Cooking Oven Cavity Lighting for Color-Coded Process Indication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional cooking ovens lack the ability to provide extended information about the cooking process and cavity positions through illumination, limiting user observation and understanding.

Innovation Solution

The arrangement of light emitting elements with multiple colors at various positions within the cavity, including complementary colors and basic colors like red, blue, and green, allows for the representation of temperature, operation mode, and cooking progress, along with additional information, using LEDs with low energy consumption and high-intensity white light generation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If conventional illumination equipment is used in the cooking oven, then the foodstuff can be observed through the oven door window, but the user cannot obtain extended information about the cooking process and cavity positions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation content about cooking processVSAvoidillumination equipment structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies color-coded LED illumination to convey different types of information. Different colors (red, blue, green, yellow, purple) represent different temperature ranges, operation modes, and cavity positions. This allows the system to transmit extended information about the cooking process without requiring complex displays or additional components, resolving the contradiction between information content and device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #32Color changes

Solution Approach 2:

The illumination equipment is segmented into multiple independent LED elements positioned at different locations within the cavity. Each LED or group of LEDs can be independently controlled to indicate specific cavity positions, temperature zones, or operational parameters. This segmentation enables rich information communication while maintaining simple individual components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Loss of information

If multiple light emitting elements with different colors are arranged at multiple positions within the cavity, then extended information about temperature and operation mode can be provided, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinformation content about cooking processVSAvoidillumination equipment structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The LED illumination system serves multiple functions simultaneously: it illuminates the cavity for visual observation, indicates temperature levels through color coding, shows operation mode status, and provides positional information about cavity zones. This multi-functionality allows a single illumination system to convey extended information without requiring separate indicator devices, thereby managing device complexity while maximizing information content.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the operational parameters of the LED elements (color wavelength, intensity, activation state) to encode different types of information. By varying these parameters, the same physical LED components can communicate multiple pieces of information about temperature, mode, and position, reducing the need for additional hardware and managing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Use of energy by moving object

If complementary colors or basic colors (red, blue, green) are used to generate white light, then energy efficient LED illumination is achieved, but the illumination intensity may be limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy consumption of light sourceVSAvoidwhite light intensity
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple LED elements with complementary colors (red and blue-green) or basic colors (red, blue, and green) to generate white light. By merging the light output from these different colored LEDs, the system achieves both energy efficiency characteristic of LEDs and sufficient white light intensity for cavity illumination and color-coded information display.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The illumination system uses a composite approach by integrating multiple types of LED light emitting elements with different spectral characteristics. This composite LED system combines the advantages of different colored LEDs to produce white light with both energy efficiency and adequate intensity, resolving the contradiction between low energy consumption and high illumination intensity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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

Enhances user understanding of the cooking process by providing a higher content of information through color-coded illumination, indicating temperature, operation mode, and other characteristics, improving observation and usability.

Implementation Method 1

The light emitting element is a light emitting diode (LED). The light emitting diode is very small and has low energy consumption.

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectLight emitting diode: Light Emitting Diode

Implementation Method 2

at least one pair of light emitting elements has complementary colours, so that an equal combination of light emitting elements with said complementary colours leads to a white light

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdditive color mixing:

Data Source

PatentEP2119967B1A cooking oven with an illumination-equipment for a cavity and a method for illuminating a cavity of a cooking oven
Publication Date: 2015.07.01 ELECTROLUX HOME PROD CORP NV
  • EP2119967B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2119967B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The present invention relates to a cooking oven with at least one cavity (12) and an illumination-equipment for illuminating said cavity (12). The illumination-equipment comprises a plurality of light emitting elements (30). The light emitting elements (30) have at least two different colours. Single light emitting elements (30) and/or groups of light emitting elements (30) are separately controlled or controllable. The colour or a combination of colours of the light emitting elements (30) is provided to indicate information about an operation mode of the cooking oven and/or a state of the cooking process. The light emitting elements (30) and/or groups of light emitting elements (30) are arranged at multiple positions within the cavity (12) in order to indicate information related to said positions. Further, the present invention relates to a method for illuminating a cavity (12) of a cooking oven.