JP7592002B2 - Kitchen control system and alarm device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a kitchen control system and an alarm device that controls multiple kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process.

Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking appliance operation system that includes a tablet as a display means showing the cooking status of each cooking appliance based on the results of measurement by weight measuring means provided in cooking appliances (kitchen appliances) including a rice cooker, a warming appliance, and a rice serving appliance, and a control means that manages the cooking status of each cooking appliance based on the information displayed by the tablet. The tablet displays instructions to add rice when there is a shortage in each cooking appliance, displays disposal information based on the warming time of rice kept warm in the warming appliance, displays the cooking status of the boiling appliance, etc.

Patent Document 2 discloses a cooking support system that includes a processing unit that generates equipment information representing cooking appliances (kitchen appliances) such as a griddle or fryer and time information representing cooking time selected from food information based on order information, and an information presentation unit that presents business support information including food information, equipment information, and time information. Furthermore, the processing unit can generate cooking information that sets a cooking order according to group information or cooking time information associated with the order information, and have the information presentation unit present the cooking information.

JP 2017-217054 A JP 2021-099614 A

In a kitchen, multiple kitchen appliances are arranged to cook ingredients in a continuous and coordinated manner. For example, in the kitchen of a sushi manufacturing facility in a supermarket or in the kitchen of a large conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, a rice washer, rice cooker, vinegar mixer, and nigiri maker are arranged as a cooking kitchen appliance group that cooperates to make sushi rice. If the operation of each kitchen appliance in such a cooperative cooking kitchen appliance group is controlled based only on the cooking state of each kitchen appliance, the harmony in the kitchen appliance group will be lost and satisfactory cooked ingredients will not be provided. In many cases, each kitchen appliance requires pre-processing to hold or process the received ingredients for an appropriate time, and post-processing to hold the cooked ingredients for an appropriate time. Furthermore, the timing of receiving (putting) ingredients into each kitchen appliance and transferring (discharging) ingredients from each kitchen appliance must also take into account the cooking state of the kitchen appliance that is the previous process in the cooking process of the kitchen appliance and the kitchen appliance that is the next process in the cooking process of the kitchen appliance. In other words, each kitchen appliance must be controlled so that cooperative cooking is realized as a whole kitchen appliance group. Furthermore, in kitchen cooking operations, while the cooking performed by the kitchen equipment itself has been mechanized and automated, the coordination between kitchen equipment, i.e., the transfer of ingredients from the upstream kitchen equipment and the receipt of ingredients by the downstream kitchen equipment, requires the mediation and confirmation of kitchen workers. In order for unskilled kitchen workers to properly transfer ingredients to and receive ingredients from the kitchen equipment, notifications are required to encourage the upstream kitchen equipment to transfer ingredients and the downstream kitchen equipment to receive ingredients. However, the systems described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are not intended to notify the timing of receipt of ingredients to and transfer of ingredients from each kitchen equipment.

In light of this situation, the object of the present invention is to provide a kitchen control system and notification device that can coordinately control a group of kitchen appliances as a whole and notify the timing of the receipt of ingredients into each kitchen appliance and the transfer of ingredients from each kitchen appliance so that ingredients are cooked properly.

The kitchen control system of the present invention, which controls a number of kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process, includes a transfer time calculation unit that calculates the transfer time at which the ingredients processed in the kitchen appliance can be transferred to a kitchen appliance that is a subsequent process in the cooking process, an acceptance time calculation unit that calculates the acceptance time at which the kitchen appliance can accept the ingredients from the kitchen appliance that is a previous process in the cooking process, and an alarm device that notifies the kitchen appliance of whether the ingredients can be transferred and whether the ingredients can be accepted.

According to this configuration, the timing of receiving ingredients into each of the multiple kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on the cooking process, and the timing of transferring ingredients from each kitchen appliance, are determined taking into consideration the transfer and receiving times between the kitchen appliances that precede and follow each kitchen appliance in the cooking process. The results of this determination, that is, the state in which ingredients can be transferred and the state in which the ingredients can be received, are notified through an alarm device. Through this notification, kitchen workers can properly transfer ingredients to and receive ingredients from the kitchen appliances. As a result, the multiple kitchen appliances used in the cooking process that continuously cooks ingredients to turn them into dishes are controlled in a coordinated manner as a whole, and the ingredients are properly cooked.

In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the notification device is a display unit, and to identify the kitchen equipment on the display unit, an equipment display element capable of identifying the type of kitchen equipment is used, and the transfer status and the acceptance status are displayed in association with the equipment display element. In this configuration, the food transfer status and food acceptance status of each kitchen equipment are displayed on the display unit in association with an equipment display element (icon, symbol mark, illustration, pictogram, etc.) that can identify the kitchen equipment. This allows kitchen workers to grasp the food transfer status and food acceptance status of each kitchen equipment by simply glancing at the display unit, and to accurately perform the next required task.

The food transport availability status and food acceptance status attached to the equipment display element help kitchen workers understand the status of the kitchen equipment. In order to help kitchen workers understand more intuitively, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the acceptance availability status is displayed on one side of the equipment display element, and the transport availability status is displayed on the other side of the equipment display element. In this configuration, information indicating the transport availability status and information indicating the acceptance availability status can be displayed in correspondence with the flow of food through the kitchen equipment. For example, by displaying the transport availability status and the acceptance availability status in correspondence with the flow of food through the kitchen, kitchen workers can intuitively understand the transport availability status and acceptance availability status of each kitchen equipment.

When the transport availability and acceptance availability of multiple kitchen appliances are displayed on a single large screen of the display unit, there is a possibility that kitchen workers will mistakenly identify the kitchen appliances. In order to reduce such errors, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the appliance display elements are arranged in a sequence that matches the flow of the cooking process. If the appliance display elements representing each kitchen appliance are arranged on the screen according to the flow of the cooking process, the possibility of kitchen workers making mistakes in identifying the kitchen appliances is reduced. In another embodiment for reducing mistakes in identifying kitchen appliances, the appliance display elements are arranged to match the actual installation positions of the kitchen appliances in the kitchen. In such a display form of the appliance display elements, the arrangement of the appliance display elements on the screen of the display unit corresponds to the arrangement of the actual kitchen appliances, so that kitchen workers can easily match the appliance display elements on the screen with the actual kitchen appliances.

Since cooking using each kitchen appliance is becoming increasingly automated, once cooking has started, kitchen workers rarely need to operate the appliance until it is finished. However, it is convenient for understanding the cooking process if the cooking status of each kitchen appliance, for example, before cooking, cooking, cooking finished, remaining cooking time, etc., is displayed on the display unit. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooking status of the kitchen appliance is displayed in association with the corresponding appliance display element.

In the kitchens of large restaurants such as beef bowl restaurants and sushi shops, cooking must be done according to actual and anticipated customer orders. For this reason, it is preferable that the information reported by the notification device includes sales data, including actual order data and predicted order data. For this reason, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the notification device reports sales data from a POS system. This sales data can be obtained from the POS system. Of course, it is also possible to obtain sales data from devices other than a full-fledged POS system, such as electronic registers or order tablets.

The subject of the present invention also includes an alarm device that notifies the state of a plurality of kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process. That is, the alarm device according to the present invention notifies the state of a plurality of kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process, and notifies the state of whether the ingredients can be transferred and the state of whether the ingredients can be received in the kitchen appliance, which are generated from the transfer time when the ingredients processed in the kitchen appliance can be transferred to the kitchen appliance that is the subsequent process in the cooking process, and the receiving time when the ingredients can be received in the kitchen appliance from the kitchen appliance that is the previous process in the cooking process. Through this notification, the kitchen worker can properly perform the transfer work of the ingredients and the receiving work of the ingredients in the kitchen appliance. As a result, the plurality of kitchen appliances used in the cooking process that continuously cooks the ingredients to make the ingredients into a dish are controlled in a coordinated manner as a whole, and the ingredients are properly cooked. The contents of the other embodiments of the kitchen control system described above and their functions and effects are also applicable to the alarm device of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a kitchen control system. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating the flow of information between the kitchen appliances and the kitchen management computer. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen of a display unit. FIG. 1 is a basic configuration diagram of a kitchen control system that centrally manages kitchen appliances in multiple kitchens. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display screen in a kitchen control system that centrally manages a plurality of kitchens. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of a specific control configuration of a kitchen appliance.

Next, the kitchen control system according to the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows a basic configuration diagram of the kitchen control system.

In FIG. 1, four kitchen appliances 1 are shown that process ingredients based on a cooking process. The cooking process consists of a first cooking process, a second cooking process, a third cooking process, and a fourth cooking process. The kitchen appliance 1 that handles the first cooking process is given the symbol "A", the kitchen appliance 1 that handles the second cooking process is given the symbol "B", the kitchen appliance 1 that handles the third cooking process is given the symbol "C", and the kitchen appliance 1 that handles the fourth cooking process is given the symbol "D". For example, if the cooking process is to make sushi rice (small pieces of vinegared rice) from rice, the first cooking process is washing the rice, the second process is cooking the rice, the third process is mixing with vinegar, and the fourth process is nigiri, and the kitchen appliance "A" is a rice washer, the kitchen appliance "B" is a rice cooker, the kitchen appliance "C" is a vinegar mixer, and the kitchen appliance "D" is a nigiri maker. If the cooking process is a process of making fried rice from rice, the cooking process is composed of a first cooking process, a second cooking process, and a third cooking process, and the third and final process is the fried rice, and kitchen equipment "C" is a rice frier. Even if the cooking process is a process of making udon noodles from wheat flour, the number and types of kitchen equipment 1 will change, but the kitchen control system according to the present invention can be applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the initial ingredients (e.g., rice) are cooked in each kitchen equipment 1 along the flow of the cooking process, and become sushi rice as the final ingredient. Since sushi rice becomes nigiri sushi when sushi toppings are placed on it, a sushi topping holder may be used as the final kitchen equipment 1. Kitchen equipment 1 has the function of receiving ingredients, the function of cooking the received ingredients, and the function of transporting (discharging) the cooked ingredients. Here, kitchen equipment 1 used in a process preceding a specific kitchen equipment to which one sub-cooking process constituting a cooking process is assigned is referred to as a kitchen equipment preceding this specific kitchen equipment. Similarly, kitchen equipment 1 used in a process following this specific kitchen equipment is referred to as a kitchen equipment following this specific kitchen equipment. In the example of FIG. 1, kitchen equipment "A" is a kitchen equipment preceding kitchen equipment "B", and kitchen equipment "B" is a kitchen equipment following kitchen equipment "A" and a kitchen equipment preceding kitchen equipment "C". Kitchen equipment "C" is a downstream kitchen equipment of kitchen equipment "B" and is a upstream kitchen equipment of kitchen equipment "D". Kitchen equipment "D" is a downstream kitchen equipment of kitchen equipment "C".

As shown in the basic configuration diagram of FIG. 1, the kitchen is equipped with a kitchen management computer 5 for managing the above-mentioned multiple kitchen appliances 1 (hereinafter also referred to as the kitchen appliance group). The kitchen appliance group and the kitchen management computer 5 are connected to enable data exchange via a wired or wireless LAN, and appliance information indicating the appliance status and cooking status is sent from the kitchen appliance group to the kitchen management computer 5. Based on the appliance information received, a cooking management section 51 built in the kitchen management computer 5 detects the appliance status and cooking status of each kitchen appliance 1, as well as the interrelationship status of the kitchen appliances 1 that make up the kitchen appliance group, generates control information required by each kitchen appliance 1, and provides it to each kitchen appliance 1.

The kitchen management computer 5 is connected to an alarm device 6 that provides various information to kitchen workers, and the alarm device 6 is equipped with a display unit 60 for displaying information graphically. The alarm section 52 built into the kitchen management computer 5 generates alarm data that indicates the equipment status and cooking status of each kitchen appliance 1 detected by the cooking management section 51, the interrelationship status of the kitchen appliances 1 that make up the kitchen appliance group, and so on, and sends it to the alarm device 6.

The kitchen management computer 5 is further connected to the POS system 2 for data communication, and receives sales data including actual order data and predicted order data from the POS system 2. The POS system 2 is not just a large-scale system of communications and computers, but also includes an electronic register and order tablet. The cooking management unit 51 references the acquired sales data to generate control information for each kitchen appliance 1. The notification unit 52 also processes the acquired sales data over time, generates notification data indicating the sales status, and sends it to the notification device 6.

Next, using the functional block diagram of Figure 2, we will explain the flow of information (data) between the kitchen appliances and the kitchen management computer 5 in the basic configuration of the present invention described above.

Each kitchen appliance 1 is equipped with a control unit 4. The control unit 4 includes a cooking execution section 41, a receiving time calculation section 42, and a transfer time calculation section 43. The cooking execution section 41 issues execution commands to instruct the operating devices equipped to cook ingredients using the kitchen appliance 1 to execute cooking operations. For example, if the kitchen appliance 1 is a gas rice cooker, it issues execution commands such as igniting the gas, adjusting the gas flame, and turning off the gas. If the kitchen appliance 1 is a vinegar mixer, it issues execution commands such as dispensing the appropriate amount of vinegar and operating the stirring mechanism.

The receiving time calculation unit 42 calculates the receiving time when the kitchen appliance 1 receives ingredients to be cooked. This receiving time is the timing when the kitchen appliance 1 can receive ingredients from the kitchen appliance in the previous process of the kitchen appliance 1. For example, if one kitchen appliance 1 in the cooking process of making sushi rice from rice is a vinegar mixer, the previous process kitchen appliance is a rice cooker, and the timing when the vinegar mixer can receive the rice cooked in the rice cooker is the receiving time of the vinegar mixer. Various conditions are set for this receiving time, and the time when the cooking container of the kitchen appliance 1 becomes empty is not necessarily the receiving time. This is because the state (temperature, etc.) of the container that receives the ingredients and the temperature of the ingredients to be received are also factors for calculating the receiving time.

The transfer time calculation unit 43 calculates the transfer time of cooked ingredients in the kitchen equipment 1. This transfer time is the timing when the ingredients cooked in this kitchen equipment 1 can be sent to the kitchen equipment after this kitchen equipment 1. For example, if the kitchen equipment 1 in the cooking process of making sushi rice from rice is a rice cooker, the kitchen equipment after the process is a vinegar mixer, and the timing when the rice cooked in the rice cooker can be transferred (discharged) to the vinegar mixer is the transfer time of the rice cooker. Various conditions are also set for this transfer time, and the time when cooking is completed is not necessarily the transfer time. The temperature of the ingredients after cooking is completed, the quality retention period of the ingredients (steaming time in the case of cooking rice), etc. are also factors for calculating the transfer time. For example, if the kitchen equipment 1 is a rice cooker, the condition is set that the transfer time of cooked rice is after the steaming time has elapsed from the time of cooking and while the temperature of the cooked rice is maintained at a predetermined temperature or higher. Furthermore, if kitchen equipment 1 is a vinegar mixer, a condition is set that the vinegared rice is transferred to a subsequent kitchen equipment, a nigiri maker, after a specified waiting time has elapsed.

The receipt time calculation unit 42 of each kitchen appliance 1 sends the receipt time together with the identification information identifying each kitchen appliance 1 to the cooking management unit 51 of the kitchen management computer 5. Similarly, the transfer time calculation unit 43 of each kitchen appliance 1 sends the transfer time together with the identification information identifying each kitchen appliance 1 to the cooking management unit 51 of the kitchen management computer 5. The cooking management unit 51 determines the transfer of ingredients from each kitchen appliance and the acceptance of ingredients at each kitchen appliance based on the transfer time and acceptance time acquired from all kitchen appliances 1. The transfer of ingredients from a specific kitchen appliance 1 and the acceptance of ingredients at a specific kitchen appliance 1 are determined taking into account the acceptance time and transfer time of at least one or more previous process kitchen appliances located in the previous process of the cooking process with the kitchen appliance 1 as the base point, and the acceptance time and transfer time of at least one or more subsequent process kitchen appliances located in the subsequent process of the cooking process with the kitchen appliance 1 as the base point.

The cooking management unit 51 can give execution commands to kitchen appliances 1 capable of automatic or semi-automatic cooking control to instruct them to carry out cooking. The cooking management unit 51 can also perform group management so that kitchen appliances operate cooperatively based on equipment information such as transport time, receipt time, and cooking status sent from each kitchen appliance 1, and sales information sent from the POS system 2 (actual orders, advance orders, expected number of customers and expected orders according to the day of the week and weather, etc.).

In a kitchen control system configured in this way, the amount of final ingredients (e.g. sushi rice) that will be required in the future is predicted based on the day of the week, sudden changes in weather, and the number of customers, and at the same time, the cooking process, particularly the time for all cooking processes, is managed so as to maintain the deliciousness of the final ingredients. This management is carried out from the start of kitchen work to the end of kitchen work, and the amount of cooking carried out in each sub-cooking process is dynamically changed. For example, if there is a shortage of final ingredients near closing time, the cooking process is carried out with a specially calculated amount of initial ingredients.

In the basic configuration of the kitchen control system described above, the number of kitchen appliances 1 performing cooking in each sub-cooking process is one, but of course there may be more than one. In this case, in order to identify which kitchen appliance 1 cooked the ingredients in each sub-cooking process, the ingredients cooked in each sub-cooking process are sequentially assigned a sublot number along with the appliance ID of the kitchen appliance 1 that cooked them. Therefore, the final ingredient is assigned lot information consisting of a lot number consisting of the sublot number assigned in each sub-cooking process and the appliance ID of the kitchen appliance 1 associated with that final ingredient. The lot information is included in the cooking status managed by the cooking management unit 51. In this way, the kitchen management computer 5 can manage the cooking history of ingredients cooked in any sub-cooking step in the cooking process.

Based on lot information accumulated over a long period of time, it is possible to calculate the predicted time until the final ingredients can be provided from any kitchen appliance 1 that prepares ingredients in the sub-cooking process, to calculate whether the final ingredients can be provided as planned from the current number of orders, and to calculate the surplus amount of intermediate ingredients or final ingredients from the current number of orders and the predicted number of orders in the future. It is also possible to calculate the degree to which the stock of initial ingredients is decreasing, that is, the time to order initial ingredients. In this case, the time it takes for the ordered initial ingredients to be delivered from the supplier to the kitchen is also taken into consideration. Furthermore, if the stock status and stock period of initial ingredients are also included in the lot information, it becomes possible to check the stock status and stock period of ingredients abnormalities found in intermediate ingredients or final ingredients (such as the presence of foreign objects that have been ignored or defective products).

Furthermore, the cooking management unit 51 transfers the management information for the group of kitchen appliances, which should be notified to the kitchen workers, to the notification unit 52 for notification by the notification device 6. The information to be notified to the kitchen workers includes cooking status information, which indicates the cooking status of each kitchen appliance 1, transfer availability information, and acceptance availability information. The cooking status information includes "before cooking", "cooking", "remaining cooking time", "cooked ingredients in storage", "amount of cooked ingredients in storage", "cooked ingredients storage time", etc. The acceptance availability information indicates whether ingredients can be transferred (discharged) in each kitchen appliance 1, and the transfer availability information indicates whether ingredients can be accepted in each kitchen appliance 1. Since this information differs depending on the kitchen appliance 1, the identification information of the kitchen appliance 1 is attached to each piece of information.

The notification unit 52 generates notification data for displaying the given cooking status information, transport availability information, and acceptance availability information on the display unit 60, and sends it to the notification device 6. Note that the notification unit 52 also receives sales information from the POS system 2 that should be notified to kitchen workers, so the notification data also includes this sales information.

Figure 3 shows a schematic example of a display screen displayed on the display unit 60 based on the notification data. In this example, the cooking process is a process of making sushi rice from rice, which consists of four sub-cooking processes (rice washing, cooking, mixing with vinegar, and sushi), and one kitchen appliance 1 is used for each sub-cooking process. Note that the sub-cooking process of sushi rice may include a process of placing sushi toppings on small pieces of sushi rice.

At the top of the display surface, the equipment display elements 10 of each kitchen equipment 1 are arranged horizontally in the order of the cooking process. It is preferable that the shape of the equipment display element 10 resembles the shape of the corresponding kitchen equipment 1 so that the type of the corresponding kitchen equipment 1 can be identified, but in FIG. 3, the equipment display element 10 is simply a rectangle with the cooking content indicated in letters. The receiving arrow 61 shown on the left side of each equipment display element 10 and the transfer arrow 62 shown on the right side are flashing symbols that notify the receiving/non-receiving state and the transfer/non-receiving state determined by the cooking management unit 51, respectively. The flashing of the receiving arrow 61 notifies that the kitchen equipment 1 corresponding to the equipment display element 10 is capable of receiving ingredients and that the kitchen equipment 1 is requesting the receiving of ingredients. These two notification contents (acceptable state and requesting acceptance state) may be distinguished by the lighting color, flashing time, etc. When the receiving arrow 61 flashes to request the receiving of ingredients, it prompts the kitchen worker to put ingredients into the corresponding kitchen equipment 1. Similarly, the flashing of the transfer arrow 62 indicates that the kitchen appliance 1 corresponding to that appliance display element 10 can transfer ingredients, and that the transfer of ingredients from the kitchen appliance 1 is requested. These two notification contents (transfer possible state and transfer requested state) may also be distinguished by the lighting color, flashing time, etc. When the transfer arrow 62 flashes to request the transfer of ingredients, it prompts the kitchen worker to transfer cooked ingredients from the corresponding kitchen appliance 1. Note that, although the receiving arrow 61 and the transfer arrow 62 are arranged to the left and right of the appliance display element 10 in FIG. 3, they may be arranged above and below the appliance display element 10.

Located below the device display elements 10 arranged horizontally at the top of the display surface is a cooking status indicator light 63 that indicates whether the corresponding kitchen appliance 1 is "cooking", "cooking and storing" indicating that cooked ingredients are being stored, or "cooking completed". Located below the cooking status indicator light 63 is a cooking content field 64 that shows the content of the cooking status information of the corresponding kitchen appliance 1. The cooking content field 64 displays the cooking amount, remaining cooking time, type of cooking ingredients, amount of cooked ingredients, etc.

At the bottom of the display surface of the display unit 60, there is a sales content column 65 where sales details (order details) are displayed, and an emergency contact column 66 where trouble with the kitchen equipment 1 and instructions to kitchen staff are displayed. Sales details that can be displayed in the sales content column 65 include the cooking types and number of orders received in real time and the order time, cooking types and number of reservations and the scheduled delivery time, cooking types and number of reservations and the order time predicted by an order prediction simulation, etc. The order prediction simulation is performed using a mathematical model for each kitchen or store that estimates order volumes using factors such as the season, day of the week, and weather.

Other items that can be displayed in the sales details section 65 are listed below:
- Current order status (e.g. how busy the store is)
- Pedestrian movement around the store (provided by telecommunications carriers, etc.)
- The time until the ingredients being cooked in each kitchen equipment 1 are provided as final ingredients - The time until the initial ingredients in stock are provided as final ingredients - The relationship between the ingredients being cooked in each kitchen equipment 1 and the order - The history of the ingredients being cooked in each kitchen equipment 1 based on lot information - The cooking history of each final ingredient based on lot information - The estimated time until the final ingredients can be provided from any kitchen equipment 1 that prepares ingredients in the sub-cooking process These items are preferably displayed in the sales details column 65 in a separate window due to space constraints.

Other items that can be displayed in the emergency contact section 66 are listed below:
Regarding ingredients for which the provision of the final ingredients is delayed, the estimated time until the final ingredients can be provided from the kitchen equipment 1 performing each sub-cooking process, the surplus amount of intermediate ingredients or final ingredients calculated from the current number of orders and the predicted number of orders for the future, the timing of ordering initial ingredients, and information about any abnormalities found in the intermediate ingredients or final ingredients.Due to space constraints, these items are also preferably displayed in the sales details column 65 in a separate window.

The items that can be displayed in the sales details column 65 and emergency contact column 66 described above can be selected in advance. Multiple display units 60 may be prepared, and specific items may be configured to be displayed only on specific display units 60.

When a sales ID (order ID) is linked to the data of the notification contents notified in the cooking status notification light 63, cooking contents column 64, and sales contents column 65, the sales ID (order ID) or sales contents (order contents) are added along with the notification contents. In the example of FIG. 3, the equipment display elements 10 corresponding to each kitchen appliance 1 are arranged horizontally in the order of the cooking process, but they may also be arranged vertically in the order of the cooking process. Furthermore, the equipment display elements 10 may be arranged so as to match the actual installation position of the kitchen appliance 1 in the kitchen. This allows kitchen workers to easily grasp the positional relationship of the kitchen appliance 1 in the group of kitchen appliances and accurately perform the work of receiving and transporting ingredients in the kitchen appliance 1.

In the basic configuration shown in Figures 1 to 3, this kitchen control system is associated with multiple kitchen appliances 1, a kitchen management computer 5, an alarm device 6, and a POS system 2 in one kitchen facility. The kitchen control system of the present invention may be expanded into a large-scale kitchen control system that centrally manages kitchen management computers 5 installed in kitchen facilities in each region. The basic configuration of this expanded large-scale kitchen control system is shown in Figure 4.

In the large-scale kitchen control system shown in Figure 4, the kitchen management computers 5 and POS systems 2 shown in Figures 1 and 6 are installed in each of the kitchen facilities scattered around the country. Each kitchen management computer 5 is connected to a central management computer 9 that manages all of the kitchen management computers 5 and POS systems 2 via a data communication network such as a public data line or the Internet.

The central management computer 9 receives equipment information and cooking management information from the kitchen management computer 5 of each kitchen facility, and sales data from the POS system 2 of each kitchen facility. The central management computer 9 sends to the kitchen management computer 5 of each kitchen facility control conditions and operation plans for the kitchen equipment groups, messages for kitchen workers, and the like.

The equipment information sent from the kitchen management computer 5 to the central management computer 9 includes equipment information and cooking management information linked by a kitchen ID identifying each kitchen facility and an equipment ID identifying each kitchen equipment 1. The equipment information includes equipment status data that records the status of the kitchen equipment 1 over time and cooking data that records cooking performed by the kitchen equipment 1 over time. The cooking management information includes information exchanged between the kitchen equipment 1 and the kitchen management computer 5 that records the time of receipt, execution commands, cooking status, transport time, etc. over time.

The central management computer 9 includes an input/output processing unit 90, a monitor device 8, and a kitchen database 95 managed by a kitchen database management unit 94. In addition, the central management computer 9 includes a kitchen equipment management unit 91, a cooking management unit 92, a screen information generation unit 93, and a sales management unit 96 as application function units.

The kitchen equipment management unit 91 manages the kitchen equipment groups for each kitchen facility based on the equipment status data sent from the kitchen management computer 5. The cooking management unit 92 manages cooking for each kitchen facility based on the cooking data and cooking management information sent from the kitchen management computer 5. The screen information generation unit 93 generates screen information for displaying a monitor screen, which will be described in detail later, on the monitor device 8. The kitchen database management unit 94 stores and manages the data sent from the kitchen management computer 5 and the POS system 2 in the kitchen database 95 so that it can be extracted according to specified extraction conditions. The sales management unit 96 manages sales in the kitchen facilities based on the sales (order) data sent from the POS system 2. The sales management unit 96 also generates sales forecast information and order forecast information based on the sales data acquired so far.

Figure 5 shows an example of a display screen displayed on the monitor 80 of the monitor device 8 based on the screen information generated by the screen information generating unit 93. In this example, the central management computer 9 is installed at the headquarters of a sushi chain that operates stores over a wide area. A map of the area managed by the central management computer 9 is drawn as the background on the display screen. Store symbols 81 indicating stores that have kitchen facilities are placed on the map in accordance with their actual map positions.

A management screen 82 for the kitchen equipment in the kitchen facility corresponding to the store symbol 81 is displayed in a separate window adjacent to the store symbol 81. The management screen 82 can display various management information, one of which is the cooking status, acceptance status, and movement status of the kitchen equipment shown in FIG. 3, and the operating status of the kitchen equipment in a specific store can be ascertained from this screen. In addition, using the data stored in the kitchen database 95, it is also possible to graph and display the equipment status, cooking status, and sales (sales) of the kitchen equipment in a specific store over time.

The central management computer 9, which centrally manages stores spread across a wide area, manages the operating status of the kitchen equipment groups at each store and the sales status of each store over time, as well as the operating status and failure status of the operating equipment group 7A and cooking sensor group 7B of each kitchen equipment 1 at each store. Furthermore, maintenance inspection plans and failure predictions for each kitchen equipment 1 are also made using the data stored in the kitchen database 95.

Next, the general control configuration of the kitchen appliance 1 will be explained using the functional block diagram of Figure 6. This kitchen appliance 1 comprises a group of operating appliances 7A, a group of cooking sensors 7B, and a control unit 4. The group of operating appliances 7A includes operating appliances that operate to cook food. These operating appliances operate according to operation commands from the control unit 4 or control signals based on operation commands from kitchen workers. The group of cooking sensors 7B includes cooking sensors that detect the state of the operating appliances and the state of the ingredients being cooked. Sensor signals from the cooking sensors are input to the control unit 4.

The control unit 4 includes the cooking execution unit 41, the receiving time calculation unit 42, and the transfer time calculation unit 43 described above, as well as an input/output I/F 40, a cooking condition setting unit 44, and a communication unit 45.

The input/output I/F 40 performs input data processing to process the sensor signals from the cooking sensor group 7B and convert them into data in a form that can be handled by the control unit 4 and the functional parts of the kitchen management computer 5, such as equipment status data and cooking data. Furthermore, the input/output I/F 40 performs output data processing to send the execution command generated by the cooking execution part 41 to command the execution of cooking as a control signal to the automatically or semi-automatically controllable operating equipment group 7A. The operation command sent to the manually operated operating equipment group 7A is a lamp flashing signal or a buzzer alarm signal that prompts the kitchen worker to operate the corresponding cooking equipment.

The cooking condition setting unit 44 sets the above-mentioned conditions used when the receiving time calculation unit 42 calculates the receiving time and the above-mentioned conditions used when the transfer time calculation unit 43 calculates the transfer time. These conditions vary depending on the type of kitchen appliance 1 and the ingredients to be cooked, and can be set manually in the kitchen appliance 1, but can also be set remotely from the kitchen management computer 5 in which the conditions are recorded in advance.

The specific configuration of the kitchen equipment 1 varies depending on the type of the kitchen equipment 1. For example, if the kitchen equipment 1 is a rice washer, it is equipped with a rice washing tank, an agitation mechanism for agitating the rice in the rice washing tank, a water supply nozzle for supplying water to the rice washing tank, and a discharge section for discharging rice and water from the rice washing tank. Therefore, as the operating equipment group 7A, a motor for operating the agitation mechanism, an electromagnetic solenoid for adjusting the water supply nozzle, etc. are used. As the cooking sensor group 7B, a temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the water being supplied, a speed sensor for measuring the agitation speed of the agitation mechanism, a weighing sensor for measuring the weight of the water and rice in the rice washing tank, etc. are included. If the kitchen equipment 1 is a rice cooker, it is equipped with a rice cooker for cooking rice, a gas stove for heating the rice cooker, a lid for the rice cooker, a shutter for opening and closing the opening of the lid that can be opened and closed, etc. are included. Therefore, as the operating equipment group 7A, a gas regulator for adjusting the heat of the gas stove, a shutter motor for opening and closing the shutter, etc. are used. The cooking sensor group 7B includes a pressure sensor that measures the pressure inside the rice cooker, a temperature sensor that measures the temperature inside the rice cooker, and an opening/closing sensor that measures the opening/closing degree of the shutter.

When the group of kitchen appliances is composed of kitchen appliances 1 that perform a sushi rice cooking process, the kitchen management computer 5 manages each sub-cooking process that constitutes the sushi rice cooking process based on information from the control unit 4 of each kitchen appliance 1, particularly information calculated from the sensor signals of the cooking sensor group 7B. The sub-cooking processes include a measuring process in which the rice put in is measured using a measuring device, a rice washing process in which the rice is washed in a rice washer, a colander process in which the rice washed in the rice washer is placed in a colander, a water adjustment process in which the rice placed in the colander and the appropriate amount of water are set in the rice cooker, a soaking process in which the rice is soaked for a predetermined time in the rice cooker, a rice cooking process in which rice is cooked in the rice cooker, a steaming process in which the cooked rice is steamed in the rice cooker, a vinegar mixing process in which the steamed rice is mixed with vinegar in a vinegar mixing device, and a sushi rice supplying process in which the vinegared rice is supplied to a nigiri maker. The kitchen management computer 5 manages each of these processes, taking into consideration the cooking status and sales (order) status of the processes preceding and following the process in question, so as not to keep customers waiting and to avoid surplus ingredients. In the kitchen control system in which the kitchen equipment group performs the sushi rice cooking process, the timing of the acceptance of ingredients into each kitchen equipment 1 and the transfer of ingredients from each kitchen equipment 1 is controlled so that the rice as an ingredient is cooked properly.

[Another embodiment]
(1) This is an example of how the functional parts constructed in the control unit 4, the kitchen management computer 5, and the central management computer 9 in the above-described embodiment are divided, and the illustrated functional parts may be integrated or divided as desired. Furthermore, cooking processes may also be integrated or divided as desired.
(2) In the above-described embodiment, the control unit 4 of each kitchen appliance 1 exchanges data with the kitchen management computer 5 connected to each control unit 4, so that the kitchen appliances 1 cooperate with each other to perform the cooking assigned to each of them. In other words, the kitchen management computer 5 controls each kitchen appliance 1 in an integrated manner. Alternatively, the function of the kitchen management computer 5 may be given to the control unit 4 of each kitchen appliance 1, and the kitchen appliances 1 exchange data with each other, so that a distributed configuration may be adopted in which the kitchen management computer 5 is omitted and each kitchen appliance 1 cooperates with the other kitchen appliances 1 to control them cooperatively. In this case, the notification device 6 may be arranged to correspond to each kitchen appliance 1, or the notification device 6 may display an integrated display screen on the display unit 60 based on the appliance information or display data sent from each kitchen appliance 1.
(3) A plurality of display units 60 may be provided in the kitchen, or a small display unit 60 may be carried by a kitchen worker. The same screen may be displayed on each of the display units 60, or a dedicated screen may be displayed on each of the display units 60. Display data for a plurality of different screens may be sent to each display unit 60, and any of the different screens may be selectively displayed.

The configurations disclosed in the above embodiment (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided no contradictions arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. Appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is applicable to a kitchen control system that controls multiple kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process.

1: Kitchen equipment 10: Equipment display element 2: POS system 4: Control unit 41: Cooking execution section 42: Receiving time calculation section 43: Transfer time calculation section 44: Cooking condition setting section 5: Kitchen management computer 51: Cooking management section 6: Notification device 60: Display unit 9: Central management computer 8: Monitor device 80: Monitor 91: Kitchen equipment management section 92: Cooking management section 93: Screen information generation section 95: Kitchen database 96: Sales management section

Claims (8)

A kitchen control system that controls a plurality of kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process,
a transfer time calculation unit that calculates a transfer time when the food material processed by the kitchen appliance can be transferred to a kitchen appliance that is a subsequent process in the cooking process;
a receiving time calculation unit that calculates a receiving time when the food material can be received from a kitchen appliance that is a previous process in the cooking process in the kitchen appliance;
a notification device that notifies the kitchen appliance of a state in which the food material can be transferred and a state in which the food material can be received. The kitchen control system according to claim 1, wherein the notification device is a display unit, and in order to identify the kitchen equipment on the display unit, an equipment display element capable of identifying the type of the kitchen equipment is used, and the transport availability status and the acceptance availability status are displayed in association with the equipment display element. The kitchen control system of claim 2, in which the acceptance status is displayed on one side of the equipment display element, and the transport status is displayed on the other side of the equipment display element. The kitchen control system according to claim 2 or 3, in which the device display elements are arranged in a sequence that matches the flow of the cooking process. The kitchen control system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the equipment display elements are arranged to match the actual installation positions of the kitchen equipment in the kitchen. A kitchen control system according to any one of claims 2 to 5, in which the cooking status of the kitchen appliance is displayed in association with the corresponding appliance display element. The kitchen control system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the notification device notifies sales data from a POS system. An alarm device that notifies the status of a plurality of kitchen appliances that process ingredients based on a cooking process,
An alarm device that notifies the state of whether the food ingredients can be transferred in the kitchen equipment and the state of whether the food ingredients can be accepted in the kitchen equipment, which is generated from the transfer time when the food ingredients processed in the kitchen equipment can be transferred to a kitchen equipment that is a subsequent process in the cooking process, and the acceptance time when the kitchen equipment can accept the food ingredients from a kitchen equipment that is a previous process in the cooking process.

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