COOKING APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING SAME

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a door for closing a cooking chamber, a door-opening device configured to automatically move the door between a closed position and an open position of the door, and a sensing device operatively connected to the door-opening device. The sensing device is configured to sense a triggering element separate from the cooking appliance for controlling the door-opening device.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A cooking appliance, comprising: a door for closing a cooking chamber; a door-opening device configured to automatically move the door between a closed position and an open position of the door; and a sensing device operatively connected to the door-opening device, said sensing device configured to sense a triggering element separate from the cooking appliance for controlling the door-opening device.

14. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the door is configured as a retractable door which in the open position is arranged so as to be retracted in a receiver space which is separated from the cooking chamber.

15. The cooking appliance of claim 14, wherein the receiver space is arranged below the cooking chamber.

16. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the sensing device includes at least two sensors.

17. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least two sensors are infrared sensors.

18. The cooking appliance of claim 16, further comprising a front carrier connected to the door; and a panel configured to cover the front carrier, said at least two sensors being arranged on the front carrier.

19. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least two sensors are arranged at a distance of 300 to 420 mm.

20. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least two sensors are arranged at a distance of 330 to 390 mm.

21. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least two sensors are arranged at a distance of 360 mm.

22. The cooking appliance of claim 16, wherein the at least two sensors are symmetrically aligned relative to a vertically running central line.

23. The cooking appliance of claim 18, wherein the panel has a positioning line which is located substantially in a plane running horizontally through the at least two sensors.

24. The cooking appliance of claim 23, wherein the panel is printed with the positioning line.

25. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the door-opening device moves the door from the closed position into the open position after the triggering element is sensed for a predetermined time by the sensing device.

26. The cooking appliance of claim 13, wherein the separate triggering element is a carrier for food to be cooked, in particular a baking sheet, rack or the like.

27. A method for automatically moving a door of a cooking appliance, said method comprising: arranging a triggering element at a location separate from the cooking appliance; sensing the triggering element by a sensing device; and controlling operation of a door-opening device for moving a door of the cooking appliance from a closed position, in which the door closes a cooking chamber, into an open position after the triggering element has been sensed for a predetermined time.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the door-opening device is controlled, when at least two sensors of the sensing device are simultaneously triggered by the triggering element.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising arranging the at least two sensors at a distance of 300 to 420 mm.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising arranging the at least two sensors at a distance of 330 to 390 mm.

31. The method of claim 28, further comprising arranging the at least two sensors at a distance of 360 mm.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising symmetrically aligning the at least two sensors relative to a vertically running central line.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The features of the present invention cited above and below are now described in more detail with reference to a specific exemplary embodiment thereof, these features being shown by the accompanying drawings and only serving hereinafter for illustration and thus not being limiting to the present invention. In the drawings:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a cooking appliance according to the invention in a perspective view without a panel;

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a cooking appliance according to the invention in a perspective view with the mounted panel;

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the panel of the cooking appliance according to the invention of FIG. 2.

[0037] It should be mentioned that the accompanying drawings are not necessarily to scale and constitute a somewhat simplified view of various preferred features which serve for illustrating the principles of the invention. The specific structural features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including for example specific dimensions, orientations, installation positions and shapes, are partially determined by the application provided specifically therefor and the working environment.

[0038] Elements which are the same or functionally the same are provided with the same reference characters in the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0039] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described in detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a cooking appliance 1 in a perspective view according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention without a panel. The cooking appliance 1 has a cooking chamber 2 defined by a cooking chamber muffle (not shown) with a cooking chamber opening (not shown) which is able to be closed by a door 6. The door 6 has a handle 8 for manual opening and/or closing. A front carrier 12 on which a panel (not shown) may be attached is provided above the door 2 in an upper portion. In the front carrier 12, an infrared sensor 21 is attached in each case in a left-hand and right-hand portion in order to sense a triggering element (not shown) which is arranged in front of the sensors 21 and which is present separately from the cooking appliance 1. The triggering element may, for example, be a baking sheet, rack or the like.

[0041] The two sensors 21 which are arranged at a distance of ca. 360 mm are operatively connected to a door-opening device 10. The door-opening device 10 has in the exemplary embodiment a drive in the form of an electric motor which is able to move the door 6 automatically from a closed position into an open position. It is also conceivable that the door 6 may be transferred automatically from the open position into the closed position by, for example, a switch (not shown) being pressed to this end.

[0042] The opening process of the door 6 is initiated by the triggering element in the form of a baking sheet being held for a predetermined time, for example 3 seconds, simultaneously in front of both sensors. After the predetermined time has passed, an electric signal generated by the sensing device 20 and/or the sensors 21 is transmitted to the door-opening device 10, the door 6 automatically starting to open thereafter. An opening of the door 6 is achieved only by the direct arrangement of the baking sheet in front of the sensors for a predetermined time and the simultaneous triggering of the two sensors. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the door 6 is moved and/or retracted into a receiver space 4 arranged below the cooking chamber 2. After reaching the fully open position of the door 6, said door is located substantially entirely inside the receiver space 4 apart from the grippable region of the handle 8.

[0043] FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the cooking appliance according to the invention in a perspective view with the mounted panel 14. The two sensors in the form of infrared sensors (not shown in FIG. 2) are located behind the panel 14, as shown in FIG. 1. A positioning line 16 which is substantially located in a plane which runs horizontally through the two sensors is located in a central region on the front face of the panel 14 facing a user. By means of the positioning line 16 the user is able to align the triggering element in the form of the baking sheet exactly in front of the sensors, so that both sensors are able to be triggered simultaneously after the baking sheet has been applied for a predetermined time, in order to initiate the door opening process by means of the door-opening device. The positioning line 16 has a width which corresponds to the baking sheet which is able to be used for the cooking appliance 1.

[0044] FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the panel 14 of the cooking appliance according to the invention of FIG. 2. The central line M which subdivides the panel 14 into two regions of equal size is shown in addition, relative to FIG. 2. In the right-hand region of the panel 14, a display 18 is provided at the same height as the positioning line 16, an opening of the door being able to be displayed thereby. It may also be provided that the display 18 is configured as a contact sensor, the door being able to be moved thereby from an open position into the closed position.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0045] 1 Cooking appliance [0046] 2 Cooking chamber [0047] 4 Receiver space [0048] 6 Door [0049] 8 Handle [0050] 10 Door-opening device [0051] 12 Front carrier [0052] 14 Panel [0053] 16 Positioning line [0054] 18 Display [0055] 20 Sensing device [0056] 21 Sensors [0057] M Central line