CN111603051B

CN111603051B - A prepare dish branch system for intelligent kitchen system

Info

Publication number: CN111603051B
Application number: CN201910143477.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 冷鹭浩
Original assignee: New Tec Integration Xiamen Co Ltd
Current assignee: New Tec Integration Xiamen Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-02-26
Filing date: 2019-02-26
Publication date: 2023-04-07
Anticipated expiration: 2039-02-26
Also published as: CN111603051A

Abstract

The invention provides a dish preparation subsystem for an intelligent kitchen system, which comprises one or more dish preparation cabins, wherein each dish preparation cabin is provided with: two food pod input/output ports, each configured to receive a food pod transported by a transport mechanism of the smart kitchen system and to retrieve a food pod from the transport mechanism; a preparation space configured to accommodate food material in the food material compartment; a plurality of vegetable preparation function heads, each configured to perform different vegetable preparation operations on food materials in the vegetable preparation space; and a standby function head mounting port through which the transport mechanism is configured to be able to replace the standby function head.

Description

A prepare dish branch system for intelligent kitchen system

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of intelligent home furnishing, in particular to a dish preparation subsystem for an intelligent kitchen system.

Background

With the development of science and technology, more and more intelligent devices are or will be integrated into the lives of people, so that the lives of people become more convenient and comfortable. Diet is an important part of daily life of people, greatly influences the happiness degree of the life of people, but some people do not like cooking, the reason is mainly that time and complex operation are needed for cooking, and although the appearance of automatic catering equipment such as electric cookers, electromagnetic cookers, automatic cooking machines and the like liberates manpower to a certain extent, the middle process of food preparation still needs the participation of people.

An unmanned kitchen or an automated kitchen is a concept that has recently been developed, and many of the currently known automated kitchens are of a workshop type or an open type, and operate and circulate food between each functional unit by using a robot arm and various rails. The existing automatic kitchen is low in integration level, large in occupied space and not suitable for household use, and in the middle process, food materials are directly conveyed through mechanical arms, rails and other devices, so that the food materials are not beneficial to guaranteeing the sanitation of the food materials and keeping the freshness of the food materials.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved intelligent kitchen system to address the above-mentioned problems.

Disclosure of Invention

Aiming at the problems in the prior art, the invention provides a high-integration intelligent kitchen system without human participation in the intermediate process and components thereof.

The invention provides a dish preparation subsystem for an intelligent kitchen system, which comprises one or more dish preparation cabins, wherein each dish preparation cabin is provided with:

two food product bin input/output ports, each food product bin input/output port configured to receive a food product bin conveyed by a conveyor mechanism of the smart kitchen system and to enable retrieval of the food product bin by the conveyor mechanism;

a preparation space configured to accommodate food material in the food material compartment;

a plurality of vegetable preparation function heads, each configured to perform different vegetable preparation operations on food materials in the vegetable preparation space; and

a standby function head mounting port through which the transport mechanism is configured to be able to replace the standby function head.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the food material compartment is configured to be fixedly mountable into the preparation compartment, and the preparation compartment is configured to open and close a food material compartment lid of the food material compartment, and the food material input opening and the food material output opening of the preparation space are configured to sealingly engage with an opening of the food material compartment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the preparation cabin is configured to enable exchange of the preparation head for performing different preparation operations by the transport mechanism via the preparation head assembly opening.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the preparation operations include washing, cutting, dosing, thawing, frothing, blanching, and cooking.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the standby vegetable function head, which is capable of performing different standby vegetable operations, has a uniform interface for installation interfacing with the standby vegetable compartment.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the preparation compartment is self-cleaning with a washing operation and a cooking operation.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the food preparation subsystem is in communication with a control system of the intelligent kitchen system.

The intelligent kitchen system disclosed by the invention is high in integration level and small in occupied space, and the closed food material cabin is adopted as a carrier for circulating food materials in the whole process, so that the sanitation and freshness of the food materials are favorably ensured. In addition, the food material cabin is the only carrier for food material circulation in the food making process, so that the structure and the configuration of interfaces of each functional unit and the food material cabin are convenient to unify, and the integration level of the intelligent kitchen system is higher.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the above and other objects, features, advantages and functions of the present invention, reference should be made to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like parts. It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention without any limiting effect on the scope of the invention, and that the various components in the drawings are not drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of an intelligent kitchen system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the access subsystem of the smart kitchen system of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a rear schematic view of the smart kitchen system of fig. 1.

Fig. 4A is a schematic view of a food material compartment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a schematic view of a food material compartment according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5A is a schematic view of a fresh food compartment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5B is a schematic view of the food compartment shown in fig. 4B when placed in a fresh food compartment.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of a preparation compartment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a cooking chamber according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

An intelligent kitchen system (hereinafter, referred to as a "kitchen system") and a dish preparation system thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. What has been described herein is merely a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention and other ways of practicing the invention will occur to those skilled in the art and are within the scope of the invention.

Fig. 1 schematically shows a front view of a kitchen system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein an access subsystem 200 of the kitchen system for storing and retrieving food material compartments 100 and two food material compartments 100 respectively located at access ports of the access subsystem 200 are partially shown, wherein the two food material compartments shown in the figure may be one and the same food material compartment or two separate food material compartments. For example, the same food material compartment may be used for containing food materials before processing and also used for containing food materials after processing after necessary steps such as cleaning, and of course, two food material compartments may be used for containing food materials before processing and food materials after processing respectively. The "processing" as referred to herein may include preparing dishes and cooking. The kitchen system of the present invention comprises a plurality of food material compartments that deliver food material throughout the food preparation process from entry of the food material into the kitchen system to exit of the food material from the kitchen system.

Fig. 2 schematically shows an enlarged view of the access subsystem 200 of fig. 1, and it can be seen that the access subsystem 200 may comprise a food material compartment input port 210 for receiving a food material compartment, a food material compartment output port 230 for taking out a food material compartment, and a human-machine interface 220 for communicating with a control system of the kitchen system. The control system communicates with various subsystems or components of the kitchen system (e.g., access subsystem, fresh-keeping subsystem, food preparation subsystem, cooking subsystem, and transport mechanism) to control the same for corresponding operations. The control system comprises a controller comprising processing circuitry and a memory having a program stored thereon, the controller being capable of controlling portions of the kitchen system to process food material to make food when the processing circuitry executes the program. When the food material compartment 100 containing specific food materials is used, the food material compartment 100 containing the specific food materials can be placed into the kitchen system through the food material compartment input port 210, and then the human-computer interaction interface 220 is operated to send instructions to the control system of the kitchen system, so that each part of the kitchen system is controlled according to the preset processing rule to process the food materials, and the required food is made. The food preparation program may be pre-stored in the kitchen system, may be modified or written by the user according to specific needs and preferences, and may be downloaded or transmitted from a network or other terminal via a communication system.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a back view of a kitchen system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As can be seen, the kitchen system may further include a food preparation subsystem 300, a cooking subsystem 400, a fresh food subsystem 500, etc. in communication with the control system. The food preparation subsystem 300 comprises one or more food preparation cabins 310 capable of operating simultaneously, and is used for receiving food material cabins, performing food preparation operation on food materials in the food material cabins and putting the food materials subjected to the food preparation operation into the food material cabins. The preparation function head in each preparation cabin 310 can be replaced to execute different preparation operations. Also schematically shown in fig. 3 are a plurality of standby function heads 320 for replacement. As already explained above, the food material compartment for holding food material not subjected to a preparation operation and the food material compartment for holding food material subjected to a preparation operation may be the same food material compartment or two separate food material compartments. The cooking subsystem 400 includes one or more simultaneously operable cooking compartments 410 for receiving the food compartments 100, performing cooking operations on prepared food items in the food compartments, and placing the prepared food items in the food compartments. Similarly, the food compartment for containing food that has not been cooked and the food compartment for containing food that has been cooked can be the same food compartment or two separate food compartments. The fresh-keeping subsystem 500 comprises a fresh-keeping compartment 510 for receiving the food compartment 100 and keeping food fresh in the food compartment, the fresh-keeping process may occur at any stage of the whole manufacturing process from the time when the food enters the kitchen system to the time when the food leaves the kitchen system, for example, food that has not been subjected to any operation may be placed in the fresh-keeping subsystem 500 for fresh-keeping after entering the kitchen system through the food compartment, and food that has been subjected to a food preparation operation may be placed in the fresh-keeping subsystem 500 for fresh-keeping and then subjected to a cooking operation as needed, and similarly, food that has been subjected to a cooking operation may be placed in the fresh-keeping subsystem 500 for fresh-keeping as needed and then be transported to the food outlet 230 of the access subsystem 200 by the transport mechanism at an appropriate time. The fresh keeping comprises heat preservation and moisture preservation, wherein the heat preservation refers to temperature maintenance and comprises high temperature and low temperature maintenance; moisturization refers to maintaining humidity, including maintaining dryness and humidity. It should be noted that the preservation subsystem 500 is not essential, and the intelligent kitchen system of the present invention may not have the preservation subsystem 500.

During the circulation and the preparation of the food materials, the food material cabin 100 needs to be transferred among the subsystems to process the food materials in sequence, so the intelligent kitchen system of the invention further comprises a conveying mechanism for conveying the food material cabin among the subsystems, and the conveying mechanism can be a similar mechanism such as a mechanical arm or a mechanical arm capable of fixedly clamping the food material cabin.

The smart kitchen system of the present invention may further include a communication system for communicating with a control system, a mobile terminal (e.g., a mobile phone, a computer, etc.), the internet, and the internet of things. The user can remotely control the kitchen system through the mobile terminal, the internet of things and the like, for example, the kitchen system is instructed to make needed food and dishes at a specified time. In addition, the user can control the kitchen system through the man-machine interface 220.

Fig. 4A schematically shows a food material compartment according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the food material compartment has a compartment body for containing food materials, and the overall shape of the compartment body may be cylindrical as shown in the figure, or may be other shapes such as square. The upper portion of the cabin body is provided with an opening for receiving food materials, a food material hatch which can seal the opening and can be opened and closed through control of a user or other subsystems of the kitchen system is arranged on the opening, and the hatch and the opening can be in sealing fit. Alternatively, both the upper and lower parts of the cabin body may be provided with openings and controlled opening and closing hatches, the openings and hatches of the upper and lower parts being identical in shape and size, so that the food cabin may be used upside down. Optionally, one or more partition walls 110 may be provided within the body of the food material compartment, dividing the interior space of the body into a plurality of sub-spaces for containing different food materials.

Fig. 4B schematically shows a schematic view of a food material compartment according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, which differs from the food material compartment shown in fig. 4A in that the side of the food material compartment is provided with a fresh food cover 120 for cooperating with the fresh food compartment of the freshness subsystem 500, the relevant contents of which will be described in detail below in connection with the fresh food compartment.

Fig. 5A schematically illustrates a fresh food compartment 510 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the fresh food compartment 510 may have a plurality of independent storage compartments 511 capable of accommodating the food compartment 100, each of which is capable of independently setting fresh-keeping parameters, such as temperature and humidity, to facilitate setting different fresh-keeping environments for different food materials. Of course, the fresh-keeping compartment 510 may also be divided into a plurality of fresh-keeping areas, each fresh-keeping area includes a plurality of storage compartments, and different fresh-keeping environments may be set in different fresh-keeping areas. As shown in fig. 5A, each storage compartment 511 has an opening for receiving a food material compartment, and each opening is provided with a fresh food compartment cover (not shown in the drawings) that can be opened and closed. When the food compartment 100 is placed into the storage compartment 511 through the opening by the conveying mechanism, see fig. 5B, the lid is pushed inward by the food compartment, and the fresh food cover 120 on the side of the food compartment covers the opening of the storage compartment of the fresh food compartment and is in sealed and insulated cooperation therewith to maintain the compartment environment. When the food compartment is taken out of the fresh food compartment 510 by the conveying mechanism, the compartment cover at the opening of the storage compartment 511 is automatically closed by the elastic device or the control mechanism to maintain the environment in the compartment.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a preparation compartment 310 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the preparation pod 310 has two food pod input/

output ports

311 and 312 for receiving and retrieving the food pod 100, and a preparation function head mounting port 313 for replacing a preparation function head. The food material compartment 100 can be placed into and secured to the preparation compartment 310 by a transport mechanism through either of the food material compartment input/

output ports

311 and 312 while the opening of the food material compartment 100 is sealingly engaged with the food material input port and the food material output port of the processing space in the preparation compartment. The preparation compartment 310 can control the opening and closing of the lid of the food material compartment 100 according to the preparation operation thereof, so as to put the food material in the food material compartment into the preparation compartment for the preparation operation, and to put the food material subjected to the preparation operation into the food material compartment, and then can take out the food material compartment through any one of the food material compartment input/

output ports

311 and 312 by the conveying mechanism. Generally, different food materials or different dishes require different dish preparation operations, and therefore, the dish preparation function head 320 in the dish preparation cabin of the invention is replaceable. For example, the auxiliary vegetable function heads capable of executing the required auxiliary vegetable operation can be taken from the auxiliary vegetable function head storage area by the conveying mechanism and installed into the auxiliary vegetable cabin 310 through the auxiliary vegetable function head assembling port 313, and for convenience of replacement and installation, different auxiliary vegetable function heads all have uniform interfaces for installation and butt joint with the auxiliary vegetable cabin. The vegetable preparation operation which can be executed by the vegetable preparation functional head comprises various operations such as cleaning, cutting, quantifying, unfreezing, foaming, blanching, cooking and the like so as to meet different vegetable preparation requirements. Meanwhile, the cleaning, cooking and other operations can also be used for self-cleaning of the vegetable preparation cabin.

It should be noted that the positions of the food compartment input/

output ports

311 and 312 and the standby function head mounting port 313 shown in fig. 6 are merely illustrative, and they may be respectively disposed at different sides of the standby food compartment 310, such as above and below.

Fig. 7 exemplarily shows a cooking chamber 410 for cooking food materials according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which is fixed in a kitchen system by a rotating mechanism 411 and can control a cooking temperature in the chamber by a temperature control system. The rotation mechanism 411 has two rotational degrees of freedom, so that the cooking chamber 410 fixed thereto can performbase:Sub>A rotational motion about two axesbase:Sub>A-base:Sub>A and B-B perpendicular to each other to simulatebase:Sub>A stir-frying, stirring, etc. action during cooking. The cooking chamber 410 has an opening at one end thereof or openings at both ends thereof, the food compartment 100 can be fixedly mounted on the opening of the cooking chamber, so that the opening of the cooking chamber 410 is in sealing fit with the opening of the food compartment, and the cooking chamber 410 can control the opening and closing of the lid of the food compartment according to the cooking operation, so as to put the food in the food compartment into the cooking chamber for the cooking operation, and put the food subjected to the cooking operation into the food compartment.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooking chamber 410 is provided at the inside thereof with a stirring blade (not shown) fixed to the inside of the cooking chamber 410 so as to be rotatable in both forward and reverse directions along with the cooking chamber 410. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inside of the cooking chamber 410 may be provided with separate stirring blades configured to be capable of forward and reverse rotation independently of the cooking chamber 410. When the cooking chamber 410 is used for cooking, the stirring blades can rotate in the positive direction to simulate stir-frying, stirring and other actions during cooking; when the cooking is finished and the prepared food or dishes are required to be discharged into the food compartment 100, the stirring blade may rotate in the reverse direction or reciprocate in the forward and reverse directions at a certain frequency to help the food or dishes enter the food compartment, and during the discharging of the food, the cooking compartment 410 may further rotate on the rotating mechanism 411 to help the discharge of the food.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cooking chamber 410 may be provided with a plurality of functional interfaces or functional pipes for adding seasonings into the cooking chamber 410, cleaning the cooking chamber 410, and ventilating air. Also, in order to facilitate the cleaning of the cooking chamber 410, the intelligent kitchen system of the present invention further includes a cleaning device for cleaning the cooking chamber 410. The cleaning device has an interface for docking with the opening of the cooking chamber 410, which may be arranged to be identical to the opening of the food compartment for ease of docking. When the cooking chamber 410 needs to be cleaned, the cleaning device can be fixedly mounted on the cooking chamber through the conveying mechanism, and the interface of the cleaning device is in sealing fit with the opening of the cooking chamber. The washing device may supply water or other washing liquid under high pressure into the cooking chamber to wash the inside of the cooking chamber. Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cleaning device may have a cleaning brush head capable of being inserted into the inside of the cooking chamber for cleaning the inner wall of the cooking chamber, the cleaning brush head preferably having a plurality of branch brush heads which can be drawn and spread apart from each other so as to be inserted into and clean the inner wall of the cooking chamber, and the plurality of branch brush heads can also be rotated about the central axis to brush the inner wall of the cooking chamber.

The scope of the invention is limited only by the claims. Persons of ordinary skill in the art, having benefit of the teachings of the present disclosure, will readily appreciate that alternative structures to the disclosed structures can be substituted for the possible embodiments and that the disclosed embodiments can be combined to create new embodiments that also fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A food preparation subsystem for an intelligent kitchen system, the food preparation subsystem comprising one or more food preparation bays, each food preparation bay having:

the food preparation device comprises a plurality of food preparation function heads, wherein different food preparation function heads are configured to perform different food preparation operations on food materials in a food preparation space; and

2. The food preparation subsystem of claim 1, wherein the food material compartment is configured to be fixedly mountable into the food preparation compartment, and the food preparation compartment is configured to open and close a food material compartment lid of the food material compartment, and the food material input opening and the food material output opening of the food preparation space are configured to sealingly engage with an opening of the food material compartment.

3. The preparation vegetable sorting system of claim 1, wherein the preparation pod is configured to enable replacement of a preparation head for performing different preparation operations via a preparation head assembly port via the transport mechanism.

4. The food preparation subsystem of claim 3, wherein the food preparation operation comprises washing, slicing, dosing, thawing, foaming, blanching, and cooking.

5. The food preparation subsystem of claim 3, wherein the food preparation function head capable of performing different food preparation operations has a unified interface for mounting interfacing with a food preparation pod.

6. The food preparation subsystem of claim 4, wherein the food preparation bay is self-cleaning with a cleaning operation and a cooking operation.

7. The food preparation system of claim 1, wherein the food preparation system is in communication with a control system of the smart kitchen system.