Oven appliance having combined radiant and convection broil

Abstract

An oven appliance includes a cabinet defining a cooking chamber to receive items to be cooked. The cooking chamber includes a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls. The top wall and the bottom wall are spaced apart along a vertical direction. The opposing sidewalls are spaced apart along a lateral direction. The oven appliance also includes a broiler assembly. The broiler assembly includes a convection heating element and a radiant heating element. The convection heating element is disposed outside of the cooking chamber and in convective communication with the cooking chamber to supply heated gas to the cooking chamber. The radiant heating element is disposed in the cooking chamber proximate the top wall of the cooking chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oven appliance comprising:
 a cabinet defining a cooking chamber to receive items to be cooked, the cooking chamber comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls, the top wall and the bottom wall being spaced apart along a vertical direction, the opposing sidewalls being spaced apart along a lateral direction;   a convection duct extending along a portion of the cooking chamber to direct a heated gas therethrough;   a convection heating element disposed within the convection duct to supply the heated gas thereto;   an air handler disposed in fluid communication with the convection duct to motivate the heated gas;   a broil outlet defined at a top portion of the cooking chamber in fluid communication with the convection duct to direct the heated gas from the convection duct to the cooking chamber; and   a radiant heating element positioned proximate to and downstream of the broil outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the radiant heating element is an electric resistive heating element. 
     
     
         3 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the convection heating element is a gas burner. 
     
     
         4 . The oven appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the gas burner comprises a burner tube to receive a combustion fuel and a burner enclosure housing the burner tube to contain a flame and direct an exhaust of the flame to the broil outlet as a portion of the heated gas. 
     
     
         5 . The oven appliance of  claim 3 , wherein the air handler is disposed upstream from the gas burner, and wherein the burner enclosure defines an inlet to receive an airflow from the air handler. 
     
     
         6 . The oven appliance of  claim 5 , further comprising an isolated air supply duct disposed in fluid communication between the air handler and the inlet of the gas burner. 
     
     
         7 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the air handler is disposed within the cabinet and positioned below the convection heating element along the vertical direction. 
     
     
         8 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a portion of the convection duct is defined by the rear wall. 
     
     
         9 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller operably connected to the radiant heating element and the convection heating element, the controller configured to initiate a broiling operation, the broiling operation including activating both the radiant heating element and the convection heating element. 
     
     
         10 . An oven appliance comprising:
 a cabinet defining a cooking chamber to receive items to be cooked, the cooking chamber comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, a rear wall, and opposing sidewalls, the top wall and the bottom wall being spaced apart along a vertical direction, the opposing sidewalls being spaced apart along a lateral direction; and   a broiler assembly comprising:
 a convection heating element disposed outside of the cooking chamber and in convective communication with the cooking chamber to supply heated gas to the cooking chamber, and 
 a radiant heating element disposed in the cooking chamber proximate the top wall of the cooking chamber. 
   
     
     
         11 . The oven appliance of  claim 10 , wherein the radiant heating element is an electric resistive heating element. 
     
     
         12 . The oven appliance of  claim 10 , wherein the convection heating element is in convective communication with the cooking chamber via a broil outlet in a top portion of the cooking chamber, and wherein the radiant heating element is positioned proximate to and downstream of the broil outlet. 
     
     
         13 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , wherein the convection heating element is a gas burner. 
     
     
         14 . The oven appliance of  claim 13 , wherein the gas burner comprises a burner tube to receive a fuel for combustion and a burner enclosure housing the burner tube to contain products of combustion from the burner tube, wherein the products of combustion from the burner tube include heated gas and the burner enclosure is configured to direct at least a portion of the heated gas to the broil outlet. 
     
     
         15 . The oven appliance of  claim 12 , further comprising an air handler in fluid communication with the convection heating element and the broil outlet to motivate the heated gas through the broiler outlet, the air handler disposed upstream from the gas burner, and wherein the burner enclosure defines an inlet to receive an airflow from the air handler. 
     
     
         16 . The oven appliance of  claim 15 , further comprising an isolated air supply duct disposed in fluid communication between the air handler and the inlet of the gas burner. 
     
     
         17 . The oven appliance of  claim 10 , further comprising a convection duct extending from the convection heating element to the broil outlet. 
     
     
         18 . The oven appliance of  claim 10 , further comprising a controller operably connected to the radiant heating element and the convection heating element, the controller configured to initiate a broiling operation, the broiling operation including activating both the radiant heating element and the convection heating element.