Abstract
Monitoring device (3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) for household appliances, preferably for cooking appliances, comprising: —a housing (33), —at least one camera objective (1, 1.1, 1.2), —at least one fixation unit (2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3), wherein the fixation unit (2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3) is adapted for the fastening, preferably for the releasable fastening, the monitoring device (3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) on at least one predetermined surface area (34) of at least one predetermined model of a household appliance, and wherein the fixation unit (2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3) is arranged relative to the camera objective (1, 1.1, 1.2) in order to arrange the camera objective (1, 1.1, 1.2), in a mounted state of the monitoring device (3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3) on the household appliance, in at least one position of a predetermined distance (d) and/or in a predetermined orientation (α) relative to a predetermined monitoring region (32) of the household appliance.
Claims
1. Monitoring device for household appliances, comprising: a housing, a camera objective, and a fixation unit, wherein the fixation unit is adapted to releasably fasten the monitoring device to a user-selected location selected from among a plurality of available user-selectable locations on a predetermined surface area of a predetermined model of a household appliance, the predetermined surface area being an outer surface of a cooking hood, wherein the fixation unit is magnetic, is a suction cup, is a micro suction foam, is a hook and loop fastener, or a combination thereof, and wherein the fixation unit is arranged relative to the camera objective in order to arrange the camera objective, in a mounted state of the monitoring device on the household appliance, at a predetermined distance, in a predetermined orientation, or both, relative to a predetermined monitoring region of the household appliance wherein food is resident and being cooked in order to monitor the progress thereof via said camera objective.
2. Holding device adapted to releasably fasten a predetermined model of a monitoring device to a user-selected location selected from among a plurality of available user-selectable locations on a predetermined surface area of a predetermined model of a household appliance, the predetermined surface area being an outer surface of a cooking hood, wherein the monitoring device comprises a housing and a camera objective, wherein the holding device comprises a fastening unit for the releasable fastening of the monitoring device on the holding device, wherein the holding device comprises a fixation unit for the releasable fastening of the holding device on a predetermined surface area of the household appliance, wherein the fixation unit is magnetic, is a suction cup, is a micro suction foam, is a hook and loop fastener, or a combination thereof, wherein the fastening unit is adapted for arranging the camera objective of the monitoring device, in a mounted state of the monitoring device on the household appliance, at a predetermined distance, in a predetermined orientation, or both, relative to a predetermined monitoring region of the household appliance wherein food is resident and being cooked in order to monitor the progress thereof via said camera objective.
3. Monitoring device according to claim 1, comprising an orienting section for the camera objective, wherein the orienting section is arranged relative to the fixation unit in order to arrange the camera objective relative to the household appliance, and wherein the orienting section is, in a mounted state of the monitoring device on the household appliance, arranged such that it is facing the predetermined monitoring region of the household appliance.
4. Monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined surface area of the household appliance comprises the fixation unit and wherein the monitoring device comprises the fixation unit or fixation means able to interact with the fixation unit.
5. Monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a flap arranged in a region near the camera objective, such that the flap can cover the camera objective, wherein the flap and/or the fixation unit is at least partially rotatable or pivotable.
6. The monitoring device according to claim 5, wherein the flap comprises a protection lens, which is at least partially transparent.
7. Monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring device comprises a cover, which covers at least partially the housing of the monitoring device, wherein the cover comprises the fixation unit.
8. Monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a communication device, which comprises a USB interface for wired communication or a Wi-Fi antenna, wherein the communication device comprises or is in optical conjunction with a camera unit, which is in at least partially in optical conjunction with the at least one camera objective, wherein the camera unit comprises a recording device aligned concentric to an optical axis of the camera objective.
9. Monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising a rechargeable unit that is rechargeable by at least one inductive coil, by the USB interface of a communication device, or by a power plug-in connector.
10. Monitoring device according to claim 1, further comprising an LED indicator.
11. Monitoring device according to claim 1, wherein two camera objectives are arranged within said housing.
12. Monitoring device according to claim 11, further comprising a flap that can cover the two camera objectives, wherein the flap can be removed from one of said two camera objectives and can be fastened to the second of said two camera objectives.
13. Monitoring device according to claim 3, wherein the orienting section arranges the camera objective within the predetermined distance and within an angle (α) relative to the monitoring region of the household appliance.
14. Holding device according to claim 2, wherein the fastening section comprising the fastening unit for receiving and holding the monitoring device, wherein the fastening unit is adapted for a releasable fixation of said predetermined model of monitoring device, said monitoring device comprising a mobile device.
15. A monitoring device for monitoring the progress of cooking food using a cooking appliance, the monitoring device comprising a housing, a camera objective, a fixation unit comprising micro suction foam adapted to releasably secure the housing to a user-selected position on a surface exterior of the appliance, the surface being an outer surface of a cooking hood, an orienting section adapted to arrange said camera objective, in a mounted state of the monitoring device to said surface, relative to said cooking appliance so that said camera objective faces a user-selected monitoring region of the appliance wherein food is resident and being cooked in order to monitor the progress thereof via said camera objective, a swing-openable flap reversibly covering a surface of said housing that comprises said fixation unit and wherein said camera objective is disposed in order to protect said camera objective and said fixation unit when not in use, and a communication device within said housing and adapted to transmit a signal reflective of images captured via said camera objective to a portable electronic device of the user via a wireless network, wherein said user-selectable position of said surface and a selected configuration of said orienting section can be used to adjust both a distance and an angle between said camera objective and said monitoring region in order to achieve an optimal viewing condition across a range of different cooking appliances.
16. The monitoring device according to claim 15, further comprising a USB interface for wired communication with the cooking appliance and adapted to recharge a rechargeable battery resident within said housing.
Description
(1) The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the drawing, in which
(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a cooking device with a monitoring device on the front glass according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic detailed perspective view according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a metal cooker hood with a monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic detailed perspective view of the cooker hood with a monitoring device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(6) FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a cooking device with a monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(7) FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic perspective view of the a cooking device with a monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(8) FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a glass cooker hood with a monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(9) FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic detailed perspective view of the glass cooker hood according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(10) FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic detailed perspective view of the glass cooker hood according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(11) FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(12) FIG. 11 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device with a flap according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
(13) FIG. 12 to FIG. 14 illustrate holding devices for several types of monitoring devices.
(14) FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a cooker 10 with a monitoring device 3.1 on the front glass according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. This example refers to a cooker 10 comprising a door handle 6. The monitoring device 3.1 is arranged on a (at least partially transparent) surface area 34 of the household, which is a glass panel 9 in this example. As it can be seen more detailed in FIG. 2, the monitoring device 3.1 comprises two fixation units 2.1, wherein a orienting section 31 is arranged relative to the fixation unit 2.1 in order to arrange the camera objective relative to the household appliance. Further, the orienting section 31 is, in a mounted state of the monitoring device 3.1 on the household appliance, arranged such that it is facing the predetermined monitoring region 32 of the household appliance. The orientation area 31 may be on the same side as the fixation units 2.1 or on the other side. The positioning of the fixation units 2.1 is variable and not bound to the showed position. The fixation unit(s) 2.1 may be a magnetic strips or a suction cup, a microscopic suction cup or micro suction foam or a hook and loop fastener (in this case with a respective counterpart on the appliance) for a flexible and easy fastening of the monitoring device 3.1 on the appliance. Referring to this embodiment, the fixation unit 2.1 is a micro suction foam for arranging the monitoring device 3.1 on the glass panel 9. By the suction foam, the monitoring device 3.1 is rotatable and it is therefore possible to arrange the device in different angles on the glass 9. In such position, the monitoring device can monitor the inside of the cooker 10 using the camera objective 1, which is arranged directly toward the oven glass 9. The monitoring device further comprises a communication device 23, e.g. an USB interface, which is connectable to an USB interface 7 on the door handle 6 for the communication or power supply via an USB-cable 8.
(15) FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a metal cooker hood 11.1 with a monitoring device 3.2 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. The metal cooker hood 11.1 is arranged above a cooker 10 and comprises a monitoring device 3.2 on its underpart on the surface area 34 of the household appliance. By the orientation section 31, it is possible to arrange or positioning the monitoring device 3.2 with the camera objective 1 relative to the cooking appliance 10. As it can be seen in FIG. 4, the camera objective 1 is arranged on the opposite side of the monitoring device 3.2 in relation to the metal cooker hood 11.1. It is therefore possible to monitor the hob of the cooker 10. For example, a pot may be placed on the hob and the monitoring device 3.2 is arranged directly above the pot or in similar positions to monitor the cooking process in the pot. A user may receive the video signals from the monitoring device 3.2 and hence has an overview of the status of the food. The monitoring device 3.2 is releasable fixed on the metal cooker in the surface area 34 hood 11.1 by two fixation units 2.2. As it is also showed in FIG. 4, the monitoring device 3.2 may comprise a cover 4.1, which may be clipped on or off to the monitoring device 3.2 and may cover the monitoring device 3.2 against dirt, dust and the like. The cover 4.1 may also include or comprise a fixation unit 2.2.
(16) FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate schematic perspective views of a cooking device 10 with a monitoring device according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the monitoring device 3.1 is arranged on the glass panel 9 on a surface area 34 by an orienting section 31. By this orienting section 31, it is possible to arrange the monitor device relative to a monitoring region 32, which is a pan or the like. The monitoring device 3.1 is arranged such that is positionable by the orienting section 31 on a position on a distance d between the monitoring region 32 and the monitoring device 3.1. Further it is arranged such that is positionable by the orienting section 31 on a position on an angle (α) between the monitoring region 32 and the monitoring device 3.1. By that it is possible to align the camera objective 1 in the best way, in a correct distance and a correct angle for an adequate monitoring of the monitoring region 32 and therefore of the pan.
(17) FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a glass cooker hood 11.2 with a monitoring device 3.3 according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention. According in particular to FIG. 8, the structure of the monitoring device 3.3 is similar to the embodiment 3.2 in FIGS. 3 and 4. However, the monitoring device 3.3 is arranged on the cooker hood 11.2 on a surface area 34 in such an angle that it is aligned perfectly to the cooking hob of the cooker 10 for monitoring placed cooking pots. For fast positioning of the monitoring device 3.3, it may comprise two camera objectives (or lenses) 1.1 and 1.2 on the front and the back side of the monitoring device 3.3, so it is possible to use both sides of the device when fixing it on a surface.
(18) FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic detailed perspective view of the glass cooker hood according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this example, the monitoring device 3.2 is arranged on the cooker hood 11.1 by an orienting section 31. By this orienting section 31, it is possible to arrange the monitor device relative to a monitoring region 32, which is in this example a pan or the like on a cooking hob 10. The monitoring device 3.2 is arranged such that is positionable by the orienting section 31 on a position on a distance d between the monitoring region 32 and the monitoring device 3.2. Further it is arranged such that is positionable by the orienting section 31 on a position on an angle (α) between the monitoring region 32 and the monitoring device 3.2. By that it is possible to align the camera objective 1 in the best way for monitoring the monitoring region 32 and therefore the pan with the foodstuff.
(19) FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device 3 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The monitoring device 3 comprises within a housing 33 communication devices 20, 23, which may be a USB-interface or a Wi-Fi antenna and a camera unit 29. A recording device 28 is in conjunction with the camera objective 1 for monitoring the area to be monitored. The monitoring device 3 comprises further a rechargeable unit 21 (e.g. a battery or akku) which may be rechargeable via a power plug-in connector or the USB-interface. Further, it is possible to recharge the rechargeable unit 21 wireless via an inductive coil 22. An external inductive coil of the domestic appliance may be used for this kind of recharging. An indicator 26, preferably one or more LED, is also comprised by the monitoring device 3 to indicate the status of the rechargeable unit 21 or the charging status. The monitoring device 3 may be switched on and of a by a switch 25.
(20) FIG. 11 illustrates further a schematic perspective view of a monitoring device 3 with a flap 4 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Also, a cover 4.1 is comprised by the monitoring device 3 in this embodiment. The flap 4 is releasable from the monitoring device 3 via swing opening and covers the camera objective 1 against dirt or the like. The flap 4 may comprise a protection lens 5, which is preferable transparent (e.g. glass or transparent plastics). Therefore it is possible to use the cover of the flap 4 while monitoring by the front side camera objective 1.1. In this embodiment, the fixation unit 2 is a micro suction pad, which is arranged on the front side of the monitoring device 3. The fixation unit 2 is also covered by the flap 4, which has own fixation units 2.2 for the fixation of the monitoring device 3 on the surface area 34. The cover 4.1 is fixed on the backside of the monitoring device 3 while it is in use. After use, the cover 4.1 can be e.g. fixed on the front side for a covering of the camera objective 1.
(21) FIGS. 12 to 14 show holding devices 35 for several types of monitoring devices. It is possible to use also tablets or smartphones (e.g. FIG. 14) or ai-cameras (e.g. FIG. 12, 13) or the like for the monitoring and thus there is no need for a specific monitoring device 3. For an additional fixation of the devices, a fastening 27 may be used, which is arranged on a fastening section 30, which may be a plain area. The monitoring devices 3 may be fastened on the fastening section 30, for example by fixation units 2. By the orientation section 31, the monitoring device 3 may be positioning in the correct way according in above described ways. With such holding devices, the correct position and angle is always ensured for each domestic appliance.
(22) Although an illustrative embodiment of the present invention has been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to that precise embodiment, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
(23) 1 camera objective 1.1 front side objective 1.2 back side objective 2, fixation unit 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 3, monitoring device 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 4, flap 4.1 cover 5 protection lens 6 door handle 7 USB interface 8 power cable 9 glass panel 10 cooker 11, cooker hood 11.1, 11.2 20, communication device 23 21 rechargeable unit 22 inductive coil 24 power plug-in connector 25 switch 26 indicator 27 fastening unit 28 recording device 29 camera unit 30 fastening section 31 orienting section 32 monitoring region 33 housing (of camera) 34 surface area (of the household appliance) 35 holding device d distance α orientation
