EP2430367B1 - Portable, in particular media-enabled console, and cooking appliance - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a portable, in particular media-capable console with at least one control and display unit and with at least one communication interface for communication within a predetermined range of functions with at least one domestic appliance.

In the household appliance sector, it is known to operate a household appliance and external, i. portable display and control units, so-called portable consoles, to control and display the state of the household appliance in question to use.

Home appliances with portable consoles are off US2007 / 0293190 A1 . EP 0 846 991 A1 . DE198 49 075 A1 . DE200 03 307 U1 and US 2006/0254575 A1 known. The present invention has for its object to provide a console of the type mentioned in such a way that with external use of the console with respect to the console and home appliance technically feasible control and display functions their operating safety and thus the reliability of each relevant household appliance and the ease of use and continuing Functions can be improved by the media capability of the console.

This object is achieved according to the invention in a portable, in particular media-capable console of the type mentioned above in that the functional scope has a plurality of depending on the distance of the console from the domestic appliance and limited functional areas.

In particular, the object is achieved in that the console comprises a short range, field of view and long range, wherein the console has functions in the respective areas, as defined in claim 1. Some of the terms used in the aforementioned solution of the problem are defined as follows:
Console: Electronic display and / or operating device, which preferably has wireless and / or wired at least one communication interface for Kommunikatikon with at least one home appliance and / or another communication device such as a PC or the like, for example by means of infrared radiation in online or offline mode and independently from the location of the device communicating therewith, ie also externally usable.

Function: All relevant for the operation of the respective domestic appliance and manually controllable and optically and / or acoustically displayable process data such. Start of process, end of process, time, duration, temperature and so on.

Domestic appliance: All electrical appliances that can be used in the household, such as, in particular, cooking appliances, ovens, hobs or refrigerators, dishwashers or the like.

Media capability is understood to mean, in particular, the ability to display and influence digital media as well as communication with other digital media.

The invention provides a communication system adapted to the externally used display and / or operator device, i. the console, distance-dependent limited functions assigns in favor of operational and monitoring security of the respectively communicated domestic appliance and in favor of better operation of the domestic appliance. In this way, it is not spontaneously, as such recognizable incorrect operations, as far as possible prevented, e.g. the switching on of a cooking plate or a hob without there being a saucepan, which would not have occurred in visual contact with the hob. The invention is concerned to make the functionality of an external console of the respective distance of the console of the household appliance in question so dependent that decreases according to claim 1 whose scope of functions from a distance zone to the remote from the household appliance distance zone.

Here, the safety aspect is favored in a special way, when the functional areas limiting distances are provided, on the one hand areas of visual contact and on the other hand without visual contact between the console and thus the operator and domestic appliance.

In this sense, it is particularly expedient according to a further embodiment of the invention, when provided as functional areas are a near area with fully recognizable device state, a viewing area with incompletely recognizable device state and a home area outside the field of view.

In the sense of completing the usability of the console according to the invention, a remote area is provided without direct communication contact with the domestic appliance. In this case, the console is assigned a residual functionality, e.g. as regards communication with electrical communication media / devices such as mobile phones and personal computers, which in turn are communicable with the console and the home appliance.

The invention is explained below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing.

Fig. 1

eine Küchenzeile mit einem Backofen, mit Kochmulde und mit einer in eine Dockingsstation eingesetzten portablen Konsole,

Fig. 2

eine schaltbildartige Darstellung der Kommunikationskanäle zwischen der Konsole und einem Hausgerät bzw. mit anderen Geräten,

Fig. 3 bis Fig. 5

unterschiedliche Funktionsbereiche der Konsole anhand räumlicher Distanzen innerhalb und außerhalb einer Wohnküche zwischen einem Hausgerät und einer Konsole.

It shows:

Fig. 1

There is a kitchenette with an oven, hob and portable console in a docking station.

Fig. 2

a circuit diagram representation of the communication channels between the console and a household appliance or with other devices,

FIG. 3 to FIG. 5

different functional areas of the console on the basis of spatial distances inside and outside a kitchen between a domestic appliance and a console.

Fig. 1 shows a kitchenette 1, in which an electric cooker 2 is installed. The stove 2 has a hob 3 and an oven 4. The oven 4 has a front oven door 5 and a control panel 6, wherein in the control panel operating or operating elements 7 (such as knobs, switches, buttons, etc.) and a display element 8, such as an LED display or a print to operate the Baking oven 4 are arranged. The hob 3 can be operated for example by means of touch button 9 and a display panel 10, which are arranged here on a hob plate made of glass or glass ceramic. The hob 3 here has five different cooking zones 11, of which the two arranged in this view right cooking zones 11 can serve as a common warming zone. In a neighboring worktop 12, a connection station or docking station 13 is inserted, which serves to receive a portable and media-compatible console 14. By means of the docking station 13, the Console 14 are powered and exchange data even without a docking station. The console 14 is equipped on one side with a screen, preferably a touch screen 15. By means of the console, the oven 2 can be operated, or the console 14 can be used to represent media contents and / or process conditions of the domestic appliance. The oven has a furnace muffle which can be heated by means of electric heaters such as top heat, bottom heat, grill heater and / or convection heating to perform a cooking process or by means of microwaves. For this purpose, the oven has just like the hob 3, for example, in the plane of the control panel 6 arranged control device that can communicate with the electronics of the console 14 data technology.

Fig. 2 schematically outlines communication paths between the console 14 and other devices, which are indicated by the arrows in the appropriate direction. In detail, the console 14 in this embodiment, two communication interfaces 19, 20, of which the first communication interface 19 is wireless and the second communication interface 20 is wired. These two interfaces 19, 20 serve a bidirectional communication with the stove 2 and / or another household appliance or other device, such as a PC. The wired interface 20 may be provided for use in the docking station 13, for example. The wireless interface 19 is used for communication, for example with the stove 2, in particular in the case in which the portable console 14 has been removed from the docking station 13. The wireless communication interface 19 may be any suitable wireless interface. The console 14 has a further interface 21 for communication with a device 22, which is not a household appliance. Such a device 22 may for example be a personal computer or even a mobile communication device such as a mobile phone or the like. The console 14 has yet another interface 23 for unidirectional data transmission to yet another device 24. The further device 24 may in particular be a further screen, which is larger or may be provided with a higher resolution than the touch screen 15 of the console 14. This screen may be attached to a household appliance, for example. The stove 2 may for example be equipped so that it can communicate with the device 22 and / or the device 24 directly. Also, the device 22 may communicate with the device 24 directly. The communication of the console 14 with several external devices 2, 22, 24 can also take place via a number of interfaces, which differs from the number of communicatively coupled devices 2, 22, 24, wherein in extreme cases only one, in particular wireless interface for communication with one or more devices is present or needed. Generally, wireless or wired communication channels may be provided or used as needed.

The console 14 also has a control unit 25 and a memory 26, wherein the memory 26 can be read and / or written by the control unit 25, for example a microcontroller. Programs for controlling the oven 2 may also be stored in the storage unit 26. For a more user-friendly presentation, a content of the touch screen 15 can be displayed via the communication interface 23 on a device 24 configured as a larger screen, or on a monitor of a device 22 configured as a personal computer. Inputs can also be analogous to an input on the touch screen 15 are performed.

To operate the oven 2, the touch screen 15 may operate as a remote operating and display unit, e.g. the control elements 7 or 9 and display fields 8 or 10 functionally emulate. In particular, via the console 14, interactively e.g. a food preparation program will be run. The operation of the selected domestic appliance, e.g. the hearth 2 are controlled, for example via a previous or during the operation adapted adjustment of a temperature profile or a power of the heating elements of the oven 4 or the cooking levels of the hob. 3

Based on Fig. 3 to 5 be the console 14 inherent monitoring and actuation options using the example of a permanently installed in a kitchen space 27 cooker 2 illustrated.

In Fig. 3 is the person concerned with the cooking process together with the removed from the docking station 13 console 14 in a direction indicated by a dashed polyline short range 28 of the cooker 2, in which short-range 28 the person the device state of the cooker 2, if necessary, including its control and display elements can recognize. In this functional area 28, the person has a small distance to the stove 2 and has the option of using the console 14 under Using its control unit 25 ( Fig. 2 ) to control and control all functions of the cooker 2, eg to set process temperatures and to switch on the appliance. The corresponding process data are displayed on the touch screen 15.

In Fig. 4 is the person with console 14 still in the kitchen room 27, but with greater distance to the stove 2 within a field of view 29. The person can only incomplete recognize the device state, especially as regards the control and display elements of the cooker 2. Here only limited functions can be realized on the console 14, such as turning off the stove 2 or the lowering of the process temperature.

In Fig. 5 is the person with console 14 in a home area outside the kitchen space 27, so outside the field of view of the cooker 2. From here, no control commands the stove 2 can be transmitted directly by means of the console 14, but it can on the touch screen 15 only eg by means of a camera the current process data can be viewed and monitored eg controlled. If detected incorrect settings or malfunctions, there is a timely, personal intervention option.

From a remote area, for example, far away from the kitchen space 27 or from the dwelling house, via the console 14 or via other communication means, for example, a mobile telephone in offline operation makes contact with a communication device 22 (FIG. Fig. 2 ) eg a PC. For example, in this remote area, for example from the Internet, a recipe can be transmitted to the console 14 and, if necessary, modified according to one's own wishes. In the home area ( Fig. 5 ) this data can be transferred to the stove 2 and in the vicinity 28 then the process can be started. In the field of view 29, the domestic appliance can be turned off again.

Claims (4)

1. Communication system having a cooking appliance (2) and a portable, in particular media-enabled console (14) having at least one control and display unit (15, 25) and having at least one communication interface (19, 20) for communicating within a predefined range of functions with at least one cooking appliance (2), wherein the range of functions comprises a plurality of functional areas (28, 29, Fig. 5) dependent on and limited by the distance of the console (14) from the cooking appliance (2), wherein the console (14) comprises a range of functions in the following functional areas:

   a) close range (28): complete control of the cooking appliance (2),

   b) visual range (29): restricted, in particular safety-relevant, for example performance-reducing, control of the cooking appliance (2),

   c) home range: display of the operating state / setting of the cooking appliance (2),

   d) remote range: communication with third parties, communication devices (22) able to communicate with the cooking appliance (2),

   wherein in the close range (28) the person is a short distance from the cooking appliance (2): in this range the person can identify the appliance state of the cooking appliance (2), optionally including its control and display organs,
   wherein in the visual range (29) the person is still located in the kitchen space but at a greater distance from the cooking appliance (2): in this range the person can now incompletely identify the appliance state,
   wherein in the home range the person is located outside of the kitchen space, i.e. outside of the visual range (29) of the stove,
   wherein in the remote range the person is far away from the home.
2. Communication system according to claim 1, characterised in that provided as the distances limiting the functional areas are ranges (28, 29) with visual contact on the one hand and ranges without visual contact on the other hand between console (14) and thus user and cooking appliance (2).
3. Communication system according to claim 2, characterised in that provided as the functional areas are a close range (28) with completely identifiable appliance state, a visual range (29) with incompletely identifiable appliance state and a home range outside of the visual range (29).
4. Communication system according to one of the preceding claims, characterised by a remote range without direct communication contact with the cooking appliance (2).

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