WO2024100458A1

WO2024100458A1 - A smart cooking station and a method of operation

Info

Publication number: WO2024100458A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/050535
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sagar Harshadrai Damania
Original assignee: Sagar Harshadrai Damania
Priority date: 2022-11-10
Filing date: 2023-01-23
Publication date: 2024-05-16

Abstract

A smart cooking station and method of operation is disclosed. The smart cooking station comprises a vessel body for cooking food and a station body for supplying fuel to heat the vessel body. The vessel body and the station body are coupled with a detachable connection wire. Further, the station body comprises a microcontroller unit, a flow controller, a fuel pipe and a burner. The microcontroller unit determines the intensity of the fuel supply based on a temperature of contents inside the vessel body and an external temperature of the vessel body. The flow controller is configured to regulate the fuel supply to the vessel body based on the decision made by the microcontroller thereby allowing controlled flames to heat up the vessel body. The smart cooking station also comprises a real-time recorder to record recipes for cooking food. A user is provided timely instructions to prepare the recipes.

Description

A SMART COOKING STATION AND A METHOD OF OPERATION

EARLIEST PRIORITY DATE

This Application claims priority from a Complete patent application filed in India having Patent Application No. 202221064282, filed on November 10, 2022, and titled “A SMART COOKING STATION AND A METHOD OF OPERATION”

FIELD OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of smart kitchen appliances, and more particularly, a smart cooking station and a method to operate the same.

BACKGROUND

Cooking is an art of preparing food by combining, mixing and heating ingredients. There are many techniques to cook food. The most important techniques are placing the food in a cooking pot and heating by gas flame or electricity, placing the food on a tray in an oven and heating the entire oven by gas flame or electricity and exposing the food to radiant heat provided by gas flame, charcoal or electricity.

Specifically, cooking on a stove is relatively fast due to the direct heat transfer from the heat source through the bottom of the cooking pot into the food. In this method of heating food from the bottom, the food must be stirred or turned over from time to time to be thoroughly cooked. Furthermore, cooking in an oven takes a long time because there is no direct heat transfer from the heater to the food. However, this method is an advantage that in most cases the food does not need to be stirred or turned over, as heat is provided from all directions. Moreover, cooking the food using radiant heat gives a relatively fast heat transfer, but is suitable for certain modes of food preparation, such as broiling and grilling.

Turning to the subject of cooking, this has been a primarily manual operation throughout most of human history. Specifically, cooking on a stove requires constant attention that is time consuming and which in this distracted age, and with an aging population, is increasingly harder to come by. As the result of inattention, pots can boil dry and become damaged, food will overcook or burn, causing food wastage, smoke and other potentially dangerous airborne contaminants and possibly even fire. Occasionally, the automated cookware such as the induction cooker available in market provide presets for cooking various dishes. The presets provide a specific amount of current for fixed amount of time to cook the dishes. The users can vary the time in such cookers, but they do consider the temperature of the content. This causes the overcooking and/or undercooking of the food.

Further, conventional methods of cooking are fuel consuming as it involves a lot of wastage of fuel. A significant concern in the conventional methods is under-cooking, over-cooking and spillage of food which makes cooking messy. More recently, thermometers have been inserted into the food item to display the internal temperature of the food item. Such thermometers have a visual indicator that is triggered only when the internal temperature of the food item reaches a predetermined temperature. But such thermometers must be manually monitored by the cook regularly to avoid overshooting the internal temperature corresponding to the desired degree of cooking.

Hence, there is a need for an improved system and method for a cooking station that saves time and fuel during cooking and facilitates a hassle free and pleasant cooking process which addresses the aforementioned issue(s).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a smart cooking station is provided. The smart cooking station includes a vessel body for cooking food. A first thermal sensor is positioned inside the vessel body and is adapted to measure a real-time temperature of a content placed inside the vessel body. The content is one or more ingredients that is cooked by a user. The smart cooking station also includes a station body for supplying fuel to heat the vessel body. The vessel body and the station body are electrically coupled by a detachable connection wire through a magnetic plug. The station body includes a microcontroller unit, a flow controller, a fuel pipe and a burner. The microcontroller unit is hosted on a server and is configured to execute on a network to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules. The modules include a receiving module, a determining module, a shutter module and a real-time recorder. Further, the receiving module is configured to receive the real-time temperature of the content from the first thermal sensor. Furthermore, the determining module is configured to decide an intensity of the fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content, wherein the fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body thereby cooking the content in the vessel body. Moreover, the shutter module is configured to shut down the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content is cooked within the pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on a recipe. Also, the real-time recorder is configured to record a plurality of recipes wherein the recipes include a plurality of steps involved in cooking of the content from the user. The flow controller is positioned within the station body and is operatively coupled to the microcontroller unit by an electric wire. The flow controller is configured to regulate the fuel supply to the vessel body based on the decision made by the microcontroller unit. Further, the flow controller includes multiple intensity settings that aids to the regulation of the fuel supply during cooking of the content. The fuel pipe is positioned within the station body and mechanically coupled to the flow controller wherein the fuel pipe is adapted to supply the fuel to the vessel body in the form of controlled flames. The burner is positioned on top of the station body wherein the burner is adapted to produce the flames in response to the intensity of the fuel supplied from the fuel pipe. The station body also includes a second thermal sensor positioned at a mid-point of the burner and encapsulated with a ceramic cover to insulate from the heat of the controlled flames wherein the second thermal sensor is adapted to measure the external temperature of the vessel body.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for operating a smart cooking station is provided. The method includes obtaining, by a first thermal sensor positioned inside a vessel body, a real-time temperature of a content placed inside the vessel body for cooking wherein the content comprises one or more ingredients based on a recipe. The method also includes receiving, by a receiving module of a microcontroller unit, the real-time temperature from the first thermal sensor. Further, the method includes obtaining, by a second thermal sensor positioned at a mid-point of a burner, a real-time external temperature of the vessel body. Furthermore, the method includes determining, by a determining module of a microcontroller unit, an intensity of a fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content and on the real-time external temperature of the vessel body, wherein the fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body to cook the content. The method also includes regulating, by a flow controller positioned within a station body, the fuel supply to the vessel body, based on the determination of the intensity of the fuel supply thereby controlling the flames produced by a burner. The method also includes recording, by a real-time recorder positioned in the station body, a plurality of steps involved in the cooking of the content. The method also includes weighing, by a weighting scale, measurements of the plurality of ingredients based on the recipe. The method also includes shutting down, by a shutting module positioned in the station body, the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content is cooked within the pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on the recipe.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present disclosure, a more particular description of the disclosure will follow by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which are illustrated in the appended figures. It is to be appreciated that these figures depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting in scope. The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the appended figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of smart cooking station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a station body and a vessel body of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic representation of a first thermal sensor positioned in a vessel body in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computer or a server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of a sample of a recorded recipe in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method for operating a smart cooking station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and the figures may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the figures and specific language will be used to describe them. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the disclosure as would normally occur to those skilled in the art are to be construed as being within the scope of the present disclosure.

The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a nonexclusive inclusion, such that a process or method that comprises a list of steps does not include only those steps but may include other steps not expressly listed or inherent to such a process or method. Similarly, one or more devices or subsystems or elements or structures or components preceded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other devices, sub-systems, elements, structures, components, additional devices, additional subsystems, additional elements, additional structures or additional components. Appearances of the phrase "in an embodiment", "in another embodiment" and similar language throughout this specification may, but not necessarily do, all refer to the same embodiment.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. In the following specification and the claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which shall be defined to have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the discussion that follows, references will be made to “first thermal sensor”, and “second thermal sensor” with reference to a thermal sensor that is positioned within the smart cooking station. The ‘first thermal sensor’ is positioned within a vessel body and the ‘second thermal sensor’ is positioned within a station body of the smart cooking station.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram representation of smart cooking station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The smart cooking station (100) includes a vessel body (102) and a station body (106). The vessel body (102) is coupled to the station body (106) by a detachable connection wire (108). The connection wire (108) is typically an electric wire that is used for establishing electrical conductivity between two devices. Specific to the ongoing discussion, the two devices are the vessel body (102) and the station body (106).

Typically, the vessel body (102) is a type of cookware or cooking utensil used for cooking food. Examples of the vessel body (102) includes, but is not limited to, frypan, saucepan, stockpot, boiler and grill pan. In one embodiment, the vessel body (102) may be manufactured using materials, such as, but not limited to, steel, cast iron, aluminum, clay and other ceramics. The vessel body (102) includes an inbuilt first thermal sensor (104) that is adapted to measure the real-time temperature of a content placed inside the vessel body (102). The first thermal sensor (104) may also be referred as ‘first temperature sensor’ and is accountable to provide an accurate real-time temperature of the surface that it is exposed to, which can be used to monitor or control the said surface. In the following discussion, the ‘surface’ may be referred to the ‘content’ inside the vessel body (102). In one embodiment, the first thermal sensor (104) is a thermocouple. However, it should be noted that the first thermal sensor (104) may not be limited to the said thermocouple and can accommodate any other suitable temperature sensor. Further, the content placed inside the vessel body (102) may be defined as one or more ingredients that is used to prepare the food. In one embodiment, the one or more ingredients may be specific to a recipe, wherein the recipe includes a set of instructions for preparing a particular food.

The station body (106) is a structure that is accountable for supplying fuel to heat the vessel body (102). The fuel may be defined as a substance that is burned to produce heat, wherein the heat is required to cook the content inside the vessel body (102). Specific to the ongoing discussion, the fuel Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). LGP is liquefied under pressure and turns into gas once pressure is released.

Further, the station body (106) includes a processing subsystem hosted on a server (112). In detail, the processing subsystem is a microcontroller unit (110). In one embodiment, the server (112) may include a cloud-based server. In another embodiment, parts of the server (112) may be a local server coupled to a user device (124). The microcontroller unit (110) is configured to execute on a network (122) to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules. In one example, the network (122) may be a private or public local area network (LAN) or Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet. In another embodiment, the network (122) may include both wired and wireless communications according to one or more standards and/or via one or more transport mediums. In one example, the network (122) may include wireless communications according to one of the 802.11 or Bluetooth specification sets, or another standard or proprietary wireless communication protocol. In yet another embodiment, the network (122) may also include communications over a terrestrial cellular network, including, a global system for mobile communications (GSM), code division multiple access (CDMA), and/or enhanced data for global evolution (EDGE) network.

The microcontroller unit (110), positioned within the station body (106), includes a receiving module (114), a determining module (116), a shutter module (118) and a real-time recorder (120). The receiving module (114) is operatively coupled to the microcontroller unit (110) and is configured to receive the real-time temperature of the content from the first thermal sensor (104) and the real-time external temperature of the vessel body (102) from the second thermal sensor (150). The first thermal sensor (104) is inbuilt in the vessel body (102).

Further, the determining module (116) is operatively coupled to the receiving module (114) and configured to decide an intensity of the fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content. The intensity of the fuel supply characterizes the amount of heat required to heat the vessel body (102) to cook the content.

Furthermore, the shutter module ( 118) is operatively coupled to the determining module (116) and is configured to shut down the fuel supply to the vessel body (102) based on a pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on the recipe. For instance, let’s say 3 minutes is required to boil 1 litre of milk in the vessel body (102) after reaching a specified temperature. In such a scenario, the pre-defined time is 3 minutes and therefore upon completion of the said 3 minutes after reaching the specified temperature, the shutter module (118) is subjected to shut down the fuel supply. Consequently, the milk is boiled.

Moreover, the real-time recorder (120) is configured to record a plurality of recipes wherein the recipes include a plurality of steps involved in cooking of the content from a user. The real-time recorder may be operatively coupled to a database (126) to store the recipes, upon recording. Details related to the process of recording recipes is described in FIG. 5.

It must be noted that the smart cooking station (100) is configured with wireless integration with a user device (124). Examples of the user device (124) may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, desktop computer, portable digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, tablet, ultra-book, netbook, laptop, multi-processor system, microprocessor -based or programmable consumer electronic system, or any other communication device that a user may use. In some embodiments, the system may comprise a display module (not shown) to display information (for example, in the form of user interfaces). This enables a possibility of smart cooking and accomplishes several functionalities such as, real-time cooking notifications and uploading or downloading new recipes.

In one embodiment, the various functional components of the system may reside on a single computer, or they may be distributed across several computers in various arrangements. The various components of the system may, furthermore, access one or more databases, and each of the various components of the system may be in communication with one another. Further, while the components of FIG. 1 are discussed in the singular sense, it will be appreciated that in other embodiments multiple instances of the components may be employed. The details of the vessel body (102) and the station body (106) is explained further in FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a station body and a vessel body of FIG. 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The vessel body (102) contains a content (128). Typically, the content (128) is one or more ingredients pertaining to a particular recipe. The ingredients are combined at specific moments (brief time) and at specific quantities to make a particular dish. Further, the vessel body (102) includes a handle (130) that is designed to be held by a user to move or pick up the vessel body (102). The handle (130) includes the inbuilt first thermal sensor (132) positioned in the direction of the surface on the content (128). As mentioned earlier, the vessel body (102) and the station body (106) are linked through the aid of a connection wire (134, 138). Therefore, the connection wire appears from the first thermal sensor (132) withing the handle (130) and reaches a microcontroller unit positioned in the station body (106). However, it must be noted that the connection wire (134, 138) is detachable at the end of the handle (130) via a magnetic plug (136). In one embodiment, the vessel body (102) and the station body (106) may establish a wireless connection, for instance through Bluetooth and the like.

The station body (106) includes a microcontroller unit (110) and a flow controller (140) that are operatively coupled by an electric wire (134, 138), a fuel pipe (144), a burner (148) and a plurality of controlled flames (146). The microcontroller unit (110) is considered as the most vital component of the smart cooking station (100) and may be referred to as the “brain” of the smart cooking station (100). Specifically, the microcontroller unit (110) is accountable to make all decisions regarding the flow of the fuel to the vessel body (102).

The flow controller (140) is accountable to the supply and regulation of fuel to the vessel body (102). Typically, the supply and regulation of the fuel is based on the instruction from the microcontroller unit (110). The flow controller (140) has a wide range of different intensity settings (not shown in FIG. 2). Examples of the intensity settings includes, but is not limited to, minimum, medium and maximum. The minimum intensity setting is considered to be significantly lower than what is achieved in a conventional gas stove. In one embodiment, the intensity settings may be controlled manually just like the conventional gas stove. Such an embodiment is required during the recording of a recipe and also for elderly people who may not be familiar to present technology. In another embodiment, the intensity settings may be automatically controlled. Further, it must be noted that the smart cooking station (100) is integrated with both types of fuel supply regulation, namely the manual regulation and automatic regulation of the fuel supply.

The fuel pipe (144) is a hose or a pipe that is used to transfer fuel from a source to the vessel body (102). The source is typically a point of supply of the fuel. It is to be noted that the fuel pipe passes into the flow controller (140) thereby enabling the fuel supply to be regulated based on the decision made by the microcontroller unit (110). The burner (148) is a part of the smart cooking station (100) wherein the flame or heat is produced. Further, the mid-point of the burner (148) includes a second thermal sensor (150) that is configured to measure the external temperature of the vessel body (102). Additionally, the second thermal sensor (150) is coated with ceramic to insulate from the heat of the flames. In response to the regulation of the fuel supply, the burner (148) produces the controlled flames (146).

Further, the station body (106) includes a weighing scale to measure the ingredients for the plurality of recipes.

The detailed explanation of the first thermal sensor (132) is described in FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic representation of a first thermal sensor positioned in a vessel body (102) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The first thermal sensor (132) is inbuilt in the vessel body (102) and is encapsulated by an insulating ceramic (154). The insulating ceramic (154) is accountable to encapsulate the first thermal sensor (132) from the heat of the vessel body (102). The first thermal sensor (132) is accurate, waterproof, extremely durable and can sustain rough usage and are also washable. Further, the first thermal sensor (132) is clenched by at least two metal sheaths (152) on either side. The metal sheaths (152) are coupled to the vessel body (102) with the help of at least two rivet joints (158). The first thermal sensor (132) includes an exposed hot junction (156) that meets the content (128) in the vessel body (102). The exposed hot junction (156) is insulated from the metal body with the aid of the insulating ceramic (154). This allows the accurate measurement of the content (128). The exposed hot junction (156) is coupled to at least two conductors (160) wherein the two conductors (160) allow the measured temperature of the content (128) to pass from the exposed hot junction or thermocouple (156) to a connection at cold junction (162). The measured temperature may be referred as the ‘internal temperature’. Further, the measure temperature passes from the connection at cold junction (162) through the connection wire (134).

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a computer or a server in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The server (200) includes processor(s) (230), and memory (210) operatively coupled to the bus (220). The processor(s) (230), as used herein, means any type of computational circuit, such as, but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a complex instruction set computing microprocessor, a reduced instruction set computing microprocessor, a very long instruction word microprocessor, an explicitly parallel instruction computing microprocessor, a digital signal processor, or any other type of processing circuit, or a combination thereof.

The memory (210) includes several subsystems stored in the form of executable program which instructs the processor (230) to perform the method steps illustrated in FIG. 1. The memory (210) includes a microcontroller unit (110) of FIG.l. The microcontroller unit (110) further has the following modules: a receiving module (114), a determining module (116), a shutter module (118) and a real-time recorder (120).

In accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, a smart cooking station (100) is provided. The smart cooking station (100) includes a vessel body (102) for cooking food. A first thermal sensor (104) is positioned inside the vessel body (102) and is adapted to measure a realtime temperature of a content placed inside the vessel body (102). The content is one or more ingredients that is cooked by a user. The smart cooking station (100) also includes a station body (106) for supplying fuel to heat the vessel body (102). The vessel body (102) and the station body (106) are electrically coupled by a detachable connection wire (134,138) through a magnetic plug (136). The station body includes a microcontroller unit (110), a flow controller (140), a fuel pipe (144) and a burner (148). The microcontroller unit (110) is hosted on a server (112) and is configured to execute on a network to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules. The modules include a receiving module (114), a determining module (116), a shutter module (118) and a real-time recorder (120). Further, the receiving module (114) is configured to receive the real-time temperature of the content from the first thermal sensor (104). Furthermore, the determining module (116) is configured to decide an intensity of the fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content (128), wherein the fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body (102) thereby cooking the content (128) in the vessel body (102). Moreover, the shutter module ( 118) is configured to shut down the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content (128) is cooked within the pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on a recipe. Also, the real-time recorder (120) is configured to record a plurality of recipes wherein the recipes include a plurality of steps involved in cooking of the content (128) from a user. The flow controller (140) is positioned within the station body (106) and is operatively coupled to the microcontroller unit (110) by an electric wire. The flow controller (140) is configured to regulate the fuel supply to the vessel body (102) based on the decision made by the microcontroller unit (110). Further, the flow controller (140) includes multiple intensity settings that aids to the regulation of the fuel supply during cooking of the content (128). The fuel pipe (144) is positioned within the station body (106) and mechanically coupled to the flow controller (140) wherein the fuel pipe is adapted to supply the fuel to the vessel body (102) in the form of controlled flames (146). The burner (148) is positioned on top of the station body (106) wherein the burner (148) is adapted to produce the flames (146) in response to the intensity of the fuel supplied from the fuel pipe (144). The station body (106) also includes a second thermal sensor (150) positioned at a midpoint of the burner (148) and encapsulated with a ceramic cover to insulate from the heat of the controlled flames (146) wherein the second thermal sensor (150) is adapted to measure the external temperature of the vessel body (102).

The bus (220) as used herein refers to be internal memory channels or computer network that is used to connect computer components and transfer data between them. The bus (220) includes a serial bus or a parallel bus, wherein the serial bus transmits data in bit-serial format and the parallel bus transmits data across multiple wires. The bus (220) as used herein, may include but not limited to, a system bus, an internal bus, an external bus, an expansion bus, a frontside bus, a backside bus and the like.

FIG. 5a is a graphical representation of a sample of replication of a recorded recipe (learner mode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. A graph (300) depicts temperature (°C) on the Y-axis and time (minutes) on the X-axis. Basically, the graph (300) pictorial represents a plurality of steps (instructions) involved in the process of making food based on a recipe.

As a prerequisite, a user will connect to the smart cooking station (100) with his/ her user device (124) and selects a recipe. The user is then required to prepare the ingredients and its corresponding quantity by weighing the said ingredients. The user starts to prepare the dish on the ‘learner mode’. In such a mode, the flames will be automatically controlled to regulate the temperature of the content based on the temperature recorded in the recipe. When the content is cooked for a specific time and for a specific temperature, the user will receive a prompt on his user device. The prompt guides the user to add the next ingredient and regulates the temperature by automatically controlling the flame intensity, as the user clicks ‘next’. The cooking process is monitored, and the user is prompted to add subsequent ingredients. During this period, the system disclosed herein will automatically measure the time and temperature. At the end, the user will have a perfectly cooked dish by replicating the recipe based on information of time-temperature-ingredient. The following is a recipe learner wherein the user can replicate a dish with recorded recipes.

The user starts the cooking process by pre-heating the vessel body (232). Ingredient 1 is added (304) when the vessel body reaches an external temperature of 150 °C after pre-heating the vessel body for 0.5 minutes (302). Subsequently, the remaining ingredients pertaining to the list is added to the vessel body based on the following specific moments: a) Add ingredient 2 at 120 °C and at time 2 minutes (306). b) Add ingredient 3 at 110 °C and at time 3 minutes (308). c) Add ingredient 4 at 130 °C and at time 4 minutes (310). d) Add ingredient 5 at 90 °C and at time 7 minutes (312). e) Add ingredient 6 at 95 °C and at time 12 minutes (314). f) Add ingredient 7 at 82 °C and at time 22 minutes (316). g) Add ingredient 8 at 88 °C and at time 23 minutes (318). h) Add ingredient 9 at 95 °C and at time 24 minutes (320).

It is to be noted that the user clicks on “next ingredient” whenever he/ she adds the said ingredient in the vessel body. In this way, the smart cooking station will continuously record the temperature of the ingredients and time in between the addition of consecutive ingredients. Subsequently, the user will be notified on his/her user device when the dish is ready to be served. As a result, a unique recipe which is characterized by “time-temperature- ingredient” is accomplished.

FIG. 5b is a graphical representation of a sample of a recorded recipe (dish record mode) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. A graph (400) depicts temperature (°C) on the Y-axis and time (minutes) on the X-axis. Basically, the graph (400) pictorial represents a plurality of steps (instructions) involved in the process of making food based on a recipe.

As a prerequisite, a user will connect to the smart cooking station (100) with his/ her user device (124) and enable a ‘dish record’ mode. Further, the user is required to make a list of ingredients and its corresponding quantity in a chronological order. The chronological order specifies the order in which the ingredients are instructed to be put in the vessel body for cooking. The user can then start making the dish on a manually controlled flames. The user then selects a “next ingredient” just as ingredients are added in the vessel body. As a result, the system would continuously record the temperature of the content and time in between addition of consecutive ingredients. Therefore, the user provides the ingredient information. Finally, the user can stop recording once the dish is ready. At the end, the user will have a perfectly cooked dish. Further, the information of time- temperature-ingredient during the cooking process is recorded through the said ‘recorder mode’. This recorded information may later by utilized in a ‘learner mode’. Typically, the recorded information (may also be referred as recorded recipe) is saved for future use and can be shared with other users so that the exact same dish is replicated. The following is a recipe recorder wherein the user prepares the dish.

The user starts the cooking process by pre-heating the vessel body (102). Ingredient 1 is added (404) when the vessel body reaches an external temperature of 150 °C after pre-heating the vessel body for 0.5 minutes (402). Subsequently, the remaining ingredients pertaining to the list is added to the vessel body based on the following specific moments: i) Ingredient 2 is added at 120 °C and at time 2 minutes (406). j) Ingredient 3 is added at 110 °C and at time 3 minutes (408). k) Ingredient 4 is added at 130 °C and at time 4 minutes (410). l) Ingredient 5 is added at 90 °C and at time 7 minutes (412). m) Ingredient 6 is added at 95 °C and at time 12 minutes (414). n) Ingredient 7 is added at 82 °C and at time 22 minutes (416). o) Ingredient 8 is added at 88 °C and at time 23 minutes (418). p) Ingredient 9 is added at 95 °C and at time 24 minutes (420).

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart representing the steps involved in a method (400) for operating a smart cooking station in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method (400) includes obtaining a real-time temperature of a content placed inside a vessel body for cooking in step 410. The content includes one or more ingredients that is required to prepare the dish. The cooking temperature of the ingredients varies and therefore it is essential that the said temperature is monitored at specific moments during cooking. Further, it is mandatory that the ingredients are cooked at the right and appropriate temperatures to prevent harmful bacteria from growing and therefore reducing vulnerability of contamination. It may be deemed that the realtime temperature obtained is accurate.

It must be noted that a vital feature of the method disclosed herein is the real-time temperature feedback mechanism that prevents under-cooking and over-cooking of the food being prepared.

The method (400) also includes receiving the real-time temperature from the first thermal sensor in step 420. The real-time temperature obtained by the first thermal sensor is transmitted to the microcontroller unit of a station body.

The method (400) also includes obtaining a real-time external temperature of the vessel body in step 430. The real-time temperature of the vessel body is obtained by a second thermal sensor positioned at a mid-point of a burner on the smart cooking station.

The method (400) also includes determining an intensity of a fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content and on the real-time temperature of the vessel body in step 440. The fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body to cook the content. The intensity of the fuel supply maintains, increases or decreases the temperature of the content inside the vessel body.

The method (400) also includes regulating the fuel supply to the vessel body, based on the determination of the intensity of the fuel supply thereby controlling the flames produced by the burner in step 450. Every recipe requires to be cooked at fixed maximum temperature for certain amount of time to get the best taste and making sure the nutritional values are intact. Therefore, it is essential to regulate the fuel supply to the vessel body. Typically, the fuel supply is regulated by changing knob positions to minimize fuel loss. At low flow rates, the wastage is due to longer time in cooking and at high flow rates, the wastage is due to heat loss of the surrounding. The method disclosed herein aims at successfully minimizing the said wastage by optimizing the knob positions. In one embodiment, for a given temperature range, the most efficient flow rates with minimum loss are selected for cooking. Consequently, during the cooking process, the method disclosed herein keeps optimizing and changing the knob positions to minimize the loss of fuel.

The method (400) also includes recording a plurality of steps involved in the cooking of the content in step 460. At the ‘recording mode’, the smart cooking station requests the user to specify the ingredients and corresponding quantities. The said quantities may be measured with the inbuilt weighing scale positioned inside the station body of the smart cooking station. Specifically, the temperature of the content and the time taken in every step of the cooking process is recorded. Therefore, as a result, the recording makes the recipe unique and user specific. This recorded recipe may be uploaded and downloaded by other users (like family and friends). The recipe may be replicated every time and ensures that the same taste of the dish is accomplished every time.

In one embodiment, the user may select a preset recipe from his/ her user device. The user is then requested to prepare the ingredients based on the quantity required to cook the dish. The user can start preparing the dish under a “learner mode”. This initiates an autoregulation of the flame intensity and subsequently a sequence of instructions is given to the user. The contents are cooked for a specific time and temperature. The user is prompted to add the next ingredient while automatically measuring the time and temperature of the content. At the end, the user has a perfectly cooked dish by replicating the recipe based on ‘time-temperature-ingredient’ information. The instructions guide the user to bring out the best taste of the food and accomplish perfectly cooked recipe. It must be noted that the cooking process is fundamental based on temperature feedback and is independent of the amount of food being cooked.

The method (400) also includes weighing measurements of the plurality of ingredients based on the recipe in step 470.

The method (400) also includes shutting down the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content is cooked within the pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on the recipe in step 480. The smart cooking station facilitates an auto shut functionality that is accountable to auto shut the flames after the content has been cooked for a specific period of time at a desired temperature. In one embodiment, if a recipe requires the content in the vessel body to be cooked at 70 °C for 10 minutes, the smart cooking station ensures that the desired temperature of 70 °C is achieved and maintained for 10 minutes before auto shut is executed.

In another embodiment, when a recipe requires the content to be maintained at a certain temperature, the flow controller sets a minimum intensity setting that maintains the temperature. This feature is extremely useful because the temperature of the content (placed in the vessel body) does not increase beyond its boiling point and in such a scenario, with continued heating at high intensity flame, increase fuel loss. Therefore, the smart cooking station maintains the temperature at minimum loss.

Further, consider a scenario where the temperature of the content (placed in the vessel body) needs to be increased. In such a scenario, the flame intensity may be the deciding factor for fuel efficiency. There are two major factors that contribute to heat loss. The first factor describes that if the content (inside the vessel body) is at a higher temperature than the surrounding, heat loss occurs due to thermal radiation and convection. This heat loss increases with time. The second factor describes that at high flame intensity, a lot of heat is not utilized for cooking, as a result heat loss occurs. In light of the ongoing discussion, there is an ‘optimum flame intensity’ which can set to minimize the heat loss. This optimum flame intensity may be accomplished through the cooking process disclosed herein.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a smart cooking station that saves time and fuel during cooking. Approximately, 40% of fuel and 60 % of time takes goes into cooking is saved without compromising on taste and nutritional value of the food. The smart cooking station can also be controlled remotely from an application installed on a user device. The application provides recipes along with real-time cooking instructions to the users. The smart cooking station also provides an unmatched, remarkable and unique experience to make cooking hassle free and pleasant for users.

The techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented, at least in part, in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. For example, various aspects of the described techniques may be implemented within one or more processors, including one or more microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or any other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry, as well as any combinations of such components. The term “processor” or “processing subsystem” may generally refer to any of the foregoing logic circuitry, alone or in combination with other logic circuitry, or any other equivalent circuitry. A control unit including hardware may also perform one or more of the techniques of this disclosure.

Such hardware, software, and firmware may be implemented within the same device or within separate devices to support the various techniques described in this disclosure. In addition, any of the described units, modules, or components may be implemented together or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. Depiction of different features as modules or units is intended to highlight different functional aspects and does not necessarily imply that such modules or units must be realized by separate hardware, firmware, or software components. Rather, functionality associated with one or more modules or units may be performed by separate hardware, firmware, or software components, or integrated within common or separate hardware, firmware, or software components.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the disclosure and are not intended to be restrictive thereof.

While specific language has been used to describe the disclosure, any limitations arising on account of the same are not intended. As would be apparent to a person skilled in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.

The figures and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, the order of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein. Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts need to be necessarily performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts. The scope of embodiments is by no means limited by these specific examples.

Claims

smart cooking station (100) comprising: a vessel body (102) for cooking food comprising of: a first thermal sensor (104) positioned inside the vessel body (102) wherein the first thermal sensor (104) is adapted to measure a real-time temperature of a content (128) placed inside the vessel body (102), wherein the content (128) is one or more ingredients that is cooked by a user; a station body (106) for supplying fuel to heat the vessel body (102) comprising of: a microcontroller unit (110) hosted on a server (112) and positioned within the station body (106), wherein the microcontroller unit (110) is configured to execute on a network (122) to control bidirectional communications among a plurality of modules comprising: a receiving module (114) operatively coupled to the microcontroller unit (110) and configured to receive the real-time temperature of the content from the first thermal sensor (104); a determining module (116) operatively coupled to the receiving module (114) and configured to decide an intensity of the fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content, wherein the fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body (102) thereby cooking the content in the vessel body (102); and a shutter module (118) configured to shut down the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content is cooked within the predefined time at a desired temperature based on a recipe; a real-time recorder (120) configured to record a plurality of recipes wherein the recipes comprise a plurality of steps involved in cooking of the content from the user, wherein the plurality of recipes is recorded in one of a learner mode and a recorder mode; and wherein the vessel body (102) and the microcontroller unit (110) are electrically coupled by a connection wire (134,138), wherein the connection wire (134, 138) is detachable from the vessel body (102) through a magnetic plug (136); a flow controller (140) positioned within the station body (106) and operatively coupled to the microcontroller unit (110) by an electric wire (142) wherein the flow controller (140) is configured to regulate the fuel supply to the vessel body (102), based on the decision made by the microcontroller unit (110), wherein the flow controller (140) comprises of multiple intensity settings that aids to the regulation of the fuel supply during cooking of the content (128); and a fuel pipe (144) positioned within the station body (106) and mechanically coupled to the flow controller (140) wherein the fuel pipe (144) is adapted to supply the fuel to the vessel body (102) in the form of controlled flames (146); a burner (148) positioned on top of the station body (106) wherein the burner (148) is adapted to produce the controlled flames (146) in response to the intensity of the fuel supplied from the fuel pipe (144); and a second thermal sensor (150) positioned at a mid-point of the burner (148) and encapsulated with a ceramic cover to insulate from the heat of the controlled flames (146) wherein the second thermal sensor (150) is adapted to measure the external temperature of the vessel body (102).

2. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first thermal sensor (132) comprises: a metal sheath (152) coupled to the vessel body (102) and adapted to hold the first thermal sensor (132) in position to establish contact with the content (128) placed inside the vessel body (102); an insulating ceramic (154) configured to encapsulate the first thermal sensor (132) from the heat of the vessel body (102); an exposed thermocouple (156) configured to accurately measure the real-time temperature of the content in the vessel body (102); at least two rivet joints (158) adapted to fasten the metal sheath (152) with the vessel body (102) wherein the rivet joints (158) are positioned towards at least two end points of the metal sheath (152); and at least two conductors (160) operatively coupled to the exposed thermocouple (156) to allow the real-time temperature to traverse from the exposed thermocouple (156) to the connection at a cold junction (162).

3. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the station body (106) comprises a weighing scale to measure the ingredients during cooking, wherein the weighing scale is positioned on the station body (106).

4. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the real-time recorder (120) records each step of a recipe wherein the step comprises details of the ingredients, quantity of the ingredients, required temperature to cook the ingredients and time taken during each step thereby making the recipe specific to the user.

5. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first thermal sensor (104) is waterproof and durable to sustain rough usage of the vessel body (102).

6. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the flow controller (140) regulates the flame intensity of the burner (148) thereby regulating the temperature of the content inside the vessel body (102) to prevent under-cooking and over-cooking of the content wherein the flame intensity is maintained, increased and decreased thereby controlling fuel loss.

7. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the plurality of recipes is uploaded, shared and downloaded with one or more consumers.

8. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein one or more notifications are sent to a user via a user device (124) to mentor the user while cooking based on a desired recipe.

9. The smart cooking station (100) as claimed in claim 1 wherein the network (122) is operatively coupled to a database (126) to store a plurality of recipes.

10. A method (300) for operating a smart cooking station comprising: obtaining, by a first thermal sensor positioned inside a vessel body, a real-time temperature of a content placed inside the vessel body for cooking wherein the content comprises one or more ingredients based on a recipe (310); receiving, by a receiving module of a microcontroller unit, the real-time temperature from the first thermal sensor (320); obtaining, by a second thermal sensor positioned at a mid-point of a burner, a real-time external temperature of the vessel body (330); determining, by a determining module of a microcontroller unit, an intensity of a fuel supply based on the real-time temperature of the content and on the real-time external temperature of the vessel body, wherein the fuel supply is required to heat the vessel body to cook the content (340); regulating, by a flow controller positioned within a station body, the fuel supply to the vessel body, based on the determination of the intensity of the fuel supply thereby controlling the flames produced by a burner (350); recording, by a real-time recorder positioned in the station body, a plurality of steps involved in the cooking of the content (360); weighing, by a weighting scale, measurements of the plurality of ingredients based on the recipe (370); and shutting down, by a shutting module positioned in the station body, the fuel supply following a pre-defined time wherein the content is cooked within the pre-defined time at a desired temperature based on the recipe (380).