Patent Description:
Generally, ovens are apparatuses which include a cooking compartment, a heater applying heat to the cooking compartment, and a circulating fan circulating heat generated by the heater in the cooking compartment to cook foods.

Ovens are cooking utensils for sealing and heating ingredients to cook, and are generally classified into an electric type, a gas type, and an electronic type depending on a heat source thereof. Electric ovens use an electric heater as a heating source, and gas ovens and microwave ovens use heat using gases and frictional heat of water molecules caused by high frequency waves as heat sources, respectively.

During a process of cooking using an oven, cases where checking a state to add seasonings occur frequently. Whenever such cases occur, there are inconveniences of going to the oven to check through a transparent window or to open an oven door to check.

Also, situations of cooking other foods or checking a cooking state while entertaining guests may occur and such situations are cumbersome.

Cooking apparatuses including imaging devices, such as cameras, are described in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT>.

It is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an oven which allows a process of cooking food to be simply checked through the oven while cooking.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the present disclosure.

In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an oven according to claim <NUM>.

An oven in accordance with the present invention includes a monitoring unit to allow a user to check a cooking process using the monitoring unit without directly checking a transparent window of the oven or opening a door to check, which may improve user convenience.

Embodiments of the invention are described herein and those that do not fall within the scope of the claims relate to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure that are not covered by the claimed invention.

Also, throughout the drawings, like reference numerals or symbols designate like components or elements which perform substantially identical functions.

Also, the terms used herein explain the embodiments but are not intend to restrict and/or limit the present disclosure. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless otherwise defined in context. Throughout the specification, the terms "comprise" or "have", etc. are used herein to specify the presence of stated features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Also, it should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may be referred to as the first component. The term "and/or" includes any and all combinations or one of a plurality of associated listed items.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

A front side and a front used hereinafter refer to a direction facing a front side and a front of an oven <NUM> shown in <FIG>, and a rear refers to a direction facing a rear of the oven <NUM>.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which a door of the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is opened. <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view of the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

The oven <NUM> (or a body including a case and a door, hereinafter, referred to as the oven <NUM>) includes a case <NUM> which forms an exterior, and a cooking compartment <NUM> located inside the case <NUM>, and may include a cooktop <NUM> provided at a top end of the oven <NUM> and on which a container with ingredients therein is placed and heated.

The case <NUM> may include a front panel <NUM> which forms a front side of the case <NUM>, a side panel <NUM> which forms a side of the case <NUM>, and a rear panel <NUM> which forms a rear side of the case <NUM>.

The cooking compartment <NUM> may be provided in a box shape inside the case <NUM> and has an open front side so ingredients may be placed therein or removed therefrom. An opening <NUM> provided to correspond to the cooking compartment <NUM> with the open front side may be provided at the front panel <NUM>.

The open front of the cooking compartment <NUM> is opened and closed by a door <NUM>. The door <NUM> may be hinge-coupled with a bottom of the case <NUM> to be pivotable with respect to the case <NUM>, and a handle <NUM> capable of being gripped by a user may be provided at the door <NUM>.

The door <NUM> may include a transparent portion <NUM> formed of a transparent material such as glass to allow a process of cooking ingredients inside the cooking compartment <NUM> to be externally checked.

A plurality of glass members <NUM> may be provided inside the door <NUM>. The plurality of glass members <NUM> are for allowing an inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> to be seen through the transparent portion <NUM>, and may be provided as transparent members other than glass.

A door inlet <NUM> capable of suctioning air into the door <NUM> may be provided at a bottom end of the door <NUM>. The door inlet <NUM> is for cooling heat inside the door <NUM> by circulating air to prevent heat generated in the cooking compartment <NUM> from being transferred to an outer surface of the door <NUM>.

Outside air which flows in through the bottom end of the door <NUM> may be heat exchanged with heat transferred from the cooking compartment <NUM> while moving toward a top of the door <NUM> and may be discharged through a door outlet <NUM> positioned at a front of the door <NUM>.

A storage compartment <NUM> capable of storing cooking containers, etc. may be provided below the cooking compartment <NUM>. The storage compartment <NUM> may slide forward and backward to be inserted into or withdrawn from the oven <NUM>.

A plurality of supports <NUM> may be provided inside the cooking compartment <NUM>. A rack <NUM> which allows ingredients to be placed thereon may be mounted on the plurality of supports <NUM>. The plurality of supports <NUM> may be provided to protrude from a left sidewall and a right sidewall of the cooking compartment <NUM>.

A divider (not shown) capable of dividing the cooking compartment <NUM> may be separably mounted on the plurality of supports <NUM>. In detail, the divider may be horizontally mounted in the cooking compartment <NUM>, and may divide the cooking compartment <NUM> into a plurality of compartments.

A plurality of such cooking compartments <NUM> may have the same size and may have different sizes. The divider may include an insulating material and may insulate each of the cooking compartments <NUM>. Through this, spaces of the cooking compartments <NUM> may be diversely utilized according to the intension of the user.

A heater <NUM> which heats ingredients may be provided at the cooking compartment <NUM>. The heater <NUM> may be an electric heater including an electric resistor. The heater <NUM> may be a gas heater which generates heat by combusting gas. That is, the oven <NUM> includes an electric oven and a gas oven.

A circulating fan <NUM> which circulates air in the cooking compartment <NUM> to uniformly heat ingredients and a circulating motor <NUM> which drives the circulating fan <NUM> may be provided at a rear of the cooking compartment <NUM>. A fan cover <NUM> which covers the circulating fan <NUM> may be provided in front of the circulating fan <NUM>, and a through hole <NUM> is formed at the fan cover <NUM> to allow the air to flow.

There is a display module <NUM> which displays various types of operational information of the oven <NUM> and allows the user to input an operational command therein and may be provided at an upper front of the front panel <NUM>. The display module <NUM> may be mounted on an electronic device compartment cover <NUM>.

Also, an operation portion <NUM> provided to additionally operate the oven <NUM> may be provided at the electronic device compartment cover <NUM>.

The oven <NUM> includes an electronic device compartment <NUM> which accommodates electronic devices which control operations of various components including the display module <NUM>. The electronic device compartment <NUM> is provided on a top of the cooking compartment <NUM>. An insulator <NUM> which insulates the electronic device compartment <NUM> from the cooking compartment <NUM> may be provided between the electronic device compartment <NUM> and the cooking compartment <NUM> to prevent heat in the cooking compartment <NUM> from being transferred to the electronic device compartment <NUM>.

Also, the insulator <NUM> may be provided to totally cover an outside of the cooking compartment <NUM> instead of just between the electronic device compartment <NUM> and the cooking compartment <NUM> to prevent the heat of the cooking compartment <NUM> from being transferred outward from the oven <NUM>.

The oven <NUM> has a cooling structure which cools the electronic device compartment <NUM> by circulating air around the cooking compartment <NUM>. The cooling structure of the oven <NUM> may include a cooling fan unit <NUM> which moves air and a cooling flow channel <NUM> which discharges air suctioned by the cooling fan unit <NUM> to the front of the oven <NUM>.

That is, air outside a body may be suctioned into the electronic device compartment <NUM> through a through hole 14a formed at the rear panel <NUM>, and the air suctioned into the electronic device compartment <NUM> may flow inside the electronic device compartment <NUM> to cool the electronic device compartment <NUM> and then may ultimately be discharged to the front of the oven <NUM> through an outlet <NUM> along the cooling flow channel <NUM>.

A part of the air in the cooking compartment <NUM> may be suctioned into the cooling flow channel <NUM> through a discharge flow channel <NUM> and may be discharged to the front of the oven <NUM>. Also, a bypass hole <NUM> which allows a part of the air which flows to the outlet <NUM> in the cooling flow channel <NUM> to flow into the discharge flow channel <NUM> may be additionally formed. The bypass hole <NUM> may be opened and closed by an opening and closing apparatus <NUM>. A discharge amount of the air in the cooking compartment <NUM> that is discharged to the cooling flow channel <NUM> may be adjusted according to the opening and closing of the bypass hole <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a monitoring unit <NUM> which takes the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> will be described in detail.

<FIG> is an exploded view illustrating a state in which an oven body and a monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure are disassembled. <FIG> is an enlarged perspective view of the monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is an enlarged rear perspective view of the monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view of the monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a rear perspective view illustrating a state in which a first housing of the monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure is removed. <FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating an image-taking range of the monitoring unit in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the monitoring unit <NUM> may be disposed on the outer surface of the door <NUM>. In detail, the monitoring unit <NUM> may be provided on an outer surface of the transparent portion <NUM> provided at the door <NUM> and may take the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> through the transparent portion <NUM> from an outside of the door <NUM>.

As described above, the transparent portion <NUM> may be formed of a transparent material, and the plurality of glass members <NUM> may be provided at positions inside the door <NUM> corresponding to the transparent portion <NUM>. Accordingly, since the monitoring unit <NUM> is located outside the transparent portion <NUM>, the monitoring unit <NUM> may take the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> even though it is not located inside the cooking compartment <NUM> or inside the door <NUM>.

When the monitoring unit <NUM> is positioned inside the cooking compartment <NUM>, since the cooking compartment <NUM> maintains a temperature of about <NUM> during cooking and increases to a temperature of <NUM> during self-cleaning of the cooking compartment <NUM>, it is necessary for the monitoring unit <NUM> to have high thermal resistance.

Due to this, the monitoring unit <NUM> is disposed outside the door <NUM>. Since heat transferred to the outside of the door <NUM> is at a maximum temperature of <NUM>, high thermal resistance is not necessary. Accordingly, since an additional component for thermal resistance or a particular thermal resisting method is not necessary, it is efficient from an economical aspect of production.

Unlike one embodiment of the present disclosure, the monitoring unit <NUM> may be disposed on one side of the case <NUM> and not on the door <NUM>, and an additional transparent portion <NUM> which allows the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> to be seen may be provided at a position at which the monitoring unit <NUM> is provided.

A corresponding portion 42a may be provided on one side of the transparent portion <NUM> corresponding to the position at which the monitoring unit <NUM> is disposed. The corresponding portion 42a is merely provided to correspond to the position at which the monitoring unit <NUM> is disposed but does not need to be at a particular position.

The monitoring unit <NUM> is disposed at a position which allows the image of the entire inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> to be taken considering a maximal image-taking angle (a maximal view angle of a camera) of a camera module <NUM> of the monitoring unit <NUM>.

Depending on the maximal image-taking angle of the camera module <NUM> and a size of the cooking compartment <NUM>, the corresponding portion 42a may not be additionally provided but may be provided on one side of the outer surface of the transparent portion <NUM>.

The monitoring unit <NUM> includes the camera module <NUM> which takes the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM>, and may include a communication board <NUM> which transmits information on the image taken by the camera module <NUM> to an external device and receives information from the external device, a cooling fan <NUM> which cools the camera module <NUM>, and housings <NUM> and <NUM> which form an exterior of the monitoring unit <NUM>.

The camera module <NUM> may include a camera <NUM> capable of taking images and moving images, a connector <NUM> connected to a cable <NUM> to receive power and to transmit and receive electric information, and a camera board <NUM> on which the camera <NUM>, the connector <NUM>, and other electronic components are mounted.

The camera <NUM> may observe an internal shape of the cooking compartment <NUM> through the transparent portion <NUM>. The camera <NUM> may have an up-and-down image-taking angle of <NUM> degrees or less and may have a left and right image-taking angle of <NUM> degrees or less.

Depending on a maximal image-taking angle of the camera <NUM>, an angle at which the camera module <NUM> is disposed may be determined. The camera module <NUM> is disposed to be inclined with respect to an inner surface of the door <NUM> to allow the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> to be within the maximal image-taking angle.

The camera module <NUM> may be disposed above the transparent portion <NUM> to be inclined with respect to the transparent portion <NUM> at a certain angle.

The communication board <NUM> transmits image information or moving image information of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM>, obtained by the camera module <NUM>, to the external device. The communication board <NUM> transmits the obtained information to the external device and receives information from the external device through various communication methods.

For example, a wireless signal may be transmitted and received through communication methods such as <NUM>-generation (<NUM>), <NUM>-generation (<NUM>), etc. In addition, information may be transmitted and received within a certain distance through communication methods such as wireless local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Wi-Fi Direct (WFD), ultra wideband (UWB), infrared data association (IrDA), Bluetooth low energy (BLE), near field communication (NFC), etc..

The communication board <NUM> may be provided in the case <NUM> rather than the monitoring unit <NUM>. Since the case <NUM> of the oven <NUM> is generally formed of a member including steel to provide thermal resistance, when the communication board <NUM> is provided inside the member including steel, there may be a limitation in communication. Accordingly, the communication board <NUM> may be provided at the monitoring unit <NUM> provided outside the case <NUM>.

Transmission and reception of information of the communication board <NUM> will be described in detail.

The cooling fan <NUM> which cools the camera module <NUM> may be provided on one side of the camera module <NUM>. Since the monitoring unit <NUM> may be provided to be in contact with the door <NUM> to which a part of heat of the cooking compartment <NUM> is transferred, the monitoring unit <NUM> may be at room temperature or higher.

The cooling fan <NUM> cools heat generated by the camera module <NUM> and a temperature higher than room temperature (about <NUM>) generated outside the monitoring unit <NUM> to allow the camera module <NUM> to be stably operated.

The housings <NUM> and <NUM> that form the exterior of the monitoring unit <NUM> may include a first housing <NUM> in which the camera module <NUM> and the communication board <NUM> are mounted and a second housing <NUM> in contact with the outer surface of the door <NUM>.

The first housing <NUM> may include a space with an opening on one side to allow the camera module <NUM> and the communication board <NUM> to be mounted therein. In detail, the first housing <NUM> may include a first mounting portion <NUM> into which the camera module <NUM> is mounted and a second mounting portion <NUM> in which the communication board <NUM> is mounted.

Since the camera module <NUM> is disposed with a certain inclination with respect to the door <NUM> as described above, the first mounting portion <NUM> may be provided to be inclined to correspond with the incline of the camera module <NUM>.

One side of the first mounting portion <NUM> adjacent to the second mounting portion <NUM> may include a first supporting protrusion <NUM> which protrudes from the second mounting portion <NUM> to the first mounting portion <NUM> to come into contact with a bottom of the camera module <NUM> to allow the camera module <NUM> to be supported by the first mounting portion <NUM> in parallel, and a first fixing hook <NUM> which fixes the camera module <NUM> mounted on the first supporting protrusion <NUM>.

Although not shown in <FIG>, components similar to the first supporting protrusion <NUM> and the first fixing hook <NUM> may be provided at a top of the first mounting portion <NUM> and may support a top of the camera module <NUM>.

The second mounting portion <NUM> may include a second supporting protrusion <NUM> which protrudes upward from the second mounting portion <NUM> to support a bottom of the communication board <NUM>. Also, a second fixing hook <NUM> which protrudes inward from a pair of side portions of the first housing <NUM> may be provided to fix the communication board <NUM> supported by the second supporting protrusion <NUM>.

The first and second supporting protrusions <NUM> and <NUM> and the first and second fixing hooks <NUM> and <NUM> are not limited to one embodiment of the present disclosure and may be provided in various shapes to allow the camera module <NUM> and the communication board <NUM> to be mounted in the first housing <NUM>.

The communication board <NUM> may be provided to be maximally adjacent to the second mounting portion <NUM>. In detail, another component may not be provided in the first housing <NUM> in which the communication board <NUM> and the second mounting portion <NUM> are provided.

This is to prevent communication of transmitting and receiving information between the communication board <NUM> and the external device from being interrupted. Due to the reason described above, even though parts of the monitoring unit <NUM> are disposed inside the door <NUM> or the case <NUM> unlike one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication board <NUM> may be disposed outside the door <NUM> or the case <NUM>.

A first coupling hook <NUM> provided to be coupled with the second housing <NUM> may be provided above the opening of the first housing <NUM>. The first coupling hook <NUM> may be provided to correspond to a first coupling groove <NUM> provided at the second housing <NUM> and may be inserted into and coupled with the first coupling groove <NUM> when the first housing <NUM> and the second housing <NUM> come into contact with each other to correspond to each other.

Also, a second coupling groove <NUM> provided to be coupled with the second housing <NUM> may be provided below the opening of the first housing <NUM>. The second coupling groove <NUM> may be provided to correspond to a second coupling hook <NUM> provided at the second housing <NUM>.

The first and second coupling hooks <NUM> and <NUM> and the first and second coupling grooves <NUM> and <NUM> are not limited to one embodiment of the present disclosure and may be formed upside down.

The second housing <NUM> as described above may be provided separably with the first housing <NUM> and may be coupled with the door <NUM>.

The second housing <NUM> is provided in a plate shape and includes an installation surface 150a on a side facing the door <NUM>. The installation surface 150a may be provided to be parallel to the door <NUM>, may be attached to the outer surface of the door <NUM> using an adhesive, and may be coupled with the outer surface of the door <NUM> using an additional installation member, for example, coupling by a screw and coupling by a hook.

The second housing <NUM> may include an opening <NUM> opened to allow the camera module <NUM> mounted in the first housing <NUM> to take the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> through the second housing <NUM>.

A size of the opening <NUM> may be determined considering an installation angle of the camera module <NUM> and the image-taking angle of the camera <NUM>.

A cable through hole <NUM> through which the cable <NUM> connecting the camera module <NUM> with a micom <NUM>, which will be described below, is connected to an inside of the monitoring unit <NUM> may be provided on one side of the second housing <NUM>.

The cable through hole <NUM> may be provided at a position corresponding to a door through hole <NUM> provided to allow the cable <NUM> to pass through from the inside of the door <NUM> to the outside thereof (refer to <FIG>). The cable <NUM> may be connected from the micom <NUM>, through the inside of the door <NUM>, the door through hole <NUM>, and the cable through hole <NUM>, and to the inside of the monitoring unit <NUM>.

A sealing member <NUM> may be provided inside the cable through hole <NUM>. The sealing member <NUM> is provided to prevent heat generated by the door <NUM> from being transferred to the monitoring unit <NUM> by sealing a gap between the cable through hole <NUM> and the cable <NUM>.

A cooling fan supporting protrusion <NUM> may be provided on one side of the second housing which faces the first housing <NUM> to dispose the cooling fan <NUM> thereon.

To provide the cooling fan <NUM> to be adjacent to the camera module <NUM> and to be parallel to the camera module <NUM> to increase cooling efficiency, the cooling fan supporting protrusion <NUM> may protrude toward the first housing <NUM> with a certain inclination with respect to the second housing <NUM> to dispose the cooling fan <NUM> with the same inclination as that of the camera module <NUM>.

In an order of installing the monitoring unit <NUM>, first, the monitoring unit <NUM> is positioned at a position (the corresponding portion 42a) corresponding to the door through hole <NUM> and the cable through hole <NUM> and is attached to allow the installation surface 150a to come into contact with the door <NUM>.

After that, the first housing <NUM> in which the camera module <NUM> and the communication board <NUM> are mounted is positioned to correspond to the second housing <NUM> and pressurized toward the second housing <NUM> to be hooked thereto.

The housings <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided to be separated by being pressurized in an opposite direction to replace the components provided inside the housings <NUM> and <NUM> after the housings <NUM> and <NUM> are coupled. That is, the second housing <NUM> may be pressurized in the opposite direction to be detached from the first housing <NUM>.

Also, an opening (not shown) with a certain size may be provided on one side of the first housing <NUM> to allow an internal component to be replaced through the opening without separating the first housing <NUM> from the second housing <NUM>. Here, the opening may be provided to be closed by an additional packing member (not shown) and to be open only when the internal component is replaced.

To prevent the limitation in communication of the communication board <NUM> described above, the housings <NUM> and <NUM> may be formed of a material including a plastic resin, etc..

<FIG> is a rear perspective view illustrating a state in which a first housing of a monitoring unit in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is removed. Hereinafter, components other than additionally described components are identical to those of the oven <NUM> described above.

A camera <NUM>' may be provided to be pivotable by a pivoting member 112a.

The pivoting member 112a is provided between the camera <NUM>' and the camera board <NUM> to allow the camera <NUM>' to pivot due to pivoting of the pivoting member 112a. The pivoting member 112a may be provided as a hinge structure to allow the camera <NUM>' to tilt up and down and left and right or may be provided as a ball structure to allow the camera <NUM>' to freely pivot.

Since the camera <NUM>' may pivot, a range of which images may be taken by the camera <NUM>' may increase. Also, since the camera <NUM>' pivots according to a height of the rack <NUM> on which ingredients are disposed, clear image information satisfying the need of the user may be obtained.

Hereinafter, the cable <NUM> which electrically connects the micom <NUM> with the monitoring unit <NUM> will be described in detail.

<FIG> is a perspective view illustrating a total disposition of the cable in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which the cable is disposed on a side of the case while the side panel is removed in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which the cable is disposed inside the door in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is an enlarged view illustrating a separation section of the cable in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a perspective view of the cable in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a front view illustrating a state in which a storage compartment in accordance with the present disclosure is removed. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which the door is separated from the case while the storage compartment in accordance with the present disclosure is removed.

The oven <NUM> includes the micom <NUM> which controls the monitoring unit <NUM>.

The micom <NUM> may be provided as a component which independently controls only the monitoring unit <NUM>, or may be a component which controls total operation of the oven <NUM> and additionally controls the monitoring unit <NUM>. Hereinafter, the micom <NUM> will be described as controlling the monitoring unit <NUM> and the oven <NUM>.

Also, the micom <NUM> is defined as a component totally including a micro computer formed of a chip and various types of electronic components for driving the micro computer such as a substrate on which the micro computer is mounted and a power supply mounted on the substrate, etc..

The cable <NUM> may be connected between the micom <NUM> and the monitoring unit <NUM>. The cable <NUM> may electrically connect the micom <NUM> with the monitoring unit <NUM>.

The cable <NUM> may supply power to the monitoring unit <NUM> and may transmit and receive information between the micom <NUM> and the monitoring unit <NUM>.

The micom <NUM> may be provided inside the rear panel <NUM> of the oven <NUM>. Accordingly, the cable <NUM> passes through an inside of the rear panel <NUM> to an inside of the side panel <NUM>.

In detail, as shown in <FIG>, the cable <NUM> connected from the micom <NUM> is bent from the inside of the rear panel <NUM> toward the inside of the side panel <NUM> and is bent again toward the front of the oven <NUM> at a height corresponding to the storage compartment <NUM> to be disposed to face the front panel <NUM>.

In the side panel <NUM>, the cable <NUM> may be disposed to pass between a space in which the insulator <NUM> is provided and a space in which the side panel <NUM> is provided, that is, through a gap 20a between an outermost portion of the cooking compartment <NUM> including the insulator <NUM> and the side panel <NUM> and a gap 50a between the storage compartment <NUM> and the side panel <NUM>. This is to facilitate replacement of the cable <NUM> when the cable <NUM> fails.

In a section in which the cable <NUM> extends from the micom <NUM> to the front panel <NUM>, the cable <NUM> may be fixed by a plurality of fixing members <NUM> provided to be fixed and supported by a random component of the oven <NUM> provided inside the case <NUM>.

The fixing members <NUM> may include supporting holes provided to allow the cable <NUM> to pass therethrough and be supported. The supporting holes may be provided with a diameter larger than a diameter of the cable <NUM> to allow the cable <NUM> to move within a gap between the cable <NUM> and the supporting holes.

The fixing members <NUM> may be variably attached to any component of the oven <NUM> to support the cable <NUM>.

The cable <NUM> disposed in the inside of the side panel <NUM> does not extend to an inside of the front panel <NUM> and passes through the front panel <NUM> to extend to the inside of the door <NUM> and be connected to the monitoring unit <NUM>. This is to facilitate separation of the cable <NUM> when the door <NUM> is separated from the oven <NUM>.

In the cable <NUM>, when a section of the cable <NUM> connected to the monitoring unit <NUM> and disposed inside the door <NUM> is referred to as a first cable <NUM> and a section of the cable <NUM> extending from the first cable <NUM>, which is connected to the micom <NUM>, and disposed in the case <NUM> is referred to as a second cable <NUM>, a separation section <NUM> may be provided between the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> to separate the cable <NUM>.

One side of the first cable <NUM> may be connected to the monitoring unit <NUM>. In detail, the first cable <NUM> may be disposed in the door <NUM> and may extend into the monitoring unit <NUM> through the door through hole <NUM> positioned on the outer surface of the door <NUM>.

The first cable <NUM> may be connected to the connector <NUM> of the camera module <NUM> through the cable through hole <NUM> of the monitoring unit <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the first cable <NUM> may be disposed in the door <NUM>, which does not correspond to the transparent portion <NUM> for aesthetic reasons. Accordingly, the first cable <NUM> extending from the door through hole <NUM> may horizontally extend and may be bent at a side portion of the door <NUM> to extend downward.

The first cable <NUM> may be disposed and fixed to the inside of the door <NUM> by the fixing members <NUM> described above.

The other side of the first cable <NUM> extending to a bottom of the door <NUM> may include an exposed portion <NUM> provided to pass through a bottom surface of the door <NUM> to be exposed outside the door <NUM>. One end of the exposed portion <NUM>, that is, the other side of the first cable <NUM>, may be connected to the second cable <NUM> positioned at the front panel <NUM>.

One side of the second cable <NUM> may be connected to the micom <NUM> provided at the rear panel <NUM>. The second cable <NUM>, as described above, extends from the micom <NUM> to the rear panel <NUM> and then inside of the side panel <NUM>.

The other side of the second cable <NUM> may be disposed at the front panel <NUM> to be connected to the first cable <NUM>. In detail, another end of the second cable <NUM> may pass through from a rear of the front panel <NUM> to a front of the front panel <NUM> and the other end of the second cable <NUM> may be positioned at the front panel <NUM>.

The separation section <NUM> may be provided between the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM>. In detail, the separation section <NUM> may be provided on the front panel <NUM> where the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> are connected and may be positioned below the door <NUM>.

The first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> may be separated at the separation section <NUM>. In detail, by providing a first coupling portion <NUM> to be coupled with the second cable <NUM> on the other side of the first cable <NUM> and a second coupling portion <NUM> to be coupled with the first coupling portion <NUM> of the first cable <NUM> on the one side of the second cable <NUM>, the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> may be coupled to each other.

By providing the first coupling portion <NUM> in a universal serial bus (USB) connector shape and the second coupling portion <NUM> in a USB port shape, the first coupling portion <NUM> may be inserted into the second coupling portion <NUM> and be coupled.

The second coupling portion <NUM> may be coupled with the front panel <NUM> using a screw and the first coupling portion <NUM> may be accordingly inserted into the front panel <NUM> in such a way as to allow the cable <NUM> to be coupled and separated.

Since the separation section <NUM> is provided to correspond to the one end of the exposed portion <NUM>, the separation section <NUM> may be provided on one side at a height of the storage compartment <NUM>.

Accordingly, the separation section <NUM> is not exposed outside the oven <NUM> by a front portion of the storage compartment <NUM> when the storage compartment <NUM> is closed and is exposed to the outside when the storage compartment <NUM> is slid opened.

Here, the user may easily pressurize a space between the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> to separate the cable <NUM>.

The user may separate the door <NUM> from the case <NUM> to clean the door <NUM> as necessary. When the door <NUM> is separated from the case <NUM>, the first cable <NUM> and the second cable <NUM> are separated at the separation section <NUM>, thereby separating the cable <NUM> with the door <NUM> from the case <NUM>.

Since the monitoring unit <NUM> is provided on the door <NUM>, when the door <NUM> is separated, the monitoring unit <NUM> may also be separated from the case <NUM>. Here, since the monitoring unit <NUM> is connected to the micom <NUM> through the cable <NUM>, when the cable <NUM> is not separated, even through the door <NUM> is separated, the door <NUM> may not be completely separated from the case <NUM> due to a part of the cable <NUM> provided to extend in the case <NUM>.

Accordingly, the separation section <NUM> allows the user to completely separate the door <NUM> from the case <NUM>.

A first connection portion <NUM> connected to the connector <NUM> of the monitoring unit <NUM> is provided on the one side of the first cable <NUM> to allow the first cable <NUM> and the monitoring unit <NUM> to be electrically connected.

A second connection portion <NUM> connected to the micom <NUM> is provided on the other side of the second cable <NUM> to allow the second cable <NUM> and the micom <NUM> to be electrically connected.

In detail, as described above, the first coupling portion <NUM> provided on the other side of the first cable <NUM> is coupled with the second coupling portion <NUM> of the second cable <NUM>, thereby electrically connecting the micom <NUM> and the monitoring unit <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a process through which the door <NUM> is separated from the case <NUM> and accordingly the cable is separated will be described.

Before separating the door <NUM>, the separation section <NUM> of the cable <NUM> should be proactively opened by sliding the storage compartment <NUM> open. When the storage compartment <NUM> is closed, it is difficult for the user to approach the separation section <NUM>, and thus it is impossible to separate the cable <NUM>. Accordingly, since a state in which the cable <NUM> is connected to the inside of the case <NUM> is maintained, it is impossible to completely separate the door <NUM> from the case <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, when the storage compartment <NUM> is opened, the exposed portion <NUM> of the cable <NUM> and the separation section <NUM> positioned above the exposed portion <NUM> may be exposed below the door <NUM>.

The user may separate the first coupling portion <NUM> from the second coupling portion <NUM> by pulling the exposed portion <NUM> or the first coupling portion <NUM> provided at the separation section <NUM> in front of the oven <NUM>. The cable <NUM> may be separated after the door <NUM> is separated first.

Unlike one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the monitoring unit <NUM> is provided on one side in the case <NUM> and not the door <NUM>, the monitoring unit <NUM> is not separated according to the separation of the door <NUM>. Accordingly, the separation section <NUM> may not be additionally provided. Also, when the door <NUM> is separated, it is unnecessary to additionally separate the cable <NUM> and it is possible to separate only the door <NUM>.

The door <NUM> may be provided to be pivotable with respect to the case <NUM> by a hinge portion <NUM>. When the user pressurizes the handle <NUM> of the door <NUM> downward with the hinge portion <NUM> as a pivoting shaft, the door <NUM> may pivot downward to open the storage compartment <NUM>.

Differently, when the user pressurizes the door <NUM> forward, the hinge portion <NUM> is separated from the case <NUM>, thereby separating the door <NUM> from the case <NUM>. Accordingly, after the cable <NUM> is separated, the door <NUM> may be completely separated from the case <NUM> by pressurizing the door <NUM> forward.

After cleaning of the door <NUM>, the door <NUM> may be assembled with the case <NUM> using the same method. That is, after the door <NUM> is pressurized toward the front panel <NUM> and the hinge portion <NUM> is mounted on the front panel <NUM>, the first coupling portion <NUM> is pressurized toward the second coupling portion <NUM>, thereby connecting the cable <NUM>. Finally, the storage compartment <NUM> is slid to insert the storage compartment <NUM> into a storage compartment withdrawal space.

As described above, since the cable <NUM> connecting the door <NUM> and the case <NUM> is separably provided, an effect of simplifying a process of manufacturing the oven <NUM> may be provided.

That is, during to the process of manufacturing the oven <NUM>, the door <NUM> and the case <NUM> are each preliminarily assembled through an assembly process and then a process through which the door <NUM> and the case <NUM> are assembled with each other may be performed, thereby facilitating the manufacture of the oven <NUM> and efficiently increasing productivity.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1a other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which a door of the oven in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure is opened. <FIG> is a front view illustrating a state in which a storage compartment of the oven in accordance with the present disclosure is removed.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the oven 1a includes a door 40a provided to open and close the opening <NUM> of the cooking compartment <NUM> to the left and right.

A hinge portion 47a provided to allow the door 40a to be pivotable with respect to the case <NUM> may be provided on a rear side of the door 40a. The hinge portion 47a is provided on a left portion or a right portion of the rear side of the door 40a to allow the door 40a to pivot with respect to the case <NUM> toward one side.

A hinge groove provided to allow the hinge portion 47a to be inserted and fixed to be pivotable and separable may be provided on a side of a front panel 11a corresponding to the hinge portion 47a.

The hinge groove may be provided on a left portion or a right portion of the front panel 11a to correspond to the hinge portion 47a.

The first cable <NUM> which passes through the inside of the door 40a and extends to be exposed from an outside of a bottom end of the door 40a may extend below the door 40a to provide the separation section <NUM> at the position corresponding to the height of the storage compartment <NUM> like the present disclosure described above.

Accordingly, as shown in <FIG>, to separate the door 40a from the case <NUM>, it is necessary to slide the storage compartment <NUM> open to expose the separation section <NUM> outside and to separate the first cable <NUM> from the second cable <NUM>.

Since the separation section <NUM> is provided to be at an approximate right angle with a direction in which the door 40a pivots, the separation section <NUM> may interrupt the pivoting of the door 40a.

Accordingly, the exposed portion <NUM> at which the separation section <NUM> is positioned and which extends outside the door 40a may be provided to be adjacent to a pivoting shaft of the door 40a so as not to interrupt the pivoting of the door 40a.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1b other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a door of the oven in accordance with the present disclosure is separated. <FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure.

As shown in <FIG>, the oven 1b includes a door 40b provided to open and close the opening <NUM> of the cooking compartment <NUM> to the left and right. A width of the door 40b may be provided to be shorter than a width of the case <NUM>.

In detail, one end of the door 40b adjacent to a pivoting shaft may be provided to be shorter than one horizontal end of the case <NUM> and the other end of the door 40b may be provided to correspond to the other horizontal end of the case <NUM>.

One side of a front panel 11b may be provided outside the one end of the door 40b to be exposed outside the oven 1b.

A first cable 210b may include an exposed portion 215b which extends outside a side portion of the door 40b adjacent to the pivoting shaft. Unlike the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the exposed portion 215b may be provided to pass through the side portion of the door 40b and to be exposed to the outside.

Accordingly, a separation section 230b may be positioned beside the door 40b and not below it. In detail, the separation section 230b may be provided laterally outside the door 40b and positioned on the one side of the front panel 11b exposed to the outside.

That is, a first coupling member 211b and a second coupling member 221b may be provided on the front panel 11b exposed to the outside to be couplable with and separable from each other and may be provided between the side portion of the door 40b and a position corresponding thereto.

Since the first coupling member 211b and the second coupling member 221b are positioned on an outside of the door 40b adjacent to the pivoting shaft, when the door 40b pivots, the first coupling member 211b is positioned within a pivoting radius of the door 40b, thereby interrupting the pivoting of the door 40b.

That is, when the door 40b pivots, since the first coupling member 211b and the one end of the door 40b may come into contact with each other, the pivoting of the door 40b may be restricted.

To prevent this, an insertion hole 48b through which the first coupling member 211b is inserted into the door 40b may be provided at a position which comes into contact with the first coupling member 211b when the door 40b pivots to avoid an interruption to the pivoting of the door 40b.

The insertion hole 48b may be provided on the side portion of the door 40b and may be provided to correspond to a size of the first coupling member 211b. Also, the exposed portion 215b of the first cable 210b may be provided to extend outside the door 40b through the insertion hole 48b.

As shown in <FIG>, when the door 40b is separated from the case <NUM>, unlike the embodiments described above, the user may separate the cable <NUM> by pulling the first coupling member 211b exposed to the outside without needing to open the storage compartment <NUM>, and then may separate the door 40b.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1c other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, a separation section 230c of the cable <NUM> may be provided on a side panel 13c of the case <NUM>.

That is, a first cable 210c may include an exposed portion 215c which extends outside a side portion of the door 40c adjacent to a pivoting shaft. The exposed portion 215c may be provided to pass through the side portion of the door 40c and extend to the side panel 13c.

Accordingly, the separation section 230c may be positioned beside the door 40c and not below it, and may be positioned at a side portion of the oven 1c and not at a front portion thereof. In detail, the separation section 230b may be positioned on the one side of the front panel 11b provided laterally outside the door 40b and exposed to the outside.

Accordingly, the user may separate the cable <NUM> by pulling the first coupling member 211c positioned on the side panel 13c exposed to the outside without needing to open the storage compartment <NUM> when the door 40c is separated from the case <NUM>, and then may separate the door 40c from the case <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1d other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which one component of the oven in accordance with still yet another embodiment of the present disclosure is separated. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which some components of the oven are in accordance with the present disclosure are separated.

As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, the oven 1d includes a door 40d provided to open and close the opening <NUM> of the cooking compartment <NUM> to the left and right. A width of the door 40d may be provided to be shorter than the width of the case <NUM>.

In detail, one end of the door 40d adjacent to a pivoting shaft may be provided to be shorter than one horizontal end of the case <NUM>, and the other end of the door 40d may be provided to correspond to the other horizontal end of the case <NUM>.

One side of a front panel 11d may be provided outside the one end of the door 40d to be exposed outside the oven 1d.

A first cable 210d may include an exposed portion 215d which extends outside a side portion of the door 40d adjacent to the pivoting shaft. The exposed portion 215d may be provided to pass through a rear portion of the door 40d and to extend to a side of the door 40d to be exposed to the outside.

Accordingly, a separation section 230d may be positioned beside the door 40d and not below it. In detail, the separation section 230d may be provided laterally outside the door 40d and may be positioned on one side of the front panel 11d exposed to the outside.

That is, a first coupling member 211d and a second coupling member 221d may be provided on the front panel 11d exposed to the outside to be couplable with and separable from each other, and may be provided between the side portion of the door 40d and a corresponding position corresponding thereto.

Since the first coupling member 211d and the second coupling member 221d are positioned on the outside of the door 40d adjacent to the pivoting shaft, when the door 40d pivots, the first coupling member 211d is positioned within a pivoting radius of the door 40d, thereby interrupting the pivoting of the door 40d.

That is, when the door 40d pivots, since the first coupling member 211d and the one end of the door 40d may come into contact with each other, the pivoting of the door 40d may be restricted.

To prevent this, the separation section 230d may be positioned at an insertion portion 16d provided at the front panel 11d and provided to be concave toward a rear of the oven 1d.

The insertion portion 16d may be provided on the front panel 11d to be concave toward an inside of the case <NUM> to provide a space separated from a front side of the front panel 11d.

A distance between the insertion portion 16d and the front side of the front panel 11d may be larger than a thickness of the door 40d. This is to position the exposed portion 215d of the first cable 210d, which passes through a rear of the door 40d and extends to the outside, inside the insertion portion 16d.

Since the exposed portion 215d is provided inside a space of the insertion portion 16d and the separation section 230d is positioned on a front of the insertion portion 16d, the exposed portion 215d or the first coupling member 211d may be provided to be spaced apart from the pivoting radius of the door 40d when the door 40d is opened.

Due to this, the exposed portion 215d and the first coupling member 211d may be provided so as not to interrupt opening of the door 40d.

A cover member 240d capable of covering the insertion portion 16d may be provided in front of the insertion portion 16d. The cover member 240d may be provided with a size corresponding to the front of the insertion portion 16d and may be disposed to be separable from the insertion portion 16d.

Due to the cover member 240d, a front aesthetic shape of the oven 1d may be uniformly maintained and the cable <NUM> may be prevented from being separated by a force applied to the separation section 230d.

As shown in <FIG>, when the door 40d is separated from the case <NUM>, the user may separate the cover member 240d without needing to open the storage compartment <NUM>, may separate the cable <NUM> by pulling the first coupling member 211d exposed to the outside, and then may separate the door 40b.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1e other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which a door of the oven in accordance with the present disclosure is separated.

According to the present disclosure, unlike the embodiments described above, the storage compartment <NUM> may not be included. Accordingly, the cooking compartment <NUM> may be enlarged into a space for the storage compartment <NUM>.

An exposed portion 215e may pass through a bottom of a door 40e to be exposed to the outside, and a separation section 230e may be provided outside a bottom end of the door 40e.

In detail, the separation section 230e may be provided on a front panel 11e exposed outside the bottom of the door 40e. Accordingly, a first coupling member 211e and a second coupling member 221e may be provided on the front panel 11e to be couplable with and separable from each other.

To prevent an interruption of the first coupling member 211e when the door 40e pivots, an insertion hole 48e may be provided at a position of the door 40e corresponding to the first coupling member 211e.

The insertion hole 48e may be provided on a side portion of the door 40e and may be provided to correspond to a size of the first coupling member 211e. Also, the exposed portion 215e of a first cable 210e may be provided to extend outside the door 40e through the insertion hole 48e.

To separate the door 40e, the user may pull the first coupling member 211e positioned below the door 40e to separate it from the second coupling member 221e, and then may separate the door 40e from the case <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a connection structure of the cable <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of an oven 1f other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which one component of the oven in accordance with the present disclosure is separated. <FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state in which some components of the oven in accordance with the present disclosure are separated.

An insertion portion 16f provided to be concave toward an inner surface of the case <NUM> may be provided below the door 40f. An exposed portion 215f which passes through a bottom surface of a rear surface of the door 40f and extends below the door 40f may be positioned in a space formed by the insertion portion 16f.

Also, a separation section 230f may be positioned on a front of the insertion portion 16f to allow the exposed portion 215f or a first coupling member 211f to be spaced apart from a pivoting radius of the door 40f when the door 40f is opened. Due to this, the exposed portion 215f and the first coupling member 211f may be provided so as not to interrupt opening of the door 40f.

A cover member 240f capable of covering the insertion portion 16f may be provided in front of the insertion portion 16f. The cover member 240f may be provided with a size corresponding to the front of the insertion portion 16f and may be disposed to be separable from the insertion portion 16f.

Hereinafter, a process through which the oven <NUM> transmits and receives information with an external device <NUM> will be described in detail.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram illustrating a process in which the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure communicates with an external device. <FIG> is a flowchart illustrating operations of a process in which the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure receives information from the external device. <FIG> is a flowchart illustrating operations of a process in which the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure transmits information to the external device.

The oven <NUM> is configured to transmit and receive information with the external device <NUM> through a network <NUM> using the monitoring unit <NUM> provided in the oven <NUM>.

The external device <NUM> may generally be a mobile device such as a smart phone, a tablet phone, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop personal computer, a media player, a global positioning system (GPS), and other image display devices and may be various home appliances capable of communicating through a network and other home appliances. The external device <NUM> will be described as, for example, a smart phone, but is not limited thereto.

The network <NUM> may be embodied as a wired network such as an LAN, a wide area network (WAN), a value-added network (VAN), etc. or a wireless network such as a mobile radio communication network, an NFC, a satellite communication network, etc. Also, the network <NUM> is a data communication network in a comprehensive meaning that allows components of each network shown in <FIG> to smoothly communicate with one another and may include wired Internet, wireless Internet, and a mobile wireless communication network.

A process through which the external device <NUM> operates the monitoring unit <NUM> starts with transmitting information from the external device <NUM> over the network <NUM> using a program such as an app, etc. (S500).

A user may transmit control information which allows the monitoring unit <NUM> to take the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> using the external device <NUM> through the app over the network <NUM>.

The information transmitted over the network <NUM> may be received by a server <NUM> through a communication network (S510).

Apparatus information of the external device <NUM> and the oven <NUM> of the user should be pre-registered in the server <NUM>. Due to the registration, the authority to control the registered oven <NUM> using a control means such as an app is given to the external device <NUM> through the apparatus information.

Accordingly, according to stored apparatus information, the server <NUM> may transmit information received from the registered external device <NUM> to the registered oven <NUM>.

After that, the information transmitted from the server <NUM> may be received by the communication board <NUM> of the monitoring unit <NUM> (S520).

The communication board <NUM>, as described above, transmits and receives information through Wi-Fi or data transmission.

After that, the information received by the communication board <NUM> is transmitted to the micom <NUM> which controls the monitoring unit <NUM> (S530).

The information received by the communication board <NUM> may be transmitted to the micom <NUM> through the cable <NUM> or another data transmission method such as a wireless communication network.

When the user transmits the control information for operating the monitoring unit <NUM> through the external device <NUM>, the micom <NUM> proactively controls a lighting unit (not shown) provided at the cooking compartment <NUM> (S540). In detail, the lighting unit is turned on to allow the camera module <NUM> to smoothly take the image.

When the lighting unit is turned and a certain time passes, the micom <NUM> may allow the cameral module <NUM> to operate (S550).

The user may selectively request an image, a plurality of images taken with time differences, or moving image information of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> using the external device <NUM>. Accordingly, the control information may be selectively received from the external device <NUM>, and the micom <NUM> may operate the camera module <NUM> according to the received information.

Under the control of the micom <NUM>, the camera module <NUM> is operated and obtains information by taking the image of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM>. In operation S600, which obtains information from the camera module <NUM>, as described above, information corresponding to information requested by the user is obtained under the control of the micom <NUM>.

After that, the operating of the camera module <NUM> is finished, information on the end of the operating may be transmitted to the micom <NUM> (S610).

The micom <NUM> transmits information collected by the camera module <NUM> over the network <NUM> by controlling the communication board <NUM> (S620).

The information on the network <NUM> is again transmitted to the server <NUM>. The server <NUM> transmits the information, which is transmitted from the communication board <NUM> to the external device <NUM>, to the external device <NUM> according to the apparatus information stored in the server <NUM> (S630).

The information transmitted from the server <NUM> is again received by the external device <NUM> through the network <NUM> (S640) to allow the user to monitor the internal state of the cooking compartment <NUM> through the app provided at the external device <NUM>.

The external device <NUM> may transmit the control information for operating the camera module <NUM> as well as control information for adjusting a cooking environment in the oven <NUM> in consideration the images of the cooking compartment <NUM> transmitted by the camera module <NUM>.

That is, according to the transmitted information, control information for adjusting an internal temperature of the cooking compartment <NUM> of the oven <NUM> or a cooking time may be transmitted to the oven <NUM>. Through the server <NUM>, the control information may pass through the communication board <NUM> and may be received by the micom <NUM> to adjust the cooking environment of the oven <NUM> according to the control information.

Hereinafter, a display module 60a in accordance with the present disclosure will be described. Since components of the oven <NUM> other than components to be described hereafter are identical to those in accordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure described above, a repetitive description thereof will be omitted.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an oven in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a view illustrating a state in which a cable is disposed inside a door in accordance with the present disclosure. <FIG> is a flowchart illustrating operations of a state in which the oven in accordance with the present disclosure receives information from a display module and a monitoring unit is operated. <FIG> is a flowchart illustrating operations of a state in which an image of ingredients is displayed on the display module of the oven in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

Image information of the cooking compartment <NUM> of the oven <NUM> in accordance with the present disclosure may be displayed on the external device <NUM> through the network <NUM> as described above or may be displayed on the display module 60a.

That is, a micom 300a transmits the image information to the external device <NUM> according to an input of control information by a user or may transmit the image information to the display module 60a.

The display module 60a includes an image display portion <NUM> capable of displaying the image information. The image display portion <NUM> displays the image information obtained by the monitoring unit <NUM> to allow the user to easily observe the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> without having to lower his or her head to look through the transparent portion <NUM> provided at the door <NUM>.

A display module control portion <NUM> which controls the display module 60a may be provided at the electronic device compartment <NUM>. The display module control portion <NUM> may control the display module 60a to display the image information transmitted from the monitoring unit <NUM> on the display module 60a.

A third cable <NUM> which electrically connects the display module control portion <NUM> and the monitoring unit <NUM> may be provided therebetween. The third cable <NUM> may transmit the image information obtained by the monitoring unit <NUM> to the display module control portion <NUM> to display the image information on the image display portion <NUM>.

One end of the third cable <NUM> may be connected to the display module control portion <NUM> and the other end of the third cable <NUM> may be connected to the second cable <NUM> to be electrically connected to the monitoring unit <NUM>.

That is, the third cable <NUM> may be provided to allow information transferred through the second cable <NUM> to be transferred to the third cable <NUM> even though it is separated from the one side of the second cable <NUM>.

Hereinafter, a process of displaying image information of the inside of the cooking compartment <NUM> on the display module 60a will be described in detail.

A user can input monitoring control information in the display module 60a (S700). The user may input the control information by touching a display screen of the display module 60a or by using an operation portion (not shown) separately provided at the display module 60a.

The control information may be transmitted to the micom 300a through the cable <NUM> (S710).

The micom 300a can proactively operate the lighting unit according to the control information (S720).

After the lighting unit is operated and a certain time passes, the micom 300a may control the monitoring unit <NUM> to be operated (S730). The micom 300a may take the image of the cooking compartment <NUM> using various modes of the camera module <NUM> according to the control information input by the user.

The monitoring unit <NUM> obtains image information through the camera module <NUM> and transmits information about the operation to the micom 300a when the operating is finished (S800).

The micom 300a which receives the information may control the monitoring unit <NUM> to transmit the image information obtained by the monitoring unit <NUM> to the display module control portion <NUM> (S810).

Accordingly, the image information may be transmitted from the monitoring unit <NUM> to the display module control portion <NUM> (S820).

The display module control portion <NUM> which receives the image information may operate the display module 60a to display the received image information on the image display portion <NUM>.

The micom 300a can transmit the image information to the external device <NUM> through network <NUM> or may transmit the information to the display module control portion <NUM> depending on the received information.

That is, when the control information is input from the external device <NUM>, a control function is performed to operate the monitoring unit <NUM> and again transmit the obtained information to the external device. When the control information is input to the display module 60a, a control function is selectively performed to operate the monitoring unit <NUM> to display the obtained information on the image display portion <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An oven comprising:
a case (<NUM>);
a cooking compartment (<NUM>) provided in the case (<NUM>);
a door (<NUM>) provided to open and close an opening at a front of the cooking compartment (<NUM>);
a monitoring unit (<NUM>) disposed outside of the cooking compartment (<NUM>) to take an image of an inside of the cooking compartment (<NUM>) and comprising a camera module (<NUM>) configured to take the image of the inside of the cooking compartment (<NUM>) in a direction from the front of the cooking compartment (<NUM>) toward a rear of the cooking compartment (<NUM>), and disposed to be inclined with respect to an inner surface of the door in the direction from the front of the cooking compartment (<NUM>) toward the rear of the cooking compartment (<NUM>);
a lighting unit disposed in the cooking compartment (<NUM>);
a display module (<NUM>, 60a) configured to receive an input from a user and comprising a display portion (<NUM>) to display a state of the input from the user;
a communication board (<NUM>) configured to communicate with an external device (<NUM>) that is external to the oven; and
a controller (300a) configured to:
receive information from the external device (<NUM>) through the communication board (<NUM>) and receive information from the user through the display module (<NUM>, 60a),
control the camera module (<NUM>) to take an image of the inside of the cooking compartment (<NUM>), based on information received from the external device (<NUM>) and information received through the display module (<NUM>, 60a),
when the information is received from the external device (<NUM>), control the communication board (<NUM>) to transmit information obtained by the camera module (<NUM>) to the external device (<NUM>), and
when the information is received through the display module (<NUM>, 60a), control the display portion (<NUM>) to display the information obtained by the camera module (<NUM>),
wherein the lighting unit is turned on before the camera module (<NUM>) images the inside of the cooking compartment (<NUM>).