DOOR FOR A HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCE AND HOUSEHOLD GARAGE

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a door for a household cooking appliance. The invention further relates to a household cooking appliance with such a door.

[0002] A household cooking appliance, such as a conventional oven, a cavity oven, a smoker, a microwave oven, a combination microwave oven, or a steamer, is typically used for preparing food. In such appliances, food is exposed to a temperature that is usually higher than room or ambient temperature. This can take place in a specially designed space, particularly a cooking chamber. A cooking chamber is usually enclosed by a door. Furthermore, it is common for such a door to have a handle to facilitate opening and closing.

[0003] DE 10 2010 003 103 A1 describes a household appliance with a door and a handle formed on the outside of the door, wherein the handle has a handle bar whose inside is facing the outside of the door and whose inside is spaced apart from the outside of the door, wherein at least one light source is arranged in the handle, the light of which can be emitted via the inside of the handle bar.

[0004] DE 10 2010 003 898 A1 describes a door handle for a household appliance, which has a handle bar that is arranged on at least one retaining element with which the door handle can be attached to an outside of the door, and with a lighting device, wherein a signal transmission device of the lighting device designed to illuminate the handle bar and / or to display information on the handle bar extends at least in the retaining element.

[0005] EP 2 602 553 A1 discloses a household appliance door for closing a loading opening of a receiving compartment of a household appliance, wherein the household appliance door has at least one lighting device with at least one light source for illuminating the receiving compartment, wherein the lighting device has at least one light guide made of translucent material, into which light from at least one light source can be coupled and which is arranged and configured to emit light coupled into it into the receiving compartment, and wherein at least one light guide is assigned at least one reflection layer to reflect light incident from this light guide into the receiving compartment.

[0006] US Patent 2,644,882 A shows a refrigeration appliance with a cold compartment, a door with a handle, and a lamp attached to the inside of the handle, the cold compartment being illuminated by the lamp when the door is open.

[0007] US 2,129,339 A shows an oven with a cooking chamber, a door that closes the cooking chamber, a handle and a lamp provided in the handle, the cooking chamber being illuminated by means of the lamp.

[0008] The FR 2 944 092 A1 shows another oven with a door and a lighting device.

[0009] JP 2003 028433 A shows a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber and a door. A lighting device for illuminating the cooking chamber and the area surrounding the cooking appliance is arranged in the door.

[0010] Against this background, one object of the present invention is to provide an improved door for a household cooking appliance.

[0011] Accordingly, a door for a household cooking appliance is proposed. The door comprises a door body, a handle attached to the door body, a lighting device designed to illuminate the cooking chamber of the household cooking appliance, and a light-deflectoring device designed to redirect light rays emitted by the lighting device to the handle. The lighting device and the light-deflectoring device are arranged within the door body.

[0012] By using the light from the lighting device to illuminate the cooking chamber on the one hand and to illuminate the handle on or off on the other, a separate second lighting device for illuminating the handle on or off can be dispensed with.

[0013] In this context, a "door body" is understood to be a body which, when the door is closed, forms a wall to the cooking chamber, is part of the door, and is not part of a muffle of the household cooking appliance. A "lighting device" is understood to be a device which has at least one light source. A light source may emit electromagnetic radiation, in particular light rays, with at least one wavelength visible to the human eye. The light source may, for example, be an LED unit. In this context, a "cooking chamber" is understood to be a chamber or area intended to hold at least one object to be heated, in particular food. In this context, a "light deflection device" is understood to be a device which guides light rays according to a closed optical system and / or changes the direction of the light rays.In this context, a "closed optic" refers to a channel or solid body that guides light rays between a light ray inlet and a light ray outlet. The lighting device and / or the light deflection device can be arranged wholly or partially within the door body.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the door body has an outer surface, wherein the light rays directed to the handle illuminate the outer surface of the door body at least partially.

[0015] The outer surface of the door is, in particular, the side of the door facing away from the cooking chamber and / or forming the front of the household cooking appliance. Preferably, the handle is attached to the outer surface of the door or to an end face. The door may have a window, especially made of black glass, which allows a view into the cooking chamber. The door also has an inner surface facing the cooking chamber. An illuminated outer surface of the door is highly visible in a dark room and provides a high-quality appearance. Furthermore, the illumination can serve as a visual signal for the user.

[0016] According to another embodiment, the light rays can be redirected in such a way that they illuminate the outside of the door body at least partially in the form of a cone of light.

[0017] In this context, a "light cone" refers to a light beam geometry that has a base area at its point of emergence, with a projection surface onto which the light rays strike being larger or smaller than this base area. An advantage of this design is that the lighting can be precisely dimensioned to prevent glare for the user. The entire exterior of the door frame can also be illuminated. Furthermore, surrounding areas not belonging to the door itself, such as the floor and / or adjacent fixtures, can also be illuminated.

[0018] According to another embodiment, the handle has an inner surface for reflecting light rays towards the outer surface of the door body.

[0019] The inside of the handle faces the outside of the door. The light rays from the lighting device are deflected by the light deflection device and directed to the handle, illuminating the inside of the handle and being reflected back towards the outside of the door, thus illuminating at least part of the outside. The surface of the inside of the handle can have special reflective properties, in particular by means of a surface structure and / or a curvature of the surface.

[0020] According to another embodiment, the handle includes a light emitter for projecting the light rays towards the outside of the door body.

[0021] In this context, "light emitter" refers to a device that receives and re-emits light rays. For example, a light emitter can comprise a light guide and / or a glass body, in particular a glass rod. The light rays from the lighting device are deflected by means of the light deflecting device and directed to the handle, the handle comprising the light emitter. This preferably has at least one light inlet area, and in particular two light inlet areas, wherein at least a portion of the light rays are projected and / or scattered towards the outside of the door body by means of at least one light outlet area. The light outlet area faces the outside of the door body.

[0022] According to another embodiment, the light emitting device is embedded in the handle in such a way that a projection geometry of the light rays is predetermined.

[0023] Embedding the light emitter in the handle results in component integration and enables a harmonious design. Furthermore, the light emitter is at least partially enclosed by the handle material. The unenclosed area is preferably oriented towards the outside of the door body and emits light rays in that direction. The handle material can be opaque, translucent, and / or partially translucent. Preferably, the inside of the handle and / or at least the light-emitting area of ​​the light emitter have a rounded surface.

[0024] According to another embodiment, the handle has a handle bar and two retaining elements, wherein the handle bar is attached to the door body by means of the retaining elements.

[0025] In this context, "handle bar" refers to an elongated solid body with any cross-sectional geometry. This geometry need not be constant along its length. The handle bar can be attached directly or by means of at least one retaining element to the door body. Furthermore, the handle bar is designed to be gripped or enclosed by a hand and to transmit force, optionally via the retaining element, to the door body. In this context, "retaining element" refers to a solid body with any shape and two connection cross-sections. The retaining element is a fastening element. Naturally, a retaining element can be integrally formed with a handle bar in such a way that both can be considered a single body. Preferably, the retaining elements are connected at one end to the handle bar and at the other end to the door body, particularly to the outer surface of the door body.

[0026] According to another embodiment, the light emitting element extends continuously along the handle between the retaining elements.

[0027] In this context, "continuous" refers to a section of the light emitting element that extends uninterrupted between the retaining elements. This has the advantage that a continuous cone of light illuminates at least part of the door's exterior. Furthermore, it results in a high-quality tactile experience for the light emitting element.

[0028] According to another embodiment, the light emitting element extends within the retaining elements in the direction of the door body.

[0029] The light emitter can be completely enclosed by the respective holding element on its outer surface, resulting in a closed optic. Alternatively, the light emitter can be partially enclosed by the respective holding element on its outer surface, so that the outer surface of the light emitter not enclosed by the holding element emits light rays or glows.

[0030] According to another embodiment, the light emitting element extends into the door body.

[0031] Preferably, the light emitting medium is U-shaped, wherein two parallel light emitting medium sections extend within the holding elements and a light emitting medium section, arranged perpendicular to them, extends along the handle.

[0032] According to another embodiment, the light deflection device has at least one reflective element for deflecting the light rays towards the handle.

[0033] In this context, a "reflective element" is understood to be a body that has a surface designed to redirect incident light rays. The reflective element deflects the light rays, changing their direction. Preferably, the light rays are deflected by the reflective element by 30°, 45°, 60°, or 90°.

[0034] According to another embodiment, the light deflection device has at least one light guide for deflecting the light rays to the handle.

[0035] Preferably, the light guide is a device that captures light rays at a light inlet and emits them again at an outlet. Unlike a reflective surface, a light ray is captured at one "location" and emitted again at another "location," potentially resulting in a change in angle. Particularly preferably, at least one light guide is connected to the light emitter via a light guide outlet, so that the light rays are fed directly into the light emitter.

[0036] According to another embodiment, the light deflection device is designed to deflect the direction of the light rays by an angle that exists between a door body plane and a handle plane.

[0037] In this context, a "door body plane" is understood to be a plane that runs parallel to the inside of the door body. A "handle plane" is understood to be a plane formed by a longitudinal axis of the handle and at least one longitudinal axis of a retaining element.

[0038] The light deflection device directs the light rays from the orientation in which they are emitted towards the handle. The angle of this deflection is preferably between 50 and 130°.

[0039] Furthermore, a household cooking appliance with a cooking chamber and a door for closing the cooking chamber is provided.

[0040] The household cooking appliance includes a muffle that surrounds the cooking chamber, the cooking chamber being closable by means of the door.

[0041] According to a further embodiment, the household cooking appliance further comprises a control device for controlling the lighting device, wherein the control device is configured to change an intensity or wavelength of the light rays depending on a state or change of state of the household cooking appliance.

[0042] In this context, a "control device" is understood to be a device that can influence the lighting system, particularly the light source. For example, a control unit can be used as a control device. "State or change of state of the appliance" in this context refers to the switching on and / or off of the appliance and / or a heating phase and / or a reached temperature and / or temperature range and / or a point in time and / or a time range and / or an operation on the appliance. Preferably, the light beams directed to the handle are dimmed up and / or down by changing the intensity of the light beams. Simultaneously, the lighting of the cooking chamber can be dimmed up and down. A change in the wavelength of the light beams results in a change in the perceived color of the lighting.

[0043] According to a further embodiment, the household cooking appliance further comprises a control device for controlling the lighting device, wherein the control device is configured to activate and / or deactivate the emission of light rays depending on a state or change of state of the household cooking appliance.

[0044] Preferably, the control device described above is used, rather than an additional one. Activating and deactivating the device produces a pulsating and / or flashing light, illuminating the outside of the door and / or the oven cavity.

[0045] According to another embodiment, the household cooking appliance further comprises a control device for controlling the lighting device, wherein the control device is configured to execute a defined lighting program.

[0046] Preferably, the control device is the one described above and not an additional one. Preferably, the lighting program displays a so-called breathing light effect. Furthermore, the lighting program can be used to prompt the user to open and / or close the door.

[0047] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the door or the household cooking appliance has a device for generating acoustic signals, wherein the control device is configured to additionally generate acoustic signals depending on a state or a change of state of the household cooking appliance.

[0048] Preferably, the household cooking appliance is an oven, a cavity oven, a smoker, a microwave oven or a combination microwave oven.

[0049] Other possible implementations of the invention also include combinations of features or embodiments described previously or subsequently with regard to the exemplary embodiments, even if not explicitly mentioned. In such cases, the person skilled in the art will also add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic form of the invention.

[0050] Further advantageous embodiments and aspects of the invention are the subject of the dependent claims and the exemplary embodiments of the invention described below. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures. Fig. 1 shows a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of a household cooking appliance; Fig. 2 shows a schematic partial sectional view through an embodiment of a door for a household cooking appliance; Fig. 3 shows a schematic perspective view of the handle according to the Fig. 2 Fig. 4 shows the handle according to the Fig. 3 in exploded view; and Fig. 5 schematically shows a cross-section of the handle according to the Fig. 3 .

[0051] In the figures, identical or functionally equivalent elements have been given the same reference symbols, unless otherwise indicated.

[0052] The Fig. 1 Figure 1 shows a schematic sectional view of a household cooking appliance 1 with a door 2. The household cooking appliance 1 can be a conventional oven, a cavity oven, a smoker, a microwave oven, or a combination microwave oven. The household cooking appliance 1 comprises a cooking chamber 3 enclosed by a sleeve or muffle 4. The muffle 4 is closed by means of the door 2. The muffle 4 has, in particular, a cuboid shape. The door 2 is pivotally attached to the household cooking appliance 1 relative to the muffle 4 by means of a hinge, in particular a hinge joint 5. The hinge joint 5 connects the door 2 to the muffle 4, so that the door 2 can pivot downwards towards a floor plane 6. Alternatively, the door 2 can be pivotally hinged laterally.The door 2 comprises a door body 7 and a handle 8, which is attached to the door body 7 by means of at least one fastening element 9, a lighting device 10, which is configured to illuminate the cooking chamber 3, and a light deflecting device 11, which is configured to deflect light beams 12 emitted by the lighting device 10 to direct them to the handle 8. The door body 7 includes a window 13, in particular made of glass or black glass, which allows a view into the cooking chamber 3. Furthermore, the door body 7 has an outer door body surface 14, which is preferably a viewing surface or a surface facing a user when closed, and an inner door body surface 15, which faces the cooking chamber 3 and encloses it with the muffle 4.

[0053] The lighting device 10 and the light deflection device 11 are arranged within the door body 7, with a portion of the light rays 12 illuminating the cooking chamber 3 and another portion of the light rays 12 being deflected by the light deflection device 11 and directed towards the handle 8. The lighting device 10 is not visible to a user when the door 2 is closed, so that a closed optic is present and only the illumination of the cooking chamber 3, the handle 8 and the outer surface 14 of the door body is perceptible. Preferably, when the door 2 is closed, the light rays 12 are oriented perpendicular to the floor plane 6, with the light deflection device 11 deflecting the light rays 12 by preferably 90° so that they shine parallel to the floor plane 6 and in the direction of the handle 8.The handle 8 has an inner handle surface 16 which is illuminated by the light rays 12 directed to the handle 8, wherein a surface of the inner handle surface 16 reflects at least a part of the light rays 12 towards the outer door body surface 14 and illuminates it at least section by section.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the lighting device 10 comprises a first light source, in particular an LED unit, which emits light rays 12 directly or by means of the light deflection device 11 towards the handle 8, and a second light source, in particular an LED unit, which illuminates the cooking chamber 3.

[0055] The Fig. 2 Figure 1 shows a schematic partial view of a section through an embodiment of a door 2 with a handle 8. The light rays 12 are deflected in the door body 7 by a first reflective element 17 by a first angle and then by a second reflective element 18 by a second angle, so that the light rays 12 are directed to the handle 8 after the two deflections. The two angles together preferably result in 90°. The deflection preferably feeds a "Neff Light" already present in the door 2 into the handle 8.

[0056] The Fig.3 Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a handle 8. The handle 8 comprises a handle bar 19, a first retaining element 20, an identical second retaining element 21, and a light emitter 22. The retaining elements 20 and 21 are each attached to one end of the handle bar 19, giving the handle 8 a U-shape. The light emitter 22 extends continuously along the handle bar 19 between the retaining elements 20 and 21 and, following the U-shape of the handle 8, extends into the retaining elements 20 and 21 towards their respective connection cross-sections 23 and 24. The handle 8 is connected to the door body 7 by means of the connection cross-sections 23 and 24. The retaining elements 20 and 21 together form the fastening element 9.

[0057] The Fig. 4 shows handle 8 according to the Fig. 3 In exploded view. The handle 19 and the light emitter 22 are U-shaped. The light emitter 22 also has a circular outer cross-sectional contour 25. The retaining elements 20 and 21 are each designed as hollow profiles, with one corner area of ​​each profile forming a negative mold of the light emitter 22, so that the light emitter 22 is partially enclosed. The light emitter 22 is preferably a light guide designed as a glass rod.

[0058] The Fig. 5 schematically shows a cross-section of a handle 8 according to the Fig. 3The handle 19 has a cross-section that at least partially forms a negative shape of the circular outer cross-sectional contour of the light emitter 25, with the light emitter 22 being enclosed in this negative shape. Thus, part of an outer surface of the light emitter 22 faces the handle 19 and is surrounded by material of the handle 19. Another part of the outer surface of the light emitter 22 is not surrounded by material of the handle 19 and preferably faces the outer surface 14 of the door body, so that a cone of light 26 is emitted by means of the same surface, the cone of light 26 preferably illuminating at least the outer surface 14 of the door body. Furthermore, the retaining elements 20 and 21 extend perpendicular to the handle 19.In addition, a section of the light emitting medium 22 protrudes from the retaining elements 20 and 21, which preferably extends into the door body 7 and is arranged at its end to couple light rays 12 into the light emitting medium 22.

[0059] Although the present invention has been described using exemplary embodiments, it can be modified in many ways. Reference symbols used:

[0060] 1 Household appliance 2 Door 3 Cooking chamber 4 Muffle 5 Hinge joint 6 Floor level 7 Door body 8 Handle 9 Mounting element 10 Lighting device 11 Light deflection device 12 Light beams 13 Window 14 Door body exterior 15 Door body interior 16 Handle interior 17 Reflector element 18 Reflector element 19 Handle bar 20 Retaining element 21 Retaining element 22 Light emitter 23 Connection cross-section of the first retaining element 24 Connection cross-section of the second retaining element 25 Cross-sectional outer contour of the light emitter 26 Light cone

Claims

1. Door (2) for a household cooking appliance (1), with a door body (7), a handle (8), which is fastened to the door body (7), an illumination facility (10), which is designed to illuminate a cooking compartment (3) of the household cooking appliance (1), and a light deflection facility (11), which is designed to deflect light beams (12) emitted by the illumination facility (10) in order to guide these to the handle (8), wherein the illumination facility (10) and the light deflection facilty (11) are arranged within the door body (7).

2. Door according to claim 1, characterised in that the door body (7) has a door body outer face (14), wherein the light beams (12) guided to the handle (8) illuminate the door body outer face (14) at least in sections.

3. Door according to claim 2, characterised in that the light beams (12) can be redirected so that these illuminate the door body outer face (14) at least in sections in the form of a light cone (26).

4. Door according to claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the handle (8) has a handle inner face (16) with a surface for reflecting the light beams (12) towards the door body outer face (14).

5. Door according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterised in that the handle (8) comprises a light emission means (22) for projecting the light beams (12) towards the door body outer face (14).

6. Door according to claim 5, characterised in that the light emission means (22) is embedded in the handle (8) so that a projection geometry of the light beams (12) is predetermined.

7. Door according to claim 5 or 6, characterised in that the handle (8) has a handrail (19) and two holding elements (20, 21), wherein the handrail (19) is fastened to the door body (7) by means of the holding elements (20, 21).

8. Door according to claim 7, characterised in that the light emission means (22) extends continuously along the handrail (19) between the holding elements (20, 21) and / or extends within the holding elements (20, 21) in the direction of the door body (7) and / or extends into the door body (7).

9. Door according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the light deflection facility (11) has at least one reflection element (17, 18) for deflecting the light beams (12) towards the handle (8).

10. Door according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the light deflection facility (11) has at least one light guide for deflecting the light beams (12) towards the handle (8).

11. Door according to one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the light deflection facility (11) is designed to deflect a direction of the light beams (12) by an angle which is present between the door body plane and a handle plane.

12. Household cooking appliance (1) with a cooking compartment (3) and a door (2) according to one of claims 1 to 11 for closing the cooking compartment (3).

13. Household cooking appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a control facility for controlling the illumination facility (10), wherein the control facility is designed to change an intensity or wavelength of the light beams (12) as a function of a state or a change in state of the household cooking appliance (1).

14. Household cooking appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a control facility for controlling the illumination facility (10), wherein the control facility is designed to activate and / or deactivate an emission of the light beams (12) as a function of a state or a change in state of the household cooking appliance (1).

15. Household cooking appliance according to claim 12, further comprising a control facility for controlling the illumination facilty (10), wherein the control facility is designed to execute a specified light program.