JP2022153160A - Cooking system, cooking method and cooking program - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a cooking system, a cooking method and a cooking program capable of automating cooking by using a general purpose microwave oven.SOLUTION: In a cooking system 100 relating to an embodiment of the present invention, a switch selection signal generation unit 120 includes a switch selection signal generation part 123 for generating a switch selection signal on the basis of cooking object information, and a switch selection signal input mechanism 124 which can input the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation part 123 to a cooking device and is detachably mounted on the cooking device, and the cooking object information includes cooking object identification information for identifying at least the type of a cooking object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking system, a cooking method, and a cooking program in which cooking objects are cooked by cooking appliances operated in response to switch selection signals corresponding to a plurality of operation switches.

In recent years, against the backdrop of a shortage of employees in restaurants, etc., business needs for automation of processes of operations and services in restaurants are increasing in order to improve productivity by improving operations. When considering the future cooking business in restaurants, we anticipate that there will be an increasing need for labor saving and work reduction by automatically cooking and providing pre-cooked ingredients in a central kitchen, etc., and microwave ovens, etc. Conventionally, a technique such as Patent Document 1 has been proposed in order to automate the cooking of food using a cooking appliance.

In Patent Document 1, an imaging unit provided in a heating chamber and an image of the inside of the heating chamber captured by the imaging unit are used to read heating control information including heating power and heating time applied to an object to be heated. is read, and based on this heating control information, a heating control section controls a heating section to heat an object to be heated.

International publication WO2019/044413

In the above Patent Document 1, in order to realize automatic cooking using a microwave oven, an imaging unit for capturing an image of the object to be heated is built in the heating chamber, and heating control is performed by reading from the image captured by the imaging unit. Based on the information, a special microwave oven with a built-in heating control device that determines the heating power and heating time according to the object to be heated and heats the product with the heating power and heating time based on the determination result is required. I had a problem.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking system, a cooking method, and a cooking program that can automate cooking using a general-purpose microwave oven.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configurations. That is, the cooking system of one aspect of the present invention includes:
a cooking target information acquisition device that acquires cooking target information of a cooking target to be cooked by the cooking appliance operated in response to a plurality of operation switches;
a switch selection signal generation unit that generates a switch selection signal corresponding to the operation switch based on the cooking target information and inputs the generated switch selection signal to the cooking appliance;
A cooking system comprising
The switch selection signal generation unit
a switch selection signal generation unit that generates the switch selection signal based on the cooking target information;
a switch selection signal input mechanism that is detachably attached to the cooking appliance so that the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation unit can be input to the cooking appliance;
has
The cooking target information includes at least cooking target identification information for identifying the type of the cooking target.

In addition, the cooking method of one aspect of the present invention includes
a cooking target information acquiring step of acquiring cooking target information of a cooking target to be cooked by a cooking appliance operated in response to a plurality of operation switches by the cooking target information acquiring device;
a cooking appliance input step of generating a switch selection signal corresponding to the operation switch based on the cooking target information by a switch selection signal generation unit, and inputting the generated switch selection signal to the cooking appliance;
A cooking method comprising
The cooking appliance input step includes:
a step of generating the switch selection signal based on the cooking target information by a switch selection signal generation unit;
a step of inputting the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation unit to the cooking appliance by a switch selection signal input mechanism detachably attached to the cooking appliance;
has
The cooking target information includes at least cooking target identification information for identifying the type of the cooking target.

A cooking program according to one aspect of the present invention is characterized in that each step and each process in the automatic cooking method can be executed by a computer.

According to the embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooking system, a cooking method, and a cooking program capable of automating cooking using a general-purpose microwave oven.

1 is a schematic external view of a cooking system according to a first embodiment; FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cooking system according to a first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a switch selection signal input mechanism; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the microwave oven before the switch selection signal input mechanism is attached; 1 is a perspective view of a microwave oven equipped with a switch selection signal input mechanism; FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a switch selection signal input mechanism around operation switches 810 arranged in two upper and lower stages. FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state in which the placement section of the transport mechanism receives the object to be cooked supplied by the supply conveyor of the freezer; It is a figure which shows the state which the rotation arm mechanism of a conveyance mechanism is rotated and the cooking target is conveyed. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the object to be cooked is accommodated inside the microwave oven by the conveying mechanism; It is a figure for demonstrating an example of cooking object information. It is a figure for demonstrating an item information and cooking content table. It is a figure for demonstrating a cooking content and operation switch table. 4 is a flow chart showing the procedure of cooking processing executed by the cooking system according to the first embodiment of the present invention; It is a figure showing the outline of the cooking system concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the outline of the cooking system which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure showing the outline of the cooking system concerning a 4th embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a switch selection signal input mechanism of the cooking system according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Hereinafter, a cooking system, a cooking method, and a cooking program according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments shown below exemplify the cooking system, cooking method, and cooking program for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, and the scope of claims are equally applicable to those of the other embodiments contained in .

For example, the cooking appliance used in the cooking system or cooking method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be any appliance that operates in response to switch selection signals corresponding to a plurality of operation switches. For example, it may be a microwave oven having an oven function or a grill function, an oven heating device, a grill heating device, a gas stove, an IH cooking heater, or a fryer. Further, in the embodiments of the present invention, the object to be cooked is taken out of the freezer, but the storage device for the object to be cooked is not limited to the freezer. It may be a device or the like.

Moreover, as the heating target information acquisition device used in the cooking system or cooking method of the embodiment of the present invention, any device may be used as long as it can acquire the cooking target information of the heating target. For example, even if it is a barcode reader, an RFID tag reader, or an imaging device such as a camera that acquires information from various cooking target information recording media such as code information, character / symbol information, RFID tags, etc. attached to the heating target Alternatively, a portable terminal such as a tablet capable of inputting cooking target information may be used.

In addition, the cooking system or cooking method of the embodiment of the present invention enables automation of cooking including assisted cooking (manned), semi-automated cooking (semi-unmanned), or fully automated cooking (unmanned). There are various types of usage. Usage patterns include, for example, eat-in types such as restaurants, cafeterias, hotels, etc., take-out types that can be delivered or taken out, unmanned mobile sales vehicles with automatic driving functions that can operate automatically in specific environments, and manned Examples include mobile sales vehicles (so-called kitchen cars) and mobile types such as transporting cooking systems to catering service providers.

In addition, the cooking system of the embodiment of the present invention includes a conveying mechanism for conveying an object to be cooked, a ventilation portion forming mechanism for forming cuts or through holes for ventilation in the packaging material of the object to be cooked, and opening and closing the door of the cooking appliance. A door opening/closing mechanism may be provided, but these are not essential components, and an operator may perform any or all of the processes performed by the conveying mechanism, the ventilation part forming mechanism, and the door opening/closing mechanism. .

Furthermore, in the cooking system of the embodiment of the present invention, when information related to cooking by cooking equipment is aggregated and managed in the headquarters management system, the headquarters management system is connected via a communicable terminal such as a personal computer, tablet, or smartphone. connected to a connected communication network. Various communication networks such as a cloud network and a wide area network can be used as the communication network.

In addition, although the object to be cooked in the cooking system or cooking method of the embodiment of the present invention is basically a packaged object, it may be an unpackaged object as long as information on the object to be cooked can be attached. do not have. The form of packaging is not particularly limited, and in addition to simply being packed in a bag, for example, it may be served in a container such as a rice bowl. In addition, objects to be cooked include those in various preservation states such as frozen, refrigerated, room temperature, and heat preservation.

Also, part or all of the switch selection signal generating unit of the cooking system of the embodiment of the present invention may be provided as a single device, or may be incorporated in equipment around the cooking system. For example, a part of the switch selection signal generation unit of the cooking system can be integrally incorporated into the cooking target information acquisition device, and a part of the switch selection signal generation unit can be controlled by a personal computer connected to the headquarters management system. It is also possible to realize the function of

[First embodiment]
A cooking system according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic external view of the cooking system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the cooking system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a switch selection signal input mechanism. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the microwave oven before the switch selection signal input mechanism is installed. FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a microwave oven equipped with a switch selection signal input mechanism. FIG. 4C is an enlarged view of the switch selection signal input mechanism around the operation switches 810 arranged in two upper and lower stages. FIG. 5A is a diagram showing a state in which the placing section of the transport mechanism receives the object to be cooked, which is supplied by the supply conveyor of the freezer. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing a state in which the rotating arm mechanism of the transport mechanism is rotated and the object to be cooked is transported. FIG. 5C is a diagram showing a state in which the object to be cooked is housed inside the microwave oven by the conveying mechanism. FIG. 6A is a diagram for explaining an example of cooking target information. FIG. 6B is a diagram for explaining the item information/cooking details table. FIG. 6C is a diagram for explaining a cooking content/operation switch table. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the procedure of the cooking process executed by the cooking system.

<Overview of cooking system>
The cooking system 100 of this embodiment includes a cooking target information acquisition device 110 that acquires cooking target information about a cooking target F, and a switch selection signal generation unit 120 ( See FIG. 2.), a transport mechanism 130 for transporting the cooking target F between the freezer 700 in which the cooking target F is stored frozen and the three microwave ovens 800, and cuts for ventilation in the packaging material of the cooking target F. Alternatively, a ventilation part forming mechanism 140 (see FIG. 5A) that forms a through hole, a door opening/closing mechanism 150 that opens and closes the door 800a of the microwave oven 800, and a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as "PC") having a communication function. 170, an input/output device 182, a POS system 180, an additional information acquisition device 160, a register 184, and a transport mechanism 130 (see FIG. 2).

The cooking system 100 of the present embodiment is provided in a plurality of stores S such as chain restaurants, and is a microwave oven operated according to switch selection signals corresponding to a plurality of operation switches 810 (see FIG. 4A). 800 cooks the cooking object supplied from the freezer 700 .

In addition, the cooking system 100 automates a part (semi-automation) or the whole (full automation) of a series of service flows including menu ordering, payment, cooking, and provision, and has a communication function. , and is connected to a headquarters management system 600 having a management server via the communication network N.

The PC 170 is connected to the system control unit 121 of the switch selection signal generation unit 120, the POS system 180, the input/output device 182 including a display, keyboard, tablet terminal, etc., the register 184, the additional information acquisition device 160, and the customer terminal 186. , stores and customers. Examples of the customer terminal 186 include a terminal owned by the customer such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet terminal, a personal computer, or a dedicated terminal prepared by the store. System control unit 121 controls cooking system 100 in an integrated manner while communicating with each unit in cooking system 100 . The headquarters management system 600 is connected to the PC 170 of the cooking system 100 of each store S via the communication network N, and the headquarters management system 600 receives various information about each store and customers via the PC 170 of each store S. In addition to being able to acquire, it is possible to transmit management information and the like for each store.

The system control unit 121 is connected to the PC 170, the cooking target information acquiring device 110, the cooking content determination processing unit 123a, the item information/cooking content table 125a, and the cooking content/operation switch table 125b. The cooking content determination processing unit 123a refers to the item information/cooking content table 125a (FIG. 6B) based on the cooking target information of the cooking target F acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110, and determines the heating wattage of the microwave oven 800. , heating temperature, heating output such as thermal power (hereinafter referred to as "heating output"), heating time, and information on the form of the ventilation part formed by the ventilation part forming mechanism (hereinafter referred to as "venting part forming information"), etc. Decide what cooking to include.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6B, the item information/cooking details table 125a associates each item information A, B, C, . information. For example, when the item information acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110 is "A", according to the item information/cooking content table, the cooking content information corresponding to the item information "A" is the heating time "25 seconds". , heating power “1800 W”, and vent treatment “1 cm cut”.

The cooking content information such as the heating time, the heating output, and the ventilation portion formation information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123 a is transmitted to the system control unit 121 . Based on the information from the additional information acquisition device 160, the information from the headquarters management system 600, etc., the system control unit 121 corrects the cooking content information as necessary, and sends the corrected cooking content information to the switch selection signal generation unit. 123. The switch selection signal generator 123 calculates a switch selection signal based on the modified cooking content information.

The switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b generates a switch selection signal by referring to the cooking content/operation switch table 125b (FIG. 6C) based on the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a. For example, if the cooking content determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a is a heating time of 25 seconds and an output of 1800 W, the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b selects the switch corresponding to the heating time of 25 seconds. It generates select signals and generates switch select signals corresponding to the output “1800 W” and sends these switch select signals to the switch select signal input mechanism 124 .

The switch selection signal input mechanism 124 electrically or mechanically inputs an operation instruction corresponding to the operation switch 810 of the microwave oven 800 to the microwave oven 800 based on the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b. . Microwave oven 800 performs cooking according to the input operation instruction.

The item information/cooking content table 125a (FIG. 6B) is used to determine the heating time, heating output, and ventilation part formation information according to the item information, and can also be specified from the headquarters management system 600. However, it is possible to use the one uniquely set in the store S, or to use both depending on the setting. For example, the headquarters management system 600 manages the item information/cooking details table 125a through the communication network N so that the item information/cooking details table 125a decided by the headquarters is unified in all the stores S connected to the communication network. It can be performed. Further, for example, at the store S, by using the input/output device 182, the POS system 180, etc., and setting an item information/cooking content table (to be described later) independently for each store, the output and heating time according to the cooking target information can be set. , it is also possible to set the mode of cutting into the container.

The cooking content/operation switch table 125b (FIG. 6C) is a correspondence table between each operation switch 810 of the microwave oven 800 and the cooking content. A uniquely set one can be used, and both can be used properly according to the setting. For the cooking content/operation switch table 125b, for example, items common to each store are specified by the headquarters management system 600, and items that the store S desires to set independently are stored by the input/output device 182 of the PC 170 and the table 125b. It is set for each store using the POS system 180 or the like.

More specifically, the cooking content/operation switch table 125b is information that associates, for example, the high switch with the output of 1800 W and the operation switch 810 of the display number 1 with the heating time of 15 seconds. This cooking content/operation switch table 125b is determined by the setting contents of the operation switch 810 determined according to the specifications of the microwave oven 800. FIG. That is, the cooking content/operation switch table 125b includes selectable output types (for example, 150 W to 1800 W) determined according to the specifications of the microwave oven 800 and selectable heating time types (for example, 10 seconds to 10 seconds). 120 seconds) is associated with each operation switch 810 for setting.

The system control unit 121 transmits a control command to the conveying mechanism 130, the cooking target information acquisition device 110, the ventilation part forming mechanism 140, and the door opening/closing mechanism 150, and the cooking target taken out from the freezer 700 is transferred to the microwave oven 800. Control for conveying, control for acquiring cooking information from the cooking target, control for forming the ventilation part in the package to be cooked according to the ventilation part formation information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a, and opening the door 800a of the microwave oven 800. Control for opening and closing and control for conveying the cooking target cooked in the microwave oven 800 to the post-process are executed. In the post-process, the process of arranging the cooked object to be cooked, providing it to the customer, etc. is automatically or manually executed.

For example, the ventilation part forming mechanism 140 receives, via the system control part 121, the ventilation part forming information calculated by the cooking content determination processing part 123a. When the received ventilation part forming information is, for example, an instruction of "1 cm cut", the ventilation part forming mechanism 140 forms a 1 cm cut in the packaging material to be cooked.

<About cooking target information acquisition equipment>
The cooking target information acquisition device 110 of the present embodiment is realized by a barcode reader, an RFID reader, a camera, or the like, and is given to the cooking target during transportation of the cooking target from the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800 by the transport mechanism 130. The barcode, the RFID tag, or the external features of the object to be cooked including characters, figures, etc. are read, and the item information corresponding to the object to be cooked is acquired.

A one-dimensional barcode or a two-dimensional barcode is used as the barcode attached to the object to be cooked. may be a barcode of The setting of the type of barcode and the correspondence between barcode data and item information can be changed from the POS system 180 or the headquarters management system 600 .

Radio Frequency Identifier (RFID) tags can store more cooking object identification information than barcodes. In this embodiment, the IC tag can be widely used as long as it is compatible with a microwave oven (hereinafter referred to as "RFID tag" including the meaning of IC tag in a broad sense). When an RFID tag that cannot be used in a microwave oven is attached to an object to be cooked, the RFID tag is automatically or manually removed from the object to be cooked after the information on the object to be cooked is read by the information acquisition device 110 for the object to be cooked. For example, it is possible to add a mechanism for automatically removing the RFID tag to the vent forming mechanism 140 .

When a camera is used as the cooking target information acquisition device 110, characters and symbols can also be used as the cooking target information.

The cooking target information acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110 includes at least item information as cooking target identification information. Here, "item information" is information for distinguishing types of products. It is information that can distinguish the quantity such as "high" and the variation of taste such as "very spicy", "very spicy", "medium spicy", and "sweet". The level of detailedness of the item information can be appropriately set by the headquarters management system 600 or the like. For example, when rough management is required, as the item information, distinguishable information such as "refrigerated rice 200 grams" and "frozen fried chicken 150 grams" is used. Specifically, the item information is code information as indicated by "A, B, C, . . . , N" in FIG. 6A.

If the cooking target information acquisition device 110 is a camera, the cooking target identification information can also be acquired by image recognition from the image of the cooking target in addition to the barcode, characters, symbols, etc. attached to the packaging material. . By image recognition using images from a camera, it is possible to grasp the aspect of the object itself to be cooked or the aspect of the package of the object to be cooked, and obtain item information. For example, by recognizing images captured by a camera, it is possible to obtain item information by identifying features such as shape, pattern, picture, and letter of a package to be cooked. In addition, for example, when the object to be cooked is a transparent package (such as in the case of transparent wrap packaging for food), it is possible to grasp the condition of the object to be cooked as it is by recognizing the image of the camera. For example, item information such as 5 pieces of frozen fried shrimp can be obtained. Therefore, when identifying the object to be cooked by recognizing the image of the camera, the item information can be obtained even if the package of the object to be cooked does not have a barcode, letters, symbols, RFID tag, etc. .
It is possible to improve the accuracy of identifying item information by using a neural network trained by machine learning in the headquarters management system 600 for image recognition from camera images.

The cooking target information includes, in addition to item information, information such as product name and price (see FIG. 6A). The cooking target information may further include information such as production lot number, manufacturing factory, best-before date, and expiration date. The cooking target information is transmitted from the cooking target information acquisition devices 110 to 110 to the system control unit 121, used for determining the cooking content in the cooking content determination processing unit 123a, and is also transmitted to the PC 170. Since the cooking target information transmitted to the PC 170 can also be displayed on the customer terminal 186, for example, the customer can determine the product name, price, production area, etc. of the cooking target ordered by the customer by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a. You can check the contents of your cooking with your customer's terminal, such as a smartphone or tablet terminal.

<Modification 1 of Cooking Target Information Acquisition Device>
Modification 1 of the cooking target information will be described. Heating power, heating time, ventilation part formation information, and the like are added to the cooking target information of Modification 1. FIG. In this case, information such as the heating output, heating time, and ventilation portion formation information can be directly acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device. For example, when cooking target information is stored in an RFID tag, a large amount of cooking target information can be handled due to the large storage capacity.

<Modification 2 of Cooking Target Information Acquisition Device>
A modification 2 of the cooking target information will be described. In the case of restaurants, cafeterias, etc., it is also possible to acquire cooking target information based on order information input from the customer terminal 186 . In the PC 170, the relationship between the menu and the purchased food is set. The cooking target information of the purchased food is specified according to the menu ordered by the customer. Furthermore, the customer may specify the heating time and heating output from the customer terminal 186. FIG. For example, when there is an order from a customer such as ``heat well'', ``slightly lukewarm'', etc., the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a is corrected in accordance with this instruction to reflect the customer's preference. Realization is also possible.

How to get cooking target information
(1) When reading character information directly,
(2) When reading a barcode,
(3) When reading from an RFID tag,
(4) When determined according to the customer's order, or
(5) When image recognition of the appearance of the cooking target,
etc. can be switched or combined by setting.

When this embodiment is applied to a store such as a convenience store or a microwave oven at home, the data of the POS system 180 or the cashier 184 of the store S at the time of purchase is sent via communication means such as a communication network. Receipt by the signal generation unit enables transmission of the cooking target information of the purchased cooking target to the microwave oven 800 . As a result, when the purchased cooking object is cooked in the microwave oven 800 at the store or at home, the customer selects the cooking object corresponding to the cooking object to be cooked from the cooking object information list transmitted to the microwave oven 800. By simply selecting the target information, it is possible to input a switch selection signal corresponding to the automatically selected cooking target information to the microwave oven 800 .

<Regarding Correction of Cooking Details Information in System Control Unit 121>
When the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a is received, the system control unit 121 determines the cooking content information based on the store and customer information collected by the PC 170, the store management information from the headquarters management system 600, and the like. Decide whether to make corrections. If the cooking content information does not need to be corrected, the system control unit 121 instructs the cooking content determination processing unit 123a to output the calculated cooking content information as it is.

On the other hand, if the cooking content information needs to be corrected, the system control unit 121 corrects the received cooking content information, transmits the corrected cooking content information to the cooking content determination processing unit 123a, and sends a switch selection signal. The generation unit 123 is instructed to use the corrected cooking content information.

For example, when there is an instruction from the head office management system to modify the cooking content information according to the situation of the store and the customer, the system control unit 121 receives the store and customer information collected by the PC 170 and the information from the head office management system. Calculations are performed to correct the cooking content information. As a specific example of the calculation, there is a method using a neural network learned by machine learning based on information collected from each store or the like in the headquarters management system 600 as described later. The system control unit 121 receives the learned program transmitted from the head office management system 600, and corrects the cooking content information based on the store and customer information such as the additional information acquisition means using this learned program. Here, an example is shown in which the system control unit 121 on the store side executes the correction calculation of the cooking content information, but the present embodiment is not limited to this. , the store, customer information, etc. are transmitted from the store to the head office management system 600, the head office management system 600 side performs correction calculation of the cooking content information, and returns the corrected cooking content information to the store. good too.

<Regarding Headquarters Management System>
The headquarters management system 600 collects information on each store via the communication network N between the cooking systems 100 of each store and transmits information for management to each store. The headquarters management system 600 collects cooking content information collected from each store, information acquired by the POS system 180 and the additional information acquisition device 160, and various information such as date and time information, weather information, and event information acquired from various databases and servers. By performing machine learning using information, it becomes possible to calculate heating condition information common to all stores, heating condition information unique to each store, and the like. Based on the heating condition information obtained by such learning control, item information/cooking details table 125a, cooking details/operation switch table 125b, and cooking details information correction information common to each store or a plurality of stores. can be calculated. The neural network data trained by machine learning in the headquarters management system 600 is transmitted to the system control unit 121 of each store via a communication network as necessary. As a result, in addition to being able to calculate heating condition information using a trained neural network in the headquarters management system 600, each store can use the data of the trained neural network transmitted from the headquarters management system 600. can be used to calculate various heating condition information.

Although not particularly limited, for example, the calculation of the data of the item information/cooking content table 125a and the cooking content/operation switch table 125b of each store is performed by the headquarters management system 600, and the correction calculation of the cooking content information is performed by each store. Calculations performed by the headquarters management system 600 and calculations performed by each store can be arbitrarily set.

<Specific Configuration of Microwave Oven 800>
The microwave oven 800 used in the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment is a commercial (business) one used in stores S such as restaurants and convenience stores, and is pressed by an operator as shown in FIG. 4A. A plurality of push-button type operation switches 810 are arranged side by side on the upper front surface. Note that the operation switch 810 of the microwave oven 800 is not limited to a push button type, and may be a contact type such as a touch switch. In addition, in this embodiment, an example in which 14 switches are provided as the operation switches 810 will be described, but the number and arrangement of the switches are not limited to this. I wish I had. Although not particularly limited, this embodiment can handle up to 20 switch matrix circuits 811 .

In FIG. 4A, among the operation switches 810, there are a pair of switches 810p and 810q arranged vertically on the leftmost side, the upper switch 810p being a strong switch and the lower switch 810q being a weak switch. Setting switches with display numbers 1, 2, 3, . A switch is a START switch.

The role of each operation switch 810 is shown in the diagram for explaining the cooking content/operation switch table of FIG. 6C. For example, a strong switch corresponds to an output of 1800W and a weak switch corresponds to an output of 600W. The setting switch is a switch used at the time of setting, and can be used for output switching, mode switching for various settings such as setting of preset contents, and the like. For example, display number 1 is set to a heating time of 10 seconds, display number 2 is set to a heating time of 15 seconds, display number 3 is set to a heating time of 20 seconds, display number 4 is set to a heating time of 25 seconds, Display number 5 is set to a heating time of 30 seconds, display number 6 is set to a heating time of 35 seconds, display number 7 is set to a heating time of 40 seconds, display number 8 is set to a heating time of 45 seconds, display number 9 is set to a heating time of 50 seconds and display number 0 is set to a heating time of 60 seconds. The role (preset value) of each operation switch 810 is set by the cooking content/operation switch table 125b. , is modified by direction from the headquarters control system 600 . In this embodiment, a commercial (business use) microwave oven 800 with a large output of 1800 W is exemplified, but it is not limited to this. A household microwave oven 800 may be used.

The setting switch is a switch used when switching the heating output and setting the preset value of each operation switch 810 . For example, by pressing the setting switch three times, the mode can be changed to a mode in which the preset value of each operation switch 810 can be changed. When the preset value of each operation switch 810 is changed, the cooking content/operation switch table 125b is also corrected according to the actual preset value. is set to always match the actual preset value of Specifically, the preset values are changed according to instructions from the switch selection signal input mechanism 124, so that the cooking content/operation switch table 125b is always consistent with the actual preset values of the operation switches 810. is set to

The number of microwave ovens 800 used in cooking system 100 is not limited to three. That is, it may be one unit, two units, or four units or more. In addition, the microwave oven 800 includes switches for basic operations such as an output selector switch, a heating time switch, and a cooking start switch. In addition, operation switches corresponding to the oven function or the grill function, such as function selection buttons (microwave oven function, oven function, grill function), preheating time setting buttons, etc. are provided. Further, for example, in the case of an oven heating device, a grill heating device, a gas stove, an IH cooking heater, and a fryer, setting buttons such as a heating temperature setting button, a heating power setting button, a heating time setting button, etc. necessary for each cooker are provided. .

<Regarding the switch selection signal input mechanism>
The switch selection signal input mechanism 124 is driven between a pressed position and a separated position with respect to the operation switch 810 according to the switch selection signal (L ₁ , 20 signal lines) generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b. and a plurality of switch operating members 124a. In this embodiment, twenty switch operation members 124 a are provided corresponding to twenty operation switches 810 . Although the _number of operation switches 810 is described as 14 here, the present embodiment is not limited to this. (20 in FIG. 4B). It is also possible to use _a serial transmission line as the switch selection signal L1.

The switch selection signal input mechanism 124 is mounted on the upper surface of the microwave oven 800 so that a plurality of switch operation members 124a are arranged on the upper front surface of the microwave oven 800 .

More specifically, the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 includes the plurality of switch operation members 124a described above, a rotation support portion 124b that rotatably supports the plurality of switch operation members 124a, and each switch operation member 124a. are pivotally supported by the rotation support portion 124b, an assembly of a plurality of switch operation members 124a, a rotation support portion 124b, and a plurality of operation member drive portions 124c. and a housing 124f that is detachably attached to the microwave oven 800.

The switch operation member 124a has a finger-like shape in which the tip portion for pressing the operation switch 810 is bent obliquely in the direction of pressing the operation switch 810, and the rear end portion connected to the operation member driving portion 124c is bent at a substantially right angle. None. The switch operating member 124a is formed with a rotary shaft hole 124e through which the rotary support shaft 124d of the rotary support portion 124b is inserted from the side surface side. Each switch operation member 124a is rotatably supported by a rotation support shaft 124d passing through the rotation shaft hole, and the rear end portion thereof is connected to an operation member drive portion 124c. 124c advances and retreats, the distal end portion is rotated about the pivot shaft 124d so as to move between the pressing position with respect to the operation switch 810 and the separated position.

The operation member driving section 124c is implemented by, for example, a direct acting actuator. Although there are 14 switch operating members 124a in FIG. 4B, the following description assumes that 20 switch operating members 124a are provided. Each operation member drive unit 124c is connected to the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b via _a signal wiring L1 consisting of 20 lines for switch selection signals, and the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b is connected to the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b. driven according to When the switch selection signal for operating the operation switch 810 is transmitted from the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b, the operation member driving unit 124c advances the linear actuator. By this forward motion of the operating member driving portion 124c, the switch operating member 124a is rotated around the pivot shaft 124d to a position where the tip portion is pressed against the operating switch 810, and then the operating member driving portion 124c retreats. By the action, the switch operating member 124a is returned to the position where the tip portion is separated from the operating switch 810. As shown in FIG.

In the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 of the present embodiment, the tip portion 124p1 of one switch operation member 124p of two adjacent switch operation members for the operation switches 810p and 810q arranged in two upper and lower stages is the upper operation switch 810p. The other switch operation member 124q has a distal end portion 124q1 that extends toward the operation surface of the lower operation switch 810q and extends along the rotation support shaft 124d in the longitudinal direction. connected to each other. With such a configuration of the switch operation members 124p and 124q that are adjacent to each other with their distal ends shifted in the longitudinal direction of the pivot shaft 124d, the switch operation members 124p and 124q press the operation switches 810p and 810q arranged vertically in two stages. Operation is possible.

As shown in FIG. 3, the microwave oven 800 used in the cooking system 100 of this embodiment incorporates a switch matrix circuit 811, and has 20 signal wirings L corresponding to 20 operation switches 810. ₂ are reduced to _nine signal wirings L3 via this switch matrix circuit 811 and connected to a microcomputer 812 of the microwave oven 800 . That is, in the switch matrix circuit 811, 20 switches can be identified by a total of nine signal wiring lines L3 _, for example, "five vertical lines" and "four horizontal lines". The nine signal wires L3 are connected to a female connector 830a _on the side of the microcomputer 812 via a male connector 830b (see FIG. 11).

One end of the housing 124f in the front-rear direction is connected to the front side of the upper surface of the microwave oven 800 and both longitudinal ends of the rotation support shaft 124d by support pieces that support the rotation support shaft 124d of the rotation support portion 124b at both ends. is fixed so as to extend in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of microwave oven 800 . The other end of the housing 124f in the front-rear direction is fixed to the rear side of the upper surface of the microwave oven 800 by a fixing portion (not shown). At least one of the support piece on the front side and the fixing portion on the back side has a structure in which the dimension of the microwave oven 800 in the front-rear direction can be adjusted by, for example, a screw member.

1, 4B, and 5B, only the bottom surface of the housing 124f that is placed on the top surface of the microwave oven 800 is shown, and the assembly of the switch operation member 124a, the rotation support portion 124b, and the operation member drive portion 124c is shown. Illustrations of other parts that surround from the sides and from above are omitted. Further, in FIGS. 1, 4B, and 5B, illustration of the signal wiring L1 connected to each operating member driving portion 124c is also omitted.

In this embodiment, a plurality of switch operation members 124 a of the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 are provided corresponding to all the operation switches 810 of the microwave oven 800 . That is, when the microwave oven 800 is provided with 20 operation switches 810 , 20 switch operation members 124 a are provided corresponding to each operation switch 810 . The number of switch operation members 124a may be as many as the number of operation switches 810 to be pressed by the switch selection signal input mechanism 124. FIG. For example, the number of switch operation members 124a corresponding to all the operation switches 810 may be provided, or the number of switch operation members 124a corresponding to the number of operation switches 810 frequently used in normal cooking may be provided. For example, in normal cooking, when the microwave oven 800 is used with the output constant and only the heating time changed, the output operation switch 810 is not operated, so the switch operation member 124a corresponding to this operation switch 810 is provided. It doesn't have to be.

Further, the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 is mounted on the top surface of the microwave oven 800, but the mounting position of the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 with respect to the microwave oven 800 is not limited to this. may

<Regarding the transport mechanism 130>
The transport mechanism 130 in the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment transports the frozen food to be cooked supplied from the freezer to the microwave oven 800 as shown in FIG.

The freezer 700 is equipped with an automatic cooking target supply mechanism 710 that automatically supplies the cooking target ordered by the customer from the inside to the outside. Although the freezer 700 is illustrated in FIG. 1, the storage device of the present embodiment is not limited to the freezer, and may be, for example, a refrigerator, a heat retaining device, a constant temperature device, a room temperature storage device, or the like.

A cooking target automatic supply mechanism 710 feeds an ordered cooking target F from among a plurality of cooking targets F stored in separate stages in a freezer 700 from a side opening formed according to each level to the freezer 700 . to the outside of the Next, the cooking object automatic supply mechanism 710 receives the cooking object F taken out to the outside by the supply conveyor 720 provided corresponding to each stage, and then supplies the cooking object F to the transport mechanism 130 by the supply conveyor 720. do. The object to be cooked F is temporarily held at an end position on the supply conveyor 720 of the automatic object supply mechanism 710 by a retractable stopper (not shown) or the like. It is carried out onto the placing portion 132c (FIG. 5B).

The transport mechanism 130 in the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment includes a vertical movement mechanism 131 provided between the freezer 700 and the microwave oven 800, and a rotating arm mechanism provided to be rotatable about a rotating support portion 132a. 132 and .

The vertical movement mechanism 131 is a mechanism for moving the connecting movement part 131b along the guide post 131a extending in the vertical direction. 131b is moved vertically. More specifically, the vertical movement mechanism 131 receives the cooking target F supplied from the feeding conveyor 720 of the cooking target automatic feeding mechanism 710 at a height corresponding to each stage of the feeding conveyor 720, and moves the received cooking target F. From the height corresponding to each microwave oven 800 arranged vertically (e.g., the height of FIG. 5A) to the height that can be accommodated in the microwave oven 800 (e.g., the height of FIG. 5B), the rotating arm mechanism Move 132 up and down.

The rotating arm mechanism 132 includes a rotating support portion 132a, an arm portion 132b rotatably supported by the rotating support portion 132a, and a comb-shaped cooking target placing portion 132c on which the cooking target F is placed. and a cooking target placing moving part 132d connected to the tip of the arm part 132b so as to move the cooking target placing part 132c in the direction perpendicular to the arm member 132b.

By rotating the arm portion 132b about the rotation support portion 132a, the rotating arm mechanism 132 is moved to the receiving position for receiving the cooking target F supplied from the automatic cooking target feeding mechanism 710, and the door 800a is opened. The cooking object placement part 132c is moved to a position around the opening of the microwave oven 800 that has been heated. In addition, the rotating arm mechanism 132 moves the cooking object placing portion 132c, which has been moved to the position around the opening of the microwave oven 800, in the orthogonal direction of the arm portion 132b by the cooking object placing moving portion 132d. F is moved inside the microwave oven 800 .

The transfer mechanism 130 is driven and controlled by the system control unit 121 by connecting the driving units of the vertical movement mechanism 131 and the rotating arm mechanism 132 to the system control unit 121 .

Such a transport mechanism 130 can transport the object F to be cooked from the freezer to the microwave oven 800 within a range in which the arm portion 132b is rotated around the rotation support portion 132a, so that the size of the device can be made compact. be able to.

<Regarding the cooking target information acquisition device 110>
A cooking target information acquisition device 110 is provided at an intermediate position in the length direction of the arm portion 132b of the rotating arm mechanism 132 . The cooking target information acquisition device 110 includes a pole portion 111 raised from an arm portion 132b, a bent portion 112 bent from the pole portion 111 toward the cooking target placing portion 132c, and a tip of the bent portion 112. An information acquisition unit 113 is provided. When the arm portion 132b is at the position shown in FIG. 5A, the information acquisition portion 113 is directed to a position where the bar code provided on the cooking target F on the supply conveyor 720 can be read. Although an example in which the information acquisition unit 113 is a barcode reader has been described here, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the information acquisition unit 113 may be an RFID reader or a camera, for example.

<Regarding the ventilation portion forming mechanism 140>
The ventilation portion forming mechanism 140 in the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment is for forming cuts or through holes for ventilation in the packaging material of the object F to be cooked. is provided. The ventilation portion forming mechanism 140 is provided in the bent portion 112 of the cooking target information acquisition device 110 so as to face the cooking target placing portion 132c (downward in FIG. 5A). When the arm portion 132b is at the position shown in FIG. 5A, the ventilation portion forming mechanism 140 forms cuts or through holes in the food F on the supply conveyor 720 according to instructions from the system control portion 121 using a knife or the like. The ventilation portion forming mechanism 140 is connected to the system control section 121 and driven by the system control section 121 . More specifically, the ventilation part forming mechanism 140 is controlled by the system control unit 121 based on the ventilation hole processing stored in the item information/cooking details table 125a (see FIG. 6B). That is, from the item information/cooking content table 125a, if the ventilation hole processing corresponding to the item information is "1 cm cut", the ventilation part forming mechanism 140 controls to form a 1 cm cut in the packaging material of the object F to be cooked. When the vent hole processing is "no cut", the ventilation portion forming mechanism 140 is controlled so as not to form a cut in the packaging material of the object F to be cooked.

<Regarding Door Opening and Closing Mechanism 150>
The door opening/closing mechanism 150 in the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment is provided on the side of the door 800a of the microwave oven 800 on the side of the rotation axis, as shown in FIG. 4B. to the open and closed positions. The door opening/closing mechanism 150 performs door opening/closing operation in response to a door opening/closing signal, which is transmitted from the system control unit 121 and instructs to open/close the door 800a.

<Regarding the additional information acquisition device 160>
The additional information acquisition device 160 is implemented by an image acquisition device such as a store camera, a temperature/humidity measurement device, and the like. The information acquired by the additional information acquiring device 160 includes, for example, image data of the store, image data of the customer, image data including facial expressions of the customer, temperature and humidity inside and outside the store, and information about the customer who visited the store or the store. This includes information about the internal and external environments. By image recognition of customer image data in the store, for example, store congestion status, store vacant seat information, customer face recognition information (customer's personal identification information, customer's mental state information, customer's health information, Customer's circular information, etc.) can be input to the PC 170 .

These additional information are analyzed by the system control unit 121 and used to correct the cooking content information calculated by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a. A trained neural net program can be used in headquarters management system 600 for this analysis.

For example, when the number of vacant seats in the store is relatively large (the store is relatively empty) and the customer's facial expression is relaxed, the soup is served more than the standard (setting by item information / cooking content table) Cooking content information is determined on the premise that the customer "takes time to savor the soup" by performing cooking that makes the soup slightly warmer.

The training of the neural network can be performed independently on the store side, but is preferably performed by the headquarters management system 600, which is effective from the viewpoint of collecting big data and managing each store. The headquarters management system 600 trains a neural network by performing machine learning using various information such as each store information, date and time information, weather information, and event information. Using this trained neural network, the item information/cooking content table 125a is updated, the cooking content determination processing unit 123a performs calculations, and the like.

<About the cooking process executed by the cooking system>
Here, with reference to FIG. 7, the procedure of the cooking process executed by the cooking system of this embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the procedure of cooking processing executed by the cooking system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the cooking system 100 of this embodiment, for example, when a customer's order is received from a cash register 184, a POS system 180, a customer terminal 186, or the like in a restaurant, a plurality of different items to be cooked are frozen and stored in a freezer 700. The food items to be cooked according to the order are supplied from the

First, it is determined whether or not the object F to be cooked has been supplied from the freezer 700 to a predetermined position (step S101). For example, based on a detection signal from an object detection sensor (not shown) or the like, it is determined whether or not the cooking target F has been moved to the end position on the supply conveyor 720 of the automatic cooking target feeding mechanism 710 .

In step S101, if it is determined that the object F to be cooked has been supplied from the freezer 700 to a predetermined position (step S101: Yes), an object detection sensor (not shown) detects that the object F to be cooked is at the end of the supply conveyor 720. When it is detected that the object has been moved to the position, the cooking object information is acquired by the cooking object information acquisition device 110 (step S102).

For example, the cooking target information is read from the barcode or the RFID tag as the cooking target information recording medium A attached to the packaging material of the cooking target F by the cooking target information acquisition device 110, and the cooking target information is used in the cooking content determination process. It is sent to the unit 123a. The cooking target information acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110 includes at least the item information shown in FIG. 6A, for example. When the cooking target information acquisition device 110 is a camera, item information corresponding to the cooking target F can be obtained by image recognition from the camera image even if the cooking target information recording medium A is not attached to the cooking target F. can be done. Further, when the item information of the cooking target F can be uniquely derived from the input from the customer terminal 186, it is possible to omit the reading of the cooking target information by the cooking target information acquisition device 110. FIG.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S101 that the cooking target F is not supplied from the freezer 700 to the predetermined position (step S101: No), that is, the cooking target F is moved to the end position on the supply conveyor 720. If it is determined that it is not, the determination process of step S101 is repeated.

When the cooking target information is acquired in step S102, in step S103, the cooking content determination processing unit 123a refers to the item information/cooking content table 125a, and selects cooking items from the item information acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110, in step S103. Determine cooking content information according to the object. For example, when the item information A is acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110, the cooking content determination processing unit 123a sets the cooking content information corresponding to the item information A as heating time “25 seconds”, output “1800 W”, and determine the vent treatment "1 cm cut" (see Figure 6B).

The cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a is transmitted to the system control unit 121 as described above, and the need for correction is examined, and if correction is required, the cooking content information after correction calculation is adopted. If no correction is required, the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a is adopted as it is.

After that, based on the cooking content information adopted in step S103, the cooking content/operation switch table 125b is referred to and a switch selection signal is generated (step S104). Here, the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b generates, for example, a switch selection signal for operating the operation switch 810 corresponding to the heating time "25 seconds" and the output "1800 W".

In step S105, it is determined whether or not it is necessary to form a ventilation portion in the packaging material of the object F to be cooked. For example, if the ventilation part forming information is "1 cm cut", it is determined that it is necessary to form the ventilation part (step S105: Yes), and the system control unit 121 instructs the ventilation part forming mechanism 140 to set the cooking object F The ventilation part corresponding to the ventilation part formation information is formed in the packaging material (step S106), and the process proceeds to step S107.

On the other hand, if the ventilation part formation information is "no notch", it is determined that there is no need to form the ventilation part (step S105: No), and the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S<b>107 , the transport mechanism 130 starts transporting the cooking target F toward the microwave oven 800 . Here, the feeding conveyor 720 of the automatic cooking target feeding mechanism 710 is moved, and the cooking target F placed at the end position of the feeding conveyor 720 is placed at the receiving position. 132c, and in a state where the cooking target F is placed on the cooking target placing portion 132c, the rotating arm mechanism 132 is moved to the target insertion height position into the microwave oven 800, and the rotating support portion The arm portion 132b is moved toward the microwave oven 800 around 132a.

Note that the transport mechanism 130 selects the microwave oven 800 that is not currently in operation as a transport destination, and transports the object F to be cooked. Note that when all three microwave ovens are in operation, the object F to be cooked is in a state of waiting at the end position on the supply conveyor 720 . The cooking target F in the waiting state is transported to the microwave oven which has finished cooking and is in an empty state. If the microwave oven 800 has an oven or grill function, preheating time is required before oven cooking or grilling. Standby state.

Further, when microwave oven 800 has just performed oven cooking or grill cooking, the inside of the refrigerator is at a high temperature. does not carry Since it is necessary to wait until the next cooking is performed for the microwave oven that has performed oven cooking or grill cooking in this way, the system control unit 121 first performs cooking other than oven cooking. The allocation of the microwave ovens 800 is performed in consideration of the efficient operation of the microwave ovens 800, such as

In step S108, the door opening/closing mechanism 150 opens the door 800a of the microwave oven 800 according to a command from the system control section 121. FIG.

In step S<b>109 , the transport mechanism 130 accommodates the cooking target F into the microwave oven 800 . Inside the microwave oven 800 is provided an uneven table 820 in which linear unevenness extending inward from the opening side is alternately formed in the width direction of the microwave oven 800 . The comb tooth-shaped cooking target placing portion 132c of the rotating arm mechanism 132 is rotated to the front of the opening of the microwave oven 800 with the cooking target F placed thereon. At a loading height position higher than the table 820, it is inserted into the microwave oven. After that, the cooking object placing portion 132c is lowered so that each comb tooth of the cooking object placing portion 132c enters each concave portion of the concave-convex table 820 and each convex portion of the table enters each gap between the adjacent comb teeth. As a result, the cooking target F on the cooking target placing section 132 c is transferred onto the concave-convex table 820 in the microwave oven 800 . After the object to be cooked F is placed on the concave-convex table 820, the object to be cooked placing part 132c is further lowered by a predetermined amount, and then the object to be cooked F is removed from the inside of the microwave oven 800 by the object to be cooked placement moving part 132d. is pulled out from the inside of the microwave oven 800 so as not to interfere with the

After that, the door opening/closing mechanism 150 closes the door 800a of the microwave oven 800 according to a command from the system control unit 121 (step S110).

After that, in step S111, the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 causes the switch operation member 124a to press the operation switch 810 corresponding to the switch selection signal. For example, if the heating time is "25 seconds" and the output is "1800 W", the "strong switch" with the preset output of 1800 W, then the "display number 4" with the preset heating time of 25 seconds, then , the “START switch” preset to start cooking is pressed by the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 in order. By pressing the operation switch 810 by the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 in this manner, the microwave oven 800 starts cooking with the cooking content corresponding to the cooking target.

If the specification of the microwave oven 800 is to switch the output by pressing one operation switch 810 for switching the output, pressing the operation switch 810 one or more times sets a predetermined output. Further, when heat cooking corresponding to oven cooking or grill cooking is executed, the operation switch 810 corresponding to such cooking is pressed by the switch operation member 124a.

After that, it is determined whether or not the heating cooking by the microwave oven 800 is completed (step S112), and if it is determined that the heating cooking is completed (step S112: Yes), a command from the system control unit 121 opens and closes the door mechanism. 150 opens the door 800a of the microwave oven 800 (step S113). On the other hand, when the system control unit 121 determines in step S113 that the cooking by the microwave oven 800 is not completed (step S112: No), the determination process in step S112 is repeated. In addition, since the system control unit 121 grasps the cooking content information, the cooking end time can be calculated from the heating time information included in the cooking content information, and it can be determined whether or not the cooking is completed. can.

Next, in step 114, the object F to be cooked is taken out from the microwave oven 800 by the rotating arm mechanism 132, and transferred from the rotating arm mechanism 132 to a conveying device (not shown). Then, the cooking process using the microwave oven 800 ends.

Note that in the procedure of the cooking process executed by the system control unit 121 described here, the cooking target information is acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 110 after the cooking target is supplied from the freezer 700, which is the previous process, to a predetermined position. However, the timing of acquiring the cooking target information by the cooking target information acquisition device 110 is not limited to this. For example, in order to supply the cooking target according to the customer's order from the freezer 700 in the previous process, the cooking target information is acquired from the order information input by the customer via a dedicated tablet serving as the cooking target information acquisition device 110. It doesn't matter if you do. Alternatively, the cooking target information may be acquired while the cooking target is being transported by the transport mechanism 130 .

In the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment, when orders from customers are received simultaneously or consecutively, the above-described cooking process procedures may be executed in parallel. The system control unit 121 can integrally control the cooking system so as to execute a plurality of cooking processes in parallel, thereby determining the priority of using the microwave oven 800 and reducing the waiting time for cooking. It determines the operation procedure of each part.

<Effects of the cooking system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention>
According to the configuration of this embodiment, by installing the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 to the existing microwave oven 800, the switch selection signal is input from the switch selection signal generation unit 120 to the microwave oven 800. The microwave oven 800 can be used to automate cooking.

Further, the switch selection signal generation unit 123 includes a cooking content determination processing unit 123a that determines cooking content information based on the cooking target information, and a switch selection signal in accordance with the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a. The cooking content determination processing unit 123a refers to the item information/cooking content table 125a in which at least the item information and the cooking content information are associated with each other, based on the cooking target information. The switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b refers to the cooking content/operation switch table 125b that associates at least the cooking content information with the operation switches 810, and generates a switch selection signal based on the cooking content information. By generating, it is not necessary to record the cooking content on the cooking target information recording medium attached to the cooking target F, so it is possible to use a simple one in which only the item information is recorded as the cooking target information recording medium, It is possible to use the cooking target information that is generally given to the cooking target, and to manage a large amount of information about the cooking target on the switch selection signal generation unit 120 side.

Further, the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 includes a plurality of switch operating members 124a that are driven between a pressed or contact position and a non-pressed or separated position with respect to the operation switch 810, and the plurality of switch operating members 124a By mounting the switch selection signal input mechanism 124 on the microwave oven 800, the operation switch 810 corresponding to the switch selection signal is controlled according to the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 123b. Since the switch operation member 124a is operated by pressing or contact in the same manner as switch operation by the operator's finger, the existing microwave oven 800 can be used as it is, and the object to be cooked can be placed in the microwave oven 800 without the intervention of the operator. It is possible to execute cooking according to.

Note that the cooking system 100 of the present embodiment includes an item information/cooking details table 125a that associates item information to be cooked with cooking details, and a cooking details/operation switch table that associates cooking details information with operation switches 810. 125b is stored in the storage unit 125, but these pieces of information may be recorded in an RFID tag. For example, the RFID tag attached to the object to be cooked may record the cooking content information such as the heating time of "25 seconds", the output of "1800 W", and the ventilation hole processing of "1 cm cut". In this case, the storage unit 125 does not need to store the item information/cooking details table 125a and the cooking details/operation switch table 125b.

[Second embodiment]
A cooking system 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an outline of the cooking system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The cooking system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention differs from the cooking system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above only in the configuration of the transport mechanism 232 that transports the object to be cooked. Since the configuration is common, the parts and members that are the same as those of the cooking system of the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals in the 200s to omit redundant description.

The transport mechanism 232 in the cooking system 200 of the present embodiment transports the food F supplied from the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800 by placing it on the tray 223 and moving it, and the cooking by the microwave oven 800 is completed. The cooked object is transported to a post-process such as serving.

The transport mechanism 232 has a tray 223 on which the object to be cooked F is placed, and a transport conveyor 234 that moves the tray 223 from the automatic object supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700 to the subsequent process through the microwave oven 800. there is In addition, the conveyer 234 of the conveyer mechanism 232 includes a portion (not shown) that can be raised and lowered corresponding to the height of the feed conveyor 720 of each stage of the automatic food supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700, and three units arranged vertically. A portion (not shown) that can be raised and lowered corresponding to the height of the microwave oven 800 is separately provided. Insertion of the tray 233 from the conveyer 234 into the microwave oven 800 and removal of the tray 233 from the microwave oven 800 are performed by a tray push-in/pull-out mechanism (not shown). The transport mechanism 232 is controlled by commands from the system control unit 121 .

As a procedure of the cooking process by the cooking system 200 of the present embodiment, when the cooking target F is supplied onto the tray 223 from the cooking target automatic supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700, the tray 223 is directed toward the microwave oven 800 by the transport conveyor 234. During the transportation from the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800, the cooking target information is acquired by the cooking target information acquisition device 210, and the cooking content determination processing unit 123a determines based on the acquired cooking target information. The ventilation part forming mechanism 240 forms the ventilation part in the packaging material of the object F to be cooked according to the received ventilation part forming information. After that, the object F to be cooked is accommodated in the microwave oven 800 together with the tray 223, and the operation switch 810 is pressed by the switch selection signal input mechanism based on the information on the object to be cooked, and the microwave oven 800 performs heat cooking. After that, it is transported together with the tray 233 to a post-process such as serving by the transport mechanism.

[Third embodiment]
A cooking system 300 according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of a cooking system 300 according to the third embodiment of the invention.

In the cooking system 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, compared with the cooking system according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, after the cooking target is finished being cooked by the microwave oven 800, the cooking system 300 starts from the rear surface of the microwave oven 800. Only the configuration carried out to the next process is different, and other configurations are common. Duplicate descriptions are omitted.

The transport mechanism 332 in the cooking system 300 of the present embodiment transports the food F supplied to the tray 333 from the food automatic supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800 by placing it on the tray 333 and moving it. At the same time, the object to be cooked F, which has been cooked by the microwave oven 800, is transported to a post-process such as serving.

The conveying mechanism 332 conveys a tray 333 on which the object to be cooked F is placed, and the tray 333 from the automatic object-to-be-cooked supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800. and a transport conveyor 334 for moving. The movement of the tray 333 from the conveyor 334 to the inside of the microwave oven 800 and the movement of the tray 333 from the inside of the microwave oven 800 to the outside conveyor 334 are performed by a tray push-in/pull-out mechanism (not shown). will be

The cooking system 300 of this embodiment is provided with a door 800a and a door opening/closing mechanism 350 for opening and closing each door 800a on the front side and the rear side of the microwave oven 800. An object to be cooked, which has been housed inside the microwave oven 800 through the door 800 a and has undergone heating and cooking, is transported out of the microwave oven 800 through the door on the rear side by the movement of the tray 333 .

As for the procedure of the cooking process by the cooking system 300 of the present embodiment, as in the cooking system 200 of the second embodiment, during transportation from the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800, the cooking target information acquisition device 310 acquires the cooking target information. is acquired, and a ventilation portion is formed in the packaging material to be cooked by the ventilation portion forming mechanism 340 according to the ventilation portion formation information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a based on the acquired cooking target information. . After that, the object to be cooked is accommodated in the microwave oven 800 from the front side of the microwave oven 800 together with the tray 333, and the operation switch is pressed by the switch selection signal input mechanism 324 based on the information on the object to be cooked. After the food is cooked by heating, it is transported from the rear side of the microwave oven 800 to a post-process such as platting together with the tray 333 by the transport mechanism.

[Fourth embodiment]
A cooking system 400 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an outline of a cooking system 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the invention.

A cooking system 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention differs from the cooking system 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above in terms of the mechanism for moving the object to be cooked into and out of the microwave oven 800. Since the configuration is basically common, the parts and members that are the same as those of the cooking system of the above-described second embodiment are denoted by corresponding reference numerals in the 400s, and duplicate description thereof is omitted.

The transport mechanism 432 in the cooking system 400 of this embodiment transports the food F supplied to the tray 433 from the food automatic supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800 by placing it on the tray 433 and moving it. At the same time, the object to be cooked, which has been cooked by the microwave oven 800, is transported to a post-process such as serving.

The conveying mechanism 432 conveys a tray 433 on which an object to be cooked F is placed, and the tray 433 from the automatic object-to-be-cooked supply mechanism 710 of the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800 . and a conveyer 434 for moving F placed on a tray 433 to a post-process.

The microwave oven 800 of this embodiment is positioned on one side of the conveyor 434 with the front of the door 800a facing. The door 800a is slidably provided toward the front. In the open position, the door 800 a is pulled out toward the opposite side of the conveyer 434 , and is positioned to sandwich the tray 433 on the conveyer 434 with the main body of the microwave oven 800 . The tray 433 sandwiched between the door 800a and the main body of the microwave oven 800 at the open position of the door 800a is accommodated inside the microwave oven 800 as the door 800a slides from the open position to the closed position. be. Contrary to this operation, the tray 433 accommodated in the microwave oven is taken out onto the conveyer 434 by sliding the door 800a from the closed position to the open position. As described above, the tray 433 on which the object to be cooked F is placed is moved between the interior of the microwave oven 800 and the conveyor 434 by the sliding opening/closing operation of the door 800a.

As for the procedure of the cooking process by the cooking system 400 of the present embodiment, as in the cooking system 200 of the second embodiment, during transportation from the freezer 700 to the microwave oven 800, the cooking target information acquisition device 410 acquires the cooking target information. is acquired, and the ventilation part is formed in the packaging material of the cooking target F according to the ventilation part formation information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit 123a based on the acquired cooking target information. After that, the object to be cooked is pulled into the microwave oven 800 together with the tray 433 by the door 800a, and the operation switch 810 is pressed by the switch selection signal input mechanism 424 based on the information on the object to be cooked. is carried out, it is pulled out from inside the microwave oven 800 onto a conveyer 434 together with the tray 433 by the door 800a, and is conveyed together with the tray 433 to a post-process such as arranging.

[Fifth embodiment]
A cooking system 500 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining the configuration around the switch selection signal input mechanism 525 of the cooking system 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The cooking system 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention differs from the cooking system 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above in the configuration of the switch selection signal input mechanism 525. , are basically common, the parts and members that are the same as those of the cooking system 100 of the above-described first embodiment are denoted by the corresponding reference numerals in the 500s, thereby omitting redundant descriptions thereof.

A switch matrix circuit 522a is incorporated in the switch selection signal generator 523 in the cooking system 500 of this embodiment.

The switch selection signal input mechanism 524 in the cooking system 500 of this embodiment is detachably attached to the microwave oven 800 so that the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b can be input to the microwave oven 800 .

Twenty signal wirings _L7 corresponding to twenty operation switches 810 of the microwave oven 800 are reduced in number to _nine signal wirings L8 through the switch matrix circuit 811 and connected to the male connector 830b. It is On the other hand, the microcomputer 812 has _nine signal wirings L9 connected to a female connector 830a. In the usage patterns of Embodiments 1 to 4, the general-purpose microwave oven 800 transmits the signal of the operation switch 810 to the microcomputer 812 while the male connector 830b is connected to the female connector 830a.

In this embodiment, by inserting the connector 526 between the male connector 830b and the female connector 830a, the signal of the switch selection signal generation processing section 523b is input to the microcomputer.

The switch selection signal input mechanism 524 includes a connector 526 connected to the microcomputer 812 of the microwave oven 800 so that the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b can be transmitted to the microcomputer 812 of the microwave oven 800 . The switch selection signal input mechanism 525 includes a switch matrix circuit 522a connected to the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b, and 20 signal lines L on the input side from the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b to the switch matrix circuit 522a. ₅ , nine signal wirings L ₆ on the output side from the switch matrix circuit 522a, and a male connector 526d connected to the nine signal wirings L ₆ . The 20 signal lines _L5 are reduced to ₉ signal lines L6 via the switch matrix circuit 522a.

The connector 526 has two female connectors 526a and 526b and one male connector 526c, and the two female connectors 526a and 526b branch from the male connector 526c on the side of the microcomputer 812 of the microwave oven 800. It is a connector. The male connector 526c is connected to the female connector 830a on the microcomputer 812 side. One female connector 526a is connected to the male connector 830b on the operation switch 810 side, and the other female connector 526b is connected to the male connector 526d on the switch selection signal generation processing section 523b side.

The switch part of the switch matrix circuit 522a provided on the side of the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b electrically isolates the microwave oven 800 from the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b by using a semiconductor element such as a photocoupler. You can do it.

By inserting the connector 526 between the male connector 830b and the female connector 830a in this manner, the male connector 526d on the side of the switch selection signal generation processing section 523b can be detachably attached to the microcomputer 812 of the microwave oven 800. can be connected.

As described above, in the cooking system 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the switch selection signal input mechanism 524 receives the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b. Since the connector 526 connected to the microcomputer 812 is included, the switch selection signal selected by the switch selection signal generation processing unit 523b is connected by a detachable connector. By connecting the switch selection signal input mechanism 524 to the connector, the microwave oven 800 can perform cooking according to the object to be cooked.

In this embodiment, connection between a male connector and a female connector has been described. I don't mind.

The cooking systems 100 to 500 of the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention are used in manned shops, and partially automate (semi-automate) a series of service flows from ordering to providing menus. has been exemplified, it is also possible to fully automate a series of services from menu ordering to provision. For example, when the cooking system is used in an unmanned automatic store as a take-out type of usage, the customer selects the desired menu according to the display of the dedicated menu screen installed in the unmanned automatic store, and the cooking target information A menu cooked according to the situation is automatically provided.

In addition, when the cooking systems 100 to 500 are used, for example, in an unmanned mobile vending vehicle with an automatic driving function, a customer selects a menu using a portable terminal such as a tablet, and menu information including information on a cooking target is transmitted to the cooking system. By doing so, it is possible to provide a menu cooked according to the cooking target information by an unmanned mobile vending vehicle that unmannedly tours predetermined locations.

Further, although the cooking systems 100 to 500 of the first to fifth embodiments of the present invention use a microwave oven as the cooking appliance, for example, when using an oven heating appliance, for example, it corresponds to "preheating". A switch selection signal corresponding to various operation switches including an operation switch specific to the oven heating device is generated, and cooking is executed based on the switch selection signal.

In addition, when a grill heating device is used, the cooking systems 100 to 500 include switches corresponding to various operation switches including operation switches specific to the grill heating device corresponding to, for example, "fillet" and "whole grilling" related to how to grill fish. A selection signal is generated and cooking is performed based on this switch selection signal. For example, if the cooking systems 100 to 500 are configured to include both oven heating devices and microwave ovens as cooking devices, the cooking target that requires heating in the microwave oven during preheating by the oven heating device is Execute heating cooking with a microwave oven. By doing so, efficient cooking can be performed in consideration of the characteristics of various cooking appliances.

The cooking systems 100 to 500, the cooking method, and the cooking program according to each embodiment of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to these, and may be a combination of each embodiment, or a combination of each embodiment. It is equally applicable to other embodiments, with modifications.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500 Cooking system 110, 210, 310, 410 Cooking target information acquisition device 111 Pole portion 112 Bent portion 113 Information acquisition unit 120, 520 Switch selection signal generation unit 121, 221, 521 Cooking control device 522a Switch matrix circuits 123, 523 Switch selection signal generation unit 123a Cooking content determination processing units 123b, 523b Switch selection signal generation processing units 124, 224, 324, 424, 524 Switch selection signal input mechanism 124a Switch operating member 124b Rotating support unit 124c Operation member drive unit 124d Rotation support shaft 124e Rotation shaft hole 124f Housing 126 System control unit 126a Ventilation processing control unit 526 Connectors 526a, 526b, 526c Connector 125 Storage unit 125a Item information/cooking content table 125b Cooking content/operation Switch table 130, 232, 332, 432 Transfer mechanism 131 Vertical movement mechanism 131a Guide post 131b Connection movement part 233, 333, 433 Tray 234, 334, 434 Transfer conveyor 132 Rotating arm mechanism 132a Rotating support part 132b Arm part 132c Cooking Object placement unit 132d Cooking object placing/moving units 140, 240, 340, 440 Vent part forming mechanisms 150, 250, 350 Door opening/closing mechanism 160 Additional information acquisition device 600 Head office management system 700 Freezer 710 Cooking object automatic supply mechanism 720 Supply conveyor 800 microwave oven 800a door 810 operation switch 811 switch matrix circuit 812 microcomputer 820 uneven table 830a, 830b connector F cooking target A cooking target information recording medium N communication network

Claims (8)

a cooking target information acquisition device that acquires cooking target information of a cooking target to be cooked by the cooking appliance operated in response to a plurality of operation switches;
a switch selection signal generation unit that generates a switch selection signal corresponding to the operation switch based on the cooking target information and inputs the generated switch selection signal to the cooking appliance;
A cooking system comprising
The switch selection signal generation unit
a switch selection signal generation unit that generates the switch selection signal based on the cooking target information;
a switch selection signal input mechanism that is detachably attached to the cooking appliance so that the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation unit can be input to the cooking appliance;
has
A cooking system, wherein the cooking target information includes at least cooking target identification information for identifying a type of the cooking target. The switch selection signal generation unit generates a switch selection signal in accordance with the cooking content determination processing unit that determines cooking content information based on the cooking target information, and the cooking content information determined by the cooking content determination processing unit. a switch selection signal generation processing unit;
The processing content determination processing unit refers to a cooking target identification information/cooking content table that associates at least the cooking target identification information and cooking content information, and generates cooking content information based on the cooking target information,
The switch selection signal generation processing unit refers to a cooking content/operation switch table in which at least the cooking content information and operation switches are associated, and generates the switch selection signal based on the cooking content information. The cooking system according to claim 1. The switch selection signal input mechanism includes a plurality of switch operating members that are driven between a pressed or contact position and a non-pressed position or separated position with respect to the operation switch,
3. The cooking system according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of switch operation members are controlled according to a switch selection signal generated by said switch selection signal generator. The control unit of the cooking appliance includes a control unit-side connector capable of receiving the switch selection signal,
3. The switch selection signal input mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the switch selection signal input mechanism includes an input mechanism side connector capable of transmitting the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation section to the control section side connector. cooking system. a ventilation part forming mechanism for forming cuts or through-holes for ventilation in the packaging material to be cooked;
a transport mechanism for transporting the object to be cooked;
a door opening/closing mechanism for opening and closing the door of the cooking appliance;
a look-up table setting mechanism for generating the switch selection signal;
A communication mechanism connected to a management server via a communication network and capable of transmitting and receiving control information for the switch selection signal generation unit, or
a terminal mechanism capable of setting control information for the switch selection signal generation unit;
5. The cooking system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising at least one mechanism of The switch selection signal generator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the switch selection signal based on the cooking target information is calculated by a neural network trained by machine learning. cooking system. a cooking target information acquiring step of acquiring cooking target information of a cooking target to be cooked by a cooking appliance operated in response to a plurality of operation switches by the cooking target information acquiring device;
a cooking appliance input step of generating a switch selection signal corresponding to the operation switch based on the cooking target information by a switch selection signal generation unit, and inputting the generated switch selection signal to the cooking appliance;
A cooking method comprising
The cooking appliance input step includes:
a step of generating the switch selection signal based on the cooking target information by a switch selection signal generation unit;
a step of inputting the switch selection signal generated by the switch selection signal generation unit to the cooking appliance by a switch selection signal input mechanism detachably attached to the cooking appliance;
has
A cooking method, wherein the cooking target information includes at least cooking target identification information for identifying the type of the cooking target. An automatic cooking program, wherein each step and each process in the automatic cooking method according to claim 7 can be executed by a computer.

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