Thermal management system and method for a connected oven

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927129-B2
Application number	US-201615170678-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2016
Priority date	Jun 1, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

The connected oven includes a cooking cavity defined by a back, a door opposing the bottom, a top adjacent the back and door, a bottom opposing the top, and opposing sidewalls adjacent the remainder of the walls, a user interface unit configured to receive instructions from the user, a sensor, and a thermal management system for minimizing or preventing thermal damage to heat-sensitive components arranged on the oven.

First claim

We claim:

1. A connected oven, comprising:
a heating element;
an oven body comprising:
an oven back;
an oven bottom;
an oven top opposing the oven bottom, the oven top comprising an interior top panel and an exterior top panel cooperatively defining a top fluid channel therebetween, wherein the interior top panel, the oven back, and the oven bottom cooperatively define a cooking cavity;

an oven door mounted to the oven body, the oven door comprising an interior door panel and an exterior door panel cooperatively defining a door fluid channel therebetween, the interior door panel cooperatively defining the cooking cavity with the oven body, wherein the exterior door panel defines a user interface mounting region thermally connected to the door fluid channel;
wherein the oven door is nested under an overhang defined by the oven top,
wherein the interior top panel defines:
an interior perforated portion coextensive with the overhang and comprising a first plurality of perforations aligned with and fluidly connected to the door fluid channel along a vertical axis through the door fluid channel, and
a solid portion coextensive with the overhang and fluidly isolating the door fluid channel from the top fluid channel; and

wherein the exterior top panel defines:
a first exterior perforated portion coextensive with the overhang and comprising a second plurality of perforations aligned with the door fluid channel and the solid portion of the interior top panel along the vertical axis, wherein the second plurality of perforations defines a top fluid channel inlet;

a user interface unit mounted to the user interface mounting region, the user interface unit comprising a touchscreen input device; and
a camera assembly defining a field of view directed toward the oven bottom, the camera assembly mounted to the oven top and thermally connected to the top fluid channel.

2. The connected oven of claim 1 , wherein the oven door is actuatable between an open position and a closed position relative the oven body, and wherein a broad face of the user interface unit is arranged with a normal vector intersecting the cooking cavity when the oven door is in the closed position.

3. The connected oven of claim 2 , further comprising a processing system connected to the user interface unit and the camera assembly, the processing system mounted to the user interface unit, and the processing system thermally connected to the door fluid channel.

4. The connected oven of claim 1 , wherein the camera assembly is mounted to the interior top panel and extends from the top fluid channel into the cooking cavity, wherein the camera assembly comprises:
a printed circuit board (PCB) mounted to a top face of the interior top panel, the top face facing the top fluid channel; and
a camera electrically coupled to the PCB and extending into the cooking cavity.

5. The connected oven of claim 4 , wherein a broad face of the interior top panel comprises a cooling fin extending from the broad face of the interior top panel, and wherein the PCB is mounted to the cooling fin.

6. The connected oven of claim 1 ,
wherein the door fluid channel comprises:
a door fluid channel inlet proximal the oven bottom, and
a door fluid channel outlet fluidly connected to an ambient environment through the first plurality of perforations of the interior perforated portion of the interior top panel, the door fluid channel outlet proximal the oven top;

wherein the top fluid channel comprises:
the top fluid channel inlet fluidly connected to the ambient environment through the second plurality of perforations of the first exterior perforated portion of the exterior top panel, and
a top fluid channel outlet arranged proximal the oven back, wherein the camera assembly is arranged within the top fluid channel between the top fluid channel inlet and the top fluid channel outlet.

7. The connected oven of claim 6 , wherein a plane of the door fluid channel inlet is perpendicular a door flow axis defined by the door fluid channel, and wherein a plane of the top fluid channel inlet is parallel a top flow axis defined by the top fluid channel.

8. The connected oven of claim 6 , wherein the solid portion of the interior top panel and the first exterior perforated portion of the exterior top panel are structurally connected by a front wall fluidly isolating the door fluid channel from the top fluid channel.

9. The connected oven of claim 7 wherein the oven back defines the top fluid channel outlet.

10. The connected oven of claim 9 , further comprising a convection element mounted to the oven back, the convection element fluidly connected to the top fluid channel, and the convection element configured to draw cooling fluid from the ambient environment into the top fluid channel through the top fluid channel inlet.

11. The connected oven of claim 9 , wherein the oven back comprises a wall offset extending away from the cooking cavity.

12. The connected oven of claim 6 , wherein the oven bottom defines a front edge nested under the oven door when the oven door is in the closed position, and wherein the front edge defines an external fluid connection aligned with the door fluid channel inlet.

13. The connected oven of claim 1 , wherein the exterior top panel defines a second exterior perforated portion coextensive with the overhang and the interior perforated portion of the interior top panel, wherein the second exterior perforated portion and the interior perforated portion cooperatively define an overhang fluid channel therebetween, the overhang fluid channel fluidly connecting the door fluid channel to the ambient environment.

14. A connected oven, comprising:
a heating element;
an oven back;
an oven bottom;
an oven top opposing the oven bottom, the oven top comprising:
an interior top panel and an exterior top panel cooperatively defining a top fluid channel therebetween, the top fluid channel comprising a top fluid channel inlet and a top fluid channel outlet, wherein a flow axis of the top fluid channel is substantially parallel a normal vector of the oven back, and wherein the interior top panel, the oven back, and the oven bottom cooperatively define a cooking cavity;

an oven door nested under an overhang defined by the oven top,
wherein the interior top panel defines:
an interior perforated portion coextensive with the overhang and comprising a first plurality of perforations aligned with and fluidly connected to a door fluid channel along a vertical axis through the door fluid channel, and
a solid portion coextensive with the overhang and fluidly isolating the door fluid channel from the top fluid channel; and

wherein the exterior top panel defines:
a first exterior perforated portion coextensive with the overhang and comprising a second plurality of perforations aligned with the door fluid channel and the solid portion of the interior top panel along the vertical axis, wherein the second plurality of perforations defines a top fluid channel inlet; and

an optical sensor defining a field of view directed toward the oven bottom, the optical sensor arranged within and thermally connected to the top fluid channel between the top fluid channel inlet and the top fluid channel outlet.

15. The connected oven of claim 14 , wherein the optical sensor is mounted to the interior top panel.

16. The connected oven of claim 14 , further comprising a first convection element mounted to the oven back, the first convection element fluidly connected to the top fluid channel, and the first convection element configured to draw cooling fluid

Assignees

• June Life Inc

Inventors

• Bhogal Nikhil
• Van Horn Matthew
• Schmidt Mathias Watson
• Atkinson Drew
• Risk Gabriel

Classifications

• F24C15/04

  with transparent panels · CPC title

• F24C15/006 Primary

  Arrangements for circulation of cooling air · CPC title

• F24C7/086

  touch control · CPC title