Oven Camera Monitoring for Cooking Status Without Door Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cooking food in an oven is challenging due to the difficulty in determining when food is fully cooked without opening the door, which can disrupt the cooking process and pose safety risks from high temperatures.
Innovation Solution
An oven equipped with a camera that captures images of the food inside and transmits them to a user-friendly device for evaluation, allowing for monitoring of cooking conditions without opening the door, using athermic and thermally protected camera placement and wireless image transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the door is opened to directly observe the food, then the user can see the food cooking status, but the cooking process is interrupted and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a camera to capture images of the food inside the oven and transmits these images to a user device (TV, smartphone, tablet). This creates a visual copy of the food's cooking status that the user can view remotely, eliminating the need to open the door to see the food. The copying principle allows the user to gain information about the food's state without physically accessing the oven interior, thus maintaining cooking process continuity and safety.
2Loss of information
If the door is opened to directly observe the food, then the user can see the food cooking status, but safety risks from high temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system creates a visual replica of the food's appearance and cooking state, which is transmitted to the user's device. This allows the user to assess the food's cooking status remotely without exposing themselves to the high temperatures inside the oven. The harmful thermal factor is completely avoided while the information need is satisfied through the image copy.
3Illumination intensity
If lighting means are mounted inside the oven, then the food can be illuminated for observation, but the evaluation of actual degree of cooking remains complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides continuous visual feedback by transmitting images of the food to the user's device. The user can monitor the cooking process in real-time or near-real-time, allowing for accurate assessment of the food's cooking degree. The feedback loop enables the user to make informed decisions about when to stop cooking based on visual evidence, eliminating the complexity of estimation that would otherwise be required.
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
Enables reliable and safe evaluation of food cooking status, optimizing food preparation by avoiding direct access to the oven and reducing the risk of burns or scalds, allowing for timely intervention in the cooking process.
Implementation Method 1
said door comprises four layers of athermic material substantially transparent to visible light
Implementation Method 2
said camera is provided with a thermal protection element, which is thermally insulating and at least partially transparent to the radiations detected by said camera
Data Source
AI summary
Oven comprising: a muffle; operating means for heating an active zone defined within the volume delimited by said muffle; a camera for detecting one or more images showing food positioned in said active zone; a transmission unit associated with said camera and configured for sending said one or more images to an auxiliary device configured for at least displaying said one or more images.