Cooking appliance with a user interface

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10605463-B2
Application number	US-201715795641-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2017
Priority date	Oct 27, 2017
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

A cooking appliance can include a cooking chamber and an imaging device for capturing an image of a food item inside the chamber. A computing device can be configured to compute a parameter for the food item based on the captured image which can be displayed on a user interface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking appliance comprising:
a cooking chamber;
a user interface comprising a selector configured to allow a user to set a target degree of browning;
an imaging device for capturing an image of a food item inside the cooking chamber;
a computing device in communication with the imaging device and comprising a software module configured to receive the captured image from the imaging device and compute a real-time degree of browning; and
the user interface configured to display a visual scale indicating the real-time degree of browning based on the computed degree of browning and the target degree of browning and where the user interface also displays a real time image of the food item.

2. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the user interface further displays a target image of the food item based on the target degree of browning.

3. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the computing device is in data communication with the selector.

4. The cooking appliance of claim 3 wherein the computing device compares the real-time degree of browning to the target degree of browning.

5. The cooking appliance of claim 4 further comprising a controller configured to modify operation of the appliance when the comparison indicates that the target degree of browning at least equals the real-time degree of browning.

6. The cooking appliance of claim 5 further comprising a temperature probe in communication with the computing device and outputting a temperature reading.

7. The cooking appliance of claim 6 wherein the controller is further configured to modify operation of the appliance based on the temperature reading.

8. The cooking appliance of claim 7 wherein the computing device adjusts a cooking time or temperature based on the temperature reading and target degree of browning.

9. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the user interface comprises a touch screen.

10. The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the captured image comprises pixels.

11. The cooking appliance of claim 10 wherein each pixel is correlated to a red-green-blue color value.

12. The cooking appliance of claim 11 wherein a single red-green-blue color value is computed based on an average of all red-green-blue pixel values.

13. The cooking appliance of claim 12 wherein the real-time degree of browning is converted from the single red-green-blue color value.

Assignees

• Whirlpool Co

Inventors

• Abdoo Joshua G
• Bruno Ariana M
• Ebrom Matthew P
• Giacomini Neomar
• Gilmore Donald J

Classifications

• F24C7/085 Primary

  on baking ovens · CPC title

• F27D21/02

  Observation or illuminating devices · CPC title

• F27D2021/026

  using a video installation · CPC title

• A47J27/002

  Construction of cooking-vessels; Methods or processes of manufacturing specially adapted for cooking-vessels · CPC title

• F24C7/086 Primary

  touch control · CPC title