# US 2018/0324908 A1 · In-oven camera and computer vision systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0324908 A1 - Document ID: US20180324908A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/030,858 - Filed: 2018-07-09 - Published: 2018-11-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-10 - Assignees: Brava Home, Inc. - Applicants: Brava Home, Inc. - Inventors: Dennis Denker; Brian Williams; Shih-yu Cheng; Zinovy Dolgonosov - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180324908A1 ## CPC - G01K 1/026: {arrangements for monitoring a plurality of temperatures, e.g. by multiplexing} - F24C 7/085: {on baking ovens} - G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection} - H04N 7/188: {Capturing isolated or intermittent images triggered by the occurrence of a predetermined event, e.g. an object reaching a predetermined position (signal generation from motion picture films H04N5/253)} - H04N 23/60: Control of cameras or camera modules - H05B 1/0263: {Ovens} - H05B 6/6435: {Aspects relating to the user interface of the microwave heating apparatus} - H05B 6/6441: {allowing the input of coded operation instructions, e.g. bar code reader} - H05B 6/6444: {Aspects relating to lighting devices in the microwave cavity} - H05B 6/6447: {Method of operation or details of the microwave heating apparatus related to the use of detectors or sensors} - H05B 6/6467: {using detectors with R.F. transmitters} - H05B 6/668: {Microwave heating devices connected to a telecommunication network} - H05B 6/687: {for cooking} - H05B 6/705: {using microwave tuning} - G06T 7/62: of area, perimeter, diameter or volume - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - G06T 2207/20084: Artificial neural networks [ANN] - G06V 20/68: Food, e.g. fruit or vegetables - H04N 23/73: by influencing the exposure time - H04N 23/88: for colour balance, e.g. white-balance circuits or colour temperature control - G01K: MEASURING TEMPERATURE; MEASURING QUANTITY OF HEAT; THERMALLY-SENSITIVE ELEMENTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR (radiation pyrometry G01J5/00) - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION - H05B: ELECTRIC HEATING; ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT SOURCES, IN GENERAL - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract Systems and methods include a cooking appliance comprising a heating element disposed within a cooking chamber and operable to selectively emit waves at any of a plurality of powers and/or peak wavelengths, a camera operable to capture an image of the cooking chamber, and a computing device operable to supply power to the heating element to vary the power and/or peak wavelength of the emitted waves and generate heat within the cooking chamber, and instruct the camera to capture the image when the heating element is emitting at a stabilized power and/or peak wavelength. The computing device is operable to generate an adjusted captured image by adjusting the captured image with respect to the stabilized power and/or peak wavelength. The computing device comprises feedback components operable to receive the adjusted captured image, extract features, and analyze the one or more features to determine an event, property, measurement and/or status. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cooking appliance comprising: a heating element disposed within a cooking chamber of the cooking appliance and operable to selectively emit waves at any of a plurality of powers and/or peak wavelengths; a camera operable to capture an image of at least a portion of the cooking chamber; and a computing device operable to: supply power to the heating element to vary the power and/or peak wavelength of the emitted waves and generate heat within the cooking chamber; and instruct the camera to capture the image when the heating element is emitting at a stabilized power and/or peak wavelength. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the heating element illuminates at least a portion of the cooking chamber; and wherein varying the power and/or peak wavelength of the emitted waves causes corresponding fluctuations in the illumination of the cooking chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to analyze the captured image to determine a cooking status, one or more environmental conditions, one or more food properties, and/or one or more events. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the heating element is operable to emit at the stabilized power and/or peak wavelength, generating light within the cooking chamber having a corresponding stabilized color temperature and/or power. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein a brightness of the captured image is adjusted, at least in part, by compensating for a calculated stabilized power. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein a brightness of the captured image is adjusted, at least in part, by adjusting an effective exposure during image acquisition using a calculated stabilized power. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The cooking appliance of claim 4, wherein the computing device is further operable to generated an adjusted captured image by adjusting a color of the captured image, at least in part, by balancing the captured image with respect to the stabilized color temperature. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein the computing device further comprises feedback components operable to: receive the adjusted captured image; extract one or more features from the adjusted captured image; and analyze the one or more features to determine an event, property, measurement and/or status. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the feedback components comprises one or more neural networks. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the computing device further comprises a recipe execution engine operable to execute a heating algorithm to cook a food; wherein the heating algorithm includes instructions to selectively supply power to the heating element; wherein the recipe execution engine receives feedback data from the feedback components, the feedback data comprising information relating to the determined event, property, measurement and/or status; and wherein the recipe execution engine adjusts the heating algorithm in response to the received feedback data. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein the adjusted captured image is analyzed to determine a size, shape, thickness, location, and/or placement density of a food within the cooking chamber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to: initiate an image capture sequence; pause a heating algorithm executed by a recipe execution engine; the heating element to an image capture state at a stabilized power and/or peak wavelength; detect the image capture state; capture the image; and resume the heating algorithm. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the image capture sequence is initiated by the recipe execution engine and/or a user. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the heating element illuminates the cooking chamber during image capture by emitting light at approximately a stabilized color temperature corresponding to the image capture state. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the image capture state is detected by estimating a duration of time for the heating element to achieve a designated temperature range for the image capture state and waiting the duration of time until the temperature range is achieved. ### Claim 16 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, wherein the image capture state is detected by determining when the heating element is emitting at the stabilized power and/or peak wavelength; and signaling to the image capture components that the heating element is in the image capture state. ### Claim 17 (depends on 12) The cooking appliance of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of heating elements; and wherein the image capture state is detected by estimating a duration of time for each of the heating elements to reach a designated temperature range for the image capture state and waiting until that temperature range is achieved for each heating element. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a structured light source disposed to project a structured light onto a food item during image capture; and wherein the computing device is operable to determine geometrical properties of the food item by analyzing the structured light in the captured image. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a collimated light source directed at a food item from a position above the food item; and wherein the computing device is operable to determine a height of the food item by analyzing, in part, a size and location of a light on the food item in the captured image. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a probe having visible measurement markers, and wherein the captured image is analyzed to determine a food measurement based on a location and/or orientation of the probe in the image. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the captured image is analyzed to detect user mistakes in a food type, preparation and/or placement. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the captured image is analyzed to detect improper tray placement, improper tray usage, improper accessory usage, probe cable kinking, proximity of probe cable or probe to heaters, detection of broken heaters, food items being placed in incorrect positions on a tray, and/or unexpected food items on the tray. ### Claim 23 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to analyze the captured image to detect cooking events comprising one or more of food charring, flames, smoke, steam condensation, and/or expulsion of juices or other contents of food. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to: adjust the captured image in accordance with a color temperature of the heating element; identify one or more physical components in the captured image, the physical components including visual indicia; analyze the visible indicia for the physical components; and adjust a cooking algorithm based on a value indicated by the visible indicia. ### Claim 25 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further operable to: initiate an image capture process; capture and adjusting one or more images; extract features from received images; analyze extracted features to determine food properties, food status and/or cooking events; and provide feedback to a recipe execution engine and/or user. ### Claim 26 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device further comprises a recipe execution engine operable to cook a food item by controlling the heating element in accordance with a heating algorithm to execute a recipe. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The cooking appliance of claim 26, wherein the computing device is operable to adjust a heating duration, a heating schedule, a heating output power, a peak emission wavelength, and/or any combination thereof, of the heating element. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, further comprising a directional light source operable to project light onto a food item during image capture; and wherein the computing device is operable to determine a height of the food item based on an analysis of the projected light visible in the captured image. ### Claim 29 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the computing device is operable to digitally adjust the captured image, at least in part based on a known color temperature and brightness of light emitted from the heating element in an image capture state. ### Claim 30 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the heating element comprises one or more wavelength-controllable filament assemblies. ### Claim 31 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein the computing device is further operable to: select a heating recipe; capture an image of a food item in the cooking chamber; adjust the image to a known color temperature of the heating element; analyze the image to determine a state change of the food item in the cooking chamber; and adjust the heating element in response to the determined state change.