DE102021201956A1 - Evaporator for a household steamer and steamer drawer - Google Patents

Abstract

An evaporator (12) for a household steam cooking appliance (1) has an evaporator chamber (13) with at least one passive heating element (34) and a water reservoir (14) arranged next to the evaporator chamber (13), the evaporator chamber (13) and the water reservoir (14) are connected to one another by at least one fluid connection (36), the fluid connection (36) can be opened by external actuation of a non-actuated blocking shut-off valve (37) and the water reservoir (14) outside of the at least one fluid connection (36) can be closed airtight. A steam treatment drawer (5) has an evaporator (12), a steam treatment chamber (29) which has a steam inlet (25) which can be connected to the evaporator (12) in terms of steam technology, an actuating device (43) which is set up to switch the fluid connection (36) to be actuated to open it and to keep it open continuously when the evaporator (12) is inserted, and a heating means (44) which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element (34). The invention can be applied particularly advantageously to steam cooking drawers, in particular multi-cavity cooking appliances.

Description

The invention relates to an evaporator for a household steam cooking appliance, having a heatable evaporator chamber and a water reservoir arranged next to the evaporator chamber, the evaporator chamber and the water reservoir being connected to one another by at least one fluid connection and the fluid connection being selectively openable and closable by external actuation. The invention also relates to a steam cooking drawer with such an evaporator. The invention also relates to a household steam cooking appliance with such an evaporator. The invention can be applied particularly advantageously to steam cooking drawers, in particular multi-cavity cooking appliances.

Horizontally extendable steam cooking drawers are known, in which an evaporator unit is integrated, which can be filled with water from a removable water tank. The problem here is the sealing of the water tank used and the water flow from the water tank to the evaporator unit.

It is the object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular to provide an improved possibility of supplying water to an evaporator chamber of an evaporator.

This object is solved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments can be found in particular in the dependent claims.

The object is achieved by an evaporator for a household steam cooking appliance, having an evaporator chamber with at least one passive heating element and a water reservoir arranged next to the evaporator chamber, the evaporator chamber and the water reservoir being connected to one another by at least one fluid connection, the fluid connection being activated by external actuation of a non-actuated closed shut-off valve can be opened and closed and the water reservoir can be closed airtight outside of the at least one fluid connection.

This evaporator can be operated in such a way that when the water reservoir is filled outside of the household steam cooking appliance, the at least one fluid connection is closed, so that no water can get into the evaporator space. The at least one fluid connection can now be opened or released by external actuation and thus opening of the shut-off valve, e.g. when the evaporator is inserted into the household steamer. As a result, water flows through the at least one fluid connection into the evaporator until the at least one fluid connection or its outlet opening to the evaporator chamber is completely covered by the water rising in the evaporator. In this case, some water continues to run into the evaporator, but due to its airtight design, a negative pressure is then generated in the water reservoir, which prevents further flow. To generate steam, the at least one passive heating element can now be heated to such an extent that the water in the evaporator chamber boils and steam forms. Due to the formation of steam, water is consumed in the evaporator space, so that the water level there drops. If the water level reaches a fluid connection again, air can get into the water reservoir, causing the negative pressure there to drop and this in turn allows water to flow into the evaporator again until the at least one fluid connection is completely covered by the water rising in the evaporator, etc. This is also known as the "birdbath principle". After completion of a steam generation process, the evaporator can be removed from the household steam cooking appliance, whereby the actuation of the at least one shut-off valve of the at least one fluid connection is canceled and the at least one shut-off valve consequently closes automatically, e.g. by its weight or spring force.

The advantage of this evaporator is that the evaporator space and the water reservoir are spaces or cavities of a common evaporator and therefore internal "piping" for the water supply can be dispensed with. The bird bath principle allows the evaporator chamber to be filled to a desired range of a water level, which is defined by the upper edge of the uppermost fluid connection, in a structurally particularly simple manner without level sensors or measuring the refill volume. In particular, pumps or other funding can be dispensed with. The external actuation of the at least one shut-off valve also makes it possible to dispense with an associated internal drive of the shut-off valve. The passive heating element also does not require a power connection to heat it up. Overall, therefore, an evaporator is provided that requires a power connection neither for evaporation nor for level control. In this sense, the evaporator can also be referred to as an "electrically passive" evaporator.

The evaporator can also advantageously be designed as a watertight unit, so that advantageously no after external leaks occur. In addition, this evaporator can be manufactured with few components, which supports a low susceptibility to errors and robustness and also causes only low assembly costs. In addition, the evaporator can advantageously be easily replaced as a whole in the event of a repair.

The passive heating element can be heated by an external heating means and is therefore not itself an electrical consumer. The passive heating element is set up (i.e., designed and arranged) to bring the water in the evaporator chamber to a boil and thereby supply steam for steaming food to be cooked generate.

The evaporator thus represents a unit with at least two cavities, namely at least the evaporator chamber and the water reservoir, which are fluidically connected to one another when the shut-off valve is open. The water reservoir can, for example, also be referred to as a water storage space or water storage cavity.

The fluid connection can be any connection through which water can flow, in particular driven by gravity, from the water reservoir into the evaporator space and/or through which air can flow from the evaporator space into the water reservoir. The evaporator can have one or more such fluid connections, which can, for example, be arranged next to one another and/or one above the other.

For a particularly effective use of the filling volume of the water reservoir and for good heating efficiency in the evaporator chamber, it is a further development that the fluid connection runs close to the floor. In particular, the floor between the evaporator space and the water reservoir can form an edge or wall of the fluid connection. Alternatively, the fluid connection can run at a small distance to the ground, for example.

An “unactuated blocking” shut-off valve is understood to mean, in particular, a shut-off valve which blocks and thus closes the associated fluid connection when it is not or is not actuated externally. If the shut-off valve is actuated, it opens and the associated fluid connection. If an actuation of the shut-off valve is canceled, it automatically returns to its blocking state.

An external actuation of the shut-off valve can in particular be understood to mean that the evaporator itself has no means for actuating the shut-off valve, but this must be actuated by an external entity, in particular a steamer. To actuate the shut-off valve, it can be actuated mechanically or magnetically by the external entity, for example. In particular, the shut-off valve can be switched between the “open” and “closed” positions, possibly also in intermediate positions.

The shut-off valve can, for example, have a flap, a slide, a valve cone, etc. as a sealing piece.

In a further development, the shut-off valve is equipped with at least one magnetic volume (permanent magnet and/or magnetizable piece of metal, e.g. made of ferrous material) for its actuation. The actuating device for externally actuating the shut-off valve can have a permanent magnet or an electromagnet, for example. An opening magnetic force can be exerted on the shut-off valve by approaching the shut-off valve to the external actuating device or by activating the electromagnet. The use of an electromagnet as an actuator can be advantageous because it can then be "logic-controlled", e.g. to interrupt the water supply before the end of the steam generation process and thereby encourage the evaporator to dry out in a controlled manner.

In a further development, the shut-off valve has a magnetically actuable actuator piece which, when actuated, moves a sealing piece of the shut-off valve into its open position. For example, the actuator piece can be a bolt that is equipped with at least one magnetic volume and can be moved, for example. The sealing piece can, for example, be a valve cone which can close off a fluid connection, for example in the form of a short piece of pipe.

In a further development, if there is no external actuation, the shut-off valve is brought or urged into its closed position by its weight and/or with the aid of a spring.

The fact that the water reservoir can be closed airtight outside of the at least one fluid connection includes, in particular, that when the at least one fluid connection is closed, a negative pressure is maintained in the water reservoir, in particular for a few minutes or hours, in particular at least for the duration of a steam cooking process.

It is a further development that the water reservoir can be filled with water through a filling opening, which filling opening by means of a Lid can be closed airtight. For this purpose, for example, a corresponding seal can be provided on the cover and/or on the edge of the water reservoir.

In one configuration, the evaporator chamber and the water reservoir are separated from one another by a dividing wall and the dividing wall has at least one, in particular precisely one, refill opening forming at least one fluid connection on its lower edge, which can be actuated externally by means of at least one, in particular precisely one Shut-off valve is optionally openable and closable. This results in the advantage that a particularly easy to implement, compact and reliable closable fluid connection can be provided. The associated shut-off valve can include, for example, a slide that can be brought in front of the refill opening(s) or a valve flap. A height of the refill opening corresponds at least approximately to the fill level that can be reached in the evaporator chamber. The fact that the dividing wall has a refill opening at its lower edge can mean that the refill opening extends to the bottom or is delimited in sections by the bottom. The fact that the dividing wall has a refill opening at its lower edge can also mean that the refill opening is completely surrounded by the dividing wall but is at a small vertical distance from the floor.

In one embodiment, the evaporator is equipped with at least one passive heating element arranged on the bottom. This has the advantage that the water can be brought to the boil effectively even when the level is low. The heating element can in particular be exposed to the evaporator space, which keeps heat transfer losses into the water particularly low.

In one configuration, the at least one passive heating element is a plate with high thermal conductivity (“evaporator plate”) integrated into the base of the evaporator space. In this way, a large-area and particularly effective heating of the water in the evaporator space is achieved. The evaporator plate can be exposed on its upper side facing the evaporator space and/or on its underside facing away from the evaporator space or be covered by a thin protective layer, e.g. made of plastic. The evaporator plate can be made of metal or ceramic, for example.

In one configuration, the evaporator is an injection molded part with at least one injected heating element and at least one injected shut-off valve. The evaporator can thus be manufactured particularly inexpensively and is particularly robust.

In a further development, the height of the outer walls of the evaporator, in particular also of the evaporator space, is designed such that the evaporator can take up the entire amount of water without overflowing if a shut-off valve fails. It is thus advantageously prevented that the evaporator overflows in the event of a leak in the shut-off valve of the fluid connection, since the water from the water reservoir can be distributed between the evaporator chamber and the water reservoir and the evaporator chamber has a sufficient capacity or capacity for this.

In one configuration, the evaporator has a capacity that corresponds to at least half the nominal capacity of the water reservoir. A nominal capacity is understood to mean the capacity that results from a specified maximum filling volume, e.g. when a corresponding water level mark is reached.

In one embodiment, the evaporator has a further cavity (“condensate collection space”), which is intended to collect condensate or condensation water from steam-containing vapors discharged from a steam treatment space of the domestic steam cooking appliance. This has the advantage that the gas exiting the condensate collection chamber is drier and colder than the vapor entering. It is also advantageously possible in this way to bind odorous substances. The condensate collection space can have, for example, an inlet for vapors to be condensed out and an outlet for condensed gas. In a further development, the condensate collection space can also be filled with water, so that the water can serve as a coolant, which increases the formation of condensate. In particular, the condensate collection space is fluidically separated from the water reservoir and the evaporator space.

The object is also achieved by a steam treatment drawer, having an evaporator as described above, a steam treatment chamber which has a steam inlet which can be connected to the evaporator in terms of steam technology, an actuating device which is set up to actuate the fluid connection for opening and to keep it open when the evaporator is inserted hold, and a heating means, which is adapted to heat the at least one passive heating element to generate steam or to heat. The steam treatment drawer can be designed analogously to the evaporator and has the same advantages.

This steam treatment drawer can be operated in such a way that it is extended out of its drawer housing to carry out a steam treatment process, then the water reservoir is filled outside of the domestic steam cooking appliance or when the evaporator is used and the steam treatment space is also loaded with steam to be cooked. With the evaporator inserted and the shut-off valve thus opened by means of the actuating device, the steam treatment drawer is moved back into the drawer housing. A user-selected steam treatment sequence can now be executed. In order to apply steam to the steam treatment chamber, the heating means can be controlled in a targeted manner by means of a control device in order to heat the at least one passive heating element of the evaporator, e.g. through its own overheating and heat transfer to the passive heating element or through induction or generation of an eddy current in the passive heating element. The heated passive heating element brings the water in the evaporator room to a boil, and the resulting wet steam is fed into the steam treatment room as such or after further heating to superheated steam (so-called SHS; "Superheated Steam"). The vapor produced by the interaction of the introduced steam with the food to be cooked can be discharged directly into the vicinity of the steam treatment drawer, removed by a vapor extraction device or discharged through the condensate collection space of the evaporator. At the end of the steam treatment process, the steam treatment drawer is extended and the food to be cooked is removed.

In particular, the steam treatment drawer can be extended horizontally out of a drawer housing and also retracted into it again. The steam treatment chamber can be a damper pan that can be covered by a lid and can be removed from the steam treatment drawer in particular. The walls of the evaporator chamber can be shaped in such a way that they direct the escaping steam in a desired direction (towards the food to be cooked). In particular, the evaporator space can be shaped in such a way that it can be connected directly to a steam inlet of the steam treatment space.

In one embodiment, the evaporator can be removed from the steam treatment drawer by the user. As a result, the evaporator can be easily emptied, easily cleaned, in particular decalcified, and the water reservoir can be easily filled with water. In a further development, the evaporator can be lifted out or removed from the steam treatment drawer. If the evaporator is removed from the steam treatment drawer, the shut-off valve closes automatically, e.g. because the shut-off valve automatically returns to its closed position (e.g. due to its weight or spring force). The user can empty the removed evaporator, e.g. over a sink, e.g. of residual water and any condensate, and clean, e.g. decalcify. Due to its simple and robust structure, in particular the lack of electrical connections and components, the evaporator can be dishwasher-safe in a further development.

In one configuration, the at least one passive heating element of the evaporator is electrically conductive and the heating means has at least one inductor or an induction coil which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element by means of induction. A particularly effective and robust option is thus provided for heating the at least one passive heating element. In particular, the passive heating element does not need to be exposed on the underside in order to be heated by induction. Commercially available standard inductors can advantageously be used.

In one configuration, the heating means has at least one heat radiator which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element by means of radiant heat and/or contact heat. A particularly compact and inexpensive option is thus provided for heating the at least one passive heating element. Commercially available electrically operated heating elements can advantageously be used to generate the radiant heat and/or contact heat. For example, the heating means can have or be at least one electrically operable heating plate, on which the at least one passive heating element, in particular an evaporator plate, rests when the evaporator is in place, especially if the at least one passive heating element is integrated into a floor of the evaporator chamber. The passive heating element is exposed, in particular on the underside, for effective heat transfer from the heating means to the passive heating element.

In one configuration, the steam treatment drawer has at least one temperature sensor which is set up to sense a temperature of at least one heating element of the evaporator space. This advantageously enables the operation of the evaporator to be controlled and/or monitored even if the evaporator is not equipped with its own temperature sensor. For example, the temperature sensor can be used to implement an over-temperature shutdown.

In one embodiment, the temperature sensor is a spring-loaded temperature sensor which, when the evaporator is inserted, is pressed against the bottom of the evaporator space in which the heater, in particular the heating plate, is integrated. In a further development, the temperature sensor makes direct contact with a passive heating element when the evaporator is used.

In one embodiment, a vapor outlet of the steam treatment chamber is steam-connected to the condensate collection chamber of the evaporator. In this way, the advantage is achieved that vapors released from the steam treatment room can be cooled, condensed out and the odor reduced before it is discharged into the environment.

The object is also achieved by a household cooking appliance having at least one evaporator as described above, in particular having at least one steam treatment drawer as described above.

It is a further development that the household cooking appliance has only at least one steam treatment drawer as the functional unit for treating the food to be cooked.

In one embodiment, in addition to the at least one steam treatment drawer, the domestic cooking appliance also has at least one other functional unit of a different type that treats food and has its own cooking space separate from the steam treatment drawer, e.g. an oven. This may also be referred to as a "multi-cavity" cooker. The oven can be, for example, an oven, a microwave oven or a combination thereof.

In one embodiment, the steam treatment drawer is arranged below the further functional unit that treats the food to be cooked, in particular an oven, since particularly good accessibility and easy handling of the steam treatment drawer are advantageously achieved in this way.

• 1 zeigt als Schnittdarstellung in Seitenansicht eine Skizze eines Haushalts-Gargeräts mit einer Dampfbehandlungsschublade;
• 2 zeigt in einer Ansicht von schräg oben einen Ausschnitt aus einer möglichen Variante des Haushalts-Gargeräts aus 1 mit ausgezogener Dampfbehandlungsschublade, die detaillierter in Explosionsdarstellung dargestellt ist;
• 3 zeigt in Ansicht von schräg oben eine Dämpferwanne der Dampfbehandlungsschublade aus 2;
• 4 zeigt als Schnittdarstellung in Seitenansicht die Dampfbehandlungsschublade aus 2 mit herausgenommener Dämpferwanne;
• 5 zeigt als Schnittdarstellung in Seitenansicht eine Skizze einer Dampfbehandlungsschublade mit herausgenommenem Verdampfer.

The characteristics, features and advantages of this invention described above, and the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more clearly understood in connection with the following schematic description of an exemplary embodiment, which will be explained in more detail in connection with the drawings.

• 1 shows a sectional side view sketch of a household cooking appliance with a steam treatment drawer;
• 2 shows a section of a possible variant of the household cooking appliance in a view obliquely from above 1 with the steam treatment drawer extended, shown in more detail in an exploded view;
• 3 shows a steamer pan of the steam treatment drawer in an oblique view from above 2 ;
• 4 shows the steam treatment drawer as a sectional side view 2 with removed damper tray;
• 5 shows a sectional side view sketch of a steam treatment drawer with the evaporator removed.

1 shows a sectional side view of a sketch of a multi-cavity household cooking appliance 1 with a stationary oven chamber 2a of an oven 2, the front loading opening of which can be closed by means of a pivoting oven door 3, as indicated by the curved double arrow. Inside a housing 4 of the household cooking appliance 1 below the oven chamber 2a or oven 2 is a cooking product drawer arranged separately from the oven chamber 2a in the form of a steam treatment drawer 5, which can be manually and/or mechanically supported horizontally in and out of a stationary drawer housing 60 is as indicated by the straight double arrow. The steam treatment drawer 5 has a lower height than the oven space 2a and is arranged below the oven 2 or oven space 2 .

In the oven door 3 there is a common device control 6 including a control panel for the oven 2 and the steam treatment drawer 5. The device control 6 can be used to control the oven 2 and the steam treatment drawer 5 individually so that items to be treated, e.g etc. can be prepared independently. The furnace chamber 2a can be heated by means of energy supply devices in the form of a top heating element 7 shown as an example and a bottom heating element 8, in particular by clocking the respective power supply. The heaters 7 and 8 are actuated by the device control 6. The device control 6 is also set up in particular to coordinate treatment processes taking place in the oven chamber 2a and in the steam treatment drawer 5, in particular the end times of the treatment processes, energy inputs and/or an exhaust air control.

The household cooking appliance 1 is in particular so compact that it fits into a built-in niche of 60 cm x 60 cm (built-in height x built-in width).

Now also referring to 2 the steam treatment drawer 5 has an evaporator receiving area 11 which is arranged behind a front cover plate 10 and in which an evaporator 12 is present. The evaporator 12 is removably installed from the evaporator accommodating portion 11 . He is referred to below 5 described in more detail.

When viewed from the front, behind the evaporator receiving area 11 is a damper tray insertion area 15. The evaporator receiving area 11 and the damper tray insertion area 15 are areas of a horizontally extendable support frame 30 arranged one behind the other.

The damper pan insertion area 15 has the shape of a border with lateral cheeks 16, a front wall 17 and a rear wall 18. At least the cheeks 16 are designed as hollow profiles - here with a rectangular cross-section - which makes them particularly light and allow electrical lines (not shown) to be passed through in a protected manner, e.g. electrical lines for the power supply of heating means for heating a passive heating element 34 of the evaporator 12, and signal lines, for example for connection to a temperature sensor 45 arranged to sense the passive heating element 34 of the evaporator 12 (see also 5 ). In the hollow cheeks 16 are also running rails (o. Fig.), For example, a telescopic pull-out system, the steam treatment drawer 5 accommodated. A further advantage of using hollow profiles is that they allow a wide support surface 19 on the upper side to be formed in a simple manner for supporting a cooking product receiving pan in the form of a steamer pan 20 . At least the cheeks 16 and the rear wall 18 have flat surfaces here, which supports their easy cleaning. The front wall 17 and the rear wall 18 can also be designed as hollow profiles or as simple walls without a hollow profile. Your tops can also serve as a support surface 19, but do not need it.

The damper trough 20 has a trough-shaped or shell-shaped metallic trough part 20a, specifically here with a cuboid basic shape that is open at the top.

The trough part 20a has on its upper side a peripherally closed flange or edge region 21 which is bent over laterally outwards and via which it can be placed on the support surface 19 from above. The damper pan 20 can therefore be inserted into the damper pan insertion area 15 from above. The upper opening of the tub part 20a forms a loading opening 20b for the use of items to be treated with steam, e.g. items to be cooked. For this purpose, suitable inserts E can be used in the damper trough 20, on which the items to be treated can be placed. The use of such inserts E makes it easier to load and remove food, especially when the steamer pan 20 is used.

In the area bordered laterally by the cheeks 16 and the walls 17, 18, the damper pan insertion area 15 has no bottom. When the damper trough 20 is inserted, its bottom 22 forms a flush part of the bottom of the steam treatment drawer 5 within the border 16 to 18. As a result, the damper trough 20 can be designed to be particularly deep and consequently large in volume. Furthermore, there is no bottom of the supporting frame 30, which advantageously results in a saving of material.

The damper trough 20 also has laterally protruding handles 23 for easy handling, which, when the damper trough 20 is in the inserted state, can be fitted into a respective recess in the lateral cheeks 16 that is open at the top in the form of respective depressions 24 .

The damper pan 20 also has a steam inlet duct 25 made of plastic, which is elongated laterally in a horizontal orientation and is attached to the front wall 17 and which, when the damper pan 20 is in the inserted state, forms a section of a steam connection with the evaporator 12, as also shown in FIG 5 detailed. The damper pan 20 also has a steam outlet channel 26 (see FIG 4 ) which connects to the rear wall 18 and which, when the damper pan 20 is inserted, has a steam-related connection to a steam removal unit 27 (see FIG 4 ) manufactures. The steam removal unit 27 is used at least to divert steam or vapor removed from the steamer tray 20 during a steam treatment process from the steam treatment drawer 5, for example to a vapor outlet or back into a condensate collection space 42 of the evaporator 12. The steam or vapor is guided into the water tank 13 has the advantage that it is cooled by the water in the water tank 13 and then drier and cooler can be drained from the water tank 13, eg via a dedicated gas outlet (not shown). This in turn saves energy and water.

1 also shows a cover 28, which can be placed on the upper side of the edge area 21 and possibly also on the bearing surface 19, preferably via a seal (not shown), in order to prevent steam from escaping through gaps between the damper pan 20 and the cover 28 Or at least make it difficult. The damper trough 20 and the cover 28 form or delimit a steam treatment chamber 29 in which the material to be treated can be subjected to steam. The cover 28, which is advantageously a transparent glass cover, can be an independent component, can be slidably arranged on the support frame 30, or can be pivotably connected to the support frame 30, for example via rotary hinges.

3 shows the damper pan 20 in a view obliquely from above. The adapter-like steam inlet channel 25 is arranged on the front side 31 facing the front wall 17 below the edge area 21 . It is open on the underside and forms a coupling opening 25b there. It also has a rear steam inlet opening 25a, which opens into the damper trough 20 or the steam treatment chamber 29 and is slot-shaped here, through which steam D is introduced into the damper trough 20 during a steam treatment process.

The adapter-shaped steam outlet channel 26 (see 4 ) is arranged on the rear side 32 below the edge area 21. It also has a horizontally stretched basic shape and is open on the underside in the form of a coupling opening 26b (see Fig 4 ) educated. The steam outlet channel 26 can be shaped at least largely identical to the steam inlet channel 25 . It also has a front-side steam outlet opening 26a (not shown) that opens into the steamer trough 20 or the steam treatment chamber 29, here: slot-shaped, through which steam D is discharged from the steamer trough 20 during a steam treatment process and fed to the steam removal unit 27.

4 shows the steam treatment drawer 5 with the damper pan 20 removed as a sectional side view. through an evaporator chamber 13 of the evaporator 12. The cover 28 of the damper pan 20 is pushed backwards here and therefore releases the damper pan insertion area 15.

When the damper pan 20 is inserted into the damper pan insertion area 15 from above, as indicated by the wide arrow, an edge of the downward-pointing coupling opening 25b of the steam inlet channel 25 is pushed onto or into a correspondingly shaped, upward-pointing, slit-shaped steam outlet opening 13a of the evaporator chamber 13 placed or, as shown, inserted at the edge, possibly via a seal. As a result, when the muffler pan 20 is inserted, a steam channel is created from the steam outlet opening 13a through the steam inlet duct 25 into the muffler pan 20, through which vapor D generated by the evaporator 12 is guided into the muffler pan 20, as indicated by the left arrows. The vapor outlet opening 13a and the coupling opening 25b thus form a vapor-permeable vapor coupling in the plugged-in state.

When inserting the damper pan 20, the downwardly open coupling opening 26b of the steam outlet channel 26a is also placed on or in a correspondingly shaped open top of a receptacle 27a of the steam removal unit 27 or, as shown, inserted at the edge, possibly via a seal. The open top of the receptacle 27a is designed as a steam inlet opening 27b shaped to match the coupling opening 26b. As a result, when the damper pan 20 is inserted, a steam channel is created from the damper pan 20 through the steam outlet channel 26 into the steam removal unit 27, through which steam D that has flowed through the damper pan 20 and possibly contains vapor is conducted into the steam removal unit 27, as indicated by the arrows on the right. The coupling opening 26b and the vapor inlet opening 27b thus form a vapor-permeable vapor coupling when the damper pan 20 is inserted.

5 shows a sectional side view of a sketch of a steam treatment drawer, which can correspond to the steam treatment drawer 5, with the evaporator 12 removed. The evaporator 12 can, for example, have been removed from a corresponding receptacle 33 of the evaporator receptacle area 11, e.g. upwards and/or inwards.

The evaporator 12 has an evaporator space 13 and a water reservoir 14 arranged next to the evaporator space 13 . The evaporator chamber 13 has a passive heating element in the form of a metallic heating plate 34 integrated into its base. The evaporator chamber 13 and the water reservoir 14 are separated from one another by a partition wall 35, the partition wall 35 having an opening (“refill opening”) 36 forming a fluid connection at its lower edge, which can be opened and closed as desired by means of an externally actuable shut-off valve 37 that shuts off when not actuated is. The shut-off valve 37 can, for example, have a sealing piece in the form of a slide 38 that can be moved upwards (as indicated by the arrow), which is provided with a permanent magnet (not shown) and which is pressed into its closed state by a compression spring 39 in which it closes the refill opening 36 .

The evaporator 12 can, for example, be a plastic injection molded part with a heating plate 34 and a shut-off valve 37 injected therein. The heating plate 34 can be exposed at least on the upper side or on its flat side facing the evaporator chamber 13 .

In a further development, the evaporator space 13 and the water reservoir 14 can be designed to be open at the top, as shown, and be covered by a common cover 40 . The cover 40 and/or the upper edge of the water reservoir 14 are in particular designed in such a way that the water reservoir 14 is covered in an airtight manner by the cover 40 at its upper filling opening 41 . For this purpose, the cover 40 and/or the upper edge of the water reservoir 14 can be provided with a seal (not shown). The water reservoir 14 can thus be closed airtight outside of the refill opening 36 . The evaporator chamber 13 is also advantageously covered by the cover 40 in an airtight manner—and thus also in a steam-tight manner—but it does not have to be.

The evaporator 12 can optionally also have a condensate collection space 42 which is set up to condense out vapors discharged from the damper pan 20 and to collect the condensed water that is produced in the process. For this purpose, the condensate collection chamber 42 can have, for example, a vapor inlet (not shown) for introducing the vapor to be condensed and a gas outlet (not shown) for letting out the condensed gas or residual vapor.

There are three functional elements for operating the evaporator 12 in the bottom of the receptacle 33 of the evaporator receptacle area 11, namely an actuating device in the form of a permanent magnet 43, for example, which is set up to move the slide 38 of the shut-off valve 37 to open the refill opening 36 against the spring force of the To move the compression spring 39 magnetically upwards and to keep it open when the evaporator 12 is inserted, a heating means in the form of an induction coil 44, which is set up to heat the heating plate 34 by eddy currents, and a heating plate 34 that can be pressed and inserted into the bottom of the Recording 33 retractable temperature sensor 45. The induction coil 44 can be controlled by the device control 6 for its operation. The temperature sensor 45 is linked to the device control 6 in terms of data technology, so that the control device 6 can control the operation of the evaporator 12 and the steam treatment drawer 5 , also taking into account the temperatures present on the heating plate 34 . For example, the device controller 6 can prevent operation of the induction coil 44 if the evaporator 12 is idling because of an overtemperature on the heating plate 34 and/or output a warning to a user.

When the evaporator 12 is inserted into the receptacle 33 of the evaporator receiving area 11, the permanent magnet 43 magnetically presses the slide 38 upwards, so that water can now flow unhindered from the water reservoir 14 through the refill opening 36 into the evaporator chamber 13, due to the upper side airtight covering by the lid 40 up to a certain level, shown here in phantom lines, which is slightly above the upper edge of the refill opening 36, shown here in phantom lines, or the lower edge of the pushed-on slide 38. If the induction coil 44 is actuated, it heats up the heating plate 34, as a result of which the water in the evaporator space 13 is brought to the boil and the steam D which is formed in the process can escape through the steam outlet opening 13a. If the water level in the evaporator chamber 13 evaporates below the level shown in dashed lines and determined by the upper edge of the refill opening 36 or the lower edge of the slide 38 that is pushed open, air can get through the refill opening 36 into the water reservoir 14, causing the through the water drain into the evaporator chamber 13 generated negative pressure is reduced. As a result, water can again flow into the evaporator chamber 13, etc. This can also be referred to as the bird bath principle.

If the cover 40 is not put on correctly, is inadvertently removed by a user, etc., and the airtightness of the water reservoir 14 is broken as a result, no water will escape from the evaporator 12 if the evaporator chamber 13 has a capacity of at least half a nominal capacity of the water reservoir 14 corresponds. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the capacity of the evaporator space 13 is measured as the volume between the floor and the vapor outlet opening 13a.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

In general, "a", "an" etc. can be understood as a singular or a plural number, in particular in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more" etc., as long as this is not explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "exactly a" etc.

Also, a number can be exactly the specified number as well as a usual tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

Reference List

1

household cooking appliance

2

oven room

3

oven door

4

Housing

5

steam treatment drawer

6

device control

7

Top heat radiator

8th

Bottom heat radiator

10

cover plate

11

Evaporator pickup area

12

Evaporator

13a

steam outlet opening

13

evaporator room

14

water reservoir

15

Damper tray application area

16

lateral cheek

17

front wall

18

back wall

19

bearing surface

19a

inner level

19b

outer tier

20

damper pan

20a

bath part

20b

loading opening

21

edge area

22

floor

23

Handle

24

deepening

25

steam inlet channel

25a

steam inlet port

25b

clutch opening

26

steam outlet channel

26a

steam vent

26b

clutch opening

27

vapor removal unit

27a

recording

27b

steam inlet opening

28

lid

29

steam treatment room

30

supporting frame

31

Front of the damper pan

32

rear of the damper pan

33

recording

34

hot plate

35

partition wall

36

refill opening

37

shut-off valve

38

slider

39

compression spring

40

lid

41

filling hole

42

condensate collection space

43

Pen

44

induction coil

45

temperature sensor

60

drawer housing

D

steam

E

mission

Claims (14)

Evaporator (12) for a household steamer (1), having - An evaporator chamber (13) with at least one passive heating element (34) and - A water reservoir (14) arranged next to the evaporator chamber (13), wherein - the evaporator chamber (13) and the water reservoir (14) are connected to one another by at least one fluid connection (36), - the fluid connection (36) can be opened by external actuation of a shut-off valve (37) which shuts off when not actuated, and - the water reservoir (14) outside of the at least one fluid connection (36) can be closed airtight. Evaporator (12) after claim 1 , wherein - the evaporator chamber (13) and the water reservoir (14) are separated from one another by a dividing wall (35) and - the dividing wall (35) has at its lower edge a refill opening forming the fluid connection (36), which can be closed by means of an externally actuable shut-off valve (37) is selectively openable and closable. Evaporator (12) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one passive heating element (34) is a plate with high thermal conductivity integrated into the bottom of the evaporator space (13). An evaporator (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the evaporator (12) is an injection molded part having at least one injected passive heating element (34) and at least one injected shut-off valve (37). Evaporator (12) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the evaporator space (13) has a capacity which corresponds to at least half the nominal capacity of the water reservoir (14). Evaporator (12) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising a condensate collection space (42) which is designed to collect condensate from a steam treatment space (29) of the domestic steam cooking appliance (1) drained steam-containing vapors. Steam treatment drawer (5), comprising - An evaporator (12) according to any one of the preceding claims, - a steam treatment chamber (29) which has a steam inlet (25) which can be connected steam-wise to the evaporator (12), - An actuating device (43) which is set up to actuate the fluid connection (36) to open it and to keep it open continuously when the evaporator (12) is inserted, and - A heating means (44) which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element (34). Steam treatment drawer (5) after claim 7 , wherein the evaporator (12) can be removed from the steam treatment drawer (5) by the user. Steam treatment drawer (5) according to one of Claims 7 until 8th , wherein the at least one passive heating element (34) of the evaporator (12) is electrically conductive and the heating means (44) comprises at least one inductor which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element (34) by induction. Steam treatment drawer (5) according to one of Claims 7 until 8th , wherein the heating means has at least one heat radiator which is set up to heat the at least one passive heating element (34) by means of radiant heat and/or contact heat. Steam treatment drawer (5) according to one of Claims 7 until 10 , wherein the steam treatment drawer (5) has at least one temperature sensor (45) which is adapted to sense a temperature of at least one passive heating element (34) of the evaporator space (13). Steam treatment drawer (5) after claim 11 , Wherein the temperature sensor (45) is a spring-loaded temperature sensor which, when the evaporator (12) is used, according to one of the claims 3 until 7 pressed against the bottom of the evaporator chamber (13). Steam treatment drawer (5) according to one of Claims 7 until 12 , wherein a vapor outlet (26) of the steam treatment space (29) with the condensate collection space (42) of the evaporator (12). claim 6 is steam technically connectable. Household cooking appliance (1), having at least one evaporator (12) according to one of Claims 1 until 6 .

Images