Cooking hob

Abstract

The invention relates to a cooking hob (100) comprising a cooktop (102), a plurality of cooking zones (104) allocated to the cooktop (102), at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) configured to extract cooking vapors generated above the cooktop (102) through at least one opening (114) provided in the cooktop (102) in a downward direction to a region below the cooktop (102), said at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) including at least one filter insert (116), and a pixel matrix-based display (118) located in a further opening of the cooktop or below a transparent or semi-transparent section of the cooktop (102).

Description

[0001] Cooking Hob

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a cooking hob comprising a cooktop, a plurality of cooking zones allocated to the cooktop, and at least one cooking vapor extracting device configured to extract cooking vapors generated above the cooktop through at least one opening provided in the cooktop in a downward direction to a region below the cooktop, said at least one cooking vapor extracting device including at least one filter insert .

[0004] Known cooking hobs of the afore-mentioned type are using LEDs in order to inform the user about the status , for example , of the cooking vapor extracting device . This allows only a limited trans fer of information and often can' t answer the user' s questions .

[0005] It is therefore the obj ect of the present invention to provide a cooking hob having enhanced communication capabilities .

[0006] This obj ect is achieved by a cooking hob of the aforementioned type further including a pixel matrix-based display located in a further opening of the cooktop or below a transparent or semi-transparent section of the cooktop . Pixel matrix-based displays may display texts , graphical symbols of any desired shape and the like in any desired color, and thus are able to communicate any desired information relating to any controllable unit of the cooking hob to the user .

[0007] For example , a control unit can be allocated to the pixel matrix-based display, said control unit being configured to provide data indicative of the degree of utili zation of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device and intended for being displayed on the pixel matrix-based display . Known cooking hobs usually merely indicate , e . g . by illuminating a red LED, i f a filter insert of the cooking vapor extracting device needs to be cleaned or replaced . Often, however, the LED is illuminated at a point of time inconvenient for the user . In this context , the afore-mentioned control unit used according to the invention can in combination with the pixel matrix-based display continuously inform the user about the status of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device , allowing the user to clean the at least one cooking vapor extracting device at an earlier point of time which is more convenient to him / her .

[0008] In order to obtain the data indicative of the degree of utili zation of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device , the control unit can apply several approaches , either taken alone or in combination with each other . According to a first approach the control unit can be configured to estimate the degree of utili zation of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device based on the period of time the at least one cooking vapor extracting device has been operated . In addition or as an alternative , the control unit , according to a second approach, can be configured to receive input data indicating the operational status of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device . According to the second approach, the input data can, for example , indicate the rotational speed of at least one fan of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device . From the actual rotational speed of the at least one fan the control unit can estimate the status of the filter insert of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device , as the rotational speed of the at least one fan increases as its filter insert is increasingly clogged .

[0009] In addition or as an alternative , the input data can, according to the second approach and as a further example , indicate the power consumption of at least one electric motor for driving the at least one fan . From the actual power consumption the control unit can estimate the status of the filter insert of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device , as the power consumption decreases as its filter insert is increasingly clogged .

[0010] In order to assist the users at the time the filter insert has to be replaced or cleaned, the control unit can be further configured to show on the pixel matrix-based display the type of the filter insert to be ordered for replacement and / or cleaning instructions for cleaning the filter insert and / or pixel-based codes including links to websites providing additional information . In this context , the pixelbased codes , for example , can be barcodes and / or QR codes .

[0011] Full flexibility in displaying information to the user can be achieved, i f a TFT LCD display is used as the pixel matrixbased display . As an alternative , however, a dot-matrix display can be used instead . In order to allow a bidirectional communication between the user and the control unit , it is further suggested that the pixel matrix-based display can be configured as a touch- sensitive display . In case the pixel matrix-based display is mounted below a transparent or semi-transparent section of the cooktop, the control unit can be configured to take the thickness of the transparent or semi-transparent section of the cooktop into account , when interpreting the touch input signals .

[0012] As already mentioned before , the control unit may communicate any desired information relating to any controllable unit of the cooking hob to the user . I f the pixel matrix-based display is a touch-sensitive display, it can further be used to communicate any desired information to any controllable unit of the cooking hob, i . e . to control the cooking hob and its units , e . g . the cooking zones thereof , using the bidirectional communication provided by the touch-sensitive display connected to the control unit .

[0013] Furthermore , the transparent or semi-transparent section may be defined as an area of the back side of cooktop not being covered by an untransparent coating which otherwise covers the backside of the cooktop, being e . g . provided as a glass ceramic plate .

[0014] In order to facilitate the user' s access to the pixel matrixbased display, it is suggested that the pixel matrix-based display is located in a front section of the cooktop, i . e . in a section of the cooktop located in the vicinity of the cooktop' s edge close to which the user stands when operating the hob . Whether the pixel matrix-based display is located in a left or right or central portion of this front section of the cooktop can be freely chosen when designing the hob.

[0015] In order to facilitate reading and / or operating the pixel matrix-based display, it is further suggested that the area occupied by the pixel matrix-based display amounts to between 0.25% and 10%, preferably between 0.5% and 7%, more preferably between 1% and 5%, of the area occupied by the cooktop and / or that the depth of the pixel matrix-based display amounts to at most 22%, preferably at most 15%, of the depth of the cooktop.

[0016] In this context, it should be noted that dimensions of the pixel-matrix based display in the width direction to the depth direction may be in a ratio of 4:3. Furthermore, the pixel-matrix based display may have a diagonal amounting to between 4.3 inches (10.92 cm) and 7.8 inches (19.81 cm) . Furthermore, the cooktop may have a width of between 60 cm and 80 cm and a depth of about 52 cm.

[0017] In the following the invention will be explained in more detail referring to an embodiment shown in the drawing:

[0018] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the cooking hob according to the invention; and

[0019] Figure 2 shows a schematic front view of the cooking hob of

[0020] Figure 1.

[0021] In Figures 1 and 2 a cooking hob according to the present invention is generally labelled with reference numeral 100. The cooking hob 100 comprises a cooktop 102 , a plurality of cooking zones 104 and a cooking vapor extracting device 106 .

[0022] As may be seen from Figure 2 , the cooking vapor extracting device 106 includes a suction channel 108 in which a fan 110 driven by an electromotor 112 draws air containing cooking vapors or fumes from above the cooktop 102 through an opening 114 of the cooktop ( see also Figure 1 ) to below the cooktop 102 , where it is passed through a filter insert 116 . Cooking hobs 100 of this general design are known as such and will therefore here not be explained in further detail .

[0023] Furthermore , the cooking hob 100 comprises a TFT LCD display 118 as an example of a pixel-matrix based display and a control unit 120 connected thereto . In addition the control unit 120 may also be connected to the electromotor 112 from which it may receive input data relating to rotational speed and / or power consumption detected by appropriate sensor units (not shown) and to the cooking zones 104 in order to control the operation thereof .

[0024] All received data may be processed by the control unit 120 , and corresponding processing results may be displayed on the pixel-matrix based display 118 . The pixel-matrix based display 118 may further be configured as touch display and receive commands from a user standing in front of the cooking hob 100 , i . e . close to the front edge 122 of the cooking hob 100 .

[0025] Based on the rotational speed of the fan 110 ( or the electromotor 112 driving it ) and / or the power consumption of the electromotor 112 , the control unit 120 may inform the user of an appropriate time to clean or replace the filter insert 116, and provide additional information, e.g. the type of the filter insert to be ordered for replacement and / or cleaning instructions for cleaning the filter insert and / or pixel-based codes including links to websites providing additional information.

[0026] The pixel-matrix based display 118 preferably is located in a front section 124 of the cooktop 102, i.e. a section adjoining the front edge 122. In particular, the pixel-matrix based display 118 can be located in a left portion 126 or a middle portion 128 or a right portion 130 of the front section 124. In the embodiment of Figure 1, it is located in the right portion 130 of the front section 124.

[0027] The dimensions of the pixel-matrix based display 118 in the width direction W to the depth direction D may be in a ratio of 4:3. Furthermore, the pixel-matrix based display 118 may have a diagonal amounting to between 4.3 inches (10.92 cm) and 7.8 inches (19.81 cm) . The cooktop 102 may have a width of between 60 cm and 80 cm and a depth of about 52 cm.

Claims

Claims1. A cooking hob (100) comprising• a cooktop (102) ,• a plurality of cooking zones (104) allocated to the cooktop (102) ,• at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) configured to extract cooking vapors generated above the cooktop (102) through at least one opening (114) provided in the cooktop (102) in a downward direction to a region below the cooktop (102) , said at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) including at least one filter insert (116) , and• a pixel matrix-based display (118) located in a further opening of the cooktop or below a transparent or semi-transparent section of the cooktop (102) .

2. The cooking hob of claim 1, wherein a control unit (120) is allocated to the pixel matrix-based display (118) , said control unit (120) being configured to provide data indicative of the degree of utilization of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) and intended for being displayed on the pixel matrix-based display (118) .

3. The cooking hob of claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to estimate the degree of utilization of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) based on the timeperiod the at least one cooking vapor extracting device(106) has been operated.

4. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to receive input data indicating the operational status of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device (106) and to estimate the degree of utilization of the at least one cooking vapor extracting device 8106) taking the received input data into account.

5. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit (120) is configured to show on the pixel matrix-based display (118) the type of the filter insert (116) to be ordered for replacement and / or cleaning instructions for cleaning the filter insert (116) and / or pixel-based codes including links to websites providing additional information.

6. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pixel matrix-based display (118) is a TFT LCD display or a dot-matrix display.

7. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pixel matrix-based display (118) is configured as a touch-sensitive display.

8. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pixel matrix-based display (118) is located in a front section (124) of the cooktop (102) .

9. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 8,9wherein the area occupied by the pixel matrix-based display (118) amounts to between 0.25% and 10%, preferably between 0.5% and 6%, more preferably between 1% and 5%, of the area occupied by the cooktop (102) .

10. The cooking hob of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the depth of the pixel matrix-based display (118) amounts to at most 20%, preferably at most 15%, of the depth of the cooktop (102) .10

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