Heating cooker with heating chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing microwave ovens require cumbersome operations for setting heating times or rely on complex systems with multiple cameras to read heating control information from food containers, leading to operational inefficiencies and potential errors.
Innovation Solution
A microwave oven with a single camera captures images of the food inside the chamber, uses a reader to extract heating control information from labels, and a disposing position guide unit to ensure the food is positioned correctly within the camera's range, allowing for automatic recognition and setting of heating controls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single camera is used to capture images in the heating chamber, then the device complexity is reduced, but the measurement precision of code information may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The disposing position guide unit guides the object to be heated to a predetermined position before the camera captures the image. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the code information is within the camera's effective capture range, allowing a single camera to achieve sufficient measurement precision without requiring multiple cameras or complex positioning systems.
2Measurement precision
If multiple cameras are used to capture code information, then the recognition accuracy improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using multiple cameras simultaneously, the system performs preliminary positioning of the object using the disposing position guide unit. This ensures the code is properly positioned within the capturing range of a single camera, achieving accurate recognition without the complexity of multiple cameras.
3Manufacturing precision
If manual setting of heating time is required, then the heating control precision can be adjusted, but the ease of operation decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The heating control information recognizing unit automatically reads the heating control information from the code on the object and sets the heating parameters without requiring manual input from the user. The system serves itself by automatically extracting and processing the code information to determine the appropriate heating time and conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The manual mechanical operation of setting heating time through numeric keys is replaced by an optical recognition system. The camera captures the code, the recognizing unit processes it, and the heating controller automatically sets the parameters, substituting manual mechanical input with automated optical and electronic systems.
4Ease of operation
If heating control information is read from code on objects, then the ease of operation improves, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The disposing position guide unit performs preliminary positioning of the object to ensure the code is within the camera's capturing range and properly oriented. This preliminary action simplifies the detection process by ensuring optimal viewing conditions before the camera attempts to read the code.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera acts as an intermediary between the code on the object and the heating control system. It captures the visual information from the code, which is then processed by the heating control information recognizing unit to extract the heating parameters, mediating the detection process between the physical code and the digital control system.
Data Source
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AI summary
Heating control information recognizing unit (19) recognizes heating control information of an object to be heated from an image of the inside of heating chamber (12) captured by imaging unit (16), and heating controller (14) controls heating unit (13) based on the heating control information. When it is difficult for heating control information recognizing unit (19) to perform recognition, disposing position guide unit (30) guides the object to be heated to a capturing range of imaging unit (16). It is thus possible to recognize the heating control information with a simple configuration including a single camera functioning as imaging unit (16).