CN114208393A - Cooking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooking device having at least one cooking area comprises a control unit (2) configured to be coupled with a communication interface (12, 16) to receive voice signals as control commands from a user or data signals as control commands from a remote control device. The control unit (2) is configured to control the supply of electrical power to the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3). The control unit (2) is configured to accept commands from the communication interface (12, 16) only upon recognition of the presence of the user.

Description

Cooking apparatus

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus, a cooking system, and a computer program product.

When operating a cooking device such as an oven, a hob, a cooking plate, etc., it is often the case that it is difficult for a user to make the necessary changes to the settings of the device, either because the user is manipulating cooking utensils such as a pot and a skillet at the same time, or because the user has wet both hands due to a previous cooking operation, and therefore cannot operate the touch screen element to operate the cooking device.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooking apparatus that allows providing additional options for controlling cooking function control to facilitate operation of the cooking apparatus.

According to the present invention, the above object is solved by a cooking device (in particular a hob or a cooking appliance with a door and a cavity, in particular an oven, a microwave oven or an induction hob) having at least one cooking area, a control unit configured to be coupled with a communication interface to receive a voice signal as a control command from a user or a data signal as a control command from a remote control device, wherein the control unit is configured for controlling the supply of power to the at least one cooking area, wherein the control unit is configured to accept commands from the communication interface only upon recognition of the presence of a user. In cooking appliances having a door and a cavity, in particular in an oven or microwave oven, the cooking area is the cavity or a part of the cavity. The cooking area of the hob is preferably a variable assignment of one or more induction coils. This means that the cooking area may be a cooking zone, a part of a cooking zone or more than one coupled cooking zone.

According to the present invention, the cooking area of the cooking apparatus is adjusted by a voice command of a user or a control command from a remote control apparatus. The communication interface is integrated in the cooking apparatus and receives a voice signal from a user. These received speech signals are defined as speech signals from the user. This means that the communication interface can also receive speech signals from the user which have been converted into digital signals by another device. The term "controlling at least one cooking area" as used herein preferably means that the cooking area is adjustable by the user, in particular in response to his voice command.

In other words, the cooking apparatus includes: the cooking appliance comprises at least one cooking area, means for determining the presence of a user, a communication interface for receiving a voice signal or a data signal from a remote control device, and a control unit coupled to the at least one cooking area and the communication interface, the means for determining the presence of a user and the communication interface, wherein the control unit is configured to control the supply of power to the at least one cooking area based on detecting the presence of a user and prior or subsequent to the communication interface receiving a voice signal or a data signal from a remote control device.

The cooking apparatus of the present invention allows voice control or remote control (e.g., wireless remote control) of the cooking zone. In order to avoid inadvertent operation of the cooking area without direct user interaction, such as when receiving a sound signal not given by the user but originating from an accidental reception of e.g. a broadcast signal or an ambient sound, the cooking device is equipped with means for determining the presence of the user (e.g. a proximity sensor). The control unit of the cooking appliance provides a change of the appliance settings upon receiving a voice signal or a data signal from a remote control device only upon confirming the actual presence of the user.

Although the cooking appliance may be configured to check the presence of the user continuously or at predetermined time intervals in order to be able to react immediately to a subsequently received voice signal, the cooking appliance may alternatively or additionally be configured to check the presence of the user upon receiving the voice signal. Alternatively or additionally, the cooking appliance may be configured to accept voice input for a predetermined time interval upon determining the user is present.

The cooking apparatus of the present invention determines that the user is present, i.e. that there is a line-of-sight connection between the user and the cooking apparatus, before executing a voice command or a command from a remote control device, in order to avoid that the cooking apparatus performs an operation that may provide undesired or even dangerous results.

Thus, the cooking apparatus of the present invention enables safe hands-free operation of the cooking apparatus without the risk of the cooking apparatus changing settings when in fact no user is present.

The control of the power supply to the at least one cooking area performed by the control unit involves any change of the operating conditions of the at least one cooking area, such as turning the cooking area on or off, changing the power level of the cooking area, changing the size and/or shape of the variable cooking area, combining several cooking areas into a combined cooking area, dividing the cooking area into several smaller cooking areas, setting a timer function, setting the device into a child-safe mode in which changing the device settings is prevented until the child-safe mode is terminated or interrupted, etc.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

In particular, the control unit may be configured to accept a voice signal from the communication interface only within a predetermined time interval (e.g. within a predetermined time interval between 1s and 60s, between 5s and 40s, or between 10s and 30 s) between detecting the presence of the user and receiving the voice signal. Specifying the predetermined time interval increases safety as it further reduces the chance that the received speech signal does not originate from the user of the cooking system.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the cooking device preferably responds to the user after its activation with a signal, in particular a sound, light and/or digital signal.

In an embodiment of the cooking apparatus, the control unit may be configured to accept the voice signal from the communication interface only if the communication interface recognizes a code (such as a code word). In such embodiments, the acceptance of a voice command by the control unit from the communication interface must be triggered by the user by speaking a code word (e.g., "hob (hob)" or "kitchen ware (cook)"). This preferably means that the communication interface of the cooking device is activated by a voice signal, in particular a code word. The use of a code, such as a code word, to initiate a voice operation of a cooking device is particularly advantageous when there are several devices, such as cookers, ovens, microwave ovens and ranges, which can be controlled by voice commands, wherein by using the code it is possible to distinguish which device to operate.

In an embodiment of the cooking appliance, the control unit is configured to prompt a user to input a code perceivable at the cooking appliance, and to compare a received signal representing the user's input with the code, the control unit is configured such that, in case the received signal represents and/or can be assigned to the code, a command from the communication interface is executed, and in the case that the received signal neither represents nor can be assigned to the code, the command is not executed, and the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit is configured to access a list of codes, to select the code by selecting at least one code in the list of codes at a time, and ensuring that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time frame and/or in at least a next round, e.g. a number of following rounds: receiving a voice signal as a command from the user or a data signal as a control command from the remote control device, and accepting the command only upon recognizing the presence of the user.

The code may be a password or other type of information. One embodiment ensures that the user is in the line of sight of the cooking device as the user is prompted to enter a visible code. In any case, the user cannot guess the code beyond the proximity of the cooking appliance because the code is only perceptible at the cooking appliance. In case a list of codes is used, this may be a relatively long list, so that the control unit may simply select the next code in the list. The likelihood that a user not in the vicinity of the cooking apparatus can guess the code is still relatively low. The code may be any visible aspect of a portion of the appearance of the entire cooking apparatus. The control unit may be configured to cause the code to be displayed.

In a particular example of the aforementioned embodiment, the code is a password, the control unit is configured to prompt the user to speak the password, and the control unit is configured to receive a signal from the communication interface representative of the user's input.

This embodiment allows the user to confirm the spoken command without touching the cooking device and without the need for further contactless user input modalities. Furthermore, the password space may be relatively large compared to other types of codes, such as gestures, colors, etc., thereby ensuring that the user cannot guess the password. This provides an efficient check that the user is actually present at the cooking apparatus.

A particular example of this embodiment is that the control unit is configured to prompt the user to enter a code perceivable at the cooking appliance, and to compare a received signal representing the user's input with the code, the control unit is configured such that, in case the received signal represents and/or can be assigned to the code, a command from the communication interface is executed, and in the case that the received signal neither represents nor can be assigned to the code, the command is not executed, and the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit is configured to access a list of codes, to select the code by selecting at least one code in the list of codes at a time, and ensuring that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time frame and/or in at least a next round, e.g. a number of following rounds: receiving a voice signal as a command from the user or a data signal as a control command from the remote control device and accepting the command only upon recognizing the presence of the user, the cooking device further comprising a display, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the code to be displayed on the display.

In this example, the code may be relatively complex and there may be a relatively large variety of different possible codes, making it relatively difficult to guess the code. Furthermore, this embodiment is relatively easy to implement by suitable programming of other standard cooking devices having a display and a communication interface for receiving voice signals or data signals from a remote control device.

Preferably, the cooking apparatus comprises a memory for storing one or more codes, which may be codes (such as code words) predefined by the manufacturer and which may be changed, such as during a repair or update operation, or which may be selectively determined by the user.

In an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for determining the presence of a user comprises: a display provided at the cooking appliance, and a control configured to prompt a user to speak a randomized password displayed on the display of the cooking appliance and compare the displayed password with a signal received from the communication interface. This means that the presence of the user is thus controlled by the control unit, which is configured to prompt the user to speak the randomized password displayed on the display of the cooking device and to compare the displayed password with the signal received from the communication interface. The randomized password displayed in the display of the cooking appliance is preferably a word, logo, picture, symbol and/or character or a combination thereof and the user has to reproduce the randomized password in a voice signal.

In other words, in an embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to access a list of passwords, and to select one password at a time in said list of passwords, in particular and preferably in a random manner, from said list of passwords, and to display said password to the user on the display of the cooking apparatus.

The control unit may be configured to display only the password for a predetermined period of time. The time period may be between 5s and 60s, preferably between 10s and 40s, most preferably between 20s and 30 s. The control unit is further configured to compare the signal received from the communication interface with said password and if the received signal represents said displayed selected password in the password list and/or can be assigned to the password, execute a corresponding command to change the cooking area or function of the cooking apparatus. In other words, if the received voice command includes the selected displayed password, the command is executed. If the received signal does not represent the displayed selected password in the password list and/or cannot be assigned to the password, no corresponding command is performed to change the cooking zone or function of the cooking apparatus. Preferably, the control unit displays that the command is not to be executed and/or transmits a corresponding signal to the voice control device, which may output the command to the user by voice without being executed and/or the code cannot be verified. In other words, if the received voice command includes the selected displayed password, the command is executed. And, if the received voice command does not include the selected displayed password, the command is not executed.

Subsequently, in the next round of such tone recognition, another password is selected from the password list, which password is preferably different from the password selected in the previous round or a predetermined number of the previous rounds of passwords. This advantageously increases the likelihood of preventing inadvertent use of passwords or misuse.

Preferably, the control unit thus ensures that the code of the first round is not used for a number of rounds and/or for a predetermined time range until it can be reused.

Such a password list is preferably stored in the cooking appliance, e.g. on the control unit and/or a memory connected to the control unit, or alternatively in an external memory, in particular in a cloud storage and/or a server memory. In an embodiment, the password list is adjustable by the user. Alternatively, the list of passwords may be predefined by the manufacturer and may or may not be changed or adjusted by the user.

In particular, the user may adjust and/or tailor the password list. Additionally or alternatively, the manufacturer may provide a list of passwords that are unlikely to be used in a standard home environment, particularly passwords related to the code used to activate the communication interface.

In particular, the password list may include the first or last name of the chef (real or non-real).

To provide a convenient means for the user to determine the code, the memory may be connected to the communication interface and may be configured to store one or more codes (such as codewords) recorded by the user.

In an embodiment, the cooking apparatus comprises said at least one cooking area and said control unit.

Although the present invention may be used with any type of cooking device, it may be particularly advantageous for hobs, in particular hobs having a plurality of cooking zones, which in preferred embodiments may vary in size and/or shape and which may preferably be combined with at least one adjacent cooking zone in order to provide further variability in cooking zone size and shape. Although several cooking zones are often used simultaneously in such devices, wherein further cooking parameters (such as the power level of the individual cooking zones) often vary, the ability to adjust the cooking parameters by voice command is particularly useful, as the user does not need to interrupt his activities (such as manipulating pots and pans, stirring, manually preparing or processing food stuff, etc.).

According to the present invention, a cooking system is also claimed. The cooking system comprises the cooking device and a speech recognition device and/or a remote control device configured for communicating with the control unit via the communication interface. The cooking system may comprise an external speech recognition device configured for communicating with the control unit via the communication interface.

In such an embodiment, the external speech recognition device may be a mobile phone that communicates with the cooking device, such as via a WLAN coupling. Therefore, although the cooking system may utilize an audio system of a mobile phone used as a voice recognition device, the cooking system may also use further resources of the mobile phone. Thus, for example, the speech recognition process may be performed at least in part by a mobile telephone, and/or a display of the mobile telephone may be used to provide prompts or instructions to a user.

In a further preferred embodiment, the external speech recognition device may be part of or in communication with a smart home system, which may be used to control various home devices, such as other kitchen appliances, lighting devices, home entertainment devices, etc.

Thus, such smart home systems may be controlled by either a local server configured to control devices of a single household or may be run by a cloud-based server used in conjunction with multiple home systems, such as Google

Amazon

Apple

Etc., wherein a voice assistant program providing voice recognition, such as Amazon, may be implemented

Or Apple

In embodiments, the communication interface may comprise a microphone provided at the cooking device (such as provided in a frame, housing or lid of the cooking device), in which case the speech signal processing (i.e. speech recognition and generation of corresponding control signals based on the recognized speech signals) is preferably also implemented at the cooking device (such as by signal processing circuitry that is part of a controller of the device, or that is provided as a separate unit in communication with the controller).

Thus, in such embodiments, the cooking device provides a means for determining a line-of-sight connection between the user and the cooking device by providing a display at the cooking device that displays a randomly varying password that must be spoken by the user in order to activate the communication interface of the cooking device.

In order to provide an alternative or additional way of determining the line-of-sight connection between users, the means for determining the presence of a user may comprise a light barrier provided at the cooking appliance, and control means configured to prompt the user to interrupt the light barrier and to check whether the interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval. This means that the presence of the user is controlled by the control unit, which is configured to prompt the user to interrupt a light barrier provided at the cooking device and to check whether the interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval.

For example, the light barrier may include a transmitter and receiver (e.g., an infrared transmitter and receiver pair), with one element disposed on top of the cooking faceplate and the other element disposed above the cooking faceplate (e.g., at the bottom of the range hood). To activate the voice control of the cooking panel, the user may wave his hand or a cooking appliance between the transmitter and the receiver to interrupt the light barrier.

In such embodiments, the means for determining the presence of the user provides gesture recognition, the level of security of which may be increased by prompting the user to perform more complex gestures, such as multiple passes over the light barrier, or passes over the light barrier for different durations (such as a short interruption followed by a longer interruption). Furthermore, more than one light barrier may be provided, so that the direction of the gesture to be performed by the user may also be detected.

The means for determining the presence of a user may further comprise various sensing devices and may thus comprise a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, a touch sensitive element (such as a sensor for measuring the electrical conductivity of the user's hand or skin at the cooktop surface element or at the cookware, or a capacitive touch element), or any combination of such elements.

In addition to determining the user's presence by detecting the user's body (such as by a proximity sensor or motion sensor), the user's presence may also be detected by detecting changes in cookware present in the cooking area. That is, the cooking apparatus may comprise cookware detection means for detecting placement of cookware in at least one cooking area, and the control unit may be configured to control the supply of power to the at least one cooking area based on detecting a change in placement of cookware in the at least one cooking area and subsequent to or prior to the communication interface receiving a voice signal.

Although the cooking appliance may be configured to check for the presence of the user continuously or at predetermined time intervals in order to be able to react immediately to a subsequently received voice signal or a subsequently received data signal from the remote control device, in the latter such embodiment the acceptance of the voice signal and/or the data signal may be triggered by the placement or movement of the cookware on or within the cooking area.

The latter such embodiment is particularly suitable for implementation in an induction hob, wherein pot detection can be easily provided by evaluating the inductive coupling between the cookware and the induction coil of the cooking area in which the cookware is placed. In an induction hob with cooker detection, the invention can thus utilize the cooker detection to identify a newly placed pot or pan, so as to determine on the one hand that there is a user present and on the other hand that the correct cooking area is specified for the application of the voice signal received by the voice input device. Thus, when the cookware detection means has identified a cookware, a timing input interval may be triggered in which the user may provide a voice input signal and/or a data signal from a remote control device, wherein the cooking area to which these voice input signal or data signal are applied is also determined by the cookware detection means.

In such latter embodiment, the cooking apparatus may comprise at least two cooking zones, wherein the control unit is configured to apply the voice signal or the data signal received by the communication interface to the cooking zone where the change in the placement of the cookware was most recently detected. Thus, if a cooker is detected to be transferred from one cooking area to another, the voice signal or the data signal received by the communication interface is applied to the cooking area to which the cooker has been transferred.

In a further embodiment, the cookware detection means may be configured for detecting a change in placement of cookware in the at least one cooking zone, such as sliding, shifting, lifting, shaking, etc. Thus, if more than one cookware is heated at the same time, a voice command (such as a spoken power level or a data signal representative of the power level from a remote control device) may be assigned to such a cooking zone by providing movement of cookware located in the cooking zone.

The above-described embodiments of the invention using the cookware detection means can be easily implemented when the cooking area comprises an induction coil, in which case the cookware detection means can be implemented by means for measuring the induction coil capacitance.

In the latter such embodiment, the invention provides an advantageous combination of cookware detection means and voice control or remote control user concept as often occurs in modern induction hobs.

In particular, according to the present invention, a cooker detection device may be used to detect that a cooker is placed on a certain cooking area, such as a cooking zone, an induction coil, or a cooking area (area), or that a cooker is moved within the cooking area. Upon detection of the presence of cookware, the hob may allow voice control over a time interval and/or control by a remote control device to adjust a parameter (such as a power level) to be applied to the respective cooking zone. The acceptance of the voice signal and/or the data signal of the remote control device is limited to a predetermined time interval in order to ensure the presence of a user at the hob. Although such a predetermined time interval is used to determine the timely relationship between the detection of the presence of the user and the reception of the voice command, the order of the user presence detection and the voice command reception may also be reversed (i.e. upon receiving the voice command or the command of the remote control device, the hob checks whether the presence of the user can be detected within a certain time interval and, if so, applies the voice command or the command of the remote control device to the corresponding cooking zone).

In a preferred embodiment, the pot detection means may detect movement (e.g. sliding, lifting, shaking) of the cookware, such as may be applied to the pan during frying. Also in such embodiments, the cooktop control allows for adjustment or setting of cooking zone specific parameters (such as cooking level, time, etc.) within a limited time interval. This allows the device control to assign the recognized voice command or a command from the remote control device to the correct cooking zone (i.e. the cooking zone where the movement was most recently detected).

Therefore, the cooking device of the present invention does not merely limit the application of voice signals or signals of a remote control device to the presence of a user in order to determine the safety of the device. Further, in the present cooking apparatus, which may in particular comprise a hob with several cooking areas, the voice input signal is reliably applied to the cooking area where the movement of the respective cookware is detected. Therefore, also in the case of heating a plurality of cookers simultaneously, a voice input signal or a signal of a remote control device can be reliably assigned to a correct cooking area.

Whereas in embodiments in which the presence of a user is detected by detecting movement of the cookware, while allowing assignment of received voice commands or control commands from a remote control device to a cooking zone (i.e. a cooking zone in which movement is detected), in embodiments in which the presence of a user is detected in a different manner (e.g. by a proximity sensor), in some cases, the designation of a cooking zone to which voice commands or control commands from a remote control device are applied may be omitted.

That is, when in a cooking apparatus having more than one cooking area, the control unit will be configured to assign a voice command or a control command for changing parameters from a remote control device to a respective cooking area upon receiving the respective voice command or control command specifying a particular cooking area (such as when the user says "front left 7", "back right 3", "front center off", etc.); whereas in case only one cooking area is operating, the cooking appliance may be configured to apply voice commands or control commands from the remote control device to a specific cooking area as well without specifying the cooking area. Thus, for example, if in a cooktop having more than one cooking area, one of which is operating at power level 3, and the user wants to increase the power level to 5, the cooktop may be configured to accept a simple voice command or a command "5" of a remote control device to change the power level of the active cooking area. Similarly, if in a cooktop having more than one cooking area, a first cooking area is operating at power level 3 and a second cooking area is operating at power level 5, and a user wants to increase the power level of the first cooking area to 6, the cooktop may be configured to accept voice commands or commands of a remote control device (such as "3 to 6") to change the power level of the first cooking area accordingly.

In addition to accepting power levels, the cooking system may be configured to accept voice commands or control commands from a remote control device for switching variable cooking zones (such as "large left" or "combined left zone"), for setting timer functions, and the like (such as "close front left within 15 minutes" or "1 back and forth within 10 minutes").

However, in general the cooking system may be configured to accept only a predefined set of commands, but preferably the cooking system is configured to accept various versions of the same commands (such as "front left 2", "set front left plate to 2", "front left region to 2", "change front left region to 2", etc.).

In embodiments comprising detection means for detecting the placement of cookware in at least one cooking zone, the acceptance of the command may still be influenced by a code entered by the user (e.g. a password) representing and/or may be assigned to a code perceptible at the cooking device that the user is prompted to enter. Detecting a change in placement of cookware in a cooking zone or movement of cookware within a cooking zone may trigger the prompt and/or be used to determine to which cooking zone to apply the accepted command.

The invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cooking apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating components of a cooking apparatus; and

fig. 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating steps in a method which a control unit of a cooking apparatus is configured to perform.

An example of a cooking device 1, in the present case in the form of a hob (e.g. an induction hob), comprises a control unit 2 (fig. 2) and a cooking field 3 (fig. 1) in which at least cooking areas 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 can be defined. Cookware (not shown) may be placed on any of the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 may be predefined or variable. In the latter case, the cooking area corresponds to the continuous portion of the cooking field 3 occupied by the cookware detected by the cooking apparatus 1.

When embodied as an induction hob, the cooking device 1 comprises a plurality of induction coils 5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n and a driver 6 for supplying power to the induction coils 5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n. The control unit 2 is configured to control the driver 6 to control the supply of power to the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

The induction coils 5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n and the driver 6 can be used to detect the presence of cookware and the area covered by the cookware. Thus, the control unit 2 is able to detect placement of cookware on the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, movement of cookware from one of the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 to another, and movement of cookware substantially remaining within the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 (e.g., due to user operation of the cookware). Additional or alternative sensors may be present to detect each of these types of movement and/or handling of cookware present in a particular cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

The illustrated cooking apparatus 1 comprises a display 7.

The illustrated cooking apparatus 1 further comprises cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, …, 8-6, for example for displaying the power level and/or temperature of the respective associated cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

The illustrated cooking apparatus 1 includes an on/off switch 9 and a voice control switch 10.

The illustrated cooking device 1 further comprises a non-volatile memory device 11 for storing data.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking device 1 comprises an interface 12 to an external speech recognition device 13. The external speech recognition device 13 may be a mobile phone or a device included in or communicating with a smart home system or a remote console.

The illustrated cooking device 1 comprises an (optional) further interface 14 to a remote control device 15 (instead of a voice operated remote control device 15). The remote control device 15 may be a remote control device 15 having a human-machine interface that is manipulated by a user (i.e., at least some form of manual manipulation is required to complete an input). The remote control device 15 may be a programmed general purpose remote control device 15, for example, a programmed handheld computing device such as a smart phone.

The further interface 14 may be, for example, a wireless interface forming a node in a local area network or a personal area network.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 additionally comprises a microphone 16 and is configured with voice recognition functionality such that the cooking apparatus 1 is able to interpret voice commands received through the microphone 16. In an alternative embodiment, the voice recognition function is provided by an external computing device (not shown) with which the cooking apparatus 1 is configured to communicate. In such embodiments, the external computing device is configured to process the sound signal originating from the microphone 16, which may be converted into a digital format and/or compressed by the cooking device 1. A signal representing the command is returned to the cooking apparatus 1.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking device 1 additionally comprises a transmitter 17 and a receiver 18 for providing a light barrier and detecting interruption of the light barrier by a user. A plurality of such light barriers may be provided, for example, in different fields. In other embodiments, the transmitter 17 and receiver 18 may be omitted.

The control unit 2 is configured to perform a method of processing voice commands and/or commands from the remote control device 15, an example of which is shown (fig. 3).

When the user manually turns on the cooking apparatus 1, the cooking apparatus 1 enters (step 19) a standby mode. This may be indicated visually.

When the user manually turns on the external control function, the cooking apparatus 1 enters a state in which the cooking apparatus 1 waits (step 20) at least for a voice signal or a data signal from the remote control apparatus 15. The speech signal may be provided via the microphone 16 or the external speech recognition device 13.

In an embodiment, step 20 requires a trigger condition corresponding to placing cookware in a cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 where it was not previously present, or treating cookware within a cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. When such a trigger condition is received, the cooking apparatus 1 may detect (step 21) the relevant cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The cooking apparatus 1 may additionally start (step 22) a timer. If no voice signal or signal of the remote control device is received or acknowledged before a certain period of time has elapsed, the method returns to waiting for a trigger condition and can no longer accept voice commands. The same is true for commands from the remote control device 15, since the user operating the remote control device 15 is no longer guaranteed to be in the vicinity of the cooking apparatus 1.

In any case, when a voice signal or a signal of the remote controlling apparatus is received as a control command from the user, the control unit 2 obtains (step 23) a code. Obtaining the code may include generating the code or selecting the code from a list of possible codes.

The code is independent of the identity of the user.

In an embodiment, the code is selected from a list of possible codes, for example stored in the memory device 11. The control unit 2 ensures that the selected code has not been selected in one or more previous rounds of the following operations: a voice signal or a signal of a remote control device is received from a user as a command, and the command is accepted only when the presence of the user is recognized. Then, the control unit 2 is of course also configured to ensure that the selected code is not used within the next predetermined time range and/or in at least the next round, for example the next rounds of: a voice signal or a signal of a remote control device is received from a user as a command, and the command is accepted only when the presence of the user is recognized. Alternatively, the selection from the list may be a random selection.

In the case of generating a code, the code may be randomly generated. The code may be a random number, for example, a range of random numbers and/or a random number having a predetermined number of bits.

The code may be a password that the user may speak. The code need not be a password but may be some other type of code that may be displayed at the cooking apparatus 1. The code should be comparable to a signal representing an input by the user and at least indirectly (i.e. via a peripheral device in communication with the cooking apparatus 1, such as the remote control device 15) receivable by the cooking apparatus 1.

Depending on the type of code, the code may be displayed (step 24) on the display 7, for example as a symbol or an alphanumeric code). Such an alphanumeric code may alternatively be displayed on one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, …, 8-6. The code may also be a visible variable aspect of the appearance of the cooking apparatus 1, including a visible identification, color, etc. of a part or area of the cooking apparatus. For example, a selected one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, …, 8-6 may begin flashing, the code being an identification of the zone. Alternatively, the background color of one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, …, 8-6 and/or the display 7 may be changed, the color representing the code.

In the illustrated embodiment, the user is prompted (step 25) to enter a code. The prompt may be provided through the intermediary of the external speech recognition device 13 or another external device (e.g., the user's smart phone or a device included in the smart home system). The prompt may be, inter alia, an audible prompt, such as a voice output. In an embodiment, the step 24 of displaying the code is omitted and the code is output as part of the prompt. However, displaying the code has the effect of ensuring a line of sight between the user and the cooking apparatus 1. The manner in which the step 23 of obtaining the code is carried out ensures that the user cannot guess or remember the code, but in practice the user must be close enough to see the code.

The control unit 2 then starts (step 26) a timer and waits to receive a signal representing an input from the user. The signal may be a speech signal. Thus, the user must audibly express the code, e.g., speak the displayed password, color, or identification of the indicated cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The signal may alternatively represent another type of user input provided in a non-contact manner. An example may be a gesture, for example, a gesture recognized by the transmitter 17 and the receiver 18. For example, the display 7 may indicate a number of times the user waves a random selection, or implement one gesture in a list of gestures. Using a signal representing a user input provided in a non-contact manner preserves the effect of not requiring the user to touch the cooking apparatus 1. However, in principle instructions may be displayed to the user to place or move cookware into the randomly selected cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, or to move or otherwise handle cookware within the randomly selected cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

When a signal representing an input by the user is received, the control unit 2 compares the received signal representing the input by the user with the code obtained and displayed (steps 23, 24) (step 27). If the received signal neither represents a code nor can be assigned to a code, the command that caused the code to be obtained is not executed. If no signal representing the code or which may be assigned to the code is received within a certain time period from the start of the timer, the control unit 2 reverts to waiting for a speech signal from the user as a control command.

On the other hand, if the signal represents a code or can be assigned to a code, the function of the relevant cooking zone is adjusted (step 28), for example, the power supply is adjusted. Optional step 29 is performed to detect the presence of cookware in the cooking area if the relevant cooking area has not been identified or the user has provided a command to name the cooking area. Thus, the execution of the final step 28 may be conditioned on detection of cookware in the cooking zone(s) 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 or the cooking zone(s) involved in the control command from the user (e.g., as determined from the voice command). Alternatively or additionally, if the user does not specify a cooking area or the cooking apparatus 1 is not configured to interpret voice commands to identify a cooking area, step 29 may be used to determine the cooking areas 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

Embodiments are also possible in which the acceptance of commands from the communication interface is conditioned only on the detection of cookware in the cooking zone(s) 4-1, 4-2, 4-3(s) or zones to which control commands from the user relate (e.g. determined from voice commands). In such an embodiment, the steps 23, 24 of obtaining and displaying a code and the step of comparing a received signal representing an input by a user with the obtained and displayed code (step 27) are not performed.

In each embodiment, the presence of the user (particularly within the line of sight of the cooking apparatus 1) is ensured while still allowing the user to change settings without touching the cooking apparatus 1. The user interface of the cooking apparatus 1 is extended by allowing voice control or by using the remote control device 15, but the user must at least provide safety critical commands when the user is present at the cooking apparatus 1.

List of reference numerals

1-cooking appliance

2-control Unit

3-field of cooking

4-1, 4-2, 4-3-cooking zones

5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n-induction coil

6-driver

7-display

8-1, …, 8-6 cooking zone specific output device

9-on/off switch

10-voice control switch

11-memory device

12-interface

13-external speech recognition device

14-further interface

15-remote control device

16-microphone

17-transmitter

18-receiver

19-step (Standby)

20-step (wait for Signal)

21-step (detection zone)

22 step (starting timer)

23-step (obtaining code)

24-step (display code)

25-step (providing prompt)

26-step (starting timer)

Step 27 (compare the received input with the code)

28-step (function of Change region)

29-step (detection zone)

Claims (22)

1. A cooking apparatus having at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3), the cooking apparatus comprising:

a control unit (2) configured to be coupled with the communication interface (12, 14, 16) to receive a voice signal as a control command from a user or a data signal as a control command from a remote control device (15),

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to control the supply of electrical power to the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3), and

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept commands from the communication interface (12, 16) only if the presence of the user is identified.

2. The cooking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept a voice signal from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) only within a predetermined time interval between detecting the presence of a user and receiving said voice signal.

3. A cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the predetermined time interval is between 5s and 60s, preferably between 10s and 40s, most preferably between 20s and 30 s.

4. Cooking apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept a voice signal from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) only if the communication interface (12, 14, 16) recognizes a code.

5. Cooking apparatus according to claim 4, comprising a memory (11) for storing one or more codes.

6. Cooking apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to prompt a user to input a code perceivable at the cooking device and to compare a received signal representing the user's input with the code,

wherein the control unit (2) is configured such that in case the received signal represents the code and/or can be assigned to the code, a command from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) is executed, and in case the received signal neither represents the code nor can be assigned to the code, the command is not executed, and

wherein the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit (2) is configured to access a list of codes, to select the code by selecting at least one code in the list of codes at a time, and to ensure that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time range and/or in at least a next round, e.g. a next plurality of rounds of: -receiving a voice signal as a command from the user or a data signal as a control command from the remote control device (15), and-accepting the command only if the presence of the user is recognized.

7. The cooking apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

wherein the code is a password,

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to prompt the user to speak the password, and

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to receive signals representing the user's input from the communication interface (12, 14, 16).

8. Cooking apparatus according to claim 6 or 7,

further comprising a display (7),

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to cause the code to be displayed on the display (7).

9. Cooking device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to access a list of passwords and to select one password at a time from said list of passwords, for example in a random manner, and to display said password to a user on a display (7) of the cooking device.

10. Cooking apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to display said password for a predetermined period of time.

11. Cooking device according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to compare the signal received from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) with said password and to execute a corresponding command to change the cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) or function of the cooking device if the received signal represents said displayed selected password in the password list and/or can be assigned to the password.

12. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the presence of the user is controlled by the control unit (2) configured to prompt the user to interrupt a light barrier provided at the cooking device and to check whether the interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval.

13. The cooking apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) is a variable assignment of one or more induction coils (5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n).

14. Cooking apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, comprising means (17, 18) for determining the presence of a user, the means further comprising a proximity sensor, a motion sensor and/or a touch sensitive element.

15. Cooking apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims,

further comprising cookware detection means (5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n, 6) for detecting placement of cookware in at least one of the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3),

wherein the control unit (2) is configured to control the supply of power to the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) based on detecting a change in the placement of cookware in the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and subsequent or prior to the communication interface (12, 16) receiving a voice signal or a data signal.

16. The cooking apparatus according to claim 15, wherein,

is configured such that the acceptance of the voice or data signal is triggered by the placement or movement of the cookware onto or into the cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3).

17. Cooking apparatus according to claim 15 or 16,

comprises a plurality of cooking zones (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and is configured such that when a cookware is detected by the cookware detection means (5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n, 6), a timing input interval is triggered in which a user can provide a voice signal or the remote control device (15) can provide a data signal as a control command,

wherein the cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) to which the speech signals or data signals are applied is determined by the cookware detection means (5-1, 5-2, …, 5-n, 6).

18. Cooking system with a cooking device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising a voice recognition device and/or a remote control device (15) configured for communication with the control unit (2) via the communication interface (12, 14, 16).

19. Cooking system according to claim 18, comprising an external voice recognition device (13).

20. The cooking system of claim 19, wherein the external speech recognition device (13) is a mobile phone or a device that is part of or communicates with a smart home system or a remote console.

21. The cooking system of claim 18, wherein the communication interface comprises a microphone (16) provided at the cooking device (1).

22. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a control unit (2) in a cooking apparatus (1), provide the cooking apparatus (1) with the functionality of the cooking apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17, the cooking apparatus having at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and comprising the control unit (2) configured to be coupled with a communication interface (12, 16) to receive voice signals as control commands from a user or data signals as control commands from a remote control device (15), and configured to control the supply of power to the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3).

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