JP2007278638A - Cooking support system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooking support system capable of recording cooking circumstances when making a dish, and capable of outputting the recorded cooking circumstances as cooking information in a predetermined form. <P>SOLUTION: The cooking support system is provided with an input means for providing an operation environment for information input by a user, a recording means for recording the cooking circumstances, an output means for outputting the cooking circumstances being recorded by indication of the user as the cooking information in the predetermined form, and a cooking device supplying a heating value to cooking material. It is characterized by that information relevant to heating value supply of the cooking device is included in the cooking circumstances recorded by the recording means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a system that provides a user with cooking procedures for cooking when cooking.

  For example, a cooking procedure for a well-known dish has been established to some extent, and the recipe can also be easily obtained from a cooking program or a book. If the ingredients are prepared and cooked according to the recipe, a dish that is uniform to some extent can be obtained.

  However, in ordinary households, it is rare to cook according to the recipe completely. This is because each household (individual) uses different materials and cooking utensils, and also has different tastes of taste and satisfaction of workmanship. Therefore, when cooking at home, it often relies on experience and intuition, and it can be said that variations in the quality of cooking are likely to occur from time to time if the experience is inexperienced.

  By the way, in recent years, various cooking appliances such as a microwave oven, a rice cooker, and a roaster have been provided with a so-called automatic cooking function that performs heating control according to a cooking name or material name specified by a user. .

  With this type of automatic cooking function, you can select the dish you want from multiple names (for example, steamed rice bowl, rice cake, rice bran, etc.) and material names (for example, white rice, non-washed rice, brown rice, etc.) Predetermined cooking control (heating control or the like) corresponding to the selected dish or the like is automatically performed.

  However, the types of dishes and the like that can be selected are limited, and the adjustment according to the preference of each household as described above cannot be automatically performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a cooking support system capable of recording the cooking status when cooking, and outputting the recorded cooking status as cooking information in a predetermined mode. To do.

  The cooking support system according to the present invention includes an input unit that provides an operation environment for information input by a user, a recording unit that records a cooking situation according to a user instruction, and outputs the recorded cooking situation in a predetermined manner as cooking information. And a cooking device for supplying heat to the object to be cooked, wherein the cooking status recorded by the recording means includes information relating to the heat amount supply of the cooking device. .

  According to the cooking support system having the above-described configuration, when cooking, for example, when the user gives an instruction for recording the cooking status via the input means, the subsequent cooking status is recorded by the recording means. The The cooking status to be recorded includes information relating to the heat supply of the cooker. The information relating to the amount of heat supply refers to adjustment information of the amount of heating to the object to be cooked. When the user (cooker) adjusts the amount of heating during cooking, the information is automatically recorded by the recording means. Become.

  The input means includes a button, a switch, a dial, or the like that is associated with an operation instruction in advance, and is configured to receive information input from the user by operating the button, a move button, a confirm button, or the like (for example, a so-called cursor) A key and a confirmation key) are arranged, and a button (key) operation is performed according to an operation screen displayed on a display such as a liquid crystal display. Furthermore, a voice input device such as a microphone may be provided so that the user's voice can be input.

  Since the contents of cooking status (cooking information) recorded as described above can be output in a predetermined manner according to a user instruction, if this is output the next time the same dish is prepared, the cooking will be performed. It becomes easy to improve the reproduction accuracy of dishes. In addition, as the output mode of the cooking information, a visual output using characters, images, etc. via a display such as a liquid crystal display or an LED, an auditory output using voice or the like via a speaker, or the like. A composite output can be assumed.

  In consideration of the fact that the taste of cooking is greatly influenced by the seasoning used, it is preferable that the cooking status recorded by the recording means includes usage information of the seasoning.

  The seasoning usage information includes, for example, the timing of adding (inputting) the seasoning and the amount of the seasoning.

  Moreover, since the method of putting the material also affects the taste and finish of the dish, it is preferable that the cooking status recorded by the recording means includes usage information of the material.

  The usage information of the material corresponds to, for example, the timing at which the material is added (input), the amount thereof, or the like.

  In addition, when the cooking device is configured to notify the fact that the cooking device does not supply the amount of heat based on the output cooking information, the user can make an erroneous operation related to the adjustment of the heating amount. Etc. can be easily known, so that the adjustment accuracy of the heating amount can be expected to be improved.

  Furthermore, if the cooker is configured to supply the amount of heat based on the cooking information output by the output means, the amount of heat applied to the object to be cooked is automatically adjusted, so the convenience is greatly improved. The reproducibility of cooking is further enhanced.

  As described above, the cooking support system of the present invention can record the current cooking situation and can output this as cooking information at the next and subsequent cooking. Therefore, the user can easily reproduce a cooking procedure such as subtle heating and subtraction, and can make a dish with almost the same result each time.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a cooking support system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an appearance of the cooking support system 1 according to the present embodiment. The cooking assistance system 1 shown in FIG. 1 (a) records a cooking situation in addition to a function as a cooker (cooker function) that supplies heat to an object to be cooked by an electromagnetic induction heating (IH) method. It also includes a cooking guide function (output means) that guides the cooking by outputting information on the function (recording means) and the recorded cooking status.

  The front panel 2 is provided with an ON / OFF button 3 and a heating amount adjustment dial 4 which are operation means for cooking appliance functions. The ON / OFF button 3 is a button for starting (ON) / ending (OFF) the heating operation. The ON / OFF button 3 is switched every time the user performs a pressing operation.

  The mechanism for supplying the amount of heat to the object to be cooked will be briefly described. When the heating operation is started, a current flows through a magnetic force generating coil (not shown) disposed under the plate 5, thereby generating magnetic lines. Such lines of magnetic force act on a pan or the like (not shown) placed on the plate 5 to generate an eddy current at the bottom of the pan or the like. Then, heat is generated by the electrical resistance of a material such as a pan (for example, iron), and as a result, the amount of heat is supplied to the food to be cooked accommodated in the pan or the like.

  The heating amount adjustment dial 4 is a dial for adjusting the heating amount during the heating operation. By rotating the dial, the heating amount intensity can be adjusted. More specifically, when rotating clockwise, the value of current flowing through the magnetic force generating coil increases, and as a result, the amount of heat (heating amount) supplied to the object to be cooked increases. In addition to the above, the front panel 2 is provided with various operation buttons (not shown) that are generally provided in this type of cooker (IH or other electromagnetic cooker) as operation means for the cooker function. Yes.

  In addition to the cooking device function operating means, cooking status recording and cooking guide function operating means (input means) are arranged in the recording / guide function operating area 6 on the front panel 2. (See FIG. 1 (b)). As shown in FIG. 1B, in the recording / guide function operation area 6, there are a display 11, a recording / guide switching button 12, a start / end button 13, a seasoning designation dial 14, a material designation dial 15, and an input amount. A designation switch 16, an input button 17, a cursor movement button 18 and an enter button 19 are arranged.

  The display 11 is a liquid crystal display that displays information related to cooking (cooking information) using characters, symbols, figures, images, and the like when a cooking guide function (described later) is executed. The display 11 also displays an operation screen for prompting information input from the user. The display device 11 is not limited to a liquid crystal display device, and may be composed of, for example, a dot matrix LED. Furthermore, it may be a touch panel display that can accept an operation command or the like using a user's finger or a dedicated input pen.

  The recording / guide switching button 12 is a button for causing the user to select a function (cooking status recording function or cooking guide function) that the user wants to use. Each time the user performs a pressing operation, the recording / guide switching button 12 switches alternately. It has become. The start / end button 13 is a button for starting or ending execution of the function (cooking status recording function or cooking guide function) selected by the recording / guide switching button 12, and is started each time the user performs a pressing operation. / End is switched.

  The seasoning designation dial 14 is a dial used for designating the seasoning to be put into the food. Around the seasoning designation dial 14, a plurality of (in this embodiment, 10) marks 20 on which seasoning names (for example, miso, soy sauce, sugar, salt, vinegar, pepper, etc.) are written are provided. Can specify the seasoning to be introduced by rotating the seasoning designation dial 14 to match any of them. The seasoning thus designated is confirmed by pressing the input button 17.

  The material designation dial 15 is a dial used for designating the material to be put into the food to be cooked, and the surrounding material types (beef, pork, chicken, fish, vegetables, rice, etc.) A plurality of (in the present embodiment, 10) marks 21 are provided, and the user designates the material to be input by rotating the material designation dial 15 so as to match any of them. Can do. The material designated in this way is confirmed by pressing the input button 17.

  The input amount designation switch 16 is a slide switch for designating the amount of seasoning or material to be introduced. In this embodiment, by moving the slider 22, one of a larger amount, a normal amount, or a smaller amount is designated. be able to. The amount specified here is confirmed by pressing the input button 17.

  The cursor movement button 18 and the determination button 19 are buttons necessary for performing an operation via an operation screen displayed on the display 11. The cursor movement button 18 is used when the cursor is moved to a desired icon on the operation screen, a desired item is selected from a certain menu, or display contents are scrolled. The decision button 19 is used to confirm the selection result of the cursor movement button 18 and the like.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the control unit 30 for controlling the cooking status recording and the cooking guide function of the cooking assistance system 1. The control unit 30 is physically constructed by a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (all not shown), but when viewed from the processing content side, as shown in FIG. 2, a user I / F unit 31, A mode management unit 32, a recording unit 33, an output unit 34, and a timer unit 35 are included.

  The user I / F unit 31 includes various buttons described above (record / guide switch button 12, start / end button 13, seasoning designation dial 14, material designation dial 15, input amount designation switch 16, insertion button 17, cursor movement, etc. The state of the button 18 and the determination button 19) and the state of the cooker function (that is, the current heating state) are detected and notified to the other processing units in the control unit 30. Data (information) output to the display 11 is also performed.

  The mode management unit 32 sets / cancels the recording mode or sets / cancels the guide mode depending on the state of the button detected by the user I / F unit 31.

  The recording unit 33 performs a process of recording the cooking status during the period (from the setting to the release of the recording mode) when the mode management unit 32 enters the recording mode. Specifically, a storage device such as a non-volatile memory (not shown) provided in the control unit 30 includes information from the user acquired through the user I / F unit 31 and information relating to the heat supply as cooking status data for the dish. Save to.

  The output unit 34 provides cooking information (that is, cooking procedure) to the user via the display 11 based on the contents of the recorded cooking status data when the mode management unit 32 enters the guide mode. To do.

  The timer unit 35 performs a process of measuring the execution time of the cooking status recording function according to an instruction from the recording unit 33 and counting the execution time of the cooking guide function according to an instruction from the output unit 34.

  Next, the “cooking status recording function” and the “cooking guide function” will be described in detail with specific examples.

  First, the “cooking status recording function” will be described.

  When the user operates the recording / guide switching button 12 and the start button 13 to select “cooking status recording function”, the mode management unit 32 sets the mode state of the control unit 30 to the recording mode state. In this case, the recording unit 33 does not immediately start the recording process and enters a standby state.

  Next, when the user puts a pot containing ingredients (may be only water or soup stock) on the plate 5 and operates the ON / OFF button 3 to switch from OFF to ON, the cooker The heating operation is started on the function side. Then, the recording unit 33 detects the start of the heating operation via the user I / F unit 31 and simultaneously releases the standby state and starts the recording process. Also, the timer unit 35 is started to measure time.

  The cooking status acquired during the recording process is not stored in the storage device each time, but is stored in a table temporarily developed on the RAM (hereinafter referred to as a cooking status storage table). .

  In the present embodiment, the cooking status to be recorded corresponds to information relating to heat supply, seasoning and material usage information.

  The information relating to the heat supply is information including the heating amount and the timing when the heating amount is changed, and needs to be obtained every time the user operates the heating amount adjustment dial 4. Since the recording unit 33 can acquire the current heating state via the user I / F unit 31, it is possible to immediately detect the operation of the heating amount adjustment dial 4 by the user (that is, change of the heating amount). it can. When the recording unit 33 detects such a change, the recording unit 33 stores the new heating amount and the change timing in the cooking status storage table. The change timing stored here is an elapsed time from the start of the recording process to the detection of the change, and this can be determined using the time measurement result by the timer unit 35.

  The seasoning usage information is information consisting of identification information of the seasoning to be added, the amount of the seasoning, and the timing of the seasoning, and needs to be acquired every time the user inputs the seasoning. Specifically, when the user operates the seasoning designation dial 14 to specify a desired seasoning, operates the input amount specification switch 16 to specify the amount, and presses the input button 17, the recording unit 33 , It is considered that the seasoning has been introduced into the pan by the user. Then, the recording unit 33 is determined from the specified seasoning information (seasoning identification information, amount) and its input timing (time measurement result by the timer unit 35) through the user I / F unit 31 and the timer unit 35. ) And is stored in the cooking status storage table. The identification information of the seasoning is information that can uniquely identify a seasoning registered in advance, and this may be not only a specific seasoning name but also an alphabet or a numerical value. However, if the seasoning name is not stored in the cooking status storage table, the corresponding cooking is performed by a conversion table or the like stored in advance in the ROM or the like when outputting (that is, when displaying on the display 11). Must be converted to a name.

  The material usage information is information including identification information of the material to be input, its amount, and the timing of input, and needs to be obtained every time the user inputs the material. Specifically, when the user operates the material specifying dial 15 to specify a desired material, operates the input amount specifying switch 16 to specify the amount, and presses the input button 17, the recording unit 33 It is considered that the material has been put into the pot. Then, the recording unit 33, through the user I / F unit 31 and the timer unit 35, designates information on the specified material (material identification information, amount) and its input timing (determined from the time measurement result by the timer unit 35). Acquired and stored in the cooking status storage table. The material identification information is information that can uniquely identify a previously registered material, and this may be not only a specific material name but also an alphabet or a numerical value. However, in the case where the material name is not stored in the cooking status storage table, the corresponding material name is determined by the conversion table or the like stored in advance in the ROM or the like when outputting (that is, when displaying on the display unit 11). Need to be converted to

  As described above, the cooking status to be recorded is sequentially stored in the cooking status storage table temporarily expanded on the RAM. Such storage is continued until the user presses the start / end button 13. When the start / end button 13 is pressed, the recording unit 33 displays a confirmation message screen as shown in FIG. 3A on the display device 11 via the user I / F unit 31, and registers it to the user. Ask whether or not. Registration here means saving the contents of the cooking status storage table in the storage device as cooking status data relating to the dish.

  When the user selects YES in response to the message in FIG. 3A (selects by operating the cursor movement button 18 and the decision button 19), the recording unit 33 is now connected via the user I / F unit 31. A screen requesting input of a registered name as shown in FIG. On the other hand, if the user selects NO on the screen of FIG. 3A, registration is not performed and the cooking status storage table is deleted (discarded).

  In FIG. 3B, the user selects a character icon 40 displayed on this screen by operating the cursor movement button 18 and the decision button 19, thereby registering a registered name (for example, “Nikujaga” in the registered name input field 41. ", Etc.) can be entered. When the user selects OK, the recording unit 33 saves the contents of the cooking status storage table in the storage device with the input registration name.

  Next, a “cooking guide function” for performing a cooking guide using the cooking status registered as described above will be described.

  When the user operates the recording / guide switching button 12 and the start button 13 to select “cooking guide function”, the mode management unit 32 sets the mode state of the control unit 30 to the guide mode state. Then, the output unit 34 causes the display 11 to display a screen requesting selection of a registered name as illustrated in FIG. 4 via the user I / F unit 31.

  Here, the user can select a desired registration name from the registration menu 50 by operating the cursor movement button 18 and the decision button 19. When the registered name is selected by the user, the output unit 34 extracts data (cooking status data) related to the registered name stored in the storage device, and starts the guide process according to the content. In addition, the timer unit 35 starts measuring time simultaneously with the start of the guide process.

  In the guide processing, guide messages created based on the information relating to the amount of heat supply stored in the cooking status data, the seasoning and material usage information are sequentially output to the display 11 in time series.

  Output in accordance with the time series can be performed by using the elapsed time from the start of the guide processing by the timer unit 35 and the stored timing information (change timing, input timing).

  The guide message is displayed on the display 11 before the timing (heating amount change timing, seasoning or material charging timing), such as “Please wait ~ minutes ...”. It is desirable to ensure that work according to the message can be performed.

  Examples of guide messages are information guides related to heat supply, for example, “Please make the heating power strong in the next ~ minutes.”, “Please set the heating temperature to ○○ ° C in the next ~ minutes.” For example, “Please add a large amount of salt in the next minute.” , “Please put a normal amount of beef in ~ minutes”, etc.

  As described above, according to the cooking support system according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, when cooking is performed, the cooking status (information relating to heat supply, seasoning and material usage information) can be recorded. . And the content of the recorded cooking condition can be output via the indicator 11. Therefore, when the same dish is prepared next time, the user can easily reproduce a dish having the same result as the previous one by cooking according to the output contents.

  In addition, the cooking assistance system which concerns on this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

  For example, since the actual heating status of the cooker is configured so that it can be acquired at all times, the current heating status and the contents of the cooking guide are collated, and the amount of heating is not adjusted according to the cooking guide It is also possible to easily add a function of notifying the user to that effect. In this way, it is possible to let the user know the adjustment of the incorrect heating amount by the user and immediately correct it, so that the cooking accuracy can be improved. The notification mode in this case is, for example, displaying a common warning message such as “The fire is incorrect” or outputting it by voice, or giving a specific instruction such as “Set fire power to” It is conceivable to display a message or output a voice.

  Moreover, in the cooking guide function of the said embodiment, although a user adjusts the heating amount of a cooking device manually according to the guide message displayed on a display device, the heating amount of a cooking device is according to the cooking information output by an output part. It can also be a specification that is controlled automatically. In this way, convenience is greatly improved and the reproducibility of dishes is also increased.

  In addition, in the cooking guide function, when displaying a guide message, a buzzer sound or a chime sound may be generated to alert the user.

  In the above embodiment, in the cooking status recording function, the user inputs seasoning or ingredient input information by operating the seasoning designation dial 14 (material designation dial 15), the dosage designation switch 16 and the dosage button 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to input using the cursor movement button 18 and the determination button 19 via the display unit 11. In this case, a seasoning or material list menu or the like can be displayed on the display 11 and a desired item (seasoning name or the like) can be selected using the cursor movement button 18 and the determination button 19. In this case, the seasoning or material displayed on the menu may be appropriately changed by the user using the cursor movement button 18 and the determination button 19.

  In addition, a voice input device such as a microphone may be provided so that a user's voice can be input, and a specification that allows the user to input seasoning or material input information by voice through the microphone or the like may be used. In this case, when the cooking guide function is executed, the cooking procedure can be provided to the user by outputting the input voice through a speaker or the like.

  Further, the input means (that is, the operation means for cooking status recording and cooking guide function) may be configured as a separate body (for example, a remote controller or the like).

  Further, an input / output terminal for enabling data transmission / reception with an external device such as a personal computer may be provided. As a result, the saved cooking status data can be uploaded to a personal computer or the like and edited, printed, or stored in another storage medium. It is also possible to download cooking status data edited with a personal computer or the like and execute the cooking guide function according to the downloaded data. It is also possible to take home cooking status data recorded in a cooking class and use it at home, or use cooking status data recorded at home or elsewhere.

  In addition, the cooking device provided in the cooking assistance system of the present invention is not limited to an IH cooking device, and may be an electric cooking device such as a radiant heater method, or a direct fire. It may be a cooking device such as a gas stove that heats the object to be cooked.

It is the schematic which shows the external appearance of the cooking assistance system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the internal structure of the control part of the cooking assistance system which concerns on the same embodiment. In the cooking assistance system which concerns on the embodiment, it is an example of the screen displayed when registering a cooking situation, (A) is a figure which shows the confirmation message screen asking whether to register, (B) It is a figure which shows the screen which requests | requires the input of a registration name. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen which requests | requires selection of the registered name displayed when performing a cooking guide in the cooking assistance system which concerns on the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Cooking support system, 2 ... Front panel, 3 ... ON / OFF button, 4 ... Heating amount adjustment dial, 5 ... Plate, 6 ... Recording / guide function operation area, 11 ... Display, 12 ... Recording / guide switching button , 13 ... start / end button, 14 ... seasoning designation dial, 15 ... material designation dial, 16 ... input amount designation switch, 17 ... insertion button, 18 ... cursor movement button, 19 ... decision button, 20 ... mark (condiment Name), 21 ... Mark (type of material), 22 ... Slider, 30 ... Control unit, 31 ... User I / F unit, 32 ... Mode management unit, 33 ... Recording unit, 34 ... Output unit, 35 ... Timer unit, 40 ... character icon, 41 ... registration name input field, 50 ... registration menu

Claims (5)

Input means for providing an operating environment for information input by a user;
Recording means for recording the cooking status according to the user's instructions;
Output means for outputting the recorded cooking status as cooking information in a predetermined manner;
A cooker for supplying heat to the object to be cooked,
The cooking status recorded by the recording means includes information relating to heat supply of the cooking device,
A cooking support system characterized by that. The cooking status recorded by the recording means includes seasoning usage information.
The cooking support system according to claim 1. The cooking status recorded by the recording means includes material usage information.
The cooking support system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein The output means, when the cooker is not supplying the amount of heat based on the output cooking information, to notify that,
The cooking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein   The cooking assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooking device supplies heat based on cooking information output by the output means.

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