Cooking device

• US 8,247,744 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sakakibara, Kuniaki, Isoda, Keiko, Tominaga, Hiroshi, Izutani, Tamotsu, Tabuchi, Sadatoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): PAIK, SANG YEOP
• Application Number:
  US12/523,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20100096382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,673 Days
• Field of Search: 2194431-4682, 219/483, 219/486, 219489-511, 341/33, 341/34, 341/27
• US Class Current: 219/443.1
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/082 on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9615 using three electrodes per touch switch
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960705 Safety of capacitive touch and proximity switches, e.g. increasing reliability, fail-safe
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96077 comprising an electrode which is floating
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960775 Emitter-receiver or "fringe" type detection, i.e. one or more field emitting electrodes and corresponding one or more receiving electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960785 with illumination
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/062 for cooking plates or the like

Abstract

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 for heating an object to be heated; a top plate provided on an upper surface of the device; a touch key that is provided on the top plate and is operable to input a control command by being touched with a finger; a cancel electrode provided at a periphery of the touch key; and a control unit 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 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.

Claims

1. A cooking device comprising:

a heating source operable to heat an object to be heated;

a top plate provided on an upper surface of the cooking device;

a touch key that is provided on the top plate and is operable to input an assigned control command by being touched with a finger;

a cancel electrode provided on a lower surface of the top plate at a periphery of the touch key; and

a control unit operable to control electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command and detect whether or not a portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is touched with the finger;

wherein the control unit outputs a high frequency signal to the cancel electrode,

wherein when detecting that the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is touched with the finger by detecting that an impedance between the cancel electrode and an earth 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 the finger, the control unit maintains a condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source during 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, and

wherein the cancel electrode is arranged to surround the touch key with a near side of the top plate opened.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein limiting the 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 includes performing a control such that the condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command input to the touch key is not changed.

3. The induction cooking device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit performs a control such that the condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command input to the touch key is not changed within a predetermined period after detecting that the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is not touched with the finger from when detecting that the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is touched with the finger.

4. The cooking device according to claim 2, wherein limiting the 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 includes lowering an input sensitivity of the touch key.

5. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein limiting the 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 includes lowering an input sensitivity of the touch key.

6. The cooking device according to claim 1, further comprising an informing unit operable to inform that the control command is not input by touching the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode.

7. The cooking device according to claim 1, further comprising an informing unit operable to inform when the portion of the top plate near the cancel electrode is pushed continuously for longer than or equal to a predetermined time.

8. A cooking device comprising:

a heating source operable to heat an object to be heated;

a top plate provided on an upper surface of the cooking device;

a plurality of touch keys that are provided on the top plate, each of the plurality of touch keys being operable to input a corresponding assigned control command by being touched with a finger; and

a control unit operable to control electricity conduction to the heating source based on a control command input to a first touch key when detecting that the first touch key is touched with the finger for longer than or equal to a first predetermined time;

wherein the control unit performs a control such that a condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command input to the first touch key is not changed based on a control command input to a second touch key when detecting that the second touch key is touched with the finger before elapse of a second predetermined time longer than the first predetermined time from when the first touch key is touched with the finger.

9. The cooking device according to claim 8, wherein the control unit performs a control such that the condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command input to the first touch key is not changed based on the control command input to the second touch key when detecting that the second touch key is touched with the finger before elapse of a third predetermined time from when the first touch key is not touched with the finger after the first touch key is touched.

10. A cooking device comprising:

a heating source operable to heat an object to be heated;

a top plate provided on an upper surface of the cooking device;

a plurality of touch keys that are provided on the top plate, each of the plurality of touch keys being operable to input a corresponding assigned control command by being touched with a finger;

a single cancel electrode provided on a lower surface of the top plate at a periphery of the plurality of touch keys; and

a control unit operable to control electricity conduction to the heating source based on a control command and detect whether or not a portion of the top plate near the single cancel electrode is touched with the finger;

wherein, when detecting that the portion of the top plate near the single cancel electrode is touched with the finger, the control unit maintains a condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source during time of the detection, and limits an operation based on a control command input to one of the plurality of touch keys while detecting that the portion of the top plate near the single cancel electrode is being touched with the finger, and

wherein the single cancel electrode is arranged to surround the plurality of touch keys.

11. The cooking device according to claim 10, wherein limiting the operation based on the control command input to the one of the plurality of the touch keys while detecting that the portion of the top plate near the single cancel electrode is being touched with the finger includes performing a control such that the condition of the electricity conduction to the heating source based on the control command input to the one of the plurality of touch keys is not changed.

12. The cooking device according to claim 10, wherein limiting the operation based on the control command input to one of the plurality of touch keys while detecting that the portion of the top plate near the single cancel electrode is being touched with the finger includes lowering an input sensitivity of the plurality of touch keys.