# US 11,441,782 B2 · Cooking appliance user control integrated with rate of movement detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,782 B2 - Document ID: US11441782B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/117,498 - Filed: 2020-12-10 - Published: 2022-06-16 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2020-12-10 - Assignees: Midea Group Co., Ltd. - Applicants: Midea Group Co., Ltd. - Inventors: Richard W. Cowan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441782B2 ## CPC - F24C 3/12: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices - F24C 3/126: {on ranges} - F23N 5/242: {using electronic means} - F23N 5/245: {using electrical or electromechanical means} - F24C 7/08: Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices - F24C 7/082: {on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination} - G08B 21/182: {Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold} - F23N 2005/185: {using detectors sensitive to rate of flow of fuel} - G01D 5/04: using levers; using cams; using gearing - G01D 5/142: {using Hall-effect devices (measuring magnetic variables using Hall-effect or other galvanomagnetic devices G01R33/06)} - G01D 5/145: {influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06)} - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION - F23N: REGULATING OR CONTROLLING COMBUSTION (control devices specially adapted for combustion apparatus in which combustion takes place in a fluidised bed of fuel or other particles F23C10/28; condition responsive controls for regulating combustion in domestic stoves with open fires for solid fuel F24B1/187) - G08B: SIGNALLING SYSTEMS, e.g. PERSONAL CALLING SYSTEMS; ORDER TELEGRAPHS; ALARM SYSTEMS - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract A cooking appliance may use a sensor to sense a rate of movement of a user control and generate an alert when the rate of movement meets an alert criterion, thereby enabling detection of potential inadvertent movements of a user control. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cooking appliance, comprising: a cooking element; a user control configured to control an output level of the cooking element through movement of the user control within a range of positions; a sensor configured to detect a rate of movement of the user control within the range of positions; and a controller coupled to the sensor and configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets an alert criterion, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion, selectively generate an alert for a user. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the user control is a rotary control knob, and the rate of movement of the user control within the range of positions is an angular velocity of the rotary control knob detected by the sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the alert criterion based on user input. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a position sensor. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein the position sensor includes an encoder, a hall effect sensor, or a toothed wheel. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion when the cooking element is in an off state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion, disable energization of the cooking element in the off state. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion when the cooking element is in an on state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion, disable alteration of the output level of the cooking element in the on state. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the sensor is further configured to detect a direction of movement of the user control, the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion and the direction of movement of the user control is an output level increasing direction for the cooking element when the cooking element is in an on state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion and the direction of movement of the user control is the output level increasing direction for the cooking element, disable alteration of the output level of the cooking element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The cooking element of claim 1, wherein the sensor is further configured to detect a direction of movement of the user control, the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion and the direction of movement of the user control is an output level decreasing direction for the cooking element when the cooking element is in an on state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion and the direction of movement of the use control is the output level decreasing direction for the cooking element, allow de-energization or alteration of the output level of the cooking element in the on state. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The cooking element of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion when the cooking element is in an on state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the user control meets the alert criterion, keep the generated alert remaining actuated for a predetermined period of time and disable alteration of the output level of the cooking element. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The cooking element of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether an alert deactivation mechanism is triggered during the predetermined period of time, and in response to determining that no alert deactivation mechanism is triggered during the predetermined period of time, allow de-energization or alteration of the output level of the cooking element in the on state and keep the generated alert remaining actuated until the alert deactivation mechanism is triggered. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the cooking element is a gas cooking element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the sensor includes a flow meter, and the rate of movement of the user control within the range of positions is a rate of gas flow change detected by the flow meter. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, further comprising a gas valve configured to regulate a gas flow rate to the gas cooking element, wherein the user control is mechanically coupled to the gas valve. ### Claim 15 A cooking appliance, comprising: a plurality of cooking elements; a plurality of user controls configured to control output levels of the plurality of cooking elements through movement of each of the plurality of user controls within a range of positions; one or more sensors configured to detect a rate of movement of each of the plurality of user controls within the range of positions therefor; and a controller coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to determine that the rate of movement of one of the plurality of user controls meets an alert criterion, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the one of the plurality of user controls meets the alert criterion, selectively generate an alert for a user. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of user controls is a rotary control knob, and the rate of movement of each of the plurality of user controls within the range of positions is an angular velocity of the rotary control knob detected by the one or more sensors. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of one of the plurality of user controls meets the alert criterion when a corresponding cooking element is in an off state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the one of the plurality of user controls meets the alert criterion, disable energization of the corresponding cooking element. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the rate of movement of one of the plurality of user controls meets the alert criterion when a corresponding cooking element is in an on state, and in response to determining that the rate of movement of the one of the plurality of user controls meets the alert criterion, disable alteration of the output level of the corresponding cooking element. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein the plurality of cooking elements are a plurality of gas cooking elements. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The cooking appliance of claim 19, wherein the one or more sensors include a flow meter, and the rate of movement of each of the plurality of user controls within the range of positions is a rate of gas flow change detected by the flow meter.