Cooktop Touch Key Layout for False-Touch Heating Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cooking devices with touch keys on top plates are prone to unintended operation changes when users accidentally touch the keys with cloths or spills, leading to fluctuations in electricity conduction to the heating source, affecting safety and convenience.
Innovation Solution
A cooking device with a cancel electrode on the lower surface of the top plate near the touch key, which detects impedance changes to prevent unintended operation by maintaining electricity conduction and limiting control commands when the touch key is touched accidentally, ensuring stable heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch key is provided on the top plate for user operation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to unintended operation when users accidentally touch the key with cloths or spills
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode structure is segmented into multiple regions: a touch key electrode for intentional operation and a cancel electrode for detecting accidental contact. This segmentation allows the system to distinguish between intended and unintended user actions by monitoring which electrode is contacted
Solution Approach 2:
The cancel electrode acts as an intermediary detection element that monitors the operational environment. When accidentally contacted, it serves as a mediator to prevent the control unit from executing commands from the touch key, thereby blocking false operations without affecting intentional user input
2Ease of operation
If the touch key detection sensitivity is increased to detect finger touches, then ease of operation is improved, but object-affected harmful factors worsen due to detection of accidental touches with cloths or spills
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is divided into separate functional zones: the touch key electrode with high detection sensitivity for finger contact, and the cancel electrode that specifically monitors for accidental contact objects. This spatial segmentation allows each electrode to be optimized for its specific detection purpose
Solution Approach 2:
The touch key and cancel electrode are positioned asymmetrically relative to the top plate surface and each other. The touch key is positioned for optimal finger contact, while the cancel electrode is positioned to detect accidental contact from the sides or above, creating asymmetric detection zones that reduce false positives
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
Prevents false operations and maintains consistent heating by accurately differentiating intended and unintended touch inputs, enhancing user safety and convenience by preventing unintended changes in electricity conduction to the heating source.
Implementation Method 1
detecting that an impedance between the cancel electrode and a ground potential is lowered by greater than or equal to a predetermined value compared to when the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is not touched with a finger
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a cooking device that prevents an electricity conduction setting to a heating source from fluctuating when a user is not intending to operate a touch key. The cooking device includes a heating source (10) for heating an object to be heated; a top plate (1) provided on an upper surface of the device; a touch key (13) that is provided on the top plate and is operable to input a control command by being touched with a finger; a cancel electrode (5) provided at a periphery of the touch key; and a control unit (8) for controlling an electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command. When detecting that a portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is touched with the finger, the control unit (8) maintains a condition of electricity conduction to the heating source in time of the detection, and limits an operation based on the control command input to the touch key while detecting that the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is being touched with the finger.