Door sensor for a cooking appliance and cooking appliance having such a door sensor

Abstract

A door sensor (10a, 10b, 10c) for a cooking appliance, for detecting a closed state and an open state of a door of the cooking appliance, wherein the door sensor (10a, 10b, 10c) comprises: - a holder (12) for securing in or on a housing element of the cooking appliance; - a sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c), which is mounted on or in the holder (12) and is movable back and forth, in particular linearly, relative to the holder (12) between a first, unactuated position and a second, actuated position; - a switch (18) coupled to the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) such that it is brought from a first switching state into a second switching state, different than the first switching state, when the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) is moved from the first, unactuated position and the second, actuated position; - an elastic element (16) operatively connected to the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) and to the holder (12) such that, in the second, actuated position of the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c), said elastic element exerts a restoring force on the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) that presses the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) in the direction of the first, unactuated position or brings the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) into the first, unactuated position.

Description

[0001] DOOR SENSOR FOR A COOKING APPLIANCE AND COOKING APPLIANCE HAVING SUCH A DOOR SENSOR Description The invention relates to a door sensor for a cooking appliance such as an oven, for example, and to a cooking appliance having such a door sensor. DE 10 2022 102 008 A1 and EP 3 438 547 A1 disclose cooking appliances in which opening and / or closing of a cooking chamber door is monitored by means of a door sensor. Such a door sensor can be embodied as a door contact switch, for example. In the case of cooking appliances having doors, such as ovens, for example, a large number of different housing and door designs are known. The choice of a particular housing and door design may depend on the specific functions of the cooking appli- ance. By way of example, the housing and door design of an oven needs to be adapted in respect of whether the oven has a hot air function, a circulating air function, a microwave function or a pyrolysis function or a steam function. Hence, depending on different housing and door designs, the design of a door switch also needs to be adapted to the respective design, thus resulting in a large number of different door sensors. It is an object of the invention to provide a reliable door sensor that is easy to pro- duce, for use in a cooking appliance such as an oven. It is moreover an object of the invention to provide a door sensor that is usable with few or no adaptations in different housing and door designs of differently em- bodied cooking appliances such as ovens. It is additionally an object of the invention to provide a cooking appliance having an advantageous door sensor. At least one object of the invention is achieved by a door sensor having the fea- tures of claim 1. Embodiments according to the invention are defined in the de- pendent claims. A door sensor according to the invention is provided for use in a cooking appliance, specifically for detecting a closed state and an open state of a door of the cooking appliance, wherein the door sensor comprises: - a holder for securing in or on a housing element of the cooking appliance; - a sensor element, which is mounted on or in the holder and is movable back and forth, in particular linearly, relative to the holder between a first, unac- tuated position and a second, actuated position; - a switch coupled to the sensor element such that it is brought from a first switching state into a second switching state, different than the first switch- ing state, when the sensor element is moved from the first, unactuated posi- tion and the second, actuated position; - an elastic element operatively connected to the sensor element and to the holder such that, in the second, actuated position of the sensor element, said elastic element exerts a restoring force on the sensor element that presses the sensor element in the direction of the first, unactuated position or brings the sensor element into the first, unactuated position. Such a door sensor is robust and easy to produce and mount. It is particularly suit- able for detecting a closed state and an open state of a door of a cooking appliance on which it is mounted. In addition, it is suitable for all kinds of doors of cooking appliances, in particular for doors of microwave appliances, ovens, pressure cook- ers, ovens having a baking trolley and a front secured on the baking trolley, and also doors having a stop on the lower edge of an appliance body, i.e. tilting doors, or doors having a lateral stop on the appliance body. In one embodiment according to the invention, the holder comprises a housing, which is open at least toward one side, and / or securing elements for securing the holder on a housing element of the cooking appliance and / or securing elements for securing the switch, preferably wherein the securing elements for securing the switch comprise one or more holding mandrels which engage into corresponding openings of the switch, and / or comprise snap-action or latching elements which se- cure the switch, particularly preferably releasably, on or in the holder. The housing of the holder can additionally be open toward a plurality of sides. By way of exam- ple, the switch can be mounted in the holder from an open side of the holder and at the same time the electrical terminal elements of the switch can project away from the holder at a second open side of the holder, such that an electrical connec- tion to the switch can be established outside the holder. In this way, the holder offers simple securing of the switch. At the same time, the open design of the housing of the holder makes it possible to secure different switches in the holder. In this case, certain housing features and securing points of the switch can remain predefined in order to ensure that the switch can be secured in the holder. By contrast, certain other features of the switch, such as the ar- rangement, position and orientation of the electrical terminal elements, for exam- ple, can be chosen freely within certain limits. This makes it possible to equip the door sensor with different switches in a flexible manner. A further advantageous configuration specifies that the holder has at least one main wall having a first end and a second end opposite to the first end, wherein at the first end a first rear wall and at the second end a second front wall respectively are formed at right angles to the main wall with respect thereto, in particular are integrally formed thereon. The first rear wall and the second front wall can be ar- ranged parallel to one another and be situated opposite one another, in particular wherein the first rear wall comprises at least one opening and the second front wall comprises at least two or three or more openings. Such a configuration of the holder allows different sensor elements to be used in identical holders. In addition, such a holder offers mechanical stability as a carrying structure for the further elements of the door switch. The front walls of the holder can be embodied such that the switch – secured in the holder – of the door sensor mounted in a cooking appliance cannot be touched by a finger from outside the cooking appliance. In this case, the front walls form protection against being touched by a finger that is moved through a gap or the opening of a front frame through which the sensor element can be guided. Furthermore, it can be advantageous if the second front wall has at least a first front opening and a second front opening, and in particular a third front opening, wherein the first front opening is spaced apart from the second front opening, and in particular the third opening, in an axial direction and / or wherein the first front opening and the second front opening, and in particular the third front opening, are arranged axially parallel. Providing a plurality of front openings on the holder makes it possible to use differ- ently embodied sensor elements in the same holder. It is possible to use sensor ele- ments which utilize either the first front opening or the second front opening or the third or any further openings. If openings are spaced apart in an axial direction, then different installation situations of the door sensor can be taken into account, for example. A further embodiment of the invention is provided, wherein the second front wall has at least a first front opening and a second front opening, in particular a third front opening, preferably one or more further front openings, wherein the opening of the first rear wall is arranged coaxially with respect to the first front opening, or wherein the opening of the first rear wall is spaced apart radially with respect to the first front opening, and / or wherein at least the second front opening is spaced apart from the opening of the first rear wall radially further than the first front opening and / or wherein the third front opening is spaced apart from the opening of the first rear wall radially further than the first front opening and / or the second front opening. Such a door sensor is usable in different cooking appliances. Differences in the ver- tical distances between a housing element on which the door sensor is mounted and an appliance door can be bridged or compensated for by the use of adapted sensor elements. In a further advantageous embodiment, the sensor element comprises a, in particu- lar rod-type, rear portion and / or a, in particular rod-type, front portion, in particu- lar wherein the longitudinal extent of the rear portion runs along a first longitudinal axis and wherein the longitudinal extent of the front portion runs along a second longitudinal axis, wherein the first longitudinal axis coincides with the second longi- tudinal axis or wherein the first longitudinal axis is oriented parallel to the second longitudinal axis or is arranged parallel thereto and the first longitudinal axis is spaced apart from the second longitudinal axis. In this way, a sensor element is formed, the front portion of which functions as an actuation element in the form of a plunger for the sensor element. The rod- or plunger-type front portion can be contacted and actuated by a corresponding actua- tion surface of the door in a simple manner. It can additionally be advantageous if the rear portion of the sensor element is re- ceived in the opening of the first rear wall and the front portion is received in one of the at least two or three or more openings of the second front wall. In this case, the sensor element is chosen depending on the opening of the front wall through which the front portion functioning as an actuation portion is intended to extend. As a result, a sensor element appropriate to the specific installation situ- ation can be chosen, without the need for further changes to the door sensor. Furthermore, it is advantageous if the sensor element comprises a switching sur- face, which, when the sensor element is moved from the first, unactuated position into the second, actuated position, is moved past the switch or along the latter, such that the switching surface actuates an actuation element of the switch, in par- ticular a pushbutton, such that the switch is brought from the first switching state into the second switching state, in particular wherein the sensor element comprises a rear portion, a front portion and a connecting portion connecting the rear portion to the front portion, and wherein the connecting portion comprises the switching surface. In this case, the first switching state of the switch can identify the first, unactuated position of the sensor element, i.e. in a manner corresponding to that position of the sensor element which is present when the door is open, such that the first switching state identifies an open state of the door. The second switching state can correspondingly identify the second, actuated position of the sensor element, which is present when the door is closed and brings the sensor element into the actuated position. The second switching state can thus identify a closed state of the door. Moreover, it can be advantageous if the connecting portion is embodied in a block- shaped or parallelepipedal fashion and the switching surface is formed by an outer surface of the block-shaped or parallelepipedal connecting portion, and / or in that the connecting portion is embodied in a z-shaped fashion and the switching surface is formed at an end region of the z-shaped connecting portion, and / or in that the, in particular planar, switching surface is inclined relative to one of the longitudinal axes. Various sensor elements adapted to different vertical positions of the actuation sur- faces provided on different doors can be made available in this way. In this case, the various sensor elements can be used in the same holder and can also actuate the pushbutton of the switch in the same way. One or more objects of the invention are additionally achieved by a cooking appli- ance having the features of claim 10. Such a cooking appliance such as a domestic oven, for example, having a door for opening and closing the cooking appliance and having a door sensor according to the invention can be embodied such that the door sensor is secured on a housing part, in particular a component carrier, of the cooking appliance, such that the sen- sor element, in particular by means of the restoring force of the elastic element, has been or is brought into the first, unactuated position when the door has been or is opened, and that the sensor element has been or is brought into the second, actuated position by the door, in particular by a closing force acting on the door, when the door has been or is closed. A cooking appliance having reliable detection of an open or closed state of the cooking appliance is provided as a result. The invention is explained in further detail below on the basis of exemplary embodi- ments. Reference is made here to the drawings, in which FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of a first embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention in an unactuated position; FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of the first embodiment of a door sensor accord- ing to the invention in an actuated position; FIG. 1C illustrates an exploded illustration of the first embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention; FIG. 1D illustrates a partly sectional side view of the first embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention in an installation situation in a region of an oven adjacent to an upper edge of an oven door; FIG. 1E illustrates a detail view in a plan view of a rear region of a door sensor according to the invention; FIG. 2A illustrates a side view of a second embodiment of a door sensor ac- cording to the invention in an unactuated position; FIG. 2B illustrates a side view of the second embodiment of a door sensor ac- cording to the invention in an actuated position; FIG. 2C illustrates an exploded illustration of the second embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention; FIG. 2D illustrates a partly sectional side view of the second embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention in an installation situation in a region of an oven adjacent to an upper edge of an oven door; FIG. 3A illustrates a side view of a third embodiment of a door sensor accord- ing to the invention in an unactuated position; FIG. 3B illustrates a side view of the third embodiment of a door sensor ac- cording to the invention in an actuated position; FIG. 3C illustrates an exploded illustration of the third embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention; FIG. 3D illustrates a partly sectional side view of the third embodiment of a door sensor according to the invention in an installation situation in a region of an oven adjacent to an upper edge of an oven door; FIGS 4A–4C illustrate perspective views and a side view for elucidating a sequence for mounting a sensor element in a holder of a door sensor according to the invention; FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of the second embodiment of a door sensor ac- cording to the invention in an installation situation on a component carrier of an oven; in each case schematically. Mutually corresponding parts and variables are provided with the same reference signs in FIGS 1 to 5. The terms “rear portion / wall / open- ing / end” and “front portion / wall / opening / end” are used hereinafter. “Front” should be understood to mean such elements which are arranged on a side of the door sensor facing a door. “Rear” should be understood to mean such elements which are arranged on a side of the door sensor facing away from the door. The term “vertical” relates to an upright installation position of the door sensor relative to an upper edge of a door such as is illustrated in the figures. It is nevertheless possible for the door sensor to be installed “horizontally” in a cooking appliance, such that spacings referred to as “vertical” would need to be understood as “horizontal” spac- ings. FIGS 1A to 1C show a first embodiment of a door sensor in the form of a door sen- sor 10a. The latter comprises a holder 12, a sensor element 14a, an elastic element 16 and also a switch 18. The holder 12 is embodied as a fitting element in the form of a housing, which is open at least toward one side. The switch 18 and the sensor element 14a are partly received in an interior formed by the holder 12. For the purpose of mounting or se- curing the holder 12 on an element of a cooking appliance, for example a compo- nent carrier 48, securing elements 40 can be arranged or integrally formed on the holder 12. In particular, the securing elements 40 can be comprised by a snap-ac- tion device having latching engagement into one or more recesses of the compo- nent carrier 48. In this case, the snap-action device can be embodied such that the holder 12 is releasably connected to the component carrier 48. On the holder 12 an element can be provided which can be actuated by a tool, such as a screwdriver, in order to release the snap-action connection from the component carrier 48, for ex- ample in order to be able to replace a defective door sensor in a simple manner. The sensor element 14a is embodied as a plunger and comprises a rear, rod-type portion 34, a front, rod-type portion 36a and a connecting portion 32a connecting the rear portion 34 to the front portion 36a. In this case, the connecting portion 32a is embodied in a block-shaped or parallelepipedal fashion, for example. The rear portion 34 and the front portion 36a are arranged on opposite sides of the connecting portion 32a. Longitudinal axes A1of the rear portion 34 and A2of the front portion 36a run along the respective longitudinal extent of the rear portion 34 and front portion 36a, and are offset parallel to one another, i.e. run parallel to one another but are spaced apart from one another. Alternatively, however, the two axes A1and A2can also coincide. The holder 12 has a rear wall having a rear opening 22 and a front wall having a first front opening 24, a second front opening 26 and a third front opening 28. In the embodiment in FIGS 1A to 1E, the rear portion 34 of the sensor element 14A is received in the rear opening 22, and the front portion 36A in the first front open- ing 24. The sensor element 14A can be displaced back and forth along the longitu- dinal axes A1, A2, and the rear portion 34 and the front portion 36a each slide in the corresponding openings 22, 24 and are guided through the latter. The detail view of the rear wall having the rear opening 22 as shown in FIG. 1E re- veals that the opening 22 has a segment which is embodied as partially circular, or as semicircular in the case specifically illustrated, and which receives the rear por- tion 34 with the elastic element 16 arranged around the latter. Holding arms having insertion bevels 46 are formed in the rear wall and project in the direction of the opening 22 such that they fix therein the rear portion 34 received therein and also the elastic element 16. During the mounting of the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c, the rear rod-type portion 34 can be moved into the opening 22 along the insertion bevels 46. In this case, the rear portion 34 overcomes a spring-elastic resistance of the holding arms and ends up located in the opening 22. In this case, the holding arms, in the manner of a latching or snap-action connection, snap back into a posi- tion in which they fix the rear portion 34 in the opening 22. It is possible, in partic- ular, for the first front opening 24 to be embodied in the same way. Furthermore, it is possible for the second and / or third front opening 26, 28 likewise to be embodied in the manner shown in FIG. 1E. It is likewise possible for the first and / or second and / or third front opening 24, 26, 28 to be embodied as closed, in particular circu- lar, openings. The switch 18, embodied as a microswitch, for example, is mounted on holding mandrels 44 in the interior of the holder 12 and is secured releasably or else nonre- leasably by means of latching elements, in particular snap-action hooks 42. In this case, the switch 18 is mounted such that its electrical terminal elements are readily accessible from outside the holder 12. The switch 18 has a pushbutton 30 as a switching element, said pushbutton actuating the switch 18 upon actuation. That is to say, in other words, that an actuation of the pushbutton 30 causes a change in the switching state of the switch 18. In this case, the switch 18 is arranged in the holder 12 such that the pushbutton 30 can be actuated by the sensor element 14a when the sensor element 14a is moved along the longitudinal axes A1, A2toward the pushbutton 30. For this purpose, the connecting portion 32a has a switching surface 38, which, during a displacement of the sensor element 14a from an unactuated position, such as can be seen in FIG. 1A, and an actuated position, such as can be seen in FIG. 1B, comes into contact with the pushbutton 30 and moves the latter into the hous- ing of the switch 18, such that the switching state of the switch 18 is changed by the pushbutton 30. In this case, the switching surface 38 can be embodied as a pla- nar surface and is at an angle of inclination relative to the longitudinal axes A1, A2. By virtue of the angle of inclination, during a movement of the sensor element 14a from the position shown in FIG. 1A into the position shown in FIG. 1B, the switch- ing surface 38 can slide along the pushbutton 30 and progressively press in the lat- ter. The holder 12 can additionally have guide elements or guide surfaces for guid- ing and / or supporting the sensor element 14a. Moreover, directly adjacent to the connecting portion 32a, the sensor element 14a has a driver 20 arranged on the rear portion 34. In this case, the elastic element 16 embodied as a helical spring is arranged around the rear portion 34. In this case, the front end of the elastic element 16 butts against the driver 20 with its front end. A rear end of the elastic element 16 is arranged in a region of the free end of the rear portion 34, specifically such that the elastic element extends on both sides of the opening 22 in which the rear portion 34 is arranged and guided. As a result, the elastic element 16 is fixed in the opening 22. This arrangement has the effect that the sensor element 14a, in an unactuated state of the door sensor 10a, is forced or pressed forward by the elastic element 16 into a position in which the front portion 36a projects as far as possible from the holder 12. For this purpose, the connecting portion 32a forms a stop, which is pressed against a front wall of the holder 12 by the spring force of the elastic element in an end position of the sensor element 14a in an unactuated state of the sensor element 14a and thus de- fines an end position of the sensor element 14a. Upon closing of the door 50 (discernible in FIGS 1D, 2D, 3D), the door sensor 10a, or more precisely the front portion 36a of the sensor element 14a, is moved along the longitudinal axis A2toward the holder 12 or into the latter by the door 50. As a result, the elastic element 16 is compressed between the opening 22 and the driver 20, thereby providing a restoring force that forces or presses the sensor element 14a back into its unactuated position when the door 50 is opened again and the ac- tuation of the door sensor 10a is discontinued as a result. FIGS 2A to 2C show a second embodiment of a door sensor as door sensor 10b. Holder 12, elastic element 16 and switch 18 are identical to the corresponding ele- ments of the first embodiment from FIGS 1A to 1C. Only the sensor element 14b is embodied partly differently than the sensor element 14a of the first embodiment. Just like the sensor element 14a, the sensor element 14b has a rear portion 34 like- wise comprising a driver 20. The connecting portion 32b is embodied differently in comparison with the first embodiment. The views in FIGS 2A, 2B reveal that the connecting portion 14b is embodied in a z-shaped fashion. In this embodiment, too, the rear portion 34 and the front portion 36b are arranged on opposite sides of the connecting portion 32b. The respective longitudinal axes A1of the rear portion 34 and A3of the front portion 36b are arranged parallel to one another, but are spaced apart from one another significantly further than the longitudinal axes A1and A2in the embodiment in FIGS 1A to 1C are spaced apart from one another. The front portion 36b extends through the front opening 26 of the holder 12, which opening, like the opening 24 as well, is arranged in the front wall of the holder 12, but is sit- uated at a vertically deeper level than the front opening 24. As an alternative to the z-shape shown in FIGS 2A to 2C, the connecting portion 14b can also be embodied as completely block-shaped or parallelepipedal or else can have some other suitable shape. The embodiment in FIGS 3A to 3C likewise corresponds to the second embodiment insofar as holder 12, elastic element 16 and switch 18 are identical to the respec- tive corresponding elements. The sensor element 14c is shaped similarly to the sen- sor element 14b, although the central bar of the Z-shape extends vertically further downward, such that the front portion 36c projects through the front opening 28. The front opening 28 is that opening which is arranged vertically the furthest to- ward the bottom on the front wall of the holder 12. Therefore, the spacing of the axes A1and A4of the rear portion 34 and of the front portion 36c, respectively, is also the widest spacing in the embodiments illustrated. Here, too, the longitudinal axes A1and A4are parallel to one another. In all the embodiments, the holder 12 can have a limiting element (not illustrated) that limits the movement of the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c in the direction of the rear wall. Such a limiting element can be for example a lug or a rib which has been shaped from a housing wall of the holder 12 and which for example interacts with a corresponding surface element of the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c and stops the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c at a specific pressing-in depth. As a result, damage to the door sensor can be avoided, for example if, during a cleaning pro- cess, the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c is pressed in improperly and here is pressed in more deeply than would happen as a result of the door. In this case, the limiting element prevents the sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c from being pressed in too deeply. FIGS 1D to 3D show the respective embodiments from FIGS 1A to C, 2A to C and 3A to C in their respective installation situation in different cooking appliances. In this case, the door sensors 10a, 10b, 10c are mounted on a housing element of the cooking appliance, namely on a component carrier 48. The component carrier 48 used can be for example a sheet-metal element which is arranged within a cooking appliance and which is positioned above an oven muffle and spaced apart from the latter and is carried by housing parts of the cooking appliance, for example. In this case, the door sensors 10a, 10b, 10c are positioned on the respective com- ponent carrier 48 and relative to the respective door 50 such that an upper door cover 52 or an upper door region actuates the sensor element 14a when the door 50 is closed. For this purpose, the doors 50 respectively have actuation regions 54a, 54b, 54c. That means that with the door closed, the respective sensor element 14a, 14b, 14c is brought into the actuated position shown in FIGS 1B, 2B, 3B. As evident from FIGS 1D, 2D, 3D, the modular system of the invention makes it possible to use substantially identical components in different door sensors 10a, 10b, 10c, which are respectively adapted to different doors 50 or door stop situa- tions and wherein all that is required is the use of sensor elements 14a, 14b, 14c respectively adapted to the door or the stop situation. With the door 50 closed, the front connecting portions 36a, 36b, 36c come into con- tact with differently embodied actuation regions 54a, 54b, 54c or actuation regions 54a, 54b, 54c situated in different positions, depending on the design of the door 50. In this case, the different actuation regions 54a, 54b, 54c can be arranged in particular in their respective vertical position relative to the component carrier 48 or relative to the position of the holder 12 on the component carrier 48 and / or rela- tive to the door 50. In FIG. 1D, the front portion 36a extends from the holder 12, arranged on a top side of the component carrier 48, through a front frame 58 and bears against the actuation region 54a of the door 50, said actuation region being formed by the up- per door cover 52. In this case, the upper door cover 52, and so the actuation re- gion 54a, are arranged vertically above a component carrier 48 and can thus actu- ate the front portion 36a of the sensor element 14a, said front portion likewise be- ing arranged above the component carrier 48. In FIG. 2D, the front portion 36b of the sensor element 14b is arranged below the component carrier 48. The door 50 takes a path into a front frame 52, surrounding a loading opening, of a cooking appliance embodied as an oven. In an upper region this front frame 52 has an opening or a cutout 62, in which the actuation region 54a is arranged with the door closed. In this case, the actuation region 54b pro- jects as an offset actuation region element upward from a surface of an upper door cover 52. In this case, the actuation region 54b can be formed integrally by the up- per door cover 52 or can be connected to the upper door cover 52 as an additional element. The vertical spacing between the door sensor 10b arranged above the component carrier 48 and the actuation region 54b arranged below the component carrier 48 can be bridged in this way. FIG. 3D shows an embodiment in which the front frame 58 likewise has an opening 62 through which the front portion 36c can pass and comes into contact with the actuation region 54c of the door 50. In this case, the actuation region 54c is formed by a surface of the upper door cover 52 which is arranged substantially in a vertical plane. FIGS 4A to 4C show an exemplary process for mounting a sensor element 14b in a holder 12. The front portion 36b of the sensor element 14b is pushed into the front opening 26 until the connecting portion 32b stops at the front wall of the holder 12 and prevents a further movement of the sensor element 14b. The switch 18 has al- ready been secured in the holder 12. In this case, the front portion 36b of the sen- sor element 14b is pushed into the opening 26 of the holder 12 such that the con- necting portion 32b does not collide with the holder 12, for example by the sensor element 14b being rotated out from the holder 12 by a specific angle, for example 90°, relative to its envisaged operational position. FIG. 4B reveals that the helical spring 16 is slid onto the rear portion 34 until it bears against the driver 20. Afterward, the sensor element 14b is rotated around the front portion 36b into the holder 12. In this case, the region of the free end of the rear portion 34 is moved into the opening 22 and received in the latter. In this case, the helical spring 16 arranged around the rear portion 34 is fixed in the open- ing 22 by clamping, for example. The resultant operationally ready position of the sensor element 14b in the holder 12 is discernible in FIG. 4C. FIG. 5 shows a view from above of a door sensor 10b mounted on a component car- rier 48. In this case, the holder 12 bears on the top side of the component carrier 48 and projects away downward in part through the recess 60 of the component carrier 48. The front portion 36b abuts the actuation region 54b of the upper door cover 52, which projects upward through an opening 62 formed through a front frame 58. The door sensor 10b is thereby arranged at a distance from the oven muffle 56 and can thereby be brought into contact with the actuation region 54b in a reliable manner.

[0002] List of reference signs 10a, 10b, 10c Door sensor 12 Holder 14a, 14b, 14c Sensor element 16 Elastic element 18 Switch 20 Driver 22 Rear opening 24 Front opening 26 Front opening 28 Front opening 30 Pushbutton 32a, 32b, 32c Connecting portion 34 Rear portion 36a, 36b, 36c Front portion 38 Switching surface 40 Securing elements 42 Snap-action hooks 44 Holding mandrels 46 Insertion bevels 48 Component carrier 50 Door 52 Upper door cover 54a, 54b, 54c Actuation region 56 Oven muffle 58 Front frame 60 Recess 62 Opening A1First longitudinal axis A2Second longitudinal axis A3Third longitudinal axis A4Fourth longitudinal axis

Claims

Claims 1. A door sensor (10a, 10b, 10c) for a cooking appliance, for detecting a closed state and an open state of a door of the cooking appliance, wherein the door sensor (10a, 10b, 10c) comprises: - a holder (12) for securing in or on a housing element of the cooking appliance; - a sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c), which is mounted on or in the holder (12) and is movable back and forth, in particular linearly, relative to the holder (12) between a first, unactuated position and a second, ac- tuated position; - a switch (18) coupled to the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) such that it is brought from a first switching state into a second switching state, different than the first switching state, when the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) is moved from the first, unactuated position and the second, actuated position; - an elastic element (16) operatively connected to the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) and to the holder (12) such that, in the second, actu- ated position of the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c), said elastic ele- ment exerts a restoring force on the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) that presses the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) in the direction of the first, unactuated position or brings the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) into the first, unactuated position.

2. The door sensor as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the holder (12) comprises a housing, which is open at least toward one side, and / or in that the holder (12) has securing elements (40) for securing the holder (12) on a housing element of the cooking appliance and / or in that the holder (12) has securing elements for securing the switch (18), preferably wherein the secur- ing elements comprise one or more holding mandrels (44) which engage into corresponding openings of the switch (18), and / or comprise snap-action or latching elements (42) which secure the switch (18), particularly preferably releasably, on or in the holder (12).

3. The door sensor as claimed in either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the holder (12) has at least one main wall having a first end and a sec- ond end opposite to the first end, wherein at the first and second ends re- spectively a first rear wall and a second front wall are formed at right angles to the main wall with respect thereto, such that the first rear wall and the second front wall are arranged parallel to one another and are situated oppo- site one another, in particular wherein the first rear wall comprises at least one opening (22) and the second front wall comprises at least two or three or more openings (24, 26, 28).

4. The door sensor as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the second front wall has at least a first front opening (24) and a second front opening (26), and in particular a third front opening (28), wherein the first front opening (24) is spaced apart from the second front opening (26), and in particular the third opening (28), in an axial direction and / or wherein the first front open- ing (24) and the second front opening (26), and in particular the third front opening (28), are arranged axially parallel.

5. The door sensor as claimed in claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the second front wall has at least a first front opening (24) and a second front opening (26), in particular a third front opening (28), preferably one or more further front openings, wherein the opening (22) of the first rear wall is arranged coaxially with re- spect to the first front opening (24), or wherein the opening (22) of the first rear wall is spaced apart radially with respect to the first front opening (24), and / or wherein at least the second front opening (26) is spaced apart from the opening (22) of the first rear wall radially further than the first front opening (24) and / or wherein the third front opening (28) is spaced apart from the opening (22) of the first rear wall radially further than the first front opening (24) and / or the second front opening (26).

6. The door sensor as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) comprises a, in particular rod-type, rear portion (34) and / or a, in particular rod-type, front portion (36a, 36b, 36c), in particular wherein the longitudinal extent of the rear portion (34) runs along a first longitudinal axis (A1) and / or wherein the longitudinal extent of the front portion (36a, 36b, 36c) runs along a second longitudinal axis (A2, A3, A4), wherein the first longitudinal axis (A1) coincides with the second lon- gitudinal axis (A2, A3, A4) or wherein the first longitudinal axis (A1) is ori- ented parallel to the second longitudinal axis (A2, A3, A4) and the first longi- tudinal axis (A1) is spaced apart from the second longitudinal axis (A2, A3, A4).

7. The door sensor as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the rear portion (34) is received in the opening (22) of the first rear wall and wherein the front portion (36a, 36b, 36c) is received in one of the at least two or three or more openings (24, 26, 28) of the second front wall.

8. The door sensor as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) comprises a switching surface (38), which, when the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) is moved from the first, un- actuated position into the second, actuated position, is moved past the switch (18) or along the latter, such that the switching surface (38) actuates an actuation element of the switch (18), in particular a pushbutton (30), such that the switch (18) is brought from the first switching state into the second switching state, in particular wherein the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) comprises a rear portion (34), a front portion (36a, 36b, 36c) and a connect- ing portion (32a, 32b, 32c) connecting the rear portion (34) to the front por- tion (36a, 36b, 36c), and wherein the connecting portion (32a, 32b, 32c) comprises the switching surface (38).

9. The door sensor as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the connecting portion (32a) is embodied in a block-shaped or parallelepipedal fashion andthe switching surface (38) is formed by an outer surface of the block-shaped or parallelepipedal connecting portion (32a), and / or in that the connecting portion (32b, 32c) is embodied in a z-shaped fashion and the switching surface (38) is formed at an end region of the z- shaped connecting portion (32b, 32c), and / or in that the, in particular planar, switching surface (38) is inclined rela- tive to one of the longitudinal axes (A1, A2, A3, A4).

10. A cooking appliance such as a domestic oven, for example, having a door (50) for opening and closing the cooking appliance and having a door sensor (10a, 10b, 10c) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the door sensor (50) is secured on a housing part, in particular a compo- nent carrier (48), of the cooking appliance, such that the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c), in particular by means of the restoring force of the elastic element (16), has been or is brought into the first, unactuated position when the door (50) has been or is opened, and that the sensor element (14a, 14b, 14c) has been or is brought into the second, actuated position by the door (50), in particular by a closing force acting on the door (50), when the door (50) has been or is closed.

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