Cooking appliance having a cooking chamber

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooking appliance (2) comprising a housing (4), a cooking chamber (16), a cooking chamber door (18) which can be transferred back and forth between a closed position and an open position in order to close a cooking chamber opening (10) of the cooking chamber (16) in the closed position and to provide access to the cooking chamber (16) via the cooking chamber opening (20) in the open position, and a pull-out element (22) arranged on at least one cooking chamber wall (10, 12) for holding a separate accessory part of the cooking appliance (2) for receiving a food to be cooked, wherein the pull-out element (22) can be transferred back and forth between an inserted position and a pulled-out position, characterised in that the cooking appliance (2) has a drive device (24) for automatically driving the pull-out element (22), wherein the drive device (24) has a drive unit (26) for generating a torque, which is arranged outside the cooking chamber (16) and mechanically coupled to the cooking chamber door (18), a drive shaft (28) which is torque-transmittingly connected to the drive unit (26) and guided through one of the cooking chamber walls (6), and a drive rod (30) which is torque-transmittingly connected to the drive shaft (28) and force-transmittingly connected to the pull-out element (22), and wherein the drive unit (26) comprises an overload protection device (60) for protecting the drive device (24) from damage due to improper operation of the cooking chamber door (18) and / or the pull-out element (22).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Cooking appliance with one cooking chamber

[0003] The invention relates to a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber of the type mentioned in the preamble of patent claim 1.

[0004] Such cooking appliances with a cooking chamber are already known from the prior art in a variety of embodiments. For example, the documents EP 2 716 978 A2 and KR 101 437 981 B1 show a cooking appliance comprising a housing, a cooking chamber arranged in the housing and delimited by cooking chamber walls, a cooking chamber door that can be moved back and forth between a closed position and an open position for closing a cooking chamber opening of the cooking chamber when the cooking chamber door is in the closed position and for accessing the cooking chamber via the cooking chamber opening when the cooking chamber door is in the open position, and a pull-out arranged on at least one of the cooking chamber walls for holding a separate accessory part of the cooking appliance for receiving a food item, wherein the pull-out can be moved back and forth between an inserted position, in which the pull-out is fully received in the cooking chamber, and an extended position, in which the pull-out is at least partially extended out of the cooking chamber.

[0005] The invention therefore addresses the problem of improving a cooking appliance with a cooking chamber.

[0006] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a cooking appliance having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

[0007] The advantage achievable with the invention lies in the fact that the pull-out can be automatically moved from its inserted position to its pulled-out position and from its pulled-out position to its inserted position by means of the drive device. This significantly improves the ease of use for a user of the cooking appliance according to the invention. Furthermore, the risk of injury to the user of the cooking appliance according to the invention is significantly reduced because, for example, unlike when the pull-out is operated manually, the user does not come into unwanted contact with hot surfaces of the cooking appliance. Due to the arrangement of the drive unit outside the cooking chamber, the drive device, with the exception of the drive shaft and the drive rod, is arranged outside the cooking chamber, so that the space available in the cooking chamber is only occupied to a very small extent by the drive device.Accordingly, the volume of the cooking chamber is essentially available for the cooking process. If side rails or the like are arranged in the cooking chamber, a space conflict between the side rails or the like on the one side and the drive device on the other side is essentially prevented according to the invention. Thus, when equipping the cooking chamber, existing accessories, such as existing side rails or the like, can be used. Adapting the aforementioned accessories to the equipment of the cooking appliance according to the invention with the drive device is therefore not necessary. Furthermore, the overload protection device effectively protects the drive device from damage in the event of improper operation of the cooking chamber door and / or the pull-out.For example, this can happen if too heavy a food item has been placed on the separate accessory held by the pull-out, if the cooking chamber door is moved at too high a speed, if the pull-out is moved manually in an incorrect manner, or if a separate accessory, for example the separate accessory held by the pull-out, is not positioned correctly. Due to the overload protection device, it is also possible to design and manufacture the individual components of the cooking appliance according to the invention that are relevant for the automatic movement of the pull-out using less material. It is also possible to manufacture the aforementioned components with larger tolerances and thus more cost-effectively. The term "drive rod" is to be interpreted generally here and also includes, for example, rail-like or plate-like embodiments.

[0008] In principle, the cooking appliance according to the invention can be freely selected within wide, suitable limits in terms of type, mode of operation, material, and dimensions. For example, the cooking appliance according to the invention can be an oven or another cooking appliance with a cooking chamber. Examples include steam cookers, microwave ovens, or combination cooking appliances, i.e., cooking appliances with different heating methods. Accordingly, the design of the separate accessory part of the cooking appliance attached to the pull-out can also be freely selected within wide, suitable limits. For example, the separate accessory part can be a baking tray or a grill rack. Furthermore, the cooking appliance according to the invention can be designed as a household appliance or as a commercial cooking appliance, i.e., a cooking appliance for professional use.The pull-out can also be designed as a so-called full-extension pull-out, which, when fully extended, extends completely out of the cooking chamber of the cooking appliance. In this case, access to the pull-out, a separate accessory placed on the pull-out, or the food being cooked is further facilitated. If the cooking appliance according to the invention has multiple shelf levels, the pull-out can, in principle, be placed on any shelf level. Furthermore, the cooking appliance according to the invention is suitable for and can be used advantageously for all conceivable sizes of cooking appliances with a cooking chamber.It is particularly advantageous if the drive device is designed such that the automatic transfer of the pull-out, on the one hand, between its inserted position and its extended position by means of the drive device takes place depending on the transfer of the cooking chamber door between its closed position and its open position, and / or, on the other hand, between its extended position and its inserted position by means of the drive device takes place depending on the transfer of the cooking chamber door between its open position and its closed position. This is because it ensures that a collision between the pull-out and the cooking chamber door is effectively prevented during the automatic movement of the pull-out and during the automatic or manual movement of the cooking chamber door.

[0009] One aspect is that the movement of the cooking chamber door influences the movement of the pull-out in a special way by means of the drive device. For example, the drive device is designed such that, when the cooking chamber door moves, the pull-out is moved along with the movement of the cooking chamber door, in particular automatically, in at least one section between the closed position and the open position, in particular only in a limited section between the closed position and the open position.

[0010] In other words, the section of the movement of the cooking chamber door in which the pull-out is moved between the inserted position of the pull-out and the extended position of the pull-out is limited to a partial range of the movement of the cooking chamber door between the closed position and the open position.

[0011] When moving between the open position and the closed position or between the closed position and the open position, the cooking chamber door is moved through an intermediate position and a transitional position.

[0012] The section of the movement of the cooking chamber door in which the pull-out is moved between the inserted position of the pull-out and the pulled-out position of the pull-out as well as between the pulled-out position of the pull-out and the inserted position of the pull-out is generally known to be limited by the opening position of the cooking chamber door and the closing position of the cooking chamber door.

[0013] However, a preferred embodiment provides that this section of the cooking chamber door's movement, in which the pull-out is moved, is located only between the intermediate position of the cooking chamber door and the open position of the cooking chamber door. This prevents a collision of the pull-out with an almost closed cooking chamber door. This is particularly relevant when the pull-out is arranged in a pull-out plane close to the rotation axis of the cooking chamber door.

[0014] A further embodiment provides that the section of the cooking chamber door's movement in which the pull-out is moved is located only between the intermediate position of the cooking chamber door and the transition position of the cooking chamber door. This ensures that the pull-out comes to rest before the movement of the cooking chamber door reaches its end position during opening. Furthermore, when the cooking chamber door is closed, an initial acceleration of the cooking chamber door is not directly transferred to the movement of the pull-out.

[0015] In summary, the pull-out is positioned in the drawer position when the cooking chamber door is closed and is stationary when the cooking chamber door is moved between the closed position and the intermediate position, i.e. it remains in the drawer position.

[0016] The closed position of the cooking chamber door can be described as an angle of 0°. The open position of the cooking chamber door then corresponds, for example, to an angle of 90°. Deviations from the specified angles of up to plus or minus 3° are included and are due to technical reasons.

[0017] The intermediate position of the cooking chamber door corresponds to an angle of less than 60°, in particular an angle range between 55° and 20°, preferably an angle range between 55° and 40°. For example, an opening angle of 55°.

[0018] The transition position of the cooking chamber door corresponds to an angle greater than 50°, in particular an angle range between 60° and 80°, preferably an angle range between 70° and 80°. For example, an opening angle of 75°.

[0019] In the intermediate position of the cooking chamber door, the opening angle of the cooking chamber door is always smaller than in the transition position of the cooking chamber door.

[0020] This coordinated movement of the cooking chamber door and the pull-out can be achieved by an electric motor drive for the pull-out, which is controlled based on a detected rotation angle of the cooking chamber door. However, it is equally possible for the coordinated movement of the cooking chamber door and the pull-out to be achieved by means of a mechanical coupling between the cooking chamber door and the pull-out. Such a mechanical coupling for transmitting the movement from the cooking chamber door to the pull-out is described below as an example.

[0021] An advantageous development of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the drive unit is arranged below a cooking chamber wall designed as a cooking chamber floor, and the drive shaft is guided through the cooking chamber floor. In this way, the drive device can be arranged in the cooking appliance according to the invention and positioned relative to the pull-out in a particularly advantageous manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology. This applies in particular if the drive rod is designed and arranged such that, when the pull-out moves, it moves essentially parallel to a slide-in plane of the cooking chamber, i.e., parallel to the separate accessory placed on the pull-out. A further advantageous development of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the drive unit is designed as a gear mechanism mechanically coupled to a hinge of the cooking chamber door.This not only eliminates the need for electrification of the drive device, such as an additional electric motor or the like, to implement the cooking appliance according to the invention. Instead, the automatic or manual movement of the cooking chamber door is also used to automatically move the drawer. This refinement of the cooking appliance according to the invention enables this in a simple design and manufacturing process.

[0022] An advantageous development of the aforementioned embodiment of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the transmission has at least one gear pair, wherein one gear of the gear pair is mechanically coupled to the hinge and the other gear of the gear pair is mechanically coupled to the drive shaft. In this way, the mechanical coupling of the pull-out to the hinge can be implemented in a very robust, reliable, and durable manner. The term "gear" used here is to be interpreted broadly and includes, for example, gear rods and gear segments. Of course, other conceivable and suitable types of mechanical coupling are also possible in principle. Belt drives and the like are purely exemplary.

[0023] A particularly advantageous development of the latter embodiment of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the hinge has a coupling pin, and the gearwheel mechanically coupled to the hinge has a coupling receptacle corresponding to the coupling pin. The coupling pin and the coupling receptacle are designed and arranged in such a way that the coupling pin can be moved at least partially independently of the coupling receptacle when the cooking chamber door is moved from its closed position to its open position and / or from its open position to its closed position. This allows the aforementioned mechanical coupling to be implemented in a particularly simple manner in terms of design and manufacturing technology.Such a mechanical coupling also makes it easy to coordinate the automatic movement of the pull-out with the automatic or manual movement of the cooking chamber door in such a way that there is no unwanted collision between the pull-out and the cooking chamber door.

[0024] An advantageous development of the last two embodiments of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the overload protection device is at least partially, preferably completely, designed as an integral component of the gear mechanically coupled to the hinge. In this way, the overload protection device is structurally integrated into the drive unit in such a way that the number of additional components required for the overload protection device to function is reduced. This applies in particular to the preferred embodiment of this development.

[0025] Another advantageous development of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the overload protection device is designed as a slip clutch with a first contact surface and a second contact surface that is connected to the first contact surface in a force-transmitting manner in the non-overload situation, wherein the two aforementioned contact surfaces are each designed as a friction surface and / or as a positive-locking surface. This allows the overload protection device to be implemented in a manner that is both structurally and technically simple, and also robust, low-maintenance, and durable.

[0026] A further advantageous development of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the overload protection device is designed in such a way that it compensates for both incorrect operation of the drawer in the direction of its insertion position and incorrect operation of the drawer in the direction of its extension position. This further improves the protection of the drive device against overload.

[0027] An advantageous development of the last two embodiments of the cooking appliance according to the invention, referring back to claim 7, provides that the overload protection device is simultaneously designed as a synchronizer for automatically aligning two parts of the drive unit, which have the two corresponding contact surfaces of the slip clutch, into a correct position of these two parts relative to one another. This significantly increases the functionality of the overload protection device, since the overload protection device is designed not only to protect the drive device from overload, but also for the correct automatic alignment of the aforementioned parts of the drive unit relative to one another, which is necessary for proper functioning of the drive device.Accordingly, for example, the assembly of the relevant components of the cooking appliance according to the invention is significantly simplified and the ease of use when operating the cooking appliance according to the invention is further increased.

[0028] Furthermore, an advantageous development of the aforementioned development of the cooking appliance according to the invention provides that the overload protection device is designed such that the aforementioned synchronization occurs automatically each time the cooking chamber door is moved into its closed position and / or into its open position. In this way, the aforementioned synchronization is further simplified. Secondly, this ensures that the aforementioned synchronization is repeated at regular intervals over the period of use of the cooking appliance according to the invention, so that the relative alignment of the aforementioned parts of the drive unit required for proper functioning of the drive device is ensured over the entire period of use of the cooking appliance according to the invention.

[0029] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows

[0030] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of the cooking appliance according to the invention in a partial front view, with the cooking chamber door in its open position,

[0031] Figure 2a shows the embodiment in a first partial detailed view in the area of ​​the pull-out, with the pull-out in its inserted position with the cooking chamber door in its closed position, in a perspective view,

[0032] Figure 2b shows the embodiment according to Fig. 2a in a partial plan view,

[0033] Figure 3a shows the embodiment in a second partial detailed view in the area of ​​the pull-out, with the pull-out in its inserted position with the cooking chamber door in a 55° position, in perspective view,

[0034] Figure 3b shows the embodiment according to Fig. 3a in a partial plan view,

[0035] Figure 4a shows the embodiment in a third partial detailed view in the area of ​​the pull-out, with the pull-out being transferred into its pull-out position with the cooking chamber door in a 75° position, in a perspective view,

[0036] Figure 4b shows the embodiment according to Fig. 4a in a partial plan view,

[0037] Figure 5a shows the embodiment in a fourth partial detailed view in the area of ​​the pull-out, with the pull-out in its pull-out position with the cooking chamber door in its open position, in a perspective view,

[0038] Figure 5b shows the embodiment according to Fig. 5a in a partial plan view and

[0039] Figure 6 shows the embodiment in a partial, enlarged detail view in

[0040] Area of ​​the drive unit, in a sectioned frontal view.

[0041] In Figs. 1 to 6, an embodiment of the cooking appliance according to the invention is shown purely by way of example.

[0042] The cooking appliance 2 is designed as a household oven and comprises a housing 4, a cooking chamber 16 arranged in the housing 4 and delimited by cooking chamber walls 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, a cooking chamber door 18 which can be moved back and forth between a closed position and an open position for closing a cooking chamber opening 20 of the cooking chamber 16 in the closed position of the cooking chamber door 18 and for accessing the cooking chamber 16 via the cooking chamber opening 20 in the open position of the cooking chamber door 18 and a pull-out 22 arranged on two oppositely arranged cooking chamber side walls 10, 12 of the cooking chamber walls 6 to 14 for holding a separate accessory part of the cooking appliance 2, not shown, designed as a baking tray, for receiving a likewise not shown item to be cooked, wherein the pull-out 22 can be moved between an insertion position in which the pull-out 22 is completely received in the cooking chamber 16 and an extension position in which the extension 22 is at least partially extended from the cooking chamber 16,can be moved back and forth. The extension 22 is not shown in Fig. 1.

[0043] According to the invention, the cooking appliance 2 has a drive device 24 for automatically driving the pull-out 22, wherein the drive device 24 has a drive unit 26 arranged outside the cooking chamber 16 for generating a torque, a drive shaft 28 connected to the drive unit 26 in a torque-transmitting manner and guided essentially tightly through the cooking chamber floor 6 of the cooking chamber walls 6 to 14, and a drive rod 30 connected to the drive shaft 28 in a torque-transmitting manner and to the pull-out 22 in a force-transmitting manner.

[0044] In the present embodiment, the drive unit 26 is thus arranged below the cooking chamber floor 6, with the drive shaft 28 being guided through the cooking chamber floor 6.

[0045] Furthermore, the drive unit 26 is designed here as a gear mechanically coupled to the cooking chamber door 18, namely to a hinge 32 of the cooking chamber door 18.

[0046] The drive unit 26, designed as a transmission, has a pair of gears, one gear 34 of which is mechanically coupled to the cooking chamber door 18, namely to the hinge 32, and the other gear 36 of which is mechanically coupled to the drive shaft 28. Both gears 34, 36 each have spur gearing, with gear 34 being designed merely as a gear segment.

[0047] The cooking chamber door 18, namely the hinge 32, further comprises a coupling pin 38, and the gear 34 mechanically coupled to the cooking chamber door 18, namely the hinge 32, comprises a coupling receptacle 40 configured to correspond to the coupling pin 38. The coupling pin 38 and the coupling receptacle 40 are configured and arranged in such a way that the coupling pin 38 is movable at least partially independently of the coupling receptacle 40 when the cooking chamber door 18 is moved from its closed position to its open position and / or from its open position to its closed position. This will be explained in more detail below.

[0048] In the present embodiment, the pull-out 22 is arranged on the two cooking chamber side walls 10, 12 of the cooking chamber walls 6 to 14, which are arranged opposite one another, wherein the pull-out 22 has a left-hand side arranged on one cooking chamber side wall 10 and a right-hand side arranged on the other cooking chamber side wall 12.

[0049] Pull-out rail 42, 44 for holding the separate accessory part, which are firmly connected to one another by means of a connecting rail 46.

[0050] Preferably, the connecting rail 46 is arranged on the two pull-out rails 42, 44 at an end of the pull-out 22 facing away from the cooking chamber opening 20, relative to the insertion position of the pull-out 22.

[0051] One aspect is that the drive rod 30 is connected to the connecting rail 46 in a force-transmitting manner. For this purpose, the drive rod 30 engages, for example, with a sliding block (not shown) in a link (also not shown) of the connecting rail 46 in a force-transmitting manner.

[0052] The drive rod 30 converts the rotary movement of the drive shaft 28 into a linear movement of the extension 22, in particular the connecting rail 46.

[0053] As can also be seen from Figs. 2a to 5b, the pull-out 22 is releasably held by means of the two pull-out rails 42, 44 on a respective side grid 48, 50 arranged on the associated cooking chamber side wall 10, 12. The side grids 48, 50 can be designed such that, in addition to the pull-out 22, at least one further separate accessory part of the cooking appliance 2 (not shown) for accommodating another item of cooking (not shown), for example, another baking tray or a grill rack, can be held on the two side grids 48, 50.

[0054] The functioning of the cooking appliance according to the invention in accordance with the present embodiment is explained in more detail below with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.

[0055] Initially, the cooking appliance 2 is in a non-operating state, and the cooking chamber door 18 is in its closed position. The drawer 22 is in its inserted position. See the corresponding Figs. 2a and 2b.

[0056] The user now wishes to place the food to be cooked, for example, a piece of meat, on the separate accessory, which is held on the drawer 22 and designed as a baking tray. The user, the food to be cooked, and the separate accessory are not shown in Figs. 1 to 6.

[0057] To do this, the user grasps the cooking chamber door 18 and manually moves it from its closed position to its open position. In doing so, the position of the cooking chamber door 18 changes successively from its closed position, i.e., from 0°, to its open position, namely 90°. This transition is evident from a synopsis of Figs. 2a to 5b, where Figs. 2a and 2b correspond to the closed position, i.e., the 0° position; Figs. 3a and 3b correspond to an intermediate position with an opening angle of 55°, i.e., a 55° position; Figs. 4a and 4b correspond to a transitional position with an opening angle of 75°, i.e., a 75° position; and Figs. 5a and 5b correspond to the open position, i.e., the 90° position of the cooking chamber door 18. Of the cooking chamber door 18, only the hinge 32 of the cooking chamber door 18 with a hinge blade 33 can be seen in Figs. 2a to 6.

[0058] During the aforementioned manual transfer of the cooking chamber door 18 from its closed position to its open position, the drawer 22 is automatically transferred from its inserted position to its extended position due to the mechanical coupling by means of the drive device 24. During the transfer of the cooking chamber door 18 from its closed position to its open position, an actuating rod 52 of the hinge 32, which is pivotally connected at one end to the hinge blade 33, is automatically moved along with the drawer.

[0059] The coupling pin 38 is arranged on the actuating rod 52, so that the coupling pin 38 is also automatically moved. The actuating rod 52 is longitudinally displaceable and articulated to a remainder of the hinge 32 with another end arranged opposite the aforementioned end. For this purpose, the aforementioned remainder of the hinge 32 has a retaining pin 54, and the actuating rod 52 has a corresponding longitudinal guide 56.

[0060] When the cooking chamber door 18 moves from its 0° position, i.e., its closed position, to the intermediate position, i.e., approximately its 55° position, the drawer 22 remains in its inserted position. The coupling pin 38 is therefore initially moved independently of the coupling receptacle 40. See Figs. 2a to 3b for an overview.

[0061] After the intermediate position, i.e. the 55° position of the cooking chamber door 18, has been exceeded, the coupling pin 38 engages in the coupling receptacle 40, so that as the cooking chamber door 18 is further transferred from its closed position to its open position, the coupling pin 38 automatically moves the gear 34 by means of the coupling receptacle 40, namely in such a way that the gear 34 rotates clockwise in the image plane of Fig. 3b. As a result of this rotation of the gear 34, the gear 36 is rotated counterclockwise in the image plane of Fig. 3b, so that the drive shaft 28 is also automatically rotated counterclockwise in the image plane of Fig. 3b. In the process, the drive rod 30, which is connected to the drive shaft 28 in a torque-transmitting manner, is also rotated counterclockwise in the image plane of Fig. 3b.Due to the fact that the drive rod 30, with the sliding block (not shown), engages in a force-transmitting manner with the link of the connecting rail 46 (also not shown), the aforementioned rotary movement of the drive shaft 28 is converted by means of the drive rod 30 and the aforementioned sliding block-link pairing into a linear movement of the drawer 22 parallel to the two side rails 48, 50, so that the drawer 22 is automatically transferred from its inserted position to its extended position. See also Figs. 4a to 5b, which show the course of the movement of the cooking chamber door 18 from its closed position to its open position and the automatically associated movement of the drawer 22 from its inserted position to its extended position.

[0062] When the cooking chamber door 18 is closed, the pull-out 22 is positioned in the inserted position. Between the closed position and the intermediate position of the cooking chamber door 18, the pull-out 22 is stationary, meaning it remains in the inserted position. Between the intermediate position and the open position of the cooking chamber door 18, the pull-out 22 is moved along with the movement of the cooking chamber door 18, in particular automatically. In the process, the cooking chamber door 18 also passes through at least one transitional position, for example at an opening angle of 75°, as shown in Figure 4a. When the cooking chamber door 18 is in the transitional position, the pull-out 22 assumes a moving position. When the cooking chamber door 18 reaches the open position, the pull-out 22 also reaches the extended position.

[0063] According to Figs. 5a and 5b, the cooking chamber door 18 is in its open position, i.e., at a 90° angle. The drawer 22 is in its extended position. The user can, as desired, place the food to be cooked on the separate accessory attached to the drawer 22, namely the baking tray.

[0064] Once this has happened, the user wishes to return the pull-out 22 to its inserted position and close the cooking chamber door 18 to begin cooking. To do so, the user grasps the cooking chamber door 18 and manually moves it from its open position to its closed position. The movement of the cooking chamber door 18, as already explained above, is repeated, but in the opposite direction. The drive device 24 is designed such that, when the cooking chamber door 18 moves from its 90° position, i.e., its open position, toward its closed position, the pull-out 22 is immediately and automatically moved in the manner explained above, without the pull-out 22 colliding with the cooking chamber door 18.A movement of the coupling pin 38 initially independent of the coupling receptacle 40 is therefore not provided when the cooking chamber door 18 is moved from its open position to its closed position and thus when the drawer 22 is moved from its extended position to its inserted position. The coupling receptacle 40 is therefore immediately moved along with the coupling pin 38. See Figs. 5b to 2a for a synopsis. During the aforementioned transfer of the cooking chamber door 18 from its open position to its closed position, the coupling pin 38 automatically moves the gear 34 by means of the coupling receptacle 40, namely in such a way that the gear 34 is rotated counterclockwise in the image plane of Fig. 5b. By this rotation of the gear 34, the gear 36 is rotated clockwise in the image plane of Fig. 5b, so that the drive shaft 28 is also automatically rotated clockwise in the image plane of Fig. 5b.In this case, the drive rod 30, which is connected to the drive shaft 28 in a torque-transmitting manner, is also rotated clockwise in the image plane of Fig. 5b. Due to the fact that the drive rod 30, with the sliding block (not shown), engages in a force-transmitting manner in the link of the connecting rail 46 (also not shown), the aforementioned rotary movement of the drive shaft 28 is in turn converted into a linear movement of the pull-out 22 parallel to the two side grids 48, 50 by means of the drive rod 30 and the aforementioned sliding block-link pairing, so that the pull-out 22 is automatically transferred from its extended position to its inserted position. See also Figs. 4b to 2a, which show the further course of the movement of the cooking chamber door 18 from its open position to its closed position and the automatically associated movement of the pull-out 22 from its extended position to its inserted position.

[0065] In order to protect the drive device 24 from damage due to overloading, the drive device 24 according to the invention additionally has an overload protection device 60 designed as a slip clutch. The slip clutch 60 here comprises a first contact surface 62 arranged on the coupling receptacle 40 of the gear 34 and designed as a first friction surface, and a second contact surface 64 arranged on a remainder of the gear 34 and designed as a second friction surface. In the non-overload case, i.e. when the pull-out 22 is not overloaded due to improper operation of the pull-out 22 itself and / or the cooking chamber door 18, the first contact surface 62 designed as a friction surface is connected in a force-transmitting manner to the second contact surface 64 designed as a friction surface.

[0066] Thus, the overload protection device 60, designed as a slip clutch, is here at least partially formed as an integral component of the gear 34 mechanically coupled to the hinge 32. For example, a rubber lining 66 is arranged on the coupling receptacle 40 and preloaded against the remainder of the gear 34 by means of a spring 68. The spring force of the spring 68 is adjustable in a manner known per se to those skilled in the art, so that a normal force with which the two friction surfaces 62, 64 are pressed against one another can be adjusted in advance or during maintenance of the cooking appliance 2. If the cooking chamber door 18 is moved into its closed position or its open position, the coupling receptacle 40 of the gear 34 on one side and the remainder of the gear 34 on the other side are synchronized with one another again by means of the two friction surfaces 62, 64, namely, they are properly aligned with one another.The overload protection device 60 is thus designed such that the aforementioned synchronization occurs automatically each time the cooking chamber door 18 is moved into its closed position and into its open position. In the present exemplary embodiment, the overload protection device 60 is thus simultaneously designed as a synchronizer for automatically aligning one part of the gear 34 with the coupling receptacle 40 and the other part of the gear 34 of the drive unit 26, which is mechanically coupled to the gear 36, into a proper position of these two parts of the gear 34 relative to one another. Due to the aforementioned design of the slip clutch 60, it can compensate for an overload in both directions of rotation of the gear 34.Accordingly, the overload protection device 60 is designed such that the overload protection device 60 compensates both for incorrect operation of the pull-out 22 in the direction of its inserted position and for incorrect operation of the pull-out 22 in the direction of its extended position.

[0067] Alternatively or in addition to the two friction surfaces 62, 64, i.e., a pure frictional connection, it is also conceivable for the slip clutch in other embodiments to form a pure positive connection or a combination of positive connection and frictional connection in a non-overload situation. Thus, in other embodiments of the cooking appliance according to the invention, the two contact surfaces of the slip clutch can each be designed as a pure positive connection surface or as a friction surface and simultaneously a positive connection surface. Instead of the rubber coating 66, other coatings, for example material combinations, are also conceivable. Of course, slip clutches are also conceivable in which no coating is used at all, but in which the two friction surfaces are formed, for example, directly on the coupling receptacle of the gear and on the rest of the gear. Alternatively, the slip clutch can also be arranged at a different location on the drive device.For example, it would be conceivable for the drive shaft to be split in two, with the slip clutch then being formed at the point where one part of the drive shaft transmits power to the other part of the drive shaft. Furthermore, in yet other embodiments, it would be possible for the connection point between the drive shaft and the drive rod to be designed as the slip clutch.

[0068] Due to the inventive design of the cooking appliance 2, the ease of use for the user of the cooking appliance 2 is significantly improved. Furthermore, the risk of injury to the user of the cooking appliance 2 is significantly reduced because, for example, unlike with manual operation of the pull-out 22, the user does not come into unwanted contact with hot surfaces of the cooking appliance 2. Due to the arrangement of the drive unit 26 outside the cooking chamber 16, the drive device 24, with the exception of the drive shaft 28 and the drive rod 30, is arranged outside the cooking chamber 16, so that the space available in the cooking chamber 16 is only occupied to a very small extent by the drive device 24. Accordingly, the volume of the cooking chamber 16 is essentially available for the cooking process. A space conflict between the side rails 48, 50 on the one side and the drive device 24 on the other side is essentially prevented.Thus, when equipping the cooking chamber 16, existing accessories, such as existing side rails 48, 50, can be used. Adapting the side rails 48, 50 to the equipment of the cooking appliance 2 with the drive device 24 is therefore not necessary. Furthermore, the overload protection device 60 effectively protects the drive device 24 from damage in the event of improper operation of the cooking chamber door 18 and / or the pull-out 22. Due to the overload protection device 60, it is also possible to design and manufacture the individual components of the cooking appliance 2 according to the invention that are relevant for the automatic movement of the pull-out 22 with less material. It is also possible to manufacture the aforementioned components with larger tolerances and thus more cost-effectively. The invention is not limited to the present exemplary embodiment.See, for example, the relevant comments in the introduction to the description and the alternatives mentioned in the description text.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Cooking appliance (2) comprising a housing (4), a cooking chamber (16) arranged in the housing (4) and bounded by cooking chamber walls (6, 8, 10, 12, 14), a cooking chamber door (18) movable back and forth between a closed position and an open position for closing a cooking chamber opening (20) of the cooking chamber (16) in the closed position of the cooking chamber door (18) and for accessing the cooking chamber (16) by means of the cooking chamber opening (20) in the open position of the cooking chamber door (18), and a pull-out (22) arranged on at least one cooking chamber wall (10, 12) of the cooking chamber walls (6, 8, 10, 12, 14) for holding a separate accessory of the cooking appliance (2) for receiving food to be cooked, wherein the pull-out (22) can be moved back and forth between an insertion position in which the pull-out (22) is completely received in the cooking chamber (16), and in an extension position in which the extension (22) is at least partially extended from the cooking chamber (16) and can be moved back and forth,wherein the cooking appliance (2) has a drive device (24) for automatically driving the extension (22), wherein the drive device (24) has a drive unit (26) arranged outside the cooking chamber (16) and mechanically coupled to the cooking chamber door (18) for generating a torque, wherein the drive device (24) has a drive shaft (28) connected to the drive unit (26) in a torque-transmitting manner and passing substantially tightly through one of the cooking chamber walls (6), characterized in that the drive device (24) has a drive rod (30) connected to the drive shaft (28) in a torque-transmitting manner and to the extension (22) in a force-transmitting manner, the drive device (24) is designed such that the extension (22) is moved along with the cooking chamber door (18) in at least one section between the closed position and the open position by means of the movement of the cooking chamber door (18), in particular automatically, wherein the drive unit (26) comprises an overload protection device (60) for protecting the drive device (24) from damage caused by improper operation of the oven door (18) and / or the extension (22), and / or wherein the portion of the oven door's movement in which the extension moves between the insertion position and the extension position is limited to a partial range of the oven door's movement between the closed and open positions. Oven (2) according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit (26) is arranged below an oven wall (6) designed as the oven floor, and the drive shaft (28) passes through the oven floor (6). Oven (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the drive unit (26) is designed as a transmission mechanically coupled to a hinge (32) of the oven door (18).Cooking appliance (2) according to claim 3, wherein the transmission (26) has at least one gear pair, wherein one gear (34) of the gear pair is mechanically coupled to the hinge (32) and the other gear (36) of the gear pair is mechanically coupled to the drive shaft (28). Cooking appliance (2) according to claim 4, wherein the hinge (32) has a coupling pin (38) and the gear (34) mechanically coupled to the hinge (32) has a coupling receptacle (40) designed to correspond to the coupling pin (38), wherein the coupling pin (38) and the coupling receptacle (40) are designed and arranged in such a way that the coupling pin (38) is movable at least partially independently of the coupling receptacle (40) when the cooking chamber door (18) is moved from its closed position to its open position and / or from its open position to its closed position.Cooking appliance (2) according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the overload protection device (60) is at least partially, preferably completely, designed as an integral component of the gear (34) mechanically coupled to the hinge (32). Cooking appliance (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the overload protection device (60) is designed as a slip clutch with a first contact surface (62) and a second contact surface (64) which is force-transmitting to the first contact surface (62) in the non-overload case, wherein the. Both of the aforementioned contact surfaces (62, 64) are each designed as a friction surface and / or as a positive-locking surface. Cooking appliance (2) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the The overload protection device (60) is configured such that it compensates for both incorrect operation of the extension (22) in the direction of its insertion position and incorrect operation of the extension (22) in the direction of its extension position. A cooking appliance (2) according to claim 7 or 8, referring back to claim 7, wherein the overload protection device (60) is simultaneously configured as a synchronizer for automatically aligning two parts (34) of the drive unit (26), which have the two corresponding contact surfaces (62, 64) of the slip clutch (60), into a proper position relative to each other. A cooking appliance (2) according to claim 9, wherein the overload protection device (60) is configured such that the aforementioned synchronization occurs automatically each time the cooking chamber door (18) is moved into its closed position and / or its open position.Cooking appliance (2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the extension (22) has two extension rails (42, 44), wherein the extension (22) is arranged on the two opposing cooking chamber side walls (10, 12) of the cooking chamber walls (6, 8, 10, 12, 14), wherein the extension (22) has a left extension rail (42) arranged on one cooking chamber side wall (10) and a right extension rail (44) arranged on the other cooking chamber side wall (12) for holding the separate accessory, wherein the extension rails (42, 44) are connected to each other by means of a connecting rail (46).Cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooking chamber door (18) can assume at least one intermediate position between the closed position and the open position or is movable through the at least one intermediate position and the drive device (24) is designed such that the extension (22) is stationary in a section between the closed position and the intermediate position when the cooking chamber door (18) is moved by means of the movement of the cooking chamber door (18) and is moved, in particular automatically, in a section between the intermediate position and the open position.

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