WIRELESS COMMUNICATION IMPROVEMENTS FOR COOKING APPLIANCES

• US 20180351232A1
• Filed: 06/01/2018
• Published: 12/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apption Labs Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Apption Labs Ltd.
• Inventors: Nivala, Teemu, Heiskanen, Janne Petteri, Talvitie, Olli Toivo, Yeh, Ming-Hao
• Granted Patent: US 11,056,763 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/06 for preparation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/1214 through a wall
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/22 by structural association with other equipment or articles
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/362 for broadside radiating helical antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 15/18 comprising plurality of mutually inclined plane surfaces, e.g. corner reflector H01Q15/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/00 Combinations of primary active antenna elements and units with secondary devices, e.g. with quasi-optical devices, for giving the antenna a desired directional characteristic combination of horns with slotted waveguide array H01Q13/0233
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 19/185 wherein the surfaces are plane
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/285 Planar dipole H01Q9/065 takes precedence; patch antenna H01Q9/0407
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/42 with folded element, the folded parts being spaced apart a small fraction of the operating wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/6467 using detectors with R.F. transmitters

Abstract

A wireless signal repeater includes an interior antenna located in an interior a cooking appliance, and an exterior antenna located outside the cooking appliance. A coupling portion connects the interior antenna to the exterior antenna through a hole in a wall of the cooking appliance for wirelessly retransmitting wireless signals received by the wireless signal repeater. According to another aspect, a cooking appliance includes a cooking chamber for cooking food, and an interior antenna located inside the cooking chamber. An exterior antenna is located on an exterior of the cooking appliance, and a coupling portion is configured to connect the interior antenna with the exterior antenna. According to another aspect, an aperture is located in a cooking chamber and a reflector is mounted over the aperture on an exterior of the cooking appliance and is configured to narrow a radiation pattern for wireless signals transmitted through the aperture.

Claims

1. A wireless signal repeater for use with a cooking appliance to transmit signals through a wall of the cooking appliance, the wireless signal repeater comprising:

an interior antenna configured to be located in an interior the cooking appliance;

an exterior antenna configured to be located outside the cooking appliance; and

a coupling portion configured to connect the interior antenna to the exterior antenna through a hole in the wall of the cooking appliance for wirelessly retransmitting wireless signals received by the wireless signal repeater.

2. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the wireless signal repeater is further configured to retransmit a wireless signal received from a wireless food thermometer inside a cooking chamber of the cooking appliance for reception by a remote device outside of the cooking appliance.

3. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein at least one of the interior antenna and the exterior antenna is a directional antenna configured to receive or radiate power in a direction of a cooking grate inside the cooking appliance or in a more horizontal direction outside of the cooking appliance.

4. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the wall of the cooking appliance serves as a ground plane for the exterior antenna.

5. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the coupling portion includes an outer shell that surrounds a wire electrically connecting the exterior antenna and the interior antenna.

6. The wireless signal repeater of claim 5, wherein the wire is surrounded by a dielectric inside the outer shell for temperature insulation and electrical insulation.

7. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the interior antenna includes a magnetic loop antenna, an electric field antenna, a corner antenna, a helical antenna, a bow-tie antenna, a patch antenna, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, or a wide dipole antenna.

8. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the exterior antenna includes an inverted F antenna, a corner antenna, a helical antenna, a bow-tie antenna, a patch antenna, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, or a wide dipole antenna.

9. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein at least a part of the wireless signal repeater is integrally formed as part of the cooking appliance.

10. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the wireless signal repeater is located in or replaces a handle of the cooking appliance, a nameplate of the cooking appliance, or a thermometer gauge of the cooking appliance.

11. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, further comprising at least one magnet for affixing at least one of the exterior antenna and the interior antenna to the cooking appliance.

12. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the interior antenna is located within an expected maximum height from a cooking grate for placement of the wireless device inside a cooking chamber of the cooking appliance.

13. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, wherein the coupling portion is located at a top portion of the chamber of the cooking appliance.

14. The wireless signal repeater of claim 1, further comprising a reflector located over the exterior antenna for redirecting wireless signals to or from the exterior antenna.

15. A cooking appliance, comprising:

a cooking chamber for cooking food;

an interior antenna located inside the cooking chamber;

an exterior antenna located on an exterior of the cooking appliance; and

a coupling portion configured to connect the interior antenna with the exterior antenna, wherein the coupling portion is further configured to electrically transmit signals between the interior antenna and the exterior antenna.

16. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the exterior antenna is configured to retransmit a wireless signal received by the interior antenna from a wireless food thermometer inside the cooking chamber for reception by a remote device outside of the cooking appliance.

17. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein at least one of the interior antenna and the exterior antenna is a directional antenna configured to receive or radiate power in a direction of a cooking grate inside the cooking chamber or in a more horizontal direction outside of the cooking appliance.

18. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein an exterior surface of the cooking appliance serves as a ground plane for the exterior antenna.

19. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the coupling portion includes an outer shell that surrounds a wire electrically connecting the exterior antenna and the interior antenna.

20. The cooking appliance of claim 19, wherein the wire is surrounded by a dielectric inside the outer shell for temperature insulation and electrical insulation.

21. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the interior antenna includes a magnetic loop antenna, an electric field antenna, a corner antenna, a helical antenna, a bow-tie antenna, a patch antenna, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, or a wide dipole antenna.

22. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the exterior antenna includes an inverted F antenna, a corner antenna, a helical antenna, a bow-tie antenna, a patch antenna, a dipole antenna, a monopole antenna, or a wide dipole antenna.

23. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein at least one of the exterior antenna, the coupling portion, and the interior antenna is integrally formed as part of the cooking appliance.

24. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein at least a portion of the exterior antenna or the coupling portion is located in or replaces a handle of the cooking appliance, a nameplate of the cooking appliance, or a thermometer gauge of the cooking appliance.

25. The cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising at least one magnet for affixing at least one of the exterior antenna to the exterior surface of the cooking appliance and affixing the interior antenna to the interior surface of the cooking chamber.

26. The cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising a cooking grate inside the cooking chamber, and wherein the interior antenna is located within an expected maximum height from the cooking grate for placement of a wireless device inside the cooking chamber.

27. The cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising:

a cooking grate inside the cooking chamber; and

a lid configured to reflect wireless signals from the interior antenna toward the cooking grate or from a wireless device inserted into food on the cooking grate toward the interior antenna.

28. The cooking appliance of claim 15, further comprising:

an aperture in a wall of the cooking appliance exposing the cooking chamber to outside the cooking appliance; and

a reflector located over the aperture configured to narrow a radiation pattern of wireless signals transmitted through the aperature.

29. A cooking appliance, comprising:

a cooking chamber for cooking food; and

a wireless signal repeater in contact with the cooking chamber and configured to retransmit wireless signals received by the wireless signal repeater in the cooking chamber to outside the cooking appliance.

30. A cooking appliance, comprising:

a cooking chamber for cooking food;

an aperture in the cooking chamber to outside the cooking appliance; and

a reflector mounted over the aperture on an exterior of the cooking appliance and configured to narrow a radiation pattern for wireless signals transmitted through the aperture.

31. The cooking appliance of claim 30, further comprising a dielectric material affixed into the aperture.