EP3893603A1 - Inductive kitchen system - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to an inductive kitchen system (1, 2) with an inductive hob (1) with an installation surface (10) which is designed to hold at least one kitchen utensil (2) freely positionable from above, with a plurality of first induction elements ( 12), which are arranged below the installation surface (10) and are each designed to heat kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) in a freely positionable manner, and with a plurality of second induction elements (13) which are located below the installation surface (10 ) are arranged in a predetermined manner and are each designed to detect the presence of kitchen utensils (2) on the installation surface (10) at least essentially directly above them, and with at least the kitchen utensils (2) with at least one electrical energy store (26) which is designed to supply electrical power to at least one electronic element (22-25) of the kitchen ware (2). The inductive kitchen system (1, 2) is characterized in that the kitchen utensils (2) have at least one induction element (27) and the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate at least one of its second induction elements (13) in such a way that the electrical Energy storage device (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) can be inductively charged by means of the induction element (27) thereof.

Description

The invention relates to an inductive kitchen system according to the preamble of claim 1, an inductive hob for use in such an inductive kitchen system according to claim 13 and kitchen utensils for use in such an inductive kitchen system according to claim 14.

The trend in domestic cooking is always going towards making the execution of the cooking processes easier, more comfortable and / or safer for the user with regard to the desired cooking result. For this purpose it has been known for a long time to use temperature sensors in the hob in order to be able to determine residual heat there for each hob after a cooking process has been carried out and to be able to display it to the user as a warning.

A cooking process or a cooking process can also be supported in that complete automatic programs or assistance functions are made available to the user, which are intended to relieve the user of part of the execution or even the complete execution of the cooking process. A cooking process can also be supported, for example, by the hob and / or by a mobile device, in that the cooking process is followed there, displayed to the user and the next actions in the recipe sequence are displayed or appropriate instructions are given to the user.

The hobs should also visually disappear further and further from the kitchen. This also includes making the control elements of the hobs increasingly inconspicuous or making them disappear completely. This can lead to the controls and the display elements of the hobs being relocated to the cookware. It may therefore be necessary or at least desirable for information to be able to be exchanged between the cookware and the hob. This can include the transmission of instructions as well as of measured quantities.

the EP 2 361 538 A1 relates to a thermoelectric energy-generating, electronically temperature-measuring pan with a semiconductor cooling layer comprising a pan body, a pan handle which is attached to the pan body, a thermoelectric energy generation system and a temperature measuring system, the thermoelectric A power generation system is formed by connecting the semiconductor cooling layer, an up-regulating electronic component and a power storage device in series, one surface of the semiconductor cooling layer being in contact with the pan body and the other surface being connected to a heat dissipation device. The temperature measuring system is configured to measure the temperature of a bottom of the pan body. The thermoelectric power generation system is connected to the temperature measurement system in order to supply electrical energy to the temperature measurement system.

The disadvantage here is that thermoelectric energy generation, ie the conversion of heat into electricity, for example by means of the Seebeck effect, can technically mean a not inconsiderable expense, which leads to corresponding costs in production and / or assembly as well as additional installation space may need.

the EP 1 280 443 A1 relates to an electronic frying pan system with a pan for preparing food or foodstuffs, with a handle which is connected to the pan for moving or manipulating the pan, with one or more temperature sensors which are connected to the pan for signals generate which indicate a pan characteristic or a plurality of pan characteristics and with display electronics, which are connected to the sensors and are provided in or with the handle, in order to provide at least one indication or display of the pan characteristics to a user of the pan, wherein the display electronics includes a user interface for selecting one of a plurality of food characteristics. To supply the electronic elements with electrical energy, the electronic frying pan system has a replaceable battery in the handle as an electrical energy store.

the DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 relates to a cooking appliance, in particular a pressure cooker, with a control, regulating and operating device with at least one sensor device for detecting at least one parameter influencing a cooking process, with at least one microcontroller for data processing and control / regulation of cooking processes, with at least one data memory for Saving of sequence programs, of device parameters also surrounding devices relevant to the cooking process, of types of food and type of food parameters and for the documentation of cooking processes for later evaluation and optimization of the same, with at least one data interface device, with at least one electrical energy store for energy supply, with at least one coupling device for detachable Connection of the control, regulating and operating device to the cooking appliance, with at least one output device for informing a user, and with at least one input device for operating de r control, regulation and operating device.

The power supply of the control, regulation and operating device can, for example, by a battery, by a thermocouple, by inductive coupling such. B. in the case of an induction cooker or a battery. In the case of using a rechargeable battery, charging can be carried out via a data interface device of the cooking appliance, e.g. B. via a live line of a USB port, or optionally in a separate charging station.

The disadvantage of using a battery is that the stored electrical energy of the replaceable battery is finite and is consumed by the intended operation of the electronic frying pan system. From a certain low level of stored electrical energy or when the replaceable electrical energy storage device is sufficiently used or emptied, the electronic functions of the electronic frying pan system can EP 1 280 443 A1 or the cooking appliance of the DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 thus no longer operated and used by the user. For this purpose, the user has to replace the empty battery with a sufficiently charged battery, which can mean effort and cost time and money for the acquisition of the battery.

The disadvantage of using a rechargeable battery as an electrical energy store in the control, regulating and operating device of the DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 that this must also be recharged by the user if the stored electrical energy is used up. This can be an annoyance for the user.

The disadvantage of using a rechargeable battery or a replaceable battery as an electrical energy storage device is generally that the electronic functions of the electronic frying pan system EP 1 280 443 A1 or the cooking appliance of the DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 are not available to the user until the battery is replaced or the battery is sufficiently charged. This can limit the availability.

The disadvantage is also in the case of the control, regulation and operating device DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 that thermoelectric power generation is comparable to the pan EP 2 361 538 A1 can be technically complex and correspondingly expensive.

The disadvantage of inductive coupling of an induction cooker according to FIG DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 that the cooking appliance must be designed to receive inductive electrical energy to operate the electronic elements. The induction cooker must also be designed accordingly. This can represent a not inconsiderable effort. Furthermore, only suitable induction cookers and cookware can be used together for this purpose. The inductive energy supply can also only be used when the cookware is heated inductively for direct operation of the electronic elements of the control, regulation and operating device of the DE 10 2008 051 265 A1 be used.

In other words, the operating concepts of such cooking utensils, kitchen utensils or cooking utensils with integrated electronic elements require that, for example, an ON / OFF sensor is constantly on standby to detect input from a user. This in turn requires that a permanent or exchangeable electrical energy storage device is installed, e.g. in the cookware handle of the cookware, which supplies the electronics or the electronic elements with electrical energy, e.g. to keep the touch sensors constantly on standby.

As such an electrical energy store, a short-term energy store such as a capacitor, for example, which can be integrated into a cookware handle, will usually not be able to provide the required electrical energy to operate the electronic elements on a permanent basis. For this reason, electrical energy stores such as batteries or rechargeable batteries are usually used as described above, which can at least allow operation over several days and possibly several weeks with a typical daily usage time for such cooking utensils.

If the electrical energy storage device is empty, the user must replace the cookware as a battery or charge it as a rechargeable battery before using the cookware again, e.g. in the form of a system cookware. Can this not be done because z. If, for example, the commercially available battery used is not available spontaneously or special batteries first have to be ordered from the manufacturer or the battery has to be charged, only manual, conventional operation of the cookware, as a system cookware, possibly with control via the hob, is possible . This means, for example, that assistance functions and the like cannot be selected on the cookware. Possibly. Existing safety functions of the cookware, such as a safety function that is always active in the background to limit the maximum temperature of the cookware, cannot be used in this case either.

If the electronic elements of the cooking utensils are supplied inductively electrically by the induction cooker, this is only possible while the induction cooker is in operation. It is not possible to feed the electronic elements of the cookware outside of the cooking mode, which is why the functions of the electronic elements of the cookware are then not available. If this is desired, as described above, an electrical energy store is to be used, which, however, is accompanied by the disadvantages described above.

This applies not only to inductive hobs with separate hobs, but also to so-called surface or full-surface induction hobs, which are increasingly used nowadays in order to increase the flexibility of the use of cooking utensils.

In the case of surface or full-surface induction hobs, a large number of comparatively small induction coils are arranged evenly distributed below the installation surface. On the part of the inductive hob or its control, the position of cooking utensils on the installation surface can be recognized, e.g. by means of additional pan detection coils, and the induction coils located below the position can be assigned to the cooking utensils. The induction coils can then be operated by the inductive hob or its control with the desired power and thus together form the hob for the cookware. The cooking zones of a surface induction hob can thus be formed flexibly depending on the number, size and positions of the cooking utensils used. In this way, a user can position cookware as desired on the installation surface of the surface induction hob and operate it as usual without having to pay attention to and adhere to predetermined hotplates. The power level of the hotplate can be determined by the user and displayed to him by the surface induction hob. The surface induction hob can also indicate where at least approximately the cooking utensil is located on the surface induction hob.

Two basic systems are known on the market for surface or full-surface induction hobs.

On the one hand, a large number of small induction coils are used as heating coils, as inductive heating elements or as induction elements. The size of the induction coils is considerably smaller than the diameter of the base of the kitchen utensils or cooking utensils to be inductively heated. Each of the individual induction coils is equipped with a temperature sensor and power connections and is connected to a power supply for the inductive hob. Each of these individual induction coils is controlled via a separate oscillating circuit. Alternatively, the individual induction coils are interconnected via a relay matrix to form a coil group and the coil group is controlled by an oscillating circuit. The latter has the advantage that the pot position can be determined with sufficient accuracy via the large number of individual induction coils for a representation by means of a display of a display / operating element of the inductive hotplate. The disadvantage here, however, is that this solution can be technically more complex and relatively expensive.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned manufacturing costs can be reduced by sensibly reducing the number of induction coils. So that the kitchen ware position is sufficiently accurate for a representation in a display, additional coils are used as Kitchenware detection sensors positioned over the induction coils of the cooking zones of an inductive hob. These kitchen utensil detection sensors do not generate any power input for heating the cookware in the kitchen utensils or in the cooking utensils or in the bottom thereof. Instead, in simplified terms, the attenuation of the signal in the coil is evaluated as a kitchenware detection sensor, which is caused by the presence of cooking utensils. In this way, a distinction can be made between the presence or absence of kitchen utensils above the kitchen utensil detection sensor on a cover as a hob surface.

The installation surface or cover is designed, for example, as a glass plate of a conventional inductive hob. A worktop, for example kitchen furniture or a table with a hob integrated underneath, can also be viewed as a support surface or cover. Such a worktop can consist of materials other than glass, for example wood or stone.

The display / control element of the hob can be arranged under the installation surface, on the installation surface, or in the installation surface.

In a combination of several and in particular all kitchen utensil detection sensors, the position of the cooking utensils on the installation surface of the inductive hob can be determined more precisely than described above, and the assignment of cooking utensils to an operating element can be made possible in a comparatively exact manner. The advantage here is that the manufacturing costs for a surface or full surface induction hob can be reduced. However, it is disadvantageous that the additional coils acting as kitchenware detection sensors require additional installation space, which is very limited in any case, in particular below the cover or installation surface of an inductive hob.

The invention thus poses the problem of providing an inductive kitchen system of the type described at the outset, so that the electronic elements of the kitchen ware are ready for operation at any time or the functions of the electronic elements of the kitchen ware are available at any time. In particular, changing the battery is to be avoided and / or the charging of batteries is to be simplified for the user. This should be made possible in particular for an inductive kitchen system with an inductive hob. At least one alternative to known inductive kitchen systems of this type is to be created.

According to the invention, this problem is solved by an inductive kitchen system with the features of claim 1, by an inductive hob with the features of claim 13 and by kitchen utensils with the features of Claim 14 solved. Advantageous refinements and developments of the invention emerge from the following subclaims.

Thus, the invention relates to an inductive kitchen system with an inductive hob with an installation surface which is designed to receive at least one kitchen utensil freely positionable from above, with a plurality of first induction elements which are arranged below the installation surface and are each formed, one on the To heat kitchen utensils located on the installation surface in a freely positionable manner, and with a plurality of second induction elements which are arranged in a predetermined manner below the installation surface and are each designed to detect the presence of kitchen utensils on the installation surface at least essentially directly above them, and with at least the kitchen utensils with at least an electrical energy store, which is designed to supply electricity to at least one electronic element of the kitchen utensil.

The first induction elements are set up and provided for inductive heating of kitchen ware, in particular a ferromagnetic base of kitchen ware. The second induction elements are set up and provided as sensors for detecting the presence of kitchen utensils. According to the invention, the second induction elements are also provided and set up for the inductive transmission of electrical energy to the kitchen utensils, in particular to an induction element of the kitchen utensils.

One aspect is that inductive heating of the kitchen utensils by means of the second induction elements is not possible. The second induction elements are neither provided nor set up or designed to induce inductive heating of a ferromagnetic base of the kitchen utensil.

The number of second induction elements can be identical to or less than the number of first induction elements. The number of second induction elements is preferably greater than the number of first induction elements. In this way, the response behavior and / or the effect of the second induction elements on the kitchenware can be improved. The number of second induction elements is particularly preferably significantly higher than the number of first induction elements. This means that the number of second induction elements to the number of first induction elements are in a ratio of 3/2 or greater.

The spatial extent of the second induction elements is significantly smaller, in particular in the longitudinal direction X and in the transverse direction Y, than the first Induction elements formed. This facilitates an arrangement in and / or between the first induction elements.

The kitchen utensils can be any type of kitchen utensils that can be used in a kitchen for preparing, preparing and / or storing food and serving prepared food. These can in particular be saucepans, casseroles, frying pans and the like. The electrical energy store is a chargeable or a rechargeable electrical energy store such as a capacitor or a battery, as will be described in more detail below. The electronic elements of the kitchen utensils can be, for example, sensors, display and / or control elements, control elements and the like.

The inductive kitchen system according to the invention is characterized in that the kitchen utensil has at least one induction element and the inductive hob is designed to operate at least one of its second induction elements in such a way that the electrical energy storage of the kitchen utensils located on the installation surface can be inductively charged by means of its induction element. The induction elements can in particular be induction coils. The induction coils of the inductive hob can be used and referred to as power coils and as sensor or charging coils.

In other words, according to the invention, charging or recharging of the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils can take place through the inductive hob. The advantage here is that additional charging devices can be dispensed with. There is also no need to replace a used electrical energy storage device such as a battery. This can increase the convenience for the user. This can also increase the availability of the kitchen utensils or their electronic functions.

The invention is based on the knowledge that up to now the electronic elements of kitchen utensils have either been operated with electrical energy which is stored in an electrical energy storage device or is inductively coupled into the kitchen utensil from the inductive hob with specific hotplates and used directly at this moment. This limits this possibility, since inductive electrical energy cannot be made available in every operating state of the inductive hob. For example, a hob of an inductive hob has so far either been able to provide inductive electrical energy in order to be able to operate functions of the kitchenware, or the kitchenware can be inductively heated by the inductive hob; At this moment or in this operating state, however, the functions of the electronic elements of the kitchen utensils are not available.

In the case of inductive hobs, the inductive coupling of electrical energy into the kitchen utensils is not yet known.

According to the invention, therefore, the already existing second induction elements of an inductive hob, which so far only serve to detect the position of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface, are also used to make an inductive coupling with at least one induction element of the kitchen utensils and thus charge its electrical energy storage.

The heating of the kitchen utensils using the first induction elements, which can also be referred to as power coils, and the charging using at least one of the second induction elements, which can also be referred to as a sensor / charging coil, can be carried out in parallel, ie at the same time, or alternatively, ie staggered in time , take place, wherein the inductive hob can be designed to provide both options.

One aspect is that the inductive coupling for the transmission of electrical energy from the hob to the kitchen utensil takes place only by means of the second induction elements and the induction element of the kitchen utensils.

One aspect is that the kitchen ware has a filter between the induction element of the kitchen ware and the electronics of the kitchen ware, which filter only lets through the frequencies of the second induction element. This ensures that the energy is transmitted to the kitchenware by inductive coupling only by means of the second induction elements. This avoids overloading the electronics of the kitchenware without shortening the times for inductive energy transmission too much.

The electronic elements of the kitchen utensils can also be directly supplied by means of at least one of the second induction elements of the inductive hob, i.e. in addition to charging, direct operation of the electronic elements of the kitchen utensils can also be made possible in order not to consume the stored electrical energy. Excess electrical energy, which is not required to directly operate the electronic elements of the kitchenware, can be stored in the electrical energy store.

It is therefore advantageous that the function of charging the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensil by means of at least one of the second induction elements of the inductive hob can be implemented independently of the technology of the first induction elements. In other words, the charging function of the kitchen utensils can be implemented independently of the induction technology of the inductive hob. In particular, the Both functions of inductive heating and inductive charging can be implemented technically independently of each other, which can reduce costs. In particular, such a separation of functions can make it possible to specifically design or optimize both types of induction elements of the inductive hob for the respective purpose, the second induction elements of the inductive hob additionally having to retain their previous sensor function.

It is also advantageous that by using the second induction elements of the inductive hob, which have previously only been used as sensors to detect the presence of kitchen utensils, an unwanted excessively high power output on the part of the second induction elements of the inductive hob can be safely avoided, since the second Induction elements of the inductive hob are technically not able to do this. This can increase the safety of the use of the inductive kitchen system according to the invention for the user.

The induction elements have a flat extension which is oriented parallel to the surface on which the kitchen utensils are placed on the hob. The first induction elements provided for the inductive heating of the kitchen utensils have a significantly larger area than the second induction elements provided as sensors and / or as energy transmitters by means of inductive coupling. This has the advantage that, on the one hand, by means of the first induction elements that are as large as possible, a good surface coverage with the first induction elements and thus effective heating of the kitchen utensils is made possible. On the other hand, precisely the smallest possible second induction elements can be arranged well in the spaces between adjacent first induction elements or around the first induction elements without significantly impairing the surface effectiveness of the first induction elements.

One aspect is that the first induction elements have an average diameter of at least 8 centimeters and / or an extent of at least 50 square centimeters parallel to the installation surface of the hob. Furthermore, it has been found to be advantageous that the second induction elements have a mean diameter of at most 5 centimeters and / or, parallel to the installation surface of the hob, an extension of a maximum of 20 square centimeters.

One embodiment of a hob provides that the mean overlap area of all the first induction elements is at least twice, preferably at least three times as large as the overlap area of the largest second induction element. The term coverage area is a synonym for the surface area parallel to the installation area of the hob.

According to one aspect of the invention, the first induction elements can have different sizes in a hob. The second induction elements are preferably designed to be identical with regard to their size, in particular with regard to their areal extent parallel to the installation surface of the hob.

According to one aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is designed to operate several of its second induction elements in such a way that the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils located on the installation surface can be inductively charged by means of its induction element. This aspect of the invention is based on the knowledge that the second induction elements of the inductive hob are designed to be significantly smaller than the kitchen utensils and are arranged much more densely than the first induction elements. Thus, a kitchen utensil can usually be arranged above at least two second induction elements, so that all the second induction elements of the inductive hob covered by the kitchen utensils can also be used to participate in the inductive charging process. This can increase the inductive charging and / or accelerate it and / or reduce the load per second induction element.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the kitchen ware has a plurality of induction elements. These induction elements of the kitchen utensils can be designed correspondingly smaller than the bottom of the kitchen utensils and can be arranged distributed over a large area.

This aspect of the invention is based on the knowledge that the second induction elements of the inductive hob are designed to be significantly smaller than the kitchen utensils and are arranged much more densely than the first induction elements. Thus, a kitchen utensil can usually be arranged above at least two second induction elements. If the induction element of the kitchen utensil, as was previously the case with kitchen utensils for inductive hobs with specific hobs, is designed to be as large and extensive as possible on the bottom of the kitchen utensil, the induction element of the kitchen utensil can be significantly larger than the second induction elements of the inductive hob, which is unfavorable the inductive coupling can affect.

Therefore, according to this aspect of the invention, several smaller induction elements are provided on the part of the kitchen utensils, which correspond more to the size of the second induction elements of the inductive hob and thus can lead to better inductive coupling if there is sufficient overlap, which can benefit inductive electrical energy transmission.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is designed to operate its second induction elements in a standby mode in such a way that the electrical energy storage of the kitchen utensils located on the installation surface can be inductively charged by means of its induction element, and to operate its second induction elements in an operating mode that the presence of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface can be recognized at least essentially directly via the second induction elements.

In the standby mode, various functions of the inductive hob can be used without a power output by means of the first induction elements of the inductive hob being possible to the kitchen utensils, which could lead to the intended inductive heating of the kitchen utensils. This is only possible in the operating mode. With an inductive hob, this makes it possible to use both functions of the inductive kitchen system separately.

In other words, in a standby mode, if the position of kitchen utensils does not have to be detected by the sensor-operated second induction elements of the inductive hob, the second induction elements of the inductive hob can be operated exclusively for the electrical inductive charging of the electrical energy store and / or for direct electrical purposes inductive supply of the electronic elements of the kitchen ware. However, if the inductive hob is used in operating mode to heat kitchen utensils, the position of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface of an inductive hob can be recognized and continuously checked so that the second induction elements of the inductive hob can then be used by sensors for this purpose.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is designed to operate its second induction elements in one operating mode in such a way that the presence of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface can be detected at least essentially directly via the second induction elements, or that the electrical energy storage device on the The kitchen utensils located on the installation surface can be charged inductively by means of the induction element. In other words, the second induction elements of the inductive hob in the operating mode can alternatively take over both functions, i.e. the sensory recognition of kitchen utensils and the inductive charging or operation of the kitchen utensils, as described above.

This aspect of the invention is based on the knowledge that a sensory check of the (persistent) presence of kitchen utensils above the second induction elements of the inductive hob has to take place continuously in the operating mode of the inductive hob, but not continuously. In other words, can Such a sensory check of the presence of kitchen utensils in a cycle of 0.1 seconds, for example, is sufficient to detect and react to a change in the presence or absence of kitchen utensils per second induction element quickly enough. In the meantime, the second induction elements of the inductive hob can therefore be used for inductive charging or for inductive operation of the kitchen utensils without restricting the sensory function of the second induction elements of the inductive hob.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is designed to detect an overlap of at least one of its second induction elements with the induction element, preferably with at least one of the induction elements, of the kitchen utensils, which is sufficient for inductive coupling, and to start a charging process in response and or or to notify a user of the excess. This can be done through the interaction of the induction elements with one another. In response to this, the charging process and / or a direct electrical supply of the kitchen utensils can be taken up automatically by the inductive hob, which can relieve the user of this. Additionally or alternatively, this can be communicated to the user in order to inform the user about this process. This can be done by optical, acoustic and / or haptic means. Such information can also be transmitted from the inductive hob and / or from the kitchen utensils to a mobile device of the user, such as a smartphone, and there it can be communicated to the user optically, acoustically and / or haptically. In any case, this can inform or remind the user that a charging process is being carried out between the inductive hob and kitchen utensils so that the user does not inadvertently remove the kitchen utensils from the inductive hob or change the position of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface of the inductive hob and thereby interrupts or terminates charging.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is designed to detect a change in an overlap sufficient for inductive coupling of at least one of its second induction elements with the induction element, preferably with at least one of the induction elements, of the kitchen utensils and, in response to this, the extent of the overlap To notify users. This can be done by changing the interaction of the induction elements with one another, which can be recognized by the inductive hob. In other words, the inductive hob can detect whether the amount of overlap of at least one of the second induction elements of the inductive hob with the induction element or with several induction elements of the kitchen ware increases or decreases when the user adjusts the positioning of the kitchen ware on the installation surface of the inductive Changed the hob. This can be communicated to the user so that the user is supported in changing the positioning of the kitchen utensils on the installation surface of the inductive hob in such a way that sufficient overlap or inductive coupling can be achieved for inductive charging of the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils to be able to perform. The user can also be informed that such a positioning has been achieved.

This can be done by optical, acoustic and / or haptic means. Such information can also be transmitted from the inductive hob and / or from the kitchen utensils to a mobile device of the user, such as a smartphone, and there it can be communicated to the user optically, acoustically and / or haptically.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is also designed to operate its first induction elements for heating the kitchen utensils located on the installation surface parallel to the inductive charging of the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils by means of its induction elements through the second induction element of the inductive hob. This can enable inductive charging of the electrical energy store of the kitchen ware while the kitchen ware is being heated. This can save time that would otherwise have to be used to carry out the charging process on its own.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob is also designed to operate its first induction elements for heating the kitchen utensils located on the installation surface as an alternative to inductively charging the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils by means of its induction elements through the second induction element of the inductive hob. This can separate the two functions. In particular, the heating of the hotplate can be reduced.

In particular, the second induction elements are not provided, set up and / or suitable for inductively heating the kitchen utensils. This has its cause in the size of the second induction elements and / or in the frequency with which the second induction elements are operated and / or in the power which the second induction elements emit.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob also has a first generator which is designed to operate the first induction element at a low frequency, in particular below 500 kHz, for example between approximately 15 kHz and approximately 100 kHz. Effective inductive heating can take place in this frequency range in particular.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob also has a second generator which is designed to operate the second induction element at a high frequency, in particular above 50 kHz, preferably at a frequency between approximately 50 kHz and approximately 10 MHz. It has been found that a charging coil in kitchen utensils can be addressed particularly well in this frequency band. The frequency between 80 kHz and 240 kHz or between 480 kHz and 1 MHz or between 3 MHz and 6 MHz is particularly preferred. Effective inductive charging can take place in these frequency ranges in particular.

One aspect is that the first induction element is operated at a low frequency, which is lower than a high frequency at which the second induction element is operated. One possible embodiment provides that the value of the high frequency is at least twice as large as the value of the low frequency.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the kitchen utensil is also designed to supply at least one electronic element electrically directly by means of its induction element. In this way, the charging can take place in addition to the direct operation of the electronic elements of the kitchen utensils. The electronic elements of the kitchen ware can also be operated directly, e.g. if the electrical energy storage device in the kitchen ware is fully charged.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensil is a short-term energy store, preferably a capacitor, and the inductive hob is designed to operate its second induction element, preferably repetitively, briefly with a sufficiently high electrical power so that the electrical energy store of the The kitchen utensils located on the installation surface can be charged inductively by means of the induction element. This can simplify the implementation of the invention and / or keep the effort, the costs and / or the installation space for the electrical energy store low.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the electrical energy store of the kitchen ware is a long-term energy store, preferably a rechargeable battery, and the inductive hob is designed to operate its second induction element with a sufficiently high electrical power for a sufficiently long time so that the electrical energy store of the one located on the installation surface Kitchenware can be charged inductively by means of the induction element. This can keep the number and / or the duration of the charging processes low and / or increase the availability of the functions of the electronic elements of the kitchenware.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the inductive hob and / or the kitchen utensils are designed to inform a user of an ongoing charging process of the electrical energy store of the kitchen utensils. This can be done by optical, acoustic and / or haptic means. Such information can also be transmitted from the inductive hob and / or from the kitchen utensils to a mobile device of the user, such as a smartphone, and there it can be communicated to the user optically, acoustically and / or haptically. In any case, this can inform or remind the user that a charging process is being carried out between the inductive hob and kitchen utensils, so that the user does not inadvertently remove the kitchen utensils from the installation surface of the inductive hob or move them there, thereby interrupting or terminating the charging process .

According to a further aspect of the invention, the kitchen utensil is designed to determine the state of charge of the electrical energy store and to communicate it to a user. This can be done by optical, acoustic and / or haptic means. Such information from the kitchen utensils can also be transmitted to the inductive hob and / or to a mobile device of the user, such as a smartphone, and there it can be communicated to the user optically, acoustically and / or haptically. In any case, the user can be kept up to date on the current charge status of the kitchen utensils in this way.

The invention also relates to an inductive hob for use in an inductive kitchen system as described above. An inductive hob can thus be made available in order to implement the inductive kitchen system according to the invention described above.

The invention also relates to kitchen utensils, preferably cooking utensils, for use in an inductive kitchen system as described above. Thus, kitchen utensils such as a saucepan, casserole, frying pan and the like can be provided to implement the inductive kitchen system of the present invention described above.

According to one aspect of the invention, the kitchen utensil is designed to recognize a predetermined low state of charge of the electrical energy store and to output at least one corresponding message to a user in response to this. This can be done by optical, acoustic and / or haptic means. Such information can also be transmitted from the kitchen utensil to the inductive hob and / or to a mobile device of the user, such as a smartphone, and there it can be communicated to the user optically, acoustically and / or haptically. In any case, this can ensure that the loading of the kitchen utensils is carried out in good time by the user is before the electrical energy storage of the kitchen ware is emptied so far that the electronic elements of the kitchen ware can no longer be operated and therefore a charging must take place before the next use of the functions of the electronic elements of the kitchen ware, which will delay the use and / or can restrict.

Figur 1

eine schematische Darstellung eines erfindungsgemäßen induktiven Küchensystems von der Seite; und

Figur 2

eine schematische Darstellung des erfindungsgemäßen induktiven Küchensystems von oben.

An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows

Figure 1

a schematic representation of an inductive kitchen system according to the invention from the side; and

Figure 2

a schematic representation of the inductive kitchen system according to the invention from above.

The above figures are viewed in Cartesian coordinates. A longitudinal direction X extends, which can also be referred to as depth X or length X. A transverse direction Y, which can also be referred to as width Y, extends perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. A vertical direction Z, which can also be referred to as the height Z, extends perpendicularly both to the longitudinal direction X and to the transverse direction Y.

Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an inductive kitchen system 1, 2 according to the invention from the side. Figure 2 shows a schematic representation of the inductive kitchen system 1, 2 according to the invention from above.

The inductive kitchen system 1, 2 consists of an inductive hob 1 and kitchen utensils 2 in the form of cooking utensils 2, which is implemented as a pan 2, for example.

The inductive hob 1 has an installation surface 10 or a cover 10 in the form of a glass plate or a worktop, which forms the surface of the inductive hob 1, on which kitchen utensils or cooking utensils 2, such as the pan 2, can be placed. The inductive hob 1 has a display / operating element 11 so that information can be displayed to a user and inputs can be made by the user.

A plurality of first induction elements 12, which are designed as first induction coils 12 and represent inductive heating elements 12, are provided below the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1. The first induction elements 12 can be operated by a first generator (not shown) in a frequency range between approximately 15 kHz and approximately 100 kHz. The first induction coils 12 can also be referred to as power coils 12 and the first generator as a heating generator. Furthermore, the inductive hob 1 also has a plurality of second induction elements 13 at height Z below the installation surface 10, each of which is designed to detect the presence of kitchen utensils 2 such as the pan 2 at height Z directly above them on the installation surface 10 to recognize on it. In other words, every second induction element 13 can distinguish whether a kitchen utensil 2 is present on the installation surface 10 at the height Z above or not. This can be done by changing the resonant circuit of the respective second induction element 13 as a function of the presence or absence of kitchen utensils 2 above. The second induction elements 13 are designed as second induction coils 13 and can also be referred to as kitchenware detection sensors 13.

The number of second induction elements 13 in the embodiment shown here is greater, preferably significantly higher, than the number of first induction elements 12. The second induction elements 13 are significantly smaller, in particular in the longitudinal direction X and in the transverse direction Y, than the first induction elements 12 educated. The second induction elements 13 are also arranged above the first induction elements 12 and in the longitudinal direction X and in the transverse direction Y between the first induction elements 13, see in particular Fig. 2 .

According to the invention, the second induction elements 13 are also designed to transmit electrical energy to kitchen utensils 2, such as here to the pan 2, by means of inductive coupling. The second induction elements 13 can therefore also be referred to as inductive charging elements 13. The second induction coils 13 can be operated by a second generator (not shown) in a frequency range in a frequency range between approximately 50 kHz and approximately 4 MHz. The second induction elements 13 can also be referred to as charging coils 13 and the second generator as a charging generator.

The inductive hob 1 also has a transmitting / receiving unit 14 which is able to receive wireless signals, e.g. from the pan 2, and to transmit wireless signals, e.g. to the pan 2. The first induction coils 12, the second induction coils 13, the first generator, the second generator and the transmitter / receiver unit are connected in a signal-transmitting manner to a control unit 15 of the inductive hob 1, which process and generate signals or data and the first generator, the second Generator and the transmitter / receiver unit 14 can operate or control. The control unit 15 can also take over the operation and evaluation of the second induction elements 13 as kitchenware detection sensors 13.

The already mentioned pan 2 as a kitchen utensil 2 has a kitchen utensil body 20 or a cooking utensil body 20 as a pan body 20, on which side, in the presentation of the Fig. 1 on the right, a handle element 21 or a handle 21 is arranged; in the Fig. 2 the handle 21 is omitted for better illustration. In this embodiment, the pan body 20 forms a cylindrical and flat base 28 with which the pan 2 can be placed on the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1.

The handle 21 has a display element 22, for example in the form of a liquid crystal display or at least one LED, which is used to output information to the user. The handle 21 also has an operating element 23 in the form of a button and / or a proximity sensor and / or a touch sensor, which is used at least to establish or initialize a pairing of the pan 2 with the inductive hob 1. The handle 21 also has a transmitting / receiving unit 24. The display element 22, the operating element 23 and the transmitting / receiving unit 24 are each connected in a signal-transmitting manner (not shown) to a control unit 25, which can also be referred to as a signal processing unit 25. The display element 22, the operating element 23, the transmitting / receiving unit 24 and the control unit 25 represent the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2.

In the bottom 28 of the pan body 20, a plurality of induction elements 27 in the form of induction coils 27 are arranged or printed on when the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1 is used as intended. The induction coils 27 are connected in an energy-transmitting manner to an electrical energy store 26, which is arranged in the handle 21 and in turn is connected in an energy-transmitting manner to the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2 and can feed them electrically. The electrical energy store 26 can be designed, for example, as an electrical short-term energy store 26, for example as a capacitor 26, or as an electrical long-term energy store 26, for example as a rechargeable battery 26.

If the pan 2 has a rechargeable battery 26, the functions of the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2 can be used by the user as long as sufficient electrical energy is stored in the rechargeable battery 26. If the stored electrical energy of the battery 26 is running out, this can be recognized, for example, by the control unit 25 of the pan 2 and a corresponding message can be output to the user, for example via the display element 22 of the pan 2.

The user can then place the pan 2 on the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1. Either manually by the user or automatically by the pan 2 and / or the inductive hob 1, an inductive charging process can be initialized, which can begin with the establishment of a sufficient inductive coupling. For this purpose, the user can automatically or upon request by the pan 2 and / or by the inductive hob 1, the pan 2 on the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1 in the Shift the longitudinal direction X and the transverse direction Y until there is an overlap between at least one of the second induction elements 13 of the inductive hob 1 and at least one of the induction elements 27 of the pan 2, which can ensure sufficient inductive coupling for inductive energy transfer.

This can be continuously checked on the part of the inductive hob 1 by means of the second induction elements 13. In particular, the extent of the respective overlap or inductive coupling of each of the second induction elements 13 can be continuously determined and, depending on its spatial distribution, the position of the pan 2 relative to the second induction elements 13 can be deduced. Based on this, the user can optically, acoustically and / or haptically be given an indication of the direction in which the user is using the pan 2 on the part of the inductive hob 1 by means of its display / operating element 11 and / or on the part of the pan 2 by means of its display element 22 has to move on the installation surface 10 of the inductive hob 1 in order to increase the overlap or inductive coupling or to achieve sufficient overlap or inductive coupling.

If the required inductive coupling of at least one second induction element 13 of the inductive hob 1 and at least one induction element 27 of the pan 2 has taken place, the battery 26 of the pan 2 can be charged inductively. In addition, the inductively coupled-in electrical energy can also be used directly to operate the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2. For this purpose, the induction elements 27 of the pan 2 can be designed as induction coils 27 and referred to as inductive charging elements 27 or as charging coils 27.

The inductive charging can take place in a standby mode of the inductive hob 1, in which the first induction coils 13 of the inductive hob 1 can remain inactive. It is advantageous here that in a standby mode the second induction elements 13 of the inductive hob 1 do not have to be used as kitchenware detection sensors 13 and can thus be continuously available as charging coils 13.

In a separate operating mode, on the other hand, the second induction elements 13 of the inductive hob 1 must act as kitchenware detection sensors 13 at predetermined short intervals, for example to detect the pan 2; this is necessary so that on the part of the inductive hob 1 at all those first induction elements 12, which are located at height Z below kitchen utensils 2, can be controlled for heating kitchen utensils 2. Between these times at which the second induction elements 13 of the inductive hob 1 are operated as kitchenware detection sensors 13, the second Induction elements 13 of the inductive hob 1 can still be used as charging coils 13 for inductive charging of the battery 26 of the pan 2.

In the standby mode, at the same time as inductive charging of the inductive hob 1, a message from the inductive hob 1 by means of its display / operating element 11 and / or by the pan 2 by means of its display element 22 can be given optically, acoustically and / or haptically to the user that an inductive charging process of the battery 26 of the pan 2 is carried out.

In any case, when the electrical energy store 26 of the pan 2 is inductively charged, some of the electrical energy made available inductively can also be used to operate the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2. Also, only the electronic elements 22-25 of the pan 2 can be fed inductively, without an inductive charging of the electrical energy store 26 of the pan 2 having to take place at the same time.

List of reference symbols (part of the description)

X

Longitudinal direction; Depth; length

Y

Transverse direction; broad

Z

vertical direction; height

1

inductive hob

10

Installation area; Cover;

11

Display / control element

12th

first induction elements; first induction coils; inductive heating elements; Power coils

13th

second induction element; second induction coil; Kitchen ware detection sensors; inductive charging elements; Charging coils

14th

Transmitter / receiver unit

15th

Control unit

2

Kitchen ware; Cooking utensils; pan

20th

Kitchen ware bodies; Cookware bodies; Pan body

21

Handle element; handle

22nd

Display element;

23

Control element; stud

24

Transmitter / receiver unit

25th

Control unit; Signal processing unit

26th

electrical (short-term / long-term) energy storage; Capacitor; battery pack

27

Induction elements; Induction coils; inductive charging elements; Charging coils

28

floor

Claims (15)

Inductive kitchen system (1, 2)
with an inductive hob (1) with an installation surface (10) which is designed to hold at least one kitchen utensil (2) freely positionable from above on itself, with a plurality of first induction elements (12) which are arranged below the installation surface (10) and are each designed to inductively heat kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10), and with a plurality of second induction elements (13) which are arranged in a predetermined manner below the installation surface (10) and are each designed to detect the presence of kitchen utensils (2) on the installation surface (10) at least essentially directly above them, and with at least the kitchen utensils (2) with at least one electrical energy storage device (26) which is designed to electrically supply at least one electronic element (22-25) of the kitchen utensils (2),
wherein the second induction elements (13) are neither intended nor set up to inductively heat kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10),
characterized in that
the kitchen utensil (2) has at least one induction element (27) and at least one electronic element (22-25), the kitchen utensil (2) being designed to electrically connect the at least one electronic element (22-25) by means of its induction element (27) supply, and
the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate at least one of its second induction elements (13) in such a way that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) can be inductively charged by means of its induction element (27) . Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to claim 1, wherein
the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate several of its second induction elements (13) in such a way that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) can be inductively charged by means of its induction element (27). Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the kitchen ware (2) has a plurality of induction elements (27). Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the mean overlap area of all first induction elements (12) is at least twice as large, preferably at least three times as large as the overlap area of the largest of the second induction elements (13). Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the inductive hob (1) is designed, to operate its second induction elements (13) in a standby mode in such a way that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchenware (2) located on the installation surface (10) can be inductively charged by means of its induction element (27), and to operate its second induction elements (13) in one operating mode in such a way that the presence of the kitchen utensils (2) on the installation surface (10) can be detected at least essentially directly via the second induction elements (13). Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate its second induction elements (13) in one operating mode in such a way that that the presence of the kitchen utensils (2) on the installation surface (10) can be detected at least essentially directly via the second induction elements (13), or that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) can be charged inductively by means of its induction element (27). Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the inductive hob (1) is designed to detect a sufficient overlap for inductive coupling of at least one of its second induction elements (13) with the induction element (27), preferably with at least one of the induction elements (27), of the kitchen utensils (2) and in Reaction to start a charging process and / or to notify a user of the coverage. Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the inductive hob (1) is designed to detect a change in an overlap sufficient for inductive coupling of at least one of its second induction elements (13) with the induction element (27), preferably with at least one of the induction elements (27), of the kitchen utensils (2) and in response to this, communicate the amount of coverage to a user. Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen ware (2) is a short-term energy store (26), preferably a capacitor (26), and
the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate its second induction element (13), preferably repetitively, briefly with a sufficiently high electrical power so that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) by means of whose induction element (27) can be charged inductively. Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein
the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen ware (2) is a long-term energy store (26), preferably a rechargeable battery (26), and
the inductive hob (1) is designed to operate its second induction element (13) with a sufficiently high electrical power for a sufficiently long time so that the electrical energy store (26) of the kitchen utensils (2) located on the installation surface (10) by means of its induction element ( 27) can be charged inductively. Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein inductive hob (1)
has a first generator which is designed to operate the first induction element (12) at a low frequency, in particular less than 200 kHz, preferably at a frequency between approximately 15 kHz and approximately 100 kHz, and
has a second generator which is designed to operate the second induction element at a high frequency, in particular greater than 2 MHz, in particular at a frequency between approximately 50 kHz and approximately 5 MHz. Inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein
the value of the high frequency of the second induction element is greater than the value of the low frequency of the first induction element .. Inductive hob (1) for use in an inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of Claims 1 to 12. Kitchen utensils (2), preferably cooking utensils (2), for use in an inductive kitchen system (1, 2) according to one of Claims 1 to 12. Kitchen utensils (2) according to claim 14, characterized in that
the kitchen utensil (2) is designed to recognize a predetermined low state of charge of the electrical energy store (25) and to output at least one corresponding message to a user in response to this.

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