Web-Based Kitchen Appliance Control Program Generation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing kitchen appliances face complexity in generating and implementing control programs for automated meal preparation, which can result in inedible food or safety hazards due to faulty programming.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method running as a web application that enables the generation and implementation of a control program for kitchen appliances by inputting ingredients and processing sequences, linking them through data arrays, and compiling into a usable format for automated preparation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If control programs are stored in non-volatile memory of the kitchen appliance, then the appliance can be used immediately after acquisition, but generating control programs involves great complexity and safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the control program generation process from the kitchen appliance itself and relocates it to an external computer system. The appliance only receives and executes pre-generated control programs, separating the complex generation task from the simple execution task. This allows the appliance to be used immediately without having its own program generation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a computer system as an intermediary between the user and the kitchen appliance for program generation. This intermediary handles the complex tasks of parsing recipes, generating control logic, and validating safety constraints, while the appliance simply executes the generated programs. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by centralizing complexity externally.
2Extent of automation
If control programs are generated with full automation capability, then meal preparation is automated, but faulty programming can cause uncontrollable stirring mechanisms and safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the computer system validates generated control programs against safety constraints before transferring them to the appliance. The system checks whether generated programs properly implement safety logic for the stirring mechanism and heating elements, providing feedback loops that prevent unsafe automation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by pre-validating and pre-testing control programs on the computer system before they are transferred to the appliance. Safety constraints are built into the generation process, cushioning against potential failures by ensuring programs are safe before execution begins.
3Manufacturing precision
If control programs are generated manually with detailed instructions, then precision is high, but the process is time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by taking recipe data from existing sources (cookbooks, digital recipes) and automatically copying/translating this information into structured control programs. The system parses natural language recipes and copies the essential steps into machine-executable instructions, maintaining precision while eliminating manual programming time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual program writing with an automated computer-based system that parses recipes and generates control logic automatically. This substitution uses software intelligence to perform what would otherwise require time-consuming manual effort, achieving both precision and speed.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods herein relate to arrangements involving a computer system and a kitchen appliance. In one illustrative implementation, such computer system may include a data processing device on which a computer-implemented process is run as a web application, the process being designed to set up a control program for the kitchen appliance, wherein the control program enables an automated preparation of a meal via preparation instruction(s) of the kitchen appliance. Further, in some implementations, the kitchen appliance may comprise a microprocessor, a heatable stirring vessel, and a stirring mechanism located in the stirring vessel, wherein the microprocessor is set up to control the stirring mechanism and/or the heater based on the control program generated.