Method and system for controlling a household appliance, in particular a cooking appliance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for controlling household appliances, particularly cooking hobs, do not effectively ensure user proximity and safety due to legal safety requirements, limiting remote control capabilities while ensuring manual intervention is possible.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a remote control device to transmit command signals to a household appliance's control unit, requiring a confirmation signal from the user, such as an infrared, camera, or light beam signal, to verify presence and ensure line of sight before processing commands, with a predefined time interval for confirmation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If remote control of cooking appliance is allowed, then user convenience is improved, but safety is worsened due to inability to ensure user proximity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary safety verification by detecting user presence and line-of-sight before allowing remote control commands to be executed. The control unit checks for user proximity and visual contact in advance of processing cooking commands, ensuring safety conditions are met before operation begins.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary safety verification mechanism that mediates between the remote control device and the cooking appliance. This intermediary layer checks user presence and line-of-sight conditions, acting as a safety gatekeeper that allows remote operation only when proper safety conditions are confirmed.
2Reliability
If confirmation signal verification is implemented, then safety is improved, but device complexity is worsened due to additional sensors and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is designed to perform multiple functions: it processes cooking commands from remote devices and simultaneously handles safety verification by detecting confirmation signals. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated safety systems, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the existing communication infrastructure and control unit to handle both command processing and safety verification. Rather than adding completely separate safety systems, the existing components are made to serve dual purposes, reducing the burden of additional complexity.
3Reliability
If user presence confirmation is required, then safety is improved, but ease of operation is worsened due to additional user actions needed
Solution Approach 1:
The confirmation signal detection leverages the user's natural behavior of being present and looking at the appliance when providing remote commands. The system automatically detects this presence and line-of-sight condition without requiring explicit user actions, making the safety verification transparent and seamless to the user.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides automatic feedback by detecting whether the user is present and has line-of-sight to the appliance. This feedback mechanism operates automatically based on sensor detection, eliminating the need for users to manually confirm their presence while still ensuring safety conditions are met.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Ensures safe and reliable remote control of household appliances by confirming user proximity, enhancing safety and compliance with legal standards by only processing commands when the user is nearby, thereby allowing remote control while maintaining manual intervention capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The confirmation signal is a presence detection signal in the form of an infrared signal, a camera signal, a photo sensor signal, a light beam signal
Implementation Method 2
The confirmation signal is a presence detection signal in the form of an infrared signal, a camera signal, a photo sensor signal
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a household appliance (1), in particular a cooking appliance, for example a cooking hob. The method comprises the following steps: - transmission of an information signal, in particular a command signal, to a user interface (7) of the household appliance (1) by a user of the household appliance (1) with the help of a remote control device (21), - starting a time period for waiting for a confirmation signal from the user, - receiving the user's confirmation signal via a confirmation key or confirmation trigger arrangement (25), - processing the information signal by a control unit (13) of the household appliance (1). The confirmation signal indicates the user's presence close by the household appliance (1). The present invention also relates to a system for controlling a household appliance (1), in particular a cooking appliance, for example a cooking hob.