RU2824818C2 - Food cooking device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: food industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to food cooking devices. Device comprises a control system configured to: controlling the heating elements for a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; controlling the heating elements for a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid is lowered to a second temperature; control the heating elements for a third period of time to increase the power supplied to the heating elements relative to the power supplied during the second period of time, and determine the first, second and third time periods, as well as the first and second temperatures based on the input information, wherein the input information comprises an initial cooking time and an extended cooking time, wherein the initial cooking time is not less than the sum of the first time period and the third time period, and the increased cooking time is equal to the sum of the first, second and third time periods.

EFFECT: enabling the ingredients cooking without the need to leave them at temperatures promoting high growth rate of bacteria causing food poisoning, as well as provision of possibility of increased duration of food cooking process without overexposure of ingredients.

15 cl, 25 dwg

Description

Field of technology

[0001] The present invention generally relates to a food preparation apparatus.

State of the art

[0002] Typically, a cooking device (e.g., a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, an induction cooker, a low-temperature cooking device) may be configured to operate by heating a vessel to a predetermined temperature for a period of time until the cooking device is turned on. This heating method allows the user to leave the cooking device unattended. For example, the user may activate the cooking device at 7:00 a.m. to cook for 6 hours as required by the recipe and leave for work. However, by the time the user returns from work, for example, at 4:00 p.m., the ingredients may not be cooked properly due to the food product being cooked at a predetermined temperature for a long period of time.

[0003] Some cooking devices use a self-contained timer to delay cooking at the initial stage. However, ingredients may spoil at this stage. For example, delaying the cooking of chicken in an unrefrigerated environment such as a vessel may cause the chicken to spoil faster than at room temperature due to the high growth rate of bacteria that cause food poisoning.

The essence of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is essentially to overcome or at least reduce one or more disadvantages of existing devices.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, one or more heating elements are provided for heating a fluid; and a control system configured to: control said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; control said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid decreases to a second temperature; and control said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during the second period of time.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control system for a cooking device is provided, wherein the cooking device comprises one or more heating elements for heating a fluid, and wherein the control system is configured to: control said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; control said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid decreases to a second temperature; and control said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during the second period of time.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling a cooking device, wherein the cooking device comprises one or more heating elements for heating a fluid, wherein the method comprises: controlling said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; controlling said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid decreases to a second temperature; and controlling said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during the second period of time.

Brief description of graphic materials

[0008] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0009] Fig. 1 shows a schematic functional diagram of an exemplary food preparation device;

[0010] Fig. 2A and 2B show a schematic functional diagram of another exemplary food preparation device;

[0011] Fig. 3A is a sectional view of an embodiment of the exemplary food preparation device of Figs. 2A and 2B;

[0012] Fig. 3B is a sectional view of another embodiment of the exemplary food preparation device of Figs. 2A and 2B;

[0013] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the exemplary food preparation device of Figs. 2A and 2B;

[0014] Fig. 5A is a block diagram of an exemplary method performed by the exemplary food preparation apparatus of Fig. 1;

[0015] Fig. 5B shows an exemplary temperature profile used for the exemplary method of Fig. 5A;

[0016] Fig. 6A is a block diagram of an exemplary method performed by the exemplary cooking apparatus of Figs. 2A and 2B;

[0017] Fig. 6B shows an exemplary temperature profile used for the exemplary method of Fig. 6A;

[0018] Fig. 6C shows another exemplary temperature profile used for the exemplary method of Fig. 6A;

[0019] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a predictive food preparation system in which some embodiments of the present technology may be implemented.

[0020] Fig. 8A is a perspective view of an exemplary cooking device that may be implemented in the predictive cooking system of Fig. 7;

[0021] Fig. 8B is a front view of the exemplary cooking apparatus of Fig. 8A;

[0022] Fig. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary method of operating a processor-based predictive food preparation system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology;

[0023] Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary method of operation for determining a cooking program in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology;

[0024] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a typical method of operating a processor-based predictive food preparation system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology;

[0025] Fig. 12A is a graph depicting temperature values versus time for a fluid bath and internal temperature of a food product during conventional and predictive cooking processes;

[0026] Fig. 12B is a graph showing the input power to the heater versus time corresponding to the cooking temperature values shown in Fig. 12A;

[0027] Fig. 13 shows an illustration of a typical application interface for user input;

[0028] Fig. 14 is an illustration of a typical state application interface;

[0029] Fig. 15 is a functional diagram illustrating a general overview of the devices on which some embodiments may operate;

[0030] Fig. 16 is a functional diagram illustrating a general overview of the environment in which some embodiments may operate;

[0031] Fig. 17 is a functional diagram illustrating components that may be used in some embodiments in a system that utilizes the disclosed technology; and

[0032] Fig. 18 is an isometric view of an alternative exemplary food preparation apparatus.

Implementation of the invention

[0033] Where in any one or more of the accompanying drawings reference is made to steps and/or features designated by the same reference numerals, those steps and/or features have the same function(s) or the same principle(s) of operation for the purposes of this description, unless otherwise indicated.

[0034] Referring to Fig. 1, a schematic functional diagram of an exemplary cooking device 100 is shown. The cooking device 100 comprises a control system 102 and one or more heating elements 110. The control system 102 is configured to control the one or more heating elements 110 to heat a fluid.

[0035] In some embodiments, the cooking device 100 is a container cooking device 300a or 300b that includes a container (e.g., a slow cooker, a pressure cooker, a rice cooker, or the like), as shown in Figs. 3A and 3B. In other embodiments, the cooking device 100 does not include a container (e.g., an induction cooker 400, as shown in Fig. 4, or a low-temperature cooking device, as shown in Figs. 8A and 8B).

[0036] Together, Fig. 2A and 2B show a schematic functional diagram of another exemplary cooking device 200 corresponding to the cooking device 100 of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2A, the cooking device 200 comprises a control system 102 and the one or more heating elements 110 of Fig. 1. Additionally, the cooking device 200 comprises at least one output device 206, at least one input device 208, and a sensor 212. The sensor 212 detects a temperature of the fluid and transmits a signal indicative of the detected temperature to the control system 102. In some configurations, the control system 102 is configured to control the one or more heating elements 110 at least in part based on a signal received from the sensor 212. The fluid may be a liquid held in a container. The container may be a component of the cooking device 200. Alternatively, the container may be a separate component of the cooking device.

[0037] In the present example, the control system 102 comprises a memory 204 and a processing unit 205 (or processor) that is bidirectionally coupled to the memory 204. The memory 204 may be formed from a long-term semiconductor read-only memory (ROM) 260 and a semiconductor random access memory (RAM) 270, as shown in Fig. 2B. The ROM 270 may be a non-volatile memory, a read-only memory, or a combination of non-volatile and read-only memory. Although the control system 102 is described hereinafter as comprising the processor 205 and the memory 204, the control system 102 may also be implemented with various other types of control elements, such as electrical circuits comprising multiple electrical components (e.g., resistors, inductors, capacitors, switches).

[0038] The output device 206 displays information (e.g., a selected recipe, a cooking status, a remaining cooking time) to the user in accordance with signals received from the control system 102. Examples of the output device 206 include display devices, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), and sound reproduction elements.

[0039] The input device 208 receives user settings from the user. By manipulating the input device 208, the user can specify input information such as a power level, a recipe, a cooking time, and an extended cooking time by which the user wants the cooking to be completed. Examples of the input device 208 include a touch indicator panel physically connected to a display device to jointly form a touch display, as shown in Figs. 3A, 3B, and 4. In this way, such a touch display can function as one type of graphical user interface (GUI). Other types of input devices can also be used, such as push buttons, adjusting knobs, or rotary buttons used in conjunction with a display, as shown in Fig. 4.

[0040] The cooking device 200 may also include a communication interface 208 to enable wireless communication with a computer (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or the like) or a data network 220 via a connection 221. The computer is configured to control the cooking device 200 via the connection 221. The cooking device 200 is configured to receive one or more control commands from the computer, and the cooking device 200 operates in accordance with the received one or more commands. The connection 221 may be wired or wireless. For example, the connection 221 may use a radio frequency range or an optical range. An example of a wired connection includes an Ethernet network. Additionally, examples of wireless connections include protocols based on IEEE 802 family of standards (e.g. Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11; Zigbee IEEE 802.15.4), Bluetooth, Infrared Data Association (IrDa), LoRa, etc.

[0041] The methods described herein and hereinafter may be implemented using the control system 102, wherein the processes of Figs. 5A and 6A may be implemented as one or more software products executed in the control system 102. In particular, with reference to Fig. 2B, instructions in software 233 executed in the control system 102 affect the steps of the described methods. The software instructions may be formed as one or more code modules, each for performing one or more specific tasks. The software may also be divided into two separate parts, in which the first part and the corresponding code modules perform the desired methods, and the second part and the corresponding code modules control the user interface between the first part and the user.

[0042] The software 233 of the control system 102 is typically stored in the read-only memory 260 of the memory device 204. The software 233 stored in the ROM 260 may be updated from a computer-readable medium if necessary. The software 233 may be loaded into and executed by the processor 205. In some cases, the processor 205 may execute software instructions located in the RAM 270. The software instructions may be loaded into the RAM 270 by the processor 205 running a copy of one or more code modules from the ROM 260 into the RAM 270. Alternatively, the software instructions of the one or more code modules may be preinstalled in the read-only portion of the RAM 270 by the manufacturer. After placing the one or more code modules in the RAM 270, the processor 205 may execute the software instructions of the one or more code modules.

[0043] Fig. 2B is a detailed view of a control system 102 that includes a processor 205 for executing application programs 233 and a memory 204. The memory 204 includes a read-only memory (ROM) 260 and a random access memory (RAM) 270. The processor 205 is configured to execute application programs 233 stored in one or both of the connected memory devices 260 and 270. When the cooking device 200 is initially started, a system program located in the ROM 260 is executed. The application program permanently stored in the ROM 260 is sometimes referred to as "firmware." The execution of the firmware by the processor 205 can perform various functions, including processor control, memory control, device control, memory storage control, and a user interface.

[0044] The processor 205 typically includes several functional modules, including a control unit (CU) 251, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) 252, a digital signal processor (DSP) 253, and a local or internal memory device that includes a set of registers 254 that typically contain elementary data elements 256, 257, as well as an internal buffer or cache memory 255. One or more internal buses 259 connect these functional modules to each other. The processor 205 typically also has one or more interfaces 258 for exchanging data with external devices via a system bus 281 using a connection 261.

[0045] The application program 233 includes a sequence of instructions 262 - 263, which may include conditional branching instructions or loop instructions. The program 233 may include data used in executing the program 233. This data may be stored as part of the instruction or in a separate section 264 in the ROM 260 or RAM 270.

[0046] In general, a set of instructions is sent to the processor 205 and executed therein. This set of instructions may be organized into blocks that perform specific tasks or handle specific events that occur in the cooking device 200. Typically, the application program 233 waits for events to occur and then executes a block or code that corresponds to the event. The events may be caused in response to input from a user, via the input device 208 of Fig. 2A, detected by the processor 205. The events may also be caused in response to other sensors and interfaces in the cooking device 200.

[0047] Executing a set of instructions may require reading and modifying numeric variables. Such numeric variables are stored in RAM 270. The disclosed method uses input variables 271 stored in known areas 272, 273 in memory 270. Input variables 271 are processed to provide output variables 277, which are stored in known areas 278, 279 in memory 270. Intermediate variables 274 may be stored in additional areas of memory in areas 275, 276 of RAM 270. Alternatively, some intermediate variables exist only in registers 254 of processor 205.

[0048] In the processor 205, a sequence of instructions can be executed by repeated use of a fetch-execute cycle. The control unit 251 of the processor 205 maintains a register called the instruction pointer, which contains the addresses in the ROM 260 or RAM 270 of the next instruction to be executed. At the beginning of the fetch-execute cycle, the contents of the address of the memory indexed by the instruction pointer are loaded into the control unit 251. The instruction thus loaded controls the subsequent operation of the processor 205, for example, by loading data from the ROM 260 into the registers 254 of the processor, arithmetic combining the contents of a register with the contents of another register, writing the contents of a register to a section stored in another register, etc. At the end of the fetch-execute cycle, the instruction pointer is updated to the point of the next instruction in the system program code. Depending on the instruction just executed, this may involve incrementing the address contained in the instruction pointer or loading the instruction pointer with a new address for a branch operation.

[0049] Each step or sub-process in the processes of the methods described below corresponds to one or more segments of the application program 233 and is performed by repeated execution of a fetch-execute cycle in the processor 205 or similar programmable operation of other independent processor units in the food preparation device 200.

[0050] Fig. 3A is a sectional view of an embodiment of a cooking device 200. In the present embodiment, the cooking device is a multicooker 300a. However, the cooking device may be a variety of other types of cooking devices, such as a pressure cooker or a rice cooker. The cooking device 300a comprises a base 314, a container 316 configured to retain a fluid, and a lid 318. The base 314 has a lower portion 320 and a side wall portion 322 extending upward from the lower portion 320 toward an opening 324 so as to define a space 326. The container 316 is configured to be removably received in the space 326.

[0051] The cooking device 300a comprises one or more heating elements 310 for heating the fluid. Said one of the larger number of heating elements 310 refers to the heating elements 110 of Fig. 1. In the present configuration, said one or more heating elements 310 are connected to the lower part 320. In an alternative configuration, said one or more heating elements 310 are connected to the part 322 of the side wall, as shown for the cooking device 300b in Fig. 3B.

[0052] The cooking device 300a comprises a control interface 328 and a sensor 312. The sensor 312 is connected to the base 314 and is configured to detect a temperature of the fluid and to transmit a signal reflecting the detected temperature to the control interface 328. The control interface 328 comprises the control system 102 and at least partially the input device 208 and the output device 206 of Fig. 2A. The control interface 328 is connected to the sensor 312 and said one or more heating elements 310, and is also configured to receive a signal transmitted by the sensor 312 and to control said one of the larger number of heating elements 310 for heating the fluid based on the received signal.

[0053] Fig. 3B is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment 300b of the exemplary cooking device 200.

[0054] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a cooking device 200. In the present embodiment, the cooking device is an induction cooker 400. The induction cooker 400 includes a base 414 and a control interface 428. In the example of Fig. 4, a container (not shown) is placed on the base 414 to hold a fluid. The control interface 428 includes the control system 102 and at least partially the input device 208 and the output device 206 of Fig. 2A. The base 414 includes one or more heating elements (not shown) for heating the fluid. The base 414 further includes a sensor (not shown) for detecting the temperature of the fluid and transmitting a signal reflecting the detected temperature to the control interface 428.

[0055] Fig. 5A shows an example method 500 performed by a cooking device 100. In the present example, the cooking device may be a multicooker comprising a container configured to hold a fluid. However, the cooking device may be cooking devices with a container of various other types, such as a pressure cooker or a rice cooker. The cooking device may be an induction cooker or a low-temperature cooking device that does not comprise a container. The cooking device 100 cooks food according to a temperature profile comprising three stages, for example, a temperature profile 520, as shown in Fig. 5B. In each stage, the control system 102 controls said one or more heating elements 110 to operate at a certain temperature for a certain period of time. The method 500 begins with step 502. In step 502, said one or more heating elements 110 are controlled during a first period of time t51 to heat the fluid to a first temperature T51. For ingredients such as meat, the temperature T51 may be 94°C, for example. The method 500 proceeds from step 502 to step 504. In step 504, the control system 102 controls said one or more heating elements 110 during a second period of time t52 so that the temperature of the fluid decreases to a second temperature T52. The second temperature T52 is less than the first temperature T51. For ingredients such as meat, the temperature T52 may be 70°C, for example. It should be understood that in all examples described in this document, controlling said one or more heating elements 110 during this second period of time may mean supplying a smaller amount of electric power to said one or more heating elements compared to the first period of time, or, in some case, not supplying electric power to said one or more heating elements during the second period of time. The method 500 proceeds from step 504 to step 506. In step 506, the control system 102 controls said one or more heating elements 110 during the third period of time t53 to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements 110 relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements 110 during the second period of time t52. In some cases, this may result in increasing the temperature of the fluid to a third temperature T53, wherein the third temperature T53 is greater than the second temperature T52. For ingredients such as meat, the temperature T53 may be 94°C, for example. In other cases, increasing the power supplied to said one or more heating elements 110 may result in maintaining the temperature of the fluid at the value T52. The method 500 ends with step 506. Depending on the type of ingredients, the choice of recipe and/or the type of cooking method used, different temperatures and time periods may be used.

[0056] Referring to Fig. 5B, an example temperature profile 520 is shown. In the example of Fig. 5B, the first, second, and third temperatures T51, T52, and T53 are 94°C, 70°C, and 94°C, respectively, and the first, second, and third time periods t51, t52, and t53 are 4.264 hours, 4.67 hours, and 1.066 hours, respectively.

[0057] Fig. 6A shows an example method 600 performed by a cooking device 200. In the present example, the cooking device is a multicooker that includes a container for holding a fluid. However, the cooking device may be a cooking device of various other types, such as a pressure cooker and a rice cooker. The cooking device may also be an induction cooker or a low-temperature cooking device that does not include a container. The cooking device 200 cooks food in accordance with a temperature profile, such as a temperature profile 620, as shown in Fig. 6B. The method 600 begins with step 602. In step 602, the at least one input device 208 receives input information indicating, for example, a recipe from a user, transmitted to the control system 102. The input information may include, for example, the initial cooking time and, if necessary, the extended cooking time by which the user wishes the cooking to be completed. The maximum extended cooking time may be limited to 12 hours, for example. In other configurations, the input information includes the selection of a recipe corresponding to the initial cooking time. Said at least one input device 208 is, for example, an adjustment knob, several push buttons, a touch screen, or a combination thereof.

[0058] In an alternative embodiment, the control system 102 receives input information via the data network 220 from a user device (e.g., a mobile phone, tablet, or the like).

[0059] The method 600 proceeds from step 602 to step 604. In step 604, the control system 102 determines the first, second and third time periods t61, t62 and t63, as well as the first, second and third temperatures T61, T62 and T63 based on the received input information. In one embodiment, the control system 102 may use a look-up table stored in the memory 204 based on the values of the initial and extended cooking times to determine the first, second and third time periods t61, t62 and t63, as well as the values of the first, second, third temperatures T61, T62 and T63. The second temperature T62 is less than the first temperature T61. The third temperature T63 is greater than the second temperature T62. The sum of the first period t61 time and the third period t63 time does not exceed the original cooking time, and the sum of the first, second and third periods t61, t62 and t63 time is equal to the extended cooking time. Different temperature values and time periods may be used depending on the type of ingredients or the choice of recipe.

[0060] The method 600 proceeds from step 604 to step 606. In step 606, the control system 102 controls the one or more heating elements for a first period of time t61 to heat the fluid to a first temperature T61. The method 600 proceeds from step 606 to step 608. In step 608, the control system 102 controls the one or more heating elements 110 for a second period of time t62 to heat the fluid to a second temperature T62. The method 600 proceeds from step 504 to step 506. In step 506, the control system 102 controls the one or more heating elements 110 for a third period of time t63 to heat the fluid to a third temperature. The method proceeds from step 610 to step 612. At step 612, information about the completion of cooking is displayed by the output device 206 to the user, and the method 600 is completed.

[0061] In another configuration, the method 600 comprises an additional preheating step 605. In the present configuration, step 604 proceeds to the preheating step 605 before proceeding to step 606. In step 605, the control system 102 controls the one or more heating elements 110 to operate at one or more preheating temperatures Tjpre for a corresponding one or more time periods. For example, as shown in Fig. 6B, the control system 102 controls the one or more heating elements 110 to preheat the fluid to a temperature T-pre for a time period t_pre. Although the temperature T_pre has been described as having a constant value, the temperature T_pre may also be adjusted to have a step value or a series of step values corresponding to the corresponding time periods, as shown in Fig. 6C, for example. In particular, the one or more temperatures may include T_pre1 and T_pre2, which are maintained for respective time periods t_pre1 and t_pre2. Then, the method 600 proceeds from step 605 to step 606.

[0062] In another configuration, the method 600 comprises an additional step 613 of maintaining heat. In the present configuration, step 612 proceeds to step 613 of maintaining heat. In step 613, the control system 102 controls said one or more heating elements 110 to operate at a fourth temperature T4 for a fourth period t4 of time or until the cooking device 200 is turned off. The method 600 ends in step 613.

[0063] With reference to Fig. 6B, an example temperature profile 620 is shown. In the example of Fig. 6B, the initial cooking time is, for example, 6 hours, and the extended cooking time is, for example, 10 hours. The preheating temperature T_pre, the first, second and third temperatures T61, T62 and T63 are 99°C, 94°C, 70°C and 94°C, respectively, and the preheating time period t_pre, the first, second and third time periods t61, t62 and t63 are 1 hour, 4.264 hours, 4.67 hours and 1.066 hours, respectively.

[0064] With reference to Fig. 6C, another example temperature profile 622 is shown. In the example of Fig. 6C, the initial cooking time is, for example, 6 hours, and the extended cooking time is, for example, 10 hours. The preheating temperature T_pre1, T_pre2, the first, second and third temperatures T61, T62 and T63 are 50°C, 80°C, 94°C, 70°C and 94°C, respectively, and the preheating time period t_pre1, t_pre2, the first, second and third time periods t61, t62 and t63 are 0.5 hours, 0.5 hours, 4.264 hours, 4.67 hours and 1.066 hours, respectively.

[0065] In an example application of the configurations described above, a user may want to start cooking at 12:00 and go to work, but wants the cooking to be completed by 22:00 when the user arrives home. With the described configurations, for example, the described cooking device 200, the user can control the input device 208 to set an initial cooking time of, for example, 6 hours, or select a recipe corresponding to the initial cooking time of, for example, 6 hours. The user can further control the input device 208 to set an extended cooking time of, for example, 10 hours. The input information of the initial cooking time of 6 hours and the extended cooking time of 10 hours is transmitted to the control system 102 (for example, at step 602). The control system 102 determines a first, second and third period of time, as well as a first, second and third temperature based on the input information (for example, in step 604), wherein the second temperature is lower than the first temperature, and the third temperature is higher than the second temperature. Then, the cooking device 200 performs cooking for 10 hours by controlling said one or more heating elements 110 to operate at the first temperature for a first period of time (for example, in step 606) to heat the fluid, then to operate at the second temperature for a second period of time (for example, in step 608), and then to operate at the third temperature for a third period of time (for example, in step 610). The described configurations allow cooking ingredients without the need to leave them at temperatures that promote a high growth rate of bacteria that cause food poisoning. Additionally, having an intermediate stage of cooking with a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature and the third temperature in the cooking process allows an increased duration of the cooking process without overexposing the ingredients.

[0066] Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a predictive system 700 for cooking in which some embodiments according to the present technology may be implemented. The predictive system 700 for cooking may comprise a cooking appliance 702, one or more processors 708, and one or more memory devices 710 communicatively coupled to each other via one or more data links, such as data networks 712. A client computing device 706 is configured to communicate with the system 700 via the data network 712 to provide input to the system. For example, a user may use the client computing device 706 to configure a desired temperature of the food product, an acceptable temperature gradient throughout the food product, characteristics of the food product (e.g., type, weight, thickness, shape), and container information related to characteristics of the container (e.g., size, shape, volume).

[0067] The cooking appliance 702 may comprise a container 704 filled with a fluid 70, such as water, and a cooking device 800, such as a thermal immersion circulator or a low temperature cooking device, at least partially immersed in the fluid 70. In some embodiments, the cooking appliance 702 may comprise an information label 714 and a lid 705 configured to close the container 704 to allow for the control of heat loss and evaporation of the liquid 70. In the illustrated example, a food product 72, such as a portioned piece of meat, may be placed in a resealable polyethylene bag 74 and placed in the liquid 70. When the cooking device 800 heats the liquid 70, the food product 72 may be cooked according to the predictive cooking methods disclosed herein. In other embodiments, the cooking device 702 may comprise, for example, an oven, a slow cooker or a pressure cooker. In these embodiments, the cooking device essentially comprises a cooking device, in that the oven comprises a container 704, which is a cavity of the oven, filled with a fluid 70, which is air and/or steam in the cavity of the oven. Other examples of cooking devices that essentially include a cooking device are convection ovens with humidity control, slow cookers or pressure cookers.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 8A, a cooking device 800 configured in the form of a low-temperature cooking device may comprise a housing 802 and a mounting clamp 808 configured to ensure that the cooking device 800 is attached to a container 704 (Fig. 7). The housing 802 may comprise a heater 810 and sensors, such as a temperature sensor 811, a pressure sensor 812, and/or a humidity sensor. In embodiments in which the cooking device 800 comprises a container 704, the cooking device 800 may comprise a second pressure sensor (not shown) to provide a pressure measurement in the container that is indicative of the pressure in the container 704. In addition, as shown in Fig. 8B, the housing 802 may contain a motor 815 operatively connected to the impeller 816 to provide circulation of the liquid 70 through the inlet 820, through the heater 810 and from the outlet 822. The cooking device 800 may contain a processor 813 and a memory device 814 (which may be made integral with the processor). The cooking device 800 may also contain a control button 804 (e.g., on/off), a light indicator 806 and/or a user interface 805.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a method for operating 900 of a processor-based predictive cooking system in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology. The method 900 begins at step 902. For example, the method 900 may be launched in response to activating a particular application on the client computing device 706 (Fig. 7) or via a control button 804 and/or a user interface 805 of the cooking device 800 (Figs. 8A and 8B).

[0070] At step 904, the system receives information indicating one or more characteristics of the food product 72. For example, for meat (e.g., a portioned piece of meat 72), the system may receive information related to variety, cut, thickness, shape, weight, quantity, and the like. Although the devices, systems, and methods are described herein with respect to preparing a meat food product, other types of food products may be prepared using the disclosed technology, such as fish, vegetables, puddings, and custards, among others.

[0071] At step 906, the system sends initial heating commands to the cooking device 800 to begin heating the fluid 70 (FIG. 7), and receives measurements using, for example, the temperature and pressure sensors 811/812 (FIGS. 8A and 8B). Alternatively, the initial heating commands can be sent by the user. In some embodiments, the system can receive geographic location information (e.g., GPS) from the user device to estimate atmospheric pressure based on the altitude of the geographic location instead of or in addition to data from the pressure sensor 812 (FIG. 8A). In some embodiments, the cooking device 800 comprises a humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the container. In other embodiments, the cooking device 800 comprises a second pressure sensor for providing a measurement of the pressure in the container, since for embodiments in which the cooking device 800 comprises a container, the pressure in the container may differ from the ambient pressure measured by the pressure sensor 812 or determined based on geographic location information. The value of the power supplied to the heater 810 (FIG. 8A) may also be determined using calculations based on the current, voltage and/or width of the pulse input signal on the cooking device. In some embodiments, the initial heating commands may be determined based on past measurements and calculations, which may be used as input, for example, to estimate the physical characteristics of the fluid 70 and the container 704 (FIG. 7).

[0072] At step 908, the system may determine one or more process parameters related to the corresponding physical characteristics of the fluid 70 and the container 704 (FIG. 7) based on the temperature changes relative to the power supplied to the heater 810 (FIG. 8). The system may use a least squares method, a Kalman filter, or other similar mathematical methods to fit a physical model to the measured data to estimate or determine process parameters such as the mass/volume c ₁ of the fluid, the thermal conductivity c ₂ of the container relative to the environment, the offset c ₃ , which depends on the air temperature and the condensation temperature, and the evaporative loss c ₄ to the environment (collectively referred to as c _i ). For example, in some embodiments, the following physical model may be used in the system to determine the aforementioned constants related to the corresponding physical characteristics of the fluid 70 and the container 704 (FIG. 7):

where P(t) is the power supplied to the heater 810 as a function of time (t), F(t) is the energy supplied to the food product 72 as a function of time (t), T(t) is the temperature of the fluid as a function of time (t), H(T(t)) is the specific humidity at the surface of the fluid as a function of time (t), c _i ≥0 may vary over time. This variation of the process parameters over time can be achieved using the process noise in the sigma-point Kalman filter or, for example, using weighting factors in a least-squares fit. It should be noted that c ₁ ∝ V _fluid ^-1 .

[0073] In some embodiments, information related to the fluid 70 and the container 704 may be entered by the user (FIG. 7). For example, the user may specify the dimensions of the container 704 (e.g., length, width, and/or height) and/or the material of the container, such as glass, metal, or an insulating material. This information may be used to refine the physical model by replacing some process parameters with known process parameters. In some embodiments, the characteristics of the container 704 may be known to the system and/or and only need to be identified by a name, a numeric code, or a bar code, such as those affixed to the container or specified by the manufacturer. The user may enter the name or code or scan the bar code with a camera from a label 714 located on the container 704 using the client computing device 706. The system may retrieve all necessary data from a memory device (e.g., a memory device 710) related to the identified container.

[0074] At step 910, the system may approximate the temperature of the food product 72 using the following formulas:

[0075] where τ (0≤r≤R, t≥t ₀ ) is an estimate of the temperature of the food product, t ₀ is the time of adding the food product in low-temperature cooking or cooking in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. In the case of cooking in an oven, additional terms are added to the right side of equation 4 to account for water vapor evaporating and condensing on the surface of the food product. In particular, α=k/(ρс _p ) is the thermal diffusion coefficient, k is the thermal conductivity, ρ is the density, с _p is the specific heat capacity, 2R is the intrinsic thickness, 0≤β≤2 is the intrinsic shape, h is the heat transfer coefficient at the surface, and τ ₀ ≈ 5°C is the initial temperature. The constants α, k, ρ, с _p are selected depending on the type of food product and cutting. For example, depending on whether the food product is beef or pork and whether it is a flank steak or a loin steak. From the temperature distribution, the system can estimate the change in energy value in the food product. Given the temperature profile and the β value, the system performs a numerical integration or squaring to estimate the energy. The eigenvalue β describes the heat transfer from the boundaries of the food product and can range from 0 to 2. When considering the food product with respect to three axes (i.e., x, y, and z), values near zero indicate that heat is supplied from +/- x but not from y or z, values near 1 indicate that heat is supplied from +/- x and +/- y but not from z, and values near 2 indicate that heat is supplied from all directions, i.e., β reflects the eigenvalue of the food product heat transfer system minus one.

[0076] In situations where multiple food products need to be cooked at the same time, the system may use the average thickness and the total weight of the food products. In some embodiments, the system assumes that all food products are approximately the same. In other cases, if the food products have different shapes, the system may adjust the algorithm so that heating takes longer to prevent undercooking and overcooking.

[0077] In some embodiments, the system may obtain shape information related to a food product via the client device 706 (FIG. 7). For example, a camera on the client device may be used to capture image data (e.g., via available augmented reality software kits) that may be associated with a food product's natural shape parameter β. The parameter β characterizes various shapes, namely, a plane, a cylinder, and a sphere/cube, using values from 0 to 2, respectively. In some embodiments, the system may draw a frame around the food product such that the dimensions, e.g., x, y, z, of the frame may be used to estimate the food product's natural shape parameter β.

[0078] In some embodiments, the shape of the food product to be prepared may be compared to an image of a similar shape of the food product available in the user application. In some embodiments, the system may use deep learning technology using a database of labeled images to detect the food product based on a photograph of the food product to be prepared. In some embodiments, image data processing technology may be used to determine the fat content of the food product using its average color (e.g., CIELAB color space) obtained from the photograph of the food product.

[0079] At step 1000, the system may generate a cooking program (e.g., a predetermined heater temperature and a heater operation period). The cooking program is designed to heat the interior of the food product while maintaining or reducing a predetermined allowable temperature gradient throughout the food product, the violation of which may result in overcooking of the exterior of the food product while attempting to heat the interior of the food product. The system is designed to determine the predetermined temperature and the heater operation period in order to generate such a cooking program so that the food product substantially reaches a desired food product temperature while maintaining or reducing a predetermined allowable temperature gradient throughout the food product, and after the heater operation period, the fluid is cooled substantially to the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time and the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time. This may be referred to as a limitation of the aggressiveness of the processing, which reflects how hot the edges of the food product can become. In some cases, the system may be configured to control the heater to a higher predetermined temperature for at least a short period of time to ensure pasteurization or sterilization. This process 1000 is described in more detail below with reference to Fig. 10.

[0080] At step 912, executable commands (e.g., a cooking program) for controlling a heater may be sent to the cooking device, comprising heater control information related to a set temperature and a heater operation period. After the cooking program is sent to the cooking device, the method may return to step 908 to periodically (e.g., every 10-300 seconds) update the process parameters of the container/fluid, determine the temperature of the food product and determine updated heater control information for the resulting cooking program. Due to heat loss due to heat exchange through the container and evaporation from the surface of the fluid, the fluid heats up more slowly over time. Thus, the system may periodically recalculate the set temperature and the heater operation period to account for changes in cooking conditions.

[0081] At step 914, the system controls the heater to increase to a higher predetermined temperature for a period of time sufficient to ensure pasteurization or sterilization is performed. In one embodiment, this step may be performed automatically by the system. Alternatively, the system may receive an indication from the user via the client computing device 706 (FIG. 7) that the food product should be pasteurized or sterilized. The period of time for performing pasteurization or sterilization may be specified in a table stored in the memory device of the system.

[0082] At step 920, a food product may be added to the fluid before, during, or after sending the initial heating commands to the cooking device at step 906. For example, a food product may be added to the fluid at step 908 or 1000. The system may receive an indication from the user via the client computing device 706 that the user has added a food product to the fluid. In some embodiments, the system is configured to detect when the food product has been added by monitoring changes in the temperature of the fluid relative to the power supplied to the heater. For example, if the temperature of the fluid, as indicated by the temperature measurement, begins to rise more slowly than was previously determined, it may be inferred from this that a food product has been added to the fluid. If the user adds a food product earlier, before the temperature of the fluid reaches a predetermined value, the system may detect this and adapt its operation accordingly. In some embodiments, the system uses a predictive-corrective algorithm to track deviations from predicted data to detect the addition of food and other user actions (e.g., adding water).

[0083] Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 1000 for determining updated heater control information for a cooking program according to some embodiments of the present technology. The system predicts final values for multiple temperature setpoints. The system is configured to predict the final value for each temperature setpoint in the future by solving a thermal equation (e.g., Equation 2) at multiple time steps, thereby predicting a temperature profile of a food product and a thermal energy applied to the food product over time. A Kalman filter may be used to evaluate various heat fluxes to calculate a fluid temperature at the next time step. In some embodiments, a "zero-in" method may be used to create an appropriate cooking program that heats the interior of a food product to a desired food product temperature while maintaining or relaxing acceptable temperature gradient constraints (e.g., aggressiveness factor). The temperature of the fluid in a suitable cooking program will correspond to the temperature of the core for a given period of time during which the food product is initially fully heated. In embodiments in which the fluid is air and the thermal capacity of the heating element exceeds the thermal capacity of the fluid, the temperature of the heating element in a suitable cooking program will correspond to the temperature of the core for a given period of time during which the food product is initially fully heated. Preferably, the given period of time is from 10 to 300 s. Then, a search for suitable cooking programs can be performed to obtain a cooking program with the shortest cooking time. In some embodiments, the user can select a less uniform heating of the final product (e.g., a higher temperature gradient and/or error in the temperature of the core) to reduce the amount of time for cooking the food product or for food products in which the given allowable temperature gradient should be higher to achieve better cooking results. The system can provide feedback to the user to warn the user that a reduction in the cooking time can affect the final characteristics of the food product.

[0084] At step 1002, the method begins with performing measurements of the heating of the fluid during the performance of operation 900 (Fig. 9) and inputting data by the user, as indicated earlier, including the desired temperature T ₀ of the food product or core, for the food product, as well as the allowable temperature gradient across the food product, i.e. from the surface to the core of the food product.

[0085] At step 1004, the method includes selecting a set point temperature for evaluation. The method includes searching through all possible set point temperature values, i.e., a temperature to which the cooking device attempts to heat the fluid before (in accordance with the updated heater control information) cooling to the user-required temperature of the food product when the temperature of the core of the food product reaches this temperature.

[0086] At step 1006, the method includes calculating a period of operation of the heater taking into account the selected set point temperature. The period of operation of the heater is the time during which the food preparation device must change the set point from the initially selected set point temperature, which in accordance with the disclosed principles typically exceeds the desired temperature T ₀ of the food product, to the desired temperature T ₀ . The method includes changing the state of the system in stages over time: at each step, determining the temperature of the fluid, the volume/mass of the fluid, and the temperature profile of the food product (using the determined temperature of the fluid).

[0087] In some embodiments, the heater operation period may be estimated as the period of time until the surface of the food product reaches a maximum value, or the period of time until the interior of the food product reaches a predetermined threshold value. The food product will continue to heat (e.g., due to a carryover effect) after the predetermined temperature changes from the predetermined temperature to the user-required temperature of the food product due to the thermal capacity of the fluid and/or the heating element. This is taken into account as the heating or cooking time, which typically exceeds the heater operation period, and the time when the interior temperature of the food product is estimated as T ₀ - δ (δ = acceptable deviation from the desired interior temperature). The algorithm is designed to optimize the heating time. In some embodiments, the heating time may be estimated using the "zeroing" method, as described above.

[0088] At step 1008, the algorithm may stop for several reasons. For example, the set point temperature used in the last step is within ε of the set point temperature value, which provides the best heating time. The specified value of ε may depend on the current state of the system or the estimate; for example, if the optimization occurs every N seconds (e.g., 10-300 seconds) and the fluid does not reach the temperature T ₀ within N seconds, then any set point temperature at or above the value T ₀ will give the same result. After reaching the stop condition, the optimization program returns to step 1004 to estimate another set point temperature value.

[0089] In step 1010, after all setpoint temperature values have been evaluated, the method includes performing a search for acceptable setpoint temperature values with the best cooking time. The best cooking time may correspond to a program that ends during a user-selected period of time in the future or during a user-selected period of time of the day. In some embodiments, a binomial or restricted Newton algorithm, a direct search algorithm, or a gradient search algorithm may be used to search for setpoint temperature values in order to select a setpoint temperature that satisfies the requirements of the optimized cooking program. In step 1012, once the best setpoint temperature is selected, the setpoint temperature value and the heater operation period are returned to the operating method 900 to perform data exchange with the cooking device in step 912 (FIG. 9).

[0090] Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary method 1100 of operating a processor-based predictive system 700 for cooking in accordance with some embodiments of the present technology. This method may be stored on any data storage device, such as a memory device built into the processor, for the cooking device; alternatively, at least part of the method may be performed on a user device. The method may be applied not only to the device 800, but also to other cooking devices.

[0091] The method 1100 begins with step 1102. For example, the method 1100 can be launched in response to activating a particular application on the client computing device 706 (FIG. 7) or using the control button 804 and/or the user interface 805 of the cooking device 800 (FIGS. 8A and 8B). At step 1104, the system can receive information indicating one or more characteristics of the food product 72 to be cooked (e.g., in the fluid 70). At step 1106, the system can receive data on a desired temperature of the food product and information related to a predetermined allowable temperature gradient for the food product 72. At step 1108, the system performs a process including sending commands to control the heater 810 (which can be a heater having a heating element located in the container of the fluid 70). The specified commands may contain information related to a specified temperature and a period of operation of the heater. In step 1110, a result of a temperature measurement (for example, the temperature of the fluid 70 and/or the heater 810) may be obtained from the temperature sensor 811. In step 1112, a power supplied to the heater 810 may be measured. In step 1114, one or more constants may be determined associated with one or more corresponding physical characteristics (for example, at least one of the fluid 70 and the container 704), based on at least one of the temperature measurement and the power measurement. At step 1116, the temperature of the food product 72 may be determined. At step 1118, the predetermined temperature and the period of operation of the heater may be determined by calculating, for example, the temperature of the fluid that ensures that the food product 72 is brought to the desired temperature of the food product while maintaining or lowering the predetermined allowable temperature gradient in the food product 72, as a result of which, after the period of operation of the heater, the fluid 70 is cooled substantially to the desired temperature of the food product for a predetermined period of time and the food product 72 substantially reaches the desired temperature of the food product for a predetermined period of time. The process (e.g., 1108-1118) may be repeated one or more times until the temperature of the food product reaches the desired temperature of the food product, at which point the process 1100 of the method is completed at step 1120.

[0092] Fig. 12A is a graph 1200 showing temperature values versus time for a fluid bath and the core temperature of a food product during traditional (dashed lines) and predictive (solid lines) cooking processes. In traditional low-temperature cooking, the fluid temperature 1202 is brought to a set point (e.g., 55°C) and maintained at that level at least until the food product 1206 reaches, for example, a temperature within 2°C (line 1210) of the set point temperature, which is also the desired temperature of the food product. In the illustrated example, this occurs after approximately 96 minutes (line 1214).

[0093] In contrast, using the disclosed predictive cooking technology, the fluid temperature 1204 can be increased to a value significantly higher than the traditional set point temperature (e.g., the first stage). In the illustrated example, the fluid temperature 1204 can be increased to approximately 70°C. This fluid temperature is maintained for the entire period of operation of the heater, in this case until approximately 30 minutes have elapsed, after which the heater is turned off and the fluid is allowed to cool. The heater remains turned off and the fluid cools until the fluid temperature drops to the desired food product temperature. Using the disclosed predictive cooking methods, the fluid substantially reaches the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time (i.e., the second period of time), and the food product 1208 substantially reaches the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time. In the illustrated example, the set time period is approximately 50 minutes (line 1212), which is approximately half that of the conventional method. At this point, the heater can be turned on again, thereby increasing the power supply to the heater, in order to maintain the fluid and the food product at the desired food temperature until the user is ready to serve the food and/or pasteurize the food product. It should be understood that the food can be maintained at the desired food temperature after the normal cooking time, but the overall increased cooking time has been reduced, thereby improving the final yield of the food.

[0094] Fig. 12B is a graph 1250 showing the input power to the heater versus time using conventional and predictive methods. The power is shown in the context of pulse width modulation (PWM) as a percentage of the duty cycle. In conventional low temperature cooking, the heater 1252 ramps up to approximately 100% of the duty cycle until a set point is reached. At that point, the duty cycle is reduced to approximately 25% to maintain the set temperature. Using the disclosed predictive methods, the heater 1254 can ramp up to approximately 100% of the duty cycle until the fluid substantially reaches a higher set point temperature (e.g., 70°C) within a tolerance. At that point, the duty cycle is reduced to approximately 45% to maintain the set temperature. The heater is then turned off (i.e., set to 0% duty cycle) to allow the fluid to cool to the desired fluid temperature, upon which the heater is increased and turned on at a duty cycle of approximately 25% to maintain the fluid and food product at the desired food product temperature.

[0095] Fig. 13 shows a typical user interface for receiving various user input data related to a food product to be cooked. For example, on screen 1610, the user can select whether the food product is fresh or frozen using switches 1624 or another suitable graphical control element. In the case where the food product is a portioned piece of meat, the user can enter a value for the thickness of the portioned piece of meat using switches 1626. Using this initial input, the system can provide an estimate 1630 of the cooking time of the food corresponding to a typical low-temperature cooking process. The user can start this process by pressing the start button 1632. However, on the screen 1610, the user is also offered the option of using the disclosed predictive cooking methods (e.g., Turbo Cook) by selecting the position of the switch 1628. In this case, the user can enter additional information on the screen 1612. For example, the user can enter the approximate shape of the food product by pressing the corresponding button 1634. The user can also enter the weight of the food product(s) using the variable value block 1636. These settings can be saved using the "save" button 1638, after which an updated estimated cooking time 1640 using the disclosed predictive cooking methods can be displayed on the screen 1614. The screen 1614 can include a "forward" button 1642 to proceed to the next screen. In some embodiments, information and instructions 1644 can be displayed on the screen 1016 before the cooking process is started using the start button 46.

[0096] Fig. 14 shows typical status screens that display, for example, the current temperature and the remaining cooking time. The initial status screen 1618 displays the temperature 1650 along with a progress indicator 1652 (e.g., a circle). An estimated cooking time 1648 is also provided. In some embodiments, the various screens may include navigation controls 1654. The screen 1620 provides the remaining time 1656, as well as the time 1658 of the day when the food product will be ready. Once the food product is cooked, the system can maintain its temperature at a suitable level until the user is ready to consume it. The screen 1622 displays the length of time 1660 during which the final temperature of the food product is maintained, and also displays the time 1662 by which it is preferable to consume the food product.

[0097] In some embodiments, a typical food preparation system may comprise a food preparation device at least partially immersed in a container with a fluid, wherein the device comprises a heater and a temperature sensor, and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions may cause at least one processor to: receive information indicative of one or more characteristics of a food product to be cooked in the fluid; receive a desired temperature of the food product; perform a control process; and repeat the control process one or more times until the temperature of the food product reaches the desired food product temperature value. The control process may include: sending instructions for controlling a heater, including information related to a set temperature of the heater and an operating period of the heater; receiving a measurement of the temperature of the fluid from the temperature sensor; determining a measurement of power supplied to the heater; determining one or more constants associated with one or more corresponding physical characteristics of at least one of the fluid and the container, based on at least one of the temperature measurement and the power measurement; determining the temperature of the food product; and determining the set temperature of the heater and the operating period of the heater.

[0098] In some embodiments, the set temperature and the period of operation of the heater may be determined by calculating the moment when the food product substantially reaches the desired temperature of the food product while maintaining or reducing the set allowable temperature gradient in the entire food product, and after the period of operation of the heater, the fluid is cooled substantially to the desired temperature of the food product for a set period of time, and the food product substantially reaches the desired temperature of the food product for a set period of time. The system may also receive information via a wireless communication channel related to the allowable temperature gradient in the food product using a user device such as a mobile phone or a tablet. The system may provide feedback to the user device related to the set allowable temperature gradient. The set temperature and the period of operation of the heater may be determined by calculating the temperature of the fluid that ensures that the food product reaches the desired temperature of the food product in a time specified by the user while maintaining or reducing the set allowable temperature gradient in the food product. The system is configured to estimate at least one of the container type and the container size based on one or more constants, wherein the one or more process parameters may comprise at least one of the fluid volume value (c ₁ ), the container thermal conductivity value (c ₂ ), or the evaporation loss value (c ₄ ). In some embodiments, the system may receive information about at least one of the container type and the container size. Said at least one of the container type and the container size may be received based on the name, number, or barcode located on the container. In some embodiments, the system may detect the moment of placing the food product in the container based on a change in the temperature measurement result and a change in the power measurement result. The system is configured to determine whether the food product is placed in the container before the fluid reaches a predetermined temperature, and may adjust the predetermined temperature in response thereto. The system is configured to maintain the desired temperature of the food product during a pasteurization time period selected based on the desired temperature of the food product and information indicating one or more characteristics of the food product. The food preparation device may comprise a pressure sensor, and/or the system may receive geographic location information from the user device and estimate atmospheric pressure based on the altitude of the geographic location.

[0099] In some embodiments, a typical system for cooking may comprise a device for cooking food, wherein the device comprises a heater and a temperature or pressure sensor, and at least one memory device storing instructions. The instruction may cause at least one processor to: receive information indicative of one or more characteristics of a food product to be cooked; receive data on a desired temperature of the food product; and perform a process. The process may include sending instructions for controlling a heater including a set temperature, a period of operation of the heater, or both a set temperature and a period of operation of the heater; receiving a temperature measurement (T) related to cooking the food product from the sensor; determining a measurement of power (P) supplied to the heater; determining a value (c ₁ ) of the volume of the fluid, a value (c ₂ ) of the thermal conductivity of the container, or a value (c ₄ ) of evaporation losses by fitting a predetermined physical model to at least the temperature measurement (T) and the power measurement (P); determining a temperature (τ) of the food product; and determining the set temperature, the period of operation of the heater, or both the set temperature and the period of operation of the heater.

[00100] The system may comprise commands that, upon receipt, the processor repeats the control process one or more times until the temperature of the food product reaches a desired food product temperature. In some embodiments, the food preparation device is configured to be at least partially immersed in a container with a fluid. The set temperature and the period of operation of the heater may be determined by calculating the temperature of the fluid at which the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature while maintaining or reducing a set allowable temperature gradient throughout the food product, and after the period of operation of the heater, the fluid is cooled substantially to the desired food product temperature within a set period of time, and the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature within a set period of time. The food preparation device may be configured to be at least partially immersed in a container with a fluid, and the physical model may include equation 1, where (F) is the energy supplied to the food, (c ₃ ) is a bias dependent on the air temperature and the condensation temperature, and (H) is the specific humidity at the surface of the fluid. The physical model may be calculated using one of the least squares method or the Kalman filter-based method. The temperature (τ) of the food product can be determined using equations 2-4, where τ (0≤r≤R, _t≥t0 ) is the temperature of the food product, _t0 is the time of addition of the food product, α=k/(ρc _p ) is the thermal diffusion coefficient, k is the thermal conductivity, ρ is the density, c _p is the specific heat capacity, 2R is the intrinsic thickness, 0≤β≤2 is the intrinsic shape, h is the heat transfer coefficient at the surface, and _τ0 is the initial temperature of the food product. In some embodiments, the set temperature can exceed the desired temperature of the food product, and the food preparation device can be configured to be at least partially immersed in a container with a fluid.

[00101] In some embodiments, a sample method of heating a food product may include receiving information indicative of one or more characteristics of a food product to be cooked; obtaining data on a desired temperature of the food product; obtaining information related to a predetermined allowable temperature gradient in the food product; performing a process; and repeating the process one or more times until the temperature of the food product reaches the desired value. The process may include: sending commands for controlling a heater located near the food product to be cooked, including information related to a predetermined temperature and an operating period of the heater; receiving a temperature measurement related to an environment near the food product to be cooked; determining a measurement of a power supplied to the heater; determining one or more process parameters related to one or more corresponding physical characteristics related to the environment surrounding the food product, based on at least one of the temperature measurement and the power measurement; determining an estimate of the temperature of the food product; and determining a predetermined temperature and a period of operation of the heater by calculating the temperature of the fluid at which the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature while maintaining or reducing a predetermined allowable temperature gradient throughout the food product, and after the period of operation of the heater, the fluid is cooled substantially to the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time, and the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature within a predetermined period of time.

[00102] In some embodiments, the method is for heating a food product in a container with a fluid, and determining said one or more process parameters may include determining at least one of a value (c ₁ ) of the volume of the fluid, a value (c ₂ ) of the thermal conductivity of the container, and a value (c ₄ ) of evaporation losses by fitting a physical model to at least a temperature measurement (T) and a power measurement (P). The physical model may include equation 1, where (F) is the energy supplied to the food product, (c ₃ ) is an offset that depends on the temperature of the air surrounding the cooking device and the dew point temperature of the environment surrounding the cooking device, and (H) is the specific humidity at the surface of the fluid.

[00103] In other embodiments, the cooking device 702 may include convection dryers, humidified ovens or convection-steam ovens, convection microwave ovens, heated mixers, heated blenders and toasters. In these embodiments, the container 704 is filled with a fluid 70, such as air with or without water vapor, and the cooking device 800 is formed integrally with the cooking device, for example, in the form of a heating element in a convection dryer, in the form of a microwave generator in a convection microwave oven or a heating element in a slot of a toaster. The cooking device 800 is in fluid communication with the liquid 70, which is air in the cavity or gap, and when the cooking device 800 heats the liquid 70, the food product 72 can be cooked according to the predictive cooking methods disclosed in this document. In these cases, if the cooking device 800 is made integrally with the cooking appliance 702, the size of the container 702 can be specified and set as a constant during manufacture, and the user does not need to enter it.

[00104] In other embodiments, the cooking device 702 may include a conventional saucepan or a pressure cooker used with an induction cooker. In these embodiments, the container 704 is filled with a fluid 70, such as saturated steam, and the cooking device 800 is an induction cooker that provides heating of the conventional saucepan or pressure cooker. The cooking device 800, which is an induction cooker, is in energetic communication with the saucepan and, thus, with the liquid 70, and as the cooking device 800 heats the liquid 70, the food product 72 can be cooked according to the predictive cooking methods disclosed herein.

[00105] In another embodiment, the device 800 for preparing a food product in a container 704 containing a fluid 70 comprises a temperature sensor 811 for providing a temperature measurement, a pressure sensor 812 for measuring the ambient pressure, a second pressure sensor (not shown) for providing a pressure measurement in the container, and a humidity sensor (not shown) for providing a humidity measurement. The temperature sensor 811 may be suitable for providing a temperature measurement of the fluid 70 and/or the heater 810 and/or the heating element of the heater 810. The device 800 for preparing food also comprises at least one memory device 710 for storing executable instructions for controlling the operation of the device 800 for preparing food. The device 800 for preparing food also comprises at least one processor 813 configured to execute the executable instructions. The processor 813 controls the heater 810, optionally comprising a heating element, to heat the fluid 70 in accordance with the heater control information related to a specified temperature and a period of operation of the heater. The specified temperature is the temperature to which the heater 810 should heat the fluid 70. The period of operation of the heater is the period of time during which the heater 810 is specified to operate to the specified temperature.

[00106] The processor 813 is configured to receive information about the food product indicating one or more characteristics of the food product to be cooked in the fluid medium, as well as a desired temperature of the food product. Similarly, the processor 813 is configured to receive a temperature measurement result from the temperature sensor 811, to receive a pressure measurement result of the environment from the pressure sensor 812, to receive a pressure measurement result in the container from the second pressure sensor, and to receive a humidity measurement result from the humidity sensor.

[00107] The processor 813 is also configured to provide a determination of the power supplied to the heater based on the heater control information. For example, the processor 813 is configured to provide the technical characteristics of the heater 810 and the voltage, current and/or duty cycle information to a cloud server (not shown) to determine the power supplied to the heater based on the heater control information. Alternatively, the cloud server can store and/or access this information from previous determinations. As another alternative, the processor 813 can perform the determination of the supplied power based on the heater control information.

[00108] The processor 813 is configured to provide determination of one or more process parameters related to one or more corresponding physical characteristics of at least one of the fluid and the container, based on at least one of the temperature measurement result and the power measurement result. For example, the processor 813 may provide the temperature measurement result, the power measurement result, the ambient pressure measurement result, the pressure measurement result in the container, and/or the humidity measurement result to the cloud server to determine said one or more process parameters. Alternatively, the cloud server may store and/or access this information from previous determinations. As another alternative, the processor 813 may perform the determination of said one or more process parameters locally.

[00109] The processor 813 is configured to provide a determination of the temperature of the food product based on said one or more process parameters, a temperature measurement result, and/or a power measurement result. For example, the processor 813 may provide said one or more process parameters, a power measurement result, an ambient pressure measurement result, a container pressure measurement result, and/or a humidity measurement result to a cloud server to determine the temperature of the food product. Alternatively, the cloud server may store and/or access this information from previous determinations. As another alternative, the processor 813 may perform the determination of the temperature of the food product locally.

[00110] The processor 813 is configured to provide for determining updated information about the heater control based on the temperature of the food product, said one or more process parameters, a temperature measurement result, and/or a power measurement result. For example, the processor 813 may provide data about the temperature of the food product, said one or more process parameters, a temperature measurement result, a power measurement result, an ambient pressure measurement result, a container pressure measurement result, and/or a humidity measurement result to the cloud server to determine updated information about the heater control. Alternatively, the cloud server may store and/or access this information from previous determinations. As another alternative, the processor 813 may perform the determination of updated information about the heater control locally.

[00111] The processor 813 is also configured to control the heater 810 in accordance with the updated heater control information until the temperature of the food product substantially reaches the desired food product temperature.

[00112] The processor 813 is also configured to receive information about the container indicating at least one of the type of the container and the size of the container 704. The processor 813 is configured to ensure that the specified one or more process parameters are determined at least based on the information about the container. The information about the container may be included in a name, a number, or a barcode located on the container 704.

[00113] In some embodiments, the cooking device 800 may comprise a container 704. In some embodiments, the cooking device 800 comprises a heater 810.

[00114] It should be understood that the methods of operation of the processor-based predictive cooking system described above may be equally applicable to other cooking devices, such as a multi-cooker.

[00115] The methods disclosed herein may be implemented as dedicated hardware (e.g., circuits), as programmable circuitry suitably programmed using software and/or firmware, or as a combination of dedicated and programmable circuitry. Accordingly, embodiments may include a computer-readable medium that stores instructions that can be used to perform a process by a computer, a microprocessor, a processor, and/or a microcontroller (or other electronic devices). The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, optical disks, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), magneto-optical disks, ROMs, random access memories (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memories (EEPROM), magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or another type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronic instructions.

[00116] In Fig. 7, the network 712 may be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), but may also be another wired or wireless network. The network 712 may be the Internet or another public network or a private network. The client computing devices 706 may be connected to the network 712 via a network interface, such as via a wired or wireless connection. The methods disclosed herein may be implemented on one or more processors. For example, the system may be implemented on one or more networked processors 708, a processor 813 of a cooking device, a processor of a related client computing device 706, or any suitable combination thereof.

[00117] Some embodiments are discussed in more detail below with reference to the figures. With reference to the drawings, Fig. 15 is a functional diagram showing a general view of devices on which some embodiments of the disclosed technology can operate. The devices can include hardware components of the device 1300 that determine optimal cooking programs. The device 1300 can include one or more input devices 1320 that provide input to the CPU (processor) 1310, notifying it of actions. The actions are typically triggered by a hardware controller that interprets signals received from the input device and transmits information to the CPU 1310 using a communication protocol. The input devices 1320 include, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen, an infrared sensor, a touch pad, a wearable input device, a camera or image analysis input device, a microphone or other user input devices.

[00118] The CPU 1310 may be a single processing unit or a plurality of processing units implemented in a single device or distributed across a plurality of devices. The CPU 1310 may be connected to other hardware devices, for example, via a bus, such as a PCI bus or a SCSI bus. The CPU 1310 is configured to exchange data with a hardware controller for devices such as a display 1330. The display 1330 may be used to display text and graphical data. In some examples, the display 1330 provides graphical and textual visual feedback to a user. In some embodiments, the display 1330 comprises an input device as part of the display, for example, if the input device is a touch screen or is equipped with a gaze direction monitoring system. In some embodiments, the display is a device separate from the input device. Examples of display devices include: a liquid crystal display screen; an LED display screen; a projected, holographic, or augmented reality display (e.g., a head-up display or a head-mounted display); etc. Other input/output devices 1340 may also be associated with the processor, such as a network card, video card, sound card, USB, Fire Wire, or other external device, camera, printer, speakers, CD-ROM drive, DVD drive, disk drive, or Blu-Ray device.

[00119] In some embodiments, the device 1300 also comprises a communication device configured to perform wireless or wired communication with a network node. The communication device is configured to perform communication with another device or server via a network using, for example, TCP/IP protocols. The device 1300 is configured to use the communication device to distribute operations across a plurality of network devices.

[00120] CPU 1310 may have access to memory 1350. Memory comprises one or more different hardware devices for short-term and long-term data storage, and may include both read-only memory and rewritable memory. For example, memory may include random access memory (RAM), CPU registers, read-only memory (ROM), and rewritable long-term data storage such as flash memory, hard disk drives, floppy disks, compact disks, DVDs, magnetic storage devices, tape drives, device buffers, etc. Memory is not a propagating signal that exists independently of the hardware used; memory is thus non-volatile. The memory device 1350 may comprise a memory device 1360 for storing programs that stores programs and software, such as an operating system 1362, a predictive cooking platform 1364 and other application programs 1366. The memory device 1350 may also include a memory device 1370 for storing data that may contain information about the start time, the end time, user preferences such as meat tenderness, etc., which can be provided to the memory device 1360 for storing programs or any element of the device 1300.

[00121] Some embodiments may be configured to operate with a variety of other general-purpose or special-purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the present technology include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, handheld or portable devices, cellular telephones, mobile telephones, wearable electronic devices, game consoles, tablet devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor systems, television set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronic devices, networked PCs, minicomputers, mainframes, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, or the like.

[00122] Fig. 16 is a block diagram illustrating a general view of an environment 1400 in which some embodiments of the disclosed technology may operate. The environment 1400 may include one or more client computing devices 1405A-D, examples of which may include device 1300. The client computing devices 1405 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections via network 1430 to one or more remote computers, such as server computing device 1410.

[00123] In some embodiments, server computing device 1410 may be an edge server that receives client requests and coordinates the execution of these requests through other servers, such as servers 1420A-C. Server computing devices 1410 and 1420 may comprise computing systems, such as device 700. Although each server computing device 1410 and 1420 is logically displayed as a single server, each of the server computing devices may be a distributed computing environment spanning a plurality of computing devices located in the same location or in geographically different physical locations. In some embodiments, each server computing device 1420 corresponds to a group of servers.

[00124] Each of the client computing devices 1405 and the server computing devices 1410 and 1420 may perform the function of a server or a client for other server/client devices. The server 1410 is configured to connect to a database 1415. Each of the servers 1420A-C may be configured to connect to a corresponding database 1425A-C. As described earlier, each server 1420 may correspond to a group of servers, and each of these servers may share a database or may have its own database. The databases 1415 and 1425 may contain (e.g., store) information such as a start time, an end time, and user preferences. Although the databases 1415 and 1425 are logically displayed as separate units, each of the databases 1415 and 1425 may represent a distributed computing environment spanning multiple computing devices, may be located within its corresponding server, or may be located in the same location or in geographically different physical locations.

[00125] Network 1430 may be a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), but may also be another wired or wireless network. Network 1430 may be the Internet or another public or private network. Client computing devices 1405 may be connected to network 1430 via a network interface, such as via a wired or wireless connection. Although connections between server 1410 and servers 1420 are shown as separate connections, these connections may be any type of local, wide area, wired, or wireless network, including network 1430 or a separate public or private network.

[00126] Fig. 17 is a functional diagram illustrating components 1500 that, in some embodiments, may be used in a system implementing the disclosed technology. Components 1500 include hardware 1502, general software 1520, and specialized components 1540. As described previously, a system implementing the disclosed technology may use various hardware, including processing units 1504 (e.g., CPU, GPU, APU, etc.), working memory 1506, storage memory 1508, and input and output devices 1510. Components 1500 may be implemented in a client computing device, such as client computing devices 1405, or in a server computing device, such as server computing device 1410 or 1420.

[00127] General software 1520 may include various applications, such as an operating system 1522, local programs 1524, and a basic input/output system (BIOS) 1526. Specialized components 1540 may be subcomponents of the general software application 1520, such as local programs 1524. Specialized components 1540 may include a variable module 1544, an optimal cooking program determination module 1546, a heating control module 1548, and components that can be used to communicate data and control the specialized components, such as an interface 1542. In some embodiments, components 1500 may be located in a computing system that is distributed across a plurality of computing devices, or may be an interface to an application running on a server and executing one or more specialized components 1540.

[00128] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components shown in Figs. 15-17, described previously, and shown in each of the previously discussed block diagrams, may be changed in a variety of ways. For example, the order of the logic circuit may be changed, sub-steps may be performed in parallel, the logic circuit shown may be omitted, another logic circuit may be included, etc. In some embodiments, one or more of the components described previously may perform one or more of the processes described below.

[00129] The foregoing description describes only some embodiments of the present invention, and modifications and/or changes can be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, and the embodiments are illustrative and not limiting.

[00130] As used herein, the word "comprising" means "including substantially, but not necessarily exclusively" or "having" or "including" rather than "consisting solely of." Derivatives of "comprising" such as "contain" and "contains" have modified meanings accordingly.

[00131] Reference in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. All "in one embodiment" phrases included in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are they referring to separate or alternative embodiments that are mutually exclusive of other embodiments. In addition, various features are described that may be present in some embodiments but not in other embodiments. Likewise, various features are described that may be requirements for some embodiments but are not requirements for other embodiments.

[00132] The terms used in this specification generally have their ordinary meanings in the art (within the context of the present invention) and in the particular context in which each term is used. It should be noted that the same statement may be formulated in more than one way. Accordingly, alternative wording and synonyms may be used for any one or more terms discussed herein, and no particular significance should be attached to whether a term has been explained or discussed in detail herein. Synonyms are provided for some terms. The provision of one or more synonyms does not exclude the possibility of using other synonyms. The use of examples anywhere in this specification, including examples of any term discussed herein, is illustrative only and is not intended to further limit the scope and content of the present invention or any exemplified term. Likewise, the present invention is not limited to the various embodiments provided in this specification. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In case of conflict, this document, including definitions, will prevail.

Claims (42)

1. A food preparation device comprising: one or more heating elements for heating the fluid; an input device for receiving input information; and a control system designed with the ability to: operate said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; operate said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid is reduced to a second temperature; control said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during a second period of time, and determine the first, second and third time periods, as well as the first and second temperatures based on input information, wherein the input information contains the initial cooking time and the extended cooking time, wherein the initial cooking time is not less than the sum of the first time period and the third time period, and the extended cooking time is equal to the sum of the first, second and third time periods. 2. The cooking device of claim 1, wherein increasing the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during a third period of time results in one of the following: raising the temperature of the fluid to a third temperature that is greater than the second temperature; or maintaining the temperature of the fluid at the second temperature for a third period of time. 3. The food preparation device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a sensor connected to the control system, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the fluid and transmit a signal reflecting the detected temperature to the control system. 4. A cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooking device is one of a container cooking device comprising a container in which a fluid is heated; an induction cooker; and a low-temperature cooking device. 5. The food preparation device according to any one of claims 1-4, in which the control system is further configured to control said one or more heating elements to operate at one or more preheating temperatures for preheating the fluid for a corresponding one or more periods of time. 6. A control system for a food preparation device, wherein the food preparation device comprises one or more heating elements for heating a fluid medium, wherein the control system is configured to: operate said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; operate said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid is reduced to a second temperature; control said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during a second period of time; and determine the first, second and third time periods and the first, second and third temperatures based on input information received from the input device of the cooking device, wherein the input information contains the initial cooking time and the extended cooking time, wherein the initial cooking time is greater than the sum of the first time period and the third time period, and the extended cooking time is equal to the sum of the first, second and third time periods. 7. The control system of claim 6, wherein increasing the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during the third period of time results in one of the following: raising the temperature of the fluid to a third temperature that is greater than the second temperature; or maintaining the temperature of the fluid at the second temperature for a third period of time. 8. The control system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the control system is configured to receive, from the sensor, a signal reflecting the temperature of the fluid, and to control said one or more heating elements based on the received signal. 9. A control system according to any one of claims 6-8, wherein the cooking device is one of a container cooking device comprising a container configured to hold a fluid; an induction cooker; and a low-temperature cooking device. 10. A control system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, wherein the control system is further configured to control said one or more heating elements to operate at one or more preheating temperatures to preheat the fluid for a corresponding one or more periods of time. 11. A method of controlling a food preparation device, wherein the food preparation device comprises one or more heating elements for heating a fluid medium, wherein the method comprises: receiving input information from an input device; controlling said one or more heating elements during a first period of time to heat the fluid to a first temperature; controlling said one or more heating elements during a second period of time so that the temperature of the fluid is reduced to a second temperature; and controlling said one or more heating elements during a third period of time to increase the power supplied to said one or more heating elements relative to the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during a second period of time; and determining the first, second and third time periods, as well as the first and second temperatures, by the control system based on the input information, wherein the input information contains the initial cooking time and the extended cooking time, wherein the initial cooking time is greater than the sum of the first time period and the third time period, and the extended cooking time is equal to the sum of the first, second and third time periods. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein increasing the power supplied to said one or more heating elements during the third period of time results in one of the following: raising the temperature of the fluid to a third temperature that is greater than the second temperature; or maintaining the temperature of the fluid at the second temperature for a third period of time. 13. The method according to paragraph 11 or 12, further comprising: receiving by the control system a signal reflecting the temperature of the fluid from the sensor; and controlling by means of a control system said one or more heating elements based on the received signal. 14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the cooking device is one of a container cooking device comprising a container configured to retain a fluid; an induction cooker; and a low-temperature cooking device. 15. The method according to any one of claims 11-14, further comprising controlling, by means of a control system, said one or more heating elements to operate at one or more preheating temperatures for preheating the fluid for a corresponding one or more periods of time.