CN114208393B - Cooking apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooking device having at least one cooking area comprises a control unit (2) configured to be coupled with a communication interface (12, 16) to receive a voice signal as a control command from a user or a data signal as a control command from a remote control device. The control unit (2) is configured for controlling the power supply to the at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3). The control unit (2) is configured to accept commands from the communication interface (12, 16) only upon recognition of the presence of the user.

Description

Cooking Equipment

The present invention relates to a cooking device, a cooking system, and a computer program product.

When operating cooking equipment such as ovens, cooktops, cooking plates, etc., it is often difficult for the user to make necessary changes to the settings of the equipment because the user is simultaneously manipulating cooking utensils such as pots and pans, or because the user's hands are wet from previous cooking operations and therefore cannot operate the touch screen elements to operate the cooking equipment.

The object of the present invention is to provide a cooking device which allows providing additional options for controlling cooking functions in order to facilitate the operation of the cooking device.

According to the invention, the above object is solved by a cooking device, in particular a cooker or cooking utensil with a door and a cavity, in particular an oven, a microwave oven or an induction cooker, the cooking device having at least one cooking zone, a control unit, the control unit being configured to couple with a communication interface to receive a voice signal from a user as a control command or a data signal from a remote control device as a control command, wherein the control unit is configured to control the power supply to the at least one cooking zone, wherein the control unit is configured to accept commands from the communication interface only when the presence of a user is recognized. In a cooking utensil with a door and a cavity, in particular an oven or a microwave oven, the cooking zone is the cavity or a part of the cavity. The cooking zone of the cooker is preferably a variable assignment of one or more induction coils. This means that the cooking zone can be a cooking zone, a part of a cooking zone or more than one coupled cooking zones.

According to the invention, the cooking zones of the cooking device are adjusted by voice commands of the user or by control commands from a remote control device. The communication interface is integrated in the cooking device and receives voice signals from the user. These received voice signals are defined as voice signals from the user. This means that the communication interface can also receive voice signals from the user that have been converted into digital signals by another device. The term "controlling at least one cooking zone" as used herein preferably means that the cooking zone can be adjusted by the user, in particular in response to his voice commands.

In other words, the cooking device includes: at least one cooking area, a device for determining the presence of a user, a communication interface for receiving a voice signal or a data signal from a remote control device, and a control unit coupled to the at least one cooking area and the communication interface, the device for determining the presence of a user and the communication interface, wherein the control unit is configured to control the power supply to the at least one cooking area based on detecting the presence of a user and previously or subsequently receiving a voice signal or a data signal from the remote control device by the communication interface.

The cooking device of the invention allows voice control or remote control (e.g. wireless remote control) of the cooking zone. In order to avoid inadvertent operation of the cooking zone without direct user interaction (such as upon receipt of an accidental received sound signal not given by the user but originating from, for example, a broadcast signal or ambient sound), the cooking device is equipped with means for determining the presence of a user (e.g. a proximity sensor). The control unit of the cooking device provides a change in the device settings only upon receipt of a voice signal or a data signal from a remote control device, only if the actual presence of the user is confirmed.

Although the cooking device may be configured to check for the presence of the user continuously or at predetermined time intervals so as to be able to react immediately to a subsequently received voice signal, the cooking device may alternatively or additionally be configured to check for the presence of the user upon receiving a voice signal. Alternatively or additionally, the cooking device may be configured to accept voice input for a predetermined time interval upon determining the presence of the user.

Before executing a voice command or a command from a remote control device, the cooking device of the present invention first determines that a user is present, that is, that there is a line of sight connection between the user and the cooking device, to avoid operations of the cooking device that may provide undesirable or even dangerous results.

The cooking device of the present invention thus enables safe hands-free operation of the cooking device without the risk of the cooking device changing settings when no user is actually present.

The control of the power supply to the at least one cooking zone performed by the control unit relates to any change in the operating conditions of the at least one cooking zone, such as turning a cooking zone on or off, changing the power level of a cooking zone, changing the size and/or shape of a variable cooking zone, combining several cooking zones into a combined cooking zone, dividing a cooking zone into several smaller cooking zones, setting a timer function, setting the device to a child safety mode in which changes to the device settings are prevented until the child safety mode is terminated or interrupted, etc.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

In particular, the control unit can be configured to accept a voice signal from the communication interface only within a predetermined time interval between detecting the presence of a user and receiving the voice signal (e.g., within a predetermined time interval between 1s and 60s, between 5s and 40s, or between 10s and 30s). Providing a predetermined time interval increases security because it further reduces the chance that the received voice signal does not originate from the user of the cooking system.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the cooking device preferably responds to the user after it is activated with a signal, in particular a sound, light and/or digital signal.

In an embodiment of the cooking device, the control unit can be configured to accept a voice signal from the communication interface only when the communication interface recognizes a code, such as a codeword. In such an embodiment, the control unit must be triggered by the user to accept a voice command from the communication interface by saying a codeword, such as "hob" or "cooker" or "chef". This preferably means that the communication interface of the cooking device is activated by a voice signal, in particular a codeword. When there are several devices that can be controlled by voice commands, such as a cooker, an oven, a microwave oven and a stove, it is particularly advantageous to use a code, such as a codeword, to initiate voice operation of the cooking device, wherein by using the code it is possible to distinguish which device to operate.

In an embodiment of the cooking device, the control unit is configured to prompt the user to enter a code perceptible at the cooking device and compare the received signal representing the user's input with the code, the control unit is configured to execute the command from the communication interface if the received signal represents and/or can be assigned to the code, and not execute the command if the received signal neither represents nor can be assigned to the code, and the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit is configured to access a code list, select the code by selecting at least one code in the code list at a time, and ensure that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time range and/or in at least the next round, for example the next multiple rounds of the following operations: receiving a voice signal from the user as a command or receiving a data signal from the remote control device as a control command, and accepting the command only when the presence of the user is recognized.

The code may be a password or other type of information. One embodiment ensures that the user is within sight of the cooking device because the user is prompted to enter a visible code. In any case, because the code is only perceptible at the cooking device, the user cannot guess the code beyond the vicinity of the cooking device. Where a list of codes is used, this may be a relatively long list so that the control unit can simply select the next code in the list. The likelihood that a user who is not near the cooking device will be able to guess the code is still relatively low. The code may be any visible aspect of the appearance of a portion of the overall cooking device. The control unit may be configured so that the code is displayed.

In a specific example of the aforementioned embodiment, the code is a password, the control unit is configured to prompt the user to speak the password, and the control unit is configured to receive a signal representing the user's input from the communication interface.

This embodiment allows the user to confirm the verbal command without touching the cooking device and without requiring further contactless user input modalities. In addition, the password space can be relatively large compared to other types of codes such as gestures, colors, etc., thereby ensuring that the user cannot guess the password. This provides an effective check that the user is actually present at the cooking device.

A specific example of this embodiment is that the control unit is configured to prompt the user to enter a code perceptible at the cooking device and compare the received signal representing the user's input with the code, the control unit is configured to execute the command from the communication interface if the received signal represents and/or can be assigned to the code, and not execute the command if the received signal neither represents nor can be assigned to the code, and the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit is configured to access a code list, select the code by selecting at least one code in the code list at a time, and ensure that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time range and/or in at least the next round, for example the next multiple rounds of the following operations: receiving a voice signal from the user as a command or receiving a data signal from the remote control device as a control command, and accepting the command only when the presence of the user is recognized, and the cooking device further includes a display, wherein the control unit is configured to cause the code to be displayed on the display.

In this example, the code can be relatively complex, and there can be relatively many different possible codes, making it relatively difficult to guess the code. In addition, this embodiment is relatively easy to implement by appropriately programming other standard cooking devices with a display and a communication interface for receiving voice signals or receiving data signals from a remote control device.

Preferably, the cooking device includes a memory for storing one or more codes, which may be codes (such as code words) predefined by the manufacturer and may be changed, such as during a maintenance or update operation, or may be selectively determined by a user.

In an embodiment of the invention, the device for determining the presence of a user comprises: a display arranged at the cooking device, and a control device configured to prompt the user to speak a randomized password displayed on the display of the cooking device and to compare the displayed password with a signal received from the communication interface. This means that the presence of the user is therefore controlled by a control unit configured to prompt the user to speak a randomized password displayed on the display of the cooking device and to compare the displayed password with a signal received from the communication interface. The randomized password displayed in the display of the cooking device is preferably a word, a sign, a picture, a symbol and/or a character or a combination thereof, and the user must reproduce the randomized password with a voice signal.

In other words, in an embodiment of the invention, the control unit is configured to access a password list and in particular and preferably select one password from the password list at a time in a random manner and display the password to the user on a display of the cooking device.

The control unit may be configured to display the password only for a predetermined period of time. The period of time may be between 5s and 60s, preferably between 10s and 40s, and most preferably between 20s and 30s. The control unit is further configured to compare the signal received from the communication interface with the password, and if the received signal represents the displayed selected password in the password list and/or can be assigned to the password, execute the corresponding command to change the cooking area or function of the cooking device. In other words, if the received voice command includes the selected displayed password, the command is executed. If the received signal does not represent the displayed selected password in the password list and/or cannot be assigned to the password, the corresponding command is not executed to change the cooking area or function of the cooking device. Preferably, the control unit displays that the command will not be executed, and/or transmits the corresponding signal to the voice control device, which can output to the user by sound that the command is not executed and/or the code cannot be verified. In other words, if the received voice command includes the selected displayed password, the command is executed. And, if the received voice command does not include the selected displayed password, the command is not executed.

Subsequently, in the next round of such tone recognition, another password is selected from the password list, which is preferably different from the password selected in the previous round or a predetermined number of previous rounds of passwords. This advantageously increases the possibility of preventing inadvertent use of passwords or misuse.

Preferably, the control unit therefore ensures that the password of the first round is not used within a number of rounds and/or a predetermined time frame until it can be used again.

Such a password list is preferably stored in the cooking device, for example on the control unit and/or a memory connected to the control unit, or alternatively in an external memory, in particular in a cloud storage and/or a server memory. In an embodiment, the password list is adjustable by the user. Alternatively, the password list may be predefined by the manufacturer and may or may not be changed or adjusted by the user.

In particular, the user may adjust and/or tailor the password list. Additionally or alternatively, the manufacturer may provide a list of passwords that are unlikely to be used in a standard home environment, particularly passwords related to codes for activating a communication interface.

In particular, the password list may include the first or last name of a chef (real or not).

To provide a convenient means for the user to determine the code, a memory may be connected to the communication interface and may be configured to store one or more codes (such as codewords) recorded by the user.

In an embodiment, the cooking device comprises said at least one cooking zone and said control unit.

Although the invention can be used for any type of cooking device, it can be used particularly advantageously for cookers, in particular cookers with multiple cooking zones, which in preferred embodiments can vary in size and/or shape and which can preferably be combined with at least one adjacent cooking zone to provide further variability in cooking zone size and shape. Although in such devices several cooking zones are often used simultaneously, wherein further cooking parameters (such as the power level of the individual cooking zones) often vary, the ability to adjust cooking parameters by voice command is particularly useful, since the user does not need to interrupt his activities (such as manipulating pots and pans, stirring, manually preparing or handling ingredients, etc.).

According to the present invention, a cooking system is also claimed. The cooking system comprises the cooking device and a speech recognition device and/or a remote control device, the speech recognition device and/or the remote control device being configured to communicate with the control unit via the communication interface. The cooking system may comprise an external speech recognition device, the external speech recognition device being configured to communicate with the control unit via the communication interface.

In such an embodiment, the external voice recognition device may be a mobile phone that communicates with the cooking device, such as via a WLAN coupling. Thus, while the cooking system may utilize the audio system of the mobile phone as a voice recognition device, the cooking system may also use further resources of the mobile phone. Thus, for example, the voice recognition process may be at least partially performed by the mobile phone, and/or the display of the mobile phone may be used to provide prompts or instructions to the user.

In a further preferred embodiment, the external voice recognition device can be part of, or communicate with, a smart home system that can be used to control various home devices, such as other kitchen appliances, lighting equipment, home entertainment equipment, etc.

Thus, such smart home systems can be controlled by local servers configured to control devices in a single home, or they can be run by cloud-based servers such as Google Assistant, which are used in conjunction with multiple home systems. Amazon Apple etc., wherein a voice assistant program providing voice recognition, such as Amazon or Apple

In an embodiment, the communication interface may include a microphone disposed at the cooking device (such as, disposed in a frame, housing or cover of the cooking device), in which case voice signal processing (i.e., voice recognition and generation of corresponding control signals based on the recognized voice signal) is preferably also implemented at the cooking device (such as, implemented by a signal processing circuit, which is part of the controller of the device, or the signal processing circuit is provided as an independent unit that communicates with the controller).

Thus, in such an embodiment, the cooking device provides a means for determining a line-of-sight connection between the user and the cooking device by providing a display at the cooking device that displays a randomly changing password that must be spoken by the user in order to activate the communication interface of the cooking device.

In order to provide an alternative or additional way of determining a line of sight connection between users, the means for determining the presence of a user may comprise a light barrier provided at the cooking device, and a control means configured to prompt the user to interrupt the light barrier and to check whether the interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval. This means that the presence of the user is controlled by the control means configured to prompt the user to interrupt the light barrier provided at the cooking device and to check whether the interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval.

For example, the light barrier may include a transmitter and a receiver (e.g., an infrared transmitter and receiver pair), with one element disposed on top of the cooking panel and the other element disposed above the cooking panel (e.g., at the bottom of the range hood). To activate voice control of the cooking panel, the user may interrupt the light barrier by waving a hand or cooking utensil between the transmitter and the receiver.

In such an embodiment, the means for determining the presence of a user provides gesture recognition, the safety level of which can be increased by prompting the user to perform more complex gestures, such as passing through the light barrier multiple times, or passing through the light barrier with different durations (such as a short interruption followed by a longer interruption). In addition, more than one light barrier can be provided, so that the direction of the gesture to be performed by the user can also be detected.

The means for determining the presence of a user may further include various sensing devices and may therefore include a proximity sensor, a motion sensor, a touch sensitive element (such as a sensor or a capacitive touch element for measuring the conductivity of a user's hand or skin at a cooktop surface element or at a cooktop), or any combination of such elements.

In addition to determining the presence of a user by detecting the user's body (such as by a proximity sensor or a motion sensor), the presence of a user may also be detected by detecting a change in the presence of a cookware in the cooking area. That is, the cooking device may include a cookware detection device for detecting the placement of a cookware in at least one cooking area, and the control unit may be configured to control the power supply to the at least one cooking area based on detecting a change in the placement of the cookware in the at least one cooking area and subsequently or previously receiving a voice signal by the communication interface.

While the cooking device may be configured to check for the presence of a user continuously or at predetermined time intervals so as to be able to react immediately to a subsequently received voice signal or a subsequently received data signal from the remote control device, in such latter embodiments, the acceptance of the voice signal and/or data signal may be triggered by the placement or movement of the cookware on or within the cooking area.

Such latter embodiments are particularly suitable for implementation in induction cooktops, where pot detection can be easily provided by evaluating the inductive coupling between the cooktop and the induction coil of the cooking zone in which the cooktop is placed. In an induction cooktop with cooktop detection, the present invention can therefore utilize the cooktop detection to identify a newly placed pot or pan, thereby determining on the one hand the presence of a user and on the other hand the assignment of the correct cooking zone for the application of the voice signal received by the voice input means. Thus, when the cooktop detection means has identified the cooktop, a timed input interval can be triggered, in which the user can provide a voice input signal and/or a data signal from a remote control device, wherein the cooking zone to which these voice input signals or data signals are applied is also determined by the cooktop detection means.

In such a latter embodiment, the cooking device may include at least two cooking zones, wherein the control unit is configured to apply the voice signal or data signal received by the communication interface to the cooking zone where the change in placement of the cookware was most recently detected. Thus, if a transfer of the cookware from one cooking zone to another is detected, the voice signal or data signal received by the communication interface is applied to the cooking zone to which the cookware has been transferred.

In a further embodiment, the cookware detection means may be configured to detect changes in placement of the cookware in at least one cooking zone, such as sliding, shifting, lifting, shaking, wobbling, etc. Thus, if more than one cookware is heated simultaneously, a voice command (such as a spoken power level or a data signal representing a power level from a remote control device) may be assigned to such a cooking zone by providing movement of the cookware located in such a cooking zone.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention using the cooker detection means may be easily implemented when the cooking zone comprises an induction coil, in which case the cooker detection means may be implemented by means for measuring the capacitance of the induction coil.

In such latter embodiments, the invention provides an advantageous combination of the cookware detection means often present in modern induction cooktops with the voice control or remote control user concept.

In particular, according to the present invention, the cooker detection device can be used to detect that the cooker is placed on a certain cooking area (such as a cooking zone, an induction coil, or a cooking area), or that the cooker is moved within the cooking area. When the presence of the cooker is detected, the cooker can allow voice control and/or control by a remote control device within a certain time interval to adjust the parameters (such as power level) to be applied to the corresponding cooking area. The acceptance of the voice signal and/or the data signal of the remote control device is limited to a predetermined time interval to ensure that the user is present at the cooker. Although this predetermined time interval is used to determine the timely relationship between the detection of the user's presence and the reception of the voice command, the order of the user's presence detection and the voice command reception can also be reversed (that is, when receiving the voice command or the command of the remote control device, the cooker checks whether the user's presence can be detected within a certain time interval, and if so, the voice command or the command of the remote control device is applied to the corresponding cooking area).

In a preferred embodiment, the pan detection device can detect movement of the cookware (e.g., sliding, lifting, trembling, shaking), such as this detection can be applied to a pan during frying. Also in such an embodiment, the cooktop control allows adjusting or setting cooking zone specific parameters (such as cooking level, time, etc.) within a limited time interval. This allows the device control to assign the recognized voice command or command from the remote control device to the correct cooking zone (i.e., the cooking zone where movement was most recently detected).

Thus, the cooking device of the invention does not merely limit the application of the voice signal or the signal of the remote control device to situations in which the user is present in order to determine the safety of the device. Furthermore, in the present cooking device, which may in particular comprise a cooktop with several cooking zones, the voice input signal is reliably applied to the cooking zone in which the movement of the respective cookware is detected. Thus, also in the case of simultaneous heating of a plurality of cookware, the voice input signal or the signal of the remote control device can be reliably assigned to the correct cooking zone.

Given that embodiments in which the presence of a user is detected by detecting the movement of the cookware simultaneously allow the received voice command or control command from the remote control device to be assigned to a cooking zone (i.e., the cooking zone where the movement is detected), in embodiments in which the presence of a user is detected in a different manner (e.g., by a proximity sensor), in some cases, the designation of the cooking zone to which the voice command or the control command from the remote control device is applied may be omitted.

That is, when in a cooking device with more than one cooking zone, the control unit will be configured to assign the voice command or the control command from the remote control device for changing the parameter to the corresponding cooking zone when receiving the corresponding voice command or control command specifying a specific cooking zone (such as when the user says "left front 7", "right rear 3", "front middle off", etc.); and in the case where only one cooking zone is in operation, the cooking device can be configured to apply the voice command or the control command from the remote control device to the specific cooking zone without specifying the cooking zone. Therefore, for example, if in a cooker with more than one cooking zone, one of the cooking zones is operating at power level 3, and the user wants to increase the power level to 5, the cooker can be configured to accept a simple voice command or the command "5" from the remote control device to change the power level of the active cooking zone. Similarly, if in a cooktop with more than one cooking zone, a first cooking zone is operating at power level 3 and a second cooking zone is operating at power level 5, and the user wants to increase the power level of the first cooking zone to 6, the cooktop can be configured to accept a voice command or a command from a remote control device (such as, “3 to 6”) to change the power level of the first cooking zone accordingly.

In addition to accepting power levels, the cooking system can be configured to accept voice commands or control commands from a remote control device for switching variable cooking zones (such as, "left front large" or "combined left zone"), for setting timer functions, etc. (such as, "turn off left front in 15 minutes" or "front and back 1 in 10 minutes").

However, typically the cooking system may be configured to accept only a predefined set of commands, but preferably the cooking system is configured to accept various versions of the same command (such as, "left front 2", "set left front plate to 2", "left front zone to 2", "change left front zone to 2", etc.).

In embodiments comprising detection means for detecting placement of cookware in at least one cooking zone, acceptance of a command may still be affected by a user input of a code (e.g., a password) which represents and/or may be assigned to a code perceptible at the cooking device that the user is prompted to enter. Detection of a change in placement of cookware in a cooking zone or movement of cookware within a cooking zone may trigger the prompt and/or be used to determine to which cooking zone an accepted command is applied.

The present invention will be explained in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a cooking device;

FIG2 is a block diagram showing components of a cooking device; and

FIG. 3 is a schematic flow chart illustrating steps in a method that a control unit of a cooking device is configured to perform.

An example of a cooking device 1, in this case in the form of a cooker (e.g., an induction cooker), comprises a control unit 2 (FIG. 2) and a cooking field 3 (FIG. 1) in which at least cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 can be defined. Cookware (not shown) can be placed on any of the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 can be predefined or variable. In the latter case, the cooking zone corresponds to a continuous portion of the cooking field 3 occupied by the cookware detected by the cooking device 1.

When embodied as an induction cooker, the cooking device 1 includes a plurality of induction coils 5-1, 5-2, ..., 5-n and a driver 6 for supplying power to the induction coils 5-1, 5-2, ..., 5-n. The control unit 2 is configured to control the driver 6 and thus control the power supply to the cooking zones 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

The induction coils 5-1, 5-2, ..., 5-n and the driver 6 can be used to detect the presence of cookware and the area covered by the cookware. Thus, the control unit 2 is able to detect the placement of cookware on the cooking area 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, the movement of cookware from one cooking area 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 to another, and the movement of cookware to remain substantially within the cooking area 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 (e.g., due to a user operating the cookware). Additional or alternative sensors may be present to detect each of these types of movement and/or handling of cookware present in a particular cooking area 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

The illustrated cooking device 1 comprises a display 7 .

The illustrated cooking device 1 further comprises cooking zone specific output devices 8 - 1 , ..., 8 - 6 , for example, for displaying the power level and/or the temperature of the respectively associated cooking zone 4 - 1 , 4 - 2 , 4 - 3 .

The illustrated cooking device 1 comprises an on/off switch 9 and a voice control switch 10 .

The illustrated cooking device 1 further comprises a non-volatile memory device 11 for storing data.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking device 1 comprises an interface 12 to an external voice recognition device 13. The external voice recognition device 13 may be a mobile phone, or a device included in or communicating with a smart home system or a remote console.

The cooking device 1 shown comprises an (optional) further interface 14 to a remote control device 15 (rather than a voice-operated remote control device 15). The remote control device 15 may be a remote control device 15 with a human-machine interface manipulated by a user (i.e. requiring at least some form of manual manipulation to complete the input). The remote control device 15 may be a programmed universal remote control device 15, for example a programmed handheld computing device such as a smartphone.

The further interface 14 may be, for example, a wireless interface forming a node in a local area network or a personal area network.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking device 1 additionally includes a microphone 16 and is configured with a voice recognition function, so that the cooking device 1 is able to interpret voice commands received through the microphone 16. In an alternative embodiment, the voice recognition function is provided by an external computing device (not shown) with which the cooking device 1 is configured to communicate. In such an embodiment, the external computing device is configured to process the sound signal originating from the microphone 16, which can be converted into a digital format and/or compressed by the cooking device 1. A signal representing the command is returned to the cooking device 1.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cooking device 1 further comprises a transmitter 17 and a receiver 18 for providing a light barrier and detecting interruption of the light barrier by a user. A plurality of such light barriers may be provided, for example, in different areas. In other embodiments, the transmitter 17 and the receiver 18 may be omitted.

The control unit 2 is configured to execute a method of processing voice commands and/or commands from a remote control device 15, an example of which method is shown (Fig. 3).

When the user manually switches on the cooking device 1, the cooking device 1 enters (step 19) standby mode. This may be indicated visually.

When the user manually turns on the external control function, the cooking device 1 enters a state in which the cooking device 1 at least waits (step 20) for a voice signal or a data signal from the remote control device 15. The voice signal may be provided via the microphone 16 or the external voice recognition device 13.

In an embodiment, step 20 requires a trigger condition corresponding to placing a cookware in a cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 where the cookware was not previously present, or handling the cookware in a cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. When such a trigger condition is received, the cooking device 1 can detect (step 21) the relevant cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The cooking device 1 can additionally start (step 22) a timer. If no voice signal or signal from the remote control device is received or acknowledged before a certain time period has passed, the method returns to waiting for a trigger condition and no more voice commands can be accepted. The same is true for commands from the remote control device 15, since it is no longer guaranteed that the user operating the remote control device 15 is in the vicinity of the cooking device 1.

In any case, when receiving a voice signal from the user or a signal of the remote control device as a control command, the control unit 2 obtains (step 23) a code. Obtaining the code may comprise generating a code or selecting a code from a list of possible codes.

The code is independent of the user's identity.

In an embodiment, the code is selected from a list of possible codes, for example stored in the memory device 11. The control unit 2 ensures that the selected code has not been selected in one or more previous rounds of receiving a voice signal from a user or a signal of a remote control device as a command and accepting the command only when the presence of the user is recognized. The control unit 2 is then of course also configured to ensure that the selected code is not used within the next predetermined time range and/or in at least the next round, for example the next rounds of receiving a voice signal from a user or a signal of a remote control device as a command and accepting the command only when the presence of the user is recognized. Alternatively, the selection from the list may be a random selection.

In the case of generating a code, the code may be randomly generated. The code may be a random number, for example, a random number within a certain range and/or a random number with a predetermined number of digits.

The code may be a password that the user may speak. The code need not be a password, but may be some other type of code that may be displayed at the cooking device 1. The code should be comparable to a signal representing the user's input and at least indirectly (i.e., via a peripheral device in communication with the cooking device 1, such as the remote control device 15) receivable by the cooking device 1.

Depending on the type of code, the code may be displayed (step 24) on the display 7 as, for example, a symbol or an alphanumeric code. Such an alphanumeric code may alternatively be displayed on one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, ..., 8-6. The code may also be a visible, variable aspect of the appearance of the cooking device 1, including a visible identification of a portion or zone of the cooking device, a color, etc. For example, a selected one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, ..., 8-6 may start flashing, the code being the identification of the zone. Alternatively, the background color of one of the cooking zone specific output devices 8-1, ..., 8-6 and/or the display 7 may change, the color representing the code.

In the embodiment shown, the user is prompted (step 25) to enter a code. The prompt may be provided through the intermediary of the external voice recognition device 13 or another external device (e.g. a smartphone of the user or a device included in a smart home system). The prompt may in particular be an auditory prompt, e.g. a voice output. In an embodiment, the step 24 of displaying the code is omitted and the code is output as part of the prompt. However, displaying the code has the effect of ensuring a line of sight between the user and the cooking device 1. The way in which the step 23 of obtaining the code is implemented ensures that the user cannot guess or remember the code, but in practice the user must be close enough to see the code.

Then, the control unit 2 starts (step 26) a timer and waits for a signal to be received representing the user's input. The signal may be a voice signal. Therefore, the user must express the code in an audible manner, for example, by speaking the displayed password, color or the identification of the indicated cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3. The signal may alternatively represent another type of user input provided in a contactless manner. An example may be a gesture, for example, a gesture recognized by the transmitter 17 and the receiver 18. For example, the display 7 may instruct the user to wave a randomly selected number of times, or to implement a gesture in a gesture list. Using a signal representing a user input provided in a contactless manner retains the effect of not requiring the user to touch the cooking device 1. However, in principle, instructions may be displayed to the user to place or move the cookware into a randomly selected cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, or to move or otherwise handle the cookware within a randomly selected cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

When a signal representing an input by the user is received, the control unit 2 compares (step 27) the received signal representing an input by the user with the code obtained and displayed (steps 23, 24). If the received signal neither represents a code nor can be assigned to a code, the command leading to the acquisition of the code is not executed. If no signal representing a code or can be assigned to a code is received within a certain period of time from the start of the timer, the control unit 2 reverts to waiting for a voice signal from the user as a control command.

On the other hand, if the signal represents a code or can be assigned to a code, the function of the relevant cooking zone is adjusted (step 28), for example, the power supply is adjusted. If the relevant cooking zone has not yet been identified or the user has provided a command naming the cooking zone, an optional step 29 is performed to detect the presence of cookware in the cooking zone. Therefore, the execution of the final step 28 can be conditional on the detection of cookware in (any) cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 or the cooking zone referred to by the control command from the user (for example, determined according to a voice command). Alternatively or additionally, if the user has not specified a cooking zone or the cooking device 1 is not configured to parse a voice command to identify a cooking zone, step 29 can be used to determine the cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3.

An embodiment is also possible in which the acceptance of a command from the communication interface is conditional only on the detection of a cooker in (any) cooking zone 4-1, 4-2, 4-3 or in the zone referred to by the control command from the user (e.g. determined according to a voice command). In such an embodiment, the steps 23, 24 of obtaining and displaying a code and the step of comparing the received signal representing the user's input with the obtained and displayed code (step 27) are not performed.

In each embodiment, the user's presence is ensured (particularly within sight of the cooking device 1) while still allowing the user to change settings without touching the cooking device 1. The user interface of the cooking device 1 is extended by allowing voice control or by using a remote control device 15, but when the user is present at the cooking device 1, the user must at least provide safety-critical commands.

List of Reference Numerals

1 - Cooking Equipment

2 - Control Unit

3 - Culinary Area

4-1, 4-2, 4-3 - Cooking area

5-1, 5-2, ..., 5-n - induction coil

6 - Drive

7 - Display

8-1, ..., 8-6 - Cooking Zone Specific Output Devices

9 - On/Off switch

10 - Voice control switch

11 - Memory Devices

12 - Interface

13 - External Voice Recognition Device

14 - Further Interfaces

15 - Remote Control Device

16 - Microphone

17 - Transmitter

18 - Receiver

19 - Step (Standby)

20 - Step (wait for signal)

21 - Step (Detection Area)

22 Steps (Start the timer)

23 - Step (Get the code)

24 - Steps (Show Code)

25 - Steps (with hints)

26 - Step (Start Timer)

27 Step (Compare received input with code)

28 - Step (Change the function of the area)

29 - Step (Detection Area)

Claims (25)

1. A cooking apparatus having at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3), the cooking apparatus comprising:

a control unit (2) configured to be coupled with the communication interface (12, 14, 16) to receive a voice signal from a user as a control command or a data signal from a remote control device (15) as a control command,

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured for controlling the power supply to the at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3),

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept commands from the communication interface (12, 16) only upon recognition of the presence of the user, and

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to access a list of passwords and to select one of the list of passwords at a time from the list of passwords in a random manner and to display the passwords to a user on a display (7) of the cooking device.

2. Cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept a speech signal from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) only within a predetermined time interval between detection of the presence of a user and receipt of said speech signal.

3. The cooking apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined time interval is between 5s and 60 s.

4. The cooking apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to accept a speech signal from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) only when the communication interface (12, 14, 16) recognizes a code.

5. A cooking device according to claim 4, comprising a memory (11) for storing one or more codes.

6. The cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to prompt a user to input a code perceptible at the cooking apparatus and to compare a received signal representative of the user's input with the code,

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured such that a command from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) is executed in case the received signal represents the code and/or can be assigned to the code, and the command is not executed in case the received signal neither represents the code nor can be assigned to the code, and

Wherein the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit (2) is configured to access a list of codes, to select the code by selecting at least one code in the list of codes at a time, and to ensure that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time range and/or in at least the next round of the following operations: a voice signal is received from the user as a command or a data signal is received from the remote control device (15) as a control command and the command is accepted only when the presence of the user is recognized.

7. The cooking apparatus according to claim 6,

Wherein the code is a randomized code and/or the control unit (2) is configured to access a list of codes, to select the code by selecting at least one code in the list of codes at a time, and to ensure that the at least one selected code is not used within a predetermined time range and/or in a subsequent number of rounds of the following operations: a voice signal is received from the user as a command or a data signal is received from the remote control device (15) as a control command and the command is accepted only when the presence of the user is recognized.

8. The cooking apparatus according to claim 6,

Wherein the code is a password,

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to prompt the user to speak the password, and

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to receive signals representing the user's input from the communication interface (12, 14, 16).

9. The cooking apparatus according to claim 6,

Further comprises a display (7),

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured such that the code is displayed on the display (7).

10. Cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the list of passwords is adjustable and/or trimmable by a user.

11. Cooking device according to claim 10, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to display said password for a predetermined period of time.

12. The cooking device of claim 10, wherein the control unit (2) is configured to compare a signal received from the communication interface (12, 14, 16) with said password, and to execute a corresponding command to change a cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) or function of the cooking device if the received signal represents said displayed selected password in the list of passwords and/or can be assigned to the password.

13. Cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the presence of the user is controlled by the control unit (2) configured to prompt the user to interrupt a light barrier provided at the cooking device and to check if an interruption of the light barrier can be detected within a predetermined time interval.

14. The cooking apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) is a variable assignment of one or more induction coils (5-1, 5-2.

15. Cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising means (17, 18) for determining the presence of a user, the means further comprising a proximity sensor, a motion sensor and/or a touch sensitive element.

16. The cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,

Further comprising a cooker detection means (5-1, 5-2,) 5-n, 6) for detecting the placement of a cooker in at least one of the at least one cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3),

Wherein the control unit (2) is configured to control the supply of electric power to the at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) based on detecting a change in the placement of a cooker in the at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and subsequently or previously receiving a voice signal or a data signal by the communication interface (12, 16).

17. A cooking apparatus according to claim 16,

Is configured such that the acceptance of a voice signal or a data signal is triggered by placing or moving a cooker onto or into a cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3).

18. A cooking apparatus according to claim 16,

Comprises a plurality of cooking areas (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and is configured such that when the cooker detection means (5-1, 5-2,..5-n, 6) detects a cooker, a timed input interval is triggered, in which a user can provide a voice signal or the remote control device (15) can provide a data signal as a control command,

Wherein the cooking area (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) to which the voice signals or data signals are applied is determined by the cooker detection means (5-1, 5-2, 5-n, 6).

19. A cooking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time interval is between 10s and 40 s.

20. A cooking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined time interval is between 20s and 30 s.

21. Cooking system with a cooking device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 20, comprising a speech recognition device and/or a remote control device (15) configured for communication with the control unit (2) via a communication interface (12, 14, 16).

22. Cooking system according to claim 21, comprising an external speech recognition device (13).

23. Cooking system according to claim 22, wherein the external speech recognition device (13) is a mobile phone or a device being part of or in communication with a smart home system or a remote console.

24. The cooking system of claim 21, wherein the communication interface comprises a microphone (16) provided at the cooking device (1).

25. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a control unit (2) in a cooking device (1), provide the cooking device (1) with the functionality of the cooking device of any one of claims 1 to 20, the cooking device having at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and comprising a control unit (2) configured to be coupled with a communication interface (12, 16) to receive a voice signal as a control command from a user or a data signal as a control command from a remote control device (15), and configured to control the supply of electrical power to the at least one cooking zone (4-1, 4-2, 4-3).