EP2276322B1 - Method for operating a hotplate - Google Patents

Description

Field of application and state of the art

The invention relates to a method for operating a hob according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is from the EP 967 839 A2 It is known to provide a function on a cooktop with cooking zones and heating devices as well as so-called pan detection sensors that the movement of an erected cooking vessel in the region of the cooking zone is the input of the desired power level. In this case, for example, moving in one direction may be increasing the power level and moving in another direction may be lowering.

From the DE 10 2004 011 749 A1 It is known to provide actuation sensors on a hob, which are designed such that they detect a contact of the cooking vessel or moving or moving the cooking vessel. This serves to make the cooking area on which the cooking vessel is located selected or selected for a subsequent power setting. This makes it possible on to dispense with a so-called selection switch or a corresponding control element for selecting a desired hotplate.

Task and solution

The invention has for its object to provide an aforementioned method, can be rented with the problems of the prior art and in particular advantageously a cooktop can be operated.

This object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1. Advantageous and preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject of the other claims and are explained in more detail below. The wording of the claims is incorporated herein by express reference.

The hob to be operated advantageously has one or even more cooking zones and heating devices for which a cooking vessel can be placed in each case in the usual manner for heating cooking product in the cooking vessel. Furthermore, a controller is provided as well as an actuating sensor at the cooking position, wherein the actuating sensor is designed such that it detects a touch of the cooking vessel by hand on the one hand or on the other hand moving or moving the cooking vessel. In the second case, for example, by means of a pot holder in the hand, the cooking vessel moves, moved or lifted, which the operating sensor also recognizes, as he just recognizes the location or a change of location or a lack of cooking vessel. Under certain circumstances, even a rotation of the cooking vessel can be detected on the spot.

According to the invention, a touching or moving or moving the cooking vessel is detected with the aid of the actuation sensor and then causes quasi as acknowledgment or deletion of a certain signal from the cooking of certain reason signal generated its switching off, so turns off the signal. Such a signal can be optical and / or acoustic. Thus, for example, a set timer alarm, which begins after a preset ten minutes as a sound or flashing of a light, be acknowledged by touching the cooking vessel or by moving or moving the cooking vessel. This indicates that the operator has registered the signal or alarm. Then the signal is usually turned off as feedback, so that it has served its purpose. Finally, it is clear that if, for example, a timer alarm sounds as a signal after the elapsed time set in the timer, and then an operator touches the pot, then he has also perceived the alarm and thus the purpose of the alarm. The signal can therefore be switched off.

Thus, a separate confirmation or shutdown can be saved by a separate operation of a special control and above all, the cost of its presence. In most cases, even after sounding the timer signal, the cooking process must be regarded as provisionally terminated, so that the cooking vessel can be taken from the hob or, for example, a lid can be raised to check the state of the cooking product. This is then the same time the acknowledgment of the signal or the timer alarm made and this also off.

On the one hand, it can be provided that even touching the cooking vessel is sufficient or is detected by the operating sensor accordingly. For this purpose, the actuation sensor may be formed, for example, as in the aforementioned DE 10 2004 011 749 A1 to which reference is explicitly made in this regard. Then, for example be provided that the cooking vessel must be touched for at least two seconds, so that it is considered a signal acknowledgment. Thus, it can be avoided that an accidental strip of the cooking vessel or the like. switches off the alarm or the signal. Such actuation sensors can be well used as an additional part in radiant heaters. With induction heaters, it makes sense to use the pan detection function, which has such an induction heater anyway. But then only a lifting of the cooking vessel or a shift can be detected by a few cm away from the cooking position so that the induction heater is also switched off, but no contact.

As an alternative to a signal acknowledgment or shutdown only by touching the cooking vessel, it can only be done by moving or moving or lifting the cooking vessel. In this case, for example, be provided that a certain displacement of at least 5cm is evaluated as a signal acknowledgment, lower displacement paths, for example by accidental bumping a cooking vessel, but not yet.

In a further embodiment of the invention can be provided that a repeated contact of the cooking vessel or a multiple moving or moving the cooking vessel is necessary for a signal acknowledgment. As a result, an inadvertent signal acknowledgment can be even better excluded, since an explicit intention of the operator is necessary for these actions.

As an alternative to a displacement, a movement of the cooking vessel in the form of a rotation can also be provided, which can also be detected by the actuating sensor. Then a rotation angle should be at least 15 ° or even more, so that it is evaluated as a signal acknowledgment.

Advantageously, as the actuation sensor of the above-described according to the DE 10 2004 011 749 A1 be used, which also has a function as pan detection at the cooking area. Thus, the presence of a cooking vessel can be detected at the cooking area to release their operation, detached from possible signals or signal acknowledgments. In this way, the further function can be realized by using this pan detection sensor. Thus, in the end, no major additional constructional effort has to be made, namely the functions can be implemented in the control, that is to say they can be created by software engineering.

These and other features will become apparent from the claims and from the description and the drawings, wherein the individual features are each realized alone or to several in the form of sub-combination in one embodiment of the invention and in other areas and advantageous and protectable Represent embodiments for which protection is claimed here. The subdivision of the application into individual sections as well as intermediate headings does not restrict the general validity of the statements made thereunder.

Brief description of the drawing

Embodiments of the invention are shown schematically in the drawing and will be described in more detail below. It shows the Fig. 1 a schematic oblique view of a hob with the operating method according to the invention for signal acknowledgment.

Detailed description of the embodiments

In Fig. 1 schematically a hob 11 is shown in an oblique view, in which the invention is implemented in two variants. The hob 11 has a conventional hob plate 12. On the hob plate 12 several cooking zones 14a-d are provided. They can be identified by correspondingly known markings on the upper side of the glass-ceramic plate 12.

Under each hotplate 14a-d, a heater 16a-d is provided in each case. There are conventional radiant heaters, it can also be used as an alternative induction heaters. Each of the heaters 16a-d is controlled by a controller 18 and driven in accordance with a set power by means of circuit breakers 20a-d.

By means of, for example, capacitive touch switches 21 on the right edge of the hob plate 12, of which only two are shown but much more may be present in a known manner a timer for the operation of one of the hotplates 14 are set so that, for example after 30 minutes a cooking process is finished and then a signal sounds to indicate this too. Since such a timer function and a timer signal are known, they need not be explained here.

Furthermore, below each of the cooking zones 14a-d, advantageously between hob plate 12 and heater 16, the so-called cooking vessel detection sensors 22a and d. These can be designed in different forms. In a variant of the invention, a cooking vessel recognition sensor 22a, which has an approximately coil shape and is connected to the controller 18, is provided below the cooking point 14a. It forms the mentioned actuation sensor. Such a sensor is for example in the EP 788 293 A which is expressly referred to in terms of possible implementations.

In another version of the invention, two cooking vessel detection sensors 22d, which are not formed in coil form, are arranged underneath the hob 14d, but form two individual surfaces which are arranged at the edge of the hotplate 14d and approximately opposite one another are. This cooking vessel detection sensors 22d as an actuation sensor may have a capacitive operating principle, as for example from the DE 42 24 934 A is known. Although they are used there for a different operating principle. However, the purpose is the same, namely the detection of the presence and the formation of an attached to the cooking vessel to the detection sensor sensor cooking vessel 25, here associated with the additional function of detecting the touch of the cooking vessel by an operator 27th

function

In the following, the function will be described on the basis of the hotplate 14a with the left coil-shaped inductive cooking vessel detection sensor 22a. However, this functional description is expressly not limited to the specific design of the cooking vessel detection sensor 22a, but can also be used with other cooking vessel detection sensors as an actuation sensor.

If the previously described timer is set and the previously set time, for example 30 minutes, has elapsed, an alarm signal or timer signal will sound in any case. Furthermore, the cooking area with the cooking vessel can already be switched off. Alternatively, it can also be switched off only after a usual signal acknowledgment. According to the invention, the cooking vessel 25a is touched with a finger 27 for signal acknowledgment, as shown at the cooking point 14a. It is recognized that with a finger 27, the cooking vessel 25 is touched, so a capacitive coupling takes place. In the context of the invention, it has been shown that it is possible to determine, with a correspondingly precise tuning and evaluation of the signals of the sensor 22, whether a cooking vessel is being touched. For this purpose, metallic cooking vessels are necessary. By touching the cooking vessel 25 with one or more fingers 27, for example, becomes parallel to a resonant circuit capacitance the sensors added the capacity of an operator. This can be recognized by the signal of the cooking vessel detection sensor 22.

To detect this touch of the cooking vessel, it is advantageous to shift the operating frequency of the cooking vessel detection sensor to very high values, as in the DE 10 2005 041 028 A1 is described. Alternatively, capacitive leakage currents can also be measured on the finger 27 via similar sensors with capacitive coupling.

Was detected via the cooking vessel detection sensor 22 and the controller 18, the touch of the cooking vessel, this is generally interpreted as a signal acknowledgment and the signal can be turned off.

As an alternative to touching a cooking vessel 25a set up on the hotplate 14a as a signal acknowledgment, it is shown on the right at the hotplate 14c how an operator with two hands 28 moves the cooking vessel 25c, either shifts in one direction or turns, possibly also raises. This can also be detected with the appropriately provided and trained sensors 22 and causes the acknowledgment of the signal and thus its shutdown.

Both for touching and moving the cooking vessel as a signal acknowledgment can be provided that, so to speak, a certain minimum value must be achieved. This can be a minimum duration for touching, for example at least two seconds, and for moving a minimum movement of 5cm or for turning a minimum angle of rotation of, for example, at least 15 °. This will also ensure that the sensors clearly detect the touch or movement of the cooking vessel. When lifting it does not matter.

This means in one possible embodiment that a touching or moving a cooking vessel from the hob or the actuation sensor is detected and is counted as acknowledgment of a signal such as a timer or alarm signal according to another acknowledgment via known controls. Thus, either on some controls such as acknowledgment switch or the like. be waived. Furthermore, an instinctive acknowledgment by touching or moving an erected cooking vessel is possible. Finally, it has been found in the study of this invention that in many cases a touch of the cooking vessel takes place, for example, to remove with heated content from the cooking area when the timer time has expired, which is indicated by the signal. Thus, the signal or the alarm is automatically acknowledged simultaneously and thus switched off.

Claims (8)

1. A method for operating a cooktop, wherein the cooktop includes a plurality of cooking areas and heating devices therefor, on each of the areas may be placed one respective cooking vessel for heating products to be cooked contained therein, wherein a control unit and at least one operation sensor are provided on the cooking area, and wherein the operation sensor is configured such that it detects touching of the cooking vessel or moving of the cooking vessel, characterized in that touching or moving of the cooking vessel is detected and an optical and/or acoustic signal generated by a signalling device of the cooktop, like a timer alarm or the like, is switched off.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that switching off the signal is caused only by moving of the cooking vessel.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that only touching of the cooking vessel for at least two seconds is assessed as a signal switch off and causes switching off the signal, respectively.
4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that repeated touching or repeated to and fro moving of the cooking vessel is needed for a signal switch off.
5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that only a certain movement path or displacement path of at least 5 cm is assessed as a signal acknowledgement and causes switching off the signal.
6. The method according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that only a certain angle of rotation of at least 15° is assessed as a signal acknowledgement and causes switching off the signal.
7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the signal to be acknowledged and switched off, respectively, is a timer alarm.
8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a saucepan detection on the cooking area, which usually detects the presence of a cooking vessel for enabling operation thereof, is used as an operation sensor.

Images