Measuring device and grilling apparatus including the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690477-B2
Application number	US-201815874251-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2018
Priority date	Jan 25, 2017
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A measuring device to be mounted on a grill device includes a processing unit, and a magnetic unit and a sensing unit that are mounted respectively on pivotally connecting first and second grilling units of the grill device. The sensing unit measures an angle of rotation of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic unit, and generates an output signal indicating the angle of rotation of the magnetic field. The processing unit obtains an included angle between the first and second grilling units based on the angle of rotation of the magnetic field indicated by the output signal received from the sensing unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring device to be mounted on a grill device, the grill device including a first grilling unit, and a second grilling unit pivotally connected to the first grilling unit and rotatable with respect to the first grilling unit about a rotation axis, said measuring device comprising:
a magnetic unit to be mounted on one of the first and second grilling units, and configured to generate a magnetic field;
a sensing unit to be mounted on the other one of the first and second grilling units, and configured to measure an angle of rotation of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic unit and to generate an output signal indicating the angle of rotation of the magnetic field; and
a processing unit communicatively connected to said sensing unit for receiving the output signal therefrom, and configured to obtain an included angle between the first and second grilling units based on the angle of rotation of the magnetic field indicated by the output signal;
wherein said magnetic unit is to be mounted in a manner that the rotation axis passes through a smallest imaginary circle encircling said magnet unit, said sensing unit is spaced apart from said magnet unit, and one of said magnet unit and said sensing unit is rotatable with respect to the other one of said magnet unit and said sensing unit about the rotation axis.

2. The measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said processing unit includes an angle analyzing module configured to obtain the included angle by analyzing the output signal received from said sensing unit, and a thickness analyzing module configured to estimate a thickness of an object clamped between the first and second grilling units based on the included angle.

3. The measuring device as claimed in claim 2 , the second grilling unit including a handle pivotally connected to the first grilling unit, and a grilling plate pivotally connected to the handle by a joint in a manner that the grilling plate vertically moves when the handle rotates with respect to the first grilling unit about the rotation axis,
wherein the included angle is defined between the handle and the first grilling unit,
wherein said thickness analyzing module is configured to calculate the thickness of the object based on a reference length and the included angle according to a trigonometric function, the reference length being related to a distance from the joint to the rotation axis.

4. The measuring device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said angle analyzing module includes:
a converter configured to convert the output signal into a digital value indicative of the angle of rotation of the magnetic field; and
a calibrator storing an initial angular value related to an initial angular position of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic unit with respect to said sensing unit when the second grilling unit lies on the first grilling unit, and configured to calculate an included angle value of the included angle by subtracting the initial angular value from the digital value when the digital value is not smaller than the initial angular value, and to calculate the included angle value by subtracting the initial angular value from a sum of 360 and the digital value when the digital value is smaller than the initial angular value.

5. The measuring device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein said processing unit further includes a clamp-determining module configured to determine whether a variation in an included angle value of the included angle continuously obtained by said angle analyzing module within a predetermined time unit is greater than a predetermined value, to determine whether a latest included angle value is greater than a first threshold when the variation in the included angle value is not greater than the predetermined value, and to output an activation signal to said thickness analyzing module when the latest included angle value is greater than the first threshold,
wherein said thickness analyzing module is activated to estimate the thickness of the object upon receipt of the activation signal.

6. The measuring device as claimed in claim 5 , wherein said clamp-determining module is further configured to determine whether the latest included angle value is smaller than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold when the variation in the included angle value is not greater than the predetermined value, and to output the activation signal when the latest included angle value is greater than the first threshold and smaller than the second threshold.

7. The measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said magnetic unit includes a magnet for generating the magnetic field and to be mounted at a position where the rotation axis passes through, and said sensing unit includes a magnetic rotary position sensor spaced apart from said magnet along the rotation axis, one of said magnet and said magnetic rotary position sensor being rotatable with respect to the other one of said magnet and said magnetic rotary position sensor about a central axis thereof that coincides the rotation axis.

8. The measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said magnetic unit includes a magnet for generating the magnetic field and to be mounted in a manner that a central axis thereof coincides the rotation axis, and said sensing unit includes a plurality of magnetic rotary position sensors that are angularly spaced apart from one another with respect to the rotation axis and that surround said magnet.

9. The sensing device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said magnetic unit includes a plurality of magnets for generating the magnetic field, arranged around a central point which the rotation axis passes through, and angularly spaced apart from one another with respect to the rotation axis,
wherein said sensing unit includes a magnetic rotary position sensor disposed out of the smallest imaginary circle that encircles said magnets and that has the central point as a center.

10. The measuring device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said magnetic unit is configured to be mounted on the second grilling unit, and said sensing unit is configured to be mounted on the first grilling unit, and relative rotation between said magnetic unit and said sensing unit is brought about by rotational movement of the second grilling unit with respect to the first grilling unit.

11. A grilling apparatus comprising:
a grill device including a first grilling unit, and a second grilling unit pivotally and connected to said first grilling unit and rotatable with respect to said first grilling unit about a rotation axis; and
a measuring device including
a magnetic unit mounted on one of said first and second grilling units, and configured to generate a magnetic field,
a sensing unit mounted on the other one of said first and second grilling units, and configured to measure an angle of rotation of the magnetic field generated by said magnetic unit and to generate an output signal indicating the angle of rotation of the magnetic field, and
a processing unit communicatively connected to said sensing unit for receiving the output signal therefrom, and configured to obtain an included angle between said first and second grilling units based on the angle of rotation of the magnetic field indicated by the output signal;
wherein said magnetic unit is to be mounted in a manner that the rotation axis passes through a smallest imaginary circle encircling said magnetic unit, said sensing unit is spaced apart from said magnet unit, and one of said magnet unit and said sensing unit is rotatable with respect to the other one of said magnet unit and said sensing unit about the rotation axis.

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Assignees

• Tsann Kuen Zhangzhou Entpr Co

Inventors

• Sun Xiaosen
• Cai Canjia
• Wang Jingui

Classifications

• A47J37/0611 Primary

  the food being cooked between two heating plates, e.g. waffle-irons · CPC title

• G01B7/30 Primary

  for measuring angles or tapers; for testing the alignment of axes · CPC title