Control method of cooking appliance and cooking appliance

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance includes a control module and an auxiliary cooking element, and the auxiliary cooking element is used to assist the cooking effect of the cooking appliance. The method includes: switching the working state of the auxiliary cooking element in a state where the control module receives a predetermined trigger signal; and selecting a corresponding cooking program according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element; or adjusting at least one control parameter of a cooking stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance, so as to control the cooking process according to the adjusted control parameter. The present invention can change the working state of the auxiliary cooking element through a predetermined trigger signal, and then select a suitable cooking program or adjust the original cooking program, so as to bring a better user experience and achieve a better cooking effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cooking utensils, and in particular to a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance. Background Art

[0002] During the cooking process of existing cooking appliances, in order to shorten the cooking time and improve the cooking effect at the same time, auxiliary components such as air pumps and fans are usually provided. The use of these components can avoid the occurrence of overflow during the boiling stage of the cooking process. However, the operation of these auxiliary components is often accompanied by some noises that users do not want, and whether these components work or not is automatically controlled by a control program, and users cannot set the states of these auxiliary components by themselves.

[0003] Therefore, the present application proposes a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance to at least partially solve the above technical problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention section, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Embodiment section. The Summary of the Invention section of the present invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] To at least partially solve the above problems, on the one hand, the present invention discloses a control method for a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance includes a control module and an auxiliary cooking component, and the auxiliary cooking component is used to assist the cooking effect of the cooking appliance. The method includes:

[0006] Switch the working state of the auxiliary cooking component when the control module receives a predetermined trigger signal;

[0007] And select a corresponding cooking program according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking component; or,

[0008] Adjust at least one control parameter of a cooking stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance to control the cooking process according to the adjusted control parameter.

[0009] According to the control method of the cooking appliance of the present invention, the working state of the auxiliary cooking component can be changed by a predetermined trigger signal, and then a suitable cooking program corresponding to the working state of the auxiliary cooking component can be selected, or the original cooking program can be adjusted according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking component, thereby bringing a better user experience and achieving a better cooking effect.

[0010] Preferably, before the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to execute,

[0011] If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the standby state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in the off state, and a first cooking program is executed after receiving the signal to start cooking. In the first program, the auxiliary cooking element does not work all the time.

[0012] If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the off state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in the standby state, and a second cooking program different from the first cooking program is executed after receiving the signal to start cooking.

[0013] Thus, before the cooking program starts to execute, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed through the predetermined trigger signal. And when the auxiliary cooking element becomes in the off state, in the first cooking program selected by the control module, the auxiliary cooking element does not work all the time. It can be understood that during the execution of the first cooking program, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can also be changed by receiving the predetermined trigger signal.

[0014] Preferably, during the process after the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to execute,

[0015] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the first time, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to work at a first power in the remaining cooking program;

[0016] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the second time, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to work at a second power in the remaining cooking program, and the second power is less than the first power;

[0017] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the third time, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in the off state in the remaining cooking program.

[0018] Thus, in addition to the selected cooking program being automatically executed, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed through the above-mentioned first, second, and third received predetermined trigger signals to meet the user's needs and achieve a good cooking effect.

[0019] Preferably, a status flag bit is set in the control module, and the control method includes:

[0020] The control module reads the status flag bit to judge the working state of the auxiliary cooking element. When the status flag bit is 1, it means the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the standby state; when the status flag bit is 0, it means the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the off state.

[0021] Thus, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be simply and quickly judged by reading the value of the status flag bit.

[0022] Preferably, a storage module is included in the control device, and the storage module is used to store the value of the status flag bit.

[0023] Thus, when the cooking appliance is powered on again after a power failure, the value of the status flag bit stored in the storage module can be directly read to know the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, without having to initialize again; the user can also decide whether to trigger a predetermined trigger signal according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, eliminating unnecessary operations.

[0024] Preferably, adjusting the control parameters of at least one cooking stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance includes: adjusting the heating power and heating duration of the heating and boiling stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance.

[0025] Thus, the heating power and heating duration of the heating and boiling stage in the original cooking program can be adjusted according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, thereby achieving the effect of preventing the pot from overflowing and ensuring a good cooking effect at the same time.

[0026] Preferably, the predetermined trigger signal is any one of the following: a button trigger signal, a time trigger signal, a sound trigger signal.

[0027] Thus, the control process of the cooking appliance is relatively flexible and can conveniently meet the user's needs.

[0028] Preferably, the auxiliary cooking element is any one or a combination of a fan and a gas pump.

[0029] Preferably, when the predetermined trigger signal is the button trigger signal, when the duration of the button trigger signal is greater than or equal to a preset duration, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is switched.

[0030] Avoid the user accidentally touching the button to cause the switching of the working state of the auxiliary cooking element.

[0031] On the other hand, the present invention also discloses a cooking appliance, which includes:

[0032] A control module;

[0033] An auxiliary cooking element, which is signal-connected to the control module and is used to assist the cooking effect of the cooking appliance; and

[0034] An input device, which is signal-connected to the control device;

[0035] The control module is configured to control the cooking appliance to execute the steps of the method of any of the above embodiments.

[0036] According to the cooking appliance of the present invention, the operating state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed by a predetermined trigger signal, and then a suitable cooking program corresponding to the operating state of the auxiliary cooking element can be selected, or the original cooking program can be adjusted according to the operating state of the auxiliary cooking element, thereby bringing a better user experience and achieving a better cooking effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] The following drawings of the embodiments of the present invention are hereby used as a part of the present invention to understand the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings and their descriptions are used to explain the principles of the present invention. In the drawings,

[0038] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a control method for a cooking appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0039] In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the embodiments of the present invention, some well-known technical features in the art are not described.

[0040] In order to thoroughly understand the embodiments of the present invention, detailed structures will be presented in the following description. Obviously, the implementation of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the specific details familiar to those skilled in the art. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention can also have other embodiments.

[0041] The present invention discloses a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance shown in the present invention can be a rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, an electric stew pot, etc. The cooking appliance according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a pot body, a lid body, an auxiliary cooking element, an input device, and a control module.

[0042] The pot body is basically in the shape of a rounded cuboid and has an inner pot receiving portion in the shape of a cylinder. The inner pot can be freely placed into or taken out from the inner pot receiving portion to facilitate cleaning of the inner pot. The upper surface of the inner pot has a circular opening for containing materials to be heated, such as rice, soup, etc., into the inner pot.

[0043] The lid body is basically in the shape of a rounded cuboid and is basically corresponding to the shape of the pot body. The lid body is pivotally connected to the pot body in an openable and closable manner for covering the pot body. When the lid body is covered on the pot body, a cooking space is formed between the lid body and the inner pot.

[0044] The input device is signal-connected to the control module to receive a predetermined trigger signal. The predetermined trigger signal can be a key trigger signal, a time trigger signal, or a sound trigger signal. Therefore, the input device has different structures corresponding to different signals. In this embodiment, the input device is configured as a switching key provided on the operation display panel; the predetermined trigger signal is a key trigger signal.

[0045] The auxiliary cooking element is signal-connected to the control module, and the auxiliary cooking element is used to assist the cooking effect of the cooking appliance. The auxiliary cooking element can be any one or a combination of a fan and an air pump. The air pump can include an air pump for anti-overflow of the pot, or can include an air pump for reducing the pressure in the cooking space.

[0046] The cooking appliance can further include a heating device, such as a coil disc. The heating device is electrically connected to the control module. Thus, the control module can control the heating power and heating duration of the heating device according to the temperature in the cooking space or the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, etc.

[0047] It should be noted that although some structures of the cooking appliance are schematically described at this time, these enumerations are only exemplary and cannot be used as a structural limitation of the cooking appliance of the present invention.

[0048] The present invention also provides a control method for a cooking appliance, specifically referring to Figure 1 Describe the control method of the present invention in detail.

[0049] The method includes:

[0050] When the control module receives the predetermined trigger signal, switch the working state of the auxiliary cooking element;

[0051] And according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, select the corresponding cooking program; or,

[0052] Adjust at least one control parameter of the cooking program of the cooking appliance to control the cooking process according to the adjusted control parameter.

[0053] It can be understood that after the cooking appliance is powered on and on standby, usually the auxiliary cooking element has a default working state. The control module usually judges the initial working state of the auxiliary cooking element by reading the value of the status flag bit stored in its internal storage module (EEPROM). For example, it is set that: when the status flag bit is 1, it means that the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the standby working state; when the status flag bit is 0, it means that the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the off state. The standby working state here can be understood as that the auxiliary cooking element is in the standby state and starts to work after receiving the corresponding trigger signal.

[0054] If, after the cooking appliance is powered on and on standby, the control module reads that the status flag bit is empty, the user can set the initial working state of the auxiliary cooking element by themselves.

[0055] After receiving a predetermined trigger signal, the value of the status flag bit changes, and the working state of the auxiliary cooking element changes accordingly.

[0056] Thus, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed through the predetermined trigger signal, and then a suitable cooking program corresponding to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be selected, or the original cooking program can be adjusted according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, thereby bringing a better user experience and achieving a better cooking effect.

[0057] Further, before the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to execute,

[0058] If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the to-be-worked state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, control the auxiliary cooking element to be in the off state, and execute the first cooking program after receiving the signal to start cooking. Among them, in the first program, the auxiliary cooking element does not work all the time;

[0059] If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the off state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, control the auxiliary cooking element to be in the to-be-worked state, and execute the second cooking program different from the first cooking program after receiving the signal to start cooking.

[0060] It can be understood that before the cooking program starts to execute, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed through the predetermined trigger signal, and in the case where the auxiliary cooking element becomes the off state, in the first cooking program selected by the control module, the auxiliary cooking element does not work all the time. It can be understood that during the execution of the first cooking program, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can also be changed by receiving the predetermined trigger signal.

[0061] It can be understood that if the predetermined trigger signal is not received, the cooking control process is executed according to the original cooking program, and the original cooking program can be generated according to the user input (rice variety, selected cooking mode, taste, etc.).

[0062] Even further, during the process after the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to execute,

[0063] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the first time, control the auxiliary cooking element to work at the first power in the remaining cooking program;

[0064] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the second time, control the auxiliary cooking element to work at the second power in the remaining cooking program, and the second power is less than the first power;

[0065] If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the third time, control the auxiliary cooking element to be in the off state during the remaining cooking program.

[0066] It can be understood that when the predetermined trigger signal is a key trigger signal, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is switched when the duration of the key trigger signal is greater than or equal to the preset duration. Thus, it is avoided that the user accidentally touches the key and causes the switching of the working state of the auxiliary cooking element.

[0067] For better understanding, taking the auxiliary cooking element as a fan as an example, assume that the initial working state of the fan is the to-be-working state, and the control module receives a predetermined trigger signal (such as a key trigger signal), then the working state of the fan changes from the to-be-working state to the off state. Therefore, after the cooking appliance receives the signal to start cooking, the selected first cooking program is executed. Then, during the process of the cooking appliance starting to execute the first cooking program, if the control module determines that the predetermined trigger signal is received for the first time, the control module controls the fan to work at a high gear. That is to say, when the fan needs to be turned on in the first cooking program, the fan can directly switch from the off state to the high gear (at the first power) to work. It can be understood that since the working state of the fan has changed, the first cooking program has also changed accordingly. It can be understood that the heating power or heating duration of a certain cooking stage in the first cooking program has changed, or the working duration of the fan has been added to a certain cooking stage in the first cooking program, etc. At this time, when the fan works at a high gear, for example, the heating power in the heating and boiling stage can be increased, and the heating duration can also be increased. Because the fan rotates at a high gear, it can effectively prevent the pot from overflowing, thus shortening the cooking duration.

[0068] Of course, it can be further understood that if the control module receives the predetermined trigger signal for the second time, the control module controls the fan to work at a low gear, and the low gear here has a lower rotational speed than the above-mentioned high gear. Correspondingly, for example, the heating power and heating duration in the heating and boiling stage can be adjusted smaller accordingly.

[0069] It can be further understood that if the control module receives the predetermined trigger signal for the third time, the control module controls the fan to stop working.

[0070] Thus, in addition to the automatic execution of the selected cooking program, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element can be changed through the above-mentioned first, second, and third received predetermined trigger signals, and then at least one control parameter of a cooking stage in the previously selected cooking program can be adjusted, so as to control the cooking process according to the adjusted control parameters, meet the user's needs, and achieve a good cooking effect.

[0071] The control method and cooking appliance according to the present invention can change the working state of the auxiliary cooking element through a predetermined trigger signal, and then select a suitable cooking program corresponding to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element or adjust the original cooking program according to the working state of the auxiliary cooking element, thereby bringing a better user experience and achieving a better cooking effect.

[0072] The processes described in all the above preferred embodiments are merely examples. Unless adverse effects occur, various processing operations can be performed in an order different from the order of the above processes. The order of steps of the above processes can also be increased, combined or deleted according to actual needs.

[0073] Unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as those commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of the present invention. The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Terms such as "component" that appear herein can represent either a single part or a combination of multiple parts. Terms such as "mounted" and "arranged" that appear herein can represent either a component being directly attached to another component or a component being attached to another component through an intermediate member. Features described in one embodiment herein can be applied to another embodiment alone or in combination with other features, unless the feature is not applicable or otherwise stated in that other embodiment.

[0074] The present invention has been described through the above embodiments, but it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of illustration and example, and are not intended to limit the present invention to the scope of the described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can understand that more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present invention, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cooking appliance, characterized in that: The cooking appliance includes a control module and an auxiliary cooking element, wherein the auxiliary cooking element is used to assist the cooking effect of the cooking appliance. The method includes: When the control module receives a predetermined trigger signal, switching the working state of the auxiliary cooking element; and selecting a corresponding cooking program according to the working status of the auxiliary cooking element; or, adjusting a control parameter of at least one cooking stage in a cooking program of the cooking appliance according to the operating state of the auxiliary cooking element, so as to control the cooking process according to the adjusted control parameter; Before the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to be executed, If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the standby state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in the off state, and after receiving the cooking start signal, a first cooking program is executed, wherein the auxiliary cooking element is not operated in the first cooking program; If the default working state of the auxiliary cooking element is the off state, after receiving the predetermined trigger signal, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in the standby state, and after receiving the cooking start signal, a second cooking program different from the first cooking program is executed, And wherein, during the process after the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to be executed, If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the first time, controlling the auxiliary cooking element to operate at the first power in the remaining cooking process; If the predetermined trigger signal is received for the second time, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to operate at a second power in the remaining cooking process, where the second power is lower than the first power.

2. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein: After the cooking program of the cooking appliance starts to be executed, if the predetermined trigger signal is received for the third time, the auxiliary cooking element is controlled to be in a closed state during the remaining cooking program.

3. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein: The control module is provided with a status flag, and the control method includes: The control module reads the status flag to determine the working state of the auxiliary cooking element. If the status flag is 1, it indicates that the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is in the standby state; if the status flag is 0, it indicates that the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is in the off state.

4. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 3, wherein: The control module includes a storage module, and the storage module is used to store the value of the status flag.

5. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein: The adjusting of the control parameters of at least one cooking stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance includes: adjusting the heating power and heating time in the heating and boiling stage in the cooking program of the cooking appliance.

6. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein: The predetermined trigger signal is any one of the following: a key trigger signal, a time trigger signal, or a sound trigger signal.

7. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 1, wherein: The auxiliary cooking element is any one of a fan and an air pump or a combination thereof.

8. The cooking appliance control method according to claim 6, wherein: In a case where the predetermined trigger signal is the key trigger signal, the working state of the auxiliary cooking element is switched when the duration of the key trigger signal is greater than or equal to the preset duration.

9. A cooking utensil, characterized in that: The cooking appliance comprises: Control module; an auxiliary cooking element, the auxiliary cooking element being signal-connected to the control module and configured to assist in improving the cooking effect of the cooking appliance; and an input device, the input device being signal-connected to the control module; The control module is configured to control the cooking appliance to perform the steps of any one of claims 1-8.

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