Oven 3D Scanning System for Non-Intrusive Food Cooking Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooking food in an oven can be challenging due to the difficulty in determining when food is fully cooked without opening the door, risking interruption of the cooking cycle and potential burns, and users lack specific information about cooking conditions, temperatures, and nutritional values.
Innovation Solution
An oven equipped with a three-dimensional scanning system and weight sensors that detect food characteristics, allowing for non-intrusive monitoring of food volume, shape, weight, and nutritional values, providing users with accurate cooking information through image recognition and database comparison.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the oven door is opened to observe the food, then the user can directly evaluate the cooking degree, but the cooking cycle is interrupted and the user risks burns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical action of opening the door with an optical sensing system. Sensors (optical, infrared, or microwave) detect food characteristics through the closed door, substituting direct visual inspection with remote sensing technology that does not disrupt the cooking environment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces sensors as an intermediary between the user and the food. These sensors act as mediators that transmit information about food cooking state to the user without requiring physical access to the interior, thus maintaining the closed cooking environment while providing monitoring capability
2Loss of information
If the oven door is opened to observe the food, then the user can evaluate the cooking degree, but the cooking temperature stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes direct visual observation with optical or electromagnetic sensing systems that can penetrate or detect through the oven door and interior space without introducing thermal disturbances, thereby maintaining temperature stability while providing cooking information
3Loss of information
If recipe books are used to determine cooking parameters, then the user can obtain cooking guidance, but the information is inaccurate for specific food characteristics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where sensors continuously monitor actual food characteristics (weight, volume, optical properties) and provide real-time information to the user. This closed-loop approach allows users to adjust cooking parameters based on actual food state rather than relying on predetermined generic recipes
Solution Approach 2:
The oven system performs self-measurement of food characteristics using integrated sensors, eliminating the need for users to manually estimate or measure food properties. The system automatically provides accurate, food-specific cooking information based on its own measurements
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an oven (101) comprising a heated cavity (102) for cooking a food (201), which comprises a three-dimensional scanning system (106) configured for acquiring information about the volume and/or shape of a food (201) positioned in the heated cavity (102).