Cooking device with two zones in the cooking cavity

Abstract

A cooking device, such as a steam oven, may include a cooking cavity, a heating cavity, a separating wall arranged between the cooking cavity and the heating cavity, ventilation openings located at the separating wall, and a controller. A first fan, a second fan, and a heater are arranged, in particular side by side, in the heating cavity. The first fan is positioned and configured to collect air from the cooking cavity and to generate a first airflow interacting with the heater and being conveyed back into a first part of the cooking cavity. The second fan is positioned and configured to collect air from the cooking cavity and to generate a second airflow interacting with the heater and being conveyed back into a second part of the cooking cavity. The controller may be configured to operate the first fan and the second fan independently from each other.

1 . A cooking device comprising:
 a cooking cavity;   a heating cavity;   a separating wall arranged between the cooking cavity and the heating cavity;   ventilation openings located at the separating wall;   a first fan and a second fan arranged in the heating cavity;   a heater arranged in the heating cavity, wherein:
 the first fan is positioned and adapted to collect air from the cooking cavity and to generate a first airflow interacting with the heater and being conveyed back into a first part of the cooking cavity, and 
 the second fan is positioned and adapted to collect air from the cooking cavity and to generate a second airflow interacting with the heater and being conveyed back into a second part of the cooking cavity; and 
   a controller configured to operate the first fan and the second fan independently from each other.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the heater comprises a first heating element and a second heating element, both positioned and adapted such that the first airflow interacts with the first heating element and that the second airflow interacts with the second heating element. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking device according to  claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to operate the first heating element and the second heating element independently from each other. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking device according to  claim 2 , comprising a separator separating the heating cavity in two parts such that the first airflow interacts only with the first heating element and the second airflow interacts only with the second heating element. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein a power of the first fan and the second fan are controlled by controlling a direct current (DC) motor or a dropping resistor. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , comprising first and second temperature sensors arranged in the cooking cavity, wherein the first temperature sensor is arranged in a left half of the cooking cavity and the second temperature sensor is arranged in a right half of the cooking cavity, the first and the second temperature sensors are being arranged at a top wall of the cooking cavity. 
     
     
         7 . The cooking device according to  claim 6 , wherein the first and the second temperature sensors are spaced from each other not more than 400 mm. 
     
     
         8 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 a first grill element arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity and a second grill element arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity;   a first steam inlet arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity and a second steam inlet arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity; and/or   a first bottom and top heating element arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity and a second bottom and top heating element arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity,   wherein: (a) the first and the second grill elements, (b) the first and the second steam inlets, and/or (c) the first and the second bottom and top heating elements, are operable independently from each other.   
     
     
         9 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , comprising a first lighting device arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity and a second lighting device arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking device according to  claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to control the first and the second lighting devices such that:
 the first lighting device is active and the second lighting device is inactive while parameters of the first part of the cooking cavity are set; and   the second lighting device is active and the first lighting device is inactive while parameters of the second part of the cooking cavity are set.   
     
     
         11 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 a first part of the ventilation openings is arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity and configured such that only the first airflow flows through the first part of the ventilation openings; and   a second part of the ventilation openings is arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity and configured such that only the second airflow flows through the second part of the ventilation openings.   
     
     
         12 . The cooking device according to  claim 11 , wherein:
 the first part of the ventilation openings arranged in the first part of the cooking cavity are arranged only in an outer half of the first part of the cooking cavity; and   the second part of the ventilation openings arranged in the second part of the cooking cavity are arranged only in an outer half of the second part of the cooking cavity.   
     
     
         13 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooking device is configured such that a cooking temperature in the first part and in the second part are separately settable. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein a power of the first fan and a power of the second fan are separately settable by: defining a size of the first part of the cooking cavity and a size of the second part of the cooking cavity. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first part of the cooking cavity and the second part of the cooking cavity are arranged horizontally side by side. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooking cavity consists of the first part and the second part of the cooking cavity. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the first part of the cooking cavity and the second part of the cooking cavity are defined such that a border between the first part of the cooking cavity and the second part of the cooking cavity is a vertical plane dividing the cooking cavity in in a left part and a right part, wherein the first part of the cooking cavity is the left part and the second part of the cooking cavity is the right part. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooking cavity omits a separating physical wall separating the cooking cavity into the first part of the cooking cavity and the second part of the cooking cavity. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking device according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooking device is a steam oven.