Cooker and control method thereof

• US 8,687,842 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Issued: 04/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoon, Yoo-Sool, Lim, Jeong-Hyun, Lee, Koon-Seok
• Primary Examiner(s): Koziol, Stephen R
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHWARTZ, RAPHAEL M
• Application Number:
  US13/376,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20120076350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 382/100
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/085 on baking ovens

Abstract

Provided are a cooker and a method of controlling the cooker. An image of food scanned by an image sensor is corrected, and thus, can be free from distortion due to a lighting device. Accordingly, a user can more accurately recognize a cooking state of the food.

Claims

1. A cooker comprising:

a cooking chamber in which food is cooked;

a heat source heating the food in the cooking chamber;

a lighting source configured to illuminate an inner portion of the cooking chamber;

an image sensor configured to scan the inner portion of the cooking chamber and the food; and

a control part configured to control the heat source, the lighting source and the image sensor,

wherein the control part is configured to operate the image sensor to obtain an inner image of the cooking chamber scanned by the image sensor before the heat source and the lighting source are operated and to determine a first RGB color value based on the scanned inner image of the cooking chamber,

wherein the control part is configured to operate the image sensor and the lighting source to obtain an inner image of the cooking chamber scanned by the image sensor before the heat source is operated and after the lighting source is operated and to determine a second RGB color value based on the scanned inner image of the cooking chamber, and

wherein the control part is configured to correct an image of the food scanned by the image sensor, on the basis of a difference between the first and second RGB color values.

2. The cooker according to claim 1, wherein at least one inner portion of the cooking chamber has a color or a material not to reflect light from the lighting source.

3. The cooker according claim 1, wherein at least one inner portion of the cooking chamber is painted flat gray.

4. The cooker according to claim 1, further comprising a display part that displays an image of the food scanned by the image sensor.

5. The cooker according to claim 4, wherein the display part displays, in real time, an image of the food corrected by the control part.

6. A cooker comprising:

a cooking chamber in which food is cooked;

a heat source heating the food in the cooking chamber;

a lighting source configured to illuminate an inner portion of the cooking chamber;

a reference disposed in the cooking chamber;

an image sensor configured to scan the reference and the food in the cooking chamber;

a control part configured to control the heat source, the lighting source and the image sensor, the control part being configured to;

operate the image sensor to obtain a first image of the reference scanned by the image sensor before the heat source and the lighting source are operated and to determine a first RGB color value based on the scanned first image of the cooking chamber,

operate the image sensor and the lighting source to obtain a second image of the reference scanned by the image sensor before the heat source is operated and after the lighting source is operated and to determine a second RGB color value based on the scanned second image of the reference, and

correct an image of the food scanned by the image sensor, on the basis of a difference between the first and second RGB color values; and

a display part displaying the image corrected by the control part.

7. The cooker according to claim 6, wherein the reference has a color or a material not to reflect light from the lighting source.

8. The cooker according to claim 6, wherein the reference is painted flat gray, and constitutes the cooking chamber.