STEAM COOKING DRAWER WITH ROOM DIVIDER AND HEATING ELEMENTS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a steam cooking drawer, in particular a household steam cooking drawer, with a drawer that can be extended and retracted from a drawer housing, comprising a cooking chamber with a trough-shaped food container that can be covered by a lid, a wet steam generator, a steam supply channel configured to direct steam generated by the wet steam generator into the cooking chamber, and at least one steam outlet channel configured to discharge steam from the cooking chamber. The invention is particularly advantageously applicable to household steam cooking drawers.

[0002] DE 10 2007 039 379 B4 discloses a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber that can be subdivided into several openly interconnected climate zones, and with a device for generating and guiding vapor-air mixtures in the cooking chamber, wherein each climate zone can be assigned a vapor-air mixture, and the flow velocities of each vapor-air mixture in the cooking chamber are adjustable such that a flow through the cooking chamber along a plurality of essentially horizontal and / or parallel flow paths, essentially without mutual influence of the climates in the climate zones, can be enforced, wherein the device for generating and guiding the vapor-air mixtures comprises at least one vapor generation device, a plurality of vapor supply devices, at least one vapor discharge device, and at least one device for generating a flow (with at least one blower or at least one pump).comprising a multitude of flow control devices and at least one heating device and is operatively connected to a control or regulating device so that the climate, determined by at least the temperature, humidity and flow velocity of the vapor-air mixture, can be individually controlled or regulated for each climate zone.

[0003] CN 109567574 A discloses cookware comprising several vertically stacked steam treatment trays, each steam treatment tray comprising an airtight tray base and several air inlets formed in the circumferential wall, the air inlets serving to introduce steam. A first connecting part is arranged at the upper edge of each steam treatment tray and a second connecting part is arranged at the lower edge of the steam treatment tray; each pair of adjacent steaming trays is stacked in one piece by the first and second connecting parts, which are arranged opposite each other.By forming air inlets in each steam treatment tray, an independent air supply to each steam treatment tray can be achieved, and the steam treatment trays are equipped with airtight tray bottoms as well as first and second connecting parts that are able to create a mutually closed connection, thus solving the problem of odor nuisance when different foods are steamed by a steam cooker.

[0004] EP 2 299 181 B1 discloses a heated room divider by means of which a furnace room can be divided into two superimposed, individually heated sub-rooms.

[0005] CN 209826263 U discloses a steam oven with a variable cooking chamber volume, which can be reduced by using a steam-tight room divider.

[0006] WO 2014 / 095659 A1 discloses an oven comprising a cooking pot with a bowl, a lid covering the top of the bowl, and a shelf arranged on the bowl on which food to be cooked is placed. The cooking pot includes, within the bowl, a first compartment in which the shelf is placed, a heating device, a second compartment in which the heating device is placed, and a partition arranged between the first and second compartments.

[0007] US 2007 / 158331 A1 discloses a warming drawer for installation in a housing with a recess in which the warming drawer is received, the warming drawer comprising: a housing defining a chamber with an open surface providing access to the chamber; a drawer movably mounted on the housing to be moved between a closed and an open position through the open side into and out of the chamber and defining a heating chamber in which food is received for heating; a heating element provided on the housing or the drawer; and a control operatively coupled to the heating element to selectively actuate the heating element and configured to selectively actuate the heating element to maintain the temperature in the heating chamber at a cooking temperature, a warming temperature, or a slow-cooking temperature.

[0008] EP 2 431 667 A1 discloses a heated insertable cooking chamber divider for a cooking appliance. The insertable cooking chamber divider is equipped with a surface heating element, with one upper surface of the insertable cooking chamber divider designed as a food receptacle. The cooking appliance has a cooking chamber with several insertion levels, into each of which an insertable cooking chamber divider can be inserted, each of the insertion levels being assigned an electrical connection for an electrically operated insertable cooking chamber divider, and the cooking appliance being configured to adjust the power input, at least to the insertable cooking chamber divider, depending on the insertion level occupied by the insertable cooking chamber divider.

[0009] DE 10 2011 101 042 A1 discloses a cooking appliance comprising a housing in which a drawer is guided for longitudinal movement and in which a food carrier can be attached or is attached. To improve such a cooking appliance, several infrared emitters are arranged behind a glass plate on the top of the housing and / or several infrared emitters are arranged behind a glass plate on the underside of the housing.

[0010] US 8,217,316 B2 discloses a heating system comprising a housing with walls defining an inner heating chamber. Sensors are mounted on an outer surface of the walls. Heating pad subassemblies are attached to the outer surface of the walls, with each heating pad subassembly positioned adjacent to a corresponding sensor. The heating pad subassemblies include a pad with a mounting surface coupled to the outer surface of the walls and a heating element coupled to the pad. A controller is electrically connected to the heating elements and the sensors. This controller is configured to independently monitor temperature measurements from each of the sensors and to independently control each of the heating elements. The heating pad subassemblies can be positioned on the outside of the plurality of walls, and the heating system compensates for load variations across the inner heating chamber.

[0011] US 10,655,866 B2 discloses a cooking appliance capable of cooking multiple cooking materials using a heat transfer controller having multiple areas in which the reflectivity of heat generated by a heating element is variable, and a control method for this. According to one aspect, a cooking appliance includes at least one heating element and a heat transfer controller positioned opposite the at least one heating element and provided with a plurality of areas, each having a different reflectivity of heat generated by the at least one heating element.

[0012] EP 2 853 820 A1 discloses a device for cooking food with a housing and an upper and a lower heating plate, wherein at least one heating plate, preferably the upper heating plate, is fixed in the housing in such a way that it can be moved from a first position to a second position, wherein the two heating plates are arranged parallel to each other in the first position and wherein the vertical distance between the heating plates is at least partially greater in the second position than in the first position, wherein a heater and preferably an induction heater is arranged behind the upper heating plate and / or the lower heating plate, which together with the associated heating plate forms an upper or lower heating unit or a part thereof.The invention further relates to a kitchen furniture with a receptacle and a device arranged therein for cooking food, wherein the receptacle of the kitchen furniture is connected to the housing of the device or constitutes the housing.

[0013] US 8,378,266 B2 discloses a heating system and method for heating a surface, comprising in a mold a substrate defining a heating surface and a layered heating element formed on the heating surface. Multiple nodes are arranged along the heating surface and are in electrical contact with a resistance heating layer of the layered heating element, along with multiple lead wires connected to the multiple nodes. In a mold, a multiplexer communicates with the plurality of nodes through the plurality of lead wires, and a controller communicates with the multiplexer, the multiplexer sequencing resistances from the plurality of nodes and transmitting them to the controller, and the controller controlling a power supplied to each of the plurality of nodes based on the resistance differences between the nodes.

[0014] CN 106 037 456 A discloses a steamer for seafood, comprising: a steamer cabinet housing with an air inlet opening, an air outlet opening, and a control element. The air inlet opening and the air outlet opening are located on a side wall of the steamer cabinet housing, and the control element is located above the steamer cabinet housing; a steam generation chamber connected to the steamer for generating and discharging steam; an intake pipe connected to the intake opening via a first pipe, the steam inlet of which is connected to the steam generation chamber to direct the steam generated by the steam generation chamber to the steamer via the first pipe; an air outlet pipe connected to the air outlet via a second channel, and a steam extraction device at the steam outlet of the air outlet pipe.When the control element is set to the first operating state, the first channel closes the air inlet, the second channel closes the air outlet, and an air blower opens. Air flows into the steamer through the air outlet. When the control element is set to the second operating state, the first channel closes the air inlet, the second channel closes the air outlet, the air extraction system closes, and the air supply to the steamer is stopped.

[0015] FR 2 635 171 A1 discloses a steam cooking appliance comprising a combination of, firstly, a hermetically sealed housing having a lid and containing a water reservoir in its lower part, and at least two drawers arranged one above the other, which close tightly, slide in this housing and are equipped with a rack or a downwardly inclined, slightly raised plate on which the food to be cooked is placed, wherein the drawers have, on the one hand, lateral perforations for steam circulation and, on the other hand, at least one perforation on the underside of the bottom wall or side walls that allows condensation to drain directly into the water reservoir without dripping onto the food below, and finally, a heating device arranged below the water reservoir that keeps it at the boiling temperature of the water.

[0016] CN 209 285 010 U1. A novel rice steamer comprises a cabinet body, a heating device, and a water tank arranged on the cabinet body, the cabinet body further being equipped with a common steamer, a steaming basket, and a molded steamer; a first sliding assembly and a second sliding assembly are arranged in the cabinet body, and the first sliding assembly is aligned with the molded steamer. The second sliding assembly is aligned with the common steamer; the molded steamer is equipped with a plurality of parallel spring strips, and a gap is formed between the spring strips. The inner upper wall of the cabinet body is provided with a beam, the beam being provided with a plurality of hooks, the steaming basket is suspended from the hooks, and the steaming basket comprises a basket. The basket is provided with a basket handle; the connection of the basket handle to the basket is detachable.

[0017] It is the TaskThe present invention overcomes at least some of the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular provides an improved possibility of treating food in a steam treatment drawer.

[0018] This problem is solved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments can be found in particular in the dependent claims.

[0019] The task is solved by a steam cooking drawer with a drawer that can be extended and retracted from a drawer housing, having a cooking chamber that can be divided into at least two compartments by means of at least one partition, the cooking chamber having a trough-shaped food container that can be covered by a lid, at least one thermally insulating partition that is configured to divide the cooking chamber or a compartment thereof into two compartments in a steam-tight manner, a wet steam generator, a steam supply channel that is configured to direct steam generated by the wet steam generator into the cooking chamber, at least one steam outlet channel that is configured to discharge steam from the cooking chamber, wherein the steam supply channel is configured to direct the steam generated by the wet steam generator into each of the compartments, and further comprising several heating elements, wherein at least one heating element is assigned to each of the possible compartments for its selective heating, wherein the steam cooking drawer is configured toDepending on the position of the at least one divider inserted into the cooking container, the heating elements belonging to the resulting sub-compartments can be selectively controlled.

[0020] This steam cooking drawer offers the advantage that the cooking chamber can be divided into two or more separate cooking compartments by the user, thanks to at least one divider. This allows for the simultaneous and individual steam cooking of different foods in a small space. The steam-tightness of the dividers ensures not only a physical separation but also an atmospheric separation of the compartments, thus preventing any mutual flavor transfer between them. Furthermore, different atmospheric conditions (e.g., humidity, temperature, airflow) can be easily implemented in the compartments. In addition, energy consumption and / or cleaning effort are lower than with an undivided cooking chamber, and heating time is also faster.Since steam generation for the sub-rooms is carried out by a common wet steam generator, steam treatment can also be implemented cost-effectively.

[0021] Furthermore, the selectively controllable heating elements offer the advantage of adjusting the heating energy supplied to each compartment, allowing for easy adjustment of the desired combination of steam concentration and temperature, particularly for each compartment. This, in turn, makes it advantageous to treat different foodstuffs with steam and / or heat in different compartments in a targeted and, in particular, independent manner.

[0022] It is important to note that a steam cooking drawer is a household steam cooking drawer. A steam cooking drawer can be a standalone cooking appliance or part of a combination appliance, for example, a cooking appliance with an oven and a steam cooking drawer located underneath.

[0023] The cooking container and the lid, which is fitted on top in a steam-tight manner, form the cooking chamber. The cooking chamber is designed to hold food, to be supplied with steam as needed via the steam drawer, and / or to be heated by at least one heating element. The cooking container can be removed from the drawer by the user.

[0024] The two or more compartments – when the cooking chamber is closed – are steam-tight and thus atmospherically separated from each other, meaning that no steam is exchanged between them, particularly during a steam treatment process. The fact that the two compartments are steam-tight also implies that they are liquid-tight from each other.

[0025] By inserting a partition, a space suitable for steam (i.e., the cooking chamber or a section thereof) can be divided into two separate, steam-tight compartments, thus preventing any exchange of atmosphere and potentially liquid (e.g., condensate) between the two compartments. With the cooking chamber closed, the partition hermetically seals the two compartments, preventing the passage of gases and liquids. This can be implemented by dividing the entire cooking chamber into a first and second compartment using a partition. If possible, another partition can be added, further dividing the first compartment into two sub-compartments, and so on. In total, the cooking chamber can be divided into n+1 steam-tight compartments using n partitions.

[0026] Because the room divider is thermally insulating, the compartments are largely thermally separated from each other, allowing for the targeted setting and precise regulation of different cooking chamber temperatures, even with significant temperature differences. The room divider can be thermally insulating, for example, by being made of a thermally poorly conductive material, such as plastic, of sufficient thickness (e.g., at least 2 mm to 3 mm), or by being filled with a highly thermally insulating material such as air or foam.

[0027] The cooking container can also be thermally insulated. This can be achieved, for example, by making the container from plastic or covering its exterior with insulating material such as mineral wool or plastic. Alternatively or additionally, the container can be double-walled and contain, for example, a vacuum, air, or other highly insulating material such as foam in the cavity.

[0028] The room divider is designed in a plate-like form, particularly cuboid-shaped, and can also be described as a partition wall.

[0029] The steam that can be introduced into the cooking compartments is generated primarily by a single wet steam generator located outside the cooking chamber. This wet steam generator produces wet steam, meaning steam that can be heated to the boiling point of water or steam generated by boiling. This steam may still contain water droplets and is therefore referred to as "wet."

[0030] It is a further development that at least one SHS steam heater is connected downstream of the wet steam generator. This heater is designed to convert the wet steam produced by the wet steam generator into superheated steam. Superheated steam can be understood to mean steam heated above the boiling point of water, also known as dry steam or SHS, "superheated steam." Superheated steam is so hot that it typically no longer contains water droplets and is therefore also referred to as "dry." The temperature of dry steam is higher than the boiling point of water and can be, for example, up to 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, or even higher.

[0031] In further training, a combination of wet steam generator and at least one SHS steam heater arranged outside the cooking chamber can also be referred to or considered as a (two-stage) steam generator, in which wet steam is generated in a first stage by boiling water, which is converted into superheated steam in a second stage.

[0032] The fact that the steam supply channel is designed to direct steam generated by the wet steam generator (i.e., wet steam or additionally heated superheated steam) into each of the compartments includes, in particular, the possibility that the steam supply channel may be designed to direct the steam into each of the compartments, and especially simultaneously. This does not preclude the possibility that, if necessary, at least one of the compartments may be deliberately or controllably deprived of steam during a cooking process, provided that the steam cooking drawer is designed to supply each of the compartments with steam as required.

[0033] The fact that the steam supply channel is designed to direct steam generated by the wet steam generator into each of the sub-rooms further implies that the steam is directed directly from the wet steam generator into each of the sub-rooms and thus not through several sub-rooms.

[0034] The steam (and any fumes) contained in the cooking chamber or compartments can escape from the cooking chamber or compartments through at least one steam vent before, during, and / or after cooking. The steam vent can lead, for example, to the front or front side wall of the steam cooking drawer and / or to a fume extraction system. The release of steam from the cooking chamber can be caused by increased steam pressure within the cooking chamber and / or by extraction, e.g., by a fan.

[0035] In general, the cooking chamber can be used with or without a room divider for steaming food placed inside.

[0036] At least one heating element can include one or more electrical resistance heating elements (e.g., heating coils). At least one heating element can include one or more induction elements, which, for example, have corresponding induction coils that generate an induced current in a metal volume. The metal volume can be the cooking container. At least one heating element can include one or more infrared emitters.

[0037] The fact that each of the possible sub-rooms is assigned at least one heating element for its selective heating includes, in particular, that each of the sub-rooms that can be created by the at least one room divider (i.e., by one or more room dividers) is assigned at least one heating element by means of which these sub-rooms can be heated individually, i.e., independently of the other sub-rooms.

[0038] The fact that the steam cooking drawer is designed to selectively control the heating elements belonging to the sub-chambers created by the at least one room divider actually inserted into the cooking container, depending on the position of the room divider, includes in particular that the steam cooking drawer can recognize the position of the at least one room divider actually inserted into the cooking container and can accordingly control the heating elements belonging to these sub-chambers individually for the individual sub-chambers, depending on the specifications for the desired cooking process.

[0039] The control of the heating elements can include operation of the heating elements between 0% and 100% of the maximum permissible heating power.

[0040] Controlling the heating elements can involve energizing the heating elements in the case of electrically operated heating elements.

[0041] The steam cooking drawer is specifically designed to control the heating elements on the one hand and the steam generation and steam supply on the other independently for each of the compartments. This allows the compartments to be selected individually. are only supplied with steam, without the associated heating elements being controlled or activated (pure steam treatment operation); are not supplied with steam, but only the associated heating elements are controlled or activated (pure furnace operation); or are supplied with steam and additionally (simultaneously and / or at different times) the associated heating elements are controlled or activated (combined steam treatment and furnace operation). This offers the advantage that only part of the cooking chamber can be used for cooking, which can improve cooking results, reduce heating time, and save energy. This can be particularly beneficial when a user only wants to prepare small quantities of food. Another advantage is that different cooking processes can be carried out independently in different compartments. For example, fish can be steam-cooked in one compartment without using the heating elements, while side dishes can be cooked in another compartment using only the heating elements, e.g., at 200°C.

[0042] It is a further development that, if no room divider is used, the steam cooking drawer can be designed to operate the cooking chamber formed by the food container as a whole either in pure steam treatment mode, in pure oven mode or in combined steam treatment and oven mode.

[0043] The fact that the steam cooking drawer is configured to selectively control the heating elements may include a control device for the steam cooking drawer configured to selectively control the heating elements. The control device may also function as a detection device, i.e., it may also serve as a detection device. Advantageously, this control device is the same control device that also controls the steam treatment operation (steam generation and steam injection).

[0044] One embodiment of the steam cooking drawer includes a detection device for recognizing the position of at least one divider within the cooking container and is configured to selectively control the heating elements belonging to the compartments created by the divider, based on the position of the divider detected by the detection device. This achieves the advantage that the power input to the heating elements, particularly electrical power, and thus the heating power, can be adjusted in a particularly simple manner.

[0045] The detection device can, in addition to the position of at least one room divider, optionally also detect its correct placement during further training.

[0046] One embodiment of the device comprises several switches which, at least when the steam cooking drawer is in its retracted state, can be actuated by the at least one internal divider, and the steam cooking drawer is configured to selectively control the heating elements belonging to the compartments created by the at least one divider based on the actuation of these switches. This embodiment is advantageously particularly cost-effective. A further embodiment includes at least one switch being a mechanical contact switch, e.g., a microswitch. Another embodiment includes at least one switch being an electrical contact element. A further embodiment includes at least one switch being a Hall sensor. A further embodiment includes at least one switch being a photoelectric barrier.

[0047] It is a further development that the detection device includes a camera by which the position of at least one room divider can be determined by image evaluation in an image taken by the camera.

[0048] One design feature is that the switches are arranged in all possible positions of at least one room divider.

[0049] It is a further development that brackets for inserting at least one divider, in particular a partition, are provided on at least the front and rear side walls of the cooking container. This offers the advantage that, when viewed from the front, at least two adjacent compartments are provided, which can be easily and individually steamed. The brackets can be arranged one behind the other in the front view, so that the dividers can be positioned perpendicular to the front and rear side walls.

[0050] It is a further development that each wall bracket has a slot for insertion. This offers the advantage that the room dividers can be easily inserted into the brackets from above. The slot can be formed, for example, by two vertically oriented ribs arranged side by side. It is a further development that one or both of the slots have a switch. If each slot has its own switch, the advantage is that correct insertion is particularly easy to see.

[0051] It is a further development step that all heating elements are individually connected to a power supply via switches ("heating element switches"). The heating element switches can be, for example, relays or electronic switches such as transistors and serve to selectively connect or disconnect the respective heating elements from a power supply.

[0052] It is a design in which at least one heating element, in particular at least two heating elements, are arranged on the cooking container, especially on a base of the cooking container.

[0053] It is a design in which at least one heating element, in particular at least two heating elements, are arranged on the lid.

[0054] One configuration allows for selective control, enabling the activation of only some of the heating elements assigned to at least one sub-room, and / or the complete deactivation of all heating elements assigned to that sub-room. This offers the advantage of particularly easy adjustment of the applied heating power. The option of deactivation, where none of the heating elements assigned to a sub-room are activated, offers the advantage that this sub-room is not heated by the heating elements at all (but, for example, only by the introduced steam). This includes the possibility of not heating any of the sub-rooms via the heating elements. Heating not all sub-rooms with heating elements offers the further advantage that all the energy available for controlling or operating the heating elements is used more efficiently.electrical power can be introduced into at least one sub-room that is to be heated by heating elements, resulting in significantly faster heating times in this sub-room.

[0055] This design allows the heating elements to be controlled in such a way that the heat energy supplied by the heating elements to the respective compartments is distributed according to the size (area and / or volume) of the compartments. For example, if a divider divides the cooking chamber into two compartments, one smaller and one larger occupying 30% of the total cooking chamber, then 30% of the total heat energy supplied to the cooking chamber can automatically be directed to the smaller compartment and 70% to the larger compartment. However, the heat output supplied to the individual compartments can, in principle, be freely distributed as needed, within the limits of the total available heat output.

[0056] This configuration features a steam supply channel with a steam inlet connected to the wet steam generator and at least one branch with at least two outlet branches leading to the cooking chamber. This offers the advantage of allowing multiple spatially separated steam flows into the cooking chamber in a structurally simple manner. This can be particularly advantageous for supplying high steam flow rates to areas of the cooking chamber that are further apart. Generally, a branch has an inlet branch and at least two outlet branches branching off from it. Steam enters the inlet branch and can, in principle, flow through the outlet branches.

[0057] It is a further development that at least two branches are arranged one after the other in terms of flow dynamics, such that an inlet branch of a subsequent branch connects to at least one of the outlet branches of a preceding branch. This branching configuration can, in principle, be cascaded any number of times and allows for a structurally simple and easily variable provision of more than two outlet branches.

[0058] If the steam cooking drawer is equipped with at least one SHS steam heater, a further development is that an SHS steam heater is positioned upstream of at least one branch, so that superheated steam can flow through all branches in a particularly cost-effective manner when the SHS steam heater is operated. A further development is that each outlet branch is assigned its own SHS steam heater. This achieves the advantage that each outlet branch can be individually configured to supply either wet steam or superheated steam to the treatment chamber or an associated sub-chamber. A further development is that only a subset of outlet branches is assigned an SHS steam heater.In this way, at least one sub-room can be advantageously supplied with wet steam only, and at least one further sub-room with superheated steam or optionally with wet steam or superheated steam, all in a still cost-effective manner.

[0059] This configuration includes at least one branch with a controllable actuator to variably or proportionally adjust the steam flow through the outlet branches of the associated branch. This allows for a robust and structurally simple way to proportionally adjust the steam flow to multiple compartments and thus—particularly in conjunction with a set heating output of the wet steam generator and, if applicable, the SHS steam heater—to precisely control the humidity, air temperature, and / or flow velocity for the respective compartments. The controllable actuator is adjustable, for example, via the steam cooking drawer, either by motor or actuator. Specifically, the controllable actuator is designed to proportionally adjust the flow cross-section of the outlet branches.

[0060] It is a further development that the actuating device is an electrically adjustable flap – in particular a motor-driven or actuator-driven flap – especially a pivotable flap, wherein an angular or pivoting position of the flap determines the flow cross-sections of the outlet branches. It is a further development that the branch is designed as a valve, especially as a proportional valve.

[0061] In principle, however, the steam supply channel can also have at least one branch that does not have an actuating device, which is advantageously particularly cost-effective to implement.

[0062] Analogous to the branched steam supply channel, a steam discharge channel can also have at least one branch or branched junction, which includes an actuating device that can be controlled to variably or proportionally adjust the steam flow through the multiple inlet branches. One of the outlet branches, in particular, can then be connected to a fan, for example.

[0063] This configuration involves at least one branch having exactly two outlet branches. This is particularly easy to implement using a Y-pipe. If an actuating device is assigned to this branch, this can also be implemented very easily, for example in the form of a Y-valve.

[0064] This configuration involves a steam supply duct with (exactly) one steam inlet or supply opening, which leads into all possible sub-compartments. This configuration is particularly easy to implement, as no branching is required, only a widening of the steam supply duct. The distribution of the steam flow to the individual sub-compartments can then be adjusted by the position or placement of the room dividers behind the steam supply opening – possibly manually by a user. Depending on where along the width of the steam supply opening a room divider is connected, more or less steam reaches the sub-compartments assigned to that room divider.

[0065] This design features a cooking container with at least one steam inlet opening in its front or front side wall, through which steam flowing from the steam supply channel can enter the container. Optionally, it also includes at least one steam outlet or steam release opening in its rear side wall. This design offers the advantage of generating a controlled steam / air flow through the cooking chamber or its compartments in a structurally simple manner. The at least one steam inlet opening of the cooking container can connect directly to the steam supply channel or via at least one extension nozzle integrated into the cooking container, the outlet of which on the treatment chamber side corresponds to a steam inlet opening.

[0066] One embodiment of the cooking container features at least two steam inlet openings on its front or front side wall, spaced laterally apart when viewed from the front, and at least one support bracket on the front side wall is arranged between the outermost (most widely spaced) steam inlet openings. This advantageously ensures that even the compartments furthest to the left and right can be supplied with steam.

[0067] One embodiment of the cooking container features at least two steam vents on its rear side wall, spaced laterally apart when viewed from the front, and at least one support on the rear side wall is positioned between the outermost (most widely spaced) steam vents. This advantageously ensures that even the leftmost and rightmost compartments can be supplied with steam. This advantageously achieves a function or effect of the steam vents analogous to that of the steam supply vents.

[0068] It is a particularly advantageous embodiment, in cases where the cooking container has at least two steam inlet openings spaced laterally apart on its front side wall when viewed from the front, in which the steam inlet channel has exactly one Y-shaped branch with exactly two outlet branches. This is advantageously very easy to implement, e.g., by means of a simple Y-valve. The cooking chamber can then be divided into two compartments, each of which can be individually supplied with steam, by means of a divider. The two outlet branches lead to each compartment if a divider has been installed in the cooking chamber. In particular, each of the two compartments has a steam inlet opening and, advantageously, also a steam outlet opening.By arranging the two steam supply openings on both sides of the at least one bracket attached to the front side wall, it is ensured that the two sub-rooms can be supplied with steam regardless of the position of the room divider, even if the room divider can be arranged on several different brackets and thus in different positions.

[0069] One configuration is such that the at least one steam discharge channel is exactly one steam discharge channel – branched or unbranched. This is advantageously very easy to implement. The at least one steam discharge channel specifically has exactly one steam discharge outlet. If exactly one unbranched steam discharge channel is present, it can have (exactly) one steam discharge opening, which leads into all possible sub-rooms. This configuration is particularly easy to implement because no branching is required, but merely a widening of the steam supply channel. The distribution of the steam flow into the steam discharge channel can then be adjusted by the position or placement of the room dividers in front of the steam discharge opening – possibly manually by a user.Depending on the position along the width of the steam vent where a partition is attached, more or less steam is released from the compartments associated with the partition. A further development is that the partition, particularly the dividing wall, has a seal around its entire perimeter, i.e., at all edges. This advantageously prevents the exchange of air, steam, condensate, etc., between the separated compartments particularly effectively. In the case of a trough-shaped cooking container covered by a lid, a plate-shaped partition can, for example, rest with its lower edge on the bottom of the cooking container, with its side edges on the front and rear walls, and with its upper edge on the lid. The seal can be made of, for example, rubber, plastic, ceramic, etc.

[0070] The properties, features and advantages of this invention described above, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more easily understood in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which will be explained in more detail in conjunction with the drawings. Fig. 1 shows a top view sketch of a drawer of a steam cooking drawer; Fig. 2 shows a sketch of a branch of a steam supply channel of the drawer; Fig. 3 shows the steam cooking drawer in a front oblique view; Fig. 4 shows the steam cooking drawer in a rear oblique view; Fig. 5 shows a top view of a possible arrangement of heating elements on the bottom of a cooking container of the steam cooking drawer; Fig. 6 shows a Fig. 4 Analogous view: a possible arrangement of heating elements on a lid of the steam cooking drawer.

[0071] Fig. 1Figure 1 shows a top-view sketch of a drawer 1 of a steam cooker drawer 2. The drawer 1 is horizontally inserted into a drawer housing 3 (see Figure 2). Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 ) extendable and retractable, as indicated by the double arrow, wherein in the retracted state a front panel 4 of the drawer 1 closes the front opening of the drawer housing 3.

[0072] Drawer 1 contains an electrically operated wet steam generator 5, which is designed to boil water in order to generate wet steam D. The wet steam generator 5 can be controlled by a control unit 6, e.g., switched on and off. In particular, the heating power of the wet steam generator 5 can be set by means of the control unit 6, which in turn allows the volume per unit of time of the generated wet steam D to be set. Optionally, at least one SHS steam heater can be connected downstream of the wet steam generator 5 (not shown).

[0073] A steam supply channel 7 is connected to a steam outlet of the wet steam generator 5. This channel is designed to direct the wet steam 5 generated by the wet steam generator 5, or—if an SHS steam heater is present—superheated steam, into a cooking chamber 8. The cooking chamber 8 is formed by a trough-shaped, open-topped cooking container 9 and a steam-tight lid (not shown), e.g., made of glass, that fits onto the cooking container 9. The cooking container 9 is removable, particularly by the user. It serves to hold food being cooked, possibly in containers such as GN pans, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, the cooking chamber 8 can be connected to a steam drain channel 10, or is connected in the installed state, which is designed to drain steam from the cooking chamber 8, e.g. into the environment or to a vapor extraction system (not shown).

[0075] The cooking container 9 has several parallel, vertically oriented ribs 11 on its inside front or front side wall 9v and, in front view, at the same location on its back or rear side wall 9h, namely nine parallel pairs of front and rear ribs 11, which define slots for the partition 12 (see Fig. 5 With the cover removed or opened, a room divider in the form of a rectangular partition 12, a flat panel, can be inserted and removed by the user between adjacent pairs of ribs. Adjacent pairs of ribs thus form a support for the partition 12. The six pairs of ribs shown here allow the partition 12 to be positioned in one of five positions, P1 to P5.

[0076] One edge of the partition wall 12 is fitted all around with a seal 13 (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4) which may be made of, for example, rubber, plastic, ceramic, etc. The partition 12 may optionally be specially thermally insulating and / or may optionally have at least one electric heating element 14.

[0077] With the partition 12 in place and the lid on, the cooking chamber 8 is divided into two steam-tight (and therefore also liquid-tight) compartments 8a and 8b. The volumes of compartments 8a and 8b can be adjusted by using the different positions P1 to P5.

[0078] The steam supply channel 7 is designed such that the steam D generated by the wet steam generator 5 – possibly after conversion to superheated steam – is directed into both the first sub-chamber 8a and the second sub-chamber 8b. For this purpose, the steam supply channel 7 has a Y-shaped branch in the form of a Y-valve 15, which is described in more detail in Fig. 2The Y-valve 15 has a (steam) inlet branch 15c connected to the steam side of the wet steam generator 5 and two symmetrically designed (steam) outlet branches 15a and 15b branching off from it. The outlet branches 15a and 15b branch off to the first sub-chamber 8a and to the second sub-chamber 8b, respectively.

[0079] The Y-valve 15 has an actuating device in the form of a pivotable valve flap 16, which can be electrically controlled by the control unit 6. By adjusting the pivot angle of the valve flap 16, the steam flow rate Vin of the steam D flowing in through the inlet branch 15c can be variably adjusted into a steam flow rate Vout1 through the outlet branch 15a and a steam flow rate Vout2 through the outlet branch 15b, where Vin = Vout1 + Vout2. In particular, Vout1 can be set within a range of [0%, ..., 100%] · Vin. Consequently, the volume flow rate of the steam D flowing into the sub-chambers 8a and 8b can also be proportionally adjusted, while Vin can be specifically varied by the electrical power applied to the heating element of the wet steam generator 5.

[0080] The outlet branches 15a and 15b branch off and lead to steam supply openings 17a and 17b respectively, which are provided in the front side wall 9v of the cooking container 9 and lead into the compartments 8a and 8b respectively. If the cooking container 9 is not removable, the steam supply openings 17a and 17b can correspond directly to the openings of the outlet branches 15a and 15b. If the cooking container 9 is removable, the steam supply openings 17a and 17b can, in a further development, be simple openings that connect to the sections of the outlet branches 15a and 15b that are fixedly arranged in the drawer 1, and, in another further development, can be openings of stub-shaped channel sections of the cooking container 9 that can be inserted into the sections of the outlet branches 15a and 15b that are arranged in the drawer 1, in particular in a steam-tight manner.

[0081] The steam supply openings 17a and 17b are spaced laterally apart in the front view such that the ribs 11 are arranged between them. This ensures that each of the sub-chambers 8a and 8b can be supplied with steam through the steam supply openings 17a and 17b respectively, regardless of the position P1 to P5 of the partition wall 12.

[0082] Analogous to the steam inlet openings 17a and 17b, and advantageously located in the same position in the front view, the cooking container 9 has two steam outlet openings 18a and 18b on its rear side wall 9b, through which steam or a steam / air / vapor mixture can escape from the respective compartment 8a or 8b and flow into the steam outlet channel 10. The steam outlet openings 18a and 18b are also spaced laterally apart in the front view such that the ribs 11 arranged on the rear side wall 9b are positioned between them. The steam outlet channel 10 has a convergence 19 at which the branches adjoining the two steam outlet openings 18a and 18b converge. In particular, the steam outlet channel 10 can have a Fig. 2 inverted branching or merging 19 with two inlet branches and one outlet branch, the flow cross-section of which can be adjusted, for example, by a valve flap 16.

[0083] Fig. 5Figure 1 shows a possible arrangement of heating elements 20 on a cooking container, which is designed analogously to cooking container 9. On an inner side of the front side wall 9v and a rear side wall 9h of the cooking container 9, eight pairs of front and rear ribs 11 are shown here as examples, defining seven slots A1 to A7. The partition 12 is inserted into slot A6.

[0084] Between each pair of adjacent ribs 11 of each of the side walls 9v and 9h are switches 21 (e.g., contact elements) of a detection device, which switch when the partition 12 is used. The switches 21 are connected to the control unit 6, which monitors the switching state of the switches 21.

[0085] The heating elements 20 are embedded in a base 23 of the cooking container 9 and can be, for example, electrical resistance heating elements such as thick-film heating conductors, etc., or induction coils. Each of the possible compartments is assigned a heating element 20. The possible compartments include the compartment belonging to the area from the left side wall 24 to the next rib 11, the compartments belonging to slots A1 to A7, and the compartment belonging to the area from the last rib 11 to the right side wall 25.

[0086] Each of the heating elements 20 is connected to a power supply 27 via a switch 26 (e.g., a transistor or a relay), with the switches 26 being connected to the control unit 6 for their control (open / closed). The control unit 6 is configured to switch the switches 26 depending on the position of the partition (here: in slot A6) detected by the switches 21. The control unit 6 is further configured to switch the switches 26 selectively or individually, in particular to switch the desired heating output depending on the division into sub-compartments actually created by the position of the partition 12. The sub-compartments actually created here are a left sub-compartment extending from the left side wall 24 to and including the fifth slot A5, and a right sub-compartment extending from the seventh slot A7 to the right side wall 25.

[0087] For example, if the left compartment is to be heated by heating elements 20, all heating elements 20 located within its area, or only one or some of them, can be energized. Similarly, if the right compartment is to be heated by heating elements 20, all heating elements 20 located within its area, or only one or some of them, can be energized. This advantageously ensures that the heating power is automatically distributed between the two cooking compartments according to their surface area. The heating element 20 located in slot A6 is advantageously disconnected from the power supply 27 by the associated switch 26.

[0088] It is also possible to heat only one or none of the actually created sub-rooms by means of heating elements 20, for which the associated switches 26 are then advantageously open.

[0089] Furthermore, the power supply 27 can also be controlled by the control unit 6, e.g. to adjust the electrical power output of the power supply.

[0090] The control device 6 can therefore be configured to selectively control either the left subspace and, independently of that, the right subspace. to supply only steam without also energizing the associated heating elements 20 (pure steam treatment operation); not to supply steam, but only to energize the associated heating elements 20 (pure furnace operation); or to supply steam and additionally (simultaneously and / or at different times) to energize the associated heating elements 20 (combined steam treatment and furnace operation).

[0091] If no partition wall 12 is used, the control device 6 can be designed to operate the cooking chamber formed as a whole by the cooking container 9 either in pure steam treatment mode, in pure oven mode or in combined steam treatment and oven mode.

[0092] In an alternative embodiment not shown, the heating elements 20 can be individually connected to the power supply 27 and can be individually energized, so that the heating current impressed into the individual heating elements can also be individually adjusted.

[0093] In an alternative embodiment not shown, several heating elements 20 can be present for each possible sub-room. The heating elements 20, which heat the possible sub-rooms individually, can then be controlled, at least in groups, by the control unit 6. Optionally, these heating elements 20 can also be controlled individually, which allows for particularly variable heating power application.

[0094] Fig. 6 shows in a to Fig. 4In analogous view, a possible arrangement of heating elements 28 on a lid (not shown) of the steam cooking drawer 2 is shown. The heating elements 28 can be present alternatively or additionally to the heating elements 20. The lid can be integrated into the drawer housing 3, e.g., attached below a ceiling of the drawer housing 3. Here, the heating elements 28 are arranged in an exemplary matrix configuration, whereby the possible sub-compartments of individually heated heating elements 28 can be controlled at least row by row by the control unit 6. Optionally, the heating elements 28 can also be controlled individually, which allows for particularly variable heating power input. For this purpose, the rows of heating elements 28 or even the individual heating elements 28 can be controlled analogously to Fig. 5 It can be optionally activated and deactivated by switch 26.

[0095] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

[0096] In general, "ein", "eine", etc. can be understood to mean singular or plural, especially in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more", etc., unless this is explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "exactly one", etc.

[0097] A numerical specification can also include exactly the specified number as well as a usual tolerance range, unless this is explicitly excluded. Reference symbol list

[0098] 1 Drawer 2 Steam drawer 3 Drawer housing 4 Front panel 5 Wet steam generator 6 Control unit 7 Steam supply channel 8 Cooking chamber 8a First compartment of the cooking chamber 8b Second compartment of the cooking chamber 9 Food container 9v Front side wall of the food container 9h Rear side wall of the food container 10 Steam outlet channel 11 Rib 12 Partition 13 Seal 14 Electric heating element 15 Y-valve 15a First outlet branch of the Y-valve 15b Second outlet branch of the Y-valve 15c Inlet branch of the Y-valve 16 Valve flap 17a Steam supply opening 17b Steam supply opening 18a Steam outlet opening 18b Steam outlet opening 19 Merger 20 Heating element 21 Switch 23 Bottom of the cooking container 24 Left side wall of the cooking container 25 Right side wall of the cooking container 26 Switch 27 Power supply 28 Heating element A1-A7 Slots D Wet steam P1-P5 Position of the partition Vin Steam flow rate into the Y-valve Vout1 Steam flow rate through the first outlet branch Vout2 Steam flow rate through the second outlet branch

Claims

1. Steam-cooking drawer (2), in particular household steam-cooking drawer (2), with a drawer compartment (1) which can be moved in and out of a drawer housing (3), having - a cooking chamber (8) which can be subdivided into at least two sub-chambers (8a, 8b) by means of at least one partition (12), which cooking chamber has a trough-shaped container for food to be cooked (9) which can be covered by a lid, - at least one thermally insulating partition (12) which is configured to subdivide the cooking chamber (8) or a sub-chamber (8a, 8b) thereof into two sub-chambers (8a, 8b) in a steam-tight manner, - a wet steam generator (5), - a steam feed channel (7) which is configured to guide steam (D) generated by the wet steam generator (5) into the cooking chamber (8), - at least one steam outlet channel (10) which is configured to divert steam (D) out of the cooking chamber (8), wherein - the steam feed channel (7) is configured to guide steam (D) generated by the wet steam generator (5) into each of the sub-chambers (8a, 8b), and further having - a number of heating elements (20, 28), wherein at least one heating element (20, 28) is assigned to each of the potential sub-chambers (8a, 8b) for the selective heating thereof, wherein - the steam-cooking drawer (2) is configured, depending on the position of the at least one partition (12) inserted into the container for food to be cooked (9), to selectively control the heating elements (20, 28) belonging to the sub-chambers (8a, 8b) created by the partition.

2. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to claim 1, wherein the steam-cooking drawer (2) has a detection facility (6, 21) for identifying a position of the at least one partition (12) in the container for food to be cooked (9) and is configured to selectively control the heating elements (20, 28) belonging to the sub-chambers (8a, 8b) created by way of the at least one partition (12) based on a position of the at least one partition (12) identified by the detection facility (6, 21).

3. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to claim 2, wherein the detection facility (6, 21) comprises a number of switches (21), which can be actuated mechanically at least in the retracted state of the steam-cooking drawer (2) by way of the at least one inserted partition (12), and wherein the steam-cooking drawer (2) is configured, based on an actuation of the switches (21), to selectively control the heating elements (20, 28) belonging to the sub-chambers (8a, 8b) created by the at least one partition (12).

4. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to claim 3, wherein the switches (21) are arranged at potential positions of the at least one partition.

5. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least two heating elements (20) are arranged on the container for food to be cooked (9), in particular on a base (23) of the container for food to be cooked (9).

6. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least two heating elements (28) are arranged on the lid.

7. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the selective control comprises a control of only one part of the heating elements (20, 28) assigned to the at least one sub-chamber (8a, 8b) and / or a non-activation of the heating elements (20, 28) assigned to the at least sub-chamber (8a, 8b).

8. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the heating elements (20, 28) can be controlled such that heating energy introduced by the heating elements (20, 28) into the respective sub-chambers (8a, 8b) is distributed according to an area of the sub-chambers (8a, 8b).

9. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the steam feed channel (7) - has a steam inlet (15c) connected to the wet steam generator (5) and at least one branching (15) with at least two outlet branches (15a, 15b) leading to the cooking chamber (8) and - at least one branching (15) has an adjusting facility (16), which can be controlled so as to proportionately adjust a steam throughput (Vout1, Vout2) by way of the outlet branches (15a, 15b).

10. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to claim 9, wherein at least one branching (15) has precisely two outlet branches (15a, 15b).

11. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the steam feed channel (7) has a steam outlet opening which opens into all potential sub-chambers (8a, 8b).

12. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the container for food to be cooked (9) - has at least one steam feed opening (17a, 17b) inserted into a front side wall (9v), through which steam (D) flowing out of the steam feed channel (7) can flow into the container for food to be cooked (9), and - has at least one steam outlet opening (18a, 18b) inserted into a rear side wall (9h).

13. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to claim 12, wherein at least on the front side wall (9v) and on the rear side wall (9h) of the container for food to be cooked (9), holders (11) for inserting at least one partition (12) are present, wherein - the container for food to be cooked (9) has at least two steam feed openings (17a, 17b) on its front side wall (9v) laterally spaced apart from one another, - the at least one holder (11) provided on the front side wall (9v) is arranged between the steam feed openings (17a, 17b) that are spaced furthest apart from one another, - the container for food to be cooked (9) has at least two steam feed openings (18a, 18b) on its rear side wall (9h) laterally spaced apart from one another and - the at least one holder (11) provided on the rear side wall (9h) is arranged between the steam feed openings (18a, 18b) that are spaced furthest apart from one another.

14. Steam-cooking drawer (2) according to one of the preceding claims including claims 3 and 7, wherein - the steam feed channel (7) has precisely one Y-shaped branching with precisely two outlet branches (15a, 15b) and - the two outlet branches (15a, 15b) lead to one of two steam feed openings (17a, 17b) of the container for food to be cooked (9).