ES2859475T3 - Kitchen appliance with improved flexibility and energy efficiency - Google Patents

Abstract

A kitchen appliance (1) comprising: - a glass cooking plate (2) on which the user can randomly place the food (3) to be cooked, without a kitchen utensil; - a plurality of resistance heaters (4) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) under the glass cooktop (2) and adapted to cook food (3) that are randomly placed on the plate glass kitchenware (2) without a kitchen utensil by the user; and a control unit (5) comprising: - first detection means (6) that are adapted to directly detect the location of the food (3) placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil; - determination means that are adapted to determine on the basis of the detection result of the first detection means (6) the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); and - actuation means adapted to actuate, based on the determination result of the determination means, the resistance heaters (4) located under the food (3) to cook the same; characterized in that: - the first detection means (6) are arranged above the glass cooktop (2) and are also adapted to acoustically detect the location of the food (3) that the user places randomly on the cooktop glass (2) without a kitchen utensil; or - the first detection means (6) comprise: a plurality of load cells (7) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) below the glass cooktop (2) and adapted to detect the weight of the food (3), where the load cells (7) are arranged in spatial correspondence with the resistance heaters (4).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Kitchen appliance with improved flexibility and energy efficiency

The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance with a glass cooktop. The present invention relates more particularly to a kitchen appliance of the built-in type.

Kitchen appliances with glass cooktops are commonly known in the art. In order to allow the user to cook more flexibly, various household goods manufacturers now provide the kitchen appliances with glass cooktops on which the user can randomly place the cookware. This type of kitchen appliance has a plurality of resistance heaters that are arranged in an array of rows and columns below the glass cooktop to heat food. During its operation, the location of the cookware on the glass cooktop is first detected, then the resistance heaters under the cookware are determined and activated to heat the cookware and cook the food on it.

EP1206164A2 describes a kitchen appliance with a cooktop as specified above. In this prior art kitchen appliance, the location of the cookware is determined through the electromagnetic coupling which is affected by the presence / absence of the metal cookware. Document WO2014 / 106960 describes another kitchen appliance according to the prior art.

A problem with the prior art kitchen appliance is that the use of a kitchen utensil increases energy consumption and overall cooking time due to its mass which also stores and radiates heat. Energy consumption and cooking time are further increased when the user selects a comparatively small amount of food, such as a small piece of meat, a kitchen utensil that covers an unnecessarily large amount of area on the glass cooktop. And therefore a greater number of resistance heaters under the glass cooktop are involved in the cooking process. Furthermore, the use of a cooking utensil can, under those circumstances, reduce the flexibility of the kitchen appliance.

An object of the present invention is to provide a kitchen appliance which solves the aforementioned prior art problems in a cost effective manner and which enables the user to cook more flexibly, more energy efficiently and more quickly.

This object has been achieved by the kitchen appliance as defined in claim 1, and the cooking method as defined in claim 7. Further achievements have been obtained by the subject matters defined respectively in the dependent claims.

The kitchen appliance of the present invention comprises: a glass cooktop on which the user can randomly place the food to be cooked without a kitchen utensil; a plurality of resistance heaters that are arranged in rows and columns below the glass cooktop and adapted to cook food that the user randomly places on the glass cooktop without a cookware; and a control unit comprising: a first detection means that is adapted to directly detect the location of the food placed on the glass cooktop without a kitchen utensil; a determining means which is adapted to determine based on the detection result of the first detection means the resistance heaters which are immediately below the food; and a drive means that is adapted to drive, based on the determination result of the determination means, the resistance heaters that are under the food for cooking.

A main advantageous effect of the present invention is that the flexibility of the kitchen appliance has been increased as the user can cook food, for example a piece of meat without a kitchen utensil, such as a frying pan or a pot, by random anywhere on the glass cooktop. Another important advantageous effect of the present invention is that the energy efficiency of the kitchen appliance has been improved since resistance heaters that would otherwise be located under the cookware but not necessarily under the food can be turned off and thus Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced. In this way, food can be cooked more energy efficiently and faster, as energy that would otherwise have been consumed by the cookware can be saved.

In a first alternative embodiment, the first sensing means is arranged above the glass cooktop and acoustically detects the location of the food that the user randomly places on the glass cooktop without a cookware. Thus, the shape of the food, such as a piece of meat, can be detected and resistance heaters immediately below the piece of meat can be determined and activated for the cooking process. The detection process can be carried out in parallel with the cooking process, and therefore the kitchen appliance can be operated more smoothly. This embodiment is particularly advantageous in that acoustic detection is cost-effective and reliable.

In a further version not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance further has an input / output device arranged on the glass cooktop to project a virtual keyboard onto an area of the glass cooktop and / or over an area near the glass cooktop. The control unit controls the kitchen appliance based on user inputs made via the virtual keyboard by the user. The first detection means, as part of the input and output device, also detect user inputs made through the virtual keyboard. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the input / output device eliminates the need for a capacitive touch button user interface and therefore production costs can be saved both in terms of labor and material. Thus, also the glass cooktop area for cooking food can be used more efficiently.

In a second alternative embodiment, the first sensing means has a plurality of load cells that are arranged in rows and columns below the glass cooktop in spatial one-to-one correspondence with the resistance heaters. In this way, the shape of the food, such as a piece of meat, can be detected and resistance heaters immediately below the piece of meat can be determined and activated for the cooking process. The detection process can be performed similarly in parallel with the cooking process, and therefore the kitchen appliance can be operated more smoothly. In a further version of the second alternative embodiment, the load cells have spring loaded microswitches. This embodiment is particularly advantageous because the load cells are environmentally friendly and reliable.

In a further version not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance further has an input / output device arranged on the glass cooktop to project a virtual keyboard onto an area of the glass cooktop and / or on a area in the vicinity of the glass cooktop. The control unit controls the kitchen appliance based on user inputs made via the virtual keyboard by the user. A second input / output device detection means detects user inputs made through the virtual keyboard. This embodiment is particularly advantageous as the input / output device eliminates the need for the capacitive touch button user interface, and therefore production costs both in terms of labor and material can be reduced. Thus, also the glass cooktop area for cooking food can be used more efficiently.

In other versions not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance has an extractor hood, in which the inlet / outlet device is arranged on the extractor hood. These embodiments are particularly advantageous since the extractor hood is an ideal support that can center the inlet / outlet device on the glass cooktop.

In further versions of the alternative first / second embodiments, the kitchen appliance is provided as built-in type appliances. These embodiments are especially advantageous since the kitchen appliance and the extractor hood can be integrated into the kitchen cabinets.

In further versions of the alternative first / second embodiments, the resistance heaters overlap the entire bottom surface of the glass cooktop. This embodiment is particularly advantageous since the efficiency of utilization of the glass cooktop area can be maximized up to the edges of the cooktop.

In further versions of the alternative first / second embodiments, the resistance heaters have comparatively small sizes. For example, the resistance heater can cover an area of less than 5 square centimeters. The resistance heater can alternatively cover an area that varies between 5 and 10 square centimeters. These embodiments are particularly advantageous in that the energy efficiency and cooking performance of the kitchen appliance can be further improved, and therefore a small piece of food can be cooked in an energy efficient and uniform manner.

Additional features and additional advantageous effects of the kitchen appliance of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic partial perspective view of a cooker hood appliance according to a first alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is an exploded view, in partial schematic perspective, of the kitchen appliance of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic partial perspective view of a range hood kitchen appliance according to a second alternative embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 4 is an exploded view, in partial schematic perspective, of the kitchen appliance of Figure 3;

The reference signs that appear in the drawings refer to the following technical characteristics.

1. Kitchen appliance

2. Glass cooktop

3. Food

4. Resistance heater

5. Control unit

6. First means of detection

7. Load cell

8. Spring

9. Microswitch

10. Input / output device

11. Projection media

12. Virtual keyboard

13. Second means of detection

14. Extractor hood

R: Row

C: Column

The kitchen appliance (1) of the present invention comprises: a glass cooktop (2) on which the food (3) to be cooked can be randomly placed without a kitchen utensil by the user; a plurality of resistance heaters (4) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) under the glass cooktop (2) and adapted to cook food (3) that is randomly placed on the plate glass kitchenware (2) without a kitchen utensil by the user; and a control unit (5) comprising: a first detection means (6) which is adapted to directly detect the location of the food (3) placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil; a determining means that is adapted to determine, based on the detection result of the first detection means (6), the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); and actuation means that are adapted to actuate, based on the result of the determination of the determination means, the resistance heaters (4) that are under the food (3) to cook the same (Figure 1 to Figure 4 ).

In a first alternative embodiment, the first detection means (6) are arranged on the glass cooktop (2) and are further adapted to acoustically detect the location of the food (3) that is randomly placed on the cooktop. glass cooker (2) without kitchen utensil by the user (Figure 1 and Figure 2). In another version not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance (1) further comprises: an inlet / outlet device (10) which is arranged on the glass cooktop (2) and which comprises: projection means ( 11) which are adapted to project a virtual keyboard (12) in an area of the glass cooktop (2) and / or in an area close to the glass cooktop (2); and the first detection means (6) that are further adapted to detect user inputs made through the virtual keyboard (12), wherein the control unit (5) is further adapted to control the kitchen appliance (1) , in particular the actuation means based on the user's inputs made through the virtual keyboard (12) by the user (Figure 1 and Figure 2).

In a second alternative embodiment, the first detection means (6) comprise: a plurality of load cells (7) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) below the glass cooktop (2 ) and adapted to detect the weight of the food (3), wherein the load cells (7) are arranged in spatial correspondence one by one with the resistance heaters (4) (Figure 3 and Figure 4).

In a further version of the second alternative embodiment, the load cells (7) each comprise: a spring (8) that is adapted to be locally compressed by the weight of the food (3); and a microswitch (9) that is arranged below the spring (8) and adapted to be activated by compressing the springs (8) and to send to the control unit (5) an ON / OFF signal indicative of the activation / deactivation of it (Figure 3 and Figure 4)

In another version not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance (1) further comprises: an input / output device (10) which is arranged on the glass cooking plate (2) and which comprises: projection means ( 11) that are adapted to project a virtual keyboard (12) in an area of the glass cooktop (2) and / or an area close to the glass cooktop (2); and second detection means (13) that are adapted to detect user inputs made through the virtual keyboard (12), wherein the control unit (5) is further adapted to control the kitchen appliance (1), in particular the drive means based on the inputs made through the virtual keyboard (12) (Figure 3 and Figure 4).

In other versions not covered by the claims, the kitchen appliance (1) further comprises: an extractor hood (14) to extract the smoke from the food (3) that is cooked on the glass cooktop (2), in where the inlet / outlet device (10) is arranged on the extractor hood (14) in a position on the glass cooktop (2) (Figure 1 and Figure 3).

In other versions not covered by the claims, the extractor hood (14) is supplied as an integrated type extractor hood (14).

In further versions of the first and second alternative embodiments, the plurality of resistance heaters (4) overlap the entire bottom surface of the glass cooktop (2).

In other versions of the first and second alternative embodiments, each resistance heater (4) covers an area that is less than 5 square centimeters.

In other versions of the first and second alternative embodiments, each of the resistance heaters (4) covers an area that varies between 5 and 10 square centimeters.

In other versions of the first and second alternative embodiments, the kitchen appliance (1) is provided as an integrated type kitchen appliance (1).

The present invention also provides a method for operating the kitchen appliance (1) for cooking food (3) without a kitchen utensil such as a pot, pan or the like. The method comprises a step of randomly placing food (3) for cooking without a kitchen utensil on a glass cooktop (2) under which a plurality of resistance heaters (4) arranged in rows (R ) and columns (C) for heating the food (3); a step of directly detecting the location of the food (3) placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil; a step of determining, based on the detection result in the detection step, the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); and an actuation stage, based on the determination result in the determination stage, of the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3).

In the first alternative embodiment, in the detection step, the location of the food (3) that is randomly placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil is acoustically detected using the first detection means (6 ).

In the second alternative embodiment, in the detection stage, the weight of the food (3) is detected by the plurality of load cells (7) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) under the cooktop glass (2) and in spatial correspondence one by one with the plurality of resistance heaters (4).

A main advantageous effect of the present invention is that the flexibility of the kitchen appliance (1) has been increased since the user can cook the food (3), for example, a piece of meat without a kitchen utensil, such as a random pan or pot anywhere on the glass cooktop (2). Another important advantageous effect of the present invention is that the energy efficiency of the kitchen appliance (1) has been improved since the resistance heaters (4) that would otherwise be located under the kitchen utensil but not necessarily under the food (3), can be turned off, and therefore power consumption can be reduced. In this way, the food (3) can be cooked more energy efficiently and faster, since the energy that would otherwise have been consumed by the kitchen utensil can be saved. Other advantageous effects of the present invention can be taken from the embodiments described above.

Claims (7)

1. A kitchen appliance (1) comprising: - a glass cooking plate (2) on which the user can randomly place the food (3) to be cooked, without a kitchen utensil; - a plurality of resistance heaters (4) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) under the glass cooktop (2) and adapted to cook food (3) that are randomly placed on the plate glass kitchenware (2) without a kitchen utensil by the user; and a control unit (5) comprising: - first detection means (6) that are adapted to directly detect the location of the food (3) placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil; - determination means that are adapted to determine on the basis of the detection result of the first detection means (6) the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); and - actuation means adapted to actuate, based on the determination result of the determination means, the resistance heaters (4) located under the food (3) to cook the same; characterized by that: - the first detection means (6) are arranged above the glass cooktop (2) and are also adapted to acoustically detect the location of the food (3) that the user randomly places on the glass cooktop (2 ) without a kitchen utensil; or - the first detection means (6) comprise: a plurality of load cells (7) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) under the glass cooktop (2) and adapted to detect the weight of the food (3), where the load cells (7) are arranged in spatial correspondence with the resistance heaters (4). The kitchen appliance (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the plurality of load cells (7) comprises: a spring (8) that is adapted to be locally compressed by the weight of the food (3); and a microswitch (9) that is arranged below the spring (8) and adapted to be activated through the compression of the springs (8) and to send to the control unit (5) an ON / OFF signal that is indicative of their activation and deactivation. The kitchen appliance (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the plurality of resistance heaters (4) overlap the entire lower surface of the glass cooktop (2). Kitchen appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each resistance heater (4) covers an area that is less than 5 square centimeters. Kitchen appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each resistance heater (4) covers an area between 5 and 10 square centimeters. Kitchen appliance (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is provided as a kitchen appliance of the integrated type (1). 7. A method of cooking food (3), comprising: - a step of randomly placing the food (3) to be cooked without a kitchen utensil on a glass cooking plate (2) below which a plurality of resistance heaters (4) are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) to heat the food (3); - a step of directly detecting the location of the food (3) placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a kitchen utensil, - a step of determining, based on the detection result in the detection step, the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); and - an actuation stage, based on the determination result in the determination stage, of the resistance heaters (4) that are immediately below the food (3); characterized in that the detection stage comprises: - acoustically detecting by means of first detection means (6) arranged above the glass cooktop (2), the location of the food (3) that is randomly placed on the glass cooktop (2) without a cooking utensil kitchen room; or - detect, by means of a plurality of load cells (7) that are arranged in rows (R) and columns (C) below the glass cooktop (2) and in spatial correspondence with the plurality of resistance heaters (4 ), the weight of the food (3).