GB2175464A - Apparatus for controlling the supply of power to electrical power-consuming devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The control apparatus, e.g. in an electric cooking appliance, has a power control Circuit 1, a cooking- boost control circuit 6 and a power selector switch 5. To avoid a separate mechanical switching mechanism for the selective triggering or cancelling of the cooking-boost procedure, an electronic device 7 for recognising and storing at least one predetermined position of the power selector switch 5 is provided, in which respect the cooking-boost procedure is triggered, or cancelled, when the predetermined position is recognised. The boost mode may be initiated by transitory positioning of the power selector 5 at the highest power setting, the boost mode being cancelled by positioning the power selector 5 at the highest power setting for a second time. Alternatively, the boost mode can be selectively enabled or inhibited by transitory positioning of the power selector 5 from the off state at respectively the highest or the lowest (non-zero) power setting. In this case the power selector 5 may be a switch rotatable in a first direction from OFF through the lowest power setting to the desired continued power level and rotatable in the opposite direction from OFF through the highest power setting to the desired continued power level. Operation in the boost mode may be indicated by lamps (27), (Fig. 2), the boost mode duration depending on the selected power level. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for controlling the supply of power to electrical power-consuming devices The present invention relates to apparatus for controlling the power supply to electrical power-consuming devices.

Known from German Patent No. 28 48 824 of the applicant is an arrangement for controlling the power of consuming devices, more especially for electrical cooking appliances, which contains a control circuit for the individual simultaneous control of the power for several consuming devices. In this respect, the power is supplied to the respective consuming device in quantised form, in which respect the quantising can be determined by manually operable adjusting components. In the highest power stage, preferably a continuous power is supplied to the consuming device.

The arrangement for the power control contains a multi-stage rotary coding switch, through the switching position of which the ratio of the quantising and thus the level of the power supplied to the consuming device is determined. Furthermore, in the case of this rotary coding switch a mechanical possibility (lifting off of the contacts or wipers) from the code disc to generate the code 0000) is provided for the triggering of a so-called heatingup or cooking boost procedure, in which, for a space of time which is dependent upon the switching position, an increased power level or full power is supplied to the consuming device. The cooking boost procedure can here thus be carried out optionally.

Moreover, further arrangements for controlling the power for electrical cooking appliances are known on the market, in which the cooking boost procedure can be triggered by way of a switch which is arranged additionally to the power or temperature selection switch, or else, in which the cooking boost procedure is basically provided, in other words cannot be switched off.

In the case of the known arrangements for power control it is thus either not possible to trigger the cooking boost procedure optionally, or else additionally mechanical swit ching me chanisms are necessary, which make production and/or installation accordingly more expensive.

An object of the present invention is to provide apparatus which affords a user an optionally selected cooking boost procedure, without additional mechanical expenditure being necessary. In this respect, the user-friendliness of such apparatus is to be maintained.

The present invention provides apparatus for controlling the power to electrical power-consuming devices, such as electric cooking appliances, with power and boost control circuitry for feeding a specific individual power profile to at least one consuming device, with at least one power selector switch for controlling the power and boost control circuitry and with at least one control device for the selective triggering or cancelling of a boost procedure, characterised in that the control device has a recognition circuit for recognising and at least transiently storing at least one predete rmined switch position, and in that the boost procedure is triggered, or respectively cancelled, after an at least first recognition of a predetermined position.

Advantageous additional aspects of the present invention are the subject of features disclosed in claims 2 to 7 which aspects may constitute (either singly or in any combination thereof and with or without any other individual feature, detail, or concept disclosed herein) a further invention or inventions which may be individually patentable.

In the apparatus the operationally crucial emphasis can be placed on the triggering of the boost procedure or alternatively on the cancelling, inhibiton or blocking of the boost procedure. In this respect, thus, in the first case the power control will normally, i.e. without heed having to be paid to something special by the user, operate without the boost procedure, whilst in the second case operation is normally effected with the boost procedure.

A particularly useful development emerges in conjunction with power selector switches which are rotary through 360 and which can be adjusted out of the zero (off) position in both directions (high power or low power). In this respect, then the user can determine by the direction of rotation of the power selector switch as to whether the power control operates with or without the boost procedure.

In order, with such a selection possibility, in each case to be able to recognise whether the boost procedure is switched on or off, in the case of a preferred exemplified embodiment an appropriate display device is provided.

The apparatus of the invention is particularly suitable for use in electric cooking appliances to provide and control a cooking-boost procedure.

The invention further provides a method of or a control device for controlling a boost procedure in apparatus comprising power and boost control circuitry which is responsive to manually actuable power selector switch means to control specific power outputs; wherein the method includes, or the control device is arranged to perform, the steps of: (a) sensing the actuation of the switch means (e.g. from an off, zero power, setting) to a selected switch setting for a power output, (b) determining from the mode of actuation (e.g., by recognising whether or not a predetermined switch setting has been transiently selected during actuation) if the boost procedure is required; and (c) causing the power and boost control circuity to provide or refrain from providing boost, in accordance with the determination made in step (b) hereof.

If the switch means is actuable by rotation of a reversibly rotatable part, the detemination may be made by recognising the direction of rotation of said part, e.g. from or via a predetermined position of said part.

The invention further provides apparatus for controlling the supply of power to at least one electrical power-consuming device, comprising power and boost control circuitry which is responsive to manually actuable power selector switch means to control specific power outputs and which is arranged to provide a power boost procedure; wherein the apparatus further comprises an electronic control device which is arranged to recognise and at least transiently remember at least one predetermined setting of the switch means and to control said power and boost control circuitry to initiate or to inhibit the power boost proceedure upon or after recognising that said predetermined setting or a one of said predetermined settings has been even transiently selected.

The invention will be explained in more detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

In the drawings: FIGURE 1 is a block circuit diagram of a preferred power control apparatus with selective triggering of the cooking boost procedure; FIGURE 2 is a basic circuit diagram of a control device for the selective triggering of the cooking boost procedure for use in the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1.

Shown in FIGURE 1 is a circuit diagram of apparatus including circuitry comprising a power control circuit 1 and a cooking boost circuit 6. The circuit 1 controls a switch 2 which is connected into one of the two mains supply lines 3 to supply power to a load resistance of a power consuming device 4. The power control circuit 1 is controlled by means of a power selector switch 5 and actuates the switch 2 in a specific pulse/pause ratio with a preset fixed or variable timing ratio in accordance with the respective position of the power selector switch 5. In the switch position for the highest power setting, the switch 2 preferably remains permanently closed.

Furthermore, the power selector switch 5 controls the cooking-boost control circuit 6, which in turn can control the power control circuit 1 possibly with a cooking-boost signal.

The cooking-boost control circuit 6 generates in this respect, for a specific period of time which is preset as a function of the position of the power selector switch 5, the cookingboost signal which causes the power control circuit 1 to supply the full power to the consuming device 4; i.e. the switch 2 remains closed for this specific duration of time which is dependent upon the respective power setting selected by means of the power selector switch 5. In the highest power setting of the power selector switch 5, accordingly no cooking-boost procedure is possible if work is carried out there similarly with continuous power.

Finally, the power selector switch 5 additionally controls a control device 7 for the selective triggering or cancelling of the cooking-boost procedure, which device generate s a blocking/triggering signal for the cookingboost control circuit 6.

The device 7 recognises, for this purpose, at least one of the possible switching positions of the power selector switch 5 and stores this upon the recognition. Dependent upon the recognised switching position, the device 7 then generates the blocking/triggering signal, i.e. it prevents the cooking-boost procedure, or respectively frees it.

Preferably connected to the device 7 is a display device 8 which displays the triggered cooking-boost procedure. Of course, also already existing display devices for the power control circuit 1 can be co-used in a meaningful manner to display the triggered cookingboost procedure.

Now various conditions can be utilised to generate the blocking/triggering signal. Two preferred possibilities are described hereinunder: (a) the device 7 recognises the highest power setting of the power selector switch 5 and stores the recognition. If, now, the highest power setting is set at the power selector switch 5, then the cooking-boost procedure is triggered. This is meaningless if the power selector switch 5 stays in the highest power setting.

If, however, subsequently a lower power setting is selected, then the cooking-boost control circuit 6 undertakes the temporal control of the cooking-boost procedure in accordance with the selected power setting.

The cancellation of the stored recognition can then be effected both automatically with the end of the cooking-boost procedure (in other words by the cooking-boost control circuit 6) and/or upon the switch-off of the power supply to the consuming device 4.

Moreover, yet another possibility for cancelling the cookingboost procedure can be provided if the power selector switch 5 is set a second time to the highest power setting. This is particularly advantageous for the intentional abridgement of the cooking-boost procedure by the user.

(b) The device 7 recognises both the highest and the lowest power settings of the power selector switch 5 and stores the respective recognition. A pre-requisite in the case of this possibility is that the power selector switch 5 can be switched out of the off-position both onto the highest and onto the lowest power settings. If, now, from the off-position of the power selector switch 5 first of all the highest power setting is se selected, then the cooking-boost procedure is triggered; if, on the other hand, first of all the lowest power setting is selected, then the cooking-boost procedure is cancelled, or respectively blocked. The cancellation of the recognition can be effected here as described under (a).

A basic circuit diagram of the device 7 which functions in accordance with (b) will be described in more detail with refe rence to FIGURE 2. The device 7 in accordance with FIGURE 2 has four code inputs 11, 12, 13, 14 for monitoring the setting signals provided by the power selector switch 5 for the circuitry. Pre-supposed as power selector switch 5 is a 16-step code transmitter with a 4-bit code, in which the following correlations are undertaken: for the code inputs 11, 12, 13, 14 0 O O 0 power supply "off" 0 0 0 1 lowest power setting 1 1 1 1 highest power setting The device 7 has a first circuit 15 for recognising these three codes.The first circuit 15 consists of three quadruple-AND-gate s 16, 17, 18, the inputs of which are connected directly to the code inputs 11, 12, 13, 14 (AND-gate 16 for recognising the code 1 1 1 1), or respectively by way of inverters 19 to the code inputs 11, 12, 13 and directly to the code input 94 (AND-gate 17 for recognising the code 0 0 0 1) and by way of the inverters 19 and a further inverter 18' to all the code inputs 11, 12, 13, 14 (AND-gate 18 for recognising the code 0 0 0 0).

At three outputs 16', 17', 18' of the first circuit 15, which are identical with the outputs of the quadruple-AND-gates 16, 17, 18 there appears in each case upon recognition of one of the three aboveindicated codes at the corresponding out 16', 17', 18' a logic 1. Depending on which of the codes 0 0 0 1 or 1 1 1 1 is recognised as the first one, in a second circuit 20 of the device 7 a storage procedure is undertaken and at a control output 24 the blocking/triggering signal for the coolting-boost control circuit 6 is generated.

The second circuit 20 consists of two SR-flipflops 22,23 in which respect the one SR-flip- flop 22 stores the recognition of the code 1 1 1 1 and the second SR-flip-flop 23 stores the recognition of the code 0 0 0 1. For this purpose, the setting input of the one flip-flop 22 is connected by way of an AND-gate 24 to the output 16' of the first circuit 15, and the setting input S of the second flip-flop 23 is connected by way of an AND-gate 25 to the output 17' of the first circuit 15. The respectively other input of and AND-gates 24, 25 is connected to the inverted output Q of the respectively other RSflip-flop 23, 22.This means that in each case only the first recognition of one of the two codes 0 0 0 1 or 1 1 1 1 brings about a storage procedure, since subsequently the setting input S of the re spectively other flip-flop 22, 23 is blocked by the corre sponding AND-gate 24, 25 (at the inverted output 6 there stands after the storage procedure in each case logic 0).

The resetting of the two SR-flip-flops 23, 23 takes place upon recognition of the code 0 O 0 O (power selector switch 5 to "off"). For this purpose, the resetting inputs R of the two flip-flops 22, 23 are connected to the output 18' of the first circuit 15.

The non-inverted output Q of the one flipflop 22 then forms the control output 21 for the cooking-boost control circuit 6, in which respect a logic I is present there after a first recognition of the code 1 1 1 1 (cookingboost triggered). A signal inverse thereto is generated at the non-inverted output Q of the second flip-flop 23, but is not utilised in the case of the exemplified embodiment in accordance with FIGURE 2; this me ans that, depending on whether the output R of the first or of the second flip-flop 22, 23 is used, a start is made from the basic state with/without cooking-boost, if it leads to disturbances upon the recognition of the code.

In addition, in the case of the exemplified embodiment in accordance with FIGURE 2, additionally a display device 8 is provided which indicates whether the cooking-boost procedure is triggered or cancelled. The display device 8 consists of a transistor 26 with a lamp 27 which is connected into the emitter lead and which is fed by a voltage U. The base of the transistor 26 is connected directly to the noninverted output Q of the one flip-flop 22. The lamp 27 is accordingly switched on with the cooking-boost procedure triggered.

The device 7 in accordance with the invention can be realised very simply, in the case of a power and cooking-boost control circuit which is built up with an expediently programmed microcomputer, in that per software control upon recognition of predete rmined position or direction or rotational actuation of the power selector switch 5 a programme part cooking-boost control is called up or else omitted.

The invention is not confined to the details of the foregoing examples and many variations are possible. For example the control device 7 may be integrated into the circuitry.

Claims (8)

1. Apparatus for controlling the power to electrical power-consuming devices, such as electric cooking appliances, with power and boost control circuitry for feeding a specific individual power profile to at least one consuming device, with at least one power selector switch for controlling the power and boost control circuitry and with at least one control device for the selective triggering or cancelling of a boost procedure, characterised in that the control device has a recognition circuit for recognising and at least transiently storing at least one predetermined switch position, AND in that the boost procedure is triggered, or respectively cancelled, after an at least first recognition of a predetermined position.

2. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the predetermined position of the power selector switch is the one which is associated with the highest power stage or setting.

3. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the boost procedure is cancelled, or respectively triggered, after a second traversing of a predetermined position of the power selector switch.

4. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the recognition circuit is arranged for recognising a second predetermined position of the power selector switch, AND in that the boost procedure is cancelled or respectively triggered after an at least first traverse of the second predetermined position.

5. Apparatus as claimed in Claim 4, characterised in that the second predetermined position of the power selector switch is the one which corresponds to the off-position (zero power setting).

6. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1, 2 or 4, characterised in that the recognition circuit stores the first switching position recognised after leaving the zero position and, depending on whether it is a matter of the switching position of the power selector switch which is associated with the highest or the lowest power setting, the cookingboost procedure is triggered or cancelled.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, characte rised in that the control device has a display device through which the triggering or respectively the cancelling of the cooking-boost procedure is displayable.

8. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore de scribed with refe rence to FIGURE 1 or FIGURES 1 and 2; or incorporating a control device substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to FIGURE 2.