Drawer for a kitchen furniture item and method for operating a drawer

Abstract

The invention relates to a drawer (105) for a kitchen furniture item (100), wherein the drawer (105) comprises a transmitter coil (115) for emitting electromagnetic energy for charging a rechargeable battery (135) of a household appliance (125) and / or for operating the household appliance, and a control unit (140) which is configured to control an output of the electromagnetic energy for charging a rechargeable battery (135) and / or for operating the household appliance (125) by means of the transmitter coil (115) depending on a position of the drawer (105) in the kitchen furniture item (100).

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Drawer for a kitchen cabinet and method for operating a drawer

[0003] The invention relates to a drawer for a kitchen piece of furniture and a method for operating a drawer according to the main claims.

[0004] German patent application DE 20 2007 016660 U1 discloses a piece of furniture with a drawer, in which electrical energy is transferred between the furniture body and the drawer, which is movable relative to the furniture body. The electrical energy is transferred either by a galvanic connection or by inductively acting transmission means. A similar design is also disclosed in German patent application DE 20 2006 003 065 U1.

[0005] German patent application DE 102022 130 701 A1 describes a device consisting of a cooktop and a charging unit, both of which are integrated into a kitchen worktop. The charging unit is designed for mobile devices and is positioned independently of the cooktop within the worktop. The charging unit and cooktop are electrically connected, so that the charging unit is powered by the cooktop and / or the control of the charging unit is implemented within the cooktop.

[0006] The publication DE 20 2023 104 043 U1 discloses a piece of furniture with a drawer, wherein an energy source is provided in the drawer which can supply electrical energy to electrical devices that are positioned in the drawer.

[0007] To charge the batteries of small household appliances such as blenders, induction coils are often used on a cooktop. However, this means the cooktop is at least partially blocked during charging and cannot be used for other functions, such as cooking. Placing a charging unit in a drawer is problematic, as it can overheat and pose a fire hazard during charging, and this danger may not be recognized until the drawer is closed.

[0008] The approach presented here aims to create an improved drawer and an improved method for operating a drawer.

[0009] According to the invention, this problem is solved by a drawer and a method for operating a drawer with the features and steps of the main claims. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are described in the following dependent claims. A drawer for a kitchen cabinet is presented here, wherein the drawer has the following features: a transmitting coil for emitting electromagnetic energy for charging a battery of a household appliance and / or for operating the household appliance; and a control unit configured to control the emission of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery and / or operating the household appliance by means of the transmitting coil depending on the position of the drawer in the kitchen cabinet.

[0010] A household appliance can be understood to be, for example, a small appliance for use in a kitchen, such as a mixer, a frother, a juicer, an electric peeler, or the like. The control unit can be designed to receive the drawer's position directly from a drawer extension sensor and / or from a position sensor outside the drawer. The control unit does not need to be permanently attached to the drawer but can also be separate, for example, mounted on a component of the kitchen cabinet. However, it should be related to the drawer in terms of its energy control capabilities.

[0011] The approach presented here is based on the understanding that the emission of electromagnetic energy can be advantageously controlled depending on the drawer's position within the kitchen cabinet. For example, a large amount of energy can be emitted via the transmitting coil when the drawer is open, whereas a smaller amount is emitted when the drawer is closed. This prevents excessive energy from being emitted to the appliance when the drawer is closed, which could cause significant heating inside the drawer. This heat might then be unable to dissipate, leading to heat buildup and, in the worst case, a fire. At the same time, however, it is possible that, for example, when the drawer is open or closed, the amount of energy emitted via the transmitting coil can be reduced.When the drawer is extended, a large amount of energy is transferred to the appliance via the transmitting coil. This allows, for example, not only the appliance's battery to be charged, but also the appliance to be operated directly. In this case, additional workspace could be created in the kitchen for operating the appliance, which can be easily reduced again by simply extending the drawer and pushing it back in. This provides users of this approach with a very space-saving way to expand their workspace in the kitchen.

[0012] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the approach proposed here is one in which a drawer sensor is provided to detect the position of the drawer in the kitchen cabinet, and the control unit is designed to control the output of electromagnetic energy depending on a position signal received by the drawer sensor, representing the detected position. Such an embodiment offers the advantage of being able to determine the position of the drawer in the kitchen cabinet very precisely and robustly and to transmit it to the control unit in the form of a position signal.

[0013] Furthermore, according to one embodiment, the drawer pull-out sensor can be arranged on the rear side opposite the handle used to pull out the drawer. The rear side can be understood as a side in the front area of ​​the drawer, where a handle is usually provided for pulling out the corresponding kitchen furniture. Such an embodiment offers the advantage of being able to precisely and unambiguously determine the position of the drawer within the kitchen furniture by detecting the distance between the rear side of the drawer and, for example, the rear side of the kitchen furniture or the wall against which the kitchen furniture is placed.

[0014] A particularly space-saving and efficient embodiment of the approach proposed here involves arranging or fixing the transmitting coil to one side of the drawer's base. This embodiment offers the advantage that, with the drawer extended, a household appliance can easily be placed and operated on the transmitting coil.

[0015] A further advantage of the proposed approach is an embodiment in which a contact connection is provided for connecting the transmitting coil to a generator located outside the school coil to supply electrical energy to the transmitting coil, and / or in which the drawer includes the generator for supplying electrical energy to the transmitting coil. Such an embodiment offers the advantage of flexibility in arranging a generator required to supply the energy emitted by the transmitting coil.

[0016] According to a further embodiment of the approach presented here, a device detector can be provided which is configured to recognize the type and / or rated power consumption of the household appliance located in the area of ​​the transmitting coil, wherein the control unit is configured to control the output of the electromagnetic energy depending on the recognized type and / or the recognized rated power consumption of the household appliance located in the area of ​​the transmitting coil. Such an embodiment of the approach presented here offers the advantage of being able to adapt the output of the electromagnetic energy via the transmitting coil to the specific type of household appliance used on the transmitting coil.This prevents, for example, unnecessarily high energy emissions when the device detector detects a household appliance placed on the transmitting coil that is technically incapable of absorbing such a large amount of emitted energy. This can thus increase the efficiency of operating the household appliance.

[0017] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the approach proposed here, an output unit can be provided which is configured to output a parameter regarding the electromagnetic energy output for charging a battery and / or operating the household appliance to a user. Such a parameter regarding the electromagnetic energy output could be, for example, the current power consumption of the household appliance, the charge level of the household appliance's battery, or the like. The output unit could be designed, for example, as a display, a vibration element, or an acoustic output unit. Such an embodiment offers the advantage of providing the user with information about the current charging status of the battery or the operation of the household appliance. This can increase user convenience when using the approach presented here, particularly when operating with the drawer closed.Alternatively or additionally, the parameter can indicate device information, such as information about which devices are in the drawer.

[0018] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the approach proposed here is one in which the output unit is configured to transmit and / or receive the parameter for the emission of electromagnetic energy for output via a user's mobile device. A user's mobile device could be, for example, a smartphone or a mobile phone. Such an embodiment of the approach proposed here offers the advantage that relevant information about the operation of the drawer can be output to the user even if the user is not, for example, in the immediate vicinity of the drawer. Alternatively or additionally, the parameter can also indicate device information, such as information about which devices are located in the drawer.

[0019] To prevent, for example, excessive heat buildup in a closed drawer during operation and / or the presence of certain gases characteristic of a damaged battery, a further embodiment of the approach presented here provides a condition sensor. This sensor is designed to detect an environmental parameter inside the drawer when electromagnetic energy is being supplied to charge a battery and / or operate the household appliance, and to issue a warning signal when the environmental parameter meets a predetermined criterion. Such an environmental parameter could be, for example, a temperature or a specific concentration of a substance. This predetermined criterion could be, for example, a threshold value designed to trigger the warning signal when the environmental parameter exceeds this threshold.

[0020] The advantages presented here can also be realized through kitchen furniture with at least one variant of a drawer presented here.

[0021] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the approach proposed here is a variant of the kitchen furniture presented here, featuring a position sensor for detecting the drawer's position within the furniture. The position sensor is designed to transmit the detected position to the drawer's control unit. This embodiment offers the advantage that the position sensor is mounted directly on the kitchen furniture, thus rigidly attached, and can detect a movable element, namely a part of the drawer. This is particularly relevant for a robust and durable design of the approach presented here.

[0022] Furthermore, an embodiment of the approach proposed here is conceivable as a method for operating a variant of a drawer presented here, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

[0023] Reading a position signal that represents the position of the drawer in the kitchen cabinet; and

[0024] Controlling the output of electromagnetic energy to charge a battery and / or to operate the household appliance depending on the position signal.

[0025] The approach presented here further creates a control unit designed to execute, control, and implement the steps of a variant of the method presented here in appropriate devices. This embodiment of the invention, in the form of a device, also allows the underlying problem to be solved quickly and efficiently.

[0026] The control unit can be configured to read input signals and use these input signals to determine and provide output signals. An input signal can, for example, be a sensor signal readable via an input interface of the control unit. An output signal can be a control signal or a data signal that can be provided at an output interface of the control unit. The control unit can be configured to determine the output signals using a processing instruction implemented in hardware or software. For example, the control unit can include a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, or a software module and may be implemented as a discrete component or comprised of a discrete component.

[0027] A computer program product or computer program with program code that can be stored on a machine-readable medium such as semiconductor memory, hard disk memory, or optical memory is also advantageous. If the program product or program is executed on a computer or control unit, it can be used to carry out, implement, and / or control the steps of the method according to one of the embodiments described herein.

[0028] Although the described approach is based on a household appliance, the approach described here can be used accordingly in connection with a commercial or professional device, for example a medical device, such as a cleaning or disinfection device, a small sterilizer, a large-capacity disinfector or a container washing system.

[0029] An embodiment of the invention is shown purely schematically in the drawings and is described in more detail below. It shows

[0030] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a kitchen furniture drawer;

[0031] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the kitchen furniture with an embodiment of the drawer, which is now shown in the extended position; and

[0032] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method for operating an embodiment of a drawer presented here.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of an embodiment of a kitchen cabinet 100 with a drawer 105. The kitchen cabinet 100 can, for example, be a base cabinet with one or more drawers, including the embodiment of the drawer 105 presented here, which can be retracted under a worktop 110 of the kitchen cabinet 100. A transmitting coil 115 is arranged and particularly fixed in the drawer 105, wherein this transmitting coil 115 is arranged, for example, on or under a base element 120, so that a household appliance 125 can be charged when it is placed or laid on the base element 120, for example, in the area of ​​the transmitting coil 115. In particular, an inductive or...Electromagnetic energy is emitted by the transmitting coil 115 and received by a receiving coil 130, whereby the receiving coil 130 converts the electromagnetic energy into electrical energy for charging and / or operating the battery 135 of the household appliance 125. In addition to the transmitting coil, an NFC coil for message transmission may also be provided. This can be integrated into the transmitting coil 115 or arranged directly adjacent to it.

[0034] Figure 1 shows, as an example, a milk frother 125, which is to be charged with the drawer 105 closed. To prevent, for example, excessive heat from building up in the drawer when closed, it should be ensured that there is no excessive transfer of energy from the transmitting coil 115 to the receiving coil 130, so that the accumulator 135 does not overheat and potentially cause a fire in the drawer 105, which would not be detected in time if the drawer 105 were closed. To prevent this, a control unit 140 is provided, which has a reading interface 142 via which a position signal 145 can be read from a drawer extension sensor 150. The drawer extension sensor 150 can be arranged on the rear side 155 of the drawer 105 and can (directly or indirectly) determine the distance to a wall or other surface.The sensor detects the position of the back 160 of the kitchen cabinet 100. For example, if the distance between the drawer sensor 150 and the back 160 is small, this means that the drawer 105 is pushed in very far or completely, and thus the inside of the drawer 105 forms a space sealed off from the outside environment of the kitchen cabinet 100, from which heat can only escape very poorly. In this case, for example, a control unit 165 can reduce or interrupt the energy supply from a (power) generator 170 to the transmitting coil 115, so that an unfavorable heating of the battery 135 of the household appliance 125 is slowed down or stopped.

[0035] To provide a user with information about the conditions or states inside drawer 105, an output unit 175 can be provided in a front area 180 of the drawer. This unit can display, for example, a status parameter detected by a status sensor 182, such as the current parameter of electromagnetic energy output or the charge level, and / or an environmental parameter inside drawer 105, such as temperature or the presence of a specific gas, to a user outside or in front of the kitchen unit 100. It is also conceivable that the output unit 175 could send the relevant information to a mobile device 185, so that the user does not have to be standing directly in front of or within the area of ​​the kitchen unit 100, but can still receive information about the charging status of the battery 135 of the household appliance 125.It is also conceivable that a device detector 190 is provided to detect the type or rated power consumption of the household appliance 125 located in the vicinity of the transmitting coil 115. In this way, it can be detected, for example, that a specific household appliance 125 has been placed on or above the transmitting coil 115, so that the corresponding power supply to the transmitting coil 115 can be regulated to enable the fastest possible, yet also safe, charging of the battery 130 of the household appliance 120. For example, the device detector 190 can be configured to communicate via electromagnetic coupling between the transmitting coil 115 and the receiving coil 130 and to read out relevant parameters for identifying the type and / or rated power consumption of the household appliance 145.

[0036] Figure 2 shows an embodiment of the kitchen cabinet 100 with an embodiment of the drawer 105, which is now shown in the extended position. It can be seen that another household appliance 125, now configured as a mixer, is placed in the area of ​​the transmitting coil 115. In this case, the extended drawer 105 allows the transmitting coil 115, located in or under the base element 120, to be used as an additional work surface. The extended position of the drawer 105 can be detected, for example, by a position sensor 200, which is now located in the area of ​​the back 160 of the kitchen cabinet 100 and detects a large distance between the back 155 of the drawer 105 and the position sensor 200.The position signal 145 can now be transmitted (for example, wirelessly or via a line 210, through which the transmitting coil 115 is supplied with energy from the generator 170, and a contact terminal 220 for connecting the transmitting coil 115) to the control unit 140 and evaluated there. Since the drawer 105 is now extended and there is no risk of heat build-up, a greater electrical power can now be released from the generator 170 to the transmitting coil 115, so that, for example, the household appliance 120 can also be operated at a higher power.

[0037] Figure 3 shows a flowchart of an embodiment of a method 300 for operating an embodiment of a drawer 105 presented here, wherein the method 300 comprises a step 310 of reading a position signal that represents a position of the drawer in the kitchen cabinet. Furthermore, the method 300 comprises a step 320 of controlling the output of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery and / or for operating the household appliance depending on the position signal.

[0038] In summary, it is noted that according to an embodiment of the approach presented here, a transmitter coil 11) is installed in a drawer 105, via which small devices or a household appliance 125 can be wirelessly supplied with energy, as shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 2.

[0039] The generator 170 for supplying the transmitter coil 115 can be mounted on the drawer base 120 or in the furniture 100, e.g., on the back panel 160 or the base 120. Optionally, the transmitter coil 115 can also be supplied via a cooktop generator 170, which can, for example, also emit inductive energy to induction cookware, although this is not shown in detail in Figures 1 and 2. The transmitter coil 115 is preferably supplemented by an NFC coil.

[0040] In addition, according to one embodiment, the drawer 105 has a stop sensor or extension sensor 150 to detect the open state or intermediate states of the drawer 105 in the kitchen cabinet 100. This extension sensor can also be designed as a position sensor 200 attached to the kitchen cabinet 100 and

[0041] The small appliance or household device 125 can be classified into one of two classes via an identification signal, which is transmitted, for example, via an NFC connection of the interface or the combination of transmitting coil 115 and receiving coil 130: battery charging or direct operation, or safe use with the drawer 105 closed. The device class is compared with the drawer's open / closed state, and power is supplied accordingly.

[0042] Optionally, a display element as an output unit 175 can be integrated into the drawer front or front area 180 or the drawer handle. This unit can, for example, display the charging status of the small appliance 125 when the drawer 105 is closed, or issue a warning if the drawer is closed and an unsuitable small appliance 125 is placed on the transmitting coil 115. Optionally, data such as charging or operating states of the small appliance or household appliance 125 can also be transmitted to a mobile device 185 via the interface or output unit 175. Optionally, the drawer 105 can also be equipped with additional sensors, such as the status sensor 182, for example, a temperature and / or gas sensor, which monitor the drawer's status during charging and trigger one or more warning signals if necessary. With the approach presented here, status monitoring of whether the drawer 105 is open or not is no longer required.Furthermore, the risk of fire from operating hot appliances in closed drawers can be significantly reduced. At the same time, when small household appliances are charged on the worktop, the space on the hob or worktop is no longer blocked during charging.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Drawer (105) for a kitchen cabinet (100), wherein the drawer (105) has the following features: a transmitting coil (115) for emitting electromagnetic energy for charging a battery (135) of a household appliance (125) and / or for operating the household appliance; and a control unit (140) configured to control the emission of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery (135) and / or for operating the household appliance (125) by means of the transmitting coil (115) depending on a position of the drawer (105) in the kitchen cabinet (100).

2. Drawer (105) according to claim 1, with a pull-out sensor (150) for detecting a position of the drawer (105) in the kitchen furniture (100), wherein the control unit (140) is configured to control the emission of electromagnetic energy depending on a position signal (145) received by the pull-out sensor (150) representing the detected position.

3. Drawer (105) according to claim 2, wherein the extension sensor (150) is arranged on a rear side (160) facing away from a handle side (180) for extending the drawer (105).

4. Drawer (105) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the transmitting coil (115) is arranged or fixed on a bottom side (120) of the drawer (105).

5. Drawer (105) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a contact connection (220) is further provided for contacting the transmitting coil (115) with a generator (170) arranged outside the drawer (105) for providing electrical energy to the transmitting coil (115) and / or wherein the drawer (105) has the generator (170) for providing electrical energy to the transmitting coil (115).

6. Drawer (105) according to one of the preceding claims, with a device detector (190) configured to detect a type and / or a rated power consumption of the household appliance (125) placed in the area of ​​the transmitting coil (115), wherein the control unit (140) is configured to to control the emission of electromagnetic energy depending on the detected type and / or the detected rated power consumption of the household appliance (125) placed in the area of ​​the transmitting coil (115).

7. Drawer (105) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an output unit (175) configured to output a parameter of the emission of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery (135) and / or for operating the household appliance (125) to a user.

8. Drawer (105) according to claim 7, wherein the output unit (175) is configured to transmit and / or receive the parameter of the emission of electromagnetic energy for output by means of a mobile device (185) of the user.

9. Drawer (105) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a status sensor (182) configured to detect an environmental parameter inside the drawer (105) during the emission of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery (135) and / or for operating the household appliance (125) and to issue a warning signal when the environmental parameter meets a predetermined criterion.

10. Kitchen furniture (100) with at least one drawer (105) according to one of claims 1 to 9.

11. Kitchen furniture (100) according to claim 10, comprising a position sensor (200) for detecting the position of the drawer (105) in the kitchen furniture (100), wherein the position sensor (200) is configured to send the detected position to the control unit (140) of the drawer (105).

12. Method (300) for operating a drawer (105) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the method (300) comprises the following steps: Reading (310) a position signal (145) representing a position of the drawer (105) in the kitchen cabinet (100); and - Controlling (320) an output of electromagnetic energy for charging a battery (135) and / or for operating the household appliance (125) depending on the position signal (145).

13. Control unit (140) configured to perform and / or control the steps (310, 320) of the method (300) according to one of the preceding claims in corresponding units (142, 155).

14. Computer program product with program code for carrying out the method (300) according to claim 12, when the computer program product is executed on a control unit (140) according to claim 13.

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