Roasting method for a cooked product and cooking apparatus

Abstract

A cooking appliance (10), on whose contact heating surface (14) food is roasted, provides that after food is placed on the contact heating surface (14), the food is detected by an electronic detection device (26) by means of a sensor system (22), and that after automatic cooking, an automatic signal is sent to an operator indicating that the food needs to be moved, for example, turned over. Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Method for roasting a cooking product and cooking appliance

[0001] The invention relates to a method of roasting a cooking product and to a cooking appliance itself.

[0002] The method is used for roasting a cooking product by means of cooking appliances having a contact heating surface on which a cooking product to be roasted is placed. An example of such a cooking appliance is a cooking appliance having a pan, the bottom of which constitutes the contact heating surface. Another example is a plate-shaped roasting surface.

[0003] The invention further relates to a cooking appliance itself, which comprises a control for implementing the method described below.

[0004] Current professional cooking appliances are able to carry out cooking in a fully automated manner. Developments are underway to visually monitor the cooking product by means of sensor systems and to adapt the heating energy appropriately to the cooking process and the instantaneous state of the cooking product in relation to the desired target state.

[0005] The invention provides a method which simplifies cooking even further.

[0006] To this end, the invention provides the following steps:

[0007] determining a roasting product placed on the contact heating surface by means of at least one sensor system arranged above the contact heating surface and an electronic detection device connected thereto,

[0008] the allocation, upon first installation, of a stored order identification to the cooking product,

[0009] roasting the cooking product by supplying heat via the contact heating surface, a control of the cooking appliance controlling, depending on the determined cooking product, the quantity of heat supplied according to a cooking path specific to the cooking product provided in a control,

[0010] tracking the position of the cooking product by means of the sensor system during roasting, and

[0011] the transmission of at least one signal to an operator by the control indicating that the cooking product must be moved.

[0012] When first placed, the cooking product is automatically provided, in the control, with an individual identification which is stored in the control. The identification is a digital characteristic and a unique label for the cooking product, in other words a digital signature for the product. cooking time, which is assigned, stored and used by the control unit. The sensor system then tracks the position of the cooking product during roasting, for example continuously, so that the cooking product continues to be recognized even if it is moved or after being moved. The individualization of a cooking product is carried out, for example, by its geometric data such as the contour and / or color data. This information, which also changes during the cooking process, also makes it possible to monitor the cooking process.

[0013] The method according to the invention is characterized by the fact that not only do the visual data of the cooking product obtained from the sensor system make it possible to adapt and control the cooking path taking place in the control, but the operator also receives a signal indicating that the cooking product must be moved.

[0014] The operator may be a person or a mechanical manipulator, for example a freely programmable multi-axis control unit.

[0015] The method optionally provides for checking whether the correct piece among several pieces of cooking product has been returned. If this is not the case, a warning signal could be issued, or if the correct piece has been returned, an "OK" signal could be issued. These signals could be optical and / or acoustic signals.

[0016] Furthermore, the method may be designed to reduce the heating power, after chopping the cooking product, on the heating zones on which the chopped cooking product is located.

[0017] The method according to the invention can also be implemented in such a way that the heating power is adapted and / or heating zones are activated or deactivated in the event of unrequested movement or chopping of the cooking product (if, for example, a cooking product has been moved to another heating zone). If, for example, a cooking product is moved to a heating zone with a lower temperature for so-called "poaching", this is detected visually.

[0018] By means of the method according to the invention, it is achieved that the cooking product can reach its optimum cooking degree not only by the supply of heat, but also that it is moved at the right time, i.e. for example that it is turned over, that it is removed, that it is chopped, that another cooking product is added or that the cooking product is moved on the heating surface by contact, for example towards heating zones with a higher or lower temperature.

[0019] As previously indicated, the signal may be a signal that signals the end of the roasting process for the corresponding cooking product.

[0020] By "cooking product" is meant not only a single cooking product, but also several pieces, for example several steaks. In other words, several pieces to be cooked are detected simultaneously, if several pieces are present.

[0021] The control can be implemented in such a way that the signals are output as a function of times planned in the cooking path, i.e. for example 2 minutes after the start of the cooking process, or as a function of core temperatures and / or surface temperatures determined for example by core temperature probes or the external sensor system.

[0022] It is important, especially when roasting meat, to turn it at the right time. The turning process itself is controlled by the method according to the invention, in order to exclude the operator from only grabbing the cooking product, but putting it back on the same side.

[0023] The method can also determine whether the correct piece among several pieces to be cooked has been returned.

[0024] The sensor system and the detection device further monitor the cooking product during the cooking process. Thus, the cooking product that has already been recognized and detected previously is also to be automatically recognized again after the turning process. This is achieved by means of the method according to the invention using the sensor system and the detection device. By identifying a mirror image of the cooking product before turning, the turned cooking product can optionally be identified. It then continues to be monitored.

[0025] The cooking product can furthermore be detected by the sensor system during roasting, for example continuously, and the progress of roasting can thus be determined continuously. The heat input is changed and / or the time of emission of at least one of the signals for moving the cooking product to be cooked is adapted depending on the progress of roasting.

[0026] During the turning process, the detection device does not need to detect the cooking product continuously or does not need to detect it at all, it is sufficient to detect the result of the turning process and thus to determine whether the turning process was carried out correctly or not and where the cooking product was then deposited.

[0027] Variants of the method therefore provide that, during roasting, the detection is carried out either at short, fixed intervals or continuously, but that the detection is interrupted during the turning process, which is also recognized as such by the detection device.

[0028] The detection device may be an individual control or be integrated into the control of the cooking process.

[0029] When the contact heating surface is composed of a plurality of adjacent heating zones capable of being controlled independently of one another, the method according to the invention optionally provides that the position of the cooking product(s) relative to the heating zones is determined by means of the sensor system and the detection device.

[0030] In this context, a signal can be issued to move the cooking product and to improve the positioning of the cooking product if the cooking product extends over an unnecessarily large number of heating zones. This improves the quality of the cooking process on the one hand and saves energy on the other hand.

[0031] The improved position to be achieved may be displayed on a screen of the cooking appliance and / or a direction of movement leading to the improved position may be displayed, which may also be done on a screen.

[0032] According to the invention, the movement of the cooking product and / or the new position of the cooking product are detected by the sensor system, and a signal is emitted if the improved position is not yet reached or as soon as it is reached.

[0033] If a cooking product protrudes minimally into a neighboring heating zone, this can be tolerated without a signal for changing the position of the cooking product being output. The method provides for storing an edge tolerance that tolerates an edge-side overlap of the cooking product onto a neighboring heating zone so that no signal is output when the cooking product extends within an edge tolerance range of the neighboring heating zone.

[0034] This tolerance range may preferably be between 5 and 15% of the longitudinal dimension of the associated heating zone in the corresponding direction of extension.

[0035] As mentioned above, position tracking can be interrupted during a movement of the baking product, since the movement of a hand or tool in front of the baking product is complex for the sensor system and the detection device. The interruption allows to reduce the amount of data, and the process can run more stably with this option. But since the baking product is individual and can be clearly identified after its movement, this interruption is in no way disadvantageous for the quality of the process.

[0036] If the cooking product is moved out of the detection zone, the cooking path associated with the cooking product can optionally be closed in the control.

[0037] The sensor system comprises at least one camera. Optionally, it may comprise one or more of the following sensors: an RGB sensor, a sensor IR and a depth sensor such as a Lidar sensor or a ToF sensor. The latter allows information to be determined inside the cooking product.

[0038] A variant provides that a light marking projector projects, laterally above the contact heating surface, light markings, in particular lines, onto the cooking product, and that at least one sensor positioned laterally above the contact heating surface and laterally away from the light marking projector, detects the light markings projected onto the cooking product, and that characteristics of the cooking product are determined in the control on the basis of data detected by said at least one sensor.

[0039] The light marking projector is capable of projecting light markings, i.e. a predetermined, in particular uniformly distributed pattern, onto the contact heating surface and thus onto the baking product. It has been found that by limiting the emitted light by means of light strips or, more generally, light patterns, it is possible to obtain highly accurate data despite the problematic external influences mentioned above. This aforementioned projection allows, thanks to the projected light pattern appearing on the baking product in a non-linear manner or in another (shifted or deformed) pattern, a very comprehensive determination of the characteristics of the baking product, for example its dimensions and degree of baking or its baking state by means of the evaluation electronics.

[0040] The pattern itself may be irregular so that the position in space can also be determined by means of the local individual manifestation of the pattern. For example, bands could have small individual protrusions defining a coordinate. These bands are, however, distributed uniformly.

[0041] Numerous light markings, possibly crossing light strips, are in particular projected onto the contact heating surface and thus onto the cooking product placed there. This means that the entire contact heating surface is covered with spaced light markings (thus a light pattern).

[0042] The light marking projector may optionally be a strip projector. The spacing of the light markings on the projected surface is preferably less than 5 mm in order to obtain precise three-dimensional information on the location and volume.

[0043] The method can be simplified if the sensor or another sensor optically detects the baked product without light markings and if the data captured with and without light markings are compared in the evaluation unit and data relating to the three-dimensionality of the baked product are determined on this basis. In simplified terms, the image contents with and without projected illumination are subtracted from each other to obtain the pure image contents resulting from the projection of light markings. This allows three-dimensional information to be determined very reliably and precisely. In addition, the workload of the sensor is reduced. The three-dimensional shape, including the caliber of the baked product, can thus be determined very precisely.

[0044] If necessary, it is sufficient to use a single sensor.

[0045] When data with and without light marking are determined, the cooking product can be detected alternately with and without light marking by the at least one sensor, in particular at a time interval of less than 0.5 seconds or even 0.2 seconds. This has the advantage, among other things, that when the light is detected minimally by the user, the user is not disturbed by the brief activation of the light markings. Furthermore, the short time sequence ensures that the situation at the contact heating surface and the surface of the cooking product is identical in both measurements, i.e. the cooking product has not continued to cook in a recognizable manner and has also not been moved or removed.

[0046] The time sequences of such alternating scanning processes can be several seconds, i.e., for example, data with and without light marking are always captured after 10 seconds at a short frequency for, for example, less than one second. This makes it possible on the one hand to reduce the amount of data and on the other hand to avoid potential user disturbance by the light markings which may be barely recognizable.

[0047] An additional simple sensor, independent of the camera system, for example based on the principle of light extinction time or radar, can be used to initiate the scanning of the cooking zone by means of the sensor of the aforementioned system in the event of a change in the cooking appliance by user intervention.

[0048] In order to be able to adjust the spectrum of light used more precisely, it is possible to use one or more optical filters in front of the detector sensor in order to reduce the radiation spectrum outside the detection wavelength.

[0049] The light marking projector may, for example, emit infrared light bands or infrared light patterns in the near IR spectrum, preferably with a wavelength in the range of 800 to 1000 nm.

[0050] This spectral range is barely or not visible to the human eye. It has also proven advantageous for vapor environments.

[0051] Additionally or alternatively, light patterns are generated with a visible wavelength in the range of 400 to 800 nm.

[0052] The projected light markings can represent a predefined pattern that is constant over time or variable over time.

[0053] A further improvement in the data results can be achieved when the light marking projector also emits infrared light bands or infrared light patterns with a wavelength in the range of 3 to 4 pm (i.e. in the far IR spectrum) and when the at least one sensor or another sensor detects these light markings on the cooking product. In order to be able to detect the entire contact heating surface by means of a camera or only by means of a sensor, it is optionally possible to use an optical distortion (aspherical) lens, for example made of plastic, which is positioned in front of the preferably singular sensor. Alternatively, it is possible to provide an aspherical mirror in the optical beam path, which corrects the geometric distortion due to the positioning of the camera.A data image field thus optically corrected can further be digitally processed as a basis for further data processing.

[0054] The invention further relates to a cooking appliance having a programmed control for implementing the method according to the invention.

[0055] The cooking appliance has a contact heating surface to be heated and a housing edge surrounding the contact heating surface, as well as a tube mounted on the side of the cooking appliance and projecting upwards, on which at least one optical sensor is attached, the wiring of which extends inside the tube to an evaluation electronics housed on or in the cooking appliance.

[0056] The installation of the sensor on the cooking appliance via the tube ensures on the one hand stable and on the other hand simple positioning of the sensor above and to the side of the contact heating surface, in order to scan the latter laterally from above and thus to enable three-dimensional detection of the surface of the cooking product. It is also important that the tube allows easy cleaning and that vapors therefore do not constitute a lasting problem for data capture or overload the wiring or contacts.

[0057] The evaluation electronics can be arranged next to the contact heating surface, i.e. at a lateral distance therefrom.

[0058] The sensor and the tube are preferably provided in a corner area, more precisely in a rear corner area of ​​the edge of the housing.

[0059] Alternatively, however, this tube can be moved away from the roasting surface, attached to a control unit mechanically and laterally connected to the contact heating surface, more precisely to the housing of the control unit. Due to the greater distance from the fumes, temperature and vapors generated during of the cooking process, the impact on the environment and the probability of fouling of the tubular unit are lower.

[0060] A light marking projector can be connected on the side of the cooking appliance, in particular fixedly to the edge of the housing, and be spaced from said at least one sensor.

[0061] The light marking projector is fixed either on or in the same tube, but laterally offset with respect to the sensor, or on or in another tube projecting upwards and fixed on the side of the cooking appliance, in particular a tube located in the opposite edge area or the opposite corner area.

[0062] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will emerge from the following description and the following drawings to which reference is made and in which:

[0063] - [Fig.l] shows a top view of a cooking appliance according to the invention for the implementation of the method according to the invention,

[0064] - [Fig.2] shows the top view of the cooking appliance according to [Fig.l] with the cooking product placed on top,

[0065] - [Fig.3] shows a flowchart of a variant of the method according to the invention, and

[0066] - [Fig.4] shows a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to the invention for the implementation of the method according to the invention.

[0067] [Fig.l] shows a cooking appliance 10 comprising a pan 12 whose bottom forms a contact heating surface 14 composed of a plurality of heating zones 18 arranged in rows and columns, each heating zone 18 comprising one or more heating elements which are uniquely associated therewith, for example electrical resistance heating plates located under the bottom or integrated therein.

[0068] These heating elements are connected to a control 20 of the cooking appliance 10, which controls the heating elements and controls the cooking processes.

[0069] For this purpose, several cooking paths are stored in the control 20 and are selected or automatically chosen depending on the cooking product and the desired degree of cooking.

[0070] Above the contact heating surface 14 is a sensor system 22 comprising one or more sensors 24 which optically detect the contact heating surface 14 and the cooking product located thereon.

[0071] The sensor system 22 is coupled in terms of signaling to a detection device 26 which can be separated from the control 20 or integrated therein and which is also called evaluation electronics.

[0072] [Fig.l] also shows a screen 28 in the form of a touch screen which allows signals to be displayed or data or instructions to be entered.

[0073] The sensors 24 are cameras, which may include one or more RGB sensors, IR sensors and / or depth sensors, for example Lidar sensors or ToF sensors.

[0074] Several of these different sensors may preferably be used to implement their respective advantages in detecting a cooking product and its characteristics and for generating image data.

[0075] The IR sensor(s) generate, for example, image data to recognize the contour of the cooking product. The RGB image data of the corresponding sensor(s) then allows the product itself to be recognized. Finally, the depth sensor(s) provide information on the temperature inside the cooking product.

[0076] When the cooking product is placed on the contact heating surface 14, the cooking product 30 covers one or more heating zones 18 (see [Fig.2]).

[0077] The sensor system 22 determines on which heating zones 18 the cooking product 30 rests.

[0078] The cooking product is individualized by its size, shape and possibly also by its color or color shades and is assigned in the detection device 26, by means of the running program, an identification, for example an identification number, which the cooking product retains until it is cooked and removed. These individual data are determined by the sensor system 22 in combination with the detection device 26.

[0079] The sensor system 22 and the detection device 26 also make it possible to automatically determine the cooking product, i.e. to determine what type of cooking product it is, for example beef, turkey or a variety of vegetables or cut potatoes.

[0080] Geometric data, contour and image data are used to perform this product recognition for this identification number, i.e. for this individual cooking product.

[0081] After recognition of the cooking product, an assigned cooking path, recorded in the control 20 for this cooking product, preferably starts autonomously, for example roasting the steak to a point.

[0082] If the recognition process fails, for example because the corresponding cooking product has not been saved in the control or has not been saved with a suitable cooking process, the operator can, upon request, select a correct recipe or a saved cooking process via the control 20. Subsequently, the cooking path for this cooked product is started.

[0083] The cooking path includes, among other things, the roasting temperature required to achieve the objective and the definition of parameters important for the control such as time or core temperature, these parameters being only examples.

[0084] If, as in [Fig.2], the cooking product 30 is not optimally positioned relative to the heating zones 18 (in this case, it should be moved higher), this is automatically detected by the sensor system 22 and the electronic detection device 26 connected to it.

[0085] A signal to move the cooking product 30 upwards is then emitted on the screen 28, or an upward arrow indicates, for example, the direction of movement in which the cooking product 30 must be moved until it is optimally positioned.

[0086] During this movement process, a signal can also be emitted if the improved position is not yet reached or as soon as it is reached.

[0087] Since the heating zones 18 cannot be completely thermally insulated from each other, a position is still acceptable even if the cooking product 30 slightly overflows on the edge side onto a less or not at all electrically heated heating zone 18.

[0088] In this case, no signal for moving the cooking product 30 is emitted as long as the cooking product 30 extends within an edge tolerance zone T of the neighboring heating zone 18.

[0089] The edge tolerance zone T is shown in [Fig.2] and preferably represents between 5 and 15% of the longitudinal dimension L of the associated heating zone 18 in the corresponding direction of extension, here in [Fig.2] the vertical direction.

[0090] Once the positioning of the cooking product 30 has been carried out and possibly optimized, the corresponding cooking path is called and the cooking product 30 is roasted while possibly continuing to heat the heating zones 18.

[0091] During this roasting process, the cooking product 30 is continuously detected by the sensor system 22, and the progress of the roasting is monitored and determined. The heat input is modified depending on the progress of the roasting or the cooking path.

[0092] Depending on a predefined duration or a core temperature, which can also be determined by the sensor system 22, the detection device 26 emits a signal for the movement of the cooking product 30, firstly for the turning of the cooking product 30 by an operator.

[0093] The operator may be a person or an automatic handling unit.

[0094] The screen 28 indicates which cooking product 30 must be returned.

[0095] The turning process is recognized and, optionally, also monitored. If necessary, the hand of an operator or a turning tool can be detected. Alternatively or additionally, the turning can be detected using the mirror image of the cooking product 30 before or after turning, in order to determine the outer geometry of the turned cooking product 30 and to recognize the turned cooking product 30. The tracking of the position of the cooking product 30 can be interrupted during the turning process.

[0096] It is further possible to issue a signal for the removal of the cooking product 30, in which case, if the cooking product 30 has been moved out of the detection zone, which has again been detected by the sensor system 22, the associated cooking path is closed.

[0097] A signal to chop the cooking product 30 or to add additional cooking product 30 may further be issued.

[0098] In addition to verifying successful flipping by means of the mirror image of the cooking product, the change in browning and / or surface temperature can also be used to identify the side of the cooking product 30 previously placed.

[0099] [Fig. 3] summarizes the individual steps mentioned in more detail above and taking place in the control 20 and / or the detection device 26.

[0100] [Fig.4] shows that the pan 12 can be pivoted about a pivot axis A, preferably in a motorized manner, in order to allow the lowering of the front edge.

[0101] The pan 12 is mounted on a base part 32, on the upper face of which the screen 28 is also located. The base part 32, more precisely its housing 34, houses the control 20 with the detection device 26.

[0102] On a corner area of ​​the edge 36 of the pan housing 12 is fixed a tube 38 on which is provided, in the area of ​​its upper end, a camera 40 with one or more optical sensors 24.

[0103] In the opposite corner area, also in the rear part of the edge 36 of the housing, a second tube 44 is provided which carries a light marking projector 46, which is for example a strip projector. This light marking projector 46 can be placed on or in the tube 44.

[0104] Alternatively, a crossbar is attached to the tube 38, so that the light marker projector 46 and the camera 40 can be placed at a distance from each other.

[0105] The wiring 48 of the camera 40 and the light marking projector 46 extends respectively through the interior of the tube and through a chamber located under the edge 36 of the housing towards the detection device 26.

[0106] Alternatively, the tube 44 or the tube 38, together with the devices fixed thereto, can also be mounted on the control unit, more precisely on its housing 34, preferably on the rear upper edge portion, close to the area rear corner of the edge 36 of the housing (see tube 38, 44 at the far right of [Fig.4]). If the control is not housed in the housing 34 shown, but elsewhere, the housing 34 is still present, because it houses the pan 12. In this case, the tube 38 and / or 44 is optionally attached to the housing 34 of the base piece 32.

[0107] The light marking projector 46 is capable of projecting onto the entire contact heating surface 14 light patterns or light markings 50, preferably parallel and spaced at a minimum, for example in the form of strips, only some of which are shown as examples to maintain clarity.

[0108] The projected light markings 50 form a defined pattern that is constant over time or variable over time. This pattern is in particular an optically uniformly distributed pattern. Optionally, when light strips are used, they may be not only parallel, but also crossed, as sketched.

[0109] Some of the light markings 50 or all of the light markings 50 are light markings having a light wavelength between 800 and 1000 nm or between 400 and 800 nm.

[0110] These light markings 50 may further comprise light of a wavelength in the range of 3-4 qm, or there are other light markings defined by light in this other IR frequency range.

[0111] The light of the luminous markings 50 is preferably, and this is not restrictive, detected exclusively by the camera 40 and here preferably by a single sensor 24. Alternatively, several different sensors can be provided in the camera 40.

[0112] So that only the light in this near IR zone or in the two IR zones reaches the sensor(s) 24, one or more infrared filter(s) 52 are provided before the sensors 24 or after the light marking projector 46.

[0113] If the sensor(s) 24 cannot detect the entire contact heating surface, an optical distortion lens 54 may be placed, for example, just before the sensor(s) 24, through which light can then be detected by the sensor(s) 24 over the entire contact heating surface 14.

[0114] The singular sensor 24 is one or more sensors 24 including a TOF sensor. This can optionally not only provide distance information, but also allows creating a monochrome image of the situation on the contact heating surface 14.

[0115] Furthermore, it is of course possible to use other optical sensors which, under certain circumstances, also provide color information and thus allow conclusions to be drawn about the degree of browning of the cooking product 16.

[0116] A temperature sensor and / or a radar sensor may also be present.

[0117] By means of the data obtained by the sensor(s) 24, the detection device 26 determines characteristics of the cooking product, for example the type of the cooking product 16 itself, its cooking state, the position of the cooking product on the contact heating surface 14, the temperature of the cooking product 16 and / or the size of the cooking product 16. This is done for example by statistical analysis and / or artificial intelligence analysis.

[0118] The information obtained makes it possible to control the cooking process, to give orders to the user or to indicate handling errors.

[0119] The size of the cooking product 16 is detected very precisely thanks to the lateral arrangement of the camera 40. This is achieved by the combination of three-dimensional detection by means of the perspective displacement of the light markings and their evaluation and the visual capture of the images.

[0120] The data quality can be improved by the fact that the sensor(s) 24 not only determine data when light markings 50 are projected, but also when data are acquired without light markings 50, which are compared with the data 50 with light markings. In order to separate these different measurement situations, the projection of the light markings 50 is deactivated or interrupted and, during this time, the contact heating surface 14 and the surface of the cooking product 16 are scanned. Shortly thereafter, light strips or, more generally, light markings 50 are projected again and the contact heating surface 14 and the surface of the cooking product 16 are scanned again by means of these light markings.

[0121] The time interval between these two different measurements may be less than 0.5 seconds, in particular less than 0.2 seconds. In a simplified manner, the image contents thus acquired are subtracted from each other to calculate three-dimensional information on the surface structure and thus the dimensions of the cooking product 16, among other things its thickness.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for roasting a cooking product (30) by means of a contact heating surface (14) of a cooking appliance (10), comprising the following steps: determining a cooking product (30) to be roasted placed on the contact heating surface (14) by means of at least one sensor system (22) arranged above the contact heating surface (14) and an electronic sensor device (26) connected thereto, assigning, upon first setting up, a stored control-related identification to the cooking product (30), roasting the cooking product (30) by supplying heat via the contact heating surface (14), a control of the cooking appliance (10) controlling, depending on the determined cooking product (30), the quantity of heat supplied according to a cooking product-specific cooking path provided in a control (20),tracking the position of the cooking product (30) by means of the sensor system (22) during roasting, and transmitting at least one signal to an operator by the control (20) indicating that the cooking product (30) is to be moved.,

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a signal is a signal to turn, remove, chop, add additional cooking product (30) or move the cooking product (30).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a signal is a signal which signals the end of the roasting process.

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the signals are emitted as a function of times planned in the cooking path or of the determined temperature of the cooking product.

5. Method according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that a turning process is detected by the sensor system (22) and the detection device (26), and the turned cooking product (30) is detected as being turned, in particular by identifying a mirror image of the cooking product (30) before turning.

6. Method according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the cooking product (30) is detected by the sensor system (22) during roasting, in particular continuously, and the progress of roasting is thus determined, and the heat input is modified and / or the time of emission of at least one of the signals is adapted depending on the progress of roasting.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the contact heating surface (14) is composed of a plurality of heating zones (18) adjacent and capable of being controlled independently of one another, the position of the cooking product (30) or the position of the cooking product (30) relative to the heating zones (18) being determined by means of the sensor system (22) and the detection device.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that a signal is emitted to move the cooking product (30) and to improve the positioning of the cooking product (30) if the cooking product (30) extends over an unnecessarily large number of heating zones (18).

9. Method according to claim 8, characterized in that the improved position to be reached is displayed on a screen (28) of the cooking appliance (10) and / or a direction of movement leading to the improved position.

10. Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the movement of the cooking product (30) and / or the new position of the cooking product (30) are detected by the sensor system (22) and a signal is emitted if the improved position is not yet reached or is reached.

11. Method according to one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that an edge tolerance is stored, which tolerates an edge-side overlap of the cooking product (30) on a neighboring heating zone (18), so that no signal is then emitted when the cooking product (30) extends within an edge tolerance range (T) of the neighboring heating zone.

12. Method according to claim 11, characterized in that the edge tolerance range is between 5 and 15% of the longitudinal dimension (L) of the associated heating zone (18) in the corresponding direction of extension.

13. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tracking of the position of the cooking product (30) is interrupted during a motion detection.

14. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that when the cooking product (30) is moved out of the detection zone, the cooking path associated with the cooking product (30) is closed.

15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor system (22) comprises at least one camera, an RGB sensor, an IR sensor and / or a depth sensor such as a Lidar sensor or a ToF sensor.

16. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a light marking projector (46) laterally above the contact heating surface (14) projects light markings (50) onto the baking product (30) and in that at least one sensor (24), which is positioned laterally above the contact heating surface (14) and laterally away from the light marking projector (46), detects the light markings (50) projected onto the baking product (30), and characteristics of the baking product are determined in the control (20) on the basis of data detected by said at least one sensor (24).

17. Method according to claim 16, characterized in that the light marking projector (46) generates light markings (50) with a wavelength in the range of 800 to 1000 nm and further projects infrared light bands with far infrared light, and said at least one sensor (24) or another sensor detects these infrared light bands.

18. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the sensor (24) or another sensor detects the baking product (30) optically without light strips (50), and the data captured with and without light markings (50) are compared in the control (20), and data relating to the three-dimensionality of the baking product (30) are determined on this basis.

19. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cooking product (30) is detected by at least one sensor (24) alternately with and without light marking (50).

20. Cooking appliance comprising a control (20) programmed for implementing the method according to one of the preceding claims.

Images