Oven appliance with interior cleanliness sensor

Abstract

An oven appliance with a sensor for sensing gases in the cooking chamber is provided. One or more features and methods are provided for detecting the gas levels in the cooking chamber to determine if the cooking chamber is clean or unclean. Features for initiating and terminating an oven cleaning cycle are also provided.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for operating a sensor of an oven appliance, the oven appliance having a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking, the method comprising the steps of:
 employing the sensor to detect a current gas level within the cooking chamber;   comparing the current gas level to a baseline gas level;   determining, from the step of comparing, whether the cooking chamber is unclean and, if so, then
 providing a signal to a user of the oven appliance to indicate the cooking chamber is unclean. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 repeating the steps of employing, comparing, and determining if the cooking chamber is found to be clean by the step of determining.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of employing is performed during a preheat cycle of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
 operating the sensor to detect a gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state; and   storing the gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state as the baseline gas level.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of determining comprises determining whether the difference between the current gas level and the baseline gas level is at least a predetermined amount. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising the step of selecting the predetermined amount. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing comprises indicating a self-cleaning cycle of the oven appliance should be initiated. 
     
     
         8 . A method for operating a sensor of an oven appliance, the oven appliance having a cooking chamber configured for receipt of food items for cooking, the method comprising the steps of:
 initiating a self-cleaning cycle of the oven appliance;   using the sensor to detect a current gas level within the cooking chamber;   comparing the current gas level to a baseline gas level;   establishing, from the step of comparing, whether the cooking chamber is clean and, if so, then
 terminating the self-cleaning cycle. 
   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
 repeating the steps of employing, comparing, and determining if the cooking chamber is not found to be clean by the step of establishing.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
 operating the sensor to detect a gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state; and   storing the gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state as the baseline gas level.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the steps of using and storing are performed after the step of terminating. 
     
     
         12 . 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;   at least one sensor; and   a controller in operative communication with the at least one sensor, the controller configured for
 employing the at least one sensor to detect a current gas level within the cooking chamber; 
 comparing the current gas level to a baseline gas level; 
 determining, from the step of comparing, whether the cooking chamber is unclean and, if so, then
 providing a signal to indicate the cooking chamber requires cleaning to a user of the oven appliance. 
 
   
     
     
         13 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured for
 initiating a self-cleaning cycle of the oven appliance;   using the at least one sensor to detect the current gas level within the cooking chamber;   establishing whether the cooking chamber is clean and, if so, then
 terminating the self-cleaning cycle. 
   
     
     
         14 . The oven appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the controller determines whether the cooking chamber is clean by comparing the current gas level to the baseline gas level. 
     
     
         15 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the controller determines whether the cooking chamber is unclean by determining whether the current gas level exceeds the baseline gas level by a predetermined amount. 
     
     
         16 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 a vent for exhausting gases and fumes generated during cooking from the cooking chamber; and   a duct connected to the vent,   wherein the at least one sensor is positioned in the duct.   
     
     
         17 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured for
 operating the at least one sensor to detect a gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state; and   storing the gas level of the cooking chamber in a clean state as the baseline gas level.   
     
     
         18 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured for performing the step of employing during a preheat cycle of the oven appliance. 
     
     
         19 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the step of providing comprises indicating a self-cleaning cycle of the oven appliance should be initiated.