Raised-level built-in cooking appliance

• US 6,883,420 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2004
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Original Assignee: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgerã¤Te GmbH (Robert Bosch GmbH)
• Inventors: Kuttalek, Edmund
• Primary Examiner(s): Simone, Timothy F.
• Application Number:
  US10/880,268
• Publication Number:
  US 20040231524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 302 Days
• Field of Search: 99327-334, 993/37, 993/39, 993/38, 993/40, 993/57, 99352-355, 99426-427, 99444-450, 994/67, 994/76, 994/81, 994/82, 219/398, 219/753, 219/403, 219/404, 219/762, 219/763, 219/391, 126/334, 126/339, 126/273.A, 126/340, 126/337.R, 126/19.PR, 126/332, 126/37.B, 126/190, 126/192, 312/272, 312/300, 312/247, 312/319.2, 266/253, 741/16
• US Class Current: 99/334
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/027 located at bottom side of housing
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 15/162 Co-operating with a door, e.g. operated by the door

Abstract

A wall-mounted cooking appliance has a muffle and a bottom opening that can be closed by a lowerable bottom door. A drive mechanism is provided for lifting the bottom door. To prevent the jamming of objects that have been inadvertently placed below the base door, the novel wall-mounted cooking appliance has a control unit that detects an angle of inclination of the base door and controls the drive device in accordance with the magnitude of the angle of inclination to reduce the latter.

Claims

1. A wall-mounted cooking appliance, comprising:

a housing formed with a muffle and a bottom muffle opening;

a lowerable bottom door for selectively closing said bottom muffle opening;

a drive mechanism for hoisting said bottom door; and

a control device configured to detect an angle of inclination of said bottom door and, in dependence on the angle of inclination, to control said drive mechanism to reduce the angle of inclination.

2. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein said drive mechanism includes first and second drive means, and said first and second drive means are stressed with a first and a second tensile force, respectively, against a weight of said bottom door, and wherein said angle of inclination is detected via said first and second drive means by determining a tensile force difference between the first and second tensile forces.

3. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 2, which comprises a spring connected to and pretensing said first and second drive means, and wherein the first and second tensile force of each of said drive means is detected by measuring a deflection of said spring through a spring path caused by a change in the tensile force, and wherein said control device is configured to deduce the magnitude of the first and second tensile force in dependence on a magnitude of the spring path.

4. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 3, wherein each of said drive means has a respective end pre-tensed by said spring, and said pre-tensed end moves over the spring path.

5. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 2, wherein, for detecting the tensile force difference, said control device has at least a first switch and a second switch respectively generating a first and a second switch signal by shifting the first and second drive means, and said control device is configured to detect a time delay between generating the first and second switch signal and to fix the tensile force difference in dependence on a magnitude of the time delay.

6. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 5, wherein said control device is configured to reverse said drive mechanism when an upper threshold value of the time delay is undershot.

7. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein said drive mechanism includes a tensile element carrying said bottom door and being stressed with a tensile force against a weight of said bottom door, and said control device is configured to interrupt said drive mechanism when the tensile force exceeds an upper threshold value of the tensile force.

8. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein said drive mechanism includes first and second tensile elements carrying said bottom door and being stressed with first and second tensile forces, respectively, against a weight of said bottom door, and said control device is configured to interrupt said drive mechanism when an lower threshold value of at least one of the first and second tensile forces is undershot.

9. The wall-mounted cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein said drive mechanism includes a tensile element carrying said bottom door and being stressed with a tensile force against a weight of said bottom door, and said control device is configured to reverse a direction of a lifting motion of said bottom door set by said drive mechanism when a lower threshold value of the tensile force is undershot.