Precision cooking system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11116244-B2
Application number	US-201916249068-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 16, 2019
Priority date	Jan 24, 2018
Publication date	Sep 14, 2021
Grant date	Sep 14, 2021

Abstract

The present invention comprises a precision cooking oven that utilizes laser sheets to cook food, thus creating homogeneously heated and uniformly seared food bodies and surfaces. Laser sheets move back and forth evenly injecting heat into items being cooked. All food cold or hot areas can be eliminated since intersecting laser lines can be completely projected on and accommodate an item's exterior surfaces. Items with non-uniform cross-sections and properties can be cooked uniformly by controlling the exact amount of energy projected into differing sections of the food. The oven is also capable of cooking autonomously. Since laser sheets can be precisely controlled, cooking results can be very predictable once the boundary conditions for a thermal analysis are determined. The oven can detect the properties of the items to be cooked and thereafter compute the needed time and power to achieve the desired results stipulated by an oven operator.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A precision cooking oven for the preparation of food products, the precision cooking oven comprising:
an oven controller;
a control panel and a display panel, the control and display panels being in communication with the oven controller;
a thermally insulated cooking chamber, the thermally insulated cooking chamber further comprising:
a food placement surface, the food placement surface being configured in a fixed horizontal position within the cooking chamber;
a rail ring, the rail ring situated in a vertically fixed manner around the food placement surface, the rail ring comprising an interior and an exterior surface;
at least two food preparation laser devices in electrical communication with the oven controller, the food preparation laser devices being configured to emit laser beams that are expanded in one axis resulting in projected sheets of laser light, further, the food preparation laser devices are configured to mechanically engage the interior surface of the rail ring, each food preparation laser device comprises a motor mechanism system, the motor mechanism system further comprising:
a primary motor mechanism, wherein the primary motor mechanism is configured to move the emitted laser light sheets in preconfigured directions towards food placed on the food placement surface and
a secondary motor mechanism, the secondary motor mechanism being configured to move the food preparation laser device along the interior surface of the rail ring to predetermined locations upon the rail ring; and

a plurality of sensor mechanisms in communication with the oven controller, the sensor mechanisms comprising:
a weight sensor, the weight sensor is configured to detect the weight and density of all food items situated upon the food placement surface;
a 3D scanning sensor, the 3D sensor is configured to detect the volume and geometry of all food items situated upon the food placement surface; and
a thermal imaging sensor; the thermal imaging sensor is configured to detect the real-time temperature distribution within the food items situated upon the food placement surface.

2. The precision cooking oven of claim 1 , wherein a 2D image of food items that have been placed upon the food placement surface is displayed on the display panel upon the completion of the 3D scanning of the food items.

3. The precision cooking oven of claim 2 , wherein the oven controller determines a thermal coefficient and a modulus of elasticity for each food item that is to be cooked from input information entered at the control panel by the oven operator.

4. The precision cooking oven of claim 3 , wherein the information obtained by the weight, 3D scanner, thermal imaging sensor, and operator input information is utilized by the oven controller to generate a thermal FEA model of all detected food items.

5. The precision cooking oven of claim 4 , wherein the FEA model generated by the oven controller has the capability to predict cold regions within the volume of the food items that are to be cooked in accordance with a predetermined default food item cooking setting.

6. The precision cooking oven of claim 5 , wherein the oven controller utilizes the results of the FEA model to calculate a cooking time, heating pattern, and a cooking power level for the cooking of the food items.

7. The precision cooking oven of claim 6 , wherein throughout the food item cooking process the weight, 3D scanning, and thermal imaging sensors continuously gather sensor information, the detected sensor information being utilized to continuously update the cooking time, heating pattern, and cooking power level for the food items.

8. The precision cooking oven of claim 7 , wherein the oven controller utilizes the FEA results to adjust the cooking time, heating pattern, and a cooking power level for the elimination of hot or cold areas within the cooking food items and achieve a thermal food item surface uniformity in the range of 90%-95%.

9. A method for using a precision cooking oven for the preparation of food products, the method comprising the steps of:
placing at least one food item upon a food placement surface within a thermally insulated cooking chamber;
utilizing a plurality of sensor mechanisms for detecting the weight, volume, and geometry of the food item that has been placed upon the food placement surface;
querying a precision cooking oven operator for input information about the type of food item that has been placed upon the food placement surface;
generating a thermal model of the food item and determining the cooking time for the food item and the power level at which the food item is to be cooked;
cooking a food item by emitting laser beams that are expanded in one axis resulting in sheets of laser light projected in preconfigured directions upon the food item from at least two food preparation laser devices, the food preparation laser devices being configured to mechanically engage the interior surface of a rail ring, the rail ring comprising an interior and an exterior surface being situated in a vertically fixed manner around the food placement surface, each food preparation laser device also comprises a motor mechanism system, the motor mechanism system further comprising:
a primary motor mechanism, wherein the primary motor mechanism is configured to move the emitted laser light sheets in preconfigured directions upon the food item placed on the food placement surface and
a secondary motor mechanism, the secondary motor mechanisms being configured to move the food preparation laser device along the interior surface of the rail ring to predetermined locations upon the rail ring; and

utilizing the thermal model of the food item to continuously adjust the cooking time and power level output of the cooking laser light sheets upon the food item;
displaying the real-time cooking status of the food item to the precision cooking oven operator; and
notifying the precision cooking operator when the food item within the cooking chamber has finished cooking.

10. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 9 , further comprising the step of displaying a 2D image of the at least one food item that has been placed upon the food placement surface on a display panel.

11. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 10 , further comprising the step of determining a thermal coefficient and a modulus of elasticity for each food item that is to be cooked from input information provided by the oven operator.

12. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 11 , further comprising the step of generating a thermal FEA model of the at least one food item from the oven operator input information and the detected food item weight, volume, and geometry information.

13. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 12 , wherein the generated FEA model has the capability to predict cold regions within the volume of the food items that are to be cooked in accordance with a predetermined default food item cooking setting.

14. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 13 , further comprising the step of utilizing the FEA model to calculate a cooking time, heating pattern, and a cooking power level for the cooking of the at least one food item.

15. The method for using a precision cooking oven of claim 14 , wherein throughout the food item cooking process the weight, volume; and geometry information of the food item is continuously gathered, the gathered information being utilized to continuously update the cooking time, heating pattern, and cooking power level for the food item.

Assignees

• Us Dept Energy

Inventors

• Lee Henry Yu-Heng

Classifications

• A23L5/30 Primary

  Physical treatment, e.g. electrical or magnetic means, wave energy or irradiation (cooking A23L5/10) · CPC title

• F24C7/087

  of electric circuits regulating heat · CPC title

• A21B1/02

  characterised by the heating arrangements · CPC title

• A23L5/10

  General methods of cooking foods, e.g. by roasting or frying · CPC title

• F24C7/046

  Ranges · CPC title