HOUSEHOLD COOKING APPLIANCE

Abstract

A household cooking appliance includes a cooking space and a microwave apparatus which is configured to feed microwaves into the cooking space. The microwave apparatus includes a feed chamber arranged outside of the cooking space and configured to open into the cooking space through an emission opening which is excitable by the microwaves, and a microwave line projecting into the feed chamber and connected galvanically to an electrically conductive wall region of the feed chamber which wall region restricts the emission opening. The feed chamber defines a chamber which is non-resonant for the microwaves.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A household cooking appliance, comprising: a cooking space; and a microwave apparatus configured to feed microwaves into the cooking space, said microwave apparatus including a feed chamber arranged outside of the cooking space and configured to open into the cooking space through an emission opening which is excitable by the microwaves, and a microwave line projecting into the feed chamber and connected galvanically to an electrically conductive wall region of the feed chamber which wall region restricts the emission opening, said feed chamber defining a chamber which is non-resonant for the microwaves.

16. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the emission opening is embodied in the shape of a slot.

17. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the emission opening is a u-shaped opening.

18. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the emission opening is a straight opening.

19. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the emission opening is configured to form two emission openings, which are separated from one another by a web, said microwave line contacting the web galvanically.

20. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the microwave line is an inner conductor of a coaxial microwave line.

21. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the wall region of the feed chamber faces the cooking space.

22. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the microwave line is configured to traverse the emission opening.

23. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the microwave line contacts galvanically a wall region which does not face the cooking space.

24. The household cooking appliance of claim 21, wherein the emission opening is introduced in the wall region, said wall region resting on an outside of a wall of the cooking space, said cooking space wall having an opening, which is flush with the emission opening.

25. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the wall region of the feed chamber is formed by a wall of the cooking space, said emission opening being present in the wall region.

26. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising a microwave-permeable material configured to seal the emission opening.

27. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising an electrically insulating material filled in an interior of the feed chamber.

28. The household cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the feed chamber includes a housing having an air passage opening.

Description

[0034] The above-described properties, features and advantages of this invention and the manner in which these are achieved will become more clearly and easily intelligible in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows a sectional representation in a side view of a cutout from a household cooking appliance having a feed chamber according to a first exemplary embodiment;

[0036] FIG. 2 shows a sectional representation in a side view of a cutout from a household cooking appliance having a feed chamber according to a second exemplary embodiment;

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a sectional representation in a side view of a feed chamber according to a third exemplary embodiment;

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a sectional representation in a side view of a feed chamber according to a fourth exemplary embodiment;

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a rear view of a cutout from a feed chamber in the region of a resonantly excitable opening;

[0040] FIG. 6 shows a rear view of a cutout from a further feed chamber in the region of a resonantly excitable opening; and

[0041] FIG. 7 shows a rear view of a cutout from another further feed chamber in the region of a resonantly excitable opening.

[0042] FIG. 1 shows a sectional representation in a side view of a cutout from a household cooking appliance in the form of a microwave appliance 1. The microwave appliance 1 has a, possibly also heatable, cooking space 2, which is restricted by a cooking space wall 3. A feed chamber 5 is fastened to an outside of a side wall 4 of the cooking space wall 3 as a component of a microwave apparatus. The feed chamber 5 has an interior 7 surrounded by an electrically conductive housing 6. In a front wall region (front wall 8) of the feed chamber 5 is a slot-shaped emission opening 9 which opens into the cooking space 2. The front wall 8 is therefore facing the cooking space 2 and lies in a planar manner on the side wall 4 of the cooking space wall 3. The side wall 4 likewise has an opening 10, which is larger than the emission opening 9 and releases this, in other words is not covered.

[0043] In a wall section (ceiling 11) which adjoins the front wall 8 and is vertical thereto is provided a further opening (connection opening 12) for connecting a microwave line. The microwave line is embodied here as a microwave coaxial cable 13, 14, which is inserted into the connection opening 12. Here an outer conductor 13 remains in the connection opening 12 and is connected galvanically hereto or to the ceiling 11, while an inner conductor 14 projects into the feed chamber 5 or into the associated interior 7. The inner conductor 13 is separated from the outer conductor 14 by means of a dielectric medium 13a, e.g. made from Teflon.

[0044] The inner conductor 14 is galvanically connected to a wall region of the feed chamber 5 which restricts the emission opening 9, by it being electrically connected to the front wall 8, e.g. by means of caulking, latching, screwing, welding etc., in the vicinity of the emission opening 9.

[0045] The inner conductor 14 runs starting from the connection opening 12 firstly parallel to the front wall 8 and in the process traverses the emission opening 9. The inner conductor 14 then bends at a right angle in the direction of the front wall 8. The inner conductor 14 then strikes the front wall 8 vertically.

[0046] The microwave coaxial cable 13, 14 can be impinged upon by microwaves MW, which can be generated by a microwave generator, e.g. a magnetron (not shown) as a further component of the microwave apparatus. The microwaves MW are routed from the inner conductor 14 to the front wall 8 and cause the emission opening 9 to be excited resonantly or oscillate resonantly. Subsequently, the emission opening 9 emits high-quality broadband microwaves into the cooking space. The emission opening 9 can also be considered to be a slot antenna. However, the emission opening 9 does not couple out microwaves which are in the interior 7 but is fed directly by means of the inner conductor 14. In other words, the feed chamber 5 is not a chamber which is resonant for the microwaves. As a result, a chamber height d can be kept particularly flat, as a result of which installation space can be spared noticeably.

[0047] FIG. 2 shows a feed chamber 15, e.g. for use with the microwave appliance 1, as a sectional representation in the side view. The feed chamber 15 is designed similarly to the feed chamber 5 but has no front wall region which differs from an electrically conductive side wall 16 of the cooking space wall 3. Instead, the side wall 16 of the cooking space wall 3 represents the front wall 8 of the feed chamber 15. The emission opening 9 is located in the side wall 16. The feed chamber 15 can be positioned on the side 16 when assembled with a firstly open front side, for instance.

[0048] The emission opening 9 can be closed using a microwave-permeable material, e.g. with a microwave-permeable plate 17 or film.

[0049] Furthermore, the interior 7 of the feed chamber 15 can be filled with an electrically and thermally insulating material 18, e.g. with glass wool or ceramic foam.

[0050] The housing 6 of the feed chamber 15 can have additional air passage openings 19, which cannot be excited resonantly by the microwaves MW and are advantageously not permeable to the microwaves MW.

[0051] FIG. 3 shows a feed chamber 20 with an electrically conductive housing 21, as a sectional representation in the side view. The feed chamber 20 can be used with the microwave appliance 1, for instance. The feed chamber 20 differs from the feed chamber 5 in that the inner conductor 14 does not contact the front wall 8 of the housing 21 which faces the cooking space 2, but instead a wall region (rear wall 22) which faces away from the cooking space 2. Because the housing 21 is electrically conductive and the rear wall 22 is therefore electrically connected to the front side 8 by way of lateral wall region (see Fig.), the ceiling 11 and a base 23, the inner conductor 14 is also connected galvanically to the electrically conductive wall region (namely the front wall 8) of the feed chamber 20 which restricts the emission opening 9. The contact region of the inner conductor 14 with the rear wall 22 can be disposed opposite to the emission opening 9. The inner conductor 14 strikes the rear wall 22 at a right angle.

[0052] Moreover, conversely to the feed chamber 5 the feed chamber 20 has an oblique base 23.

[0053] FIG. 4 shows a feed chamber 24 with an electrically conductive housing 25 as a sectional representation in the side view. The feed chamber 24 can also be used with the microwave appliance 1, for instance. In contrast to the feed chamber 20, the base 26 is embodied to be curved. The emission opening 9 is formed on a lower edge region of the front wall 8. The contact region of the inner conductor 14 with the housing 25 is further disposed on the rear wall 22.

[0054] FIG. 5 shows, in a rear view, a cutout from a feed chamber, e.g. the feed chamber 1, in the region of the resonantly excitable opening 9, 9a. The opening 9a is present here in the form of a straight slot. The inner conductor 14 traverses the opening 9a.

[0055] FIG. 6 shows, in a rear view, a cutout from a further feed chamber, e.g. the feed chamber 1, in the region of the resonantly excitable opening 9, 9b. The opening 9b is present here in the form of a u-shaped slot.

[0056] FIG. 7 shows, in a rear view, a cutout from a further feed chamber, e.g. the feed chamber 1, in the region of the resonantly excitable opening 9, 9c. The opening 9c is present here in the form of a straight slot, which is divided by a web 26. The inner conductor 14 contacts the web 26. The web is widened on one side at its contact region. The web divides the opening 9c into a straight subregion 9c-1 and a u-shaped subregion 9c-2. The subregions 9c-1 and 9c-2 can each be excited resonantly by the microwaves MW and are used as slot antennas. In another view, the feed chamber 1 has two resonantly excitable, slot-shaped openings 9c-1 and 9c-2. The inner conductor 14 contacts the wall region between the two openings 9c-1 and 9c-2.

[0057] Naturally, the present invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment disclosed.

[0058] In general, a, an, etc. can be understood as singular or plural, in particular in the sense of at least one or one or more, etc., provided this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression exactly one, etc.

[0059] A numerical value can also include the given value as a typical tolerance range, provided this is not explicitly excluded.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

[0060] 1 Microwave appliance [0061] 2 Cooking space [0062] 3 Cooking space wall [0063] 4 Side wall of the cooking space wall [0064] 5 Feed chamber [0065] 6 Housing [0066] 7 Interior [0067] 8 Front wall of the housing [0068] 9 Opening in the housing [0069] 9a Opening in the housing [0070] 9b Opening in the housing [0071] 9c Opening in the housing [0072] 9c-1 Opening in the housing [0073] 9c-2 Opening in the housing [0074] 10 Opening [0075] 11 Ceiling of the housing [0076] 12 Connection opening [0077] 13 Outer conductor [0078] 13a Dielectric [0079] 14 Inner conductor [0080] 15 Feed chamber [0081] 16 Side wall of the housing [0082] 17 Microwave-permeable plate [0083] 18 Electrically and thermally insulating material [0084] 19 Air passage opening [0085] 20 Feed chamber [0086] 21 Housing [0087] 22 Rear wall of the housing [0088] 23 Base of the housing [0089] 24 Feed chamber [0090] 25 Housing [0091] 26 Base of the housing [0092] 27 Web [0093] d Chamber height [0094] MW Microwave