Cooking device

Abstract

To solve the problem that a setting operation to each operation button of a heating cooker is very troublesome and takes time.SOLUTION: Heating cooker 100 includes a heating chamber that houses an object to be heated, heating unit 201 that heats the inside of the heating chamber, operation unit 202 on which an input operation is performed by a user, imaging unit 203 that images the inside of the heating chamber, and information storage unit 206 that stores management information corresponding to heating control information about the object to be heated in association with the heating control information. Heating cooker 100 further includes recognition processing unit 205 that recognizes heating control information from an image captured by imaging unit 203, and management information processing unit 207 that acquires management information corresponding to the heating control information recognized by recognition processing unit 205 from information storage unit 206 and changes a setting related to at least one of heating unit 201, imaging unit 203, information storage unit 206, and recognition processing unit 205 based on the management information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance and a control method for a cooking appliance that allows heating control and maintenance work to be easily performed based on images captured by a camera installed inside the cooking appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] A microwave oven is known as an example of a cooking appliance. With a microwave oven, a user inputs the heating time and other settings, and then presses a button to start heating. This causes the food to be cooked. In stores such as convenience stores and supermarkets that sell boxed lunches and side dishes in containers, the store clerk (user) sometimes provides a service of cooking purchased food in a microwave oven and serving it to the user.

[0003] This type of heating and cooking service will now be explained. Generally, the containers of lunch boxes and prepared foods have the optimum heating time for heating in a microwave oven displayed on them. The user looks at the display, sets the heating time in the microwave oven, and heats the food. The operation section of the microwave oven is provided with numeric keys and the like, and the heating time (minutes, seconds) is set.

[0004] In some cases, a microwave oven has multiple operation buttons, each assigned to a different heating time. In this case, the user can select the button corresponding to the food to be heated, and the food can be heated with heating control appropriate for that food and served to the customer.

[0005] However, such microwave ovens have the problem that the user has to take the trouble to input the heating time and the like.

[0006] For this reason, techniques have been proposed for automatically setting the heating time, etc., in a microwave oven. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reading cooking information stored in an external storage device and setting a cooking method in a microwave oven. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-116984 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The present disclosure solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a control method for a heating cooker that eliminates the need for cumbersome input work such as checking the operation of hardware and changing cooking menu settings such as heating time, and allows users to easily perform maintenance work and heat and cook heated items. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The cooking device of the present disclosure includes a heating chamber that stores an object to be heated, a heating unit that heats the inside of the heating chamber, an operation unit that receives input operations from a user, a photographing unit that photographs the inside of the heating chamber, an information storage unit that stores management information corresponding to heating control information attached to the object to be heated or information on a setting label for changing settings in the cooking device, a recognition processing unit that recognizes the heating control information of the object to be heated or information on the setting label from an image photographed by the photographing unit, and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on at least the heating control information of the object to be heated recognized by the recognition processing unit. and a management information processing unit that, when the recognition processing unit recognizes the setting label, acquires management information corresponding to the information on the setting label from the information storage unit and changes the version of software related to control of the cooking appliance based on the management information corresponding to the information on the setting label. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the cooking device of the present disclosure, troublesome input work such as setting the heating time and the like is not required, and the user can easily perform maintenance work and cook the object to be heated, such as food. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an external appearance of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing examples of food items to be cooked in the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure and examples of shapes of the food items. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of recognition of at least one of characters, labels, and barcodes in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of characters and labels in the image recognition process of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing other examples of characters and labels in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the image recognition process in the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation panel of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to association between heating control information for an object to be heated and setting process contents in the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to the association between heating control information for an object to be heated and cooking menu management information in cooking parameter setting for the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to associations between cooking menu management information for an object to be heated and each operation panel button in cooking parameter setting for the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a cooking device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a character and a label with multiple entries in the image recognition process in the cooking device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing other examples of characters and labels with multiple entries in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing image recognition processing in the cooking device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to the association of heating control information of an object to be heated, camera management information, and their priorities in a camera check of a cooking device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of characters and labels in the image recognition process in the cooking device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of characters and a label containing special symbols in addition to heating control characters in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of food with text containing special symbols in addition to heating control text and a label attached thereto, in the image recognition process in the heating cooker of the third embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] (Findings that formed the basis of this disclosure) With conventional technology, the types and sizes of boxed lunches and prepared dishes change with periodic maintenance, seasonal changes, events, etc. For this reason, users must change the allocation of heating times to each operation button on the microwave oven each time, which requires repeated pressing of operation buttons to change settings, which is extremely troublesome and time-consuming.

[0013] The present disclosure solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a heating cooker that eliminates the need for cumbersome input work such as checking the operation of hardware and changing cooking menu settings such as heating time, and allows users to easily perform maintenance work, heat and cook heated items, and, as an example, change settings.

[0014] (An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure) A control method for a heating cooker according to one example embodiment of the present disclosure recognizes code information, and if the recognized code information is heating control information for heating an object to be heated, sets the amount of heat and heating time by the heating unit of the heating cooker, and if the recognized code information is setting change information other than heating control information, changes the settings of the heating cooker other than the heating control information, and both starting heating by the heating unit of the heating cooker and changing the settings of the heating cooker are performed by a user operating an operating unit of the heating cooker.

[0015] This method eliminates the need for cumbersome input operations such as setting the heating time, and allows the user to easily perform maintenance work and heat and cook items to be heated, such as food.

[0016] Furthermore, a cooking appliance according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a heating chamber that stores an object to be heated, a heating unit that heats the interior of the heating chamber, an operation unit that is operated by a user, an imaging unit that photographs the interior of the heating chamber, and an information storage unit that stores management information corresponding to the heating control information for the object to be heated in association with the heating control information. The cooking appliance also includes a recognition processing unit that recognizes the heating control information from an image photographed by the imaging unit, and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on at least the interior state of the heating chamber photographed by the imaging unit and the heating control information for the object to be heated. The cooking appliance also includes a management information processing unit that acquires management information corresponding to the heating control information recognized by the recognition processing unit from the information storage unit, and changes settings related to at least one of the control unit, the heating unit, the imaging unit, the information storage unit, and the recognition processing unit based on the management information.

[0017] With this configuration, the settings are changed based on the pre-registered management information associated with the read heating control information, eliminating the need for cumbersome input work such as setting the heating time, and allowing the user to easily perform maintenance and cook food or other items to be heated.

[0018] In addition, in a heating cooker according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the recognition processing unit may be capable of recognizing multiple pieces of heating control information, and the management information processing unit may perform multiple setting change processes simultaneously or sequentially based on the order in which the multiple pieces of heating control information are recognized.

[0019] With this configuration, it is possible to sequentially execute a plurality of setting change processes based on management information that is associated with the read heating control information and that is registered in advance. This eliminates the need for cumbersome input operations such as setting the heating time, and allows the user to easily perform maintenance and cook food or other objects to be heated, thereby providing a cooking appliance.

[0020] In addition, in a heating cooker according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the management information processing unit has a setting change determination unit that determines at least one of whether a setting change can be made and the priority based on each piece of management information stored in the information storage unit, and the setting change determination unit may change the settings related to the heating chamber based on the result of the determination.

[0021] With this configuration, it is possible to execute multiple setting change processes in a predetermined order based on pre-registered management information associated with the read heating control information and at least one of pre-registered priorities and execution determinations. This eliminates the need for cumbersome input work such as setting the heating time, and allows the user to obtain a heating cooker that can easily perform maintenance work and heat and cook food or other heated objects.

[0022] In addition, in the cooking device according to an example of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating unit may perform heating control based on the result of the determination made by the setting change determination unit.

[0023] With this configuration, it is possible to heat and cook an object under heating control conditions suitable for the object, based on management information related to heating control, such as additional heating and time-saving heating, that is associated with the read heating control information and registered in advance. This eliminates the need for cumbersome input work such as setting the heating time, and makes it possible to heat and cook an object simply under heating control conditions suitable for the object.

[0024] In addition, in a heating cooker according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, the recognition processing unit can further recognize information other than the heating control information of the heated object, and when the setting change determination unit recognizes the information, it may prioritize the information over the management information corresponding to the heating control information and change the settings.

[0025] With this configuration, when pre-registered special symbols, numbers, etc. are recognized, they are associated with heating control information containing those symbols, letters, etc., and setting change processing and heating control processing, etc. can be executed in sequence based on the pre-registered management information and pre-registered execution judgment criteria. This eliminates the need for cumbersome input work such as setting the heating time, etc., and allows the user to obtain a heating cooker that can easily perform maintenance work and heat and cook heated objects such as food.

[0026] Furthermore, a heating cooker according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a display unit capable of displaying information relating to at least one of the settings changed by the management information processing unit and the management information stored in the information storage unit.

[0027] With this configuration, the settings acquisition process is performed based on the pre-registered management information associated with the read heating control information. This eliminates the need for cumbersome input work when checking version information and the status of the heating chamber, making it easier for the user to understand.

[0028] The control method for a heating cooker of the present disclosure is a control method for a heating cooker that includes a heating chamber that stores an object to be heated, a heating unit that heats the inside of the heating chamber, an operation unit that is operated by a user, an image capturing unit that captures an image of the inside of the heating chamber, and an information storage unit that stores management information corresponding to the heating control information of the object to be heated in association with the heating control information.The heating control information is recognized from the image captured by the image capturing unit, and the management information corresponding to the recognized heating control information is stored as information. This is a method of changing settings related to at least one of the heating unit, the imaging unit, the information storage unit, and the recognition processing unit based on the management information obtained from the storage unit.

[0029] This method associates the read heating control information with the pre-registered management information and performs a setting change process, eliminating the need for cumbersome input work such as setting the heating time, and providing a control method for a heating cooker that allows the user to easily perform maintenance and cook food or other items to be heated.

[0030] Hereinafter, examples of embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0031] (First embodiment) FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the appearance of a cooking device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0032] 1, cooking device 100 has a housing 111 for storing food 107, which is an object to be heated, and a door panel 101 for putting food 107 in and taking it out. Cooking device 100 has a heating information display unit 102 and a selection unit 103 above door panel 101 in housing 111.

[0033] As will be described later, cooking device 100 reads the heating time corresponding to food 107 from an indication such as a label attached to food 107, and cooks food 107 for the heating time that has been read. Heating information display unit 102 displays the heating time that has been read.

[0034] As an example, the selection unit 103 includes a "menu" button that allows the user to select a menu corresponding to the food 107 to be heated when the heating time cannot be read, and at least one of a number button, a "minute" button, and a "second" button for manually setting the heating time. The selection unit 103 also includes a "heating start button" for starting heating and a "heating stop button" for stopping heating. The selection unit 103 may also include a "menu switch" button for switching to a menu (memory number) corresponding to the food 107 to be heated, and a "number" button for manually setting the heating time (input of minutes and seconds) without using the memory (see FIG. 8).

[0035] Cooking appliance 100 also includes cooking chamber 104, which is a heating chamber, within housing 111. Cooking chamber 104 is provided with lighting unit 105 provided on the interior surface thereof and camera 106 provided on the top surface thereof. Camera 106 is installed at the top of cooking chamber 104, so that the entire interior can be photographed from the top. Camera 106 is electrically connected to and controlled by a control circuit (not shown) provided in cooking appliance 100.

[0036] Cooking device 100 is configured to use camera 106 to photograph food 107 stored in cooking chamber 104, and to detect heating information related to food 107 from the photographed image information.

[0037] As described above, the cooking appliance 100 is also provided with an illumination unit 105 provided on the interior side of the cooking chamber 104. In the example of Fig. 1, the illumination unit 105 is arranged on the side of the cooking chamber 104, and illuminates the entire interior of the cooking chamber 104 from the interior side.

[0038] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the cooking device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2, the cooking device 100 includes a heating unit 201, an operation unit 202, an image capturing unit 203, a control unit 204, a recognition processing unit 205, an information storage unit 206, and a management information processing unit 207.

[0040] Heating unit 201 is made up of, for example, a magnetron, and supplies high frequency waves to food 107 placed in cooking chamber 104 to heat food 107 .

[0041] The operation unit 202 has, for example, a touch panel and a plurality of keys, and is used by the user when setting the heating time and starting heating.

[0042] The photographing unit 203 is made up of, for example, a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor, and photographs the inside of the cooking chamber 104. The photographing unit 203 has the above-mentioned camera 106 and a control circuit.

[0043] The control unit 204 controls the heating unit 201 based on the state of the interior of the cooking chamber 104 photographed by the photographing unit 203, heating control information for the food 107 to be heated, and the like.

[0044] At least one of the control unit 204, the recognition processing unit 205, and the management information processing unit 207 includes a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits. At least one of the control unit 204, the recognition processing unit 205, and the management information processing unit 207 executes various controls using a program running on the microcomputer. At least one of the control unit 204, the recognition processing unit 205, and the management information processing unit 207 may include a microcomputer and its peripheral circuits.

[0045] The microcomputer and peripheral circuits may be in any form as long as they perform the control described below. At least one of the control unit 204, the recognition processing unit 205, and the management information processing unit 207 may be configured with an arithmetic processing unit and a storage unit that stores a control program. Examples of the arithmetic processing unit include an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) and a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Examples of the storage unit include a memory. The control program recorded in the storage unit is executed by the arithmetic processing unit.

[0046] Furthermore, at least one of the control unit 204, the recognition processing unit 205, and the management information processing unit 207 may be configured with hard logic. Configuring with hard logic is effective in improving processing speed. Each component may be configured with a single semiconductor chip, or may be physically configured with multiple semiconductor chips. When configured with multiple semiconductor chips, each control described below can be realized with a separate semiconductor chip.

[0047] The recognition processing unit 205 detects information related to heating control information (such as heating wattage and heating time) written on the food label from the image captured by the image capturing unit 203, and analyzes whether the information is text information (information related to heating control). The food label character recognition method may include, for example, at least one of a method of detecting heating control information enclosed in a frame within the food label and a method of detecting the outline of the food label. Furthermore, the text information may include not only the heating control information of the food 107, but also at least one of image information of the entire food, the type of food 107 associated with it, and information regarding the shape and expiration date of the food 107.

[0048] The information storage unit 206 is made up of a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and stores the heating control information analyzed by the recognition processing unit 205 and the management information related to the control of the cooking appliance 100. That is, information storage unit 206 stores a table in which heating control information and management information are associated with each other.

[0049] The heating control information is, for example, the amount of heating (i.e., heating output or wattage) and the heating time corresponding to that amount of heating.

[0050] The management information is information related to the control of the cooking appliance 100 (e.g., information related to at least one of the heating unit 201, the photographing unit 203, the information storage unit 206, and the recognition processing unit 205), and is setting information including, for example, at least one of the exposure setting time of the camera 106, focus setting information, lighting brightness setting information, cleaning information for the cooking appliance 100, the heating time of the heating unit 201, and the heating wattage. The cleaning information is information on whether cleaning is possible when dirt on the camera, top plate, and surface of the cooking appliance 104, dust on the filter, etc., needs to be removed. The management information also includes status information such as the number of times the door of the cooking appliance 100 has been opened and closed, and version information of the software related to the control of the cooking appliance 100. In addition to the heating control information, the information stored in the information storage unit 206 may include at least one of shape information of the food 107, management information for the cooking appliance 100, management information for the camera 106, and information related to heating control and operation.

[0051] The management information processing unit 207 acquires management information for the interior of the heating cooking chamber 104 associated with the heating control information detected by the recognition processing unit 205 from the information storage unit 206, and performs processing to change settings for the interior of the heating cooking chamber 104, such as the cooking menu and parameter settings of the camera 106, in accordance with control instructions from the control unit 204.

[0052] 3 and 4 are diagrams showing examples of recognition of at least one of characters, labels, and barcodes in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. These diagrams show examples of images of food labels 302 to be recognized, and are diagrams showing examples of barcode recognition and character recognition in the image recognition process.

[0053] In the following embodiments, the barcode is not limited to a one-dimensional code, but also includes a two-dimensional code such as a QR code (registered trademark).

[0054] 3 and 4 show food 301, which is a boxed lunch, as an example. A food label 302 is attached to food 301, displaying text information about the name and price of the food, as well as heating control information. Note that food label 302 may display the heating control information, such as the amount of heat and the heating time corresponding to that amount, in the form of characters and symbols that can be directly recognized by the user, or may display the heating control information as a barcode corresponding to the amount of heat and the heating time corresponding to that amount of heat.

[0055] In the example shown in FIG. 4, heating times corresponding to different amounts of heat are displayed in heating control character target area 303 on food label 302. Heating control character target area 303 displays heating times corresponding to multiple amounts of heat. Specifically, as a guideline for heating in a typical household microwave oven, for example, 2 minutes 30 seconds, which is the heating time when heating at a heating amount of 500 W, and as a guideline for heating in a commercial microwave oven, for example, 0 minutes 45 seconds, which is the heating time when heating at a heating amount of 1500 W, are displayed side by side. In other words, heating control character target area 303 displays, for example, "500W 2 minutes 30 seconds 1500W 0 minutes 45 seconds."

[0056] The heating control character target area 303 contains a first character string that is a number representing a predetermined amount of heating, for example, "500", a second character string that represents the unit of that amount of heating, for example, "W", a third character string that is a number representing the heating time at that amount of heating, for example, "2", and a fourth character string that represents the unit of the heating time. A fifth character string, which is a number representing the heating time at that heating amount, for example, "minutes," a sixth character string, which is a number representing the heating time at that heating amount, for example, "30," and a sixth character string, which is a unit of the heating time, for example, "seconds," are displayed in this order.

[0057] Furthermore, the heating control character target area 303 displays, in this order, a seventh character string which is a number representing a heating amount greater than the above-mentioned predetermined heating amount, for example, "1500", an eighth character string which represents the unit of the heating amount, for example, "W", a ninth character string which is a number representing the heating time at that heating amount, for example, "0", a tenth character string which represents the unit of the heating time, for example, "minutes", an eleventh character string which is a number representing the heating time at that heating amount, for example, "45", and a twelfth character string which represents the unit of the heating time, for example, "seconds".

[0058] In this embodiment, the second and eighth character strings use "W (watt)," an SI unit representing heat quantity, but other characters or units may be used as long as they represent a unit of heating power. Furthermore, the fourth, sixth, tenth, and twelfth character strings use "minutes" or "seconds" as characters representing units of time, but other characters or units may be used as long as they represent a unit of time.

[0059] Also, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the barcode is displayed in a barcode target area 304 on the food label 302.

[0060] 5 and 6 are diagrams showing an example of a setting label in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, these diagrams show an example of an image of a setting label for changing settings in the cooking chamber 104, and are diagrams showing an example of character recognition in the image recognition process.

[0061] In Figure 5, the setting label 401 uses a display format for heating control information (heating amount, heating time), and information regarding management information is written in the part of the number corresponding to the heating amount and the number corresponding to the heating time according to that heating amount.

[0062] Specifically, the number for the heating amount on setting label 401 is written as "1111," which corresponds to management information identification ID 1. The heating time is written as "1 minute 1 second," with information for identification ID 2 written in the number space before the "minutes" of the heating time, and information for identification ID 3 written in the number space before the "seconds" of the heating time.

[0063] 6, information relating to management information is written in the same manner as in FIG. 5, in accordance with the display format of the heating control information on the food label 302 in FIG.

[0064] Specifically, two types of heating control information are written on setting label 402. The first heating control information states the heating amount as "0000W" and the heating time as "0 minutes 0 seconds," and by using numbers that are not normally used for the heating amount and heating time, it is easy to determine that setting label 402 is a label for changing settings, and this heating control information can be used to check whether the label is a setting label.

[0065] The second heating control information also states that the heating amount is "1111 W" and the heating time is "1 minute 1 second," with "1111" written in the place corresponding to the heating amount number, and similar to setting label 401, the information of identification ID1 is written. Similarly to setting label 401, the heating time of "1 minute 1 second" also has the information of identification ID2 written in the place corresponding to the "minute" number of the heating time, and the information of identification ID3 written in the place corresponding to the "second" number of the heating time.

[0066] In addition, the setting label should be written so that the user can specify which setting content to change. The information may be written in a format that allows the user to recognize whether it is being used or not (for example, at least one of text such as "For cooking parameter setting" and an image is displayed on the label), or it may be written as a barcode corresponding to the amount of heat and the heating time corresponding to that amount of heat.

[0067] Next, we will explain the process in which the recognition processing unit 205 in the heating cooker 100 detects the heating control character target area 303 from an image of the food 301 (see, for example, Figure 4), and then associates the heating control information detected from the heating control character target area 303 with management information to change the settings.

[0068] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the image recognition process according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0069] In FIG. 7, when food label 302 or setting label 401 is placed inside cooking chamber 104, photographing unit 203 photographs an image of the inside of cooking chamber 104 (S501).

[0070] From the image captured by the image capturing unit 203, the recognition processing unit 205 detects and acquires heating control information for the food 301 to be heated (S502).

[0071] Furthermore, the recognition processing unit 205 determines whether the detected heating control information (output wattage, heating time, etc.) is correct heating control information for the food 301 to be heated (S503).

[0072] If the heating control information for food 301 that is the target of image recognition processing is correct heating information (in this embodiment, the example of heating control character target area 303 shown in FIG. 4) (Yes in S503), control unit 204 performs heating control based on the heating control information analyzed by recognition processing unit 205. At this time, control unit 204 displays the heating control information or information related to the corresponding management information on heating information display unit 102.

[0073] More specifically, the user checks from the display contents of the heating information display unit 102 whether the heating control information is the correct heating control information for the food 301 to be heated, and then, based on the confirmation results, the user performs an operation on the operation unit 202 to press a heating start button or the like, thereby heating the target food 301 (S507).

[0074] As a result, in the cooking device 100, the food 301 is cooked with the amount of heat included in the heating control information for the heating time included in the heating control information.

[0075] Assume that in step S503, it is determined that the heating control information is the heating control information of setting label 401, or it is determined that the heating control information acquired in step S502 is not the correct heating control information for food 301 to be heated (No in S503). In this case, first, it is checked using the heating information conversion table stored in information storage unit 206 whether the recognized heating control information is associated with management information, and if associated management information is found, that management information is acquired (S504).

[0076] In step S505, if it is determined that the heating control information of the setting label 401 is the corresponding management information existing in the table (Yes in S505), in accordance with the control instructions of the control unit 204, the management information processing unit 207 performs setting change processing based on the management information associated with the heating control information by the information storage unit 206.

[0077] Specifically, the user checks whether the heating control information is the management information of setting label 401 from the display content of heating information display unit 102 (in this case, information related to the management information is displayed), and then, based on the check result, performs an operation such as pressing the operation decision button on operation unit 202. This causes the target setting change process to be executed (S507).

[0078] In this way, in the cooking appliance 100, the setting change process is performed based on the management information associated with the heating control information.

[0079] Furthermore, if it is determined that the heating control information is not correct heating control information for the food 301 to be heated, and if the setting of the corresponding setting label 401 is not found (No in S505), the heating setting (e.g., setting the amount of heat and heating time) is performed manually on the operation unit 202 (S506).

[0080] If the heating setting has been manually configured (S506), the user checks whether the heating control information is correct for the food 301 to be heated, and then, based on the check results, presses the heating start button using operation unit 202. This starts cooking with heat (S507).

[0081] In this embodiment, cooking begins after the heating start button or the operation decision button is pressed in step S507, but from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the user, cooking may be configured so that cooking or setting processing automatically starts when it can be determined that the heating control information or management information is correct (Yes in S503 and Yes in S505).

[0082] Next, a process in which the information storage unit 206 stores the heating control information analyzed by the recognition processing unit 205 in association with the management information will be described.

[0083] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation panel 600 as an example of the operation unit 202 of the cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0084] The operation panel 600 is composed of an operation display panel 601 (corresponding to the heating information display unit 102) with LEDs that displays heating control information, numeric buttons 602 (corresponding to the operation unit 202) for setting various cooking menus and performing special operations, and a start button 603 (corresponding to the operation unit 202) for starting the heating process determined by the recognition processing unit 205 or for confirming the setting process.

[0085] In appliances such as microwave ovens, the main function is heating control, so the operation display panel 601 is used to display various operations. Therefore, according to conventional technology, most maintenance operations require repeated pressing of the number buttons 602 and start button 603, etc., which is a very burdensome and tedious operation.

[0086] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a table (heating information conversion table) relating to the association between heating control information for an object to be heated and setting process contents in the cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0087] As shown in Figure 9, the association table 801 between the heating control information of the heated object and the setting processing content includes ID1 (in this embodiment, a value corresponding to the heating wattage (W)) that identifies the heating amount of the heating control character of the heated object, and the setting processing content within the heating cooking chamber 104.

[0088] 9, for example, if ID1 is "0000", a setting change check is performed, and if ID1 is "1111", cooking parameter setting processing is performed. In addition to the setting processing, heating control processing is also performed in response to instructions from the control unit 1004, such as "additional heating setting" if ID1 is "1222", or "heating setting for unrecognizable food" if ID1 is "1333".

[0089] In addition to the setting process, it is also possible to perform information acquisition processes such as acquiring version information and the number of times the camera has taken pictures, as well as hardware checks such as camera checks and lighting checks.

[0090] The identification ID1 is assigned to the setting process using a numerical value that is not used for normal heating control (a numerical value that can be determined not to be a value used as a normal heating amount, such as 500W or 1500W). It is more preferable that each number be selected so as not to cause erroneous recognition of numbers by the recognition processing unit 205. The information storage unit 206 stores the identification ID1 and the setting process contents in association with each other.

[0091] Specifically, in the example of Fig. 5, "1111" is recognized as "identification ID1," so the setting process for "cooking parameter setting" is performed. Also, in the example of Fig. 6, "0000" is recognized as "identification ID1" for the first heating control information, so it is recognized that "setting change" is possible, and "1111" is recognized as "identification ID1" for the second heating control information, so the setting process for "cooking parameter setting" is performed.

[0092] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to the association between heating control information for an object to be heated and cooking menu management information in cooking parameter setting for the heating cooker 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 10, the association table 801 between heating control information and cooking menu management information in the cooking parameter setting of the heating cooker 100 includes ID1 (corresponding to heating wattage (W) in this embodiment) that identifies the amount of heat in the heating control text of the heated object, ID2 (corresponding to heating time (minutes) in this embodiment) and ID3 (corresponding to heating time (seconds) in this embodiment) that identify the heating time, and the setting processing contents within the heating cooking chamber 104.

[0094] In Figure 10, for example, if identification ID2 is "01" and identification ID3 is "01", the setting process for cooking menu ID "0101" is performed, and if identification ID2 is "01" and identification ID3 is "02", the setting process for cooking menu ID "0102" is performed.

[0095] It is desirable to assign the setting process to the identification ID2 and the identification ID3 using a numerical value (for example, a number greater than 60) that is not used for normal heating control. It is also more desirable to select each number so as not to cause erroneous recognition of the numbers by the recognition processing unit 205. The information storage unit 206 stores the identification ID1, the identification ID2, and the identification ID3 in association with the setting process content.

[0096] Specifically, in the example of Fig. 5, "1" is recognized as "ID2" and "1" as "ID3", so the setting process is performed for the cooking menu ID "0101". In the example of Fig. 6, "ID1" is recognized as "0000" as the first heating control information, so it is first recognized that "settings can be changed" (see Fig. 9), and then, as the second heating control information, "cooking parameter setting" with "ID1" of "1111", "ID2" of "1", and "ID3" of "1" are recognized, so the cooking menu ID "0101" is set. The setting process will be performed.

[0097] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a table relating to associations between cooking menu management information for an object to be heated and each button on the operation panel 600 in cooking parameter setting for the cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] Table 901 relating to the association between cooking menu management information for the heated object and each button on operation panel 600 in the cooking parameter setting of heating cooker 100 includes, as shown in FIG. 11, a "cooking menu ID," a value corresponding to the button on operation panel 600 (in this embodiment, the value corresponding to numeric button 602 in FIG. 8), and setting processing contents within heating cooking chamber 104.

[0099] 11, for example, if the cooking menu ID is "0101," the cooking heating time is assigned as "10 seconds" to button "1," "20 seconds" to button "2," "5 minutes" to button "9," and "10 minutes" to button "0." Note that buttons may be assigned not only to the "number" buttons, but also to the "memory" button and "output switch" button, as shown on the operation panel 600 in FIG. 8.

[0100] Specifically, in the example of Fig. 5, "1" is recognized as "ID2" and "1" as "ID3," so the setting process written in cooking menu ID "0101" is performed. In the example of Fig. 6, "ID1" is recognized as "0000" as the first heating control information, so it is first recognized that "settings can be changed," and then "cooking parameter setting" with "ID1" of "1111," "ID2" of "1," and "ID3" of "1" are recognized as the second heating control information, so the setting process written in cooking menu ID "0101" is performed.

[0101] (Second embodiment) A microwave oven, which is an example of a cooking appliance 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure, will be described.

[0102] In the second embodiment of the present disclosure, the description of the structure, functional configuration, and control method similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0103] Cooking appliance 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure differs from cooking appliance 100 according to the first embodiment in that setting change determination unit 1008 is provided in management information processing unit 1007.

[0104] Specifically, when performing special heating control processing or multiple management information processing, the setting change determination unit 1008 determines which heating control or setting change processing to perform, and if it determines that processing should be performed, performs the heating control or setting change processing based on a predetermined priority. Therefore, this point will be mainly described in this embodiment.

[0105] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a cooking device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0106] 12, cooking appliance 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure includes heating unit 1001, operation unit 1002, photographing unit 1003, control unit 1004, recognition processing unit 1005, information storage unit 1006, and management information processing unit 1007. Management information processing unit 1007 includes setting change determination unit 1008.

[0107] The recognition processing unit 1005 obtains information about the amount of heat and the heating time from the image (see, for example, FIGS. 3 to 6) of the setting label 401 or the food label 302. The recognition processing unit 1005 identifies the setting label 401 or the food label 302.

[0108] The recognition processing unit 1005 then performs character recognition in the heating control character target area 303 of the setting label 401 or food label 302 to obtain information on the amount of heat and heating time. Alternatively, the recognition processing unit 1005 performs barcode recognition in the barcode target area 304 of the food label 302 to obtain information on the amount of heat and heating time that has been registered in advance in the information storage unit 1006 in correspondence with the barcode.

[0109] The information storage unit 1006 stores management information associated with the heating control character information recognized by the recognition processing unit 1005. Furthermore, the management information is also associated with information such as priority and whether or not the processing can be executed.

[0110] Management information processing unit 1007 determines whether to perform heating control or setting change according to the process execution availability and priority of the management information stored in information storage unit 1006. Specifically, setting change determination unit 1008 in the management information processing unit determines in what order to perform setting change and heating control, etc. Management information processing unit 1007 sequentially performs heating control processing, setting change processing, etc. in control unit 1004 based on the determination result of setting change determination unit 1008.

[0111] The setting change determination unit 1008 not only determines the priority of each piece of management information, but also, when a special symbol is recognized by the recognition processing unit, it can execute processing only on the heating control character information to which the symbol has been added, without executing processing on other recognized heating control information, or it can determine the execution of heating processes and setting processes, etc. that are not described in the heating control character information.

[0112] Specifically, for example, when you want to heat a certain food 301 for additional heating, if a setting label 1101 is inserted at the same time as the food 301 with a food label, only the heating information written on the setting label 1101 will be read and heating control will be performed, or if heating control information with a special symbol is read, heating control will be performed for a short period of time at that amount of heat.

[0113] Although the setting change determination unit 1008 has been described as being configured as part of the function of the management information processing unit 1007, the management information processing unit 1007 and the setting change determination unit 1008 may be configured as separate functional units, or may be configured as part of the configuration or function of the recognition processing unit 1005. Furthermore, the recognition processing unit 1005 and the setting change determination unit 1008 may be configured as part of the configuration or function of the control unit 1004.

[0114] 13 and 14 are diagrams showing examples of setting labels 1101 and 1102 in the image recognition process in the cooking appliance 200 according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0115] Specifically, these figures show examples of images of setting labels 1101, 1102 for performing multiple setting change processes within the heating cooking chamber 104, and are figures showing examples of character recognition in image recognition processing.

[0116] In Figure 13, the setting label 1101 uses a display format for heating control information (heating amount, heating time), and information regarding management information is written in the part of the number corresponding to the heating amount and the number corresponding to the heating time according to that heating amount.

[0117] Specifically, two types of heating control information are written on setting label 1101. The first heating control information states that the heating amount is "1111 W" and the heating time is "1 minute 1 second," with "1111" written in the field corresponding to the heating amount number. According to the information conversion table in Figure 9, the identification ID 1 "1111" describes processing details related to "cooking parameter setting." The heating time is also written as "1 minute 1 second," with the information "1" for identification ID 2 written in the field corresponding to the "minute" number of the heating time and the information "1" for identification ID 3 written in the field corresponding to the "second" number of the heating time. According to the information conversion table in Figure 10, the setting details related to the setting of cooking menu ID "0101" are written.

[0118] The second heating control information also states that the heating amount is "2222W" and the heating time is "2 minutes 1 second," with "2222" corresponding to the heating amount number and identification ID1 "2222" describing the process content related to "obtaining the number of camera shots." Similarly to setting label 401, the heating time of "2 minutes 1 second" has identification ID2 information "2" written in the place corresponding to the "minutes" number of the heating time and identification ID3 information "1" written in the place corresponding to the "seconds" number of the heating time.

[0119] In addition, in Fig. 14, information relating to management information is written in the same manner as in Fig. 13. Specifically, setting label 1102 has four types of heating control information written thereon.

[0120] The first to fourth heating control information each contain the same heating amount, "5111W," with "5111" corresponding to the heating amount number, and identification ID 1 "5111" contains the processing content for "camera check" from the information conversion table in Figure 9. In the first to fourth heating control information, the heating time is respectively described as "1 minute 1 second," "1 minute 2 seconds," "2 minutes 1 second," and "2 minutes 2 seconds."

[0121] The setting labels 1101 and 1102 may be written in a format that allows the user to recognize which setting is being changed (for example, a format in which text or an image such as "For cooking parameter setting" is displayed on the label), or may be written as a barcode corresponding to the amount of heat and the heating time corresponding to that amount of heat.

[0122] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the image recognition process according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0123] In FIG. 15, when food 301 or setting label 1101 is placed inside cooking chamber 104, photographing unit 1003 photographs an image of the inside of cooking chamber 104 (S1201).

[0124] From the image captured by the image capturing unit 1003, the recognition processing unit 1005 detects and acquires heating control information for the food 301 to be heated (S1202).

[0125] Furthermore, the recognition processing unit 205 determines whether there are multiple pieces of detected heating control information (heat amount, heating time, etc.) (S1203). If there are multiple pieces of detected heating control information (No in S1203), the process will be the same as the flow (X) in Figure 7 where there is only one piece of heating control information, so a description of the process flow will be omitted here.

[0126] If there are multiple pieces of detected heating control information (Yes in S1203), the setting change determination unit 1008 determines the processing order based on the setting change determination table stored in the information storage unit 1006. Based on the priority of the management information associated with each of the multiple pieces of heating control information that have been received, a determination is made as to the order in which the setting changes and heating control, etc. should be performed, or whether they should be performed at all, etc. Furthermore, the order of execution and whether the processing can be performed are confirmed based on the contents displayed on the operation display panel 601, etc., of FIG. 8 (S1204).

[0127] If there is no problem with the execution order (Yes in S1205), it is determined whether the heating control information is correct for the food 1403 to be heated (S1206).

[0128] If the heating control information of the food 1403 that is the target of image recognition processing is correct (Yes in S1206), the control unit 1004 performs heating control based on the heating control information analyzed by the recognition processing unit 1005. At this time, the control unit 1004 displays at least one of the heating control information and the corresponding management information on the heating information display unit 102.

[0129] The user checks from the display contents of the heating information display unit 102 whether the heating control information is the correct heating control information for the food 1403 to be heated, and then, based on the confirmation results, the user presses the heating start button or the like using the operation unit 1002, thereby heating the target food 1403 (S1208).

[0130] As a result, in cooking appliance 100, food 1403 is cooked with the amount of heat included in the heating control information for the heating time included in the heating control information.

[0131] In step S1206, if it is determined that the heating control information is that of the setting label 1101 or is not the correct heating control information for the food 1403 to be heated (No in S1206), the heating information conversion table stored in the information storage unit 1006 is first used to check whether the recognized heating control information is associated with management information, and if there is associated management information, that management information is acquired (S1207).

[0132] In step S1207, in accordance with a control instruction from the control unit 1004, the management information processing unit 1007 performs a setting change process based on the management information associated with the heating control information in the information storage unit 1006.

[0133] At this time, the control unit 1004 displays the heating control information and information related to the corresponding management information on the heating information display unit 102.

[0134] The user checks from the display contents of the heating information display unit 102 whether the heating control information is the management information of the setting label 1101, and then, based on the confirmation results, the user performs an operation such as pressing the operation decision button on the operation unit 1002, thereby executing the target setting change process (S1208).

[0135] As a result, in the cooking appliance 200, a setting change process is performed based on the management information associated with the heating control information.

[0136] In this embodiment, heating cooking begins after the heating start or operation decision button is pressed in step S1208, but from the perspective of reducing the burden on the user, the heating cooker 200 may be configured to automatically start heating cooking or setting processing when it can be determined that the heating information or operation management information is correct (Yes in S1206 and S1207).

[0137] After step S1208, in step S1209, it is determined whether there is any remaining processing. If there is any remaining processing (S1209, Yes), the process proceeds to step S1206. If there is no remaining processing (S1209, No), the process ends.

[0138] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a table (setting change determination table) relating to the association of heating control information of an object to be heated, camera management information, and their priorities in a camera check of a cooking device according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0139] As shown in FIG. 16, the association table 1301 between the heating control information of the heated object and the cooking menu management information in the camera check of the heating cooker includes ID1 (corresponding to heating wattage (W) in this embodiment) that identifies the heating amount of the heating control character of the heated object, ID2 (corresponding to heating time (minutes) in this embodiment), ID3 (corresponding to heating time (seconds) in this embodiment), and the setting processing contents within the heating cooking chamber 104.

[0140] 16, for example, when the identification ID2 is "1" and the identification ID3 is "1", the camera sharpness function is set to "ON", and when the identification ID2 is "1" and the identification ID3 is "2", the camera sharpness function is set to "OFF". Furthermore, when the identification ID2 is "2" and the identification ID3 is "1", the camera exposure time is set to "1 / 200 seconds", and when the identification ID2 is "2" and the identification ID3 is "2", the camera exposure time is set to "1 / 100 seconds".

[0141] It is desirable that the setting process be assigned to the identification ID2 and the identification ID3 using a numerical value (such as a number greater than 60) that is not used for normal heating control. It is also more desirable that each number be selected so as not to cause erroneous recognition of the number by the recognition processing unit 1005. The information storage unit 1006 stores the identification ID1, the identification ID2, and the identification ID3 in association with the setting process content.

[0142] Specifically, in the example of FIG. 14, four heating control characters are listed, and the values ​​of "ID2, ID3" are recognized as "1,1," "1,2," "2,1," and "2,2" from top to bottom. Therefore, according to association table 1301, the respective setting contents are "Sharpness: ON," "Sharpness: OFF," "Exposure time: 1 / 200 seconds," and "Exposure time: 1 / 100 seconds." Furthermore, the respective priorities are "1," "2," "100," and "101" from top to bottom, so the processing order is "Sharpness: ON," "Sharpness: OFF," "Exposure time: 1 / 200 seconds," and "Exposure time: 1 / 100 seconds."

[0143] In this example, only the setting process is set in the order of priority, but after the setting process, a control process such as image capture by the image capture unit 1003 may be performed in addition, or may be performed in combination with heating control. Furthermore, according to the control process of the control unit 1004, multiple setting processes may be performed simultaneously, or the next setting process may not be executed until the first setting process is completed.

[0144] (Third embodiment) A microwave oven, which is an example of a cooking appliance according to a third embodiment of the present disclosure, will be described. In the third embodiment of the present disclosure, descriptions of the structure, functional configuration, and control method similar to those of the second embodiment will be omitted.

[0145] 17 to 19 are diagrams showing examples of setting labels 1401 and 1402 in the image recognition process for the cooking device according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0146] Specifically, these drawings show the priority heating control process in the heating cooking chamber 104. 14 shows an example of images of setting labels 1401 and 1402 for performing the setting, and is a diagram showing an example of barcode recognition and character recognition in image recognition processing.

[0147] In Figure 17, the label 1401 for setting the heating process uses a display format for heating control information (heat amount, heating time), and information regarding management information is written in the part of the number corresponding to the heating amount and the number corresponding to the heating time corresponding to that heating amount.

[0148] Specifically, the number for the heating amount in setting label 1401 reads "1222," and according to the information conversion table in Figure 9, identification ID 1 "1222" corresponds to "additional heating setting." Furthermore, "0 minutes 12 seconds" is written for the heating time, with identification ID 2 information "0" written in the space corresponding to the minutes of the heating time and identification ID 3 information "12" written in the space corresponding to the seconds of the heating time. When setting additional heating, even if other heating control information has been read, only this read information may be given priority.

[0149] Specifically, when recognition processing unit 1005 recognizes "1222W 0 minutes 12 seconds," setting change determination unit 1008 prioritizes processing of only the additional heating control information, even if there is multiple heating control information other than additional heating control, based on the information conversion table and priority stored in information storage unit 1006. Management information processing unit 1007 causes control unit 1004 to perform additional heating control based on the processing result of setting change determination unit 1008.

[0150] 18, information related to heating process management information is written in the same manner as in FIG. 17. Specifically, setting label 1402 lists one type of heating control information surrounded by two special symbols "■". The heating control information excluding the special symbols "■" lists the heating amount as "1900W" and the heating time as "0 minutes 35 seconds". Specific processing will be explained using FIG. 19.

[0151] FIG. 19 shows an example in which a food label 1404 is originally attached to food 1403. Furthermore, a food label 1404 equivalent to the setting label 1402 described in FIG. 18 and bearing the special symbol "■" is attached to the food 1403. In this case, the recognition processing unit 1005 reads two pieces of control information: the heating control information written on the food label 1404 and the heating control information written on the food label 1404 bearing the special symbol "■." When the setting change determination unit 1008 determines that the special symbol "■" is included, the heating control information is prioritized. Therefore, the setting change determination unit 1008 determines to not process the heating control information written on the food label 1404, but to process only the heating control information bearing the special symbol "■," which is "1900 W, 0 minutes 35 seconds." Based on the determination result of the setting change determination unit 1008 in the management information processing unit 1007, the control unit 1004 controls the heating unit 1001 to perform heating control for "1900 W, 0 minutes 35 seconds."

[0152] With this configuration, it is possible to heat and cook the heated object under heating control conditions suitable for the heated object, based on management information regarding heating control, such as additional heating and time-saving heating, which is associated with the read heating control information and registered in advance.

[0153] The above-described third embodiment can be implemented in combination with at least one of the first and second embodiments. [Industrial Applicability]

[0154] As described above, the present disclosure provides the exceptional effect of eliminating the need for cumbersome input work and allowing users to easily heat and cook food and perform maintenance work. Therefore, the present disclosure is widely applicable and useful to microwave ovens used in stores as well as to cooking appliances such as microwave ovens, rice cookers, and induction cooking heaters for home use. [Explanation of symbols]

[0155] 100,200 Heating cooker 101 Door Panel 102 Heating information display section (display section) 104 Heating storage (heating storage) 105 Lighting Department 106 Camera 107,301,1403 Food (substances to be heated) 111 Cabinet 201,1001 Heating section 202,1002 Operation unit 203,1003 Photography Department 204,1004 Control unit 205,1005 Recognition processing section 206,1006 Information storage unit 207,1007 Management information processing section 302,1404 Food Labels 401,402,1101,1102,1401,1402 Setting labels 303 Heating Control Character Target Area 304 Barcode Target Area 600 Operation Panel 601 Operation display panel 602 Number buttons 603 Start button 801,1301 Association Table 901 Table 1008 Setting change determination unit

Claims

[Claim 1] A cooking device, a heating chamber for storing an object to be heated; A heating unit that heats the inside of the heating chamber; an operation unit that is operated by a user to input; An imaging unit that images the inside of the heating chamber; an information storage unit that stores management information corresponding to heating control information attached to the object to be heated or information on a setting label for changing settings in the cooking appliance; a recognition processing unit that recognizes heating control information of the object to be heated or information on the setting label from the image captured by the imaging unit; a control unit that controls the heating unit based on at least the heating control information of the object recognized by the recognition processing unit; Equipped with a control information processing unit that, when the recognition processing unit recognizes the setting label, acquires control information corresponding to information on the setting label from the information storage unit, and changes the version of software related to control of the cooking appliance based on the control information corresponding to information on the setting label; It also comes with a heating cooker.

Images