Method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal

Abstract

A method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal capable of exchanging data according to a communication protocol with the cooking appliance, the configuration method including creating and/or selecting a cooking program, the cooking program (prog), creating and/or selecting a desired cooking state corresponding to a state of progress of the implementation of the cooking program, determining cooking configuration data from the cooking program and/or the desired cooking state, and sending the cooking configuration data to the cooking appliance.

Claims

1. A method for configuration of a cooking appliance by a terminal able to exchange information according to a communication protocol with the cooking appliance, the configuration method comprising the following steps: creating or selecting a cooking program, said cooking program comprising a relationship between a cooking time and a cooking temperature, or creating or selecting a desired doneness corresponding to an implementation progress status of the said cooking program, determining a cooking parameterization information item based on the cooking program or selecting the cooking parameterization information corresponding to the desired doneness, wherein the cooking parameterization information item comprises a set of coefficients corresponding to a time evolution of the cooking temperature, and wherein the coefficients are values used by the processor to determine a cooking setpoint corresponding to one or more time ranges, the one or more time ranges defined by a target cooking temperature and a target cooking time, and determining an operation mode of the cooking appliance from among a first configuration and a second configuration based on an actuation or lack thereof a switch command on the cooking appliance, wherein, in the first configuration, the cooking appliance is operated to cook a first item in a non-connected mode and, in the second configuration, the cooking appliance is operated to cook a second item in a connected mode, when the cooking appliance is operated to cook the second item in the connected mode, the method further comprises: sending said cooking parameterization information item to the cooking appliance, and applying a verification function to said cooking parameterization information item by a processor of the cooking appliance, wherein, in the first configuration, the set of coefficients of the cooking parameterization information item are coefficients already contained in a memory of the processor, and in the second configuration, the set of coefficients of the cooking parameterization information item are coefficients downloaded from a remote source.

2. The method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: creating or selecting a user profile comprising a user identifier, and assigning said cooking parameterization information item to said user profile.

3. The method of configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal according to claim 2, wherein a first user profile is assigned to a first cooking parameterization information item and a second user profile is assigned to a second cooking parameterization information item.

4. The method of configuration according to claim 1, comprising receiving by the terminal at least one cooking program and/or at least one desired doneness and/or at least one cooking parameterization information item from a server.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a program comprising code instructions designed to implement the steps of a method of configuration according to claim 1 when the program is executed on a processor of a terminal.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the program is designed as an application that can be downloaded to a terminal.

7. A terminal comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5.

8. The method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal according to claim 1, further comprising: determining, by the processor of the cooking appliance, one of a conformity indicator or an anomaly indicator, based on the application of the verification function.

Description

(1) In any event, the invention will be fully understood with the assistance of the following description in reference to the attached schematic drawings representing, as non-restrictive examples, one form of execution of this method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal.

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking appliance and of a terminal.

(3) FIG. 2 is a front view of the user interface of the cooking appliance.

(4) FIG. 3 is a side view of the open cooking appliance.

(5) FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of using the cooking appliance.

(6) FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the cooking appliance, of the terminal and of a server.

(7) FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of configuration of the cooking appliance through the terminal.

(8) As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, a cooking appliance A comprises a cooking system SYS provided with a heating element ch and a cooking site emp for a food ali.

(9) In FIG. 1, the cooking appliance A is closed: this is the cooking position and in FIG. 3 the cooking appliance A is open: this is the position for placing a food ali in or removing a food ali from the cooking site emp.

(10) The cooking appliance A comprises a communication unit UC provided with a communication card designed to communicate with a remote terminal T according to a communication protocol. The communication protocol is a wireless radio communication protocol.

(11) The cooking appliance A also comprises a control and command unit CC designed to command and control the cooking system SYS.

(12) For the control of the cooking system SYS, the cooking appliance A also comprises a sensor cap able to measure a physical volume.

(13) This sensor cap may be a thickness sensor cap designed to measure a thickness of the food ali arranged in the cooking site emp or a stress sensor cap designed to measure a charge or a mass of the food ali arranged in the cooking site emp.

(14) As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the control and command unit CC comprises a processor P equipped with a memory and designed to regulate a cooking temperature Te of the heating element ch for a cooking time t according to a cooking setpoint co.

(15) The control and command unit CC comprises a user interface IU provided with a selection command SEL for selecting a food category ca from among a plurality of food categories ca.

(16) In practice, the user recognizes the food category ca with the icon displayed and can select a food category ca by pressing on said icon.

(17) The user interface IU comprises a thermal adaptation command CAT which is an option that a user can choose by pressing on it. This option can be selected when the food ali placed is frozen, to permit the processor P to adapt the cooking setpoint co.

(18) The user interface IU also comprises an on-off button MA, an alert device AV designed to light up when the preheating is finished, a cooking indicator IND and a button for manual regulation of the thermostat MTH.

(19) The cooking indicator IND comprises an external circular part INDe provided with several portions of different colors, each color corresponding to a doneness such as “rare,” “medium” or “well-done.”

(20) The change from one color to another may be gradual, as in a rainbow. A central part INDi of the cooking indicator IND has a color which changes depending on the doneness of the food ali. The color change is also gradual.

(21) The user can then compare the color of the central part INDi to the colors of the external part INDe and visually determine the doneness of his food.

(22) For example, the user can see that the central color corresponding to a “medium” doneness is rather close to the “well-done” doneness.

(23) This arrangement also allows two identical foods ali to be cooked at the same time in the cooking site and allows a first food ali to be removed before cooking the second if the first food must be cooked less than the second.

(24) The manual regulation button of the thermostat MTH is an alternative to the selection command SEL.

(25) If the user presses on the manual regulation button of the thermostat MTH, he can manually adjust a cooking temperature Te himself.

(26) To use the cooking appliance A autonomously, that is, without using a remote terminal T, the user selects a food category ca with the selection command SEL or the manual regulation button of the thermostat MTH.

(27) If the food to be cooked is frozen, the user also presses on the thermal adaptation command CAT.

(28) Starting at this moment, preheating begins and the user is alerted of the end of preheating when the alert device AV lights up. At this moment the user opens the cooking appliance A and places his food ali in the cooking site emp and then closes the cooking appliance A again.

(29) The cooking indicator IND then gradually changes color to inform the user of the cooking progress. The processor P is designed to determine this color based on the cooking setpoint co and the measurement taken by the sensor cap. The cooking appliance can also rely on a temperature measured by another dedicated sensor at the cooking site emp.

(30) The mode of operation described above corresponds to a first configuration CONF1 of the cooking appliance A. According to this first configuration CONF1, the cooking appliance A is able to operate fully autonomously, that is, without a terminal T.

(31) The processor P is designed to determine the cooking parameters based on a set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn. These coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn are values used by the processor P to determine the cooking setpoint co.

(32) The cooking setpoint co corresponds to one or more time ranges, the range or each range being defined by a target cooking temperature Te and a target cooking time t.

(33) Thus, a cooking setpoint co for a particular food ali may, for example, be a high first temperature Te for five minutes and then a lower temperature Te for ten minutes.

(34) In operation according to the first configuration CONF1, each food category ca that the user may select through the selection command SEL corresponds to a particular set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn.

(35) The processor P then applies the same determination calculation for the cooking setpoint co based on each set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn.

(36) The processor P is also designed to verify that each set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn that it receives is coherent in its own right and that these are not randomly determined coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn.

(37) To do this, the processor P is designed to apply a verification function fv to the coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn of a set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn and to obtain a result r. This may be a sum of certain coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn.

(38) The processor P is also designed to analyze the result r and determine based on this result r a conformity indicator or an anomaly indicator. If no anomaly is detected, the processor P may begin the cooking by preheating.

(39) As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, the cooking appliance A is also designed to operate according to a second configuration CONF2 in which the terminal T is used.

(40) According to this second configuration CONF2, a method of configuration of the cooking appliance A through the terminal T according to FIG. 6 may be performed.

(41) The terminal T also comprises a processor able to execute a computer program product in the form of a downloadable application implementing the steps of the configuration method.

(42) A step e1 of the configuration method is a step of creation and/or selection of a cooking program prog, said cooking program prog comprising a relationship between a cooking time t and a cooking temperature Te.

(43) A step e1′, which may be performed independently of the step e1, is a step of creation and/or selection of a desired doneness cui_s corresponding to an implementation progress status of the said cooking program prog. For example, it may be a doneness such as “medium” or “well-done.”

(44) This step e1′ may be considered optional. The advantage is that the user will have feedback on the display of his terminal T when the desired doneness has been reached. If this step is not performed, the user will only have an indication of the cooking progress.

(45) A step e1″ may also be performed independently of steps e1 and e1′. This is a step e1″ of creation and/or selection of a user profile usr comprising a user identifier id.

(46) Before or parallel with the performance of steps e1, e1′ and e1″, an optional step e0 consists of receiving via the terminal T at least one cooking program prog and/or at least one desired doneness cui_s and/or at least one cooking parameterization information item ipc coming from a server S and/or at least one user profile usr.

(47) A user profile usr received may be associated with the at least one cooking program prog and/or the at least one desired doneness cui_s and/or the at least one cooking parameterization information item ipc coming from a server S.

(48) This step also explains how the cooking program prog and/or the desired doneness cui_s may be selected based on information coming from the server S.

(49) Synchronization with the server S is also possible by sending a cooking program prog and/or a desired doneness cui_s and/or a corresponding user profile usr.

(50) A step e2 then consists of determination through the terminal T of a cooking parameterization information item ipc based on said cooking program prog and/or on the desired doneness cui_s.

(51) The cooking parameterization information item ipc determined comprises a set of coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn, it being possible for said set to be interpreted by the processor P of the cooking appliance A in order to determine a cooking setpoint co.

(52) The cooking parameterization information item ipc also optionally comprises information related to the desired doneness cui_s.

(53) A step e2′ following the step e2 consists of assigning the said cooking parameterization information item ipc to the said user profile usr. This arrangement in particular permits providing for several cooking parameterization information items ipc for a user usr or for several users usr.

(54) These cooking parameterization information items ipc may be saved in the memory of the processor of the terminal T or in the memory of the server S since the server S is able to exchange information with the terminal T.

(55) Finally, the configuration method ends with a step e3 of sending the said cooking parameterization information item ipc to the cooking appliance A through the terminal T. It is also possible to send several cooking parameterization information items ipc to the cooking appliance A.

(56) The cooking appliance is able to receive several cooking parameterization information items ipc in order to perform several successive cookings or two simultaneous cookings of two identical foods.

(57) When the cooking appliance A receives a cooking parameterization information item ipc, it may be in the first configuration CONF1. To switch to the second configuration CONF2, the user interface comprises a switch command COM.

(58) When the user presses on the switch command COM, the cooking appliance A switches to the second configuration CONF2, and preheating begins.

(59) The processor P had previously determined a cooking setpoint co dependent on the coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn of the cooking parameterization information item ipc received after having verified the conformity of the coefficients C1, C2, . . . Cn with the verification function fv. This determination can be performed as soon as the cooking appliance A receives an information item or quickly before the start-up of preheating when the user presses on the switch command COM.

(60) The user interface IU also comprises a connection indicator CONNEX designed to transmit a light signal when the communication unit is able to exchange information with the remote terminal according to a communication protocol.

(61) This arrangement informs the user that it is possible to press on the switch command COM.

(62) The continuation of cooking takes place in an identical manner in the second configuration CONF2: preheating begins and the alert device AV lights up when the latter is finished.

(63) In the second configuration CONF2, the communication unit UC is designed to send to the terminal T an information item on the preheating status ep comprising an indication of the remaining preheating time, this information item being determined by the processor P.

(64) This arrangement is useful because in the second configuration CONF2, the user is not forced to stay close to the cooking appliance A since his terminal T alerts him of the end of preheating.

(65) The user then places his food ali in the cooking site emp and then closes the cooking appliance A again.

(66) As well as during preheating, the communication unit UC is designed to send during cooking information on the doneness cui determined by the processor P.

(67) This information may correspond to the color of the cooking indicator IND and/or to an indication of the end of cooking if the cooking parameterization information item ipc that was sent contained information related to the desired doneness cui_s.

(68) The user is then alerted by his terminal T of the end of cooking and is not forced to stay close to the cooking appliance A during cooking.

(69) More generally in the second configuration CONF2, the cooking appliance A is designed to send a feedback information item re to the terminal T containing various information concerning the operation of the cooking appliance A.

(70) The feedback information item re may in particular comprise an indication of the cooking temperature and/or an intervention notification.

(71) The intervention notification may include a message for the user, for example “return the food to the cooking site,” or an anomaly report such as “a food is in the cooking site during preheating.”

(72) Also, when several users have each sent a cooking parameterization information item ipc to the cooking appliance A, this feedback information item re makes it possible to know which cooking program prog has been launched.

(73) It is also to be noted that only one cooking parameterization information item ipc sent to the communication unit UC allows the cooking appliance A to perform its cooking.

(74) In fact, after sending this information through the terminal T, the communication between the cooking appliance A and the terminal T may be interrupted without affecting the cooking.

(75) This arrangement is useful because in this way the cooking appliance A is configured to receive at least one cooking parameterization information item ipc and store it in memory so that the corresponding cooking program prog is performed multiple times without the need to use the terminal T again.

(76) The terminal T thus appears as an extension of the processor P of the measuring device A, allowing new cooking programs prog to be loaded without being dependent on good communication between the terminal T and the cooking appliance A.

(77) A user who does not have a terminal will not be penalized in that he will still be able to use the cooking appliance.

(78) The terminal T and the cooking appliance A may possibly be designed so that the terminal T acts as a remote command of the processor P. A user then chooses the order of programs launched.

(79) As illustrated in FIG. 4, the terminal T is designed to perform the steps of a method for using the cooking appliance A. According to a first step, the terminal carries out a sending E1 of a cooking parameterization information item ipc as detailed below.

(80) As an alternative to what is described above, the terminal T may remotely carry out a step E2 of arranging a second configuration CONF2 without the need to press on the switch command COM, then a step E3 of launching the cooking setpoint co, in particular to start the preheating.

(81) However, it should be noted that the cooking setpoint co as well as the verification of the parameters are still performed by the processor P of the cooking appliance A. Thus, the cooking appliance A maintains its autonomous functioning, only the commands are remote.

(82) As goes without saying, the invention is not limited to the form of execution of this method for configuring a cooking appliance by a terminal, described above as an example; on the contrary, it encompasses all embodiment variants.