DE102021131733B4 - food cooking appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

Food cooking appliance (1) with a first heat source and a second heat source, which are directed towards a common heating zone and which are provided with a removable, additional module (11) to be heated, which is arranged at least in sections in the heating zone for its use, characterized in that the The additional module (11) can be heated with the first heat source alone and has a blocking element (13) that prevents operation of the second heat source, so that when the food cooking appliance (1) is operated with the additional module (11), it cannot be damaged by the second heat source is heated.

Description

The invention relates to a food cooking appliance with a first heat source and a second heat source, which are directed towards a common heating zone and with a removable, to be heated additional module which is arranged at least partially in the heating zone for its use.

Food cooking devices can be designed, for example, as grills or cookers and are used to cook food. In many cases, fuel gas is burned to provide the desired heat; electrical heat sources are also known. Food cooking devices include a heat source below a heating zone, in which heating zone - such as a grill surface or a grid or a cooking surface - food is cooked, such as grilled or boiled.

In order to increase the heat output and/or to provide different heat outputs in the heating zone, a food cooking appliance can have a number of, for example two, heat sources. Both heat sources are then aligned to a common heating zone. If the heat sources are in the form of gas burners, they can be provided as combustion tubes or as annular burners, and they can also be arranged concentrically with one another.

U.S. 2010/0252020 A1 discloses a grill having two ring burners. The inner or outer burner can be operated in two different modes by means of a valve.

US 6,189,530 B1 discloses a grill with two ring burners controlled by two different taps.

In addition to heating food on a grid or a cooking surface, there is the possibility of arranging additional modules in the heating zone, with or in which food can be heated or with or in which food can be kept warm. These additional modules are typically available separately and can be designed as a retrofit module. Such an additional module is removable so that it can be mounted or dismounted on the food cooking appliance as desired by the user of the food cooking appliance.

US2017/0055770A1 discloses such an add-on module in the form of an oven. Also EP 0 511 052 B1 (also published under DE 69 202 914 T2 ) discloses a gas-fired oven.

It is sometimes problematic for the operation of such additional modules that they can be damaged by two heat sources in the heating zone due to the available heat source capacity. In addition, only a low heating output is required for the functionality of some additional modules.

The object of the invention is therefore to extend the scope of a food cooking appliance described above to the effect that a large number of different additional modules can be combined with the food cooking appliance without having to accept the risk of the same overheating.

This object is achieved by a generic food cooking appliance mentioned at the outset, in which the additional module can be heated solely with the first heat source and has a blocking element that prevents operation of the second heat source, so that when the food cooking appliance is operated with the additional module, it cannot is heated by the second heat source.

Advantageous configurations emerge from the dependent claims and the description.

The essence of the invention is that part of the additional module is a blocking element which restricts the operation of the second heat source. It is provided that in this way the first heat source is still fully available to the user so that the additional module can be operated with it; only the second heat source is no longer intended for operation when the additional module is installed. This means proper operation.

With the help of the blocking element, the maximum permissible power can be set for each additional module in such a way that there is no longer a risk of damage to the additional module.

A further advantage is that in this way an energy-efficient use of the additional module is made possible: If the additional module is only able to absorb a specific heat output, a heat source can be deactivated accordingly. Unnecessary energy consumption is counteracted.

One way of deactivating the second heat source is to turn off its power supply, such as shutting off the gas supply to the second burner in the case of a gas-powered food cooker. At least the second heat source to be deactivated has this an activatable or deactivatable power supply switch, such as a gas valve. The power supply switch may be a switch provided for manually adjusting the power flow to adjust the power of the respective heat source. When the heat source is electrical, the power supply switch is typically a circuit breaker.

If the food cooking appliance is a gas-operated food cooking appliance, a manually adjustable power supply switch is also commonly referred to as a gas faucet. However, it is also conceivable to provide a safety valve which is separate from such a throttle valve and which only allows a gas flow or not a gas flow.

It is provided that the blocking element belonging to the additional module acts on a sensor of the energy supply switch, so that the energy supply is interrupted during operation. For this configuration, it is necessary for the two heat sources to be supplied with energy independently of one another. The advantage of this configuration is the safety resulting from this concept: If the energy supply to the second heat source is interrupted, the second heat source cannot accidentally self-ignite either. This counteracts the risk of deflagration, in particular when the food cooking appliance is a gas-powered food cooking appliance.

If the food cooking appliance is a gas-operated food cooking appliance, influence is advantageously exerted on an ignition safety device assigned to the second burner, part of which is a gas valve. This is typically designed to be thermoelectric and is already present in many gas-powered food cooking appliances. The thermoelectric ignition safety device uses a gas valve to prevent gas from escaping if a thermocouple located next to the burner and assigned to the ignition safety device, acting as a sensor for the energy supply switch designed as a gas valve, should remain below a certain activation temperature (about 600° C). To start up the burner, the - non-existent - activation signal of the thermocouple is manually bridged in an ignition phase so that gas can escape from the burner. This is then ignited manually or piezoelectrically. Due to the resulting heating of the thermocouple arranged in or in the area of the flame, an activation signal is generated by the thermocouple, so that the gas valve assigned to the ignition safety device allows a further gas flow and manual bridging can be ended.

In order to prevent operation of the second burner, equipped with an ignition safety device, the blocking element of the additional module is designed according to one exemplary embodiment to prevent the thermocouple from heating above the critical temperature, for example by shading. In this way, the blocking element influences the thermocouple as the sensor of the gas valve. For this purpose, the blocking element can be designed, for example, as a sleeve which surrounds the thermocouple when the additional module is mounted. In particular, the critical temperature in the thermocouple is not reached due to a preferably provided air insulation between the inside wall of the sleeve acting as a blocking element and the outside wall of the sensor—the thermocouple. The thermocouple of the ignition safety device is also protected against heating up of the first burner or any other burners. This is normally the case anyway, since otherwise proper operation of the ignition safety device would not be guaranteed. The sleeve can, for example, be made of a metal or another heat-resistant material (such as ceramic).

This design advantageously reduces the additional outlay for implementing the idea of the invention to a minimum, resulting in an extremely cost-effective solution. The installation of the additional module is also simple: the blocking element as part of the additional module is placed on the thermocouple of the ignition safety device when it is installed and is held there by the weight of the additional module; an additional locking - for example to exert a required pressure beyond the weight of the additional module - is not absolutely necessary.

In another embodiment, the power supply switch can be triggered via a pressure and/or magnetic sensor, triggered by the blocking element. The supply to the second heat source can also be completely interrupted by the blocking element acting on the energy supply switch or a sensor of the energy supply switch, so that even bridging--for example in the context of an attempted start-up--is not possible. This is useful for additional modules that are particularly heat-sensitive and would be damaged even if the second heat source were briefly operated (e.g. during commissioning).

Typically, the two heat sources are arranged in a combustion chamber. The combustion chamber encloses the heat sources and towers above them. If no additional module is installed above the combustion chamber, typically a grilling surface, such as a grate, or a cooking surface in the heating protection zone arranged. Provision is preferably made for the sensor of the energy supply switch, which sensor interacts with the blocking element, to be arranged in addition to the two heat sources in the combustion chamber. The blocking element then protrudes into the combustion chamber. This is advantageous because the user does not typically view the combustion chamber as being accessible, so that he is prevented from tampering with it.

Provision is preferably made for the additional module to also protrude into the combustion chamber with other parts beyond the blocking element. The additional module can be held in the combustion chamber, for example by corresponding projections or a wall that delimits the combustion chamber and runs around at least in sections. By inserting the additional module or a part thereof in the combustion chamber, the additional module can be easily installed on the food cooking appliance, the required standing or installation stability being ensured at the same time by the additional module engaging in the combustion chamber. In this way, the additional module can be secured in five directions (completely in the horizontal plane—four directions—and against the direction of the weight force—fifth direction). In addition or as an alternative, bayonet locks are conceivable for securing against the sixth direction (in the direction of the force of gravity) in order to increase security.

It is typically provided that the second heat source has a higher heat output than the first heat source. The first heat source can have an output of between 500 W and 1 kW, while the second heat source can have a heating output of 3-4 kW. With such a heat source configuration, a wide power range is covered; at the same time, the possibility of deactivating the second, more powerful heat source enables power throttling. In this way, the second heat source can have two to four times the power of the first heat source without the risk of the additional module being damaged.

In a preferred embodiment, it is provided that the additional module is designed as an oven, for example as a radiant oven. There is no provision for direct flame entry or the introduction of hot air/flue gases into the interior of the radiant furnace. Instead, the oven is double-walled, with the double wall enclosing the inside of the oven. Food can be kept warm inside the oven. The hot air provided by the heat source is passed through the double wall of the oven so that the food is heated by radiant heat. If an air temperature of around 80 °C is required in the oven, this can be achieved with a relatively small heat source. If an additional, perhaps more powerful, second heat source were also activated, the furnace could be damaged. The configuration of the oven according to the invention, namely having a blocking element, makes it possible to operate such an oven on a food cooking appliance, even if this has a second, more powerful heat source.

• 1: Eine dreidimensionale Rückansicht auf ein gasbetriebenes Lebensmittelgargerät mit einem als Ofen ausgeführten Zusatzmodul und
• 2: eine Seitenansicht zu 1, um eine schematische Darstellung der Gaszufuhr ergänzt.

The invention is described in a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

• 1 : A three-dimensional rear view of a gas-powered food cooking appliance with an additional module designed as an oven and
• 2 : a side view too 1 , supplemented by a schematic representation of the gas supply.

In both figures, some parts of the food cooker are hidden to allow insight.

1 and 2 show a section of a gas-powered food cooking appliance 1. The food cooking appliance 1 comprises two concentrically arranged heat sources, here configured as burners 2, 3 (inner burner 2 in 2 shown dashed). Each of the two burners 2, 3 has its own fuel gas supply 4, 5 (in 2 shown schematically). The fuel gas supplies 4, 5 can be adjusted independently of one another by a user using gas valves 6, 7, here with stepless throttle valves. The two gas valves 6 , 7 are supplied with gas via a common fuel gas supply 8 .

The two burners 2, 3 are directed towards a common heating zone arranged above the two burners 2, 3. In this heating zone, food can be heated and grilled individually or together with the burners 2, 3. It is also possible to heat a container, such as a pot.

The inner, first burner 2 has a maximum power of 1 kW and a minimum power of 500 W. The outer, second burner 3 has a power range of 3-4 kW.

In addition, the second burner 3 has a thermoelectric ignition safety device. Part of the thermoelectric ignition safety device is a sensor 9 designed as a thermocouple, which is connected by means of a signal line 10 to the gas valve 7 associated with the second burner 3 (the energy supply switch). When the sensor heats up 9, the thermoelectric ignition safety device allows a permanent flow of gas through the gas valve 7 to the second burner 3 so that it can be operated; it thus allows an energy supply. If the sensor 9 has a temperature that is below an activation temperature of about 600° C., a continuous gas flow is not provided without bridging the ignition safety device—given as part of the commissioning of the second burner 3.

In this exemplary embodiment, an additional module 11, designed here as an oven, is arranged in the heating zone. The additional module 11 engages in the combustion chamber 12 in such a way that it is mounted and held on the outside thereof.

The additional module 11 is designed to be operated over a burner with about 1 kW. In addition, it would be damaged.

In order to prevent operation of the second burner 3 when the additional module 11 is installed, the additional module 11 has a blocking element 13 designed as a sleeve, which encloses the sensor 9 when the additional module 11 is installed. The inner diameter of the blocking element 13 designed as a sleeve is wider than the outer diameter of the sensor 9 designed as a thermocouple, so that an air gap is formed. This air gap insulates the sensor 9 so that it is not heated above its activation temperature by the attempt to start up the second burner 3, so that a permanent gas flow for operating the second burner 3 is possible: Without bridging the ignition safety device, the gas valve 7 remains blocked. In this configuration, the blocking element 13 is connected to a bracket 14 of the additional module 11 which projects into the combustion chamber 12 .

The invention has been described using an exemplary embodiment. Without departing from the scope of protection described by the applicable claims, there are numerous other possibilities for the person skilled in the art to develop the idea of the invention, without these having to be explained in more detail in the context of these statements.

Reference List

1

food cooking appliance

2

first burner

3

second burner

4, 5, 8

fuel gas supply

6, 7

gas valve

9

sensor

10

signal line

11

additional module

12

combustion chamber

13

blocking element

14

hanger

Claims (10)

Food cooking appliance (1) with a first heat source and a second heat source, which are directed towards a common heating zone and which are provided with a removable, additional module (11) to be heated, which is arranged at least in sections in the heating zone for its use, characterized in that the The additional module (11) can be heated with the first heat source alone and has a blocking element (13) that prevents operation of the second heat source, so that when the food cooking appliance (1) is operated with the additional module (11), it cannot be damaged by the second heat source is heated. food cooking appliance claim 1 , characterized in that the second heat source has an energy supply switch with which its energy supply can be adjusted independently of the first heat source and the locking element (13) acts on the energy supply switch in such a way that the operation of the second heat source is prevented. food cooking appliance claim 2 , characterized in that the power supply switch has a sensor (9) for actuating the switching mimic and the blocking element (13) of the additional module (11) acts on the sensor (9) in order to operate the food cooking appliance (1) with the additional module ( 11) not to heat it by the second heat source. food cooking appliance claim 3 , characterized in that the two heat sources are arranged together with the sensor (9) for actuating the energy supply switch in a common combustion chamber (12), and the blocking element (13) of the additional module (11) protrudes into the combustion chamber (12). food cooking appliance claim 4 , characterized in that the additional module (11) for operation is used at least in sections in the combustion chamber (12) and held there. Food cooking appliance according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that the food cooking appliance (1) is a gas-powered food cooking appliance (1) and the first and the second heat source is a gas burner (2, 3). food cooking appliance claim 6 in his reference to one of the claims 2 until 5 , characterized in that the gas valve (7) is assigned a thermoelectric ignition safety device and, through the blocking element (13), a thermocouple assigned to the thermoelectric ignition safety device as a sensor (9) against heating by the first burner (2) and the second burner (3) shaded so that the gas valve (7) of the second burner (3) does not switch to its operating mode. food cooking appliance claim 7 in his reference to claim 5 , characterized in that the blocking element (13) is a sleeve which, when the additional module (11) is fitted, encloses the sensor (9) designed as a thermocouple in such a way that an air gap remains between the sensor (9) and the sleeve. Food cooking appliance according to one of Claims 1 until 8th , characterized in that the second heat source has a higher heat output than the first heat source. Food cooking appliance according to one of Claims 1 until 9 , characterized in that the additional module (11) is designed as an oven.

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