EP1199529B1 - Appliance and method for cooking food - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such cooking appliances have long been available in different designs on the market. The user of the cooking appliance selects a cooking program on the input unit of the cooking appliance and optionally enters the weight of the food as another cooking parameter. The control unit of the cooking appliance then specifies the type of heating or the operating mode of the heating device in the cooking chamber in which a heating proportion of the / of the heating element of the heating device is set as a heating pattern on the basis of the entered cooking program. In this case, the heating device generally comprises a plurality of electrical heating elements which can be operated in different power levels and are arranged in the cooking space on the top, side and bottom surfaces. A type of heating then specifies a percentage heating proportion of the total heat output per control cycle of the control unit for each individual heating element. In conventional cooking appliances, the possible types of heating, which can be assigned to a selected cooking program by the control unit, are limited to the usually four to seven types of heating which are usually also selectable manually in addition to the cooking programs. The type of heating of the heating elements of the heater is therefore not optimally matched to the desired cooking program in the conventional cooking appliances.

From the DE 198 32 757 C2 a cooking appliance is known in which by means of an operating element heating modes and by means of an operating element cooking programs can be selected.

Object of the present invention is to develop a cooking appliance such that improved cooking results are achievable.

This object is achieved with a cooking appliance according to claim 1. Preferred embodiments are specified in the dependent claims.

Advantageously, an independent operating mode or a heating program for the heating device in the cooking chamber is provided for each cooking program that can be entered on the cooking appliance. This ensures that an optimum cooking result is achieved for each cooking program, since the heating program or the operating mode is optimally adapted to the associated cooking program. The programming effort of the user remains minimal, since this only the cooking program using the input unit on the cooking appliance z. B. must enter as a selection from a list of possible dishes and the cooking appliance then automatically finds the optimal heating program for this cooking program The user must therefore do not even worry about how the heater would be optimally adjusted to achieve the desired cooking result. In addition, due to the finely tuned differentiation of the possible heating programs, the required energy consumption of the cooking appliance can be optimally adjusted to the desired cooking result.

According to a preferred development, in addition to the input of the cooking program, further cooking parameters, in particular the type of cooking utensil used, can be entered, whereby the selection of the heating program takes account of these additional cooking parameters. As a result, the cooking result can be further optimized because z. B. the cooking utensils have a significant impact on it. If for cooking z. B. a heavy enamelware is used, the heating program can be tuned so that the performance of the bottom heat is reduced compared to the heating program for a cooking program with normal dishes, so that an optimal frying fund is achieved.

According to a further preferred embodiment, an interface unit for the memory unit with the heating programs can be provided, via which the heating programs can be stored. Hereby, the heating programs for the individual cooking programs can then be optimally adjusted to the cooking habits of the user of the cooking appliance. In addition, it is possible to reprogram the heating programs, eg when a subsequently detected fault in the heating process occurs.

• Figur 1 in Vorderansicht einen schematisch dargestellten Backofen als erfindungsgemäßes Gargerät;
• Figur 2 einen vergrößerten Ausschnitt eines Bedienfeldes des Backofens aus der Figur 1; und
• Figur 3 eine Tabelle, die in einer Speichereinrichtung des Gargerätes gespeichert ist.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention is explained with reference to the accompanying figures. Show it:

• Figure 1 in front view of a schematically illustrated oven as cooking appliance according to the invention;
• FIG. 2 shows an enlarged detail of a control panel of the oven from FIG. 1; and
• Figure 3 is a table which is stored in a storage device of the cooking appliance.

The oven 1 has a cooking chamber 2, which is accessible via a oven door 3 lockable. The heating of the cooking chamber via a Oberhitzeheizkörper 4, and a Unterhitzeheizkörper 5. In addition, a circulating fan 6 is provided, which is surrounded by a ring heater 7. With a temperature sensor 8, the temperature can be recorded in the cooking chamber and forwarded to a control unit 10.

At the front of the oven, a control panel 9 for entering cooking programs and other parameters for the cooking process by the user is arranged. This control panel 9 is connected to the control unit 10, which has a microprocessor 12 and an associated memory module or memory device 13. The control unit 10 controls a switching unit 11 in the oven 1, which turns the radiators 4, 5, 7 and the circulating fan 6 on or off.

The control panel 9 is preferably designed simply to allow the user to easily start up the oven. To set a specific cooking program for the desired dish, the user selects by selecting from a list the cooking program, for example in the form of the desired dish G1 to G7, such as a roast chicken. Furthermore, he gives on the control panel 9 additional parameters for the cooking process, in particular the weight of the food and possibly by selecting from a list, the type of cooking utensils used, eg an enamelware, a. The microprocessor 12 in the control unit 10 then accesses, based on the cooking program entered via the control panel 9, the memory 13 in the control unit 10 shown in FIG. 3 for this cooking program or dish G1 to G7 stored heating program or the operating mode B1 to B7 back. When allocating the heating program or the operating mode B1 to B7 to the entered cooking program or dish G1 to G7, the microprocessor 12 optionally takes into account the additional cooking parameters additionally entered, for example the selection of the cooking utensils.

The heating programs or operating modes B1 to B7 determine the percentage heating proportion per control cycle of the control unit as a heating pattern for the individual radiators 4, 5, 7 and the circulation fan 6. Thus, e.g. According to a first heating program, the power consumption per control cycle are distributed so that the top heater 4 30%, the bottom heater 5 40% and the ring heater 7 30% of the power is assigned. Furthermore, the heating program or the operating mode can specify that the circulation fan is switched on during the entire control cycle. In addition, the heating program can also be used to specify special features for the heating process, such as rapid heating or reheating with heating elements already switched off. The data of the heating program are forwarded by the microprocessor 12 of the control unit 10 to the switching unit 11, which switches the radiators 4, 5, 7 and the circulating air fan 6 in accordance with a control cycle on or off.

und die Gartemperatur in der Form $$\mathrm{Temperatur}\mathrm{=}\mathrm{c}\mathrm{•}\mathrm{kg}\mathrm{+}\mathrm{d}$$

hinterlegt, wobei a, b, c und d Konstanten sind, die für jedes Garprogramm individuell festgelegt werden können. Hierbei können u.a. auch die thermischen Eigenschaften des Backofens mit berücksichtigt werden.In addition to the heating program, the microprocessor 12 of the control unit 10 also determines the cooking duration and the cooking temperature for the respective cooking programs. The microprocessor 12 determines the cooking duration and the temperature while preferably using a predetermined linear function, the input weight of the food is used as a variable. The cooking time is in the form $$\mathrm{duration}\mathrm{=}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{•}\mathrm{kg}\mathrm{+}\mathrm{b}$$

and the cooking temperature in the mold $$\mathrm{temperature}\mathrm{=}\mathrm{c}\mathrm{•}\mathrm{kg}\mathrm{+}\mathrm{d}$$

deposited, where a, b, c and d constants that can be set individually for each cooking program. Among other things, the thermal properties of the oven can be taken into account.

The control unit 10 is furthermore connected to an interface 14 with which data can be read in and out of the memory 13 of the control unit 10. The interface 14 may be e.g. be designed as a floppy disk drive, which is arranged concealed on the control panel. With the aid of this interface, the heating programs provided in the memory 13 can be entered or subsequently updated, in order, e.g. Correct heating program errors or set the heating programs individually to the cooking habits of the user. Furthermore, via the interface unit 14 there is also the possibility of processing the microprocessor 12, e.g. to change when calculating the cooking time and the cooking temperature.

In the figure 2 an enlarged section of the control panel 9 of the oven 1 is shown schematically. The control panel 9 has a mode input means 15 with which a mode can be set from first modes A1 to A9. According to FIG. 2, one of the operating modes A1 to A9 can be selected by means of a rotary knob of the operating mode input means 15. Usually, the first operating modes A1 to A9 are each represented by a symbol, as is assigned to the operating mode A1 in FIG. 2 by way of example. The symbol shown indicates a heating pattern "3 D hot air" of operating mode A1, in which it is possible to bake several enameled sheets on several levels with different dough pieces at the same time. In the case of the heating pattern 3 D hot air ", the heating proportion of the top heat radiator 4 is set at 30%, ie the heating power of the top heat radiator 4 is reduced to 30% of its nominal heating power by clocking. 3 D hot air "set to 45% and 58%.

In addition to the operating mode input means 15, the control panel 9 according to FIG. 2 has a program input means 16. Through a rotary knob of the program input means 16, the operator selects a dish from a plurality of dishes G1-G7, which may be represented in the control panel 9 by symbols, such as beef for roast beef. The dishes G1 to G7 are stored in the storage device 13 of the control unit 10 of the oven 1 in a table as shown in FIG. It can be seen that additionally stored in the memory device 13 second modes B1 to B7, which are associated with the courts G1 to G7. The heating patterns of the second modes B1 to B7 are the associated dishes G1 G7 to G7 is an optimized and energy-saving Garbetrieb is possible for each of the courts G1. In order to achieve an adaptation of the second operating modes B1 to B7 to the courts G1 to G7, the heating patterns of the second operating modes B1 to B7 are at least partially modified in comparison with the heating modes of the first operating modes A1 to A9. For example, the modified second operating mode B1, as well as the first operating mode A1, provides a heating pattern "3 D hot air". In the heating pattern "3 D hot air" of the second mode B1, however, the heating rate of the upper heat radiator 4 - in contrast to the heating pattern "3 D hot air" of the first mode A1 - for example, to 35%, the heating rate of the lower heat 5 to 46% and the heating rate of the ring heater 7 set to 58%. As a result, the selected dish G1 with the operating mode B1 is provided with a heating pattern optimally matched to the dish G1.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

oven

2

oven

3

oven door

4

Top heat radiator

5

Bottom heating element

6

circulation fan

7

heaters circular

8th

temperature sensor

9

Control panel

10

control unit

11

switching unit

12

microprocessor

13

Storage

14

interface

15

Mode input means

16

Program input means

Claims (3)

1. Cooking appliance with a cooking chamber (2), in which at least one heating element (4, 5, 6, 7) for heating the cooking chamber (2) is arranged, with an operating mode input means (15) by which a first operating mode (A1 - A9), in which a proportion of the heat of the participating heating element or elements is fixed at the respective nominal heating power thereof as a heating pattern, is selectable from a plurality, and a program input means (16) by which a dish, with which an operating mode is associated, can be selected from dishes (G1 - G7) stored in a memory device (13), characterised in that stored in the memory device (13) are modified second operating modes (B1 - B7) which are associated with the dishes (G1 - G7) and in which the heat proportions of the participating heating elements differ at least in part from the heat proportions of the participating heating elements of the first operating modes (A1 - A9).
2. Cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterised in that the input means (15, 16) are designed for input of further cooking parameters, particularly the form of cooking vessel used.
3. Cooking appliance according to one of claims 1 and 2, characterised in that an interface (14) by way of which the heat pattern can be read in and read out is provided for the memory device (13).

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