Cooking apparatus and control method therefor

Abstract

A cooking apparatus is disclosed. The cooking apparatus includes: a thermographic camera; a memory for storing one or more instructions; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors execute the one or more instructions to: obtain a thermographic image obtained by capturing a turn table on which food is placed by using the thermographic camera; obtain a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermographic image; identify at least one food area in the thermographic image by clustering the pixels on the basis of the temperature value for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames; and provide guide information related to a cooking state of the food on the basis of temperature imbalance information for the at least one food area.

Description

Cooking device and its control method

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking device and a control method thereof, and more particularly, to a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves and a control method thereof.

[0002] Advances in electronic technology have led to the development and widespread adoption of various types of electronic devices. In particular, microwave ovens, used in a variety of settings, including homes and restaurants, have seen continuous advancements in recent years.

[0003] In general, a microwave oven is a device that cooks food by heating the moisture in the food stored inside the cooking chamber using electromagnetic waves (or microwaves) generated by a magnetron.

[0004] According to one or more embodiments, a cooking device for cooking food using electromagnetic waves includes: a thermographic camera; a memory storing one or more commands; and one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors, by executing the one or more commands, acquire a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using the thermal imaging camera, acquire a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermal image, identify at least one food area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames, and provide guide information related to a cooking state of the food area based on temperature imbalance information for the at least one food area.

[0005] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors, by executing the one or more commands, when a plurality of food areas are identified in the thermal image, assign identification information to each food area and provide information for guiding a change in the position of the food based on temperature imbalance information for the plurality of food areas and the identification information assigned to each food area.

[0006] According to one or more embodiments, the cooking device further includes a display; and the one or more processors can, by executing the one or more commands, provide a thermal image including identification information and a position change guidance text corresponding to each of the plurality of cooking areas through the display.

[0007] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors may, by executing the one or more commands, provide guide information to each of the food areas to change the positions of food having a relatively high average temperature and food having a relatively low average temperature using identification information when the average temperature difference between the plurality of food areas is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature.

[0008] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors may, by executing the one or more commands, analyze a correlation between the amount of heat change per pixel and the current temperature value in at least one first frame acquired at a current point in time and at least one second frame acquired at a previous point in time at a rotation angle equal to the rotation angle of the turntable at the current point in time to obtain a correlation graph, cluster the pixels in the correlation graph to identify a plurality of pixel groups, and identify each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among the plurality of pixel groups as a cooking area.

[0009] According to one or more embodiments, after a guide requesting user intervention is provided, whether the door is opened or closed is identified, and whether the user has intervened is identified through correlation analysis between a first thermal image acquired before the door is opened and a second thermal image acquired after the opened door is closed, and whether the position of the food has changed due to the user's intervention is identified, thereby controlling the cooking state.

[0010] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, can control the magnetron output to operate in an idle state or a heated state based on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the foods and the standard deviation of temperatures between the foods, if the user intervention is not identified or the temperature imbalance between the foods is identified to be maintained after the user intervention.

[0011] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, control the magnetron to operate in the idle state when the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking regions is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and the standard deviation between the cooking regions is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, and control the magnetron to operate in the idle state when the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking regions is less than or equal to a third threshold value and the standard deviation of temperatures between the cooking regions is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value and the current temperature of the cooking region is less than a fifth threshold value.

[0012] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors may, by executing the one or more commands, identify temperature values ​​of pixels corresponding to each of the food areas, identify temperature imbalance information for each of the food areas based on the number of pixels corresponding to each of the identified temperature values, and control a magnetron output based on the identified temperature imbalance information.

[0013] According to one or more embodiments, the one or more processors may, by executing the one or more commands, control the magnetron output to be in a resting state when the highest temperature of a portion of the cooking area reaches a target temperature when sous-vide cooking or defrosting cooking is selected in accordance with a user command, and control the magnetron output to be in a heating state when the highest temperature of a portion of the cooking area falls below the target temperature.

[0014] According to one or more embodiments, a method for controlling a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves includes the steps of: obtaining a thermal image by capturing a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal image camera; obtaining a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermal image; identifying at least one food area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames; and providing guide information related to a cooking state of the food area based on temperature imbalance information for the at least one food area.

[0015] According to one or more embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer instructions that, when executed by a processor of a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves, cause the cooking device to perform an operation, the operation includes: obtaining a thermal image by capturing a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal imaging camera; obtaining a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermal image; identifying at least one food area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames; and providing guide information related to a cooking state of the food area based on temperature imbalance information for the at least one food area.

[0016] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of specific embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0017] FIGS. 1A to 1C are drawings for explaining the structure and operation of a microwave oven to help understand the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0019] FIG. 2b is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0022] FIGS. 5A and 5B are drawings illustrating a method for identifying a cooking area through clustering according to one or more embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a method of assigning identification information to a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0024] FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings illustrating a method for identifying multiple cooking areas according to one or more embodiments.

[0025] FIGS. 8A and 8B are drawings for explaining a method for identifying whether there is a temperature imbalance in a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a method for providing guide information according to one or more embodiments.

[0027] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an example of changing the position of a cooking object according to one or more embodiments.

[0029] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a magnetron output control method according to one or more embodiments.

[0030] FIG. 13 is a drawing for explaining a heating control method for resolving temperature imbalance according to one or more embodiments.

[0031] FIGS. 14A and 14B are drawings illustrating rest and heater start conditions according to one or more embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 15 is a drawing for explaining a sous vide cooking method according to one or more embodiments.

[0033] FIG. 16 is a drawing for explaining a thawing method according to one or more embodiments.

[0034] FIGS. 17a and 17b are drawings illustrating a method for obtaining temperature of a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0035] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0036] The terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected from widely used, current terms, taking into account the functions of this disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions or cases of those skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names of terms, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0037] In this specification, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0038] In this disclosure, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and / or B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” can include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” can all refer to cases where (1) only A is included, (2) only B is included, or (3) both A and B are included.

[0039] As used herein, the expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” etc., may describe various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the components.

[0040] When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “operatively or communicatively coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to the other component, or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component).

[0041] The expression "configured to" as used in the present disclosure may be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" in terms of hardware.

[0042] In some contexts, the phrase "a device configured to" may mean that the device, in conjunction with other devices or components, is "capable of" performing A, B, and C. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may refer to a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing those operations, or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) that can perform those operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

[0043] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "consist of" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0044] In the embodiments, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, a plurality of "modules" or "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented as at least one processor (not shown), excluding any "module" or "part" that needs to be implemented as specific hardware.

[0045] Meanwhile, the various elements and areas in the drawings are schematically drawn. Therefore, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the relative sizes or spacing depicted in the attached drawings.

[0046] The terms used in this specification will be briefly explained, and the present disclosure will be described in detail.

[0047] The terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure have been selected from widely used, current terms, taking into account the functions of this disclosure. However, these terms may vary depending on the intentions or cases of those skilled in the art, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Furthermore, in certain cases, terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the relevant disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be defined simply as names of terms, but rather based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0048] In this specification, expressions such as “has,” “can have,” “includes,” or “may include” indicate the presence of a feature (e.g., a number, function, operation, or component such as a part), and do not exclude the presence of additional features.

[0049] In this disclosure, expressions such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and / or B,” or “one or more of A or / and B” can include all possible combinations of the listed items. For example, “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” or “at least one of A or B” can all refer to cases where (1) only A is included, (2) only B is included, or (3) both A and B are included.

[0050] As used herein, the expressions “first,” “second,” “first,” or “second,” etc., may describe various components, regardless of order and / or importance, and are only used to distinguish one component from another, but do not limit the components.

[0051] When it is said that a component (e.g., a first component) is “operatively or communicatively coupled with / to” or “connected to” another component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled to the other component, or may be connected through another component (e.g., a third component).

[0052] The expression "configured to" as used in the present disclosure may be used interchangeably with, for example, "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of." The term "configured to" may not necessarily mean only "specifically designed to" in terms of hardware.

[0053] In some contexts, the phrase "a device configured to" may mean that the device, in conjunction with other devices or components, is "capable of" performing A, B, and C. For example, the phrase "a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C" may refer to a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing those operations, or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) that can perform those operations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memory device.

[0054] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "consist of" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0055] In the embodiments, a "module" or "part" performs at least one function or operation and may be implemented as hardware or software, or as a combination of hardware and software. Furthermore, a plurality of "modules" or "parts" may be integrated into at least one module and implemented as at least one processor (not shown), excluding any "module" or "part" that needs to be implemented as specific hardware.

[0056] Meanwhile, the various elements and areas in the drawings are schematically drawn. Therefore, the technical concept of the present invention is not limited by the relative sizes or spacing depicted in the attached drawings.

[0057] An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the attached drawings below.

[0058] FIGS. 1A to 1C are drawings for explaining the structure and operation of a microwave oven to help understand the present disclosure.

[0059] Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1C, the microwave oven (1) is formed in a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape with a cooking chamber (22) inside, and the two side surfaces and the upper outer surface can be formed by a sub-case (10). The sub-case (10) is formed by bending a plate having a predetermined width and thickness, and can be combined with a rear plate (12) forming the rear outer surface of the microwave oven (1) and a lower plate (14) forming the lower outer surface. A cavity (20) forming a cooking chamber (22), which is a space for cooking food, can be provided on the upper side of the lower plate (14). The cavity (20) can be formed in a rectangular cylindrical shape with an open front having a size that can be accommodated inside the outer case (10). That is, the cavity (20) is formed in a cylindrical shape by joining the plates forming at least one side to each other, and a cooking chamber (22) can be formed in the opened interior.

[0060] A heater (40) may be provided on the ceiling of the cooking chamber (22) to heat food contained in the cooking chamber (22) by radiant heat. The heater (40) is generally a sheath heater, and various types of electric heaters such as a ceramic heater and a halogen heater may be used as needed. The heater (40) may be fixed to a top cavity (24) forming the upper surface of the cavity (20) so as to be exposed to the interior of the cooking chamber (22).

[0061] Meanwhile, a turntable (32) for supporting a container containing food may be provided on the floor of the cooking chamber (22). A turntable motor (33) may be provided on the lower side of the turntable (32). The turntable motor (33) provides driving force for the rotation of the turntable (32) when food is cooked inside the cooking chamber (22). The turntable motor (33) stops when food is kept warm inside the cooking chamber (22), so as to prevent unnecessary power consumption. A cooking chamber lamp (35) may be further provided on the side of the cooking chamber (22). The cooking chamber lamp (35) illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber (22) when food is being cooked inside the cooking chamber so that a user can know the cooking status of the food. The cooking chamber lamp (35) turns off when food is kept warm inside the cooking chamber, so as to prevent unnecessary power consumption.

[0062] In addition, a number of intake holes (28) may be perforated in the center of the back cavity (26) forming the rear of the cooking chamber (22) through which air inside the cooking chamber (22) is sucked in, and a number of discharge holes (29) may be perforated on the inside of the rim of the back cavity (26) through which heat generated by the convection heater (62) is discharged into the cooking chamber (22).

[0063] Meanwhile, a power unit (30) may be provided in the top cavity (24) and the back cavity (26). The power unit (30) is a space where power components for the operation of the microwave oven (1) are provided. The power unit (30) formed in the back cavity (26) may be provided with a magnetron (34) that generates microwaves for heating food, a high-voltage transformer and a high-voltage capacitor for supplying high-voltage current to the magnetron (34), and a convection unit (60) that convectively heats the cooking chamber (22).

[0064] The convection unit (60) may be configured to include a convection heater (62) that generates heat by electrical resistance, and a convection fan (64) that forcibly convects the heat generated by the convection heater (62) into the cooking chamber (22). When the convection function of the microwave oven (1) is performed, power is supplied to the convection heater (62) to generate heat, and the heat generated by the convection heater (62) can circulate inside the cooking chamber (22) by the rotation of the convection fan (64). That is, food stored in the cooking chamber (22) can be cooked through a convection heating process in which the heat generated by the convection heater (62) is introduced into the cooking chamber (22) through the discharge hole (29) and then discharged to the outside of the cooking chamber (22) through the suction hole (28).

[0065] Meanwhile, the electric room (30) formed on the upper surface of the top cavity (24) may be equipped with a control unit (or processor) (50) that controls the overall operation of the heater (40) and the microwave oven (1), and a fan assembly (70) that forces air flow to cool the electric room (30).

[0066] The control unit (50) can form a predetermined circuit by a number of circuit components such as a resistor, a capacitor, an IC (Integrated Circuit) chip, and a microcomputer (MICOM).

[0067] The fan assembly (70) sucks in external air of the microwave oven (1) by means of rotational force to cool a number of electrical components provided in the electrical compartment (30), and a portion of this air is introduced into the cooking compartment (22) through an inlet (27) formed on the front side of the top cavity (24) and circulates within the cooking compartment (22). The air circulating within the cooking compartment (22) can be discharged to the outside of the cooking compartment (22) through an intake port (28).

[0068] Meanwhile, a front plate (16) may be formed at the front of the cavity (20). The front plate (16) forms the front outer shape of the cavity (20) and may be coupled to the front end of the outer case (10). A door (80) may be rotatably coupled to the front plate (16). The door (80) is hinge-coupled to the lower end of the front plate (16) to selectively open and close the open front of the cavity (20).

[0069] A viewing window (82) may be formed in the center of the door (80) so that the user can view the cooking status of food in the cooking chamber (22) without rotating the door (80). In addition, a door handle (84) that is gripped by the user may be provided on the front of the door (80) so that the door (80) can be easily opened and closed. Meanwhile, an operation unit (90) may be provided on the upper part of the door (80) so that the user inputs an operation command to cook food or keep food warm using the microwave oven (1). The operation unit (90) may be configured to include a plurality of buttons (92) for operating the microwave oven (1) and a display (94) that indicates the operating status. The display (94) may show the status of the microwave oven (1) set by the buttons (92).

[0070] Meanwhile, microwave ovens (1) have a problem in that certain parts of food are heated first due to their nature. Accordingly, the following provides guidance on temperature imbalances in food and describes various embodiments for resolving temperature imbalances that occur during cooking.

[0071] FIG. 2A is a block diagram showing the configuration of a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0072] According to FIG. 2a, the cooking device (100) includes a thermal imaging camera (110), a memory (120), and one or more processors (130). According to one example, the cooking device (100) can be implemented as a microwave oven as shown in FIG. 1.

[0073] A thermal imaging camera (110) is a device that tracks and detects heat and displays it at a glance on a screen. While the human eye or a general camera detects visible light, a thermal imaging camera (110) detects the radiant heat emitted by a hot object to create an image. The thermal imaging camera (110) displays the temperature in different colors so that we can identify the temperature with our eyes. In other words, the thermal imaging camera (110) is a camera that detects thermal radiation emitted from an object and visualizes it in various colors. It can be installed in a location where it can photograph the inside of a cooking chamber. For example, the thermal imaging camera (110) can be installed in a location where it can photograph a turntable from the front. Accordingly, the image acquired through the thermal imaging camera (110) can be a top-view image or an image taken at an angle close to a top-view image.

[0074] The memory (120) can store data required for various embodiments. The memory (120) may be implemented in the form of a memory embedded in the cooking device (100') or may be implemented in the form of a memory detachable from the cooking device (100) depending on the purpose of data storage. For example, data for driving the cooking device (100) may be stored in a memory embedded in the cooking device (100'), and data for expanding the functions of the cooking device (100) may be stored in a memory detachable from the cooking device (100). Meanwhile, in the case of the memory embedded in the cooking device (100), it may be implemented as at least one of volatile memory (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM)), non-volatile memory (e.g., one time programmable ROM (OTPROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), mask ROM, flash ROM, flash memory (e.g., NAND flash or NOR flash), hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD)). In addition, in the case of the memory that can be detachably attached to the cooking device (100'), it may be implemented as at least one of memory cards (e.g., compact flash (CF), secure digital (SD), micro secure digital (Micro-SD), mini secure digital (Mini-SD), extreme digital (xD), multi-media card (MMC), etc.), external memory that can be connected to a USB port (e.g., USB memory), etc. It can be implemented in the form of.

[0075] As an example, the memory (120) may store a computer program including at least one instruction or instructions for controlling the cooking device (100).

[0076] According to another example, the memory (120) may store an image received from an external device (e.g., a source device), an external storage medium (e.g., USB), an external server (e.g., web hard), etc., i.e., an input image. Alternatively, the memory (120) may store an image acquired through a thermal imaging camera (110) provided in the cooking device (100). Here, the image may be a 2D image, but is not limited thereto.

[0077] According to one embodiment, the memory (120) may be implemented as a single memory that stores data generated from various operations according to the present disclosure. However, according to another embodiment, the memory (120) may be implemented to include multiple memories that each store different types of data or each store data generated at different stages.

[0078] In the above-described embodiment, it has been described that various data are stored in the external memory (120) of the processor (130), but at least some of the above-described data may be stored in the internal memory of the processor (130) depending on the implementation example of at least one of the cooking device (100) or the processor (130).

[0079] One or more processors (130) control the overall operation of the cooking device (100). Specifically, one or more processors (130) may be connected to each component of the cooking device (100) to control the overall operation of the cooking device (100). For example, one or more processors (130) may be electrically connected to the display (110) and the memory (120) to control the overall operation of the cooking device (100). One or more processors (130) may be configured as one or more processors.

[0080] One or more processors (130) can perform operations of the cooking device (100) according to various embodiments by executing at least one instruction stored in the memory (120).

[0081] The one or more processors (130) may include one or more of a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), an Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), a Many Integrated Core (MIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a Neural Processing Unit (NPU), a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator. The one or more processors (130) may control one or any combination of other components of the cooking device, and may perform operations related to communication or data processing. The one or more processors (130) may execute one or more programs or instructions stored in a memory. For example, the one or more processors may perform a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure by executing one or more instructions stored in a memory.

[0082] When a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes multiple operations, the multiple operations may be performed by one processor or by multiple processors. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to one or more embodiments, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by the first processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by the first processor (e.g., a general-purpose processor) and the third operation may be performed by the second processor (e.g., an artificial intelligence-specific processor).

[0083] One or more processors (130) may be implemented as a single core processor including one core, or may be implemented as one or more multicore processors including multiple cores (e.g., homogeneous multicores or heterogeneous multicores). When one or more processors (130) are implemented as a multicore processor, each of the multiple cores included in the multicore processor may include an internal processor memory, such as a cache memory or an on-chip memory, and a common cache shared by the multiple cores may be included in the multicore processor. In addition, each of the multiple cores (or some of the multiple cores) included in the multicore processor may independently read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, or all (or some) of the multiple cores may be linked to read and execute a program instruction for implementing a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0084] When a method according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure includes a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations may be performed by one core among the plurality of cores included in a multi-core processor, or may be performed by the plurality of cores. For example, when a first operation, a second operation, and a third operation are performed by a method according to one or more embodiments, the first operation, the second operation, and the third operation may all be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, or the first operation and the second operation may be performed by a first core included in the multi-core processor, and the third operation may be performed by a second core included in the multi-core processor.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, a processor may mean a system on a chip (SoC) in which one or more processors and other electronic components are integrated, a single-core processor, a multi-core processor, or a core included in a single-core processor or a multi-core processor, wherein the core may be implemented as a CPU, a GPU, an APU, a MIC, a DSP, an NPU, a hardware accelerator, or a machine learning accelerator, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, one or more processors (130) will be referred to as a processor (130).

[0086] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may acquire a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal imaging camera (110). For example, the thermal image may include a plurality of frames.

[0087] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may obtain a temperature value for each pixel area included in each of a plurality of frames. For example, a pixel area may be a single pixel unit, but is not limited thereto, and a plurality of pixels may be identified as a pixel area. When a plurality of pixels are identified as a pixel area, a representative value (e.g., an average value) of the plurality of pixels included in the pixel area may be obtained as the temperature value of the pixel area. However, for the convenience of explanation, it is assumed below that the temperature value is obtained on a pixel-by-pixel basis.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may identify at least one cooking area in a thermal image by clustering pixels based on temperature values ​​per pixel included in each of a plurality of frames. According to one example, the processor (130) may analyze the correlation between the thermal change amount and the current temperature value per pixel in the plurality of frames to obtain a correlation graph, identify a plurality of pixel groups by clustering pixels in the correlation graph, and identify each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among the plurality of pixel groups as a cooking area. For example, the correlation graph may be a statistical graph for analyzing the correlation (or correlation) between two variables, that is, the thermal change amount and the current temperature value per pixel.

[0089] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) can provide guidance on the cooking status of the food based on temperature imbalance information for at least one food area.

[0090] According to one embodiment, when a plurality of food areas are identified in a thermal image, the processor (130) may assign identification information to each food area and provide information for guiding a change in the position of the food based on temperature imbalance information for the plurality of food areas and the identification information assigned to each food area. According to one example, the processor (130) may provide a thermal image including identification information and a position change guidance text corresponding to each of the plurality of food areas through the display (140). According to one example, the processor (130) may provide a thermal image including identification information corresponding to each of the plurality of food areas through the display (140) and provide a position change guidance text in voice form through the speaker (160).

[0091] According to one embodiment, if the average temperature difference between a plurality of food items is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature, the processor (130) may provide guide information to change the positions of food items having relatively high and relatively low average temperatures using identification information in each food area.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) can identify whether the door (80) is opened or closed after providing guidance on the cooking status of the food. Then, the processor (130) can identify whether a user has intervened by analyzing the correlation between a first thermal image acquired before the door (80) is opened and a second thermal image acquired after the opened door (80) is closed. For example, the processor (130) can determine that there is no user intervention if the correlation value is greater than a threshold value (e.g., 0.9).

[0093] After this, the processor (130) can control the cooking status by identifying whether the position of the food has changed due to user intervention.

[0094] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) can control the output of the magnetron (34) to operate in an idle or heated state based on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking zones and the standard deviation of temperatures between the cooking zones if no user intervention is identified or if it is identified that a temperature imbalance between the cooking zones remains after the user intervention.

[0095] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) can control the magnetron (34) to operate in an idle state when the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking zones is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and the standard deviation of temperatures between the cooking zones is greater than or equal to a second threshold value.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) can control the magnetron (34) to operate in an idle state when the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking zones is less than or equal to a third threshold value, the standard deviation of temperatures between the cooking zones is greater than or equal to a fourth threshold value, and the current temperature of the cooking zone is less than or equal to a fifth threshold value.

[0097] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) to resolve a temperature imbalance within a cooking area. For example, the processor (130) may identify temperature values ​​of pixels corresponding to each cooking area and identify temperature imbalance information for each cooking area based on the number of pixels corresponding to each identified temperature value. Subsequently, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) based on the identified temperature imbalance information. For example, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) to operate in an idle state or a heated state based on the difference between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature and the temperature standard deviation within a cooking area.

[0098] In one embodiment, when sous-vide cooking is selected according to a user command, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) so ​​that the temperature of the food is accurately calculated. In one example, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) so ​​that the temperature of the food surface is maintained at a specific temperature while maintaining the uniformity of the food temperature. For example, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) so ​​that it is in an idle state when the highest temperature of a portion of the food reaches a target temperature, and may control the output of the magnetron (34) so ​​that it is in a heating state when the highest temperature of a portion of the food falls below the target temperature.

[0099] According to one embodiment, when defrosting cooking is selected according to a user command, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) so ​​that the temperature of all parts of the food is maintained above a certain temperature (e.g., 0 to 25 degrees). For example, the processor (130) may control the output of the magnetron (34) to enter a resting state when the highest temperature of a part of the food reaches a target temperature, and may control the output of the magnetron (34) to enter a heating state when the highest temperature of a part of the food falls below the target temperature.

[0100] FIG. 2b is a block diagram showing a detailed configuration of a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0101]

[0102] *According to FIG. 2b, the cooking device (100') includes a thermal imaging camera (110), a memory (120), one or more processors (130), a display (140), a communication interface (150), a user interface (160), and a speaker (170). Among the configurations illustrated in FIG. 2b, a detailed description of configurations that overlap with those illustrated in FIG. 2a will be omitted.

[0103] The display (140) may be implemented as a display including a self-luminous element or a display including a non-luminous element and a backlight. For example, it may be implemented as various types of displays such as an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) display, an LED (Light Emitting Diodes), a micro LED, a Mini LED, a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), a QD (Quantum dot) display, a QLED (Quantum dot light-emitting diodes), etc. The display (140) may also include a driving circuit, a backlight unit, etc., which may be implemented in a form such as an a-si TFT, an LTPS (low temperature poly silicon) TFT, an OTFT (organic TFT), etc. According to an example, the display (140) may be implemented as a flat display, a curved display, a foldable or / and rollable flexible display, etc.

[0104] The communication interface (150) includes a circuit and can communicate with an external device (server or user terminal). For example, the processor (130) can receive various data or information from an external device connected via the communication interface (150) and can also transmit various data or information to the external device.

[0105] The communication interface (150) may include at least one of a WiFi module, a Bluetooth module, a wireless communication module, an NFC module, and a UWB module (Ultra Wide Band). At this time, the wireless communication module may perform communication according to various communication standards such as IEEE, Zigbee, 3G (3rd Generation), 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), 5G (5th Generation), etc.

[0106] The user interface (160) may be implemented as a device such as a button, a touch pad, etc., or as a touch screen that can also perform the above-described display function and operation input function.

[0107] The speaker (170) can convert and amplify a digital audio signal processed by the processor (130) into an analog audio signal and output it. For example, the speaker (170) can include at least one speaker unit, a D / A converter, an audio amplifier, etc., which can output at least one channel. For example, the speaker can output various notifications, messages, information, etc. related to the guide information generated by the processor (130).

[0108] In addition, the cooking device (100') may further include a microphone and a sensor.

[0109] A microphone is a device that receives user voice or other sounds and converts them into audio data. In one example, the processor (130) may use audio received through the microphone as context data for the cooking device (100). However, in another embodiment, the cooking device (100) may receive user voice input through an external device through the communication interface (150).

[0110] The sensors may include various types of sensors, such as temperature sensors, light sensors, touch sensors, proximity sensors, humidity sensors, infrared sensors, biosensors, etc.

[0111] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0112] According to FIG. 3, in operation 310, the cooking device (100) can acquire a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal image camera (110). For example, the thermal image can include a plurality of thermal image frames (hereinafter, “frames”) acquired at preset time intervals.

[0113] In operation 320, the cooking device (100) can obtain a temperature value for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames. For example, since a thermal image has different pixel values ​​depending on temperature, the cooking device (100) can obtain a temperature value for each pixel based on each pixel value.

[0114] In operation 330, the cooking device (100) can identify at least one food area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​of each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames. In one example, the cooking device (100) can analyze the correlation between the heat change amount and the current temperature value of each pixel in the plurality of frames to obtain a correlation graph, cluster the pixels in the correlation graph to identify a plurality of pixel groups, and identify each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among the plurality of pixel groups as a food area.

[0115] In operation 340, the cooking device (100) may provide guidance on the cooking status of the food based on temperature imbalance information for at least one food area. In one example, the cooking device (100) may identify whether user intervention is required and, if so, provide guidance for user intervention. For example, the cooking device (100) may provide information guiding a change in the position of the food. In another example, if cooking control for temperature imbalance is possible without user intervention, the cooking device (100) may provide guidance information indicating that automatic cooking control is being performed to resolve the temperature imbalance.

[0116] Meanwhile, in Fig. 3, the order is mapped for all steps for convenience of explanation, but it is of course not necessarily limited to the order of steps that are not related to the order or can be performed in parallel.

[0117] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0118] According to FIG. 4, in operation 410, the cooking device (100) can obtain a thermal image of the turntable on which the food is placed using a thermal imaging camera.

[0119] In operation 420, the cooking device (100) can obtain temperature values ​​per pixel from at least one first frame obtained at the current point in time and at least one second frame obtained at a previous point in time at a rotation angle equal to the rotation angle of the turntable at the current point in time.

[0120] In operation 430, the cooking device (100) may obtain a correlation graph by analyzing the correlation between the heat change amount and the current temperature value per pixel in at least one first frame and at least one second frame. For example, the cooking device (100) may analyze the correlation between the heat change amount and the current temperature value per pixel using Pearson Correlation, but is not limited thereto.

[0121] In operation 440, the cooking device (100) can identify multiple pixel groups by clustering pixels in a correlation graph. For example, the cooking device (100) can cluster pixels using a K-means algorithm, but is not limited thereto.

[0122] In operation 450, the cooking device (100) may identify each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among a plurality of pixel groups as a food area. For example, the cooking device (100) may identify pixels having a heat change amount greater than a threshold value in the first frame and the second frame as a food area, and may identify the remaining pixel groups as a background area (i.e., an area that is not a food area).

[0123] In operation 460, the cooking device (100) can obtain information for guiding a change in the position of the food based on temperature imbalance information for a plurality of food areas and identification information assigned to each food area.

[0124] In operation 470, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information including identification information and position change guidance text corresponding to each of the plurality of food areas. According to one example, the cooking device (100) may add identification information corresponding to each of the plurality of food areas to the first frame, which is the current frame, and may add position change guidance text, and provide the information through the display (140). According to another example, the cooking device (100) may generate an ROI (Region Of Image) image in which the plurality of food areas are visually highlighted in the first frame, and may add identification information and position change guidance text to the generated ROI image, and provide the information through the display (140). According to another example, the cooking device (100) may generate a graphic image visually diagramming the first frame, which is the current frame, and may add identification information and position change guidance text to the generated graphic image, and provide the information through the display (140).

[0125] For example, if the average temperature difference between multiple cooking areas is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information to each cooking area to change the positions of cooking areas having relatively high and relatively low average temperatures by using identification information.

[0126] Meanwhile, in Fig. 4, the order is mapped for all steps for convenience of explanation, but it is of course not necessarily limited to the order of steps that are not related to the order or can be performed in parallel.

[0127] FIGS. 5A and 5B are drawings illustrating a method for identifying a cooking area through clustering according to one or more embodiments.

[0128] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can acquire thermal images while the turntable rotates x-cycle, store them in the memory (120), and identify a cooking area based on correlation analysis between the stored thermal images. For example, the cooking device (100) can analyze the correlation between the amount of heat change per pixel and the current temperature value using Pearson Correlation, but is not limited thereto.

[0129] For example, the cooking device (100) can analyze the correlation between the first thermal image (410) acquired at the current time point t and the second thermal image (420) acquired at the x-cycle (x≥1) previous time point, as illustrated in FIG. 5A. For example, assuming that the turntable rotates once for 20 seconds, the thermal images acquired at the time point t and the time point t+20 s can be stored in the memory (120). This is to compare the pixel values ​​at the same position, since the pixel positions included in the thermal image change according to the rotation of the turntable. For example, if n frames are acquired for 1 s, the correlation between the n first frames acquired at the time point t and the n second frames acquired at the time point t+20 s can be analyzed.

[0130] For example, the cooking device (100) can identify a food area in a thermal image (430) acquired at a current point in time (e.g., point in time t) through pixel clustering using correlation, as illustrated in FIG. 5A, and identify a representative temperature (440) for the identified food area. For example, the cooking device (100) can identify an average value of pixel values ​​included in the food area as the representative temperature, but is not limited thereto.

[0131] For example, the cooking device (100) may analyze the correlation between the heat change amount and the current temperature value for each pixel, as illustrated in FIG. 5b, to obtain a correlation graph, and cluster pixels in the correlation graph to identify multiple pixel groups. For example, the cooking device (100) may cluster pixels using the K-means algorithm, but is not limited thereto.

[0132] In one example, the cooking device (100) may identify a pixel group corresponding to a food area based on the amount of heat change in a plurality of pixel groups. For example, the cooking device (100) may identify a pixel group (451) including pixels having a heat change amount greater than a threshold value as a food area, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, and identify the remaining pixel groups (452) as a background area (i.e., an area not containing food).

[0133] FIG. 6 is a drawing for explaining a method of assigning identification information to a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0134] According to one embodiment, when multiple food areas are identified in a thermal image, the cooking device (100) may label the multiple food areas to guide user intervention. For example, the cooking device (100) may assign identifiable indicators (e.g., 1, 2) to each food area to guide the user to change the position of the food, as illustrated in FIG. 6. For example, the cooking device (100) may provide an image in which each food area is assigned an indicator through the display (140).

[0135] FIGS. 7A and 7B are drawings illustrating a method for identifying multiple cooking areas according to one or more embodiments.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can identify the temperature value of each food regardless of whether the turntable is rotating, the location of the food, and the type and number of the food.

[0137] According to FIG. 7a, the cooking device (100) can obtain an ROI image (720) in which two cooking areas are identified by applying the clustering algorithm described in FIGS. 5a and 5b based on a thermal image (710), which is raw data obtained when the rotation angle of the turntable is a value.

[0138] According to FIG. 7b, the cooking device (100) can obtain an ROI image (740) in which two cooking areas are identified by applying the clustering algorithm described in FIGS. 5a and 5b based on a thermal image (730), which is raw data obtained when the rotation angle of the turntable is the b value.

[0139] As described above, it is possible to identify the number of food items placed on the turntable. Furthermore, since the food area is identified based on a plurality of frames acquired based on one rotation of the turntable, the food area can be identified regardless of whether the turntable is rotating. Accordingly, the temperature value for the food area can be identified at intervals of every second regardless of whether the turntable is rotating.

[0140] FIGS. 8A and 8B are drawings for explaining a method for identifying whether there is a temperature imbalance in a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0141] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can identify whether there is a temperature imbalance between cooking areas or within a single cooking area based on temperature histogram information of pixel values ​​included in a thermal image. For example, a temperature histogram may refer to a graph that is represented in a rectangular shape by displaying temperature values ​​on the horizontal axis and the number of pixels corresponding to each temperature value on the vertical axis.

[0142] For example, in the histogram illustrated in FIG. 8A, the number of pixels for each temperature can be identified for the background area (811), the container area (812), and the food area (813). For example, if no temperature imbalance occurs in the food area, the pixel distribution may be as illustrated in FIG. 8A. For example, if the temperature range in the food area (813) is not large and a large number of pixels exist at a specific temperature value, it may be identified that no temperature imbalance has occurred.

[0143] For example, the number of pixels for each temperature can be identified in the background area (821), the container area (822), and the food area (823) in the histogram illustrated in FIG. 8b. For example, if no temperature imbalance occurs in the food area, the pixel distribution may be as illustrated in FIG. 8b. For example, if the temperature range in the food area (823) is large and the temperature values ​​are spread out without being biased toward a specific value, it may be identified that a temperature imbalance has occurred.

[0144] FIG. 9 is a drawing for explaining a method for providing guide information according to one or more embodiments.

[0145] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information including identification information and position change guidance text corresponding to each of a plurality of cooking areas. For example, the cooking device (100) may acquire a region of image (ROI) image in which a plurality of cooking areas are visually highlighted based on a thermal image.

[0146] For example, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information (910) including an ROI image (911) with identification information added to each food area and a position change guidance text (912) through the display (140), as illustrated in FIG. 9. For example, if the average temperature difference between multiple food areas is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information requesting to change the positions of food having a relatively high average temperature and food having a relatively low average temperature using the identification information in each food area.

[0147] FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a cooking device according to one or more embodiments.

[0148] According to FIG. 10, in operation 1010, the cooking device (100) can obtain a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal imaging camera (110).

[0149] In operation 1020, the cooking device (100) can obtain a temperature value for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames. For example, since a thermal image has different pixel values ​​depending on temperature, the cooking device (100) can obtain a temperature value for each pixel based on each pixel value.

[0150] In operation 1030, the cooking device (100) can identify a plurality of food areas in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​for each pixel included in each of the plurality of frames. In one example, the cooking device (100) can analyze the correlation between the heat change amount and the current temperature value for each pixel in the plurality of frames to obtain a correlation graph, identify a plurality of pixel groups by clustering pixels in the correlation graph, and identify each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among the plurality of pixel groups as a food area.

[0151] In operation 1040, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information requesting user intervention based on temperature imbalance information for multiple cooking areas. For example, the cooking device (100) may provide guide information (910) as illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0152] In operation 1050, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the door (80) is open or closed. For example, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the door (80) is open and / or closed based on sensing data acquired through a sensor provided in the door (80).

[0153] In operation 1060, the cooking device (100) can identify whether a user has intervened by analyzing a correlation between a first thermal image acquired before opening the door (80) and a second thermal image acquired after the opened door (80) is closed. For example, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the position of the food has changed according to the guide information (910) by analyzing a correlation between the first thermal image and the second thermal image.

[0154] In operation 1070, if the user's intervention is identified (S107O:Y), in operation 1080, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the temperature imbalance between the food items has been resolved based on the user's intervention. For example, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the temperature difference between the food items has been reduced below a threshold value. For example, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the food items has been reduced below a threshold value.

[0155] At operation 1080, if it is determined that the temperature imbalance between the food items has been resolved (S1080:Y), no further action may be taken.

[0156] At operation 1070, if the user's intervention is not identified (S1070:N), at operation 1090, the cooking device (100) can control the magnetron (34) output to operate in a resting state or a heating state based on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the food items and the standard deviation between the food items.

[0157] In operation 1080, if it is determined that the temperature imbalance between the food items is not resolved despite the user's intervention (S1080:N), in operation 1090, the magnetron (34) output can be controlled to operate in a resting state or a heating state based on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the food items and the standard deviation between the food items.

[0158] However, although the above-described embodiment described controlling the magnetron (34) output after identifying whether the temperature imbalance between the food items has been resolved before and after the user's intervention, it is not limited thereto. For example, regardless of whether the temperature imbalance has been resolved, the operation 1090, i.e., the magnetron (34) output may be controlled by determining only whether the positions of the food items have changed according to the guide information before and after the user's intervention.

[0159] After this, the cooking device (100) can end cooking when the temperature of the food reaches the target temperature. Here, the target temperature can be determined to various values ​​depending on the food type, cooking type, and / or the user's set temperature.

[0160] Meanwhile, in Fig. 10, the order is mapped for all steps for convenience of explanation, but it is of course not necessarily limited to the order of steps that are not related to the order or can be performed in parallel.

[0161] FIG. 11 is a drawing illustrating an example of changing the position of a cooking object according to one or more embodiments.

[0162] According to FIG. 11, among the plurality of cooked foods arranged in a row in the first thermal image (1110), that is, the first cooked food (1111), the second cooked food (1112), the third cooked food (1113), and the fourth cooked food (1114), the temperatures of the first cooked food (1111) and the fourth cooked food (1114) arranged in the edge region may be relatively lower than the temperatures of the second cooked food (1112) and the third cooked food (1113) arranged in the center region.

[0163] In this case, the user can change the positions of the first cooking object (1111) and the second cooking object (1112) and the positions of the third cooking object (1113) and the fourth cooking object (1114) as in the second thermal image (1120) according to the guide information.

[0164] After this, when subsequent cooking is performed, the temperature can be made uniform regardless of the positions of the first cooking object (1111), the second cooking object (1112), the third cooking object (1113), and the fourth cooking object (1114), as shown in the third thermal image (1130).

[0165] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a magnetron output control method according to one or more embodiments.

[0166] According to one embodiment, when a temperature imbalance between food items is identified and user intervention is inappropriate or it is determined that user intervention is not necessary, the cooking device (100) may adjust the magnetron output intensity to heat the food items evenly. For example, the cooking device (100) may control the idle period and the heater to operate alternately so that the food items are heated evenly. For example, the idle period may be a section where the output intensity of the magnetron (34) is below a threshold value, and the heater may be a section where the output intensity of the magnetron (34) is above a threshold value. For example, in the idle period, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave output from the magnetron (34) may be within the threshold range with respect to 0, and in the heater period, the intensity of the electromagnetic wave output from the magnetron (34) may be within the threshold range with respect to a specific intensity. For example, the specific intensity may be determined according to the manufacturer, model, specifications, etc. of the cooking device (100).

[0167] According to FIG. 12, in operation 1210, the cooking device (100) can obtain a temperature value per pixel from a thermal imaging camera (110).

[0168] In operation 1220, the cooking device (100) can perform cooking area extraction and clustering.

[0169] In operation 1230, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the difference between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature of the cooked food in each cluster according to the clustering is a difference of a preset first temperature (e.g., 20 degrees) and whether the standard deviation between the cooked food in each cluster is greater than or equal to a preset second temperature (e.g., 5 degrees).

[0170] If the cooking device (100) satisfies the condition of operation 1230 (S1230:Y), it can enter the resting period in operation 1240. For example, the cooking device (100) can set the output of the magnetron (34) to 0 W.

[0171] In operation 1250, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the difference between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature of the food items in each cluster according to clustering in the resting period is a preset third temperature difference (e.g., 15 degrees) and the standard deviation between the food items in each cluster is equal to or greater than a preset fourth temperature (e.g., 3 degrees). In one example, the third temperature may be different from the first temperature, and the fourth temperature may be different from the second temperature. For example, the third temperature may be lower than the first temperature, and the fourth temperature may be lower than the second temperature. That is, the cooking device (100) can identify whether the difference between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature and / or the standard deviation difference of the food items in each cluster has decreased to less than a preset value due to heat conduction in the resting period.

[0172] If the cooking device (100) satisfies the condition of operation 1250 (S1250:Y), it can enter the heater in operation 1260. For example, the cooking device (100) can set the magnetron (34) output to a normal output (e.g., 700 W, 1000 W, etc.).

[0173] If the cooking device (100) does not satisfy the condition of operation 1250 (S1250:N), it can identify whether the current cooking temperature is lower than the preset fifth temperature (e.g., 5 degrees) than the resting start temperature in operation 1270.

[0174] If the condition of operation 1270 is satisfied (S1270:Y), the cooking device (100) may enter the heating mode in operation 1260. For example, if the current cooking temperature is lower than the preset fifth temperature than the resting start temperature, the cooking device (100) may determine that heating has not progressed sufficiently and enter the resting mode.

[0175] If the cooking device (100) does not satisfy the condition of operation 1270 (S1270:N), it may enter a rest period in operation 1240. For example, if the current cooking temperature exceeds a preset fifth temperature compared to the rest period start temperature, the cooking device (100) may determine that heating has sufficiently progressed and enter a rest period.

[0176] Meanwhile, if the cooking device (100) meets the condition of operation 1230 (S1230:N), in operation S1280, it can identify whether the temperature of the food has reached the target temperature.

[0177] When it is determined in operation S1280 that the temperature of the food has reached the target temperature (S1280:Y), cooking can be terminated.

[0178] If it is identified that the temperature of the food has not reached the target temperature in operation S1280 (S1280:N), the condition of operation 1230 can be identified again.

[0179] Meanwhile, in Fig. 12, the order is mapped for all steps for convenience of explanation, but it is of course not necessarily limited to the order of steps that are not related to the order or can be performed in parallel.

[0180] FIG. 13 is a drawing for explaining a heating control method for resolving temperature imbalance according to one or more embodiments.

[0181] According to one example, the cooking device (100) can resolve temperature imbalances between multiple foods or within a single food by alternately controlling the heating and resting periods. For example, when entering the heating period, the magnetron (34) output can be set to normal output (e.g., 700 W, 1000 W, etc.) (1310). Afterwards, when the cooking device (100) enters the resting period, the cooking device (100) can set the magnetron (34) output to 0 W (1320). Afterwards, when the cooking device (100) enters the heating period again, the magnetron (34) output can be set to normal output (e.g., 700 W, 1000 W, etc.) (1330). Afterwards, when the cooking device (100) enters the resting period again, the cooking device (100) can set the magnetron (34) output to 0 W (1340).

[0182] FIGS. 14A and 14B are drawings illustrating rest and heater start conditions according to one or more embodiments.

[0183] FIGS. 14a and 14b are drawings illustrating a method for identifying whether there is a temperature imbalance in a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0184] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can identify the start time of the rest period and the heating period based on temperature histogram information of pixel values ​​included in the thermal image. For example, the temperature histogram may refer to a graph represented in a rectangular shape by displaying temperature values ​​on the horizontal axis and the number of pixels corresponding to each temperature value on the vertical axis.

[0185] For example, the number of pixels for each temperature can be identified in the background area (1411), the container area (1412), and the food area (1413) in the histogram illustrated in FIG. 14A. For example, the cooking device (100) can enter the resting period when the condition of "the highest temperature of the food for each cluster - the lowest temperature >= 20°C to 30°C, and the standard deviation of the food for each cluster >= 5°C to 10°C" is satisfied in the food area.

[0186] For example, the number of pixels for each temperature can be identified in the background area (1421), the container area (1422), and the food area (1423) in the histogram illustrated in FIG. 14b. For example, the cooking device (100) can enter the heater if the conditions of "highest temperature of food by cluster - lowest temperature <= 10°C to 25°C, standard deviation of food by cluster >= 3°C to 5°C, current food temperature < resting period start temperature (5°C to 10°C)" are satisfied in the food area.

[0187] However, the figures described in FIGS. 14a and 14b are only examples, and each reference temperature may be determined according to the target cooking temperature of the food, the cooking type, the food type, etc.

[0188] FIG. 15 is a drawing for explaining a sous vide cooking method according to one or more embodiments.

[0189] According to one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can perform sous vide cooking by alternately controlling the resting period and the heating period.

[0190] For example, as shown in FIG. 15, when the surface temperature of the food (e.g., meat) reaches a specific first temperature (e.g., 55 degrees), it operates as a resting temperature, and when the surface temperature of the food reaches a second temperature (e.g., 54 degrees) through heat conduction during the resting temperature, it operates as a heater to maintain the temperature uniformity of the food while maintaining the temperature of the food surface at a specific temperature, thereby enabling a new paradigm of microwave sous vide.

[0191] FIG. 16 is a drawing for explaining a thawing method according to one or more embodiments.

[0192] In one embodiment, the cooking device (100) can defrost food through a uniform heating method by controlling the output of the magnetron (34). For example, since the purpose of defrosting is to maintain a constant temperature (e.g., 0 to 25 degrees) throughout the food, the food can be defrosted through a uniform heating method.

[0193] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the time of completion of defrosting can be determined based on the target minimum temperature and the limited maximum temperature through the process of "high power heating (1) > low power heating (thermal balance) (2) > additional heating (e.g., medium power heating) (3) > low power heating (4) > repetition of additional heating (3) and low power heating (4)".

[0194] According to the above-described method, the maximum and minimum temperatures of the food can be maintained within a certain range (e.g., 0 to 25 degrees Celsius), regardless of the ingredients and / or freezing level of the food. This enables a process that reduces temperature variations in food after heating (ensures even heating), thereby enabling even thawing of any food.

[0195] FIGS. 17a and 17b are drawings illustrating a method for obtaining temperature of a cooking area according to one or more embodiments.

[0196] According to one example, the cooking device (100) can acquire information (1730) on a plurality of cooking areas by inputting at least one first frame (1710) and at least one second frame (1720) acquired through a thermal imaging camera into a learned artificial intelligence model as illustrated in FIG. 17A. For example, at least one second frame (720) may be a frame acquired at a point in time when the turntable has rotated one full turn from the point in time at which at least one first frame (710) is acquired.

[0197] According to one example, the cooking device (100) may input at least one first frame (1710) and at least one second frame (1720) acquired through a thermal imaging camera into a learned artificial intelligence model as illustrated in FIG. 17A to acquire guide information for a plurality of cooking areas. For example, the guide information may include identification information (1740) and position change guidance text (1750) corresponding to each of the plurality of cooking areas. For example, at least one second frame (720) may be a frame acquired at a point in time when the turntable has rotated one full turn from the point in time at which at least one first frame (710) is acquired.

[0198] Here, the learning of an artificial intelligence model means that a basic artificial intelligence model (e.g., an artificial intelligence model including any random parameters) is trained using a learning algorithm using a plurality of training data, thereby creating a predefined set of operation rules or an artificial intelligence model set to perform a desired characteristic (or purpose). This learning may be performed through a separate server and / or system, but is not limited thereto, and may also be performed in a cooking device. Examples of learning algorithms include, but are not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning.

[0199] Here, the artificial intelligence model can be implemented as, for example, a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), a Restricted Boltzmann Machine (RBM), a Deep Belief Network (DBN), a Bidirectional Recurrent Deep Neural Network (BRDNN), or a Deep Q-Network, but is not limited thereto.

[0200] In the above-described embodiments, the turntable type cooking device (100) is described as being limited, but it goes without saying that the embodiments applicable to a flatbed type cooking device among the above-described embodiments can also be applied to a flatbed type cooking device.

[0201] According to the various embodiments described above, it is possible to resolve temperature imbalances in food by identifying the temperature value and temperature deviation of each food regardless of whether the turntable is rotated, the location of the food, and the type and number of the food.

[0202] Meanwhile, the methods according to the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can be implemented only with a software upgrade or a hardware upgrade for an existing cooking device.

[0203] Additionally, the various embodiments of the present disclosure described above can also be performed through an embedded server provided in the cooking device or an external server of the cooking device.

[0204] Meanwhile, according to a temporary example of the present disclosure, the various embodiments described above can be implemented as software including commands stored in a machine-readable storage medium that can be read by a machine (e.g., a computer). The machine is a device that can call commands stored from the storage medium and operate according to the called commands, and may include a cooking device (e.g., cooking device (A)) according to the disclosed embodiments. When a command is executed by a processor, the processor can perform a function corresponding to the command directly or by using other components under the control of the processor. The command may include code generated or executed by a compiler or interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' means that the storage medium does not contain a signal and is tangible, but does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently or temporarily in the storage medium.

[0205] Furthermore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method according to the various embodiments described above may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or online through an application store (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0206] In addition, each of the components (e.g., modules or programs) according to the various embodiments described above may be composed of a single or multiple entities, and some of the corresponding sub-components described above may be omitted, or other sub-components may be further included in various embodiments. Alternatively or additionally, some components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single entity, which may perform the same or similar functions as those performed by each of the corresponding components prior to integration. Operations performed by modules, programs or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively or heuristically, or at least some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or other operations may be added.

[0207] Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from the gist of the present disclosure as claimed in the claims, and such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. In a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves, thermographic camera; A memory storing one or more instructions; and comprising one or more processors; The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, A thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed is obtained using the thermal imaging camera, Obtaining the temperature value for each pixel included in each of the multiple frames included in the above thermal image, Identifying at least one cooking area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​per pixel included in each of the plurality of frames, A cooking device that provides guide information related to the cooking status of food based on temperature imbalance information for at least one food area.

2. In paragraph 1, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, When multiple cooking areas are identified in the above thermal image, identification information is assigned to each cooking area, A cooking device that provides information for guiding a change in the position of the food based on temperature imbalance information for the plurality of food areas and identification information assigned to each food area.

3. In paragraph 2, display; including more; The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, A cooking device that provides a thermal image including identification information and a location change guidance text corresponding to each of the plurality of cooking areas through the display.

4. In paragraph 2, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, A cooking device that provides guide information to change the positions of food having a relatively high average temperature and food having a relatively low average temperature by using identification information in each food area when the average temperature difference between multiple food areas is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature.

5. In paragraph 1, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, A correlation graph is obtained by analyzing the correlation between the pixel-by-pixel heat change amount and the current temperature value in at least one first frame acquired at the current point in time and at least one second frame acquired at a previous point in time at a rotation angle identical to the rotation angle of the turntable at the current point in time, In the above correlation graph, the pixels are clustered to identify multiple pixel groups, A cooking device that identifies each pixel group corresponding to a preset condition among the plurality of pixel groups as a cooking area.

6. In paragraph 1, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, After providing guidance requesting user intervention, identify whether the door is open or closed. Identify whether a user has intervened by analyzing the correlation between the first thermal image acquired before the door is opened and the second thermal image acquired after the opened door is closed. A cooking device that controls the cooking state by identifying whether the position of the food has changed due to the user's intervention.

7. In paragraph 6, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, A cooking device that controls the magnetron output to operate in an idle state or a heating state based on the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the foods and the standard deviation of temperatures between the foods, when the user's intervention is not identified or it is identified that a temperature imbalance between the foods remains after the user's intervention.

8. In paragraph 7, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, When the difference between the highest temperature and the lowest temperature between the cooking areas is greater than or equal to a first threshold value and the standard deviation between the cooking areas is greater than or equal to a second threshold value, the magnetron is controlled to operate in the rest state, A cooking device that controls the magnetron to operate in the idle state when the difference between the highest and lowest temperatures between the cooking areas is equal to or less than a third threshold value, the standard deviation of the temperatures between the cooking areas is equal to or greater than a fourth threshold value, and the current temperature of the cooking area is less than a fifth threshold value.

9. In paragraph 1, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, Identify the temperature values ​​of pixels corresponding to each of the above cooking areas, Identify temperature imbalance information for each of the cooking areas based on the number of pixels corresponding to each of the identified temperature values, A cooking device that controls the output of a magnetron based on the identified temperature imbalance information.

10. In paragraph 1, The one or more processors, by executing the one or more instructions, When sous-vide cooking or defrosting cooking is selected according to the user command, the magnetron output is controlled to enter the idle state when the highest temperature of a part of the cooking area reaches the target temperature. A cooking device that controls the magnetron output to be in a heating state when the highest temperature of a portion of the cooking area becomes lower than the target temperature.

11. A method for controlling a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves, A step of obtaining a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal imaging camera; A step of obtaining a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermal image; A step of identifying at least one cooking area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​per pixel included in each of the plurality of frames; and A control method comprising: a step of providing guide information related to the cooking state of a food item based on temperature imbalance information for at least one cooking area.

12. In paragraph 11, The steps for providing the above guide information are: When a plurality of cooking areas are identified in the thermal image, a step of assigning identification information to each cooking area; and A control method, comprising: a step of providing information for guiding a change in the position of the food based on temperature imbalance information for the plurality of food areas and identification information assigned to each food area.

13. In paragraph 12, The steps for providing the above guide information are: A control method, comprising: a step of providing a thermal image including identification information and a location change guidance text corresponding to each of the plurality of cooking areas through a display; 14. In paragraph 12, The steps for providing the above guide information are: A control method, comprising: a step of providing guide information to each of the cooking areas to change the positions of cooking items having relatively high average temperatures and cooking items having relatively low average temperatures by using identification information when the average temperature difference between a plurality of cooking areas is greater than or equal to a threshold temperature; 15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer commands that, when executed by a processor of a cooking device that cooks food using electromagnetic waves, cause the cooking device to perform an operation, The above actions are, A step of obtaining a thermal image of a turn table on which food is placed using a thermal imaging camera; A step of obtaining a temperature value for each pixel included in each of a plurality of frames included in the thermal image; A step of identifying at least one cooking area in the thermal image by clustering pixels based on the temperature values ​​per pixel included in each of the plurality of frames; and A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: a step of providing guide information related to a cooking state of a food item based on temperature imbalance information for at least one cooking area;

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