A control device and control method for a range hood

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control device and control method for a range hood, comprising laser detection units disposed toward two side planes, respectively; and a key area disposed on an operating panel of the range hood, wherein the key area comprises a middle area disposed on a middle plane, and two side areas corresponding to the two side planes, respectively, the two side areas being projections of the two side planes onto the plane where the laser beam is located; and the laser detection unit is used to detect the position of a triggering object on the two side areas. The range hood control device and method of the present invention obtain the position of a triggering object based on the laser detection unit, and then determine whether the triggering object is within the key area, and then control the range hood based on the key function of the key area triggered by the triggering object. The key functions of different key areas can be selected based on personal preferences and the purpose of facilitating operation, making the control of the range hood more user-friendly and enhancing the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a range hood, and in particular to a control device and a control method for the range hood. Background Art

[0002] The user interface panels of common European-style range hoods feature a rectangular, flat design, which doesn't meet the diverse size and structure requirements of users during renovations. Furthermore, the button operation area on common range hoods is too small, and those equipped with smart screen operating systems are too complex, resulting in a poor user experience. The user interface panels of current European-style range hoods feature a rectangular, flat design, which doesn't meet the diverse size and structure requirements of users during kitchen renovations. Furthermore, the current mainstream touch button applications, which primarily use springs or touch chips, are limited by the size of the switch panel, making it impossible to expand the touch area. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects in the prior art and provide a control device and a control method for a range hood that not only increases the operating area but also adopts touch control to increase user experience and convenience of use.

[0004] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions: A range hood control device includes a key area provided on an operation panel of the range hood, wherein the operation panel is provided at the front end of the smoke chamber of the range hood and includes a middle plane located in the middle and two side planes located on both sides of the middle plane, characterized in that:

[0005] It also includes laser detection units arranged at two ends of the middle plane, respectively facing the two side planes; the laser detection unit includes a laser emitting unit and a laser receiving unit, and the laser beam emitted by the laser emitting unit extends along the two side planes;

[0006] The key area includes a middle area provided on the middle plane, and two side areas corresponding to the two side planes respectively, the two side areas are projections of the two side planes on the plane where the laser beam is located, and the two side areas include a plurality of sub-key areas;

[0007] The laser detection unit is used to detect the position of the triggering object on the two side areas.

[0008] Preferably, it also includes a display module arranged on the middle panel and / or the two side panels, and a storage module for storing data acquired by the laser detection unit, and the storage module is also used to store the key functions corresponding to the key area.

[0009] Preferably, the two side planes are inclined toward the rear side from the middle to both ends.

[0010] Preferably, corresponding function keys are provided at positions corresponding to the sub-key areas on the two side planes.

[0011] Preferably, the laser beam emitted by the laser emitting unit is parallel to or coplanar with the middle plane.

[0012] Preferably, the laser emitting unit is located in the middle, and the laser receiving units are located above and below the laser emitting unit.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention discloses a control method for the range hood control device, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0014] S1, start the left and right laser detection units, emit laser beams to both sides respectively, and initialize various parameters, including initializing the sampling time interval of the laser detection units, and obtaining the key functions corresponding to the middle area and the sub-key area respectively;

[0015] S2, determining whether a key is triggered, specifically determining whether a key in the middle area is triggered, or determining whether a sub-key area is triggered based on data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area;

[0016] S3, responds to the button function and controls the range hood to perform corresponding operations.

[0017] Preferably, in step S2, judging whether a sub-key area is triggered based on the data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area, specifically includes:

[0018] S21, calculating the vertical distance data of the triggering object from the corresponding laser detection unit based on the data sampled by the laser detection unit, and determining whether the data is valid data;

[0019] S22, if valid data is determined multiple times in a row, it is determined that the key area is triggered, and the triggered sub-key area is determined;

[0020] S23, according to the triggered sub-key area, retrieve the data in the storage module to determine the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area.

[0021] Preferably, in step S21, whether the data is valid data is determined, specifically, whether the absolute value of the difference between the two obtained data is less than the width of a certain sub-key area. If so, it is determined to be valid data.

[0022] Preferably, in step S22, the triggered sub-button area is determined by taking the average value of the valid data judged multiple times in a row, comparing it with the farthest vertical distance of each sub-button area from its corresponding laser detection unit, and determining the triggered sub-button area.

[0023] Preferably, in step S3, if the button function is shutdown, the shutdown is completed; if not, the range hood is controlled to perform a corresponding operation in response to the button function, and step S2 is continued after the corresponding operation is performed.

[0024] Preferably, initializing various parameters further includes obtaining the farthest vertical distance between each sub-key area and the laser detection unit on the same side thereof.

[0025] The positive progressive effect of the present invention is that the control device and control method of the range hood provided in the embodiment of the present invention obtain the position of the triggering object based on the laser detection unit, and then determine whether the triggering object is located in the button area, and then control the range hood according to the button function of the button area triggered by the triggering object, and can also select the button function of each different button area according to personal preferences and the purpose of easy operation, making the control of the range hood more humane and increasing the user experience. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 A top view of a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A front view of an operating panel of a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a laser detection unit of a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the key area division of the range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a system schematic block diagram of a control device for a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 1 is a flow chart of a control method of a range hood control device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 1 is a flow chart of some steps in step S2 of the control method of the range hood control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention is further described below by way of examples, but the present invention is not limited to the scope of the examples.

[0034] like Figure 1-5 As shown in FIG, a schematic diagram of a control device for a range hood according to an embodiment of the present invention, a range hood having the control device, and a range hood operation panel. Figure 1 As shown, the front view of the range hood control panel is as follows: Figure 2 The range hood comprises a smoke cage 100 and a decorative cover 200, and an operation panel 30 for user operation is arranged at the front end of the smoke cage 100, facing the user.

[0035] The operation panel 30 is usually arranged vertically and includes a middle plane 31 in the middle and two side planes 32 on both sides of the middle plane 31. The two side planes 32 are inclined planes inclined to the middle plane 31 and tilt inward from the middle to the ends. The middle plane 31 is parallel to the installation plane of the range hood, while the two side planes 32 gradually tilt toward the installation plane of the range hood from the end close to the middle plane 31 to the end away from the middle plane 31. The two side planes 32 form an inclination angle with the middle plane 31. A larger angle between the two side planes 32 and the center plane 31 reduces the perceived intrusion of the panel during operation. However, a larger angle significantly reduces the smoke trapping effectiveness of the range hood at the same airflow rate. Therefore, the setting of the angle requires consideration of various factors. Furthermore, the inclined planes 32 also increase the overall area of the operating panel.

[0036] like Figure 3 As shown, it is a front view of the operation panel 30. At the two ends of the middle plane 31, there are provided laser detection units 40 respectively arranged towards the two side planes 32. The laser detection unit 40 is respectively provided at the two ends of the middle plane 31, namely a left laser detection unit and a right laser detection unit. Each laser detection unit 40 includes a laser emitting unit 41 and two laser receiving units, namely a first laser receiving unit 42 and a second laser receiving unit 43. The first laser receiving unit 42 and the second laser receiving unit 43 are respectively arranged at the upper and lower positions of the ends of the middle plane 31. The laser emitting unit 41 is arranged between the upper and lower laser receiving units, and emits a laser beam extending along the two side planes. Preferably, the laser beam 45 extends parallel to or in the same plane as the middle plane 31. Preferably, the angle between the laser beam 45 and the two side planes 32 is also The width of the laser beam 45 is slightly smaller than the width of the operating panel 30 and is used to detect triggering objects near the two side planes 32, such as a user's finger, and calculate the distance between the triggering object and the middle plane 31. This determines the location of the triggering object, matches the location of the triggering object with the location of the key area, determines the key area triggered by the finger, and then reads the key function corresponding to the key area to control the range hood to perform the corresponding function. The left laser detection unit is used to detect triggering objects in the left area. Similarly, the right laser detection unit is used to detect triggering objects in the right area. The laser detection units on both sides detect their respective corresponding areas.

[0037] The principle of the laser detection unit measuring the position of the trigger object is as follows. The trigger object is usually the finger of the operator. The laser emitted from the laser emitting unit 41 is reflected by the surface of the object and then received by the first and second laser receiving units. The data received by the first and second laser receiving units include the three-dimensional coordinates of the object surface and the reflection time. Figure 3 As shown, the position of the first laser receiving unit is point O, and the coordinates are (x o ,y o ,z o ), the position of the second laser receiving unit is point P, and the coordinates are (x p ,y p ,z p ), the position of the object is point Q, and the coordinates are (x t ,y t ,z t The trigger object's position Q is a first distance L1 from the first laser receiving unit's position O, and the object's position Q is a second distance L2 from the second laser receiving unit's position P, where L is the distance between the two laser receiving units' points O and P. Therefore, the following formula is satisfied:

[0038]

[0039]

[0040] Heron's formula for calculating the area of a triangle:

[0041]

[0042]

[0043] The vertical distance H from the trigger object point Q to OP is calculated as follows:

[0044]

[0045] Therefore, based on the three-dimensional coordinates of the trigger object Q point and the three-dimensional coordinates of the two laser receiving units, the vertical distance H from the trigger object Q point to the OP line can be calculated, that is, the distance between the trigger object Q and the laser detection unit.

[0046] The above merely discloses a method and principle for measuring the vertical distance from the trigger object Q point to the end of the middle plane 31, that is, the laser detection unit. Those skilled in the art may also conceive that other principles and methods may be used to measure the distance.

[0047] like Figure 4 , which is a schematic diagram of the key area division in the front view direction of the operation panel 30 .

[0048] The key area includes a middle area M corresponding to the middle plane 31, on which touch control buttons or press buttons are located. The key area also includes two side areas corresponding to the two side planes 32, namely the right side area and the left side area. The two side areas are the projections of the two side planes 32 onto the plane of the laser beam 45. Preferably, the projections are perpendicular to the viewer's direction. That is, the two side areas are the areas along the extension direction of the laser beam 45. The right side area includes areas A, B, and C, arranged in sequence from the center to the right, namely three sub-key areas. The left side area includes areas D, E, and F, arranged in sequence from the center to the left, namely three sub-key areas. The division and arrangement of these areas can be customized based on the actual needs of the operation panel. For example, the right side area can have more or less than three sub-key areas, and the sizes of each sub-key area can be the same or different. In addition, touch control buttons or press buttons can also be arranged at positions on the two side planes 32 corresponding to the sub-key areas of the two side areas, respectively, to perform the same functions as the buttons in the sub-key areas, i.e., corresponding function keys can be provided.

[0049] The functions of the sub-key area and the middle area can be pre-set in the program, as shown in Table 1 below:

[0050]

[0051]

[0052] The rows in Table 1 above represent the key areas, the columns represent the options, and the content in the middle represents the key functions.

[0053] Of course, there are many different settings that can be set according to the user's preferences and habits. The control device can be pre-set with multiple options for the user to set. After setting, each button area corresponds to a different button function. As long as a finger or object approaches the button area, the corresponding button function can be triggered, thereby controlling the range hood.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the operation panel typically also includes a power button for controlling the overall power on / off. Display modules on the center panel and / or both side panels display the key functions for user selection during initialization or when a key is pressed. The key functions corresponding to the center area and sub-key areas are stored in a storage module, such as an EEPROM, for access when the range hood is powered on, or for the user to modify the key functions corresponding to the key areas and store them in the storage module. The control device also includes a control module, such as an MCU, for controlling the range hood's operation under appropriate conditions.

[0055] The range hood control device described above is used in a range hood in which the side planes are inclined relative to the middle plane, and can also be used in a case in which the middle plane and the side planes are coplanar or parallel. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the laser beams emitted by the laser detection units on both sides are parallel or coplanar with the middle plane, or the laser beams emitted by the laser detection units can be inclined at a certain angle relative to the middle plane. Persons skilled in the art can configure this as needed.

[0056] The control method adopted by the control device of the range hood is as follows: Figure 6 、 7 As shown, specifically including:

[0057] Step S1: Start the two laser detection units 40 on the left and right sides, emit laser beams to both sides respectively, and initialize various parameters, wherein the initialization of various parameters includes initializing the sampling time interval T of the laser detection unit. m , initialize the array in the storage module, and obtain the key functions corresponding to the middle area and the sub-key area respectively.

[0058] Specifically, the arrays Rarray

[10] and RvalidArray[ValidNum] are initialized to store the received data and the data judged to be valid, respectively, and the sampling time interval T is initialized. m The sampling interval can be adjusted based on sensitivity, preferably 10ms, and ValidNum is initialized to 0. This parameter is used to store the number of valid data. The sampling time and valid data RvalidArray[ValidNum] are adjusted based on the required sensitivity. For example, if the sampling interval is 10ms and more than 5 valid data are required, the hand dwell time must be at least 50ms.

[0059] According to the initial sampling time interval T mData is collected, and in the subsequent steps, the collected, i.e. received, data is calculated to obtain the vertical distance H[t] between the triggering object and its corresponding laser detection unit, and recorded in Rarray

[10] in sequence.

[0060] In this step, obtaining the key functions corresponding to the middle area and the sub-key areas can be done by directly reading the key functions of each area selected by the user last time from the storage module, or by resetting the key functions corresponding to each area.

[0061] The key functions corresponding to each area are set specifically as follows: the display module displays for the user to select the key functions of the left area, the right area and the middle area, and writes the selection results into the storage module; specifically, the key function combination of the left and right areas and the middle area can be displayed at the same time for the user to select, that is, the user only needs to select once to complete the key function setting of all areas; or the key functions of each sub-key area of the left area, the key functions of each sub-key area of the right area, and the key functions of the middle area can be displayed separately for selection, and finally combined into a key function, that is, the user needs to select three times.

[0062] Initializing various parameters also includes obtaining the maximum vertical distance between each sub-key area and the laser detection unit on the same side, for example, H R1 H is the distance from the rightmost side of the sub-key area A to the right laser detection unit. R2 H is the distance from the rightmost side of the sub-key area B to the right laser detection unit, R3 is the distance from the rightmost side of the sub-key area C to the right laser detection unit; similarly, H L1 H is the distance from the leftmost side of the sub-key area D to the left laser detection unit, L2 H is the distance from the leftmost side of the sub-key area E to the left laser detection unit, L3 It is the distance between the leftmost side of the sub-key area F and the left laser detection unit, and is used to determine the triggered key area.

[0063] Step S2, determining whether a key is triggered, specifically determining whether a key in the middle area is triggered, or determining whether a sub-key area is triggered based on the data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area;

[0064] Here, whether any key in the middle area is triggered is determined directly based on the sensor result, because the keys set in the middle area are usually touch control keys or press keys.

[0065] The above step of judging whether a sub-key area is triggered based on the data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area; specifically,

[0066] S21, calculating the vertical distance data H[t] between the triggering object and its corresponding laser detection unit based on the data sampled by the laser detection unit, and determining whether the data is valid data.

[0067] Specifically, to determine whether the data is valid data, the absolute value of the difference between the two obtained data is determined to be less than the width of a sub-button area. If it is greater, it means that the triggering object is moving significantly and the data is not valid data. If it is less, it is determined that the data should be valid data.

[0068] For example, the laser detection unit on the right samples the data and calculates H[t], and stores the data into the array Rarray[t]. If the data Rarray[t]>0, and the data obtained twice before and after satisfy |Rarray[t+1]-Rarray[t]| <H R2 -H R1 , that is, less than the width of sub-key area A, it can be determined that an object is approaching the key area, and the data is valid data. Then, the data Rarray[t+1] is stored in RvalidArray[ValidNum]. The vertical distance data of the triggering object from the laser detection unit is calculated based on the sampled data. The measurement can be based on the principle method described in Example 1 or other methods.

[0069] S22: If valid data is determined multiple times in a row, it is determined that the key area is triggered, and the triggered sub-key area is determined.

[0070] If valid data is determined multiple times in a row, it can be determined that a key area is triggered.

[0071] Determine the triggered sub-button area, specifically, take the average value based on the multiple valid data to determine the triggered sub-button area. For example, if the multiple times are five times in a row, it is necessary to determine the valid data five times in a row, and store the data in RvalidArray[ValidNum], storing ValidNum+1 each time until ValidNum=5. Calculate the average value Ha of the five valid data to determine the triggered button area, that is, one of the above sub-button areas. Specifically, compare the average value of the five valid data with the farthest vertical distance of each sub-button area from its corresponding laser detection unit to determine the triggered sub-button area. For example, the average vertical distance obtained is Ha, 0 <Ha<H R1, it is determined that the sub-key area A is triggered, and the other triggered key areas can be determined similarly.

[0072] S23: Based on the triggered key area, retrieve the data in the storage module to determine the key function corresponding to the triggered key area. For example, if sub-key area A is triggered and the function corresponding to area A is air volume 1, the range hood control is adjusted to air volume 1.

[0073] Step S3, responding to the button function, controlling the range hood to perform a corresponding operation. Specifically, if the button function is to shut down, then the shutdown is completed; if not, responding to the button function, controlling the range hood to perform a corresponding operation, and after performing the corresponding operation, continuing to step S2, and continuously determining whether a button is triggered.

[0074] The control device and control method of the range hood provided by the present invention obtain the position of the triggering object based on the laser detection unit, and then determine whether the triggering object is located in the button area, and then control the range hood according to the button function of the button area triggered by the triggering object. The button functions of different button areas can also be selected according to personal preferences and the purpose of easy operation, making the control of the range hood more humane and enhancing the user experience.

[0075] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, those skilled in the art will appreciate that these are merely illustrative and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present invention, and such changes and modifications are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control device for a range hood, comprising a key area on an operation panel of the range hood, wherein the operation panel is arranged at the front end of a smoke chamber (100) of the range hood, and comprises a middle plane (31) located in the middle, and two side planes (32) located on both sides of the middle plane (31), characterized in that: The device further comprises laser detection units (40) disposed at two ends of the middle plane (31) and respectively facing the two side planes (32); the laser detection unit (40) comprises a laser emitting unit (41) and a laser receiving unit, and the laser beam (45) emitted by the laser emitting unit (41) extends along the two side planes (32); The key area includes a middle area provided on the middle plane (31) and two side areas corresponding to the two side planes (32), the two side areas being projections of the two side planes (32) on the plane where the laser beam is located, and the two side areas including a plurality of sub-key areas; The laser detection unit (40) is used to detect the position of the triggering object on the two side areas.

2. The range hood control device according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a display module arranged on the middle panel and / or the two side panels, and a storage module for storing data acquired by the laser detection unit. The storage module is also used to store the key functions corresponding to the key areas.

3. The range hood control device according to claim 1, wherein: The two side planes (32) are inclined toward the rear side from the middle to both ends.

4. The range hood control device according to claim 1, wherein: On the two side planes (32), corresponding function keys are provided at positions corresponding to the sub-key areas.

5. The range hood control device according to claim 1, wherein: The laser beam (45) emitted by the laser emitting unit (41) is parallel to or coplanar with the middle plane (31).

6. The range hood control device according to claim 1, wherein: The laser emitting unit (41) is located in the middle, and the laser receiving units are located one above and one below the laser emitting unit (41).

7. A control method for a range hood control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1, start the laser detection unit (40) on the left and right sides, emit laser beams (45) to both sides respectively, and initialize various parameters, including initializing the sampling time interval (T m ), and obtain the key functions corresponding to the middle area and the sub-key area respectively; S2, determining whether a key is triggered, specifically determining whether a key in the middle area is triggered, or determining whether a sub-key area is triggered based on data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area; S3, responds to the button function and controls the range hood to perform corresponding operations.

8. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: In step S2, judging whether a sub-key area is triggered based on the data sampled from the left laser detection unit and the right detection device, and determining the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area, specifically includes: S21, calculating the vertical distance data of the triggering object from the corresponding laser detection unit based on the data sampled by the laser detection unit, and determining whether the data is valid data; S22, if valid data is determined multiple times in a row, it is determined that the key area is triggered, and the triggered sub-key area is determined; S23, according to the triggered sub-key area, retrieve the data in the storage module to determine the key function corresponding to the triggered sub-key area.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein: In step S21, it is determined whether the data is valid data, specifically, whether the absolute value of the difference between the two obtained data is less than the width of a sub-key area. If so, it is determined to be valid data.

10. The control method according to claim 8, wherein: In step S22, the triggered sub-button area is determined by taking the average value of the valid data judged multiple times in a row, comparing it with the farthest vertical distance from each sub-button area to its corresponding laser detection unit, and determining the triggered sub-button area.

11. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: In step S3, if the button function is to shut down, the shutdown is completed; if not, the range hood is controlled to perform corresponding operations in response to the button function, and step S2 is continued after the corresponding operations are performed.

12. The control method according to claim 7, wherein: Initializing various parameters also includes obtaining the farthest vertical distance between each sub-key area and the laser detection unit on the same side thereof.

Images