputted into the inverting input terminal through the second temperature-detecting resistor. A feedback resistor is associated with the operational amplifier and has one terminal connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier and an other terminal connected to the inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier.

Humidity detecting circuit

A heating apparatus contains a humidity sensor for detecting vapor amount generating from the heated object and a control unit for controlling the heating time on the basis of the signal output from the humidity sensor. The humidity sensor includes a first heat sensor for detecting the atmospheric temperature and a second heat sensor which is self-heated or heated by a heating source. The control unit includes a comparator for comparing the temperature change of the first heat sensor with that of the second heat sensor which change is caused by vapor generating from the heated object, and a control circuit for controlling the additional heating time on the basis of the time the signal output from the comparator took to reach the value preset for each kind of heated objects, when the preset value is reached.

Heating apparatus with humidity sensor

Disclosed is a slipping connector assembly built in a microwave oven. Connected to the output terminals of a temperature sensing probe that detects temperature of food being cooked on a turntable of a microwave oven. This slipping connector assembly is provided with mobile contacts that are connected to the output terminals of the probe and stationary contacts that come into contact with the mobile contacts, while the contact points between the mobile and stationary contacts are completely shielded by a shielding case. Since the contact points between the mobile and stationary contacts are completely shielded by the shielding case, the contact points are perfectly free from oil and impurities, thus resulting in improved performance reliability of the entire mechanism of the slipping connector assembly.

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Yamatokoriyama, Japan

Yuzi Ando