Food processor

• US 10,682,016 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 06/16/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: Vorwerk & Company Interholding Gesellschaft Mit Beschrã¤Nkter Haftung (Vorwerk & Company KG)
• Inventors: Koetz, Hendrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Soohoo, Tony G
• Application Number:
  US14/647,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20150305567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,393 Days
• Field of Search: 366601, 366144, 366342, 366206
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/046 with tools driven from the bottom side
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/07 Parts or details, e.g. mixing tools, whipping tools
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/0716 for machines with tools driven from the lower side A47J43/0727 - A47J43/08 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2035/99 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/06 Mixing of food ingredients
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/22 Control or regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2206 Use of stored recipes for controlling the computer programs, e.g. for manipulation, handling, production or composition in mixing plants B01F33/846 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/2207 Use of data, i.e. barcodes, 3D codes or similar type of tagging information, as instruction or identification codes for controlling the computer programs, e.g. for manipulation, handling, production or compounding in mixing plants B01F33/848 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/90 Heating or cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883

Abstract

An electrically operated food processor with a mixing bowl and a mixer in the mixing bowl is provided with a camera, in particular an electronic camera, which is potentially directed towards the user of the food processor, and with stored gesture recognition software, as well as a gesture data bank, it being possible to use gesture recognition to cause the food processor to carry out a routine task.

Claims

1. An electrically operated food processor comprising:

(a) a mixing bowl;

(b) a mixer in the mixing bowl;

(c) a camera for recognizing a gesture comprising a movement of at least a portion of a body of a user of the food processor;

said camera having a detection area, and that the detection area of the camera is not directed on the food processor but to an environment of the food processor at a distance of between 0.4 and 2 meters where the user may stand and gesture;

(d) a processor comprising gesture recognition software; and

(e) a memory comprising a gesture data bank for storing gestures;

wherein only recognition of a first gesture stored in the gesture data bank activates the food processor and provides an operability via mechanical interfaces, via speech control and via second gestures stored in the gesture data bank, alone or in combination with each other, only after activation by recognition of the first gesture, wherein the food processor further comprises a heater for heating the mixing bowl and an electric motor for running the mixer, wherein the food processor is arranged to carry out the heating and the running of the mixer only when a speed of the mixer, a temperature of the mixing bowl, and a duration of at least one of the running of the mixer at the speed and the heating of the mixing bowl at the temperature is provided or is accepted by operation of the mechanical interfaces, speech control and second gestures.

2. The food processor according to claim 1, further comprising an acoustic transducer interacting with speech recognition software for receiving acoustic pressure from a word spoken by the user, wherein the function comprises speech control activation of the food processor causing the food processor to be controlled by voice commands.

3. The food processor according to claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises a recipe data bank for storing recipes and wherein the function comprises selection of a recipe from the recipe data bank of the food processor.

4. The food processor according to claim 1, wherein the processor further comprises a face recognition software and the memory further comprises a face data base for storing faces and wherein recognition of a face from the face data bank causes the food processor to be controlled by the recognition of a second gesture stored in the gesture data bank.

5. The food processor according to claim 1, further comprising a power cord for supplying electricity to the food processor for electrical control of the food processor, wherein electrical control of the food processor is configured to be selectively turned on and turned off, and wherein turning on the electrical control of the food processor causes the food processor to be controlled by the recognition of a second gesture stored in the gesture data bank.

6. The food processor according to claim 5, wherein turning off the electrical control of the food processor causes the food processor to cease being controlled by the recognition of the second gesture in the gesture data bank.

7. The food processor according to claim 1, further comprising a display for displaying values of speed of the mixer, temperature of the mixing bowl, and duration of at least one of the running of the mixer at the speed and the heating of the mixing bowl at the temperature.

8. The food processor according to claim 1, wherein the first gesture comprises the movement of one or two hands.

9. The food processor according to claim 1, wherein the food processor carries out the function when the movement of one or two hands is steadily observed by means of consecutive images taken by the camera.

10. The food processor according to claim 1, further comprising an electrode arrangement comprising four electrodes arranged in a square in an area of a control panel of the food processor, wherein a live electrode of the four electrodes is configured to generate an electromagnetic field having a range of between 10 and 30 centimeters, wherein at least one electrode of the four electrodes is configured to detect an influence on the electromagnetic field of a human body part entering the electromagnetic field, from which influence a position of the human body part is calculated, wherein defined gestures of the human body part are recognized from a temporal shifting of the position of the human body part, and wherein the defined gestures are converted into machine commands.

11. A method for operating an electrically operated food processor, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a mixing bowl, a mixer in the mixing bowl, a camera for recognizing a gesture comprising a movement of at least a portion of a body of a user of the food processor, the camera having a detection area, a processor comprising gesture recognition software, a memory comprising a gesture data bank for storing gestures, a heater for heating the mixing bowl and an electric motor for running the mixer;

directing the detection area of the camera not on the food processor but to an environment of the food processor at a distance of between 0.4 and 2 meters where the user may stand and gesture;

activating the food processor by recognition of a first gesture stored in the gesture data bank to provide an operability via mechanical interfaces, via speech control and via second gestures stored in the gesture data bank, alone or in combination, wherein only recognition of the first gesture stored in the gesture data bank activates the food processor to enable the operability;

carrying out the heating and the running of the mixer only when a speed of the mixer, a temperature of the mixing bowl, and a duration of at least one of the running of the mixer at the speed and the heating of the mixing bowl at the temperature is provided or is accepted by operation of the mechanical interfaces, speech control and second gestures.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of interacting an acoustic transducer with speech recognition software for receiving acoustic pressure from a word spoken by the user, wherein the function comprises speech control activation of the food processor causing the food processor to be controlled by voice commands.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of storing recipes in a recipe data bank of the memory and selecting a recipe from the recipe data bank of the food processor.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of providing face recognition software in the processor, storing faces in a face data base of the memory, recognizing a face from the face data bank and upon recognition of the face, causing the food processor to be controlled by the recognition of a second gesture stored in the gesture data bank.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of providing a power cord for supplying electricity to the food processor for electrical control of the food processor and configuring the electrical control of the food processor to be selectively turned on and turned off, wherein turning on the electrical control of the food processor causes the food processor to be controlled by the recognition of a second gesture stored in the gesture data bank.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of causing the food processor to cease being controlled by the recognition of the second gesture in the gesture data bank by turning off the electrical control of the food processor.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of displaying values of a speed of the mixer, a temperature of the mixing bowl, and a duration of at least one of the running of the mixer at the speed and the heating of the mixing bowl at the temperature on a display.

18. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first gesture comprises the movement of one or two hands.

19. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of steadily observing a movement of one or two hands by consecutive images taken by the camera in order for the food processor to carry out the function.

20. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of generating an electromagnetic field having a range of between 10 and 30 centimeters with a live electrode of four electrodes arranged in a square in an area of a control panel of the food processor, detecting an influence on the electromagnetic field of a human body part entering the electromagnetic field with at least one electrode of the four electrodes, calculating a position of the human body part from the influence on the electromagnetic field, recognizing defined gestures of the human body part from a temporal shifting of the position of the human body part, and converting the defined gestures into machine commands.