A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING A COOKING DEVICE

Abstract

The present invention refers to a method to control a cooking device, wherein the cooking device comprises a control unit to perform a task on the cooking device by executing control commands, a communication unit, to wirelessly connect to an external device to establish a communication between the external device and the control unit, wherein the external device is able to send control commands to the control unit of the cooking device. It is provided, according to the present invention, for a user to send control commands from the external device only after the user activated a mode on the cooking device to allow the receiving of an external control command, wherein said mode is deactivated after receiving the external control command, and that said mode is deactivated without receiving the external control command if a time limit passes, or by an interaction of the user on a user interface of the cooking device.

Claims

1. A method to control a cooking device, wherein the cooking device comprises a control unit to perform a task on the cooking device by executing control commands, a communication unit, to wirelessly connect to an external device to establish a communication between the mobile device and the control unit, wherein the-a user is able to send control commands via the external device to the control unit of the cooking device, wherein the user can send control commands via the external device only after the user activates a specific mode on the cooking appliance to allow the receiving of an external control command, wherein said mode is deactivated after receiving the external control command, and that said mode is deactivated without receiving the external control command if a time limit passes, or by an interaction of the user on a user interface of the cooking device.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising the following steps: a) activating the specific mode by the user, allowing the external device to send external control commands to the control unit of the cooking device, b) sending said external control command from the external device to the control unit, c) self-deactivation of the specific mode, and d) executing by the control unit said external control command.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific mode is deactivated after an external control command was received or latest after a time interval, with a value between 5 seconds and 20 seconds.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein remaining time of the time interval is displayed on the user interface of the cooking device and/or on the external device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific mode is deactivated by an interaction of the user on the user interface of the cooking device, or by the connection being terminated between the external device and the communication unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific mode is available, if a connection is already established between the communication unit and the external device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein a changing power level of the cooking zone according to the received external control command is shown on the user interface of the cooking device.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein before the received external control command is executed, a short time is count down in which the user has time to cancel the execution.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific mode can also be activated by one or more defined user interactions on a cooking hob.

10. The method according to claim 9, comprising the use of a sensor wherein said sensor is a gesture sensor, a presence sensor, a motion sensor, or an image sensor.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user uses voice commands to input the external control commands.

12. A cooking device for carrying out a method according to claim 1.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein said user interaction(s) is/are selected from placing a cooking vessel, or detecting a movement by means of a sensor.

Description

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a cooking device and environment to control the cooking device in schematic form as an example according to the invention;

[0020] FIG. 2 shows a depiction of an exemplary procedure for the method of controlling the cooking device; Fog. 3 shows a schematic view of an exemplary user interface of the cooking device.

[0021] The invention is further described in the embodiment of a cooking device as a cooking hob. Parts of the cooking hob 1 are a user interface 2, a control unit 3 connected to the user interface 2 and able to control each of the heating areas 15 to heat up a cooking vessel 7, and a communication unit 4 to connect one or more devices (5, 13, 14, 16) with the control unit 3. The communication unit 4 connects wirelessly 11 to one or more external devices 5, wherein one external device 5a is the main external device to send control commands 12 to the control unit 3. In a further embodiment of the example, the connection 11 is established over the internet with a possible server in between. The user 6 of the cooking hob is interacting 9 with the external device 5a to send control commands 12 via the wireless connection 11 to the control unit 3. The user 6 also interacts 8 with the user interface 2. Other external devices 5b-d are optional and not required for the method according to this invention. It shall show the opportunity, that the communication unit 4 is not limited to connect wirelessly to just one external device in the same time. The communication unit 4 is also able to connect to other devices wirelessly or wired, which can be part of the cooking hob 1, for example a presence sensor 16, or part of a cooking vessel 7, for example a sensor unit 13 to detect the temperature and/or a movement of the cooking vessel 7, or a sensor unit 14 as part of any other cooking accessories or equipment, for example a hood (not displayed), wherein the sensor unit 14 may be a imaging sensor, a gesture sensor and/or a sound sensor. It is possible, that the control unit 3 and the communication unit 4 are implemented as separate electronic elements connected via a communication interface, or as a combined electronics element having shared electronic components.

[0022] The cooking hob 1 is designed to prepare food. For this the cooking vessel 7 and its content is heated up by the heating area 15d. The heating area 15d is controlled by the control unit 3. The user 6 can input control commands 12 via the user interface 2 or via the external device 5a. In order to allow the external device 5a to send control commands 12 to the control unit 3, the user 6 needs to set the cooking hob 1 into a specific mode by interaction 8 with the cooking hob. This interaction 8 may be pressing a specific button on the user interface 2 or by interacting with the cooking vessel 7, wherein the movement is detected by the sensor unit 13, or by placing the cooking vessel 7 on the heating area 15d having a pot detection function. It is required, that in this second and third case, the control command 12 received by the external device 5a is intended for the heating area 15d and for the cooking vessel 7.

[0023] After the activation of the specific mode by the user 6, a timer is started. If the control command is not received within the defined time interval, the specific mode is deactivated and the user 6 is required to activate the specific mode again in order to send a control command 12 via the external device 5a. While the specific mode is active and inside the defined time interval, the user 6 can deactivate the specific mode via the user interface 2. In a further implementation of the example it is also possible, that any interaction with the user interface 2 is deactivating the specific mode. While the specific mode is active and inside the defined time interval, the specific mode is also deactivated, in case the communication between the external device 5a and the communication unit 4 is terminated. In a further implementation of the example the communication unit 4 is monitoring the signal strength and in case of the signal strength getting weaker, which could indicate the user 6 is moving away with the external device 5a from the cooking hob 1, the specific mode is deactivated too.

[0024] After a control command 12 is received by the external device while the specific mode is active, the control unit 3 is executing the control command 12. In the same time, the specific mode is deactivated in order to block further control commands to be received without the user 6 is actively allowing the control unit 3 to receive control commands by the external device 5a by activating the specific mode again.

[0025] In FIG. 2 a simplified procedure implementation example of the method according to this invention is displayed. The starting point 17 presuppose to cooking hob to be turned on and functional, this means in no other state which is not for the common usage. In this point it is also provided, that an external device was previously already successfully paired with the communication unit, a process, which can be realized in different ways of implementation according to the known technologies and therefore not further described. The point 17 provides a state, wherein the user can use the cooking hob in a common way, as for example by control via the user interface, and expects the cooking hob to be not in a remote communication mode. The following situations will put the cooking hob directly into the state of point 17: Stop of the remote communication mode, if it was active; turning on the cooking hob, when it was in a stand-by mode or similar; restarting the cooking hob; any kind of error occurs.

[0026] If the cooking hob is in point 17, the user 6 can put the cooking hob 1 into a remote communication mode 18, which can be realized, for example, by pressing a button on the user interface 2 of the cooking hob 1. In the state 19 the communication unit 4 will establish a connection to an external device 5, which was already paired and is available for connection. After the connection was successfully established, the control unit 3 is in the state 20 of waiting for the user 6 to activate the specific mode to allow to control unit 3 to receive control commands from the connected external device 5. In the case, that there is no external device to be connected to or no external device was previously paired, the cooking hob 1 will go back into the state 17. When the user 6 is activating the specific mode in the state 20, a timer is started and the control unit 3 is waiting in state 21 to receive a control command via the communication unit 4 by the connected external device 5. After the control command was received, the control unit 3 will execute the control command in state 22 and the specific mode is directly deactivated 23, so that the cooking hob 1 will go into state 20 again. In the state 21, while the control unit 3 is awaiting to receive a control command, the following situations can deactivate 23 the specific mode and return the cooking hob 1 into state 20, before a control command was received by the control unit 3: the timeout of the timer, indicating that the time interval, in which a control command is to be received, was exceed; the user 6 directly cancelled the specific mode via the user interface 2, possibly also by performing any other interaction with the user interface 2; the signal strength of the connection between the communication unit 4 and the connected external device 5 is getting weak, which could result when the user 6 is moving away from the cooking hob 1 with the external device 5. In any of the states 20, 21, and 22, if the connection between the communication unit 4 and the connected external device 5 is terminated, the specific mode is deactivated 24, if it was active, and the cooking hob 1 goes into state 19.

[0027] The FIG. 3 shows a possible schematic of an user interface 2. The user interface 2 exemplary comprises multiple elements, which may be buttons 25, slide button 26, numeric display 27, and indication segment 28. The input elements 25 and 26 may be realized by physical elements to be moved or pressed, or by elements to be touch. They may comprise an indication light and/or an icon, possibly they are realized by illuminated icons. The numeric display 27 may be realized by multiple illuminated elements, to display one or more numbers and/or letters. The indication segment 28 may be multiple lights in a row as one segment or multiple separate segments. The user interface 2 may also be realized as a TFT or LCD display, possibly comprising a touch area input.

[0028] The buttons 25 and slide button 26 are intended for user inputs 8. The user 6 can turn on and off the cooking hob 1 by pressing the button 25a. When the cooking hob 1 is turned on, the user 6 can activate with a button 25b the remote connection mode to connect an external device 5. Furthermore, in one embodiment of the example, the remote connection mode will be activated automatically when turning on the cooking hob 1, when it was previously already activated. In this case, the remote connection mode needs to be deactivated by the user 6 via the user interface, possibly by long pressing the button 25b. In another embodiment, the remote connection mode is deactivated each time, the cooking hob 1 is turned off. If the user 6 wants to send a control command from the external device 5, he needs to press button 25c before to activate the specific mode. The time, in which the specific mode is active, can be indicated by lightning up the button 25c. Also possible is, that the remaining time of the time interval, in which the specific mode is active, can be shown on the indication segment 28 or the numeric display 27b. The button 25d can be used whether to cancel the specific mode while active, or to cancel the control command to be executed after it was sent by the external device 5 to the control unit 3. It is possible to show the changing power level of the cooking zone according to the received control command on the numeric display 27a and count down a short timer, possibly 5 seconds, in which the user 6 has time to cancel the execution with pressing the button 25d, while the timer is indicated on the indication segment 28.