WO2017178346A1 - Dispositif de détermination d'informations de dimension d'aliment à partir d'un article alimentaire chauffé - Google Patents

Dispositif de détermination d'informations de dimension d'aliment à partir d'un article alimentaire chauffé Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2017178346A1
WO2017178346A1 PCT/EP2017/058323 EP2017058323W WO2017178346A1 WO 2017178346 A1 WO2017178346 A1 WO 2017178346A1 EP 2017058323 W EP2017058323 W EP 2017058323W WO 2017178346 A1 WO2017178346 A1 WO 2017178346A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
food
food item
function
dimension information
cooking
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Application number
PCT/EP2017/058323
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Zhongchi LUO
Yafang JIN
Haitao FENG
Weimin Xiao
Original Assignee
Koninklijke Philips N.V.
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Koninklijke Philips N.V. filed Critical Koninklijke Philips N.V.
Publication of WO2017178346A1 publication Critical patent/WO2017178346A1/fr

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Classifications

    • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F24—HEATING; RANGES; VENTILATING
    • F24C—DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES ; DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION
    • F24C7/00—Stoves or ranges heated by electric energy
    • F24C7/08—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
    • F24C7/082—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination
    • F24C7/085—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices on ranges, e.g. control panels, illumination on baking ovens

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a device for determining food dimension information from a heated food item, to an oven for cooking a food item, to a method for determining food dimension information from a heated food item, to a method for cooking a food item, as well as to a computer program element and a computer readable medium.
  • the general background of this invention is the field of cooking of food products and devices and ovens used in such cooking. It can be difficult for users to determine at the onset of cooking, the optimal power setting for an oven and the optimal duration for which the food is to be cooked. This can be compounded when taking into consideration the variety of different food types to be cooked. In order to determine if a food item is cooked, or has achieved the desired degree of "doneness", a user, when following very generic heating instructions, often has to open the oven door and pull out the tray on which the food item is being cooked in order to observe the food appearance.
  • Core temperature monitoring through insertion of a probe into the interior of the food item, is a well-established and more convenient technique for automatically determining the "doneness" of a food item being cooked.
  • this often poses the risk of contamination and the food product can be under-cooked or over-cooked, and a suitable cooking process cannot be determined.
  • the problem of over-cooking or under-cooking happens when the probe is not correctly inserted into the food, for example not being inserted to the core of the food. The food also becomes damaged, as holes are necessarily made in the food.
  • Another technique for tracking the doneness of a food item being cooked utilizes weight loss.
  • the shape or other dimension information of the food item is very important.
  • different shapes result in different surface area/volume or aspect ratios. Consequently the weight loss, for these food items of the same weight, but different shape will vary significantly.
  • the dimension information can be measured by hand, through for example use of a ruler, however this is neither convenient nor accurate.
  • US2007/0288192A1 describes a method for cooking a cooking load.
  • the change in core temperature is used during the initial cooking phase to determine the size of the food, which is used to coordinate the subsequent progression of two cooking status parameters (e.g., core temperature and external browning) to reach their respective desired values simultaneously.
  • Dimensions of the food are assumed to be essentially equal in all aspects. Although in this prior art, if the shape of the food item significantly differs from "lumpy"shape, the dimension of the food item can be underestimated. As described above, this could lead to the food item not being cooked to the desired level of doneness.
  • a device for determining food dimension information from a heated food item comprising:
  • the object receiving unit is configured to receive a food item.
  • the input unit is configured to receive a food type for the food item.
  • the weight measuring unit is configured to measure a weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the processing unit is configured to determine food dimension information for the food item on the basis of correlation information for the food type and the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • food type here means any type of food for which a surface to volume ratio, or aspect ratio, or other dimension information can be determined as a function of weight change.
  • food type can mean common food species such as pork, beef, fish (and can mean specific types of fish e.g. salmon, cod), shrimp, chicken, carrot or potato or food such as French fries, or chips.
  • the food type can refer to a particular piece or "cut" of a food item, such as a whole chicken, chicken breast, drumstick, chicken leg, chicken wing, tenderloin, sirloin, ribeye, chop, belly, etc. Therefore, the skilled person will appreciate that food type can include the specie of food, for example chicken, and can further include the specific cut of that food. This means that food type can provide information that enables a determination of the compositions such as skin, bone and connective tissue that will affect weight change, through for example evaporation rate, and for which correlation information for that food type has been generated before-hand.
  • experiments can be performed for various food types of various shapes, sizes, surface to volume ratios, aspect ratios etc. For example, for various cuts of chicken including whole chicken, and for various cuts of beef, including for example rump steak of various thicknesses, experiments can be performed. Correlation information for these different food types can then be experimentally determined, enabling a database of correlation information to be generated. Then, from the measured weight of the food item as a function of time, with knowledge of the food type for that food item, in effect a specific piece of "correlation data" is generated for that food item.
  • This specific piece of correlation data (the measured weight of the food item as a function of time), for that food type, can then be referenced to the subset of the database of correlation information that relates to the same food type.
  • a match of this correlation data with the correlation information in the database selects the food dimension information in the database, which resulted in the matching information. This also determines the food dimension information for the food item.
  • the device enables food dimension information for a particular food type to be determined from the measured weight as a function of time during, for example, air frying.
  • the food dimension information that is determined can then be used to determine suitable cooking parameters, such as a cooking temperature or temperature profile, and/or a cooking duration. In other words, after the food dimension information has been determined, a more suitable cooking process can be selected.
  • suitable cooking parameters such as a cooking temperature or temperature profile, and/or a cooking duration.
  • a more suitable cooking process can be selected.
  • the determined food dimension information can also be used to track the level of doneness of the food item.
  • dimension information can be calculated.
  • the food dimension information can then be used to determine how best the food item can be cooked and/or determine when the food item has been correctly cooked (correctly cooked here equates to "doneness").
  • food dimension information is automatically determined, and this is useable to allow a later heating strategy to be adjusted accurately and in an uninterrupted fashion.
  • dimension information can be determined whatever the shape the food item takes.
  • the potential non-evaporative weight change for example due to dripping and spillage of water, melting of fat or flow of oil will lead to errors.
  • the measured weight change is desired to be due primarily to water evaporation.
  • measurement of weight change due to water evaporation is facilitated. This is because, potential non-evaporative weight change will not affect the weight measurement because the water and fat can be contained within the object receiving unit and where such dripping, spillage of water and melted fat will not lead to change in weight.
  • the change in weight is then determined primarily for the evaporation of water, thereby enabling a more accurate determination of food dimension information.
  • the device enables food dimension information to be determined at any stage during the cooking process, and is not limited to determining food dimension information during an early stage of cooking.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of weight loss information, for the food type.
  • the dynamics of weight loss during for example an early stage of heating, can be correlated with geometric information for different food types, enabling a measured weight loss for a particular item to be used to determine the specific geometric information for that particular item.
  • the specific geometric information then enables doneness detection and heating adjustment as necessary.
  • empirical data obtained for example from experiments
  • tabulated data of different food types can be used to determine food dimension information for a particular food item.
  • various food item types of different shapes and sizes can be subject to heating such that weight loss due to water evaporation occurs, and that weight loss as a function of time measured.
  • This information can be used to generate correlation information, from which comparison with measurement data for a particular food item can be used to determine food dimension information for the particular food item.
  • correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a first derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type; and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a first derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a maximum of the first derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for the at least one example of the food type.
  • the weight loss information comprises a weight loss rate.
  • a number of samples (or examples) of a particular food type and having known food dimension information can be heated and the weight loss measured as a function of time.
  • the first derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for these different samples having different food dimension information can then be determined, and a graph (or tabled information) (for example) of the food dimension information as a function of the first derivative of the weight loss as a function of time plotted (or tabulated).
  • the first derivative of the measured weight loss as a function of time can be determined, and by cross correlating with the graphical (or tabled) information the food dimension information for the food item can be determined.
  • plotting or tabulation of data is simply used to indicate that the data can be used to specify a correlation, where that correlation can be implemented within the processing unit without the need for a physical graph for example, as would be appreciated by the skilled person.
  • a characteristic point within the evaporation profile is selected, and this enables more accurate food dimension information to be determined.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a second derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type; and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a second derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of an average of the second derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for the at least one example of the food type.
  • the weight loss information comprises a weight loss rate acceleration.
  • a number of samples (or examples) of a particular food type and having known food dimension information can be heated and the weight loss measured as a function of time.
  • the second derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for these different samples having different food dimension information can then be determined, and a graph (or tabled information) (for example) of the food dimension information as a function of the second derivative of the weight loss as a function of time plotted (or tabulated).
  • the second derivative of the measured weight loss as a function of time can be determined, and by cross correlating with the graphical (or tabled) information the food dimension information for the food item can be determined.
  • plotting or tabulation of data is simply used to indicate that the data can be used to specify a correlation, where that correlation can be implemented within the processing unit without the need for a physical graph for example, as would be appreciated by the skilled person.
  • the food dimension information comprises one or more of the following: a surface to volume ratio; an aspect ratio; a thickness.
  • weight loss information such as weight loss as a function of time and/or the 1st derivative of that and/or the 2nd derivative of that or the data that forms the best correlation used.
  • weight loss information such as weight loss as a function of time and/or the 1st derivative of that and/or the 2nd derivative of that or the data that forms the best correlation used.
  • surface to volume ratio as a function of weight loss information provides the best correlation information
  • thickness as a function of weight loss information provides the best correlation information.
  • surface to volume ratio, aspect ratio, thickness can be used selectively depending on the food type and the form.
  • surface to volume ratio can be better for lumpy items, aspect ratio better for slab shapes (like steak), and thickness can be better for food items that are known to have extreme aspect ratios - like fries or chips.
  • the processing unit is configured to determine the food dimension information during an early phase of cooking of the food item.
  • the early phase of cooking means that there is free water present on the surface of the food item, which is progressively depleted with time.
  • the device determines the dimension information (for example the ratio of surface to volume) based on the sensing results of weight of the food during an early stage of cooking, which is used to modify or select the cooking parameters.
  • the dimension information for example the ratio of surface to volume
  • food dimension information such as the ratio of surface to volume, aspect ratio, or thickness
  • the evaporation rate of essentially free water during an early cooking phase can be used in combination with previously determined correlation data to determine food dimension information for the food item, and this food dimension information can be used again in combination with previously determined cooking temperatures and cooking times for differently sized examples of that food type, to determine the optimum cooking temperature and time for the specific food item, of that food type.
  • the evaporation of free water relates to that near the surface of the food item.
  • the device is configured to heat the food item or subject the food item to air convection; or the device or its object receiving unit is configured to heat the food item by means of convectional aided heating.
  • the free water on the surface of the food item could be evaporated more easily.
  • a clear weight change e.g. 2-3g
  • This could reduce the requirements for the sensor used. Meanwhile, this could shorten the time and reduce the temperature needed for the determination of the food dimension information.
  • an oven for cooking a food item comprising: a device for determining food dimension information from a heated food item according to the above described first aspect and optionally one or more of any of the described examples.
  • a signal feature of the measured weight loss profile corresponding to a particular food dimension information can be used as a criteria for doneness detection, and/or to provide the required cooking temperature and/or cooking time.
  • the processing unit is configured to determine a cooking parameter for the food item as a function of the determined food dimension information; and wherein the cooking parameter comprises a cooking duration and/or a temperature for the food heating unit.
  • the oven can calculate how long the food item will take to cook at the present temperature, or determine a new temperature for cooking the food item and calculate how long the food item will take to cook at this new temperature.
  • food dimension information e.g. surface to volume ratio, aspect ratio, thickness
  • previously acquired information relating to ideal cooking temperatures and/or cooking times for that food type having such a food dimension can be used to determine the cooking temperature and/or cooking time for the food item.
  • the oven comprises a de-moisturizer unit, and/or the oven is configured to provide a regulated temperature, and/or the oven is configured to provide a regulated air flow.
  • the evaporation conditions can be controlled thereby enabling more accurate food dimension information to be determined.
  • a stably regulated heater and ventilator can be provided to minimise the variation evaporation conditions.
  • heater power and ventilating fan power can both be regulated to stabilise the temperature and air circulation speed within the food heating unit at least in the initial cooking phase (early phase of cooking).
  • the oven can control the air speed, and/or control the air temperature, and/or control the air humidity entering the oven and this can enable more controlled evaporation conditions to apply, thereby enabling a more accurate determination of food dimension information, facilitating the oven to then operate appropriately to cook the food correctly.
  • a method for determining food dimension information from a heated food item comprising:
  • a method for cooking a food item comprising:
  • the method for cooking a food item comprises: b) determining a cooking parameter for the food item as a function of the determined food dimension information; and wherein the cooking parameter comprises a cooking duration and/or a temperature for a food heating unit.
  • a computer program element controlling a device or oven as previously described which, in the computer program element is executed by processing unit, is adapted to perform the method steps as previously described.
  • Fig. 1 shows a schematic set up of an example of a device for determining food dimension information from a heated food item
  • Fig. 2 shows a schematic set up of an example of an oven for cooking a food item
  • Fig. 3 shows a method for determining food dimension information from a heated food item
  • Fig. 4 shows a method for cooking a food item
  • Fig. 5 shows weight loss information for examples of food
  • Fig. 6 shows power fitting curves for different food dimension information
  • Fig. 7 shows food dimension information as a function of weight loss rate and weight loss rate acceleration.
  • Fig. 1 shows an example of a device 10 for determining food dimension information from a heated food item.
  • the device 10 comprises an object receiving unit 20, an input unit 30, a weight measuring unit 40 and a processing unit 50.
  • the object receiving unit 20 is configured to receive a food item.
  • the input unit 30 is configured to receive a food type for the food item.
  • the weight measuring unit 40 is configured to measure a weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the processing unit 50 is configured to then determine food dimension information for the food item on the basis of correlation information for the food type and the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the device enables food dimension information for a particular food type to be determined from weight loss during, for example, air frying.
  • the food dimension information such as for example surface to volume ratio, aspect ratio or feature dimension such as thickness, can then be used to determine the optimal power and duration for cooking of the food item.
  • the object receiving unit is configured to be heated. In this manner, the food item can be heated and suffer weight loss due to water evaporation for example.
  • the object receiving unit is configured to be held at a stabilised temperature for a period of time over which the weight loss of the food item is measured.
  • the object receiving item is configured to be heated thereby increasing the temperature inside the object receiving unit and then held at a stabilised temperature, and wherein the weight loss of the food item is measured over the period when the object receiving unit suffered an increase in temperature and was held at a stabilised temperature.
  • a food item can be placed into an object receiving unit and immediately the weight of the food item measured and the weight loss measured, from which the required operating parameters of the oven determined for cooking the food item, which can be a cooking time and/or a change in temperature of the oven, and/or a variable heating profile.
  • the food item can be placed into an object receiving unit that is "preheated” to a temperature at which the weight loss is measured, or the food item can be placed into an object receiving unit that is then heated and is then held at a stabilised temperature, with the weight loss being measured.
  • the object receiving unit is not held at a stabilised temperature, but is just heated and the weight loss measured.
  • the correlation information can be determined for a similar heating profile for various examples of this food type of known shape and size, and thereby the food dimension information for the particular food item can be determined.
  • the food dimension information can be determined for a food item placed into a food receiving unit (that could for example be part of an oven) and where this is determined during the initial heating up period of the oven (from "cold").
  • the device is separate from an oven.
  • the device can be used to determine food dimension information for a food item, with that food dimension information then later being used to determine optimum cooking parameters such as cooking temperature and cooking times.
  • the device can be integrated into an oven, and determination of the food dimension information can form part of the cooking process.
  • the device can be retrofitted to an oven, thereby converting the oven into a "smart" oven.
  • a weighing sensor (forming part of a weight measuring unit) is used to indicate the change to the weight, and through the sensed change in weight along with the food type input by the user, the dimension factor (or the ratio of surface to volume) can be calculated.
  • the measured weight of the food item as a function of time used for determination of food dimension information is measured over a period where there is expected to be only a minimal temperature rise of the food item - this can be termed an "early phase". In this manner, effects such as non- evaporative weight loss and varying evaporation conditions can be disregarded.
  • a user interacts with the input unit to indicate the food type, such as entering that the food type is chips, fish, or meat, or more specifically pork or steak or chicken or lamb or salmon or cod, or a specific vegetable type, or a particular type of product such as meat balls, or burgers, or sausages, or more specifically, beef meat balls, turkey meat balls, beefburgers, pork sausages, or a particular cut such as chicken thigh, chicken breast "whole chicken", Ribeye steak, rump steak - for example.
  • the input unit is configured to receive a food type through a user entering the food type into the input unit.
  • the input unit receives the food type automatically, for example through a camera acquiring an image of the food item and image processing being used to determine the food type for that food item, with this information being passed to the input unit.
  • the measured weight of the food item is converted into a relative weight, for example leading to a percentage weight loss as a function of time.
  • a starting weight is measured and subsequent weights are divided by the starting weight to determine a relative weight.
  • the temperature within the object receiving unit is substantially constant during measurement of the weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the device can operate with air/oil convectional (both natural and forced) aided heating, since water weight change will be relatively fast for these cooking methods.
  • air/oil convectional both natural and forced
  • evaporative water loss can be too slow before the temperature in the food gets to high levels and the food gets significantly cooked.
  • the device may not be suitable for operation with most aquatic cooking methods, because most water loss is not from the food body.
  • the weight measuring unit is configured to measure a weight of the object receiving unit as a function of time.
  • the food item can be correctly cooked to provide the required level of "doneness”.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of weight loss information, for the food type.
  • the weight loss information is used in the form of relative weights, for example percentage weight losses as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a first derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type; and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a first derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a maximum of the first derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for the at least one example of the food type.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a second derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type; and wherein the processing unit is configured to determine a second derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of an average of the second derivative of the weight loss as a function of time for the at least one example of the food type.
  • the average is a mean.
  • the food dimension information comprises one or more of the following: a surface to volume ratio; an aspect ratio; a thickness.
  • the correlation information comprises surface to volume ratios as a function of weight loss information.
  • the correlation information comprises aspect ratios as a function of weight loss information.
  • the correlation information comprises thicknesses as a function of weight loss information.
  • correlation information can relate to both surface to volume ratio as a function of weight loss information and thickness as a function of a less information.
  • correlation curves for both surface to volume ratio as a function of mass loss rate (and/or 1st derivative and/or 2nd derivative of that) and for thickness as a function of mass loss rate (and/or 1st derivative and/or 2nd derivative of that) can be utilised in order to determine food dimension information for the food item. This provides for robustness in the determined food dimension information values.
  • the processing unit is configured to determine the food dimension information during an early phase of cooking of the food item.
  • the food item is meat, for example steak or pork.
  • the food item is a chip or chips or fries.
  • the food item is a meatball or meatballs.
  • the device is configured to heat the food item or subject the food item to air convection; or wherein the device or its object receiving unit is configured to heat the food item by means of convectional aided heating.
  • Fig. 2 shows an example of an oven 100 for cooking a food item.
  • the oven 100 comprises a device 10 for determining food dimension information from a heated food item as described with respect to Fig. 1.
  • the oven comprises a food heating unit 110 configured to heat the food item, and optionally the food heating unit is adapted to heat the object receiving unit 20.
  • the device as part of the oven can heat the food element during an initial or early phase from which food dimension information is determined, and a food heating unit can further cook the food item - i.e., a second heating element can be provided for cooking if necessary, although there can be only one heating element.
  • the food heating unit is the object receiving unit.
  • the object receiving unit can heat the food item during an early phase to determine food dimension information and the subsequently cook the food item - this can be done with one heating element used for the first phase and the subsequent further cooking or can be done with two heating elements, one for the first phase and an additional heating element to be used for the further cooking stage.
  • the weight measuring unit is configured to measure the weight of the oven. In this manner, the weight measuring unit will measure the water loss during cooking caused by evaporation because other potential sources of weight loss such as dripping water, melted fat or movement of oil used in cooking the food item will not lead to a change in weight. In an example, the weight measuring unit is configured to measure the weight of the food heating unit. In this manner, if the food heating unit is configured to contain spilled water, melted fat etc, the weight measuring unit will measure the water loss during cooking caused by evaporation because other potential sources of weight loss such as dripping water, melted fat or movement of oil used in cooking the food item will not lead to a change in weight.
  • the determined food dimension information calculated during an early phase of cooking can be used to implement a 2nd phase of cooking where the rate of change of temperature of the food item follows the desired weight loss profile previously determined to be that which leads to a desired cooked product.
  • correlation information is determined for the oven.
  • the correlation information for the food type relating to weight loss as a function of time for examples of that food type, can be generated for particular models of oven.
  • the heating characteristics of different models of oven can be taken into account, where some ovens can change the temperature of the food heating unit more rapidly that other ovens - i.e., in other words some ovens can get hotter more quickly that other ovens.
  • this information can be incorporated within the correlation information, such that food dimension information of the food item can be determined during an early stage of cooking, providing an early determination of cooking parameters to be used for the remainder of the cooking process to ensure correct "doneness" of the food, and this can account for the particular oven being used, thereby enabling the determination of the cooking parameters from switching-on of the oven for example.
  • the processing unit 50 is configured to determine a cooking parameter for the food item as a function of the determined food dimension information; and wherein the cooking parameter comprises a cooking duration and/or a temperature for the food heating unit.
  • the oven is an air fryer.
  • the oven is a convection aided radiant heating oven.
  • the oven is a radiant heating oven that is not assisted by air convection.
  • the food heating unit 110 is configured to operate at a first temperature and configured to operate at a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is less than the second temperature. Cooking of the food item can then comprise operation of the heating unit at the first temperature and operation of the heating unit at the second temperature.
  • the processing unit 50 is then configured to determine the food dimension information on the basis of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time during a period when the food heating unit is configured to operate at the first temperature.
  • the oven is configured to operate at a first temperature prior to food loading (i.e., be pre-heated) and after the food is loaded, during a relatively short duration weight change is measured in order to determine food dimension information.
  • the oven is configured to operate at a first temperate after food loading in that heating is applied after food loading, and the weight change measured to determine food dimension information.
  • the heating is convection aided.
  • the ideal cooking temperature and cooking time can be determined from food dimension information determined when the oven is at a relatively mild temperature when weight loss is due to water evaporation and not due to the loss of melted fat or dripping water. To put this another way, when the oven is at a relatively low temperature the required higher oven temperature and cooking time can be determined.
  • the oven comprises a de-moisturizer unit 120, and/or the oven is configured to provide a regulated temperature, and/or the oven is configured to provide a regulated air flow.
  • the moisturiser unit is configured to stabilise the humidity of the atmospheric air entering the food heating unit.
  • a temperature probe is used to monitor the air temperature within the food heating unit.
  • Fig. 3 shows a method 200 for determining food dimension information from a heated food item in its basic steps. The method comprises:
  • a receiving step 210 also referred to as step a
  • a food item is received.
  • a receiving step 220 also referred to as step b
  • a food type for the food item is received.
  • a weight of the food item is measured as a function of time.
  • step d food dimension information for the food item is determined on the basis of correlation information for the food type and the measured weight of the food item as a function of time.
  • step a) comprises receiving the food item within an object receiving unit 20.
  • step b) comprises receiving the food type for the food item with an input unit 30.
  • the input unit 30 can receive the food type through a user inputting the food type, for example on a keypad, or the input unit can receive the food type through automatic detection of the food type, through for example image analysis.
  • step c) comprises measuring the weight of the food item with a weight measuring unit 40.
  • step d) comprises determining the food dimension information with a processing unit 50.
  • step c) comprises measuring a weight of an object receiving unit as a function of time.
  • the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of weight loss information, for the food type.
  • step d) comprises determining a first derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time; and wherein the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a first derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type.
  • step d) comprises determining a maximum of a first derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time; and wherein the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a maximum of a first derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type.
  • step d) comprises determining a second derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time; and wherein the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of a second derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type.
  • step d) comprises determining an average of a second derivative of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time; and wherein the correlation information comprises food dimension information as a function of an average of a second derivative of a weight loss as a function of time for at least one example of the food type.
  • the average is a mean.
  • the food dimension information comprises one or more of the following: a surface to volume ratio; an aspect ratio; a thickness.
  • step d) comprises determining the food dimension information during an early phase of cooking of the food item.
  • Fig. 4 shows a method 300 for cooking a food item in its basic steps. The method comprises:
  • a determining step 310 also referred to as step a) food dimension information is determined according to the method described with respect to Fig. 3.
  • a heating step 320 also referred to a step c
  • the food item is heated.
  • the method for cooking a food item comprise: b) determining 330 a cooking parameter for the food item as a function of the determined food dimension information; and wherein the cooking parameter comprises a cooking duration and/or a temperature for a food heating unit.
  • step c) comprises operation of a food heating unit at a first temperature and operation of the food heating unit at a second temperature, wherein the first temperature is less than the second temperature; and wherein step a) comprises determining the food dimension information on the basis of the measured weight of the food item as a function of time during a period when the food heating unit is operating at the first temperature.
  • step b) comprises determining the second temperature.
  • the second temperature is the temperature used to primarily cook the food item, where the food item may have been cooked to a certain extent during operation at the first temperature.
  • Air frying is a convection aided radiant heating method recently adapted for home cooking. It heats and dehydrates a food item from the out-side-in, using heated air. This leads to a fried texture and flavour on the food surface.
  • the presently described device, oven and methods provide a means for "doneness" determination and the automated accurate control of the air fryer. Water loss by evaporation and ventilation is used as an objective indication for cooking doneness, and this can be measured without contacting the food or viewing the food.
  • Food dimension information (such as surface to volume ratio, aspect ratio, thickness, cross-section) is automatically determined and this information can be used to determine how the food item should then be cooked further - i.e., for how long and at what oven temperature or oven temperature profile.
  • Air frying is an exemplary cooking method described here, but it is to be noted that the present described device and method for determining food dimension information from a heated food item and oven and method for cooking a food item have relevance to other cooking methods, such as conventional electric heated fan-assisted and non-fan assisted ovens, and rotisserie cooking systems for example.
  • a device, oven and methods are provided for automatically determining dimension information of the food from an early cooking phase, which enables cooking control to be implemented such as a later heating strategy that can be adjusted in an uninterrupted and accurate manner.
  • a doneness indicator such as the required duration and temperature the food item is to be cooked
  • food dimension information such as the ratio of surface to volume of the food item, is determined before or at early stage during cooking. This enables accurate doneness detection and heating adjustment.
  • the device, oven and methods can be applied throughout the cooking process and are not limited to such an early stage or phase of cooking.
  • the dripping, spillage and run off of melted fat takes place at higher temperatures, and this can be addressed by measuring a weight loss of the food item during an early phase of cooking, and at a mild temperature lower than that subsequently used for further cooking the food.
  • the variation evaporation conditions can be addressed through use of a stably regulated heater and ventilator.
  • the temperature need not necessarily be mild (or lower than that used to further cook the food) because the weight loss can during this early stage be primarily through water evaporation, thereby enabling food dimension information to be determined.
  • An air fryer cooking device based on convection assisted heating is utilized, where heating with substantially uniformity and equal efficiency in all directions can be assumed.
  • An oven such as a conventional oven can however be used.
  • the heater and ventilating fan power can be both regulated to (essentially) stabilize the temperature and air circulation speed in the heating chamber, at least during the initial cooking phase.
  • a temperature probe is used to monitor the air temperature.
  • the air inlet to the heating chamber is equipped with a de-moisturizer unit to stabilize the humidity of the atmospheric air taken in to the chamber.
  • a weighing sensor fixed to the body of the whole cooker measures the water loss of the item being cooked during cooking, where the weight loss is that due primarily to evaporation. This is because, if there is dripping water or dripping of melted fat, or flow of oil used in the cooking process this will not lead to a weight change because these fluids are contained within the oven and still contribute to the weight being measured.
  • a recipe menu forms part of an input unit that allows a user to choose a food type from a list of entries that can be auto-cooked.
  • the use can indicate that the food item is "chips", or “fries”, or “sausage”, or “meat balls”, or “meat”, or more specifically “beef, or “pork”, or “lamb”, or “chicken”, or “turkey”, or “burger”, or “fish”, or “steak”, or “bacon” or “vegetables”, or “potato”, or “carrot”, for example.
  • Other food types or specific sorts of food types are possible.
  • the food types in a simple model, are however taken to have thermal properties and water holding capacity that are substantially homogeneous and isotropic. More complex food types can however be taken into account.
  • a calculation unit is used to determine the surface to volume ratio or a geometric parameter of the food item (e.g. aspect ratio of certain shape) from the relative weight change profile during the regulated (temperature, speed, humidity) initial cooking phase. This determination is based on an empirical correlation determined previously.
  • the entry selected by the user of the food type is used to link to prior knowledge about weight loss as a function of time for that food type but having various shapes (cuboid, spheroid, ellipsoid, disk-like) and the applicable correlation for the food item.
  • a signal feature of the weight loss profile corresponding to the given geometric ratio is used as a criteria for doneness detection.
  • a heating strategy is optimized for the given geometric ratio that is used to result in a desired weight loss profile that has previously been determined to lead to a desired cooked product. For example, a particular temperature and time profile can lead to a desired weight loss profile that results in a desired cooked product.
  • the principle for estimating the dimension (geometric) information from evaporation rate is as follows.
  • the absolute evaporation rate is proportional to the total surface area of the food, whilst total weight is proportional to the total volume for a given food type (which determines the mean density). Therefore, the relative or percentile evaporation rate is essentially proportional to the surface to volume ratio.
  • R surface area to volume
  • the ratio is inversely proportional to the cubic root of volume. Therefore, the smaller the volume, the larger the ratio, and the quicker the moisture gradient will become uniform.
  • spheroid items such as a meat ball will have the lowest ratio R ⁇ 4.84-(l/V) 1/3 and need the most time for the inward temperature and moisture gradients to become uniform, compared with the same ground meat that is made into other shapes. Therefore, once "meat ball" is selected as the entry, during the initial cooking (early) phase the radius of the ball is determined from the initial weight loss profile.
  • the ratio will also be impacted by aspect ratio.
  • Fig. 5 shows percentile water loss (dWp (%), top row insets) and loss rate (dWp/dt (%/min), bottom row insets) during air frying (at 180 °C chamber temperature) of pork loin steaks of lcm (a), 2cm (b), 3cm(c) thickness.
  • the five lines indicate the moment when the food core temperature reaches 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 °C.
  • a 4-phase profile is exhibited due to the dynamic interaction between evaporation and outward water supplementation.
  • the initial phase where the initial or first or early stage or early phase of cooking is that during the approximately first 2 minutes of cooking for a lcm thick steak, when the first derivative of percentile weight loss (dWp/dt (%/min), bottom row insets) exhibits a negative gradient towards a minimum
  • the rate accelerates rapidly with even minor temperature rise, due to the presence of free water in raw meat.
  • the data shown in Fig. 5 can similarly be acquired for different thicknesses of pork loin steak, and for different cooking temperatures. Also, such data can be acquired for different shapes of pork loin, such as cubes, spheres, cylinders or any other type of shape. Furthermore, such data can be acquired not only for constant chamber temperatures but for varying chamber temperatures. Such constant or varying temperature profiles used for the determination of correlation information, can then be reproduced during the early heating phase of a food item in order to determine its food dimension information. It is also clear, that such data can be acquired for different food types, for example different types of meat, and/or processed meat such as meatballs or burgers or sausages, and chips or fries, or vegetables or fish for example.
  • this data can be used to create one form of correlation data, where for a particular food item of a particular food type and the determined food dimension for that food item (such as thickness of a pork loin steak) a cooking parameter such as a required chamber temperature and/or cooking duration and/or chamber temperature profile can be determined for the food item in order that the pork loin can be cooked to the correct level of "doneness".
  • a cooking parameter such as a required chamber temperature and/or cooking duration and/or chamber temperature profile can be determined for the food item in order that the pork loin can be cooked to the correct level of "doneness".
  • t (or T) is thickness
  • r is a average radius of the steak
  • TL (or RL) and rs (or Rs) are the "radii" of the steak in orthogonal directions, enabling non-circular steaks to be used.
  • Fig. 6 A broader statistic survey for the geometry parameters among the 30 samples of pork loin steak are given in Fig. 6, which shows that the surface to volume ratio has the highest dependence on thickness.
  • the surface to volume ratio has a slightly lower dependence on the aspect ratio range of 0.2-0.9 (i.e. not very flat), but little dependency on the cross sectional size.
  • the determined thickness (and/or thickness to radius aspect ratio) can then be used to determine a cooking parameter(s) such as a chamber temperature, cooking duration, and/or cooking temperature profile as discussed above with respect to Fig. 5.
  • Fig. 7 shows Least Square Linear Regression of steak thickness (a, c) and surface to volume ratio (b, d) with mean loss rate acceleration (a, b), and maximal loss rate (c, d) during initial cooking phase (defined here as the initial growth phase of loss rate, as shown in Fig. 5 lower insets - i.e., out to approximately 2min in Fig. 5(a) to the first minimum), respectively. Similar data can also be generated for thickness to radius aspect ratio, cross section, radius, as functions of loss rate acceleration and maxumum initial loss rate.
  • the evaporative weight loss can be measured as a function of time and the first or second derivative determined, from which a thickness of the food item (e.g., pork loin steak) can be determined - as shown in Fig. 7.
  • the cooking parameters such as cooking duration, cooking temperature, cooking temperature profile can be determined.
  • Other ways of determining the required cooking parameters could come from cooking manuals or cook books that detail for how long and under what conditions a food item having particular dimensions should be cooked. However, the determination of such food dimension information as discussed above facilitates this.
  • any integrated unit of a heating appliance can use the weight change obtained during a partial, early phase, of cooking to derive dimension information for the item being cooked.
  • the food dimension information can be surface to volume ratio, aspect ratio or feature size or feature thickness of the food item or substance being cooked, and this food dimension information can be used to inform how the food item should be cooked further. Therefore automatic cooking control, or guided cooking, is provided for an air fryer or other type of oven using radiant heating, which is either assisted by convection or is a non- convection oven.
  • a computer program or computer program element is provided that is characterized by being configured to execute the method steps of the method according to one of the preceding embodiments, on an appropriate system.
  • the computer program element might therefore be stored on a computer unit, which might also be part of an embodiment.
  • This computing unit may be configured to perform or induce performing of the steps of the method described above. Moreover, it may be configured to operate the components of the above described device and/or oven.
  • the computing unit can be configured to operate automatically and/or to execute the orders of a user.
  • a computer program may be loaded into a working memory of a data processor. The data processor may thus be equipped to carry out the method according to one of the preceding embodiments.
  • This exemplary embodiment of the invention covers both, a computer program that right from the beginning uses the invention and computer program that by means of an update turns an existing program into a program that uses invention.
  • the computer program element might be able to provide all necessary steps to fulfill the procedure of an exemplary embodiment of the method as described above.
  • a computer readable medium such as a CD-ROM
  • the computer readable medium has a computer program element stored on it which computer program element is described by the preceding section.
  • a computer program may be stored and/or distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.
  • a suitable medium such as an optical storage medium or a solid state medium supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems.
  • the computer program may also be presented over a network like the World Wide Web and can be downloaded into the working memory of a data processor from such a network.
  • a medium for making a computer program element available for downloading is provided, which computer program element is arranged to perform a method according to one of the previously described embodiments of the invention.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Electric Ovens (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif (10) de détermination d'informations de dimension d'aliment à partir d'un article alimentaire chauffé. Il est décrit comme recevant (210) un article alimentaire, et recevant (220) un type d'aliment pour l'article alimentaire. Un poids de l'article alimentaire est mesuré (230) en fonction du temps. Des informations de dimension d'aliment pour l'article alimentaire sont déterminées (240) sur la base d'informations de corrélation pour le type d'aliment et le poids mesuré de l'article alimentaire en fonction du temps.
PCT/EP2017/058323 2016-04-11 2017-04-07 Dispositif de détermination d'informations de dimension d'aliment à partir d'un article alimentaire chauffé WO2017178346A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

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CNPCT/CN2016/078981 2016-04-11
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EP16184622.5 2016-08-17
EP16184622 2016-08-17

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Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN113303658A (zh) * 2021-04-30 2021-08-27 广东美的厨房电器制造有限公司 烹饪装置的控制方法、烹饪装置和计算机可读介质
US11754292B2 (en) 2020-02-14 2023-09-12 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Heating cooker and heating cooking method

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EP1767860A1 (fr) * 2005-09-21 2007-03-28 Whirlpool Corporation Procédé de fonctionnement d'un four avec système de chauffage, système micro-ondes et système à vapeur
WO2007035851A2 (fr) * 2005-09-21 2007-03-29 Technology Licensing Corporation Procédé et appareil destinés à déterminer un type et une quantité de nourriture préparée par un appareil de cuisson
US20070288192A1 (en) 2004-10-29 2007-12-13 Rational Ag Method For Cooking A Cooking Load Including Cooking Items Of Varying Size, And Cooking Device For Carrying Out Such A Method
EP2930432A1 (fr) * 2014-04-07 2015-10-14 Indesit Company S.p.A. Four comprenant des capteurs de poids
WO2015185404A1 (fr) * 2014-06-06 2015-12-10 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Dispositif et procédé de cuisson d'aliment en fonction d'une prédiction de température centrale d'aliment

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20070288192A1 (en) 2004-10-29 2007-12-13 Rational Ag Method For Cooking A Cooking Load Including Cooking Items Of Varying Size, And Cooking Device For Carrying Out Such A Method
EP1767860A1 (fr) * 2005-09-21 2007-03-28 Whirlpool Corporation Procédé de fonctionnement d'un four avec système de chauffage, système micro-ondes et système à vapeur
WO2007035851A2 (fr) * 2005-09-21 2007-03-29 Technology Licensing Corporation Procédé et appareil destinés à déterminer un type et une quantité de nourriture préparée par un appareil de cuisson
EP2930432A1 (fr) * 2014-04-07 2015-10-14 Indesit Company S.p.A. Four comprenant des capteurs de poids
WO2015185404A1 (fr) * 2014-06-06 2015-12-10 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Dispositif et procédé de cuisson d'aliment en fonction d'une prédiction de température centrale d'aliment

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US11754292B2 (en) 2020-02-14 2023-09-12 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Heating cooker and heating cooking method
CN113303658A (zh) * 2021-04-30 2021-08-27 广东美的厨房电器制造有限公司 烹饪装置的控制方法、烹饪装置和计算机可读介质

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