Food preparation assembly comprising a camera assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025035315-A1
Application number	US-202218713645-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2022
Priority date	Nov 26, 2021
Publication date	Jan 30, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided is a food preparation assembly ( 100 ) comprising a food preparation chamber ( 102 ), and a camera assembly ( 104 ) for obtaining one or more images inside the food preparation chamber. The camera assembly is controllable to adjust an image characteristic of the one or more images. The food preparation assembly comprises a radiation assembly ( 106 A, 106 B, 108 A, 108 B) controllable to adopt a radiation status in which the radiation assembly emits radiation comprising visible light inside the food preparation chamber. One or more processors ( 112 ) is or are configured to: identify the radiation status; and control the camera assembly to adjust the image characteristic using a predetermined relationship for adjusting the image characteristic according to the identified radiation status. Further provided is a method of controlling a camera assembly suitable for obtaining one or more images inside a food preparation chamber of a food preparation assembly, a computer program for implementing the method, and a method of determining a relationship for adjusting an image characteristic of one or more images inside a food preparation chamber of a food preparation assembly.

First claim

1 . A food preparation assembly comprising:
a food preparation chamber; a camera assembly for obtaining one or more images inside the food preparation chamber, the camera assembly being controllable to adjust an image characteristic of the one or more images; a radiation assembly; a control unit having a control configuration arranged to control the radiation assembly to adopt a radiation status in which the radiation assembly emits radiation comprising visible light inside the food preparation chamber, the radiation assembly being controllable to select the radiation status from a plurality of radiation statuses comprising a first radiation status and a second radiation status, the first radiation status causing a first optical condition in the food preparation chamber, and the second radiation status causing a second optical condition in the food preparation chamber which is different from the first optical condition; and one or more processors configured to:
identify the selected radiation status based on said control configuration; and
control the camera assembly to adjust the image characteristic using a predetermined relationship for adjusting the image characteristic according to the identified selected radiation status, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined such that the image characteristic is adjusted to compensate for the difference between the first optical condition and the second optical condition.

2 . The food preparation assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first radiation status and the second radiation status are adopted in a control sequence that controls the radiation status of the radiation assembly to change over time, the one or more processors being configured to control the camera assembly to adjust the image characteristic, using the predetermined relationship, to coincide with the change of the radiation status.

3 . The food preparation assembly of claim 2 , wherein the camera assembly is configured to obtain a sequence of images of the inside of the food preparation chamber during said change in radiation status.

4 . The food preparation assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radiation assembly comprises at least one lamp for illuminating the inside of the food preparation chamber, and wherein the radiation status comprises an illumination status of the at least one lamp.

5 . The food preparation assembly of claim 1 , wherein the radiation assembly comprises at least one heating element arranged to radiate inside the food preparation chamber, and wherein the radiation status comprises a heating status of the at least one heating element.

6 . (canceled)

7 . (canceled)

8 . The food preparation assembly of claim 1 , wherein the camera assembly comprises an image capture module, and wherein the one or more processors is or are configured to control at least one image capture setting of the image capture module according to the identified radiation status to adjust the image characteristic.

9 . The food preparation assembly of claim 8 , wherein the at least one image capture setting comprises an aperture size, a shutter speed and/or a sensitivity setting.

10 . The food preparation assembly of claim 1 , comprising an image processing module, and wherein the one or more processors is or are configured to control at least one image processing setting of the image processing module according to the identified radiation status to adjust the image characteristic; optionally wherein the image processing module is included in at least one of the camera assembly, a user device, and a cloud-based server.

11 . The food preparation assembly of claim 10 , wherein the at least one processing setting comprises a colour balance setting; optionally wherein the colour balance setting is a white balance setting.

12 . A method of controlling a camera assembly to obtain one or more images inside a food preparation chamber of a food preparation assembly, the food preparation assembly further comprising a radiation assembly and a control unit whose control configuration controls the radiation assembly to adopt a radiation status in which the radiation assembly emits radiation comprising visible light inside the food preparation chamber, the radiation assembly being controllable to select the radiation status from a plurality of radiation statuses comprising a first radiation status and a second radiation status, the first radiation status causing a first optical condition in the food preparation chamber, and the second radiation status causing a second optical condition in the food preparation chamber which is different from the first optical condition, the method comprising:
identifying the selected radiation status based on the control configuration; and controlling the camera assembly to adjust an image characteristic of the one or more images using a predetermined relationship for adjusting the image characteristic according to the identified selected radiation status, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined such that the image characteristic is adjusted to compensate for the difference between the first optical condition and the second optical condition.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the first radiation status and the second radiation status are adopted in a control sequence that controls the radiation status of the radiation assembly to change over time, the controlling the camera assembly to adjust, using the predetermined relationship, the image characteristic coinciding with the change of the radiation status.

14 . The method of claim 13 , comprising operating the camera assembly to obtain one or more images inside the food preparation chamber.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the operating comprises obtaining a sequence of images of the inside of the food preparation chamber during said change in radiation status.

16 . A computer program comprising computer program code which is configured, when said computer program is run on one or more processors included in a food preparation assembly further comprising a food preparation chamber, a camera assembly for obtaining one or more images inside the food preparation chamber, a radiation assembly, and a control unit whose control configuration controls the radiation assembly to adopt a radiation status in which the radiation assembly emits radiation comprising visible light inside the food preparation chamber, to cause said one or more processors to implement the method of claim 12 .

17 . A method for configuring one or more processors with a predetermined a relationship for adjusting an image characteristic of one or more images, obtained using a camera assembly, inside a food preparation chamber of a food preparation assembly that comprises a control unit whose control configuration controls a radiation assembly of the food preparation assembly to adopt a radiation status, wherein the predetermined relationship is determined by a product development phase, the method comprising:
identifying a first radiation status and a second radiation status of the radiation assembly in each of which radiation comprising visible light is emitted inside the food preparation chamber; measuring, for each of the at least one radiation status, an optical condition such that a first optical condition is measured for the first radiation status and a second optical condition is measured for the second radiation status; and determining, using said first and second optical conditions respectively measured for each of the first and second radiation statuses, said relationship for adjusting the image c

Assignees

• Versuni Holding Bv

Inventors

• Xiao Weimin
• Tan Jingwei
• Sun Wen

Classifications

• F24C15/008

  Illumination for oven cavities · CPC title

• F24C7/085 Primary

  on baking ovens · CPC title