Patent Application
20240384876
The present subject matter relates generally to oven appliances, and more particularly to baking algorithms for oven appliances having more than one type of burner.
Oven appliances generally include one or more heating elements to provide heat to a cooking chamber to cook food. Generally, the heating element(s) are electric heating elements or gas heating elements. In the case of an electric heating element, a voltage is supplied to the electric heating element which then emits heat to the cooking chamber. In the case of a gas heating element, a gas fuel is supplied to a burner in or near the cooking chamber, which is then ignited and burned to provide heat to the cooking chamber.
However, electric heating elements require a large voltage input to heat heavy loads and are sometimes incapable of or inefficient at reaching and/or maintaining a target chamber temperature. Gas heating elements are capable of quickly heating the cooking chamber but may provide uneven heating throughout a cooking chamber, which can cause improperly cooked items or longer cooking times. Moreover, gas heating elements often emit at least some combustion byproducts into the cooking chamber and/or the kitchen where the oven appliance is located. Conventional oven appliances also do not provide a means for permitting a user of the appliance to prioritize a cooking process according to their desires. For example, users are not capable of prioritizing heating speed, energy efficiency, the reduction of combustion byproducts, etc.
Accordingly, an oven appliance that obviates one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks would be beneficial. Particularly, an oven appliance that can combine the benefits of gas and electric burners while minimizing their drawbacks in accordance with user preferences would be particularly beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be obvious from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary embodiment, a method of operating an oven appliance is provided. The oven appliance includes a cooking chamber, a gas heat source, and an electric heat source. The method includes obtaining a burner prioritization from a user of the oven appliance, obtaining a temperature set point for a cooking process, determining, based on the temperature set point and the burner prioritization, a target heating rate for the cooking process, operating the electric heat source to heat the cooking chamber, determining that a heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target heating rate, and operating the gas heat source in response to determining that the heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target heating rate.
In another exemplary embodiment, an oven appliance is provided including a cabinet defining a cooking chamber, an electric heat source provided within the cooking chamber, a gas heat source provided within the cooking chamber, a temperature sensor provided within the cooking chamber and configured to sense a temperature of the cooking chamber, and a controller operably connected to the electric heat source, the gas heat source, and the temperature sensor. The controller is configured to execute an operation including obtaining a burner prioritization from a user of the oven appliance, obtaining a temperature set point for a cooking process, determining, based on the temperature set point and the burner prioritization, a target heating rate for the cooking process, operating the electric heat source to heat the cooking chamber, determining that a heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target heating rate, and operating the gas heat source in response to determining that the heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target heating rate.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A full and enabling disclosure of the present invention, including the best mode thereof, directed to one of ordinary skill in the art, is set forth in the specification, which makes reference to the appended figures.
Reference now will be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation of the invention, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment can be used with another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
Referring to
Oven appliance 100 may include a seal (not shown) between door 108 and cabinet 102 that assists with maintaining heat and cooking vapors within cooking chamber 104 when door 108 is closed as shown in
One or more heating elements may be provided at the top, bottom, or both of cooking chamber 104, and may provide heat to cooking chamber 104 for cooking. Such heating element(s) can be gas, electric, microwave, or a combination thereof. For example, in the embodiment shown in
Each of first heating element 124 and second heating element 126 may be arranged in a variety of positions within oven appliance 100. In one example (
Oven appliance 100 may include a user interface 128 having a display 130 positioned on an interface panel 132 and having a variety of user input devices, e.g., controls 134. Interface 128 may allow the user to select various options for the operation of oven 100 including, e.g., various cooking and cleaning cycles. Operation of oven appliance 100 may be regulated by a controller 140 that is operatively coupled, i.e., in communication with, user interface 128, heating elements 124, 126, and other components of oven 100 as will be further described.
For example, in response to user manipulation of the user interface 128, controller 140 may operate the heating element(s) 124 and/or 126. Controller 140 may receive measurements from one or more temperature sensors such as sensors described below. Controller 140 may also provide information such as a status indicator, e.g., a temperature indication, to the user with display 130. Controller 140 may also be provided with other features as will be further described herein. Oven appliance 100 may include a temperature sensor 142 provided within cooking chamber 104. Temperature sensor 142 may monitor the oven temperature within cooking chamber 104. For instance, temperature sensor 142 may take periodic temperature measurements within cooking chamber and transmit the measured temperatures to controller 140. Temperature sensor 142 may be an infrared sensor, a thermocouple, a resistance temperature detector, a thermistor, or the like. In some embodiments, temperature sensor 142 is provided in a location so as to measure an oven temperature at or near a center of cooking chamber 104. However, a location of temperature sensor 142 may vary according to specific applications.
Controller 140 may include a memory and one or more processing devices such as microprocessors, CPUs, or the like, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with operation of oven appliance 100. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM or read only memory such as ROM or FLASH. In one embodiment, the processor executes programming instructions stored in memory. The memory may be a separate component from the processor or may be included onboard within the processor. The memory may store information accessible by the processor(s), including instructions that can be executed by processor(s). For example, the instructions can be software or any set of instructions that when executed by the processor(s), cause the processor(s) to perform operations. For the embodiment depicted, the instructions may include a software package configured to operate the system to, e.g., execute the exemplary methods described below. Controller 140 may also be or include the capabilities of either a proportional (P), proportional-integral (PI), or proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control for feedback-based control implemented with, e.g., temperature feedback from one or more sensors.
Controller 140 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout oven appliance 100. In the illustrated embodiment, controller 140 is located next to user interface 128 within interface panel 132. In other embodiments, controller 140 may be located under or next to the user interface 128 otherwise within interface panel 132 or at any other appropriate location with respect to oven appliance 100. In the embodiment illustrated in
In the illustrated embodiments, the user input device is provided as touch type controls 134, however, it should be understood that controls 134 and the configuration of oven appliance 100 shown in
While oven 100 is shown as a wall oven, the present invention could also be used with other cooking appliances such as, e.g., a stand-alone oven, an oven with a stove-top, or other configurations of such ovens. Numerous variations in the oven configuration are possible within the scope of the present subject matter. For example, variations in the type and/or layout of the controls 134, as mentioned above, are possible. As another example, the oven appliance 100 may include multiple doors 108 instead of or in addition to the single door 108 illustrated. Such examples include a dual cavity oven, a French door oven, and others. The examples described herein are provided by way of illustration only and without limitation.
A method 200 of operating an oven appliance (e.g., oven appliance 100) will now be described with particular reference to
At step 202, the method may include activating a gas heating element and an electrical heating element. For instance, after obtaining the temperature set point, the controller (e.g., controller 140) may activate each of the gas heating element and the electric heating element in order to provide heat to a cooking chamber (e.g., cooking chamber 104). Advantageously, by operating both the gas heating element and the electric heating element, the cooking chamber may reach the temperature set point more quickly.
The method may include determining an electric heating temperature range and a gas undershoot temperature limit. For instance, the electric heating temperature range may be a temperature range within which the electric heating element (e.g., first heating element 124) is operated. The operation of the electric heating element may include operating the electric heating element in a cyclical manner. In other words, within the electric heating temperature range, the electric heating element may be continually cycled on and off in order to maintain the oven temperature within the electric heating temperature range. In this regard, for example, the thermal loading required by an item within the cooking chamber may be such that the electric heating element is capable of maintaining the oven temperature near the temperature set point, i.e., within the electric heating temperature range, without needing support from the gas heating element.
As shown in
In detail, at step 203, when the oven temperature reaches T-limit 1 (e.g., at time point T1 in
In some embodiments, a heavy load requirement or other unforeseen circumstances may lead to a drop in oven temperature below T-limit 2. In detail, the oven temperature may drop below T-limit 2 while the electric heating element is still activated. In this case, at step 205, when the oven temperature reaches the gas undershoot temperature limit (T-limit 3), the gas heating element may be activated. The gas undershoot temperature limit T-limit 3 may be less than the electric temperature undershoot limit. Accordingly, when the oven temperature reaches the gas undershoot temperature limit T-limit 3, the gas heating element may be activated. Thus, both the electric heating element and the gas heating element may be activated simultaneously to provide extra heat to the cooking chamber when needed.
In detail, under the heavy load for example, the electric heating element may remain activated (e.g., on and producing heat) when the oven temperature is below the electric undershoot temperature limit T-limit 2. The gas heating element may then be cycled while the electric heating element remains activated. In other words, the gas heating element may be turned on when the oven temperature reaches the gas undershoot temperature limit T-limit 3. The gas heating element may then be deactivated when the oven temperature reaches the electric undershoot temperature limit T-limit 2. This cycling may continue for a predetermined period of time as the heavy load is monitored (i.e., the oven temperature is monitored). In some embodiments, the gas heating element may be activated until the oven temperature reaches the electric overshoot temperature limit T-limit 1, at which point the gas heating element is deactivated. At this point, the electric heating element may continue a cycling operation (e.g., between an activated state and a deactivated state) while the oven temperature remains in the electric heating temperature range.
A method 300 of operating an oven appliance (e.g., oven appliance 100) will now be described with particular reference to
As shown, step 310 may include obtaining a burner prioritization from a user of an oven appliance. In general, the burner prioritization may be a user selected parameter associated with the operation of oven appliance 100 that at least partially regulates the operation of the electric heating element and the gas heating element, e.g., or the power split therebetween. In this regard, as explained above, electric heating elements and gas heating elements may have complementary positive and negative operating characteristics. The user input burner prioritization may serve to utilize the electric heating element and the gas heating element in a manner that takes the positives related to both types of heating elements while reducing the negatives.
For example, gas heating elements may be used when it is desirable to have a very fast heating rise time or a very fast heating recovery time when a large, cool thermal load is placed within the cooking chamber. However, gas heating elements also have a tendency to generate combustion byproducts that may be exhausted into the room where the appliance is located. Some users may prioritize heating or oven performance over combustion byproducts reduction. By contrast, some users may wish to reduce or eliminate combustion byproducts at the sacrifice of heating speed. Method 300 includes obtaining such a user prioritization in some form to operate heating elements in a hybrid oven in accordance with user preferences. Although example burner prioritizations are described below, it should be appreciated that other methods of prioritizing burner usage are possible and within the scope of the present subject matter.
According to an example embodiment, the burner prioritization may be a heating speed selection. For example, when a user starts a cooking cycle, the oven appliance may prompt the user to select a heating speed, e.g., such as a slow speed selection, a medium speed selection, or a high speed selection. Alternatively, the user may select a heating speed on a speed scale, e.g., by selecting a heating speed between 1 and 10, with 10 being a focus on faster heating and heat recovery within cooking chamber. According to still other embodiments, the burner prioritization may be input as a user acquiescence level to combustion byproducts, e.g., a level to which a customer is comfortable dealing with or otherwise accepting the presence of combustion byproducts. In this regard, utilization of the gas heating element may be roughly proportional to the heating speed selection. By contrast, the reduction of combustion byproducts may be inversely proportional to the heating speed selection.
Notably, the burner prioritization may be obtained in any suitable manner and at any suitable time prior to or during a cooking cycle. For example, a user may input the burner prioritization using a user interface panel (e.g., interface panel 132) or through a remote device (e.g., such as a mobile phone connected to controller 140 through an external network). In addition, it should be appreciated that method 300 may include prompting a user to input the burner prioritization at the commencement of every operating cycle or at some predetermined interval. According to alternative embodiments, the burner prioritization may be obtained upon installation and first use of the oven appliance. Thereafter, the burner prioritization may be retained in memory and used for subsequent cooking cycles. According to still other embodiments, method 300 may include providing a user with the option to change a pre-existing or preset burner prioritization.
Method 300 may further include, at step 320, obtaining a temperature setpoint for a cooking process. In this regard, as shown for example in
Step 330 may generally include determining, based on the temperature setpoint and the burner prioritization, a target heating rate for the cooking process. As used herein, the term “target heating rate” may generally refer to the desired amount of time it takes for temperature rise within the cooking chamber. In this regard, a faster target heating rate may result in faster preheat and recovery times (e.g., as shown in
Once the target heating rate is set at step 330, the gas and electric heating elements may operate together to perform the cooking process in accordance with the user's selected burner prioritization. In other words, the split in utilization between the electric and the gas heating element may be adjusted depending not only on the temperature setpoint but also on the selected burner prioritization. Accordingly, method 200 may be used at this point to maintain the chamber temperature between the desired limits, with the heating speed being adjusted based on the burner prioritization. Notably, it should be appreciated that the limits described above may be adjusted based on the burner prioritization. For example, if a user selects a burner prioritization that emphasizes performance over the reduction of gas byproducts, the T-limit 2 may be increased such that it is closer to the set temperature or the T-limit 1 may be increased such that the gas kicks on sooner after the temperature drops below T-limit 2. By contrast, if a user selects a burner prioritization that emphasizes the reduction of gas byproducts, T-limit 2 and T-limit 1 may be moved to lower temperature limits. Other variations to the temperature limits and their respective ranges and temperatures may be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.
According to example embodiments, step 340 may generally include operating an electric heat source to heat a cooking chamber. Step 350 may include determining that a heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target heating rate and step 360 may include operating a gas heat source in response to determining that the heating rate of the cooking chamber is below the target rate. In this regard, if the target heating rate determined at step 330 can be maintained with only the electric heating element, method 300 may include operating only the electric heating element. By contrast, if the heating rate cannot be maintained, the gas heating element may be utilized to an extent or degree depending on the burner prioritization input.
Referring now briefly to
This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.
