Frying Oil Bubble Image Analysis for Precise Deterioration Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for determining the deterioration level of frying oil rely on subjective human experience and struggle to distinguish different types of air bubbles on the oil surface, leading to inaccurate assessments.
Innovation Solution
An edible oil deterioration level determination device that extracts air bubble images, calculates feature parameters, estimates deterioration indicators, and determines the oil's deterioration level based on these indicators, using correlations between air bubble characteristics and oil quality metrics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional methods use subjective human experience to determine deterioration level, then ease of operation is maintained, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical/manual system of human sensory evaluation with an automated optical detection system using imaging devices and image processing algorithms. The system captures images of air bubbles on the oil surface and automatically analyzes their characteristics to determine deterioration level, eliminating subjective human judgment while maintaining operational simplicity through automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service determination by automatically analyzing oil deterioration without requiring human expertise. The image processing section autonomously extracts air bubble features and calculates deterioration indicators, allowing the system to serve itself in making deterioration assessments without human intervention in the analysis process.
2Reliability
If conventional methods use cumulative time to determine deterioration level, then ease of operation is maintained, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the simple time-tracking mechanism with a sophisticated optical detection system that directly measures oil deterioration through air bubble characteristics. The imaging device and image processing algorithms provide reliable deterioration assessment based on actual physical changes in the oil, rather than relying on cumulative time estimates that may not reflect actual oil condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces air bubble images as an intermediary indicator between the oil itself and the deterioration assessment. By analyzing the characteristics of air bubbles that form on the oil surface during heating, the system obtains indirect but reliable information about oil deterioration, serving as a mediator that reveals oil quality changes without requiring direct chemical analysis.
3Measurement precision
If conventional methods use illuminance variation to detect deterioration, then device complexity is minimized, but measurement precision deteriorates due to inability to distinguish air bubble types
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the oil surface image into distinct air bubble regions and analyzing their individual characteristics. The image processing section extracts and categorizes different types of air bubbles based on their size, shape, and distribution patterns, enabling precise differentiation between bubble types that simple illuminance measurement cannot distinguish.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from one-dimensional illuminance measurement to two-dimensional image analysis, adding spatial dimensionality to the detection process. By capturing and analyzing the spatial distribution, size, and morphology of air bubbles in images, the system gains much richer information about oil deterioration that cannot be obtained from simple light intensity variations alone.
4Reliability
If simple illuminance measurement is used, then device complexity is minimized, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to determine deterioration level considering air bubble types
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses air bubble images as an intermediary that reliably indicates oil deterioration. By analyzing the characteristics of these bubbles through image processing, the system obtains reliable deterioration information that simple illuminance measurement cannot provide, with the bubbles serving as a natural indicator of oil quality changes during heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameters from simple illuminance values to multiple image parameters including air bubble area, perimeter, circularity, and distribution density. These changed parameters provide much more reliable deterioration assessment by capturing different aspects of air bubble characteristics that correlate with oil degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an edible oil deterioration level determination device and the like capable of precisely determining the deterioration level of frying oil. A deterioration level determination device 5 for determining the deterioration level of frying oil Y comprises an air bubble image extraction section 51 for extracting an air bubble image that is an image of a portion of air bubbles formed due to deep-fry cooking from an oil surface image, a feature parameter calculation section 54 for calculating a feature parameter F characterizing deterioration of the frying oil Y from the air bubble image extracted by the air bubble image extraction section 51, a deterioration indicator estimation section 55 for estimating a deterioration indicator DI of the frying oil Y based on the feature parameter F, and a deterioration level determination section 56 for determining the deterioration level of the frying oil Y based on the deterioration indicator DI.