Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C15/00—Details
  • F24C15/20—Removing cooking fumes
  • F24C15/2021—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety systems
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
  • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
  • F24C7/00—Stoves or ranges heated by electric energy
  • F24C7/08—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
  • F24C7/082—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a household appliance, particularly but not exclusively, a kitchen hood, an oven able to determine a cooking degree of a food item according to the preamble of claim 1.
• VOC vertical hoods
• humidity and/or temperature sensors to assess the presence of smells, humidity and temperature in the gas flow that is generated while cooking a food item.
• Such detected quantities are duly processed so as to consequently adjust the functioning rationale of the household appliance based on a program duly installed in a portion of memory of the control unit of the household appliance.
• the common feature is that the plurality of sensors (namely of the sensors) is introduced in the gas flow and that the physical quantities measured are for adjusting the parameters belonging to the household appliance, such as the hood suction rate or the circulation rate of gases in the oven.
• the object of the invention is to provide a household appliance and a method able to overcome the above reported drawbacks according to the following claims.
• the household appliance according to the present invention is able to display by means of a display unit either incorporated into or remote from the household appliance itself an index of the cooking degree of a food item.
• a further advantage obtainable thanks to the household appliance according to the present invention is to make the household appliance more available and more enjoyable by the user.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram view of an embodiment of the household appliance according to the present invention, such as for example a vertical hood, a ceiling hood or a cooktop provided with a downdraft incorporated hood or an electric oven;
• FIG. 2 shows a set of graphs of physical quantities detected by sensors in a gas flow generated by cooking a food item in a predefined time range according to the present invention.
• FIG. 1 there is shown in form of block diagrams a household appliance 1 according to the present invention.
• FIG. 1 Such block diagram of figure 1 is representative of a household appliance of the vertical hood, or ceiling hood or cooktop type with elements able to irradiate an electromagnetic field (i.e. provided with inductors or electrical resistors) provided with an incorporated downdraft hood or an electric oven or similar devices.
• an electromagnetic field i.e. provided with inductors or electrical resistors
• the household appliance 1 has the feature of generating a cooking index or degree I of a food item.
• the household appliance 1 comprises an electric motor and a fan (not shown in the figures) that is mechanically connected with the electric motor to channel a gas flow 2 along a predefined path 3.
• Gases 2 comprise also cooking fumes that are generated by a food item 4 being cooked.
• the predefined path 3 can be for example the funnel aspirating the fumes of a hood, or the path inside an oven chamber or the downward path performed by gases in case of a cooktop with a downdraft hood.
• the step of cooking provides to supply a certain amount of heat C to the food item 4 for a first defined time range T1.
• the household appliance comprises a plurality of transducers (or sensors) 5 to detect physical quantities present in the gas flow 2.
• Each transducer can either be of the active type (i.e. generating a current or voltage signal, such as a thermocouple), and of the passive type (namely it outputs a variation of the electric parameter as resistance, capacity etcetera, such as potentiometers, extensometers, thermistors) so as to generate a signal S that is representative of a physical quantity.
• active type i.e. generating a current or voltage signal
• passive type namely it outputs a variation of the electric parameter as resistance, capacity etcetera, such as potentiometers, extensometers, thermistors
• the household appliance comprises an interface 6 for converting the signal detected by the respective transducer.
• transducers 5 are arranged on one (or more) PCB (printed circuit board).
• the PCB is supported by a frame, preferably made of plastic or the like (not illustrated in the figures).
• Such frame has the function of serving as a support for fixing the PCB to an element of the household appliance 1.
• the frame supporting the PCB is positioned so as to be concerned by the gas flow 2, namely it is arranged in the predefined path 3 along which gases are channelled.
• the frame supporting the PCB is arranged in the path 3 and it is associated inside the household appliance (i.e. not visible to the user).
• some of such transducers 5 may also be enclosed by a covering layer (or coating) so as to preserve the functions of the sensor even in case gases are contacted during possible cleaning operations by the user or possible maintenance operations.
• such covering layer (or coating) is provided with surface openings adapted to make gases pass through so as to concern transducers 5 and detect the concerned quantities.
• openings must in any case be configured to prevent, for example, a user’s fingers or a tool, for example the end of a screwdriver or similar tools from entering.
• the plurality of sensors 5 is selected from the group comprising Volatile Organic Compound (VOC), Particulate Matter (PM), air relative humidity, temperature, carbon dioxide sensors.
• VOC Volatile Organic Compound
• PM Particulate Matter
• transducers for measuring the relative humidity, temperature are protected by the covering layer (or coating) whereas optical transducers, such as VOC or PM, are not provided with it.
• the PM transducer is intended to detect particulate matter quantities typically comprised between 0.1 pm and 10pm.
• the assembly in order to generate the index of the cooking degree I of the food item 4, it is sufficient that the assembly comprises only VOC and PM sensors. Obviously, using also the other types of sensors the reliability level of the index of the cooking degree I of the food item 4 is higher.
• index I of the food item 4 other information from other sensors can also be used such as for example information on the state of the household appliance (i.e. motor speed, power of the cooktop, pre set cooking temperature etcetera).
• the household appliance 1 comprises a processing unit 7 in signal communication with a plurality of sensors 5, through for example the interface 6, to process each signal S generated by each transducer.
• the household appliance 1 comprises a memory 8 in signal communication with the processing unit 7.
• the household appliance 1 comprises a program 9 residing in such memory 8 which is configured to determine the cooking degree I of the food item 4.
• the memory wherein the program resides may be that of a server arranged remote from the household appliance and the latter is connected to such server through for example a TCP/IP protocol -based communication.
• a server arranged remote from the household appliance and the latter is connected to such server through for example a TCP/IP protocol -based communication.
• the memory wherein the program resides may be that of a server arranged remote from the household appliance and the latter is connected to such server through for example a TCP/IP protocol -based communication.
• the household appliance may have a network card or a Wi-Fi module enabling it to interface directly or through a smartphone or a similar hardware/software instrument, provided with a suitable“app”, with the remote server to execute the computational part of the program.
• a thus configured system would benefit from decentralising the heavy computational step so as to provide the household appliance with a particularly performing processing unit reducing the cost of the household appliance.
• the program 8 provides to establish a time correlation between the various signals processed by the processing unit 7.
• the program 8 performs a time correlation between the various signals S so as to identify a peculiar pattern that allows to define in the time range T2 the cooking degree I, as explained in greater detail hereinafter.
• the second time range T2 has a time duration that may be lower, equal or higher than the range T1.
• time range T1 represents the period when heat C is supplied to the food item 4 and range T2 represents duration of the circulation/suction step of gases.
• second range T2 may start and end exactly when T1 starts and ends but it may also start and end differently i.e. it may start before or after and end sooner or later the duration of range Tl.
• -“e” refers to the VOC sensor which operates in a way that is inversely proportional to the concentration
• an open loop control or feedback
• the cooking degree I may be defined, for example, by means of a variable arbitrary scale between a minimum identified by level 1 and a maximum indicated by level 5, where levels 4 and 5 indicate a state of overcooking the food item 4.
• the index I is not static while periods Tl and/or T2 progress but varies according to the result of the correlation. However, at a specific moment of periods T1 and/or T2 the index I expresses a value that is representative of the cooking degree reached by the food item 4 at that determined moment.
• the program 8 is provided with a step able to perform a step of comparing each processed signal S with its own reference signal in order to determine the type of food item 4.
• Such comparison provides comparing the signal S generated for example by the PM transducer (figure 2, graphic portion a-d), by the humidity transducer (figure 2, graphic portion f) and by the VOC transducer (figure 2, graphic portion e) with a respective reference signal so as to identify the type of food item being cooked and subsequently assess the cooking degree I of the food item 4.
• the household appliance 1 comprises a display unit 10 in signal communication with the processing unit 7 to display the cooking degree I.
• the display unit 10 may display other possible messages, for example warnings or other indications on the state of the household appliance 1 or of the food item 4.
• the type of food item 4 being cooked may be selected directly by the user through such display unit 10 so as to avoid the possible step of comparing to determine the type of food item being cooked.
• the display unit 10 is made incorporated into o remote from the household appliance 1 and comprises a display screen and a graphic interface (not illustrated in the figures) that are visible to the user on which the cooking degree scale I may be reported.
• the display unit 10 is made remote from the household appliance 1, such display unit 10 is formed in a device selected from the group comprising a smartphone, a tablet, a personal computer.
• the signal communication with the processing unit 7 and the display unit 10 comprises a wired or wireless connection.
• wireless communication it is preferably provided to use communication protocols based on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, ZigBee or Thread network.
• sensors 5 In use, when the food item 4, which in the specific case of such figures is a hamburger, is being cooked during the T1 period, sensors 5 each detect their own type of physical quantity and generate, respectively, the signals S processed during the T2 range.
• portions“a-d” As time T1 passes by and during T2, it can be detected that the step of cooking the food item 4 has started in that, zones 12, particulate matter particles of increasingly growing size (portions“a-d”) start to appear, that the signal relative to the presence of VOCs undergoes variations (portion“e”) as well as the signal relative to humidity is irregular (portion“f”).
• portions“a-c” the presence of fine particulate matter
• portion“e” the slope of the VOC curve
• portion“f’ the initial levels
• portions“b-d” As time T1 keeps on passing by and during T2, it can be noted, zones 14, appearing higher-size particulate (portions“b-d”), saturation of the presence of the fine particulate (portion“a”), saturation of the VOC sensor (portion“e”) and substantially absence of relative humidity (portion“f”).
• the program 8 generates on the display unit 10 the index I that is for example equal to value 2.
• the control unit monitoring, processing and managing all the above described functions detects that an overcooking step is occurring, i.e. that the index value I is higher than 4 or 5, then, if the concerned household appliance is a cooktop or an oven of the above identified type, it will activate a suitable program to interrupt the step of supplying heat C to the food item 4.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Electric Ovens (AREA)
• Ventilation (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (3)

Family

ID=67734744

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Families Citing this family (1)

Family Cites Families (11)

• 2019
  • 2019-05-16 IT IT102019000006901A patent/IT201900006901A1/it unknown
• 2020
  • 2020-05-13 EP EP20731213.3A patent/EP3969818B1/de active Active
  • 2020-05-13 WO PCT/IB2020/054536 patent/WO2020230056A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2020-05-13 EA EA202192812A patent/EA202192812A1/ru unknown

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