Control system for a self cleaning oven appliance

• US 8,658,946 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2010
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hodapp, Leo Edward Jr., Holbrook, William Lee, Chezem, Michael Thomas, Hitchcock, Michael Bernard, Barber, Philip Ames, Pintor, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): WASAFF, JOHN SAMUEL
• Application Number:
  US12/891,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20120074123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 219/394, 219/483, 219490-492
• US Class Current: 219/394
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 14/02 pyrolytic type

Abstract

A control system for an appliance having at least a first oven and a second oven includes an electronic range control device for regulating a temperature of the first oven, an electromechanical thermostat assembly for regulating a temperature of the second oven, and a relay circuit assembly under control of the electronic range control device, the relay circuit assembly being configured to selectively enable operation of the first oven and the electromechanical thermostat.

Claims

1. A control system for an electronically controlled range including at least a first oven and a second oven, the control system comprising:

an electronic range control device for the electronically controlled range and configured to regulate a temperature of the first oven;

an electromechanical thermostat assembly configured to regulate a temperature of the second oven; and

a relay circuit assembly coupled between the electronic range control device and the first oven, and between the electronic range control device and the electromechanical thermostat assembly, and configured to selectively enable operation of the first oven and the electromechanical thermostat assembly, the relay circuit assembly being controlled by the electronic range control device.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein the electronic range control device is configured to enable operation of one of the first or second oven only when the other of the first or second oven is in certain pre-determined modes of the electronically controlled range.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the relay circuit assembly comprises a electronic range control relay circuit assembly and a thermostat relay circuit assembly, the electronic range control relay circuit assembly being coupled to the first oven and the thermostat relay circuit assembly being coupled to the electromechanical thermostat assembly.

4. The control system of claim 3, wherein the thermostat relay circuit assembly enables operation of the electromechanical thermostat assembly only when the first oven is not in a self-clean mode.

5. The control system of claim 3, wherein the thermostat relay circuit assembly is configured to switch between a cooking mode and a self-clean mode.

6. The control system of claim 3, wherein the electromechanical thermostat assembly comprises a thermostat clean mode select switch coupled to the electronic range control device and configured to initiate a self clean command to the electronic range control device.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the electronic range control device is configured to switch the thermostat relay circuit assembly to a self clean mode when the self clean command is confirmed.

8. The control system of claim 3, wherein the thermostat relay circuit assembly prevents operation of the electromechanical thermostat assembly when the first oven is in a self-clean mode.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical thermostat assembly comprises a thermostat clean mode selection switch, the thermostat clean mode selection switch being coupled to the electronic range control device, and wherein the electronic range control device is configured to prevent a start of an operation of the first oven when a state of the thermostat clean mode switch is enabled.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein each of the first oven and the second oven operates dependently when each oven is in a cooking mode, and dependently when one of the first or second ovens is in a self-clean mode.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the electromechanical thermostat assembly is enabled for operation by the electronic range control device only when the first oven is not in a self-clean mode.

12. A method in an electronically controlled double oven range, comprising:

regulating a state of a first oven of the double oven using an electronic range control of the electronically controlled range;

regulating a state of a second oven of the double oven using an electromechanical thermostat assembly;

monitoring a state of the electromechanical thermostat assembly using the electronic range control to determine the state of the second oven; and

using a relay circuit assembly coupled between the electronic range control and the first oven, and between the electronic range control and the electromechanical thermostat assembly to selectively enable one or both of the first oven and the second oven when the other of the first oven or the second oven is in a pre-determined state.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising monitoring a state of a clean position switch in the electromechanical thermostat assembly and enabling the first oven only when the clean position switch is not in an enabled state.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring a state of an OFF position switch in the electromechanical thermostat assembly and enabling a self clean operation in the first oven when the state of the OFF position switch is not enabled and the state of the clean position switch is not enabled.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising enabling selection of a cooking mode of the electromechanical thermostat assembly when the first oven is not in a self clean mode.