CN117015682A - Steaming drawer for a household cooking appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A steaming drawer (5; 65) for a household cooking appliance (1) having a steaming basin (20) for receiving a treatment product to be steamed, a lid (28) and a manually operable operating mechanism (61; 66), the steaming drawer (5) having a carrying frame (30) in which the steaming basin (20) can be inserted and on which the lid (28) can be movably placed, the lid (28) being movable between a closed position in which the lid (28) covers the open upper side (20 a) of the steaming basin (20) in a steam-tight manner, and an open position in which the lid (28) covers the open upper side (20 a) of the steaming basin (20), the operating mechanism (61; 66) being arranged for moving the closed lid (28) when operated by a user, such that a gap (S) for letting out steam from the steaming basin (20) is formed on an edge of the lid (28). A household cooking appliance (1) having at least one steam treatment drawer (5; 65). Method for producing a gap (S) for letting out steam from a steam treatment drawer (5).

Description

Steaming drawer for a household cooking appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to a steaming drawer for a household cooking appliance, comprising a steaming basin (dampfwanne) for receiving a treatment product to be steamed, and a cover which, in its closed position, covers the open upper side of the steaming basin in a steam-tight manner (dampfdicht). The invention also relates to a method for producing a gap for letting out steam from a steam treatment drawer.

Background

Furnace (Ofen)/steam treatment drawer combinations are known, wherein the steam treatment drawer is arranged below the furnace. It is known that the filling opening of the upper side of a steaming basin built fixedly in a drawer can be covered by means of a cover that can be put on and taken off from above. A disadvantage in this case is that the hot vapors which may still be present when the cover is removed are discharged uncontrollably, which is uncomfortable for the user and even dangerous to scald. It is also known that the steaming basin can be covered by means of a pivotable lid which can be manually turned up. A disadvantage in this case is that it is difficult to achieve a controlled discharge of the still present steam when the lid is opened after the steaming process.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

This object is achieved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are known in particular from the dependent claims and/or the description.

This object is achieved by a steaming drawer for a household cooking appliance, comprising a steaming basin for receiving a treatment product to be steamed, a cover and a manually operable operating mechanism,

The steaming drawer has a carrying frame into which the steaming basin can be inserted and onto which the lid can be removably placed,

the lid is movable between a closed position and an open position,

the lid covers the open upper side of the steaming basin in its closed position and

the operating means are provided for moving the closed lid when operated by a user, so that a gap is formed on the edge of the lid, which gap is provided or is provided for the removal of steam from the steaming basin.

This achieves the advantage that the cover moves with the user's operation, automatically forming a defined gap through which the controlled steam can be discharged from the steaming basin to the environment, so that the user is not or only slightly affected by the steam.

The steam treatment drawer can be moved out of the drawer housing horizontally (for example manually, force-assisted or motor-driven) and into the drawer housing horizontally back. The cover can be moved back or forth on the support frame in the direction of travel when the steam treatment drawer is out of the way. If the steam treatment drawer is pulled out and the lid is opened, the lid can be automatically closed again in a modified version if the steam treatment drawer is pulled in.

If the lid is in its closed position ("closed position"), it covers the open upper side of the steaming basin or the filling opening at least as vapor-tightly as possible. For this purpose, a seal can be provided between the steaming basin and the cover, which seal can be placed on the steaming basin or the cover.

After the steaming process, the steaming drawer can be moved out of the drawer housing horizontally. The steaming drawer is now bare, with the lid in its closed position. The steam-treated cooking product is located in a steam basin, which is furthermore typically filled with steam, in particular hot steam. The lid is moved by a user operating the operating mechanism, thereby creating a gap between the lid and the carrying frame through which steam can be expelled into the environment. Since the user does not manipulate the cover itself and furthermore the gap has a width defined by the operating mechanism which is not too large, the risk of the expelled steam causing irritation or even pain to the user, in particular to the user's hands, can be reduced.

The cover can rest directly and/or via a curved support edge of the steaming basin on the support frame and can be moved from front to back and vice versa.

The operating element may be, for example, a button, a lever, a slider, a switch, or the like. The operating element may be a mechanically operable operating element (such as a short stroke button) or a sensor button, such as a capacitive or inductive button. The actuation of the cap operating means may be performed by mechanical force transmission, for example via a link or a pull cord. The triggering of the lid operating means may alternatively be performed electrically.

An improvement is that the steam treatment drawer is provided with an evaporator. The evaporator can be arranged in particular removably in an evaporator recess of the steam treatment drawer. The steam generated by the evaporator is conducted into a steaming basin in order to steam the steam treatment product, in particular the cooking product, placed therein.

In order to achieve a compact design, the evaporator has a steam generating unit and a water tank as components.

For easy emptying and cleaning, in particular decalcification, an advantageous development is that the steam generating unit and/or the water tank are designed to be removable from the evaporator receiving area individually and/or jointly.

It is particularly advantageous if the water tank can be inserted into and removed from the receptacle recess of the upper side of the evaporator production unit on the user side. Alternatively, the water tank is arranged separately from the steam generating unit and is separately steerable.

The steam generating unit is provided for boiling water delivered from the water tank and thereby generating steam. The steam generating unit has at least one heating element for this purpose, which is advantageously arranged on the bottom side. The steam generated during boiling is discharged via the steam outlet opening of the evaporator or the steam generating unit.

One improvement is that at least one of the heating elements is an electrically driven heating element. In order to remove the steam generating unit, a particularly advantageous development provides that the heating element can be heated, for example, by heat radiation from the outside and/or contact heat or induction. In which case the heating element is not directly electrically driven. An advantageous improvement in the case of heating by heat radiation and/or contact heat is (indirect) heating by means of heating devices built fixedly into the steam treatment drawer, such as resistive heaters. An improvement is to build at least one induction coil fixedly in the steam treatment drawer in the case of induction heating.

In one embodiment, the actuating mechanism has at least one actuating element that can be actuated on the user side and at least one lid actuating element that can be actuated by the at least one actuating element and is provided for automatically moving the lid from its closed position into a partially open position as a result of the actuation of the actuating element. This achieves the advantage that the user does not have to open the cover by hand, which in a particularly simple manner allows one or both hands of the user to discharge steam away from the gap ("steam discharge gap").

The lid actuating means may be in particular force-driven lid actuating means, in particular it being understood that the lid actuating means are provided for moving the lid from its closed position ("automatically force-driven") into a partially open position by applying a force or moment. The force may be, for example, a mechanical force or a magnetic force.

One embodiment is that the actuating mechanism, in particular at least one actuating element thereof, has at least one spring element, which is preloaded when the cover is brought into its closed position and is locked there (for example, locked or latched) until it is triggered (for example, unlocked or unlatched) by actuation of the actuating element. As the operating mechanism operates, energy stored in the at least one spring element is applied to the lid to open the lid. The preloaded spring element may be a compressed, stretched and/or twisted spring element.

Alternatively, the cap operating means may have at least one motor for its drive, which motor is operated by the at least one operating element or the operation of which motor is triggered by the at least one operating element. The operating element can be electrically connected to the lid operating means, in particular in this case.

Furthermore, the lid actuating element can have at least one electromagnet, which, when the lid is closed, is opposite a corresponding permanent magnet fastened to the lid. If at least one electromagnet is actuated by an actuating element configured as an electrical switch, the electromagnet is energized, whereby the associated permanent magnet is pushed aside, so that the cover has a gap.

One design is that at least one operating mechanism is integrated in the carrier frame. This is particularly advantageous because in this way, in a simple and ergonomic operation, one or both hands of the user can be positioned particularly far from the edge of the cover, from which the steam is expelled.

One embodiment is that the support frame has lateral sections ("cheeks") oriented in the direction of travel of the steam treatment drawer, which cheeks delimit, in particular guide covers, laterally, that is to say on the left and right in front view, wherein at least the at least one operating element is integrated in at least one of the cheeks. This has the advantage that, in a simple and ergonomic manner, one or both hands of the user can be protected, in particular against the escape of steam, and can be positioned laterally beside the cover. One embodiment provides that at least one operating element is integrated into the upper side of at least one cheek. This advantageously enables a particularly simple and user-friendly operation. In particular, at least one operating element can be integrated in the upper side of the respective cheek.

One embodiment provides that at least one operating element is integrated into the outer face of at least one cheek. One or both hands of the user can thereby be shielded against the cover by means of one or more cheeks, so that they can be particularly effectively protected against the escaping vapors. In particular, the at least one operating element can be integrated in the outer lateral surface of the respective cheek.

One design is to integrate a respective operating element in each of the two cheeks and to provide the lid operating means for moving the lid out of its closed position only if both operating elements are operated simultaneously. This has the advantage that both hands have to be in the region of the cheeks in order to open the gap, so that particularly effective protection against undesired vapor wetting is achieved.

One design is that the lid handling means are provided for lifting the lid by operation of the handling element. Thereby forming a gap between the cover and its bearing surface through which the vapour can escape. An improvement is that the lid handling means are provided for lifting the front edge of the lid by operation of the handling element. In this way, it is achieved that the steam is discharged particularly strongly at the front edge of the cover (and not directly upwards there either) and thus in turn is prevented particularly effectively from entering the region of the lateral cheeks in interfering amounts.

In a further development, the cover plate can be pressed down manually, for example, for the purpose of being moved into the open state, whereby the cover actuating element is pressed down again and then removed manually.

One design is that the lid operating means are provided for moving or pushing the lid away from its closed position with a gap by operation of the operating element. Thereby forming a gap between the cover and its bearing surface through which the vapour can escape. An improvement is that the lid operating means are provided for lifting the front edge of the lid in response to operation of the operating element. In this way, it is achieved that the steam is discharged particularly strongly at the front edge of the cover (and not directly upwards there either) and thus in turn is prevented particularly effectively from entering the region of the lateral cheeks in interfering amounts.

In a development, the cover can be pressed down manually, for example, for moving into the open state, whereby the cover actuating element is pressed down again and then removed manually. This is particularly advantageous for the integration of at least one operating element in one or more lateral cheeks.

One of the designs is that of a design,

the carrier frame has lateral cheeks which guide the cover laterally,

The operating mechanism has at least one moving element which is guided on at least one of the cheeks with a gap width in the direction of movement of the cover and which is movable

The movement element has an operating region for its manual movement and is provided for bringing the lid at least into the open position during operation.

The design can be implemented particularly simply and enables a predetermined gap width to be maintained particularly accurately. In this design, the displacement element is arranged on the associated cheek in such a way that it provides a guide for the rearward and forward displacement of the displacement element, the length of the guide corresponding in particular to the desired gap width. The operating area may for example be an area that the user can grasp or press in order to move.

The operating mechanism has at least one moving element, which can also be expressed or regarded as a moving mechanism.

The movement element is provided for bringing the cover at least into the open position during operation, and can also be expressed in that the movement element can carry the cover at least into the open position. This can be achieved in that the displacement element contacts the cover on the front side of the cover, but is not fastened thereto. The cover is then carried back and guided into the open position when the displacement element is displaced. If the moving element moves back forward, the contact with the cover is released and the cover remains in its position. If the cover is moved back into its closed position, the moving element moves back together. In one development, the displacement element is provided with a spring element which presses the displacement element into its starting position, which corresponds to the closed position of the cover. In this case, after the cover has been moved into its position, which is open with a gap, the moving element is automatically moved back again into the starting position by the spring element.

An improvement is that the actuating mechanism has two displacement elements which are arranged on the respective opposite cheeks. Hereby it is possible to open the lid more easily and jamming (verkanteng) is prevented particularly effectively here.

This object is also achieved by a household cooking appliance having a steam treatment drawer as described above. The household cooking appliance can be configured similarly to a steaming drawer and vice versa, with the same advantages.

The household cooking appliance may have only at least one steaming drawer ("stand alone appliance"), in particular just one steaming drawer, as a functional unit for the treatment of the cooking product.

In addition to the at least one steaming drawer, the domestic cooking appliance has at least one further functional unit for the treatment of cooking products, which has its own cooking chamber, such as a hob, which is separate from the steaming drawer. The firebox may be, for example, an oven, a microwave oven, or a combination thereof. This may also be referred to as a "multichamber" cooking appliance.

An improvement is that the steam treatment drawer is arranged below the other functional units for the treatment of cooking products, in particular the oven chamber, since this advantageously enables particularly good accessibility and simple handling of the steam treatment drawer.

The object is also achieved by a method for producing a gap for discharging steam from a steam treatment drawer. The method can be constructed similarly to a steaming drawer or a household cooking appliance and vice versa with the same advantages.

One of the designs is that of a design,

-operating at least one operating element of the device,

triggering the cap operating means by operating at least one operating element and

the triggered lid handling means move the lid back on the carrier frame and/or lift it up from the carrier frame in a force-driven manner.

One design is that at least one moving unit is moved manually from front to back, which here carries the cover and thereby moves the cover in the same way, whereby a gap is created, in particular between the cover and the front wall or front cover of the carrier frame.

Drawings

The above features, features and advantages of the present invention, and the manner of attaining them and the method of attaining them, will become more apparent and be better understood by reference to the following description of exemplary embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 shows a sketch of a household cooking appliance as a sectional view in a side view, with a steam treatment drawer according to a first embodiment;

Fig. 2 shows a cut-off of a possible variant of the household cooking appliance of fig. 1 in a view from obliquely above, with an extracted steaming drawer, which is shown in more detail in an exploded view;

FIG. 3 shows the steam basin of the steam treatment drawer of FIG. 2 in a view from obliquely above;

FIG. 4 shows the steam treatment drawer of FIG. 2 in a side view as a sectional view with the steam basin drawn out;

fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the evaporator in a view from obliquely above;

fig. 6 shows a cut-off of the steam treatment drawer from a diagonally upper view with the steam generating unit of the evaporator removed; and

FIG. 7 shows a cut-off of the lid of the steam treatment drawer in a view from obliquely above;

fig. 8 shows a sketch of the steam treatment drawer in a side view as a sectional view with the lid in its fully closed state;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic drawing of a steam treatment drawer in a side view as a sectional view, now with the lid open with a gap;

FIG. 10 shows a sketch of a steam treatment drawer in top view with a lid open with a gap;

FIG. 11 shows a sketch of a steam treatment drawer in a front view as a sectional view; and

Fig. 12 shows a sketch of a steam treatment drawer according to a second embodiment in a top view similar to fig. 10, with a lid in a state opened with a gap.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view of a "multichamber" domestic cooking appliance 1 in a side view as a sectional view, with a chamber 2, whose fixed chamber 2a can be closed on the front by means of a pivotable chamber door 3, as indicated by curved double arrows. Inside the housing 4 of the domestic cooking appliance 1 below the hob 2 is a steam treatment drawer 5 arranged separately from the hob 2, which can be moved manually and/or mechanically assisted horizontally into and out of a fixed drawer housing 9, as indicated by the straight double arrow. The steam treatment drawer 5 has a smaller height than the furnace 2 and is arranged below the furnace 2.

In the furnace door 3 there is a common appliance control device 6 comprising an operating panel for the furnace 2 and the steam treatment drawer 5. The oven chamber 2 and the steam treatment drawer 5 can be individually operated by means of the appliance control device 6, so that the treatment products located therein, such as cooking products, e.g. food products, meals, etc., can be cooked independently of each other. The furnace chamber 2a can be heated by means of an upper heating body 7 and a lower heating body 8, which are in the form of exemplary illustrations, in particular by clocking the respective supplies. The control of the heating bodies 7 and 8 is carried out by the appliance control device 6. The appliance control device 6 is also provided in particular for coordinating the treatment processes, in particular the end points of the treatment processes, energy input and/or exhaust gas control in the furnace chamber 2a and in the steam treatment drawer 5 with one another.

The household cooking appliance 1 is in particular compact and can thus be fitted into an embedded niche (einbaunsische) of 60cm x 60cm (embedded height x embedded width).

Referring now to fig. 2, the steam treatment drawer 5 has an evaporator receiving area 11 arranged behind the front cover plate 10, in which area the evaporators 12, 13 constructed in a modular manner are provided, comprising a steam generating unit 12 and a water tank 13 connected thereto. The steam generating unit 12 and the water tank 13 can be removed from the evaporator receiving area 11 or alternatively fixedly installed therein. The water tank 13 is filled with water via a closable water filling opening 14.

Behind the evaporator receiving area 11 in front view there is a basin insertion area 15. The evaporator receiving area 11 and the pot insertion area 15 are areas which are arranged one behind the other and can be moved out horizontally from the support frame 30.

The basin insert region 15 has a hemmed shape with lateral cheeks 16, a front wall 17 and a rear wall 18. At least the cheeks 16 are formed as hollow parts, in this case having a rectangular cross section, so that they are particularly lightweight and enable protected passage of electrical leads (not shown), such as electrical leads for supplying power to the heating element of the steam generating unit 12, and if necessary signal leads. Furthermore, a running rail (not shown) of the steam treatment drawer 5, such as a running rail of a telescopic extraction system, is arranged in the hollow cheek 16. Another advantage of using a hollow profile is that it enables a wide upper bearing surface 19 to be constructed in a simple manner for supporting the steaming basin 20. At least the cheek 16 and the rear wall 18 have flat surfaces here, which facilitates cleaning of these surfaces. The front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 can likewise be constructed as hollow profiles or as simple walls without hollow profiles. Their upper side can also be used as a bearing surface 19, but is not necessary.

The steaming basin 20 is configured in the shape of a basin or a shell, specifically, in this case, has a rectangular parallelepiped basic shape with an open top. The steaming basin 20 has a laterally outwardly curved circumferential closed flange or rim area 21 on its upper side, via which the steaming basin can be placed over the support surface 19 from above. The basin 20 may be inserted into the basin insertion area 15 from above. The upper opening of the tub 20 forms a loading opening 20a for loading a treatment product to be steamed, such as a cooking product. For this purpose, an insert E can be used which fits into the steaming basin 20 and on which the treatment product can be laid. The use of such inserts E may facilitate loading and unloading of the cooking product, particularly if the steaming basin 20 is nested.

In the region laterally bounded by cheeks 16 and walls 17, 18, basin insert region 15 is bottomless. In the case of the insertion of the steam pot 20, its bottom surface 22 forms a partial region of the bottom surface of the steam treatment drawer 5 that is flush with the surface within the edges 16 to 18. The steam basin 20 can thus be constructed particularly deep and therefore of large volume. Furthermore, there is no floor of the carrier frame 30, which advantageously results in a material saving.

For simple handling, the steaming basin 20 also has a laterally projecting handle 23 which can be fitted into a corresponding open-sided recess of the lateral cheek 16 in the form of a corresponding depression 24 when the steaming basin 20 is inserted.

The steam basin 20 furthermore has a steam inlet channel 25 made of plastic, which extends laterally in a horizontally oriented manner, is arranged on the front wall 17 and which, when the steam basin 20 is inserted, forms a section of a steam-technical connection to the steam generating unit 12. The steam basin 20 furthermore has a steam outlet channel 26 (see fig. 4) which engages on the rear wall 18 and which, in the event of the insertion of the steam basin 20, establishes a steam-technical connection with a steam removal unit 27 (see fig. 4) which is present behind the steam basin insertion area 15 in a front view. The steam removal unit 27 serves at least for the removal of steam, which is output from the steaming basin 20 during the steaming process, from the steaming drawer 5, for example into a smoke extractor (Wrasenabzug).

Fig. 1 also shows a cover 28, which can be placed over the upper side of the edge region 21 of the steaming basin 20 and/or over the upper side of the support frame 30, preferably via a seal (not shown), in order to prevent or at least increase the difficulty of the steam escaping from the gap between the steaming basin 20 or the support frame 30 on the one hand and the cover 28 on the other hand in the closed state. The steaming basin 20 and the lid 28 form or delimit a steaming chamber 29 in which the treatment product present there can be acted upon by steam. The cover 28 is advantageously at least in regions a transparent glass cover or has at least one glass pane, which is arranged on the carrier frame 30 in a movable manner back or forth between a closed position and a fully open position when the steaming drawer 5 is open.

Fig. 3 shows the steaming basin 20 in a view from obliquely above. The steam inlet channel 25 of the adapter type is arranged below the edge region 21 on the front face 31 of the steam tub 20 facing the front wall 17. The steam inlet channel is open at the underside and forms a coupling opening 25b there. The steam inlet channel furthermore has a rear, here slit-shaped steam inlet opening 25a into the steam basin 20 or the steam treatment chamber 29, through which steam D is introduced into the steam basin 20 during the steam treatment process.

An adapter-shaped steam outlet channel 26 (see fig. 4) is arranged on the rear side 32 below the edge region 21. The steam outlet channel likewise has a horizontally extending basic shape and is configured in the form of a coupling opening 26b (see fig. 4) open on the underside. The steam outlet channel 26 may be shaped at least largely identically to the steam inlet channel 25 structure. The steam outlet channel also has a front, here slit-shaped steam outlet opening 26a (not shown) which opens into the steam basin 20 or the steam treatment chamber 29, through which steam D is conducted out of the steam basin 20 during the steam treatment process and is fed to the steam removal unit 27.

Fig. 4 shows in a side view the steaming drawer 5 with the steaming basin 20 removed as a sectional view through the evaporators 12 to 13. The lid 28 is moved back here and thus releases the basin insert region 15.

When the steaming basin 20 is inserted into the steaming basin insertion region 15 from above, as indicated by the wide arrow, the edge of the downwardly directed coupling opening 25b of the steam inlet channel 25 is slipped over or, as shown, is inserted on the edge side into the correspondingly shaped upwardly directed slit-shaped steam outlet opening 12a of the steam generating unit 12, if appropriate via a seal. In this way, a steam channel is established from the steam outlet opening 12a into the steam tub 20 via the steam inlet channel 25, through which steam D generated by the steam generating unit 12 is introduced into the steam tub 20, as is shown by the arrow on the left. The steam outlet opening 12a and the coupling opening 25b thus form a steam coupling through which steam can pass in the extended state.

Furthermore, with the steam pot 20 inserted, the downwardly open coupling opening 26b of the steam outlet channel 26a is slipped or, as shown, is inserted on the edge side into a correspondingly shaped open upper side of the receptacle 27a of the steam removal unit 27, if appropriate via a seal. The open upper side of the receiving portion 27a is configured to match the steam inlet opening 27b formed by the coupling opening 26 b. In this way, a steam channel is established from the steam basin 20 through the steam outlet channel 26 into the steam removal unit 27, through which steam D, possibly containing smoke, flowing through the steam basin 20 is introduced into the steam removal unit 27, as is indicated by the arrow on the right. The coupling opening 26b and the steam inlet opening 27b thus form a steam coupling through which steam can pass in the event of the steam tub 20 being inserted.

Fig. 5 shows an exploded view of the evaporators 12 to 14 in a view from obliquely above, with the steam generating unit 12 and the water tank 13 being insertable therein from the upper side.

The water tank 13 may be made of transparent plastic and is thus shown here as translucent. The cover 14 can be put over the upwardly open water tank 13. The water tank 13 has here by way of example a bottom-side, tubular or pipe-joint-shaped inwardly projecting water outlet 40 for discharging water into the steam generating unit 12. The water outlet 40 has a closing mechanism (not shown) which closes off the water outlet in case the water tank 13 is removed and releases the water outlet in case the water tank 13 is inserted.

The steam generating unit 12 is here embodied in the form of a heatable evaporator housing 41, with a rectangular, upwardly open basic shape and an adapter plate 42 which can be placed on the user side on the open upper side of the evaporator housing 41. The adapter plate 42 thus serves as a cover for the evaporator shell 41. For this purpose, the adapter plate 42 has a laterally projecting edge region 43 or flange which can be slipped onto an empty upper edge 44 of the evaporator shell 41. The internal volume of the evaporator shell 41 corresponds to at least one filling volume of the water tank 13.

The adapter plate 42 has a receptacle recess 45 with a water passage opening (not shown) for positively engaging the water tank 13 on the user side, and (in front view) a steam outlet opening 12a, for example in the form of a slit, which is present behind the receptacle recess 45. In the bottom of the receptacle recess 45, there may be a pipe connection 46 or a pipe (see fig. 5) which can be inserted into the water outlet 40 and which, with the water tank 13 inserted into the receptacle recess 45, is guided into the water outlet 40 and opens a closing mechanism (such as a spring-assisted check valve) located therein. With the closing mechanism open, water can flow from the water tank into the evaporator housing 41 through the water outlet 40 and the pipe connection 46 inserted therein, if at the same time the shut-off valves (not shown) of the evaporators 12, 13 are also open, the shut-off valves being provided for selectively opening or closing in dependence on the water level in the evaporator housing 41, such as a valve operated by a float ball floating on the water in the evaporator housing 41 ("float valve"). It is thereby possible to inject only a small amount of water into the evaporator housing 41, which is distributed over a large heatable floor of the evaporator housing 41 with a comparatively small filling height, so that a particularly short reaction time and/or a high steam quantity can be achieved during steam generation.

The water tank 13 can be removed from the receptacle recess 45 in a variant by means of at least one grip (not shown) arranged thereon and/or by means of a lever-type automatic mechanism (not shown).

The evaporator shell 41 is also provided with at least one heating element (not shown). The evaporator shell 41 is advantageously made at least partly of metal or ceramic, while the adapter plate 42 is advantageously made of plastic.

The steam generating unit 12 may have a screen support (not shown) which may be disposed above the rated fill level of the evaporator shell 41. The screen support may thus be wetted by the steam located in the evaporator shell 41 without having to be immersed in the water located in the evaporator shell 41. Whereby the steam coming out of the steam outlet opening 12a can be flavoured if a corresponding flavouring, such as spice or the like, is present in the sieve support.

Fig. 6 shows a cut-off of the steam treatment drawer 5 from a diagonally upper view, with the steam generating unit 12 removed from the evaporators 12 to 13. The water tank 13 is not shown and may for instance have been removed.

As indicated by the wide arrow, the steam generating unit 12 or the evaporator shell 41 can be removed from the corresponding evaporator recess 47 of the support frame 30, for example, back to the user side, when the steaming tub 20 is removed. The evaporator housing 41 can then be emptied by the user after removal of the adapter plate and, if necessary, cleaned together with the adapter plate 42 and/or the water tank 13, in particular decalcified, for example in a dishwasher.

On the bottom surface of the evaporator hollow 47, there is a contact thermocouple (not shown) which, with the evaporator case 41 fitted in, is brought into contact with the bottom surface of the evaporator case, thereby measuring the outside temperature of the bottom surface. The sensor measurement values can be fed to a control device for controlling the evaporators 12, 13, for example, can be detected for steam conditioning (activation and deactivation of at least one heating element) and for detecting a water shortage (for example, idling). The control means may be a component of the steaming drawer 5 or, in general, a component of the household cooking appliance 1. The control device may in particular correspond to the appliance control device 6.

Fig. 7 shows a cut-off of the lid 28 of the steaming drawer 5 in a view from obliquely above.

The cover 28 has a circumferential frame made of plastic ("cover frame" 48) with a front frame section 48a, two lateral frame sections 48b and a rear or rear frame section 48c, which surrounds a transparent glass pane 49. A handle housing 50, which is open on the upper side and is therefore accessible from the user side, is optionally inserted centrally in front view in part in front frame section 48a and in part in the u-shaped cutout (Ausschleifung) of the front face of glass pane 49.

The lateral sections 48b of the lid enclosure 48 rest with sliding surfaces 53 made of a highly slippery material, such as POM, on the carrying frame 30 of the steaming drawer 5, as will be explained in more detail below with reference to fig. 11.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic representation of one possible embodiment of the steam treatment drawer 5 in a side view as a sectional view, with the lid 28 in its fully closed ("closed") state. The glass plate 49 is located by its weight on the upper flange of the steaming basin 20, specifically via a seal 55 (see fig. 11). Glass sheet 49 may be a single layer glass sheet or, as purely exemplary, a double layer sheet.

In the closed state, a steam treatment process can be performed, in which steam generated by the steam generating unit 12 is introduced into the steam tub 20 and a treatment product, such as a cooking product, located therein is wetted with steam, in particular hot steam.

At least in the closed state, the lid 28 (which is shown as a separately manipulable member of the steaming drawer 5) is detachable and, for example, separately cleanable, for example in a dishwasher.

The front wall 17 of the basin insert region 15 also serves as a front stop for the lid 28.

Fig. 9 shows a schematic diagram of the steam treatment drawer 5 in a side view as a sectional view, wherein the cover 28 is now pushed open by the operation of the operating device 61 by the gap width B. Steam D can now escape through gap S, specifically on front edge 52 of front frame section 48a, as also shown in fig. 10 in a top view.

The user can now wait for a period of time acceptable to him until the amount of steam flowing out has been sufficiently reduced and then remove the lid 28 further back. The lid 28 may be moved back into the drawer housing 9 until the basin 20 is exposed and may be removed upward. For this purpose, the cover 28 is removed with its sliding surface 53 mounted in the drawer housing 9 on left and right sliding rails 57 which hold the cover 28 in the drawer housing 9 and prevent tilting of the cover 28, for example. The slide rail 57 may also provide a stop (not shown) for limiting the movement of the lid 28 rearward.

To close the lid 28, the user may manually move the lid forward again. Alternatively, the user can bring the lid 28 again into its closed position, so that the user drives the carrier frame 30 into, for example into, the drawer housing 9 with the lid 28 open.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic view of the steam treatment drawer 5 in a front view as a sectional view, wherein the cover 28 here has, for example, only one glass pane 49. The lid 28, as already described in detail in fig. 7, protrudes at least on all sides from the filling opening 20a of the steaming basin 20, which is drawn in dashed lines. The glass plate 49 has a circumferential seal 55 on its underside in the region of its edge, via which the cover 28 rests with its weight in a vapor-tight manner on a flange of the steaming basin 20, which rests on the underside on the lateral support surface 19 of the cheek 16 of the support frame 30.

The bearing surface 19 represents in the front view shown an internal deep step of a step profile constructed on the upper side of the cheek 16. The outer high step of the step-like member serves as a bearing surface for supporting the corresponding sliding surface 53 of the lid 28. The cover 28 has a stepped shape matching this, wherein the underside of its inner deep step has a seal 55 and the underside of its outer high step has a sliding surface 53. Alternatively or additionally, the bearing surface 19 may be made of a high slip material such as POM.

With the lid 28 closed, after the seal 55, there is a raised scraping lip 59 (see fig. 8 and 9) on the rear wall 18 of the carrier frame 30, which contacts the lid 28 on the underside. In the event of a displacement of the cover 28 into the drawer housing 8, the underside of the cover 28 is scraped off by the scraping lip 59 and thereby the condensate present there is scraped off.

Referring now in particular to fig. 2, 6 and 8 to 11, the steaming drawer 5 also has a manually operable operating mechanism 61 arranged to, upon operation by a user, remove or push open the closed lid 28 such that a gap S (see fig. 8 and 10) is formed between the lid 28 and the steaming drawer 5 for draining steam D from the steaming tub 20. The actuating element 61 here has in each case, on the upper side of the two lateral cheeks 16, in addition to the cover 28 or the support surface 19, a manually operable actuating element in the form of a (for example mechanical or capacitive) button 62. The push button 62 is mechanically or electrically connected to two lid actuating means 63 (fig. 8 to 10) of the actuating mechanism 61, so that the lid actuating means 63 can be triggered in the event of an actuation of the push button 62. The present operating mechanism 62 is configured to trigger both cover operating means 63 simultaneously in the case where both buttons 62 are operated simultaneously.

The lid actuating means 63 arranged in the front wall 17 of the carrier frame 30 are force-driven lid actuating means in that they each have a plunger 64 which can be moved back from the rear of the front wall 17 and which is preloaded by a corresponding spring (not shown) when the lid 28 is closed. The spring locks with the lid 28 closed. In a refinement, the spring can be locked, for example, by a respectively assigned locking device, wherein the locking device has an electrical relay. The button 62 and relay may form a closed current loop in the event the button is operated.

With the operation of the cap operating means 63, the plunger 64 thereof is driven out by a spring and thereby pushes the cap 28 open with a gap S, for example, a few centimeters, for example, about 5cm. The lid 28 can now be fully opened, in particular manually by the user, after the steam D has been emitted, to release the filling opening 20a.

If the lid 28 is closed again, the plunger 64 is pressed back into the lid operating means 63 under spring stress by the lid 28 until the spring locks again.

Alternatively, the buttons 62 may be arranged on the outer side of the respective cheeks 16.

The lid actuating means 63 can also be integrated into the support surface 19 for the front wall 17 of the lid 28, wherein the ram 64 is moved out upwards when the lid actuating means 63 is activated and the lid 28 is lifted there with the formation of a gap. By manually depressing the cap 28, the cap operating means 63 can be pressed and locked again.

Fig. 12 shows a sketch of a steaming drawer 65 according to the first embodiment in a top view similar to fig. 10 with the lid 28 in a state opened with a gap S of width B. The steam treatment drawer 65 has a similar basic construction as the steam treatment drawer 5 and may be used instead of the steam treatment drawer 5.

The actuating mechanism 66 has here two displacement elements 67 which are guided by means of cheeks or in the cheeks 16 with the width B of the gap S between the front face of the cover 28 and the front wall 17 in a displaceable manner in the direction of displacement of the cover 28. For this purpose, the displacement elements 67 each have an operating region 68 which can be manually displaced by the user.

The actuating region 68 of the displacement element 67 is here embodied as a displacement handle extending around the edge between the upper side and the outer side. With the lid 28 closed, the two moving elements 67 are in their starting position drawn below. To open the lid 28, the two moving elements 67 are preferably simultaneously gripped by the user and moved backwards. The length for guiding the displacement element 67 in the lateral cheek 16 is limited to the gap width B. If the moving elements 67 are stopped against their rear stops (which corresponds to the end position drawn above), further movement of the moving elements 67 is stopped. The moving element 67 carries the cover 28 by a form-locking contact during the rearward movement, so that after the moving element has been completely moved, the cover 28 is also opened by the gap width B. Alternatively, the moving elements 67 may be pressed into their starting position by spring elements (not shown), wherein the cover 28 then remains in its partially open position with the gap width B.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

Thus, the electromagnet arranged on the front wall and the permanent magnet arranged on the front edge of the cover may be opposed. The electromagnet, the permanent magnet and the pole reversal device, by means of which the polarity of the electromagnet can be reversed, form an operating mechanism together with at least one operating element, for example at least one button. In the case of the at least one operating element not being operated, the electromagnet is either not energized or is energized in such a way that it exerts an electrical attraction on the electromagnet and holds the cover in a force-locking manner on the front wall. The pole reversal means can thus in a variant form magnetically acting closing means for holding the cover in its closed position. With the operation of the pole reversing device, the electromagnet is energized or the current direction is reversed by the electromagnet so that it generates a repulsive force to the permanent magnet and pushes the cover rearward by the gap width.

In general, "a", "an", etc. are to be understood as singular or plural, in particular "at least one" or "one or more", etc. as long as this is not explicitly excluded, such as "exactly one" etc. Furthermore, numerical representations may include the numbers given as well as the usual ranges of tolerances, provided that they are not explicitly excluded.

List of reference numerals

1. Household cooking appliance

2. Hearth chamber

3. Hearth door

4. Shell body

5. Steam treatment drawer

6. Appliance control device

7. Upper heating type heating body

8. Lower heating type heating body

9. Drawer shell

10. Cover plate

11. Evaporator receiving area

12. Steam generating unit

12a steam outlet opening

13. Water tank

14. Case cover

15. Steaming basin embedded area

16. Lateral cheek

17. Front wall

18. Rear wall

19. Bearing surface

20. Steaming basin

20a charging opening

21. Edge region

22. Bottom surface

23. Handle grip

24. Recess in the bottom of the container

25. Steam inlet channel

25a steam inlet opening

25b coupler opening

26. Steam outlet channel

26a steam outlet opening

26b coupler opening

27. Steam removal unit

27a accommodating portion

27b steam inlet opening

28. Cover

29. Steam treatment chamber

30. Bearing frame

31. Front of steaming basin

32. Back of steaming basin

40. Water outlet

41. Evaporator shell

42. Adapter plate

43. Edge region of adapter plate

44. Upper edge of evaporator shell

45. Recess of accommodating part

46. Pipe joint

47. Evaporator vacancy

48. Cover surrounding frame

48a leading edge section

48b lateral edge section

48c trailing edge section

49. Glass plate

50. Handle shell

51. Hollow throat (Hohlkehle)

52. Front edge

53. Sliding surface

54. Permanent magnet

55. Sealing element

56. Electromagnet

57. Sliding rail of drawer shell

59. Scraping lip

61. Operating mechanism

62. Push button

63. Lid operation device

64. Ejector rod

65. Steam treatment drawer

66. Operating mechanism

67. Moving element

68. Operating area

Width of gap B

E insert

D steam

S gap

Claims (13)

1. A steaming drawer (5; 65) for a household cooking appliance (1) having a steaming basin (20) for receiving a treatment product to be steamed, a lid (28) and a manually operable operating mechanism (61; 66), wherein,

the steaming drawer (5) has a carrying frame (30) in which the steaming basin (20) can be inserted and on which the cover (28) can be movably placed,

said cover (28) being movable between a closed position and an open position,

the lid (28) covers the open upper side (20 a) of the steaming basin (20) in a steam-tight manner in the closed position thereof,

-said operating means (61; 66) are arranged for moving the closed lid (28) when operated by a user, so as to form a gap (S) on the edge of said lid (28), said gap being arranged for letting out steam from said steaming basin (20).

2. Steaming drawer (5) according to claim 1, wherein,

The operating mechanism (61) has at least one operating element (62) which can be operated on the user side and at least one lid operating device (63) which can be triggered by the at least one operating element (62),

-the lid operating means (63) are provided for automatically moving the lid (28) from its closed position into a partially open position and, upon operation of the operating element (62)

-the operating mechanism (61) is integrated in the carrying frame (30).

3. A steam treatment drawer (5) according to claim 2, wherein the lid handling means are provided for lifting the lid (28) in connection with the operation of the handling element (62).

4. A steaming drawer (5) according to claim 2, wherein the lid operating means (63) is arranged to move the lid (28) away from its closed position with a gap (S) following operation of the operating element (62).

5. The steaming drawer (5) according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the carrying frame (30) has lateral cheeks (16) guiding the lid (28) laterally, and wherein the at least one operating element (62) is integrated in at least one of the cheeks (16).

6. The steaming drawer (5) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one operating element (62) is integrated in an upper side of the at least one cheek (16).

7. A steam treatment drawer (5) according to any of claims 5 to 6, wherein the at least one operating element (62) is integrated in an outer lateral surface of the at least one cheek (16).

8. A steam treatment drawer (5) according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein a respective operating element (62) is integrated in each of the two cheeks (16) and the lid operating means (61) are provided for moving the lid (28) out of its closed position only if both operating elements (62) are operated simultaneously.

9. A steam treatment drawer (5) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating mechanism (61) has at least one spring element which can be pretensioned and kept pretensioned in case the lid (28) is brought into its closed position until the operating mechanism (61) is operated.

10. The steam treatment drawer (65) according to claim 1, wherein,

the carrying frame (30) has lateral cheeks (16) which guide the cover (28) laterally,

-the operating mechanism (66) has at least one moving element (67) guided on at least one of the cheeks (16) so as to be movable in the direction of movement of the cover (28) by the width (B) of the gap (S), and

-the moving element (67) has an operating area (68) for manually moving the moving element and is arranged for entraining the cover (28) in the event of operation.

11. Household cooking appliance (1) having at least one steaming drawer (5; 65) according to any of the previous claims.

12. Method for producing a gap (S) for letting out steam from a steam treatment drawer (5) according to any of claims 2 to 9, wherein,

operating at least one operating element (62),

-triggering the lid operating means (63) by operating the at least one operating element (62) and

-triggered lid handling means (63) for force-driven movement of the lid (28) back on the carrier frame (30) and/or lifting up from the carrier frame (30).

13. Method for creating a gap (S) for letting out steam from a steaming drawer (65) according to claim 10, wherein at least one moving element (67), which here carries the lid (28), is moved from front to back.