초록 ▼

A sous-vide cooker is disclosed. The sous-vide cooker comprises a cooking chamber, a heating system, and a housing that houses the cooking chamber and the heating system. The cooking chamber comprises a chamber body, a multi-function lid, a passive water circulator and, optionally, a rack for holdin

A sous-vide cooker is disclosed. The sous-vide cooker comprises a cooking chamber, a heating system, and a housing that houses the cooking chamber and the heating system. The cooking chamber comprises a chamber body, a multi-function lid, a passive water circulator and, optionally, a rack for holding food items during the cooking process. The heating system comprises a heating unit, one or more temperature sensors, a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, and a control panel. The PID controller is calibrated. The sous-vide cooker maintains a constant water temperature within tolerances.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A sous-vide cooker for use with water, comprising a cooking chamber comprising: a chamber body having a bottom interior surface;a multi-function lid; anda passive water circulator;a heating system comprising: a heating unit;one or more temperature sensors not in direct contact with any water insi

1. A sous-vide cooker for use with water, comprising a cooking chamber comprising: a chamber body having a bottom interior surface;a multi-function lid; anda passive water circulator;a heating system comprising: a heating unit;one or more temperature sensors not in direct contact with any water inside the chamber body;a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller; anda control panel; anda housing that houses the cooking chamber and the heating system,wherein said PID controller uses a temperature correction algorithm that implements a temperature conversion factor so that the temperatures measured by the one or more temperature sensors reflect actual water temperature in the chamber body, and wherein the heating system heats the chamber body and the PID controller controls the temperature using the one or more temperature sensors and the heating unit. 2. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the lid comprises an end wall and skirts that integrally join the end wall on the periphery and extend downward from the periphery of the end wall. 3. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the lid comprises a heat insulating layer and a heat reflective layer. 4. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the passive water circulator comprises a plate with a plurality of holes in the plate. 5. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the passive water circulator is located near the bottom interior surface of the chamber body. 6. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, further comprising a wire handle that is removably placed in the chamber body to facilitate removal of food items from the chamber body. 7. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein when the chamber body is filled with water, the heating system provides a water temperature in the range from about 5° C. above ambient temperature to about 95° C. with an accuracy of about 0.5° C. 8. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the heating system comprises a flat heating plate or heating pad that is in contact with the chamber body. 9. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the heating system comprises a single temperature sensor attached to a lower portion of an exterior surface of the chamber body. 10. A sous-vide cooker for use with water, comprising a cooking chamber comprising: a chamber body having a bottom interior surface;a multi-function lid; anda passive water circulator;a heating system comprising: a heating unit;a plurality of temperature sensors not in direct contact with any water inside the chamber body;a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller; anda control panel; anda housing that houses the cooking chamber and the heating system,wherein said PID controller uses a temperature correction algorithm that implements a temperature conversion factor so that the temperatures measured by the plurality of temperature sensors reflect actual water temperature in the chamber body, and wherein the heating system heats the chamber body and the PID controller controls the temperature using the plurality of temperature sensors and the heating unit, and wherein the plurality of temperature sensors are vertically spaced on the outside of the chamber body. 11. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises four side walls and air vents on an upper portion of one or more of the side walls, and wherein the side walls of the housing are spaced closely with sidewalls of the chamber body, so as to create a chimney effect to constantly vent hot air at a lower portion of the housing out through the vents. 12. The sous-vide cooker of claim 11, wherein the housing further comprising a base with a ventilated bottom plate. 13. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the housing may have one or more transparent side walls or windows to allow viewing of food items that are located inside the chamber body. 14. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein the PID controller and the control panel are located in a thermally isolated control chamber to prevent overheating. 15. The sous-vide cooker of claim 1, wherein said PID controller is programmed to perform the following calibration functions: allowing three temperature settings to be entered: temperature setting A, temperature setting B, and temperature setting C;when the chamber body is filled with water, setting temperature setting A;when a reference thermometer measures water temperature in the chamber body to obtain a first measured temperature after setting temperature A is reached on a PID display, allowing the difference between the setting temperature A and the first measured temperature as adjustment value A to be entered;setting temperature setting B;when the reference thermometer measures water temperature in the chamber body to obtain a second measured temperature after setting temperature B is reached on the PID display, allowing the difference between the setting temperature B and the second measured temperature as adjustment value B to be entered;setting temperature setting C;when the reference thermometer measures water temperature in the chamber body to obtain a third measured temperature after setting temperature C is reached on the PID display, allowing the difference between the setting temperature C and the third measured temperature as adjustment value C to be entered; andstoring, in memory, the adjustment values A, B and C. 16. The sous-vide cooker of claim 15, wherein a setting temperature is maintained by said PID controller which is programmed to perform the following functions: obtaining a measured temperature in the chamber body using the one or more temperature sensors;calculating the actual water temperature in the chamber body using a temperature offset subprogram using the stored adjustment value A, adjustment value B, and adjustment value C;calculating a difference E(k) between the setting temperature and the calculated actual temperature; andcalculating a control value U(k) for the heating unit. 17. The sous-vide cooker of claim 16, wherein the PID controller contains a buzzer subprogram that provides an audio signal to the user if overheating is detected or if a set cooking time is reached. 18. A sous-vide cooker for use with water, comprising a cooking chamber comprising: a chamber body having exterior surfaces and interior surfaces;a lid comprising an heat insulating layer and a heat reflective layer; anda water circulating plate located in the proximity of a bottom interior surface of the chamber body;a heating system comprising: a heating unit that is in contact with the chamber body at a bottom exterior surface of the chamber body;one or more temperature sensors not in direct contact with any water inside the chamber body and positioned exteriorly to the chamber body;a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller; anda control panel;a housing having a vented side wall; anda base having a vented bottom plate,wherein said PID controller uses a temperature correction algorithm that implements a temperature conversion factor so that the temperatures measured by the one or more temperature sensors reflect actual water temperature in the chamber body, wherein said PID controls the heating unit and causes the heating unit to heat the chamber body, and wherein when the chamber body is filled with water, the water is maintained at a set temperature with a variation from the set temperature that is equal to or less than 0.5° C. 19. The sous-vide cooker of claim 18, wherein the vented side wall comprises air vents at an upper portion of the side wall, and wherein the vented side wall of the housing is spaced closely with an exterior surface of the chamber body, so as to create a chimney effect to constantly vent hot air out through the air vents. 20. The sous-vide cooker of claim 18, wherein the PID controller and the control panel are located in a thermally isolated control chamber to prevent overheating.