Cooling system for a control panel of an oven appliance

Abstract

A control panel assembly for an oven appliance includes an external housing and an internal housing spaced apart to define an air plenum. A display assembly is positioned in a top opening in the external housing and a cooling port is defined between a cooktop of the oven appliance and the display assembly. A fan assembly is positioned within the air plenum for drawing a flow of cooling air in through an ambient port and urging the flow of cooling air through the cooling port to create an air curtain that cools the display assembly.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oven appliance defining a vertical direction, a lateral direction, and a transverse direction, the oven appliance comprising:
 a cabinet defining a cooking chamber;   a cooktop positioned at a top of the cabinet and comprising one or more heating elements; and   a control panel assembly positioned adjacent the cooktop proximate a front of the cabinet along the transverse direction, the control panel assembly comprising:
 an external housing defining a top opening and an air plenum; 
 a display assembly mounted in the top opening; 
 a cooling port positioned between the cooktop and the display assembly along the transverse direction; and 
 a fan assembly for urging a flow of air through the cooling port and across the display assembly. 
   
     
     
         2 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the control panel assembly further comprises:
 an internal housing spaced apart from the external housing to define the air plenum; and   an ambient port defined within the external housing or the internal housing, wherein the fan assembly is mounted within the air plenum for urging the flow of air through the ambient port and the cooling port.   
     
     
         3 . The oven appliance of  claim 2 , wherein the ambient port is defined on a front surface of the external housing. 
     
     
         4 . The oven appliance of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a door pivotally mounted to the cabinet to provide selective access to the cooking chamber, wherein the ambient port is positioned in a bottom face of the external housing above the door when the door is in the closed position.   
     
     
         5 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 an air deflector that at least partially defines the cooling port, the air deflector extending toward the display assembly along the transverse direction to direct the flow of air across a top surface of the display assembly.   
     
     
         6 . The oven appliance of  claim 5 , wherein the air deflector is defined by a grate positioned on the cooktop. 
     
     
         7 . The oven appliance of  claim 5 , wherein the air deflector is an L-shaped bracket fastened to a rear of the external housing using a mechanical fastener. 
     
     
         8 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the display assembly is positioned within the air plenum. 
     
     
         9 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 control electronics positioned within the air plenum.   
     
     
         10 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 one or more control knobs mounted on a front surface of the external housing.   
     
     
         11 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a cooling duct providing fluid communication between a rear port defined proximate a rear of cabinet and the cooling port, wherein the fan assembly is mounted within the cooling duct.   
     
     
         12 . The oven appliance of  claim 11 , wherein the cooling duct passes over a bottom surface of the display assembly. 
     
     
         13 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the flow of air is discharged from the air plenum through the cooling port. 
     
     
         14 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the flow of air is drawn into the air plenum through the cooling port. 
     
     
         15 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the display assembly is a liquid crystal display with a top surface oriented in the vertical direction. 
     
     
         16 . The oven appliance of  claim 1 , wherein the fan assembly comprises one or more axial fans mounted over an ambient port. 
     
     
         17 . A control panel assembly for an oven appliance, the oven appliance comprising a cabinet defining a cooking chamber and a cooktop positioned on top of the cabinet and comprising a heating element, the control panel assembly comprising:
 an external housing defining a top opening and an air plenum;   a display assembly mounted in the top opening;   a cooling port positioned between the cooktop and the display assembly along a transverse direction; and   a fan assembly for urging a flow of air through the cooling port and across the display assembly.   
     
     
         18 . The control panel assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 an internal housing spaced apart from the external housing to define the air plenum; and   an ambient port defined within the external housing or the internal housing, wherein the fan assembly is mounted within the air plenum for urging the flow of air through the ambient port and the cooling port.   
     
     
         19 . The control panel assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 an air deflector that at least partially defines the cooling port, the air deflector extending toward the display assembly along the transverse direction to direct the flow of air across a top surface of the display assembly.   
     
     
         20 . The control panel assembly of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 a cooling duct providing fluid communication between a rear port defined proximate a rear of cabinet and the cooling port, wherein the fan assembly is mounted within the cooling duct.