Apparatus and method for controlling food temperature

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016169752-A1
Application number	US-201414909515-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 4, 2014
Priority date	Aug 2, 2013
Publication date	Jun 16, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention proposes a method of controlling food temperature, the method comprising the steps of: heating food to a first target temperature; exciting a fluorescent marker of the food, wherein the fluorescent marker corresponds to a fluorophore of nutrient substance and/or anti-nutrient substance within the food; detecting current fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker, and based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value, calculating current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; comparing the detected current fluorescence-related parameter value with the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; and controlling heating power supplied to the food based on a comparison result.

First claim

1 . A method of controlling food temperature, food being heated to a first target temperature, wherein, the method comprising the steps of:
exciting a fluorescent marker of the food, wherein the fluorescent marker corresponds to a fluorophore of nutrient substance and/or anti-nutrient substance within the food; detecting current fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker, and based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value, calculating current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; comparing the detected current fluorescence-related parameter value with the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; controlling heating power supplied to the food based on a comparison result.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value is characterized by a function of:
I=I 0 *exp(− kt )
wherein I 0 represents initial fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker before the heating process, k represents the first order decomposition rate constant at the first target temperature, t represents heating time, and I represents fluorescence-related parameter value.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of heating the food to the first target temperature further comprises the steps of:
calculating current temperature of the food based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and food temperature; judging whether the current temperature of the food has reached the first target temperature; performing the step of exciting if the current temperature of the food has reached the first target temperature.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined relationships between heating time and food temperature is characterized by a function of:
T c =−T i *exp(− t/P )+ T b
wherein P represents a heating rate dependent constant for the first target temperature, T b represents the first target temperature of the food, T b −T i is approximately equal to initial food temperature of the food, t represents heating time, and T c represents food temperature of the food during the heating process.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of heating the food to the first target temperature further comprises the steps of:
detecting a plurality of fluorescence-related parameter values of the fluorescence marker after the fluorescent marker of the food is excited; determining current absolute temperature of the food, based on the plurality of fluorescence-related parameter values and predetermined relationships among fluorescence-related parameter value, heating time and absolute temperature; judging whether the current absolute temperature of the food has reached the first target temperature; performing the step of exciting if the current absolute temperature of the food has reached the first target temperature.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of controlling comprising:
increasing the heating power supplied to the food if the comparison result indicates that the detected current fluorescence-related parameter is larger than the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter; and decreasing the heating power supplied to the food if the comparison result indicates that the detected current fluorescence-related parameter is lower than the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter.

7 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
heating the food from the first target temperature to a second target temperature; exciting the fluorescent marker of the food; detecting current fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker, and based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value, calculating current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; comparing the detected current fluorescence-related parameter value with the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; controlling heating power supplied to the food based on a comparison result; wherein the current heating time is reset to zero and re-counts at start point of heating from the first target temperature to the second target temperature, and the predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value is characterized by a function of:
I=I 0 *exp(− kt )

wherein I 0 represents fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker at the start point of heating from the first target temperature to the second target temperature, k represents the first order decomposition rate constant at the second target temperature, t represents heating time, and I represents fluorescence-related parameter value.

8 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the step of heating the food from the first target temperature to a second target temperature further comprises:
calculating current temperature of the food based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and food temperature; judging whether the current temperature of the food has reached the second target temperature; performing the step of exciting if the current temperature of the food has reached the second target temperature; wherein the current heating time is reset to zero and re-counts at start point of heating from the first target temperature to the second target temperature, and the predetermined relationships between heating time and food temperature is characterized by a function of:
T c =−T i *exp(− t/P )+ T b

wherein P represents a heating rate dependent constant for the second target temperature, T b represents the second target temperature of the food, T b −T i is approximately equal to the first target temperature of the food, t represents heating time, and T c represents food temperature of the food during the heating process.

9 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:
cooling the food from the first target temperature to a third target temperature; exciting the fluorescent marker of the food; detecting current fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker, and based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value, calculating current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; comparing the detected current fluorescence-related parameter value with the calculated current reference fluorescence-related parameter value; controlling heating power supplied to the food based on a comparison result; wherein the current heating time is reset to zero and re-counts at start point of cooling from the first target temperature to the third target temperature, and the predetermined relationships between heating time and fluorescence-related parameter value is characterized by a function of:
I=I 0 *exp(− kt )

wherein I 0 represents fluorescence-related parameter value of the fluorescence marker at the start point of cooling from the first target temperature to the third target temperature, k represents the first order decomposition rate constant at the third target temperature, t represents heating time, and I represents fluorescence-related parameter value.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of cooling the food from the first target temperature to the third target temperature further comprises the steps of:
calculating current temperature of the food based on current heating time and predetermined relationships between h

Assignees

• Koninkl Philips Nv

Inventors

• Sun Ming
• Yin Bin
• Karakaya Koray
• Li Qing

Classifications

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• G01K2207/06

  for preparation purposes · CPC title

• G01N21/6486

  Measuring fluorescence of biological material, e.g. DNA, RNA, cells (G01N21/6428 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A47J36/00

  Parts, details or accessories of cooking-vessels (A47J27/00 - A47J33/00 take precedence insofar as these parts, details or accessories are restricted to a particular kind of cooking-vessel provided for in a single one of these groups) · CPC title

• A23L5/10

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