Heating device

By inclining the camera module's optical axis relative to the imaging plane and shelf surface, the heating device achieves uniform image sharpness across the cooking surface, addressing uneven sharpness issues while maintaining image quality and light intake.

DE202025107196U1Active Publication Date: 2026-02-12LITE ON TECH CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
DE202025107196
Authority / Receiving Office
DE · DE
Patent Type
Utility models
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2025-11-24
Publication Date
2026-02-12
Estimated Expiration
2035-11-30

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional cooking appliances with vertically positioned camera optics relative to the image sensor's imaging plane and tilted to the cooking surface result in uneven image sharpness due to varying distances, necessitating high aperture values that reduce light intake and increase noise, impairing image quality.

Method used

The camera module's optical axis is inclined relative to the imaging plane, intersecting with the shelf surface, allowing for optimal image sharpness without high aperture values, using an aperture less than f/4 and angles between 0-3 degrees for the optical axis and shelf surface, and 0-45 degrees for the lens module.

Benefits of technology

Ensures sharp images across all positions on the cooking surface without reducing light intake, maintaining image quality by optimizing the camera module's positioning and aperture selection.

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Abstract

Heating device (10, 10A), comprising: a cavity (100, 100A) which defines a heating chamber (HC) and has an upper opening (100op), a storage area (120) which is provided within the heating chamber (HC) and has a storage surface (120s) for the placement of an object (OBJ), as well as a camera module (200) which is provided on the cavity (100, 100A) and is suitable for taking pictures of the object (OBJ) located on the tray surface (120s) through the upper opening (100op) ​​of the cavity (100, 100A), wherein the tray surface (120s) of the tray (120) points towards the upper opening (100op) ​​of the cavity (100, 100A) and wherein the imaging plane (IMP) of the camera module (200) is inclined relative to the tray surface (120s) of the tray (120).
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Description

[0001] The present utility model relates to a heating device, in particular a heating device comprising a camera module. [State of the art]

[0002] In conventional cooking appliances, the optical axis of the camera used to record the cooking process inside the oven is typically positioned vertically to the image sensor's imaging plane and tilted relative to the cooking surface and the object being heated. This design can easily lead to variations in the distance between different positions on the cooking surface and the camera, resulting in uneven image sharpness. For example, the sharpness at positions further away from the camera on the cooking surface may differ from the sharpness at positions closer to the camera.

[0003] To ensure sufficient image sharpness at all positions on the storage surface, a lens with a relatively high aperture value (e.g., greater than f / 4) can be used to increase the depth of field. However, a relatively high aperture value reduces the amount of light entering the camera. While increasing the image sensor gain can improve image brightness, it also increases the sensor's output noise, leading to reduced image quality and impairing the monitoring of the oven's heating dynamics. [Subject of the utility model]

[0004] The present utility model provides a heating device whose camera module simultaneously enables the recording of sharp images of all positions on the shelf.

[0005] The heating device according to the present utility model comprises a cavity, a shelf, and a camera module. The cavity defines a heating chamber and has an upper opening. The shelf is located within the heating chamber and has a surface for placing an object. The camera module is located outside the cavity and is capable of capturing images of the object on the shelf surface through the upper opening. The shelf surface faces the upper opening of the cavity. The imaging plane of the camera module is inclined relative to the shelf surface.

[0006] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the camera module comprises an image sensor and a lens module. The image sensor has an imaging plane. The lens module is positioned between the image sensor and the upper opening of the cavity and has an optical axis. The optical axis of the lens module is not perpendicular to the imaging plane of the image sensor.

[0007] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the imaging plane of the image sensor, the main plane of the lens module and the storage surface of the tray intersect on a common line of intersection or a common point of intersection.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the common line of intersection or the common point of intersection is located outside the cavity.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the aperture value of the lens module is less than 4.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the angle between the optical axis of the lens module and the imaging plane of the image sensor is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 3 degrees.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the angle between the optical axis of the lens module and the tray surface is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the angle between the imaging plane and the storage surface of the tray is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 48 degrees.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the cavity has several side walls surrounding the upper opening and the shelf, one of the side walls being provided with an opening for object removal or object placement and a chamber door corresponding to the opening for object removal or object placement, the object being placed into or removed from the heating chamber through the opening for object removal or object placement.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the camera module overlaps the tray surface in the direction of the normal of the tray surface.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, several camera modules are also included, wherein the cavity also has several upper openings and wherein the camera modules are each provided correspondingly to the upper openings.

[0016] In summary, in an exemplary embodiment of the heating device according to the present utility model, the shelf located within the heating chamber has a surface for placing an object. The camera module, located outside the cavity, captures images of the object on the shelf surface through the upper opening of the cavity, with the imaging plane of the camera module being inclined relative to the shelf surface. In contrast to heating devices according to the prior art, in which the cavity opening for capturing images inside the cavity is located on the side wall of the cavity, the upper opening of the cavity according to the present utility model is located directly opposite the shelf surface, so that the captured images of all positions on the shelf surface exhibit relatively high image sharpness. [Explanation of the characters] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the heating device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic sectional view of the heating device. Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a heating device used for comparison purposes. Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the heating device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. Figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the heating device. Fig. 4. [Examples of embodiments]

[0017] The aforementioned and further technical features, characteristics, and functions of the present utility model are explained in more detail in the following description of an advantageous exemplary embodiment with reference to the accompanying figures. The directional terms such as up, down, left, right, front, or back, etc., in the following exemplary embodiments refer only to the directions shown in the accompanying figures. The directional terms used thus serve only for illustration purposes and do not constitute any restriction of the present utility model in this respect.

[0018] Fig. Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the heating device according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. Figure 2 shows a schematic sectional view of the heating device. Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 3 shows a schematic sectional view of a heating device used for comparison purposes. For the sake of clarity, the details are omitted in Figure 3. Fig. 2 a representation of the heating hardware 50 and the control panel 60.

[0019] As in the Fig. 1 and Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the heating device 10 comprises a cavity 100, a shelf 120, and a camera module 200. The cavity 100 defines a heating chamber HC, within which the shelf 120 is provided. The shelf 120 has a storage surface 120s for placing an object OBJ. In the present exemplary embodiment, the heating device 10 is, for example, an oven suitable for heating food (i.e., an object OBJ). Therefore, the heating device 10 may also include heating hardware 50 (for example, a heating structure not shown in the figures, a temperature sensor module, a control board, etc.) and a control panel 60. However, there is no such limitation in this respect to the present utility model. In further exemplary embodiments, the heating device 10 may be a microwave oven.

[0020] Specifically, the cavity 100 comprises a cavity top 100tp and several side walls 100w, wherein the side walls 100w surround and are connected to the cavity top 100tp. In the present exemplary embodiment, the number of side walls 100w is, for example, four, although this is not a limitation of the present utility model. In further exemplary embodiments, the number of side walls 100w can be adapted according to the cavity construction required for the heating device. From another perspective, the side walls 100w are also provided to surround the shelf 120, wherein one of the side walls 100w is provided with an opening for object removal or object placement 100wop and a chamber door 100d corresponding to the opening for object removal or object placement 100wop.

[0021] For example, the user can open the chamber door 100d to access the shelf 120 located inside the heating chamber HC and remove an object OBJ from or place it on the shelf 120 through the opening 100w provided on the side wall for object removal or object placement 100wop. When the chamber door 100d is closed, the opening 100wop for object removal or object placement on the side wall 100w is covered by the chamber door 100d, so that the heating chamber HC constitutes a sealed space.

[0022] On the other hand, the camera module 200 is provided on the cavity 100 and serves to record images of an object OBJ located on the shelf 120. For example, changes in the external appearance of the object OBJ located on the shelf 120 can be recorded synchronously by the camera module 200 while the object OBJ is being heated by the heating device 10. In the present exemplary embodiment, the camera module 200 is provided on one side of the upper surface 100tp of the cavity 100, wherein the upper surface 100tp is provided with an upper opening 100op and the camera module 200 records images of the object OBJ located on the shelf surface 120s through the upper opening 100op of the upper surface 100tp of the cavity.

[0023] It is particularly important to note that the tray surface 120s of the tray 120 points towards the upper opening 100op of the cavity 100, with the imaging plane IMP of the camera module 200 being inclined relative to the tray surface 120s of the tray 120. More specifically, the camera module 200 overlaps the tray surface 120s of the tray 120 in the direction of the normal of the tray surface 120s (for example, the Z direction). The camera module 200 specifically comprises an image sensor 210 and a lens module 230, the image sensor 210 having an imaging plane IMP. The lens module 230 is positioned between the image sensor 210 and the upper opening 100op of the cavity 100 and has an optical axis OA.

[0024] The image sensor 210, for example, is a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) or a charge-coupled device (CCD), although there is no restriction in this regard to the present utility model. For the lens module 230, a known lens design (for example, a wide-angle lens, a normal lens, or a fisheye lens) can be used, which may include several lenses, although there is no restriction in this regard to the present utility model.

[0025] Referring to Fig. Section 3 first explains that in a heating device 11 according to the prior art, the camera module 200C captures images of the object OBJ located on the shelf 120 through a side wall opening 100op'' of a side wall 100w of the cavity 100, wherein the imaging plane IMP of the image sensor 210 is inclined relative to the shelf surface 120s. In the heating device 11 used for comparison purposes, the optical axis OA'' of the lens module 230C of the camera module 200C is arranged vertically to the imaging plane IMP of the image sensor 210. Such a design can lead to deviations in the distances between different positions on the shelf 120 and the image sensor 210, which further leads to the problem of an uneven distribution of the image sharpness of the entire object OBJ on the imaging plane IMP.

[0026] For example, the sharpest image can be produced on the imaging plane IMP of the part of object OBJ that is located on the focal plane FP of camera module 200C. However, the image sharpness of other parts of object OBJ on the imaging plane IMP can decrease with increasing distance from the focal plane FP. To ensure sufficient image sharpness for all positions on the storage surface 120s, a method for increasing the depth of field by using a lens with a relatively high f-stop (e.g., greater than f / 4) is proposed. As described in Fig. Figure 3 shows that a lens with a high f-stop can be selected for the lens module 230C of the camera module 200C, so that the depth of field e DOF of the camera module 200C covers the distribution area of ​​the storage surface 120s. Thus, the imaging can exhibit sufficient sharpness for all parts of the object OBJ on the imaging plane IMP. However, a relatively high f-stop reduces the amount of light entering the camera module 200C. While increasing the gain of the image sensor 210 can improve image brightness, it also increases the output noise of the image sensor 210, leading to reduced image quality.

[0027] To resolve the problems of heating device 11 from Fig. To solve problem 3, the optical axis OA of the lens module 230 of the camera module 200 is not perpendicular to the imaging plane IMP of the image sensor 210 in the present exemplary embodiment. As shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, in an advantageous exemplary embodiment, the angle A1 between the optical axis OA of the lens module 230 and the imaging plane IMP of the image sensor 210 can be greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 3 degrees, while the angle A2 between the optical axis OA and the storage surface 120s can be greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees. From another perspective, this means that the angle A3 between the imaging plane IMP and the storage surface 120s can be greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 48 degrees.

[0028] It should be noted that in a particularly advantageous exemplary embodiment, the imaging plane IMP of the image sensor 210, the principal plane 230p of the lens module 230, and the storage surface 120s of the storage unit 120 can intersect at a common intersection line ITL or a common intersection point ITP, wherein the common intersection line ITL or the common intersection point ITP is located outside the cavity 100. Such a design allows the depth of field of the camera module 200 in this exemplary embodiment to be sufficient for all positions on the storage surface 120s without requiring an increase in order to achieve adequate sharpness of the images generated on the imaging plane IMP. Conversely, this means that the aperture value of the lens module 230 of the camera module 200 in this exemplary embodiment can be less than f / 4.

[0029] On the other hand, because the camera module 200 is provided on one side of the cavity top 100tp of the cavity 100 in the present exemplary embodiment, the angle A2 between the optical axis OA of the lens module 230 and the storage surface 120s is greater than the angle A2'' between the optical axis OA'' of the lens module 230C. Fig. 3 and the storage surface 120s. In other words, the position of the camera module 200 in the present exemplary embodiment can further reduce the depth of field required for recording, thus increasing the flexibility in the selection of the lens module 230.

[0030] To further illustrate the present disclosure, another exemplary embodiment is described below. Identical components are provided with identical reference numerals, while the description of identical technical details is omitted. Parts omitted were already described in the previous embodiment and are therefore not described again here.

[0031] Fig. Figure 4 shows a schematic view of the heating device according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. Figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view of the heating device. Fig. 4. For the sake of clarity, the following is omitted in Fig. 5 the representation of the heating hardware 50 and the control panel 60 from Fig. 4. As in the Fig. 4 and Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the difference between the heating device 10A according to the present exemplary embodiment and the heating device 10 consists of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 only in the differing number of camera modules provided. Specifically, the number of camera modules in the heating device 10A according to the present exemplary embodiment is four, although there is no such limitation in the present utility model.

[0032] For example, in the present exemplary embodiment, four upper openings 100op can be provided on the upper surface 100tp of the cavity 100A, wherein these four upper openings 100op can each be located in the area of ​​the upper surface 100tp close to the four side walls 100w (for example, the heating hardware 50 located on the upper surface 100tp). Fig. 4 surrounding). In the present exemplary embodiment, the four camera modules 200 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the heating hardware 50 located on the upper surface 100tp of the cavity, although there is no such limitation in this respect to the present utility model. In further exemplary embodiments, the number of camera modules 200 provided on any side of the heating hardware 50 located on the upper surface 100tp of the cavity can be more than one. Alternatively, the two camera modules 200 located on the two opposite sides of the heating device 50 can be not aligned with each other (i.e., arranged asymmetrically).

[0033] Because the positioning of each camera module 200 with respect to the storage surface 120s in the present exemplary embodiment is similar to that of the camera module 200 made of Fig.2, detailed descriptions can already be found in the corresponding sections of the embodiment described above and are therefore not repeated here.

[0034] In summary, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present utility model, the heating device has a shelf within the heating chamber that serves as a platform for placing an object. The camera module located outside the cavity is capable of capturing images of the object on the shelf surface through the upper opening of the cavity, with the imaging plane of the camera module being inclined relative to the shelf surface. In contrast to heating devices according to the prior art, in which the cavity opening for capturing images inside the cavity is located on the side wall of the cavity, the upper opening of the cavity in the present utility model is positioned directly opposite the shelf surface, so that the captured images of all positions on the shelf surface exhibit relatively optimal image sharpness. [Explanation of reference symbols] 10, 10A, 11 Heating device 50 Heating hardware 60 Control panel 100, 100A: Cavity 100d chamber door 100op Top Opening 100op'' side wall opening 100tp cavity top 100w side panel 100wop opening for object removal or object placement 120 storage 120s storage surface 200, 200C: Camera module 210 image sensor 230, 230C: Lens module 230p Main Level A1, A2, A3, A2'' Angle DOF Depth of field FP focal plane HC heating chamber IMP imaging plane ITL Common Intersection Line ITP Common Intersection OA, OA'' Optical Axis OBJ Object Z direction

Claims

[1] Heating device (10, 10A), comprising: a cavity (100, 100A) which defines a heating chamber (HC) and has an upper opening (100op), a storage area (120) which is provided within the heating chamber (HC) and has a storage surface (120s) for the placement of an object (OBJ), as well as a camera module (200) which is provided on the cavity (100, 100A) and is suitable for taking pictures of the object (OBJ) located on the tray surface (120s) through the upper opening (100op) ​​of the cavity (100, 100A), wherein the tray surface (120s) of the tray (120) points towards the upper opening (100op) ​​of the cavity (100, 100A) and wherein the imaging plane (IMP) of the camera module (200) is inclined relative to the tray surface (120s) of the tray (120). [2] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 1, wherein the camera module (200) comprises: - an image sensor (210) which has the imaging plane (IMP), as well as - a lens module (230) which is provided between the image sensor (210) and the upper opening (100op) ​​of the cavity (100, 100A) and has an optical axis (OA), wherein the optical axis (OA) of the lens module (230) is not provided perpendicular to the said imaging plane (IMP) of the image sensor (210). [3] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 2, wherein the imaging plane (IMP) of the image sensor (210), the principal plane (230p) of the lens module (230) and the storage surface (120s) of the storage (120) intersect on a common intersection line (ITL) or a common intersection point (ITP). [4] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 3, wherein the common intersection line (ITL) or the common intersection point (ITP) is located outside the cavity (100, 100A). [5] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 2, wherein the aperture value of the lens module (230) is less than 4. [6] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 2, wherein the angle (A1) between the optical axis (OA) of the lens module (230) and the imaging plane (IMP) of the image sensor (210) is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 3 degrees. [7] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 2, wherein the angle (A2) between the optical axis (OA) of the lens module (230) and the storage surface (120s) of the tray (120) is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 45 degrees. [8] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 1, wherein the angle (A3) between the imaging plane (IMP) and the storage surface (120s) of the storage (120) is greater than or equal to 0 degrees and less than or equal to 48 degrees. [9] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 1, wherein the cavity (100, 100A) has several side walls (100w) surrounding the upper opening (100op) ​​and the shelf (120), wherein one of the side walls (100w) is provided with an opening for object removal or object placement (100wop) and a chamber door (100d) corresponding to the opening for object removal or object placement (100wop), wherein the object (OBJ) is placed into or removed from the heating chamber (HC) through the opening for object removal or object placement (100wop). [10] Heating device (10, 10A) according to claim 1, wherein in the direction of the normal of the storage surface (120s) of the storage (120) the camera module (200) overlaps the storage surface (120s) of the storage (120). [11] Heating device (10A) according to claim 1, further comprising: several camera modules (200), wherein the cavity (100A) also has several upper openings (100op), and wherein the said camera modules (200) are each provided correspondingly to the upper openings (100op).