Patent Application
20200386410
The present subject matter relates generally to oven appliances, and more particularly to oven appliances having combined convection and radiant heating features.
Conventional residential and commercial oven appliances generally include a cabinet that defines a cooking chamber for receipt of food items for cooking. Heating elements are positioned within the cooking chamber to provide heat to food items located therein. The heating elements can include, for example a bake heating assembly positioned at a bottom of the cooking chamber and/or a broiler heating assembly positioned at a top of the cooking chamber. Typical broiler heating assemblies include one or the other of a radiant heating element or a convection heating element, but not both.
Some conventional appliances include a broiler assembly that uses a burner or electric heating element directed toward a predefined heating surface. During use, the burner or electric heating element heats the predefined heating surface to an elevated temperature so that heat may be radiated above, for instance, a food item being cooked. In other words, radiation is used as the sole heat transfer method in these conventional broiler elements. Oftentimes, these conventional appliances are unable to provide an even or desirable heat distribution above the food item being cooked. For example, the broiler element may be unable to evenly heat the predefined heating surface. In turn, radiation from the predefined heating surface may heat or cook items in an undesirable or uneven manner.
Other conventional appliances only provide a gas burner for broiling. Such appliances are unable to quickly transition from baking to broiling, and vice versa. For example, only one gas burner can be ignited at a given time because simultaneous burner operation may result in poor combustion. In such systems, transitioning between bake and broil can require significant time since one burner (e.g., the bake burner) needs to be turned off and then the other (e.g., the broil burner) ignited.
Moreover, in conventional appliances, the broiler element may require a significant amount of pre-heating time before a suitable broiler temperature is reached. This additional pre-heating time may frustrate a user and/or hinder cooking operations.
Accordingly, oven appliances having an improved broiler assembly would be desirable. Specifically, oven appliances having a broiler assembly that could provide an even heat distribution across a portion of a cooking chamber would be desirable. Additionally, it may be desirable for broiler assemblies to quickly reach an instructed temperature.
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 aspect of the present disclosure, an oven appliance is provided. The oven appliance includes a cabinet defining a cooking chamber to receive items to be cooked. The cooking chamber includes a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls. The top wall and the bottom wall are spaced apart along a vertical direction. The opposing sidewalls are spaced apart along a lateral direction. The oven appliance also includes a broiler assembly. The broiler assembly includes a convection heating element and a radiant heating element. The convection heating element is disposed outside of the cooking chamber and in convective communication with the cooking chamber to supply heated gas to the cooking chamber. The radiant heating element is disposed in the cooking chamber proximate the top wall of the cooking chamber.
In another aspect of the present disclosure, an oven appliance is provided. The oven appliance includes a cabinet defining a cooking chamber to receive items to be cooked. The cooking chamber includes a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls. The top wall and the bottom wall are spaced apart along a vertical direction. The opposing sidewalls are spaced apart along a lateral direction. A convection duct extends along a portion of the cooking chamber to direct a heated gas therethrough. An air handler is disposed in fluid communication with the convection duct to motivate the heated gas. A broil outlet is defined at a top portion of the cooking chamber in fluid communication with the convection duct to direct the heated gas from the convection duct to the cooking chamber. A radiant heating element is positioned proximate to and downstream of the broil outlet.
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 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, terms of approximation, such as “generally,” or “about” include values within ten percent greater or less than the stated value. When used in the context of an angle or direction, such terms include within ten degrees greater or less than the stated angle or direction. For example, “generally vertical” includes directions within ten degrees of vertical in any direction, e.g., clockwise or counter-clockwise. The terms “upstream” and “downstream” refer to the relative direction with respect to fluid flow in a fluid pathway. For example, “upstream” refers to the direction from which the fluid flows, and “downstream” refers to the direction to which the fluid flows.
Turning now to the figures,
Oven appliance 10 includes an insulated cabinet 12 with an interior cooking chamber 14 defined by an interior surface 15 of cabinet 12. Cooking chamber 14 is configured for the receipt of one or more food items to be cooked. Oven appliance 10 includes a door 16 rotatably mounted to cabinet 12, e.g., with a hinge (not shown). A handle 18 is mounted to door 16 and assists a user with opening and closing door 16 in order to access opening 20 to cooking chamber 14. For example, a user can pull on handle 18 to open or close door 16 and access cooking chamber 14 through opening 20.
Oven appliance 10 can includes a seal or gasket (not shown) between door 16 and cabinet 12 that assists with maintaining heat and cooking fumes within cooking chamber 14 when door 16 is closed as shown in
As shown, various walls define the cooking chamber 14. For example, cooking chamber 14 includes a top wall 30 and a bottom wall 32 which are spaced apart along the vertical direction V. Left sidewall 34 and right sidewall 36 (as defined according to a front view as shown in
Optionally, a lower heating assembly 42 may be included in oven appliance 10, e.g., for baking operations within cooking chamber 42. Lower heating assembly 42 may include a discrete heating element (not pictured) which is disposed within the cooking chamber 14, such as adjacent to the bottom wall 32. In some embodiments, the lower heating assembly 42 includes a gas burner. Additional components, such as an igniter and a fuel line may be provided in some such embodiments. Alternatively, the lower heating assembly 42 may include an electric heating element, or may be any other suitable bake assembly having any other suitable heating element.
As discussed in detail herein, an upper heating assembly, such as a broiler assembly 44, may be included in oven appliance 10. Broiler assembly 44 includes a convection heating element 50 and a radiant heating element 52. The radiant heating element 52 may be an electric heating element, such as a resistive heating rod as illustrated in
Advantageously, the heating elements 50 and 52 may employ different heat sources, e.g., the convection heating element 50 may be a gas burner and the radiant heating element 52 may be an electric heating element, such that the combined system, e.g., broiler assembly 44, provides advantages over broilers using a single energy source, such as only electric or only combustion. In such embodiments, the radiant heating element 52 may be a low-power heating element. For example, while a typical heating element in an all-electric oven appliance may use about 3,000 Watts to about 4,000 Watts, the radiant heating element 52 may use only about 1400 Watts or about 1500 Watts. Thus, the combined broiler assembly 44 may provide improved heat intensity as compared to a purely radiant or purely convective broil system. By bathing the electric element 52 in the hot air or exhaust from the convective heating element 50, the relatively low powered (e.g., about 1500 W) electric element 52 can achieve temperatures that will allow it to radiate substantial energy to food items in the cooking chamber, and together with the convective heat element 52 gives superior broil results.
Oven appliance 10 may further include a controller 40, e.g., configured to control one or more operations of the oven appliance 10. For example, controller 40 may control at least one operation of oven appliance 10 that includes broiler assembly 44. Controller 40 may be in communication (via for example a suitable wired or wireless connection) with the heating elements 50 and 52 as well as other suitable components of the oven appliance 10, as discussed herein. In general, controller 40 may be operable to configure the oven appliance 10 (and various components thereof) for cooking. Such configuration may be based, for instance, on a plurality of cooking factors of a selected operating cycle or mode.
By way of example, controller 40 may include one or more memory devices and one or more microprocessors, such as general or special purpose microprocessors operable to execute programming instructions or micro-control code associated with an operating cycle. 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.
Controller 40 may be positioned in a variety of locations throughout oven appliance 10. As illustrated, controller 40 may be located within a user interface panel 62 of oven appliance 10 as shown in
As noted above, certain embodiments of convection heating element 50 are provided as a gas burner. In some such embodiments, convection heating element 50 includes a burner tube 68. Burner tube 68 is generally positioned away from broil outlet 132 such that a flame output by burner tube 68 is isolated and apart from broil outlet 132, e.g., thereby preventing the flame from contacting broil outlet 132 or otherwise entering the cooking chamber 14. A fuel line (not shown) may be connected in fluid communication with burner tube 68 to selectively direct a fuel (e.g., natural gas) to burner tube 68. One or more igniters (not pictured) may be provided adjacent to burner tube 68 for igniting fuel. During operation, a flame can thus be generated at burner tube 68 after fuel is received at burner tube 68.
In some embodiments, a burner enclosure 72 contains at least a portion of convection heating element 50. For instance, burner enclosure 72 may include a plurality of outer walls 74, 76 housing burner tube 68. Outer walls 74, 76 may be substantially solid, non-permeable members to partially isolate burner tube 68. During use, a flame generated at the burner tube 68 is at least partially contained by burner enclosure 72, e.g., apart from broil outlet 132. Specifically, the flame is at least partially enclosed by outer walls 74, 76. An inlet 78 is defined through one or more of outer walls (e.g., 76), while one or both of the outer walls 74, 76 define a separate outlet 80. For instance, outer walls 74, 76 may collectively define an outlet 80 directly above burner tube 68. Inlet 78 may generally permit air into burner enclosure 72 while outlet 80 directs a flame exhaust out of burner enclosure 72, e.g., as a heated gas.
As best seen in
An exhaust path 86 may be defined between the oppositely-disposed inner walls 82, 84. For instance, exhaust path 86 may extend between burner tube 68 and outlet 80 of burner enclosure 72. In some such embodiments, inner walls 82, 84 are spaced apart from outer walls 74, 76, e.g., in the transverse direction T. One or more air chambers 88, 90 may be defined between an inner wall 82, 84 and an outer wall 74, 76 of burner enclosure 72. One air chamber 88 may extend in the transverse direction T toward the cooking chamber 14 between first inner wall 82 and an outer wall 74 of burner enclosure 72. Another air chamber 90 may extend in the transverse direction T away from the cooking chamber 14 between second inner wall 84 and another outer wall 76 of burner enclosure 72.
In some embodiments, inlet 78 includes a plurality of openings 92, 94 extending through an outer wall 76 of burner enclosure 72, e.g., in the transverse direction T. Optionally, multiple discrete sets of openings may be provided. For instance, a primary set of openings 92 may extend through outer wall 76 of burner enclosure 72. As illustrated, primary openings 92 may extend through outer wall 76 below inner walls 82, 84, e.g., in the vertical direction V. In some such embodiments, primary openings 92 are defined below burner tube 68. Each of the primary openings 92 may be substantially parallel. Additionally or alternatively, each of the primary openings 92 may be defined along a sequence such that the primary openings 92 are arranged side-by-side in the lateral direction L.
A secondary set of openings 94 may further extend through outer wall 76 of burner enclosure 72. As illustrated, secondary openings 94 may extend through outer wall 76 above burner tube 68, e.g., in the vertical direction V. In some such embodiments, secondary openings 94 extend into an air chamber 88, 90. Each of the secondary openings 94 may be substantially parallel. Additionally or alternatively, each of the secondary openings 94 may be defined along a sequence such that the primary openings 92 are arranged side-by-side in the lateral direction L.
Optionally, one or more ports 96 may be defined in fluid communication with inlet 78. As illustrated, ports 96 may be extend from an air chamber 88, 90 to outlet 80. Moreover, ports 96 may be defined above secondary openings 94, e.g., proximate to outlet 80. For instance, ports 96 may be defined through an angled top portion of inner wall 82, 84. During operations, air may be directed through air chamber 88, 90 (e.g., from secondary openings 94) and out of ports 96.
An isolated air supply duct 110 is provided in some embodiments. As shown, air supply duct 110 defines a passage 112 that extends between two ends 114, 116. When assembled, passage 112 may be in fluid communication with burner enclosure 72. An inlet 118 of air supply duct 110 may be defined at one end 114 while an outlet 120 is defined at the opposite end 116. Optionally, air supply duct 110 may be partially or fully housed within cabinet 12. In some such embodiments, inlet 118 is defined in communication with the ambient environment, e.g., at a bottom portion of cabinet 12. Outlet 120 of air supply duct 110 may be defined adjacent to the inlet 78 of burner enclosure 72, e.g., in direct engagement with burner enclosure 72. Air for combustion may thus enter air supply duct 110 at inlet 118 before passing through passage 112 to outlet 120. Air passing from outlet 120 may then enter burner enclosure 72 at inlet 78, e.g., through primary opening(s) 92 and/or secondary opening(s) 94.
In some embodiments, one or more combustion air handlers 48, such as a burner fan, is or are disposed upstream from convection heating element 50, e.g., upstream from the gas burner. Specifically, combustion air handler 48 may be in fluid communication with inlet 78 of burner enclosure 72. Isolated air supply duct 110 may be disposed in fluid communication between the air handler 48 and inlet 78 of convection heating element 50. Optionally, combustion air handler 48 may be disposed within passage 112 of air supply duct 110. During operations, combustion air handler 48 may motivate air into inlet 78, e.g., to facilitate combustion within burner enclosure 72 and/or force heat exhaust from burner enclosure 72.
In certain embodiments, a convection duct 130 is provided in fluid communication with cooking chamber 14. Convection duct 130 may extend along a portion of the cooking chamber 14, e.g., outside of cooking chamber 14, to direct a heated gas therethrough. For instance, convection duct 130 may extend from convection heating element 50 to broil outlet 132. Convection duct 130 may thereby provide fluid communication between heating element 50 and cooking chamber 14. In some such embodiments, broil outlet 132 is positioned at the top wall 30 of cooking chamber 14 proximate the outlet 80 of burner enclosure 72. Broil outlet 132 may be defined, e.g., perpendicular to the transverse direction T.
In additional embodiments, an optional passage, e.g., a circulation passage 134, may be defined by convection duct 130. Specifically, circulation passage 134 may be defined in fluid communication between a bottom portion of cooking chamber 14 and a top portion of cooking chamber 14. In certain embodiments, circulation passage 134 extends perpendicular to the transverse direction T, e.g., along the vertical direction V. At least a portion of circulation passage 134 may be defined by rear wall 38, e.g., between rear wall 38 and an outer wall 74 of burner enclosure 72. In other embodiments, a bottom heating element may be included at or near the bottom portion of the cooking chamber 14 to provide heat to the bottom portion of the cooking chamber 14 without the optional circulation passage 134.
One or more convection air handlers 46, such as a circulation fan, are disposed in fluid communication with convection duct 130. Through convection duct 130, convection air handler 46 may be in fluid communication with outlet 80 of burner enclosure 72. Convection air handler 46 may be operable to direct a heated gas through convection duct 130 according to one or more operations. During certain operations, air may be recirculated from one portion of cooking chamber 14 to another portion. For instance, convection air handler 46 may motivate air through broiler passage 132 and to or from broil outlet 132, as will be described below. In some embodiments, convection air handler 46 is disposed within convection duct 130, e.g., mounted at the circulation passage 134. Moreover, convection air handler 46 may be positioned below convection heating element 50 along the vertical direction V.
As illustrated in
An initial airflow (indicated at arrow 142) may be provided to convection heating element 50. For instance, an initial air volume may be motivated through inlet 78 into burner enclosure 72 by air handler 48. The initial airflow 142 may be provided from the ambient environment, e.g., through inlet 118 of air supply duct 110 (
The mixture of initial airflow 142 and fuel may be ignited to generate a flame exhaust (indicated at arrow 144). Combustion and backpressure generated at combustion air handler 48 may motivate exhaust 144 through outlet 80 into convection duct 130 as a heated gas (indicated at arrows 146). Optionally, additional air, such as that provided through secondary openings 94 (
The heated gas 146 may flow by convection to the top of convection duct 130 and from convection duct 130 into the cooking chamber 14 via broil outlet 132 (
Such a combined broiler assembly 44, e.g., including convection heating element 50 and radiant heating element 52, may provide several advantages. For example, the broiler assembly 44 may allow for control of where the flow of hot gases goes so that temperature distribution is improved. As another example, the broiler assembly 44 may require relatively short heat-up time. Also by way of example, the broiler assembly 44 may have a clean, low-profile appearance and may be flush or nearly flush with the top wall 30 (increasing useable volume of the cooking chamber 14), e.g., due to the relatively smaller size of the low-power radiant heating element 52. For yet another example, the broiler assembly 44 may provide an opportunity for smaller venting, e.g., as compared to a broil system using combustion only. Further, the smaller vent may lead to less heat loss which positively affects efficiency.
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.
