Patent Application
20220178616
The present subject matter relates generally to oven appliances, and more particularly, to door and camera assemblies for oven appliances.
Conventional residential and commercial oven appliances generally include a cabinet that includes a cooking chamber for receipt of food items for cooking. Multiple heating elements are positioned within the cooking chamber to provide heat to food items located therein. The heating elements can include, for example, radiant heating elements, such as a bake heating assembly positioned at a bottom of the cooking chamber and/or a separate broiler heating assembly positioned at a top of the cooking chamber.
Conventional oven appliances include a door that provides selective access to the cooking chamber and typically includes a window to permit a user to view a cooking process. Notably, it may also be desirable to use a camera to generate images of food during a cooking process, e.g., to facilitate monitoring of the cooking progress via a display or a remote device, such as a mobile phone. However, ambient light within the kitchen often shines through the window into the cooking chamber and such light can generate undesirable reflections that affect the image quality obtained by the camera. As a result, it is difficult to have a single oven appliance that permits a window for viewing the cooking chamber and a camera assembly for obtaining images of the cooking chamber without obtaining poor quality images from the camera assembly.
Accordingly, an oven appliance that includes an improved camera assembly would be useful. More particularly, an oven appliance with a camera assembly that is capable of providing high-quality, reflection-free images would be particularly beneficial.
Aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the following description, or may be apparent from the description, or may be learned through practice of the invention.
In one exemplary embodiment, an oven appliance defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction is provided. The oven appliance includes a cooking chamber positioned within a cabinet, a door rotatably mounted to the cabinet for providing selective access to the cooking chamber, the door comprising a window, a camera assembly configured for obtaining one or more images of the cooking chamber, and a light blocking film configured for selectively blocking light from entering the cooking chamber through the window.
In another exemplary embodiment, a method of operating an oven appliance is provided. The oven appliance includes a cooking chamber, a door providing selective access to the cooking chamber and comprising a window, a camera assembly for monitoring the cooking chamber, and a light blocking film for selectively blocking light from passing through the window into the cooking chamber. The method includes receiving a command to obtain one or more images of the cooking chamber, activating the light blocking film by applying a voltage to transition the light blocking film from transparent to opaque, and operating the camera assembly to obtain the one or more images after the light blocking film has been activated.
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.
Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent the same or analogous features or elements of the present invention.
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 or spirit 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.
As used herein, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another and are not intended to signify location or importance of the individual components. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative flow direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the flow direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the flow direction to which the fluid flows. The terms “includes” and “including” are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising.” Similarly, the term “or” is generally intended to be inclusive (i.e., “A or B” is intended to mean “A or B or both”).
Approximating language, as used herein throughout the specification and claims, is applied to modify any quantitative representation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a change in the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms, such as “about,” “approximately,” and “substantially,” are not to be limited to the precise value specified. In at least some instances, the approximating language may correspond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value. For example, the approximating language may refer to being within a 10 percent margin.
Within cabinet 102 is a single cooking chamber 120 which is configured for the receipt of one or more food items to be cooked. However, it should be appreciated that oven appliance 100 is provided by way of example only, and aspects of the present subject matter may be used in any suitable cooking appliance, such as a gas or electric double oven range appliance. For example, although oven appliance 100 is illustrated as a wall oven installed within a bank of cabinets, it should be appreciated that aspects of the present subject matter may be used in free-standing oven appliances, double ovens, etc. Moreover, aspects of the present subject matter may be used in any other consumer or commercial appliance where it is desirable to use a camera within another suitable appliance. Thus, the example embodiment shown in
Oven appliance 100 includes a door 124 rotatably attached to cabinet 102 in order to permit selective access to cooking chamber 120. Handle 126 is mounted to door 124 to assist a user with opening and closing door 124 in order to access cooking chamber 120. As an example, a user can pull on handle 126 mounted to door 124 to open or close door 124 and access cooking chamber 120. One or more transparent viewing windows 128 (
In general, cooking chamber 120 is defined by a plurality of chamber walls 130 (
Referring now to
As best shown in
Oven appliance may further include one or more heating elements (identified generally by reference numeral 150) positioned within cabinet 102 or may otherwise be in thermal communication with cooking chamber 120 for regulating the temperature within cooking chamber 120. For example, heating elements 150 may be electric resistance heating elements, gas burners, microwave heating elements, halogen heating elements, or suitable combinations thereof. According to an exemplary embodiment, oven appliance 100 is a self-cleaning oven. In this regard, heating elements 150 may be configured for heating cooking chamber 120 to a very high temperature (e.g., 800° F. or higher) in order to burn off any food residue or otherwise clean cooking chamber 120.
Specifically, an upper gas or electric heating element 154 (also referred to as a broil heating element or gas burner) may be positioned in cabinet 102, e.g., at a top portion of cooking chamber 120, and a lower gas or electric heating element 156 (also referred to as a bake heating element or gas burner) may be positioned at a bottom portion of cooking chamber 120. Upper heating element 154 and lower heating element 156 may be used independently or simultaneously to heat cooking chamber 120, perform a baking or broil operation, perform a cleaning cycle, etc. The size and heat output of heating elements 154, 156 can be selected based on the, e.g., the size of oven appliance 100 or the desired heat output. Oven appliance 100 may include any other suitable number, type, and configuration of heating elements 150 within cabinet 102. For example, oven appliance 100 may further include electric heating elements, induction heating elements, or any other suitable heat generating device.
A user interface panel 160 is located within convenient reach of a user of the oven appliance 100. For this example embodiment, user interface panel 160 includes user inputs 162 that may generally be configured for regulating heating elements 150 or operation of oven appliance 100. In this manner, user inputs 162 allow the user to activate each heating element 150 and determine the amount of heat input provided by each heating element 150 to a cooking food items within cooking chamber 120. Although shown with user inputs 162, it should be understood that user inputs 162 and the configuration of oven appliance 100 shown in
Generally, oven appliance 100 may include a controller 166 in operative communication with user interface panel 160. User interface panel 160 of oven appliance 100 may be in communication with controller 166 via, for example, one or more signal lines or shared communication busses, and signals generated in controller 166 operate oven appliance 100 in response to user input via user inputs 162. Input/Output (“I/O”) signals may be routed between controller 166 and various operational components of oven appliance 100 such that operation of oven appliance 100 can be regulated by controller 166. In addition, controller 166 may also be communication with one or more sensors, such as temperature sensor 168 (
Controller 166 is a “processing device” or “controller” and may be embodied as described herein. Controller 166 may include a memory and one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICS), 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, and controller 166 is not restricted necessarily to a single element. The memory may represent random access memory such as DRAM, or read only memory such as ROM, electrically erasable, programmable read only memory (EEPROM), 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. Alternatively, controller 166 may be constructed without using a microprocessor, e.g., using a combination of discrete analog and/or digital logic circuitry (such as switches, amplifiers, integrators, comparators, flip-flops, AND gates, and the like) to perform control functionality instead of relying upon software.
Referring still to
External communication system 190 permits controller 166 of oven appliance 100 to communicate with external devices either directly or through a network 192. For example, a consumer may use a consumer device 194 to communicate directly with oven appliance 100. Alternatively, these appliances may include user interfaces for receiving such input (described below). For example, consumer devices 194 may be in direct or indirect communication with oven appliance 100, e.g., directly through a local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, etc. or indirectly through network 192. In general, consumer device 194 may be any suitable device for providing and/or receiving communications, displaying images or video, or receiving commands from a user. In this regard, consumer device 194 may include, for example, a personal phone, a tablet, a laptop computer, or another mobile device.
In addition, a remote server 196 may be in communication with oven appliance 100 and/or consumer device 194 through network 192. In this regard, for example, remote server 196 may be a cloud-based server 196, and is thus located at a distant location, such as in a separate state, country, etc. In general, communication between the remote server 196 and the client devices may be carried via a network interface using any type of wireless connection, using a variety of communication protocols (e.g. TCP/IP, HTTP, SMTP, FTP), encodings or formats (e.g. HTML, XML), and/or protection schemes (e.g. VPN, secure HTTP, SSL).
In general, network 192 can be any type of communication network. For example, network 192 can include one or more of a wireless network, a wired network, a personal area network, a local area network, a wide area network, the internet, a cellular network, etc. According to an exemplary embodiment, consumer device 194 may communicate with a remote server 196 over network 192, such as the internet, to provide user inputs, transfer operating parameters or performance characteristics, cycle authorizations, display images or video, etc. In addition, consumer device 194 and remote server 196 may communicate with oven appliance 100 to communicate similar information.
External communication system 190 is described herein according to an exemplary embodiment of the present subject matter. However, it should be appreciated that the exemplary functions and configurations of external communication system 190 provided herein are used only as examples to facilitate description of aspects of the present subject matter. System configurations may vary, other communication devices may be used to communicate directly or indirectly with one or more oven or cooking appliances, other communication protocols and steps may be implemented, etc. These variations and modifications are contemplated as within the scope of the present subject matter.
Referring now to
Oven appliance 100 may obtain, transmit, and display one or more images or live video from within cooking chamber 120. For example, camera 202 can provide a live image or video to display 164 (
According to the illustrated embodiment, camera assembly 200 is installed in a fixed location within an oven appliance 100 such that it is in view of substantially the entire cooking chamber 120. Although the present embodiment illustrates a stationary camera assembly 200, it should be appreciated that according to alternative embodiments, camera assembly 200 may be adjustable while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. In addition, as will be described in more detail below, camera assembly 200 is mounted within door 124 of oven appliance 100. However, it should be appreciated that camera assembly 200 may be mounted at any other suitable location within oven appliance 100 while remaining within scope the present subject matter.
As best shown in
Specifically, according to the illustrated embodiment, inner door panel 210 includes an inner glass pane 214 (which is closest to or faces cooking chamber 120) and outer door panel 212 includes an outer glass pane 216. A spacer bracket 218 is positioned between inner glass pane 214 and outer glass pane 216 to maintain a gap between the two glass panes. Specifically, inner glass pane 214 and outer glass pane 216 are separated by an air gap 220 along the transverse direction T (e.g., when door 124 is closed). In general, air gap 220 defines helps insulate cooking chamber 120. Although inner door panel 210 and outer door panel 212 are illustrated herein as having single glass panes, it should be appreciated that each assembly may include multiple glass panes or any other suitable construction according to alternative embodiments. For example, door panels 210, 212 may include any suitable number of transparent windows formed from any suitable material may be used according to alternative embodiments.
Referring still to
Specifically, as shown schematically in
In general, light blocking film 240 may be positioned at any suitable location for preventing light 232 from distorting or otherwise causing reflections in images obtained by camera assembly 200. In this regard, for example, light blocking film 240 may be positioned on outer glass pane 216 of door 124 such that camera assembly 200 is positioned between cooking chamber 120 and light blocking film 240 along the transverse direction T. More specifically, as illustrated, light blocking film 240 is positioned within air gap 220 and is seated against an internal surface of outer glass pane 216.
According to exemplary embodiments, light blocking film 240 may be any size or geometry suitable for blocking a sufficient amount of light reflections to obtain desirable images using camera assembly 200. For example, according to exemplary embodiments, light blocking film 240 may cover a small area of the window, e.g., just enough to surround camera 202, e.g., such as between about 5% and 50%, between about 10% and 40%, between about 20% and 30%, or about 25%. According to still other exemplary embodiments, light blocking film 240 may cover a broader area, e.g., such as greater than 50% of a surface area of outer glass pane 216. According still other embodiments, light blocking film may cover greater than 70%, greater than 90%, or may cover the entirety of the surface area of outer glass pane 216. It should be appreciated that light blocking film 240 may be applied or attached to door 124 using any suitable device or mechanisms. In addition, variations to the number, size, configuration, and operation of light blocking film 240 may be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.
It should be appreciated that light blocking film 240 may be any suitable material, film, or component that may transition between one or more states, where one state permits some or all of light 232 to pass through door 124, while the other state prevents at least a portion of light 232 from passing through door 124 to minimize reflections obtained by camera 202. In other words, light blocking film 240 may generally be any suitable film or coating technology that is configured for transitioning between a transparent or semi-transparent material (referred to herein as the “transparent” state) to an opaque, translucent, or non-transparent material (referred to herein as the “opaque” state). According to exemplary embodiments, this transition between the transparent and opaque state may be initiated by controller 166, e.g., by applying a voltage to light blocking film 240. However, it should be appreciated that any other suitable initiation action could be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.
According to exemplary embodiments, the light blocking film 240 may implement a liquid crystal technology, such as polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) technology. These technologies typically rely on the alignment of liquid crystal molecules within a polymer matrix either being aligned or randomly oriented. When the molecules are randomly oriented, these molecules tend to block the passage of light through the liquid crystal film (e.g., such that the film is substantially opaque). By contrast, when the molecules are aligned, light is permitted to shine directly through the film (e.g., such that it appears substantially transparent). Typically, these liquid crystal films use an electric voltage to transition the film between the transparent and opaque states. These liquid crystal films may include dissolved liquid crystals that are hardened or formed on polymer or glass such that they are dispersed throughout the glass or film sheet. These liquid crystals scatter the light and make the glass or film appear opaque until electricity is appliance, which causes the liquid crystals to align and allow light to pass through.
According to alternative exemplary embodiments, the light blocking film 240 may utilize suspended particle devices for implementing the transition between opaque and transparent states. Suspended particle devices may operate similar to liquid crystal technologies, by having particles suspended between multiple glass or polymer panes that selectively permit light therethrough. Specifically, the glass panes may include a conductive coating that can be used to provide an electric charge to the suspended particles. These particles are aligned within a liquid suspension when electricity is applied through the conductive coating, allowing light to flow therethrough.
According to still other embodiments, the light blocking film 240 implement micro-blind technology. In this regard, for example, micro-blinds may be very small electrodes (e.g., invisible to the eye) that curl when exposed to electrostatic forces. For example, micro-blinds may include multiple layers of glass that defines a space therebetween that includes a coating that changes transparency to provide shading when activated. According to exemplary embodiments, micro-blinds include thin, rolled metal blinds that are positioned within or on top of glass and which can be controlled with electricity. Specifically, when no voltage is applied, the metal pieces are rolled such that light can pass through. By contrast, when electricity is applied, an electric field forms between the glass and the metal blinds that makes the metal blinds unroll and flatten out to block the light.
Although exemplary materials are described herein for use in transitioning windows of oven door between transparent and opaque, it should be appreciated that these are only a few exemplary technologies that may be employed. Other technologies and materials are possible, different means for transitioning those materials between states may be used, and other variations may be employed while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. In addition, the size, position, and orientation of light blocking film 240 may vary while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter. Indeed, any suitable use of a film that can be transitioned to selectively block light and/or reflections for improved imaging by a camera assembly may be used while remaining within the scope of the present subject matter.
Now that the construction of oven appliance 100, camera assembly 200, in light blocking film 240 have been described according to exemplary embodiments, an exemplary method 300 of operating a camera assembly along with a light blocking film to obtain reflection free images of a cooking chamber within an oven appliance will be described. Although the discussion below refers to the exemplary method 300 of operating camera assembly 200 of oven appliance 100, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary method 300 is applicable to the operation of a variety of other appliances, camera systems, and light blocking films.
Referring now to
Step 330 may then include operating the camera assembly to obtain the one or more images after the light blocking film has been activated. Step 340 may include displaying the one or more images obtained by camera assembly on a display of the oven appliance or on a remote device, e.g., via mobile phone application. Thus, after light blocking film 240 has been activated to reduce reflections and prevent distortion, camera assembly 200 may obtain and transmit images or video of cooking chamber 120 to a user in any suitable manner. After the images are obtained, controller may deactivate light blocking film 240 e.g., by removing the applied voltage, thereby permitting a user to directly view cooking chamber 120 through glass panes 214, 216.
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.
