Abstract:
A cooking system is disclosed which includes a wok for receiving food, the wok being placed on top of a base unit housing a heating element for heating up the wok, a lid substantially covering the wok, at least a portion of the lid being able to rotate relative to the wok, a shaft secured to the rotating portion of the lid, a stirrer pivotally mounted to the shaft, a controller housed in the base unit controlling the heating element and rotations of the shaft and the lid, the rotation of the shaft causing a part of the stirrer to sweep from an edge of the wok to approximately a center of the wok in a low path and return to an edge of the wok in a high path, in the low path the part of the stirrer approximately touching a surface of the wok, in the high path the part of the stirrer being high above and not touching the surface of the wok, and a computing device residing outside of the base unit and signally coupled to the controller, the computing device storing a computer program upon execution instructing the computing device to send operating commands to the controller, the operating commands controlling the heating element and the rotations of the shaft and the lid.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/081,947, filed Mar. 28, 2016, titled “AUTOMATED COOKER”, the contents of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The present invention relates generally to cooking apparatus, and, more particularly, to an automated cooking system and method. 
         [0003]    Home meal cooking has traditionally been a manual operation, i.e., cooking time, temperature and occasional stirring of food in a cooking utensil are determined and implemented by a human operator. Such traditional way of cooking is not only labor intensive, but also heavily rely on operators&#39; experience to make a good meal. 
         [0004]    Even though cooking recipes have been widely available, they mostly emphasize on ingredients and not much on the art of actual heating the food. 
         [0005]    As such, what is desired is a system and method that can automate much of the cooking process and provide a platform for people to share such automated cooking process. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  illustrates an automated cooking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0007]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrate details of an automated cooker shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary fixture for restraining the lid of the automated cooker shown in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  illustrates a stirrer driving mechanism. 
           [0010]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating electronic components of automated cooking system shown in  FIG. 1 . 
           [0011]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary temperature profile of a recipe displayed on the tablet computer. 
           [0012]      FIG. 7  illustrates another automated cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 8  illustrates engagement details of the lid handle and rotating block. 
           [0014]      FIG. 9  illustrates a stirrer actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate an exemplary structure for realizing a quadrilateral movement path for the stirrer. 
           [0016]      FIG. 11  illustrates another exemplary structure for realizing a quadrilateral movement path for the stirrer. 
           [0017]      FIG. 12  is a flow-chart illustrating a manual operation of the present automated cooker. 
           [0018]      FIG. 13  is a flow-chart illustrating a simulated operation of the present automated cooker. 
           [0019]      FIG. 14  is a flow-chart illustrating an automated operation of the present automated cooker. 
       
    
    
       [0020]    The drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification are included to depict certain aspects of the invention. A clearer conception of the invention, and of the components and operation of systems provided with the invention, will become more readily apparent by referring to the exemplary, and therefore non-limiting, embodiments illustrated in the drawings, wherein like reference numbers (if they occur in more than one view) designate the same elements. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the description presented herein. 
       DESCRIPTION 
       [0021]    The present invention relates to an automated cooking system and method. A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the attached drawings. 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  illustrates an automated cooking system  100  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated cooking system  100  includes an automated cooker  102  and a tablet computer  150 . The tablet computer  150  wirelessly communicates with the automated cooker  102  to function as a remote controller and monitor as well as a cooking process programming device. The tablet computer  150  is of a common type having a touch display  153  and a stand  157 . In other embodiments, a laptop or a desktop or even a dedicated computing device with at least a processing unit and a storage can be used in place of the tablet computer  150   
         [0023]    Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the automated cooker  102  includes a wok  110  with a lid  120 , a base unit  130  and a stirrer actuator  140  mounted on the lid  120 . In a preferred embodiment, the base unit  130  uses inductive effect to generate heat in the wok  110 . In addition, a bar  125  is attached to the stirrer actuator  140 . One end of the bar  125  rests on a left riser  132 , and the other end of the bar  125  rests on a right riser  134 . The left riser  132  and the right riser  134  exemplarily protrude from the base unit  130 . Alternatively, the ends of the bar  125  can be extended downward to reach the base unit without any protruding member from the base unit  130 . In embodiments, power supply and control unit are housed in the base unit  130 . In order to supply power and conduct control signals to the stirrer actuator  140 , electrical contacts (not shown) are provided on an end of the bar  125  and on top of one of the risers  132  and  134 , so that when the bar  125  rests on the risers  132  and  134 , electrical connections are made between the two parts. Then the bar  125  serves as a conduit to hide electrical wires connecting the stirrer actuator to the base unit  130 . 
         [0024]    Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the bar  125  is separated from the lid  120  to avoid being heat up during cooking. However, when the bar  125  is made with a heat resistive material such aluminum, the bar  125  can come into contact with or even be part of the lid  120 . 
         [0025]      FIGS. 2A and 2B  illustrates details of the automated cooker  102  shown in  FIG. 1 . Referring to  FIG. 2A , the automated cooker  102  further includes a stirrer  210  coupled to the stirrer actuator  140  which drives the stirrer  210  to make swing motion around a horizontal shaft  220  which is coupled to the stirrer actuator  140  through a vertical shaft  230 . Referring to both  FIGS. 2A and 2B , the stirrer  210 , along with the horizontal shaft  220  and the vertical shaft  230 , are driven by the stirrer actuator  140  to rotate around the stationary stirrer actuator  140 . The stirrer  210 &#39;s swing and rotating motion can stir food (not shown) inside the wok  110  during cooking. The swing and rotating speeds can be adjusted based on characteristics of the food under cooking. For the same reason, the stirrer  210  is replaceable. For thicker food, the stirrer  210  may have a thinner blade; while for lighter food, such as leafy vegetables, the stirrer  210  may have a wider blade. In addition, the blade of the stirrer  210  may form an oblique angle (not shown), which is adjustable, to the plane in which the stirrer  210  swings. 
         [0026]    Referring again to  FIGS. 2A and 2B , a temperature sensor  240  is mounted on the bar  125  with a probe reaching into the wok  110 . Ambient temperature data is then relayed to a controller inside the base unit  130  via wires hidden inside the bar  125  and the riser  132  or  134 . Similarly, an image sensor  250  can also be mounted on the bar  125  for periodically taking images of the content in the wok  110 . The images are also transmitted to the controller inside the base unit  130 . In embodiments, a smell sensor (not shown) may also been installed. The smell sensor may detect a burn and immediately shut off the automated cooking system. 
         [0027]    Referring again to  FIG. 2B , risers  132  and  134  prevent the bar  125  from rotating relative to the base unit  130 , so that the lid  120  and the stirrer actuator  140  remain stationary when the stirrer  210  swings and rotates. Such feature is further depicted in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0028]      FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary fixture for restraining the lid  120  of the automated cooker  102  shown in  FIG. 2 . The fixture includes a notch  302  formed on top of the riser  120 . When an end of the bar  125  falls into the notch  302 , movement of the bar  125  will be restricted. Similarly, the riser  134  also has such a notch (not shown) for restricting the other end of the bar  125 . 
         [0029]    Referring again to  FIG. 3 , an exemplary conductive terminal  305  is provided at a bottom of the notch  302 . There is a corresponding conductive terminal (not shown) on a bottom surface of the bar  125 , so that when the bar  125  is placed in the notch  302 , the conductive terminals come into contact to make a connection between a wire in the riser  132  and a wire in the bar  125  for conducting electricity or control signal. In other embodiments, multiple conductive terminals, if needed, can be provided at the bottom or on a side of the notch  302 . 
         [0030]      FIG. 4  illustrates a stirrer driving mechanism. The stirrer  210  is attached to a first pulley  420 , which can rotate around a first axis  425 . Above the first pulley  420 , there is a second pulley  410  driven by an electrical motor (not shown) to rotate around a second axis  415 . The first and second pulleys  420  and  410  are linked by a belt  402 . When the second pulley  410  rotates counter clockwise, the belt  402  will move in a direction  408  and cause the first pulley  420  to also rotate counter clockwise. As a result, the stirrer  210  will swing in direction  428 . In a next cycle, the stirrer  210  swings in a direction opposite to the direction  428 . As the first pulley  420  and the belt  402  are located below the lid  120 , they have to be made with heat resistive materials. In embodiments, the first pulley  420  may be made from stainless steel, and the belt  402  may be made from Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or commonly known as Teflon. As the second pulley  410  is located above the lid  120 , it along with the electrical motor will not be exposed to excessive heat, so that they can be made with ordinary materials. In order to better engage the pulleys  410  and  420  with the belt  402 , corresponding teeth may be provided to surfaces of the pulleys  410  and  420  and the belt  402 . 
         [0031]    Referring to both  FIGS. 2 and 4 , the first axis  425  may be equivalent to the horizontal shaft  220 . The belt  402  may be housed in the vertical shaft  230  to which the first axis  425  and the second axis  415  are secured. A motor and gear system (not shown) which is mounted to a shell of the stirrer actuator  140  can drive the vertical shaft  230  to rotate in a horizontal plane. 
         [0032]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram illustrating electronic components of automated cooking system  100  shown in  FIG. 1 . The automated cooking system  100  includes the tablet computer  150  and a controller  510  which controls a heating element  520 , a swing motor  520  and a rotation motor  530 . The heating element  520  is housed in the base unit  130  and may be of inductive type. The swing motor  520  drives the swing motion of the stirrer  210 . The rotation motor  530  drives the horizontal rotating motion of the stirrer  210 . In addition, one or more sensors  550  can be connected to the controller  510 . Sensors  550  may include temperature sensing, image capturing, smell detection and weight measurement. The controller  510  is then coupled to the tablet computer  150  either wirelessly or wired, and receives commands from and transmits sensed data to the tablet computer  150 . 
         [0033]    In operation, the tablet computer  150  may store one or more cooking recipes in a form of an executable computer program with unique sets of variables. Upon executing the computer program, the variables determine various cooking parameters such as temperature target, heating timing and duration, and speeds and timing of stirrer&#39;s swing and rotation, etc. Upon an initiation of a recipe, the tablet computer  150  sends commands to the controller  510  to turn on the heating element  520  as well as turns on the swing motor  530  and rotation motor  540  after a predetermined period of time following the turn-on of the heating element  520 . In the beginning, speeds of the stirrer swing and rotation may be slow and gradually increase over time. The controller  510  may also activate the sensors  550  to periodically sample the ambient data such as temperature. Once a predetermined cooking time is reached, the tablet computer  150  sends a command to the controller  510  to turn off everything and at the same time produces a reminder, such as sound, to signal the completion of the cooking. Alternatively, the tablet computer  150  may command the controller  510  to reduce heat and turn off the swing motor  530  and the rotation motor  540 . In such a way, the automated cooking system  100  can keep the food warm after the cooking. During the keeping-warm period, the tablet computer  150  keeps measuring the temperature and controllably operates the heating element  520  to maintain a desired temperature. The tablet computer  150  may also control a weight sensor (not shown) situated beneath the wok  110  to monitor the weight of the wok  110 . Once the weight is below a predetermined level signaling an empty wok  110 , the heating element  520  will be automatically turned off accordingly. 
         [0034]      FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary temperature profile of a recipe that is displayed on the tablet computer  150 . At time t 1 , the measured temperature is controlled to reach temperature T 1 , which is maintained until time t 2 . At time t 3 , temperature value is allowed to drop to T 2  which is then maintained until t 4 . As  FIG. 6  illustrates, the automated cooking system  100  can finely adjust a cooking process in terms of temperature, duration and stirring with the control of the tablet computer  150 . Similarly, stirring speed and timing parameters can also be displayed on the tablet computer  150 . 
         [0035]      FIG. 7  illustrates another automated cooker  702  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The automated cooker  702  mounts a stirrer actuator  750  on an edge of a lid  720 . The stirrer actuator  750  is connected to a stirrer  760  through a rod  762 . The stirrer actuator  750  drives the stirrer  760  to repeatedly sweep through a center region of the wok  110 . At a beginning of a sweeping cycle, the stirrer  760  starts from an edge of the wok  110  and sweeps toward the center and across a bottom of the wok  110 . Then the stirrer  760  returns from the center to the edge of the wok  110  in a raised position and gets ready to start another sweeping cycle. 
         [0036]    Referring again to  FIG. 7 , a handle  724  is mounted to a center of the lid  720 . The handle  724  as shown in  FIG. 7  is engaged to a rotating block  740  which is driven by a rotating driver  737 . The rotating driver  737  is mounted on a bar  730  that is engaged to the base unit  130  through a pair of riser  712  and  714  from the base unit  130 . There are electrical contacts at the interface between the bar  730  and the risers  712  and  714 , as well as between the rotating block  740  and the handle  724  (not shown), so that power and electrical signals can be conducted between the base unit  130  and the rotating driver  740  and the stirrer actuator  750 . When engaged, the bar  730  is stationary relative to the base unit, the base unit  130  controllably supplies power to the rotating block  740  to drive the lid  720  to rotate, so that the stirrer  760  evenly stirs entire regions of the wok  110 . In order to make the rotation easier, rim of the lid  720  may be made of a smooth plastic material, such as Teflon, and rim of the wok  110  may be made of smooth and long-lasting stainless steel. In other embodiments, the handle  724  includes a magnetic material, and the rotating block  740  may be electromagnetic. During a rotation, the electromagnetic rotating block  740  is magnetized to slightly lift the lid  720  to reduce friction between the lid  720  and the wok  110 . In addition, an image sensor  737 , such as those used in video cameras, is mounted on the bar  730  facing the wok  110 , and an illuminating light source (not shown), such as a light emitting diode (LED) light bulb, may be installed underneath the lid  720 . In this case, at least the portion of the lid  720  that is under the image sensor  737  is made of glass, so that the image sensor  737  can see through the lid  720 . During a cooking operation, the LED light bulb may light up and the image sensor  737  takes video to be shown on the tablet computer  150 , so that a user can observe the cooking process without opening the lid. As the tablet computer  150  is equipped with manual control buttons, the user can instruct the automated cooker  702  to perform operations from the tablet computer  150 . In an embodiment, the aforementioned video and manual control buttons are transmitted and re-imaged on a remote computing device, such as a smartphone, so that a remote user can monitor and exercise controls over the cooking process on the smartphone just as he or she would do on the tablet computer  150 . The remote computing device is connected to the tablet computer  150  through Wi-Fi or the Internet or both. One scenario can be that after a user starts a cooking process, he or she does not have to stay in the kitchen and can go to an office and still be able to monitor and control the cooking process on a smartphone. 
         [0037]      FIG. 8  illustrates engagement details of the handle  724  and rotating block  740 . In an embodiment, the rotating block  740  has a notch  802  to fittingly receive the handle  724 . When the rotating block  740  is driven by the rotating driver  737  to rotate in the direction  810 , the handle  724  and hence the lid  720  will rotate as well. The rotating driver  737  is fixed on the bar  730 . When the bar  730  is lifted, the lid  720  is then free to be removed from the wok  110  by grabbing onto the handle  724  and lifting it. As shown in  FIG. 8 , there are electrical contacts  823  built into the handle  724  and there are electrical wires leading from the contacts  823  to the stirrer actuator  750  as well as various sensors mounted on the lid  720  (not shown). There are also electrical contacts (not shown) built into the notch  802  of the rotating block  740 . When the notch  802  fits onto the handle  724 , the electrical contacts  823  conduct power and signals to and from the lid  720 . 
         [0038]      FIG. 9  illustrates a stirrer actuator  750  according to an embodiment of the present invention. The stirrer actuator  750  has a rotating part  902  and a stationary part  920 . The stationary part  920  is mounted to the lid  720  (not shown) at location  925 . The rotating part  902  rotates back and forth horizontally in a direction  905 . The rotating part  902  holds the rod  762  which can swing up and down vertically in a direction  915 . In embodiments, a combination of rotation in the direction  905  and a swing in the direction  915  creates a quadrilateral movement path  935  for the stirrer  760 . In the downward half of the movement path  935 , the stirrer  760  stays low and sweeps from an edge to a center of the wok  110 . As a result, the stirrer  760  is in touch with shell of the wok  110  during this movement, so that food is swept up and shoveled toward the center of the wok  110 . In the upward half of the movement path  935 , the stirrer  760  stays high and swings from the center back to the edge the wok  110  with less disturbance to the food. When the stirrer  760  is at the edge of the wok  110 , the lid  720  along with the stirrer  760  then rotate to a new location to start another cycle of sweeping. Such movements mimic the way a human operator may operate the wok  110 . In embodiments, speeds of the stirrer  760 &#39;s sweep and the lid  720 &#39;s rotation have predetermined default values and are allowed to be set to other values by a user. The quadrilateral movement path  935  is generally preset based on a shape of the wok  110 . In embodiments, the upward half of the movement path  935  is allowed to be modified by a user. 
         [0039]      FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate an exemplary internal structure of the rotating part  902  for realizing the quadrilateral movement path  935  for the stirrer  760 .  FIG. 10A  is top view of the structure which includes a vertical shaft  1002 , a horizontal shaft  1015  and a motion restrictive block  1020 . The horizontal shaft  1015  is driven by the stationary part  920  (not shown) to provide the horizontal rotation  905 . The horizontal shaft  1015  secures the stirrer rod  762  to the vertical shaft  1002  while allows the stirrer rod  762  to rotate around the horizontal shaft  1015 . The motion restrictive block  1020  is stationary relative to the stationary part  920  (not shown), and have a concave track  1023  to receive an end  1036  of the stirrer rod  762 . The concave track  1023  is circular when viewed from top and shares the same origin as the vertical shaft  1002 , so that when the vertical shaft  1002  rotates, the end  1036  always stays in the concave track  1023 . If the concave track  1023  changes height vertically along the track, when the vertical shaft  1002  rotates, the end  1036  will move vertically which in turn will force the stirrer rod  762  to rotate vertically around the horizontal shaft  1015 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 10B  illustrates a side view of an exemplary concave track  1023  from an A direction shown in  FIG. 10A . The concave track  1023  has a quadrilateral path  1040 , so that when the vertical shaft  1002  rotates back and forth in direction  905 , the end  1036  follows the quadrilateral path  1040  and produce the quadrilateral movement  935  of the stirrer  760  (see  FIG. 9 ). 
         [0041]      FIG. 11  illustrates another exemplary internal structure of the rotating part  902  for realizing the quadrilateral movement path  935  for the stirrer  760 . The structure includes a linear actuator  1120  vertically driving a plate  1122  to move up and down in a predetermined range. The plate  1122  engages the end  1036  of the stirrer rod  762 , so that the end  1036  can also controllably move up and down. As the stirrer rod  762  pivots on the horizontal shaft  1015 , and there is an open space  1112  in the vertical shaft  1002  surrounding the horizontal shaft  1015 , the linear actuator  1120 &#39;s vertical movement causes the stirrer  760  to swing vertically in the direction  915 . In this embodiment, the linear actuator  1120  rotates along with the shaft  1002 , so that the stirrer  760  can simultaneously rotate horizontally in the direction  905  and swing vertically in the direction  915 . 
         [0042]    In operation, the automated cooker  702  is controlled by the tablet computer  150  and can work in manual, simulated and automated mode. 
         [0043]      FIG. 12  is a flow-chart illustrating a manual operation of the present automated cooker  100 . In the manual mode, the tablet computer  150  displays parameters and timing entry boxes and control buttons for the heating element  520 , stirrer  760  and the lid  720  in step  1210 . The tablet computer  150  then receives user inputs from the entry boxes and control buttons in step  1220 . In response to the user&#39;s inputs, the automated cooker  100  executes a desired cooking operation in step  1230 . The execution may be immediate or after a specified delay time based on the user&#39;s inputs. The tablet computer  150  can record the parameters and timing information in step  1240 . If the cooking process is deemed successful, the user can instruct the tablet computer  150  to generate a recipe based on the recorded information and the user further entered information in step  1250 . The user further entered information includes information about types and amounts of food, condiment and liquid used as well as text, photo and video instructions. The generated recipe can be later used on the same automated cooker as well as shared with other users over the Internet, so that a successful cooking process can be duplicated as well as enjoyed by many other people. 
         [0044]      FIG. 13  is a flow-chart illustrating a simulated operation of the present automated cooker. In the simulated mode, the tablet computer  150  displays entry boxes for names of food and condiments to be used in a cooking process and a desired cooking result in step  1310 . The tablet computer  150  then generates a recipe which includes heating, stirrer and lid parameters and various timing information along with cooking instruction based on simulation in step  1320 . Simulation models are pre-established on various foods and their combinations in response to heat process, so that when conditions such as volume, temperature or cooking time, change, new result can be predicted based on the simulation models. The tablet computer  150  displays the generated recipe for the user to verify and modify in step  1330 . Once verified, the user can then instruct the tablet computer  150  to execute the generated recipe in step  1340 . 
         [0045]      FIG. 14  is a flow-chart illustrating an automated operation of the present automated cooker. The tablet computer  150  has the Internet access. In the automated mode, it can access the Internet to acquire a recipe in response to user&#39;s instruction in step  1410 . In order to facilitate recipe trading, a market place may be formed over the Internet for recipe developers and buyers to meet. The acquired recipe includes heating, stirrer, and lid parameters and timing information along with cooking instructions. Alternatively, the recipe may already be stored in the tablet computer  150 , either locally generated or previously acquired over the Internet. The tablet computer  150  displays the acquired recipe for the user to verify or modify in step  1420 . The user can then instruct the tablet computer  150  to execute the recipe in step  1430 . 
         [0046]    While this disclosure has been particularly shown and described with references to exemplary embodiments thereof, it shall be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the claimed embodiments.