CN113137640A - Cooking system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present specification provides a cooking system in which an image of an imaging section is not easily blurred. The cooking system disclosed in the present specification includes: a top plate portion; a heating unit which is disposed on the upper surface of the top plate and heats the cooking container placed above the heating unit; an imaging unit for imaging an image of the heating unit viewed from above; and a control unit that controls the heating unit based on the image of the heating unit captured by the imaging unit. Further, the cooking system includes: an illumination unit that is disposed above a heating unit and irradiates the heating unit from above; and an illumination control section. In the cooking system disclosed in the present specification, the illumination control unit changes the illumination range of the illumination unit based on the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging unit when the cooking container is placed above the heating unit. Therefore, the illumination unit illuminates only the inner side of the cooking container and does not illuminate the top plate portion on the outer side. The cooking system can prevent the light of the illumination part from reflecting on the top plate part to cause the image of the shooting part to be blurred.

Description

Cooking system

Technical Field

The technology disclosed herein relates to a cooking system. In particular, the present invention relates to a cooking system having a top plate portion, a heating portion and an imaging portion, wherein the heating portion is disposed on an upper surface of the top plate portion and heats a cooking container placed above the heating portion; the imaging unit is used for imaging an image of the cooking container viewed from above.

Background

Patent document 1 discloses a cooking system that acquires an image of a cooking container viewed from above by an imaging unit (e.g., a camera) disposed above the cooking container. The cooking system of patent document 1 detects that the cooking material in the cooking container overflows to the outside of the cooking container based on the image of the cooking container viewed from above acquired by the imaging unit. The cooking system of patent document 1 reduces the heating power of the heating part when it is detected that the cooking material overflows to the outside of the cooking container.

[ Prior art documents ]

[ patent document ]

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2017-133722

Disclosure of Invention

[ problem to be solved by the invention ]

The cooking system of patent document 1 includes an illumination unit that irradiates a heating unit from above. The illuminating section illuminates the heating section from above, and the imaging section can acquire a clearer image. However, in recent years, in order to improve design, the top plate portion on which the heating portion is disposed is sometimes made of a material with gloss, so-called glass top (glass top). In this case, the light of the illumination unit may be reflected by the top plate, which may cause an image of the imaging unit to be blurred. In the present specification, a cooking system is proposed that suppresses (prevents) the reflection of light of an illumination unit at a top plate portion, thereby suppressing (preventing) the blurring of an image acquired by an imaging unit.

[ solution for solving problems ]

A cooking system disclosed in the present specification includes a top plate portion, a heating portion, and a photographing portion, wherein the heating portion is disposed on an upper surface of the top plate portion and configured to heat a cooking container placed above the heating portion; the imaging unit is configured to capture an image of the heating unit viewed from above. The cooking system further includes an illumination unit and an illumination control unit, wherein the illumination unit is disposed above the heating unit and irradiates the heating unit from above. When the cooking container is placed above the heating portion, the illumination control portion changes the illumination range of the illumination portion according to the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging portion.

The illumination control unit of the cooking system changes the illumination range of the illumination unit according to the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging unit. Therefore, the illumination section can change the illumination range so as to illuminate only the inner side of the cooking container and not the top plate section of the outer side of the cooking container. Accordingly, the light of the illumination unit is prevented from being reflected by the top plate, and the image of the imaging unit is prevented from being blurred.

The cooking system may further include a control unit that controls the heating unit based on the image of the heating unit captured by the imaging unit. In this case, when the cooking container is placed above the heating portion, the control portion may calculate the outer shape of the cooking container from the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging portion, and the illumination control portion may change the illumination range so as to limit the illumination range to the inner side of the outer shape. According to the cooking system, the illumination range does not extend from the outer shape of the cooking container to the outside. That is, the light of the illumination unit is not reflected by the top plate.

When the cooking container is placed above the heating portion, the control portion may calculate a position of a center of the cooking container when the cooking container is viewed from above, based on the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging portion. In this case, when the position of the center of the cooking container calculated by the control unit is displaced from the position of the center of the heating portion, the illumination control unit may change the orientation of the illumination unit so that the light emitting unit emits light toward the center of the cooking container. In the cooking system, even when the center of the cooking container is displaced from the center of the heating portion, the light is irradiated around the center of the cooking container inside the cooking container, and the light of the illuminating portion is prevented from being reflected by the top plate portion.

The cooking system may further include a power switch for activating the control unit. In this case, when the control unit is activated by the power switch, the illumination control unit may cause the illumination unit to emit a light beam extending toward the center of the heating unit. The cooking system can prompt a user who is switched on the power switch to align the center position of the cooking container with the center position of the heating part so as to place the cooking container above the heating part.

The cooking system may further include a cooking container detection unit for detecting that the cooking container is placed above the heating unit. In this case, the illumination control unit may cause the illumination unit to emit a light beam extending toward the center of the heating unit when the cooking container detection unit detects that the cooking container is placed above the heating unit. The cooking system may prompt a user, who places the cooking container above the heating part, to align a center position of the cooking container with a center position of the heating part, and to place the cooking container above the heating part.

Details and further improvements of the technology disclosed in the present specification are described in the following "detailed description of the preferred embodiments".

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 shows an enlarged view of the illumination unit.

Fig. 3 shows a control structure of a cooking system according to an embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cooking unit showing an example of the pot center.

Fig. 5 shows a front view of a cooking system of the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the heating cooking unit in which an example of the illumination range is described.

[ description of reference numerals ]

2, a cooking system; 4: a range hood (range hood); 6: a cover; 8 a: a first illumination unit; 8 b: a second illumination unit; 8 c: a third lighting unit; 9: a camera; 10: a heating cooker; 10 f: a front surface; 10 u: a top plate; 11 a: a first stove; 11 b: a second stove; 11 c: a third stove; 12 a: a first stove burner; 12 b: a second stove burner; 12 c: a third stove burner; 14 a: a first sensor; 14 b: a second sensor; 14 c: a third sensor; 16a to 16 c: a furnace frame; 17: an exhaust port; 18 a: a first illumination control unit; 20: a range operating part; 20 a: a first heating amount operation part; 20 b: a second heating amount operation part; 20 c: a third heating amount operation part; 21 a: a first stove center; 21 b: a second stove center; 21 c: a third stove center; 22: a panel operation part; 24: a power switch; 28: an oven storage box; 30b, 30c, 50a, 60 c: cooking; 31b, 31c, 51a, 61 c: a pan center; 40: a control unit; 42: a heating control unit; 44: a memory; 46: an outline calculation section; 50c, 60 b: a pan; 51c, 61 b: a pan center; 80: an illuminating body; 83: a reflective cone (reflective cone); 84: a lens; 85: a lifting mechanism; 86: a bulb; 87: an angle changing mechanism; 88: a leg portion; 89: a rotation mechanism; AL 1-AL 5: an illumination range; la, Lb, Lc: and (4) laser.

Detailed Description

(examples)

A cooking system of an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a cooking system 2 according to an embodiment. As shown in fig. 1, the cooking system 2 has a hood 4 and a heating cooker 10. The cooking device 10 is a gas-fired built-in range that is used by being incorporated into a kitchen (system kitchen). The hood 4 is a ventilator disposed above the cooking device 10.

A top plate 10u is disposed on the upper surface of heating cooker 10 facing range hood 4. The top plate 10u is a plate made of glass. The upper surface of the top plate 10u is glossy. A first cooking range 11a, a second cooking range 11b, a third cooking range 11c, and an exhaust port 17 communicating with an oven storage box 28 are disposed on a top plate 10u of the heating cooker 10. Further, a range operating portion 20 and an oven storage box 28 are provided on a front surface 10f, which is a front surface (i.e., a right side in fig. 1) of the heating cooker 10. In the present specification, for ease of understanding, the side of heating cooker 10 on which front surface 10f is provided may be simply referred to as "front side", and the side of heating cooker 10 opposite to the side on which front surface 10f is provided may be simply referred to as "rear side". In addition, a direction connecting the front side and the rear side is referred to as a front-rear direction. The horizontal left and right directions orthogonal to the front-rear direction are the same as the right and left sides of the user located on the front side of heating cooker 10 and facing front surface 10 f. An oven operating unit for operating an oven burner (not shown) in the oven storage box 28 is provided on the left side of the front surface 10f of the heating cooker 10, but description thereof is omitted in this specification.

The first, second and third cooktops 11a, 11b and 11c are arranged in 2 rows in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the top plate 10 u. The first range 11a is disposed on the right side of the front row. The third range 11c is arranged on the left side of the front row. The second range 11b of the rear row is disposed between the first range 11a and the third range 11c in the left-right direction. The first stove 11a has a first stove burner 12a, a first sensor 14a and a hob 16 a. A gas supply line (not shown) is connected to the first burner 12 a. The gas supply line is provided with a flow rate adjustment valve (not shown) for adjusting the supply amount of the gas to the first burner 12 a. The first burner 12a ignites by operating an igniter (not shown) in a state where gas is supplied to the first burner 12 a. The first range 11a heats a cooking container such as a pan or a pan (frying pan) placed thereon by the first range burner 12a after ignition. By adjusting the supply amount of the gas supplied to the first burner 12a, the heating amount of the first burner 12a can be adjusted. Further, by stopping the supply of the gas to the first burner 12a, the first burner 12a is turned off. The second range burner 12b of the second range 11b and the third range burner 12c of the third range 11c have the same structure as the first range burner 12 a.

The first sensor 14a detects the presence of a cooking container of the first cooker 11a and detects the temperature of the cooking container. When the cooking container is disposed on the first cooking range 11a, the first sensor 14a is pressed by the cooking container. The first sensor 14a detects that the cooking container is placed on the first cooking range 11a when pressed by the cooking container. In the case where the cooking container is not placed on the first cooking range 11a, the first sensor 14a is not pressed. A thermocouple is disposed in the first sensor 14a, so that the temperature of the object in contact with the first sensor 14a can be detected. The second sensor 14b of the second range 11b and the third sensor 14c of the third range 11c have the same configuration as the first sensor 14 a. The racks 16a to 16c support the cooking containers placed above the ranges while keeping the cooking containers at a fixed distance from the range burners.

The range operating part 20 includes a power switch 24, a first heating amount operating part 20a, a second heating amount operating part 20b, a third heating amount operating part 20c, and a panel operating part 22 of the heating cooker 10. The power switch 24 is a switch for starting the heating cooker 10, and each burner can be ignited by turning on the power switch 24. The first heating amount operating part 20a corresponds to the first range 11 a. Similarly, the second heating amount operating part 20b corresponds to the second range 11b, and the third heating amount operating part 20c corresponds to the third range 11 c. The first heating amount operating part 20a is an operating part for igniting and extinguishing the first burner 12a and adjusting the heating amount of the first burner 12 a. The first heating amount operating part 20a is an interactive switch. The first burner 12a is ignited when the user performs an operation for moving the first heating amount operating part 20a from the key-off position to the ignition position, and the first burner 12a is turned off when the user performs an operation for moving the first heating amount operating part 20a from the ignition position to the key-off position. The ignition position is a position where the front surface of first heat quantity operating unit 20a protrudes forward from front surface 10f of cooking device 10, and the key-off position is a position where first heat quantity operating unit 20a is housed so that the front surface of first heat quantity operating unit 20a and front surface 10f of cooking device 10 are aligned at the same position. That is, in fig. 1, the third heating amount operation portion 20c is represented as an ignition position, and the first heating amount operation portion 20a and the second heating amount operation portion 20b are represented as key-off positions. In addition, in a state where the first heating amount operating unit 20a is located at the ignition position, the user can adjust the amount of gas supplied to the first burner 12a by operating the first heating amount operating unit 20a clockwise or counterclockwise, and thus can adjust the amount of heating (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as "heating power") of the first burner 12 a. The second heating-amount manipulating part 20b and the third heating-amount manipulating part 20c also have the same configuration as the first heating-amount manipulating part 20 a.

The panel operating unit 22 displays the operating states of the first, second, and third burner 12a, 12b, 12c, and the like. The user can set a flameout timer for extinguishing each burner after a predetermined time passes through the panel operation portion 22.

Next, the hood 4 will be explained. The hood 4 houses a fan (fan), not shown, therein. The hood 4 has a cover 6 for covering the fan from below, a camera 9, a first illumination unit 8a, a second illumination unit 8b, and a third illumination unit 8 c. The cover 6 is configured to be detachable from the hood 4, and the cover 6 is detached to clean the fan inside when the hood 4 is maintained. Although not shown, the hood 4 has an opening along the outer periphery of the hood 6. When the fan of the hood 4 rotates, air is sucked into the hood 4 through an opening along the outer periphery of the cover 6 and is exhausted.

A camera 9 is disposed in the center of the cover 6. The camera 9 captures images of the first stove 11a, the second stove 11b, and the third stove 11c viewed from above. Further, a first illumination unit 8a, a second illumination unit 8b, and a third illumination unit 8c are disposed around the cover 6. As in the above-described ranges, the first illumination unit 8a, the second illumination unit 8b, and the third illumination unit 8c are arranged in 2 rows in the front-rear direction. The first illumination unit 8a is disposed on the right side of the front row. The third lighting unit 8c is disposed on the left side of the front row. The second illumination unit 8b in the rear row is disposed between the first illumination unit 8a and the third illumination unit 8c in the left-right direction. The first illumination unit 8a illuminates the first oven 11a from above. Similarly, the second illumination portion 8b illuminates the second cooking range 11b from above, and the third illumination portion 8c illuminates the third cooking range 11c from above.

The detailed configuration of the first illumination unit 8a will be described with reference to fig. 2. The first illumination section 8a has an illumination body 80, a leg 88, and a rotation mechanism 89. The illumination body 80 is cylindrical and accommodates a bulb 86 therein. The bulb 86 is a light emitter that emits light when energized. A reflecting cone 83 is disposed below the bulb 86. The reflecting cone 83 has a hollow shape like a funnel, and is formed so that the inner diameter of the upper portion is constant and the inner diameter of the lower portion is wider toward the lower side. The surface of the reflective cone 83 is glossy and reflects light emitted from the bulb 86. A lens (lens)84 is disposed below the reflecting cone 83. The light emitted from the bulb 86 is reflected by the reflecting cone 83 and irradiates the first cooking range 11a through the lens 84 (refer to fig. 1). In fig. 2, the direction of light emitted by the bulb 86 is indicated by the direction Ld.

The bulb 86 is disposed at the lower end of the elevating mechanism 85. The lifting mechanism 85 is configured to be movable in the direction Ld. The bulb 86 is inserted into the upper portion of the reflecting cone 83 by the elevating mechanism 85 moving downward in the direction Ld. As shown by the two-dot chain line in fig. 2, when the elevating mechanism 85 is further moved downward, the bulb 86 is exposed to the inside of the reflecting cone 83. Accordingly, the illumination range of the light emitted from the bulb 86 is expanded. In addition, the light emitted from the bulb 86 is refracted by the lens 84 and then irradiated to the first cooking range 11a (refer to fig. 1). By the elevating mechanism 85 moving downward in the direction Ld, the distance of the bulb 86 from the lens 84 becomes small. As a result, the refraction angle changes, and the illumination range of the light emitted from the bulb 86 is expanded. As shown in fig. 2, when the distance between the bulb 86 and the lens 84 is changed from the distance D1 to the distance D2, the bulb 86 moved downward emits light of an illumination range AL2 larger than the illumination range AL1 before the movement.

Further, the illuminating body 80 is connected to the leg portion 88 at the center portion thereof. The illuminating body 80 is supported by being sandwiched by the leg portions 88 from both sides (i.e., the front side and the back side in fig. 2). The illumination body 80 is supported by the leg portion 88 via the angle changing mechanism 87. The angle changing mechanism 87 is constituted by a turn table (turn table), and is rotatable in the direction of arrow Rd 1. When the angle changing mechanism 87 is rotated in the direction of the arrow Rd1, the lighting body 80 is also rotated in the direction of the arrow Rd 1. As a result, the direction Ld of the light emitted from the bulb 86 is changed. The rotation mechanism 89 to which the upper end of the leg 88 is fixed also rotates in the direction of the arrow Rd 2. When the rotation mechanism 89 is rotated in the direction of arrow Rd2, the illumination body 80 is also rotated in the direction of arrow Rd 2. In this way, the first illumination unit 8a is configured to be able to change the illumination range and to change the direction Ld of the emitted light. Note that the second illumination unit 8b and the third illumination unit 8c have the same configuration, and therefore, the description thereof is omitted.

Referring to fig. 3, a control structure of the cooking system 2 according to the embodiment will be described. In fig. 3, only the first burner 12a of the first cooker 11a is described, and the second burner 12b and the third burner 12c are omitted. Similarly, in fig. 3, only the first sensor 14a of the first stove 11a is described, and the second sensor 14b and the third sensor 14c are omitted. In fig. 3, only the first illumination unit 8a corresponding to the first cooking range 11a is described, and the second illumination unit 8b and the third illumination unit 8c are omitted. When the power switch 24 is turned on, the range operating part 20, the control part 40, and the like are activated. As described above, the heating cooker 10 adjusts the heating power of the first burner 12a through the range operating part 20. In addition, the first sensor 14a detects that a pot has been placed on the first stove burner 12a, and detects the temperature of the placed pot. When the first sensor 14a detects that the pot has been placed on the first stove burner 12a, the control part 40 sends an instruction to the camera 9 to take an image of the pot viewed from above. The camera 9, which receives the instruction from the control unit 40, captures an image of the pan viewed from above and transmits the image to the control unit 40.

The control unit 40 includes a heating control unit 42, a memory 44, and an outer shape calculation unit 46. The heating control part 42 controls the operations of the first, second, and third burner 12a, 12b, and 12 c. The memory 44 is configured by a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, and the like. A thermal power reference image for comparison with the image captured by the camera 9 is stored in the memory 44. The heating power reference image is a plurality of images indicating a state in which the heating power of each burner is required to be adjusted from a safety viewpoint, such as a state in which the flame of the first burner 12a is out of the outer shape of the pot placed above the first cooker 11 a. When the image of the first stove 11a captured by the camera 9 matches the image included in the heating power reference image, the control unit 40 reduces the heating power of the first stove burner 12a by the heating control unit 42. In this way, the control unit 40 included in the cooking system 2 (see fig. 1) of the embodiment controls the first stove burner 12a of the first stove 11a based on the image of the first stove 11a captured by the camera 9. The heating power reference image may be stored in the memory 44 in advance when the heating cooker 10 is manufactured, or may be downloaded from an external server by an external communication device (not shown) capable of communicating with the external server and stored in the memory 44.

As described above, the first oven 11a is irradiated by the first illumination portion 8 a. The image captured by the camera 9 is made clearer by the illumination by the first illumination unit 8 a. However, since the top plate 10u (see fig. 1) of the heating cooker 10 is made of glass, its upper surface is glossy. Therefore, if the light of the first illumination unit 8a illuminates the top plate 10u, the light of the first illumination unit 8a is reflected by the top plate 10u and reflected on the camera 9. As a result, the boundary between the outer shape of the pot and the top plate 10u viewed from above is blurred by the reflected light from the first illumination portion 8 a. In this case, the control unit 40 cannot accurately compare the image captured by the camera 9 with the thermal power reference image.

The detailed description will be made with reference to fig. 4, but the control part 40 of the cooking system 2 (refer to fig. 1) disclosed in the present specification calculates the outer shape of the pot placed above the first cooker 11a and the center coordinates of the pot from the image received from the camera 9 by the outer shape calculating part 46. The memory 44 of the control part 40 stores coordinates of centers (the first, second, and third cooktop centers 21a, 21b, and 21c) when the first, second, and third cooktops 11a, 11b, and 11c are viewed from above. When the distance between the first stove center 21a of the first stove 11a stored in the memory 44 and the pan center of the pan placed above the first stove 11a exceeds a predetermined range, the control part 40 transmits the coordinates of the pan center to the first illumination control part 18 a. Here, the predetermined range refers to a range in which the pot can be efficiently heated by the first range 11a when the position of the center of the pot is within the range. The user of the cooking system 2 (see fig. 1) can change the predetermined range.

The first illumination unit 8a is controlled to face during manufacturing such that the first illumination unit 8a emits light to the coordinates of the first stove center 21a in the memory 44. When the first illumination control unit 18a receives the coordinates of the pan center from the control unit 40, the direction of the first illumination unit 8a is changed so that the direction Ld of the light emitted from the bulb 86 (see fig. 2) is directed toward the received coordinates of the pan center. The first lighting control part 18a stores the coordinates of the center of the bulb 86. The first illumination control unit 18a changes the angle of the first illumination unit 8a so that a straight line connecting the coordinates of the center of the received pan and the coordinates of the center of the bulb 86 is parallel to the light direction Ld. Specifically, the first illumination control unit 18a rotates the angle changing mechanism 87 and the rotating mechanism 89 described with reference to fig. 2, and directs the light direction Ld of the first illumination unit 8a to the coordinates of the pan center.

A method of calculating the outer shape and the center position of the pan placed above each range of the heating cooker 10 by the control unit 40 (see fig. 3) will be described with reference to fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows an example of an image of cooking device 10 viewed from above, which is captured by camera 9 (see fig. 1). In fig. 4, a circular pan 50a is placed above the first stove 11a and a rectangular pan 50c is placed above the third stove 11 c. As described above, the control unit 40 calculates the outer shape and center coordinates of the pan or pan placed above each range from the image captured by the camera 9. In the control part 40, an intersection point of a straight line connecting the first range center 21a of the first range 11a and the third range center 21c of the third range 11c and a straight line orthogonal to the straight line and passing through the second range center 21b of the second range 11b is set as a coordinate origin O1.

When the pan 50a is placed above the first cooking range 11a, the first sensor 14a (refer to fig. 1) detects that the pan 50a has been placed above. After that, the camera 9 takes an image shown in fig. 4, and sends the image to the control section 40. After acquiring the image, the controller 40 acquires a distance Da1 from the coordinate origin O1 to a portion located at the rearmost position (i.e., the upper side in fig. 4) of the outer shape of the pan 50 a. Similarly, the control unit 40 obtains the distance Da2 from the origin of coordinates O1 to a portion located at the forefront (i.e., the lower side in fig. 4) of the outer shape of the pan 50 a. The control unit 40 also acquires the distances Da3, Da4 in the left-right direction of the outer shape of the pan 50 a. After that, the control section 40 calculates the coordinates of the pan center 51a in the front-rear direction (i.e., the up-down direction of fig. 4) by calculating the average value of the distance Da1 and the distance Da 2. In fig. 4, the distance Da1 is equal to the distance Da 2. Assuming that the distance rearward (i.e., the upper side of fig. 4) from the coordinate origin O1 is positive, the distance Da2 is the negative distance Da 1. That is, since the average value of the distance Da1 and the distance Da2 is zero, the coordinate of the pan center 51a in the up-down direction is the same as the coordinate of the origin of coordinates O1 in the up-down direction. Similarly, the control section 40 calculates the coordinates of the pan center 51a in the left-right direction by calculating the average of the distance Da3 and the distance Da4 of the pan 50a in the left-right direction. Even in the case where the pan is rectangular like the pan 50c, the control portion 40 calculates the coordinates of the pan center 51c from the average value of the distance Dc1 and the distance Dc2 in the up-down direction and the average value of the distance Dc3 and the distance Dc4 in the left-right direction. As described above, the control unit 40 included in the cooking system 2 (see fig. 1) according to the embodiment calculates the outer shape of the pan or the like from the images of the ranges viewed from above captured by the cameras 9 (see fig. 1), and calculates the coordinates of the center of the pan or the like. Further, the control section 40 calculates the center coordinates of the pan or the like by the distances in the up-down direction and the left-right direction, but may calculate the outer shape and the center coordinates more accurately by increasing the number of acquired distances such as the distance in the oblique direction. The control unit 40 may calculate the pan center 51a and the like without using the origin of coordinates O1. In this case, the control unit 40 may calculate the position of the pan center 51a of the pan 50a based on the distance from the first oven center 21a to the position located at the foremost and rearmost positions of the outer shape of the pan 50a and the distance from the first oven center 21a to the position located at the leftmost and rightmost positions of the outer shape of the pan 50 a. Similarly, the control part 40 may also perform calculation using distances from the respective stove centers 21b, 21c for the positions of the centers of the pots or pans placed above the second stove 11b and the third stove 11 c.

An example of the use state of the cooking system 2 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 5. In fig. 5, a pan 30b is placed above the second stove 11b and a pan 30c is placed above the third stove 11 c. As described with reference to fig. 3, when the pan 30b is placed above the second cooking range 11b, the second sensor 14b (refer to fig. 1) is pressed by the lower surface of the pan 30b, thereby detecting that the pan 30b is placed. At this time, the second illumination control unit causes the second illumination unit 8b to irradiate the laser beam Lb extending toward the second stove center 21 b. More specifically, the second illumination control unit operates the elevating mechanism 85 so as to maximize the distance between the bulb 86 and the lens 84. Accordingly, as described with reference to fig. 2, the bulb 86 is not exposed to the inside of the reflecting cone 83. As a result, the light emitted from the lamp light 86 is not diffused. The light emitted from the bulb 86 becomes a laser beam Lb extending toward the second stove center 21b via the lens 84. The laser light Lb is locally irradiated to a position on the inner side of the pan 30b directly above the second range center 21 b. The cooking system 2 of the embodiment partially irradiates a position of the inner side of the pan 30b directly above the second range center 21b when the pan 30b is placed above the second range 11b by the second illumination part 8 b. The user of the cooking system 2 places the pan 30b above the second stove 11b so that the laser light Lb irradiates the pan center 31b of the pan 30 b. In this manner, the cooking system 2 can prompt the user to align the position of the pan center 31b with the second stove center 21b to place the pan 30b over the second stove 11 b.

Similarly, when the pan 30c is placed above the third stove 11c, the third illumination portion 8c illuminating the pan 30c illuminates the third stove center 21c of the third stove 11c with the laser light Lc 1. In fig. 5, the pan center 31c of the pan 30c and the third range center 21c are shown as being shifted from each other in order to explain the operation of the illumination unit when the pan center and the range center are shifted from each other.

After that, the camera 9 captures an image of the pots 30b and 30c viewed from above, and sends the image to the control unit 40 (see fig. 3). As described with reference to fig. 4, the control unit 40 that receives the image acquires the outer shape information of the pots 30b and 30 c. The control unit 40 having acquired the outer shape information calculates the outer shape of the pot 30b and the coordinates of the pot center 31b by the outer shape calculating unit 46 (see fig. 3). Similarly, the outer shape calculating section 46 calculates the outer shape of the pot 30c and the coordinates of the pot center 31 c. As shown in fig. 5, the pan center 31b is located directly above the second stove center 21 b. When the pan 30b is viewed from above, the distance from the pan center 31b to the second range center 21b is within a predetermined range. I.e. the position of the second stove center 21b is not displaced with respect to the pan center 31 b. Therefore, the control unit 40 does not transmit the coordinates of the pan center 31b to the second illumination control unit of the second illumination unit 8 b. The second illumination control unit does not operate the angle changing mechanism 87 and the like described with reference to fig. 2, and changes the illumination range of the second illumination unit 8b in accordance with the outer shape of the pot 30 b. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 5, the upper side of the pot 30b is irradiated with light from the second illumination unit 8 b. The light emitted from the second lighting unit 8b is not reflected by the top plate 10u of the heating cooker 10. In this way, in the cooking system 2, the image captured by the camera 9 is not blurred.

On the other hand, as shown in fig. 5, the pan center 31c is placed above the third stove 11c at a position shifted to the left side from the directly upper direction of the third stove center 21 c. When the pan 30c is viewed from above, the distance from the pan center 31c to the third range center 21c exceeds a predetermined range. That is, the position of the third stove center 21c is offset with respect to the pan center 31 c. In this case, the control unit 40 (refer to fig. 3) transmits the coordinates of the pan center 31c of the pan 30c placed offset with respect to the third stove center 21c to the third illumination control unit of the third illumination unit 8 c. The third illumination control unit that receives the coordinates of the pan center 31c rotates the third illumination unit 8c in the direction of the arrow Rd3 of fig. 5 so that the light emitted by the third illumination unit 8c extends toward the pan center 31 c. Specifically, the third illumination control unit changes the angle of the third illumination unit 8c so that the straight line connecting the coordinates of the received pan center 31c and the coordinates of the center of the bulb 86 of the third illumination unit 8c is parallel to the light direction of the third illumination unit 8 c. Therefore, the third illumination control unit rotates the angle changing mechanism 87 described with reference to fig. 2 in the direction of the arrow Rd3 shown in fig. 5. Accordingly, the direction of the light of the bulb 86 of the third lighting unit 8c is changed from the direction in which the laser beam Lc1 extends to the direction in which the light extends toward the pot center 31 c. That is, as shown in fig. 5, the third lighting unit 8c emits the laser beam Lc2 extending toward the pan center 31 c. Thereafter, as shown in fig. 5, the third illumination unit 8c changes the illumination range of the third illumination unit 8c in accordance with the outer shape of the pot 30 c. The third illumination control unit may change the illumination range of the third illumination unit 8c without emitting the laser light Lc2 extending to the pan center 31c of the pan 30c placed offset from the third stove center 21 c.

As shown in fig. 5, the distance from the third illumination unit 8c to the upper end of the left side of the pot 30c is shorter than the distance from the third illumination unit 8c to the upper end of the right side of the pot 30 c. Therefore, the laser beam Lc2 extending toward the third range center 21c is inclined to the right side toward the lower side. That is, the positions of the upper end on the right side and the upper end on the left side of the pan 30c are asymmetrical in the direction in which the laser light Lc1 extends. Here, as described with reference to fig. 2, the illumination range of the third illumination unit 8c is adjusted by the reflection cone 83 and the lens 84. Therefore, the illumination range of the third illumination unit 8c is symmetrically expanded with the direction Ld as the axis of symmetry. That is, the illumination range of the third illumination portion 8c is axisymmetrical to the laser beam Lc2 extending toward the pan center 31 c.

As described above, the third illumination control unit stores the coordinates of the center of the bulb 86 (see fig. 2) of the third illumination unit 8 c. When the center of the bulb 86 is displaced from the pan center 31c when viewed from above, the third illumination control unit of the third illumination unit 8c adjusts the illumination range so as to coincide with the upper end of the pan 30c on the side closer to the center of the bulb 86 of the third illumination unit 8 c. Accordingly, as shown in fig. 5, the light of the third illumination unit 8c cannot illuminate the entire inside of the pot 30c depending on the size of the pot 30c, but does not illuminate the top plate 10u from the left side of the pot 30 c.

Depending on the shape of the cover 6 (see fig. 1) of the range hood 4, a suction portion or the like for sucking air into the range hood 4 may be disposed directly above the center of each range. In this case, each illumination portion cannot be disposed directly above the center of the corresponding range. The second illumination portion 8b is disposed substantially directly above the second stove center 21b and the pan center 31 b. In contrast, the third lighting unit 8c is disposed at a position shifted to the left from the position directly above the third stove center 21c and the pan center 31 c. Therefore, even when the pan center 31c of the pan 30c and the third range center 21c are not displaced, the distance from the third illumination portion 8c to the left upper end of the pan 30c becomes shorter than the distance from the third illumination portion 8c to the right upper end of the pan 30 c. In this case, as well, the third illumination control unit of the third illumination unit 8c adjusts the illumination range so as to match the upper end of the pan 30c on the side closer to the center of the bulb 86 of the third illumination unit 8c, out of the two upper ends, as in the illumination range of the third illumination unit 8c illuminating the pan 30c shown in fig. 5. Accordingly, the light of the third lighting part 8c does not irradiate the top plate 10u from the outside of the upper end of the pan on the side close to the center of the bulb 86 (i.e., the left side in fig. 5). In this way, in the cooking system 2, even when the third illumination unit 8c cannot be arranged directly above the third cooking stove 11c, as in the case of the third illumination unit 8c, the light of the third illumination unit 8c is not reflected by the top plate 10u and is captured by the camera 9. Therefore, the image captured by the camera 9 is not blurred.

The illumination range of each illumination unit will be described with reference to fig. 6. In fig. 6, illumination ranges AL3 to AL5 irradiated by the respective illumination portions are indicated by dots (dotting). A circular pan 60a is placed above the first cooking range 11 a. A rectangular pan 60b is placed above the second range 11 b. A circular pan 60c is placed above the third stove 11 c. The illumination range AL5 of the pan 60c placed on the third range 11c will be described later in the description of modification 2.

In fig. 6, the laser La of the first oven center 21a irradiated by the first illumination section 8a when the pan 60a is placed above the first oven 11a is indicated by a broken line. As shown in fig. 6, the user can arrange the pan 60a by arranging the pan center 61a of the pan 60a within the range surrounded by the laser La so that the first range center 21a of the first range 11a is aligned with the position of the pan center 61 a. As a result, the entire upper surface of the pan 60a is included in the illumination range AL3 of the first illumination unit 8a (see fig. 1).

In addition, the broken line indicates that the second illumination portion 8b irradiates the laser beam Lb of the second range center 21b when the pan 60b is placed above the second range 11 b. Therefore, as shown in fig. 6, the user can arrange the pan 60b by aligning the second range center 21b of the second range 11b with the position of the pan center 61b by arranging the pan center 61b of the rectangular pan 60b within the range surrounded by the laser beam Lb. However, the distance of the pan 60b in the front-rear direction (i.e., the up-down direction of fig. 6) is different from the distance thereof in the left-right direction. The distance of the pan 60b in the left-right direction is shorter than the distance thereof in the front-rear direction. As described above, the illumination range AL4 of the second illumination unit 8b extends symmetrically with the direction of the light emitted by the second illumination unit 8b as the axis of symmetry. I.e. the process is repeated. The illumination range AL4 viewed from above has a generally circular shape as shown in fig. 6. Therefore, the second illumination control unit of the second illumination unit 8b (see fig. 1) makes the illumination range AL4 of the second illumination unit 8b coincide with the short distance, that is, the distance in the left-right direction of the pan 60 b. Accordingly, although the front and rear end portions of the pan 60b are not included in the illumination range AL4, the light of the second illumination portion 8b does not irradiate the upper surface of the top plate 10u of the heating cooker 10. That is, the image of the camera 9 (see fig. 1) is not easily blurred.

(corresponding relationship)

The first, second, and third cooktops 11a, 11b, and 11c are examples of the "heating unit", and the camera 9 is an example of the "imaging unit". The bulb 86 is an example of a "light emitting unit", and the first sensor 14a, the second sensor 14b, and the third sensor 14c are examples of a "cooking container detecting unit". The pan center and the pan center are examples of the "cooking container center".

The embodiments are described in detail above, but these are merely examples and do not limit the claims. The techniques described in the claims include those obtained by modifying and modifying the specific examples described above. Modifications of the above embodiment will be described below.

(modification 1) in the cooking system 2, the illumination range of the first illumination unit 8a is changed by using the reflecting cone 83 and the lens 84. Alternatively, in the modification, the illumination section may have a plurality of bulbs, and the illumination range may be changed by changing the number of bulbs that emit light.

(modification 2) each of the illumination units of the cooking system 2 is configured to be capable of changing its orientation by using the angle changing mechanism 87, etc., but instead of this, the modification may have an illumination unit whose orientation cannot be changed. In this case, as shown in the third range 11c of fig. 6, when the pan center 61c of the pan 60c is offset to the right with respect to the third range center 21c, the illumination controller may set an illumination range AL5 having a radius of a distance Dc5 as an illumination range, and the distance Dc5 may be a distance from the third range center 21c to the outer shape of the nearest pan 60 c.

(modification 3) in the cooking system 2 described above, the first sensor 14a, the second sensor 14b, and the third sensor 14c are used to detect that a pan or the like is placed above each stove, and then the camera 9 captures an image. Instead of this, the sensors may be omitted, the camera 9 may always take an image, and the pan or the like placed above each stove may be detected from the image taken by the camera 9.

(modification 4) when the sensors detect that the pan or the like is placed above the ranges, the illumination control units of the cooking system 2 irradiate the illumination units corresponding to the ranges with laser beams extending toward the centers of the ranges. Alternatively, when the power switch 24 is turned on and the control unit 40 is activated, the illumination control unit of the modified example may emit laser light extending toward the center of the range.

(modification 5) in the cooking system 2, the second range center 21b of the second range 11b and the third range center 21c of the third range 11c are irradiated with the laser beams Lb and Lc, respectively, but instead of this, an illumination portion that does not emit a laser beam may be used in the modification.

(modification 6) in the cooking system 2, the first cooking range 11a, the second cooking range 11b, and the third cooking range 11c are provided with the illumination portions, respectively, but instead of this, three cooking ranges may be illuminated with one illumination portion, or three cooking ranges may be illuminated with two illumination portions. In this case, the range on which the pot is placed may be preferentially illuminated by the illumination portion.

(modification 7) in the cooking system 2, when the distance from the position of the first cooker center 21a to the position of the pan center 31a is out of the predetermined range, the control unit 40 transmits the coordinates of the pan center 31a to the first illumination control unit 18 a. Alternatively, in the modification, in the case where the pan is placed above the first cooker 11a, the control portion 40 necessarily sends the pan center 31a to the first illumination control portion 18 a. In this case, the first illumination control unit 18a may change the orientation of the first illumination unit 8a only when the received pot center 31a is out of the predetermined range, or may change the orientation of the first illumination unit 8a so as to be oriented toward the pot center 31a every time of reception.

(modification 8) the control unit 40 of the embodiment stores a heating power reference image in the memory 44, and compares the heating power reference image with the image captured by the camera 9 to detect a state in which the heating power of each burner needs to be adjusted. The control unit of the modification may store, in the memory, a data table (data) in which the sizes and shapes of the pan and the pan, and the heating powers of the range burners corresponding to the sizes and shapes are stored, instead of the heating power reference image. In this case, the control unit may control the heating power of the stove burner based on the image of the shape of the pan or pan placed above the stove, which is captured by the camera 9, and the data table in the memory.

(modification 9) in the cooking system 2, the control unit 40 is incorporated in the heating cooker 10, but in another embodiment, the heating cooker 10 may be controlled by a control unit that is separate from the heating cooker 10. Similarly, each illumination control unit need not be assembled to each illumination unit, and in a modification, the control unit and the illumination control unit are integrally configured.

(modification 10) the cooking system 2 of the embodiment adjusts the heating power of each stove burner by the control unit 40, but the cooking system of the modification may not have the control unit 40.

(modification 11) the cooking device 10 of the embodiment is a gas-fired built-in range incorporated in a kitchen. Alternatively, in the modification, the heating cooker 10 may be an electromagnetic induction heating cooker (IH cooker). In this case, the control unit 40 may store in the memory 44 a reference image for determining the state of cooking in the pot, instead of the heating power reference image.

Specific examples of the present invention have been described above in detail, but these are merely examples and do not limit the claims. The techniques recited in the claims include various modifications and changes made to the specific examples illustrated above. The technical elements described in the present specification or drawings exhibit technical usefulness by themselves or in various combinations, and are not limited to the combinations described in the claims at the time of filing. In addition, the technology exemplified in the present specification or the drawings can achieve a plurality of objects at the same time, and achieving one of the objects has technical usefulness by itself.

Claims (5)

1. A cooking system, characterized in that,

comprises a top plate, a heating part, an imaging part, an illumination part and an illumination control part,

a heating part disposed on an upper surface of the top plate part and configured to heat a cooking container placed above the heating part;

the imaging section is configured to image an image of the heating section viewed from above;

the illumination unit is disposed above the heating unit and configured to illuminate the heating unit from above;

the illumination control unit changes an illumination range of the illumination unit according to the image of the cooking container captured by the imaging unit when the cooking container is placed above the heating unit.

2. The cooking system of claim 1,

the cooking system further includes a control unit for controlling the heating unit based on the image of the heating unit captured by the imaging unit,

the control unit calculates an outer shape of the cooking container based on the image of the cooking container photographed by the photographing unit when the cooking container is placed above the heating unit,

the illumination control unit changes the illumination range so as to limit the illumination range to an inner side of the outer shape.

3. The cooking system of claim 2,

the control part calculates a position of a center of a cooking container when the cooking container is viewed from above, based on the image of the cooking container photographed by the photographing part, when the cooking container is placed above the heating part,

when the position of the center of the cooking container calculated by the control unit is displaced from the position of the center of the heating unit, the illumination control unit changes the orientation of the illumination unit so that the light emitting unit emits the light toward the center of the cooking container.

4. Cooking system according to claim 2 or 3,

the cooking system further has a power switch for activating the control section,

when the control unit is activated by the power switch, the illumination control unit causes the illumination unit to irradiate light extending toward the center of the heating unit.

5. Cooking system according to any of claims 1 to 3,

the cooking system further includes a cooking container detection unit for detecting that the cooking container is placed above the heating unit,

the illumination control unit causes the illumination unit to illuminate a light beam extending toward a center of the heating unit when the cooking container detection unit detects that the cooking container is placed above the heating unit.

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