ES2211495T3 - PIROCERAMIC COOKING IRON WITH SAFETY BARRIER. - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooktop provided with a safety virtual barrier activated to prevent users from involuntarily touching the hot plates that are turned off, but still have a very high temperature. In fact, when the user stretches his/her hand out towards the centre of the cooktop, he/she generates an interference with the virtual barrier. This results in the immediate automatic activation of an audible and/or visible signal to warn the user of the possible dangerous contact with the hot plates. <IMAGE>

Description

Pyroceramic cooking plate with barrier security.

The present patent application refers to a Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier.

As it is known, in some cooking plates commercially available, traditional gas burners have been replaced by electric or gas heat plates protected by a glass on which the pans, etc.

This type of cooking plate has shown to be fully adequate thanks to its good efficiency, its aesthetic appearance and the ease of cleaning operations.

However, a serious inconvenience of electric cooking irons are represented by the risk that the User burns hands.

The risk is particularly high after have turned off the cooking plate, since the plates of Hot cooking needs a fairly long time to dissipate the operating temperature During this period of time, it does not occur no visible sign to warn the user of the danger existing for its high residual temperature.

In the case of users who are distracted, the risk of involuntarily touching the hot iron at high Temperature is considerable and involves serious damage.

Once the electric cooking plate is turned off, users generally tend to be less careful about possible contacts with hot irons, although still High risk of burning.

It is clear that some plate makers Cooking have tried to find a solution to this problem.

In particular, they have equipped the cooking plate with an optical detection device - such as a small lamp, LED (electroluminescent diode), etc., which remains on (either fixedly or as a blinking light) while the hot iron maintains a temperature considered dangerous For the users.

We must say, however, that this solution does not it has been effective, since the visible signalers cited with often do not attract the attention of users, especially if They are busy in another activity.

Based on this negative experience, it has conceived the special cooking plate equipped with features safety according to the present invention.

The cooking plate according to the present invention it is provided with an electronic device capable of creating a invisible virtual barrier of a certain intensity. The virtual barrier can be arranged on the front edge of the surface of the cooking plate, on several edges or especially its perimeter.

The barrier is automatically activated when the user turns off the hot plate and remains activated until the glass surface temperature drops to A security level. It is then inactive until the cooking plate is used again.

The barrier is connected to a flag audible and / or visible, which is activated automatically as soon as the barrier is interrupted due to the interference of a utensil cooking or when the user reaches out to the center of the cooking plate

It is evident that the immediate activation of audible or visible signaling device is capable of producing and supplying an instant warning to the user that cannot remain impassive.

Based on the test results made on the cooking plate in accordance with this invention, the sudden production of the audible signal determines a involuntary spontaneous reaction in the user, which instinctively tends to take your hand off the electric cooking plate.

As regards its practical realization, We will say that the virtual barrier can be of different types, according to be the technology used: an optical barrier (by means of optoelectronic sensors, cameras, etc.) or, alternatively, a barrier obtained with infrared or ultrasound rays.

For clarity, the description of the invention will continue with reference to the attached drawings, facts for the purpose of illustration and not with a sense of limitation, in which:

- fig. 1 is an axonometric view of the cooking plate according to the present invention, in one version equipped with a safety barrier only on the leading edge;

- fig. 2 is a set scheme that It represents the operational principle of the safety barrier.

With reference to figure 1, we will say that the electric cooker (1) according to the present invention is characterized by an electronic device (2) capable of activating a virtual barrier (B) of a length approximately equal to the edge front (1a) of the cooking plate (1) when a of hot plates.

As we mentioned, the interruption of the virtual barrier (B) determines the immediate automatic activation of an audible (3) and visible (4) flag.

As regards the operational principle of the virtual barrier (B), the description will continue with reference to the assembly scheme illustrated in fig. 2.

The electronic device uses a microprocessor (not shown in the attached figures) with interface regarding presence sensors used to activate the virtual barrier, with a temperature sensor located in each hob and / or a timer and a audible and / or visible flag.

While the heat plates are off, the presence sensors used to activate the barrier of security remain inactive, which means that it is not safety barrier activated.

When one of the plates is first lit and then off, the microprocessor checks the temperature of that particular plate to ensure there is no danger.

This can be done through the sensor temperature or checking if the plate has been on for a period of time equal to or greater than the "threshold" time previously established (that is, the time necessary for it to produce a dangerous level of temperature on the plate).

If the microprocessor determines that the plate temperature that just turned off does not present a risk, no No other action occurs.

Otherwise, the microprocessor sends the activation order for the virtual security barrier to Presence sensors.

Once the barrier is activated, its involuntary interference or interruption is interpreted by the microprocessor as an impulse for the immediate activation of the audible signaling device and / or visible.

The microprocessor automatically deactivates the virtual barrier as soon as the plate temperature sensors or the timer confirm that the plate temperature has fallen below the levels considered dangerous for the users of the plate
cooking.

Claims (6)

1. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier characterized by the fact that it comprises suitable means for activating a virtual safety barrier (B) on one or more edges of the cooking plate (1), suitable means for verifying the temperature of the iron, an audible signaling device (3) and / or visible (4) and a management and control microprocessor; having foreseen that, as soon as one of the plates is turned off and if said control means determine that the temperature of that particular plate is higher than the temperature threshold, the microprocessor sends the activation signal to the means used to generate the barrier virtual security (B), which immediately activates the audible (3) and / or visible signal (4) in the case of interference that interrupts the continuity of the barrier; The microprocessor is also provided to send a deactivation signal to the means used to generate the virtual safety barrier (B) when the temperature of all hot plates has dropped below the temperature threshold. 2. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier according to claim 1, characterized in that the means used to generate the virtual safety barrier (8) consist of optical devices, such as optoelectric sensors or cameras. 3. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier, according to claim 1, characterized in that the means used to generate the virtual safety barrier (8) consist of infrared devices. 4. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier according to claim 1, characterized in that the means used to generate the virtual safety barrier (8) consist of ultrasound devices. 5. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier, according to claim 1, characterized in that the means used to verify the plate temperature consist of temperature sensors. 6. Pyroceramic cooking plate with safety barrier, according to claim 1, characterized in that the means used to verify the temperature of the plate is a timer that compares the time during which each hot plate remains on, with the threshold time previously settled down.