EP2440008A2 - Method for controlling the operation of a set of induction units of an induction cooktop and associated induction cooktop - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of operating a set of heating elements (21) of a cooking hob (20), said heating elements (21) forming a heating means of a container (9), said table having hobs cooking (Z) is independent on the cooking surface, or determined case by case depending on the position and size of a container (9) placed on the cooking surface (22), said method comprises at least the following steps: operation of at least two cooking stoves; representing said at least two cooking hobs (Z) on at least one display means. Said method also comprises at least the following steps: selecting said at least two cooking hobs (Z); acquisition of a period of operation; assigning said operating time to said at least two cooking hobs (Z).

Description

The present invention relates to a control method in operation of the heating elements of a hob.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a control method in operation of a set of heating elements of a hob.

It also relates to a hob, it comprises separate heating elements forming distinct cooking heaters and clearly identified by a screen printing on the hob, or it comprises a set of heating elements distributed in a two-dimensional grid in a cooking plane of said hob, adapted to implement the control method according to the invention.

Cooking hobs are already known comprising independent cooking hobs whose number, position and size of the cooking hobs are defined by the hob manufacturer. The cooking hobs are symbolized on the hob of the hobs by a marking made by screen printing for the electric radiant or induction tables, or by the heating element itself for the electric tables with cast iron fireplace or for the table gas.

Each cooking zone is respectively associated with one or more display elements of the control means.

The data required to control one of the cooking stoves are displayed by means of this or these respective display elements.

Also known is an induction hob comprising inductors arranged in a matrix manner in the hob, each cooking hob is constituted case by case depending on the position and the size of the container placed on the hob in vis-à-vis a subset of inductors.

On such a matrix-type induction hob, the number, the position and the size of the cooking hobs are neither delimited nor defined on the hob of said hob so as to increase the flexibility of use thereof. this.

It is necessary to then order each subset of inductors of a cooking stove according to a desired power demanded by the user for heating the container disposed on the cooking chamber.

There are also commonly used hobs equipped with timers that allow to assign a running time to one or more hobs used. Thus, when the programmed time has elapsed the control means of the hob stop the heating elements of the home to which the time elapsed.

Concretely the user operates a cooking chamber after positioning a container to be heated, then selects the timer corresponding to the cooking stove and adjusts the cooking time it wishes to achieve.

However, when there are several containers to be heated, it is necessary to set as many timers as containers. This operation can be painful and not ergonomic especially if the user wants the time assigned to each cooking is the same.

This disadvantage is particularly true when it comes to keeping warm dishes already ready for the same duration for all these dishes to serve them at the same time.

In addition to the lack of ergonomics of the operation, having a different timer to set for each cooking zone is a source of error, the setting of at least one timer can be different and generate a stop of the heating at an inopportune moment.

Finally, in practice, it is not possible to set several timers for several homes sequentially without having a difference between them, if only minimal.

The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a control method in operation of a set of heating elements of a hob, and an associated hob, for setting a timer and of assign the selected duration to multiple homes at a time.

• mise en fonctionnement d'au moins deux foyers de cuisson ;
• représentation desdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson sur au moins un moyen d'affichage ;

Selon l'invention ledit procédé comprend également au moins les étapes suivantes :

• sélection desdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson ;
• acquisition d'une durée de fonctionnement ;
• affectation de ladite durée de fonctionnement auxdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson.

For this purpose, the present invention aims, in a first aspect, a control method in operation of a set of heating elements of a hob, said heating elements forming means for heating a container, said table comprising cooking stoves consisting of one or more heating elements, said stoves being either independent on the cooking surface or determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the position and size of a container placed on the baking, said method comprising at least the following steps:

• operating at least two cooking stoves;
• representing said at least two cooking stoves on at least one display means;

According to the invention, the method also comprises at least the following steps:

• selecting said at least two cooking stoves;
• acquisition of a period of operation;
• allocating said operating time to said at least two cooking hobs.

Thus, the operating control method of a set of inductors of an induction hob allows to assign a cooking time identical to at least two cooking hobs. And it allows that cooking on at least two cooking stoves ends at the same time, allowing for example to serve the same moment the dishes heated by said at least two cooking stoves.

Preferably, said operating time of said at least two cooking stoves is entered on control means of a timer of said hob.

The present invention aims, in a second aspect, a hob, comprising a set of heating elements, each heating element forming a heating means of a container.

According to the invention, the hob includes control means adapted to implement the control method according to the invention.

This hob has characteristics and advantages similar to those described above in connection with the control method according to the invention.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the description below.

• la figure 1 est une vue de dessus d'une table de cuisson à foyers de cuisson prédéterminés ;
• la figure 2 est une vue de dessus d'une table de cuisson à foyers de cuisson non prédéterminés ;
• la figure 3 est une vue d'un écran tactile de pilotage d'une table de cuisson du type de la figure 2 ;
• la figure 4 est une vue du même écran tactile qu'à la figure 3 lors de la sélection de foyers de cuisson ; et
• la figure 5 est une vue du même écran tactile qu'à la figure 3 lors de la sélection de la durée de cuisson.

In the accompanying drawings, given as non-limiting examples:

• the figure 1 is a top view of a cooktop with predetermined cooking points;
• the figure 2 is a top view of a cooktop with non-predetermined cooking hobs;
• the figure 3 is a view of a touch screen piloting a cooktop type of the figure 2 ;
• the figure 4 is a view of the same touch screen as at the figure 3 when selecting cooking stoves; and
• the figure 5 is a view of the same touch screen as at the figure 3 when selecting the cooking time.

We will first describe, with reference to figures 1 and 2 , a hob adapted to implement the control method in operation of a set of heating elements according to an embodiment of the invention.

We will first describe with reference to the figure 1 , a hob according to a first embodiment.

We illustrated on the figure 1 a schematic top view of a hob. Circles schematize the existence of cooking zones constituted here by independent cooking stoves on which a cooking vessel can be placed. Such a hob can be embedded or be an integral part of a work plan. It can also be associated with other cooking devices, such as an oven arranged at the bottom.

Moreover, in addition to the cooking hobs that will be described below and their particular operation, the hob may include adjacent other cooking hobs of the same type or different type.

Here, by way of non-limiting examples, each cooking stove consists of one or more induction heating elements. Thus, a single disk-shaped inductor can materialize each cooking zone. Alternatively, each cooking zone may comprise several concentric inductors and, for example, three concentric inductors to adapt the size of the cooking zone to the size of the container to be heated. This type of concentric inductor is well known and described in particular in the document FR 2,728,132 .

As non-limiting examples, we have illustrated on the figure 1 , four cooking zones F1, F2, F3 and F4 successively disposed from an edge 11 to an edge 12 of the hob 10.

The hob 10 has a front edge 13 corresponding to the front face of the hob 10 at which is positioned traditionally the user of the table.

Thus, the different cooking zones F1 to F4 are successively arranged from a left lateral edge 11 to a right lateral edge 12 of the hob.

Of course, the number of cooking zones, here equal to 4, is not limiting. In addition, the arrangement of the cooking zones could be different. Thus, a cooking zone could be arranged in the center of the table, different cooking zones being arranged around this central cooking zone, at the periphery of the hob.

A control panel 14 is generally provided near the front edge 13 of the hob to allow the user to control the operation and change various parameters associated with the hob.

This control panel 14 may comprise different sensory keys.

As non-limiting examples, the heating powers Pi can be between 100 and 3000 W.

We will now describe with reference to the figure 2 , a hob according to a second embodiment.

The hob is thus shown schematically from above.

As before, this hob can be embedded or be an integral part of a worktop and possibly be associated with other cooking devices, such as an oven or other cooking stoves arranged in the same plane.

In this embodiment, the hob comprises a multitude of heating elements, and for example several small induction heating elements arranged in a matrix manner in the hob.

The heating elements 21 are thus distributed along a two-dimensional grid in the cooking plane of the table 20.

This hob thus has a large cooking zone, up to the size of the hob and for heating one or more containers without predetermined location of the cooking chamber.

Each heating element 21 consists of a small winding or elementary inductor. Preferably, these heating elements 21 are of circular shape and staggered in the cooking plane, so as to cover the entire surface of the hob.

The size of the inductors 21 is small enough that any container size covers at least one elementary inductor.

By way of example, the diameter of each elementary inductor 21 may be equal to 70 or 80 mm.

Of course, the inductors can be of different shape and size, such as for example triangular, rectangular, or octagonal.

In one embodiment, the inductors 21 are arranged in line in one direction, for example horizontal, and the inductors 21 of each line are themselves arranged in staggered rows with the inductors 21 of the adjacent lines so as to best cover the plane Cooking.

Of course, the arrangement of the inductors in the hob is not limiting and may be different.

The hob thus formed through the inductors 21 can be of any shape, for example rectangular.

Of course, the shape of the hob is not limiting and may be different, including square, circular or oval.

Each inductor is independently powered and has independent heating power control means. For example, the maximum power supplied by each inductor is of the order of 700 W. It is thus possible to obtain a total power of approximately 2800 W for a container 9 of medium size, of about 18 cm. diameter, which would recover four inductors 21.

The traditional control system of such a hob can manage one or more containers 9 placed on the hob and apply different powers, depending on the desired power demanded by the user, for each container 9 .

For this purpose, the hob 20 comprises a control and display touch screen 30. Each heating element 21 is associated with a detection means of the presence of a container 9 placed on the cooking surface in line with this heating element 21.

In the particular example described here, the elementary inductors 21 constitute both the heating means of the container and the means for detecting the presence of a container 9.

As previously, the measurement of the effective current passing through each inductor is dependent on the surface of this inductor covered by a container.

The control of this effective current thus makes it possible to determine the recovery rate of this inductor by a container placed on the hob.

By measuring the effective current, the position of the container on the cooking surface can be determined and a cooking zone consisting of one or more adjacent inductors can thus be defined.

Various improved detection methods are described in particular in the French patent application no. 0313925 in the name of the Claimant.

In this embodiment of the invention, the hob 20 comprises, as before, control means which make it possible to control the operation of the power control means of each inductor so that the heating power associated with a heating zone detected cooking is equal to a predefined value.

Such an induction hob 20 does not include predefined defined cooking hob, each cooking hob being determined case by case depending on the position and the size of a container 9 placed on the hob 22 and covering a subset of inductors 21.

Each inductor 21 may be supplied in the conventional manner by an inverter supply device (not shown), composed for example of a half-bridge power electronic structure or of a quasi-resonant circuit power electronics structure. . Of course, the type of electronic power structure is not limiting and may be different.

There is no need here to describe in more detail the well-known inverter feeder for feeding inductors of an induction cooktop.

In this type of induction hob, it is necessary to be able to automatically detect the container or containers 9 placed on the hob 22 so as to supply electrical energy only the inductors 21 arranged under the containers 9.

It is known for this purpose to use the inductors 21 as container presence detection means.

By way of non-limiting example, the presence detection of the container can be implemented by measuring the effective current passing through each inductor 21. since it is dependent on the surface covered by said inductor 21 by a container.

The inductors 21 thus constitute both the heating means of a container and the means for detecting the presence of a container.

The control means (not shown) of the induction hob 20, comprising at least one or more microcontrollers, are able to control one or more containers placed on the hob 22 and apply operating powers to each home different, or identical, which are dependent on the desired power demanded by the user for each container.

The induction hob 20 comprises a control keyboard comprising at least selection means, such as, for example, sensor keys or a touch screen 30, and display means, such as for example one or more LEDs made at means of light emitting diodes and / or one or more displays may be of the LCD type (acronym for the term Liquid Crystal Display).

Said at least one display means is preferably a graphical type of display, such as for example the type LCD (acronym for the term Liquid Crystal Display) which can be monochrome or color.

Of course, the type of display is not limiting and can be varied.

This graphic display device allows the representation of graphic objects, such as for example the cooking zone (s) Z of the hob 22, from information collected by a control unit of the induction hob 20 comprising at least one microcontroller, where the information collected may include the presence or absence of one or more containers on the cooking plane 22, the position and / or the size of the container or containers detected.

We will now describe the operating control method of a set of heating elements of a hob, said heating elements forming means for heating a container,

• mise en fonctionnement d'au moins deux foyers de cuisson ;
• représentation desdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson Z sur au moins un moyen d'affichage 6 ;

The control method comprises at least the following steps:

• operating at least two cooking stoves;
• representing said at least two cooking zones Z on at least one display means 6;

• sélection desdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson Z ;
• acquisition d'une durée de fonctionnement ;
• affectation de ladite durée de fonctionnement auxdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson Z.

The control method also comprises at least the following steps:

• selecting said at least two cooking zones Z;
• acquisition of a period of operation;
• allocating said operating time to said at least two cooking zones Z.

Thus, the user can select all the cooking stoves that he wants to operate for the same duration and assign them the same duration of operation in one operation. The selected cooking stoves will stop at the same time after the same operating time set for all of said at least two cooking stoves.

When at least one cooking zone is in operation for a predetermined operating time; that the user activates another cooking zone and that he also wishes to activate a timer for this cooking zone, the control means allows the user to use the same timer for said at least two cooking zones . For this the user can select a new predetermined cooking time and assign it to the cooking chamber that he has just put into operation and to at least one of said at least one cooking zone that was already in operation for a predetermined duration . In this case, the control means assigns to at least one of said at least one cooking zone that was already operating for a predetermined duration the new predetermined operating time by the user.

• mise en fonctionnement d'un foyer de cuisson supplémentaire ;
• représentation dudit foyer de cuisson supplémentaire Z sur au moins un moyen d'affichage 30 ;
• sélection dudit foyer de cuisson supplémentaire et d'au moins un desdits au moins deux foyers de cuisson Z ;
• acquisition d'une nouvelle durée de fonctionnement ;
• affectation de ladite nouvelle durée de fonctionnement auxdits foyers de cuisson sélectionnés.

For this, the control method also comprises at least the following steps:

• operating an additional cooking chamber;
• representation of said additional cooking zone Z on at least one display means 30;
• selecting said additional cooking zone and at least one of said at least two cooking zones Z;
• acquisition of a new operating period;
• assigning said new operating time to said selected cooking stoves.

Thus, the user can at any time, while he has already heated for a predetermined time one or more containers, add a container on a cooking stove and select for this cooking and / or at least one of those already heating up a new operating time.

When at least two cooking stoves are in operation for the same predetermined operating time and the user stops the operation of one of these cooking stoves, the control means cancels the current timer for this cooking stove and maintains in operation for the remaining operating time said at least one cooking zone that has been operated for a predetermined operating time.

• mise à l'arrêt d'un foyer de cuisson Z avant la fin de la durée prédéterminée pour laquelle il a été mis en fonctionnement ;
• suppression de la représentation dudit foyer de cuisson Z sur au moins un moyen d'affichage 30 ;
• annulation de ladite durée de fonctionnement restante pour ledit foyer de cuisson Z mis à l'arrêt ;
• maintien en fonctionnement pour ladite durée de fonctionnement restante dudit au moins un foyer de cuisson Z qui avait été mis en fonctionnement pour une durée de fonctionnement prédéterminée.

For this, the control method also comprises at least the steps following:

• stopping a cooking zone Z before the end of the predetermined period for which it has been put into operation;
• removing the representation of said cooking zone Z on at least one display means 30;
• canceling said remaining operating time for said cooking hotplate Z stopped;
• maintaining operation for said remaining operating time of said at least one cooking hearth Z which had been operated for a predetermined operating time.

Following the step of assigning the operating time to said at least two cooking stoves, the timers associated with each cooking zone are synchronized.

In the case where one of the containers disposed on the hob and belonging to one of the cooking stoves taken into consideration during the step of allocation of the operating time is raised relative to the hob, the timer associated with this cooking stove is interrupted.

Therefore, the timer of this cooking hearth is out of sync with other timers enabled for the other cooking stoves considered in the step of assigning the operating time.

Then, the duration of the timer in question continues to flow as soon as the container is detected on the cooking zone. As a result, the different timers display a different count taking into account the withdrawal of a container relative to the hob.

The induction hob 20 comprises control means provided with a control unit. The control unit comprises at least one electronic card provided with at least one microcontroller capable of implementing the control method in operation of an induction hob according to the invention.

Of course, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above.

In particular, the present invention is neither limited in the number of inductors distributed in a two-dimensional grid in the hob of the induction hob, nor in the number of heating zones that can be defined on the hob. from the position of a container covering a subset of inductors.

Claims (4)

A method of operating a set of heating elements (21) of a cooking hob (10, 20), said heating elements (21) forming a heating means of a container (9), said table comprising cooking zones (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4) consisting of one or more heating elements (21), said cooking zones (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4) being either independent on the cooking surface ( 5), is determined case by case according to the position and the size of a container (9) placed on the cooking surface (22),
said method comprising at least the following steps: - Operation of at least two cooking stoves; - Representing said at least two cooking hobs (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4) on at least one display means (30); characterized in that said method also comprises at least the following steps: selecting said at least two cooking zones (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4); - acquisition of a period of operation; - Assigning said operating time to said at least two cooking zones (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4). A method of operating a set of heating elements (21) of a cooking hob (10, 20) according to claim 1, characterized in that said operating time of said at least two cooking hobs (Z, F1, F2, F3, F4) is entered on control means of a timer of said hob (10, 20). A hob (20) comprising a set of heating elements (21) distributed in a two-dimensional grid in a cooking surface (22) of said hob (20), each heating element (21) forming a heating means a container (9), said table having cooking hobs (Z) consisting of one or more heating elements (21), said cooking hobs (Z) being determined on a case by case basis depending on the position and the size of a container (9) placed on the cooking surface (22), characterized in that it comprises control means adapted to implement the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 2. Cooking hob (10), comprising heating elements in a hob (5) of said hob (10), each heating element forming a means for heating a container, said hob having cooking hobs (F1, F2, F3, F4) consisting of one or more heating elements, said foci of cooking (F1, F2, F3, F4) being independent on the cooking surface (5), characterized in that it comprises control means adapted to implement the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 2.

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