EP3098520A1 - Cooking hob with lockout feature - Google Patents

Abstract

The hob (1) has at least one blocking function for blocking at least one operating element (5) of the hob (1), which blocking function can be activated when the hob is switched on (1) and can be deactivated by a user, wherein at least one blocking function is automatically activated and at least a display element (7) remains enabled for display when the lock function is activated. A method (S1-S5) is used to operate a hob (1), wherein after switching on the hob (1) a blocking function for blocking at least one operating element (5) of the hob is automatically activated (S4) and at least one display element (7) remains enabled for display when the lock function is activated.

Description

The invention relates to a hob, having at least one blocking function for blocking at least one operating element of the cooking hob, which can be activated when the hob is switched on and deactivated by a user. The invention also relates to a method in which, after switching on the hob, a blocking function for blocking at least one operating element of the hob is activated.

• die "Key-Lock"-Funktion, bei der in einem ausgeschalteten Zustand des Kochfelds (auch als sein "Passiv-Mode" bezeichnet) seine Tasten dauerhaft gegen Bedienung gesperrt werden. Diese Sperre kann nur durch einen langandauernden Druck auf eine spezielle Taste (die sog. "Key-Lock-Taste") aufgehoben werden; und die
• Wischschutz-Funktion, bei der in einem an- oder eingeschalteten Zustand des Kochfelds (auch als sein "Aktiv-Mode" bezeichnet) seine Tasten nur zeitlich begrenzt gegen eine versehentliche Bedienung gesperrt werden. Diese Wischschutz-Sperrfunktion kann durch einen kurzen Druck auf eine spezielle Taste (die sog. "Wischschutz-Taste") aufgehoben werden, oder die Wischschutz-Sperrfunktion endet automatisch nach einer vorgegebenen Zeitdauer von z.B. 30 Sekunden.

To lock the buttons of a cooktop against operation, current cooktops can have the following disabling functions:

• the "Key-Lock" function, in which, in a switched-off state of the hob (also referred to as its "passive mode") its keys are permanently locked against operation. This lock can only be canceled by a long-lasting pressure on a special key (the so-called "key lock key"); and the
• Anti-swiping function, in which in a switched on or switched-on state of the hob (also referred to as its "active mode") its keys are only temporarily blocked against accidental operation. This anti-swiping function can be canceled by briefly pressing a special button (the so-called "anti-sweat" button), or the anti-swiping function automatically ends after a predetermined period of, for example, 30 seconds.

However, these locking functions are often not sufficient to prevent inadvertent operation of the hob, especially by children.

DE 10 044 442 A1 discloses a cooking appliance, in particular household oven, with a arranged in a housing cooking chamber, which is closed by a door, and with a control unit having a child safety, with the function of the control unit by a special input on the control unit at least partially put out of force is. The door has a locking mechanism that locks the door by the special input for overriding the function of the operating unit. If the operating unit has at least one operating element for operating a heating element associated with a cooktop plate, and the function of the operating element is the special one Input put out of force, at the same time the hob plate can be partially or preferably completely secured.

EP 1 344 981 A2 discloses a stove with a hob and an oven oven. In the hob a manually operable security element for locking the oven heater against unauthorized use is integrated. Furthermore, the locking of the cooktop heating device by means of or another integrated into the hob security element can be provided.

EP 2 258 987 A2 discloses a home appliance having a screen with touch input means on a screen surface, a control unit adapted to evaluate the touch signals of the touch input means and operate the home appliance in response to the touch signals, and at least one further switching element for activating and / or disconnecting the screen Disabling at least one function of the domestic appliance. In order to avoid unnecessary energy consumption by the screen and / or undesired operation of the screen, it is proposed that the screen during the operation of the domestic appliance via the at least one further switching element is switched on and / or off. Also, the at least one further switching element or a separate switching element for activating and / or deactivating a child safety device can be designed. It is conceivable, for example, that safety-relevant functions can only be activated via the touch-sensitive screen, so that switching off the touch-sensitive screen blocks these safety-relevant functions. Since in the preprogrammed operation, in particular a timer operating mode, a screen is usually not needed, the control unit can automatically turn off the screen after presetting a time and / or after starting the timer operation. In this case, a certain waiting time can be provided to avoid confusion of the user.

DE 10 2004 026 315 A1 discloses an apparatus and method for securing a household appliance, in particular an electric cooker, against inadvertent operation. The device comprises at least one actuating element and at least one cooperating with the at least one actuating element electrical switching device with a time delay function, wherein by operating the at least one actuating element over a predetermined or predetermined minimum actuation period in at least a portion of the household appliance by the switching device a Power interruptible or interrupted or produced or manufactured or at least one switching function for the household appliance can be blocked or blocked or released or released.

It is the object of the present invention to at least partially overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and more particularly to provide a hob with improved prevention of inadvertent operation, in particular improved parental control.

This object is achieved according to the features of the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are in particular the dependent claims.

The object is achieved by a hob, having at least one blocking function for blocking at least one control element of the hob, which blocking function can be activated when the hob is switched on and which is deactivated by a user when the hob is turned on, wherein at least one blocking function (hereinafter also without limitation of generality as "permanent locking function") is automatically activated and at least one display element remains enabled for display when the lock function is activated.

This lock function enables activation of an effective child safety lock even when the hob is activated. Incorrect adjustment of hob settings such as power levels, timers, etc. can be made significantly more difficult. The permanent locking function can be implemented cost-effectively, since no or only a few additional components are necessary and an implementation is practically easy to implement. The permanent lock function is also easy to activate.

An automatic activation is understood in particular to be activated by the hob. The automatic activability has the advantage of a particularly secure Verstellschutzes, even if a user has not thought of the activation of the permanent locking function.

The fact that at least one display element remains enabled for display when the disabling function is activated has the advantage that it continues to display at least one display element (eg, a time and / or a cooking level), and so does a user even when activated Lock function can effectively monitor the hob. The release may in particular include that the associated display element can continue to display information and is not turned off, for example, by activating the lock function.

It is a development that all display elements are enabled when the lock function is activated. This does not mean that all display elements can also display information when the disabling function is activated, but in particular if they already display information before activating the disabling function.

The hob can be a stand-alone hob or a part of an oven / stove combination or a hearth.

The hob can be a purely electrically operated hob or a gas hob. In the case of an electrically operated cooktop, this can have, for example, at least one resistance heater, at least one induction coil and / or at least one coil for transformer coupling for energy transmission to dishes placed thereon.

In particular, in the case of an electrically operated cooktop, it may have a cooktop panel on the top, e.g. a glass plate or a glass ceramic plate.

The hob can be a household appliance, in particular a kitchen appliance.

An actuation element may be, for example, a mechanical key (such as a short-stroke key or a rotary knob), or a touch-sensitive sensor key. The sensor key may be a stand-alone key or operating area of a sensor panel (e.g., a touch-sensitive screen). As the operating area of a sensor field, the sensor key can be provided dynamically. In the case of a presence of a glass plate or a glass ceramic plate as the cooktop panel, at least some controls may be formed as sensor buttons of the cooktop panel.

The blocking function can, for example, act in such a way that the actuation of the at least one operating element is prevented. If the operating element is, for example, a mechanical operating element, its movement can be prevented. Alternatively, the Lock function act to prevent that actuation of the (mechanical and / or touch-sensitive) control element triggers an activity.

An activated cooktop can in particular be understood to mean an immediately operable cooktop connected to a supply network (main switch in on state). An off hob may be a cooktop that is separate from the utility grid and / or that can be operated immediately by pressing an ON switch (e.g., also the main switch). For example, a hob that is turned off may be a cooktop that is connected to the utility network but is disabled, for example, by being in a sleep state. The hob is especially switched on when it runs a user-controlled function, for example, when a hotplate is activated and / or when a timer is running.

It is an embodiment that the lock function can be activated automatically after a predetermined period of time after a last operation of the hob. It is assumed that a user has removed from the hob or the hob does not pay active attention and then there is a particularly high risk that a child can adjust the hob unattended. As a result, a particularly effective parental control is achieved without significantly affecting convenience of operation by a user. The time period may be in particular at least 30 seconds, in particular at least one minute, in particular at least two minutes, in particular at least five minutes.

It is still an embodiment that the predetermined period of time after the last operation of the hob is changeable, in particular the user side is changeable. The time for the automatic activation is advantageously adjustable by a user via a menu navigation. The predetermined period of time may be adjustable by predetermined values, e.g. according to "0" = Automatic permanent locking function deactivated; "1", "2", "3", ... = correspond to different time periods, e.g. within minutes. The predetermined period of time can be freely adjustable.

It is a further embodiment that the blocking function blocks at least one control element in the form of at least one combined control / display element only against one operation. The combined control / display element can be eg a touch-sensitive screen or "touch display". This is particularly effective in preventing a user can no longer read information (eg because the screen has been turned off) when the lock function is activated.

It is also an embodiment that the blocking function can also be activated by means of actuating a dedicated operating element, which in the following can also be referred to as a "blocking key" without limiting the generality. This can be useful if a user does not want to wait for automatic activation.

It is also an embodiment that the lock function is a "permanent lock function" that can only be deactivated by a user when the hob is switched on. As a result, it can be prevented that the blocking function automatically switches off again automatically after a predetermined period of time or after the occurrence of an event.

It is a further development that a certain operating element is provided for deactivating the blocking function. This ensures that the blocking function can be conveniently canceled by a user at any time. This operating element provided for deactivating may in principle be any operating element, e.g. also a main or emergency stop control.

It is also an embodiment that the blocking function, in particular permanent blocking function, by means of pressing a dedicated control element, in particular a dedicated button, can be deactivated, which can also be referred to below as "unlock key" without limiting the generality. If the hob also has a key lock function and / or a wiping protection function, the unlock key is a different control element from the associated key lock or wipe protection key. This embodiment has the advantage that a particularly simple operation is made possible.

If the lock function can also be activated by means of actuating a dedicated control element, the unlock key can correspond to the lock button.

It is still an embodiment that the hob has a wiper protection function that can be deactivated by means of pressing a wiper protection button and the lock function, in particular permanent lock function, by means of pressing the wiper protection button is deactivated. Even so is a particularly compact design of a control panel while saving on operating elements. The wiping protection key thus corresponds here to the unlocking key of the automatic blocking function, in particular the permanent locking function.

It is a further embodiment that the hob has a key-lock function that can be deactivated by means of pressing a key-lock operating button and the lock function, in particular permanent lock function, can be deactivated by means of pressing the key-lock control button. The key lock control key then corresponds to the unlock key of the automatic lock function, in particular the permanent lock function.

In general, in one variant, the hob can only have the permanent blocking function. In another variant, in addition to the continuous blocking function, the hob has the key-lock function and / or the wipe-protection function.

In general, an operating element, in particular a control key, can be available for all blocking functions (key-lock, wiping protection and / or parental control, etc.). Alternatively, lock functions can be combined to one or more controls. This results in a particularly clear control panel, especially in the event that the various locking functions not all need to be available simultaneously, but, for example. can also be used depending on a state of the hob.

It is a development that the automatic activation of the lock function, all controls except the specific provided for disabling the lock function control element and possibly a main or emergency stop control element can be disabled.

If a main switch is actuated or not locked even if the permanent lock function is activated, it can be ensured that an emergency stop is always feasible. By activating the lock function, in particular in the form of the permanent lock function, then the main switch is not blocked.

It is yet a further embodiment that the blocking function can be activated and / or deactivated by means of a brief actuation of a control element, which is particularly user-friendly. A short-term actuation can be understood to mean, in particular, an actuation for at least 0.3 seconds.

It is also an embodiment that the permanent locking function can be activated and / or deactivated by means of a long-lasting actuation of a control element, which results in a particularly secure protection against unwanted deactivation. A long-term actuation can be understood to mean, in particular, an actuation for at least two seconds, in particular for at least four seconds, in particular for at least five seconds.

The object is also achieved by a method for operating a hob, in which after switching on the hob, a blocking function for locking at least one button of the hob is automatically activated and at least one display element (eg, a screen or a field of a screen) with activated lock function for Ads remains shared. The method can be designed analogously to the hob and has the same advantages.

The above-described characteristics, features and advantages of this invention, as well as the manner in which they are achieved, will become clearer and more clearly understood in connection with the following schematic description of an embodiment which will be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings.

Fig.1 shows a possible flow chart for operating a hob 1. The hob 1 has the top side a hob plate 2 (eg, a glass ceramic plate), which has a control panel 3 with multiple sensor keys, of which only a main switch (power button) 4, a general control 5 and a control element in the form of a permanent lock button 6 are shown. The control panel 3 may also have one or more display panels 7. The control panel 3 is connected to a arranged under the cooktop plate 2 control device 8 of the hob 1, which detects an actuation of the sensor buttons 4 to 6 of the control panel 3 and the hob 1 controls accordingly, for example, one or more hotplates (o. Fig.) According to a operates selected cooking level and / or a period of time counts. The hob 1 may be a stand-alone hob or a part of a cooker.

In a first step S1 for operating the hob 1, the hob 1 can be switched on by means of an actuation of the main switch 3 by a user. In this case, the hob 1, for example, galvanically connected to a supply voltage and / or switch from a standby mode to an active mode. The user can now activate, for example, one or more cooking zones and / or at least one timer ("egg timer").

If now the user leaves the still on hob 1, for example, to perform other activities in the house, he can manually activate a permanent lock function in step S2, so that the current settings (eg regarding one or more cooking levels) are not accidentally adjusted, for example by a child. For this purpose, the user the duration lock button 6 is actuated, which activates a lock function of the hob 1, so that all other controls 5 of the hob 1 except the main switch 4 and the permanent lock button 6 are locked.

This inhibition is permanent (i.e., without a predetermined time limit) until, in a step S3, the user again deactivates or deactivates the permanent blocking function again by actuating the permanent blocking key 6 again. The permanent lock button 6 thus also serves as a provided for deactivating the blocking function control element or as unlock key.

The period required for re-pressing out of the permanent lock for pressing the permanent lock button 6 can either be set short (ie, the duration lock function is deactivated after an actuation period of about 0.3 s), which allows a particularly convenient unlocking, or it can be set long (ie that only after a period of operation of several seconds, the permanent lock function is deactivated), which provides greater security against accidental unlocking.

The user can now cook on the hob 1. If the user removes himself from the hob for an extended period of time, eg due to a telephone call, the hob 1 is further set to automatically activate the permanent-lock function in a step S4 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed following a last manual operation of the appliance Hob 1. The period of time may be in particular at least 30 seconds, in particular at least one minute, in particular at least two minutes, in particular at least five minutes.

If the user returns to the cooktop 1 after the automatic activation of the permanent lock function, he can unlock the permanent lock function analogously to step S3 in a step S5 again.

The hob 1 may also have a wiping protection function and / or a key-lock function.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown.

Thus, the hob can only have the automatic activation of the permanent lock function, and thus no manual activation of the permanent lock function. In place of the permanent blocking function, a time-limited blocking function can also occur in general. automatically deactivated again after five or ten minutes. In one variant, a user can choose between a permanent lock function and a time-limited lock function and, if necessary, also set the duration of the time-limited lock function.

Generally, "on", "an", etc. may be taken to mean a singular or a plurality, in particular in the sense of "at least one" or "one or more" etc., unless this is explicitly excluded, e.g. by the expression "exactly one", etc.

Also, a number may include exactly the specified number as well as a usual tolerance range, as long as this is not explicitly excluded.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1

hob

2

Control panel

3

Control panel

4

main switch

5

operating element

6

Duration lock key

7

display

8th

control device

S1-S5

steps

Claims (12)

Hob (1), having at least one blocking function for blocking at least one operating element (5) of the hob (1), which blocking function is activated when the hob (1) and can be deactivated by a user, characterized in that at least one lock function is automatically activated and at least one display element (7) remains enabled for display when the disable function is activated. Hob (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the blocking function is automatically activated after a predetermined period of time after a last operation of the hob (1). Hob (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the predetermined period of time is variable. Hob (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking function blocks at least one control element (3) in the form of at least one combined control / display element only against one operation. Hob (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking function can also be activated by means of actuating a dedicated operating element (5). Hob (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking function is a permanent blocking function, which is only deactivated by a user when the hob (1) is switched on. Hob (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the blocking function can be deactivated by means of actuating a dedicated operating element (5). Hob (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hob (1) has a wiping protection function by means of a Actuating a wiper protection button is disabled and the lock function can be deactivated by pressing the wiper protection button. Hob (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hob (1) has a key-lock function which can be deactivated by means of actuating a key-lock operating key and the blocking function by means of actuating the key-lock Control button is deactivated. Hob (1) according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the blocking function by means of a brief operation of a control panel (6) can be deactivated and / or activated. Hob (1) according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the blocking function can be deactivated and / or activated by means of a long-term actuation of a control panel (6). Method (S1-S5) for operating a hob (1), in which after switching on the hob (1) a blocking function for blocking at least one operating element (5) of the hob is automatically activated (S4) and at least one display element (7) activated lock function remains enabled for display.

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