An illumination element for an oven

Abstract

The invention relates to an oven comprising a housing (10), a muffle (20) defining a cooking chamber (1) provided inside the housing (10), and an illumination element (30) connected to a power supply (60) provided inside the housing (10). The oven comprises a control unit (40) configured such that, in a cooking mode, reduces the illumination element (30) from a maximum illumination value supplied by the power supply (60) to an illumination value lower than the maximum illumination value determined by an adjustment element (16) provided on a control panel (14).

Description

[0001] AN ILLUMINATION ELEMENT FOR AN OVEN

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention relates to a oven, particularly to an illumination element provided inside an oven.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE ART

[0005] Conventional ovens notify the user with visual or audible alerts when heating elements are on or after a recent cooking process has been completed. For example, such alerts can be provided by light indicators on the oven that turn on when the oven is in operation, or by an audible warning system that gives information to the user. However, known alert systems occasionally fail to accurately inform the user whether the cooking process inside the oven has finished.

[0006] EP1299678B1 relates to a solution where the light produced by an illumination element on the oven changes according to the oven mode. The invention therein concerns an oven that includes illumination for a cooking compartment. The mentioned illumination is continuously dimmed by a dimmer device of a control unit, not suddenly, but rather over a period of time that allows the user to perceive the weakening illumination optically. In a preferred application, when turning on the cooking compartment illumination, the light intensity is also increased gradually.

[0007] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide energy savings while implementing oven cavity illumination.

[0009] In order to achieve this objective, the invention relates to an oven comprising: a housing, a muffle that defines a cooking chamber inside the housing, and an illumination element connected to a power supply provided within the housing. In the oven a control unit is configured such that, in a cooking mode, reduces the illumination element from a maximum illumination value supplied by the power supply to an illumination value lower than the maximum illumination value determined by an adjustment element on a control panel. In this way, different alerts can be provided in various steps of the oven’s usage scenario — such as the oven reaching its set temperature, alerts for cooking progress, timer operations, or completion of cooking — according to the function. Thus, more comprehensible communication can be established between the oven and the user.

[0010] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises a triac control element that supplies electrical conduction in a way that changes the light intensity of the illumination element.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the maximum illumination value supplied by the power source to the illumination element is specified as 220 V AC. Thus, operation without using a DC current value is enabled.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to cause the illumination element to blink inside the cooking chamber. In this way, it becomes possible for the user to understand that the cooking process is finished.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises a memory unit that stores the oven operating modes. Thus, it is ensured that the illumination element can be correctly controlled by the control unit.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises a controller connected to the memory unit and configured to drive the illumination element according to the oven operating mode. In this way, turning on, turning off, and operating the illumination element can be controlled.

[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the controller is configured to directly dim the illumination element from a first brightness value to a second brightness value that is lower than the first brightness value. Thus, by dimming the intensity of the light inside the oven, energy savings are achieved.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a control panel connected to the control unit comprises a band or a button that controls the operating functions. Thus, the light intensity inside the oven can also be controlled by the user.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the control unit comprises an audible warning unit configured to provide audible alerts according to the oven operating modes. Thus, information about the oven’s operating modes can be audibly learned by the user. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the illumination element is provided on an upper wall of the muffle. Thus, when the light produced by the illumination element is transmitted into the cooking chamber, it is prevented from being obstructed.

[0018] In a preferred application of the invention, the method includes the steps of: detecting the oven operating mode by the controller in the control unit, operating the illumination element according to the information corresponding to the detected operating mode in the memory unit, and adjusting the brightness level of the illumination element inside the cooking chamber according to the corresponding brightness value stored in the memory unit. In this way, the user is provided with both audible and visual warnings through the periodic blinking of the illumination lamp located inside the oven, indicating that cooking is complete.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the controller drives from a first brightness value to a second brightness value, which is lower than the first brightness value and is stored in the memory unit. Thus, unnecessary energy consumption inside the oven is prevented, and energy savings are achieved.

[0020] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0021] Figure 1 shows a schematic front view of the oven according to the invention.

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] In this detailed description, the inventive development is explained with references to examples that in no way limit the scope but merely help to better illustrate the subject matter.

[0024] In Figure 1 , a schematic front view of the oven according to the invention is shown. A cooking chamber (1 ) is located inside the oven. The oven comprises a muffle (20) surrounding the cooking chamber (1) and a housing (10) surrounding the muffle (20). On a front wall (12) of the housing (10), there is a control panel (14) that regulates the brightness level of the cooking chamber (1). On an upper wall (22) of the muffle (20), there is an illumination element (30) provided to illuminate the cooking chamber (1). The illumination element (30), in one operating mode of the oven, uses the voltage supplied by a power supply (60) to produce light that spreads inside the cooking chamber (1 ). On the control panel (14), there is a first button (16) and a second button (18) designed to control the light produced by the illumination element (30). The control panel (14) includes a control unit (40) connected to the illumination element (30). The control unit (40) includes a memory unit (44) that stores information on the oven’s operating modes. The control unit (40) also contains a controller (42) connected to the memory unit (44) and in data exchange therewith. The controller (42) is configured to drive the illumination element (30).

[0025] In Figure 2, a schematic view of the electric circuit provided inside the oven is shown. In the method for operating the lighting of the cooking chamber (1) inside the oven, the oven operating mode is detected by the controller (42) in the control unit (40). Information corresponding to the detected oven operating mode is transmitted from the memory unit (44) to the controller (42). According to the information received, the controller (42) enables the brightness level of the illumination element (30) in the cooking chamber (1) to be changed between when the oven starts operating and when the oven operation ends. The controller (42) operates in connection with a triac control element (70). The triac control element (70) is driven by short pulses to optimize power consumption. These pulses are generated by the controller (42) and differentiated by a C8R10 network. At full brightness, the turn-on time of the triac control element (70) is slightly delayed from the zero-cross event to ensure reaching the minimum trigger voltage of the triac control element (70). The maximum illumination value supplied by the power supply (60) to the illumination element (30) is set to 220 V AC. This design ensures stable operation when the AC mains signal is noisy. In an example scenario, during the cooking process, the brightness level of the illumination element (30) inside the cooking chamber (1) can be adjusted by the first button (16) and the second button (18) to a second brightness value lower than the maximum illumination value if the user desires. In this way, energy savings are achieved while the oven is in operation.

[0026] REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0027] 1 Cooking Chamber

[0028] 10 Housing

[0029] 12 Front Wall

[0030] 14 Control Panel

[0031] 16 Adjustment Element

[0032] 18 Second Adjustment Element

[0033] 20 Muffle

[0034] 22 Upper Wall

[0035] 30 Illumination Element

[0036] 40 Control Unit Controller Memory Unit Power Supply Triac Control Element

Claims

CLAIMS1. An oven comprising a housing (10), a muffle (20) defining a cooking chamber (1) provided inside the housing (10), and an illumination element (30) connected to a power supply (60) provided inside the housing (10), characterized in that a control unit (40) is configured such that, in a cooking mode, reduces the illumination element (30) from a maximum illumination value supplied by the power supply (60) to an illumination value lower than the maximum illumination value determined by an adjustment element (16) provided on a control panel (14).

2. An oven according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit (40) has a triac control element (70) supplied with electrical conduction so as to change the light intensity of the illumination element (30).

3. An oven according to claim 2, wherein the maximum illumination value supplied by the power source (60) to the illumination element (30) is specified as 220 V AC.

4. An oven according to claim 2, wherein the control unit (40) has a memory unit (44) that stores the oven operating modes.

5. An oven according to any one of claims 2-3, wherein the control unit (40) has a controller (42) connected to the memory unit (44) and configured to drive the illumination element (30) according to the oven operating mode.

6. An oven according to any one of claims 2-3, wherein the controller (42) is configured to directly dim the illumination element (30) from a first brightness value to a second brightness value, which is lower than the first brightness value.

7. An oven according to any one of claims 2-4, wherein a control panel (14) connected to the control unit (40) has a band or a button that controls the operating functions.

8. An oven according to any one of claims 2-5, wherein the adjustment element (16) is configured to reduce the brightness level of the illumination element (30), and the second adjustment element (18) is configured to increase the brightness level.

9. An oven according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the illumination element (30) is provided on an upper wall (22) of the muffle (20).

10. A control method for the oven with illumination according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising the steps of detecting the oven operating mode by the controller(42) in the control unit (40), operating the illumination element (30) according to the information corresponding to the operating mode stored in the memory unit (44), and adjusting the brightness level of the illumination element (30) in the cooking chamber (1 ) according to the corresponding brightness value stored in the memory unit (44).

11. A control method according to claim 8, wherein the controller (42) drives from a first brightness value to a second brightness value, which is lower than the first brightness value and is stored in the memory unit (44).

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