Technical Field
[0001] Present invention relates to an automatic temperature boosting system employed in
cooking appliances.
Prior Art
[0002] In order to cook a food in a cooking device, cooking devices are preferred to be
heated to a certain temperature before cooking begins. To this end, such devices are
preferably used after a preheating.
[0003] Said preheating can be performed by switching the device on when the compartment
of the device is empty. For the foods which are preferred to be stewed, however, preheating
may take time in the low-heat modes of the device.
[0004] Therefore, the cooking devices of the prior art comprise a selective preheating system.
This system is provided with additional heating elements. A preheating function is
activated depending on the user selection when the device is switched on; the additional
heating elements are started by the preheating function and it is ensured that the
temperature of the cooking compartment is rapidly increased during the preheating.
[0005] However, the preheating systems employed in the known devices are controlled manually,
wherein the user manually activates the preheating every time he/she starts the device;
checks whether the cooking compartment has reached the desired temperature or not;
and deactivates the preheating system manually. As a consequence, these systems require
a continuous user monitoring, and may affect cooking performance if the preheating
system remains on in the case that the user is unaware of the situation.
[0006] Patent document
US 2010/0147825 A1, where one of the known preheating systems is disclosed, discloses a cooking appliance
which, depending on a preheating mode selected by the user, controls the air blowing
units and the heating elements in the cooking compartment and performs a predetermined
preheating sequence.
[0007] Another related patent document
US 2002/0066724 A1 discloses a system comprising a preheating option, wherein the system runs the air
blowing unit, which blows air to the cooking compartment, at a low speed and ensures
that high temperature is attained regionally. The system in question, however, cannot
provide an efficient preheating function.
Brief Description of the Invention
[0008] Automatic heat boosting system of the invention, developed for a cooking device comprising
at least one cooking compartment; at least two heating elements that heat this cooking
compartment; at least one temperature sensor that senses the cooking compartment temperature;
at least one switching element that has more than one position and controls the operation
of said heating elements depending on the position selected from said positions; comprises
a control unit which is connected to said temperature sensor, to said heating elements
and to said switching element, and which powers all of the heating elements independently
from the position of the switching element when at least one of the heating elements
is started by changing the position of the switching element.
[0009] The system provided by the invention presents a device which provides, every time
the user switches the device on, an automatic preheating function by starting all
the heating elements that heat the cooking compartment, and which also assumes a regular
operating mode by automatically deactivating the preheating function when desired
temperature is attained in the cooking compartment. Thus, the device gets ready for
cooking in a short time and improves cooking performance without needing user intervention.
Objective of the Invention
[0010] The aim of the present invention is to develop an automatic temperature boosting
system for a cooking device.
[0011] Another aim of the present invention is to develop an automatic temperature boosting
system which automatically activates a preheating mode.
[0012] Another aim of the present invention is to develop an automatic temperature boosting
system which deactivates the preheating mode when the cooking compartment comprised
by the cooking device reaches a desired temperature.
Description of the Figure
[0013] An exemplary embodiment of the automatic temperature boosting system which is the
subject matter of the present invention is illustrated in the annexed figure wherein:
Figure 1 is an exemplary block diagram of the system developed by the present invention.
[0014] The parts in the figure are individually enumerated and the corresponding terms of
these reference numbers are as follows:
Control unit |
(1) |
Boosting switch |
(2) |
Temperature sensor |
(3) |
Air blowing unit |
(4) |
Heating element |
(5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) |
Switching element |
(6) |
Disclosure of the Invention
[0015] Automatic temperature boosting system of the invention, an exemplary embodiment of
which is illustrated in Figure 1, can be used in a cooking device which comprises
at least one cooking compartment (not shown); at least two heating elements (5a, 5b,
5c, 5d) that heat this cooking compartment; at least one temperature sensor (3) that
senses the cooking compartment temperature; at least one switching element (6) that
has more than one position and selectively controls the operation of said heating
elements (5a, 5b) depending on the position selected from said positions. Said system
comprises at least one control unit (1).
[0016] In the system; the switching element (6), the temperature sensor (3) and the heating
elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are connected to the control unit (1). When at least one
of the heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) is started by changing the position of the
switching element (6), the control unit (1), independently from the position of the
switching element (6), powers all of the heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d). Thus,
all of the heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) are started during the initial heating
to boost the cooking compartment to the desired temperature within the shortest possible
time.
[0017] When the cooking compartment has reached the desired temperature, the control unit
(1) turns off the power supplied to the heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) by the control
unit (1) and ensures that the cooking compartment is heated by the heating elements
only selected by the switching element (6). Thus, the cooking device is operated in
accordance with the position selected by means of the switching element (6) after
the initial heating.
[0018] In an embodiment of the invention, the system comprises at least one boosting switch
(2) connected to the control unit (1). The operation of the control unit (1) can be
controlled by means of the boosting switch (2). Thus, the user optionally deactivates
the automatic heat boosting system, ensuring that the device is operated under a mode
selected by means of the switching element (6).
[0019] The device preferably comprises at least one air blowing unit (4) in order to move
the air within the cooking compartment. The air blowing unit (4) is also connected
to the control unit (1) in the system developed by the invention. Thus, air circulation
in the cooking compartment is ensured during the heat boosting to level the temperature
across the cooking compartment.
[0020] Rapid and automatic heating of the cooking compartment is ensured by means of the
system, thereby ensuring, without delay, the temperature required for cooking in the
cooking compartment.
1. Automatic heat boosting system for a cooking device comprising at least one cooking
compartment; at least two heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) that heat this cooking
compartment; at least one temperature sensor (3) that senses the cooking compartment
temperature; at least one switching element (6) that has more than one position and
controls the operation of said heating elements depending on the position selected
from said positions
characterized by comprising a control unit (1)
- which is connected to said temperature sensor (3), to said heating elements (5a,
5b, 5c, 5d) and to said switching element (6);
- which powers all of the heating elements (5a, 5b, 5c, 5d) independently from the
position of the switching element (6) when at least one of the heating elements (5a,
5b, 5c, 5d) is started by changing the position of the switching element (6);
- which turns off the power when the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor
(3) has reached a desired value.
2. An automatic heat boosting system according to Claim 1 characterized by comprising at least one boosting switch (2) connected to the control unit (1), which
controls the operation of the control unit (1).
3. An automatic heat boosting system according to Claim 1 characterized in that the control unit (1) is connected to at least one air blowing unit (4) comprised
by the cooking device.