A method for detecting the maturity of food ingredients

Abstract

The application provides a food material maturity detection method, and relates to the technical field of odor detection. The food material maturity detection method comprises the following steps: selecting a gas sensor array, wherein the gas sensor array comprises a plurality of target sensors, each target sensor has different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of food material at different maturity stages, and all target categories that can be responded by all target sensors can cover the food material categories in the food material to be detected; detecting the odor intensity of the food material to be detected in a heating process through the gas sensor array; obtaining the original measurement value of each target sensor of the gas sensor array; and judging the maturity state of the food material to be detected according to the original measurement value of each target sensor. The food material maturity detection method can solve the problems of the existing technology, such as the narrow applicability and high misjudgment rate of the visual detection method for judging the maturity of food material.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of odor detection, in particular to a food material ripeness detection method. BACKGROUND

[0002] Smart home appliances have great significance for the intelligent improvement of human life, and how to make some daily-use home appliances more intelligent is also the development direction of major manufacturers. For the field of household cooking, automatic frying machines, intelligent electric ovens, air fryers and microwaves have also added intelligent experience in recent years.

[0003] In the prior art, whether the food material is ripe is usually determined by visual effect, that is, the color change of the food material during heating or frying is monitored by a visual scheme to determine the state of the food material. The defects of this scheme are: since Chinese cuisine is complex, the addition of soy sauce and other things during the preparation process will affect the color, so the color change is an uncertain factor. In addition, due to the diversity of Chinese cuisine, it is difficult to achieve high adaptability through color change, and the same food material may also cause differences in color change due to factors such as place of origin and variety, so it is difficult to effectively determine whether the food material is ripe. It is easy to misreport that the food material has been burnt without a prompt or that the food material is just ripe but is reported as burnt.

[0004] Therefore, the method for determining the ripeness of food material by visual detection in the prior art has the problems of narrow applicability and high misjudgment rate. SUMMARY

[0005] An object of the present application is to provide a food material ripeness detection method that solves the problem of narrow applicability and high misjudgment rate in the prior art method for determining the ripeness of food material by visual detection.

[0006] A further object of the present application is to avoid interference from oil smoke.

[0007] Another object of the present application is to more accurately determine the ripeness state of the food material to be tested.

[0008] In particular, the present application provides a food material ripeness detection method, comprising:

[0009] selecting a gas sensor array, the gas sensor array comprising a plurality of target sensors, each target sensor having different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of food material at different ripeness stages, and all target sensors being able to respond to the target category covering the food material species in the food material to be tested;

[0010] detecting the odor intensity of the food material to be tested during heating by the gas sensor array;

[0011] obtaining raw measurement values of each of the target sensors of the gas sensor array;

[0012] determining the ripeness state of the food material to be tested according to the raw measurement values of each of the target sensors.

[0013] Optionally, the target sensor is a semiconductor gas sensor and is provided with a waterproof and oil-proof gas-permeable membrane on its surface.

[0014] Optionally, the resistance of the target sensor gradually decreases when the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in an initial heating state, tends to be stable when the food material is in a mature state, and continues to decrease when the food material is in a burnt state.

[0015] Optionally, the raw measurement value is a load voltage of the target sensor.

[0016] Optionally, the step of determining the ripeness state of the food material to be tested according to the raw measurement values of each of the target sensors comprises:

[0017] determining the state of the food material of the target category corresponding to each of the target sensors according to the value of the load voltage of the target sensor and the rate of change of the load voltage;

[0018] determining the ripeness state of the food material to be tested according to the state of each of the target sensors.

[0019] Optionally, the step of determining the state of the food material of the target category corresponding to each of the target sensors according to the value of the load voltage of the target sensor and the rate of change of the load voltage comprises:

[0020] determining that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in an initial heating state when the load voltage of the target sensor is less than a first voltage threshold and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a first rate of change threshold;

[0021] determining that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in a mature state when the rate of change of the voltage of the target sensor is less than a second rate of change threshold;

[0022] determining that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in a burnt state when the load voltage of the target sensor is greater than a second voltage threshold and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a third rate of change threshold; wherein,

[0023] the first rate of change threshold and the third rate of change are both greater than the second rate of change threshold.

[0024] Optionally, the step of determining the ripeness state of the food material to be tested according to the state of each of the target sensors comprises;

[0025] determining that the foodstuff under test is in the initial heating state when the first foodstuff of the target category is in the initial heating state;

[0026] determining that the foodstuff under test is in the mature state when all the foodstuffs of the target category are in the mature state;

[0027] determining that the foodstuff under test is in the burnt state when any one of the foodstuffs of the target category is in the burnt state.

[0028] Optionally, the foodstuff maturity detection method further comprises:

[0029] detecting the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located;

[0030] determining the maturity state of the foodstuff under test according to the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located and the original measurement value of each target sensor.

[0031] Optionally, the step of determining the maturity state of the foodstuff under test according to the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located and the original measurement value of each target sensor comprises:

[0032] determining that the foodstuff of the target category corresponding thereto is in the initial heating state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located increases, the load voltage of the target sensor is less than a first voltage threshold, and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a first rate of change threshold;

[0033] determining that the foodstuff of the target category corresponding thereto is in the mature state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located decreases, and the rate of change of the voltage of the target sensor is less than a second rate of change threshold;

[0034] determining that the foodstuff of the target category corresponding thereto is in the burnt state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff under test is located decreases, the load voltage of the target sensor is greater than a second voltage threshold, and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a third rate of change threshold; wherein,

[0035] the first rate of change threshold and the third rate of change are both greater than the second rate of change threshold.

[0036] Optionally, the target category of foodstuffs comprises starch foodstuffs, meat foodstuffs, and vegetable foodstuffs.

[0037] The food material ripeness detection method of the present application determines the ripeness stage of the food material to be detected by the original measurement value of the preselected gas sensor array, which includes a plurality of target sensors, each of which has different responses to the odor intensity of food materials of different target categories at different ripeness stages, and all the target categories that can be responded by all the target sensors can cover the food material categories in the food material to be detected, so that the ripeness stage of each food material in the food material to be detected can be detected by the gas sensor array composed of a plurality of target sensors, thereby obtaining the ripeness state of the food material to be detected. This detection method does not depend on the color of the food material, so it has wider applicability and lower misjudgment rate.

[0038] Further, by providing a waterproof and oil-proof gas permeable film on the surface of the target sensor, the target sensor will not be disturbed by oil fumes after long-term use, so it can adapt to each stage of food cooking and still maintain accuracy compared to the visual solution (lens is easy to accumulate oil fumes).

[0039] Further, by first determining the state of the food material of the corresponding target category through the load voltage and the change rate of the load voltage of each target sensor, and then accurately judging the ripeness state of the food material to be detected according to the state of each target category of food material through an algorithm.

[0040] Further, by combining the humidity factor when determining the ripeness state of a certain food material, the ripeness state of the food material can be more accurately determined, and the ripeness state of the food material to be detected can be accurately determined according to the determination of the ripeness state of each food material of the food material to be detected.

[0041] The above and other objects, advantages and features of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0042] Some specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are exemplary and not limiting. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0043] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a food material ripeness detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 2 is a flowchart of a step of determining the state of the food material of the target category in the food material ripeness detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 3is a flow chart of a step of judging a ripeness state of a food material to be tested in a food material ripeness detection method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a food material ripeness detection method according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] Embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. The embodiments of the present application described below are examples and are intended to explain the present application, and are not to be understood as limiting the present application.

[0048] In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", and the like is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation of the present application.

[0049] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a food material ripeness detection method according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , in one embodiment, the food material ripeness detection method includes:

[0050] Step S100, a gas sensor array is selected, the gas sensor array includes a plurality of target sensors, each target sensor has different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of food material at different ripeness stages, and all target sensors can respond to target categories that can cover the types of food materials in the food material to be tested.

[0051] In one embodiment, the target category of food material includes starch food material, meat food material and vegetable food material. Of course, in other embodiments, the target category of food material can include more other categories, which are not limited herein. Generally, food material will enter different maturity stages as heating proceeds, which can be roughly divided into initial heating stage, maturity stage and scorched stage. The target sensor herein can be obtained by selection and experiment among gas sensors commonly used for food material detection. For example, some gas sensors commonly used for food material are usually sensors responding to macromolecular gas, such as sensors responding to carbon-containing, sulfide, lipid macromolecular gas. Herein, the different response of each target sensor to the odor intensity of at least one target category of food material at different maturity stages can be different in the size of response value and / or the size of response value change rate or other mathematical processing value. For example, the resistance value of S1 target sensor can obviously change when the starch food material is at the initial heating stage, maturity stage and scorched stage. Of course, assuming that the food material to be detected includes starch food material and meat food material, all target sensors can have corresponding response to different maturity stages of the two kinds of food material, respectively.

[0052] In step S200, the odor intensity of the food material to be detected during heating is detected by the gas sensor array.

[0053] The odor intensity herein refers to the characteristics that can be sensed by the target sensor as the food material to be detected proceeds with heating. For example, most food materials have no odor in the unheated state, but will emit odor such as fragrance, spiciness, etc. after heating, which can be sensed by the target sensor, and the maturity stage of the food material can be distinguished by the change of the sensing value of the target sensor.

[0054] In step S300, the original measurement value of each target sensor of the gas sensor array is obtained.

[0055] When the target sensor is a semiconductor gas sensor, the original measurement value can be the load voltage of the target sensor, that is, the load resistance is formed into a loop with the measurement resistance of the target sensor, and the voltage at both ends of the measured load resistance is the original measurement value. Since the measurement resistance of the target sensor will show different resistance values as the maturity stage of the target category of gas, the corresponding load voltage will also change.

[0056] In step S400, the maturity state of the food material to be detected is judged according to the original measurement value of each target sensor.

[0057] Since each target sensor has different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of foodstuff at different ripening stages, which can be reflected as different original measurement values, the ripening stages of all categories of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be tested can be obtained by analyzing the original measurement values of all target sensors, so as to determine the ripening state of the foodstuff to be tested.

[0058] The foodstuff ripening detection method of the embodiment can determine the ripening stage of the foodstuff to be tested by the original measurement values of the preselected gas sensor array, which includes a plurality of target sensors, each target sensor has different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of foodstuff at different ripening stages, and all target categories that can be responded by all target sensors can cover the categories of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be tested, so that the ripening stages of all categories of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be tested can be detected by the gas sensor array composed of a plurality of target sensors, and the ripening state of the foodstuff to be tested can be obtained. This detection method does not depend on the color of the foodstuff, so it is more widely applicable and has a lower misjudgment rate.

[0059] In one embodiment, the target sensor is a semiconductor gas sensor.

[0060] Since the semiconductor gas sensor is a universal sensor that responds to a variety of gases, it can greatly increase the applicability of the product.

[0061] In one embodiment, the surface of the target sensor is provided with a waterproof and oil-proof breathable membrane.

[0062] In this embodiment, the waterproof and oil-proof breathable membrane is provided on the surface of the target sensor, so that the target sensor will not be disturbed by oil fume after long-term use, and therefore, compared with the visual solution (oil fume is easy to accumulate on the lens), it can adapt to all stages of foodstuff cooking and still maintain accuracy.

[0063] In one embodiment, the resistance of the target sensor gradually decreases when the target category of foodstuff is in the initial heating state, tends to be stable when the target category of foodstuff is in the ripening state, and continues to decrease when the target category of foodstuff is in the scorched state.

[0064] The target sensor of the embodiment can obviously distinguish the ripening stage of the target category of foodstuff by the change of its resistance.

[0065] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of the step of determining the state of the target category of foodstuff in the foodstuff ripening detection method according to one embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the step of determining the ripening state of the foodstuff to be tested in the foodstuff ripening detection method according to one embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 2, the step of determining the ripening state of the foodstuff to be tested includes the following steps: Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, in one embodiment, step S400 comprises:

[0066] Step S410 determines the state of the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor according to the value of the load voltage of the target sensor and the rate of change of the load voltage.

[0067] Step S450 determines the ripeness state of the food material to be tested according to the states of the target sensors.

[0068] In a further embodiment, step S410 comprises:

[0069] Step S412 determines whether the load voltage of the target sensor is less than the first voltage threshold V1 and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than the first rate threshold R1, and if so, proceeds to step S414, otherwise proceeds to step S416.

[0070] Step S414 determines that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the initial heating state.

[0071] Step S416 determines whether the rate of change of the voltage of the target sensor is less than the second rate threshold R2, and if so, proceeds to step S418, otherwise proceeds to step S420.

[0072] Step S418 determines that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the ripeness state.

[0073] Step S420 determines whether the load voltage of the target sensor is greater than the second voltage threshold V2 and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than the third rate threshold R3, and if so, proceeds to step S422, otherwise returns to step S412 for re-determination. The first rate threshold R1 and the third rate threshold are both greater than the second rate threshold R2.

[0074] Step S422 determines that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the burnt state.

[0075] Step S450 comprises:

[0076] Step S452 determines whether the first food material in the initial heating state appears in all the target categories of food material, and if so, proceeds to step S454, otherwise proceeds to step S456.

[0077] Step S454 determines that the food material to be tested is in the initial heating state.

[0078] Step S456 determines whether all the target categories of food material are in the ripeness state, and if so, proceeds to step S458, otherwise proceeds to step S460.

[0079] Step S458 determines that the food material to be tested is in the ripeness state.

[0080] Step S460, whether there is a target category of food material into the burnt state, if yes into step S462, otherwise return to step S452 to rejudge.

[0081] Step S462, determine the food material to be tested in the burnt state.

[0082] Because the food material in the heating process, the taste will continue to emit, and because of the heating process will exist temperature rise, in the case of high temperature, the gas emission speed will accelerate, so for not heated and in the heating process of food material, the target sensor will show different state. In food material has been heated to maturity, although will continue to emit odor, but the intensity has reached a certain stable state, into the corresponding platform period, food material begins to enter the dehydration process, with the continuous heating, will evaporate the water in the food material, at this time accompanied by the presence of dehydration smell, target sensor will also present different reaction state, so as to make the food material burnt, when the water in the food material to a certain procedure, then will produce strong burnt smell until smoke, target sensor for the taste of the maturity and the burnt taste of certain food material have different reaction degree, and then can determine the maturity state of food material through the state of target sensor.

[0083] The embodiment determines the state of the target category of food material corresponding to each target sensor through the load voltage and the change rate of the load voltage of each target sensor, and then accurately determines the maturity state of the food material to be tested according to the state of each target category of food material through an algorithm.

[0084] Figure 4 is a flowchart of a food material maturity detection method according to another embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4 The food material maturity detection method further includes the following steps in another embodiment.

[0085] Step S500, detecting the humidity of the environment where the food material to be tested is located. That is, detecting the humidity near the food material to be tested through a humidity sensor.

[0086] Step S600, determining the maturity state of the food material to be tested according to the humidity of the food material to be tested and the original measurement value of each target sensor.

[0087] Specifically, step S600 includes the following steps.

[0088] Step S610, determining whether the following conditions are met at the same time: the humidity of the environment where the food material to be tested is located increases, the load voltage of the target sensor is less than the first voltage threshold V1, and the change rate of the voltage is greater than the first change rate threshold R1, if yes, entering step S612, otherwise entering step S614.

[0089] Step S612, it is determined that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the initial heating state.

[0090] Step S614, it is determined whether the following conditions are met simultaneously: the humidity of the environment where the food material to be measured is located is reduced, the rate of change of the voltage of the target sensor is less than the second rate threshold R2, if yes, go to step S616, otherwise go to step S618.

[0091] Step S616, it is determined that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the mature state.

[0092] Step S618, it is determined whether the following conditions are met simultaneously: the humidity of the environment where the food material to be measured is located is reduced, the load voltage of the target sensor is greater than the second voltage threshold V2 and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than the third rate threshold R3. If yes, go to step S620, otherwise return to step S610 to re-determine. Wherein, the first rate threshold R1 and the third rate are both greater than the second rate threshold R2.

[0093] Step S620, it is determined that the food material of the target category corresponding to the target sensor is in the burnt state.

[0094] Because the moisture emitted by the food material also changes differently as the temperature increases during the heating process, generally from the beginning of heating to maturity, the humidity around the food material will increase, and the humidity will slowly decrease from the beginning of maturity, so the load voltage of the aforementioned target sensor can be combined with the humidity value of the humidity sensor to determine, thereby more accurately determining the maturity state of the food material to be measured.

[0095] The embodiment combines the humidity factor when determining the maturity state of a certain food material, so that the maturity state of the food material can be more accurately determined, and according to the determination of the maturity state of various food materials of the food material to be measured, the maturity state of the food material to be measured can be accurately determined.

[0096] In one embodiment, the target sensor and the temperature and humidity sensor can be integrated on a PCB board, and a single-chip microcomputer can be provided to analyze the signals. Of course, a linear voltage stabilizer and other commonly used devices for providing power for the target sensor can also be provided on the PCB board.

[0097] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that although the present application has been shown and described in detail in the above embodiments, many other variations or modifications can be directly determined or deduced according to the disclosure of the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the present application should be understood and recognized as covering all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A food material ripeness detection method characterized by comprising: The method comprises the following steps: selecting a gas sensor array, the gas sensor array comprising a plurality of target sensors, each target sensor having different responses to the odor intensity of at least one target category of foodstuff at different ripening stages, all target sensors being able to respond to the target categories of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be detected, the target sensors being semiconductor gas sensors; detecting the odor intensity of the foodstuff to be detected during heating by the gas sensor array; obtaining the original measurement value of each target sensor of the gas sensor array, the original measurement value being the load voltage of the target sensor, and detecting the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff to be detected is located; judging the ripening state of the target category of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be detected according to the original measurement value of each target sensor; judging the ripening state of the foodstuff to be detected according to the ripening state of each target sensor; wherein the step of judging the ripening state of the target category of foodstuff in the foodstuff to be detected according to the original measurement value of each target sensor comprises: determining that the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in an initial heating state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff to be detected is located increases, the load voltage of the target sensor is less than a first voltage threshold, and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a first rate of change threshold; determining that the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in a mature state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff to be detected is located decreases, and the rate of change of the voltage of the target sensor is less than a second rate of change threshold; determining that the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in a charred state when the humidity of the environment in which the foodstuff to be detected is located decreases, the load voltage of the target sensor is greater than a second voltage threshold, and the rate of change of the voltage is greater than a third rate of change threshold, the first rate of change threshold and the third rate of change threshold being greater than the second rate of change threshold.

2. The foodstuff ripening detection method according to claim 1, wherein a waterproof and oil-proof gas-permeable film is arranged on the surface of the target sensor.

3. The foodstuff ripening detection method according to claim 2, wherein the resistance of the target sensor gradually decreases when the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in an initial heating state, tends to be stable when the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in a mature state, and continues to decrease when the target category of foodstuff corresponding thereto is in a charred state.

4. The food material ripeness detection method according to claim 1, characterized by, the step of judging the ripening state of the foodstuff to be detected according to the ripening state of each target sensor comprises: determining that the foodstuff to be detected is in an initial heating state when the first target category of foodstuff in all target categories of foodstuff is in an initial heating state; determining that the foodstuff to be detected is in a mature state when all target categories of foodstuff are in a mature state; determining that the foodstuff to be detected is in a charred state when any target category of foodstuff enters a charred state.

5. The foodstuff ripening detection method according to claim 1, wherein the target categories of foodstuff comprise starch foodstuff, meat foodstuff, and vegetable foodstuff.

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