Energy Efficient Infrared Oven With Air Circulation
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsPatrick Regan, Shih-Yuan Wu, Geoffrey Nichols, Yu-Shu Hsiao, Min Chuan Chang, Chang Min-Li
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An oven may facilitate heating, curing, and/or drying processes for manufactured items, such as shoe parts, using multiple groups of infrared sources. Efficiencies of the oven are achieved through a deliberate airflow characteristic, which is accomplished with a configuration of apertures extending through a circulation plate. A higher concentration of apertures is formed in the circulation plate near a center zone relative to zones near an entrance and exit to the oven. Further, the shape of the apertures in the circulation plate aid in improved airflow within the oven.
Claims20
An oven comprising:
- a chamber, the chamber having an entry on a first side and an exit on an opposite second side with a top extending between the first side and the second side, a longitudinal direction of the oven defined as extending between the first side and the second side;
- a conveyance system, the conveyance system extending within the chamber from the first side to the second side;
- a circulation plate, the circulation plate extending between the conveyance system and the top of the chamber, wherein the circulation plate is comprised of a first region proximate the chamber first side, a second region, and a third region proximate the chamber second side, the second region is between the first region and the third region;
- the circulation plate first region is comprised of a plurality of first region apertures,
- the circulation plate second region comprised of a plurality of second region apertures, and
- the circulation plate third region comprised of a plurality of third region apertures;
- and
- a first distance extending in the longitudinal direction between longitudinally adjacent apertures of the plurality of first region apertures,
- a second distance extending in the longitudinal direction between longitudinally adjacent apertures of the plurality of second region apertures, and
- a third distance extending in the longitudinal direction between longitudinally adjacent apertures of the plurality of third region apertures, wherein the second distance is less than the first distance and third distance.
An oven comprising:
- a chamber, the chamber having an entry on a first side and an exit on an opposite second side, a longitudinal direction of the oven defined as extending between the first side and the second side;
- a conveyance system, the conveyance system extending within the chamber from the first side to the second side;
- an infrared source;
- and
- a circulation plate, the circulation plate extending between the conveyance system and a top of the chamber, wherein the circulation plate is comprised of a first region proximate the chamber first side, a second region, and a third region proximate the chamber second side, the second region between the first region and the third region;
- and
- the first region comprised of a plurality of first region apertures, the second region comprised of a plurality of second region apertures, and the third region comprised of a plurality of third region apertures, wherein there is a higher concentration of second region apertures than a concentration of first region apertures or concentration of second region apertures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.