METHOD FOR HEATING A COOKING VESSEL ON A HOB, AND HOB

Abstract

A method for heating a cooking vessel on a hob with a plurality of heating devices is described. Each heating device has a heating region in which a cooking vessel can be arranged in order to be heated by the heating device under the control of a power supply. The cooking vessel has a temperature sensor together with an evaluation apparatus and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting an identification and temperature data. A controller controls the heating device in a specific manner and evaluates the received temperature data using a plurality of plausibility checks in order to determine whether said data match the operation of the heating device. If these plausibility checks are passed, the cooking vessel is assigned to the heating device.

Claims

1. A method for heating a cooking vessel on a hob, said hob having a plurality of heating devices, wherein: each said heating device has a heating region, one said cooking vessel is arranged so as to cover said heating region, each said heating device is designed to generate and transmit energy for heating said cooking vessel arranged above it and for said purpose is controlled by a power supply, said cooking vessel has a temperature sensor together with an evaluation apparatus and a transmitting apparatus for transmitting an identification and temperature data on a basis of received energy from one said heating device in the form of a temperature increase at said temperature sensor, wherein said heating region of said heating device is at least partially covered by said cooking vessel, a receiving device is provided for said hob for the purpose of receiving said identification and said temperature data from one said transmitting apparatus of one said cooking vessel or from all said transmitting apparatuses of said cooking vessels on said hob or in said receiving region of said receiving device, a controller is provided for said hob, said controller receiving said identification and said temperature data from said receiving device and evaluates said identification and said temperature data with respect to information relating to a transmission of energy from said heating device, wherein said method has the following steps: at least one said cooking vessel is arranged above one said heating region of one said heating device, at least said heating device is controlled by said power supply in order to generate and transmit energy to said cooking vessel in a cycle, wherein a duration and/or a maximum value of said transmission of energy is/are varied in said cycle, wherein said variation in said cycle involves said maximum value of said transmitted energy varying over time, and/or said duration of said transmission of energy varying, and/or a duration between two said operations of transmitting said energy varying, and/or a number of said operations of transmitting said energy varying, said temperature sensor of said cooking vessel registers a change or an increase in a temperature on account of said transmission of energy, said evaluation apparatus of said cooking vessel evaluates a temperature profile varying over time as temperature data and transmits said identification and said temperature data to said receiving device by means of said transmitting apparatus, said controller has or receives said identification and said temperature data from said transmitting apparatus and said receiving device of said cooking vessel, said controller calculates: as a first plausibility result, a relationship of said energy generated by said heating device with respect to said resulting temperature difference at said temperature sensor, and as a second plausibility result, a relationship of a first derivative after time of the energy generated by said heating device with respect to a maximum first derivative after time of said temperature at said temperature sensor, said first and said second plausibility results are buffered by said controller, after each cycle, a change in an absolute temperature at said temperature sensor is checked for said received temperature data and said change is buffered by said controller as a third plausibility result, said cycle of generating and transmitting energy is carried out at least twice in the same manner and said three plausibility results are each calculated and buffered during each carrying-out said operation and after each carrying-out said operation, said controller carries out a plausibility check for each of said three plausibility results, during which a check is carried out in order to determine whether said respective plausibility result is in a plausibility range predefined for said result and stored in said controller, wherein, if all three plausibility checks were positive, said cooking vessel with said identification is assigned to said heating device which previously generated and transmitted said energy, and wherein, if at least one said plausibility check was negative, said cooking vessel with said identification is not assigned to said heating device and/or is not assigned to any of said heating devices, wherein said steps are carried out as a check for all said identifications and said temperature data of said cooking vessels having said temperature sensor, said evaluation apparatus and said transmitting apparatus that are received by said receiving device, wherein, if no check of said temperature data of one said cooking vessel was positive in all three said plausibility checks during at least two of said cycles, said controller assumes that no cooking vessel having one said temperature sensor together with one said evaluation apparatus and one said transmitting apparatus has been placed on said heating device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if only precisely one single check of temperature data of one said cooking vessel was positive in all three said plausibility checks during at least two said cycles, precisely one single of said cooking vessels having one said temperature sensor together with one said evaluation apparatus and one said transmitting apparatus on said heating device is assumed.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if a plurality of checks of said temperature data of one said cooking vessel were positive in all three said plausibility checks during at least said two cycles, a check is carried out in order to determine whether said temperature data have been received from different of said cooking vessels with different said identifications, wherein a cooking vessel is not assigned to a heating device in said case, wherein, if said temperature data have been received from a single cooking vessel, said cooking vessel is assigned to said heating device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if only one single check of said temperature data of one said cooking vessel was positive in all three said plausibility checks during said at least two cycles, but said associated cooking vessel has already been assigned to another said heating device, no new assignment is carried out.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, if a plurality of said checks of said temperature data were positive in all three said plausibility checks during said at least two cycles, said cooking vessel whose temperature data have been checked and for which said plausibility checks were positive but which has already been assigned to one said heating device other than said heating device having generated and transmitted said energy, a fault is detected and each assignment of one said cooking vessel to one said heating device in said hob is deleted.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is simultaneously carried out only with a single heating device of said hob, wherein, although other heating devices of said hob are operated for a purpose of generating and transmitting energy, said other heating devices are not operated according to said above-mentioned cycle.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is simultaneously carried out with at least two said heating devices of said hob, wherein said generation and transmission of energy in said two heating devices is different with respect to at least one of said above-mentioned variations of said maximum value, said transmission duration, duration between two said operations or a number of said operations.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, in addition to said transmitting apparatus, said cooking vessel also has an integrated circuit and also has an energy store such as a battery, a rechargeable battery or a capacitor.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said heating device is controlled by said power supply in such a manner that energy with more than 30% of a maximum energy which can be permanently generated is generated and transmitted as high energy at least twice in one said cycle, wherein, between each process of generating said high energy, said heating device is controlled in such a manner that low energy with less than 15% of said maximum energy which can be permanently generated is being generated.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said generation of said high energy with more than 30% of said maximum energy which can be permanently generated increases after generation of said low energy in a cycle.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said generation of said high energy with more than 30% of said maximum energy which can be permanently generated increases by 20% to 50% in each case after generation of said low energy in a cycle.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of generating said high energy is 5 seconds to 30 seconds.

13. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of generating said low energy is 10 seconds to 40 seconds.

14. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of generating said high energy is identical in each cycle.

15. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of generating said low energy is identical in each cycle.

16. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of generating said low energy in each cycle is 30% to 100% longer than a duration of generating said high energy.

17. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein a duration of one said entire cycle is 40 seconds to 240 seconds.

18. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said cycle is identical to an other of said cycles and there is only one single type of said cycle.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein an identity of said cycle also applies to said heating devices with different absolute maximum energy which can be permanently generated by virtue of said heating devices generating energy with a same energy density in each case as energy per unit area.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is carried out on a mobile terminal or on an external control device with a controller and a receiving device if an app on said mobile terminal is active or if said external control device is activated, wherein said mobile terminal or said external control device is connected to said hob for a purpose of controlling said hob and said power supply of said heating device.

21. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said method is carried out only on those of said heating devices whose said heating region is assigned to only precisely one said cooking vessel.

22. A hob designed to carry out said method as claimed in claim 1.

23. The hob as claimed in claim 22, wherein said hob has a plurality of induction heating coils as said heating devices, wherein at least one induction heating coil is assigned to each said heating region.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Further advantages and aspects of the invention emerge from the claims and from the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention which are explained below on the basis of the figures, in which:

[0034] FIG. 1 shows a schematic illustration of a system having an induction hob according to the invention and having a cooking vessel placed onto a heating region of an induction heating coil,

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a simplified illustration of the functionalities of the cooking vessel having temperature sensors, an evaluation apparatus and a transmitting apparatus,

[0036] FIG. 3 shows a pattern for generating power at the induction heating coil for the purpose of generating energy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0037] FIG. 1 illustrates a system 11 according to the invention having an induction hob 13 according to the invention and a cooking vessel 27. The induction hob 13 has a hob plate 14, below which two induction heating coils 16a and 16b are arranged at a certain distance by way of example. In practice, there are advantageously more induction heating coils 16, for example four or six or eight or even up to twenty or thirty induction heating coils in so-called flat-surface hobs. The induction heating coils may each individually form an above-mentioned heating device or may together form a heating device. In this case, at least one heating region is assigned to each induction heating coil or each group of induction heating coils, which heating regions are also called cooking zones.

[0038] The induction hob 13 also has a hob controller 18 which is connected to a power supply 20, a receiving device 22 for wireless communication and an operating device 24 on the underside of the hob plate 14. These functional units are each designed in a conventional manner. The power supply advantageously has circuit breakers in a conventional connection, in particular depending on the type of heating devices. Electrical circuit breakers or power electronics are provided here for the induction heating coils 16. If the heating devices are formed by conventional radiation heating devices, conventional relays can be used here. The operating device 24 has operating elements, preferably in the form of contact switches, and advantageously optical indicating means such as light indicators and/or displays and also acoustic indicating means such as a buzzer or a beeper. A radio standard for the receiving device 22 may have various designs in principle, as explained at the outset. It is advantageously selected from the possibilities of Bluetooth or BLE or Zigbee, WLAN or the like, as well as proprietary solutions without a generally valid standard.

[0039] A cooking zone 17a and 17b is respectively formed above the induction heating coils 16a and 16b and has an area which respectively corresponds approximately to the area of the induction heating coils 16. A cooking vessel 27 according to the invention having a cooking vessel base 29 and a cooking vessel wall 33 and a handle 28 is arranged on the right-hand cooking zone 17a and is placed there onto the top of the hob plate 14. General goods to be cooked G, for example water or liquid goods to be cooked, are situated in the cooking vessel. The cooking vessel 27 has an above-mentioned temperature sensor 36b in a recess 30 of the cooking vessel base 29. The temperature sensor 36b is designed in a conventional manner, in particular is also sufficiently temperature-stable, for example in the form of a PT100 or PT1000. The temperature sensor 36b captures the temperature of the cooking vessel base 29. This is important for the above-described temperature capture and capture of a temperature of the cooking vessel base 29 and its change. This temperature of the cooking vessel base 29 changes during operation of the induction coil 16a and, in particular, increases if the induction coil 16a generates power or energy and transmits it to the cooking vessel 27 or to the cooking vessel base 29. The temperature sensor 36b is connected, by means of a connection cable 37b, to a cooking vessel module 34 which is illustrated in enlarged form in FIG. 2 and is also explained in detail below. The cooking vessel module 34 is in wireless communication with or has a radio connection to the receiving device 22 in the induction hob 13.

[0040] Furthermore, the cooking vessel module 34 may be alternatively or additionally connected, by means of a connection cable 37a, to a temperature sensor 36a which is arranged inside the cooking vessel 27, advantageously on the inside of the cooking vessel wall 33. This temperature sensor 36a can directly capture, in particular, the temperature of the goods to be cooked G, which may be advantageous for the automatic programs mentioned at the outset. Under certain circumstances, the temperature of the goods to be cooked G can be used even better for an automatic program than the temperature of the cooking vessel base 29 that can be captured by the temperature sensor 36b. Finally, the goods to be cooked G are intended to be cooked. This temperature sensor 36a could also be arranged at an even lower level and could therefore be arranged even closer to the cooking vessel base 29.

[0041] A further cooking vessel 27′ is illustrated using dashed lines on the right close to the induction hob 13 and is intended to be designed like the cooking vessel 27 described above. However, this cooking vessel 27′ illustrated using dashed lines is not only not arranged above the same induction coil 16a, but rather is not arranged on the induction hob 13 at all. It is therefore not heated by an induction heating coil 16 of the induction hob 13 and can also not be heated at all. However, it is arranged close to the receiving device 22 such that the latter also receives signals and therefore temperature data from this cooking vessel 27′. However, these temperature data indicate a substantially constant temperature since this cooking vessel 27′ is not heated at all and therefore its temperature actually does not change or at least does not change significantly. This cooking vessel 27′ is intended to illustrate, as also explained below, that it is important to distinguish between different cooking vessels, which can be carried out particularly well with the invention.

[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates the cooking vessel module 34 in enlarged form. The cooking vessel module 34 is connected, by means of the connection cable 37, to the temperature sensor 36 which may be one of the temperature sensors 36b and 36a. In addition to one or two temperature sensors, further sensors such as pressure sensors, weight sensors or the like may also be provided.

[0043] The cooking vessel module 34 also has an energy store 38 which may be a rechargeable battery and must not be able to store particularly large amounts of energy, in particular if transmission is carried out using Bluetooth or BLE or Zigbee but this should be as quick and loss-free as possible. An integrated circuit is also provided in the cooking vessel module 34 as an evaluation apparatus 40, advantageously as a microcontroller. The evaluation apparatus 40 controls a transmitting apparatus 42 of the cooking vessel 27 having a transmitting antenna 44, advantageously designed for the above-mentioned Bluetooth or BLE standard or Zigbee. The transmitting apparatus 42 is therefore in the above-mentioned wireless communication with or has a radio connection to the receiving device 22. An individual or special and unique identification of the cooking vessel 27 and the respective temperature data from at least one of the temperature sensors 36b or 36a are therefore transmitted to the receiving device 22.

[0044] The cooking vessel module 34 may be magnetically fitted, by means of a magnet 45, to the handle 28, for example on the underside close to the cooking vessel wall 33. As a result, the functionality of the handle 28 is impaired as little as possible. As an alternative to magnetic fastening, a permanent connection may be provided. As yet another alternative, fastening to the handle 28 may be carried out using a type of clip or belt. The cooking vessel module 34 together with the temperature sensor 36a can be advantageously removed from the cooking vessel 27 in a simple and particularly advantageous manner without a tool. An electrical connection to the temperature sensor 36b permanently arranged in the cooking vessel base 29 could be designed to be disconnectable by means of a plug-in connection. As a result of the cooking vessel module 34, the cooking vessel 27 is an above-described smart cooking vessel.

[0045] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a particular predefined temporal pattern for power generation or energy generation for the induction heating coil 16a alone. The induction coil 16b could also be operated in a similar form in order to capture whether a smart cooking vessel 27 is arranged above it. At the time t=0, the induction heating coil 16a is controlled by the power supply 20 at a significant or medium-high power of P=1750 W. This is carried out in the form of a long pulse for 15 seconds. The power then falls greatly and is pulsed with only a low level, here varying between 0 W and 300 W, for instance. This forms a type of extensive pause in the generation of energy.

[0046] At the time t=36 seconds, the induction heating coil 16a is operated again at high power of approximately P=2450 W, to be precise again for the duration of 15 seconds, as before. The power is then decreased greatly again for a duration of approximately 20 seconds with weak power pulses, as before. At the time t=72 seconds, the induction heating coil 16a is operated for the third time at very high power of P=3450 W, to be precise again for the duration of 15 seconds, as before. After this third very high power generation or generation of energy, the induction heating coil 16a is operated at a low continuous power of P=300 W. This pattern of generating power or energy forms a cycle mentioned at the outset. This is repeated such that it is carried out in total twice or even three times.

[0047] The thick lines are used to illustrate the profile of the temperatures T.sub.a and T.sub.b over time t, wherein the temperature T.sub.a is illustrated using dashed lines. The temperature T.sub.a is captured by the temperature sensor 36a and the temperature T.sub.b is captured by the temperature sensor 36b. The temperature T.sub.b in the cooking vessel base 29 increases to approximately 85° C. during the first energy generation and then falls to slightly above 60° C. during the low energy generation. The temperature T.sub.a increases considerably more slowly to only 40° C. according to the temperature of the goods to be cooked G and then falls slightly again.

[0048] During the second high energy generation, the temperature T.sub.b increases to approximately 160° C., but the temperature T.sub.a increases only to approximately 70° C. and with a slight delay. The temperatures then fall to 120° C. and 60° C., respectively, during the low energy generation.

[0049] During the third, very high energy generation, the temperature T.sub.b increases to approximately 210° C., but the temperature T.sub.a increases only to approximately 85° C., again with a slight delay. The temperatures then fall again during the continuously low energy generation.

[0050] According to the method mentioned at the outset, the values for the temperatures T.sub.a and T.sub.b, and possibly also a maximum value generated in each case shortly afterward, are captured by the evaluation apparatus 40 at the end of the respective energy generation, possibly also over their entire temporal profile, and the resulting temperature differences are calculated therefrom during the respective energy generation. These are the temperature data mentioned at the outset. The evaluation apparatus 40 transmits said data to the hob controller 18 by means of the transmitting apparatus 42. For the profile of the temperature Tb, these are 65° C., 100° C. and 90° C. Since the profile of the temperature T.sub.a also obviously depends on the goods to be cooked G, only the temperature Tb and its temperature differences are used for the plausibility checks.

[0051] The hob controller determines the energy generated by the induction heating coil 16a and transmitted to the cooking vessel 27 during the triple high energy generation. Said energy is 26.2 kWsec the first time, 36.8 kWsec the second time and 51.8 kWsec the third time. If each of these values is then divided by the temperature difference on account of the energy generation between the start and end of the energy generation as a relationship or ratio, 403 Wsec/° C., 368 Wsec/° C. and 575 Wsec/° C. result for the temperature T.sub.b. These values are stored. A plausibility range stored in the controller 18 may in this case be between 200 Wsec/° C. and 900 Wsec/° C., for example, or even between 300 Wsec/° C. and 700 Wsec/° C. Since said values are in this plausibility range, this part of the check is passed with a positive result. Alternatively, only the last temperature value, that is to say only 575 Wsec/° C., could also be used. However, this value is also distinctly in the plausibility range mentioned. The check of the triple high energy generation, which, with the three values mentioned, differs considerably from a continuous average energy generation and also makes it possible to distinguish from random generation of the energy, would then be dispensed with, however.

[0052] For the second plausibility result, the ratio of the first temporal derivative of the energy generated by the induction heating coil 16a to the maximum first temporal derivative of the temperature T.sub.b at the temperature sensor 36b is determined as a relationship according to the invention. This is carried out by first of all determining, by observing the first temporal derivative of the temperature T.sub.b over a period of a few seconds, for example 5 seconds in each case, the highest value for this first temporal derivative. If a value has not been exceeded again for 5 seconds, this is taken as the highest point or maximum value. The respective maximum value for the first temporal derivative of the temperature T.sub.b here is 6° C./sec in the first high energy generation, 6.7° C./sec in the second high energy generation and 8.6° C./sec in the third high energy generation. These values can be stored. If the ratio of the first temporal derivative of the energy generated by the induction heating coil 16a to the first temporal derivative of the temperature T.sub.b at the temperature sensor 36b is formed as a relationship according to the invention, the values of 292 Wsec/° C., 365 Wsec/° C. and 401 Wsec/° C. result here as plausibility results. A plausibility range may here be between 100 Wsec/° C. and 600 Wsec/° C., for example, with the result that the plausibility results mentioned are each in said range. This plausibility check is also positive and is therefore passed.

[0053] The change in the absolute temperature T.sub.b at the temperature sensor 36b at the end of the low energy generation over a few seconds is determined as the third plausibility result, that is to say here a temperature drop of in each case 55° C. at the end of the low energy generation as the plausibility result. A plausibility range may be between +5° C. and −60° C. here, with the result that this third plausibility check is also positive and is therefore passed.

[0054] Since all three plausibility checks were therefore positive, the cooking vessel 27 with its transmitted identification is assigned to the induction heating coil 16a. The controller 18 can then start an automatic program for the cooking vessel 27, wherein the temperature sensor 36a, in particular, can be used here for temperature control. The temperature data or temperature results are then used to control the induction heating coil 16a.

[0055] If one of the three plausibility checks were negative, the cooking vessel 27 would not be assigned. This is indeed a strict checking benchmark, but errors can thus be avoided.

[0056] Although the cooking vessel 27′ illustrated on the right in FIG. 1 can also emit its identification and temperature data, they probably indicate an unchanged temperature since the cooking vessel is not heated. The cooking vessel 27′ is therefore not assigned to any induction heating coil 16, in particular is not assigned to the induction heating coil 16a which generated energy in order to detect a smart cooking vessel.

[0057] If it should be investigated for a further induction heating coil on the hob 13, for example the induction heating coil 16b, whether a smart cooking vessel is arranged above it, it is also controlled with a pattern of energy generation similar to FIG. 3. The use of the same pattern of energy generation is completely problem-free since the check is carried out here at a different time than for the induction heating coil 16a. If there is no smart cooking vessel above it, the controller 18 receives only the temperature data of the cooking vessel 27. However, these temperature data do not match the pattern of energy generation, but rather correspond just to the operation of the induction heating coil 16a. This is registered by the controller 18 and the assignment of the cooking vessel 27 is not changed and a cooking vessel is not assigned to the induction heating coil 16b either.

[0058] If there is a smart cooking vessel above the induction heating coil 16b, the controller 18 receives the temperature data of both cooking vessels 27, wherein only those data of the cooking vessel 27 above the induction heating coil 16b match the pattern of energy generation. If the check of the plausibilities is successful here, the corresponding assignment is carried out.