Patent Application
20240179389
This disclosure relates to systems and methods for oven imaging systems. More specifically, the disclosed embodiments relate to oven mounted imaging systems capable of viewing the oven interior.
The use of imaging and monitoring systems integrated into ovens has increased the efficiency and convenience of oven usage, but has also increased the difficulty of servicing due to the sensitive nature of the added components. Ovens with monitoring or imaging systems often have issues with components overheating due to their proximity to the oven cavity, exposure to heat generated by the oven's heating elements, and/or inefficient ventilation, resulting in a need for frequent servicing. Ventilation and cooling of oven components is often accomplished by drawing outside air into the oven compartments through vents in an oven door. However, air pulled in through the oven door may often not have the desired cooling effect due to the proximity of heating elements.
Servicing components of an oven is often a difficult and strenuous activity that, if not done correctly, can cause damage to the oven and/or the person servicing the oven. In most conventional ovens, a majority of the oven's components are often only accessible through a back panel of the appliance, such that if an oven is situated against a wall or in a cabinet it must first be pulled out of the cabinet and/or away from the wall before any evaluating or servicing can commence. However, ovens are usually quite heavy, often weighing between 80 to 500 lbs depending on size.
The present disclosure provides systems, apparatuses, and methods relating to an oven with a serviceable mounted imaging system accessible by way of a removable cover.
In some embodiments, a cooking appliance of the present disclosure includes: an insulated cooking cavity having an opening selectively closed by an access door on a front side of the cooking appliance; an air mover disposed inside the cooking appliance above the insulated cooking cavity, the air mover configured to force air through one or more exhaust ports of the cooking appliance; an imaging device mounted in a compartment above the insulated cooking cavity and extending into the insulated cooking cavity, such that an interior of the insulated cooking cavity is viewable by the imaging device; and a first air intake disposed in a lateral wall of the cooking appliance, the first air intake configured to receive air into the cooking appliance from a space external to the cooking appliance; wherein the compartment is in fluid communication with an inlet of the air mover and with the first air intake, such that an airflow pathway extends from the first air intake through the compartment to the one or more exhaust ports.
In some embodiments, a cooking appliance of the present disclosure includes: a cooking cavity having an opening on a front side of the cooking appliance; a cooling fan disposed inside the cooking appliance above the cooking cavity; one or more exhaust ports in fluid communication with the cooling fan; a camera mounted in a compartment above the cooking cavity such that an electronics portion of the camera is disposed in the compartment and a lens portion of the camera extends into the cooking cavity; and a first air intake disposed in an upper portion of a lateral wall of the cooking appliance; wherein the cooling fan is configured to draw air from the first air intake through the compartment, and to exhaust the air through the one or more exhaust ports.
Features, functions, and advantages may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure, or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.
Various aspects and examples of an oven having a mounted and cooled imaging system accessible by way of a removable service cover, as well as related systems and methods, are described below and illustrated in the associated drawings. Unless otherwise specified, mounted and cooled imaging systems in accordance with the present teachings, and/or their various components, may contain at least one of the structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein. Furthermore, unless specifically excluded, the process steps, structures, components, functionalities, and/or variations described, illustrated, and/or incorporated herein in connection with the present teachings may be included in other similar devices and methods, including being interchangeable between disclosed embodiments. The following description of various examples is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Additionally, the advantages provided by the examples and embodiments described below are illustrative in nature and not all examples and embodiments provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantages.
This Detailed Description includes the following sections, which follow immediately below: (1) Definitions; (2) Overview; (3) Examples, Components, and Alternatives; (4) Advantages, Features, and Benefits; and (5) Conclusion. The Examples, Components, and Alternatives section is further divided into subsections, each of which is labeled accordingly.
The following definitions apply herein, unless otherwise indicated.
“Comprising,” “including,” and “having” (and conjugations thereof) are used interchangeably to mean including but not necessarily limited to, and are open-ended terms not intended to exclude additional, unrecited elements or method steps.
Terms such as “first”, “second”, and “third” are used to distinguish or identify various members of a group, or the like, and are not intended to show serial or numerical limitation.
“AKA” means “also known as,” and may be used to indicate an alternative or corresponding term for a given element or elements.
“Elongate” or “elongated” refers to an object or aperture that has a length greater than its own width, although the width need not be uniform. For example, an elongate slot may be elliptical or stadium-shaped, and an elongate candlestick may have a height greater than its tapering diameter. As a negative example, a circular aperture would not be considered an elongate aperture.
“Coupled” means connected, either permanently or releasably, whether directly or indirectly through intervening components.
“Processing logic” describes any suitable device(s) or hardware configured to process data by performing one or more logical and/or arithmetic operations (e.g., executing coded instructions). For example, processing logic may include one or more processors (e.g., central processing units (CPUs) and/or graphics processing units (GPUs)), microprocessors, clusters of processing cores, FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators, digital signal processors (DSPs), and/or any other suitable combination of logic hardware.
A “controller” or “electronic controller” includes processing logic programmed with instructions to carry out a controlling function with respect to a control element. For example, an electronic controller may be configured to receive an input signal, compare the input signal to a selected control value or setpoint value, and determine an output signal to a control element (e.g., a motor or actuator) to provide corrective action based on the comparison. In another example, an electronic controller may be configured to interface between a host device (e.g., a desktop computer, a mainframe, etc.) and a peripheral device (e.g., a memory device, an input/output device, etc.) to control and/or monitor input and output signals to and from the peripheral device.
Directional terms such as “up,” “down,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” and the like should be understood in the context of the particular object in question. For example, an object may be oriented around defined X, Y, and Z axes. In those examples, the X-Y plane will define horizontal, with up being defined as the positive Z direction and down being defined as the negative Z direction.
“Providing,” in the context of a method, may include receiving, obtaining, purchasing, manufacturing, generating, processing, preprocessing, and/or the like, such that the object or material provided is in a state and configuration for other steps to be carried out.
In this disclosure, one or more publications, patents, and/or patent applications may be incorporated by reference. However, such material is only incorporated to the extent that no conflict exists between the incorporated material and the statements and drawings set forth herein. In the event of any such conflict, including any conflict in terminology, the present disclosure is controlling.
In general, an oven according to the present teaching may include a mounted imaging system for viewing an interior of the oven. The imaging system or camera is disposed at least partially within a compartment accessible by way of one or more removable covers (e.g., an inner removable service cover and/or an outer removable service cover), to facilitate servicing of one or more components of the mounted imaging system. The oven is further configured to provide targeted cooling to components of the mounted imaging system by providing a compartment airflow pathway.
The mounted imaging system may include an imaging device (AKA camera assembly), one or more lighting assemblies, and/or mounted imaging processing logic. The camera assembly may include a camera body coupled on one end to a lens housing (AKA lens portion) having one or more lenses, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) cable, and/or a welded camera mounting plate. The welded camera mounting plate may be welded to the lens housing at an angle to provide the camera with a selected field of view of the interior of the oven. Each of the one or more lighting assemblies may include an LED disposed in an LED housing. The mounted imaging computer may include a trusted computer base (TCB), a TCB mounting bracket configured to securely receive the TCB, and/or any other suitable connectors. The TCB may include a plurality of heat sinks disposed on a top and/or bottom surface of the TCB and configured to dissipate heat away from the TCB. The TCB may be connected to the camera assembly by the FPC cable and/or connected to the LED assembly by the plurality of cables.
Ovens of the present disclosure include an exterior housing (AKA oven body) having a removable top panel, removable lateral walls, and a base frame portion (AKA oven base). The removable top panel is detachably coupled to upper portions of the oven base and/or removable lateral walls at one or more fastening locations. The oven further includes a plurality of cooling air intake vents disposed in a top half of the lateral walls below the fastening locations. The cooling vents are configured to allow the passage of cool external ambient air into an interior space of the oven to cool components of the oven. The oven base includes an oven control panel and an insulated cooking cavity (AKA oven interior). The cooking cavity is accessible through an opening arranged on a front side of the oven base. An oven door (AKA access door) may be coupled to the oven base and configured to selectively cover the opening of the cooking cavity. In some examples, the oven body may further include a hob disposed above the cooking cavity.
The cooking cavity may include a plurality of fastening apertures, a camera aperture, and/or one or more second LED aperture(s) configured to allow a portion of the camera assembly and/or lighting assembly to pass between an exterior side of the cooking cavity and an interior side of the cavity to enable the LED and camera to light and view the cavity interior, respectively. In some examples, the camera is placed such that the aperture is disposed adjacent an upper front right corner of the cooking cavity (where front, right, and other oven-related directions used herein are from the perspective of the oven). In some examples, the welded camera mounting plate is coupled to the outer shell of the cooking cavity around the camera aperture to secure the lens housing to the cooking cavity at an angle. In some examples, the one or more second LED aperture(s) are disposed along upper right and/or left sections of the cooking cavity.
The oven base and/or oven door may include one or more sets of air intake vents. The air intake vents may be formed in a periphery of the cooking cavity, adjacent the periphery of the cooking cavity, in an upper inner surface of the oven door, in a back surface of the oven base, and/or in any other suitable location. The air vents allow passage of air from a surrounding environment (e.g., a kitchen) into the interior space of the oven to facilitate the cooling of oven components. The oven base further includes a plurality of exhaust vents (AKA exhaust ports) disposed in a front upper surface of the oven base above the cooking cavity opening and below the oven control panel. The exhaust vents allow warm air gathered in an interior space of the oven to pass out of the oven and into the surrounding environment.
The oven further includes an air channel exhaust plate, an air conduction plate, and an upper insulation retainer. These components of the oven are arranged such that the upper insulation retainer is disposed above the cooking cavity, the air conduction plate is disposed above the upper insulation retainer, and the air channel exhaust plate is disposed above the air conduction plate. The removable top panel is disposed above the air channel exhaust plate and configured to enclose the oven. The oven may further include a pair of airflow separators disposed between and coupled to the upper insulation retainer and the air conduction plate to form the compartment. In some examples, components of the mounted imaging system are mounted to and/or coupled to an outer shell of the cooking cavity, the upper insulation retainer, and/or the air conduction plate. In some examples, one or more components of the mounted imaging system are mounted to the upper insulation retainer within the compartment.
In some examples, the compartment comprises an internal space disposed adjacent an upper right front corner of the oven. The compartment is defined between an upper surface of the upper insulation retainer, a lower surface of the air conduction plate, and inner surfaces of the airflow separators. The pair of airflow separators include an inner airflow separator and an outer airflow separator, each having an elbow or bend forming a first arm portion that transitions into a second arm portion. The inner and outer airflow separators have a boomerang-shaped cross-section, such that (being disposed opposite one another) the two airflow separators form four walls of the compartment. Top and bottom edges of the airflow separators follow the changing contours of the upper insulation retainer and the air conduction plate, such that the airflow separators have a shape corresponding to the contour of a section of the air conduction plate and/or upper insulation retainer.
The compartment may include two service openings covered and/or sealed by the one or more removable service covers. In some examples, the air conduction plate includes a first service opening disposed over at least a portion of the compartment and configured to allow a user easy access to components of the mounted imaging system disposed in the compartment beneath the air conduction plate (e.g., for easy installation and/or servicing). In some examples, the upper insulation retainer also includes a second service opening disposed under at least a portion of the compartment and configured to allow a user easy access to components of the mounted imaging system disposed beneath the upper insulation retainer.
The oven may further include the outer removable service cover, fastened to the air conduction plate over the first service opening and/or the inner removable service cover coupled to the upper insulation retainer over the second service opening. The inner and outer removable service covers have a size and shape corresponding to the size and shape of the first and second service openings, such that the inner and outer removable service covers seal the first and second service openings when coupled to their respective surfaces. The outer removable service cover may comprise a sturdy heat-resistant material while the inner removable service cover may comprise a flexible heat-resistant material such as silicone and/or any other suitable material.
In some examples, components of the mounted imaging system that are coupled to the outer shell of the cooking cavity may include a top section which extends into the compartment (e.g., through the second service opening). As such, the inner removable service cover may include one or more mounting aperture(s) centrally disposed through a top surface of the inner removable service cover and one or more slits or slots extending from a periphery of the one or more mounting apertures to an outer edge of the inner removable service cover. Each of the one or more slits in the inner removable service cover form a pair of inward-facing flexible flaps configured to allow insertion of a portion of the top section of the components of the mounted imaging system into the one or more mounting apertures. The pair of inward-facing flexible flaps are resilient features configured to easily bend and reform around the portion of the top section that is pushed through the slit and into the one or more mounting apertures. The one or more mounting apertures receive and hold the portion of the top section, such that the remainder of the top section of the components of the mounted imaging system may be securely disposed in the compartment. As such, the one or more mounting aperture(s) allow the top section of the components of the mounted imaging system to be disposed above the inner removable service cover, such that they may receive the cooling benefits of the compartment while having a bottom section disposed outside of the compartment.
The oven further includes a cooling system. The cooling system may include a centrifugal fan and/or any other suitable fan or air mover configured to force air through one or more of the plurality of exhaust vents. In some examples, the cooling system includes a centrifugal fan configured to draw cool air into the oven from an exterior surrounding by way of the cooling vents and/or the one or more sets of air intake vents, and to expel warm air from the inside of the oven into the exterior surrounding by way of the plurality of exhaust vents. The cooling fan creates a plurality of airflow pathways through the oven via one or more other components of the oven (e.g., the pair of airflow separators, air conduction plate, upper insulation retainer, air channel exhaust plate, etc.), wherein the pathways are configured to dissipate heat from components of the oven to prevent overheating and degradation. In some examples, the plurality of airflow pathways includes a main airflow pathway that is circulated through the whole oven and the compartment airflow pathway which provides targeted cooling to components of the mounted imaging system disposed within the compartment.
The centrifugal fan is disposed in a top surface of the air channel exhaust plate. The air channel exhaust plate has peripheral walls and/or a plurality of downward-bent peripheral portions that together with a top surface of the air conduction plate form a ducted housing. In some examples, the ducted housing may include a peripheral wall that extends around and partially encircles a back side of the cooling fan, and the plurality of downward-bent peripheral portions are disposed on the air channel exhaust plate such that they extend between the ends of the peripheral wall and a back surface of an upper portion of the oven adjacent the plurality of exhaust vents. As such, the ducted housing by way of the cooling fan and plurality of exhaust vents is configured to receive warm air pulled up through a fan air inlet disposed in the air conduction plate opposite the cooling fan and direct the received air toward the plurality of exhaust vents where the warm air is expelled into the surrounding environment.
The compartment further includes a compartment air inlet and a compartment air outlet formed between surfaces of the air conduction plate, upper insulation retainer, and/or the pair of airflow separators. In some examples, the compartment air inlet is disposed in a front right underside of the compartment and configured to bring cool air into the compartment. In some examples, the compartment air outlet is disposed in a back left corner of the compartment and configured to allow passage of air out of the compartment and into a main air channel that passes between the air conduction plate and the upper insulation retainer without going through the compartment. In some examples, the compartment air outlet is formed in a gap between ends of the second arms of the inner and outer airflow separators, the air conduction plate and the upper insulation retainer. By way of the compartment air outlet and the main air channel, the compartment airflow pathway and the primary airflow pathway converge into a single airflow pathway which is then pulled up into the ducted housing and expelled into the surround environment.
In some examples, the compartment air inlet is configured to separate incoming cool air from the accumulated warm air present in the internal space of the oven, such that only cool air is used to cool components of the mounted imaging system. The compartment air inlet formed through a front right underside of the compartment may be arranged in a manner that only allows denser cool air to flow into the compartment while less dense warmer air is deflected off an outer side of the outer airflow separator. This airflow separation generates a secondary airflow pathway (AKA compartment airflow pathway) which passes through the compartment air inlet and into the compartment to cool components of the mounted imaging system disposed within the compartment before merging with the main airflow pathway.
The air conduction plate, upper insulation retainer, one or more removable service covers, and the pair of airflow separators together form the compartment configured to at least partially surround and facilitate improved ventilation and cooling of heat-sensitive components of the mounted imaging system. The compartment is configured such that it is accessible by way of the outer removable service cover and first service opening in the air conduction plate. The compartment is further configured to give access to components of the camera assembly disposed under the compartment and/or coupled to an outer shell of the cooking cavity by way of the inner removable service cover and second service opening. As such, in some examples, components of the mounted imaging system are accessible to a user by removing the removable top panel of the oven, removing the outer removable service cover to access components of the LED assembly and mounted imaging computer, and removing the inner removable service cover to gain full access to components of the camera assembly.
The following sections describe selected aspects of an illustrative oven with a serviceable mounted imaging system as well as related systems and/or methods. The examples in these sections are intended for illustration and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Each section may include one or more distinct embodiments or examples, and/or contextual or related information, function, and/or structure.
A. Illustrative Oven with Serviceable Mounted Imaging System
As shown in
Oven 100 includes an exterior housing (AKA oven body) 104 having a removable top panel 106, removable lateral walls 108, and a base portion (AKA oven base) 110. In some examples, removable top panel 106 includes a main cover portion and a plurality of (e.g., two) downward flanges. These flanges are configured to couple to upper portions of oven base 110 and/or removable lateral walls 108 at one or more fastening locations. As depicted in
In this example, oven control panel 114 is disposed on a front side of oven base 110, such that the control panel is visible and accessible to a user. Oven control panel 114 may include any suitable device(s) configured to display information, such as a timer, a signal light, and/or any other suitable components. Oven control panel 114 may include a user interface 118 in communication with an oven controller and configured to allow a user to control one or more aspects of the oven's operation. In some examples, user interface 118 comprises a plurality of control features configured to allow a user to control elements and/or systems of oven 100. The control features of user interface 118 may include one or more control knobs, buttons, switches, screens, touch-pads, and/or any other suitable device(s).
As shown in
Oven base 110 and/or oven door 122 further include one or more sets of air intake vents 124. As depicted in
As depicted in
As shown in
The outer shell of cooking cavity 116 includes a plurality of fastening apertures, a camera aperture 140, and/or one or more second LED aperture(s) 142. Camera aperture 140 allows a portion of a camera assembly 144 of mounted imaging system 102 to pass into cavity 116 to enable the camera to view and provide an image and/or video of the cavity interior. Similarly, the one or more LED apertures(s) 142 allow a portion of a lighting assembly 146 of mounted imaging system 102 to pass into cooking cavity 116 to enable an LED to illuminate the inside of the cooking cavity. Camera aperture 140 may be disposed adjacent an upper front right corner of cooking cavity 116. In some examples, the one or more second LED aperture(s) 142 are disposed along upper right and/or left sections of the cooking cavity. In some examples, the plurality of fastening apertures are disposed around camera aperture 140 to facilitate the mounting of camera assembly 144 to cooking cavity 116.
Upper insulation retainer 132 includes a main insulation panel 148 coupled to a pair of lateral hook-shaped ventilation troughs 150 configured to extend down past a top portion of the cooking cavity and then back up to couple to a second fastening portion of removable lateral wall 108 disposed under the plurality of cooling vents 112. As depicted in
Air channel exhaust plate 128 is coupled to air conduction plate 130 to form a ducted housing 156 configured to collect warm air present in the internal space of oven 100 and expel the collected air into the surrounding environment. The air channel exhaust plate may include a fan mounting panel 158 having an underside coupled along its periphery to a top end of one or more peripheral walls 160 which are configured to couple on a bottom end with an upper surface of air conduction plate 130 to form ducted housing 156. In some examples, the fan mounting panel 158 may be coupled to one or more peripheral walls 160 and/or may comprise a plurality of downward-extending peripheral portions 162 extending downward from the fan mounting panel and coupled to air conduction plate 130 to form at least a portion of the ducted housing. The fan mounting panel 158 of air channel exhaust plate 128 further includes a fan mounting aperture 164 configured to receive a cooling fan 166 such as a centrifugal fan and/or any other suitable fan or air mover. Cooling fan 166 is configured to create a plurality of airflow pathways within oven 100 to provide ventilation to heat-sensitive components of the oven.
In some examples, the walls of ducted housing 156 includes peripheral wall 160 extending around and partially encircling a back side of cooling fan 166, and a plurality of downward-extending peripheral portions 162 disposed along right and/or left sides of fan mounting panel 158. The plurality of downward peripheral portions 162 may be disposed along the periphery of fan mounting panel 158, such that together they form a wall extending along at least a portion of the periphery of fan mounting panel 158. In some examples, at least one or more of the downward peripheral portions are arranged such that they create a wall extending between a respective end of peripheral wall 160 and a back side of the upper front surface of oven base 110 adjacent peripheral vents of the plurality of exhaust vents 126. Air channel exhaust plate 128 is coupled to a back side of oven base 110 above exhaust vents 126, and air conduction plate 130 is coupled to the back side of oven base 110 below the plurality of exhaust vents, such that an exhaust opening of ducted housing 156 is disposed adjacent the plurality of exhaust vents 126.
Air conduction plate 130 further includes a fan air inlet 174 extending through a surface of the air conduction plate opposite fan mounting aperture 164. The fan air inlet is configured to allow warm air accumulated between the air conduction plate and upper insulation retainer 132 to be pulled up into ducted housing 156 by cooling fan 166. As depicted in
Upper insulation retainer 132 may further include one or more first LED aperture(s) 178 and/or a plurality of apertures configured to allow components of mounted imaging system 102 to be fastened to the upper insulation retainer at selected positions and orientations. In the example depicted in
As depicted in
Second service opening 208 may be disposed in a portion of upper insulation retainer 132 which defines a bottom side of compartment 134. The second service opening is configured to allow a user easy access to components of mounted imaging system 102 disposed beneath upper insulation retainer 132 and/or coupled to outer shell 117 of cooking cavity 116 to enable easy installation and/or servicing. Second service opening 208 may have a size and shape configured to facilitate easy installation or removal of camera assembly 144 and/or servicing of the one or more components of the camera assembly.
In some examples, the one or more removable service covers configured to cover and/or seal-off the first and second service openings 206, 208 of oven 100 include an inner removable service cover 210 and an outer removable service cover 212. As depicted in
As depicted in
In some examples, inner removable service cover 210 further includes one or more flexible protrusion(s) disposed on a bottom surface and configured to interface with inner edges of second service opening 208 to secure the inner removable service cover over the second service opening.
As depicted in the example of
For example, inner airflow separator 136 may comprise a first arm portion 222 having a shape configured to extend along a portion of the main insulation panel and into a right lateral ventilation trough 150A of upper insulation retainer 132 to redirect all cool air flowing on the ventilation trough into compartment 134. In some examples, outer airflow separator 138 may comprise a first arm portion 224 having a shape configured to extend along a portion of a lateral angled second portion 154 of main insulation panel 148 and then over a ventilation channel 226 formed by the lateral ventilation trough 150, to couple to an inner back side of the upper front portion of oven base 110. Ventilation channel 226 having a bottom section and a top section.
A segment of outer airflow separator 138 first arm portion 224 which extends over ventilation channel 226 may further extend partially downwards into the bottom section of the ventilation channel to form a compartment air inlet 228 configured to bring cool air into compartment 134. Cavity air inlet 228 may be disposed in a front right underside of compartment 134 and/or in any other suitable location. In some examples, the structure formed by first arm portion 224 of outer airflow separator 138 and right lateral ventilation trough 150A is configured to separate incoming cool air from the accumulated warm air such that only cool and/or cold air is used to cool components of mounted imaging system 102 disposed in compartment 134. This arrangement of the pair of airflow separators and compartment air inlet 228 may separate warm air and cold air based on the principle that cooler and/or cold air is denser than warm air and thus would sink into the bottom section of ventilation trough 150A while the warm air would remain in or above the top section of the ventilation trough. As such, outer airflow separator's first arm portion 224 which extends from the lateral angled second portion 154 over ventilation channel 226 and down into the bottom portion of the ventilation channel, is configured to block warm air and allow only the coldest of provided air to be used to ventilate compartment 134.
As depicted in the cross-sectional views of
Compartment 134 may further include a compartment air outlet 230 configured to allow passage of air out of the compartment and into a main airflow channel 232 formed between air conduction plate 130 and upper insulation retainer 132. As depicted in
As depicted in
In main airflow channel 232, the compartment airflow pathway and main airflow pathway converge into a single intake pathway. Warm air flowing on the intake pathway is then pulled up into ducted housing 156 by cooling fan 166 and begins flowing on the exhaust airflow pathway. The exhaust airflow pathway configured to collect air pulled up into ducted housing 156, direct the collected air through the ducted housing, and expel the collected air into the surrounding environment by way of the plurality of exhaust vents 126.
This section describes steps of an illustrative method 300 for accessing an compartment in which components of a mounted imaging system are disposed; see
Step 302 of method 300 is optional and includes pulling and/or pivoting the oven and/or appliance at least partially out of a cabinet and/or wall that the oven is installed in. In examples where the oven is not mounted or installed in a cabinet and/or wall such that a top of the oven is accessible, this step may be skipped.
Step 304 of method 300 includes detaching and/or removing a removable top panel from an oven body. The removable top panel is configured to detachably couple to upper portions of an oven base and/or removable lateral walls of the oven body at one or more fastening locations.
Step 306 of method 300 includes detaching and/or removing an outer removable service cover from an air conduction plate to which the outer service cover is coupled. The outer removable service cover is configured to be fastened to the air conduction plate over a first service opening that provides access into a compartment formed under the air conduction plate. In some examples, this step includes removing a plurality of fasteners coupling the outer service cover to the air conduction plate and lifting the outer removable service cover out of the oven.
Step 308 of method 300 is optional and includes servicing components of the mounted imaging system disposed in the compartment and accessible through the first service opening. Components of the mounted imaging system disposed in the compartment may include a mounted imaging computer, a top portion of a lighting assembly, and/or a top portion of a camera assembly.
Step 310 of method 300 includes detaching and/or removing an inner removable service cover from an upper insulation retainer to which the inner service cover is coupled. The inner removable service cover configured to be fastened to the upper insulation retainer over a second service opening. One or more parts of the camera assemble are disposed under the compartment and accessible through the second service opening.
Step 312 of method 300 includes unplugging an FPC cable of the camera assembly from the TCB of the mounted imaging system.
Step 314 of method 300 includes unscrewing a plurality (e.g., 3) of fasteners from the inside of the cooking cavity to detach the camera mounting plate from the outer shell of the cooking cavity. In some examples, the plurality of fasteners may be unscrewed from outside the cooking cavity by way of the second service opening.
Step 316 of method 300 includes removing the camera assembly from the oven. This step may include pulling the entire camera assembly including the camera mounting plate out of the oven through the first and second service openings.
This section describes additional aspects and features of an oven with a serviceable mounted imaging system, presented without limitation as a series of paragraphs, some or all of which may be alphanumerically designated for clarity and efficiency. Each of these paragraphs can be combined with one or more other paragraphs, and/or with disclosure from elsewhere in this application, in any suitable manner. Some of the paragraphs below expressly refer to and further limit other paragraphs, providing without limitation examples of some of the suitable combinations.
A0. A cooking appliance comprising:
A1. The cooking appliance of A0, wherein the air mover comprises a centrifugal fan.
A2. The cooking appliance of A0 or A1, wherein the one or more exhaust ports are disposed adjacent a top edge of the opening.
A3. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs A0 through A2, wherein the compartment is disposed above a front corner of the cooking cavity.
A4. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs A0 through A3, wherein the first air intake is disposed in a top half of the lateral wall.
A5. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs A0 through A4, wherein a second air intake is disposed below a bottom edge of the access door.
A6. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs A0 through A5, further comprising a hob disposed above the cooking cavity and the air mover.
A7. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs A0 through A6, further comprising a top panel installed above the air mover and the compartment, wherein the appliance is configured to provide access to the imaging device through a top of the appliance by removing the top panel and one or more service covers of the compartment.
A8. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs A0 through A7, wherein the compartment is spaced from a ceiling of the insulated cooking cavity, such that the imaging device extends into the insulated cooking cavity from inside the compartment through a space below the compartment.
A9. The cooking appliance of A8, wherein a resilient cover disposed around the imaging device seals an opening between the compartment and the space below the compartment.
B0. A cooking appliance comprising:
B1. The cooking appliance of B0, wherein the cooling fan comprises a centrifugal fan.
B2. The cooking appliance of B0 or B1, wherein the one or more exhaust ports are disposed adjacent a top edge of the opening.
B3. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs B0 through B2, wherein the compartment is disposed above a front corner of the cooking cavity.
B4. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs B0 through B3, wherein the first air intake is disposed in a top half of the lateral wall.
B5. The cooking apparatus of any one of paragraphs B0 through B4, wherein a second air intake is disposed below a bottom edge of the cooking cavity.
B6. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs B0 through B5, further comprising a hob disposed above the cooking cavity and the compartment.
B7. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs B0 through B6, further comprising a top panel installed above the cooling fan and the compartment, wherein the appliance is configured to provide access to the imaging device through a top of the appliance by removing the top panel and one or more service covers of the compartment.
B8. The cooking appliance of any one of paragraphs B0 through B7, wherein the compartment is spaced from a ceiling of the cooking cavity, such that the imaging device extends into the insulated cooking cavity from inside the compartment through a space below the compartment.
B9. The cooking appliance of B8, wherein a resilient cover disposed around the imaging device seals an opening between the compartment and the space below the compartment.
C0. A cooking appliance comprising:
C1. The cooking appliance of C0, wherein the one or more service openings include a first service opening disposed in a portion of the air conduction plate that defines a top side of the compartment.
C2. The cooking appliance of C0 through C1, wherein the one or more service openings include a second service opening disposed in a portion of the upper insulation retainer that defines a bottom side of the compartment.
C3. The cooking appliance of C0 through C2, further comprising an outer removable service cover configured to couple to the air conduction plate over the first service opening.
C4. The cooking appliance of C0 through C3, further comprising an inner removable service cover configured to couple to the upper insulation retainer over the second service opening.
C5. The cooking appliance of C4, wherein the inner removable service cover comprises a flexible heat-resistant material.
C6. The cooking appliance of C4 through C5, wherein the inner removable service cover includes a centrally disposed mounting aperture and a slit extending from a periphery of the mounting aperture to an outer edge of the inner removable service cover, the mounting aperture configured to receive and hold a middle section of the camera assembly.
C7. The cooking appliance of C4 through C6, wherein the inner removable service cover further includes a pair of inward-facing flexible flaps formed by the slit, the inward-facing flexible flaps being resilient features configured to bend and reform around the middle section of the camera assembly pushed through the slit and into camera aperture.
C8. The cooking appliance of C4 through C7, wherein the inner removable service cover, by way of the mounting aperture is configured to allow the camera assembly to have a top section disposed in the compartment above the inner removable service cover while having a bottom section disposed outside of the compartment.
C9. The cooking appliance of C0 through C8, wherein the oven includes a plurality of cooling airflow pathways generated by way of the cooling fan and ducted housing.
C10. The cooking appliance of C0 through C9, wherein the plurality of cooling airflow pathways includes a compartment airflow pathway configured to provide targeted cooling to components of the mounted imaging system disposed within the compartment.
C11. The cooking appliance of C10, wherein the compartment airflow pathway brings air into an interior of the oven by way of a plurality of cooling air intake vents disposed in the removable lateral walls and configured to allow the passage of ambient air into the oven from a side of the oven.
C12. The cooking appliance of C0 through C11, wherein the upper insulation retainer includes a main insulation panel coupled on right and left sides to hook-shaped lateral ventilation troughs, the hook-shaped lateral ventilation troughs having an outer end configured to removably couple to the removable lateral walls below the plurality of cooling vents.
C13. The cooking appliance of C0 through C12, wherein the hook-shaped lateral ventilation troughs are configured to naturally separate warm air from cold air based on density, such that colder air sinks to a bottom portion of the lateral ventilation trough while warmer air remains in or above a top portion of the lateral ventilation trough.
C14. The cooking appliance of C13, wherein a ventilation channel is formed in the lateral ventilation troughs.
C15. The cooking appliance of C0 through C14, wherein the pair of airflow separators are coupled to the main insulation panel of the upper insulation retainer, and wherein an outer airflow separator of the pair of airflow separators includes a first arm configured to extend from the main insulation panel over lateral ventilation trough and downwards partially into the ventilation channel, to form a compartment air inlet.
C16. The cooking appliance of C15, wherein the outer airflow separator is configured to allow cold air present in the bottom portion of the lateral ventilation trough into the compartment by way of the compartment air inlet while blocking air present in or above the top portion of the lateral ventilation trough from entering.
The different embodiments and examples of the oven with a serviceable mounted imaging system described herein provide several advantages over known solutions for servicing and/or replacing components of an oven imaging system. For example, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein allow components of the mounted imaging system to be accessed by way of one or more openings in a compartment.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein facilitate replacement and/or servicing of components of the mounted imaging system disposed within an oven.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide a mounted imaging system disposed at least partially in a compartment arranged in an upper right front corner of the oven.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide improved ventilation and cooling of heat-sensitive components of the mounted imaging system by way of a targeted compartment airflow pathway.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide an oven configured to bring air into an interior of the oven from a side of the oven by way of a plurality of cooling vents.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide a compartment in which components of the mounted imaging system are at least partially isolated from warm air of the oven and receive cool air brought in from a side of the oven by way of a plurality of cooling vents and a targeted compartment airflow pathway.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide an oven configured to separate cold air from warm air and divert the cold air into a compartment to cool components of the mounted imaging system while blocking the warm air.
Additionally, and among other benefits, illustrative embodiments and examples described herein provide an insulated compartment in which components of the mounted imaging system are at least partially disposed to obtain heat protection and which can be accessed by way of a first service opening and an outer removable service cover configured to cover the first service opening.
No known system or device can perform these functions. However, not all embodiments and examples described herein provide the same advantages or the same degree of advantage.
The disclosure set forth above may encompass multiple distinct examples with independent utility. Although each of these has been disclosed in its preferred form(s), the specific embodiments thereof as disclosed and illustrated herein are not to be considered in a limiting sense, because numerous variations are possible. To the extent that section headings are used within this disclosure, such headings are for organizational purposes only. The subject matter of the disclosure includes all novel and nonobvious combinations and subcombinations of the various elements, features, functions, and/or properties disclosed herein. The following claims particularly point out certain combinations and subcombinations regarded as novel and nonobvious. Other combinations and subcombinations of features, functions, elements, and/or properties may be claimed in applications claiming priority from this or a related application. Such claims, whether broader, narrower, equal, or different in scope to the original claims, also are regarded as included within the subject matter of the present disclosure.
