FOOD PREPARATION APPLIANCE WITH WEIGHING DEVICES

Description

Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to a food preparation apparatus which includes a working tank for food to be prepared and weighing means arranged to weigh the food received in the working tank. State of the art

[0002] In the prior art of food preparation equipment, for example, document EP0561259A1 discloses a food preparation appliance equipped with weighing means, in the form of strain gauges bonded to a weighing bar. However, this system can exhibit drift in the accuracy of weighing measurements over time due to excessive or excessive deformation caused by loading the appliance. Another example of a prior art food preparation appliance equipped with weighing means is disclosed in WO 2013 / 118369. Description of the invention

[0003] One aim of the present invention is to address the disadvantages of the prior art mentioned above and in particular, first of all, to provide a food preparation device equipped with weighing means whose accuracy of weighing measurements over time remains reliable and repeatable.

[0004] To this end, a first aspect of the invention relates to a food preparation device comprising: a housing with at least one support foot arranged to rest on a work surface, a work bowl arranged to receive food to be prepared, weighing means arranged to weigh food to be prepared received in the work bowl, characterized: in that at least one support foot includes suspension means comprising: a support part on the work surface, an anchoring part connected to a foot fixing portion of the housing, and elastic return means disposed between the support part and the anchoring part, the suspension means being arranged to allow a deflection of the support part relative to the anchoring part, in that the preparation device includes stop means to limit the deflection of the support part relative to the anchoring part, and in that the weighing means are fixed between the support part and the foot fixing portion of the housing.

[0005] Selon In the above implementation, the food preparation appliance includes, at the base, suspension means with an anchoring portion fixed to the housing and a support portion movable relative to the anchoring portion. Stop means are provided to limit the movement of the support portion, and the weighing means are arranged between the support portion and the attachment of the anchoring portion to the housing. Thus, the greater the applied load, the greater the movement and the more stress is placed on the weighing means. With this implementation, an overload applied to the housing would normally cause an overload on the weighing means and a deformation exceeding the normal operating range, but the stop means limit the movement and therefore protect the weighing means.In other words, beyond a certain threshold force applied to the housing, the stop means activate to limit the movement and prevent the overload from passing through the weighing means. In this case, the stop means transmit the overload directly from the housing to the support. Put another way, when the stop means limit the movement of the support due to an overload on the housing, they form the overload transmission chain to the work surface, and "short-circuit" the force path that would normally pass through the weighing means when the forces involved are below a certain threshold.

[0006] According to one embodiment, the support part includes a support pad arranged to rest on the work surface.

[0007] In one embodiment, the anchoring element comprises a fixed frame embedded in the housing that supports the bearing element via a connection that allows at least one degree of freedom between the anchoring element and the bearing element. The connection may be a joint with parts moving relative to each other (for example, sliding joints, pivots, sliding pivots, ball joints, with or without play, or joints that do not fall under the preceding definitions but allow movement relative to the parts). Joints with rigid parts that do not deform or deform very little and move relative to each other can be considered, but connections with elastic parts that do deform, such as leaf springs, can also be considered.

[0008] In one embodiment, the suspension means are arranged to allow axial movement of the support portion relative to the anchoring portion in a direction normal to the work surface. The stopping means include axial stops to limit the axial movement of the support portion relative to the anchoring portion beyond a predetermined first force, particularly during an overload applied to the housing or the work bowl. The axial movement is typically caused by placing too much food in the work bowl and / or by vertical pressure exerted by a user (for example, to close a lid or to install the work bowl if it is removable). The axial direction is typically vertical or the direction of application of the weight.

[0009] In one embodiment, the axial stop means comprise a stop portion integral with the housing or the anchoring portion, said stop portion being arranged to abut against a portion of the bearing portion in order to limit the axial movement of the bearing portion relative to the anchoring portion. Surface contact helps to limit point loads and material deformations generated by excessive contact pressures.

[0010] In one embodiment, the portion of the bearing part forms a peripheral flange defining a contour of the bearing part against which the abutment part abuts. The abutment is reliable and does not require highly precise surfaces, since the entire perimeter can serve as an abutment.

[0011] In one embodiment, the axial stop means comprise a stop portion integral with the housing or anchoring portion, said stop portion being arranged to bear against the work surface in order to limit the axial movement of the support portion relative to the anchoring portion. The stop portion may come into direct contact with the work surface, thus providing a simple structure.

[0012] According to one embodiment: The housing or anchoring portion includes a foot recess that forms at least a partial enclosure for the support foot, with a lower end contour forming the axial stop means. Such a foot recess allows most of the foot to be concealed, resulting in an attractive and easy-to-maintain device.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the food preparation apparatus includes secondary axial stop means comprising: a secondary foot stop attached to the support part, a secondary housing stop attached to the housing, the secondary foot stop being arranged to come into contact with the secondary housing stop to limit the axial movement of the support part below a second predetermined force, particularly when there is no load applied to the housing or the working tank.

[0014] In one embodiment, the secondary foot stop includes a shoulder arranged to interact with a shoulder of the secondary housing stop. These shoulders may extend radially inwards or outwards in the case of parts of revolution.

[0015] In one embodiment, the suspension means are arranged to allow lateral movement of the support portion relative to the anchoring portion in a direction lateral or tangential to the work surface. The stopping means include lateral stops between the support foot and the housing to limit the lateral movement of the support portion relative to the anchoring portion, particularly during lateral movement of the food preparation appliance on the work surface. Limiting radial, transverse, or lateral movement ensures the absence of overloads or disturbances during lateral movement (the user sliding the appliance on the work surface) or in the case of food preparation with a rotating tool that generates lateral vibrations due to imbalance or unbalance in the rotating masses.

[0016] Selon In one embodiment, the lateral stop means are arranged on the side wall of the footwell of the housing or the anchoring part, the bearing part being arranged to abut against said side wall of the footwell in order to limit the lateral movement of the bearing part relative to the anchoring part. In other words, it is the internal side wall of the footwell (typically tube-shaped) that acts as a stop for the bearing part.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the elastic return means include a compression spring arranged to exert a predetermined suspension force to push the support part of the anchoring part back in a direction normal to the work plane.

[0018] In one embodiment, the anchoring portion includes an axial housing for the compression spring, and the compression spring forms a housing or positioning for an upper portion of the bearing portion. These elements are arranged to impose a neutral or equilibrium position on the bearing portion relative to the anchoring portion, in at least one direction lateral or tangential to the work surface. Centering pins or centering wells or counterbores may be used to receive the compression spring.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the compression spring is arranged between the weighing means and the support part.

[0020] In one embodiment, the anchoring portion includes at least one load bar arranged to deform in bending when a load is applied to the housing or working tank. Such a load bar typically forms a beam with one end fixed to the housing and the other end fixed or connected to the support portion. The load bar may include a tapered section to provide a zone of local deformability, where, for example, a strain gauge will be attached.

[0021] In one embodiment, the weighing bar is directly fixed to the foot mounting portion of the housing. A fixed-type connection with screw fixing is possible.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the weighing means include at least one strain gauge or force sensor, or a piezoelectric sensor.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the food preparation apparatus may include working means comprising at least one working tool and a drive motor arranged to drive the working tool in motion in the working bowl so as to process the food to be prepared received in the working bowl, and / or cooking means arranged to cook or heat the food to be prepared received in the working bowl. According to one embodiment, Description of the figures

[0024] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of an embodiment of the invention given by way of non-limiting example and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which: [ fig. 1 ] represents a front view of a food preparation appliance on a work surface, including support legs with suspension means; fig. 2 ] represents a bottom view of the food preparation appliance of the figure 1 ; fig. 3 [ ] represents a cross-sectional view of a support leg of the food preparation appliance of the figure 1 ; fig. 4 ] represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance is lifted from the work surface; [ fig. 5 ] represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance is resting on the worktop, under normal loading conditions; [ fig. 6 ] represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance is resting on the worktop, under overloaded loading conditions; [ fig. 7 ] represents a support foot according to an alternative implementation of the embodiment of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance is lifted from the work surface; [ fig. 8 ] represents the alternative implementation of the figure 7 , when the food preparation appliance is resting on the worktop, under normal loading conditions; [ fig. 9 ] represents the alternative implementation of the figure 7 , when the food preparation appliance is resting on the worktop, under overloaded loading conditions. Detailed description of implementation method(s)

[0025] There figure 1 generally represents a food preparation appliance comprising a basic body 20 covered by a lid 10, and resting on a work surface via support feet 30. A housing 100 forms the carcass of the food preparation appliance and has an external wall with a display and control screen 40.

[0026] The food preparation equipment may include a work bowl for receiving food to be prepared. In some designs, it may include working means with one or more tools for performing various operations (kneading, chopping, cutting, mixing, etc.). In some designs, it may also include heating means for cooking or reheating food.

[0027] La figure 2 represents the food preparation device of the figure 1 seen from below, to clearly show the four support feet 30 distributed under the lower face of the case 100.

[0028] There figure 3 This represents a cross-section of an initial implementation of the support feet 30 of the food preparation appliance. Generally, the support foot 30 includes suspension means 300 which comprise: an anchoring part 320 connected and fixed to the housing 100, and a support part 310 movable relative to the anchoring part 320, and arranged to contact the work surface, elastic return means, here a compression spring 331.

[0029] The housing 100 includes a foot well 120 which receives almost completely the support foot 30, only the lower part of which protrudes from the housing 100.

[0030] Specifically, the 320 anchoring section includes: a weighing bar 321, an anchor block 322, in which the weighing bar 321 is fixed on one side to a foot fixing portion 110 of the housing 100, and supports on the other side the anchoring block 322. A recessed area is provided approximately in the middle of the weighing bar 321.

[0031] The support section 310 comprises: a support pad 311 arranged to contact the work surface, a spacer 312 receiving the support pad 311, a socket 313 into which the spacer 312 is clipped.

[0032] The compression spring 331 is interposed between the anchoring part 320 and the bearing part 310, and it is received in an internal circular groove of the anchoring block 322, and on an upper boss of the spacer 312.

[0033] As will be explained in detail figures 4 à 6 , the support part 310 can move relative to the anchoring part 320 and the preparation device includes stop means to limit the movement of the support part 310 relative to the anchoring part 320 when the load becomes too great beyond a predetermined threshold.

[0034] In general, the stop means are designed to limit the movement of the support part 310 relative to the anchoring part 320.

[0035] In the case of an axial overload (along the vertical direction of the figure 3 The housing 100 comes into contact with the support portion 310. Specifically, the lower portion of the foot well 120 is arranged to contact the upper shouldered surface of the spacer 312. This will be explained in detail. figure 6 .

[0036] In the case of a lateral overload (along a horizontal direction of the figure 3 ), the housing 100 comes into contact with the support part 310. In detail, an internal surface of the lower portion of the foot well 120 is arranged to contact a lateral surface of the socket 313.

[0037] When the device is lifted from the work surface, the anchoring portion 320 comes into contact with the support portion 310. Specifically, a radial shoulder of the anchoring lug 312 contacts a radial shoulder of the sleeve 313. This will be explained in detail. figure 4 .

[0038] Weighing means 200 are also integrated into the support foot 30, here in the form of strain gauges glued onto the weighing bar 321 at the level of its hollowed part to maximize deformations in this area.

[0039] As explained above, the preparation device includes stop means to limit the movement of the support portion 310 relative to the anchor portion 320, and the figures 4 à 6 represent three situations of loading the food preparation appliance.

[0040] There figure 4 represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 When the food preparation appliance is lifted from the work surface, no force is applied to the support portion 310, so the compression spring 331 is completely relaxed. To prevent the support portion from protruding too far from the foot well 120, a radial shoulder of the anchoring block 322 butts up against a radial shoulder of the sleeve 313. Specifically, an upper surface 322e of the anchoring block 322 is in contact with a lower surface 313e of the sleeve 313.

[0041] On It can be noted that the compression spring 331 helps to laterally center the bearing part 310 in the foot well 120, so that a lateral play is regularly distributed between the inner lateral face of the foot well 120 and the lateral face of the bushing 313.

[0042] There figure 5 represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 When the food preparation appliance is placed on a work surface under normal loading conditions, the compression spring 331 is slightly compressed and some play is visible. between the upper surface 322e of the anchor block 322 and the lower surface 313e of the socket 313; between an upper surface 312e of the spacer 312 and the lower surface 120e of the footwell 120; between a lateral surface of the spacer 312 and a lower lateral surface of the footwell 120.

[0043] Consequently, all the weight applied to the food preparation appliance is transferred through the support foot 30, and in particular through the anchoring portion 320. As a result, the weighing bar 321 supports the entire weight in bending and allows the weighing means to measure the force or change in force applied to the housing in order to deduce the mass of the food received in the working bowl. Thus, the weighing bar 321 is mechanically connected in series with the support portion 310 and with the foot mounting portion 110 of the housing 100.

[0044] La figure 6 represents the supporting foot of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance rests on the worktop, under load conditions with an overload. In this case, the compression spring 331 is compressed beyond a force predetermined by the stroke (for example, a threshold force of 50 N) and A gap is visible between the upper surface 322e of the anchor block 322 and the lower surface 313e of the socket 313; no gap is visible between the upper surface 312e of the spacer 312 and the lower surface 120e of the footwell 120.

[0045] En Consequently, all the force greater than the threshold force of 50 N does not pass through the support foot (and does not pass through the anchoring part 320 in particular), but through the housing well 120 which is in a butt with the support part 310. Thus, the butt means are mechanically connected in parallel to the suspension means 300 of the support foot 30.

[0046] Consequently, the weighing bar 321 only withstands the threshold force applied by the compression spring 331, the stroke of which is limited by the abutment of the foot well 120 against the support portion 310. Overloading of the weighing means 200 is avoided, as no excessive deformation of the weighing bar 321 is possible. Measurement accuracy is improved, as is repeatability over time.

[0047] The situation of a lateral overload is not shown, but if the user slides the food preparation appliance on the work surface, a lateral overload can be applied to the anchoring part 320 and in particular to the weighing bar 321. This situation is avoided by the described assembly, because the side wall of the socket 313 will come into contact with the inner side wall of the foot well 120, due to the elasticity of the compression spring 331. The lateral force will therefore be absorbed by the housing 100 and will not be transmitted through the weighing bar 321.

[0048] There figure 7 represents a support foot according to an alternative implementation of the method of realization of the figure 3 , when the food preparation appliance is lifted from the work surface.

[0049] According to this alternative implementation, the housing 100A still includes a foot well 120A. The suspension means include the anchor portion 320A, the compression spring 331, and the support portion 310A. The support portion 310A, including a support pad 311A, and the compression spring 331 are mounted in a sliding sleeve 315, which is slidably mounted in the foot well 120A and includes a bottom 315f. The anchor portion 320A includes a support pad 325A opposite the bottom 315f of the sliding sleeve 315.

[0050] When the food preparation appliance is lifted from the worktop as on the figure 7 , an upper shoulder 315ep of the sliding sleeve 315 comes into contact with the upper surface of the foot well 120A. Furthermore, lugs 311Ae of the support pad 311A ​​are engaged with lugs 315er of the movable sleeve 315 to prevent the support pad 311 from escaping from the movable sleeve 315 under the action of the compression spring 331. No force is transmitted through the weighing bar 321A, so the weighing means 200 are not stressed.

[0051] There figure 8 represents the alternative implementation of the figure 7 When the food preparation appliance rests on a work surface under normal loading conditions, the base 315f of the movable socket 315 comes into contact with the support block 325A, and the compression spring 331 is slightly compressed, transmitting all the forces to the weighing bar 321A. The weighing means can measure the weight applied to the appliance.

[0052] There figure 9 represents the alternative implementation of the figure 7 When the food preparation appliance rests on the worktop under overload conditions, the lower face of the foot well 120A comes into contact with a ring on the upper face of the support pad 311A. Consequently, the overload causing this contact is transmitted through the housing 100A and not through the anchoring portion 320A of the suspension means. Therefore, the weighing bar 321A and the weighing means 200 do not undergo excessive deformation.

[0053] In summary, in both embodiments, the stopping means (the lower surface of the foot well and / or the internal lateral surface of the foot well) ensure that no overload exceeding the spring's compression threshold force is applied to the weighing means. The threshold force is that applied by the spring during its maximum compression, as permitted by the stopping means. Industrial application

[0054] A food preparation device according to the present invention, and its manufacture, are capable of industrial application.

[0055] It will be understood that various modifications and / or improvements obvious to a person skilled in the art can be made to the different embodiments of the invention described in this description without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0056] In particular, it can be noted that the housing or a portion of the anchoring part may very well be designed to come into contact with the work surface and not with the support part.

[0057] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the socket 313 could have an upper shoulder which extends radially outwards to engage with the upper portion of the footwell 120.

[0058] Elastic return means may be provided in the form of a compression spring, or a leaf spring, or a gas spring.

[0059] Regarding the weighing methods, any other force sensor, or other shape for the weighing bar, can be provided.

Claims

1. Food preparation appliance comprising: • a housing (100; 100A) with at least one support foot (30) arranged to rest on a work surface, • a working bowl arranged to receive foodstuffs to be prepared, • weighing means (200) arranged to weigh foodstuffs to be prepared received in the working bowl, the at least one support foot (30) comprising suspension means (300) comprising: • a support part (310; 310A) on the work surface, • an anchoring part (320; 320A) connected to a foot-fixing portion (110) of the housing (100; 100A), and • elastic return means arranged between the support part (310; 310A) and the anchoring part (320; 320A), the suspension means (300) being arranged to allow a deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A), the food preparation appliance further comprising stop means for limiting the deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A), characterized in that the weighing means (200) are fixed between the support part (310; 310A) and the foot-fixing portion (110) of the housing (100; 100A).

2. Food preparation appliance according to claim 1, wherein the suspension means (300) are arranged to allow an axial deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A) along a direction normal to the work surface, the stop means comprising axial stop means for limiting the axial deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A) beyond a first predetermined force, in particular when an overload is applied to the housing (100; 100A) or to the working bowl.

3. Food preparation appliance according to claim 2, wherein the axial stop means comprise a stop part secured to the housing or to the anchoring part (320; 320A), said stop part being arranged to abut against a portion of the support part (310; 310A) in order to limit the axial deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A).

4. Food preparation appliance according to claim 3, wherein the portion of the support part (310; 310A) forms a peripheral collar defining a contour of the support part (310; 310A) on which said stop part comes to abut.

5. Food preparation appliance according to claim 2, wherein the axial stop means comprise a stop part secured to the housing or to the anchoring part (320; 320A), said stop part being arranged to abut against the work surface in order to limit the axial deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A).

6. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein: • the housing (100; 100A) or the anchoring part (320; 320A) comprise a foot well forming at least a partial fairing for the support foot (30), with a lower end contour (120e) forming the axial stop means.

7. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 2 to 6, comprising secondary axial stop means comprising: • a secondary foot stop secured to the support part (310; 310A), • a secondary housing stop secured to the housing (100; 100A), the secondary foot stop being arranged to come into abutment with the secondary housing stop to limit the axial deflection of the support part (310; 310A) below a second predetermined force, in particular when no load is applied to the housing (100; 100A) or the working bowl.

8. Food preparation appliance according to claim 7, wherein the secondary foot stop comprises a shoulder arranged to interact with a shoulder of the secondary housing stop.

9. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the suspension means (300) are arranged to allow a lateral deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A) along a lateral or tangential direction to the work surface, the stop means comprising lateral stop means between the support foot (30) and the housing (100; 1 OOA) for limiting the lateral deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A), in particular during a lateral movement of the food preparation appliance on the work surface.

10. Food preparation appliance according to claim 9 in its dependency on claim 6, wherein the lateral stop means are arranged on the lateral wall of the foot well of the housing or of the anchoring part (320; 320A), the support part (310; 310A) being arranged to abut against said lateral wall of the foot well in order to limit the lateral deflection of the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A).

11. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the elastic return means comprise a compression spring (331) arranged to exert a predetermined suspension force to push the support part (310; 310A) away from the anchoring part (320; 320A) along a direction normal to the work surface.

12. Food preparation appliance according to claim 11, wherein the anchoring part (320; 320A) comprises an axial housing for the compression spring (331), and the compression spring (331) forms a housing or a positioning for an upper part of the support part (310; 310A), these elements being arranged to impose a neutral position or equilibrium position on the support part (310; 310A) relative to the anchoring part (320; 320A), along at least one lateral or tangential direction to the work surface.

13. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the compression spring (331) is arranged between the weighing means (200) and the support part (310; 310A).

14. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the anchoring part (320; 320A) comprises at least one weighing bar (321; 321A) arranged to deform in bending when a load is applied to the housing (100; 100A) or the working bowl.

15. Food preparation appliance according to claim 14, wherein the weighing bar (321; 321A) is directly fixed to the foot-fixing portion (110) of the housing (100; 100A).

16. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the weighing means (200) comprise at least one strain gauge or a force sensor, or a piezoelectric sensor.

17. Food preparation appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 16, comprising working means comprising at least one working tool and a drive motor arranged to drive the working tool in motion in the working bowl so as to work the foodstuffs to be prepared received in the working bowl, and / or cooking means arranged to cook or heat the foodstuffs to be prepared received in the working bowl.