Cooking Hob Lighting Control for Bright Room Light Without Glare
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hobs with integrated light sources face challenges in providing adequate room lighting without irritating operators, as they often require strong light sources to penetrate dark-colored hob plates, and lack flexible control between cooking and lighting modes.
Innovation Solution
A hob design with separate light control and hob control systems, allowing for wireless communication and adjustable luminosity, enabling light sources to shine outward for room lighting while maintaining low luminosity in cooking mode to prevent operator distraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If strong light sources are used to penetrate dark-colored hob plates for room lighting, then illumination intensity is improved, but operator irritation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light sources are equipped with a control device that enables dynamic adjustment of luminous intensity between at least two different levels. This allows the lighting system to adapt to different operational states: higher intensity for room lighting when the hob is not in use, and lower intensity during cooking to avoid operator irritation while still providing necessary visual feedback.
2Ease of operation
If light sources are controlled by hob control during cooking, then cooking operation is simplified, but lighting flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into two distinct control devices: a hob control device primarily responsible for cooking functions and a separate control device dedicated to lighting control. This segmentation allows each control device to be optimized for its specific function, with the lighting control device providing enhanced flexibility for lighting modes without complicating the cooking operation interface.
3Illumination intensity
If light sources are arranged beneath the hob plate, then optical marking of cooking zones is achieved, but light penetration through dark plates is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs local quality by providing different luminous intensities for different functional areas and operational states. During cooking, localized low-intensity lighting provides sufficient visual feedback for cooking zone identification and vessel positioning. For room lighting, the same light sources operate at higher intensity, achieving adequate illumination without requiring different physical light sources or complex optical pathways through the hob plate.
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
Enables attractive and innovative lighting concepts for the kitchen while ensuring safe and non-irritating lighting during cooking, with adjustable luminosity and color gradients for enhanced ambiance.
Implementation Method 1
light sources (26a, 26b, 26c) arranged beneath the hob plate (13), in particular arranged in the area of cooking zones (17a to 17d), to radiate out from the hob (11)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A cooktop is designed to operate in either cooking mode or lighting mode, but these modes cannot occur simultaneously. In cooking mode, the cooktop control unit activates the cooktop's heating elements and light sources in a cooking-lighting mode, with the light source intensity limited to a cooking-specific level below the maximum brightness. In lighting mode, the light sources are not controlled by the cooktop control unit but can only be controlled by the lighting control unit in a lighting-lighting mode. The lighting control unit receives the corresponding commands for the light sources from an external control unit via a communication device. The light sources can operate at their maximum brightness in lighting mode.