Cooking appliance having a PEF generator, PEF system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12449138-B2
Application number	US-202017628236-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 5, 2020
Priority date	Aug 21, 2019
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a cooktop including an energy transmission unit for transmitting energy in order to heat a place-on appliance placed on the cooktop, and a PEF (“Pulsed Electric Fields”) cooking apparatus including a receptacle accessible from a top side of the cooktop and designed for insertion of a PEF container. The receptacle includes a connection contact for electrically connecting to the PEF container inserted in the receptacle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance, comprising:
a cooktop including a glass ceramic plate, a plurality of cooking zones, and an energy transmission unit arranged below the cooking zones for transmitting energy in order to heat a place-on appliance placed on the cooktop; and
a PEF (“Pulsed Electric Fields”) cooking apparatus including
a receptacle accessible from a top side of the glass ceramic plate of the cooktop and designed for insertion of a PEF container, said receptacle comprising a connection contact for electrically connecting to the PEF container inserted in the receptacle, and
a PEF generator, which is being connected to said connection contact.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of said connection contact connected to the PEF generator.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of connection contacts are connected to different signal outputs of the PEF generator.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 2 , wherein at least one of the plurality of connection contacts is grounded.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a cover designed to cover the receptacle on a top side, said cooking appliance being designed to detect a closed state of the cover and to activate the PEF generator only when the cover is closed.

6. The cooking appliance claim 1 , wherein the PEF generator includes a power electronics, and further comprising a cooling fan for cooling the power electronics.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a collection container and a drain which connects the receptacle to the collection container.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 1 , further comprising a vapor removal apparatus, said receptacle being connected to the vapor removal apparatus.

9. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the vapor removal apparatus includes a fan for blowing air into the receptacle.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 9 , further comprising an electronics unit, said fan being designed to blow air over the electronics unit and then into the receptacle.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , further comprising a cover designed to cover the receptacle on a top side and including a steam outlet opening for vapor to exit.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , further comprising a cover designed to cover the receptacle on a top side such as to define a gap between the cover and a top-side edge of the receptacle for vapor to exit.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 8 , wherein the vapor removal apparatus includes a fan for suctioning vapor out of the receptacle.

14. A PEF system, comprising:
a cooking appliance comprising a cooktop which includes a glass ceramic plate, a plurality of cooking zones, and an energy transmission unit arranged below the cooking zones for transmitting energy in order to heat a place-on appliance placed on the cooktop, and
a PEF (“Pulsed Electric Fields”) cooking apparatus which includes
a receptacle accessible from a top side of the glass ceramic plate of the cooktop and designed for insertion of a PEF container, said receptacle comprising a connection contact for electrically connecting to the PEF container inserted in the receptacle;
the PEF container designed to be inserted into the receptacle of the PEF cooking apparatus of the cooking appliance and including a cooking chamber for accommodating food to be cooked PEF electrodes, said PEF container having a mating contact which matches the connection contact of the receptacle and is electrically connected to a respective one of the PEF electrodes of the PEF container, said PEF electrodes being arranged to a side of the cooking chamber of the PEF container; and
a PEF generator, which is being connected to said connection contact.

15. The PEF system of claim 14 , wherein the respective one of the PEF electrodes of the PEF container is arranged opposingly relative to the cooking chamber of the PEF container.

Assignees

• Bsh Hausgeraete Gmbh

Inventors

• Huber Andreas

Classifications

• H05B6/62 Primary

  Apparatus for specific applications · CPC title

• H05B6/1209

  induction cooking plates or the like and devices to be used in combination with them · CPC title

• A23B2/60

  by treatment with electric currents without heating effect · CPC title

• F24C15/102 Primary

  electrically heated · CPC title

• F24C15/2042

  Devices for removing cooking fumes structurally associated with a cooking range e.g. downdraft (F24C15/2007 takes precedence) · CPC title