The present invention is related to cooking apparatuses. More preferably, the present invention is related to cooking apparatuses, such as stoves, provided with electronic devices cooled down by fan systems. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Nowadays, there is a rapid growth in state of the art of the use of electronic members in appliances, allowing for the modernization of such devices by introducing several functional improvements. Specifically, in cooking appliances such as stoves, fryers, grills, etc., there is an increasing use of electronic control panels, where usually such elements are located near the cooking area and are subjected to excessive heat. In this sense, it is common to use cooling systems to maintain the temperature of the electronic components at acceptable levels, thus avoiding overheating and premature failure.

Usually, alternating current single voltage fans are used to cool down the electronic components of cooking apparatuses. Since in Brazil houses may have different voltages (127V or 220V), the production of two distinct products is required, one adapted for each voltage level, wherein the cooling system (fan) will be of 127V or 220V. In other words, unlike other appliances, there is a need for manufacturing two distinct products, each one being adapted for one voltage level only because of the cooling system (fan). It is apparent that the need for manufacturing distinct products leads to a series of drawbacks, from the difficulty of controlling the inventory to the eventual need for separated assembly lines. Also, there is the risk for the consumer to connect the device to the power network in a voltage other than that of the apparatus, damaging it.

In addition to the above, cooling systems are usually located near the device to be cooled, such that the surrounding air is pushed towards said cooling device by forced convection.

However, regarding cooking apparatuses, it is common that the air surrounding the electronic devices be hotter than the ambient air due to the proximity with the cooking area. Document US6443051B 1, for example, discloses a fryer having an electronic control panel, wherein said panel is cooled down by a fan located near it. However, as an example of the above, the air surrounding the panel is heated, which makes cooling the assembly difficult. As will be further detailed below, the present invention is intended to solve the problems of the state of the art described above in a practical and efficient manner.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The first object of the present invention is to provide a cooking apparatus having a cooling system for electronic components that can be connected to both 127V and 220V voltage networks.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a cooking apparatus provided with a cooling system for the electronic components, wherein the air surrounding the cooking area is not used to cool down said components. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention provides a cooking apparatus comprising at least one electronic device and at least one refrigerating means for cooling said electronic device, the cooking apparatus further comprising a current and voltage converter adapted to convert the alternate current into direct current, wherein the at least one refrigerating means is supplied by the direct current provided by the voltage converter.

The present invention further provides a cooking apparatus comprising at least one electronic device and at least one refrigerating means for cooling said electronic device, the cooking apparatus further comprising one duct for fluid communication between the at least one refrigerating means and a region wherein the at least one electronic device is positioned such that the at least one refrigerating means is positioned in a location of the cooking apparatus remote from said region where the at least one electronic device is positioned.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The following detailed description makes reference to the accompanying drawings and their respective reference numbers, depicting the embodiments of the present invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a schematic side sectional view of a cooking apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a rear schematic view of the cooking apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preliminarily, it is noted that the following description will be based on a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is applied to a stove.

As will be evident to the skilled person, however, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment and can be applied to several cooking apparatuses.

Figure 1 illustrates a sectional schematic view of a stove 10 in accordance with the present invention, which can be supplied by gas or electric power. As can be observed, the stove in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises an electronic device that can be, for example, a control panel 12 of the stove's functionalities such as intensity of the gas flow or electrical resistance, ignition, timer for automatic shutdown, cooking program among others.

For convenience, the control panel 12 is positioned at the upper front portion of the stove, as is usually seen in the prior art stoves. Proximity with the cooking region 14, positioned at the upper portion of the stove 10 causes the need for an effective cooling system to prevent damage to the control panel 12 due to the high temperature of this region. Therefore, a refrigerating means for cooling down the electronic panel is provided, the refrigerating means being, for example, a fan 16 capable of blowing air to the control panel 12 to refrigerate it. It should be noted that the refrigerating means can be any means capable of generating an air flow to refrigerate the control plate, such as a fan, an air blower, cooler, and so on.

The stove 10 of the present invention further comprises a current and voltage converter 18, as illustrated in figure 2, which is designed to convert alternating current of the network into direct current to feed the fan 16 at a predetermined nominal voltage. Thus, the current and voltage converter 18 of the present invention transforms the alternating current of the network having a voltage of 127V or 220V, into direct current at a predetermined nominal voltage that matches the provided fan 16 .

Therefore, the stove 10 of the present invention can be connected to both a 127V network and a 220V network without any risks of damaging the equipment by the user. In addition, there is no need for two distinct products to be provided, one for each type of voltage in the residence.

With reference to figures 1 and 2, the present invention optionally provides the positioning of the fan 16 at a remote region in relation to the control panel 12 to be cooled. Therefore, warmer air from the vicinity of the control panel 12 and, accordingly, of the cooking area 14, is prevented from being used to cool the same.

Preferably, the fan 16 is located at the lower rear portion of the stove 10, so as to be able to push air from a region that is furthest apart from the cooking area 14. It should be noted that as cold air is denser than hot air, the entire region of the lower portion of the stove 10 will have little influence from the heat generated in the cooking area 14, which contributes to a greater efficiency of the cooling system due to the greater temperature gradient. Preferably, for operational and assembly convenience, the current and voltage converter 18 is located adjacent to the fan 16, allowing for an easy connection of both devices.

Preferably, a duct 20 is provided for fluid communication between the fan 16 and the region where the control panel 12 is located. Thus, cold air pushed by the fan 16 at the lower portion of the stove is fully driven through the duct 20 to the control panel 12.

Therefore, the present invention provides a cooking apparatus provided with a cooling system of the electronic components thereof that can be connected to both 127V and 220V networks. Further, the present invention enables the air surrounding the cooking area to not be used to cool down said components, significantly increasing the cooling efficiency of the electronic components.

Several variations under the scope of protection of the present application are possible. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned particular configurations/embodiments.