Oven Door Airflow Guide for Cooler, Cleaner Glass Fronts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ovens face issues with impermissibly high temperatures and soiling on the front surfaces, particularly the oven door, due to direct contact with heated and potentially polluted operating air during self-cleaning operations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of flow guide elements within the oven's flow channel, including a cover element with flow guide elements made from heat-poorly conductive materials, such as plastic, to prevent direct contact between the heated air and adjacent front surfaces, redirecting the exhaust air away from the front surfaces using a tear-off edge or overlapping design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a horizontal flow channel is used for exhaust air discharge, then the structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the front surface temperature becomes impermissibly high due to direct contact with heated operating air
Solution Approach 1:
A cover element is introduced as an intermediary component between the flow channel and the front surface. This cover element redirects the exhaust air flow away from the front surface, preventing direct contact between heated air and the front surface, thereby reducing front surface temperature while maintaining the simple horizontal flow channel structure
Solution Approach 2:
The exhaust air flow is redirected from a horizontal path that would directly contact the front surface to an upward path through the cover element. This dimensional change in flow direction prevents thermal contact with the front surface while keeping the overall structure simple
2Ease of manufacture
If the flow channel is open at the front for simple exhaust, then manufacturing is easy, but soiling occurs on the front surface from polluted operating air
Solution Approach 1:
The cover element serves as a protective intermediary that blocks polluted exhaust air from contacting the front surface directly. It guides the polluted air away from the front surface, preventing soiling while maintaining the simple open front flow channel design
Solution Approach 2:
The flow path is redirected vertically through the cover element instead of horizontally across the front surface. This dimensional redirection prevents polluted air from depositing on the front surface while keeping the manufacturing process simple
3Shape
If glass plate front surfaces are used for modern design, then appearance is improved, but heat exchange with heated air causes impermissibly high surface temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The cover element acts as a flow mediator that prevents heated air from directly contacting the glass plate front surface. By redirecting the exhaust air flow away from the glass surface, it protects the aesthetically pleasing glass front from excessive heat exchange
Solution Approach 2:
The cover element is positioned specifically at the critical location where exhaust air would contact the front surface. This localized intervention protects only the necessary area (the front surface) while leaving the rest of the oven structure and design unchanged
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
This solution effectively prevents significant heat exchange and soiling on the front surfaces, ensuring safer and cleaner operation by redirecting heated exhaust air, thereby maintaining a lower surface temperature and reducing soiling on glass-like or metallic materials.
Implementation Method 1
flow guide elements are provided in the flow channel, which prevent contact between the at least one adjoining front surface and the operating air flowing out of the flow channel
Implementation Method 2
The cover element with its flow guide elements is preferably made entirely or partially of a heat-poorly conductive plastic, so that no significant heat exchange between this cover element and its flow guide elements and the front surfaces of the oven can take place via this cover element and its flow guide elements
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 6~9
AI summary
The oven has a cooking chamber (3) closed by a mobile oven door (8). Front surfaces (5, 11) of the oven door are formed as a glass plate, where the front surfaces include a flow channel (6) for forced-payment of heated and/or polluted operating air from the oven. Air flow guiding elements (15) e.g. covering elements, are provided in the flow channel to reduce contact between the front surfaces and the operating air that exhausts from the flow channel. The air flow guiding elements are arranged on the oven door and at a stationary housing (1). The covering element is made of two differential materials selected from plastic and metal.