Oven appliance with an adjustable camera assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oven cameras are typically fixed, providing impaired visibility of food items at multiple cooking locations, and fisheye lenses often result in image distortion.
Innovation Solution
A camera assembly with a guide rail and drive mechanism, allowing the camera to move along the rail and be positioned optimally based on the location of food items within the oven, ensuring improved visibility and clear images.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a fixed camera is positioned at a fixed location within the cabinet or inside the door, then good visibility of one particular rack location is achieved, but visibility of food items being cooked at other locations in the cavity is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is made movable along a guide rail system, transitioning from a fixed position to a dynamic one. The camera can be repositioned to different locations within the cooking chamber to capture images of food items at various rack positions, thereby improving visibility adaptability across multiple cooking locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera assembly introduces movement along a vertical guide rail, adding a dimensional aspect to camera positioning. This allows the camera to move between different vertical levels corresponding to different rack positions, enabling clear views of food items regardless of their vertical placement within the cooking chamber.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fisheye lens is used on the camera to obtain a wider field of view, then visibility of multiple rack locations is improved, but image distortion occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a fisheye lens to achieve a wide field of view, the invention employs a movable camera that can be repositioned to capture different areas. This dynamic positioning approach provides a clear, undistorted view of food items at various rack locations without the need for wide-angle distortion.
3Ease of operation
If the camera is mounted near a vertical center of the cooking chamber, then central viewing is achieved, but food being cooked on the bottom rack or the top rack has minimal visibility or no visibility at all
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is mounted on a guide rail system that enables vertical movement along the cooking chamber. This allows the camera to be repositioned from a central fixed location to various vertical positions, ensuring clear visibility of food items whether they are placed on the top rack, bottom rack, or intermediate positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system determines the rack position where food is located or will be located in advance, then positions the camera at the appropriate viewing position before cooking begins or adjusts during cooking. This preliminary positioning ensures optimal visibility of food items at any rack location.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a movable camera system is implemented, then visibility at multiple rack locations is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The camera system incorporates a guide rail with a drive mechanism that enables controlled movement of the camera along the rail. This mechanical dynamic system allows the camera to be repositioned to different vertical locations corresponding to various rack positions, providing flexible viewing capability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable camera assembly mounted within a door of an oven appliance includes a vertical guide rail and a camera movably mounted to the guide rail. A drive mechanism, such as a lead screw driven by a stepper motor, is mechanically coupled to the camera for moving the camera along the guide rail. A controller is coupled to a user interface for obtaining a rack position where food is located. Based on the rack position, the controller determines a viewing position where the camera is placed to achieve a desired view of the food and operates the drive mechanism to position the camera in the viewing position.