DOUBLE OVEN CYCLE SYNC

• US 20160324360A1
• Filed: 05/04/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. DBA GE Appliances (Haier Group Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Hannah, Sabrina Marie, Boedicker, Stephen Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 9,777,928 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/08 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/088 on stoves

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.

Claims

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;

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 the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre2 and, if so, then

initiating a sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber.

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 the temperature of the upper cooking chamber at a time t_check to the temperature of the lower cooking chamber at 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 t₁ the upper cooking chamber required to reach at least a temperature T_check to a time t₂ the lower cooking chamber required to reach at least 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, if the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least preheat temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least preheat 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 faster heating cooking chamber.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein if, upon determining whether the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least 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 if, 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 preheat exit temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least 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 and the lockout element, the controller configured 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;

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 the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre2 and, if so, then

initiating a sync cooking cycle for each cooking chamber.

12. The oven appliance of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured for comparing the temperature of the upper cooking chamber at a time t_check to the temperature of the lower cooking chamber at 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 configured for comparing a time t₁ the upper cooking chamber required to reach at least a temperature T_check to a time t₂ the lower cooking chamber required to reach at least 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 may be 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 the duty cycle of a heating element of the faster heating cooking chamber 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 configured for signaling to a user of the oven appliance that the preheat cycle of each cooking chamber is complete if the temperature within the upper cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre1 and the temperature within the lower cooking chamber has reached at least preheat exit temperature T_pre2.

18. The oven appliance of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured 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 configured for, upon executing of the sync cooking cycle of each cooking chamber, signaling to a user of the oven appliance that food items placed within each cooking chamber have finished cooking.