Cooking appliance with self-cleaning function, preferably with steam function, especially oven-steam cooker combination device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooking appliances with self-cleaning functions face challenges in maintaining fluid-tightness, especially when using cleaning liquids with reduced surface tension, particularly at the lower edge of the access opening, which can lead to leakage and increased installation complexity.
Innovation Solution
A cooking appliance with a self-cleaning function features a cooking chamber seal that includes material recesses along its extension direction, allowing for greater deflection and compression during assembly, and optionally uses a clamping element to enhance sealing, ensuring tightness without complicating installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cooking chamber seal is used, then the structure is simple, but fluid-tightness cannot be maintained at the lower edge of the access opening when using cleaning liquids with reduced surface tension
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a material recess specifically at the lower edge region of the cooking chamber seal, rather than uniformly modifying the entire seal. This localized structural change concentrates the sealing enhancement where it is most needed (at the lower edge where leakage occurs) while maintaining simplicity elsewhere in the seal structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the seal structure by introducing a material recess that divides the seal material into different functional zones: a compressed upper region and a deflected lower region. This segmentation allows different portions of the seal to perform different functions - the upper part provides structural support while the lower part with the recess provides enhanced sealing at the critical lower edge.
2Reliability
If the seal material is made more rigid to maintain tightness, then sealing effect improves, but installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the seal material elastic and enabling it to deform during installation and operation. The material recess allows the seal to deflect and compress dynamically - during installation the elastic material can be compressed to pass through the groove, and during operation it maintains constant sealing pressure through its elastic recovery, eliminating the need for rigid structures that would be difficult to install.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the seal by introducing a material recess that alters the local density and compressibility of the seal material. This parameter change allows the seal to achieve optimal compression and deflection characteristics - the recessed area can compress more easily during installation while maintaining sealing effectiveness, solving both the sealing and installation problems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively maintains fluid-tightness at the access opening, particularly at the lower edge, preventing leakage and improving the sealing effect while simplifying assembly and installation.
Implementation Method 1
The cooking chamber seal has, at least in sections, at least one material recess running along its essential direction of extent, wherein the material recess is open inwards in the assembly direction and/or outwards counter to the assembly direction
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cooking appliance (1) with a self-cleaning function, preferably with a steam function, particularly preferably an oven-steam oven combination appliance (1), with a cooking chamber (10) which is formed section by an inner housing (11), with a cleaning device for cleaning the cooking chamber (10), wherein the cleaning device has a conveying device and a distribution device, and with a closing element which is designed and configured to close and release an access opening (14) of the cooking chamber (10), wherein at least one cooking chamber seal (2) is arranged facing the closing element in a cooking chamber groove (12) which is formed by the inner housing (11) and/or by a front housing wall (13).The cooking appliance (1) with self-cleaning function is characterized in that the cooking chamber seal (2) has at least a material recess (25, 26) extending along its essential direction of extension, at least in sections, wherein the material recess (25, 26) is open inwards in the assembly direction (A) and/or outwards in the opposite direction to the assembly direction (A).