Method for a cooktop

Abstract

In a method for a cooktop, in particular for producing and/or operating the cooktop, which has at least one variable cooking surface, the cooking surface is partitioned in an operating mode along a partitioning direction into a plurality of heating zones to which at least one heating parameter is assigned in each case in a location-dependent manner in order to heat a cooking utensil that is deposited on the heating zone. In order to ensure flexible production and/or flexible operation of the cooktop, during partitioning of the cooking surface into the heating zones in at least one peripheral region of the cooking surface, at least one cooking utensil characteristic is taken into account.

Claims

1. A method for a cooktop, the method comprising: automatically partitioning a variable cooking surface of the cooktop in an operating mode into a plurality of heating zones, wherein the partitioning is performed along a partitioning direction, and wherein an extent of at least one of the plurality of heating zones in a peripheral region of the variable cooking surface is determined by an extent of a selected cooking utensil; and assigning a heating parameter to each of the heating zones based on an absolute position on the variable cooking surface; and assigning a group of heating elements of the variable cooking surface to a cooking utensil disposed on a selected plurality of the heating zones, wherein the group of heating elements are configured to heat the cooking utensil based on one or more of the heating parameters of the selected plurality of the heating zones.

2. The method of claim 1 for operating the cooktop.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooking surface is partitioned along a vertical partitioning direction.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the cooking-utensil extent corresponds to at least twice an extent of one of the heating elements of the cooktop in the peripheral region along the partitioning direction.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the cooking-utensil extent is at least 16 cm along the partitioning direction.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the partitioning of the cooking surface during production of the cooktop.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the partitioning is carried out in the operating mode in a variable manner depending on the extent of the selected cooking utensil.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, when viewed along the partitioning direction, the cooking surface is partitioned into a peripheral one of the heating zones and an inner one of the heating zones, and wherein the peripheral one of the heating zones is sized larger than the inner one of the heating zones.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein in a further operating mode and arrangement of at least two cooking utensils, the partitioning of the cooking surface into the heating zones is carried out separately for each of the at least two cooking utensils.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the operating mode and the further operating mode are identical.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the extent of the at least two cooking utensils are taken into account separately during the partitioning into the heating zones.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages are derived from the following description of the drawings. Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings. The drawings, the descriptions and the claims contain numerous features in combination. A person skilled in the art will also regard the features individually and use them to form further effective combinations as appropriate.

(2) FIG. 1 shows a cooktop with a variable cooking surface,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram for a method for producing and operating the cooktop,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a further cooktop with a further variable cooking surface,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a method for operating the further cooktop according to FIG. 3,

(6) FIG. 5 shows a further cooktop with a further variable cooking surface, and

(7) FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method for operating the further cooktop according to FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

(8) FIG. 1 shows a cooktop 10a. The cooktop 10a has been produced using a method according to the invention. A cooking utensil 24a is deposited on the cooktop 10a. The cooktop 10a and the cooking utensil 24a are part of a system. The cooktop 10a has a variable cooking surface 12a. The cooktop 10a has heating elements 14a. The heating elements 14a are intended to heat the cooking utensil 24a that is deposited on the cooking surface 12a. The heating elements 14a are designed identically to each other. The heating elements 14a are arranged in the form of a matrix. The cooktop 10a has a sensor unit (not shown). The sensor unit extends over the entire cooking surface 12a. The sensor unit is intended to detect a bearing surface and a position of a deposited cooking utensil 24a. The sensor unit comprises the heating elements 14a, these being used as inductive sensors in a known manner for the purpose of detecting the cooking utensil 24a. The position of the cooking utensil 24a is defined as the center of the cooking utensil 24a. The cooktop 10a has an operating unit 26a. The operating unit 26a has a touch operating element 30a. The cooktop 10a has a control unit 28a. The control unit 28a is actively connected to the operating unit 26a. The control unit 28a is actively connected to the sensor unit. Depending on the bearing surface of the cooking utensil 24a that is detected by the sensor unit, the control unit 28a generates a cooking zone for the cooking utensil 24a. In order to achieve this, the control unit 28a combines all of the heating elements 14a beneath the bearing surface to form the cooking zone.

(9) If it is difficult for the control unit 28a and/or the sensor unit to detect that the same cooking zone is still involved when the cooking utensil 24a is moved a significant distance over the cooking surface 12a, a conceivable approach to the solution would be for the control unit 28a to request an input from a user via the operating unit 26a, in order to confirm that the same cooking zone is still involved.

(10) The cooking surface 12a is partitioned into a plurality of heating zones 16a in at least one operating mode, in particular a so-called “Power Move” operating mode. A partitioning into the heating zones 16a extends along a partitioning direction 18a which is aligned parallel to a depth direction of the cooking surface 12a. Alternatively, the partitioning could extend along a width direction of the cooking surface 12a. The partitioning is carried out in the operating mode by the control unit 28a. The actual type of partitioning is however determined during production of the cooktop 10a, and in particular is programmed into the control unit 28a. During the production of the cooktop 10a, the control unit 28a is equipped with a program for defining the cooking utensil characteristic that is to be taken into account. As a result, the same cooking utensil characteristic is always taken into account during the partitioning by the control unit 28a. The cooking utensil characteristic takes the form of a cooking utensil extent. The cooking utensil characteristic takes the form of a diameter of the cooking utensil 24a. Alternatively, the cooking utensil characteristic could take the form of a cooking utensil material or a cooking utensil weight. The cooking utensil extent is greater than twice an extent of the heating elements 14a along the partitioning direction 18a. The cooking utensil extent is greater than 15 cm.

(11) A heat output is assigned to each of the heating zones 16a. Alternatively, a reference temperature could be assigned to the heating zones 16a. The heat output is assigned to the heating zones 16a depending on an absolute position on the cooking surface 12a. If the position of the cooking utensil 24a is arranged within one of the heating zones 16a, the heat output assigned to the heating zone 16 is set for the heating elements 14a of the cooking zone which corresponds to the cooking utensil 24a. The heating zones 16a can be partitioned into peripheral heating zones 22a and inner heating zones 20a. The peripheral heating zones 22a are so embodied as to be larger than the inner heating zones 20a. The cooking utensil extent of the cooking utensil 24a is thereby taken into account. By virtue of the larger peripheral heating zones 22a, the cooking utensil 24a can be positioned within the peripheral heating zones 22a without projecting beyond the cooking surface 12a. Since the program defines the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account, the program indirectly defines a ratio of extents of the peripheral heating zones 22a and inner heating zones 20a.

(12) FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram for a method for producing the cooktop 10a. In a production step 100, the control unit 28a is equipped with a program for defining the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account. As a result, the same cooking utensil extent is always taken into account during the partitioning by the control unit 28a. In an operating step 110, the control unit 28a carries out the partitioning in the operating mode. The operating step 110 follows the production step 100.

(13) FIGS. 3 to 6 show two further exemplary embodiments of the invention. The following descriptions and the drawings are limited essentially to the differences between the exemplary embodiments, wherein in respect of identically designated components, in particular in relation to components having the same reference signs, reference can generally be made to the drawings and/or the description of the other exemplary embodiments, in particular those in FIGS. 1 and 2. In order to distinguish between the exemplary embodiments, the letter a is placed after the reference signs of the exemplary embodiment in FIGS. 1 and 2. The letter a is replaced by the letters b and c in the exemplary embodiments according to FIGS. 3 to 6.

(14) FIG. 3 shows a cooktop 10b. The cooktop 10b has a control unit 28b. The control unit 28b is intended to carry out a method according to the invention. During production of the cooktop 10b, the control unit 28b is equipped with a program for ascertaining a cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account. A partitioning of a cooking surface 12b into heating zones 16b is carried out variably depending on a cooking utensil extent. The cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account is defined by the sensor unit. The cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account corresponds to a cooking utensil extent, as ascertained by the sensor unit, of a cooking utensil 24b along a partitioning direction 18b. Alternatively, the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account could be defined by a user. The program is intended to take into account the cooking utensil extent that is ascertained by the sensor unit. The ascertained cooking utensil extent is taken into account during the partitioning by the control unit 28b. A heat output is assigned to the heating zones 16b depending on a relative position. The relative position refers to a position of the cooking utensil 24b along the partitioning direction 18b relative to a predefined reference point. The predefined reference point takes the form of the position of the cooking utensil 24b during the partitioning.

(15) FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a method for operating the cooktop 10b. In an operating step 120b, the control unit 28b ascertains the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account by means of the sensor unit. In a further operating step 130b, the control unit 28b carries out the partitioning in the operating mode, taking into account the cooking utensil extent that has been ascertained. The further operating step 130b follows the operating step 120b.

(16) FIG. 5 shows a cooktop 10c. The cooktop 10c has a control unit 28c. The control unit 28c is intended to carry out a method according to the invention. During production of the cooktop 10c, the control unit 28c is equipped with a program for ascertaining a cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account. A partitioning of a cooking surface 12c into heating zones 16c, 34c is carried out variably depending on a cooking utensil extent. A cooking utensil 24c and a further cooking utensil 32c are deposited on the cooktop 10c. The further cooking utensil 32c is deposited after the cooking utensil 24c. The sensor unit measures a cooking utensil extent of the deposited cooking utensils 24c, 32c and transfers the cooking utensil extent to the control unit 28c. In the operating mode, a partitioning into heating zones 16c, 34c is carried out separately for each of the cooking utensils 24c, 32c. Cooking utensil characteristics of the cooking utensils 24c, 32c are taken into account separately during the partitioning. For the further cooking utensil 32c, the cooking surface 12c is partitioned into corresponding further heating zones 34c which, in comparison with the ratio of the extent of the peripheral heating zones 22c and inner heating zones 20c of the cooking utensil 24c, have a different ratio of the extent of further peripheral heating zones 38c and further inner heating zones 36c.

(17) FIG. 6 shows a flow diagram for a method for operating the cooktop 10c. In an operating step 140c, the control unit 28c ascertains the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account for the cooking utensil 24c. In a further operating step 150c, the control unit 28c carries out the partitioning in the operating mode, taking into account the cooking utensil extent that has been ascertained for the cooking utensil 24c. The further operating step 150c follows the operating step 140c. In a further operating step 160c, the control unit 28c ascertains the cooking utensil extent that is to be taken into account for the cooking utensil 32c. In a further operating step 170c, the control unit 28c carries out a separate partitioning in the operating mode, taking into account the cooking utensil extent that has been ascertained for the cooking utensil 32c. The further operating step 170c follows the further operating step 160c.