Pattern recognizing appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Food service appliances require manual input of settings for heating, warming, toasting, and cooling, which is time-consuming and prone to user errors, and involves expensive input panels with graphics.
Innovation Solution
A food preparation appliance equipped with a food recognition system that includes sensors and a processing circuit to identify food products and automatically set operating parameters for optimal processing, using data on size, shape, weight, and other characteristics to adjust speed, temperature, and humidity levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual input panels with graphics are used for selecting products and settings, then the appliance provides precise control over processing parameters, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The appliance automatically identifies the food product using sensors and cameras, then self-configures the processing parameters without requiring manual user input. The system serves itself by autonomously selecting the appropriate processing cycle based on the detected food item, eliminating the need for complex graphic input panels and reducing operational complexity.
2Ease of operation
If manual input panels with graphics are used for selecting products and settings, then the appliance provides precise control over processing parameters, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/graphic input panel system with an automated optical sensing and recognition system. Instead of requiring users to interact with complex graphic interfaces, the system uses cameras and sensors to detect the food item and automatically determines the processing parameters, substituting manual input mechanisms with automated detection systems that are simpler and less costly to manufacture.
3Productivity
If automated food recognition is implemented, then the processing time is reduced and user input errors are minimized, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera and image processing system as an intermediary between the user and the food processing mechanism. This intermediary automatically captures an image of the food item, identifies it through pattern recognition, and triggers the appropriate processing cycle, thereby reducing manual input requirements and processing time while managing complexity through modular system design.
4Reliability
If automated food recognition is implemented, then user input errors are reduced, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-identification of the food product and self-configuration of processing parameters, eliminating manual user input that is prone to errors. The automated recognition system reliably identifies the food item and automatically selects the correct processing cycle, improving reliability by removing human error sources while managing complexity through integration of the sensing and control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A food preparation appliance includes a processing mechanism, a thermal element, a sensor positioned to acquire identifying data regarding identifying characteristics of a food product to be processed by the food preparation appliance, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive the identifying data from the sensor, identify a type of the food product based on the identifying data, and automatically set a predefined operating parameter of at least one of the processing mechanism and the thermal element to provide target processing of the food product based on the type and the identifying characteristics.