Cooking control device, cooking control system and computer program product

• US 10,094,812 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2013
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AB Electrolux
• Original Assignee: AB Electrolux
• Inventors: Burkhardt, Jennifer, Kaiser, Kersten, Holm-Hansen, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, HUAN HUU
• Application Number:
  US14/412,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/321 the electronic control being performed over a network, e.g. by means of a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/281 Cooking spoons; Ladles table spoons A47G21/02, A47G21/04
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 45/068 Handles having indicating means, e.g. for temperature A47J45/07 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/00 Indicating measured values
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 7/12 Audible indication of meter readings, e.g. for the blind
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 1/024 for remote indication
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2207/06 for preparation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 2215/00 Details concerning sensor power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/02 Food

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking control device that comprises sensors (120) and a communication unit (145) to communicate with a display processing device (170). In this manner, taste values of the cooking substance reflecting the current status of the cooking process can be compared with pre-stored taste values representative of a desired cooking result and seasoning advice according to a recipe can be established and presented to a user to converge the cooking status with the desired cooking result.

Claims

1. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) to be at least partially immersed into a cooking substance, the cooking control device comprising:

a first and a second sensor (120) to measure a respective taste property (190, 310-320) of the cooking substance;

a processor (160) to quantify the respective taste property into a taste value and prepare it for transmission;

an energy source (125);

a bidirectional (150, 180) communication unit (145) communicating the taste values to an external processing unit for cooking control and transmitting processed taste values back to the cooking control device (100, 400, 500).

2. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, wherein the energy source (125) is based on reception of electromagnetic waves.

3. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, wherein the energy source (125) is based on a temperature gradient between two distant ends of the cooking control device (100, 400, 500).

4. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, comprising an indicator (130) for indicating a cooking control property.

5. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 4, wherein the indicator (130) comprises one light source.

6. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 4, wherein the indicator (130) is configured to indicate information received by the bidirectional (150, 180) communication unit (145).

7. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, wherein the bidirectional (150, 180) communication unit (145) operates according to Bluetooth, infrared, near-field communication, radio transmission, or wireless LAN.

8. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, wherein the sensors (120) are nano taste receptors (120).

9. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 8, wherein the nano taste receptors (120) correspond to food tastes of sour (315), salt (190), bitter (320), sweet (325), and umami (310).

10. Cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1, wherein the taste properties (190, 310-320) of the first and second sensors are at least selected among tastes form sour (315), salt (190), bitter (320), sweet (325), and umami (310).

11. Cooking control system (200) comprising a cooking control device (100, 400, 500) according to claim 1;

and a display processing device (170) comprising;

a processing unit (182),

a communication unit (184); and

a display unit (185),

wherein the display processing device (170) receives the taste values from the cooking control device (100, 400, 500) and displays a diagram (175) for cooking control.

12. Cooking control system (200) according to claim 11, wherein the diagram is a spiderweb diagram (175).

13. Cooking control system (200) according to claim 11, wherein the display processing device (170) comprises a memory for storing cooking information;

wherein a received taste value is compared with a respective stored taste value for cooking control; and

wherein based on a comparison between the received taste value and the stored taste value an information is generated, which is visibly or audibly displayed.

14. Cooking control system (200) according to claim 11 , wherein a cooking recipe is stored in a memory of the display processing device (170);

and information is generated to minimize the difference between a respective received and a stored taste value.

15. Cooking control system (200) according to claim 14, wherein a taste value for a finalized cooking substance is stored in the memory for future use.

16. Cooking control system (200) according to claim 11, further comprising an external control device operatively connected to the processing unit (182), the external control device having a memory, an external display, and a computer program product (350) that when loaded into the memory of the external display and executed by the processing unit (182) receives the taste values from the cooking control device (100, 400, 500) and displays the diagram (175) for cooking control instead of the display processing device (170).