Rotisserie assembly for an oven appliance

Abstract

An oven appliance includes a cooking chamber positioned within a cabinet, one or more heating elements for selectively heating the cooking chamber, a rotisserie assembly comprising a spit rod rotatably mounted within the cooking chamber for receiving a food item for a rotisserie cooking process, a motor assembly for selectively rotating the spit rod, and a controller in operative communication with the motor assembly. The controller is configured to receive a user input regarding the rotisserie cooking process, operate the motor assembly to rotate the spit rod in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process, and operate the one or more heating elements to roast the food item in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oven appliance defining a vertical, a lateral, and a transverse direction, the oven appliance comprising:
 a cooking chamber positioned within a cabinet;   one or more heating elements for selectively heating the cooking chamber;   a rotisserie assembly comprising a spit rod rotatably mounted within the cooking chamber for receiving a food item for a rotisserie cooking process;   a motor assembly for selectively rotating the spit rod; and   a controller in operative communication with the motor assembly, the controller being configured to:
 receive a user input regarding the rotisserie cooking process; 
 operate the motor assembly to rotate the spit rod in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process; and 
 operate the one or more heating elements to roast the food item in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process. 
   
     
     
         2 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the user input comprises at least one of a food type, a food weight, or a target doneness. 
     
     
         3 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to switch a heating output of the one or more heating elements during the rotisserie cooking process in accordance with the user input. 
     
     
         4 . The oven appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 operate the motor assembly to adjust a rotation speed of the spit rod based on the heating output of the one or more heating elements.   
     
     
         5 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprise a bake heating element and a broil heating element, and wherein the controller is configured to switch between operation of the bake heating element and the broil heating element during the rotisserie cooking process in accordance with the user input. 
     
     
         6 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a temperature probe configured for measuring a temperature of the food item, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the rotisseries cooking process based on the temperature of the food item.   
     
     
         7 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a microswitch operably coupled to the motor assembly for detecting installation of the spit rod.   
     
     
         8 . The oven appliance of  claim 7 , wherein the controller is in operative communication with the microswitch, the controller being configured to:
 determine that the spit rod is not installed; and   provide a user notification that the spit rod is not installed.   
     
     
         9 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 turn off the one or more heating elements at an end of the rotisserie cooking process; and   operate the motor assembly to continue rotating the spit rod during a resting period.   
     
     
         10 . The oven appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the resting period is between about 10 minutes and 1 hour. 
     
     
         11 . The oven appliance of  claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 provide a user notification when the resting period is complete.   
     
     
         12 . A method of operating an oven appliance, the oven appliance comprising one or more heating elements for selectively heating a cooking chamber, a rotisserie assembly comprising a spit rod rotatably mounted within the cooking chamber for receiving a food item for a rotisserie cooking process, and a motor assembly for selectively rotating the spit rod, the method comprising:
 receiving a user input regarding the rotisserie cooking process;   operating the motor assembly to rotate the spit rod in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process; and   operating the one or more heating elements to roast the food item in accordance with the user input for the rotisserie cooking process.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the user input comprises at least one of a food type, a food weight, or a target doneness. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 switching a heating output of the one or more heating elements during the rotisserie cooking process in accordance with the user input.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 operating the motor assembly to adjust a rotation speed of the spit rod based on the heating output of the one or more heating elements.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the one or more heating elements comprise a bake heating element and a broil heating element, the method further comprising:
 switching between operation of the bake heating element and the broil heating element during the rotisserie cooking process in accordance with the user input.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the oven appliance further comprises a temperature probe configured for measuring a temperature of the food item, the method further comprising:
 adjusting the rotisseries cooking process based on the temperature of the food item.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 12 , the oven appliance further comprising a microswitch operably coupled to the motor assembly for detecting installation of the spit rod, the method further comprising:
 determining that the spit rod is not installed; and   providing a user notification that the spit rod is not installed.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising:
 turning off the one or more heating elements at an end of the rotisserie cooking process; and   operating the motor assembly to continue rotating the spit rod during a resting period.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 providing a user notification when the resting period is complete.