EP-4737804-A1 - COOKING APPLIANCE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

EP4737804A1EP 4737804 A1EP4737804 A1EP 4737804A1EP-4737804-A1

Abstract

An invention relating to a cooking appliance and a control method thereof is disclosed. Based on an image obtained from imaging of a cooking chamber, the chamber is divided into a plurality of separate areas, the state of a cooking subject is ascertained for each area, and the operation of a heating device is controlled so that hot air is supplied to an area selected according to the ascertained states.

Inventors

LEE, SuYong
PARK, KYOUNG-JOON
YANG, JAEKYUNG
KWAG, DONGSEONG
YANG, HAK SOON

Assignees

LG Electronics Inc.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20251030

Claims (12)

A control method for a cooking appliance comprising a main body forming a cooking chamber, a camera for imaging the cooking chamber, and a heating device operable to supply hot air to the cooking chamber, the method comprising: an imaging step of imaging the cooking chamber with the camera; a state determination step of dividing the cooking chamber into a plurality of separate areas based on the image acquired by the camera and determining the state of a cooking subject in each of the separate areas; an area selection step of selecting a target area, among the plurality of separate areas, to which hot air is to be supplied, based on the state of the cooking subject determined in the state determination step; and a heating operation control step of controlling the operation of the heating device so that hot air is supplied toward the selected area, wherein in the heating operation control step, the operation of the heating device is controlled such that at least one of a discharge position and a reach distance of a main stream of hot air discharged from the heating device is adjusted.
The control method of claim 1, wherein in the heating operation control step, a position of the selected area in a front-rear direction is determined, and the operation of the heating device is controlled such that the reach distance of the main stream of hot air discharged from the heating device is adjusted.
The control method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the heating device comprises a fan rotatable to send hot air into the cooking chamber, and wherein in the heating operation control step, the rotational speed of the fan is adjusted.
The control method of claim 3, wherein in the heating operation control step, the closer the position of the selected area is to the front, the higher the rotational speed of the fan is increased.
The control method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the heating operation control step, both a position of the selected area in the front-rear direction and a position of the selected area on a coordinate plane orthogonal to the front-rear axis are determined, and the operation of the heating device is controlled such that both the reach distance and the discharge position of the main stream of hot air discharged from the heating device are adjusted.
The control method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein controlling the operation of the heating device comprises identifying a position of the selected area in the front-rear direction and a position of the selected area on a coordinate plane orthogonal to the front-rear axis, and controlling the operation of the heating device such that both the reach distance and the discharge position of the main stream of hot air are adjusted.
The control method of claim 6, wherein the heating device comprises a fan rotatable in both a forward direction and a reverse direction about a front-rear axis, wherein the discharge position of the main stream of hot air discharged from the heating device varies according to the rotation direction of the fan, and wherein in the heating operation control step, the rotation direction of the fan is adjusted according to the position of the selected area on the coordinate plane.
The control method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the heating operation control step, both a position of the selected area in the front-rear direction and a position of the selected area on a coordinate plane orthogonal to the front-rear axis are determined, and wherein in the heating operation control step, a heating amount of the heating device is adjusted according to the position of the selected area on the coordinate plane.
A cooking appliance comprising: a main body having a cooking chamber formed therein; a camera for imaging the cooking chamber; a controller configured to divide the cooking chamber into a plurality of separate areas based on an image acquired by the camera and to select, as a selected area, one of the separate areas to which hot air is to be supplied; and a heating device operable to supply hot air toward the selected area, wherein the controller controls the operation of the heating device such that at least one of a discharge position and a reach distance of a main stream of hot air discharged from the heating device is adjusted.
The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein the heating device comprises a fan cover having a first front discharge port and a second front discharge port, and a fan rotatable about a front-rear axis, wherein the first front discharge port and the second front discharge port are disposed at different positions on a coordinate plane orthogonal to a rotation axis of the fan and having an origin located on the rotation axis of the fan, wherein the fan rotates in a forward direction to discharge a main stream of hot air from inside the heating device into the cooking chamber through the first front discharge port, or rotates in a reverse direction to discharge a main stream of hot air from inside the heating device into the cooking chamber through the second front discharge port, and wherein the controller adjusts the rotation direction of the fan according to the position of the selected area on the coordinate plane.
The cooking appliance of claim 10, wherein the first front discharge port and the second front discharge port are disposed at a front surface of the fan cover.
The cooking appliance of claim 10 or 11, wherein among quadrants of the coordinate plane divided by a front-rear axis and a vertical axis intersecting at the origin, the first front discharge port is disposed in at least one of a second quadrant and a fourth quadrant, and the second front discharge port is disposed in at least one of a first quadrant and a third quadrant.

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking appliance, and more particularly, to a cooking appliance provided with a camera that photographs the inside of a cooking chamber and to a control method thereof. A cooking appliance is a household electric appliance for cooking food, which is installed in a kitchen space and cooks food according to a user's intention. Such cooking appliances can be classified in various ways according to the heat source used, their form, or the type of fuel. When classifying cooking appliances according to the form in which food is cooked, they can be classified as open-type and closed-type cooking appliances depending on the form of the space where the food is placed. Closed-type cooking appliances include ovens and microwave ovens, and open-type cooking appliances include cooktops, hobs, and griddles. A closed-type cooking appliance is a cooking appliance that shields the space where food is located and cooks the food by heating the shielded space. A closed-type cooking appliance is provided with a cooking chamber which is the space that is shielded when food is placed and cooking is to be performed. This cooking chamber is, in effect, the space in which the food is actually cooked. In a closed-type cooking appliance, a door is provided so as to be rotatable to selectively open and close the cooking chamber. The door is rotatably mounted to a main body by a door hinge provided between the main body in which the cooking chamber is formed and the door. The door rotates about a portion coupled to the main body via the door hinge, thereby enabling the cooking chamber to be selectively opened and closed. A heat source is provided in the internal space of the cooking chamber that is opened and closed by the door to heat the cooking chamber. As the heat source, a gas burner or an electric heater may be used. Recently, closed-type cooking appliances providing an automatic cooking function have been developed. A closed-type cooking appliance providing an automatic cooking function can acquire information such as the appearance or the weight of food accommodated inside the cooking chamber, and can control the cooking operation of the appliance using the acquired information. In such cooking appliances, the type, size, thickness, weight, and the like of the food must be accurately ascertained in order for the automatic cooking function to be provided effectively. In addition, closed-type cooking appliances equipped with a built-in camera have recently been developed. Such cooking appliances can obtain an image related to the food accommodated in the cooking chamber by means of the built-in camera. The image acquired by the built-in camera may be used to be displayed on a display provided in the cooking appliance or on a user's smart device, and may also be used as data for controlling the cooking operation of the cooking appliance. When the image acquired by the built-in camera is used as data for controlling the cooking operation of the cooking appliance, the cooking appliance can analyze the food-related image obtained by the built-in camera to determine the type of food or to judge the cooking progress of the food, and can control the cooking operation of the cooking appliance based on the thus-analyzed information. In a cooking appliance that provides an automatic cooking function as described above, the judgment of cooking progress of the food-namely, the judgment of the degree of doneness-may mainly be performed in a manner of identifying the surface color of the food. In this case, the cooking appliance can ascertain the overall doneness state of the food through the food-related image acquired by the built-in camera and can control the cooking operation of the cooking appliance based on the thus-ascertained information. Meanwhile, the cooking appliance may use the food-related image acquired by the built-in camera to ascertain the doneness state of the food by each part. For example, the cooking appliance can ascertain how the doneness state of a front portion and a rear portion of the food differs, or how the doneness state of an upper portion and a lower portion of the food differs. However, even if the cooking appliance can ascertain the doneness state of the food by each part, if heat energy cannot be concentrated to a target portion by part, it becomes very difficult to secure uniformity of cooking quality. An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance and a control method thereof capable of improving the uniformity of cooking quality. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance and a control method thereof capable of offering an automatic cooking function that enhances the uniformity of cooking quality. A further object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance and a control method thereof capable of concentrating heating energy onto a target portion among various portions of a cooking subject. Preferably, a