Heating cooker, cooking system, arithmetic device, and cooking support method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heating cookers require complex operations for setting heat sources, and users face inconvenience due to the need for registering dish images and associated cooking information, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A heating cooker system that includes a heating chamber, a heating unit, an image data acquisition unit, an acceptance unit for user input, a storage unit for associating image data with heating control content, and an update unit that automatically stores this information, allowing users to start heating operations without manually registering image data and control content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a conventional heating cooker is designed to handle a wide variety of cooking or re-heating functions, then the versatility of the device is improved, but the setting operation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic image recognition of the food and dish combination, and automatically determines and sets the appropriate heating control content without requiring manual user input for each parameter. The cooker serves itself by using its own camera and processing capabilities to configure the heating process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple heating parameters (temperature, time, heat source selection) automatically based on the recognized food and dish characteristics. Instead of manually adjusting each parameter, the system dynamically determines the optimal combination of heating parameters through image analysis and pre-stored cooking data.
2Measurement precision
If a user manually registers dish images and associated cooking information, then the accuracy of individual cooking information is improved, but the operation time and user burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs image recognition and cooking parameter determination in advance, before the actual heating process begins. By recognizing the food and dish images upfront and automatically selecting the appropriate heating control content from pre-stored data, the system eliminates the need for time-consuming manual registration during the cooking process.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical operation of registering images and cooking information is replaced by an automated optical and computational system. The camera captures images, the processor recognizes the food and dish types, and the system automatically retrieves and applies the corresponding heating parameters, substituting manual data entry with automated image-based recognition.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a heating cooker uses multiple heat sources (oven, grill, steam, microwave), then the adaptability for different cooking methods is improved, but the control setting complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines which heat sources to use and in what combination based on the recognized food and dish images. Instead of requiring the user to manually select and configure multiple heat sources, the cooker's control system autonomously decides the optimal heating strategy by analyzing the food type, dish material, and pre-stored cooking data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system integrates multiple heat sources (oven, grill, steam, microwave) into a unified automatic control system that can handle various cooking methods through a single image recognition interface. The universal image-based control mechanism works regardless of which heat sources are needed, providing a consistent user experience across different cooking scenarios.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This system simplifies user interactions by automatically associating image data with heating control content, reducing the complexity of operations and enhancing user convenience by eliminating the need for manual registration of image data and control content.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging unit configured to image the food when the food is in the heating chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A heating cooker includes a heating chamber that houses food, a heating unit that heats the food, an imaging unit that acquires image data on the food after the food has been housed in the heating chamber, a setting unit that accepts a user input relating to heating control content defining a heating operation, a storage unit that stores control information in which the image data and the heating control content corresponding to the food specified from the image data are associated with each other, a heating start button that orders the start of the heating operation, and a storage update unit that associates the image data and the heating control content with each other and updates the control information within the storage unit, when the setting unit accepts the user input and then the heating start button orders the start of the heating operation.