Method and device for estimating amount of food material for cooking apparatus, and cooking apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a food material quantity estimation method and device for a cooking device and the cooking device. The food material quantity estimation method comprises the following steps: based on a pot being put into food material and liquid matched with the food material quantity, a heating device is controlled to heat the pot at a preset power; and based on a first time length for the pot temperature to rise by a preset temperature being less than a second time length corresponding to a lower limit of a rated food material quantity, or a first temperature rise value of the pot temperature within a preset time length being greater than a second temperature rise value corresponding to the lower limit of the rated food material quantity, the food material quantity in the pot is a target food material quantity, wherein the target food material quantity is greater than or equal to a product of an upper limit of the rated food material quantity and a preset value. Through the estimation method, the food material quantity in the pot can be estimated in the case that the food material quantity put into the pot is relatively large, so as to meet the use requirement of the present cooking control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of control technology, and more specifically, to a method for estimating the amount of ingredients for a cooking device, a device for estimating the amount of ingredients for a cooking device, the cooking device, and a readable storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Existing cooking equipment typically employs the following strategies to estimate the amount of food inside the pot.

[0003] During the heating process, the temperature rise of the pot is measured per unit time, and this temperature rise is compared with a preset temperature rise, where the preset temperature rise corresponds to the amount of food, in order to determine the amount of food corresponding to the temperature rise of the pot.

[0004] Those skilled in the art have found that for cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, existing methods for estimating the amount of food are only applicable when the amount of food in the pot is small. When the amount of food in the pot is large, misestimation is likely to occur, which obviously cannot meet the current needs of cooking control. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art or related art.

[0006] Therefore, a first aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for estimating the amount of ingredients for cooking equipment.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is to provide an ingredient quantity estimation device for cooking equipment.

[0008] A third aspect of the invention is that it provides one type of cooking apparatus.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is that a second cooking device is provided.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the present invention is that a readable storage medium is provided.

[0011] In view of the above, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for estimating the amount of ingredients in a cooking device, the cooking device including a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, the method comprising: controlling the heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients placed in the pot body; and determining the amount of ingredients in the pot body as a target amount of ingredients based on a first time for the pot body temperature to rise to a preset temperature being less than a second time corresponding to a lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, or a first temperature rise value of the pot body temperature within the preset time being greater than a second temperature rise value corresponding to a lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, wherein the target amount of ingredients is greater than or equal to the product of an upper limit of the rated amount of ingredients and a preset value.

[0012] The technical solution of this application proposes a method for estimating the amount of ingredients, which is applicable to cooking equipment. By running this estimation method, the amount of ingredients in the pot can be estimated even when a large amount of ingredients are added, so as to meet the current needs of cooking control.

[0013] The technical solution of this application is achieved through the following principle: after the user puts the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients into the pot, the heating device heats the mixture of ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0014] For cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, i.e., a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot due to the large amount of food stored inside. For the food not in direct contact, the heat transfer is slower. From the perspective of pot temperature, the rate at which the pot temperature rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the pot temperature rises when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the pot temperature rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0015] The rate at which the pot's temperature rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot within the preset time.

[0016] The technical solution of this application identifies situations where the amount of ingredients is large through the two methods mentioned above.

[0017] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the second time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the difference in pot temperature rise over the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0018] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients are added to the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot. At this time, the first time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature and the first temperature rise value of the pot temperature under the preset time are detected. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot is too large.

[0019] The above technical solution enables the identification of the amount of food in the pot, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the current method for identifying the amount of food.

[0020] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is relatively large, the technical solution of this application describes the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot is relatively large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to not less than the product of the rated ingredient amount upper limit and the preset value.

[0021] In the above technical solution, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0022] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0023] In addition, the heating device operates at a preset heating power, thus implementing the above solution and avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of food quantity.

[0024] In any of the above technical solutions, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device, i.e., full power operation, or the preset heating power can be the product of the full power and the preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0025] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredients, the amount of liquid is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of liquid.

[0026] The method for estimating the amount of ingredients for cooking equipment claimed in this application also has the following additional technical features.

[0027] In the above technical solution, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0028] In this technical solution, the value of the preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the amount of target ingredients can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0029] In any of the above technical solutions, the duration interval corresponding to the first duration is obtained based on the first duration being greater than or equal to the second duration; and the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first duration is determined according to the correspondence between the duration interval and the preset amount of ingredients.

[0030] In this technical solution, when the amount of food in the pot is small, the heat generated by the heating device is evenly transferred to the mixture of food and liquid through the pot. At this time, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food increases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture will decrease.

[0031] In some cases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture can be explained by the first time it takes for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature. That is, the larger the amount of food in the pot, the longer the first time. Based on this, the time interval to which the first time belongs is obtained. Each time interval corresponds to a preset amount of food, which is the correspondence mentioned above. Therefore, after determining the time interval to which the first time belongs, the actual amount of food in the pot can be determined using this correspondence, thereby realizing the estimation of the amount of food when the amount of food in the pot is small.

[0032] In any of the above technical solutions, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, the accuracy of the ingredient quantity estimation is ensured.

[0033] In any of the above technical solutions, the temperature rise range corresponding to the first temperature rise value is obtained based on the first temperature rise value being less than or equal to the second temperature rise value; the amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value is determined according to the correspondence between the temperature rise range and the preset amount of food.

[0034] Based on the above principle, it can be known that the temperature rise of the mixture per unit time is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food in the pot increases, the temperature rise of the pot will decrease within a preset time. Based on this, the temperature rise range to which the first temperature rise value belongs can be determined. The amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value can be determined by using the pre-set correspondence between the preset amount of food and the temperature rise range.

[0035] In any of the above technical solutions, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first temperature rise is less than or equal to the second temperature rise, the accuracy of the food quantity estimation is ensured.

[0036] In any of the above technical solutions, the following are also included: determining operating parameters that match the target amount of ingredients; and controlling the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters.

[0037] In this technical solution, after determining that the amount of food in the pot is the target amount, the operating parameters of the heating device are determined based on the target amount of food, so as to control the heating device to work according to the operating parameters in order to achieve the cooking of the food.

[0038] In this process, since the operating parameters are determined based on the estimated target amount of ingredients, the success rate of cooking the ingredients can be increased.

[0039] In any of the above technical solutions, the operating parameters include one or more of the following parameters: working pressure inside the pot, heating power of the heating device, and duration of maintaining the working pressure.

[0040] This technical solution specifically defines the contents of the operating parameters. By defining the operating parameters, including the working pressure in the pot, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled by the operation of the heating device. This provides a better pressure environment for cooking the food, avoiding excessively high working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to burst and become too soft and sticky, affecting the taste. At the same time, it also avoids excessively low working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to not absorb enough liquid, resulting in hardened food that also affects the taste.

[0041] In addition, the operating parameters also include the duration of maintaining the working pressure. By limiting this duration, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled through the operation of the heating device, providing an optimal pressure environment for cooking the food. This avoids a duration that is too short, which would affect the amount of liquid absorbed by the food, causing it to become hard and affecting the texture. Conversely, a duration that is too long would cause the food to absorb too much liquid, resulting in overly soft and mushy food, also affecting the texture. By limiting these parameters, the desired texture of the cooked food can be ensured.

[0042] In addition, the operating parameters also include the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot. Since the actual amount of food in the pot also affects the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot, it is to avoid the mixture near the pot being burnt due to excessive heating power, while the food in the middle of the mixture is not cooked. At the same time, by limiting the heating power to be related to the amount of food put in, the optimal heating power can be selected to heat the pot, so as to improve the cooking speed of the food and reduce the waiting time for users.

[0043] In any of the above technical solutions, controlling the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters further includes: controlling the operation of the heating device to keep the temperature of the pot body within the limited temperature range.

[0044] In this technical solution, by providing a limited temperature range, the maximum temperature that the pot can reach when cooking food is controlled, so as to avoid the food from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. Through the above limitation, the success rate of cooking food is ensured.

[0045] In any of the above technical solutions, any limiting temperature within the limiting temperature range is between 110℃ and 160℃.

[0046] In this technical solution, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 160°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 110°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0047] In any of the above technical solutions, the value of any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 120°C and 150°C.

[0048] In this technical solution, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 150°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 120°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0049] According to a second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an ingredient quantity estimation device for a cooking device, the cooking device including a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, the ingredient quantity estimation device including: a first control module for controlling the heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on ingredients and liquid matching the ingredient quantity being placed in the pot body; a second control module for determining the target ingredient quantity based on a first time for the pot body temperature to rise to a preset temperature being less than a second time corresponding to a lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity, or a first temperature rise value of the pot body temperature within the preset time being greater than a second temperature rise value corresponding to the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity, wherein the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and a preset value.

[0050] The technical solution of this application proposes a food quantity estimation device, which is applicable to cooking equipment. Cooking equipment using the food quantity estimation device can estimate the amount of food in the pot when a large amount of food is put in the pot, so as to meet the current needs of cooking control.

[0051] The technical solution of this application is achieved through the following principle: after the user puts the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients into the pot, the heating device heats the mixture of ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0052] For cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, i.e., a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot due to the large amount of food stored inside. For the food not in direct contact, the heat transfer is slower. From the perspective of pot temperature, the rate at which the pot temperature rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the pot temperature rises when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the pot temperature rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0053] The rate at which the pot's temperature rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot within the preset time.

[0054] The technical solution of this application identifies situations where the amount of ingredients is large through the two methods mentioned above.

[0055] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the second time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the difference in pot temperature rise over the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0056] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients are added to the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot. At this time, the first time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature and the first temperature rise value of the pot temperature under the preset time are detected. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot is too large.

[0057] The above technical solution enables the identification of the amount of food in the pot, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the current method for identifying the amount of food.

[0058] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is relatively large, the technical solution of this application describes the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot is relatively large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to not less than the product of the rated ingredient amount upper limit and the preset value.

[0059] In the above technical solution, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0060] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0061] In addition, the heating device operates at a preset heating power, thus implementing the above solution and avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of food quantity.

[0062] In any of the above technical solutions, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device, i.e., full power operation, or the preset heating power can be the product of the full power and the preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0063] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredients, the amount of liquid is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of liquid.

[0064] The ingredient quantity estimation device for cooking equipment claimed in this application also has the following additional technical features.

[0065] In the above technical solution, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0066] In this technical solution, the value of the preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the amount of target ingredients can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0067] In the above technical solution, the second control module is also used to obtain the time interval corresponding to the first time interval based on the first time interval being greater than or equal to the second time interval; and to determine the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first time interval according to the correspondence between the time interval and the preset amount of ingredients.

[0068] In this technical solution, when the amount of food in the pot is small, the heat generated by the heating device is evenly transferred to the mixture of food and liquid through the pot. At this time, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food increases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture will decrease.

[0069] In some cases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture can be explained by the first time it takes for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature. That is, the larger the amount of food in the pot, the longer the first time. Based on this, the time interval to which the first time belongs is obtained. Each time interval corresponds to a preset amount of food, which is the correspondence mentioned above. Therefore, after determining the time interval to which the first time belongs, the actual amount of food in the pot can be determined using this correspondence, thereby realizing the estimation of the amount of food when the amount of food in the pot is small.

[0070] In any of the above technical solutions, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, the accuracy of the ingredient quantity estimation is ensured.

[0071] In any of the above technical solutions, the second control module is further configured to obtain the temperature rise range corresponding to the first temperature rise value based on the first temperature rise value being less than or equal to the second temperature rise value; and determine the amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value according to the correspondence between the temperature rise range and the preset amount of food.

[0072] Based on the above principle, it can be known that the temperature rise of the mixture per unit time is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food in the pot increases, the temperature rise of the pot will decrease within a preset time. Based on this, the temperature rise range to which the first temperature rise value belongs can be determined. The amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value can be determined by using the pre-set correspondence between the preset amount of food and the temperature rise range.

[0073] In any of the above technical solutions, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first temperature rise is less than or equal to the second temperature rise, the accuracy of the food quantity estimation is ensured.

[0074] In any of the above technical solutions, the second control module is also used to determine the operating parameters that match the target amount of ingredients; and to control the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters.

[0075] In this technical solution, after determining that the amount of food in the pot is the target amount, the operating parameters of the heating device are determined based on the target amount of food, so as to control the heating device to work according to the operating parameters in order to achieve the cooking of the food.

[0076] In this process, since the operating parameters are determined based on the estimated target amount of ingredients, the success rate of cooking the ingredients can be increased.

[0077] In any of the above technical solutions, the operating parameters include one or more of the following parameters: working pressure inside the pot, heating power of the heating device, and duration of maintaining the working pressure.

[0078] This technical solution specifically defines the contents of the operating parameters. By defining the operating parameters, including the working pressure in the pot, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled by the operation of the heating device. This provides a better pressure environment for cooking the food, avoiding excessively high working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to burst and become too soft and sticky, affecting the taste. At the same time, it also avoids excessively low working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to not absorb enough liquid, resulting in hardened food that also affects the taste.

[0079] In addition, the operating parameters also include the duration of maintaining the working pressure. By limiting this duration, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled through the operation of the heating device, providing an optimal pressure environment for cooking the food. This avoids a duration that is too short, which would affect the amount of liquid absorbed by the food, causing it to become hard and affecting the texture. Conversely, a duration that is too long would cause the food to absorb too much liquid, resulting in overly soft and mushy food, also affecting the texture. By limiting these parameters, the desired texture of the cooked food can be ensured.

[0080] In addition, the operating parameters also include the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot. Since the actual amount of food in the pot also affects the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot, it is to avoid the mixture near the pot being burnt due to excessive heating power, while the food in the middle of the mixture is not cooked. At the same time, by limiting the heating power to be related to the amount of food put in, the optimal heating power can be selected to heat the pot, so as to improve the cooking speed of the food and reduce the waiting time for users.

[0081] In any of the above technical solutions, the second control module is also used to control the operation of the heating device so that the temperature of the pot body is within the limited temperature range.

[0082] In this technical solution, by providing a limited temperature range, the maximum temperature that the pot can reach when cooking food is controlled, so as to avoid the food from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. Through the above limitation, the success rate of cooking food is ensured.

[0083] In any of the above technical solutions, any limiting temperature within the limiting temperature range is between 110℃ and 160℃.

[0084] In this technical solution, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 160°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 110°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0085] In any of the above technical solutions, the value of any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 120°C and 150°C.

[0086] In this technical solution, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 150°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 120°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0087] According to a third aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a cooking apparatus, comprising: a pot body for containing ingredients and a liquid matching the amount of ingredients; a heating device for heating the pot body; and a control device for controlling the heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients being placed in the pot body; wherein the amount of ingredients in the pot body is a target amount of ingredients, wherein the target amount of ingredients is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated amount of ingredients and a preset value.

[0088] The technical solution of this application proposes a cooking device that can estimate the amount of food in the pot when a large amount of food is put in the pot, so as to meet the current needs of cooking control.

[0089] The technical solution of this application is achieved through the following principle: after the user puts the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients into the pot, the heating device heats the mixture of ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0090] For cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, i.e., a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot due to the large amount of food stored inside. For the food not in direct contact, the heat transfer is slower. From the perspective of pot temperature, the rate at which the pot temperature rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the pot temperature rises when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the pot temperature rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0091] The rate at which the pot's temperature rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot within the preset time.

[0092] The technical solution of this application identifies situations where the amount of ingredients is large through the two methods mentioned above.

[0093] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the second time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the difference in pot temperature rise over the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0094] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients are added to the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot. At this time, the first time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature and the first temperature rise value of the pot temperature under the preset time are detected. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot is too large.

[0095] The above technical solution enables the identification of the amount of food in the pot, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the current method for identifying the amount of food.

[0096] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is relatively large, the technical solution of this application describes the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot is relatively large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to not less than the product of the rated ingredient amount upper limit and the preset value.

[0097] In the above technical solution, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0098] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0099] In addition, the heating device operates at a preset heating power, thus implementing the above solution and avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of food quantity.

[0100] In any of the above technical solutions, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device, i.e., full power operation, or the preset heating power can be the product of the full power and the preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0101] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredients, the amount of liquid is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of liquid.

[0102] In the above technical solution, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0103] In this technical solution, the value of the preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the amount of target ingredients can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0104] The above technical solution also includes: a temperature detection device, which is installed on the bottom wall and / or side wall of the pot body to obtain the pot body temperature.

[0105] In this technical solution, the location of the temperature detection device is specifically defined. The temperature detection device is used to detect the temperature of the bottom wall and / or side wall so that the detection result can be used as the temperature of the pot body.

[0106] In any of the above technical solutions, when the temperature detection device simultaneously acquires the temperatures of the bottom wall and the side wall, the acquired temperatures are weighted and summed. For example, the temperature value detected by the bottom wall is multiplied by a first coefficient to obtain a first result, and the temperature value detected by the side wall is multiplied by a second coefficient to obtain a second result. The first result and the second result are summed to obtain the final pot body temperature.

[0107] In one of the technical solutions, the sum of the first coefficient and the second coefficient is 1.

[0108] In any of the above technical solutions, the cooking equipment includes one or more of the following: rice cooker, electric pressure cooker, and cooking robot.

[0109] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a cooking apparatus is provided, comprising a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and running on the processor, wherein when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, the program or instructions implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described above.

[0110] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described above.

[0111] Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0112] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0113] Figure 1 One of the flowcharts for the method of estimating the amount of ingredients in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0114] Figure 2 The second schematic diagram of the ingredient quantity estimation method in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0115] Figure 3 The third schematic diagram of the ingredient quantity estimation method in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0116] Figure 4 The fourth flowchart of the ingredient quantity estimation method in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0117] Figure 5 A schematic block diagram of the ingredient quantity estimation device in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0118] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the cooking device in an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0119] Figure 7 A schematic block diagram of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0120] in, Figure 6 and Figure 7 The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in the attached drawings is as follows:

[0121] 600 Cooking equipment, 602 Pot body, 604 Float, 606 Heating device, 608 Detection device, 610 Control device, 612 Base, 614 Cover, 616 Cavity, 618 Processor, 620 Memory. Detailed Implementation

[0122] To better understand the above aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in these embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0123] Many specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention may also be practiced in other ways different from those described herein, and therefore the scope of protection of the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0124] Example 1

[0125] like Figure 1 As shown, according to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a method for estimating the amount of ingredients for a cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus including a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, the method for estimating the amount of ingredients including:

[0126] Step 102: Based on the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients being placed in the pot, control the heating device to heat the pot at a preset power.

[0127] Step 104: Based on the fact that the first time for the pot body temperature to rise to the preset temperature is less than the second time corresponding to the lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, or the first temperature rise value of the pot body temperature within the preset time is greater than the second temperature rise value corresponding to the lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, the amount of ingredients in the pot body is the target amount of ingredients.

[0128] Among them, the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the preset value.

[0129] The embodiments of this application propose a method for estimating the amount of ingredients, applicable to cooking equipment. By running this estimation method, the amount of ingredients in the pot can be estimated even when a large amount of ingredients is added, thus meeting the current needs of cooking control.

[0130] The embodiments of this application are implemented through the following principle: specifically, after the user puts food ingredients and liquid matching the amount of food ingredients into the pot, the heating device heats the mixture of food ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0131] For cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, i.e., a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot due to the large amount of food stored inside. For the food not in direct contact, the heat transfer is slower. From the perspective of pot temperature, the rate at which the pot temperature rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the pot temperature rises when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the pot temperature rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0132] The rate at which the pot's temperature rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot within the preset time.

[0133] The embodiments of this application identify situations where the amount of ingredients is large using the two methods described above.

[0134] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the second time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the difference in pot temperature rise over the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0135] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients are added to the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot. At this time, the first time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature and the first temperature rise value of the pot temperature under the preset time are detected. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot is too large.

[0136] The above embodiments enable the identification of the amount of food in the pot, overcoming the drawbacks of current food quantity identification methods.

[0137] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is relatively large, the embodiments of this application describe the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot is relatively large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to not less than the product of the rated ingredient amount upper limit and the preset value.

[0138] In the above embodiments, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0139] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0140] In addition, the heating device operates at a preset heating power, thus implementing the above solution and avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of food quantity.

[0141] In any of the above embodiments, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device, i.e., full power operation, or the preset heating power can be the product of the full power and a preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0142] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredients, the amount of liquid is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of liquid.

[0143] The method for estimating the amount of ingredients for cooking equipment claimed in this application also has the following additional technical features.

[0144] In the above embodiments, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0145] In this embodiment, a preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the target ingredient quantity can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0146] Example 2

[0147] In any of the above embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, it includes:

[0148] Step 202: Based on the first duration being greater than or equal to the second duration, obtain the duration interval corresponding to the first duration;

[0149] Step 204: Determine the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first time interval based on the correspondence between the time interval and the preset amount of ingredients.

[0150] In this embodiment, when the amount of food in the pot is small, the heat generated by the heating device is evenly transferred to the mixture of food and liquid through the pot. At this time, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food increases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture will decrease.

[0151] In some cases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture can be explained by the first time it takes for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature. That is, the larger the amount of food in the pot, the longer the first time. Based on this, the time interval to which the first time belongs is obtained. Each time interval corresponds to a preset amount of food, which is the correspondence mentioned above. Therefore, after determining the time interval to which the first time belongs, the actual amount of food in the pot can be determined using this correspondence, thereby realizing the estimation of the amount of food when the amount of food in the pot is small.

[0152] In any of the above embodiments, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, the accuracy of the ingredient quantity estimation is ensured.

[0153] Example 3

[0154] In any of the above embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, it includes:

[0155] Step 302: Based on the first temperature rise value being less than or equal to the second temperature rise value, obtain the temperature rise range corresponding to the first temperature rise value;

[0156] Step 304: Determine the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first temperature rise value based on the correspondence between the temperature rise range and the preset amount of ingredients.

[0157] Based on the above principle, it can be known that the temperature rise of the mixture per unit time is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food in the pot increases, the temperature rise of the pot will decrease within a preset time. Based on this, the temperature rise range to which the first temperature rise value belongs can be determined. The amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value can be determined by using the pre-set correspondence between the preset amount of food and the temperature rise range.

[0158] In any of the above embodiments, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first temperature rise is less than or equal to the second temperature rise, the accuracy of the food quantity estimation is ensured.

[0159] Example 4

[0160] In any of the above embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, it also includes:

[0161] Step 402: Determine the operating parameters that match the target amount of ingredients;

[0162] Step 404: Control the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters.

[0163] In this embodiment, after determining that the amount of food in the pot is the target amount, the operating parameters of the heating device are also determined based on the target amount of food, so as to control the heating device to work according to the operating parameters in order to achieve the cooking of the food.

[0164] In this process, since the operating parameters are determined based on the estimated target amount of ingredients, the success rate of cooking the ingredients can be increased.

[0165] In any of the above embodiments, the operating parameters include one or more of the following parameters: working pressure inside the pot, heating power of the heating device, and duration of maintaining the working pressure.

[0166] In this embodiment, the contents of the operating parameters are specifically defined. By defining the operating parameters, including the working pressure in the pot, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled by the operation of the heating device. This provides a better pressure environment for cooking the food, avoiding excessively high working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to burst and become too soft and sticky after cooking, affecting the taste. At the same time, it also avoids excessively low working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to not absorb enough liquid, resulting in hardened food after cooking, affecting the taste.

[0167] In addition, the operating parameters also include the duration of maintaining the working pressure. By limiting this duration, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled through the operation of the heating device, providing an optimal pressure environment for cooking the food. This avoids a duration that is too short, which would affect the amount of liquid absorbed by the food, causing it to become hard and affecting the texture. Conversely, a duration that is too long would cause the food to absorb too much liquid, resulting in overly soft and mushy food, also affecting the texture. By limiting these parameters, the desired texture of the cooked food can be ensured.

[0168] In addition, the operating parameters also include the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot. Since the actual amount of food in the pot also affects the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot, it is to avoid the mixture near the pot being burnt due to excessive heating power, while the food in the middle of the mixture is not cooked. At the same time, by limiting the heating power to be related to the amount of food put in, the optimal heating power can be selected to heat the pot, so as to improve the cooking speed of the food and reduce the waiting time for users.

[0169] Example 5

[0170] In any of the above embodiments, controlling the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters further includes: controlling the operation of the heating device to keep the temperature of the pot body within a limited temperature range.

[0171] In this embodiment, by providing a limited temperature range, the maximum temperature that the pot can reach when cooking food is controlled, so as to avoid the food from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. Through the above limitation, the success rate of cooking food is ensured.

[0172] In any of the above embodiments, any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 110°C and 160°C.

[0173] In this embodiment, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 160°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 110°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0174] In any of the above embodiments, any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 120°C and 150°C.

[0175] In this embodiment, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 150°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 120°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0176] In any of the above embodiments, the heating device is controlled to operate so that the temperature of the pot body is within a limited temperature range until the mixture of food and liquid boils.

[0177] Example 6

[0178] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a food quantity estimation device for a cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus including a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the ingredient quantity estimation device 500 includes: a first control module 502, used to control a heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on the ingredients and liquid matching the ingredient quantity being placed in the pot body; and a second control module 504, used to determine the ingredient quantity in the pot body as the target ingredient quantity based on the first time for the pot body temperature to rise to a preset temperature being less than the second time corresponding to the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity, or the first temperature rise value of the pot body temperature within the preset time being greater than the second temperature rise value corresponding to the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity, wherein the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and a preset value.

[0179] The embodiments of this application propose a food quantity estimation device, applicable to cooking equipment. Cooking equipment using this food quantity estimation device can estimate the amount of food in the pot when a large amount of food is added, thus meeting the current needs of cooking control.

[0180] The embodiments of this application are implemented through the following principle: specifically, after the user puts food ingredients and liquid matching the amount of food ingredients into the pot, the heating device heats the mixture of food ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0181] For cooking equipment with a high ratio of heating power to pot capacity, i.e., a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot due to the large amount of food stored inside. For the food not in direct contact, the heat transfer is slower. From the perspective of pot temperature, the rate at which the pot temperature rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the pot temperature rises when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the pot temperature rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0182] The rate at which the pot's temperature rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot within the preset time.

[0183] The embodiments of this application identify situations where the amount of ingredients is large using the two methods described above.

[0184] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the second time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device heats the pot according to the preset power, the difference in pot temperature rise over the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0185] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients are added to the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot. At this time, the first time taken for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature and the first temperature rise value of the pot temperature under the preset time are detected. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot is too large.

[0186] The above embodiments enable the identification of the amount of food in the pot, overcoming the drawbacks of current food quantity identification methods.

[0187] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is relatively large, the embodiments of this application describe the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot is relatively large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to not less than the product of the rated ingredient amount upper limit and the preset value.

[0188] In the above embodiments, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0189] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0190] In addition, the heating device operates at a preset heating power, thus implementing the above solution and avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of food quantity.

[0191] In any of the above embodiments, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device, i.e., full power operation, or the preset heating power can be the product of the full power and a preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0192] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of ingredients, the amount of liquid is the first mark in the pot used to measure the amount of liquid.

[0193] In the above embodiments, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0194] In this embodiment, a preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the target ingredient quantity can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0195] In the above embodiments, the second control module 504 is further configured to obtain the duration interval corresponding to the first duration based on the first duration being greater than or equal to the second duration; and determine the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first duration according to the correspondence between the duration interval and the preset amount of ingredients.

[0196] In this embodiment, when the amount of food in the pot is small, the heat generated by the heating device is evenly transferred to the mixture of food and liquid through the pot. At this time, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food increases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture will decrease.

[0197] In some cases, the rate of temperature rise of the mixture can be explained by the first time it takes for the pot temperature to rise to the preset temperature. That is, the larger the amount of food in the pot, the longer the first time. Based on this, the time interval to which the first time belongs is obtained. Each time interval corresponds to a preset amount of food, which is the correspondence mentioned above. Therefore, after determining the time interval to which the first time belongs, the actual amount of food in the pot can be determined using this correspondence, thereby realizing the estimation of the amount of food when the amount of food in the pot is small.

[0198] In any of the above embodiments, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first duration is greater than or equal to the second duration, the accuracy of the ingredient quantity estimation is ensured.

[0199] In any of the above embodiments, the second control module 504 is further configured to obtain the temperature rise range corresponding to the first temperature rise value based on the first temperature rise value being less than or equal to the second temperature rise value; and determine the amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value according to the correspondence between the temperature rise range and the preset amount of food.

[0200] Based on the above principle, it can be known that the temperature rise of the mixture per unit time is negatively correlated with the amount of food. That is, as the amount of food in the pot increases, the temperature rise of the pot will decrease within a preset time. Based on this, the temperature rise range to which the first temperature rise value belongs can be determined. The amount of food corresponding to the first temperature rise value can be determined by using the pre-set correspondence between the preset amount of food and the temperature rise range.

[0201] In any of the above embodiments, by limiting the calculation to be performed only when the first temperature rise is less than or equal to the second temperature rise, the accuracy of the food quantity estimation is ensured.

[0202] In any of the above embodiments, the second control module 504 is further configured to determine operating parameters that match the target amount of ingredients and control the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters.

[0203] In this embodiment, after determining that the amount of food in the pot is the target amount, the operating parameters of the heating device are also determined based on the target amount of food, so as to control the heating device to work according to the operating parameters in order to achieve the cooking of the food.

[0204] In this process, since the operating parameters are determined based on the estimated target amount of ingredients, the success rate of cooking the ingredients can be increased.

[0205] In any of the above embodiments, the operating parameters include one or more of the following parameters: working pressure inside the pot, heating power of the heating device, and duration of maintaining the working pressure.

[0206] In this embodiment, the contents of the operating parameters are specifically defined. By defining the operating parameters, including the working pressure in the pot, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled by the operation of the heating device. This provides a better pressure environment for cooking the food, avoiding excessively high working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to burst and become too soft and sticky after cooking, affecting the taste. At the same time, it also avoids excessively low working pressure in the pot, which could cause the food to not absorb enough liquid, resulting in hardened food after cooking, affecting the taste.

[0207] In addition, the operating parameters also include the duration of maintaining the working pressure. By limiting this duration, the pressure inside the pot can be controlled through the operation of the heating device, providing an optimal pressure environment for cooking the food. This avoids a duration that is too short, which would affect the amount of liquid absorbed by the food, causing it to become hard and affecting the texture. Conversely, a duration that is too long would cause the food to absorb too much liquid, resulting in overly soft and mushy food, also affecting the texture. By limiting these parameters, the desired texture of the cooked food can be ensured.

[0208] In addition, the operating parameters also include the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot. Since the actual amount of food in the pot also affects the heating power of the heating device to heat the pot, it is to avoid the mixture near the pot being burnt due to excessive heating power, while the food in the middle of the mixture is not cooked. At the same time, by limiting the heating power to be related to the amount of food put in, the optimal heating power can be selected to heat the pot, so as to improve the cooking speed of the food and reduce the waiting time for users.

[0209] In any of the above embodiments, the second control module 504 is also used to control the operation of the heating device so that the temperature value of the pot body is within the limited temperature range.

[0210] In this embodiment, by providing a limited temperature range, the maximum temperature that the pot can reach when cooking food is controlled, so as to avoid the food from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. Through the above limitation, the success rate of cooking food is ensured.

[0211] In any of the above embodiments, any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 110°C and 160°C.

[0212] In this embodiment, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 160°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 110°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0213] In any of the above embodiments, any limiting temperature in the limiting temperature range is between 120°C and 150°C.

[0214] In this embodiment, by limiting any temperature within the restricted temperature range to no higher than 150°C, the food is prevented from burning due to excessively high pot temperature. This limitation ensures the success rate of cooking the food. By limiting any temperature to no lower than 120°C, the heating device is ensured to heat the pot at a high power, thereby shortening the cooking time.

[0215] Example 7

[0216] In one embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, the present invention provides a cooking device 600, including: a pot body 602 for containing ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients; a heating device 606 for heating the pot body 602; and a control device 610 for controlling the heating device 606 to heat the pot body 602 at a preset power based on the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients being placed in the pot body 602; and the amount of ingredients in the pot body 602 is a target amount of ingredients based on a first time for the pot body 602 to rise to a preset temperature being less than a second time corresponding to a lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, or a first temperature rise value of the pot body 602 within the preset time being greater than a second temperature rise value corresponding to a lower limit of the rated amount of ingredients, wherein the target amount of ingredients is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated amount of ingredients and a preset value.

[0217] The embodiments of this application propose a cooking device 600 that can estimate the amount of food in the pot 602 when a large amount of food is placed in the pot, so as to meet the current needs of cooking control.

[0218] The embodiments of this application are implemented through the following principle: specifically, after the user puts food ingredients and liquid matching the amount of food ingredients into the pot 602, the heating device 606 heats the mixture of food ingredients and liquid so that the temperature of the mixture rises.

[0219] For cooking appliances 600 with a high ratio of heating power to pot body 602 capacity, i.e., cooking appliances 600 with a high heating power per unit capacity, the heat generated by the heating device 606 will be directly and quickly transferred to the food in contact with the pot body 602 due to the large amount of food stored in the pot body 602. For the food that is not in direct contact, the heat transfer speed is slow. From the perspective of the temperature of the pot body 602, the rate at which the temperature of the pot body 602 rises will be much higher than the maximum heating rate. The maximum heating rate is the rate at which the temperature of the pot body 602 rises when the amount of food put in the pot body 602 is the lower limit of the rated amount of food. Based on this, the situation of a large amount of food can be identified by comparing the rate at which the temperature of the pot body 602 rises with the maximum heating rate.

[0220] The rate at which the temperature of the pot body 602 rises can be expressed from multiple perspectives, such as the time it takes to raise the preset temperature, or the temperature rise value of the pot body 602 within the preset time.

[0221] The embodiments of this application identify situations where the amount of ingredients is large using the two methods described above.

[0222] Specifically, firstly, a control group is pre-built. That is, when the amount of food in the pot 602 is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device 606 heats the pot 602 according to the preset power, the second time taken for the temperature of the pot 602 to rise by a preset temperature is recorded. Alternatively, when the amount of food in the pot 602 is the lower limit of the rated amount of food and the heating device 606 heats the pot 602 according to the preset power, the difference in temperature rise of the pot 602 under the preset time is recorded, which is the second temperature rise value.

[0223] Secondly, after the ingredients and liquid matching the amount of ingredients added to the pot 602 are added to the pot 602, the heating device 606 is controlled to heat the pot 602. At this time, the first time taken for the temperature of the pot 602 to rise to the preset temperature is detected, as well as the first temperature rise value of the pot 602 under the preset time. The first time is compared with the second time, or the first temperature rise value is compared with the second temperature rise value. When the first time is less than the second time, or the first temperature rise value is greater than the second temperature rise value, it is considered that the ingredients in the pot 602 have the situation described above, that is, the amount of ingredients added to the pot 602 is large.

[0224] Through the above embodiments, the amount of ingredients in the pot body 602 is identified, thus overcoming the drawbacks of the current method for identifying the amount of ingredients.

[0225] To further limit the situation where the amount of ingredients is large, the embodiments of this application describe the situation where the amount of ingredients put into the pot 602 is large, that is, the amount of target ingredients is quantified in order to improve the accuracy of ingredient amount identification. Specifically, the amount of target ingredients is limited to be no less than the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient amount and the preset value.

[0226] In the above embodiment, the range formed by the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the amount of ingredient that the pot body 602 can cook. For example, the lower limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the lowest scale line in the pot body 602 used to measure the amount of ingredient, and the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity is the highest scale line in the pot body 602 used to measure the amount of ingredient.

[0227] It is worth noting that the ingredients and liquids added to the pot 602 have the same temperature value, which is room temperature by default. By limiting the ingredients and liquids added to the pot 602 to have the same temperature value, the impact of uneven mixing of ingredients and liquids on heat transfer is reduced. By eliminating this impact, the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation is improved.

[0228] In addition, the heating device 606 implements the above solution by operating at a preset heating power, thus avoiding the impact of changes in heating power on the estimation of the amount of ingredients.

[0229] In any of the above embodiments, the preset heating power can be the rated heating power of the heating device 606, i.e., full power operation. The preset heating power can also be the product of the full power and a preset value, wherein the preset value is greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0230] It should be added that there is a matching relationship between the amount of ingredients and the amount of liquid. For example, when the amount of ingredients is the first scale line used to measure the amount of ingredients in the pot body 602, the amount of liquid is the first scale line used to measure the amount of liquid in the pot body 602.

[0231] In one embodiment, the heating device includes a coil, wherein when the amount of food is large, the height of the food in the pot is similar to or equal to the height between the food and the coil, such as a height difference within ±10mm.

[0232] In the above embodiments, the preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

[0233] In this embodiment, a preset value is specifically defined. By limiting its range, the target ingredient quantity can be further quantified, thereby improving the accuracy of ingredient quantity estimation.

[0234] In the above embodiments, a temperature detection device is also included, which is disposed on the bottom wall and / or side wall of the pot body 602, for obtaining the temperature of the pot body 602.

[0235] In this embodiment, the location of the temperature detection device is specifically defined, wherein the temperature detection device is used to detect the temperature of the bottom wall and / or side wall so that the detection result is used as the temperature of the pot body 602.

[0236] In any of the above embodiments, when the temperature detection device simultaneously acquires the temperatures of the bottom wall and the side wall, the acquired temperatures are weighted and summed. For example, the temperature value detected by the bottom wall is multiplied by a first coefficient to obtain a first result, and the temperature value detected by the side wall is multiplied by a second coefficient to obtain a second result. The first result and the second result are summed to obtain the final temperature of the pot body 602.

[0237] In one embodiment, the sum of the first coefficient and the second coefficient is 1.

[0238] In any of the above embodiments, the cooking device 600 further includes: a float 604 disposed inside the pot body 602; a detection device 608 that detects the float 604 rising when the food and liquid in the pot body 602 are heated to the target temperature; wherein the temperature difference between the mixture of food and liquid and the target temperature is a preset temperature; and the control device 610 is further configured to control the heating device 606 to heat the pot body 602 according to a preset heating power and start timing; determine the timing duration (i.e., the first duration) based on the detection device 608 detecting the float 604 rising; and determine the amount of food corresponding to the timing duration according to the correspondence between the timing duration interval and the preset amount of food.

[0239] In the above process, it is difficult to measure the temperature rise of the mixture, which has a significant impact on the estimation of the amount of ingredients.

[0240] To overcome the above-mentioned effects, a float 604 and a detection device 608 used in conjunction with the float 604 are set in the cooking device 600 to realize the temperature measurement of the mixture. Specifically, during the heating process of the heating device 606, the liquid in the mixture is heated and forms water vapor. As the temperature of the mixture continues to rise, it reaches the target temperature and is maintained at the target temperature. At this time, a large amount of water vapor is stably formed in the pot body 602. The presence of this water vapor will lift the float 604. When the detection device 608 detects that the float 604 has risen, it can be known that the temperature of the mixture has reached the target temperature, thus realizing the measurement of the temperature of the mixture.

[0241] In related embodiments, a temperature detection device is directly used to measure the temperature of the mixture. However, when using a temperature detection device to measure the temperature, the measurement accuracy of the temperature detection device will affect the measurement results. This embodiment can overcome the above-mentioned problems by using this embodiment to measure the temperature of the mixture.

[0242] Furthermore, when using a temperature detection device to measure temperature, there is a problem of lag in the measured temperature value. The above embodiment can effectively avoid this problem, improve the accuracy of the mixture temperature measurement, and ensure the accuracy of the ingredient quantity estimation.

[0243] In this embodiment, the heating device 606 starts timing when it begins heating the mixture, and the timing ends when the detection device 608 detects that the float 604 has risen, thus obtaining the timing duration. This timing duration is equivalent to a longer unit time (e.g., 1 minute). At this time, the measurement of the temperature rise of the mixture corresponding to the timing duration is more accurate. Therefore, the estimation of the amount of ingredients based on this timing duration will be more accurate. Since the estimation of the amount of ingredients is more accurate, the cooking of the ingredients based on the estimated amount of ingredients will be more accurate, greatly reducing the probability of cooking failure.

[0244] In the above embodiment, it further includes: a base 612, which has a receiving cavity for receiving the pot body 602; a cover 614 for closing the receiving cavity, wherein the cover 614 has a cavity 616 with a through hole on the side facing the pot body 602, and at least a portion of the float 604 extends into the pot body 602 through the through hole.

[0245] In this embodiment, the setting position of the float 604 is specifically defined. By defining the installation of the float 604 on the cover 614, the float 604 can move with the cover 614 during the use of the cooking device 600, such as when the cover 614 is opened to open and close the receiving cavity. This eliminates the need for the user to adjust the float 604 separately, which simplifies the structure of the cooking device 600 and reduces the design difficulty of the cooking device 600.

[0246] Furthermore, by confining the float 604 within the cavity 616 of the cover 614, the float 604 is protected, reducing the likelihood of interference between the pot body 602 and the float 604 during the opening and closing of the cavity, thereby reducing the likelihood of damage to the cooking equipment 600.

[0247] Furthermore, the cavity 616 in the cover 614 also serves as a receiving space for the float 604 to float. This receiving space protects the float 604 from interference from other structures during the floating process, thereby ensuring the stable operation of the float 604.

[0248] In any of the above embodiments, the detection device 608 is disposed inside the cavity 616.

[0249] In this embodiment, by limiting the detection device 608 to also be located within the cavity 616, the accuracy of the detection device 608 in detecting the aforementioned actions of the float 604 is ensured. At the same time, it also facilitates the movement of the detection device 608 with the cover 614 when using the cooking device 600, such as when opening the cover 614 to open and close the receiving cavity, without requiring the user to adjust the detection device 608 separately. This simplifies the structure of the cooking device 600 and reduces the design difficulty of the cooking device 600.

[0250] Furthermore, by confining the detection device 608 within the cavity 616 of the cover 614, the detection device 608 is protected, reducing the likelihood of interference between the pot body 602 and the detection device 608 during the opening and closing of the cavity, thereby reducing the probability of damage to the cooking equipment 600.

[0251] In any of the above embodiments, the device further includes: an object to be detected, located at one end of the float 604 in the cavity 616, and the detection device 608 detects the object to be detected based on the float 604 rising.

[0252] In this embodiment, a specific detection scheme for the float 604 rising is defined. By placing a test object at one end of the float 604, the float 604 is detected by the detection device 608. In this process, the detection of the test object by the detection device 608 realizes the indirect detection of the state of the float 604, eliminating the possible misjudgment when the detection device 608 directly detects the float 604 rising, and improving the reliability of the food quantity estimation.

[0253] In any of the above embodiments, the object to be detected may be a magnetic component. The detection device 608 is able to detect the magnetic field strength around its location. When the float 604 rises, the object to be detected approaches the detection device 608. When the detection device 608 detects an increase in the magnetic field strength, it determines that the object to be detected has been detected.

[0254] In any of the above embodiments, the object to be detected can also be a blocking element. In this case, the detection device 608 can be a light transmitting device and a light receiving device. When the float 604 floats, the blocking element blocks the light transmitted from the light transmitting device to the light receiving device. When the float 604 does not float, the blocking element does not block the light transmitted from the light transmitting device to the light receiving device.

[0255] In any of the above embodiments, the cooking device 600 includes one or more of a rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, and a cooking robot.

[0256] Example 8

[0257] In one embodiment, such as Figure 7As shown, the present invention provides a cooking device 600, including a processor 618, a memory 620, and a program or instructions stored in the memory 620 and running on the processor 618. When the program or instructions are executed by the processor 618, they implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described above.

[0258] In this embodiment, a cooking device 600 is proposed, wherein the processor 618 included in the cooking device 600 executes the program or instructions stored in the memory 620 to implement the steps of the above-mentioned ingredient quantity estimation method. Therefore, the cooking device 600 has all the beneficial technical effects of the above-mentioned ingredient quantity estimation method, which will not be repeated here.

[0259] Example 9

[0260] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described above.

[0261] In the description of this invention, the term "a plurality of" refers to two or more. Unless otherwise explicitly defined, the terms "upper," "lower," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the invention. The terms "connection," "installation," "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0262] In the description of this invention, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "specific embodiment," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this invention, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0263] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for estimating the amount of ingredients for cooking equipment, characterized in that, The cooking equipment includes a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, and the method for estimating the amount of ingredients includes: Based on the fact that food and liquid matching the amount of food are placed in the pot, the heating device is controlled to heat the pot at a preset power. The target amount of food is defined as follows: if the first time for the pot body temperature to rise to a preset temperature is less than the second time corresponding to the lower limit of the rated food quantity, or if the first temperature rise of the pot body within the preset time is greater than the second temperature rise corresponding to the lower limit of the rated food quantity, then the amount of food in the pot body is considered the target amount of food. Wherein, the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the preset value.

2. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset value is greater than or equal to 2 / 3 and less than or equal to 1.

3. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the first duration being greater than or equal to the second duration, obtain the duration interval corresponding to the first duration; Based on the correspondence between the time interval and the preset amount of ingredients, the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first time interval is determined.

4. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: Based on the first temperature rise value being less than or equal to the second temperature rise value, obtain the temperature rise range corresponding to the first temperature rise value; Based on the correspondence between the temperature rise range and the preset amount of ingredients, the amount of ingredients corresponding to the first temperature rise value is determined.

5. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, Also includes: Determine the operating parameters that match the target ingredient quantity; The heating device is controlled to operate according to the operating parameters.

6. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 5, characterized in that, The operating parameters include one or more of the following parameters: The working pressure inside the pot, the heating power of the heating device, and the duration for which the working pressure is maintained.

7. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method of controlling the heating device to operate according to the operating parameters further includes: The heating device is controlled to operate so that the temperature of the pot body is within the limited temperature range.

8. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 7, characterized in that, Any of the limiting temperatures within the specified temperature range is between 110°C and 160°C.

9. The method for estimating the amount of ingredients according to claim 8, characterized in that, Any of the limiting temperatures within the specified temperature range is between 120°C and 150°C.

10. A device for estimating the amount of ingredients for cooking equipment, characterized in that, The cooking equipment includes a pot body and a heating device for heating the pot body, and the ingredient quantity estimation device includes: The first control module is used to control the heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on the amount of food and liquid matching the amount of food being placed in the pot body. The second control module is used to determine the target amount of food by determining whether the temperature rise of the pot body is within a predetermined range based on a first time period when the pot body temperature rises to a preset temperature that is less than a second time period corresponding to a lower limit of the rated food quantity, or a first temperature rise value of the pot body temperature within the predetermined time period that is greater than a second temperature rise value corresponding to a lower limit of the rated food quantity. Wherein, the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the preset value.

11. A cooking appliance, characterized in that, include: The pot body is used to hold the ingredients and the liquid that matches the amount of ingredients; A heating device for heating the pot body; A control device is used to control the heating device to heat the pot body at a preset power based on the amount of food and liquid matching the amount of food being placed in the pot body. The target amount of food is defined as follows: if the first time for the pot body temperature to rise to a preset temperature is less than the second time corresponding to the lower limit of the rated food quantity, or if the first temperature rise of the pot body within the preset time is greater than the second temperature rise corresponding to the lower limit of the rated food quantity, then the amount of food in the pot body is considered the target amount of food. Wherein, the target ingredient quantity is greater than or equal to the product of the upper limit of the rated ingredient quantity and the preset value.

12. The cooking apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: A temperature detection device is installed on the bottom wall and / or side wall of the pot body to obtain the temperature of the pot body.

13. The cooking apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The cooking equipment includes one or more of the following: rice cooker, electric pressure cooker, and cooking robot.

14. A cooking appliance, characterized in that, It includes a processor, a memory, and a program or instructions stored in the memory and running on the processor, wherein when the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

15. A readable storage medium, characterized in that, The readable storage medium stores a program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the ingredient quantity estimation method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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