Cooking system comprising a cooking appliance and a separate heating device as well as methods for its operation

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooking system (2) comprising a cooking appliance (4) with a housing, a cooking chamber arranged in the housing, a cooking chamber door for closing a cooking chamber opening in a closed position of the cooking chamber door and for accessing the cooking chamber via the cooking chamber opening in an open position of the cooking chamber door, and a steam extraction device for removing steam (6) from the cooking chamber in the closed position of the cooking chamber door, characterized in that the cooking system (2) additionally comprises a heating device (8) separate from the cooking appliance (4) for placing and heating a cooking vessel (10) and is designed such that the heating device (8) is designed to carry out a cooking process processed by means of the cooking vessel (10) in a usage position of the heating device (8).in which the heating device (8) is placed on a cooking chamber floor (12) of the cooking chamber, contacting a power supply (14) of the cooking appliance (4) integrated into the cooking chamber floor (12) and is otherwise thermally and electrically insulated from the cooking chamber floor (12), is positionable and can be moved into a rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system (2). Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating a cooking system (2).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cooking system of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1 and a method for operating such a cooking system.

[0002] Cooking systems and methods for their operation are already known in the art in a multitude of embodiments. The known cooking systems comprise a cooking appliance with a housing, a cooking chamber arranged in the housing, a cooking chamber door for closing an opening of the cooking chamber when the door is closed and for accessing the cooking chamber through the opening when the door is open, and a fume extraction device for removing fumes from the cooking chamber when the door is closed. Such a cooking system can, for example, be designed as a range with an oven and a cooktop. Furthermore, the aforementioned cooking system can include a separate fume extraction device for extracting fumes rising from the cooktop or the like.

[0003] The invention therefore addresses the problem of improving a cooking system and a method for operating a cooking system.

[0004] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a cooking system with the features of claim 1, characterized in that the cooking system additionally comprises a heating device separate from the cooking appliance for setting up and heating a cooking vessel, and is designed such that the heating device can be positioned in a position of use for carrying out a cooking process processed by means of the cooking vessel, in which the heating device is placed on a cooking chamber floor of the cooking chamber, contacting a power supply of the cooking appliance integrated into the cooking chamber floor, and is otherwise thermally and electrically insulated from the cooking chamber floor, and can be moved to a rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system. Furthermore, this problem is solved by a method for operating a cooking system with the features of claim 5.Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are set out in the following dependent claims.

[0005] The advantage achievable with the invention lies particularly in the fact that a cooking system and a method for operating a cooking system are improved. Due to the inventive design of the cooking system and the method for its operation, it is now possible, firstly, to use the cooking device of the cooking system in the usual way, as an oven or the like. For this purpose, the cooking device of the inventive cooking system can have a plurality of different heating methods, such as radiant heating, steam heating, and microwave heating. Secondly, the inventive cooking system can also be used as a cooktop by means of the heating device of the inventive cooking system, whereby the vapor extraction device integrated in the cooking device can be used as a substitute for a range hood, particularly when the cooking chamber door is in the closed position.In this operating mode, the cooking appliance therefore acts solely as a fume extractor and not in the manner typical of a cooking appliance itself. Accordingly, the cooking system according to the invention also results in a very compact arrangement, making it particularly advantageous for small apartments or similar spaces. Furthermore, the design according to the invention, namely the coordinated design of the cooking chamber floor with the power supply on one side and the heating element for placing and heating the cooking cookware on the other, has the additional advantage that the heating element makes contact with the power supply via gravity assistance, thus ensuring a robust and reliable power supply to the heating element.

[0006] In principle, the cooking system according to the invention can be freely selected within wide suitable limits in terms of type, function, material, and dimensions. For example, the cooking system according to the invention can be a system for household use or a commercial system, i.e., a cooking system for professional use. The cooking appliance of the cooking system according to the invention can be designed as a so-called pyrolytic appliance for pyrolytic self-cleaning of the cooking chamber. Furthermore, the heating device can be designed as a radiant heating device with a heating element designed as a radiant heater or as an induction heating device with a heating element designed as an induction heater. The method according to the invention for operating a cooking system can also be freely selected within wide suitable limits. The cooking system can include a control unit for operation.

[0007] One aspect is that the heating device can be connected to electrical conductors. These electrical conductors serve to supply power to the heating device or to transmit sensor values ​​from the heating device to the control unit.

[0008] An advantageous embodiment of the cooking system according to the invention provides that the power supply integrated into the cooking chamber floor and the heating device have corresponding plugs and sockets for electrical contact with each other; preferably, that the plugs and sockets are each connected in pairs to a phase conductor, a neutral conductor, and a sensor conductor in the operating position of the heating device; particularly preferably, that the plugs and sockets form a triangle in their arrangement. In this way, the contact between the integrated power supply and the heating device can be implemented in a particularly simple and robust manner from a design and manufacturing perspective.The preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that, by means of the plug-socket contacts thus realized, not only are the phase conductors and neutral conductors for supplying power to the heating device connected in a manner known to those skilled in the art, but that sensor technology can also be implemented in a very simple way. Furthermore, the particularly preferred embodiment of this further development enables a mechanically stable and thus reliable placement of the heating device on the oven floor, since the aforementioned arrangement defines a plane.

[0009] Accordingly, an advantageous further development of the method according to the invention, referring back to claim 2, provides that a heating element of the heating device for heating the cooking utensil placed on the heating device is connected in a conductive manner on the one hand to the phase conductor and on the other hand to the neutral conductor, preferably that a conductance measurement for fault detection is carried out at least temporarily between the phase conductor and the sensor conductor and / or between the neutral conductor and the sensor conductor.

[0010] An advantageous further development of the aforementioned method according to the invention provides that, if a predetermined limit value for the measured conductance is exceeded, the power supply to the heating device is automatically interrupted by means of the power supply integrated into the oven floor. Preferably, after the power supply has been interrupted, a drying program of the cooking appliance is automatically carried out to dry the oven cavity before the heating device is powered on again. This provides, firstly, a particularly important physical quantity for the application according to the invention: the conductance. Secondly, this ensures that, for example, the power supply to the heating device is automatically interrupted if a certain level of humidity is detected by means of the conductance.Furthermore, the preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that, prior to restarting the heating device, the automatic drying of the cooking chamber and thus of the plug-socket contacts ensures that a renewed forced shutdown due to moisture is effectively avoided.

[0011] Furthermore, another advantageous embodiment of the inventive method provides that the heating device is only powered by the power supply integrated into the oven floor when the oven door is in the closed position. Accordingly, the power supply to the heating device is reliably interrupted even with a slight opening of the oven door when it is moved from the closed to the open position. In this way, the safety of a user of the inventive cooking system is significantly improved.

[0012] An advantageous further development of the latter further development of the cooking system according to the invention provides that the plugs are assigned to the cooking chamber floor, wherein the plugs rise from at least one receiving base of the cooking chamber floor, and that the sockets are assigned to the heating device, preferably that the heating device has a housing and a heating element arranged in the housing and electrically connected to the sockets for heating the cooking cookware placed on the heating device, particularly preferably that a glass-ceramic layer of the heating device for placing the cooking cookware is arranged on a side of the heating device facing a center of the cooking chamber in the operating position of the heating device.This makes it possible to raise the contact surfaces of the plugs above the remaining portion of the cooking chamber floor by means of the mounting bases, so that any liquid present on the cooking chamber floor cannot come into unwanted contact with the contact surfaces of the plugs due to the mounting bases. Furthermore, when the heating element is in its rest position, any liquid that might drip onto the plugs can easily drain away from the plugs, especially from the contact surfaces. In general, the plugs are easier to clean, for example, compared to sockets. The preferred embodiment also has the advantage that the heating element and its electrical connection to the sockets are largely protected from environmental influences by the housing.Furthermore, the particularly preferred embodiment of this further development has the additional advantage that the surface of the heating device facing the center of the cooking chamber in the operating position is easy to maintain and clean.

[0013] Furthermore, an advantageous embodiment of one of the latter two embodiments of the cooking system according to the invention provides that the current-transmitting contact surfaces of the plugs and sockets, which are used in the operating position of the heating device during the aforementioned cooking process, are each cylindrically shaped, preferably with one free end of each plug being rounded. In this way, the plugs and sockets are also easy to clean. The preferred embodiment of this embodiment has the further advantage that the plugs can be engaged with the corresponding sockets with minimal force and with tolerance compensation.

[0014] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows Fig. 1 An embodiment of the cooking system according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention in a partial representation, Fig. 2 the embodiment with the heating device in its rest position, in partial sectional view, Fig. 3 the exemplary embodiment in to Fig. 2 analogous representation, with the heating device in its operating position, Fig. 4 the embodiment in a sectional top view of the cooking chamber floor of the cooking appliance with the heating device in the operating position and Fig. 5 the wiring in the exemplary embodiment, with the heating device in the operating position.

[0015] In the Fig. Figures 1 to 5 are an exemplary embodiment of the cooking system according to the invention for carrying out the method according to the invention.

[0016] The cooking system 2 comprises a cooking appliance 4 designed as a household oven with a housing (not shown), a cooking chamber (not shown) arranged in the housing, a cooking chamber door (also not shown) for closing a cooking chamber opening in a closed position of the cooking chamber door and for accessing the cooking chamber by means of the cooking chamber opening in an open position of the cooking chamber door, and a steam extraction device (also not shown) for removing steam 6 from the cooking chamber in the closed position of the cooking chamber door.

[0017] According to the invention, the cooking system 2 additionally comprises a heating device 8, separate from the cooking appliance 4, for setting up and heating a cooking vessel 10, wherein the cooking system 2 is designed such that the heating device 8 is located in a space within the cooking vessel 10 for carrying out a cooking process. Fig. 1 and Fig. Figure 3 shows the heating device 8 in the following operating position, in which the heating device 8 is placed on a cooking chamber floor 12 of the cooking chamber, contacting a power supply 14 of the cooking appliance 4 integrated into the cooking chamber floor 12, and is otherwise thermally and electrically insulated from the cooking chamber floor 12, and can be moved into a rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system 2. Accordingly, in the Fig. 2 The cooking system 2 is shown without the heating device 8. The power supply 14 is connected to a power source of the cooking appliance 8 (not shown) in a manner known to those skilled in the art, the cooking appliance 8 itself being connected to a household electrical network in the usual way.

[0018] The power supply 14 integrated into the oven base 12 and the heating device 8 have corresponding plugs 16 and sockets 18 for electrical contact, wherein, in the operating position of the heating device 8, the plugs 16 and sockets 18 are each connected in pairs to a phase conductor 20, a neutral conductor 22 and a sensor conductor 24, such that the plugs 16 and sockets 18 form a triangle when arranged. See the Fig. 4 and Fig. 5. The current-conducting contact surfaces of the plugs 16 and sockets 18, which transmit current in the operating position of the heating device 8 during the aforementioned cooking process, are each cylindrical, with one free end of the plugs 16 being rounded. Furthermore, the contact surfaces of the plugs 16 and sockets 18 are corrosion-resistant, i.e., non-oxidizing. See the Fig. 2 to 4 in a summary.

[0019] The three plugs 16 are assigned to the oven floor 12, with the plugs 16 rising from three receiving sockets 26 of the oven floor 12, and the three sockets 18 corresponding to the plugs 16 are assigned to the heating device 8, the heating device 8 comprising a housing 28 and a heating element 30 arranged in the housing 28 and electrically connected to the sockets 18, designed as a radiant heater for heating the cooking vessel 10 placed on the heating device 8, such that a glass-ceramic layer 32 of the heating device 8 is arranged on a side of the heating device 8 facing the center of the oven in the operating position for placing the cooking vessel 10. The sockets 18 are each surrounded by a liquid-tight seal 34. In the Fig. In the operating position shown in Figure 3, the heating device 8 is plugged into the corresponding plugs 16 with its sockets 18. The number and the Fig. The arrangement of the plugs 16 and the sockets 18 shown in Figures 2 to 4 ensures that the heating device 8 rests securely on the power supply 14 integrated in the oven floor 12 in the operating position, supported by gravity.

[0020] The following describes the functioning of the cooking system according to the invention and the method according to the present embodiment with reference to the Fig. 1 to 5 explained in more detail.

[0021] The heating device 8 is positioned in the operating position for the purpose of carrying out a cooking process processed by means of the cooking vessel 10, for example the boiling of water located in the cooking vessel 10 or the like, and is moved to the rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system 2, for example a roasting process taking place in the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance 4 for roasting a piece of meat placed on a cooking carrier or a pyrolysis process of a cooking appliance according to the invention designed as a pyrolysis cooking appliance.

[0022] The heating element 30 of the heating device 8 for heating the cooking vessel 10 placed on the heating device 8 is based on the above-described and in the Fig.In the manner shown in Figures 1 to 5, the heating device 8 is electrically connected to the phase conductor 20 on one side and to the neutral conductor 22 on the other. A conductivity measurement for fault detection is performed, at least temporarily, between the phase conductor 20 and the sensor conductor 24, and between the neutral conductor 22 and the sensor conductor 24. If a predetermined limit value for the measured conductivity is exceeded, the power supply to the heating device 8 is automatically interrupted by the power supply 14 integrated into the oven floor 12. After the power supply has been interrupted, a drying program of the cooking appliance 4 is automatically carried out to dry the oven cavity before the heating device 8 is powered again.

[0023] The heating element 8 can only be powered by the power supply 14 integrated into the oven floor 12 when the oven door is in the closed position. Otherwise, the power supply is interrupted.

[0024] Due to the inventive design of the cooking system 2 and the method for its operation, it is thus possible to use the cooking unit 4 of the cooking system 2 in the usual way, as an oven or the like. For this purpose, the cooking unit 4 of the cooking system 2 can have a plurality of different heating methods, such as radiant heating, steam heating, and microwave heating. Furthermore, the cooking system 2 can also be used as a cooktop by means of the heating device 8 of the cooking system 2, whereby the vapor extraction device integrated in the cooking unit 4 can be used as a substitute for a range hood, particularly when the oven door is in the closed position. In this operating mode, the cooking unit 8 therefore only acts as an extraction device for the vapors and not in the manner customary for the cooking unit 8 itself.Accordingly, cooking system 2 also has a very compact design, making it particularly advantageous for small living units or similar spaces. Furthermore, the coordinated design of the cooking chamber floor 12 with the power supply 14 on one side and the heating element 8 for placing and heating the cooking cookware 10 on the other side offers the additional advantage that the heating element 8 makes contact with the power supply via gravity, thus ensuring a robust and reliable power supply to the heating element 8 by means of the power supply 14.

[0025] The invention is not limited to the present embodiment. See, for example, the relevant explanations in the introductory section and in the specific description section for an explanation of the embodiment.

Claims

[1] Cooking system (2) comprising a cooking appliance (4) with a housing, a cooking chamber arranged in the housing, a cooking chamber door for closing a cooking chamber opening of the cooking chamber in a closed position of the cooking chamber door and for accessing the cooking chamber by means of the cooking chamber opening in an open position of the cooking chamber door and a steam extraction device for removing steam (6) from the cooking chamber in the closed position of the cooking chamber door, characterized by, that the cooking system (2) additionally has a heating device (8) separate from the cooking appliance (4) for setting up and heating a cooking vessel (10) and is designed such that the heating device (8) can be positioned in a use position of the heating device (8) for carrying out a cooking process processed by means of the cooking vessel (10), in which the heating device (8) is placed on a cooking chamber floor (12) of the cooking chamber, contacting a power supply (14) of the cooking appliance (4) integrated into the cooking chamber floor (12) and is otherwise thermally and electrically insulated from the cooking chamber floor (12), and can be transferred to a rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system (2). [2] Cooking system (2) according to claim 1, characterized by, that the power supply (14) integrated into the oven floor (12) and the heating device (8) have corresponding plugs (16) and sockets (18) for electrical contact with each other, preferably that the plugs (16) and sockets (18) are each connected in pairs to a phase conductor (20), a neutral conductor (22) and a sensor conductor (24) of the power supply (14) in the operating position of the heating device (8), particularly preferably that the plugs (16) and sockets (18) form a triangle in their arrangement. [3] Cooking system (2) according to claim 2, characterized bythat the plugs (16) are assigned to the cooking chamber floor (12), wherein the plugs (16) rise from at least one receiving base (26) of the cooking chamber floor (12), and that the sockets (18) are assigned to the heating device (8), preferably that the heating device (8) has a housing (28) and a heating element (30) arranged in the housing (28) and electrically connected to the sockets (18) for heating the cooking vessel (10) placed on the heating device (8), particularly preferably that a glass-ceramic layer (32) of the heating device (8) for placing the cooking vessel (10) is arranged on a side of the heating device (8) facing a center of the cooking chamber in the operating position of the heating device (8). [4] Cooking system (2) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized by, that the current-transmitting contact surfaces of the plugs (16) and sockets (18) in the operating position of the heating device (8) during the aforementioned cooking process are each cylindrical, preferably that one free end of the plugs (16) is rounded. [5] Method for operating a cooking system (2) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heating device (8) is positioned in the operating position for the purpose of carrying out a cooking process processed by means of the cooking vessel (10) and is moved to the rest position outside the cooking chamber for at least one other operating mode of the cooking system (2). [6] Method according to claim 5, referring back to claim 2, characterized by, that a heating element (30) of the heating device (8) for heating the cooking vessel (10) placed on the heating device (8) is electrically connected on one side to the phase conductor (20) and on the other side to the neutral conductor (22), preferably that a conductance measurement for fault detection is carried out at least temporarily between the phase conductor (20) and the sensor conductor (24) and / or between the neutral conductor (22) and the sensor conductor (24). [7] Method according to claim 6, characterized by , that if a predetermined limit value for the measured conductivity is exceeded, the current supply to the heating device (8) is automatically interrupted by means of the power supply (14) integrated into the oven floor (12), preferably, that after the interruption of the aforementioned current supply, a drying program of the cooking appliance (4) is automatically carried out to dry the oven cavity before the heating device (8) is energized again. [8] Method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized by , that the heating device (8) can only be powered by means of the power supply (14) integrated into the oven floor (12) when the oven door is in the closed position.

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