CN210673008U - Cooking utensil - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooking appliance is provided. The cooking appliance includes: anti-overflow probe, touch button, detection circuitry and controlling means: the detection circuit is simultaneously connected with the anti-overflow probe and the touch key, and the detection circuit is connected with the control device through a communication data line to transmit data. Therefore, the embodiment of the utility model provides an in the cooking utensil by a detection circuitry detect the first capacitance value of anti-overflow probe and the second capacitance value of touch button both, need not the extra electric capacity detection circuitry who detects first capacitance value alone, can reduce required electrical part, reduce the hardware cost.

Description

Cooking utensil

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a culinary art field, more specifically relate to a cooking utensil.

Background

A cooking appliance is one of the common appliances in a household kitchen. Generally, a cooking appliance is provided with a panel so that a user can operate through the panel. Capacitive touch keys are commonly used on the panel of the existing cooking appliance, and the keys have the advantages of convenience in use, strong experience feeling, long service life and the like.

In order to ensure the safety of the cooking process, an anti-overflow probe is additionally arranged, so that the phenomenon that an electric appliance is damaged or a safety accident occurs due to the fact that a pot overflows is avoided.

For the newly added anti-overflow probe, the capacitance detection circuit is correspondingly added to realize the anti-overflow function, however, the hardware cost of the newly added capacitance detection circuit is correspondingly increased, and the corresponding processing occupies the operation resource of the processor, thereby affecting the performance of the system.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The utility model provides a cooking utensil can reduce required electrical part, reduces the hardware cost.

According to an aspect of the utility model provides a cooking utensil, including anti-overflow probe, touch button, detection circuitry and controlling means:

the detection circuit is simultaneously connected with the anti-overflow probe and the touch key, and the detection circuit is connected with the control device through a communication data line to transmit data.

The detection circuit is used for detecting a first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe and a second capacitance value of the touch key and sending the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value to the control device through the communication data line; and the control device is used for executing operation control of anti-overflow and touch according to the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.

Illustratively, the detection circuit includes a sampling circuit, a conversion circuit and a signal transmission circuit, wherein the sampling circuit is configured to sample the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value; the conversion circuit is configured to: converting the first capacitance value into a first digital signal and converting the second capacitance value into a second digital signal; the signal transmitting circuit is used for transmitting the first digital signal and the second digital signal to the control device together or respectively.

Here, the capacitance value is converted into a digital signal by the detection circuit and then transmitted, which facilitates information transmission with the control device and reduces communication traffic.

Illustratively, the control device comprises a calculation module, a judgment module and a power regulation module. The calculation module is used for calculating the capacity value variation at the anti-overflow probe according to the first capacitance values received at least twice; the judging module is used for judging whether the pot overflow occurs according to the volume value variation; and the power adjusting module is used for controlling the heating device to reduce the heating power if the judgment module determines that the pan overflow occurs.

Here, the control device determines the capacity variation amount first and then performs the determination, instead of the determination based on the absolute value of the capacity, and sufficiently takes the difference of the reference into consideration, thereby making the determination more accurate.

Illustratively, the determination module includes a comparison sub-module and a determination sub-module. The comparison submodule is used for comparing the capacity value variation of the digital signal with a predefined threshold; the determining submodule is used for determining that the pot overflow occurs if the volume value variation is larger than the threshold value, and determining that the pot overflow does not occur if the volume value variation is smaller than or equal to the threshold value.

Exemplarily, a heating module is further included, wherein the control means controls the power of the heating module according to the first and second capacitance values.

Illustratively, the system further comprises an indication module, which is composed of at least one of the following: a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp, a four-position eight-section nixie tube and a buzzer/loudspeaker.

Here, the indication module can inform the user in time through light or sound, so that the user can acquire the cooking state or abnormal cooking in time.

Illustratively, the anti-overflow probe and the touch key are both connected to a touch chip.

Therefore, the embodiment of the utility model provides an in the cooking utensil by a detection circuitry detect the first capacitance value of anti-overflow probe and the second capacitance value of touch button both, need not the extra electric capacity detection circuitry who detects first capacitance value alone, can reduce required electrical part, reduce the hardware cost.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, together with the embodiments of the invention for explanation of the invention, and are not intended to limit the invention. In the drawings, the same reference numbers generally represent the same or similar parts or steps.

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a processing method for cooking in an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of a detection circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a processing method for cooking in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely exemplary of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the utility model provides a can be applied to cooking utensil, for example can be electric rice cooker, electric pressure cooker, cooking machine, soybean milk machine, electric saucepan or other electric heating utensil etc..

The cooking appliance may include a pot body and a lid. The cooker body can be provided with an inner pot containing part in a cylindrical shape (or other shapes), and the inner pot can be freely put into or taken out of the inner pot containing part so as to be convenient for cleaning the inner pot. The inner pot is generally made of a metal material and has a circular opening on an upper surface for containing a material to be heated, such as rice, soup, etc. For example, the inner pan may comprise a body of revolution formed by pan walls having an upper opening and an inner cavity. The capacity of the inner pot is usually below 6L, for example, the capacity of the inner pot can be 2L or 4L.

The cover body is connected to the cooker body in an openable and closable manner and is used for covering the cooker body. The lid can include upper cover and removable lid, and removable lid sets up between the upper cover and a kind of deep pot body to be connected with upper cover detachably, in order to make things convenient for at any time to wash removable lid.

The pot body may further include a heating means for heating the inner pot. In addition, the cooking appliance may also have a temperature sensor, for example a top temperature sensor arranged in the upper cover and/or a bottom temperature sensor arranged below the inner pot receptacle. The bottom temperature sensor and the top temperature sensor may be thermistors. Bottom temperature sensor and top temperature sensor all are connected to cooking utensil's controlling means to after the temperature of pot in the sensing feeds back the temperature signal that senses to controlling means, thereby controlling means can realize more accurate control to the process of culinary art based on temperature signal. Wherein, when the inner pot is arranged in the inner pot accommodating part of the cooker body, the bottom temperature sensor can sense the temperature of the bottom wall of the inner pot, for example, the bottom temperature sensor can be directly or indirectly contacted with the bottom wall.

In addition, the cooker body can also comprise a power supply board, and a display board (also called as a panel) can be arranged on the cooker body. Wherein the power panel can be used for supplying power for a control device, a display panel and the like.

It should be noted that, although a partial structure of the cooking appliance is schematically described at this time, these lists are merely exemplary and cannot be regarded as a structural limitation of the cooking appliance of the embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the cooking appliance may include a Control device, for example, the Control device may be a Micro Control Unit (MCU).

In the embodiment of the utility model provides an in, cooking utensil's panel coupling is coupled to touch chip.

Illustratively, the panel may include a touch key module, which may be a physical button or a touch button, etc., but is not limited thereto. The user can realize operation control of the cooking appliance, for example, starting or stopping, selecting a cooking mode (cooking, cooking soup, etc.), selecting a cooking time period (35min, 2h, etc.), and the like, by pressing the touch key module. The touch key module can detect a key trigger signal and convert the key trigger signal into a capacitance value signal of a capacitor. For example, in a static state, that is, when there is no user touching a key, the capacitance value that the touch key module can detect is 0; when the user touches a specific key, the touch key module may detect that the capacitance value at the specific key is 1.

Illustratively, the faceplate may also include an anti-spill probe, optionally a capacitive anti-spill probe. The anti-overflow probe can detect the volume value signal converted from the anti-overflow signal of the cooking utensil.

In this way, the touch chip can simultaneously detect the capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe (indicated as a first capacitance value) and the capacitance value of the touch key (indicated as a second capacitance value). Such a multiplexing circuit can reduce hardware costs.

The embodiment of the utility model provides an in, cooking utensil still includes detection circuitry, can gather aforementioned first capacitance value and second capacitance value. The collected first and second capacitance values may then be sent to the control device. For example, the detection circuit may convert the collected first capacitance value into a first digital signal, and then transmit the first capacitance value in the form of the first digital signal and the second capacitance value to the control device together or separately. For example, the detection circuit may convert the first capacitance value into a first digital signal and the second capacitance value into a second digital signal, and then transmit the first digital signal and the second digital signal together or separately to the control device. It can be appreciated that sending together can reduce the number of information interactions, easing the processing load. The respective transmissions can be transmitted in time when the signal is detected, ensuring processing efficiency. Wherein the detection circuit may be coupled to the touch chip; alternatively, the touch chip and the detection circuit may be integrated together, and the detection circuit is referred to as a touch chip detection circuit, and detects a first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe and a second capacitance value of the touch key, and transmits the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value to the control device or transmits the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value to the control device after converting the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value into digital signals.

Illustratively, the detection circuit may include a sampling circuit, a conversion circuit, and a signal transmission circuit. The sampling circuit may be configured to detect the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value by sampling. The conversion circuit may be configured to convert the first capacitance value into a first digital signal and convert the second capacitance value into a second digital signal. The signal transmission circuit may be configured to transmit the first digital signal and the second digital signal to the control device together or separately. The signaling Circuit may be a communication Circuit, such as an I2C bus defined by an I2c (Inter-Integrated Circuit) protocol.

Further, the control device may perform a corresponding operation according to the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value received from the detection circuit. Specifically, the control device executes the spill-proof operation control according to a first capacitance value and executes the touch operation control according to a second capacitance value. For example, it may be determined which key or keys are pressed by the user according to the second capacitance value, and perform an operation corresponding to the key, such as start or stop. For example, whether the pot overflow occurs or not can be judged according to the first capacitance value, and if yes, the heating module is controlled to reduce the heating power, and the like.

Therefore, the embodiment of the utility model provides a through the capacitance value of multiplexing circuit detection touch button and the capacitance value of anti-overflow probe, when reducing the hardware cost, can reduce controlling means's collection operation processing and improve system performance.

Exemplarily, the cooking appliance in the embodiment of the present invention may further include an indication module. The indication module may indicate the cooking state by sound or light, etc. Illustratively, the indication module may be composed of a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp and/or a four-bit eight-segment nixie tube and a buzzer/speaker.

For example, a green light may be used to indicate cooking during cooking; when cooking is abnormal, red light can be used for indicating the abnormality; the end of cooking can be indicated by yellow light. For example, a buzzer or voice can be used for prompting the user when the cooking is abnormal; when the cooking is finished, a sound can be emitted to inform the user that the cooking is finished. For example, the user may be prompted for cooking status using both lights and sounds. For example, the cooking time period (e.g., remaining time period) may be indicated by a light and the cooking abnormality or the end of the cooking may be indicated by a buzzer sound. For example, when the user presses a key to set, the user can make a sound such as a droplet and display corresponding contents through the LED, such as the user adjusting the cooking time.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. The capacitive anti-overflow probe, the touch key module, the detection circuit and the control device are shown. It will be appreciated that the modules shown in fig. 1 are merely illustrative and may include additional other modules, such as heating modules, thermometry modules, etc.

Fig. 2 shows a flowchart of a processing method for cooking according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in fig. 2 comprises:

s110, a detection circuit detects a first capacitance value of an anti-overflow probe of the cooking appliance and a second capacitance value of a touch key;

s120, the detection circuit sends the detected first capacitance value and the second capacitance value to a control device of the cooking appliance;

and S130, the control device executes operation control of anti-overflow and touch according to the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.

In S110, the same detection circuit detects both the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value, and an additional capacitance detection circuit for separately detecting the first capacitance value is not required, so that required electric devices can be reduced, and hardware cost is reduced.

The embodiment of the utility model provides an in, anti-overflow probe can be integrated on touch panel together with the touch button. Alternatively, the touch panel may have a Tin foil or a copper foil or an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) film thereon in order to accurately sense the capacitance change.

Illustratively, as shown in FIG. 3, CM201-CM209 of FIG. 3 may be connected to touch buttons and CM210 may be connected to an anti-overflow probe. In this way, the CM201-CM209 may detect the second capacitance value of the touch key (i.e., the touch capacitance signal) and the CM210 may detect the first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe (i.e., the anti-overflow capacitance signal). It should be noted that CM201-CM209, although shown distributed connected to 9 keys, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the number of keys is not limiting and may be more or less as desired.

For example, in S120, the detection circuit may convert the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value into digital signals, respectively; then, the first capacitance value of the digital signal and the second capacitance value of the digital signal are sent to the control device together or separately. For example, the detection circuit converts the first capacitance value into a first digital signal and converts the second capacitance value into a second digital signal; sending the first digital signal and the second digital signal to the control device together or separately.

Alternatively, in S120, the detection circuit may convert the first capacitance value into a first digital signal, and then transmit the first digital signal and the second capacitance value to the control device together or separately.

The detection circuit and the control device can be electrically connected, and the detection circuit can send the digital signal to the control device through a communication data line between the detection circuit and the control device.

The embodiment of the utility model provides an in, detection circuitry can real-time detection first capacitance value and second capacitance value to with both (or digital signal form between them) real-time transmission to controlling means. The detection circuit may transmit periodically or be timed or otherwise transmitted. Thus, multiple detections, multiple transmissions can be made during the cooking process.

For example, in S130, the control device may calculate a capacity variation amount at the anti-overflow probe according to the first capacitance value received at least twice, and perform the anti-overflow operation control according to the capacity variation amount. The control device can judge which key or keys are pressed/touched according to the second capacitance value and execute the operation control of touch.

For example, a second capacitance value of 0 indicates that the corresponding key is not pressed or touched, and a second capacitance value of 1 indicates that the corresponding key is pressed or touched.

If the control device receives the second capacitance value (or the second digital signal) of the touch key from the detection circuit, the control device can judge which key or keys the capacitance value is, and then execute the operation corresponding to the key. For example, if it is determined through the judgment that the user has pressed/touched the "stop" key, the heating module is controlled to stop heating.

Specifically, the control device calculates the capacity value variation at the anti-overflow probe according to the first capacitance value received at least twice; judging whether the pot overflow occurs according to the volume value variation; and if the pot overflow is determined to occur, controlling the heating device to reduce the heating power.

Illustratively, the control apparatus may include a calculation module, a determination module, and a power adjustment module. The calculation module is used for calculating the capacity value variation at the anti-overflow probe according to the first capacitance value received at least twice. The judgment module is used for judging whether the pot overflow occurs according to the volume value variation obtained by the calculation module. The power adjusting module is used for controlling the heating device to reduce the heating power after the judgment module determines that the pot overflow occurs.

In this case, a reference capacitance of the anti-overflow probe may be recorded, for example, a first capacitance value detected by the detection circuit when the cooking appliance is powered on is taken as a reference capacitance, and the reference capacitance is related to the environment (e.g., the ambient temperature, the ambient humidity, the water amount in the inner pot, etc.). The first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe can then continue to be detected in real time, and the difference between the subsequent real-time first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe and the reference capacitance is recorded as the capacitance variation. As an example, the capacity value change amount may be any value between 0 and 65536, or the capacity value change amount may be a value in another range, which is not limited by the present invention.

The control device may store the first digital signal received from the detection circuit each time (e.g., in the memory or in the buffer), and then may compare the first digital signals stored for a plurality of times, determine a volume change amount, and determine whether the overflow occurs according to the volume change amount. For example, the capacity variation amount is equal to the difference between the last received real-time first digital signal and the first digital signal received for the first time when the cooking appliance is powered on.

Specifically, the control device compares the calculated capacity value variation with a predefined threshold; and if the volume value variation is larger than the threshold value, determining that the pot overflow occurs. And if the volume value variation is smaller than or equal to the threshold value, determining that the pot overflow does not occur. For example, when the capacity variation is larger than the threshold, the control means determines that the current cooking state is boiling, and further may decrease the power to prevent overflow.

Illustratively, the determination module may include a comparison sub-module and a determination sub-module. The comparison submodule is used for comparing the capacity value variation of the digital signal with a predefined threshold value. The determination submodule is configured to: if the volume value variation is larger than the threshold value, determining that the pot overflow occurs; and if the volume value variation is smaller than or equal to the threshold value, determining that the pot overflow does not occur.

The predefined threshold may be set during a test phase of the cooking appliance, which may be related to the depth of the inner pot, the distribution of the heating means, the heating pattern of the heating means, etc.

And if the control device determines that the pot overflow occurs according to the volume value variation, controlling the heating device to reduce the heating power. For example, when the capacity variation is larger than the threshold, the control means determines that the current cooking state is boiling, and further may decrease the power to prevent overflow. For example, the heating power may be reduced from a first power to a second power (the second power being less than the first power). Alternatively, the heating pattern may be changed to intermittent heating, for example, to reduce the average heating power. For example, heating for a duration t1 using a first power, and then heating for a subsequent duration t2 without heating or with a second power (the second power is less than the first power); the first power heating period t1 … is then repeated.

For example, the control device may also determine whether the anti-overflow probe has failed. If it is determined that the anti-overflow probe is malfunctioning, an indication is made to prompt the user. Specifically, the control device may determine whether the anti-overflow probe has a fault according to the first capacitance value, for example, if the first capacitance value does not change for a certain period of time, the first capacitance value is zero, and the like, it may be determined that the anti-overflow probe has a fault. The user may then be prompted by an indication module, for example by sound or light. Specifically, a sound or light associated with the malfunction of the anti-overflow probe may be preset, and when the user hears the sound or sees the light, it may be known that the anti-overflow probe is malfunctioning, and the anti-overflow probe needs to be removed for maintenance, part replacement, and the like.

Illustratively, the control device can also indicate on the touch panel according to the second capacitance value to prompt the user. For example, the detection circuit detects the second capacitance value at the switch key, determines that the cooking appliance is turned on, and the control device may emit a droplet sound associated with starting the cooking appliance and illuminate the touch panel of the cooking appliance. For another example, when the user touches/presses the "cancel" key, the detection circuit detects the second capacitance value at the switch key, and the control device may sound a droplet associated with the cancel operation and turn off the light of the touch panel. It is understood that the control device only provides an example of the sound or light prompt according to the second capacitance, and the control device may also control the prompt module to prompt the user in other manners, which are not listed here.

In addition, fig. 4 shows a schematic flow chart of a processing method for cooking according to an embodiment of the present invention. This process may be referred to the detailed description of the embodiment described above with reference to fig. 2, and will not be described here.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention further provides another cooking appliance, as shown in fig. 5, the cooking appliance 10 shown in fig. 5 includes a memory, a processor and a computer program stored in the memory and running on the processor, and the processor executes the program to implement the steps of the method executed by the cooking appliance in fig. 2, which are not repeated herein for avoiding repetition. Illustratively, the processor shown in FIG. 5 may be an MCU.

In addition, the embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. The computer program, when executed by a processor, may implement the steps of the method of fig. 2 described above as being performed by a cooking appliance. For example, the computer storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium.

Therefore, in the cooking appliance provided by the embodiment of the invention, the first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe and the second capacitance value of the touch key are detected by one detection circuit, so that an additional capacitance detection circuit for separately detecting the first capacitance value is not needed, the required electric parts can be reduced, and the hardware cost is reduced; meanwhile, the acquisition operation processing of the control device can be reduced, and the performance of the system is improved.

Although the example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the above-described example embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. It is understood, however, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, rather than other features, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present invention or the description of the specific embodiments, the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily think of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and all should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (8)

1. A cooking utensil is characterized by comprising an anti-overflow probe, a touch key, a detection circuit and a control device:

the detection circuit is simultaneously connected with the anti-overflow probe and the touch key, and the detection circuit is connected with the control device through a communication data line to transmit data.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1,

the detection circuit is used for detecting a first capacitance value of the anti-overflow probe and a second capacitance value of the touch key and sending the detected first capacitance value and the detected second capacitance value to the control device through the communication data line;

and the control device is used for executing operation control of anti-overflow and touch according to the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein the detection circuit comprises a sampling circuit, a conversion circuit, and a signal transmission circuit,

the sampling circuit is used for sampling to obtain the first capacitance value and the second capacitance value;

the conversion circuit is used for converting the first capacitance value into a first digital signal and converting the second capacitance value into a second digital signal;

the signal transmitting circuit is used for transmitting the first digital signal and the second digital signal to the control device together or respectively.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the control device comprises a calculation module, a determination module, and a power adjustment module:

the calculation module is used for calculating the capacity value variation at the anti-overflow probe according to the first capacitance values received at least twice;

the judging module is used for judging whether the pot overflow occurs according to the volume value variation;

and the power adjusting module is used for controlling the heating device to reduce the heating power if the judgment module determines that the pan overflow occurs.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein the determination module comprises a comparison sub-module and a determination sub-module:

the comparison submodule is used for comparing the capacity value variation of the digital signal with a predefined threshold;

the determining submodule is used for determining that the pot overflow occurs if the volume value variation is larger than the threshold value, and determining that the pot overflow does not occur if the volume value variation is smaller than or equal to the threshold value.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 2, further comprising a heating module,

wherein the control device controls the power of the heating module according to the first and second capacitance values.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising an indication module,

the indication module is comprised of at least one of: a Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamp, a four-position eight-section nixie tube and a buzzer/loudspeaker.

8. The cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the overflow prevention probe and the touch key are both connected to a touch chip.

Images