Cooking appliance

Abstract

A cooking appliance may include a casing including a cavity and a tank chamber disposed therein, and a door that opens and closes the cavity. A water tank may be configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing through an entrance of the tank chamber. A panel may be disposed at a front of the casing at a different height from a height of the door. The panel may be moved from a first position in which the panel covers the entrance of the tank chamber to a second position in which the panel opens the entrance of the tank chamber. The panel may be moved from the first position to the second position as an upper end of the panel unit is rotated downward.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A cooking appliance, comprising:
 a casing having a cavity and a tank chamber therein;   a door disposed at a front of the casing and configured to open and close the cavity;   a water tank configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing through an entrance of the tank chamber, and having a water storage space therein;   a panel unit that moves from a first position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is covered to a second position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is open;   a pair of hinge modules respectively connected to opposite lateral ends of the panel, each having a connection shaft, which serve as a rotational center of the panel; and   an opening device disposed between the pair of hinge modules and having a cam that moves the panel unit along a first opening section starting from the first position, wherein when the panel unit is in the first position, the cam is disposed higher than the rotational center of the panel.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a relative ratio of a height from a lower end of the panel unit to an installation position of the cam with respect to an overall height of the panel unit is 0.4 to 0.7. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a ratio between a rotational distance of an upper end of the panel unit and a maximum protruding distance of the cam of the opening device is 0.9 to 1.2. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the panel unit is moved from the first position to the second position while rotating the upper end of the panel unit downward. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the opening device is disposed at a center between both lateral ends of the panel. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the cam is eccentrically connected to a rotational shaft of the opening device. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the cam partially protrudes toward a rear surface of the panel unit during a rotational process. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the opening device comprises:
 an opening housing disposed inside of the casing; and   an opening motor disposed in the opening housing, wherein the cam is disposed in the opening housing, configured to be rotated by the opening motor, configured to partially protrude outward from the casing in a rotational process.   
     
     
         9 . The cooking appliance of  claim 8 , wherein in a state in which the cam is completely stored in the opening housing, a distance from a rotational shaft of an opening motor to a rear end of the cam is 6 to 10 times longer than a distance from the rotational shaft of the opening motor to a front end of the cam. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the cam is disposed to face a rear surface of the panel unit when the panel unit is in the first position. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the panel unit is disposed further forward with respect to the casing than a front surface of the door in the second position. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the panel unit moves through the first opening section starting from the first position by the opening device, and wherein the panel unit is moved by gravity or an external force by a user in a second opening section extending from an end of the first opening section to the second position. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking appliance of  claim 12 , wherein a rotational angle of the panel unit in the second opening section is larger than a rotational angle of the panel unit in the first opening section. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein in a process in which the panel unit is moved from the first position to the second position, the panel unit is rotated on a connection portion connected to the casing, and at a same time, the connection portion is moved towards a lower side of the casing. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking appliance of  claim 14 , wherein the connection portion includes a plurality of connection shafts, and wherein the plurality of connection shafts is connected to the panel unit with different heights in the first position. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking appliance of  claim 14 , wherein the opening device, the pair of hinge modules, and the water tank are spaced apart from each other within the cavity formed on an upper portion of the casing. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein in a process in which the panel unit is moved from the first position to the second position, the panel unit is rotated on a connection portion connected to the casing, and at a same time, the connection is moved towards a front side and a lower side of the casing. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the panel unit in the second position has a height lower than or equal to a lower end of the entrance of the tank chamber. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a lower end of the panel unit is disposed higher than an upper end of the door in the first position, and wherein the lower end of the panel unit is disposed lower than the upper end of the door in the second position. 
     
     
         20 . A cooking appliance, comprising:
 a casing having a cavity and a tank chamber therein;   a door disposed at a front of the casing and configured to open and close the cavity;   a water tank configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing through an entrance of the tank chamber, and having a water storage space therein;   a panel unit that moves from a first position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is covered to a second position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is open; and   an opening device disposed behind the panel unit when the panel unit is in the first position and having a cam that moves the panel unit along a first opening section starting from the first position, wherein when the panel unit is in the first position, the cam is disposed between a lower end of the panel unit and an upper end of the panel.   
     
     
         21 . A cooking appliance, comprising:
 a casing having a cavity and a tank chamber therein;   a door disposed at a front of the casing and configured to open and close the cavity;   a water tank configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing through an entrance of the tank chamber, and having a water storage space therein;   a panel unit that moves from a first position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is covered to a second position in which the entrance of the tank chamber is open; and   an opening device disposed behind the panel unit when the panel unit is in the first position and having a cam that moves the panel unit along a first opening range starting from the first position, wherein the panel unit is moved by gravity or an external force by a user along a second opening range extending from an end of the first opening range to the second position, wherein a rotational angle of the panel unit with respect to a vertical line extending along a front surface of the door in the second opening range is larger than a rotational angle of the panel unit with respect to the vertical line in the first opening range.