Double oven cycle sync

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9777928-B2
Application number	US-201514702937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2015
Priority date	May 4, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

An oven appliance having at least two cooking chambers with features for ensuring the cooking chambers exit preheat and finish cooking food items within each cooking chamber at the same time is provided. A method for operating an oven appliance having at least two cooking chambers also is provided. The method includes features for ensuring the cooking chambers exit preheat and finish cooking food items within each cooking chamber at the same time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for operating an oven appliance, the oven appliance having an upper cooking chamber and a lower cooking chamber each configured for receipt of food items for cooking, the method comprising:
ascertaining whether a sync mode of the oven appliance has been selected and, if so, then
determining a preheat exit temperature T pre1 for the upper cooking chamber and a preheat exit temperature T pre2 for the lower cooking chamber;

initiating a preheat cycle for each cooking chamber such that both cooking chambers begin heating at the same time;
determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber and, if so, then
adjusting the preheat cycle of the cooking chamber that is heating faster; and

determining whether a temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and a temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 and, if so, then
initiating a sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber when the cooking chambers exit the preheat cycle.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber comprises comparing a temperature of the upper cooking chamber at a time t check to a temperature of the lower cooking chamber at the time t check .

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber comprises comparing a time t 1 the upper cooking chamber required to reach at least a temperature T check to a time t 2 the lower cooking chamber required to reach at least the temperature T check .

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising detecting one or more inputs by a user of the oven appliance prior to ascertaining whether the sync mode has been selected.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, when the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 , signaling to a user of the oven appliance that the preheat cycle of each cooking chamber is complete.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the preheat cycle for each cooking chamber comprises operating one or more heating elements of each cooking chamber based on one or more inputs by a user of the oven appliance.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein initiating the sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber comprises initiating a predetermined cooking cycle based on one or more inputs by a user of the oven appliance.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the preheat cycle of the cooking chamber that is heating faster comprises adjusting a duty cycle of a heating element of the cooking chamber that is heating faster.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein when, upon determining whether the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 , the upper and lower cooking chambers have not reached at least their respective preheat exit temperatures, the method returns to determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein when, upon determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber, neither cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber, the method proceeds to determining whether the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 without adjusting the preheat cycle of either cooking chamber.

11. An oven appliance, comprising:
a cabinet, the cabinet defining an upper cooking chamber and a lower cooking chamber, each of the upper and lower cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking;
a plurality of upper heating elements, the upper heating elements configured to heat the upper cooking chamber;
a plurality of lower heating elements, the lower heating elements configured to heat the lower cooking chamber; and
a controller in operative communication with the upper and lower heating elements, the controller programmed for
ascertaining whether a sync mode of the oven appliance has been selected and, if so, then
determining a preheat exit temperature T pre1 for the upper cooking chamber and a preheat exit temperature T pre2 for the lower cooking chamber;

initiating a preheat cycle for each cooking chamber such that both cooking chambers begin heating at the same time;
determining whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber and, if so, then
adjusting the preheat cycle of the cooking chamber that is heating faster; and

determining whether a temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and a temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 and, if so, then
initiating a sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber when the cooking chambers exit the preheat cycle.

12. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed for comparing a temperature of the upper cooking chamber at a time t check to a temperature of the lower cooking chamber at the time t check to determine whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber.

13. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed for comparing a time t 1 the upper cooking chamber required to reach at least a temperature T check to a time t 2 the lower cooking chamber required to reach at least the temperature T check to determine whether the upper or lower cooking chamber is heating faster than the other cooking chamber.

14. The oven appliance of claim 11 , further comprising a sync mode control that is manipulated by a user of the oven appliance to select the sync mode.

15. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein initiating the sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber comprises initiating a predetermined cooking cycle based on one or more inputs by a user of the oven appliance.

16. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein the controller adjusts a duty cycle of one of the plurality of heating elements of the cooking chamber that is heating faster to adjust the preheat cycle of the cooking chamber that is heating faster.

17. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed for signaling to a user of the oven appliance that the preheat cycle of each cooking chamber is complete when the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least the preheat exit temperature T pre2 .

18. The oven appliance of claim 11 , wherein the controller is further programmed for executing the sync cooking cycle of each cooking chamber after the sync cooking cycle of each cooking chamber is initiated.

19. The oven appliance of claim 18 , wherein the controller is further programmed for, upon executing of the sync cooking cycle of each cooking

Assignees

• Gen Electric
• Haier Us Appliance Solutions Inc

Inventors

• Boedicker Stephen Christopher
• Hannah Sabrina Marie

Classifications

• F24C7/088 Primary

  on stoves · CPC title

• F24C7/08 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices · CPC title