Kitchen machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a kitchen appliance (1), in particular a mixer having a base device (2) and a vessel (3), which can be arranged thereon, wherein the kitchen appliance (1) has a positioning device (8) for positioning a first partial area (6) of the kitchen appliance (1) relative to a second partial area (7) of the kitchen appliance (1). For an advantageous monitoring of a positioning, it is proposed for an optical measuring device comprising a light emitter (9) and a light receiver (10) to be assigned to the positioning device (8), which are arranged on the first partial area (6) and/or on the second partial area (7) in such a manner that the light intensity measured by the light receiver (10) varies as a function of the positioning of the first partial area (6) relative to the second partial area (7).

Claims

1. A kitchen appliance comprising: a positioning device comprising a first partial area and a second partial area, the positioning device being configured to position the first partial area relative to the second partial area; and an optical measuring device assigned to the positioning device and comprising a light emitter, a light receiver, a first light guide, a second light guide, and an opening gap, the light emitter and the light receiver being arranged on the first partial area or on the second partial area in such a manner that the light intensity measured by the light receiver varies as a function of the positioning of the first partial area relative to the second partial area, wherein the first light guide and the second light guide form together a light path arranged between the light emitter and the light receiver, have a common optical axis, and are spaced apart from one another by the opening gap, and wherein the second partial area or the first partial area can engage into the opening gap and interrupt light traveling through the light path such that the light intensity measured by the light receiver varies.

2. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the kitchen appliance comprises a mixer having a base device and a vessel arranged on the base device, and wherein the second partial area is a partial area of the vessel.

3. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are arranged on the second partial area.

4. The kitchen appliance according to claim 2, wherein the first partial area is a partial area of a lid, which closes the vessel.

5. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second light guides comprises an optical fiber.

6. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, wherein the light path is provided by a wall of the first partial area or of the second partial area, the wall reflecting the light emitted by the light emitter, and wherein the opening gap is assigned to the wall.

7. The kitchen appliance according to claim 4, wherein the first partial area is embodied in such a manner that the first partial area can engage with the opening gap as a result of the arrangement of the lid on the vessel.

8. The kitchen appliance according to claim 1, comprising an automatic locking device, which is embodied to establish a lock between the first partial area and the second partial area of the kitchen appliance, as a function of the light intensity measured by the light receiver.

Description

(1) The invention will be specified in more detail below by means of an exemplary embodiment:

(2) FIG. 1 shows a kitchen appliance according to the invention comprising an optical measuring device in a first view,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the kitchen appliance shown in FIG. 1 in a second view,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the optical measuring device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in a detailed view.

(5) The illustrated kitchen appliance 1 has a base device 2 as well as a vessel 3 arranged on the base device 2. The vessel 3 has a handle 4 and is closed by means of a lid 5. A first partial area 6, which engages with a second partial area 7 arranged on the handle 4, is embodied on the lid 5. The first partial area 6 and the second partial area 7, which corresponds thereto in a positive manner, form a positioning device 8. A light emitter 9 as well as a light receiver 10 are furthermore assigned to the positioning device 8. The light emitter 9 and the light receiver 10 are elements of the optical measuring device.

(6) An optical light path 11, along which the light emitted by the light emitter 9 propagates in the direction of the light receiver 10, is embodied between the light emitter 9 and the light receiver 10. According to this exemplary embodiment, the light path 11 has two light guides 12, which have a common optical axis and which are spaced apart from one another by means of an opening gap 13. The two light guides 12 are in each case shaped in an L-shaped manner, wherein the short sides are arranged relative to one another in such a manner that the two light guides 12 as a whole form a U-shape. The opening gap 13 is arranged in the short side of the U. The opening gap 13 is positioned and dimensioned in such a manner that the corresponding first partial area 6 of the lid 5 can engage with the opening gap 13. The end areas of the light guides 12, which face away from the opening gap 13, have the light emitter 9 on the one hand and the light receiver 10 on the other hand.

(7) The optical measuring device can be gathered in detail from FIG. 3. The measuring device is embodied according to the principle of a light barrier. A first partial area 6 can engage with the light path 11, which is embodied by the two light guides 12, so that the light emitted by the light emitter 9 cannot reach the light receiver 10.

(8) The invention works in such a manner that the user of the kitchen appliance 1 arranges the vessel 3 on the base device 2. A lid 5 is arranged on the vessel 3 to close the vessel 3, which is open on the top. If the lid 5 is oriented relative to the vessel 3 in such a manner that the first partial area 6 embodied on the lid 5 engages optimally with the second partial area 7 arranged on the handle 4 of the vessel 3, lid 5 and vessel 3 can be locked with one another in such a manner that the vessel 3 is closed, in particular in a fluid-tight manner.

(9) It can be verified by means of the optical measuring device, whether the first partial area 6 and the second partial area 7 are positioned optimally to one, another, so that a locking can be carried out successfully.

(10) The optical measuring device works in such a manner that the light emitter 9 emits light, which is coupled into a light guide 12, which is adjacent to the light emitter 9. For the purpose of coupling in, a lens can be arranged on the inlet opening of the light guide 12. The light emitted by the light emitter 9 propagates inside the light guide 12 towards the outlet opening and escapes from the light guide 12 at that locationin the area of the opening gap 13. The light couples into the second light guide 12 downstream from the opening gap 13 and propagates all the way to the light receiver 10, which is arranged in the area of the outlet opening of the second light guide 12.

(11) If the user has arranged the lid 5 on the vessel 3 properly, the first partial area 6 of the lid 5 engages with the second partial area 7, which is arranged on the handle 4 of the vessel 3, concretely with the opening gap 13 of the light path 11. As a result, the light path 11 is interrupted, so that the light emitted by the light sensor 9 cannot reach the light receiver 10. As a result, the light intensity measured by the light receiver 10 decreases to zero. A conclusion can thus be drawn to the fact that the lid 5 is arranged on the vessel 3 correctly.

(12) Information relating to the correct positioning can thereupon be sent to a locking device arranged on the kitchen appliance 1. This locking device can then carry out an automatic locking between the first partial area 6 and the second partial area 7, namely the vessel 3 and the lid 5.

REFERENCE LIST

(13) 1 kitchen appliance 2 base device 3 vessel 4 handle 5 lid 6 first partial area 7 second partial area 8 positioning device 9 light emitter 10 light receiver 11 light path 12 light guide 13 opening gap