Heated object status monitoring system

Abstract

To provide a state monitoring system capable of suitably detecting whether or not a lid of a cooking container is attached, and monitoring a state of an object to be heated after that, on the basis of an image captured by an imaging device.SOLUTION: A state monitoring system of an object to be heated includes a lid existence determination section 20a for determining whether or not a lid B is attached onto a cooking container A of the object to be heated on the basis of an image of a first monitoring region ar1 among images captured by an imaging device 31, and a state monitoring processing section 20b for monitoring a state such as boiling and boiling-over on the basis of an image of a second monitoring region ar2 or ar3 among the images captured by the imaging device 31 on a necessary condition that the determination result of the lid existence determination section 20a is negative. The second monitoring region ar2 or ar3 is wider than the first monitoring region ar1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a status monitoring system that monitors the status of an object to be heated by a cooking device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as seen in, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2, there is known a technology in which an image of a heated object including a cooking vessel is captured by a camera from above a cooking device such as a stove, and the state regarding overflow is monitored from the captured image, and the flame power of a burner is controlled based on the monitoring results. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-133722 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2018-119709 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when a user starts cooking with the lid still attached to the cooking container, the image captured by the camera includes an image of the lid, making it difficult or impossible to correctly determine the state of the food inside the cooking container.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to detect whether or not the lid of the cooking container is attached before starting a process of monitoring the state of the food in the cooking container based on the image captured by the camera. In this case, from the viewpoint of cost, etc., it is desirable to be able to detect whether or not the lid is attached from the image captured by the camera.

[0006] However, the surface of the lid attached to the cooking container is prone to reflecting images of the user moving around the cooking device. In such a situation where the image of the user is reflected on the surface of the lid, this may cause a false detection of whether the lid is attached or not based on the captured image.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above background, and aims to provide a condition monitoring system that can appropriately detect whether a lid is attached to a cooking container based on an image captured by an imaging device, and monitor the subsequent condition of the heated object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the state monitoring system for a heated object of the present invention comprises: A system that includes an imaging device that can image a heated object, including a cooking container, disposed above a heating unit of a cooking device from above the heated object, and monitors the state of the heated object based on an image obtained by the imaging device, a lid presence / absence determination unit that determines whether a lid is attached to a cooking container included in the heated object arranged above the heating unit based on an image of a first monitoring area that is a predetermined local area in an image of the heated object included in the captured image and is set to include an image of a portion of the lid when a lid is attached to the cooking container; The first invention is characterized in that it is provided with a status monitoring processing unit that executes a process of monitoring the status of the heated object based on an image of a second monitoring area, which is a predetermined area larger than the first monitoring area in the image of the heated object included in the captured image, while the heated object is being heated by the heating unit, with the necessary condition being that the judgment result of the lid presence / absence judgment unit is negative (first invention).

[0009] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the first monitoring area can be set as a small area that includes an image of a part of the lid when the lid is attached to the cooking container, and the first monitoring area can be set as an area that does not easily capture an image of a user or the like moving around the cooking appliance. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately and reliably determine whether a lid is attached to the cooking container based on the image of the first monitoring area.

[0010] The process of monitoring the state of the heated object is executed under the prerequisite that the judgment result of the lid presence / absence judgment unit is negative (i.e., after it is confirmed that no lid is attached to the cooking container), and is executed based on an image of a second monitoring area that is larger than the first monitoring area in the image of the heated object contained in the image captured by the imaging device, so that the state of the heated object can be properly recognized with high reliability.

[0011] Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately detect whether a lid is attached to a cooking container based on an image captured by the imaging device, and to monitor the state of the heated object thereafter.

[0012] In the above first invention, the first monitoring area is an area that is set so that when a lid is attached to the cooking container for the heated object, the image within the first monitoring area becomes an image of a part of the lid, including an image of the lid handle, and it is preferable that the lid presence / absence determination unit is configured to determine whether a lid is attached to the cooking container for the heated object by monitoring changes in the image in the first monitoring area over time after the heating unit starts heating the heated object (second invention).

[0013] Here, when a lid is attached to the cooking container, the image of the lid handle included in the first monitoring area remains constant, regardless of whether the parts other than the lid handle are transparent or not.

[0014] On the other hand, when no lid is attached to the cooking container, the image in the first monitoring area is an image of the inside of the cooking container, and is therefore prone to changes over time due to factors such as the movement of cooking ingredients inside the cooking container when the heated object is heated.

[0015] Therefore, according to the second invention, by monitoring the temporal change in the image in the first monitoring area after the heating unit starts heating the heated object, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not a lid is attached to the cooking container for the heated object.

[0016] In the above first or second invention, an embodiment can be adopted in which the second monitoring area is an area including an image of the liquid surface in the cooking container of the heated object, and the status monitoring processing unit is configured to determine whether or not the size of an area of ​​the second monitoring area that causes a temporal change in the image or an A index value indicating the change in said size has reached a predetermined A state, and to detect whether or not the liquid in the cooking container of the heated object is in a boiling state based at least on the result of the determination (3rd invention).

[0017] When the heating of the liquid in the cooking vessel progresses and the liquid boils, the liquid surface moves at many points due to steam bubbles generated in the liquid, etc. Therefore, when the liquid in the cooking vessel reaches or approaches a boiling state, the area of ​​the second monitoring region where the image changes over time becomes larger than before the liquid boils.

[0018] Therefore, according to the third invention, it is possible to appropriately perform the detection by determining whether the size of an area in the second monitoring area that causes a temporal change in the image or the A index value indicating the change in size has reached a predetermined state, the A state, and detecting whether the liquid in the cooking container of the heated object is in a boiling state based on at least the result of the determination.

[0019] In the above first to third inventions, the second monitoring area is an area including an image of the liquid surface in the cooking vessel of the heated object, and the status monitoring processing unit is configured to determine whether or not a B index value indicating the size of an area in the second monitoring area where an image of white foam has occurred or a change in said size has reached a predetermined state, a B1 state, and to have at least a function to detect whether or not there are signs of the liquid in the cooking vessel of the heated object boiling over based on the result of said determination, and a function to reduce the amount of heat of the heating unit or stop the operation of the heating unit when it is detected that there are signs of the liquid boiling over (fourth invention).

[0020] Here, when the liquid in the cooking vessel is about to boil over, a large amount of white foam will appear on the surface of the liquid. Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, it is possible to appropriately detect whether a B index value indicating the size of an area in the second monitoring area where an image of white foam has occurred or a change in said size has reached a predetermined B1 state, and to detect whether a sign of the liquid boiling over in the cooking vessel of the heated object has occurred based on at least the result of said judgment.

[0021] Furthermore, if signs of overflow are detected, the amount of heat from the heating section can be reduced or the operation of the heating section can be stopped, thereby making it possible to prevent overflow from occurring.

[0022] In the above fourth invention, the status monitoring processing unit can be further configured to have the function of, when it detects that a sign of liquid boiling over in the cooking container for the heated object has occurred, controlling the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat the heating unit gives to the heated object, and then judging whether the B index value has reached a B2 state, which is a predetermined state different from the B1 state, based on at least the result of the judgment, detecting whether the sign of liquid boiling over in the cooking container for the heated object has disappeared, and the function of, when it detects that the sign of overflow has disappeared, controlling the heating unit to increase the amount of heat the heating unit gives to the heated object (fifth invention).

[0023] Here, when the liquid in the cooking vessel is about to boil over, if the amount of heat of the heating unit is reduced, the generation of white foam on the liquid surface in the cooking vessel is reduced, and the sign of boil over is eliminated. Therefore, according to the fifth invention, after controlling the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat of the heated object by the heating unit in response to detection of the occurrence of a sign of boil over, it is possible to appropriately perform the detection by determining whether the B index value has reached a B2 state, which is a predetermined state different from the B1 state, and detecting whether the sign of boil over of the liquid in the cooking vessel for the heated object has been eliminated based on at least the result of the determination.

[0024] In addition, when it is detected that the warning sign of overflow has disappeared, the amount of heat from the heating unit is increased, thereby preventing the amount of heat from being insufficient for the heated object. As a result, it becomes possible to properly proceed with cooking of boiled foods such as noodles while preventing overflow.

[0025] In the fifth invention, the state monitoring processing unit may be configured to have a function of alternately repeating the following: controlling the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated by the heating unit in response to detection of the occurrence of the sign of overflow; and controlling the heating unit to increase the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated by the heating unit in response to detection of the disappearance of the sign of overflow. In this case, the state monitoring processing unit may be configured to control the heating unit during the repetition such that the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated after each increase in the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated after the number of increases in the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated reaches a predetermined number is greater than the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated before the number of increases in the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated reaches the predetermined number (sixth invention).

[0026] According to this, for example, in noodle boiling, in a situation where the number of times (the number of times the amount of heat is increased) the heating unit is controlled to increase the amount of heat of the heated object by the heating unit in response to detection of elimination of the warning sign of overflow is less than a predetermined number, i.e., in the early stages of noodle boiling, the amount of heat of the heated object by the heating unit is controlled to a smaller amount of heat than in a situation after the number of times the amount of heat is increased reaches a predetermined number, i.e., in a stage where the heating of the noodles has progressed to a certain extent. Therefore, by suppressing the amount of heat in the early stages of noodle boiling, where overflow is likely to occur if the noodles are heated with a large amount of heat, it is possible to prevent the warning sign of overflow from occurring frequently. Furthermore, since the frequency of reducing the amount of heat of the heated object in response to detection of the occurrence of the warning sign of overflow can be suppressed, it is possible to smoothly heat the noodles in the early stages of noodle boiling.

[0027] In addition, after the number of increases in the amount of heat has reached a predetermined number, the heating of the noodles has progressed to a certain extent, and at this stage, even if the amount of heat applied to the object to be heated is large, overflow is unlikely to occur. At this stage, the heating of the noodles can be smoothly promoted by heating the object to be heated with a large amount of heat in response to detection that the warning sign of overflow has disappeared.

[0028] In the above first to sixth inventions, the status monitoring processing unit can acquire information regarding the cooking container of the heated object, and can be configured to variably set parameters used in the process of monitoring the status of the heated object depending on the information regarding the cooking container (seventh invention).

[0029] This allows the state of the heated object to be monitored while taking into consideration the influence of the color, material, etc. of the cooking container. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately detect the boiling state of the liquid in the cooking container and detect signs of overflow, regardless of the color, material, etc. of the cooking container. Note that, as the above parameters, for example, the A index value and a threshold value to be compared with the B index value can be used. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a heating and cooking system including a status monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration related to control of the heating and cooking system according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a flowchart showing a process executed by the control device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of STEP 1 in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of STEP 2 in FIG. 3 . [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of STEP 4 in FIG. 3 (the process in the first embodiment). [Figure 7] 7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating the monitoring area set in STEP 11 of FIG. 5 in a state where a lid is attached to a cooking container and in a state where the lid is not attached, respectively. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a monitoring area set in STEP 21 of FIG. 5. [Figure 9] 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating examples of the monitoring area set in STEP 32 of FIG. 6 when the cooking container is a color other than white and when the cooking container is a white color, respectively. [Figure 10] 4 is a flowchart showing the process of STEP 4 in FIG. 3 (the process in the second embodiment); [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of setting the heating power (n) in the process of STEP 39 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] [First embodiment] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 9B. With reference to Figures 1 and 2, a cooking system 1 of this embodiment is a system including a function as a state monitoring system for an object to be heated, and includes a cooking appliance 2 and a camera 31 as an imaging device that images the cooking appliance 2 from above.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cooking appliance 2 is, for example, a gas stove, and is provided with a plurality of (for example, three) burner burners 5 as a combustion-type heating section that heats objects to be heated (not shown) including a cooking container and objects to be cooked (cooking ingredients, water, etc.) contained therein, and a trivet 6 on which objects to be heated can be placed above each burner 5, on the upper surface of the cooking appliance 2. The cooking appliance 2 also includes a grill chamber 7 formed in the housing of the cooking appliance 2 so as to be openable and closable on the front surface, and a grill burner 8 (shown in FIG. 2) arranged in the grill chamber 7.

[0033] A temperature sensor 21 is provided at the center of each burner 5 to detect the temperature of the object to be heated (more specifically, the temperature of the cooking vessel). When the cooking vessel is placed on the trivet 6 so as to be located above the corresponding burner 5, the temperature sensor 21 is in contact with the bottom surface of the cooking vessel and is pressed down.

[0034] On the front surface of the cooking appliance 2, an operation button 11 for each burner 5 is provided for igniting, extinguishing, and adjusting the flame power (adjusting the amount of heat) of each burner 5, and an operation button 14 for igniting, extinguishing, and adjusting the flame power of the grill burner 8 is also provided. Note that the operation units for igniting and extinguishing each burner 5 and grill burner 8 and the operation unit for adjusting the flame power may be separate operation units.

[0035] Further provided on the front of the cooking appliance 2 are a push-open stove operation unit 12 and a grill operation unit 15. In this case, when the stove operation unit 12 is pushed, the stove operation unit 12 opens and the stove operation panel 13 is exposed and operable. Although not shown in detail, the stove operation panel 13 includes a plurality of operation switches, such as operation switches related to various automatic cooking operations using each stove burner 5, and also includes a display that displays various information related to the operation of each stove burner 5.

[0036] Moreover, when the grill operation unit 15 is pressed, the grill operation unit 15 opens to expose and operate the grill operation panel 16. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the grill operation panel 16 includes a plurality of operation switches, such as operation switches related to various automatic cooking operations using the grill burner 8, and also includes a display that displays various information related to the operation of the grill burner 8, etc.

[0037] In this embodiment, the camera 31 is attached to a range hood 30 installed above the cooking appliance 2. The camera 31 is attached to the range hood 30 so as to be able to capture an image of almost the entire upper surface of the cooking appliance 2 from above a location near the rear of the cooking appliance 2. The camera 31 is configured to be able to transmit the captured image to a control device 20 of the cooking appliance 2, which will be described later, by wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0038] In this embodiment, the captured image of the camera 31 is a color image. The captured image may be either a still image or a video image. The camera 31 may be attached to a location other than the range hood 30, such as a wall on the side of the cooking appliance 2. The camera 31 may be connected to the cooking appliance 2 so that the captured image can be transmitted to the cooking appliance 2 by wire.

[0039] 2, the cooking device 2 further includes a control device 20 having a function of controlling the overall operation of the cooking device 2 (including controlling the operation of each stove burner 5 and grill burner 8). In addition to the temperature sensor 21, the cooking device 2 also includes a plurality of sensors including a heated object detection sensor 22 that detects whether or not an object to be heated is placed above each stove burner 5. The heated object detection sensor 22 can be configured to detect the presence or absence of an object to be heated, for example, by detecting whether or not the temperature sensor 21 at the location where each stove burner 5 is placed is pressed down.

[0040] In this embodiment, the control device 20 can obtain images captured by the camera 31, and based on the images, it is possible to detect whether or not there is an object to be heated at the location where each burner 5 is arranged. For this reason, the object detection sensor 22 may be omitted.

[0041] The control device 20 is composed of one or more electronic circuit units including a processor such as a microcomputer, a memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), an interface circuit, etc. Detection signals from a plurality of sensors (including the temperature sensor 21 and the heated object detection sensor 22) provided in the cooking appliance 2 and operation signals from the operation buttons 11, 14 and the operation panels 13, 16 are input to the control device 20. The control device 20 is also capable of communicating with a camera 31 and is capable of acquiring captured images from the camera 31 as appropriate.

[0042] The control device 20 has functions realized by the implemented hardware configuration and / or program (software configuration), such as a function to control the operation of each stove burner 5 and grill burner 8 (more specifically, operation control related to ignition, extinguishing, and flame adjustment), a function to control the display of display units such as the operation panels 13, 16, and a function to output voice and alarm sounds from a sound generating unit such as a speaker (not shown) provided in the cooking appliance 2.

[0043] In more detail, the operation control (combustion operation control) of each stove burner 5 and grill burner 8 is performed through the operation control of an on-off valve and a flame power adjustment valve provided in a fuel supply passage (not shown) corresponding to each stove burner 5 and grill burner 8, as well as an ignition device (not shown).

[0044] The control device 20 also includes a function as a lid presence / absence determination unit 20a that determines whether a lid is attached to the cooking container of the object to be heated by each burner 5, and a function as a state monitoring processing unit 20b that executes a process to monitor the state of the object to be heated (the cooking state by heating). Here, the state of the object to be heated that the state monitoring processing unit 20b monitors includes the presence or absence of boiling of the liquid in the cooking container and the presence or absence of a sign of the liquid boiling over. The state monitoring processing unit 20b also has a function to control the operation of the burner 5 that heats the object to be heated according to the detected state of the object to be heated.

[0045] Next, the operation of the cooking device 2 when an automatic cooking operation using one of the burners 5 is performed will be described. In this embodiment, when a user selects to perform an automatic cooking operation such as boiling water or boiling food (such as boiling noodles) using one of the burners 5, the control device 20 executes the process shown in the flowchart of Fig. 3 after an object to be heated is placed above the burner 5 (hereinafter, referred to as the target burner 5) that performs the automatic cooking operation and the combustion operation of the target burner 5 is started. In this case, whether or not an object to be heated is placed above the target burner 5 is detected based on the output of the heated object detection sensor 22 corresponding to the target burner 5 or the image captured by the camera 31.

[0046] In STEP 1, the control device 20 executes a lid presence / absence determination process for determining whether or not a lid is attached to the cooking container for the object to be heated by the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a. This lid presence / absence determination process is executed as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0047] In STEP 11, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a acquires an image captured by the camera 31 and sets a lid presence / absence determination area ar1 as a monitoring area in the captured image. The lid presence / absence determination area ar1 corresponds to the first monitoring area in the present invention, and is set as a local area of ​​a predetermined size near the center of the inside of the opening end of the cooking vessel A on the image of the cooking vessel A as the heated object included in the image captured by the camera 31, for example, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7A or FIG. 7B.

[0048] More specifically, the area ar1 for determining whether or not a lid is present is a local area whose position relative to the opening end of the cooking container B is set so that, when a lid B is attached to the cooking container A, as shown in Figure 7A, the image within the area ar1 for determining whether or not a lid is present includes an image of the handle B1 of the lid B and is an image of a portion (local portion) of the lid B.

[0049] 7A and 7B, the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 is a rectangular area, but it may be an area of ​​other shapes (for example, a circular or elliptical area, etc.) The same applies to the shapes of the boiling detection area ar2 and the overflow monitoring area ar3 described below.

[0050] Next, in STEP 12, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a sequentially acquires images captured by the camera 31 at a predetermined sampling period, and determines whether or not a lid B is attached to the cooking container A based on the temporal change in the image in the monitoring area (area ar1 for determining whether or not a lid is present) in the captured images.

[0051] Here, when the lid B is attached to the cooking container A, the entire or most part of the image in the monitoring area (the area ar1 for determining whether or not the lid is present) is constantly an image of the handle B1 of the lid B, as shown in Fig. 7A. Therefore, the pixel value (e.g., luminance value, hue value, etc.) of each pixel in the area ar1 for determining whether or not the lid is present is kept almost constant.

[0052] On the other hand, when the lid B is not attached to the cooking container A, the image in the monitoring area (the area ar1 for determining the presence or absence of the lid) is an image of the liquid in the cooking container A or the cooking ingredients therein, as shown in Fig. 7B. The image in the monitoring area is more likely to fluctuate over time than when the lid B is attached to the cooking container A, due to factors such as the liquid in the cooking container A or the cooking ingredients therein shaking as the cooking container A is heated.

[0053] Therefore, in this embodiment, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a determines whether there is a change (change over time) in the image in the monitoring area (lid presence / absence determination area ar1) in STEP 12. More specifically, for example, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a generates a difference image between the image in the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 of a newly acquired captured image for each sampling period of the captured image and the image in the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 of an image acquired in the previous sampling period (or an image acquired at or around the start of the lid presence / absence determination process), and extracts an area in the difference image where the pixel value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as an image change occurrence area.

[0054] Furthermore, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a obtains the ratio of the area (or number of pixels) of the image variation occurrence area to the area (or number of pixels) of the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 as an index value representing the degree of change in the image in the lid presence / absence determination area ar1, and compares this ratio (hereinafter referred to as the first ratio) with a predetermined value. Then, the lid presence / absence determination unit 20a determines that the determination result of STEP 12 is positive if the number of times that the first ratio becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before, or if the first ratio continuously becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value within that period, and otherwise determines that the determination result of STEP 12 is negative.

[0055] If the determination result in STEP 12 is positive, lid presence determining unit 20a determines in STEP 13 that lid B is not attached to cooking vessel A (lid B is absent), and ends the lid presence determining process.

[0056] Furthermore, if the determination result in STEP 12 is negative, lid presence determination unit 20a determines in STEP 14 that lid B is attached to cooking container A (lid B is present), and outputs notification information to the effect that lid B should be removed from cooking container A. The notification information is output, for example, as display information from a display unit of cooking appliance 2 (for example, a display unit of operation panel 13), or as audio information from a sound generating unit (not shown). Then, lid presence determination unit 20a repeats the process from STEP 12.

[0057] By executing the lid presence / absence determination process as described above, it is possible to appropriately detect whether or not the lid B is attached to the cooking container A. In this case, the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 in the image captured by the camera 31 is an area that is set so that the entire or most part of the internal image is an image of the handle B1 of the lid B, so it is possible to detect with high reliability whether or not the lid B is attached to the cooking container A, regardless of whether the parts of the lid B other than the handle B1 are transparent.

[0058] Supplementally, the control device 20 may be able to acquire information indicating whether or not the portion of the lid B other than the handle B1 is transparent, for example, by the user performing a predetermined operation on the cooking appliance 2. If the portion of the lid B other than the handle B1 is not transparent, the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 may be set so that, when the lid B is attached to the cooking container A, the image within the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 becomes an image of the portion of the lid B other than the handle B1 (local portion).

[0059] In this case, in order to minimize the risk of the user's movements around the cooking appliance 2 being projected onto the lid B in the lid presence determination area ar1 when the lid B is attached to the cooking container A (and thus causing the image in the lid presence determination area ar1 to change), it is desirable to set the position of the lid presence determination area ar1 so that the image of the lid B in the lid presence determination area ar1 is an image of the lid B behind the handle B1 (behind the front-to-back direction of the cooking appliance 2).

[0060] Returning to Fig. 3, after the control device 20 executes the lid presence determination process by the lid presence determination unit 20a as described above (in other words, it is a prerequisite that the lid presence determination process confirms that the lid B is not attached to the cooking vessel A), the control device 20 then executes a boiling detection process by the state monitoring processing unit 20b in STEP 2 to detect whether the liquid in the cooking vessel A has reached a boiling state. This boiling detection process is executed as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 5.

[0061] In STEP 21, the state monitoring processing unit 20b acquires an image captured by the camera 31 and sets a boiling detection area ar2 as a monitoring area in the captured image. The boiling detection area ar2 corresponds to the second monitoring area in the present invention, and is set as an area of ​​a predetermined size inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A on the image of the cooking vessel A as the heated object included in the captured image of the camera 31, for example, as illustrated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 8. More specifically, the boiling detection area ar2 is set so that the image in the boiling detection area ar2 is an image of the liquid surface directly above the bottom surface of the cooking vessel A. The boiling detection area ar2 is set as an area larger than the lid presence / absence determination area ar1 (closer to the opening area of ​​the cooking vessel A).

[0062] 8 shows a simplified example of an image of cooking vessel A placed above stove burner 5 on the right front side of cooking device 2 in FIG. 1, captured by camera 31 located above the left rear of stove burner 5. Therefore, boiling detection area ar2, which is an area within the image of the liquid surface directly above the bottom surface of cooking vessel A, is an area toward the upper left of the image of cooking vessel A.

[0063] Additionally, in this embodiment, the boiling detection area ar2 is an area that fits inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A, but the boiling detection area ar2 may be set so that its peripheral portion extends to some extent outside the opening end of the cooking vessel A.

[0064] Next, in STEP 22, the status monitoring processing unit 20b sequentially acquires images captured by the camera 31 at a predetermined sampling period, and performs processing to determine whether the liquid in the cooking container A has reached a boiling state based on changes in the image in the monitoring area (boiling detection area ar2) in the captured images.

[0065] When the liquid in the cooking vessel A boils, steam bubbles generated inside the liquid cause the liquid to move at many points on the liquid surface, resulting in many points in the image changing over time (changing over a short span) in the monitored area (boiling detection area ar2).

[0066] Therefore, in this embodiment, in STEP 12, the status monitoring processing unit 20b performs a process to determine whether the liquid in the cooking container A has reached a boiling state by determining whether the proportion of the size of the image fluctuation occurrence area, which is the area in the monitoring area (boiling detection area ar2) where a temporal change in the image occurs in response to the boiling of the liquid (the proportion to the overall size of the boiling detection area ar2), has increased to or above a predetermined value.

[0067] More specifically, for example, the condition monitoring processing unit 20b generates a difference image between an image in the boiling detection region ar2 of a newly acquired captured image and an image in the boiling detection region ar2 of an captured image acquired in the previous sampling period, which shows the change in the image for each sampling period, and extracts a region of the difference image where the pixel value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value as a region where an image change related to the boiling state occurs.

[0068] Furthermore, the state monitoring processor 20b obtains a ratio of the area (or the number of pixels) of the image fluctuation occurring area to the area (or the number of pixels) of the boiling detection area ar2 as an index value indicating the size of the image fluctuation occurring area in the boiling detection area ar2, and compares the ratio (hereinafter, referred to as a second ratio) with a predetermined value. The second ratio corresponds to the Ath index value in the present invention.

[0069] Then, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines that the result of the judgment in STEP 22 is positive if the number of times that the second ratio becomes equal to or greater than the predetermined value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before the time, or if the second ratio continues to become equal to or greater than the predetermined value within the period, and otherwise determines that the result of the judgment in STEP 22 is negative. Note that in this embodiment, the case where the result of the judgment in STEP 22 is determined to be positive corresponds to the case where the A-th index value in the present invention becomes the predetermined A-th state.

[0070] Additionally, in STEP 22, for example, the difference between the second ratio newly calculated at each sampling period and the second ratio calculated at or near the start of execution of the boiling detection process, i.e., the amount of change (increase) from the value of the second ratio at or near the start of execution of the boiling detection process, may be calculated, and the amount of change in the second ratio may be compared with a predetermined value.

[0071] For example, if the number of times that the amount of change in the second rate becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before that time, or if the amount of change in the second rate becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value continuously within that period, the result of the determination in STEP 22 may be determined to be positive, and otherwise the result of the determination in STEP 22 may be determined to be negative. In this case, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 22 is determined to be positive corresponds to the case where the change in the A index value has entered the predetermined A state in the present invention.

[0072] If the judgment result of STEP 22 is positive, the status monitoring processing unit 20b further judges in STEP 23 whether the temperature of the cooking vessel A detected by the temperature sensor 21 corresponding to the target stove burner 5 is within the allowable range corresponding to the boiling state of the liquid in the cooking vessel A (allowable range of around 100°C).

[0073] If the judgment result of either STEP 22 or 23 is negative, the state monitoring processing unit 20b continues the process from STEP 22. If the judgment results of both STEP 22 and 23 are positive, the state monitoring processing unit 20b detects that the liquid in the cooking vessel A has reached a boiling state in STEP 24. Then, the state monitoring processing unit 20b further outputs notification information indicating that the liquid in the cooking vessel A has reached a boiling state in STEP 25, and reduces the flame (heat amount) of the target burner 5 to a predetermined low flame. This ends the boiling detection process. The notification information output in STEP 25 is output as display information from the display unit of the cooking appliance 2 (for example, the display unit of the operation panel 13), or as audio information from a sound unit (not shown).

[0074] As described above, the boiling detection process (STEP 2 process) in this embodiment is performed when it is confirmed that the lid B is not attached to the cooking container A, so whether or not the liquid in the cooking container A has reached a boiling state can be appropriately detected using the image of the boiling detection area ar2 in the image captured by the camera 31.

[0075] Additionally, in the boiling detection process of this embodiment, the judgment result of STEP 22 regarding the image of the boiling detection area ar2 and the judgment result of STEP 23 regarding the temperature of the cooking container A are used to detect whether or not a boiling state has occurred. However, the judgment process of STEP 23 may be omitted, and whether or not a boiling state has occurred may be detected based only on the judgment result of STEP 22.

[0076] Furthermore, the extraction of the image change region in STEP 22 may be influenced by, for example, the color or material of the cooking vessel A. Thus, the control device 20 may be configured to identify the color of the cooking vessel from the image of the cooking vessel among the images captured by the camera 31. Alternatively, for example, the user may perform a predetermined operation of the cooking appliance 2, so that the control device 20 can obtain information on the color or material of the cooking vessel A. Parameters used in the processing in STEP 22, such as a predetermined value to be compared with the second ratio (or the amount of change in the second ratio), a time width of the period required to determine that the boiling state has occurred in STEP 22, and a predetermined number of times to be compared with the number of times the second ratio (or the amount of change in the second ratio) has exceeded a predetermined value during that period, may be appropriately and variably set according to the color or material of the cooking vessel A.

[0077] Returning to FIG. 3, after the control device 20 executes the boiling detection process by the state monitoring processing unit 20b as described above, it next judges in STEP 3 whether cooking by the target burner 5 has been completed. In this case, if the automatic cooking operation by the target burner 5 is a water boiling operation, or if the user has performed an extinguishing operation of the target burner 5, the judgment result in STEP 3 becomes positive. Also, if the automatic cooking operation by the target burner 5 is a boiling cooking operation and the combustion operation of the target burner 5 is continuing, the judgment result in STEP 3 becomes negative. Then, if the judgment result in STEP 3 is positive, the control device 20 ends the processing of the flowchart in FIG. 3.

[0078] If the determination result in STEP 3 is negative, the control device 20 then executes, in STEP 4, an overflow monitoring process by the state monitoring processing unit 20b to monitor for the occurrence of a sign of overflow of the liquid in the cooking container A. This overflow monitoring process is executed as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0079] In STEP 31, the state monitoring processing unit 20b controls the flame of the target stove burner 5 to a flame (strong flame within a range where the flame does not extend beyond the periphery of the cooking vessel A) suited to the size of the cooking vessel A. In this case, the state monitoring processing unit 20b acquires (specifies) information indicating the size of the cooking vessel A based on an image of the cooking vessel A among the images captured by the camera 31, and determines the flame of the target stove burner 5 according to the size of the cooking vessel A.

[0080] The flame power of the target stove burner 5 controlled in STEP 31 may be determined not only based on the size of the cooking vessel A but also based on, for example, the material of the cooking vessel A. Alternatively, the flame power may be set by the user at will, at or above a predetermined value. For example, the flame power may be set by the user through a flame power operation before the determination result in STEP 33 becomes positive for the first time after the overflow monitoring process starts. Alternatively, the flame power may be a high flame power of a predetermined value (the maximum flame power of the target stove burner or a flame power close to this).

[0081] Next, in STEP 32, the state monitoring processor 20b acquires an image captured by the camera 31 and sets an overflow monitoring area ar3 as a monitoring area of ​​the captured image. The overflow monitoring area ar3 corresponds to the second monitoring area in the present invention. In this embodiment, the overflow monitoring area ar3 is set, for example, according to the color of the cooking vessel A, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 9A or FIG. 9B.

[0082] Specifically, the status monitoring processing unit 20b acquires color information of the cooking vessel A from the image of the cooking vessel A above the target stove burner 5 among the acquired captured images, and identifies whether the color of the cooking vessel A is a whitish color (white or a color close to white) or a color other than white.

[0083] If the color of the cooking vessel A is a color other than white, the state monitoring processor 20b sets the overflow monitoring area ar3 as a monitoring area on the image of the cooking vessel A as an area of ​​a predetermined size inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A, as shown by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 9A. In this case, the overflow monitoring area ar3 is set so that a wide range of the image of the area inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A is included within the overflow monitoring area ar3.

[0084] Furthermore, when the color of the cooking vessel A is whitish, the state monitoring processor 20b sets the overflow monitoring area ar3 as a monitoring area on the image of the cooking vessel A as an area of ​​a predetermined size inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A, as exemplified by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 9B. In this case, the overflow monitoring area ar3 is set so as to include a wide range of the image of the area inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A excluding the image near the side wall of the cooking vessel A (or the image of the area inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A, directly above the bottom surface of the cooking vessel A).

[0085] The reason why the overflow monitoring area ar3 is different when the color of the cooking vessel A is whitish or other than whitish is because, as described below, an image of white foam is used to detect signs of overflow. In either case, when the color of the cooking vessel A is whitish or other than whitish, the overflow monitoring area ar3 is larger than the lid presence / absence determination area ar1.

[0086] Additionally, in this embodiment, the overflow monitoring area ar3 is an area that fits inside the opening end of the cooking vessel A, but the overflow monitoring area ar3 may be set so that its peripheral portion extends to some extent outside the opening end of the cooking vessel A.

[0087] Next, in STEP 33, the status monitoring processing unit 20b sequentially acquires images captured by the camera 31 at a predetermined sampling period, and performs processing to determine whether or not there are signs of liquid boiling over in the cooking container A based on images of white foam in the monitoring area (overflow monitoring area ar2) in the captured images.

[0088] Here, when the liquid in cooking vessel A is about to boil over (when the liquid is about to boil over), a large amount of white foam occurs over a wide area of ​​the liquid surface. Therefore, in this embodiment, in STEP 33, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines whether the proportion of the size of the white foam image area, which is the area where the white foam image occurs, in the monitored area (overflow monitoring area ar3) (the proportion to the overall size of overflow monitoring area ar3) has increased to or above a predetermined upper limit, as a process for determining whether a sign of overflow of the liquid in cooking vessel A has occurred.

[0089] More specifically, the condition monitoring processing unit 20b identifies the white foam image area based on the pixel values ​​(hue values, etc.) of each pixel of the image of the overflow monitoring area ar3 among the newly acquired captured images, for example, at each sampling period of the captured images.

[0090] Furthermore, the condition monitoring processor 20b obtains an index value indicating the size of the white foam image area within the overflow monitoring area ar3 by calculating the ratio of the area (or number of pixels) of the white foam image area to the area (or number of pixels) of the overflow monitoring area ar3, and compares this ratio (hereinafter referred to as the third ratio) with a predetermined upper limit value. The third ratio corresponds to the Bth index value in the present invention.

[0091] Then, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines that the result of the determination in STEP 33 is positive if the number of times that the third ratio is equal to or greater than the predetermined upper limit value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before that time, or if the third ratio is equal to or greater than the predetermined upper limit value continuously within that period, and otherwise determines that the result of the determination in STEP 33 is negative. Note that in this embodiment, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 33 is positive corresponds to the case where the B index value in the present invention has reached the predetermined B1 state.

[0092] Additionally, in STEP 33, for example, the difference between the third ratio newly calculated at each sampling period and the third ratio calculated at or near the start of execution of the overflow monitoring process is calculated, i.e., the amount of change (increase) from the value of the third ratio at or near the start of execution of the overflow monitoring process, and the amount of change in the third ratio may be compared with a predetermined upper limit value.

[0093] Then, for example, if the number of times that the amount of change in the third rate becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined upper limit value during a period from the time of each sampling cycle until a predetermined time before the time, or if the amount of change in the third rate becomes equal to or exceeds a predetermined upper limit value continuously during the period, the result of the determination in STEP 33 may be determined to be positive, and otherwise the result of the determination in STEP 33 may be determined to be negative. In this case, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 33 is determined to be positive corresponds to the case where the change in the B index value has entered the predetermined B1 state in the present invention.

[0094] If the result of the determination in STEP 33 is negative, it is a situation in which it can be considered that there is no sign of overflow. In this case, in STEP 34, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines whether the target burner 5 has been extinguished, and if the result of this determination is negative (if the combustion operation of the target burner 5 is continuing), the determination process in STEP 33 is repeated.

[0095] Also, when the user executes the extinguishing operation of the target burner 5, or when the control device 20 automatically extinguishes the target burner 5 in response to the completion of the automatic cooking operation of boiling according to a predetermined sequence, the result of the determination in STEP 34 becomes positive. In this case, the state monitoring processing unit 20b ends the boilover monitoring process.

[0096] If the result of the determination in STEP 33 becomes positive, the state monitoring processing unit 20b detects the occurrence of a sign of overflow in STEP 35 and reduces the flame (heating amount) of the target stove burner 5 to a predetermined low flame. This prevents overflow from occurring.

[0097] The condition monitoring processing unit 20b further executes the determination process of STEP 36. The determination process of STEP 36 is a process for determining whether or not the sign of overflow has disappeared based on the image of white foam in the overflow monitoring area ar3 in the captured image, while continuing to sequentially acquire the captured images of the camera 31 at a predetermined sampling period.

[0098] More specifically, similarly to the judgment processing in STEP 33, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines the third ratio based on the image of the overflow monitoring area ar3 among the images captured by the camera 31. Furthermore, the state monitoring processing unit 20b compares the determined third ratio with a predetermined lower limit value that is a predetermined amount smaller than the predetermined upper limit value in the judgment processing in STEP 33.

[0099] Then, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines that the result of the determination in STEP 36 is positive if the number of times that the third ratio falls below the predetermined lower limit exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before that time, or if the third ratio falls below the predetermined lower limit continuously within that period, and otherwise determines that the result of the determination in STEP 36 is negative. Note that in this embodiment, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 36 is positive corresponds to the case where the B index value in the present invention has reached the predetermined B2 state.

[0100] As a supplementary explanation, in STEP 36, for example, as in the supplementary explanation given for STEP 33, the amount of change in the newly calculated third ratio at each sampling period (the amount of change from the value of the third ratio at or around the time when the overflow monitoring process starts to be executed) may be calculated, and the amount of change in the third ratio may be compared with a predetermined lower limit value.

[0101] Then, for example, if the number of times that the amount of change in the third rate becomes equal to or less than a predetermined lower limit value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before that time, or if the amount of change in the third rate becomes equal to or less than the predetermined lower limit value continuously within that period, the result of the determination in STEP 36 may be determined to be positive, and in other cases, the result of the determination in STEP 36 may be determined to be negative. In this case, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 36 is determined to be positive corresponds to the case where the change in the B index value has entered the predetermined B2 state in the present invention.

[0102] Alternatively, in STEP 36, for example, the amount of change in the third ratio newly calculated in each sampling period may be calculated as the amount of change (decrease) from the value of the third ratio at or around the time when the judgment result in STEP 33 became positive, and the amount of change in the third ratio may be compared with a predetermined value.

[0103] Then, for example, if the number of times that the amount of change in the third rate becomes a decrease amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value exceeds a predetermined number of times within a period from the time of each sampling cycle to a predetermined time before that time, or if the amount of change in the third rate becomes a decrease amount equal to or greater than a predetermined value consecutively within that period, the result of the determination in STEP 36 may be determined to be positive, and in other cases, the result of the determination in STEP 36 may be determined to be negative. Even in such a case, the case where the result of the determination in STEP 36 is determined to be positive corresponds to the case where the change in the B index value has entered the predetermined B2 state in the present invention.

[0104] If the result of the determination in STEP 36 is negative, it is a situation in which there is a risk that the overflow warning signs have not been sufficiently eliminated. In this case, in STEP 37, the state monitoring processing unit 20b determines whether the target burner 5 has been extinguished in the same manner as in STEP 34, and if the result of this determination is positive, the overflow monitoring process is terminated.

[0105] If the determination result in STEP 37 is negative, the state monitoring processing unit 20b repeats the determination process in STEP 36. If the determination result in STEP 36 becomes positive, the state monitoring processing unit 20b detects that the warning sign of overflow has disappeared in STEP 38, and controls the flame (heat amount) of the target stove burner 5 to a flame suitable for the size of the cooking vessel A, as in STEP 31. Then, the state monitoring processing unit 20b executes the process from STEP 33 again.

[0106] As described above, the overflow monitoring process (processing of STEP 4) in this embodiment is performed when it is confirmed that the lid is not attached to the cooking vessel, so it is possible to appropriately detect whether or not there are signs of liquid overflowing in the cooking vessel A and whether or not the signs of overflow have been resolved using the image of the overflow monitoring area ar3 in the image captured by the camera 31.

[0107] Additionally, since the extraction of the white foam image area in STEP 33 and STEP 36 is easily affected by the color of the cooking container A, the control device 20 may appropriately and variably set parameters used in the processing of STEPs 33 and 36, such as a predetermined value (upper limit or lower limit) to be compared with the third ratio (or the amount of change in the third ratio), depending on, for example, the color information obtained in STEP 31.

[0108] Furthermore, since the likelihood of overflow is affected by the material of cooking vessel A, the control device 20 may acquire information regarding the material of cooking vessel A by the user performing a predetermined operation of the cooking appliance 2. Parameters used in the processing in STEPs 33 and 36, such as a predetermined value (upper limit or lower limit) to be compared with the third ratio (or the amount of change in the third ratio), the time width of the period required to determine in STEP 33 that a sign of overflow has occurred, a predetermined number to be compared with the number of times that the third ratio (or the amount of change in the third ratio) has become equal to or greater than a predetermined upper limit during that period, the time width of the period required to determine in STEP 36 that a sign of overflow has disappeared, and a predetermined number to be compared with the number of times that the third ratio (or the amount of change in the third ratio) has become equal to or less than a predetermined lower limit during that period, may be variably set as appropriate according to the material of cooking vessel A.

[0109] [Second embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. Note that this embodiment differs from the first embodiment only in a part of the overflow monitoring process, and therefore a description of the same matters as in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0110] In this embodiment, the control device 20 executes the overflow monitoring process by the state monitoring processing unit 20b as shown in the flowchart of Fig. 10. In the overflow monitoring process in this embodiment, the state monitoring processing unit 20b executes the process of STEP 32' instead of the process of STEP 32 shown in Fig. 6, and executes the processes of STEP 38' and 39 instead of the process of STEP 38 shown in Fig. 6.

[0111] Specifically, in STEP 32', the state monitoring processing unit 20b, as in the first embodiment, sets the overflow monitoring area ar3 as a monitoring area in the image captured by the camera 31. In addition, the state monitoring processing unit 20b initializes the count value of the number of times n of increasing the flame power of the target stove burner 5 in response to detection of the elimination of the overflow warning to zero.

[0112] Furthermore, in STEP 38', which is the next process if the judgment result in STEP 36 becomes positive, the status monitoring processing unit 20b detects that the signs of overflow have been eliminated and increases the count value of the number of heat increases n by "1".

[0113] Next, in STEP 39, the state monitoring processing unit 20b controls the flame power of the target stove burner 5 to be increased from the low flame power in STEP 35 to the flame power (n) set according to the current value of the number of flame power increases n. In this case, the flame power (n) according to the number of flame power increases n is set so that the flame power (n) increases to a predetermined upper flame power A as the number of flame power increases n increases in a flame power range greater than the low flame power in STEP 35. In other words, the flame power (n) is set so as to satisfy the relationship of flame power (n-1) ≦ flame power (n) ≦ upper flame power A (including the relationship of flame power (n-1) < flame power (n) ≦ upper flame power A) in a flame power range greater than the low flame power in STEP 35. Note that after the flame power (n) reaches the upper flame power A (when the number of flame power increases n becomes equal to or greater than a certain number nx), it is maintained at the upper flame power A.

[0114] Here, as the upper limit firepower A, for example, a firepower suited to the size of the cooking vessel A (a strong firepower within a range where the flame does not extend beyond the outer periphery of the cooking vessel A), that is, the firepower controlled in STEP 31 or 38 of the first embodiment, may be adopted. Alternatively, as the upper limit firepower A, for example, a firepower set by the user as the firepower of the target burner 5 before the occurrence of a sign of overflow (for example, a firepower set by the user through a firepower operation before the judgment result of STEP 33 becomes positive for the first time after the start of the overflow monitoring process) may be adopted. Alternatively, as the upper limit firepower A, a strong firepower of a predetermined value (the maximum firepower of the target burner 5 or a firepower close to it) may be adopted.

[0115] 11 shows an example of the setting of the flame power (n) according to the number of flame power increases n. In this illustrated example, when the flame power of the target stove burner 5 is increased for the first time, the flame power (n) (flame power (1)) is set to a predetermined medium flame power a (a flame power between low flame power and maximum flame power) that is higher than the low flame power in STEP 35.

[0116] Then, until the number of fire power increases n reaches a predetermined number nx (nx=4 in the illustrated example), the fire power (n) is set to increase stepwise up to the upper limit fire power A as the number of fire power increases n increases, and after the number of fire power increases n reaches the predetermined number nx, the fire power (n) is maintained at the upper limit fire power A. Therefore, the fire power (n) after each increase after the number of fire power increases n reaches the predetermined number nx (fire power (4), fire power (5), ... in FIG. 11) is set to a fire power greater than the fire power (n) after each increase before the number of fire power increases n reaches the predetermined number nx (fire power (1), fire power (2), fire power (3) in FIG. 11).

[0117] 11, the predetermined number nx as the value of the number of fire power increases n at which fire power (n) reaches the upper limit fire power A is "4", but the predetermined number nx may be a number equal to or greater than "5", or a number equal to or less than "3". In this case, when nx=2, the increased fire power (1) is set to a fire power smaller than the upper limit fire power A only the first time the fire power is increased, and the increased fire power (n) (fire power (2), fire power (3), ...) is set to the upper limit fire power A from the second time onwards.

[0118] Also, for example, until the number of fire power increases n reaches a predetermined number na that is 2 or more, fire power (n) may be maintained at the same fire power as fire power (1), and after the number of fire power increases n exceeds the predetermined number na that is 2 or more, fire power (n) may be increased from fire power (1) to an upper limit fire power A.

[0119] This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except for the points described above. According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. That is, for example, in noodle boiling cooking, if the amount of heat is large, especially in the early stages (the early stages after the noodles are put into boiling water), overflow is likely to occur due to the influence of the starch contained in the noodles. Therefore, if the heat power that is increased in response to the detection of the elimination of the signs of overflow is set to the upper limit heat power A from the first increase, for example, in the early stages of noodle boiling cooking, signs of overflow are likely to occur frequently, and as a result, the heating period at low heat is likely to become long.

[0120] On the other hand, as time passes during noodle boiling (as the noodles are heated), the likelihood of overflow occurring is reduced (overflow becomes less likely to occur even if the amount of heat is large). Therefore, in this embodiment, in the early stages of noodle boiling (the period before the number of heat increases n reaches the predetermined number nx), the heat (n) that is increased in response to detection of the elimination of the signs of overflow is set to a heat smaller than the upper limit heat A, and after the number of heat increases n reaches the predetermined number nx, the heat (n) is maintained at the upper limit heat A.

[0121] This allows the noodles to be heated smoothly while preventing excessively frequent signs of overflow (and thus reducing the occurrence of periods when heating is performed at low heat).

[0122] [Other embodiments] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and other embodiments can be adopted. For example, the state monitoring processing unit 20b may be configured to execute only one of the boiling detection process and the overflow monitoring process, each of which uses the image captured by the camera 31. Then, either the boiling detection process or the overflow monitoring process may be executed by another method that does not use the image captured by the camera 31.

[0123] In addition, the boiling detection process and the overflow monitoring process, which use the images captured by the camera 31, may each be executed together with the lid presence / absence determination process during normal cooking operation other than automatic cooking operation (during cooking operation when the user operates the stove burner 5).

[0124] In addition, in the above embodiment, when a boiling state is detected during the boiling detection process, the flame power of the target stove burner 5 is reduced to a predetermined low flame power. However, in cooking where the cooking is completed by the boiling of the liquid in the cooking container A, such as water boiling cooking, the target stove burner 5 may be turned off when a boiling state is detected.

[0125] In addition, in cooking by boiling, when a boiling state is detected, the reduction of the heat of the target stove burner 5 may be omitted. In addition, for example, in cooking by boiling, which does not require the user to perform an operation such as adding cooking ingredients in response to the boiling of the liquid in the cooking container A, when a boiling state is detected, the process of outputting notification information to that effect may be omitted.

[0126] In addition, in the above embodiment, the flame power (heat amount) of the target stove burner is reduced when signs of overflow are detected, but for example, in normal cooking other than automatic cooking operation, the target stove burner 5 may be extinguished (the operation of the target stove burner 5 may be stopped) when signs of overflow are detected.

[0127] Further, in the above embodiment, a gas stove is exemplified as the cooking device 2, but the cooking device in the present invention may be a cooking device including, for example, an IH type heating unit or an electric heating unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0128] 1...heating cooking system (condition monitoring system), 5...heating section, 20a...lid presence / absence determination section, 20b...condition monitoring processing section, 31...camera (imaging device), A...cooking container, B...lid, B1...lid handle, ar1...area for determining whether lid is present or not (first monitoring area), ar2...area for detecting boiling (second monitoring area), ar3...area for monitoring overflow (second monitoring area).

Claims

1. A system that includes an imaging device that can image a heated object, including a cooking container, disposed above a heating unit of a cooking device from above the heated object, and monitors the state of the heated object based on a visible light image obtained by the imaging device, a lid presence / absence determination unit that determines whether a lid is attached to a cooking container included in the heated object placed above the heating unit based on a visible light image of a first monitoring area, which is a predetermined local area in a visible light image of the heated object included in the visible light captured image, and is set to include a visible light image of a portion of the lid when a lid is attached to the cooking container; a state monitoring processing unit that executes a process of monitoring a state of the heated object based on a visible light image of a second monitoring area, which is a predetermined area wider than the first monitoring area in the visible light image of the heated object included in the visible light captured image, while the heated object is being heated by the heating unit, with a necessary condition being that the determination result of the lid presence / absence determination unit is negative; The status monitoring processing unit performs a boiling detection process to determine whether or not the liquid is in a boiling state based on temporal changes in the movement of the liquid contained in the heated object in the visible light image of the second monitoring area, and a boilover monitoring process to determine whether or not a sign of the liquid boiling over has occurred based on the size of the image area of ​​white foam contained in the visible light image of the second monitoring area when the liquid is in the boiling state.This is a status monitoring system for a heated object, characterized in that it performs a boiling detection process to determine whether or not the liquid is in a boiling state based on the size of the image area of ​​white foam contained in the visible light image of the second monitoring area.

2. The system for monitoring the state of a heated object according to claim 1, the first monitoring area is an area that is set so that, when a lid is attached to the cooking container of the object to be heated, a visible light image within the first monitoring area becomes an image of a part of the lid, including a visible light image of a handle of the lid; The lid presence / absence determination unit is configured to determine whether a lid is attached to a cooking container for the heated object by monitoring changes over time in the visible light image in the first monitoring area after the heating unit starts heating the heated object.

3. 3. The system for monitoring the state of a heated object according to claim 1, The second monitoring area is an area including a visible light image of a liquid surface in a cooking container of the object to be heated, The state monitoring processing unit, in the boiling detection process, determines whether the size of the area in the second monitoring area where the movement of the liquid changes over time or an Ath index value indicating the change in size has reached a predetermined Ath state, and detects whether the liquid in the cooking container of the heated object is in a boiling state based on at least the result of the determination.

4. In the state monitoring system for a heated object according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The second monitoring area is an area including a visible light image of a liquid surface in a cooking container of the object to be heated, The status monitoring processing unit, in the overflow monitoring process, determines whether the size of the visible light image area of ​​the white foam in the second monitoring area or the B index value indicating the change in said size has reached a predetermined state, B1 state, and based at least on the result of this determination, detects whether there are signs of overflow of the liquid in the cooking container of the heated object, and if it detects that there are signs of overflow, controls the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat applied by the heating unit or to stop operation of the heating unit.

5. The system for monitoring the state of a heated object according to claim 4, The status monitoring processing unit, when it detects that a sign of the liquid in the cooking container for the heated object is about to boil over, controls the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat the heated object is heated by the heating unit, and then determines whether the B index value has reached a B2 state, which is a predetermined state different from the B1 state, based on at least the result of the determination, and detects whether the sign of the liquid in the cooking container for the heated object is about to boil over and, when it detects that the sign of the liquid is about to boil over and has been eliminated, controls the heating unit to increase the amount of heat the heated object is heated by the heating unit.

6. A system comprising an imaging device capable of imaging an object to be heated, including a cooking container disposed above a heating portion of a cooking device, from above the object, and monitoring the state of the object to be heated based on an image obtained by the imaging device, a lid presence / absence determination unit that determines whether a lid is attached to a cooking container included in the heated object arranged above the heating unit based on an image of a first monitoring area that is a predetermined local area in an image of the heated object included in the captured image and is set to include an image of a portion of the lid when a lid is attached to the cooking container; a state monitoring processing unit that executes a process of monitoring a state of the heated object based on an image of a second monitoring area, which is a predetermined area wider than the first monitoring area in the image of the heated object included in the captured image, while the heated object is being heated by the heating unit, with a necessary condition being that the determination result of the lid presence / absence determination unit is negative; The second monitoring area is an area including an image of a liquid level in a cooking container of the object to be heated, The state monitoring processing unit detects the size of an area in the second monitoring area where an image of white foam occurs or determining whether a B-th index value indicating the change in magnitude has reached a B1-th state, which is a predetermined state; Based on at least the result of the judgment, a prediction of overflow of the liquid in the cooking container of the object to be heated is performed. A function for detecting whether a sign of overflow has occurred and a function for detecting whether a sign of overflow has occurred In this case, the heating amount of the heating unit is reduced or the operation of the heating unit is stopped. and a function of controlling the unit; The state monitoring processing unit further has a function of, when detecting the occurrence of a sign of liquid boiling over in the cooking container of the heated object, controlling the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat applied to the heated object by the heating unit, and then judging whether the B index value has reached a B2 state, which is a predetermined state different from the B1 state, based on at least the result of the judgment, detecting whether the sign of liquid boiling over in the cooking container of the heated object has disappeared, and a function of, when detecting the disappearance of the sign of boiling over, controlling the heating unit to increase the amount of heat applied to the heated object by the heating unit, The status monitoring processing unit is configured to have the function of alternately repeating between controlling the heating unit to reduce the amount of heat applied to the heated object by the heating unit in response to detecting the occurrence of a warning sign of overflow, and controlling the heating unit to increase the amount of heat applied to the heated object by the heating unit in response to detecting the elimination of the warning sign of overflow, and is configured to control the heating unit so that, when the repetition is performed, the heating amount after each increase in the heating amount of the heated object after the number of increases in the heating amount reaches a predetermined number is greater than the heating amount after each increase before the number of increases in the heating amount reaches the predetermined number.

7. In the state monitoring system for a heated object according to any one of claims 1 to 6, A status monitoring system for a heated object, characterized in that the status monitoring processing unit is capable of acquiring information regarding the cooking container of the heated object, and is configured to be able to variably set parameters used in the process of monitoring the status of the heated object depending on the information regarding the cooking container.

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