Kitchen Appliance, Accessory for a Kitchen Appliance, System and Method for Operating a Kitchen Appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to a kitchen appliance with a base unit including a housing, an electric motor, a detector, a controller and a communication interface, and with at least one accessory having an identification feature. The controller is configured to recognise an accessory on the basis of a detected identification feature and to display corresponding cooking information and also, on the first use of this accessory, to then automatically register it in a database. Also described are a system including a Kitchen appliance and having a database, an accessory having an integrated data carrier, an operating method and a computer program.

Claims

1. A kitchen appliance, wherein the kitchen appliance comprises a base unit having a housing, an electric motor, a detector, a controller and a communication interface, and at least one accessory having an identifier, wherein the detector is configured to detect the identifier of the at least one accessory and to forward it to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to compare the detected identifier with identifiers from a database, wherein the controller is configured to, in the event of a match between the detected identifier and an unmarked identifier from the database, mark the matching identifier from the database as known, and provide cooking information associated with the matching identifier from the database via the communication interface, and wherein the controller is configured to make available at least one item of cooking information from the database, which is assigned to the identifier marked as known, via the communication interface if the detected identifier matches an identifier already marked as known.

2. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to detect a user input and to forward it to the controller, and in that the controller is configured to mark at least one cooking information selected by the user input among the cooking information provided as preferred cooking information, and in the event of a subsequent, renewed match of the same identifier, make the at least one item of cooking information marked as preferred cooking information available separately via the communication interface.

3. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein a position detector is provided and is configured to detect the position of the at least one accessory with respect to the base unit and/or with respect to a further accessory and to forward it to the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to provide cooking information from the database in dependence on the detected position of the accessory via the communication interface.

4. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to provide cooking information from the database as a function of a plurality of detected identifiers and/or detected positions.

5. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to block at least one preparation function in the event the detected identifier does not match an identifier from the database, and/or wherein the controller is configured to block at least one preparation function in the event of detecting the position of an accessory corresponding to an assembly of the accessory with the base unit and in the event of an aborted detection of an identifier.

6. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the identifier is a coded data carrier with machine-readable information, and wherein the detector is configured to detect machine-readable information.

7. The kitchen appliance according to claim 6, wherein the identifier is stored on an electronic data carrier and the detector is a reader for the electronic data carrier, the data carrier and the reader being connected bidirectionally by cable, or wherein the identifier is stored on an electronic data carrier and the detector is a reader for the electronic data carrier, the reader being configured to detect the content of the electronic data carrier by means of a radio standard.

8. The kitchen appliance according to claim 7, wherein the data carrier and the reader are connected bidirectionally via a bus connection.

9. The kitchen appliance according to claim 7, wherein the reader is configured to detect the content of the electronic data carrier by means of radio frequency identification (RFID), Bluetooth (BT), Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), WLAN or ultra-wide band (UWB).

10. An accessory for a kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the accessory has a base body, wherein a data carrier with an identifier is provided, the identifier being at least one machine-readable information concerning the type and/or an identification number of the accessory, and wherein the data carrier is integrated in the base body.

11. A system, wherein the system comprises a kitchen appliance according to claim 1, and a database, wherein the database has identifiers and cooking information associated therewith, and wherein the controller is configured for connection to the database via an overarching communication network.

12. A method of operating a kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein an identifier of an accessory for the kitchen appliance is detected, wherein the detected identifier is compared with identifiers from a database, wherein, in the event of a match between the detected identifier and an unmarked identifier from the database, the matching identifier from the database is marked as known, and cooking information associated with the matching identifier from the database is provided, and wherein, in the event of a match between the detected identifier and an identifier already marked as known from the database, at least one cooking information associated with the identifier marked as known is provided.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a user input is detected, wherein at least one item of cooking information selected by the user input from among the cooking information provided is marked as preferred cooking information, and wherein, in the event of a subsequent, renewed match of the same identifier, the at least one cooking information marked as preferred cooking information is provided separately.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the position of at least one accessory is detected with respect to the base unit and/or with respect to further accessory, and wherein cooking information is provided from the database in dependence on the detected position of the accessory.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein cooking information from the database is provided in dependence on a plurality of detected identifiers and/or detected positions.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein at least one preparation function is blocked in the event the detected identifier does not match an identifier from the database, and/or wherein at least one preparation function is blocked in the event of detecting the position of an accessory corresponding to an assembly of the accessory with the base unit and in the event of an aborted detection of an identifier.

17. A computer program comprising instructions, the execution of which on at least one processor of a controller of a kitchen appliance causes the performance of a method according to claim 12.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0081] Further features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of examples of embodiments, reference being made to the accompanying drawing.

[0082] In the drawing show

[0083] FIG. 1 a first example of a kitchen appliance,

[0084] FIG. 2 an example of the system,

[0085] FIG. 3 another example of the kitchen appliance,

[0086] FIG. 4 an example of the accessory.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0087] FIG. 1 shows a kitchen appliance 2 with a base unit 4 and with an accessory 6. The base unit 4 has a housing 8, an electric motor 10, a detector 12, a controller 14 and a communication interface 16. The accessory 6 is a cooking vessel on which a data carrier 18 in the form of an RFID module with a memory and an antenna is provided.

[0088] Machine-readable information concerning an identifier of the accessory 6 is stored on the memory. The identifier includes the type of the accessory 6, here “cooking vessel” and the manufacturer identification number of the accessory 6, here “111”. The detector 12 is a reader for detecting the identifier stored on the memory of the RFID module.

[0089] The detector 12 is connected to the controller 14 via a first communication link 20. The controller 14 is in turn connected to a database 24 for identifiers and cooking information associated therewith via a second communication link 22 and to the communication interface 16 via a third communication link 26. The communication interface 16 is set up for wireless data transmission 28 with a user interface 30 in the form of a smartphone.

[0090] The controller 14 comprises a processor (not shown here) with a computer program. The computer program comprises instructions, the execution of which on the processor causes a procedure to be carried out in dependence on selected cooking information from the database 24.

[0091] The kitchen appliance 2 is operated as follows. When the accessory 6 is first used with the base unit 4, the detector 12 detects the identifier of the accessory 6 and outputs a signal to the controller 14 corresponding to the information “cooking vessel” and “111”.

[0092] The controller 14 compares this information with identifiers from the database 24. The comparison results in a match of the detected information “cooking vessel” with an information “cooking vessel” stored in the database 24 which is not yet marked. The controller 14 marks the “cooking vessel” information from the database 24 with “111” or stores the manufacturer identification number “111” of the accessory 6 used together with the matching “cooking vessel” information in the database 24.

[0093] Then the controller 14 transmits cooking information stored in the database 24 together with “cooking vessel” to the user interface via the communication interface 16.

[0094] The user interface detects a user input concerning a selection of a cooking recipe and forwards a corresponding selection information to the controller 14. The controller 14 records the selected cooking information in the database 24 by storing a link between the accessory 6 “cooking vessel” with the manufacturer identification number “111” and the cooking information. In addition, the controller 14 causes the functional elements of the Kitchen appliance 2 to perform preparation steps according to the selected cooking information.

[0095] When the accessory 6 is used again at the base unit 4, the controller 14 compares the identifier detected by the detector 12 with the information stored in the database 24. The comparison results in a match of both the information “cooking vessel” and the information “111”. Thus, the accessory 6 is recognised and the controller 14 then provides the linked cooking information previously selected by user input in a separate menu on the user interface 30 via the communication interface 16.

[0096] FIG. 2 shows a system 200 with a Kitchen appliance 202 and with a database 204. The Kitchen appliance 202 is equipped with a base unit 206, with a first accessory 208 and with a second accessory 210. Again, the base unit 206 comprises a housing 212, an electric motor 214, a detector 216, a controller 218 and a communication interface 220.

[0097] The first accessory 208 and the second accessory 210 are each formed as a vessel with a cutting unit and a cooking unit. The first accessory 208 serves as an interface for the use of the second accessory 210 with the base unit 206. The accessories 208, 210 each have a data carrier 222, 224 with an identifier.

[0098] The detector 216 is configured to sense the identifiers via Bluetooth transmission and the communication interface 220 is a touch-sensitive screen. The detector 216 is connected to the controller 218 via a first communication link 226, which in turn is connected to the communication interface 220 via a second communication link 228. The controller 218 is connected via radio and internet to an external database 204 for identifiers and cooking information associated therewith.

[0099] A position detector 230 is arranged at the base unit 206. The first accessory 208 has an element 232 that closes an electrical circuit of the position detector 230 when the first accessory 208 is assembled with the base unit 206.

[0100] The kitchen appliance 202 is thus able to perform the following process steps.

[0101] The user logs on to a user portal that allows access to the external database 204. He then assembles the first accessory 208 with the base unit 206, with the second accessory 210 already arranged at the first accessory 208. The element 232 at the first accessory 208 interacts with the position detector 230 such that an electrical circuit of the position detector 230 is closed and the position detector 230 outputs a corresponding signal to the controller 218. The controller 218 detects a correct assembly of the first accessory 208 with the base unit 206 and causes the detector 216 to start a detection process.

[0102] The detector 216 detects the first identifier “vessel with cutting unit; manufacturer identification number 222” and the second identifier “cooking unit; manufacturer identification number XYX” and forwards them to the controller 218. The controller 218 performs a comparison of the detected identifiers with the identifiers stored in the database 204. This results in a match with “vessel with cutting unit; manufacturer identification number 222”. However, the recorded second identifier only partially matches, i.e. only the part “cooking unit”, with the data stored in the database 204. The manufacturer identification number and its format are not recognised during the comparison or the second accessory 210 is classified as not permissible.

[0103] Accordingly, the controller 218 provides the cooking information associated with the first identifier via the communication interface 220 and outputs a signal indicating the detection of an unauthorised accessory.

[0104] FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the kitchen appliance 300 in which a cooking vessel is attached to the base unit 302 as the first accessory 304 and a cooking basket is attached as the second accessory 306. The communication interface 308 is in the form of a touch-sensitive screen. Also shown is an example of a menu view 310 provided to the user after assembling the accessories 304, 306 and detecting or analysing their respective identifiers. Here, the cooking information displayed is preparation instructions 312, 314, 316 that the user has selected and also performed during a previous use of the accessory combination of the cooking vessel with the cooking basket, and which have been appropriately stored in the database by the controller. The preparation instructions 312, 314, 316 are provided separately by display as heading 318 titled 320 “already cooked with the cooking basket and cooking vessel”.

[0105] FIG. 4 shows an embodiment of the accessory 400 with a base body 402 and a data carrier 404. The data carrier 404 is integrated in the base body 402. An identifier is stored on the data carrier 404, which is machine-readable information about the type of accessory 400, in this case “cooking vessel”.