EP0437826B1 - Electric cooking system for at least one cooking plate - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an electric cooking device for at least one electric hotplate according to the first part of claim 1.

US-A-2 492 100 shows a hotplate which consists of several separate rings, between which there are spaces. A lamp is arranged laterally below the hotplate, illuminating part of the underside of the hotplate, so that the light shines through part of the interstices between the cooking rings. The hotplate is not safe to run because cookware can penetrate into the lower area through the spaces and there can also contaminate and electrically endanger the lighting device. Furthermore, the visual effect is also limited because only part of the ring surfaces are illuminated and the visibility of the rings is still dependent on the viewer looking at an illuminated background or into the dark interior of the cooker.

US-A-2 346 237 shows a display device with a lamp, located below a button-like one, in a sheet metal mounting plate provided lighting window is arranged at a distance from the hotplate.

DE-U-1 949 906 describes a signaling device in which kidney-shaped openings are provided in a sheet metal mounting plate of a cooker around the hot plates, under which electric lights are located. A light ring is also mentioned, but not described in detail.

GB-A-1 346 574 shows a cooking appliance with a glass ceramic cooking surface, under which a heating element is arranged. In a contact-heated version, there is a metal sieve under the glass ceramic plate, which has openings in the edge area of the heating element. The light from a lamp arranged in a bowl can shine through these openings and produce a luminous ring shining through the glass ceramic plate around the cooking surface, which indicates the shape and the operating state of the cooking surface.

As a result, even with cooking appliances with normal temperature heating elements, what can otherwise only be achieved with bright heater elements, for example halogen radiant heaters, namely a display which corresponds directly to the heating state, can be achieved.

Such arrangements have also become known from DE-A-36 35 345 and 35 01 365 as well as US-A-2 870 316 and 3 067 315, in which the cooking surface consisting of translucent material is irradiated in the edge area or in the center.

The object of the invention is to provide an electric cooking device which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art, in particular with a display device which can be used with hotplates of any structure. This object is solved by claim 1.

The electric cooking device according to the invention is intended for electric hot plates which have a non-translucent cooking surface. They can be installed in mounting plates with recesses for receiving the electric hot plates. To create the display device, lighting means are also provided, which are arranged under the electric hotplate, and light passage means are provided which illuminate an edge area of the mounting plate or parts thereof surrounding the hotplate.

Such a display device can also be used for plates made of cast material, e.g. Irons, which are supported with a mounting ring on the mounting opening.

If the mounting plate is made of an at least partially translucent material, for example hard glass, then the light can radiate through possibly masked edge sections of the mounting plate, these light influencing means can consist of an opaque, for example black, coating of the entire plate, with the exception of the translucent sections, which in turn can be colored, opalized or can be designed in another way to influence the light. The lighting means can consist of normal electric lamps in heat-resistant sockets, for example similar to oven lighting, which are arranged in a bowl-shaped lighting chamber which surrounds the hotplate from below and is supported on the underside of the mounting plate. This edge area can also form the mask. The lighting chamber can at the same time replace a clamping bracket, which is engaged by a clamping pin of the hotplate, with which the latter is clamped downwards. It can also be formed from the material of the mounting plate itself if it is made of another material, for example sheet metal.

While the lighting chamber, if it is to have a flat construction, has a section which extends laterally beyond the hotplate area and on which the lamp is arranged, in a particularly preferred embodiment the lamp can also lie in the area below the hotplate, advantageously by arranging the lamp holder on the same place where the connecting lines run to the hotplate, only a single point is formed in which the passage of light is somewhat obstructed. Nevertheless, the overall height is still relatively low due to an essentially horizontal or flatly inclined lamp arrangement.

The light can pass through in the area of the mounting ring or an intermediate ring surrounding it. Components which are translucent in the edge region are then arranged such that they have a light entry surface from the underside of the mounting plate and a light exit surface on the upper side. They can be used as transparent sealing materials be formed, which are arranged between a preferably very wide stainless steel mounting ring and the mounting plate, so that they are at a reduced temperature level. The glowing ring can then be seen from the side and also illuminates the surface of the mounting plate. It is also possible to use intermediate rings made of glass, on which the mounting ring is supported, or to produce the mounting ring or a supporting intermediate ring itself from a translucent material. It is also possible to provide edge cutouts in the mounting plate which are covered by transparent materials, for example a glass ring, from above or below.

By means of appropriate optical design or treatment, the light conduction can be guided and distributed by the lighting means (one or more lamps) in such a way that the desired light effect, for example uniform or even non-uniform illumination of the edge, is achieved. Light guide means, which are widely known, can also be used for this purpose. For example, the light passage means, for example an edge ring, could simultaneously serve as light guide and light exit means, and the lamp could then be connected to it at any point for direct irradiation. The arrangement of a self-illuminating ring with electrical supply is also possible.

The invention enables the user to perceive the heating state immediately. Accordingly, depending on the switching state (on-off), the power setting, the respective temperature or temperature specification, the lighting means can be switched on and off or their properties can be changed, for example in terms of light intensity, light color or by emitting certain light pulses. For example the hot state of the plate can also be displayed after it has been switched off, which creates additional safety.

Fig. 1

eine Draufsicht auf einen Teil eines Kochgerätes,

Fig. 2

eine Unteransicht des Kochgerätes,

Fig. 3

einen Schnitt nach der Linie III in Fig. 2,

Fig. 4

einen Detailschnitt nach der Linie IV in Fig. 2,

Fig. 5

eine Einbauvariante,

Fig. 6 bis 10

Varianten von Lichtdurchtrittsmitteln im Randbereich, jeweils im Detailschnitt,

Fig. 11

einen vertikalen Teilschnitt durch eine Kochstelle eines Kochgerätes,

Fig. 12

ein Detail aus Fig. 11,

Fig. 13

einen Schnitt gemäß Fig. 11 durch eine Ausführung mit in die Einbauplatte integrierter Beleuchtungskammer,

Fig. 14

einen Teilschnitt gemäß Fig. 11 von einer Kochplatte größeren Durchmessers,

Fig. 15

einen Schnitt durch eine Lampenfassung,

Fig. 16

eine Draufsicht auf ein Teil eines Kochgerätes entsprechend den Figuren 11 und 14,

Fig. 17 und 18

Ausführungen mit einem Glas-Zwischenring,

Fig. 19 und 20

Schaltbilder für die Kochplatte und die Beleuchtungsmittel,

Fig. 21

einen Teilschnitt durch eine Ausführung mit einem Beleuchtungskammer-Einsatz,

Fig. 22

eine Ansicht des Beleuchtungskammer-Einsatzes und

Fig. 23 und 24

Draufischt und Schnitt durch eine Ausführung eines Doppelkochplatten-Systems.

These and further features of preferred developments of the invention are evident from the claims and also from the description and the drawings, the individual features being implemented individually or in groups in the form of subcombinations in the embodiment of the invention and in other fields, and can represent advantageous and protectable versions for which protection is claimed here. Embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and are explained in more detail below. The drawings show:

Fig. 1

a plan view of part of a cooking appliance,

Fig. 2

a bottom view of the cooking device,

Fig. 3

2 shows a section along the line III in FIG. 2,

Fig. 4

3 shows a detailed section along line IV in FIG. 2,

Fig. 5

an installation variant,

6 to 10

Variants of light transmission means in the edge area, each in a detailed section,

Fig. 11

a vertical partial section through a hotplate of a cooking appliance,

Fig. 12

11 shows a detail from FIG. 11,

Fig. 13

11 shows a section according to FIG. 11 through an embodiment with a lighting chamber integrated into the mounting plate,

Fig. 14

11 shows a partial section according to FIG. 11 of a hotplate of larger diameter,

Fig. 15

a section through a lamp holder,

Fig. 16

3 shows a plan view of a part of a cooking appliance according to FIGS. 11 and 14,

17 and 18

Versions with a glass intermediate ring,

19 and 20

Circuit diagrams for the hotplate and the lighting,

Fig. 21

a partial section through a version with an illumination chamber insert,

Fig. 22

a view of the lighting chamber insert and

23 and 24

Dishes and cuts through the execution of a double hotplate system.

1 to 3 shows a cooking appliance 11 with a built-in plate 12 made of tempered glass, which has recesses 13 in the form of round openings, built into the electric hot plates 14 are. The electric hotplates consist of a hotplate body 15 made of cast iron material with an electrical heater 16 embedded in grooves on the underside, an upper flat cooking surface 17 and a downward-facing outer edge 18, on the outside of which an installation ring 19 made of thin stainless steel sheet metal is pressed (FIG. 4). It is directed obliquely downwards on the outside and is supported on an intermediate ring with an S-shaped cross section, which lies with its outer edge 21 in the edge region of the opening 13 on the mounting plate 12.

Installation is carried out in the usual way with an elastic sealing ring 22 which surrounds the inner edge of the opening 13 and is held by an L-shaped sheet metal ring 23 which has U-shaped, inwardly projecting support parts 24 for centering the hotplate.

4 shows a lower cover 50 for the hotplate installation unit, which, when pressed by the central pin 25, is supported on the lower flange of the seal 22. It insulates the hotplate from below and forms an upper reflector part of the lighting chamber 28.

The hotplate is clamped downwards by a central bolt 25, which engages with its nut 26 on the bowl-shaped housing 27 of an illumination chamber 28, which together with a lamp 29 forms an illumination means 30. The housing 27 also forms the anti-rotation device for the hotplate 14 by means of an anti-rotation pin 31 engaging in a recess in the housing 27 (FIG. 3).

The housing is circular with a funnel-like extension, at the end of which the lamp 29 is arranged with the axis of illumination pointing towards the center of the hotplate (FIG. 2). The lamp axis points upwards at a slight angle (Fig. 3), and the housing bottom rises from the lamp at an angle upwards. This design can be modified in many ways for optical and installation reasons.

The housing 27 is part of a substructure for supporting the hard glass plate 12, i.e. a sheet arranged under the hard glass plate, from which the lighting chambers 28 are formed. If the lighting chambers are arranged individually, they can also be produced individually, so that they are then supported with flanges 32 on the underside of the mounting plate 12, with such a radial distance that, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, an edge region 33 of the Mounting plate 12 around the hotplate 14 is covered by the lighting chamber 28.

The tempered glass mounting plate 12 is provided with a correspondingly baked-in, heat-resistant coating with light influencing means 34, 35 (indicated in FIG. 4), which on the one hand forms a decor (even if it is only smooth black) and on the other hand represents a masking that is in the edge area 33 generates a pattern 36, which runs at the desired locations, but preferably all around the hotplate, and can be designed differently, for example as a smooth ring or irregular radiation star according to FIG. 1.

4 shows two layers 34, 35 of the light influencing means, which symbolize a mask 35 on the one hand and a coloring or opalization 34 on the other hand, which prevents an insight into the lighting chamber 28. Instead, the hard glass plate can also be colored. The masking 35 can also be carried out by the edge 37 of the lighting chamber.

The lamp 29 can be a conventional electric lamp with a heat-resistant socket (oven lamp) which contains a small halogen lamp. It can be exchanged from the underside of the cooker and is electrically connected to the hotplate switches or controllers 39, which can be actuated by adjusting buttons 40 and switch on the lamp in the desired operating state, in the simplest case when the hotplate is switched on and off again when switched off. For this purpose, switches and controllers contain signal contact paths. A connection to temperature sensors (not shown) on the hotplate or in the vicinity thereof is possible for temperature display by the lighting device.

5 shows an embodiment with a hard glass mounting plate 12, in which the hotplate 14 is installed in the enlarged recess 13 of the mounting plate 12 by means of a very wide sheet metal mounting ring 19a. The ring is supported on the glass plate by means of a seal, the mounting ring 19a delimiting the inner region of the illuminated edge region 33 and thus the pattern 36, as in FIGS. 1 to 4, while in the present case the outer edge 37 also delimits the pattern Outside edge determined. Here, the hard glass plate does not need to be particularly masked, provided that it is somewhat translucent overall, but preferably not clearly transparent.

FIGS. 6 to 9 show different sealing profiles in connection with a hotplate 14 of the type described above and an installation ring similar to FIG. 5. The sheet metal ring, which is wide and flat between 1/20 and 1/5 of the hotplate diameter, is pressed onto the hotplate edge 18 and is supported a flange 41 and has a cross-sectional shape with an outer and inner bead 42, 43, between which a central depression 44 is located. The flanged outer edge 21 is supported on a seal 45, which is made of an elastic, heat-resistant transparent Material exists and thus forms a light passage means between the lighting chamber 28 of the type described above and the edge region of the mounting plate 12a surrounding the hotplate. The transparent seal 45 is ring-shaped and has on the inside a light entry surface 28 facing the lighting chamber and on the outside a substantially vertical or oblique light exit surface 47.

6 to 10, the mounting plate 12a consists of a non-transparent material, for example of enamelled sheet metal. The illuminated edge area here consists of the light exit surface 47, the seal 45 and a part of the mounting plate surface illuminated by it from above. The lighting chamber 28 is formed directly from the material of the mounting plate 12a and thereby simultaneously forms a stiffening of the mounting plate and the necessary clamping and centering means for the hotplate 14.

The wide, flat mounting ring 19a made of stainless steel, optionally with a surface coating, ensures that the temperature in the area of the seal 45 is at a level which translucent sealing materials (such as silicone rubber) survive undamaged.

As an alternative, it would be conceivable to break through the mounting ring 19a in the area of the depression 44 and to line the depression with a transparent material, for example a burned-in glass frit, so that the illuminated edge area would lie in the area of the mounting ring.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show, in the rest of the same design as FIG. 6, other forms of transparent seals 45 which in FIG. 7 have a light entry surface 47 which is favorable for the illumination and in FIG . In Fig. 9, the seal 45 also has a very large, favorably obliquely downward light entry surface 46 and fills the outer bead 43 of the mounting ring 19a and surrounds the edge 37a of the recess 13, so that there is a good centering of the seal and hotplate . 6 to 9, the recess 13 is formed by a depression in the mounting plate 12a which also forms the lighting chamber 28.

Fig. 10 shows the hotplate 14 with a mounting ring 19, which rests on a glass ring 45a, which has an annular disk-shaped profile with an inclined outer edge 49 and an upwardly directed inner bead 50, which is adapted to the cooperating slope of the mounting ring 19.

The ring 45a lies on the mounting plate 12b, which likewise consists of sheet metal and extends to the inside of the ring, but contains openings 51, which are covered by the ring 45a, in accordance with the desired lighting pattern. Here, therefore, the light can penetrate directly out of the lighting chamber 28 through the openings 51 and the ring 45a, and the ring 45a thus illuminated forms the illuminated edge area and thus the display device. The light passage means is therefore advantageously formed by partially transparent built-in elements. The lighting chamber is formed by a separate housing 27 in the form of a shell supported on the underside of the mounting plate 12b.

The invention creates a sensible display which promotes ease of use and safety for any type of hotplate. It is also suitable for differentiating different types of hot plates from one another, for example by means of a display ring for normal hot plates and a radiation ring, changed light color or pulsating Light for increased performance hot plates. The invention also avoids errors in the assignment between the adjusting knob and the hotplate.

In the following drawings, the same reference numerals are used for identical or functionally identical parts, and reference is made to the previous description to describe their features.

11 is a cooking device 11 with a hard glass mounting plate 12 as in FIGS. 3 to 5. The lighting chamber 28 has a somewhat deeper bowl shape with an upper and outer flange 60, an adjoining, approximately cylindrical jacket part 61 and a larger inclined intermediate wall section 62, which merges into a substantially horizontal, smaller bottom section 63, in which a fastening screw 65 engages in a depression 64. It is screwed into an intermediate piece 66 with a screw thread on both sides, which is screwed onto a central fastening bolt 25 of the hotplate. In the upper and lower region of the lighting chamber 28, reflector plates 67, 68 are arranged essentially horizontally, which cover the underside of the hotplate and the bottom section. They ensure a targeted back reflection of the light into the lighting chamber and also provide additional radiation thermal protection for the lighting device. They are attached to the fastening bolt 25 by nuts or the fastening screw 65.

The lighting flange 28 bears with its outer flange on a support plate 69, which lies under the glass mounting plate 12 and supports it. A fastening tab 70 is punched out of this sheet and bent downwards, which is part of an anti-rotation device. For this purpose, the flange 60 has three notches 72 on the circumference, for example (FIG. 12) which engage in the area of recesses 73 of the fastening tab 70 in the latter. Since the side 74 of the fastening tab 70 facing the hotplate is chamfered, it is thus possible to press the lighting chamber 28 from below between the fastening tab 70, whereby it deforms somewhat and finally engages with its cuts 72 in the recesses 73. It is thus secured against falling down. The final fixing is made by tightening the fastening screw 65. The snap-in lock makes assembly easier. In Fig. 11 is indicated by dashed lines that in the event that a special ground connection between the support plate and the lighting chamber is necessary, this can be created by an additionally extended tab 75 on the mounting tab 70 which is screwed onto the lighting chamber.

Provided in the lighting chamber 28 and in particular in the inclined intermediate wall section 62 is an upwardly shaped mounting section 76 which interrupts the otherwise bowl-shaped shape of the lighting chamber 28 and is formed upwards almost up to the underside of the electric hotplate 14. It is so curved or semicircular that a lamp holder 77 can be arranged with an essentially horizontal axis 78 which is inclined slightly upwards towards the center of the hotplate. For this purpose, the socket section has an opening 79 pointing towards the center of the hotplate, against which a flange 80 of the socket rests and is held by means of securing tabs 81. By turning the frame, these can be brought into the area of cutouts and the frame can be removed. An incandescent lamp 82 (FIG. 15) is inserted into the socket, which may be covered by a cover glass 83 (FIG. 11), which can also be colored. It can be seen that the socket is on the side and essentially horizontal, but in the area of the hotplate is arranged below this, so that the lighting chamber need not be larger than a conventional holder bowl for the hotplate. Their beam direction directed in the middle produces illumination of the edge region 33 of the mounting plate 12 which is designed according to FIG. 4.

The socket is arranged so that the hotplate connection 84 extends over the socket area 76. It consists of a connecting plate 85 fastened to the underside of the hotplate, which protrudes laterally somewhat beyond the hotplate circumference and carries an insulating piece 86 there, in which connecting terminals 87 for hotplate feed lines are provided. From them lead wires 88 into the hotplate, which are passed through an insulating bushing 89 into the hotplate interior. This arrangement not only simplifies the connection of the lighting means to the electrical feed lines by the shortest paths, but above all also ensures that the passage of light on the hotplate circumference is only obstructed in the socket area 76, where a certain cover anyway through the lateral connection 84 would be present. The slightly oblique arrangement of the socket creates enough space to make the connection. Hold-down sections 90 of the lighting chamber wall in the socket section area 76 engage over the insulating piece 86 and prevent it from being bent downwards, while an upper section of an opening 91 provided for the hotplate connection in the lighting chamber wall ensures that the connecting plate 85 does not rise too far is bent. As a result, the uninsulated connecting wires 88 are guided with a sufficient insulation distance between the sheet metal parts surrounding them. It is also possible to interpose an insulating plate between them and the socket section 76. The cooking device 11 is with his Built-in plate 12 built into a worktop, such as a kitchen table or cabinet, via a built-in frame 92.

The embodiment according to FIG. 13 differs from that according to FIG. 11 in that an installation plate 12a made of sheet metal is provided, from the material of which the lighting chamber 28 is formed downward. An edge groove 94, in which a sealing ring 95 is located, is formed in the edge region of the lighting chamber 28. It seals a ring 45b designed as a tempered glass molded part, which is interposed between the mounting plate 12a and the mounting ring 19 of the hotplate 14.

Its cross-sectional shape is delimited on the upper side by a middle, slightly sloping surface, which closes more steeply on the outside, while on the inside a raised rim 96 is provided. Through an angular recess 97 in the lower circumferential section, it leads in the edge region of the lighting chamber 28. Due to its transparent design, which is illuminated from the lighting chamber 28 on the essentially flat underside, it offers ideal radiation conditions.

Fig. 14 differs from Fig. 11 in that here a hotplate 14 is used with a larger scope. It can be seen that in the correspondingly larger lighting chamber 28, the lighting means and thus also the mounting section 76 receiving it moves further outward, so that a greater distance is created between the center pin 25 and the lighting means 30. In this case, it is possible, in addition to or instead of the reflector 67, to attach a lampshade 98 to the holder 77, which not only ensures good reflection conditions, but also shields the lamp from heat radiation from the hotplate.

15 shows the lamp holder 77 (shown without a cover glass). In this embodiment, it is fastened to the wall of the lighting chamber 28 with a screw 99 which is accessible from below, so that the socket for replacing the light bulb can be removed from the outside.

Fig. 16 shows a plan view of two hot plates of different sizes (e.g. right according to Fig. 11 and left according to Fig. 14). The connection and socket areas can point towards the center, so that the connection axes 78 intersect (also from the two hot plates (not shown) of the cooking device 11). The corresponding pattern 36, i.e. the translucent area of the otherwise masked mounting plate 12 is ring-shaped here and only on both sides of the axis 78, i.e. interrupted in the socket and connection area. However, it would also be possible to include this interruption in a pattern which, for example, consists of individual ring sections.

FIG. 17 shows an embodiment with a mounting plate 12a consisting of sheet metal, which forms an edge groove 94 due to a downward angular shape in cross-section. In this, a ring 45c is inserted by means of an adhesive sealant 100, which consists of a flat washer, ie a glass ring with flat upper and lower ring surfaces and essentially cylindrical inner and outer boundaries. It is easier to manufacture than a profile ring and forms an insert body in the mounting plate 12a, which essentially runs in its plane. On the inside, it has an attached elastic ring 22, as was described with reference to FIG. 4, and is also in contact with a centering and shielding sheet metal ring 23. The hotplate can be installed on the ring 45c in the same way as described in FIG. 4 for the glass mounting plate 12. If desired, the ring 45c can also be attached to the underside be provided with a mask 35. The lighting chamber (not shown in FIG. 17) can be made in one piece with the plate 12a or can also be attached separately (as in FIG. 18).

FIG. 18 again shows an embodiment with a sheet metal mounting plate 12a and a glass intermediate ring 45b, as was described in FIG. 13. The edge area surrounding the installation opening 101 has a double angular shape, which comprises an edge groove 94 with a sealing ring 95. The lighting chamber 28 lies with its flange 60 outside of this stiffening edge formation on the underside of the mounting plate 12a.

19 shows a circuit of the three heating resistors 102 of the electric hotplate 14 and of the lighting means 30. It is a clocked, power-controlled hotplate with a corresponding power control device 103, the clocking switching contact 104 of which is actuated by a bimetal 105, which is heated by a control heater 106 . The electric hotplate is supplied via two supply lines 107, 108, the supply line 107 running directly to the corresponding connection terminal 87, while the supply line 108 runs to an additional temperature switch 109, which is located on the underside of the lighting chamber, i.e. outside the lighting room directly next to the socket area 76 or the connection area 84 is mounted. By means of this external arrangement, the additional temperature switch detects the ambient temperature of the hotplate / lighting unit and ensures that the temperature in the outer area of the hotplate is kept at a value which is harmless to the surroundings, for example a wooden worktop 93 (FIG. 11). In addition, internal temperature switches 110 can be provided, which switch off the heating resistors 102, which are otherwise connected in parallel to one another, individually or as a whole.

The hotplate connection runs from the temperature switch 109, which detects the outside temperature especially in the most critical area with a certain additional heating through the connection and the lighting means, to the other pole of the connection terminals 87, while one pole of the light bulb 82 is connected directly to the connection 108. An independent return line 111 runs from the other lamp pole to the corresponding network pole. As a result, the lighting means 30 is switched on when, by turning the switch 112 of the power control device 103, the manually operated contact 113 connects the supply line 108 to the household power supply 114. Irrespective of the clocking state of the power control device and the temperature limiter switching states, the lighting device is therefore always on when the hotplate is switched on. So it works as an operating display. If several hotplates are connected, a common return line 111 can be provided for all lighting devices. So only one additional line per cooking appliance is necessary.

The embodiment according to FIG. 20 differs from that according to FIG. 19 by an additional contact 115 in the power control device 103, by means of which the heating resistor 102a is switched on in an upper power range (with a 100% relative duty cycle of the contact 104), while the clocking switching contact 104 only operated two heating resistors 102. Here, too, the lamp is switched as an operating display by a corresponding circuit. However, it could also react to the increased additional power by correspondingly changing its luminosity by appropriate wiring, for example switching on a diode.

FIG. 21 shows an embodiment corresponding to FIG. 11, but in which the socket section 76 is not formed on the wall of the lighting chamber 28, but is designed as a separate lighting insert 121 which is inserted into a cut-out opening 120 in the lighting chamber 28. For this purpose, the lighting insert 121 shown individually in FIG. 22 contains a holding lug 122 on its side facing the hotplate center, with which it engages behind the edge of the opening 120. Two screws engage holes 123 and fix the insert. Hold-down sections 90 are provided to position the insulating piece 86. This version enables easy lamp replacement by expanding the lighting insert and also makes it easier to shape the lighting chamber as a stamped sheet metal part.

FIGS. 23 and 24 show two electric hot plates 14 which are installed in a mounting plate 12 made of any material, for example stainless steel sheet. The installation opening 13 in the installation plate 12 is oval and preferably consists of two identical semicircular arches which are connected by straight sections (elongated hole shape). An adapter means 150, which has a shape of glasses, is inserted on it. The outer contour corresponds to the installation opening 13 and in each case a circular cutout 151 is provided centrally in the lateral circular arc sections for each electric hotplate.

The two electric hot plates 14 are supported on the adapter means 150 by means of outer, relatively flat and wide mounting rings 19. The hot plates 14 are arranged close to one another. Since they are on a level with great reliability and also free from heat distortion and other tendencies to warp, namely the upper surface of the adapter means, the tempered glass, ie a particularly heat-resistant and heat-stress-free Material is there, their cooking surfaces 17 are exactly in a common plane, so that the double hotplate unit consisting of the two hotplates 14 and the adapter means 115 can be used for heating elongated cooking vessels, such as roasting pans, for heating serving plates etc.

In the prior art, this was almost impossible to align the hot plates with their cooking surfaces so precisely that there was even contact of both hot plates with the cooking vessel. For this reason, certain areas always have a tendency to heat transfer and therefore promote the burning of food in these areas. This problem is eliminated by the adapter made of heat-resistant, distortion-free material.

In addition, this adapter creates the possibility of providing light passage means 38 as a window in a masking of the underside of the adapter means 50. The lighting means are formed by a strip which runs around each of the hot plates, approximately over a three-quarter circle, and which is exposed in the central region 152, where the two hot plates 14 are closest.

The outer rim 153, which runs halfway around the hot plates, is designed to be as narrow as possible in terms of strength, but offers enough space for the arrangement of the light transmission means.

The adapter means 150 is installed in a frame-like depression 154 of the mounting plate 12 in such a way that the adapter surface 155 lies approximately in the plane of the mounting plate 12. The installation can be done with the interposition of pasty sealing compounds etc.

The associated control and regulating devices 39 are installed somewhat elevated in the surface of the mounting plate 12. The two adjusting knobs can be mechanically or electrically connected to one another in such a way that the hot plates can be operated independently of one another, but also jointly, in which case they are then kept at the same temperature and / or power level.

Fig. 24 shows that 30 halogen lamps are used as lighting means, which allow a low construction of the lighting chambers 28 and bring a high luminous efficiency. The low voltage required by them is already present in the system in the case of electronic regulating or control devices. The arrangement shown, in which the two lamps are arranged directly adjacent to one another under the central section 152, has the advantage of uniform illumination of the light transmission means 18 and a common central connection.

The lighting means are operated independently of one another, depending on which of the hot plates is switched on, so that the user can recognize which of the two hot plates or whether both are in operation together.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide a hot display device for the hot plates, which can contain, for example, a temperature switch 156, which is thermally coupled to the hot plate body 15, but can optionally also contain additional heating for faster response. This switch signals when the hotplate has reached a temperature that could make it dangerous to touch (70 - 110 ° C), both when heating up and when cooling down. It could be coupled to the lighting means 30, and this applies to all the illustrated embodiments, in such a way that at although the hotplate is switched off, but the hot display is appealing, for example by switching on a diode or the like. be operated with lower light intensity. The display device thus also becomes a warning device.

24 shows, for example, two different designs of the lighting chamber 28 and its housing 27. While in the hotplate shown on the right the housing has a substantially flat bottom and is fastened to a central eye 161 of the hotplate via a long bolt 25 with the interposition of a spacer sleeve 160, In the embodiment shown on the left, this is done in that the central region of the housing 27 is deformed conically upwards and is attached directly to the central eye 161 of the hotplate body 15 using a short screw 25a.

Claims (15)

1. Electric cooking appliance with at least one electric hotplate (14), which has a non-transparent cooking surface (17), with a mounting plate (12, 12a, 12b), which has at least one recess (13) for receiving the electric hotplate, with an illuminating means (30) placed in an illuminating chamber (28) under the mounting plate (12, 12a, 12b) and which is constructed for the illumination of at least parts of a marginal area of the hotplate underside surrounding the hotplate (14) and with light passage means (36, 45, 45a) for the passage of light into the area above the mounting plate, characterized in that the light passage means (36, 45, 45a) are made from transparent material, such as glass or a glass-like material, which surround the hotplate (14) and seal off the area located above the mounting plate (12, 12a, 12b) with respect to the area located below it, and that a trim ring (19, 19a, 20) surrounding the hotplate (14) is supported on the light passage means (36, 45, 45a).
2. Electric cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that the electric hotplate (14) has a hotplate body made from metallic cast material and the trim ring (19, 19a) is supported on the mounting plate (12, a, b) forming the marginal area (33) of the recess (13) of the light passage means.
3. Electric cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the light passage means surrounds portions (36) of the mounting plate (12) which are at least transparent in the marginal area (33) and which are preferably made from glass or a glass-like material and which in particular contains light influencing means (34, 35), such as a colouring and/or coating, which optionally shows transparent portions (36) in the form of a pattern, such as a ring, radial rim or the like surrounding the recess (13).
4. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illuminating means (30) contains at least one electric lamp (29), which illuminates a preferably shell-like illuminating chamber and has in particular an area surrounding with uniform spacing the hotplate (14) and an area extending horizontally away from the hotplate and on whose end is arranged a holder for the lamp (29) and/or the rim of the illuminating chamber (28) engages on the underside of the mounting plate (12) and in particularly preferred manner is shaped from the material of the mounting plate (12, 12a) respectively a substructure for the mounting plate and optionally receives clamping means (25, 26) for fitting the electric hotplate (14).
5. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that transparent components (45, 45a) are arranged in the marginal area (33) and which in each case have light entry or bit surfaces (46, 47) towards the top and bottom of the mounting plate (12a) and which are in particular constructed as a ring surrounding the hotplate (14), such as a sealing ring made from transparent, heat-resistant, elastic material, a glass ring or the like, the ring preferably being located between a sheet metal trim ring (19a) surrounding the hotplate and preferably having a width of 1/20 to 1/5 of the hotplate diameter and the mounting plate (12a) and/or has substantially laterally directed light exit surface.
6. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that illuminating means (30) and/or light passage means (36, 45, 45a) have light reflection or guidance characteristics, which bring about a very uniform light distribution over the circumference of the electric hotplate (14), even in the case of only zonally or non-uniformly arranged illuminating means.
7. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illuminating means (30) can undergo variations with respect to their characteristics, such as light intensity and colour, light pulse duration and type, etc. particularly as a function of the operating values of the electric hotplate, such as switching states, power setting, temperature, predetermined temperature, etc. and optionally a temperature-dependent switching device is provided, which responds to the hot state of the electric hotplate and the characteristics are variable as a function thereof.
8. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the mounting plate (12, 12a) is made from opaque material and in the marginal area (33) is provided with a light exit surface (47) for the light passage means (45, 45a), which is positioned above the plane of the mounting plate (12, a, b) and in particular illuminates parts of the mounting plate surface.
9. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the claims 4 to 8, characterized in that a holder (77) for the lamp (29) is placed in an area (76) positioned laterally below the hotplate (14) and is directed horizontally or slightly inclined towards the hotplate centre in a holder portion (76) penetrating the tray shape of the illuminating chamber (28), the holder area (76) preferably being located below a connection area (84) of the hotplate (14) in which are guided the electrical connections (88) of the hotplate (14) and are lead out of the illuminating chamber (28) and/or in the holder area (76) is removably inserted in an opening (120) in the wall of the illuminating chamber (28) a separate lighting insert (121) carrying a lamp holder (77).
10. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the illuminating chamber (28) is fitted by means of a snap closure fastening device (72, 73) which preferably contains rotation preventing elements (71).
11. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the illuminating chamber (28) are arranged substantially horizontal reflector disks (67, 68), which are preferably placed on a fastening centre stud (25) of the hotplate (14).
12. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a preferably substantially ring disk-like ring (45c) is placed in a reception recess (94) of a surrounding mounting plate (12a), optionally accompanied by the interposing of sealants or adhesives (100) and is preferably provided with an elastic profile (22) on an inner rim.
13. Electric cooking appliance according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two electric hotplates (15) are fitted in closely juxtaposed manner in an adapting means (150), which is in turn incorporable in a mounting plate (12) and is made from low-distortion, preferably glass-like material, the cooking surfaces (17) of the hotplates (14) being located in a common plane.
14. Electric cooking appliance according to claim 13, characterized in that the adapting means (150) has an oval outer boundary with two circular mounting openings (151) for two hotplates (14) and preferably the hotplates (14) can be individually or jointly switched or regulated.
15. Electric cooking appliance according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that in the circumferential area of the hotplates (14) there are light passage means (38) provided and that the illuminating means (30) are constructed for indicating different on-states of one or more of the hotplates (14) and preferably for each of the hotplates (14) are provided separate or separately switchable illuminating means (30).

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