COOKING APPLIANCE AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING COOKING APPLIANCE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of international application No. PCT/KR2024/002880, filed Mar. 6, 2024, which claims priority under 35 U. S. C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0060083, filed May 9, 2023, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a cooking appliance and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

BACKGROUND ART

Cooking appliances are devices for cooking foods by heating, which provide various functions related to cooking, such as heating, thawing, drying, and sterilizing of an object to be cooked. The cooking appliances may include, for example, ovens such as gas ovens or electric ovens, microwave heating devices (also referred to as microwaves), gas ranges, electric ranges, over the ranges (OTRs), gas grills or electric grills.

The oven is an apparatus for cooking food by transferring heat directly to the food or heating the inside of the cooking chamber by means of a heating source that produces heat, such as a heater. The microwave is an apparatus for cooking food by frictional heat between molecules, which is produced by using high-frequency waves as a heating source to disturb molecular arrangement of the food.

The gas oven is a home appliance that includes a cooking chamber for cooking food, a burner for burning gas fuel and air to generate heat, a gas supply path for supplying a gas to the burner, and an ignition for generating flames to heat and cook a cooking object accommodated in the cooking chamber at high temperature.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to prevent fire accidents caused by gas leaks, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to quickly respond to fire accidents caused by gas leaks, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to improve sensing efficiency of whether a fire breaks out, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to improve sensing accuracy of whether a fire breaks out, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to stably fix a temperature sensor, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

An aspect of the disclosure provides a cooking appliance having a structure enhanced to improve design and manufacturing conveniences by fixing a temperature sensor through a simple structure, and a method for controlling the cooking appliance.

Technological objectives of the disclosure are not limited to what are mentioned above, and throughout the specification, it will be clearly appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that there may be other technological objectives unmentioned.

Technical Solution

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a cooking appliance includes a main body defining a cooking chamber, a burner arrangeable in the main body and configured to heat an inside of the cooking chamber by burning gas fuel, a gas guide device mountable on the main body, including a gas inlet configured to allow an external gas supply line configured to supply the gas fuel from an external gas source to be connected from an outside the cooking chamber, and configured to supply the gas fuel from the external gas supply line to the burner to heat the inside of the cooking chamber by burning the gas fuel, a temperature sensor, arrangeable from the outside of the cooking chamber to be adjacent to the gas inlet, to detect ambient temperature of the gas inlet, and a controller, electrically connectable to the burner and the temperature sensor and configured to control the burner to stop burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or greater than a preset temperature.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method for controlling a cooking appliance including a burner to heat an inside of a cooking chamber by burning gas fuel supplied through a gas inlet connected from an outside of the cooking chamber to an external gas supply line, and stopping the burner from burning the gas fuel based on ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or greater than a preset temperature.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method for controlling a cooking appliance includes a main body defining a cooking chamber, a main gas supply line configured to be connected to an external gas supply line configured to supply gas fuel from an external gas source to supply the gas fuel, a connector arrangeable from an outside of a back of the cooking chamber, and configured to connect the external gas supply line to the main gas supply line, a detection circuit including a temperature sensor arrangeable outside of the back of the cooking chamber, and configured to output a first electric signal corresponding to a temperature in a portion of an area outside of the back of the outside the cooking chamber to which the connector is arranged being less than preset temperature or a second electric signal corresponding to the temperature in the portion being equal to or greater than the preset temperature, and a burner arrangeable in the main body and configured to heat an inside of the cooking chamber by burning the gas fuel supplied from the main gas supply line, the burner configured to stop burning the gas fuel based on the second electric signal output by the detection circuit.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates a door of a cooking appliance open, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial configuration including a burner accommodation room of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a burner accommodation room of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial configuration of a cooking appliance viewed from behind, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a coupling relation between a supporter and a main body of the cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates gas leaking from a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates a sound notification of an occurrence of an error output from a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates a notification of an occurrence of an error output on a display of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates a notification of an occurrence of an error output from a cooking appliance to an external terminal device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 18 schematically illustrates a detection circuit of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 19 schematically illustrates a detection circuit of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

MODES OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments and features as described and illustrated in the disclosure are merely examples, and there may be various modifications replacing the embodiments and drawings at the time of filing this application.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like parts or components.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The terms including ordinal numbers like “first” and “second” may be used to explain various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only for the purpose of distinguishing a component from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element and vice versa, without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Descriptions shall be understood as to include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items when the items are described by using the conjunctive term “˜ and/or ˜,” or the like.

The terms “upward (or up)”, “downward (or down)”, “forward (or front)”, “rearward (or behind)”, “left”, and “right” as herein used are defined with respect to the drawings, but the terms may not restrict the shape and position of the respective components. For example, the term “forward (or front)” and “rearward (or behind)” will now refer to forward (or front) and rearward (or behind), respectively, in the X direction with respect to the drawings. The term “upward (or up)” and “downward (or down)” will now refer to forward (or front) and rearward (or behind), respectively, in the Z direction with respect to the drawings. The term “left” and “right” will now refer to left and right, respectively, in the Y direction with respect to the drawings.

The term ‘unit, module, member, or block’ may refer to what is implemented in software or hardware, and a plurality of units, modules, members, or blocks may be integrated in one component or the unit, module, member, or block may include a plurality of components, depending on the embodiment of the disclosure.

It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection, and the indirect connection includes a connection over a wireless communication network.

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates a door of a cooking appliance open, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a cooking appliance 1 according to the embodiment of the disclosure may be installed in a cabinet 2 to have a sense of unity with a kitchen space. In other words, the cooking appliance 1 may be installed in a built-in type.

The cabinet 2 may have an opening formed in at least a portion of the front, and the cooking appliance 1 may be installed through the opening of the cabinet 2. The cooking appliance 1 may be put into the cabinet 2 through the opening of the cabinet 2 and drawn out of the cabinet 2. For example, the cooking appliance 1 may be required to be drawn out of the cabinet 2 for repair or replacement of a part. Also, as will be described later, when a rear part of the product catches on fire, the cooking appliance 1 may be required to be drawn out of the cabinet 2 for replacing a temperature sensor 400 (see FIG. 6) while the fire is being extinguished or after the fire is extinguished.

The cooking appliance 1 may include a cooking chamber 20, a main body 10 that defines the cooking chamber 20, and a door 30 provided to open or close the cooking chamber 20.

The main body 10 may include an inner case 12 that forms the cooking chamber 20 inside. The inner case 12 may be arranged within an outer case 11 of the main body 10 which will be described later.

The cooking chamber 20 may be formed to have an open front to put in or take out a food. The inner case 12 may include a front opening 12a formed to be open to put in or take out a food to or from the cooking chamber 20. The front may be defined to be a side of the main body 10 on which the front opening 12a is formed.

For example, the inner case 12 may be formed to have the shape of a box with substantially an open front.

Inner walls of the inner case 12 may be coated to prevent the inner walls of the inner case 12 from being corroded by condensate water produced in a vapor condensation process or by moisture contained in the food. The inner walls of the inner case 12 may be dried by heat generated in the process of cooking food.

The cooking appliance 1 may include an outer case 11 that defines an exterior of the cooking appliance 1. The inner case 12 may be arranged within the outer case 11. The outer case 11 may be provided to enclose top, bottom, back, left and right sides of the inner case 12 from outside.

The outer case 11 may include a top panel 11a that forms a top surface of the cooking appliance 1. A cooktop burner 90 may be mounted on the top panel 11a. The top panel 11a may provide the user with a site for cooking food with the cooktop burner 90

The outer case 11 may include a front frame 11b. The front frame 11b may be arranged on the front of the main body 10. The front frame 11b may form at least a portion of the front of the main body 10. The front frame 11b may be covered by the door 30 when the door 30 is closed.

The front frame 11b may be formed to have an open front to put into or draw out of the cooking chamber 20. The front frame 11b may be formed in the shape of a frame with an opening. The opening of the front frame 11b may be formed to have a size corresponding to the front opening 12a. The front frame 11b may be formed along edges of the front opening 12a of the inner case 12.

For example, the inner case 12 may be coupled to the front frame 11b. A portion adjacent to the front opening 12a of the inner case 12 may be coupled to the front frame 11b.

The outer case 11 may include a base 11c that forms the bottom of the cooking appliance 1. The base 11c may support the other components of the cooking appliance 1 from below.

The outer case 11 may include a left panel 11d that defines the left side of the cooking appliance 1 and a right panel 11e that defines the right side of the cooking appliance 1.

The outer case 11 may include a rear panel 11f (see FIG. 5). The rear panel 11f may form at least a portion of the exterior of the rear surface of the cooking appliance 1.

Various components equipped in the cooking appliance 1, such as a convection fan 80, at least a portion of a printed circuit board (not shown) that constitutes a control device, a gas guide device 300, etc., may be mounted on the rear panel 11f.

An insulation member (not shown) may be arranged between the inner case 12 and the outer case 11 to prevent all the heat in the cooking chamber 20 from being released intact out of the main body 10.

The main body 10 may include a rear cover 13 (see FIG. 5) for covering at least a portion of the rear panel 11f. The rear cover 13 may cover the at least a portion of the rear panel 11f from behind. The rear cover 13 may form at least a portion of the exterior of the rear surface of the cooking appliance 1. The rear cover 13 may be coupled to the back of the rear panel 11f.

The rear cover 13 may include a heat radiation hole formed to radiate heat produced by operation of the convection fan 80, the printed circuit board (not shown), a valve device 340 or the like, which is mounted on the rear panel 11f, to the outside.

The door 30 of the cooking appliance 1 may be rotationally coupled to the main body 10 to open and close the cooking chamber 20. For example, the door 30 may be rotationally coupled to a lower portion of the main body 10, and provided to be rotated on a rotation axis located in the lower portion of the cooking appliance 1. For example, as shown in the drawings, the rotation axis of the door 30 may extend in the left-right direction of the cooking appliance 1, which is the Y direction.

The cooking appliance 1 may include hinges 40 that connect the main body 10 to the door 30. The door 30 may be provided to be rotated against the main body 10 by the hinges 40.

For example, the hinges 40 may include a pair of hinges 40.

The door 30 may include a transparent portion 31 formed to allow the user to look inside of the cooking chamber 20 while the cooking chamber 20 is closed by the door 30. The transparent portion 31 may include various transparent materials such as glass. For example, the transparent portion 31 may be formed of a plurality of glass plates spaced apart from each other and forming insulation space between them to prevent the heat inside the cooking chamber 20 from being transferred to the outside of the door 30 through the transparent portion 31.

The door 30 may include a handle 32 arranged for the user to manually open or close the door 30. In order for the user to easily open or close the door 30, the handle 32 may be provided to be adjacent to a portion opposite to the rotation axis of the door 30. Although the handle 32 is shown as being arranged on the front side of the door 30 in the embodiment of FIG. 1, it is not limited thereto. The front side of the door 30 as herein used refers to a side facing forward in the X direction with respect to an occasion when the cooking chamber 20 is closed by the door 30.

The cooking chamber 1 may include a burner 200 provided to heat the inside of the cooking chamber 20. The burner 200 may be provided to heat the inside of the cooking chamber 20 by burning gas fuel. That is, the burner 200 may be configured as a gas burner. The burner 200 may be arranged inside the main body 10.

The burner 200 may include a plurality of burners 210 and 220.

For example, the burner 200 may include a first burner 210 arranged in the cooking chamber 20. The first burner 210 may be arranged in an upper portion of the cooking chamber 20. The first burner 210 may be mounted on the upper inner wall of the inner case 12. The first burner 210 may receive gas fuel from a first burner connection line 332, which will be described later, through the rear wall of the inner case 12.

The first burner 210 may be provided to be exposed to the top of the cooking chamber 20. The first burner 210 may be provided to directly heat a cooking object in the cooking chamber 20 with flames generated by burning the gas fuel. Specifically, the cooking object may be directly heated by radiant heat generated by the flames of the first burner 210. That is, the first burner 210 may be a broil burner.

Furthermore, for example, the burner 200 may include a second burner 220 arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. The second burner 220 may be arranged in a burner accommodation room 16 (see FIG. 3). The second burner 220 may be arranged outside and under the cooking chamber 20. The second burner 220 may receive gas fuel from a second burner connection line 333, which will be described later, through the rear panel 11f.

The second burner 220 may be provided to indirectly heat the cooking object in the cooking chamber 20. Specifically, the second burner 220 may heat air inside the burner accommodation room 16, and the heated air inside the burner accommodation room 16 may flow into the cooking room 20 by natural convection and heat up the cooking object in the cooking room 20. That is, the second burner 220 may be a bake burner.

The second burner 220 may include a pipe that forms a gas path through which the gas fuel passes, and a plurality of holes may be formed on the pipe of the second burner 220 to spray flames generated by burning the gas fuel (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the burner according to an embodiment of the disclosure may be configured as only one type (e.g., bake burner 220) of the aforementioned burners 210 and 220.

A configuration and operations of the burner 200 will be described later in detail.

The cooking appliance 1 may include the convection fan 80. The convection fan 80 may be rotated by receiving rotational force from a fan motor, which may circulate the air in the cooking chamber 20. Specifically, the convection fan 80 may be mounted in a rear portion of the inner case 12, and may rotate to blow air toward the front of the cooking chamber 20. The air blown by the convection fan 80 toward the front of the cooking chamber 20 may be circulated in the cooking chamber 20 and may then return to the convection fan 80. With the operation, the convection fan 80 may efficiently convect the air in the cooking chamber 20. As the air in the cooking chamber 20 is circulated by the convection fan 80, the inside of the cooking chamber 20 may have a uniform temperature distribution.

Although the cooking appliance 1 is shown in FIG. 2 as including only a single convection fan 80, it is not limited thereto, and a cooking appliance according to an embodiment may include a plurality of convection fans.

The cooking appliance 1 may include the cooktop burner 90 provided to heat a cooking container having a food therein. The cooktop burner 90 may be provided to heat the cooking container placed above the top panel 11a. For example, the cooktop burner 90 may generate firepower by burning the gas fuel, and thus heat the cooking container.

The number of the cooktop burners 90 is not limited to what is shown in FIG. 1.

The cooking appliance 1 may include a knob 19. For example, the knob 19 may be provided to be manipulated by the user for operation settings of the cooktop burner 90, and provided to receive a user input. The user may set ON/OFF, temperature, timer, etc., by manipulating the knob 19. There may be as many knobs 19 as the number of cooktop burners 90. The knobs 19 may control the respective cooktop burners 90 separately. The number of the knobs 19 is not limited to what is shown in FIG. 1.

Functions of the knob 19 are not limited thereto, and the knob 19 may also be provided to receive a user input for operation settings of the burner 200.

The main body 10 may include an operation panel 14 coupled to the knob 19. For example, the operation panel 14 may form a portion of the front exterior of the main body 10.

The cooking appliance 1 may include a display 52 for displaying operation information of the cooking appliance 1. For example, the display 52 may be arranged in an upper portion of the cooking appliance 1.

The main body 10 may include a display case 15 that supports the display 52. For example, the display case 15 may be arranged in the upper portion of the cooking appliance 1. The display case 15 may accommodate various components that constitute a user interface 50 (see FIG. 11) such as the display 52.

It is not, however, limited thereto, and unlike what are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the display 52 may be mounted on the operation panel 14 and arranged in parallel with the knobs 19.

A configuration and operation related to the display 52 will be described later.

The cooking appliance 1 as described above in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 is merely an example of a cooking appliance according to the disclosure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, unlike what is shown in FIG. 1, the cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure may not be the built-in type cooking appliance installed in a cabinet. Moreover, unlike what is shown in FIG. 1, the cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure may not include the cooktop burner, and may correspond to an oven that only includes the aforementioned burner 200 to heat the inside of the cooking chamber 20.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial configuration including a burner accommodation room of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a burner accommodation room of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include the burner accommodation room 16 arranged in the main body 10. The second burner 220 may be arranged in the burner accommodation room 16. The burner accommodation room 16 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20, and may be formed to be divided from the cooking chamber 20.

For example, the burner accommodation room 16 may be located under the cooking chamber 20. The burner accommodation room 16 may be located under the inner case 12. The second burner 220 may be arranged under the cooking chamber 20.

The burner accommodation room 16 may be provided to connect to the cooking chamber 20. Specifically, the inner case 12 may include a bottom opening 12b formed such that a portion of the bottom wall is open. The bottom opening 12b may be located between the interior of the burner accommodation room 16 and the interior of the cooking chamber 20 to connect to the burner accommodation room 16.

The cooking apparatus 1 may include a bottom plate 17 that separates the cooking chamber 20 from the burner accommodation room 16. For example, the bottom plate 17 may be coupled to the bottom wall of the inner case 12. Specifically, the bottom plate 17 may be coupled to edges of the bottom opening 12b. The bottom plate 17 may separate the cooking chamber 20 from the burner accommodation room 16 by covering the bottom opening 12b.

At least a portion of the bottom plate 17 may be located in the cooking chamber 20. The bottom plate 17 may be provided to have a cooking container with a food settled thereon.

The bottom plate 17 may include a heat outlet 17a provided to supply heat generated by the second burner 220 into the cooking chamber 20. The heat generated by the second burner 220 may flow from the burner accommodation room 16 to the cooking chamber 20 through the heat outlet 17a. The heat outlet 17a may connect the burner accommodation room 16 to the cooking chamber 20. The heat outlet 17a may be formed to have a shape that penetrates the bottom plate 17 (e.g., a shape that penetrates the bottom plate 17 in substantially the vertical direction Z).

For example, the heat outlet 17a may be provided in the plural to be adjacent to the left and right inner walls of the cooking chamber 20.

For example, the plurality of heat outlets 17a may be shaped like slits that extend long in substantially the front-back direction (X direction).

The cooking appliance 1 may include a supporting plate 18. The supporting plate 18 may be arranged under the bottom plate 17. The supporting plate 18 may be coupled to the inner case 12. Specifically, the supporting plate 18 may be coupled to at least a portion of the edges of the bottom opening 12b of the inner case 12. The supporting plate 18 may cover a portion of the bottom opening 12b of the cooking chamber 20.

The supporting plate 18 may support an upper portion of the second burner 220. As shown in FIG. 4, the heat generated by the second burner 220 may move along a sloping surface of the supporting plate 18 to the heat outlet 17a. In other words, the supporting plate 18 may guide movement of the heat generated by the second burner 220.

The aforementioned configuration of the second burner 220 and configuration of the burner accommodation room 16 to accommodate the second burner 220 are merely an example of the burner and burner accommodation room arranged in the cooking appliance according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates a partial configuration of a cooking appliance viewed from behind, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 7, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may receive gas fuel from an external gas source 3. Specifically, the cooking appliance 1 may receive the gas fuel through an external gas supply line 4 provided to supply the gas fuel from the external gas source 3. The gas fuel received by the cooking appliance 1 through the external gas supply line 4 may be delivered to the first burner 210, the second burner 220 or the cooktop burner 90. The first burner 210, the second burner 220 or the cooktop burner 90 may each perform a cooking operation by burning the received gas fuel.

Specifically, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a gas guide device 300. The gas guide device 300 may be connected to the external gas supply line 4 to receive the gas fuel from the external gas supply line 4. The gas guide device 300 may be provided to supply the gas fuel brought in from the external gas supply line 4 to the burner 200.

The gas guide device 300 may be mounted on the main body 10. At least some components of the gas guide device 300 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. The gas guide device 300 may be connected outside the cooking chamber 20 to the external gas supply line 4.

Alternatively, all the components of the gas guide device 300 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. The gas guide device 300 may be connected outside the cooking chamber 20 to each of the first burner 210 and the second burner 220.

The gas guide device 300 may be mounted on the back of the main body 10. In other words, the gas guide device 300 may be arranged on the outer side of the back of the cooking chamber 20. Specifically, the gas guide device 300 may be mounted on the rear panel 11f. The back of at least a partial configuration of the gas guide device 300 may be covered by the rear cover 13 that covers at least a portion of the rear panel 11f.

The gas guide device 300 may include a gas inlet 310 provided to be connectable to the external gas supply line 4. The gas inlet 310 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. The external gas supply line 4 may be connected outside the cooking chamber 20 to the gas inlet 310.

Specifically, the gas inlet 310 may be arranged on the outside of the main body 10. The gas inlet 310 may be arranged on the outside of the outer case 11. The gas inlet 310 may not be covered by the rear cover 13 but may be exposed to the outside of the product (e.g., to the rear side of the product as shown in the drawings). This may improve the user's accessibility to the gas inlet 310, and the user may easily connect the external gas supply line 4 to the gas guide device 300.

For example, the gas inlet 310 may have a cavity formed for the external gas supply line 4 to be inserted and connected thereto.

For example, the gas inlet 310 may be provided to be detachably connected to the external gas supply line 4.

For example, the gas inlet 310 may be formed to be connectable to the external gas supply line 4 in the vertical direction (Z direction).

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the gas inlet 310 may be formed to have various well-known structures that allow the external gas supply line 4 to be connected to the gas guide device 300. For example, the gas inlet 310 may be provided to be connectable to the external gas supply line 4 in a direction (the X direction, the Y direction or other direction) other than the vertical direction (the Z direction).

The gas guide device 300 may include a main gas supply line 330 connected to the burner 200 to supply the gas fuel to the burner 200. The main gas supply line 330 may be mounted on the main body 10. For example, the main gas supply line 330 may be mounted on the rear panel 11f. For example, at least a portion of the main gas supply line 330 may be covered by the rear cover 13.

Specifically, the main gas supply line 330 may include a valve connection line 331 connected to a valve device 340, which will be described later, to deliver the gas fuel to the valve device 340, the first burner connection line 332 connected to the first burner 210 to deliver the gas fuel to the first burner 210, and the second burner connection line 333 connected to the second burner 220 to deliver the gas fuel to the second burner 220.

The valve connection line 331 may connect a connector 320, which will be described later, to the valve device 340. The valve connection line 331 may form a gas path through which the gas fuel flows from the connector 320 to the valve device 340. The valve connection line 331 may guide the gas fuel flowing from the connector 320 to the valve device 340.

The first burner connection line 332 may connect the valve device 340 to the first burner 210. The first burner connection line 332 may form a gas path through which the gas fuel flows from the valve device 340 to the first burner 210. The first burner connection line 332 may guide the gas fuel flowing from the valve device 340 to the first burner 210.

The second burner connection line 333 may connect the valve device 340 to the second burner 220. The second burner connection line 333 may form a gas path through which the gas fuel flows from the valve device 340 to the second burner 220. The second burner connection line 333 may guide the gas fuel flowing from the valve device 340 to the second burner 220.

The gas fuel from the external gas supply line 4 may be supplied to the first burner 210 along the gas path connected from the gas inlet 310 to the valve connection line 331 and the first burner connection line 332. Furthermore, the gas fuel from the external gas supply line 4 may be supplied to the second burner 220 along the gas path connected from the gas inlet 310 to the valve connection line 331 and the second burner connection line 333.

For example, each of the valve connection line 331, the first burner connection line 332 and the second burner connection line 333 may be formed to include a rigid material. For example, each of the valve connection line 331, the first burner connection line 332 and the second burner connection line 333 may be formed to have a pipe shape.

The gas guide device 300 may include the valve device 340 provided to control the flow rate of the gas fuel supplied from the first burner 210 or the second burner 220. The valve device 340 may be provided to selectively open or close the flow path of the gas fuel.

The valve device 340 may be mounted on the main body 10. For example, the valve device 340 may be mounted on the rear panel 11f. For example, the valve device 340 may be covered by the rear cover 13.

The valve device 340 may receive the gas fuel brought in through the gas inlet 310 through the valve connection line 331. The valve device 340 may be provided to supply the gas fuel delivered through the valve connection line 331 selectively to the first burner 210 or the second burner 220.

The gas guide device 300 may include the connector 320 provided to be connectable to the external gas supply line 4. The connector 320 may be connected to the main gas supply line 330. The connector 320 may connect the external gas supply line 4 to the main gas supply line 330. The connector 320 may be provided to deliver the gas fuel to the main gas supply line 330 from the external gas supply line 4. In other words, the connector 320 may connect the external gas supply line 4 to the valve connection line 331, and may be provided to deliver the gas fuel from the external gas supply line 4 to the valve connection line 331.

In this case, the aforementioned gas inlet 310 may be arranged at the connector 320. The gas inlet 310 may be formed at one side of the connector 320 and arranged for the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 to flow into the connector 320.

For example, the gas inlet 310 may be arranged at the bottom of the connector 320. The connector 320 may be arranged such that the external gas supply line 4 is connectable to the bottom of the connector 320. The connector 320 may be arranged such that the external gas supply line 4 is connectable to the bottom of the connector 320 in the vertical direction. However, the direction in which the external gas supply line 4 is connected to the connector 320 is not limited thereto.

The connector 320 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. The connector 320 may be connected outside the cooking chamber 20 to the external gas supply line 4. The connector 320 may connect the main gas supply line 330 to the external gas supply line 330 outside the cooking chamber 20.

The connector 320 may be supported by the main body 10. The connector 320 may be mounted on the outer case 11 of the main body 10. Specifically, the connector 320 may be mounted on the rear panel 11f.

More specifically, at least a portion or the whole of the connector 320 may be arranged on the outside of the main body 10. The connector 320 may be arranged on the outside of the outer case 11. At least a portion or the whole of the connector 320 may not be covered by the rear cover 13 but may be exposed to the outside of the product (e.g., to the rear side of the product as shown in the drawings).

For example, the rear cover 13 may include a connector open portion 13a provided to expose the location of the connector 320 to the outside, and the connector 320 may be placed in a location corresponding to the connector open portion 13a of the rear cover 13 and not covered by the rear cover 13.

This may improve the user's accessibility to the connector 320, and the user may easily connect the external gas supply line 4 to the connector 320.

With this configuration, the gas fuel supplied from the external gas source 3 through the external gas supply line 4 may flow into the connector 320 through the gas inlet 310, and the gas fuel flowing into the connector 320 may be delivered to the valve device 340 through the valve connection line 331. The valve device 340 may supply the gas fuel to the first burner 210 or the second burner 220 selectively, and the gas fuel supplied for the first burner 210 may move along the first burner connection line 332 and the gas fuel supplied for the second burner 220 may move along the second burner connection line 333.

The gas guide device 300 may be provided to supply the gas fuel brought in from the external gas supply line 4 not only to the first burner 210 or the second burner 220 but also to the cooktop burner 90.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include a cooktop burner connection line 334 provided to deliver the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 to the cooktop burner 90.

The cooktop burner connection line 334 may connect the connector 320 to the cooktop burner 90. The gas fuel from the external gas supply line 4 may be supplied to the cooktop burner 90 along a gas path connected from the gas inlet 310 to the cooktop burner connection line 334.

For example, the cooktop burner connection line 334 may be formed to include a rigid material. For example, the cooktop burner connection line 334 may be formed to have the shape of a pipe.

The connector 320 may be connected to the cooktop burner connection line 334. The connector 320 may connect the external gas supply line 4 to the cooktop burner connection line 334. The connector 320 may be provided to deliver a portion of the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 to the main gas supply line 330, and the other portion of the gas fuel to the cooktop burner connection line 334.

In this regard, the gas path extending from the gas inlet 310 may be divided in the connector 320, a part of which may extend along the valve connection line 331 and the other part of which may extend along the cooktop burner connection line 334.

The gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 may be distributed inside the connector 320, and the connector 320 may perform a function of a distributor that distributes the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 to be delivered to the burner 200 that heats the inside of the cooking chamber 20 or the cooktop burner 90.

The connector 320 may be provided to regulate pressure of the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4. The connector 320 may be provided to maintain the pressure or flow rate of the gas fuel within a certain range to prevent a problem such as an increase in pressure and oversupply of the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 or incomplete combustion of the gas fuel by the burner 200 or 90.

For example, the connector 320 may include a valve member (not shown) provided to open or close the flow path in the connector 320, a diaphragm (not shown) to movably support the valve member and an elastic spring (not shown) connected to the diaphragm. When the pressure of the gas fuel flowing in the connector 320 increases, the diaphragm is pressurized and the valve member connected to the diaphragm may move to a position that closes the flow path in the connector 320. On the other hand, when the pressure of the gas fuel flowing in the connector 320 decreases, the valve member may be moved by elastic force provided by the elastic spring connected to the diaphragm to a position that opens the flow path in the connector 320. With this configuration, when the pressure of the gas fuel brought in through the gas inlet 310 increases, the flow path in the connector 320 may be reduced, leading to a reduction in flow rate of the gas fuel, and when the pressure of the gas fuel brought in through the gas inlet 310 increases, the flow path in the connector 320 may expand and increase the flow rate of the gas fuel.

That is, the connector 320 may serve as a gas pressure regulator.

The aforementioned description of a configuration of the cooking appliance 1 including the gas guide device 300 is merely an example of the configuration of the cooking appliance including the gas guide device according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

For example, unlike the aforementioned description, a connector of the cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure may have a simple structure that has only a function to connect the external gas supply line 4 to the main gas supply line without having a function to regulate the pressure of the gas.

Although an embodiment in which the main gas supply line 330 of the gas guide device 300 is located on the outside of the rear panel 11f is described in FIGS. 5 to 7, it is not limited thereto, and for example, at least a portion of the main gas supply line may be arranged on the inside of the rear panel 11f. Unlike what are shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, when most of the components of the gas guide device are designed to be arranged on the inside of the rear panel 11f, the gas inlet 310 connected to the external gas supply line 4 may be arranged on a portion of the main body 10 or on a portion of the rear panel 11f.

In a case that the cooktop burner 90 is not equipped in the cooking appliance 1, the cooking appliance 1 may not include the cooktop burner connection line 334, and the gas brought in from the external gas supply line 4 may all be supplied through the main gas supply line 330 to the first burner 210 or the second burner 220.

Based on the embodiments described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7, a structure and operation of the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure will now be described in detail.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates a coupling relation between a supporter and a main body of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates gas leaking from a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include an air inlet hole 11fh arranged for the burner accommodation room 16 to be connected to the outside. The air inlet hole 11fh may be formed to bring outside air of the product into the burner accommodation room 16 in order to supply oxygen required for the second burner 220 to burn the gas fuel. For example, the air inlet hole 11fh may be arranged on the rear panel 11f. Specifically, as the burner accommodation room 16 is located in a lower portion of the cooking appliance 1, the air inlet hole 11fh may be arranged in a lower portion of the rear panel 11f.

As shown in FIG. 10, there might be leaks of the gas fuel for various reasons. For example, for such a reason that the external gas supply line 4 is not securely coupled to the connector 320, the gas fuel might be leaked through a gap between the gas inlet 310 and the external gas supply line 4.

During the leaks of the gas fuel, the user may perceive the leaks of the gas fuel through the smell of an odorizer commonly contained in the gas fuel. However, when the user fails to smell the odorizer, the chances are high that he/she is unable to perceive the leaks of the gas fuel.

When the gas fuel consists of liquefied natural gas (LNG), its density may be lower than that of the air. Hence, as shown in FIG. 10, a portion G1 of the gas fuel may rise upward.

The other portion G2 of the gas fuel may, however, flow into the burner accommodation room 16 through the air inlet hole 11fh, as shown in FIG. 10. When the second burner 220 is operating, the flames generated by the second burner 220 are likely to stick on the gas G2 that has flowed into the air inlet hole 11fh.

When the gas fuel catches on fire in an area near the gas inlet 310 for such a reason as shown in FIG. 10, and it is left unattended for a long time, it may lead to damage of the product and further to a negligent accident to the customer due to the fire.

When the gas inlet 310 is located in an area unnoticed by the user like a back portion of the product, it makes it difficult for the user to perceive an outbreak of fire and quickly deal with the fire. Especially, in the case that the cooking appliance 1 is installed in the cabinet 2 in a built-in type, it may make it more difficult for the user to perceive the fire breakout.

To address this problem, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a temperature sensor 400.

The temperature sensor 400 may be provided to detect ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310. The temperature sensor 400 may be provided to detect ambient temperature of the connector 320.

The expression ‘ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310’ as herein used may refer to the temperature of the gas inlet 310 or the temperature of an area near the gas inlet 310 as a portion of the cooking appliance 1 where the gas inlet 310 is arranged. Likewise, the expression ‘ambient temperature of the connector 320’ as herein used may refer to the temperature of the connector 320 or the temperature of an area near the connector 320 as a portion of the cooking appliance 1 where the connector 320 is arranged.

For convenience of explanation, the temperature sensor 400 will now be expressed as detecting ‘the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310’.

The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. For example, it may be arranged on the outside of the back of the cooking chamber. In other words, the temperature sensor 400 may be provided to detect outside temperature of the cooking chamber 20.

The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged to be adjacent to the gas inlet 310. In other words, the temperature sensor 400 may be arranged within a range in a portion of the cooking appliance 1 where the gas inlet 310 is arranged. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 400 may be arranged to be adjacent to the connector 320. In other words, the temperature sensor 400 may be arranged within a range in a portion of the cooking appliance 1 where the connector 320 is arranged.

The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged in a portion of an outside area of the back of the cooking chamber 20, in which the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 is arranged, and may detect temperature of the portion where the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 is arranged.

As such, as the temperature sensor 400 is arranged to be adjacent to the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320, sensing efficiency and sensing accuracy of the temperature sensor 400 may increase.

The temperature sensor 400 may be provided to output an electric signal corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310. The electric signal output by the temperature sensor 400 may be sent to a controller 110 (see FIG. 11) of the cooking appliance 1.

For example, the temperature sensor 400 may be provided to output a first electric signal corresponding to less than a preset temperature and a second electric signal corresponding to the preset temperature or higher.

The ‘preset temperature’ as herein used may be determined as temperature corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 when an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire due to a gas leak. The preset temperature may be set experimentally or empirically.

For example, the preset temperature may be set to about 120 degrees Celsius. Alternatively, the preset temperature may be set to a temperature of 100 or higher degrees Celsius.

Alternatively, for example, the temperature sensor 400 may be provided to output electric signals changing stepwise or continuously to correspond to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310.

The temperature sensor 400 may be electrically connected to the controller 100 by electric wires W. The temperature sensor 400 may include a first terminal 414 and a second terminal 415, each of which may be connected to the electric wire W. By the electric wires W, an electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 may be sent to the controller 100.

When an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire and the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 rises, the temperature sensor 400 may detect the increased temperature and output a corresponding electric signal, and the operation of the second burner 220 may be stopped to prevent fire accidents. In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

For example, in the case that the temperature sensor 400 is provided to output the first electric signal corresponding to less than the preset temperature or the second electric signal corresponding to the preset temperature or higher as described above, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop operation of the second burner 220 based on the second electric signal.

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the cooking appliance 1 may be configured to stop operation of most of the components included in the product of the cooking appliance 1, such as the first burner 210, the cooktop burner 90, the convection fan 80, etc., in addition to the second burner 220 (it is desirable to exclude components for outputting a notification of an error occurrence such as a speaker 60, the display 52 and a communication module 70, which will be described later) when a fire breaks out.

Detailed descriptions of a structure of the temperature sensor 400 for detecting temperature in the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure and a method for controlling operation of the cooking appliance 1 by using the temperature sensor 400 to prevent a fire will be described later.

As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the temperature sensor 400 may be placed farther up than the gas inlet 310.

As the flames generated when gas leaking from the gas inlet 310 is burnt or resultant heat may tend to spread upward in the Z direction, the temperature sensor 400 located farther up than the gas inlet 310 may detect a rise in ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 more efficiently and the sensing accuracy may also be improved.

The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged between the rear panel 11 and the rear cover 13. That is, the temperature sensor 400 may be covered by the rear cover 13. The temperature sensor 400 may be covered by the rear cover 13 and may not be exposed to the outside of the product.

As described above, the gas inlet 310 may be exposed to the outside of the product by the connector open portion 13a of the rear cover 13, so the temperature sensor 400 may be located farther up than the gas inlet 310 to be covered by the rear cover 13.

As shown in FIG. 5, the temperature sensor 400 and the electric wire W may be covered by the rear cover 13, which may prevent the temperature sensor 400 and the electric wire W from being exposed to the outside of the product. With this configuration, the user may be protected from a possible danger of being electrically shocked by the electric wire W otherwise exposed to the outside of the product, and the electric wire W may be prevented from being damaged by an external impact or the product may be prevented from being damaged by static electricity.

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the temperature sensor 400 may be located farther down than the gas inlet 310 or at almost the same height as the gas inlet 310 in the Z direction. Furthermore, unlike what is described above, the temperature sensor 400 may not be covered by the rear cover 13 and exposed to the outside of the product.

In the meantime, to reduce the possibility of the leaked gas fuel being ignited, the gas inlet 310 may be arranged at a sufficiently high position in the Z direction. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the connector 320 may be arranged such that the gas inlet 310 is located at a higher level than or at least a similar level as the air inlet hole 11fh in the Z direction. This may increase the rate of the gas fuel G1 that rises farther upward than the air inlet hole 11fh and reduces the rate of the gas fuel G2 that flows into the air inlet hole 11fh even when the gas fuel leaks through the gap between the gas inlet 310 and the external gas supply line 4, thereby reducing the possibility of fire outbreak.

However, the position of the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 in relation to the position of the air inlet hole 11fh is not limited thereto.

A structure for supporting the temperature sensor 400 of the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure will now be described in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the cooking appliance 1 may include a supporter 500 that supports the temperature sensor 400. The supporter 500 may be called by various names such as a supporting member or a sensor bracket.

The supporter 500 may be arranged outside the cooking chamber 20. Specifically, the supporter 500 may be arranged on the outside of the back of the cooking chamber 20.

The supporter 500 may be supported by the main body 10 on the outside of the cooking chamber 20. The supporter 500 may include a coupler 520 coupled to the main body 10. For example, the coupler 520 may be coupled to the rear panel 11f. As the supporter 500 is supported by the main body 10, the temperature sensor 400 supported by the supporter 500 may be indirectly supported by the main body 10. The coupler 520 may be arranged to be tightly coupled to the rear panel 11f.

The coupler 520 may be coupled to the main body 10 in various structures.

For example, the coupler 520 may include a catcher 521 provided to be caught on the main body 10. Specifically, the rear panel 11f may include a first supporter coupler 11fa formed for the catcher 521 to pass through, and the catcher 521 may pass through the first supporter coupler 11fa and be caught on the rear panel 11f.

Alternatively, for example, the coupler 520 may include a screw hole 522 provided to be fastened to the main body 10 by a screw. Specifically, the rear panel 11f may include a second supporter coupler 11fb arranged for the screw to pass through, and the the screw hole 522 of the coupler 520 may be formed at a location corresponding to the second supporter coupler 11fb. The supporter 500 may be fastened to the rear panel 11f by the screw that passes through both the screw hole 522 and the second supporter coupler 11fb.

This structure may enable the supporter 500 to be securely fixed to the main body 10. It is not, however, limited thereto, and the supporter 500 may be coupled to the main body 10 in various structures. Alternatively, the supporter 500 may be integrally formed with a portion of the main body 10.

The supporter 500 may include a sensor support portion 510 that supports the temperature sensor 400.

Specifically, the temperature sensor 400 may include a sensor case 410, which may be fixed to the sensor support portion 510.

In order for the temperature sensor 400 to be supported by the sensor case 410 more stably, the sensor case 410 may include a settler 411 formed to be settled onto one side of the sensor support portion 510.

For example, the sensor support portion 510 may be formed in the shape of substantially a flat plate, and the settler 411 of the temperature sensor 400 may be settled onto a flat surface of the sensor support portion 510.

The settler 411 may be fixed to the sensor support portion 510. For example, the sensor support portion 510 may include a sensor fixer 511 provided to be hooked to the settler 411. Specifically, there may be at least one hole formed at the settler 411, and the sensor fixer 511 may pass through the at least one hole of the settler 411 and be hooked to the settler 411. Alternatively, for example, the settler 411 may be fastened to the sensor support portion 510 by a screw that passes through both the hole of the settler 411 and the sensor support portion 510.

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the temperature sensor 400 may be fixed to the sensor support portion 510 in various structures.

The supporter 500 may cover at least one side of the connector 320. As the supporter 500 supports the temperature sensor 400 and the gas inlet 310 is arranged at the connector 320 that is covered by the supporter 500 on one side, the temperature sensor 400 may be arranged to be adjacent to the gas inlet 310.

The sensor support portion 510 may cover the connector 320 from one side. Specifically, the sensor support portion 510 may cover the connector 320 from above. In this case, the temperature sensor 400 may be settled on the top surface of the sensor support portion 510.

As the sensor support portion 510 that supports the temperature sensor 400 covers the connector 320 from one side, the temperature sensor 400 may be arranged in a location adjacent to the connector 320 and stably supported at the same time.

The shape of the sensor support portion 510 is not, however, limited to what are shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. For example, the sensor support portion 510 may be arranged on a side of the connector 320, but may be formed to cover a portion of the side of the connector 320. The sensor support portion 510 may be formed to have width to support the temperature sensor 400 or for the temperature sensor 400 to be sufficiently settled thereon, in which case, the sensor support portion 510 may cover only a portion of the one side of the connector 320 corresponding to the width.

Furthermore, the placement of the sensor support portion 510 is not, however, limited to what are shown in FIGS. 8 to 10. For example, the sensor support portion 510 may be placed in various locations such as the lower side of the connector in the Z direction, the left or right side in the Y direction, the rear or front side in the X direction, etc. The location of the temperature sensor 400 may vary depending on the placement of the sensor support portion 510.

The connector 320 may be supported by the supporter 500. The connector 320 may be coupled to and supported by the supporter 500.

For example, the connector 320 may be coupled to the coupler 520 of the supporter 500. Specifically, the connector 320 may be coupled to the supporter 500 and the rear panel 11f by a screw that passes through the second supporter coupler 11fb of the rear panel 11f and the screw hole 522 of the supporter 500 in sequence.

It is not, however, limited thereto, and the connector 320 may be coupled to the supporter 500 in various structures. Alternatively, for example, the connector 320 may be supported by the supporter 500 by being coupled to the sensor support portion 510. Furthermore, as described above, the connector 320 may not be coupled to the supporter 500 but may be directly coupled to the main body 10, or may be integrally formed with the main body 10.

This structure may enable the temperature sensor 400 to be securely fixed to the supporter 500. As the temperature sensor 400 stably remains in the fixed position, sensing accuracy of the temperature sensor 400 may be improved. Furthermore, the temperature sensor 400 may be prevented from falling out of a designed position or from being damaged accordingly, due to vibrations of the product.

Moreover, as described above, as a structure of fixing the temperature sensor 400 is placed to be adjacent to the connector 320 and arranged on the supporter 500 having a simpler structure than the connector 320, convenience of designing and manufacturing the parts may increase and manufacturing costs of the product may be reduced.

The configurations of the temperature sensor 400, the supporter 500, etc., as described above with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10 are merely an example of configurations of the temperature sensor and the supporter for detecting the temperature sensor in the cooking appliance according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

For example, when the temperature sensor 400 is configured as a non-contact type temperature sensor (e.g., an infrared sensor) and is able to detect the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320, the temperature sensor 400 may not be arranged adjacent to the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320.

Furthermore, the temperature sensor 400 may be supported in various structures. For example, the supporter that supports the temperature sensor 400 may be a component of the main body 10 (the rear panel 11f in particular), a component coupled only to the main body 10 but not coupled to the supporter 500, or a component not coupled to the main body 10 but coupled only to the supporter 500.

Referring to FIGS. 11 to 22, a configuration and operation of the cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the disclosure for detecting temperature by using the temperature sensor and preventing fire will now be described in detail.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a partial configuration of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 11, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a user interface 50.

The user interface 50 may include an input device 50 for receiving a user input. The input device 51 may receive a set value or various control commands related to an operation of the cooking appliance 1.

Types of the user inputs that may be received through the input device 51 may include settings related to power on/off of the cooking appliance 1, start/operation of a cooking operation, setting of a cooking time, changing of cooking temperature, or selecting a cooking method (e.g., baking or broiling).

The input device 51 may include various types of input devices such as a tact switch, a push switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a micro switch, or a touch switch.

The input device 51 may receive a user input and output an electric signal (voltage or current) corresponding to the user input to the controller 100. The controller 100 may receive a user input based on an output signal of the input device 51.

The user interface 50 may include a display 52 for displaying information relating to an operation or state of the cooking appliance 1.

The information relating to an operation or state of the cooking appliance 1 to be displayed on the display 52 may include information about a cooking temperature or cooking method, current temperature in the cooking chamber 20, a progress state of a cooking operation, a remaining cooking time, occurrences of various types of errors (e.g., notification about warning of a fire), etc.

The display 52 may include a light emitting diode (LED) panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, or the like to provide the information for the user.

The display 52 may also include a touch screen including a touch pad for detecting the user's touch. The touch screen may display setting values or control commands that may be selected by the user, and receive a setting value or control command according to the user's touch input.

The configuration of the user interface arranged on the cooking appliance according to the disclosure is not, however, limited thereto, and there may be various types of user interfaces.

The cooking appliance 1 may include the speaker 60. The speaker 60 may be provided to provide sound information for the user. For example, the speaker 60 may include a speaker of a type that provides a relatively monotonous sound like a buzzer. Alternatively, for example, the speaker 60 may include a speaker of a type that provides sound information by playing a digital sound file stored in advance in the memory 102 or a memory separately arranged in the speaker 60.

The cooking appliance 1 may include a communication module 70 for performing communication with an external device. The communication module 70 may transmit data related to an operation or state of the cooking appliance 1 to the external device.

The external device that communicates with the communication module 70 may include various types of external terminal devices 5 such as, for example, a smart phone, a tablet, a PC, a cooking appliance dedicated device provided to control the cooking appliance 1, etc. The communication module 70 may also communicate with an external server.

The communication module 70 may be implemented with a communication chip, an antenna, and associated parts to connect to at least one of a wired communication network or a wireless communication network. That is, the communication module 70 may be implemented in various types that enable short-range communication or long-range communication with the external terminal device 5.

As described above, the cooking appliance 1 may detect ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 and include the temperature sensor 400 for outputting an electric signal corresponding to the ambient temperature.

As described above, the cooking appliance 1 may include the burner 200. Specifically, the cooking appliance 1 may include the first burner 210 and the second burner 220. The first burner 210 and the second burner 220 may operate separately. As will be described later, the controller 100 may separately control operations of the first burner 210 and the second burner 220.

The first burner 210 may include a first ignition 211 provided to ignite the gas fuel. Specifically, the first ignition 211 may be provided to generate spark in the gas fuel. The first ignition 211 may burn the gas fuel by generating spark in the gas fuel supplied to the first burner 210. The first ignition 211 may generate arc by electric discharge to burn the gas fuel.

The first ignition 211 may be electrically connected to the controller 100. The controller 100 may control operation of the first ignition 211. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the first ignition 211 to generate spark (turn on the first ignition 211) or not to generate spark (turn off the second ignition 211).

The second burner 220 may include the second ignition 221 provided to ignite the gas fuel. Specifically, the second ignition 221 may be provided to generate spark in the gas fuel. The second ignition 221 may burn the gas fuel by generating spark in the gas fuel supplied to the second burner 220. The second ignition 221 may generate arc by electric discharge to burn the gas fuel.

The second ignition 221 may be electrically connected to the controller 100. The controller 100 may control operation of the second ignition 221. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the second ignition 221 to generate spark (turn on the second ignition 221) or not to generate spark (turn off the second ignition 221).

The first ignition 211 and the second ignition 221 may be separately controlled by the controller 100.

As described above, the cooking appliance 1 may include the convection fan 80 provided to circulate the air in the cooking chamber 20.

As described above, the cooking appliance 1 may include the valve device 340 provided to control supplying of the gas fuel to the first burner 210 and the second burner 220.

The cooking appliance 1 may include the controller 100 for controlling many different components of the cooking appliance 1.

The controller 100 may include a processor 101 for generating a control signal for an operation of the cooking appliance 1, and a memory 102 for storing a program, an application, instructions and/or data for operation of the cooking appliance 1. The processor 101 and the memory 102 may be implemented with separate semiconductor devices or in a single semiconductor device. Furthermore, the controller 100 may include a plurality of processors or a plurality of memories.

The processor 101 may include an operation circuit, a storage circuit, and a control circuit. The processor 101 may include one or multiple chips. Furthermore, the processor 101 may include one or multiple cores.

The processor 101 may be electrically connected to the memory 102. The processor 101 may process data and/or a signal based on the program provided from the memory 102, and transmit a control signal to each component of the cooking appliance 1 based on the processing result. Each of the components of the cooking appliance 1 may operate based on a control signal of the processor 101.

The memory 102 may store various programs and data required for controlling, and temporarily store temporary data generated in controlling.

The memory 102 may include a volatile memory such as a static random access memory (S-RAM) or a dynamic RAM (D-RAM), and a non-volatile memory such as a read only memory (ROM) or an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM). The memory 102 may include a memory device, or multiple memory devices.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the user interface 50. Specifically, the controller 100 may be electrically connected to the input device 51 for receiving a user input obtained by the input device 51, and electrically connected to the display 52 to control the display 52 to display information about an operation or state of the cooking appliance 1.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the speaker 60. The controller 100 may control the speaker 60 to output set sound information.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the communication module 70. The controller 100 may receive information such as a user input from the communication module 70 that receives communication information from an external device (e.g., the external terminal device 5). The controller 100 may control the communication module 70 to transmit information about e.g., an operation state of the cooking appliance 1 to an external device.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the temperature sensor 400. The controller 100 may receive an electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400. The controller 100 may determine whether a fire breaks out based on an electric signal received from the temperature sensor 400. The controller 100 may control operations of various components of the cooking appliance 1 such as the burner 200 based on the electric signal received from the temperature sensor 400.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the burner 200. Specifically, the controller 100 may be electrically connected to each of the first burner 210 and the second burner 220 to control an operation of each of the first burner 210 and the second burner 220. For example, the controller 100 may control the first burner 210 to start or stop operation of burning the gas fuel, and separately control the second burner 220 to start or stop operation of burning the gas fuel.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the convection fan 80. The controller 100 may control the convection fan 80 to rotate to circulate the air in the cooking chamber 20.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the valve device 340. The controller 100 may control the valve device 340 to supply or not supply the gas fuel supplied from the external gas supply line 4 to the first burner 210 or the second burner 220, or regulate an amount of the supply.

The configuration of the cooking appliance 1 as described above in connection with FIG. 11 is merely an example of a partial configuration of a cooking appliance according to the disclosure, without being limited thereto.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 12, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than a preset temperature, in S1020. The term ambient temperature of the connector 320 may refer to temperature of a portion where the connector 320 is arranged, ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310, temperature of a portion where the gas inlet 310 is arranged, etc. For convenience of explanation, the above terms may be interchangeably used herein, and may correspond to each other.

Based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1020, an operation of the second burner 220 may proceed in S1030. The operation of the second burner 220 may refer to an operation of heating the interior of the cooking chamber 20 by the second burner 220 burning the gas fuel. When the operation of the second burner 220 is proceeding, the operation of the second burner 220 may continue to proceed based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1020. When the operation of the second burner 220 is not proceeding, the operation of the second burner 220 may be started when an additional condition for starting the operation of the second burner 220 is satisfied under the aforementioned condition in S1020.

On the other hand, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1020, the operation of the second burner 220 may be stopped. In other words, when the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than (or exceeds) the preset temperature, the operation in which the second burner 220 burns the gas fuel may be stopped.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature in S1020. Specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The temperature sensor 400 may be provided to output the first electric signal corresponding to an ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being less than (or equal to or lower than) the preset temperature or the second electric signal corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature.

Based on receiving the second electric signal from the temperature sensor 400 in S1020, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second burner 220. In other words, the second burner 220 may be provided to stop burning the gas fuel based on the temperature sensor 400 outputting the second electric signal.

The ‘preset temperature’ as herein used may be determined as temperature corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 when an area near the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 catches on fire due to a gas fuel leak. The preset temperature may be set experimentally or empirically. Data about the preset temperature may be stored in the memory 102.

As described above, for example, the preset temperature may be set to about 120 degrees Celsius. Alternatively, the preset temperature may be set to a temperature of 100 or higher degrees Celsius. The range of the preset temperature is not, however, limited thereto.

An example of stopping only the operation of the second burner 220 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature is described above with reference to FIG. 13, but the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping operation of the first burner 210 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. Furthermore, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping or controlling operations of various components equipped in the cooking appliance 1 such as stopping operation of the cooktop burner 90 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature, stopping operation of the convection fan 80, and terminating supplying of a gas fuel to each burner 210 or 220 by using the valve device 340.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 13, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 as described with reference to FIG. 12 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 13, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include obtaining a user input to start operation of the second burner 220 in S1010. For example, the cooking appliance 1 may obtain a user input to start operation of the second burner 220 through the input device 51. Alternatively, for example, the cooking appliance 1 may obtain a user input to start operation of the second burner 220 through the knob 19.

Before the second burner 220 starts to be operated based on the user input to start operation of the second burner 220, whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature may be determined to determine whether an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire in S1021.

The step S1021 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 13 corresponds to the step S1020 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 12, so the detailed description will be omitted.

Based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1021, operation of the second burner 220 may be started in S1031. Specifically, the controller 100 may receive a user input to start operation of the second burner 220, and control the second burner 220 to start operation of burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1021. More specifically, the controller 100 may operate the second ignition 221 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature.

In other words, the controller 100 may receive a user input to start operation of the second burner 220, and control the second burner 220 to start operating based on the first electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400.

On the other hand, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1021, the operation of the second burner 220 may not be started and may stay in the stopped state in S1040. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 not to start operation of burning the gas fuel but to be stopped based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1021 even though the user input to start operation of the second burner 220 has been received. More specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop operating based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400 even though the user input to start operation of the second burner 220 has been received.

Furthermore, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 may include outputting a notification about an error occurrence in S1050 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1021. The outputting of the notification about an error occurrence refers to providing the user with various types of information such as a sound, an image, etc., indicating that an error has occurred to the operation of the cooking appliance 1 because a fire breaks out around the gas inlet 310 of the cooking appliance 1.

Whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature may be determined to determine whether an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire in S1022 even after the second burner 220 starts operation of burning the gas fuel in S1031.

The step S1022 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 13 corresponds to the step S1020 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 12, so the detailed description will be omitted.

Based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1022, the second burner 220 may continue to operate in S1032 as described above in connection with FIG. 12.

On the other hand, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1022, the operation of the second burner 220 may be stopped in S1040. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1022 even after the operation of the second burner 220 is started. More specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop operating based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400 even after the operation of the second burner 220 is started.

Furthermore, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1022, a notification about an error occurrence may be output in S1050.

In the meantime, based on an electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 being changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the outputting of the notification about the error occurrence in S1050 may be stopped. On the other hand, when an electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 is not changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the notification about the error occurrence may be output continuously or periodically.

An example of stopping only the operation of the second burner 220 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature is described above with reference to FIG. 13, but the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping operation of the first burner 210 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. Furthermore, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping or controlling operations of various components equipped in the cooking appliance 1 such as stopping operation of the cooktop burner 90 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature, stopping operation of the convection fan 80, and terminating supplying of the gas fuel to each burner 210 or 220 by using the valve device 340.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include powering on the cooking appliance 1 first, in S1011. For example, the cooking appliance 1 may obtain a user input to power on the cooking appliance 1 through the input device 51.

After the cooking appliance 1 is powered on, whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature may be determined first in S1020 before an operation of the product of the cooking appliance 1 proceeds.

The step S1020 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 14 corresponds to the step S1020 of determining whether the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than the preset temperature as described in FIG. 12, so the detailed description will be omitted.

Based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature in S1020, an operation of the product (i.e., the cooking appliance 1) may proceed in S1033. The operation of the product may refer to individual operations of various components of the cooking appliance 1 including an operation of heating the interior of the cooking chamber 20 by using the first burner 210 or the second burner 220 and an operation of heating a cooking container placed on the top panel 11a by using the cooktop burner 90.

On the other hand, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1020, the operation of the product may be stopped in S1041. Specifically, the controller 100 may generate a control signal to stop overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 and transmit the control signal to the respective components, based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1020 after the cooking appliance 1 is powered on. In other words, based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400, the controller 100 may generate a control signal to stop overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 and transmit the control signal to the respective components.

Furthermore, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 may include outputting a notification about an error occurrence in S1050 based on the ambient temperature of the connector 320 being equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature in S1020. Specifically, even though overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 is stopped in S1041 because a condition in which the ambient temperature of the connector 320 is equal to or higher than (or exceeds) the preset temperature is satisfied in S1020 after the cooking appliance 1 is powered on, some components of the cooking appliance 1 may operate to output the notification about an error occurrence in S1050.

According to the control method, fire spreading may be efficiently prevented by stopping overall operation of the product, and simultaneously, a notification about an error occurrence may be output so that the user is able to rapidly take measures against the fire accident.

The method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 as described above with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14 is merely an example of a method for controlling the cooking appliance based on an output value of a temperature sensor according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 15 illustrates a sound notification of an error occurring in a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may output a sound about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the speaker 60 to provide a sound about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. The controller 100 may control the speaker 60 to provide a sound about an error occurrence based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400.

Furthermore, based on the electric signal output from the temperature sensor being changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the controller 100 may control the speaker 60 to stop providing the sound about the error occurrence.

On the other hand, when the electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 is not changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the notification about the error occurrence may be output continuously or periodically.

For example, when the fire in an area adjacent to the gas inlet 310 is extinguished and thus, the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 400 drops below the preset temperature, the sound notification through the speaker 60 may be terminated.

Alternatively, for example, when the temperature sensor 400 still outputs the second electric signal even though the fire in the area adjacent to the gas inlet 310 is extinguished and the actual ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 drops below the preset temperature, the controller 100 may control the speaker 60 to keep providing the sound notification. When the temperature sensor 400 has the same type as a temperature switch 400 as will be described in FIGS. 18 and 19, the temperature switch 400 may continue to output the second electric signal regardless of the actual ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 until the temperature switch 400 is replaced.

Although FIG. 15 shows an example in which the speaker 60 provides a beep sound, it is merely an example of a sound notification that may be provided by the speaker 60.

FIG. 16 illustrates a notification of an occurrence of an error output on a display of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 16, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may display a notification about an error occurrence on the display 52 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. In other words, the controller 100 may control the display 52 to display a notification about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. The controller 100 may control the display 52 to display the notification about the error occurrence based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400.

Furthermore, based on the electric signal output from the temperature sensor being changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the controller 100 may control the display 52 to stop providing the notification about the error occurrence.

On the other hand, when the electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 is not changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the notification about the error occurrence may be output continuously or periodically. This is described above with reference to FIG. 15, so the description will not be repeated.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the display 52 may display an indication that a gas connector (i.e., an area near the gas inlet 310 connected to the external gas supply line 4) catches on fire.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the display 52 may display an indication that the operation of the cooking appliance is stopped due to a fire.

For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the display 52 may display a recommendation to replace the temperature switch (see the temperature switch 400 in FIGS. 18 and 19) after the fire is extinguished.

The notification about an error occurrence displayed by the display 52 shown in FIG. 16 is merely an example of an error notification that may be displayed by the display 52.

FIG. 17 illustrates a notification of an occurrence of an error output from a cooking appliance to an external terminal device, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 17, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may transmit information about an error occurrence to the external terminal device 5 through the communication module 70 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. In other words, the controller 100 may control the communication module to transmit the information about an error occurrence to the external terminal device 5 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature. The controller 100 may control the communication module to transmit the information about the error occurrence to the external terminal device 5 based on the second electric signal being received from the temperature sensor 400.

The external terminal device 5 may receive the information transmitted by the cooking appliance 1 through the communication module 70, and output a notification related to an error that has occurred to the operation of the cooking appliance 1 on the display or in a sound based on the received information.

Furthermore, based on the electric signal output from the temperature sensor being changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the controller 100 may control the communication module 70 to stop transmitting the information about the error occurrence.

On the other hand, when the electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 is not changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the transmitting of the information about an error occurrence may be output continuously or periodically. This is described above with reference to FIG. 15, so the description will not be repeated.

For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the cooking appliance 1 may provide the user with a notification that a gas connector (i.e., an area near the gas inlet 310 connected to the external gas supply line 4) catches on fire through the external terminal device 5 by using the communication module 70.

For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the cooking appliance 1 may use the communication module 70 to provide the user with a notification that the operation of the cooking appliance is stopped due to a fire through the external terminal device 5.

For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the cooking appliance 1 may use the communication module 70 to provide the user with a notification that the temperature switch (see the temperature switch 400 in FIGS. 18 and 19) needs to be replaced through the external terminal device 5 after the fire is extinguished.

The notification about an error occurrence provided by the external terminal device 5 shown in FIG. 17 is merely an example of a notification about an error occurrence that may be provided by the cooking appliance 1 to the user through the external terminal device 5 by using the communication module 70.

The example as described above with reference to FIGS. 15 to 17 is merely an example of a method by which the cooking appliance 1 outputs the notification about an error occurrence according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and the notification about an error occurrence in the cooking appliance 1 may be output in various methods.

FIG. 18 schematically illustrates a detection circuit of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 19 schematically illustrates a detection circuit of a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 18 and 19, the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include a detection circuit C that includes the temperature sensor 400.

The detection circuit C may be provided to output the first electric signal corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature. In other words, the detection circuit C may be provided to output the first electric signal corresponding to the temperature in a portion where the connector 320 is arranged equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature.

Furthermore, the detection circuit C may be provided to output the second electric signal corresponding to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature. In other words, the detection circuit C may be provided to output the second electric signal corresponding to the temperature in a portion where the connector 320 is arranged equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature.

Specifically, the temperature sensor 400 may include the temperature switch 400 provided to turn on/off the detection circuit C according to the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310. Depending on the operation of turning on/off the temperature switch 400, the detection circuit C may output the first electric signal or the second electric signal.

For example, the temperature sensor 400 may be provided to switch the detection circuit C to have a current flow through the detection circuit C based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being less than the preset temperature (FIG. 18) and switch the detection circuit C to have no current flow through the detection circuit C based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or higher than the preset temperature (FIG. 19).

The condition for the preset temperature that is a basis for the temperature sensor 400 to switch the detection circuit C is the same as what is described above.

For convenience of explanation, the temperature sensor 400 will now be called the temperature switch 400.

The controller 100 may include an output terminal 110 through which an electric signal is output and an input terminal 120 through which an electric signal is input.

The detection circuit C may be configured to include the output terminal 110, the temperature switch 400, the input terminal 120 and the electric wires W that connect the enumerated components.

For example, the temperature switch 400 may be configured as a bimetallic switch.

The temperature switch 400 may include a first terminal 414 electrically connected to the output terminal 110, a second terminal 415 electrically connected to the input terminal 120, a bimetallic portion 412 that varies in shape according to the temperature, and a switch contact 413 provided to electrically connect (FIG. 18) or not connect (FIG. 19) to the bimetallic portion 412.

Along with the bimetallic portion 412, the first terminal 414, the second terminal 415 and the switch contact 413 may each be formed to include a conductive metal substance.

The bimetallic portion 412 may be formed of a first metallic portion 412a and a second metallic portion 412b that join together. The first metallic portion 412a and the second metallic portion 412b may have different thermal expansion coefficients.

For example, the first bimetallic portion 412a may have a larger thermal expansion coefficient than the second metallic portion 412b. In this case, when heat is applied to the bimetallic portion 412, the degree of thermal expansion of the first metallic portion 412a may be greater than the degree of thermal expansion of the second metallic portion 412b. As the first metallic portion 412a and the second metallic portion 412b join together, the bimetallic portion 412 may be deformed in shape due to the difference in thermal expansion degree so that the second metallic portion 412b bends toward where the second metallic portion 412b is located (see FIG. 19).

The temperature switch 400 may be arranged such that the shape of the bimetallic portion 412 is deformed in a direction in which an end of the bimetallic portion 412 that contacts the switch contact 413 moves away from the switch contact 413 when heat is applied to the bimetallic portion 412.

The temperature switch 400 may be arranged, as shown in FIG. 19, such that the bimetallic portion 412 bends and is separated from the switch contact 413 when the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 reaches the preset temperature (or exceeds the preset temperature).

According to this principle, the temperature switch 400 may be arranged such that the bimetallic portion 412 contacts the switch contact 413 when the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 is less than (or equal to or lower than) the preset temperature, so the detection circuit C is turned on (FIG. 18), and such that the metallic portion 412 is separated from the switch contact 413 when the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 is equal to or higher than (or exceeding) the preset temperature, so the detection circuit C is turned off (FIG. 19).

When the detection circuit C is turned on by the temperature switch 400, the signal output by the detection circuit C may be defined as a first electric signal, and on the other hand, when the detection circuit C is turned off by the temperature switch 400, the signal output by the detection circuit C may be defined as a second electric signal.

For example, the bimetallic portion 412 and the switch contact 413 may be arranged in the sensor case 410.

Although FIGS. 18 and 19 show an example in which the bimetallic portion 412 is connected to the first terminal 414 and the switch contact 413 is connected to the second terminal 415, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

Using the temperature switch 400 and the detection circuit C having simple structures may enable the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 or the connector 320 to be detected, and through this, save the production cost or manufacturing expenses. Furthermore, the cost for replacing the temperature sensor 400 after a fire breaks out due to gas fuel leaks may also be reduced.

Configurations of the temperature switch 400 and the detection circuit C including the temperature switch 400 as described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19 are merely an example of the temperature switch and the detection circuit including the temperature switch, which may be equipped in the cooking appliance according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 20, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include proceeding or stopping the operation of the second burner 220 depending on whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off.

As described above, when the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 is less than (or equal to or lower than) the preset temperature, the detection circuit C may maintain to be in the on state, and when the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 is equal to or higher than (or exceeds) the preset temperature, the detection circuit C may be turned off.

Based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2020, the operation of the second burner 220 may be performed in S1030. The operation of the second burner 220 may refer to an operation of heating the interior of the cooking chamber 20 by the second burner 220 burning the gas fuel. When the operation of the second burner 220 is proceeding, the operation of the second burner 220 may continue to proceed based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2020. When the operation of the second burner 220 is not proceeding, the operation of the second burner 220 may be started when an additional condition for starting the operation of the second burner 220 is satisfied under the aforementioned condition in S2020.

On the other hand, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2020, the operation of the second burner 220 may be stopped in S1040. When the detection circuit C is turned off, the operation of the second burner 220 burning the gas fuel may be stopped.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel in S1040 based on the current not flowing through the detection circuit C in S2020. Specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on no current flowing through the detection circuit C in S2020.

The controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel in S1040 based on the detection circuit C outputting the second electric signal in S2020. In other words, the second burner 220 may stop operating, based on the detection circuit C outputting the second electric signal.

The second burner 220 stopping the operation of burning the gas fuel may be the second burner 220 stopping the operation of burning the gas fuel based on the temperature switch 400 arranged on the outside of the cooking chamber 20 to be adjacent to the gas inlet 310 being turned off.

An example of stopping only the operation of the second burner 220 based on the detection circuit C being turned off is described above with reference to FIG. 20, but the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping operation of the first burner 210 based on the detection circuit C being turned off. Furthermore, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping or controlling operations of various components equipped in the cooking appliance 1 such as stopping operation of the cooktop burner 90 based on the detection circuit C being turned off, stopping operation of the convection fan 80, and terminating supplying of the gas fuel to each burner 210 or 220 by using the valve device 340.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 21, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 as described with reference to FIG. 20 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 21, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 as described with reference to FIG. 20 will be described in detail.

Referring to FIG. 21, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include obtaining a user input to start operation of the second burner 220 in S1010. A description related to this is the same as what is described in connection with FIG. 13, so the details will not be repeated.

Before the second burner 220 starts to be operated based on the user input to start operation of the second burner 220, whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off may be determined to determine whether an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire in S1021.

The description about the determining in S2021 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in connection with FIG. 21 corresponds to the description about the determining in S2020 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in FIG. 20, so the details will not be repeated.

Based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2021, the operation of the second burner 220 may be started in S1031. Specifically, the controller 100 may receive a user input to start operation of the second burner 220, and control the second burner 220 to start operation of burning the gas fuel based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2021. More specifically, the controller 100 may operate the second ignition 221 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310 being equal to or lower than (or less than) the preset temperature.

In other words, the controller 100 may receive a user input to start operation of the second burner 220, and control the second burner 220 to start operating based on the first electric signal being received from the detection circuit C.

On the other hand, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2021, the operation of the second burner 220 may not be started but may remain in the stopped state in S1040. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 not to start operation of burning the gas fuel but to be stopped, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2021 even though the user input to start operation of the second burner 220 has been received. More specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on the detection circuit C being in the off state.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop operating based on the second electric signal being received from the detection circuit C even though the user input to start operation of the second burner 220 has been received.

Furthermore, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 may include outputting a notification about an error occurrence in S1050 based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2021. The description of the outputting in S1050 of the notification about the error occurrence as described in FIG. 21 is the same as the description of the outputting in S1050 of the notification about the error occurrence as described in FIG. 13, so the details will not be repeated.

Whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off may be determined to determine whether an area near the gas inlet 310 catches on fire in S2022 even after the second burner 220 starts operation of burning the gas fuel in S1031.

The description about the determining in S2022 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in connection with FIG. 21 corresponds to the description about the determining in S2020 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in FIG. 20, so the details will not be repeated.

Based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2022, the second burner 220 may continue to be operated in S1032 as described above in connection with FIG. 21.

On the other hand, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2022, the operation of the second burner 220 may be stopped in S1040. Specifically, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2022 even after the operation of the second burner 220 has started. More specifically, the controller 100 may stop operation of the second ignition 221 based on the detection circuit C being in the off state.

In other words, the controller 100 may control the second burner 220 to stop operating based on the second electric signal being received from the detection circuit C even after the operation of the second burner 220 is started.

Furthermore, a notification about an error occurrence may be output in S1050, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S1022.

In the meantime, based on an electric signal output from the detection circuit C being changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the outputting of the notification about the error occurrence in S1050 may be stopped. On the other hand, when an electric signal output from the temperature sensor 400 is not changed from the second electric signal to the first electric signal, the notification about the error occurrence may be output continuously or periodically.

An example of stopping only the operation of the second burner 220 based on the detection circuit C being turned off is described above with reference to FIG. 21, but the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping operation of the first burner 210 based on the detection circuit C being turned off. Furthermore, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment may further include stopping or controlling operations of various components equipped in the cooking appliance 1 such as stopping operation of the cooktop burner 90 based on the detection circuit C being turned off, stopping operation of the convection fan 80, and terminating supplying of the gas fuel to each burner 210 or 220 by using the valve device 340.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking appliance, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 22, a method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 according to an embodiment of the disclosure may include powering on the cooking appliance 1 first, in S1011. This is described above with reference to FIG. 14, so the description will not be repeated.

After the cooking appliance 1 is powered on, whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off may be determined first in S2020 before an operation of the product of the cooking appliance 1 proceeds.

The description about the determining in S2020 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in connection with FIG. 22 corresponds to the description about the determining in S2020 of whether the detection circuit C is turned on or off as described in FIG. 20, so the details will not be repeated.

Based on the detection circuit C being in the on state in S2020, the operation of the product (i.e., the cooking appliance 1) may be performed in S1033. A description related to this is the same as what is described in connection with FIG. 14, so the details will not be repeated.

On the other hand, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S1020, the operation of the product may be stopped in S1041. Specifically, the controller 100 may generate a control signal to stop overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 and transmit the control signal to the respective components, based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2020 after the cooking appliance 1 is powered on. In other words, based on the second electric signal being received from the detection circuit C, the controller 100 may generate a control signal to stop overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 and transmit the control signal to the respective components.

Furthermore, the method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 may include outputting a notification about an error occurrence in S1050 based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S2020. Specifically, even though overall operation of the cooking appliance 1 is stopped in S1041 based on the detection circuit C being in the off state in S1020 after the cooking appliance 1 is powered on, some components of the cooking appliance 1 may operate to output the notification about an error occurrence in S1050.

According to the control method, fire spreading may be efficiently prevented by stopping overall operation of the product, and simultaneously, a notification about an error occurrence may be output so that the user is able to rapidly take measures against the fire accident.

The method for controlling the cooking appliance 1 as described above with reference to FIGS. 20 to 22 is merely an example of a method for controlling the cooking appliance based on an output value of a temperature switch and a detection circuit including the temperature switch according to the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cooking appliance 1 may include the main body 10 defining the cooking chamber 20, the burner 220 arranged in the main body and configured to heat the inside of the cooking chamber by burning gas fuel, the gas guide device 300 mounted on the main body, including the gas inlet 310 configured to allow the external gas supply line 4 configured to supply the gas fuel from the external gas source 3 to be connected from outside the cooking chamber, and configured to supply the gas fuel brought in through the gas inlet to the burner 220, the temperature sensor 400 arranged outside the cooking chamber to be adjacent to the gas inlet 310, and configured to detect ambient temperature of the gas inlet 310, and the controller 100 electrically connected to the burner 220 and the temperature sensor 400 and configured to control the burner 220 to stop an operation of burning the gas fuel based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than a preset temperature.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include the detection circuit C including the temperature sensor 400. The temperature sensor may be configured to switch the detection circuit to have a current flow through the detection circuit based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being less than the preset temperature and no current flow through the detection circuit based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The controller 100 may be electrically connected to the detection circuit C. The controller 100 may control the burner 220 to stop the operation of burning the gas fuel based on no current flowing through the detection circuit.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include the speaker 60 electrically connected to the controller. The controller may control the speaker to provide a sound about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include the display 52 electrically connected to the controller. The controller may control the display to display a notification about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include the communication module 70 communicating with the external terminal device 5 and electrically connected to the controller. The controller may control the communication module to transmit information about an error occurrence to the external terminal device 5 based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The temperature sensor 400 may be located above the gas inlet 310.

The gas guide device 300 may further include the main gas supply line 330 mounted on the main body and connected to the burner to supply the gas fuel to the burner, and the connector 320 placed outside the cooking chamber, connected to the main gas supply line and having the gas inlet 310 arranged thereon. The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged to be adjacent to the connector 320.

The cooking appliance 1 may further include the supporter 500 arranged outside the cooking chamber 20 and supporting the temperature sensor 400.

The supporter may include the coupler 520 coupled to the main body and the sensor support portion 510 that supports the temperature sensor.

The sensor support portion may be located above the gas inlet. The temperature sensor may be settled on a top surface of the sensor support portion.

The cooking appliance may further include a connector 320 configured to be connectable to the external gas supply line 4 outside the cooking chamber. The supporter 500 may cover at least one side of the connector 320.

The main body may include the rear panel 11f on which the gas guide device is mounted, and the rear cover 13 covering at least a portion of the rear panel from outside. The temperature sensor 400 may be arranged between the rear panel and the rear cover and covered by the rear cover 13.

The burner 220 may include the ignition 221 configured to generate spark in the gas fuel. The ignition may be electrically connected to the controller. The controller may control the ignition not to generate spark based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, a method for controlling a cooking appliance including a burner for heating inside of a cooking chamber includes heating the inside of the cooking chamber by burning gas fuel supplied through a gas inlet connected outside the cooking chamber to an external gas supply line with the use of the burner, and stopping the burner from burning the gas fuel based on ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than a preset temperature.

The stopping of the burner from burning the gas fuel may be stopping the burner from burning the gas fuel based on a temperature switch arranged outside the cooking chamber to be adjacent to the gas inlet being turned off.

The method for controlling the cooking appliance may further include providing a sound about an error occurrence based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The method for controlling the cooking appliance may further include displaying a notification about an error occurrence on a display based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

The method for controlling the cooking appliance may further include transmitting information about an error occurrence to an external terminal device through a communication module based on the ambient temperature of the gas inlet being equal to or higher than the preset temperature.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the cooking appliance 1 may include the main body 10 defining the cooking chamber 20, the main gas supply line 330 configured to be connected to an external gas supply line configured to supply gas fuel from an external gas source to supply the gas fuel, the connector 320 arranged outside of the back of the cooking chamber, and configured to connect the external gas supply line to the main body gas supply line, the detection circuit C including the temperature sensor 400 arranged outside of the back of the cooking chamber, and configured to output a first electric signal corresponding to a temperature in a portion of an area outside of the back of the cooking chamber in which the connector is arranged being less than a preset temperature or a second electric signal corresponding to the temperature in the portion being equal to or higher than the preset temperature, and a burner 200 arranged in the main body and configured to heat inside of the cooking chamber by burning the gas fuel supplied from the main gas supply line, and configured to stop burning the gas fuel based on the second electric signal output by the detection circuit.

Meanwhile, the method for controlling the cooking appliance may be implemented in the form of a recording medium for storing instructions to be carried out by a computer. The instructions may be stored in the form of program codes, and when executed by a processor, may generate program modules to perform operations in the embodiments of the disclosure. The recording media may correspond to computer-readable recording media.

The computer-readable recording medium includes any type of recording medium having data stored thereon that may be thereafter read by a computer. For example, it may be a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, an optical data storage device, etc.

The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. The term ‘non-transitory’ storage medium may mean that the storage medium is a tangible device which does not include a signal, e.g., electromagnetic waves, without distinguishing between storing data in the storage medium semi-permanently and temporarily. For example, the non-transitory storage medium may include a buffer that temporarily stores data.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the aforementioned method for controlling a cooking appliance according to the various embodiments of the disclosure may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be a commercial product that may be traded between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), through an application store (e.g., Play Store™), directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), or online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded). In the case of the online distribution, at least part of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable app) may be at least temporarily stored or arbitrarily created in a storage medium that may be readable to a device such as a server of the manufacturer, a server of the application store, or a relay server.

According to the disclosure, a cooking appliance may prevent fire accidents and allow the user to quickly deal with the fire accidents by including a temperature sensor provided to detect a rise in temperature when a fire breaks out due to a gas leak.

According to the disclosure, a cooking appliance may prevent an accident due to a fire by stopping operation of the cooking appliance when the fire breaks out due to a gas leak.

According to the disclosure, a cooking appliance may increase efficiency of sensing whether a fire breaks out by including a temperature sensor arranged to be adjacent to a connector connected to an external gas supply line.

According to the disclosure, a temperature sensor of a cooking appliance may be stably fixed by a supporter, thereby increasing the accuracy of sensing whether a fire breaks out.

According to the disclosure, a cooking appliance may have a temperature sensor not directly fixed to a connector but fixed by a simple structure arranged at a supporter, thereby improving convenience of designing and manufacturing parts.

Effects according to technical ideas of the disclosure are not limited to what are described above, and throughout the specification it will be clearly appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that there may be other effects unmentioned.

Several embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, but a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand and appreciate that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the true scope of technical protection is only defined by the following claims.