Oven appliance and a method for operating an oven appliance
An oven appliance with one or more features for minimizing the time to preheat the cooking chamber and balancing the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is provided. Features for minimizing the acoustic noise of the oven appliance are also provided. Further, a method for operating an oven appliance to minimize the preheat time and balance the heat distribution within the cooking chamber of the oven appliance while minimizing acoustic noise is provided.
1. A method for operating an oven appliance, the oven appliance including a cooking chamber for receipt of food items for cooking, the method comprising:
establishing a cook mode of the oven appliance;
measuring a temperature T initial ;
initiating a preheat cycle of the oven appliance;
counting a time t pre ;
determining whether time t pre has reached a threshold time t thr and, if so, then
measuring a temperature T thr ;
determining whether the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is heavily loaded and, if so, then
increasing convection airflow within the cooking chamber.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the cooking chamber is heavily loaded comprises calculating the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial .
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cooking chamber is heavily loaded if the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial is less than a value T base .
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising continuing the preheat cycle if the cooking chamber is not heavily loaded when determining whether the cooking chamber is heavily loaded.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing convection airflow comprises increasing a speed of a convection fan.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein increasing convection airflow comprises increasing a duty cycle of a convection fan.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising returning to the step of counting time t pre if time t pre has not reached time t thr when determining whether time t pre has reached time t thr .
8. An oven appliance, comprising:
a cabinet, the cabinet defining a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking;
a heating element configured to heat the cooking chamber;
a fan; and
a controller in operative communication with the heating element and the fan, the controller configured for
establishing a cook mode of the oven appliance;
measuring a temperature T initial ;
initiating a preheat cycle of the oven appliance;
counting a time t pre ;
determining whether time t pre has reached a threshold time t thr and, if so, then
measuring a temperature T thr ;
determining whether the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is heavily loaded and, if so, then
increasing convection airflow within the cooking chamber.
9. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein determining whether the cooking chamber is heavily loaded comprises calculating the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial .
10. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein the cooking chamber is heavily loaded if the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial is less than a value T base .
11. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured for continuing the preheat cycle if the controller determines the cooking chamber is not heavily loaded.
12. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to increase a speed of the convection fan to increase the convection airflow within the cooking chamber.
13. The oven appliance of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to increase a duty cycle of the convection fan to increase the convection airflow within the cooking chamber.
14. An oven appliance, comprising:
a cabinet, the cabinet defining a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking;
a heating element configured to heat the cooking chamber;
a fan; and
a controller in operative communication with the heating element and the fan, the controller configured for
establishing a cook mode of the oven appliance;
measuring a temperature T initial ;
initiating a preheat cycle of the oven appliance;
counting a time t pre ; and
determining whether the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is heavily loaded.
15. The oven appliance of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured for, while counting the time t pre :
determining whether time t pre has reached a threshold time t thr and, if so, then
measuring a temperature T thr .
16. The oven appliance of claim 15 , wherein determining whether the cooking chamber is heavily loaded comprises calculating the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial , and wherein the cooking chamber is heavily loaded if the difference between the temperatures T thr and T initial is less than a value T base .
17. The oven appliance of claim 16 , wherein the value T base is a predetermined value programmed the controller.
18. The oven appliance of claim 16 , wherein the value T base is a nominal value programmed into the controller, wherein one or more transfer functions are programmed into the controller, and wherein the nominal value of Tbase may vary over iterations of the method based on the one or more transfer functions.
19. The oven appliance of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured for, while counting the time t pre :
measuring a temperature T pre ;
determining whether the difference between temperature T pre and temperature T initial is at least a value T base and, if so, then
recording a time t thr .
20. The oven appliance of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured for notifying a user of the oven appliance that the cooking chamber is heavily loaded if the controller determines the cooking chamber of the oven appliance is heavily loaded.