Cooking Appliance

Abstract

According to various embodiments, a cooking appliance having a cooktop plate and a heating device which is arranged below the cooktop plate may include an indicator device for optical temperature indication below the cooktop plate. The indication devices may include a thermochrome material for temperature indication wherein the thermochrome material essentially consists of metal oxides, which are fluorescent for emitting light and which are present in the manner of quantum dots having a predominant proportion of grain sizes between 10 nm and 80 nm and which are admixed in a fluorescent thermochrome paint.

1 . A cooking appliance, comprising:
 a cooktop plate having a heating device arranged underneath for heating a cooking vessel being positioned above on said cooktop plate; and   an optical indicator device for temperature positioned below said cooktop plate, wherein said optical indicator device comprises a thermochrome material for optical indication, wherein said thermochrome material comprises metal oxides, said metal oxides being fluorescent for emitting light and being present as a powder with a major part of powder grains having a particle size between 10 nm and 80 nm.   
     
     
         2 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said major part of powder grains with said particle size is between 20 nm and 50 nm. 
     
     
         3 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of said thermochrome material has said particle size between 10 nm and 80 nm. 
     
     
         4 . The cooking appliance of  claim 3 , wherein at least 75% of said thermochrome material has said particle size between 10 nm and 80 nm. 
     
     
         5 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein at least 90% of said thermochrome material having said small particle size are within a range of +/−10% of an average particle size. 
     
     
         6 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said thermochrome material is based on cadmium (Cd). 
     
     
         7 . The cooking appliance of  claim 6 , wherein said thermochrome material is CdSe (cadmium selenide). 
     
     
         8 . The cooking appliance of  claim 6 , wherein said thermochrome material is CdS (cadmium sulphide). 
     
     
         9 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said thermochrome material is arranged underneath said cooktop plate. 
     
     
         10 . The cooking appliance of  claim 9 , wherein said cooktop plate is non-transparent but light-transmissive for a light wavelength of light emitted by the said thermochrome material. 
     
     
         11 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said thermochrome material is applied on a carrier as a paint or a coating. 
     
     
         12 . The cooking appliance of  claim 11 , wherein said carrier consists of an insulating material such as mica or ceramics. 
     
     
         13 . The cooking appliance of  claim 11 , wherein said thermochrome material is present on a flexible adhesive label. 
     
     
         14 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a change temperature for a color change of said thermochrome material lies in a temperature range of approximately 50° C. to 90° C. 
     
     
         15 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a wavelength of said light emitted by said thermochrome material lies in a wavelength range of 480 nm to 650 nm. 
     
     
         16 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said thermochrome material is arranged in a vicinity of one of said heating devices of said cooking appliance. 
     
     
         17 . The cooking appliance of  claim 16 , wherein in a case of an induction heating device, said thermochrome material is arranged above said induction heating device. 
     
     
         18 . The cooking appliance of  claim 17 , wherein said thermochrome material is arranged between said induction heating device and said cooktop plate. 
     
     
         19 . The cooking appliance of  claim 1 , wherein said thermochrome material has physical properties of quantum points or quantum dots, respectively.