Cooked level determination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the cooked level of food items, such as core temperature and weight loss, are inaccurate and complex, particularly due to the influence of liquid leach-out, which complicates weight measurement and does not account for parameters like juiciness and tenderness.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes image analysis to determine the cooked level by identifying the distribution and parameter values of liquid leached out during cooking, using image data to assess the food's cooked level without contact, reducing computational complexity and user intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If weight loss measurement is used to determine cooked level, then cooking progress can be monitored, but liquid leach-out complicates the measurement and requires separation mechanisms that add complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the liquid leach-out from the weight measurement system by collecting it in a separate container. The scale only measures the weight of the food item, while the liquid is collected separately in a container placed on the cooking surface. This eliminates the need for complex separation mechanisms during weighing and provides accurate cooked level determination based on weight loss.
2Measurement precision
If temperature probe is used to measure core temperature, then cooked level can be determined, but it does not indicate other parameters like juiciness and tenderness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the weight loss measurement universal by using it to determine multiple cooked level parameters simultaneously. Instead of relying solely on temperature probes that only measure temperature, the system uses weight loss (combined with image analysis of liquid distribution) to infer multiple parameters including cooked level, juiciness, and tenderness, providing a multi-functional assessment approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from core temperature to weight loss and liquid distribution. By monitoring how weight decreases and how liquid distributes during cooking, the system can infer multiple quality parameters including juiciness and tenderness, rather than relying on temperature alone which provides limited information.
3Ease of operation
If preset recipe is followed for cooking, then cooking guidance is provided, but various factors reduce accuracy and consistency of results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by continuously monitoring weight loss and liquid distribution during cooking, then using this real-time data to determine when the food has reached the desired cooked level. This feedback mechanism allows users to follow simple preset recipes while achieving accurate and consistent results, as the system automatically adjusts based on actual cooking conditions rather than relying solely on pre-set time and temperature parameters.
Data Source
AI summary
A cooking method is disclosed that includes receiving image data corresponding to a view of a food item during a cooking process implemented by a cooking apparatus. The cooking method further includes identifying a region of interest in the view. The region of interest includes an indication of liquid leached out from the food item as a result of the cooking process. The cooking method further includes determining a cooked level of the food item based on a distribution of the liquid on a surface in the view and a parameter value indicative of the cooked level of the food item. The parameter value is derived from a part of the image data that corresponds to the region of interest.