OVEN HAVING AN IMAGING DEVICE

• US 20200132375A1
• Filed: 12/30/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: ABDOO, JOSHUA G., BRUNO, ARIANA M., GIACOMINI, NEOMAR
• Granted Patent: US 11,231,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/008 Illumination for oven cavities
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/34 Elements and arrangements for heat storage or insulation
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 2021/026 using a video installation
• CPC Class Codes: F27D 21/02 Observation or illuminating devices

Abstract

An oven can include an oven body including a set of interior panels. A set of exterior panels are spaced from the set of interior panels such that a channel is defined between the set of interior panels and the set of exterior panels. The set of interior panels includes an interior panel peripheral wall and an interior panel top wall that at least partially define a cooking cavity. Each interior panel of the set of interior panels has an inner surface and an outer surface. Insulation is located in at least a portion of the channel. The oven further includes an imaging device with a field of view including at least a portion of the cooking cavity.

Claims

1. An oven, comprising:

an oven body comprising a set of interior panels and a set of exterior panels that are spaced from the set of interior panels such that a channel is defined between the set of interior panels and the set of exterior panels, wherein the set of interior panels comprises an interior panel peripheral wall and an interior panel top wall that at least partially define a cooking cavity, and wherein each interior panel of the set of interior panels has an inner surface and an outer surface;

insulation located in at least a portion of the channel;

an imaging device mounted in the channel in thermal engagement with the insulation with a field of view including at least a portion of the cooking cavity;

a heat sink provided on the outer surface of one of the interior panels and coupled to the imaging device; and

a fan located within the channel and generating a cooling airflow through a portion of the channel, wherein the fan is fluidly coupled to both the imaging device and the heat sink to direct the cooling airflow over both the imaging device and the heat sink.

2. The oven of claim 1 wherein the fan is mounted within the channel.

3. The oven of claim 2 wherein the fan is provided on the outer surface of one of the interior panels.

4. The oven of claim 2 wherein the fan is mounted to the oven body within the channel.

5. The oven of claim 1 wherein the heat sink is thermally coupled to the imaging device.

6. The oven of claim 5 wherein the heat sink is provided on the outer surface of the interior panel peripheral wall.

7. The oven of claim 6 further comprising a heat pipe thermally coupling the heat sink with the imaging device.

8. The oven of claim 7 wherein the imaging device is provided on the outer surface of the interior panel top wall.

9. The oven of claim 8 wherein the heat pipe has a first end coupled to the imaging device and disposed along the outer surface of the interior panel top wall and a second end, spaced from the first end, that is coupled to the heat sink and disposed along the outer surface of the interior panel peripheral wall.

10. The oven of claim 1 wherein the oven body defines an inner top edge where the interior panel top wall meets the interior panel peripheral wall, wherein the imaging device is mounted on the outer surface of the interior panel top wall along the inner top edge.

11. The oven of claim 1 further comprising an aperture in one of the interior panels through which the field of view of the imaging device passes and a clear cover for the aperture.

12. The oven of claim 11 wherein the clear cover is glass, the glass comprising multiple layers of glass disposed between the one of the interior panels and the imaging device.

13. The oven of claim 1 further comprising a damper coupled to the oven body and to the imaging device for absorbing mechanical vibrations, wherein the damper is one of foam or rubber.

14. The oven of claim 1 further comprising a door having an open position and a closed position, wherein in the closed position the door forms part of the cooking cavity.

15. The oven of claim 1 wherein the oven further comprises an LCD screen or a user mobile device in communication with the imaging device.

16. The oven of claim 15 wherein at least one of the imaging device or a cloud in a network comprises an image recognition algorithm for detecting blurry images and a deblurring image algorithm for correcting the blurry images.

17. The oven of claim 16 wherein the imaging device or the cloud in the network transmits images to the LCD screen or the user mobile device.

18. The oven of claim 1 further comprising a controller in communication with the imaging device and further in communication with one of an LCD screen on the oven or a user mobile device, wherein the controller transmits images to the LCD screen or the user mobile device.

19. The oven of claim 1 wherein the heat sink is provided within the channel and external to the cooking cavity.

20. The oven of claim 1 wherein the outer surface of each interior panel is external to the cooking cavity.