US 12,004,687 B2
Air fryer and cooking control method therefor
Xianglu Dai, Shenzhen (CN); Aimin He, Shenzhen (CN); Lihu Wei, Shenzhen (CN); Xuan Wang, Shenzhen (CN); and Lu Chen, Shenzhen (CN)
Assigned to Shenzhen Hesung Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed by Shenzhen Hesung Innovation Technology Co., Ltd., Shenzhen (CN)
Filed on Nov. 26, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/519,020.
Application 18/519,020 is a continuation in part of application No. 17/868,754, filed on Jul. 19, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0090701 A1, Mar. 21, 2024
Int. Cl. A47J 37/06 (2006.01); A23L 5/10 (2016.01); A47J 36/32 (2006.01); F24C 15/32 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 37/0641 (2013.01) [A23L 5/17 (2016.08); A47J 36/32 (2013.01); A47J 37/0664 (2013.01); F24C 15/327 (2013.01); A47J 2202/00 (2013.01)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An air fryer, comprising:
a body having a cooking chamber therein for accommodating at least a cooking object on a cooking surface of the cooking chamber;
a temperature sensing unit which comprises an ambient temperature sensing module for detecting an ambient temperature of the cooking chamber and an object temperature sensing unit for detecting an inner temperature of the cooking object;
a heating unit configured to generate heat for heating the cooking object in the cooking chamber;
an air flow unit configured to drive an air flow in the cooking chamber;
a water mist generating device, which is arranged above the cooking chamber, comprising a water container arranged in the body for containing a predetermined amount of a water, and at least one mist nozzle communicating with the water container for converting the water from the water container to a water mist and being inclinedly positioned at a ceiling portion of the cooking chamber with an installation angle in such a manner that the water mist is sprayed at a predetermined speed and a spraying angle to ensure the water mist to be sprayed on one or more surfaces of the cooking object disposed in the cooking chamber, wherein the water mist is ejected from the mist nozzle in conical shape, such that when the spraying angle of the mist nozzle is B, the installation angle of the mist nozzle is a with respect to a horizontal line and a distance between the cooking surface and the mist nozzle is D, by adjusting a relationship between the spraying angle β, the installation angle α and the distance D, an area on a plane of the water mist is able to be ensured to be evenly sprayed to the cooking surface to be more than 80%; and
a control unit communicating and controlling the temperature sensing unit, the heating unit, the air flow unit, and the water mist generating device, wherein the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the cooking chamber according to the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber and the inner temperature of the cooking object, controls the air flow unit to drive the air flow in the cooking chamber, and controls the water mist generating device to spray the water mist on the one or more surfaces of the cooking object, wherein the control unit further comprises a mist spraying time controller that is configured to control a spraying of a predetermined amount of water for a predetermined period of time for each spraying, so as to control an amount of water mist sprayed to moisturize the one or more surfaces of the cooking object, wherein the control unit controls the air flow unit to drive the air flow in a low speed in the cooking chamber during an initial heating state, a constant temperature heating state and a to-be-cooked heating state, so as to ensure that a water content and moisture of the cooking object would not be excessively lost while enhancing the ambient temperature rising efficiency of the cooking chamber and a heat uniformity in the cooking chamber with respect to the cooking object being cooked therein, wherein the control unit controls the air flow unit to drive the air flow at a high speed in the cooking chamber during a coloring heating state, so as to promptly increase the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber to rapidly increase a surface temperature of the cooking object to rapidly heat the one or more surfaces of the cooking object for facilitating Maillard browning and coloring the one or more surfaces of the cooking object by promptly reducing only a surface moisture of the cooking object by a high speed air circulation of air in the cooking chamber for cooking and coloring while reducing a moisture loss of an inner portion of the cooking object, wherein the control unit is configured to control the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber such that, when the ambient temperature of the cooking chamber is defined as temperature T1 at a predetermined distance above a center of the cooking surface, a temperature detected by the object temperature sensing unit is T2, the temperature T2 of different temperature segments is converted to the temperature T1 by a mapping relationship, T1=f(T2).