Patent Publication Number: US-2023144466-A1

Title: Lifting mechanism and steak grill

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a lifting mechanism and a steak grill. 
     BACKGROUND 
     For ordinary families, there are more and more new-style household appliances and kitchenware in people&#39;s lives now, such as steak grills, toasters, new-style hot pot machines and new-style fryers. These kitchenware have greatly improved people&#39;s life quality and made it more convenient for people to process food. Most of existing electrical appliances are equipped with lifting mechanisms, such as steak grills, and the lifting mechanisms control and adjust the distance between grill pans, so that the purpose of customized grilling of steaks is achieved. However, the existing lifting mechanisms have the problem of non-synchronization during lifting, which leads to jams during the lifting process. 
     SUMMARY 
     The disclosure aims to solve at least one of the technical problems in the existing technology. Therefore, the disclosure provides a lifting mechanism which can ensure the synchronization of the lifting mechanism during lifting so as to ensure smooth lifting. 
     A lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the disclosure includes a base, where a first vertical guide rail and a second vertical guide rail are provided on both sides of the base respectively; a driving mechanism including an active driving mechanism, a passive driving mechanism and a linkage assembly, where the active driving mechanism includes a motor assembly, a first sliding block, a first gear and a first rack, where the first sliding block is slidably mounted on the first guide rail, the motor assembly is fixedly mounted on the first sliding block, the first rack is provided on the first guide rail along a length direction of the first guide rail, and the first gear is engaged with the first rack; the passive driving mechanism includes a second sliding block, a second gear and a second rack, where the second sliding block is slidably mounted on the second guide rail, the second rack is provided on the second guide rail along a length direction of the second guide rail, and the second gear is engaged with the second rack; the linkage assembly includes a linkage shaft, the linkage shaft is connected with the first gear and the second gear, the linkage shaft is driven to rotate by the motor assembly, the first gear and the first sliding block are provided to rotate relative to each other, and the second gear and the second sliding block are provided to rotate relative to each other; and a connecting mechanism configured for being connected with an external component and capable of being driven by the driving mechanism to move up and down. 
     The lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the disclosure has at least the following technical effects: 
     By using the motor assembly to drive the linkage shaft, the first gear and the second gear on the linkage shaft rotate synchronously, so that the first gear and the second gear move up and down on the first rack and the second rack correspondingly, and then the first sliding block on the first guide rail and the second sliding block on the second guide rail move up and down, where the motor assembly also moves up and down with the first sliding block, therefore the connecting mechanism moves up and down with the driving mechanism, which can ensure the synchronization of the lifting mechanism during lifting, thereby ensuring smooth lifting. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is rotatably connected with the linkage shaft. Thus, the linkage shaft can drive the connecting mechanism in such as way that the external component can move up and down without rotating with the linkage shaft. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is a bearing, an inner ring of the bearing is in interference fit with the linkage shaft, and an outer ring of the bearing is in interference fit with the external component. The bearing is rotatably connected with the linkage shaft and the external component respectively, which can ensure that when the linkage shaft rotates slowly, the external component can move up and down with the bearing without rotating. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, at least two bearings are mounted on the linkage shaft. The reliability can be ensured during connection with external components. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is fixedly connected to the first sliding block and/or the second sliding block. Thus, the connecting mechanism can move up and down with the corresponding sliding block. 
     Another objective of the disclosure is to provide a steak grill. 
     The steak grill according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the disclosure includes: a cabinet body in which a grill chamber is formed, where an upper grill pan and a lower grill pan are provided in the grill chamber; and the lifting mechanism as described above; where the connecting mechanism is connected with the upper grill pan or the lower grill pan, and rotation of the motor assembly enables relative movement between the upper grill pan and the lower grill pan. 
     The steak mechanism according to the embodiments of the disclosure has at least the following technical effects: the motor assembly rotates to drive the upper grill pan and the lower grill pan to move relative to each other, then the distance between the upper grill pan and the lower grill pan can be adjusted according to steaks of different thicknesses for customized grilling, and meanwhile, the smoothness of the relative movement of the upper grill pan and the lower grill pan can be ensured. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, chamber walls of the grill chamber are provided with guide grooves in the vertical direction, a mounting cavity is formed between an outer shell of the cabinet body and the chamber walls of the grill chamber, the active driving mechanism and the passive driving mechanism are both provided in the mounting cavity, and the linkage shaft penetrates through the guide grooves and is rotatably mounted on the upper grill pan. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, the upper grill pan is provided with through holes, the linkage shaft is provided with two bearings, the linkage shaft penetrates through the through holes, and the bearings are mounted cooperatively with the through holes. Thus the upper grill pan and the bearings are rotatably mounted, when the linkage shaft rotates at a low speed, the upper grill pan does not rotate when moving up and down with the linkage shaft. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, a heating device is provided in the upper grill pan. Food on the lower grill pan is heated by the heating device in the upper grill pan. 
     According to some embodiments of the disclosure, a cabinet door is provided on the cabinet body in a hinged mode. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the disclosure will become obvious and easy to understand from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic diagram of a lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic diagram of a steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic diagram of a steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure, which mainly shows the connection relationship between a lifting mechanism and an upper grill pan; 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic diagram of an upper grill pan of a steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and 
         FIG.  5    is a schematic diagram of a linkage shaft of a steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
           100 . Base;  101 . First sliding chute;  102 . Second sliding chute;  103 . First guide rail;  104 . Second guide rail;  105 . Reinforcing shaft;  200 . Driving mechanism;  201 . Motor assembly;  202 . First sliding block;  203 . First gear; 
           204 . First rack;  205 . Second sliding block;  206 . Second gear;  207 . Second rack;  208 . Linkage shaft;  209 . First limiting block;  210 . Second limiting block; 
           301 . Bearing; 
           400 . Cabinet;  401 . Grill chamber;  402 . Upper grill pan;  403 . Lower grill pan;  404 . Guide groove;  405 . Through hole;  406 . Cabinet door;  407 . Thermal insulation glass; and  408 . Knob. 
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail below. Examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary, are only used to explain the disclosure, and cannot be understood as a limitation of the disclosure. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that, descriptions relating to orientation, for example, orientation or positional relationships indicated by “up”, “down”, “front”, “back”, “left”, “right”, etc. are based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are to facilitate the description of the present disclosure and simplify the description only, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be construed as limiting the present disclosure. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of “several” is one or more, the meaning of “a plurality of” is two or more, “greater than”, “less than”, “more than”, etc. are to be understood to exclude the given figure, and “above”, “below”, “within”, etc. are understood to include the given figure. If “first” and “second”, etc. are referred to, it is only for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and shall not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implying the number of the indicated technical features or implying the sequence of the indicated technical features. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly defined, the words such as “set”, “install”, and “connect” should be understood in a broad sense, and those skilled in the art can determine the specific meanings of the above words in the present disclosure in a rational way in combination with the specific contents of the technical solutions. 
     A lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the disclosure is described below with reference to  FIG.  1   . 
     As shown in  FIG.  1   , a lifting mechanism according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes a base  100 , where a first vertical guide rail  103  and a second vertical guide rail  104  are provided on both sides of the base  100  respectively; a driving mechanism  200  including an active driving mechanism, a passive driving mechanism and a linkage assembly, where the active driving mechanism includes a motor assembly  201 , a first sliding block  202 , a first gear  203  and a first rack  204 , the first sliding block  202  is slidably mounted on the first guide rail  103 , the motor assembly  201  is fixedly mounted on the first sliding block  202 , the first rack  204  is provided on the first guide rail  103  along a length direction of the first guide rail  103 , the first gear  203  is engaged with the first rack  204 , the passive driving mechanism includes a second sliding block  205 , a second gear  206  and a second rack  207 , the second sliding block  205  is slidably mounted on the second guide rail  104 , the second rack  207  is provided on the second guide rail  104  along a length direction of the second guide rail  104 , the second gear  206  is engaged with the second rack  207 , the linkage assembly includes a linkage shaft  208 , the linkage shaft  208  is connected with the first gear  203  and the second gear  206 , the linkage shaft  208  is driven to rotate by the motor assembly  201 , the first gear  203  and the first sliding block  202  are provided to rotate relative to each other, and the second gear  206  and the second sliding block  205  are provided to rotate relative to each other; and a connecting mechanism configured for being connected with an external component and capable of being driven by the driving mechanism  200  to move up and down. 
     For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, as shown in  FIG.  1   , the first vertical guide rail  103  and the second vertical guide rail  104  are fixedly mounted on both sides of the base  100  symmetrically, each of the middle of the first guide rail  103  and the middle of the second guide rail  104  is provided with a slot along their respective length direction, the slotted side of the first guide rail  103  is provided with the first rack  204 , and the slotted side of the second guide rail  104  is provided with the second rack  207 ; first sliding chutes  101  are provided on both sides of the first guide rail  103  along the length direction, second sliding chutes  102  are provided on both sides of the second guide rail  104  along the length direction, both sides of the first sliding block  202  are provided with first limiting blocks  209  which are slidable along the first sliding chutes  101 , and both sides of the second sliding block  205  are provided with second limiting blocks  210  which are slidable along the second sliding chutes  102 , the motor assembly  201  is fixedly mounted on the first sliding block  202 ; the motor assembly  201  is rotatably connected to one end of the linkage shaft  208 , the other end of the linkage shaft  208  away from the motor assembly  201  is rotatably mounted on the second sliding block  205 , and both ends of the linkage shaft  208  are respectively provided with a first gear  203  and a second gear  206 ; and the first gear  203  is engaged with the first rack  204  in the slot of the first guide rail  103 , and the second gear  206  is engaged with the second rack  207  in the slot of the second guide rail  104 . 
     By using the motor assembly  201  to drive the linkage shaft  208 , the first gear  203  and the second gear  206  on both sides of the linkage shaft  208  rotate synchronously, so that the first gear  203  and the second gear  206  move up and down synchronously on the first rack  204  and the second rack  207  correspondingly, and then the first sliding block  202  on the first guide rail  103  and the second sliding block  205  on the second guide rail  104  move up and down synchronously, where the motor assembly  201  also moves up and down with the first sliding block  202 , therefore the the connecting mechanism moves up and down with the driving mechanism  200 , which can ensure the synchronization of the lifting mechanism during lifting, thereby ensuring smooth lifting. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is rotatably connected with the linkage shaft  208 . 
     The linkage shaft  208  can drive the connecting mechanism in such a way that the external component can move up and down without rotating with the linkage shaft  208 . 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is a bearing  301 , an inner ring of the bearing  301  is in interference fit with the linkage shaft  208 , and an outer ring of the bearing  301  is in interference fit with the external component. 
     The bearing  301  is rotatably connected with the linkage shaft  208  and the external component respectively, which can ensure that when the linkage shaft  208  rotates slowly, the external component can move up and down with the bearing  301  without rotating. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, at least two bearings  301  are mounted on the linkage shaft  208 . 
     The reliability can be ensured when the bearings  301  are connected to external components. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, the connecting mechanism is fixedly connected to the first sliding block  202  and/or the second sliding block  205 . 
     The connecting mechanism can move up and down with the corresponding sliding block. 
     A steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure is described below with reference to  FIGS.  2  to  5   . 
     As shown in  FIGS.  2  and  3   , a steak grill according to an embodiment of the disclosure includes: a cabinet  400  in which a grill chamber  401  is formed, where an upper grill pan  402  and a lower grill pan  403  are provided in the grill chamber  401 ; and the lifting mechanism as described above, where the connecting mechanism is connected with the upper grill pan  402  or the lower grill pan  403 , and rotation of the linkage shaft  208  enables relative movement between the upper grill pan  402  and the lower grill pan  403 . 
     For example, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the chamber walls of the grill chamber  401  are provided with guide grooves  404  in the vertical direction, a mounting cavity is formed between a housing of the cabinet  400  and the chamber walls of the grill chamber  401 , the motor assembly  201 , the two racks and the two guide rails are all provided in the mounting cavity, and the linkage shaft  208  penetrates through the guide grooves  404  and is rotatably mounted on the upper grill pan  402 . 
     Rotation of the linkage shaft  208  drives the upper grill pan  402  to move up and down, so that the distance between the upper grill pan  402  and the lower grill pan  403  can be adjusted according to steaks of different thicknesses for customized grilling, and meanwhile the smoothness of the upper grill pan  402  moving up and down can be ensured. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, as shown in  FIGS.  4  and  5   , the upper grill pan  402  is provided with through holes  405 , the linkage shaft  208  is provided with two bearings  301 , the linkage shaft  208  penetrates through the through holes  405 , and the bearings  301  are mounted cooperatively with the through holes  405 . 
     The upper grill pan  402  and the bearings  301  are rotatably mounted, when the linkage shaft  208  rotates at a low speed, the upper grill pan  402  will not rotate when moving up and down with the linkage shaft  208 . 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, a heating device is provided in the upper grill pan  402 . 
     Food on the lower grill pan  403  is heated by the heating device in the upper grill pan  402 . 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, a cabinet door  406  is provided on the cabinet  400  in a hinged mode. 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, thermal insulation glass  407  is provided on the cabinet door  406 . 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, a knob  408  is provided on the cabinet door  406 . 
     In some embodiments of the disclosure, a reinforcing shaft  105  is provided on the lifting mechanism, both ends of the reinforcing shaft  105  are fixedly connected with the tops of the first guide rail  103  and the second guide rail  104  respectively and configured for reinforcing the guide rails on both sides. 
     The embodiments of the disclosure are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those of ordinary skill in the technical field, various changes can be made without departing from the purpose of the disclosure.