Automatic cooking device, automatic cooking system, and automatic cooking method using said device or system

Abstract

Provided are an automatic cooking device, an automatic cooking system, and an automatic cooking method using said device or system that enable the output, to a user, of a loading order of ingredients to be loaded into a cooking container according to types and amounts of ingredients to be loaded into the cooking container by the user, and cooking by heating. A control unit 900 generates, on the basis of dish information for specifying a dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked that have been input to the control unit 900, heating unit control data for controlling a heating output and a heating time of a container heating unit 400 and ingredients loading procedure data including an ingredients loading procedure. The control unit 900 controls the container heating unit 400 on the basis of the generated heating unit control data and outputs, from a touch panel 800 to a user, the ingredients loading procedure on the basis of the generated ingredients loading procedure data.

Description

Automatic cooking apparatus, automatic cooking system, and automatic cooking method using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic cooking apparatus, an automatic cooking system, and an automatic cooking method using the same, and particularly relates to an automatic cooking apparatus, an automatic cooking system, and an automatic cooking method using the same that at least heat-cook ingredients contained in a cooking container.

[0002] In recent years, in the food and beverage industry, automation of cooking operations has progressed due to various circumstances such as securing cooks, maintaining cooking skills, and improving cooking environments. Therefore, conventionally, an automatic cooking apparatus is known which includes a cooking container for accommodating ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an operation panel for operation that displays various information related to the automatic cooking apparatus and receives various instructions from users and managers of the automatic cooking apparatus, and a control unit that controls the container heating unit and the operation panel, and automatically cooks food by heating the ingredients (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Japanese Patent No. 7607998

[0004] Since the above-described automatic cooking apparatus automatically cooks food based on control data stored in advance in the automatic cooking apparatus, it has not been possible to perform heat cooking corresponding to increasing or decreasing the amount of ingredients, adding or removing ingredients for food to be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking apparatus (hereinafter referred to as "cooking target food").

[0005] Accordingly, the present invention solves the problems of the prior art as described above, that is, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cooking apparatus, an automatic cooking system, and an automatic cooking method using the same that realize outputting to a user the order of adding ingredients to be put into a cooking container and heat cooking according to the type and amount of ingredients put into the cooking container by the user.

[0006] The invention according to claim 1 is an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating ingredients placed in the cooking container, comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient placement procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for placing ingredients into the cooking container; and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit, wherein the control unit generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient placement procedure data including the procedure for placing ingredients, based on cooking information that identifies the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked, input to the control unit, and the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the generated heating unit control data and outputs the procedure for placing ingredients to the user from the ingredient placement procedure output unit based on the generated ingredient placement procedure data, thereby solving the aforementioned problems.

[0007] The invention according to claim 2 solves the aforementioned problems by adding to the configuration of the automatic cooking device described in claim 1 the ingredient input procedure output unit is a touch panel that accepts input of the dish to be cooked and customizations for the dish to be cooked.

[0008] The invention according to claim 3, in addition to the configuration of the automatic cooking device described in claim 1 or claim 2, further solves the aforementioned problems by having a control unit that stores an ingredient database relating to the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database relating to dishes that can be automatically cooked, and the control unit having a time-series data generation unit that generates a plurality of time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on the cooking information, the customization information and the ingredient information contained in the cooking database, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit, a heating control determination unit that determines the heating unit control data from the plurality of heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from the time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data, and the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data.

[0009] The invention according to claim 4, in addition to the configuration of the automatic cooking device described in claim 3, further solves the aforementioned problems by having the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determine for each time-series data whether or not to generate the heating unit control candidate data by referring to the cooking information, the customization information, the ingredient information included in the cooking database, and the heating characteristics information of the ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generating heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit.

[0010] The invention according to claim 5 is an automatic cooking method using an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient placement procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for placing ingredients into the cooking container; and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit, wherein the control unit obtains cooking information to identify the dish to be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device, and the control unit obtains cooking information to identify the dish to be automatically cooked. The above-mentioned problems are solved by comprising: a customization information acquisition step of obtaining customization information relating to the customization to be performed; a control data generation step in which the control unit generates heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting the ingredients, based on the cooking information and the customization information; and a cooking step in which the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data.

[0011] The invention according to claim 6 is an automatic cooking system comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container; a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit, an automatic cooking device for automatically cooking a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container; and a control data generation device for generating control data for the automatic cooking device, wherein the control data generation device provides cooking information that identifies the input dish to be cooked and information regarding the dish to be cooked. The system includes a data generation unit that generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting the ingredients, based on customized information, and a data transmission unit that transmits the heating unit control data and the ingredient input procedure data to the automatic cooking device. The control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data transmitted from the control data generation unit and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data, thereby solving the aforementioned problems.

[0012] The invention according to claim 7, in addition to the configuration of the automatic cooking system described in claim 6, further solves the aforementioned problems by having the control data generation device store an ingredient database relating to the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database relating to dishes that can be automatically cooked, the control data generation device having a data generation unit that generates a plurality of time series data including ingredient input procedures based on the cooking information, the customization information and the ingredient information included in the cooking database, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time series data generated by the time series data generation unit, a heating control determination unit that determines the heating unit control data from the plurality of heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from the time series data corresponding to the heating unit control data, and the control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data.

[0013] The invention according to claim 8 solves the aforementioned problems by, in addition to the configuration of the automatic cooking system described in claim 7, having the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determine for each time-series data whether or not to generate the heating unit control candidate data by referring to the cooking information, the customization information, the ingredient information included in the cooking database, and the heating characteristics information of the ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generating heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit.

[0014] The invention according to claim 9 is an automatic cooking method using an automatic cooking system comprising: an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking device, The above-mentioned problems are solved by including in the following steps: the data generation unit of the data generation device obtains cooking information for the dish to be cooked; the data generation unit of the control data generation device obtains customization information; the data generation unit of the control data generation device generates heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data based on the cooking information and the customization information; the data transmission unit of the control data generation device transmits the heating unit control data and the ingredient input procedure data to the automatic cooking device; and the control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the received heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the received ingredient input procedure data.

[0015] According to the automatic cooking device of the invention described in claim 1, the device comprises a cooking container for containing ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container, and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit. This allows the device to not only automatically cook food by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, but also to achieve the effects unique to the present invention through the following unique configuration.

[0016] In other words, the control unit generates heating unit control data that controls the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit, and ingredient input procedure data that includes the procedure for adding ingredients, based on the cooking information and customization information for the cooking item that are input into the control unit. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are generated according to the ingredients to be added to the cooking container, which in turn enables the user to receive instructions on the order in which to add ingredients to the cooking container, and enables heating and cooking, according to the type and quantity of ingredients the user adds to the cooking container.

[0017] According to the automatic cooking device of claim 2, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1, the ingredient input procedure output unit is a touch panel that accepts input of the dish to be cooked and customizations for the dish to be cooked. As a result, the ingredient input procedure output unit displays the ingredient input procedure and accepts input of the dish to be cooked and customizations for the dish to be cooked, so that the user of the automatic cooking device can complete the automatic cooking work in front of the automatic cooking device.

[0018] According to the automatic cooking device of claim 3, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 1 or claim 2, the control unit stores an ingredient database relating to the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database relating to dishes that can be automatically cooked. The control unit includes a time-series data generation unit that generates multiple time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information included in the cooking database; a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit; a heating control determination unit that determines heating unit control data from the multiple heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit; and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are automatically generated based on cooking information and customization information. Therefore, users of the automatic cooking device can achieve optimal heating according to the type and amount of ingredients to be placed in the cooking container simply by inputting the dish to be cooked and any customizations to the dish into the automatic cooking device.

[0019] According to the automatic cooking device of the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effects of the invention of claim 3, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determines whether or not to generate heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data by referring to cooking information, customization information, ingredient information included in the cooking database, and heating characteristic information of ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit. As a result, heating unit control candidate data is generated by referring to the heating characteristics of the ingredients, it becomes possible to generate heating unit control candidate data only from time-series data that matches the heating characteristics of the ingredients, and heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data can be generated at a faster speed.

[0020] According to the automatic cooking method of the invention of claim 5, the cooking method comprises a cooking container for containing ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container, and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit. This not only enables the automatic cooking of a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, but also achieves the effects unique to the present invention through the following unique configuration of the present invention.

[0021] In other words, the control unit includes a cooking information acquisition step for obtaining cooking information to identify the dish to be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device, a customization information acquisition step for obtaining customization information regarding customizations to the dish to be cooked, and a control data generation step for generating heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data, which includes the procedure for adding ingredients, based on the cooking information and customization information. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are generated according to the ingredients to be added, enabling the output to the user of the order in which ingredients to be added to the cooking container and the cooking process to be performed according to the type and amount of ingredients added by the user to the cooking container.

[0022] The automatic cooking system of the invention according to claim 6 includes an automatic cooking device comprising a cooking container for containing ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container, and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit. This not only enables the automatic cooking of food by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, but also achieves the effects unique to the present invention through the following unique configuration of the present invention.

[0023] In other words, the control data generation device has a data generation unit that generates heating unit control data consisting of heating output and heating time of the container heating unit, and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for adding ingredients, based on cooking information that identifies the input dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data corresponding to the ingredients to be added to the cooking container are generated, so it is possible to output to the user the order in which to add ingredients to the cooking container according to the type and amount of ingredients that the user puts into the cooking container, and to perform heating and cooking.

[0024] According to the automatic cooking system of claim 7, in addition to the effects achieved by the invention of claim 6, the control data generation device's data generation unit includes a time-series data generation unit that generates multiple time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information included in the ingredient database; a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit; a heating control determination unit that determines heating unit control data from the multiple heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit; and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are automatically generated based on cooking information and customization information, so that users of the automatic cooking system can achieve optimal heating cooking according to the type and amount of ingredients to be put into the cooking container simply by inputting the dish to be cooked and customizations for the dish to be cooked into the control data generation device.

[0025] According to the automatic cooking system of the invention of claim 8, in addition to the effects achieved by the invention of claim 7, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determines whether or not to generate heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data by referring to cooking information, customization information, ingredient information included in the cooking database, and heating characteristic information of ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit. Since heating unit control candidate data is generated by referring to the heating characteristics of the ingredients, it becomes possible to generate heating unit control candidate data only from time-series data that matches the heating characteristics of the ingredients, and heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data can be generated at a faster speed.

[0026] According to the automatic cooking method of the invention of claim 9, the automatic cooking device comprises a cooking container for containing ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container, and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit. This not only enables the automatic cooking of food by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, but also enables the unique effects of the present invention through the following unique configuration of the present invention.

[0027] In other words, the control data generation device includes a cooking information acquisition step in which the data generation unit of the control data generation device obtains cooking information about the dish to be cooked, a customization information acquisition step in which the data generation unit of the control data generation device obtains customization information, and a control data generation step in which the data generation unit of the control data generation device generates heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data based on the cooking information and customization information. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are generated according to the ingredients to be put into the cooking container, so that it is possible to output to the user the order in which to put ingredients into the cooking container according to the type and amount of ingredients that the user puts into the cooking container, and to perform heating cooking.

[0028] A perspective view of the automatic cooking device 10, which is the first embodiment of the present invention. A left side view of the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1. A partial cross-sectional view seen from direction III in Figure 2. A hardware configuration diagram of the control unit 900 shown in Figure 1. A system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1. A diagram showing the structure of the cooking database stored in the data storage unit 900E. A diagram showing the structure of the ingredient database stored in the data storage unit 900E. A flowchart showing the procedure for automatic cooking by the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1. A left side view of the automatic cooking device 10 in its initial state. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 in its initial state. A flowchart explaining the process related to "Registration of Cooking Target Dishes" shown in Figure 7. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 for inputting customizations for cooking target dishes. A flowchart explaining the process related to "Generating Control Data" shown in Figure 7. A diagram showing a specific example of time-series data in "Creating Time-Series Data" shown in Figure 11. A flowchart explaining the process related to "Generating Heating Unit Control Candidate Data" shown in Figure 11 in more detail. A flowchart explaining the process related to "Cooking Preparation" shown in Figure 7. A flowchart illustrating the "cooking" process shown in Figure 7. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 to prompt the user to add oil to the cooking container 300. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 while the oil is heating. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 to prompt the user to add ingredients to the cooking container 300. An example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 while the ingredients are heating. A flowchart illustrating the "post-processing" process shown in Figure 7. A schematic diagram showing the serving operation from the cooking container 300 to plate D. A system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking system 1, which is a second embodiment of the present invention. A hardware configuration diagram of the data generation unit 22 shown in Figure 19. A flowchart showing the procedure for automatic cooking using the automatic cooking method, which is a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] The present invention provides an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container. The device comprises a cooking container for containing ingredients, a container heating unit for heating the cooking container, an ingredient placement procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for placing ingredients into the cooking container, and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit. The device automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container. The control unit generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient placement procedure data including the procedure for placing ingredients, based on cooking information identifying the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked, input to the control unit. The control unit controls the container heating unit based on the generated heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient placement procedure from the ingredient placement procedure output unit based on the generated ingredient placement procedure data. The device achieves output to the user of the order in which ingredients should be placed in the cooking container according to the type and quantity of ingredients placed in the cooking container, and also performs heating and cooking. Any specific embodiment of the device is acceptable.Furthermore, the present invention provides an automatic cooking system comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container; a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit; an automatic cooking device for automatically cooking a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container; and a control data generation device for generating control data for the automatic cooking device, wherein the control data generation device controls the heating of the container heating unit based on the input cooking information that identifies the dish to be cooked and the customization information for the dish to be cooked. The system includes a data generation unit that generates heating unit control data for controlling heat output and heating time, and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for adding ingredients, and a data transmission unit that transmits the heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data to an automatic cooking device. The control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data transmitted from the control data generation unit and outputs the ingredient input procedure from an ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data, thereby enabling the user to receive instructions on the order in which to add ingredients to the cooking container according to the type and quantity of ingredients added by the user to the cooking container, and then performing the heating and cooking process. Any specific embodiment of the system is acceptable as long as it achieves this.

[0030] For example, the automatic cooking device of the present invention is mainly installed in restaurants, but the installation location of the automatic cooking device of the present invention is not limited to this, and it may also be installed in convenience stores, food courts, offices, homes, etc.

[0031] For example, the ingredients cooked by the automatic cooking device of the present invention may be any ingredients such as rice, noodles, vegetables, fish, or grains.

[0032] For example, in the automatic cooking apparatus of the present invention, heating of the cooking container by the container heating unit is preferably done by induction heating from the viewpoint of ease of maintenance, provided that the heating output can be controlled, but it may also be done by resistance heating.

[0033] For example, the ingredient input procedure output unit in the automatic cooking device of the present invention is preferably a touch panel from the viewpoint of ease of operation, but it may also be a simple monitor or a speaker that outputs sound.

[0034] Hereinafter, an automatic cooking device 10, which is a first embodiment of the present invention, will be described based on Figures 1 to 18.

[0035] <1. Basic Configuration of Automatic Cooking Device> First, the basic configuration of the automatic cooking device 10 will be described based on Figure 1, a perspective view of the automatic cooking device 10, which is the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] First, as shown in Figure 1, the automatic cooking device 10 is movably positioned on the floor surface F. The automatic cooking device 10 comprises a cooking table 100 which serves as a base, a container holding unit 200 which is placed on the cooking table 100, a cooking container 300 which is held by the container holding unit 200 so as to be able to rotate and move up and down, a container heating unit 400 which is placed on the rear side of the cooking table 100 to induce heating of the cooking container 300, a container washing unit 500 and a scraping unit 600 which are arranged on the front side of the cooking table 100, a container cover 700 which allows the opening surface of the cooking container 300 to be opened and closed, a touch panel 800 (ingredient input procedure output unit) which displays various information about the automatic cooking device 10 and receives various instructions from users and administrators of the automatic cooking device 10, and a control unit 900 which is installed on the cooking table 100 and provides integrated control of the entire automatic cooking device 10, and automatically cooks food by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container 300.

[0037] The cooking counter 100 has a plurality of casters 110 provided on its bottom surface, a sink 120 formed in the front area of ​​the top surface 100A, and a plate stand 130 that allows the sink 120 to be opened and closed and for placing plates and the like. The plate stand 130 has a serving plate 131 that slides left and right to close the opening of the sink 120 and on which a plate for serving cooked food is placed, and a plate storage member 132 that houses the serving plate 131 and for temporarily placing plates and the like.

[0038] The container heating unit 400 is mounted on the rear side of the sink 120 and heats the outer surface 312 of the cooking container 300 by induction heating. Therefore, the automatic cooking device 10 of this embodiment can heat the cooking container evenly.

[0039] The container washing unit 500 is installed inside the sink 120 and sprays rinsing water and washing solution onto the cooking container 300. The container washing unit 500 may spray only rinsing water onto the cooking container 300, or it may spray both rinsing water and washing solution onto the cooking container 300.

[0040] The scraping unit 600 is installed inside the sink 120 and removes burnt-on food and other grime from the cooking container 300.

[0041] As shown in Figure 1, the container cover 700 includes an arm 710 attached to the control unit 900, a cover body 720 provided on the arm 710 and capable of being flipped up around a cover central axis 711 extending in the left-right direction, and a flip-up detection sensor 740 (not shown in Figure 1) that detects the flipping up of the cover body 720. Most of the cover body 720 is mesh-like so that the inside of the cooking container 300 can be seen when the opening surface of the cooking container 300 is covered.

[0042] The touch panel 800 accepts input of the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish (for example, information regarding the addition or deletion of ingredients, or changes in the quantity of ingredients). The touch panel 800 also displays (outputs) the procedure for adding ingredients to the cooking container 300.

[0043] <2. Container Holding Unit> Next, the container holding unit 200 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 2 is a left side view of the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken from direction III in Figure 2. In Figure 2, the serving plate 131 slides to close the opening of the sink 120, and a plate D is placed on the serving plate 131 of the plate stand 130. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the main part.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2 and other figures, the container holding unit 200 includes a base portion 210 provided on a top surface 100A of a cooking table 100, a rotating portion 220 that is rotatable in the front-rear direction about a rotating shaft 211 relative to the base portion 210, and a handle 230 provided on the rotating portion 220 and gripped by a user of the automatic cooking apparatus 10. Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the user of the automatic cooking apparatus 10 grips the handle 230 and moves the rotating portion 220 back and forth relative to the base portion 210, the cooking container 300 held by the container holding unit 200 undulates back and forth.

[0045] Inside the base portion 210, a posture holding member for maintaining the undulating posture of the container holding unit 200 is incorporated, and an undulating state detection sensor 212 (not shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2) for detecting the undulating state of the container holding unit 200 (that is, the undulating state of the cooking container 300) is incorporated.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating portion 220 rotatably holds the cooking container 300 around a cooking container central axis AC extending in the container depth direction of the cooking container 300. Then, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the rotating portion 220 is provided with a temperature sensor 221 that measures the temperature of a side surface (heating surface) 312 of the cooking container 300 in a non-contact manner. Furthermore, the rotating portion 220 includes a container body driving motor (not shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) that rotates the container body 310 of the cooking container 300, and a stirring member driving motor (not shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3) that rotates the stirring member 320 of the cooking container 300.

[0047] <3. Details of Cooking Container> Next, based on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, details of the cooking container 300 that stores ingredients will be described.

[0048] The cooking container 300 is attachable to and detachable from the container holding unit 200. As shown in FIG. 2 and other figures, the cooking container 300 includes a bottomed cylindrical container body 310 that stores ingredients, and a stirring member 320 that is detachably attached to the bottom of the container body 310 and stirs the ingredients stored in the container body 310.

[0049] The container body 310 is able to rotate freely around a container body rotation axis AC that extends in the depth direction of the container body 310 by power transmitted from the container body drive motor of the container holding unit 200. The container body 310 is formed from a disc-shaped bottom surface 311 and a cylindrical outer surface 312 that is connected to the outer peripheral end of the bottom surface 311.

[0050] A magnetized ferromagnetic material is provided on the bottom side of the stirring member 320, and a magnetic coupling mechanism is formed between it and a magnetized ferromagnetic material provided at the tip of the stirring member rotation shaft (not shown) of the container holding unit 200. The stirring member 320 rotates freely around the container body rotation shaft AC by power transmitted from the stirring member drive motor of the container holding unit 200 via the magnetic coupling mechanism, and rotates independently of the container body 310. Therefore, the automatic cooking device 10 of this embodiment can cook a wide variety of dishes by making the stirring member 320 rotate faster or slower than the container body 310, thereby more realistically and highly reproducing the trained stirring skills of a chef.

[0051] Furthermore, the stirring member 320 is formed from a cylindrical base 321 attached to the container body 310, a spatula 322 assembled to the side of the base 321, and a detection element 323 with a built-in magnet, which is positioned at the tip of the spatula 322.

[0052] The spatula 322 has a shape formed by bending a flat plate in a complex manner, and has an inner surface 322a facing the bottom surface 311 of the container body 310, and an outer surface 322b on the opposite side of this inner surface 322a.

[0053] The detector that detects the magnetic force generated from the element to be detected 323 is provided as a magnetic sensor 730 built into the container cover 700. This magnetic sensor 730 is connected to the control unit 900 and transmits various signals to the control unit 900.

[0054] <4. Control Unit> Next, the details of the control unit 900 will be described based on Figures 4 to 6B. Figure 4 is a hardware configuration diagram of the control unit 900 shown in Figure 1, Figure 5 is a system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1, Figure 6A is a diagram showing the structure of the cooking database stored in the data storage unit 900E, and Figure 6B is a diagram showing the structure of the ingredient database stored in the data storage unit 900E.

[0055] As shown in Figure 4, the control unit 900 includes a code reader 910 (see Figure 1) that reads codes corresponding to dishes (for example, barcodes or QR codes (registered trademarks), etc.) and an emergency stop button 920 that can emergency stop the cooking operation of the automatic cooking device 10. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the control unit 900 includes at least a processor 930, a main memory 940, an auxiliary memory 950, and a network interface 960. These components constituting the control unit 900 are connected via a bus 970, which is a data transmission path between each component.

[0056] The processor 930 is implemented as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and executes various processes according to programs stored in main memory and auxiliary memory. The main memory 940 consists of SRAM (Static RAM (Random Access Memory)), DRAM (Dynamic RAM), or flash memory, and temporarily stores data necessary for calculation processing by the control unit 900. The auxiliary memory 950 is implemented as a removable media such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), SSD (Solid State Drive), or memory card, or ROM (Read Only Memory), and has a recording medium. The network interface 960 communicates with other terminals and systems via a communication network, including the Internet.

[0057] As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 900 configured in this way is connected to the undulation detection sensor 212 and temperature sensor 221 of the container holding unit 200, and the magnetic sensor 730 and flip-up detection sensor 740 of the container cover 700, and the detection results from these sensors are input to the control unit 900. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 900 is connected to the drive motor 222 for the container body and the drive motor 223 for the stirring member of the container holding unit 200, the container heating unit 400, and the container washing unit 500, and controls the operation of these units. In addition, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 900 is connected to the touch panel 800, and receives input to the touch panel 800 and outputs content to be displayed on the touch panel 800. Therefore, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 900 has a functional configuration that includes a holding unit control unit 900A for driving and controlling the container holding unit 200, a washing unit control unit 900B for controlling the container washing unit 500, a heating unit control unit 900C for controlling the container heating unit 400, a procedure output unit control unit 900D for controlling the touch panel 800, and a data storage unit 900E which consists of at least one of the main memory 940 and the auxiliary memory 950.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 5, the control unit 900 has a functional configuration that includes a time-series data generation unit 900F, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G, a heating control determination unit 900H, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit 900I.

[0059] The data storage unit 900E stores a cooking database FDB related to dishes that can be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device 10, an ingredient database IDB related to the characteristics of ingredients, drive operation control data for driving the container holding unit 200, and cleaning operation control data for driving the container washing unit 500.

[0060] As shown in Figure 6A, the FDB (Food Database) stores combinations of dishes that can be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device 10 and ingredient information (types and quantities of ingredients) related to the standard ingredients used in each dish.

[0061] As shown in Figure 6B, the ingredient database IDB stores ingredient names, ingredient characteristic information for each ingredient (e.g., thermal conductivity, specific heat, density, void correction coefficient), and standard heating information for preparing each ingredient to a predetermined standard (e.g., heating equipment parameters, ingredient specifications, standard quantity, standard heating time).

[0062] The void correction coefficient in the ingredient characteristic information is a coefficient used to account for the possibility of voids forming between the ingredients and the cooking container 300 when the ingredients are placed in the cooking container 300 and heated, depending on the shape of the ingredients.

[0063] The heating equipment parameters in the standard heating information refer to parameters related to the heating equipment used to cook the ingredients, such as the heating surface area [m²]. ２ This includes the heating surface temperature [°C]. The ingredient specifications in the standard heating information include the size of the ingredient piece (width [mm], depth [mm], thickness [mm]), the weight [g] of the ingredient piece, and the initial temperature of the ingredient before heating [°C]. The standard quantity in the standard heating information is the amount [g] of the ingredient needed to finish the ingredient to a predetermined standard. The standard heating time in the standard heating information is the heating time required to finish the ingredient to a predetermined standard.

[0064] <5. Automatic Cooking Method Using Automatic Cooking Device 10> Next, an example of an automatic cooking method when the automatic cooking device 10, which is the embodiment described above, is installed in a restaurant will be explained based on Figures 1, 7 to 18, etc.

[0065] The automatic cooking process in this embodiment is broadly divided into five steps, as shown in Figure 7, which is a flowchart of the automatic cooking procedure by the automatic cooking device 10 shown in Figure 1: "Registration of the dish to be cooked" (step S1), "Generation of control data" (step S2), "Preparation for cooking" (step S3), "Cooking" (step S4), and "Post-processing" (step S5).

[0066] <5.0. Initial State> First, the initial state of the automatic cooking device 10 will be described based on Figures 8A and 8B. Figure 8A is a left side view of the automatic cooking device 10 in its initial state, and Figure 8B is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 in its initial state.

[0067] In the initial state shown in Figure 8A, the cooking container 300 is placed in the sink 120 with its opening facing downwards (hereinafter referred to as the "washing position"). In the initial state, the container heating unit 400 is not powered.

[0068] Then, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 for the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to select the dish to be cooked, as shown in Figure 8B. The selection of the dish to be cooked may also be performed by reading a code using the code reading unit 910.

[0069] <5.1. Registration of Dishes to be Cooked> Next, the process (step S1) related to "registration of dishes to be cooked" will be explained based on Figures 9 and 10. Figure 9 is a flowchart illustrating the process related to "registration of dishes to be cooked" in the automatic cooking method which is the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 for inputting customizations for the dishes to be cooked.

[0070] (Step S10; Step to obtain cooking information) First, the control unit 900 receives input from the user of the automatic cooking device 10 regarding the dish to be cooked (for example, shrimp and broccoli stir-fried in oyster sauce) via the screen displayed on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 8B. The touch panel 800, having received input regarding the dish to be cooked, inputs cooking information (information that identifies the dish to be cooked) related to the dish to the control unit 900. The control unit 900 temporarily stores the acquired cooking information in the data storage unit 900E.

[0071] (Step S11; Step to obtain customization information) Next, the control unit 900 receives input from the user of the automatic cooking device 10 regarding customizations for the dish to be cooked, based on the screen displayed on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 10. The touch panel 800, having received the customization input, inputs the customization information for the dish to be cooked into the control unit 900. The control unit 900 temporarily stores the acquired customization information in the data storage unit 900E.

[0072] In this context, customization input specifically refers to the process of inputting information about the dish to be cooked, such as (1) increasing the amount of ingredients (e.g., increasing the amount of boiled shrimp), (2) adding ingredients (e.g., adding 10g of grape tomatoes), or (3) decreasing the amount of ingredients (e.g., increasing the amount of onions to 20g, and omitting broccoli (making it 0g)). In this example, (1) the amount of boiled broccoli is reduced from 80g to 40g, and (2) 30g of green beans are added. Customization information is information that identifies the details of the customization for the dish to be cooked.

[0073] <5.2. Generation of Control Data> Next, the process (step S2) related to "generation of control data" will be explained based on Figures 11 to 13. Figure 11 is a flowchart illustrating the process related to "generation of control data" in the automatic cooking method which is the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 12 is a diagram showing a specific example of time-series data in the "creation of time-series data" shown in Figure 11, and Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating in more detail the process related to "generation of heating unit control candidate data" shown in Figure 11. Step S2 is a step in which heating unit control data that controls the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit 400 and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting ingredients are generated based on the cooking information and customization information input to the control unit 900.

[0074] (Step S20; Generation of time-series data) First, the time-series data generation unit 900F of the control unit 900 generates multiple time-series data, including the procedure for adding ingredients and the timing of the end of heating, based on the cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information contained in the cooking database. Specifically, based on the input of the dish to be cooked and customization to the touch panel 800, the time-series data generation unit 900F generates multiple time-series data from the ingredient information and customization information related to the dish to be cooked stored in the cooking database FDB.

[0075] As an example, as shown in Figure 12, patterns of ingredient addition procedures are comprehensively created at predetermined intervals (e.g., 10 seconds) from a predetermined start time for ingredient addition (e.g., 10 seconds) to a predetermined end time for ingredient addition (e.g., 150 seconds). The reference point for timing in the ingredient addition procedure (0 seconds) is defined as the time when the heating of the oil added to the cooking container 300 is complete. Furthermore, the heating completion timing exists at predetermined intervals (e.g., 10 seconds) from a predetermined minimum time (e.g., 60 seconds) to a maximum time (e.g., 180 seconds). Thus, if there are N patterns of ingredient addition procedures and M heating completion timings, N × M time-series data are generated in step S20.

[0076] (Step S21; Generation of heating unit control candidate data) Next, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G of the control unit 900 generates heating unit control candidate data for each time series data generated by the time series data generation unit 900F. Specifically, as shown in Figure 13, in step S21, the time series data is determined (step S211) and heating unit control candidate data is generated (step S212).

[0077] (Step S211; Determination of time-series data) In step S211, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G first determines whether or not to generate heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data by referring to the cooking information, customization information, ingredient information included in the cooking database FDB, and heating characteristic information of ingredients included in the ingredient database IDB (for example, thermal conductivity and specific heat). Specifically, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G identifies the dish to be cooked and then determines the time-series data for which to generate heating unit control candidate data by combining whether or not ingredients are added after the heating completion timing, whether or not ingredients with low thermal conductivity are added in order, etc.

[0078] (Step S212; Generation of heating unit control candidate data) Next, in step S212, heating unit control candidate data is generated from the time-series data for which heating unit control candidate data was determined in step S211 using a predetermined physical model. Specifically, heating unit control candidate data (heating output and heating time of the container heating unit 400) is generated using a predetermined physical model based on the amount of ingredients in the dish to be cooked determined from the cooking information, customization information, and cooking database FDB, as well as the heating equipment parameters, ingredient specifications, and initial ingredient temperature in the ingredient database.

[0079] (Step S22; Generation of heating unit control reference data for each ingredient) Next, heating unit control reference data (heating output and heating time of the container heating unit 400) for each ingredient used in the dish to be cooked is generated based on the heating equipment parameters, standard quantities, ingredient specifications, and initial ingredient temperatures in the ingredient database IDB. The physical model used to calculate the heating unit control reference data for each ingredient in step S22 is the same physical model used to calculate the heating unit control candidate data in step S212.

[0080] (Step S23; Determination of heating unit control data) Next, the heating control determination unit 900H of the control unit 900 determines one heating unit control candidate data from the multiple heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G as the heating unit control data. Specifically, for each ingredient used in the dish to be cooked, the simulation result when heating based on the heating unit control candidate data with the amount used in the dish to be cooked is compared with the simulation result when heating based on the heating unit control standard data with the standard amount, and the heating unit control candidate data that produces the simulation result closest to the simulation result based on the heating unit control standard data is determined as the heating unit control data.

[0081] (Step S24; Determination of the amount of oil to use) Next, the control unit 900 calculates the amount of oil Wo [g] to be used when automatically cooking the dish to be cooked, based on the cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information contained in the cooking database. Specifically, the amount of oil per 1g of ingredient stored in the data storage unit 900E of the control unit 900 is set to w [g], and the total amount of ingredients used in the dish to be cooked is set to S [g], and Wo is calculated as W = w × S.

[0082] (Step S25; Generation of ingredient input procedure data) Next, the ingredient input procedure generation unit 900I of the control unit 900 generates ingredient input procedure data from the time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data. Specifically, it generates ingredient input procedure data by adding information to the beginning of the ingredient input procedure in the time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data determined in step S23, which includes the amount of oil generated in step S24 to be added and the waiting time set a predetermined time.

[0083] <5.3. Cooking Preparation> Next, the process related to "cooking preparation" (step S3) will be explained based on Figure 14, which is a flowchart explaining the process related to "cooking preparation" as shown in Figure 7.

[0084] (Step S30) First, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to lift the cooking container 300 from the sink 120. Then, when the user of the automatic cooking device 10 lifts the cooking container 300 and places the container holding unit 200 (i.e., the cooking container 300) in the cooking position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to check for dirt inside the cooking container 300.

[0085] (Step S31; Pre-washing determination step) In step S31, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 asking the user of the automatic cooking device 10 whether or not to perform pre-washing. If the user of the automatic cooking device 10 inputs an instruction to perform pre-washing into the touch panel 800, the process proceeds to step S32 to start pre-washing and then proceeds to step S321. If the user of the automatic cooking device 10 inputs an instruction not to perform pre-washing into the touch panel 800, the process proceeds to step S33.

[0086] (Step S321) In step S321, while the container washing unit 500 is washing the cooking container 300, it is determined whether the uneven state of the cooking container 300 has changed due to the user of the automatic cooking device 10 operating the handle 230 of the container holding unit 200. If the uneven state of the cooking container 300 has not changed, the process proceeds to step S322. If the uneven state of the cooking container 300 has changed, the washing unit control unit 900B of the control unit 900 stops the washing of the cooking container 300 by the container washing unit 500.

[0087] (Step S322) In step S322, the cleaning unit control unit 900B determines whether to terminate the preliminary cleaning based on whether a predetermined cleaning time has elapsed. If the predetermined cleaning time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S321 and continues the preliminary cleaning. If the predetermined cleaning time has elapsed, the preliminary cleaning is terminated and the process proceeds to step S33.

[0088] (Step S33) In step S33, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to cover the sink 120 with the serving plate 131, and then displays a screen prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to wipe the inside of the cooking container 300. After that, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a "Start Cooking" button on the touch panel 800, and when the user of the automatic cooking device 10 touches the "Start Cooking" button, the process related to "Preparation for Cooking" is considered to be complete.

[0089] <5.3. Cooking> Next, the process related to "cooking" (step S4) will be explained based on Figures 15 to 16D. Figure 15 is a flowchart explaining the process related to "cooking" shown in Figure 7, Figure 16A is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 to prompt the user to add oil to the cooking container 300, Figure 16B is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 while the oil is being heated, Figure 16C is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 to prompt the user to add ingredients to the cooking container 300, and Figure 16D is an example of a screen displayed on the touch panel 800 while the ingredients are being heated.

[0090] (Step S40; Display of oil input instruction) In step S41, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 16A based on the ingredient input procedure data, prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to add oil. If the "Adding complete" button shown in Figure 16A is touched, the process proceeds to step S41.

[0091] (Step S41; Heating the oil) In step S41, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 16B, based on the ingredient input procedure data, informing the user of the automatic cooking device 10 that the oil is being heated and also informing them of the ingredient input procedure, while the heating unit control unit 900C of the control unit 900 controls the heating of the container heating unit 400. After heating the oil in the cooking container 300 at a predetermined output for a predetermined time (for example, 12 seconds), the process proceeds to step S42.

[0092] (Step S42; Display of ingredient input instruction) In step S42, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 16C based on the ingredient input procedure data, prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to add the next ingredient (for example, 50g of onion). If the user of the automatic cooking device 10 touches the "Ingredients Added" button shown in Figure 16C, the process proceeds to the next step.

[0093] (Step S43; Ingredient heating step) In step S43, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 as shown in Figure 16D based on the ingredient input procedure data, informing the user of the automatic cooking device 10 that the ingredients are being heated and also providing instructions on how to add the ingredients. Furthermore, the control unit 900 drives the container body drive motor 222 and the stirring member drive motor 223 of the container holding unit 200, and the heating unit control unit 900C of the control unit 900 controls the heating of the container heating unit 400 based on the heating unit control data, performing heating for the time shown in Figure 16D (for example, after 26g of oil is added and "Addition complete" is touched, heating is performed for 12 seconds), and then proceeds to step S42. In other words, the automatic cooking device 10 automatically cooks the dish by stirring and heating the ingredients added to the container body 310 with the stirring member 320.

[0094] In the "cooking" process, based on the ingredient input procedure data, the ingredient input step (for example, step S42) and the ingredient heating step (for example, step S43) are repeated as appropriate according to the dish being cooked, and the "cooking" process ends when the final cooking stage is reached.

[0095] <5.4. Post-processing> Next, the process related to "post-processing" (step S5) will be described based on Figures 17 to 18. Figure 17 is a flowchart illustrating the process related to "post-processing" in the automatic cooking method which is the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of plating from the cooking container 300 to the plate D.

[0096] (Step S50) In step S50, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to perform a "serving" operation. Upon seeing the screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to perform a "serving" operation, the user removes the cooked food from the cooking container 300 to plate D, as shown in Figure 18.

[0097] (Step S51) When the user of the automatic cooking device 10 inputs to the touch panel 800 that the plating of the food is complete, the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 prompting the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to perform an operation related to "washing".

[0098] (Step S52; Washing Step) When the user of the automatic cooking device 10 touches the "Start Washing" button displayed on the touch panel 800, the touch panel 800 recognizes that it has received a washing instruction, and the procedure output unit control unit 900D of the control unit 900 displays a screen on the touch panel 800 indicating that washing is in progress. Furthermore, based on the washing instruction received by the touch panel 800, the holding unit control unit 900A of the control unit 900 rotates at least one of the container body 310 and the stirring member 320 of the cooking container 300 using washing operation control data, and the washing unit control unit 900B of the control unit 900 controls the container washing unit 500 to spray rinsing water or the like onto the cooking container 300 in accordance with the cooked dish. During the washing step, if the uneven state of the cooking container 300 changes due to the user of the automatic cooking device 10 operating the handle 230 of the container holding unit 200 while the container washing unit 500 is washing the cooking container 300, the control unit 900 stops the washing of the cooking container by the container washing unit 500. Once the washing of the cooking container 300 by the container washing unit 500 is complete, the process related to "post-processing" is completed.

[0099] <6. Effects of the Automatic Cooking Device 10 and the Automatic Cooking Method Using the Same> According to the automatic cooking device 10, which is one embodiment of the present invention as described above, the control unit 900 generates heating unit control data that controls the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit 400, and ingredient input procedure data that includes the procedure for inputting ingredients, based on the cooking information that identifies the dish to be cooked and the customization information for the dish to be cooked that is input to the control unit 900. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data corresponding to the ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300 are generated, so that heating cooking according to the type and amount of ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300 can be achieved.

[0100] Furthermore, the control unit 900 stores an ingredient database IDB containing information on the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database FDB containing information on dishes that can be automatically cooked. The control unit 900 includes a time-series data generation unit 900F that generates multiple time-series data sets, including ingredient input procedures, based on cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information included in the cooking database; a heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data set generated by the time-series data generation unit 900F; a heating control determination unit 900H that determines heating unit control data from the multiple heating unit control candidate data sets generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G; and an ingredient input procedure generation unit 900I that generates ingredient input procedure data from time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are automatically generated based on cooking information and customization information. Therefore, users of the automatic cooking device 10 can achieve optimal heating and cooking according to the type and quantity of ingredients to be placed in the cooking container 300 simply by inputting the dish to be cooked and any customizations to be made for that dish into the automatic cooking device 10.

[0101] Furthermore, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G determines whether or not to generate heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data by referring to the cooking information, customization information, ingredient information included in the cooking database FDB, and ingredient heating characteristic information included in the ingredient database IDB. Then, it generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit 900F. As a result, heating unit control candidate data is generated by referring to the heating characteristics of the ingredients, making it possible to generate heating unit control candidate data only from time-series data that matches the heating characteristics of the ingredients, thus enabling faster generation of heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data.

[0102] Furthermore, according to an automatic cooking method which is one embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 900 includes a cooking information acquisition step S10 for obtaining cooking information to identify the dish to be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device 10, a customization information acquisition step S11 for obtaining customization information relating to customization for the dish to be cooked, and a control data generation step S2 for generating heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting ingredients, based on the cooking information and customization information. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data corresponding to the ingredients to be added are generated, making it possible to achieve heating cooking according to the type and weight of the ingredients to be added.

[0103] Next, an automatic cooking system 1, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, will be described based on Figures 19 to 21. Figure 19 is a system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking system 1, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 20 is a hardware configuration diagram of the control data generation device 20 shown in Figure 19, and Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the procedure of automatic cooking using the automatic cooking method, which is a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] <1. Configuration of the Automatic Cooking System> As shown in Figure 19, the automatic cooking system 1 comprises an automatic cooking device 10 that automatically cooks food by heating ingredients placed in a cooking container, and a control data generation device 20 that generates at least a portion of the control data for the automatic cooking device 10.

[0105] Although the automatic cooking device 10 is basically the same as the automatic cooking device 10 shown in the first embodiment, the control unit 900 in the automatic cooking device 10 of the second embodiment does not have a time-series data generation unit, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit, a heating control determination unit, or an ingredient input procedure generation unit.

[0106] The control data generation device 20 may be, for example, a tablet terminal or a laptop computer. Such a control data generation device 20 includes a display unit 21 for displaying information, an input unit 22 for receiving input from an external source, a data generation unit 23 for generating data necessary for driving the automatic cooking device 10, and a data transmission unit 24 for transmitting the data generated by the data generation unit 23 to the automatic cooking device 10.

[0107] The input unit 22 is, for example, a keyboard or a touch panel, and accepts input from the user.

[0108] As shown in Figure 20, the data generation unit 23 includes at least a processor 23a, a main memory 23b, and an auxiliary memory 23c, and these components are connected via a bus 23d, which is a data transmission path between the components.

[0109] Since the processor 23a is the same as the processor 930 shown in the first embodiment, its description is omitted. Since the main memory 23b is the same as the main memory 940 shown in the first embodiment, its description is omitted. Since the auxiliary memory 23c is the same as the auxiliary memory 950 shown in the first embodiment, its description is omitted.

[0110] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 19, the data generation unit 23 has a functional configuration comprising a data storage unit 23A, a time-series data generation unit 23B, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23C, a heating control determination unit 23D, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit 23E. The data storage unit 23A, time-series data generation unit 23B, heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23C, heating control determination unit 23D, and ingredient input procedure generation unit 23E in this embodiment are the same as the data storage unit 900E, time-series data generation unit 900F, heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900G, heating control determination unit 900H, and ingredient input procedure generation unit 900I in the automatic cooking device 10 of the first embodiment.

[0111] <2. Automatic Cooking Method Using Automatic Cooking System 1> Next, the automatic cooking method using the automatic cooking system 1, which is this embodiment described above, will be explained based on Figure 21 and the like. The automatic cooking device 10 is installed inside the restaurant, as in the first embodiment, and the control data generation device 20 may be installed inside the restaurant or outside the restaurant.

[0112] As shown in Figure 21, the automated cooking process in this embodiment is broadly divided into five steps: "Registration of the dish to be cooked" (step S1A), "Creation of control data" (step S2A), "Transmission of control data" (step S3A), "Preparation for cooking" (step S4A), "Cooking" (step S5A), and "Post-processing" (step S6A). Step S2A, which is "Creation of control data," is the same as step S2 in the first embodiment; step S4A, which is "Preparation for cooking," is the same as step 3 in the first embodiment; step S5A, which is "Cooking," is the same as step 4 in the first embodiment; and step S6A, which is "Post-processing," is the same as step 5 in the first embodiment. Therefore, their explanations are omitted.

[0113] <2.0. Initial State> The initial state of the automatic cooking device 10 is the same as in the first embodiment (see Figure 8A). In the second embodiment, the display unit 21 of the control data generation device 20 displays a screen for the user of the automatic cooking device 10 to select the dish to be cooked by the automatic cooking device 10, similar to the first embodiment.

[0114] <2.1. Registration of Dishes to be Cooked> Next, the process (step S1A) related to "registration of dishes to be cooked" in the second embodiment will be described. In this embodiment, the process related to "registration of dishes to be cooked" is performed in the same order as automatic cooking in the first embodiment, as shown in Figure 9, with the dish information acquisition step (step S10) and the customization information acquisition step (step S11).

[0115] (Cooking Information Acquisition Step) In the cooking information acquisition step of this embodiment, the input unit 22 receives input of the dish to be cooked by the user of the automatic cooking device 10 based on the screen displayed on the display unit 21. Upon receiving the input of the dish to be cooked, the input unit 22 inputs cooking information related to the dish to be cooked into the data generation unit 23. The data generation unit 23 temporarily stores the acquired cooking information in the data storage unit 23A.

[0116] (Customization Information Acquisition Step) In the customization information acquisition step of this embodiment, the input unit 22 receives customization input for the dish to be cooked by the user of the automatic cooking device 10 based on the screen displayed on the display unit 21. The input unit 22, having received the customization input, inputs the customization information for the dish to be cooked to the data generation unit 23. The data generation unit 23 temporarily stores the acquired customization information in the data storage unit 23A.

[0117] <2.2. Transmission of Control Data> Next, the process (step S3A) related to "transmission of control data" in the second embodiment will be described. The data transmission unit 24 transmits the heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data generated by executing step S2A to the automatic cooking device 10.

[0118] When ingredient input procedure data and heating unit control data are transmitted to the automatic cooking device 10, the dish to be cooked is displayed on the touch panel of the automatic cooking device 10, and thereafter, "preparation for cooking" (step S4A), "cooking" (step S5A), and "post-processing" (step S6A) are performed in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0119] <3. Effects of the Automatic Cooking System 1 and the Automatic Cooking Method Using the Same> According to the automatic cooking system 1, which is one embodiment of the present invention as described above, the control data generation device 20 has a data generation unit 23 that generates heating unit control data consisting of the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit 400 and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting ingredients, based on cooking information that identifies the input dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data corresponding to the ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300 are generated, so that heating cooking according to the type and amount of ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300 can be achieved.

[0120] Furthermore, the data generation unit 23 of the control data generation device 20 includes a time-series data generation unit 23B that generates multiple time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on cooking information, customization information, and ingredient information included in the ingredient database IDB; a heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23C that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit 23B; a heating control determination unit 23D that determines heating unit control data from the multiple heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23C; and an ingredient input procedure generation unit 23E that generates ingredient input procedure data from time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data are automatically generated based on cooking information and customization information. Therefore, users of the automatic cooking system 1 can achieve optimal heating cooking according to the type and amount of ingredients to be added to the cooking container 300 simply by inputting the dish to be cooked and any customizations to be cooked into the control data generation device 20.

[0121] Furthermore, the heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23C determines whether or not to generate heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data by referring to the cooking information, customization information, ingredient information included in the cooking database FDB, and ingredient heating characteristic information included in the ingredient database IDB. Then, the heating unit control candidate data is generated for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit 23B. As a result, heating unit control candidate data is generated by referring to the heating characteristics of the ingredients, making it possible to generate heating unit control candidate data only from time-series data that matches the heating characteristics of the ingredients, thus enabling faster generation of heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data.

[0122] Furthermore, according to an automatic cooking method which is one embodiment of the present invention, the data generation unit 23 of the control data generation device 20 includes a cooking information acquisition step S10 for acquiring cooking information related to the dish to be cooked, a customization information acquisition step 11 for acquiring customization information, and a control data generation step S2A for generating heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data based on the cooking information and customization information. As a result, heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data corresponding to the ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300 are generated, making it possible to achieve heating cooking according to the type and quantity of ingredients to be put into the cooking container 300.

[0123] <Modification> Although the automatic cooking apparatus and automatic cooking system described above are embodiments of the present invention, the automatic cooking apparatus and automatic cooking system of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above.

[0124] For example, in the automatic cooking apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the stirring member rotated independently of the container body, but the stirring member may rotate together with the container body. Also, in the automatic cooking apparatus of the above-described embodiment, the cooking container had a stirring member, but the cooking container does not have to have a stirring member.

[0125] For example, in the automatic cooking apparatus of the above-described embodiment, it is preferable from the viewpoint of maintenance and structural simplification to connect the container holding unit and the stirring member by a magnetic coupling so that the stirring member can be attached to and detached from the container body, and the container holding unit rotates the stirring member. However, any specific structure for making the stirring member detachable from the container body is acceptable, as long as the stirring member can rotate by the container holding unit without being affected by the rotation of the container body when the container body rotates by the container holding unit.

[0126] For example, in the automated cooking method of the embodiment described above, the "generation of heating unit control reference data for each ingredient" (step S22) was performed between the "generation of heating unit control candidate data" (step S21) and the "determination of heating unit control data" (step S23), but step S22 may be performed at any timing as long as it is performed before step S23. Also, for example, in the automated cooking method of the embodiment described above, the "determination of the amount of oil to be used" (step S24) was performed between the "determination of heating unit control data" (step S23) and the "determination of ingredient input procedure data" (step S25), but step S24 may be performed at any timing as long as it is performed before step S25.

[0127] For example, in the automated cooking method of the above-described embodiment, the "generation of candidate data for heating unit control" (step S21) was performed first by "determining time-series data" (step S211), but this step may be omitted.

[0128] 1...Automatic cooking system 10...Automatic cooking device 100...Cooking table 100A...Top surface 110...Caster 120...Sink 130...Plate stand 131...Serving plate 132...Plate storage member 200...Container holding unit 210...Base 211...Rotating shaft 212...Undulation detection sensor 220...Rotating part 221...Temperature sensor 222...Drive motor for container body 223...Drive motor for stirring member 230...Handle 300...Cooking container 310...Container body 311...Bottom surface 312...Outer surface (heating surface) 320...Stirring member 321...Base 322...Spatula 322a...Inner surface 322b...Outer surface 323...Detected element 400... Container heating unit 500... Container washing unit 600... Scraping unit 700... Container cover 710... Arm 711... Cover central axis 720... Cover body 730... Magnetic sensor (detector) 740... Flip detection sensor 800... Touch panel (ingredient input procedure output unit) 900... Control unit 910... Code reading unit 920... Emergency stop button 930... Processor 940... Main memory 950... Auxiliary memory 960... Network interface 970... Bus 900A... Holding unit control unit 900B... Washing unit control unit 900C... Heating unit control unit 900D... Procedure output unit control unit 900E... Data storage unit 900F... Time series data generation unit 900G... Heating unit control candidate data generation unit 900H ...Heating control determination unit 900I ...Ingredient input procedure generation unit 20 ...Control data generation device 21 ...Display unit 22 ...Input unit 23 ...Data generation unit 23a ...Processor23b... Main memory 23c... Auxiliary memory 23d... Bus 23A... Data storage unit 23B... Time-series data generation unit 23C... Heating unit control candidate data generation unit 23D... Heating control determination unit 23E... Ingredient input procedure generation unit 24... Data transmission unit F... Floor surface D... Plate AC... Cooking container central axis (container body central axis) FDB... Recipe database IDB... Ingredient database

Claims

1. An automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating ingredients placed in the cooking container, comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient placement procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for placing ingredients into the cooking container; and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit, wherein the control unit generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient placement procedure data including the procedure for placing ingredients, based on cooking information identifying the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked, input to the control unit, and controls the container heating unit based on the generated heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient placement procedure to the user from the ingredient placement procedure output unit based on the generated ingredient placement procedure data.

2. The automatic cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the ingredient input procedure output unit is a touch panel that accepts input of the dish to be cooked and customizations for the dish to be cooked.

3. The control unit stores an ingredient database relating to the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database relating to dishes that can be automatically cooked, and the control unit has a time-series data generation unit that generates a plurality of time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on the cooking information, the customization information and the ingredient information included in the cooking database, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit, a heating control determination unit that determines the heating unit control data from the plurality of heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from the time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data, and the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data, characterized in that the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit.

4. The automatic cooking apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determines whether or not to generate the heating unit control candidate data for each time series data by referring to the cooking information, the customization information, the ingredient information included in the cooking database, and the heating characteristics information of the ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generates heating unit control candidate data for each time series data generated by the time series data generation unit.

5. An automatic cooking method using an automatic cooking device comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient input procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for inputting ingredients into the cooking container; and a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient input procedure output unit, wherein the automatic cooking device automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container, the method comprising: a cooking information acquisition step in which the control unit obtains cooking information to identify a dish to be automatically cooked by the automatic cooking device; a customization information acquisition step in which the control unit obtains customization information relating to customization for the dish to be cooked; and a control data generation step in which the control unit generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient input procedure data including the procedure for inputting the ingredients, based on the cooking information and the customization information. An automatic cooking method characterized in that the control unit controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure output unit to the user based on the ingredient input procedure data.

6. An automatic cooking system comprising: an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking container; a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit; and a control data generation device for generating control data for the automatic cooking device, wherein the control data generation device comprises: a data generation unit that generates heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the heating unit and ingredient placement procedure data including the ingredient placement procedure, based on input cooking information that identifies the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked; and a data transmission unit that transmits the heating unit control data and the ingredient placement procedure data to the automatic cooking device, An automatic cooking system characterized in that the control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data transmitted from the control data generation device, and outputs the ingredient input procedure output unit to the user based on the ingredient input procedure data.

7. The automatic cooking system according to 6, wherein the control data generation device stores an ingredient database relating to the characteristics of ingredients and a cooking database relating to dishes that can be automatically cooked, and the data generation unit of the control data generation device includes a time-series data generation unit that generates a plurality of time-series data including ingredient input procedures based on the cooking information, the customization information and the ingredient information included in the cooking database, a heating unit control candidate data generation unit that generates heating unit control candidate data for each time-series data generated by the time-series data generation unit, a heating control determination unit that determines the heating unit control data from the plurality of heating unit control candidate data generated by the heating unit control candidate data generation unit, and an ingredient input procedure generation unit that generates ingredient input procedure data from the time-series data corresponding to the heating unit control data, and the control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the ingredient input procedure data.

8. The automatic cooking system according to claim 7, characterized in that the heating unit control candidate data generation unit determines whether or not to generate the heating unit control candidate data for each time series data by referring to the cooking information, the customization information, the ingredient information included in the cooking database, and the heating characteristics information of the ingredients included in the ingredient database, and then generates heating unit control candidate data for each time series data generated by the time series data generation unit.

9. An automatic cooking method using an automatic cooking system comprising: an automatic cooking device that automatically cooks a dish by heating the ingredients placed in the cooking device, the automatic cooking device comprising: an automatic cooking device comprising: a cooking container for containing ingredients; a container heating unit for heating the cooking container; an ingredient placement procedure output unit for outputting to the user the procedure for placing ingredients into the cooking container; a control unit having a heating unit control unit for controlling the container heating unit and a procedure output unit control unit for controlling the ingredient placement procedure output unit; and a control data generation device comprising: a data generation unit for generating heating unit control data for controlling the heating output and heating time of the container heating unit and ingredient placement procedure data including the procedure for placing ingredients, based on input cooking information that identifies the dish to be cooked and customization information for the dish to be cooked; and a data transmission unit for transmitting the heating unit control data and the ingredient placement procedure data to the automatic cooking device, wherein the control data generation device comprises: a cooking information acquisition step for obtaining cooking information relating to the dish to be cooked; and a customization information acquisition step for obtaining the customization information. An automatic cooking method characterized by comprising: a control data generation step in which a data generation unit of the control data generation device generates heating unit control data and ingredient input procedure data based on the cooking information and the customization information; a data transmission step in which a data transmission unit of the control data generation device transmits the heating unit control data and the ingredient input procedure data to the automatic cooking device; and a cooking step in which the control unit of the automatic cooking device controls the container heating unit based on the received heating unit control data and outputs the ingredient input procedure to the user from the ingredient input procedure output unit based on the received ingredient input procedure data.

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