Automated stirring and mixing apparatus for cooking

Abstract

The present application discloses an automated cooking apparatus that includes a holder configured to hold a container of food or food ingredients, one or more first kinematic pairs, each comprising a first mating part and a second mating part, wherein the first mating part is connected to the holder; a transport mechanisms that can move the second mating parts of the one or more kinematic pairs; and a driver or controller configured to drive or control the transport mechanism to produce a movement of properly fast speed so that a center point on the internal surface of the container is displaced by properly small distance. The first kinematic pairs and the transport mechanisms in combination can move the holder and the cooking pan to produce fast enough acceleration in the container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present application relates to automated kitchen equipment, and specifically to automated method and equipment for stirring, mixing, and distributing food ingredients during cooking.[0002]Considerable amount of research and experiments have been conducted on the automation of stirring and mixing of food ingredients during cooking. The existing solutions include the following three main approaches: the first approach utilizes spatula or pedals of different shapes to stir, mix and turn food ingredients; the second approach simulates human's stirring actions during cooking; and the third approach uses cooking pans in the shapes of rolling cylinders to turn and mix food ingredients.[0003]The first approach involves complex operations and complicated mechanisms, and thus has low reliability. Specifically, the stirring wok mechanism disclosed in Chinese Application No. 200710032699.9 teaches throwing food ingredients in the air for mixing, using a spat...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is an automated cooking apparatus that can stir and mix food ingredients automatically, overcoming the shortcomings of conventional cooking devices. The apparatus is more effective, energy-efficient, and reliable. It achieves consistent and uniform stirring and mixing during cooking without breaking the food ingredients. The apparatus includes a cooking pan and a transport mechanism that produces movements in the pan with a fast change of moving directions, resulting in a fast acceleration for the pan. This relative movement between the non-accelerated food ingredients and the accelerated pan induces stirring and mixing in the food ingredients. The movements of the food ingredients make and maintain a consistent, balanced pattern in the distribution of food ingredients in the pan. The transport mechanism is special in that the pan can only be displaced by a small distance from its original position in the movement. Thus, the pan can still be heated by a stove or other heating source when the food ingredients are stirred, mixed, and turned. The movements include circular movement of relatively small radius, linear or rotational oscillations of small displacements, or vibrations that are capable of producing a movement pattern.

Problems solved by technology

The first approach involves complex operations and complicated mechanisms, and thus has low reliability.

Such an approach is easily affected by air movement and sometimes throws food ingredients outside of the wok.

In addition to the structural complexity, the stirring operations involve large movements, which use too much energy.

The second approach includes simpler operations and practical mechanisms, but is ineffective in mixing and stirring food ingredients.

This approach cannot achieve uniform stirring and mixing obtained by a human.

One major reason for such poor result is that the movements of the spatula can only perform simple rotational movements.

The disclosed mechanism is rather complex and often breaks food ingredients.

Moreover, such mechanism is also not effective in heating the food ingredients.

The device is energy inefficient.

Another drawback of existing mixing and stirring systems is that they tend to move food ingredients to a particular side of the cooking pan, which produces scattered and unbalanced distribution in the food ingredients.

The spatula can push food ingredients into an unbalanced distribution, with some areas having thicker food ingredients accumulation than other areas.

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