U.S. patent application number 10/060130 was filed with the patent office on 2002-08-08 for fryer.
This patent application is currently assigned to PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITED. Invention is credited to Suzuki, Akira.
Application Number | 20020104445 10/060130 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 18891643 |
Filed Date | 2002-08-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020104445 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Suzuki, Akira |
August 8, 2002 |
FRYER
Abstract
It is an object of the invention to achieve an improvement in
the operating reliability of a cooking controller and to extend its
lifetime. A cooking controller 18 is provided within a casing 21,
and an insulating material 22 for blocking out the heat emitted
from an oil vat 3 is provided on the wall of the casing 21 on the
side of the oil vat 3. A top opening 23 and a bottom opening 24 are
provided in the top wall and bottom wall of the casing 21, and a
cooling fan 25 is provided at an intermediate position within an
air circulation route 29 from the bottom opening 24 to the top
opening 23. The cooling fan 25 is operated and the generated flow
of the air passing between the openings cools and insulates the
heat emitted from the oil vat 3 towards the cooking controller 18.
Thus, temperature increases within the cooking controller 18 can be
inhibited, and operational reliability and the lifespan of the
cooking controller 18 can be increased.
Inventors: |
Suzuki, Akira; (Nagoya-shi,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
PEARSON & PEARSON, LLP
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
GATEWAY CENTER
10 GEORGE STREET
LOWELL
MA
01852
US
|
Assignee: |
PALOMA INDUSTRIES, LIMITED
|
Family ID: |
18891643 |
Appl. No.: |
10/060130 |
Filed: |
January 30, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
99/330 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A23L 5/11 20160801; A47J
37/12 20130101; A47J 36/36 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
99/330 |
International
Class: |
A23L 001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 2, 2001 |
JP |
2001-26902 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A multi-vat fryer in which at least three fryer units are
provided in a row, and each fryer unit comprises an oil vat for
containing cooking oil, a heating control means for controlling the
heating of the cooking oil, and a cooking controller for carrying
out settings such as temperature settings and a cooking program and
sending a control signal to the heating control means, wherein the
cooking controller of each fryer unit comprises a connection
detecting means for detecting whether a cooling fan for preventing
an electronic circuit board from overheating is connected, and a
driving means for driving the cooling fan; and the cooling fan is
provided only for the cooking controller of a specific fryer unit
of the plurality of fryer units.
2. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein three fryer units are
provided in a row, and the cooling fan is provided only for the
cooking controller of the middle fryer unit.
3. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a control display portion for controlling and
displaying temperature settings and the cooking program, and the
control display portion displays whether the cooling fan detected
by the connection detecting means is connected.
4. The fryer according to claim 2, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a control display portion for controlling and
displaying temperature settings and the cooking program, and the
control display portion displays whether the cooling fan detected
by the connection detecting means is connected.
5. The fryer according to claim 1, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a temperature sensor, and the cooling fan is
driven only when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor
is a certain temperature or higher.
6. The fryer according to claim 2, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a temperature sensor, and the cooling fan is
driven only when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor
is a certain temperature or higher.
7. The fryer according to claim 3, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a temperature sensor, and the cooling fan is
driven only when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor
is a certain temperature or higher.
8. The fryer according to claim 4, wherein the cooking controller
is provided with a temperature sensor, and the cooling fan is
driven only when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor
is a certain temperature or higher.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an industrial fryer for
cooking foods, which is provided with a plurality of oil vats.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] Conventionally, fryers provided with a plurality of oil vats
are known as industrial fryers. An example of a three-vat type
fryer provided with three oil vats is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In
this fryer 1, three fryer units 1a, 1b, and 1c are provided
together in a row within a main casing. The fryer units 1a, 1b, and
1c are each provided with, for example, an oil vat 3 for containing
cooking oil (hereinafter, simply "oil"), two pulse burners 4 for
heating the oil within the oil vat 3, a cooking controller 18, and
a heating controller 19, and basically share the same
configuration.
[0005] The control portion of the fryer 1 is made up of the cooking
controller 18, which is for setting the cooking time and the
temperature in accordance with the cooking program via a control
panel, and the heating controller 19, which is for controlling the
operation of the pulse burners 4 so that the temperature of the oil
is maintained at the temperature designated by the cooking
controller 18. The cooking controller 18 is provided at the top of
the front side of the apparatus for easy control by the operator,
and is positioned adjacent to the oil vat 3 due to the structure of
the fryer 1. Therefore the cooking controller 18 is heated by the
heat emitted from the oil vat 3. Accordingly, to prevent poor
performance and a reduced lifetime due to overheating of the
cooking controller 18, an insulting material was conventionally
provided between the oil vat 3 and the cooking controller 18.
Alternatively, the cooking controller 18 was cooled and insulated
by the flow of air resulting from the force of the natural draft
which was generated within the casing housing the cooking
controller 18.
[0006] In the three-vat type fryer depicted in FIGS. 6 and 7, the
cooking controller 18 of the fryer unit 1b in the middle receives
both the heat emitted from the left and right side oil vats 3, but
as for the fryer units 1a and 1c, it is not such a problem. Thus,
there was the risk that overheating could not be sufficiently
prevented with this conventional configuration.
[0007] It is an object of the fryer of the present invention to
solve this problem, and to achieve increased operational
reliability of the cooking controller and to extend its
lifetime.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A fryer according to claim 1 of the present invention for
solving the above problem, is a multi-vat fryer in which at least
three fryer units are provided in a row, each fryer unit being
provided with an oil vat for containing cooking oil, a heating
control means for controlling the heating of the cooking oil, and a
cooking controller for carrying out settings such as temperature
settings and a cooking program while sending a control signal to
the heating control means,
[0009] wherein the cooking controller of each fryer unit includes a
connection detecting means for detecting whether a cooling fan for
preventing an electronic circuit board in the cooking controller
from overheating is connected, and a driving means for driving the
cooling fan;
[0010] and the cooling fan is provided only in the cooking
controller of a specific fryer unit of the plurality of fryer
units.
[0011] A feature of a fryer according to claim 2 of the present
invention is that in the fryer of claim 1, three fryer units are
provided in a row, and the cooling fan is provided only for the
cooking controller of the middle fryer unit.
[0012] A feature of a fryer according to claim 3 and 4 of the
present invention is that in the fryer of claim 1 or 2, the cooking
controller is provided with a control display portion for
controlling and displaying temperature settings and the cooking
program, for example, and
[0013] the control display portion displays whether the cooling fan
detected by the connection detecting means is connected.
[0014] A feature of a fryer according to claims 5, 6, 7 and 8 of
the present invention is that in a fryer according to any of claims
1 to 4, the cooking controller is provided with a temperature
sensor, and
[0015] the cooling fan is driven only when the temperature detected
by the temperature sensor is at or above a certain temperature.
[0016] With the fryer according to claim 1 of the present invention
having the above configuration, the heating control means heats
cooking oil in the oil vat based on the cooking program and/or
temperature setting set by the cooking controller. If a cooling fan
is connected, the cooking controller detects the connection with
the connection detecting means and drives it with the driving
means. Thus, simply by connecting a cooling fan to a specific
cooking controller to be prevented from overheating, the cooling
fan is appropriately driven and cools and insulates against the
heat emitted from the oil vats. Moreover, to switch between driving
and not-driving the fan, it is unnecessary to perform troublesome
settings and maintenance such as setting the status of the fan
connection at each cooking controller or dividing the
specifications for the cooking controllers to which the cooling fan
is connected into "fan-connected type" and "no-fan-connected type"
when manufacturing.
[0017] With the fryer according to claim 2 of the present
invention, three fryer units are provided in a row, and the cooking
controller of the middle fryer unit is heated by the heat emitted
from the oil vats of the left and right fryer units, but it is
cooled and insulated by the cooling fan, and thus does not become
particularly hot.
[0018] With the fryer according to claims 3 and 4 of the present
invention, the connection detecting means recognizes whether the
cooling fan is connected, and this is displayed on the control
display portion provided for the cooking controller.
[0019] With the fryer according to claims 5, 6, 7 and 8 of the
present invention, the cooling fan is controlled according to the
temperature of the cooking controller, which is detected by the
temperature sensor. This means that the cooling fan can be
controlled so that it only operates when said detected temperature
is above a specific value, although the temperature of the cooking
controller may change due to the environment surrounding the fryer
or how the fryer is used.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view seen from the side of the
casing housing the cooking controller for an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view of the
middle fryer unit of a three-vat type fryer for the present
embodiment.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the casing housing the
cooking controller for the present embodiment seen from above.
[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the method of connection
between the cooking controller and the cooling fan via connectors
according to the present embodiment.
[0024] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the display that is shown
on the display portion of the cooking controller when the cooking
controller of the present embodiment is activated.
[0025] FIG. 6 is a front view of a three-vat type fryer for the
conventional example and the present embodiment.
[0026] FIG. 7 is a top view of a three-vat type fryer for the
conventional example and the present embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] A preferred embodiment of the fryer of the present invention
is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, further
clarifying the configuration and operation of the present invention
as described above.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a front view of a three-vat type fryer, and FIG. 7
is a top view of the three-vat type fryer. The front and top views
of the fryer of the present embodiment are identical to those of
the conventional fryer.
[0029] A fryer 1, which is a three-vat type fryer including three
vats, is provided with three fryer units 1a, 1b, and 1c arranged
together in a row within a main casing. The fryer units 1a, 1b, and
1c are each provided with, for example, an oil vat 3 for containing
oil, two pulse burners 4 for heating the oil within the oil vat 3,
a cooking controller 18, and a heating controller 19, and basically
share the same configuration. The following description is of the
fryer unit 1b in the middle, and because the other fryer units 1a
and 1c have a common configuration with the fryer unit 1b, their
explanation will be omitted.
[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates the internal structure of the middle
fryer unit 1b, and is a schematic lateral cross-sectional view cut
along the segmented line A-A in FIGS. 6 and 7.
[0031] The oil vat 3, the pulse burners 4 and an oil cleaner 5 for
filtering the oil in the oil vat 3 are provided inside a main
casing 2 of the fryer unit 1b. The oil vat 3 is filled with oil for
deep frying foods, and the pulse burners 4 serve as the heating
means for heating the oil. An oil temperature sensor 6 for
detecting the temperature of the oil is provided within the oil vat
3.
[0032] The pulse burners 4 have a combustion chamber 7 formed
within the oil vat 3 and a mixing chamber 41 that is in
communication with the combustion chamber 7 outside the oil vat 3.
An air chamber 8 is provided around the mixing chamber 41. A gas
pipe 12 for supplying the fuel gas is connected to the mixing
chamber 41 and provided with, from the upstream side, an intake
electromagnetic valve 9, a main electromagnetic valve 10, and a gas
governor 11. Combustion air can be supplied to the air chamber 8 by
an air supply pipe 14 provided with a fan 13.
[0033] Furthermore, a tail pipe 15 is connected to the combustion
chamber 7 within the oil vat 3, and outside the oil vat 3 the tail
pipe 15 is connected to an exhaust duct 17, which opens to the
outside, via a decoupler 16.
[0034] The bottom wall of the oil vat 3 slopes diagonally downward
from the rear of the fryer unit 1b toward the front, and a
discharge duct 39 for discharging oil is provided at the side wall
of the bottom most portion thereof. A discharge opening 40 is
attached to the tip of the discharge duct 39. The oil cleaner 5 is
made up of an oil tank 35 for receiving dirty oil from the oil vat
3 through the discharge opening 40, an oil filter (not shown in the
drawings) stretched in a sheet-like fashion slightly above the
bottom portion of the oil tank 35, an oil pump 36 for taking up oil
that has passed through the oil filter and returning it into the
oil vat 3, and an oil pipe 37 which forms a flow path for returning
this oil. The oil cleaner 5 itself is provided only in the fryer
unit 1b, and oil used and dirtied in the fryer units 1a and 1c also
drops into the oil tank 35 via a discharge duct (not shown in the
drawings), and is filtered by the oil cleaner 5. The oil is then
returned to each of the oil vats 3 using a return pipe (which is
not shown in the drawings), which branches from the oil pipe 37 at
a position downstream from the oil pump 36 and is connected to the
oil vats 3 of the fryer units 1a and 1c.
[0035] With the above-described fryer unit 1b, oil is filled into
the oil vat 3, and once the oil has been heated, foods are placed
into a basket (not shown) and submerged into the oil vat 3 to be
cooked. The oil in the oil vat 3 is heated by the heat from the
outer wall of the combustion chamber 7 and the tail pipe 15, and
the foods are cooked by the hot oil.
[0036] The control portion of the fryer unit 1b will be described
next. At the top portion of the front wall of the main casing 2,
the cooking controller 18 is provided within a casing 21. The
cooking controller 18 is for setting the cooking times and the set
temperature according to the cooking program. At the bottom portion
of the front wall of the main casing 2, the heating controller 19
is provided. The heating controller 19 is for controlling the
operation of the pulse burners 4 so that the temperature of the oil
is maintained at the set temperature instructed by the cooking
controller 18 in accordance with the detected temperature obtained
form the oil temperature sensor 6. The primary part of the cooking
controller 18 is configured by a microcomputer, and the cooking
controller 18 is provided with a display portion 20 for displaying
the set temperature and the cooking time, for example, and control
switches 38 for controlling its operation.
[0037] The cooking controller 18 is adjacent to the oil vat 3, so
that it is necessary to prevent the temperature of an electronic
circuit board 28 within the cooking controller 18 from rising due
to the heat emitted from the oil vat 3. Particularly in a three-vat
type fryer such as fryer 1, the cooking controller 18 in the middle
receives the heat released from the oil vats 3 of the left and
right fryer units 1a and 1c, and thus its temperature increases
drastically. For that reason, a cooling fan 25 for cooling and
insulating against the heat released from the oil vats 3 is
provided only in the cooking controller 18 of the middle fryer unit
1b.
[0038] It should be noted that there are electrical components
provided inside the heating controller 19 as well, but the heating
controller 19 is provided away from the oil vat 3, and thus is not
heated as much.
[0039] The cooling system of the cooking controller 18 will be
explained next with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3. FIG. 1 is a
cross-sectional view of the casing 21 housing the cooking
controller 18 for the middle fryer unit 1b seen from the side. FIG.
3 is a cross-sectional view of the casing 21 housing the cooking
controller 18 seen from the top.
[0040] The cooking controller 18 is provided at the front within
the casing 21, with its control/display panel, facing diagonally
upward. An insulating material 22 for blocking out heat from the
oil vat 3 is provided at the wall of the casing 21 , facing the oil
vat 3. A top opening 23 and a bottom opening 24 are provided in the
top and bottom walls of the casing 21, and the cooling fan 25 is
provided at an intermediate location in an air circulation route 29
from the bottom opening 24 to the top opening 23. When the cooling
fan 25 spins, the flow of air from the bottom opening 24 to the top
opening 23 generated by the force of the natural draft can be
accelerated, and thus the cooling and insulating effect can be
further increased.
[0041] The cooling fan 25 is connected to the cooking controller 18
via connectors 26a and 26b. The cooking controller 18 checks the
connection of the connectors 26a and 26b; and when they are
connected, it supplies electrical power to the cooling fan 25 and
simultaneously displays a mark indicating the connection on the
display portion 20. The cooking controller 18 also detects whether
the cooling fan 25 is stopped when they are connected.
[0042] On the other hand, although the electronic circuit board 28
in the cooking controllers 18 for the left and right fryer units 1a
and 1c is also heated by the heat emitted from the oil vats 3, heat
insulation by the insulating material 22 and the flow of air from
the bottom opening 24 to the top opening 23 utilizing the force of
the natural upward draft which is generated within the casing 21
together provide a sufficient cooling effect and thus the cooling
fan 25 is not necessary.
[0043] The method for detecting whether the connectors are
connected is described next with reference to FIG. 4.
[0044] The cooking controller 18 and the connector 26a are
connected by a wire 30a for supplying direct current for driving
the cooling fan 25, a stoppage detecting wire 31a, a GND wire 32a,
and a connection detecting wire 33. The cooling fan 25 (fan motor)
and the connector 26b are connected by a wire 30b for supplying
direct current for driving the cooling fan 25, a stoppage detecting
wire 31b, and a GND wire 32b. A short-circuit wire 34 is connected
to the GND wire 32b.
[0045] The cooking controller 18 is set to a HIGH level by the
connection detecting wire 33. When the cooking controller 18 is
connected to the cooling fan 25 by establishing a connection
between the connector 26a and the connector 26b, the connection
detecting wire 33 is connected to the GND wire 32b and shifts to
LOW level. Therefore, the connection with the cooling fan 25 is
detected.
[0046] To prevent overheating of the cooking controller 18, it is
unnecessary to provide cooling fans 25 for all the cooking
controllers 18, and the cooking controller 18 detects whether it is
connected to a fan when the power is turned on, and displays the
status of the connection on the display portion 20.
[0047] FIG. 5(a) illustrates the appearance of the display when the
cooking controller 18 is started up if there is no connection; and
FIG. 5(b) illustrates the appearance of the display when the
cooking controller 18 is started up if there is a connection. As
can be understood from these diagrams, the cooling fan 25 is
recognized as connected when the "#" signs are displayed on both
sides of the display portion 20.
[0048] A temperature sensor 27 is provided inside the cooking
controller 18, and it operates the cooling fan 25 when it detects a
temperature of 60.degree. C. or higher (and stops the cooling fan
25 when the temperature is below 60.degree.).
[0049] The temperature within the cooking controller 18 changes
depending on the environment around the fryer 1 and how the fryer 1
is used. Thus, it is possible to prevent energy from being wasted
by stopping the cooling fan 25 for example when the fryer units 1a
and 1c at the left and right of the fryer 1 are not in use, which
means that the temperature within the cooking controller 18 does
not become particularly elevated, and that cooling by the cooling
fan 25 is unnecessary.
[0050] With the fryer 1 described above, the cooling fan 25
provided at the middle fryer unit 1b can cool the cooking
controller 18, which easily rises to high temperatures, and inhibit
a rise in temperature, that will increase operation reliability and
longer life can be achieved.
[0051] Further, since the cooking controller 18 automatically
detects whether or not the connectors 26a and 26b are connected, in
other words whether the cooling fan 25 is connected to the cooking
controller 18, it is not necessary to set whether or not there is a
cooling fan at each cooking controller and to separately
manufacture cooking controllers with distinction of connecting to
the cooling fan. Therefore, time-consuming maintenance and settings
can be obviated.
[0052] As it is displayed whether the cooling fan 25 is connected
on the display portion 20 when the cooking controller 18 is started
up, it is easy to check whether the cooling fan 25 has been
attached during factory shipments.
[0053] Furthermore, an unnecessary waste of energy can be prevented
because the cooling fan 25 is not driven when cooling by the
cooling fan 25 is not required.
[0054] The above description of embodiments of the present
invention is not intended to limit the present invention, and it is
of course possible to develop a variety of embodiments of the
present invention within a scope that does not depart from the
essential points of the present invention.
[0055] For example, in the present embodiment the cooling fan 25
was provided in the cooking controller 18 of the middle unit of a
three-vat type fryer, but it is also possible to provide the
cooling fan in fryers configured by a plurality of fryer units,
such as four-vat type fryers and five-vat type fryers. In such a
case, the cooling fan can be provided in cooking controllers
sandwiched to the left and right by other fryer units.
[0056] Also, a pulse combustion type fryer is provided as an
example in the present embodiment, however, there is no limitation
to the heating method, and of course the fryer could also be of a
type in which the oil vat is heated from the outside by a ceramic
plate burner, for example.
[0057] As described in detail in the above, with the fryer
according to claim 1 of the present invention, a cooling fan
provided in a specific cooking controller which is expected to rise
to high temperatures due to the heat emitted from an oil vat cools
that specific cooking controller. As a result, it is possible to
achieve increased operation reliability of the cooking controller
and an increased cooking controller lifespan. Also, since the
cooking controller automatically recognizes whether the cooling fan
is connected, troublesome maintenance and settings at the
production site can be obviated, and therefore the cost of
manufacturing the fryer can be kept down.
[0058] Furthermore, with the fryer according to claim 2 of the
present invention, in a three-vat fryer, the cooking controller for
the middle fryer unit rises to temperature significantly higher
than the left and right cooking controllers, however, it is cooled
by a cooling fan, and thus increased operation reliability and an
increased lifespan can be achieved
[0059] Further, with the fryer according to claims 3 and 4 of the
present invention, the control display portion displays whether the
cooling fan is connected, which makes it possible to easily prevent
the cooling fan from not being attached during factory
shipment.
[0060] Moreover, with the fryer according to claims 5, 6, 7 and 8
of the present invention, the operation of the cooling fan is
controlled according to the temperature within the cooking
controller, so an unnecessary waste of energy can be prevented.
* * * * *