阅读说明：本技术 厨房用具和相应的系统 (Kitchen appliance and corresponding system ) 是由 布拉德利·坎宁安 于 2018-06-04 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种厨房用具,其具有控制装置、麦克风和至少一个声滤波器,该控制装置被设置成接收声音命令并响应于声音命令来操作厨房用具,该麦克风被设置成接收包括声音命令的声音并将声音提供给控制装置,该声滤波器被配置成从提供给控制装置的声音中抑制由厨房用具的操作产生的背景噪声。(A kitchen appliance having a control device arranged to receive voice commands and to operate the kitchen appliance in response thereto, a microphone arranged to receive sound comprising the voice commands and to provide the sound to the control device, and at least one acoustic filter arranged to suppress background noise generated by operation of the kitchen appliance from the sound provided to the control device.)

1. A kitchen appliance, characterized in that it comprises:

a control device arranged to receive voice commands and to operate the kitchen appliance in response thereto;

a microphone arranged to receive sound comprising a voice command and to provide the sound to the control device; and

at least one acoustic filter configured to suppress background noise generated by operation of the kitchen appliance from the sound provided to the control device.

2. A kitchen appliance as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the acoustic filter is arranged to suppress noise generated by movement of moving parts of the kitchen appliance.

3. A kitchen appliance as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the kitchen appliance comprises a motor for driving a food processing tool, the acoustic filter being arranged to suppress noise generated by operation of the motor.

4. The kitchen appliance of claim 3, wherein the motor is a motor selected from the group consisting of a brushless motor and a reluctance motor.

5. The kitchen appliance of claim 3 or 4, wherein the motor is one of a switched reluctance motor or a synchronous reluctance motor.

6. The kitchen appliance according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said acoustic filter is configured to suppress background noise before and/or after sound is detected by said microphone.

7. Kitchen appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said acoustic filter is an active and/or passive noise canceling system.

8. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, further comprising:

a processor configured to identify operational instructions from voice commands.

9. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said acoustic filter comprises: an analog signal filter, a digital signal filter, a high pass filter, a band pass filter, and/or a pop-up screen.

10. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of claims 3 to 9, further comprising a sensor for sensing at least one of: the speed, torque, current and direction of the motor, and the acoustic filter is configured to vary suppression of background noise as a function of the sensor output.

11. The kitchen appliance of claim 10, wherein the sensor is a sensor selected from the group consisting of: an optical encoder, a magnetic encoder, a hall effect sensor and a current sensor arranged to detect a characteristic of a current flowing through the motor and having processing means for calculating a speed and/or torque of the motor based on the detected characteristic.

12. Kitchen appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said microphone is sensitive to sound between 20Hz and 20kHz, more preferably between 200Hz and 4kHz, still more preferably between 400Hz and 2.5 kHz.

13. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said microphone comprises a liquid-tight covering.

14. A kitchen appliance as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that said acoustic filter comprises said cover.

15. Kitchen appliance according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that the cover is formed or coated by a low-friction, hydrophobic and/or oleophobic material, preferably PTFE.

16. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said kitchen appliance is a stand mixer, a blender, a food processor, a juicer or a shredder.

17. Kitchen appliance according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said microphone is arranged close to a location in said kitchen appliance where food is processed, and preferably within 15cm, more preferably within 10cm or 5cm from said location.

18. A kitchen appliance as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said kitchen appliance is a food processing appliance.

19. A system for controlling a kitchen appliance according to any of claims 1 to 18.

20. A system for controlling a kitchen appliance operable by voice commands, the system comprising:

a microphone;

a processor for processing sound from the microphone to identify instructions from the voice command; and

a kitchen appliance comprising a controller configured to receive the instructions from the processor and to control the kitchen appliance in accordance with the instructions, wherein at least one of the microphone and the processor is provided as part of a device other than the kitchen appliance, such as a mobile communication device or a smart speaker.

21. System according to claim 20, wherein the kitchen appliance comprises a transceiver, preferably for wireless communication with the processor and/or microphone.

22. The system of claim 20 or 21, further comprising: a distance and/or orientation sensor for determining the distance and/or orientation of the source of the sound relative to the microphone; and an acoustic filter configured to vary suppression of the sound from the source in dependence on the distance and/or orientation of the source detected by the distance and/or orientation sensor.

23. The system of any of claims 20 to 22, wherein the processor is configured to identify a quality associated with the voice command, and wherein the instructions are determined based on the identified quality.

24. A system for controlling a kitchen appliance operable by voice commands, the system comprising:

a microphone;

a processor for processing sound from the microphone to identify from the sound a voice command and a quality associated with the voice command, and to provide instructions in accordance with the command and the quality; and

a kitchen appliance comprising a controller configured to receive the instructions from the processor and to control the kitchen appliance in accordance with the instructions.

25. The system of any one of claims 20 to 24, wherein the processor is configured for performing speech recognition.

26. A system according to any one of claims 20 to 25, wherein the voice command is in the form of a voice command from a user, the quality is the identity of the user, and the controller is arranged to control the kitchen appliance in dependence on the identified user.

27. A system according to any one of claims 20 to 26, further comprising a database for storing data relating to identified users or appliances, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve data relating to a given user or appliance from the database once the user or appliance is identified.

28. The system of any one of claims 20 to 27, wherein the controller is configured to control the kitchen appliance in accordance with at least one of: time of day, ambient light level, and weather.

29. The system according to any one of claims 20 to 28, wherein the controller is configured to control the kitchen appliance to output information, preferably relating to a planned food processing operation.

30. The system of any one of claims 20 to 29, wherein the processor is configured to identify an instruction based on machine learning, preferably the instruction is an output of information relating to a planned operation.

31. The system of any one of claims 20 to 30, wherein the microphone is activated by a device other than the kitchen appliance.

32. The system of any one of claims 20 to 31, wherein the kitchen appliance comprises a wireless transceiver for communicating with the processor and/or microphone.

33. A system according to any of claims 20 to 32, comprising a kitchen appliance according to any of claims 1 to 18.

34. The system of claim 22, further comprising a memory configured to store a location and/or distance of a sound source for noise cancellation.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the memory is further configured to delete the stored position and/or orientation of the sound source if no sound is detected from the sound source within a predetermined time, preferably 24 hours.

36. A kitchen appliance for processing food, characterized in that it comprises:

a microphone, wherein the kitchen appliance is controlled in accordance with a signal received by the microphone; and

a liquid-tight covering at least partially isolating the microphone from food.

37. A kitchen appliance substantially as described herein and/or as shown in the accompanying drawings.

38. A system substantially as described herein and/or as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a kitchen appliance, such as an appliance for processing food or a beverage making appliance, which is controlled by means of voice commands, in particular to a so-called "artificial intelligence" kitchen appliance. The invention also relates to a system for controlling a kitchen appliance.

Background

Current kitchen appliances are generally unsanitary as the user is required to manually press a button/screen or turn a rotary switch to control the kitchen appliance. In food preparation, this may lead to food contamination. For example, a user may have put raw chicken in their kitchen cooking machine and have the machine turned on. After a few hours they may forget that they have done so and then turn the machine on again. This may lead to the spread of bacteria, which may lead to the user (or other users) becoming ill.

Furthermore, current kitchen appliances have a fixed result. All current machines, regardless of, for example, their environment of use, country or culture, operate in the same manner. For example, people living in france may have very different eating habits compared to people living in south america, and so smart devices that can identify individuals and learn to suggest recipes that suit their diet are unique.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides a kitchen appliance, such as a food processing appliance, having a control device arranged to receive voice commands and to operate the kitchen appliance in response to the voice commands, a microphone arranged to receive sound comprising the voice commands and to provide the sound to the control device, and at least one acoustic filter arranged to suppress background noise generated by operation of the food processing appliance from the sound provided to the control device.

Thus, the present invention may give or enhance the ability of a food processing appliance to operate by voice (sound) commands, such as voice (voice) control, even when the kitchen appliance is operating.

"background noise" may be used herein to mean any sound other than a voice command, particularly sounds that are disruptive to the detection of a voice command. The acoustic filter may further be configured to suppress background noise from any other source. "voice command" may be used herein to mean any sound that conveys a predetermined meaning, such as information, a question, or an instruction. Preferably, the term "voice command" includes at least a voice command.

Preferably, the acoustic filter is arranged to suppress noise generated by movement of a moving part of the food processing appliance. For example, the food processing appliance may include a motor for driving the food processing tool, and the acoustic filter may be arranged to suppress noise generated by operation of the motor.

Preferably, the motor is one selected from the group consisting of a brushless motor and a reluctance motor because they are quiet, precisely controllable, and do not generate brush dust. More preferably, the motor is one of a switched reluctance motor or a synchronous reluctance motor.

Preferably, the food processing appliance comprises a sensor for sensing at least one of: the speed, torque, current, rotor position and direction of the motor, and the acoustic filter may be configured to vary the suppression of background noise according to the output of the sensor. The acoustic filter may be adapted to vary any amplitude and frequency range of the suppression. Also, the microphone may be sensitive to sound between 20Hz and 20kHz, more preferably between 200Hz and 4kHz, and still more preferably between 400Hz and 2.5 kHz.

The sensor may be a sensor selected from the group consisting of: an optical encoder, a magnetic encoder, a hall effect sensor, and a sensor for detecting a characteristic of current flowing through the motor and having a processing device for calculating a speed and/or torque of the motor based on the detected characteristic.

The acoustic filter may be configured to suppress background noise before and/or after sound is detected by the microphone, and may include active and/or passive noise cancellation systems. The acoustic filter may include: an analog signal filter, a digital signal filter, a high pass filter, a band pass filter, and/or a pop screen (pop screen).

Preferably, the food processing appliance comprises a processor arranged to identify operating instructions from voice commands. For example, the instruction may be the following command: operating and/or adjusting the function of the food processing appliance and/or any peripheral devices in communication therewith; operating the food processing appliance, including activating/deactivating a predetermined program of the food processing appliance, and changing the operation of the food processing appliance (including, for example, processing temperature, time, and/or speed); and/or save, retrieve, communicate, and/or output information (including suggestions).

Preferably, the microphone comprises a liquid-tight cover and the acoustic filter may comprise the cover.

The food processing appliance may be a stand mixer, blender, food processor, juicer or chopper.

The present invention also provides a system for controlling a food processing appliance, the system being operable by voice commands, the system comprising: a microphone, a processor for processing sound from the microphone to identify instructions from sound commands, and a food processing appliance comprising a controller configured to receive instructions from the processor and control the food processing appliance in accordance with the instructions, wherein at least one of the microphone and the processor is provided as part of a device other than the food processing appliance, such as a mobile communication device or a smart speaker.

Preferably, a device other than a food processing appliance communicates wirelessly with the microphone and/or food processing appliance, and more preferably via bluetooth and/or WiFi. Preferably, the microphone and the processor are both in the food processing appliance, or both are in the same device outside the food processing appliance. Preferably, the microphone is in a handheld mobile communications device and the processor is part of a cloud computing network.

Optionally, the system further comprises a distance and/or orientation sensor for determining the distance and/or orientation of a sound source relative to the microphone, and may further comprise an acoustic filter configured to vary the suppression of sound from the sound source in dependence on the distance and/or orientation of the sound source detected by the distance and/or orientation sensor. In this way, noise sources from a particular distance, orientation and/or direction may be suppressed, or all sounds that do not originate from a given source (e.g., a user) may be suppressed.

Preferably, the system further comprises a memory in which the detected distance and/or bearing of the sound source may be stored. This avoids the need for repeated treatments. Still more preferably, in the case where no sound is detected from the sound source within a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 24 hours), the data is deleted to release the memory.

The food processing appliance may comprise a transceiver, preferably for wireless communication with the processor and/or microphone. The processor is preferably configured to identify a quality associated with the voice command and to determine the instruction based on the identified quality.

The quality may be a meaning, emotion or mood related to the way the sound is expressed, such as its speed, pitch, frustration and volume, and any emphasis and tone (and variations of any of these examples).

The present invention also provides a system for controlling a kitchen appliance, such as a food processing appliance, operable by voice commands, the system comprising: a microphone, a processor, and a food processing appliance, the processor for processing sound from the microphone to identify a voice command and a quality associated with the voice command from the sound and to provide an instruction based on the command and the quality, the food processing appliance including a controller configured to receive the instruction from the processor and to control the food processing appliance based on the instruction.

The processor may be configured for speech (speech) recognition, for example including an API for speech recognition. The processor may convert the voice command to text and may convert text generated from the voice command to the instruction.

The voice command may be in the form of a voice command from a user, the quality may be an identity of the user, and the controller may be arranged to control the food processing appliance in accordance with the identified user.

Preferably, the system comprises a database for storing data relating to identified users and/or to various food processing appliances controllable by the system, wherein the processor is configured to retrieve data relating to a given user or appliance from the database once the user or appliance is identified. Preferably, the data stored in the database comprises user preferences including at least one of: user interface settings and food preferences and styles. Preferably, the food processing appliance and/or processor communicates with the database to retrieve user preferences from the database and store them in the database.

In one example, the controller is configured to control the food processing appliance according to at least one of: time of day, ambient light level, and weather.

Preferably, the controller is configured to control the food processing appliance to output information, preferably information relating to a planned food processing operation, such as a recommendation for a recipe or an ingredient.

The processor may be configured to identify an instruction based on machine learning, preferably the instruction is an output of information relating to a planned operation. Preferably, machine learning is trained by a given user or group of users based on previous actions. The previous actions are stored in the database.

Preferably, the set of users is a plurality of users other than a given user, and more preferably, the set of users is a subset of all users, wherein the subset includes similar features to a given user. The feature may include any one of: age, location, gender, physical characteristics, family membership, job or status, desired diet, culture, race, marital status, occupation, personality, gourmet preference, and allergies.

The microphone is optionally activated by a device other than the food processing appliance, such as a proximity sensor, camera, microphone, and/or button. The microphone may be activated at a predetermined time or may be activated continuously.

Preferably, the food processing appliance comprises a wireless transceiver for communicating with the processor and/or microphone.

The system may comprise a food processing appliance as described above.

The invention also provides a food processing device for processing food comprising a microphone and a liquid-tight covering, wherein the food processing device is controlled by signals received by the microphone, the covering at least partly isolating the microphone from the food. Thus, the microphone can be protected from spills.

Preferably, the cover is formed of a low friction, hydrophobic and/or oleophobic material and may be shaped to allow the foodstuff to slide off the cover, e.g. having a steep face or oriented to allow the foodstuff to slide off the cover, e.g. having a face facing downwards.

Preferably, the microphone is located in the vicinity of, more preferably within 15cm from, still more preferably within 10cm or 5cm from, the location where the food is processed in the food processing apparatus.

The invention also includes a kit of parts for constructing any of the devices or device elements described herein.

Any device feature as described herein may also be provided as a method feature, and vice versa. As used herein, means-plus-function features may alternatively be expressed in terms of their respective structures, such as a suitably programmed processor and associated memory.

Any features of one aspect of the invention may be applied to other aspects of the invention in any suitable combination. In particular, method aspects may apply to apparatus aspects and vice versa. Furthermore, any, some, and/or all features of one aspect may be applied to any, some, and/or all features of any other aspect in any suitable combination.

It is also to be understood that the specific combination of features described and defined in any aspect of the invention may be implemented and/or provided and/or used independently.

In this specification, unless otherwise indicated, the word "or" may be construed in an exclusive or inclusive sense.

Furthermore, features implemented in hardware may typically be implemented in software, and vice versa. Accordingly, any reference herein to software and hardware features should be construed accordingly.

Although the invention has been described in the field of domestic food processing and preparation machines, it can also be implemented on an industrial scale and/or in small quantities in any application field where it is necessary to prepare and/or treat materials efficiently, effectively and conveniently. The fields of application include the preparation and/or treatment of: a chemical; a pharmaceutical; painting; a building material; a garment material; agricultural and/or veterinary feed and/or treatments, including fertilizers, cereals and other agricultural and/or veterinary products; an oil; a fuel; a dye; a cosmetic; plastic; tar oil; finishing paint; a wax; varnish; a beverage; medical and/or biological research materials; soldering tin; alloying; waste water and/or other substances, and any reference herein to "food" may be replaced by such a working medium. It is to be understood that the processing of food may include the processing and/or mixing of liquids, and may also include processing solid food or ice into liquid form.

Although the invention has been described in relation to kitchen appliances, any device in the field mentioned in the preceding paragraph may also advantageously incorporate the invention described herein. Any voice control or voice receiving/transmitting mechanism associated with an electric vehicle or an electric machine may advantageously incorporate noise cancellation (depending on motor speed/characteristics) or any other advantageous features described herein. However, the present invention is considered to be particularly advantageous in the kitchen field for the reasons described herein.

The invention described herein may be used in any kitchen appliance and/or as a stand-alone device. This includes any household food processing and/or preparation machine, including top-driven machines (e.g., vertical mixers) and bottom-driven machines (e.g., blenders). It can be implemented in a machine that is heated and/or cooled. It can be used in machines built into a work bench or work surface, or in stand-alone devices. The present invention may also be provided as a stand-alone device, whether motor-driven or manually powered.

The invention described herein may also be applied to beverage makers. For example, fully automatic coffee makers (e.g., due to noise generated by their grinders), jugs (e.g., due to sounds emitted when boiling), drip coffee makers (e.g., due to sounds generated by steam bubbles used to drive water) may all benefit from enhanced noise cancellation. The term "kitchen appliance" should be construed to include beverage makers as well as food processing appliances.

Drawings

Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings having like reference numerals, in which:

figures 1a to c show schematic diagrams of a system for controlling kitchen appliances for processing food by voice commands;

fig. 2 shows a schematic view of an acoustic filter system in a kitchen appliance for processing food by means of voice commands;

fig. 3 shows a flow chart of a method for controlling a kitchen appliance for processing food by voice commands;

fig. 4 shows an activation method for a microphone in a system for controlling a kitchen appliance for processing food by voice commands.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1a shows a system for controlling a kitchen appliance 100 for processing food (i.e. a food processing appliance) by voice commands. Examples of kitchen appliances are vertical mixers, blenders, grinders, juice extractors, etc.

The kitchen appliance 100 includes: an input 110 for receiving an audio signal; a control device (or processor, e.g., a central processing unit) 120 for processing an input audio signal; and a controller 130 for controlling the kitchen appliance according to the processor (the processed input audio signal). The audio signal may be associated with a voice command from the user 140.

In one example, the input 110 is a microphone. The microphone is triggered to begin inputting sound for recognition by the processor 120. The input sound is then sent to an Application Programming Interface (API) for recognition and speech-to-text analysis by the processor 120, and an ASCII string of the input sound is then output. The processor then processes the ASCII string using natural language processing, which identifies keywords such as "actions" (e.g., programs, time lengths, etc.) from the string, for example. The actions in the string are then interpreted as instructions for controlling the kitchen appliance, providing feedback or suggesting recipes and/or functions.

For example, microphone 110 records a sound input of "prepare cake mix" that is forwarded to processor 120. The processor identifies the intention of the voice command by voice recognition and associates it with appropriate instructions (obtained for example from a command library), for example to activate (by means of the control circuit 130) a mixing program for the cake mix, which program defines the type of tool to be used, the mixing time and/or the speed. In addition, the processor instructs the controller to communicate the at least one cake recipe to the user.

Alternatively, input 110 is an audio input jack (e.g., for receiving audio signals from an external device).

The command library used may be a library selected from a group of libraries based on metadata sent with the forwarded voice input indicating that the input is associated with a particular user, group of users, device or group of devices. The library may be a pre-built library, or a library created by repeated user interaction using, for example, machine learning, or a mixture of both.

The microphone 110 is preferably located in the vicinity of, more preferably within 15cm from, still more preferably within 10cm or 5cm from, the location where the food is processed in the food processing appliance 100. This ensures that the user can talk directly to it and is close enough to pick up the user's voice relatively clearly.

In an alternative example shown in fig. 1b, the input 110 is a data transmission and/or internet connection unit (e.g. a bluetooth or Wi-Fi unit) capable of receiving data (e.g. commands and/or recipes) directly from the speech recognition unit 140.

The speech recognition unit 140 is a peripheral communication device (not shown) that is capable of receiving sound and speech recognition (either by itself or by communicating with a networked entity such as within a cloud network). The speech recognition unit 140 comprises a database as part of the peripheral communication device or as part of a networked entity, the database comprising: preparing a formula; food advice; a user identifier (including a voice identifier); one or more libraries of instructions for the appliance that may be downloaded from a server over the internet when the speech recognition unit 140 is connected to the appliance 100, or may directly query one or more libraries on the server when the speech recognition unit 140 receives the instructions; and/or user preferences.

The input 110 (and thus the kitchen appliance 100) and the speech recognition unit 140 are configured for two-way communication. In this way, the speech recognition unit 140 may receive characteristic information about the kitchen appliance and/or user details, including the identity and preferences of the user. Thus, feedback may be provided to the user from the appliance 100 directly via the interface of the appliance 100 or through the speech recognition unit 140.

To operate the kitchen appliance 100 by means of voice commands, the user provides the voice commands to the voice recognition unit 140 (e.g. directly to the peripheral communication device), the voice recognition unit 140 processes (either locally at the networked entity or remotely) the voice commands, as outlined in 1 a.

The input 110 receives commands that are forwarded to the central processing unit 120 and the control circuit 130 to affect the operation of the kitchen appliance and/or to communicate recipes or recommendations to the user.

In one example, the speech recognition unit 140 includes a peripheral communication device in the form of a mobile phone, tablet computer, or personal computer. However, the speech recognition unit 140 may be any device in electronic communication (wired or wireless communication, direct communication, or indirect communication through one or more intermediaries) with the kitchen appliance 100. For example, the speech recognition unit 140 may be a separate microphone assembly (optionally including a speaker for providing audible feedback to the user)For example AmazonEcho^TMOr Google Home^TMSmart speakers or other such smart speakers). Verbal (spoken) instructions for the appliance 100 may be enabled on the smart speaker by activating on a cloud-based online profile (online profile), for example, by purchasing a software application on a cloud-based service hosting the profile.

Fig. 1c is another example of a system for controlling a kitchen appliance 100 for processing food by voice (voice) commands.

Fig. 2 shows the use of an acoustic filter to improve the sound input and thus control the kitchen appliance.

When the input 110 is in the form of a microphone (or more generally, a sound input) incorporated in the kitchen appliance 100, in order for the microphone to accurately detect sound without distortion or corruption, the kitchen appliance 100 includes an acoustic filter configured to suppress background noise. Sources of background noise may include noise from the motor and/or other moving parts of the kitchen appliance, such as contact of the tools of the kitchen appliance with food and with the bowl of the kitchen appliance.

Sound 200 comprising voice commands is input into the kitchen appliance via the microphone 110. In one example, the microphone includes an acoustic filter 210. For example, acoustic filters utilize passive noise cancellation (e.g., acoustic isolation, vibration isolation, pop-up screens (popscreens), and/or windshields) and/or active noise cancellation.

Active noise cancellation operates by sensing (e.g., by a second microphone, not shown) sound from a noise source (e.g., noise 232 from motor 230), by emitting (e.g., by a speaker, not shown) sound that destructively interferes with the detected noise, or by other means for canceling noise in the sound received by any of the microphones.

Additionally or alternatively, the processor 120 of the kitchen appliance receiving audio input from the microphone 110 also includes an acoustic filter 220 (or is in communication with the acoustic filter 220). The acoustic filter 220 is in the form of an analog or digital filter, such as a low pass or band pass filter.

When the kitchen appliance's motor 230 is running, the acoustic filter (210 and/or 220) is used (once activated, where appropriate) to eliminate some, if not all, of the background noise (i.e., sounds that do not form part of the voice command) before the processor 120 (and/or the speech recognition unit 140) processes the audio input.

The kitchen appliance further comprises a motor sensor 240 for sensing the speed, torque, rotor position or other characteristic of the motor from which the frequency, pitch, intensity and amplitude of the sound emitted by the motor is predicted to assist the acoustic filter (210 and/or 220) in reducing noise by adjusting the operation of the filter, for example by cancelling noise of a switching assembly controlling the speed of the motor.

The motor 230 may be a brushless motor for reducing noise caused by brushes sweeping over electrical contacts within the motor 230, as well as reducing the generation of brush dust that may contaminate food. In one example, the motor 230 may be a reluctance motor, such as a synchronous or switched reluctance motor, which may precisely control motor characteristics, such as rotor position (i.e., the angular position of a given point on the rotor relative to its central axis). The motor sensor 240 may be an optical encoder, a magnetic encoder, a hall effect sensor that detects a magnetic encoder, or may be comprised of a sensor that detects a characteristic of the current flowing through the motor and a suitable processing device for calculating the speed/torque/position of the motor based on the feedback from this sensor.

The microphone 110 integrated within the kitchen appliance may be exposed to food, including liquids and small particles. Therefore, in order to improve the lifetime of the microphone, the microphone is provided with a cover (not shown) configured to isolate the microphone from food.

In the case where the microphone 110 is located external to the kitchen appliance 100 (e.g., in a phone, tablet, or other mobile device), the microphone 110 may include or communicate with a position sensor to determine its position, distance, and/or orientation relative to the appliance 100 and/or its motor 230. Feedback from the sensor may then be used to determine an appropriate level or characteristic of noise cancellation, for example, by canceling out sound reaching the microphone corresponding to sound emanating from the distance and/or orientation of the appliance 100.

The position sensor may be a simple ranging sensor using electromagnetic transmissions (including light, infrared, and radio frequency) from one of the microphone 110 and the appliance 100 to the other of the microphone 110 and the appliance 100. Alternatively, the location sensor may comprise a Global Positioning System (GPS) terminal or an Indoor Positioning System (IPS) module that uses optical, inertial, or other data to determine the location (absolute or relative) of both the microphone 110 and the appliance 100, and thus their relative distance. The orientation of the microphone 110 may be sensed by using a magnetic compass and/or a gravity sensor or determined by other known means.

One disadvantage of determining the distance only is that this does not take into account that the acoustic path between the microphone 110 and the appliance 100 may be longer than the absolute distance, for example due to reflections of sound at corners. One possible way to compensate for this is to compensate for this by determining the acoustic path using the known details of where the microphone is located (e.g. a floor plan downloaded from a suitable database or information collected by a visual sensor and then continuing using image recognition software). Another approach is to triangulate the orientation and distance of the appliance relative to the microphone 110 (or at least the orientation of the sound arriving at the FFA from the appliance and its path length) using an array of microphones, such as a Far Field Array (FFA).

In an alternative or additional embodiment, a similar technique to that described above is used to determine the distance (direct distance or acoustic distance) and/or orientation of the user, and all other sounds (i.e. from sources located at different distances) are suppressed/cancelled.

Preferably, the position/distance sensor is associated with a memory in which the position and/or distance of the sound source can be stored. Each sound source may be identified with a relatively easily determined identifier (e.g., the frequency of transmission). In this way, iterative processing to identify the distance, position and/or orientation of a sound source for cancellation purposes may be avoided. If noise is not detected from the stored sound sources within a predetermined period of time (e.g., 24 hours), it may be deleted from the memory.

For example, the cover is a waterproof housing, such as a rubber boot. The cover is shaped to allow food to slide off the cover. The shield is also oriented to allow food to slide off so that liquid or food that may splash down the machine does not fall off and clog the microphone. The cover is preferably formed of or coated with a low friction hydrophobic and/or oleophobic material (e.g., PTFE) to prevent the material from adhering thereto and to repel aqueous/oily food materials.

To better interpret voice commands, the kitchen appliance is configured to interpret quality associated with voice commands, such as "mood" (i.e., "mood recognition") of voice commands; this process is outlined in the flowchart of fig. 3. The term "speech recognition" as used herein preferably also includes "mood recognition".

As outlined above with reference to fig. 1 and/or 2, sound 200 is received 300 and processed 310.

In a next step 320, once the sound has been processed, the processor 120 or the speech recognition unit 140 (further comprising a "mood analyzer") analyzes, for example, the pitch, inflexion variance and/or spectral content of the audio signal to determine the mood of the input audio signal and thus the mood of the user.

If the mood of the audio signal is determined (e.g. by means of artificial intelligence and/or a predefined library), the operation of the kitchen appliance is adjusted in a next step based on the determined mood. For example, the kitchen appliance recommends a recipe based on mood 330.

Thus, kitchen appliances are intelligent coaches using mood analysis. For example, the identifiable mood and corresponding recipe recommendations may comprise a recipe comprising the following ingredients:

for a user who sounds distracted, containing chocolate and/or sugar (e.g. a chocolate mousse);

for a user who sounds tired, a food containing a high content of caffeine and/or carbohydrates;

for users who sound excited, containing surprise and/or novel ingredients/recipes;

for users who sound ill (e.g. engorgement), contain healthy ingredients/"super food: (superfood)”。

By means of machine learning, the kitchen appliance (and/or the speech recognition unit 140) learns to understand the user based on the recipe the user cooks, taking into account, for example, the following factors: the time of day; analyzing the mood; lack (or excess) of nutrients by the user; and their available ingredients; and/or ingredients they like or dislike. This will allow the user to develop a unique recipe guidance and recommendation engine.

Fig. 4 shows a procedure for activating a kitchen appliance in order to use the appliance ready to receive a voice command.

The kitchen machine is connected to a peripheral communication device 404, such as a peripheral communication device forming part of the speech recognition unit 140, for example by wireless technology, such as bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Activation of the kitchen appliance 100 is triggered by the peripheral communication device 404.

For example, in a first step 400, an application (shown in the form of a smartphone) located on the peripheral communication device 404 uses a proximity sensor on the device 410, which sensor waits until it is covered by the user (e.g., by hand or other object) for a predetermined period of time. Once covered for the predetermined period of time, the device listens and records sound to capture voice commands in a next step 420. The recorded sound is then analyzed and converted to text by the device, by other parts of the speech recognition unit 140, by an external server connected to the device 404 via the internet, such as a cloud-based speech recognition service, or by a kitchen appliance to which the recorded sound has been transmitted.

The text is received by the kitchen appliance 430 or other part of the speech recognition unit 140 (e.g. via bluetooth or Wi-Fi if processed by a smartphone). Alternatively, the text may be received by a cloud-based text recognition service, then converted to an identifier (e.g., a command number or code), and then sent to the kitchen appliance 430. The kitchen machine or other part of the speech recognition unit 140 (e.g., a cloud network entity) processes the entered text string to see if it is a command. If recognized as a command, the command is transmitted to the kitchen appliance, and in particular to the control circuit 130 of the kitchen appliance.

As shown, one example of a command is an instruction to open the head of the kitchen appliance (e.g., in the case where the kitchen appliance is a stand mixer), in which case the kitchen appliance will open the head through its control circuitry.

Other examples of commands include: opening/closing a kitchen appliance; controlling the temperature; and controls the speed and heating element temperature settings.

Available commands (i.e., commands that a user may use at a given time) may be displayed to the user via the visual display, while commands that are not available at that time (i.e., because they are associated with functions that cannot be performed due to the current appliance conditions) are not displayed to the user. The visual display may be a display integrated with the kitchen appliance to provide feedback, or may be a display integrated with a mobile communication device in electronic communication (wireless or wired communication, direct communication, or indirect communication through one or more intermediary media) with the kitchen appliance 100, such as the kitchen appliance 100 including the speech recognition unit 140. Alternatively or in addition, the audio signal may be provided by a signal from a digital assistant (e.g., Amazon Alexa) having voice capabilities^TMOr Google Assistant^TM) Via the smart speaker, provide available commands to the user. The command set that may be used with a given kitchen appliance 100 may be automatically downloaded from an external server onto a device that incorporates the microphone 110 or voice recognition unit 140 or other suitable device for communication with the user.

The microphone 110 and/or the speech recognition unit 140 (any matter done by one of which may be done by the other) may be sensitive to sound between 20Hz and 20kHz (i.e., the general audible range of a human being), more preferably between 200Hz and 20kHz (the general audible range in which most speech sounds are located, also referred to as "speech frequencies"), and still more preferably between 400Hz and 2.5kHz (this frequency band is sufficient to capture enough detail to recognize speech). Using narrower band microphones is desirable because they are generally cheaper; in addition, transmission and storage of speech captured in a narrower frequency is easier because it contains less data. In addition, a narrower bandwidth microphone will detect less extraneous sounds.

In an alternative, any form of voice command may be substituted for the voice command, including sounds that are not directly from a human being; this includes, for example, sounds made by pets, environmental sounds (e.g., front door closing sounds), or sounds made by voice synthesizers.

It will be understood that the invention has been described above by way of example only and modifications of detail can be made within the scope of the invention.

Each feature disclosed in the description and (where appropriate) the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.

Reference signs appearing in the claims are provided by way of illustration only and do not limit the scope of the claims.