EP3353471B1 - Cooking appliance in the form of a combined steamer comprising two cooking appliance units - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance for cooking food, in particular commercial kitchen appliance in the form of a combi steamer or in combi steamer design with two cooking appliances, which are arranged one above the other.

Cooking appliances, such as combi steamer, have a housing in which a cooking chamber is formed, which can be closed by a cooking chamber door. By means of an electrically or by means of gas-operated heating, the cooking chamber atmosphere can be heated and by steam injection of water, or vapor directly from steam introduced, a steam cooking process can be performed. By means of a fan, the cooking chamber atmosphere is circulated. The cooking appliance has a water connection and a waste water connection.

Such combi steamers have a cooking appliance control, which with a display and control device, which is designed in particular in the form of a touch screen, on which the course of selected cooking programs including individual set and measured current parameters are displayed. The user can make an appropriate selection of programs, change of individual parameters etc. by direct input to certain fields of the display.

Cooking appliances are available in different sizes. There are cooking appliances with rather small cooking areas up to cooking appliances with large cooking chambers, the cooking appliances are also assignable to different performance groups.

Typical sizes of such combi steamer cooking appliances have 6, 10 or 20 rack levels. The cooking appliances with 10 or fewer bays are usually placed on work tables or special bases, ie in an elevated position to allow a correspondingly comfortable handling by the user, especially from ergonomic point of view.

For the preparation of a large number or a large amount of food items are suitable cookers with 20 slots, in which the food is cooked at the same time. These large cooking appliances are placed directly on the floor of the selected location. The display and operating device is arranged in an upper portion of the cooking appliance in order to ensure a good readability on the one hand and a good ergonomic operation on the other hand.

However, for customers who require a large capacity but prepare different foods, different cooking spaces are needed to cook different products in different climates.

From the prior art is according to DE 20 2008 017 544 U1 a commercial cooking appliance, in particular a combi steamer known, comprising two superimposed cooking appliances each having a cooking chamber, wherein between the upper cooking appliance and the lower cooking appliance a wide or high middle portion is provided in which a display and control device is provided. This has a first and a second information input / output control, wherein the second is arranged in the first information input / output control. On the first information input / output control element, a multiplicity of relevant parameters of the associated cooking chamber or of the cooking process taking place therein can be represented. Also, with the smaller second information input / output control, information is much less displayed because of the small size. To operate the respective cooking chamber must then if necessary. a corresponding switching takes place, wherein the assignment of the cooking chamber to the corresponding information input / output control element should be made by color assignment.

In the hustle and bustle of the cooking operation, however, it may well be confusing the assignment of the respective cooking chamber and thus to a misreading or incorrect input and is given by the need to switch a corresponding delayed reading and intervention possibility for the user. By misreading or incorrect input there is a high risk that the desired Cooking result is not reached or the food is even made inedible.

The Applicant has developed combined cooking appliances, consisting of two individual appliances, which are arranged as such one above the other and their housing by means of a connecting device (in particular screws) are connected to each other on site. The advantages of these so-called "MKN stacking kits" result from the possibility of combining different combi steamers. For example, standard sizes with 6 and 10 slots in the design of an electric or gas appliance, combined, each size and each type of energy is offered in two performance variants. This results in a possibility of combining 8 individual devices, taking into account that the types of energy are not usually mixed, resulting in a theoretical combination possibility of 32 devices.

A disadvantage of the combination of the individual devices is that the display and operating device of the lower device is arranged in a position that makes the user difficult to use and also reduces their readability. In addition, the customer gets the visual impression of two individual devices with a large number of unnecessary corners and edges.

Another disadvantage that is present in the unaltered in their design of individual devices is that they only a static load, ie on site, steadfast and under dynamic load, ie during transport, run the risk of damage. Therefore, the final assembly of the supplied individual devices takes place only at the site. Such assemblies are usually much more complex than in an optimized industrial manufacturing process.

From the EP 2 583 600 A1 a cooker with several cooking chambers is known, wherein a display and control device is provided, which is divided into two display and Bedieneinrichtungs sections. These display and control sections are connected to a single controller and the respective cooking chamber to be controlled must be actively selected by means of the operating device, after which the screen jumps over and displays the corresponding control panel for the selected cooking chamber.

From the GB 2 380 923 A an oven is known which has 5 separate superimposed cooking chambers. The oven comprises a display and control device, which is arranged in an optimal area for the user and is divided into 5 display and control sections. This display and control device is connected to a device control that is to control the entire oven with all cooking chambers.

From the WO 2010/100149 A2 is a cooking appliance combination known, which is formed of two superimposed cooking appliances. The cooking appliance combination of this prior art has the features of the preamble of claim 1. Each cooking device has its own display and operating device.

The present invention is therefore based on the object to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a standalone cooking appliance with two separate cooking appliance units, which allows ergonomic display and operation.

The present invention is characterized in that the display and operating means of the upper cooking appliance unit comprises an upper display and control section and the display and control means of the lower cooking appliance form a lower display and control section arranged one above the other the two display and control unit sections are combined to form a display and control device which is arranged in the region of the upper cooking appliance unit, whereby a clear fixed assignment of the upper and lower display and operating device section to the upper and lower cooking appliance unit is provided, so that a switchover is not necessary, the display and operating device is located in an easy-to-read and operable position substantially at a height of 1.5 m +/- 0.25 m above the ground.

This creates a very good ergonomic working height for both devices. Since both display and operating device sections or touch screens are in an easily readable and operable position, namely substantially at eye level, a misreading or incorrect operation is largely avoided.

The wording "substantially at eye level" is to be understood here as a delimitation from controls, for example in the area of the lower cooking appliance with two cooking appliances arranged one above the other ( stacking kit ) or a control unit above two cooking appliance units. In the lower device of the prior art, the display and control device is usually in the range of 0.5 m to 1 m above the ground, which makes reading and operating much more difficult.

The center of the two superimposed display and control sections is essentially at a height of 1.5 m +/- 0.25 m above the ground, which corresponds to the eye level of an average tall operator. It should also be noted that, depending on the structure of the cooking appliance, the two cooking appliance units may have different heights, depending on the number of shelves (for example, 6 or 10). An adaptation to country-specific average sizes of users is also included.

With a large number of insertion levels, which are arranged one above the other, there is the problem that the overall height becomes too high. In particular, the handling of the top shelf levels can be problematic for smaller users, because if necessary, over head the hot plates with the finished cooked food from the shelves must be pulled out, which means a difficult handling. In contrast to the stack solution of one above the other arranged conventional single units can be achieved with the cooking appliance according to the invention advantageously with otherwise identical cooking appliance units by reducing the distance between the units a lower height.

Furthermore, there is the advantage that an unambiguous fixed assignment of the upper and the lower touch screen to the upper or lower cooking appliance unit is created. Switching is not necessary. All information is displayed to the user at the same time, so that he is completely informed about the state of both cooking appliances.

In this case, an unrestricted independent cooking in both cooking chambers is advantageously ensured. There is thus no restriction on two individual devices.

Advantageously, the cooking appliance according to the invention comprises a housing with continuous or one-piece side walls and / or a continuous or one-piece front panel in which the display and operating device is located. As a result, a plurality of corners and edges can be avoided and advantageously the large areas can be cleaned easier and faster, which also leads to better hygienic properties.

With great advantage, both display and Bedieneinrichtungs sections are arranged in a one-piece panel. It is particularly advantageous that both display and Bedieneinrichtungs sections are covered by a one-piece cover and thus combined to form a multi-component display and control device. This has the advantage that on the one hand less dirt edges are present and on the other hand, a continuous adhesive surface is created, which allows a secure adhesion of the cover. Also with the operation of the Tochscreens results in the advantage, which disturb with their fingering with no edges with their fingers.

Another advantage results from the fact that only small changes to the existing output devices are necessary. It can hold up to about 95% of the components the standard devices are used. This also has a correspondingly positive effect on the production processes. Production close to series production means that the cooking appliances, which are independent of the customer or user, can be easily and inexpensively integrated into production. There is no need for a large number of new production processes for the different combinations of the upper and the lower unit. There are savings by reducing duplicate components, such as a second hand shower and a second panel for the display and control.

The present invention from two near-series units to a standalone appliance assembled cooking appliance can be advantageously completely assembled at the production, so that the finished cooking appliance can be transported to the customer and very easily installed. It only requires the connections for energy, electrical and if necessary. Gas and for water inflow and wastewater runoff.

In the solution according to the invention or the cooking appliance according to the invention, there are further advantages:
The door handle of the lower unit is rotated 180 °, it points in the closed position to the top, while in the upper unit, the handle points down. The operation of the lower door handle is thus significantly easier.

The unique design visually underlines the unity of the combined units. There is a separate power supply as well as a separate water supply connection and a separate wastewater connection for the upper and the lower device. This makes it possible to install a device combination at the customer that does not have the high connection power available, as is required for a powerful combi steamer with 20 slots, because the power consumption of each smaller device is significantly lower than that of the large powerful combi steamer ,

With particular advantage, the controls of the cooking appliance units are internally connected to each other and thus can interact fully with each other, without networking outside the cooking appliance is necessary. It can be a simple one Communication of Gargeräteeinheiten be realized with each other. The connection is made by another cable or another bus from the lower cooking appliance unit to the upper one.

When not using a cooking appliance or when the display and control device of a cooking appliance is not or not permanently required, it can be used as auxiliary or additional display and control device for the other, used cooking appliance.

Further advantages can be as follows:
It can be created a merger of the respective connections and a common connection with the on-site connection.

The two near-standard cooking appliance units are connected to a cooking appliance by the manufacturer. This makes installation easier for the customer than installing two stacked devices at the site.

The advantages of the independent cooking options of two individual appliances with ergonomic operation are combined.

A cost saving results over the conventional "stacking kit" which includes a set of the parts needed to connect the two single devices, e.g. Fittings, sheet metal parts for closing the spaces where necessary seals etc. is because the kit is not needed and the new continuous parts, such as. B. replace the side panels and the front panel, the items of Stapelkitgeräte.

Furthermore, there is a cost savings through the arrangement of both display and Bedieneinrichtungs sections in a field, whereby the separate second display and control device for the cooking appliance unit is eliminated.

Both display and control sections are arranged on a common surface and thus easy to clean.

Intelligent cooking methods, such. B. Combination cooking, where cooking products that require a substantially the same climate, are cooked together, can be well expanded: For example, two different climatic conditions can be set in the two cooking appliances and the cooking appliance automatically recommends the user the more suitable.

This results in a particularly advantageous combination use (ergonomics) of the two screens, since they are arranged close to each other and are thus visible at the same time.

As an example: possibility of use: top is cooked; the permanently assigned upper touchscreen indicates the cooking process and is set. The lower touchscreen is currently not needed. Upon request, a help for setting for cooking or preparatory or accompanying activities is shown in the lower one. This help can be called up quickly because the units are connected and the lower one knows which cooking program is running up and the upper unit knows when the lower unit's display may be "borrowed". Conversely, if help is needed for the lower control panel, the help can be displayed after pressing a displayed button in the upper display panel and the cooking program in the upper cooking compartment continues to run normally.

Fig. 1

in leicht perspektivischer Ansicht ein großes erfindungsgemäßes Gargerät mit zwei Garraum- bzw. Gargeräteeinheiten, wobei die untere Gargeräteeinheit größer ist als die obere Gargeräteeinheit; und

Fig. 2

in leicht perspektivischer Ansicht ein erfindungsgemäßes Gargerät, bei dem die Gargeräteeinheiten eine gleiche Größe, nämlich mit 6 Einschubebenen, aufweisen.

Further details, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of two embodiments of the cooking appliance according to the invention. It shows

Fig. 1

in a slightly perspective view of a large inventive cooking appliance with two cooking chamber or Gargeräteeinheiten, the lower cooking appliance unit is larger than the upper cooking appliance; and

Fig. 2

in a slightly perspective view of an inventive cooking appliance, in which the cooking appliance units have the same size, namely with 6 insertion levels.

In the figures, the same elements are provided with the same reference numerals.

In Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a cooking appliance 1 according to the invention shown. The cooking appliance 1 has a housing 3, in which two cooking appliance units are arranged one above the other, an upper cooking appliance unit 5 and a lower cooking appliance unit 7.

Both cooking appliance units 5 and 7 are designed as Einzelgargeräte, with a corresponding cooking space and all facilities that are necessary for the operation of a combi steamer. In the illustrated embodiment, the upper cooking appliance unit 5 has six shelves and the lower cooking appliance unit 7 has ten shelves. The cooking chamber of the upper cooking appliance unit 5 is closed by a door 9 and the cooking chamber of the lower cooking appliance unit 7 by a door 11.

To the left of the two doors 9 and 11 is a front panel 13, which extends in one piece over the entire height of the cooking device 1. In the upper area of the front panel 13, a display and control device 15 in the form of two touch screens is designed for both cooking appliance units 5, 7. The display and control device 15 is divided into an upper display and control section 17 and a lower display and control section 19. The upper section 17 serves to control the upper cooking appliance unit 5, and the lower section 19 serves to control the lower cooking appliance unit 7. Advantageously, the respective operating states of the upper cooking appliance unit 5 and the lower cooking appliance unit 7 can be displayed simultaneously and directly by corresponding inputs by the user control commands are entered on the touchscreen section. The assignment of upper cooking appliance unit 5 and lower cooking appliance unit 7 is unmistakable.

Advantageously, the display and operating device 15 is designed so that on the one hand when not using the upper or lower cooking appliance unit 5, 7, the upper portion 17 or lower portion 19 is not needed and used for additional representations, such as auxiliary programs, which is in operation Gargeräteeinheit can be.

Below the display and operating device 15 is a known per se hose shower device 21, which is used for both cooking appliance units 5, 7.

Advantageously, this results in a comparison with conventional stacking kit Doppelgargeräteeinheiten saving a field of the respective display and control device and a hose shower. By saving the second field only a section in the front panel / control panel 13 is necessary. In the case of an on-off switch 16 arranged in the field, a switch is saved. Both units of the cooking appliance are switched on and off at the same time. If only one cooking appliance unit is selected, the other cooking appliance unit is in standby, for example.

How to continue Fig. 1 it can be seen, the upper door 9 has a hand or door handle 23, which is directed downward, and the lower cooking appliance unit 7 a door handle 25, which is directed upward. In the latter, there is the advantage of easier operation when pivoting to the right, due to the relatively deep arrangement.

Due to the height of the arrangement of the display and operating device 15, this is particularly easy to read and operate by the user, resulting in a particularly ergonomic design.

Through the continuous front panel 13 and also through the continuous side walls 4 gives the impression of a unitary cooking appliance 1 with two separate cooking appliances while saving more edges and corners.

The embodiment of the cooking appliance 1 ', shown in FIG Fig. 2 , differs from the cooking appliance 1 according to Fig. 1 in that the lower cooking appliance unit 7 is the same size as the upper cooking appliance unit 5 and both cooking appliance units 5, 7 each have six insertion levels. The design of the cooking appliance 1 'is therefore lower than that of the cooking appliance 1 according to Fig. 1 ,

Like from the FIGS. 1 and 2 it can be seen, a clear distance is formed between the upper cooking chamber door 9 and the lower cooking chamber door 11. In an alternative embodiment, the upper cooking chamber door 9 and / or the lower cooking chamber door 11 may be formed enlarged such that only a gap of the size is still present, as it is formed between the cooking chamber doors 9 and 11 and the front panel 13.

The present invention thus provides a compact cooking appliance 1, 1 'having two independently operable cooking appliance units 5 and 7, wherein in a single display and operating device 15, two display and Bedienungsanrichtungs sections 17 and 19 are provided with which the two cooking appliance units can be controlled independently of each other and display the state of the respective cooking appliance unit visible at a glance. As a result, a special ergonomic design of the cooking appliance 1, 1 'according to the invention is achieved.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1, 1 '-

Cooking appliance

3 -

casing

4 -

side walls

5 -

upper cooking appliance unit

7 -

lower cooking appliance unit

9 -

door

11 -

door

13 -

front panel

15 -

Display and operating device

16 -

On / off switch

17 -

Upper display and control section

19 -

lower display and control section

20 -

one-piece cover

21 -

Hand shower facility

23 -

Hand or door handle

25 -

door handle

Claims (6)

1. Cooking appliance (1, 1') for cooking foodstuffs, specifically commercial kitchen appliance of the combination steamer type, comprising two cooking appliance units (5, 7) which are arranged one above the other and each have: a cooking chamber which can be closed by a cooking chamber door (9, 11) and has a plurality of insertion levels for food, a heater for heating the cooking chamber atmosphere, a water connection, a wastewater connection and a cooking appliance controller which is connected to a display and operator control device, in particular to a touchscreen,
   characterized in that
   the display and operator control device of the upper cooking appliance unit (5) forms an upper display and operator control device section (17) and the display and operator control device of the lower cooking appliance unit (7) forms a lower display and operator control device section (19), which display and operator control device sections are arranged one above the other, in that the two display and operator control device sections (17, 19) are combined to form a display and operator control device (15) which is arranged in the region of the upper cooking appliance unit (5), as a result of which an unambiguous fixed association between the upper and the lower display and operator control device section (17, 19) and the upper and the lower cooking appliance unit (5, 7) is created, so that a changeover is not necessary, wherein the display and operator control device (15) is located in an easily readable and operable position substantially at a height of 1.5 m +/- 0.25 m above the ground, this corresponding to the eye level of an operator of average height.
2. Cooking appliance according to Claim 1, characterized in that it has a housing (3) with continuous or one-piece side walls (4) and/or a continuous or one-piece front panel (13) in which the display and operator control device sections (17, 19) are located.
3. Cooking appliance according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two display and operator control device sections (17, 19) are arranged in a one-piece operator control area.
4. Cooking appliance according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the two display and operator control device sections (17, 19) are covered by a one-piece cover (20) and therefore are combined to form a multicomponent display and operator control device (15) .
5. Cooking appliance according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the control arrangements of the cooking appliance units are connected to one another internally and therefore can fully interact with one another without interconnection outside the cooking appliance.
6. Method for operating a cooking appliance according to Claim 5, characterized in that, when one of the two cooking appliance units (5, 7) is not in use or when one of the two display and operator control device sections (17, 19) is not required or is temporarily not required, the display and operator control device section which is not required is used as an auxiliary or additional display and operator control device of the cooking appliance unit in use.

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