# US 2023/0408104 A1 · Cooking appliance and method for image capture > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2023/0408104 A1 - Document ID: US20230408104A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/840,702 - Filed: 2022-06-15 - Published: 2023-12-21 - Earliest claimed: 2022-06-15 - Assignees: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Applicants: Haier US Appliance Solutions, Inc. - Inventors: Sarah Virginia Morris; John Gilman Chapman, JR. - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20230408104A1 ## CPC - F24C 7/087: {of electric circuits regulating heat} - F24C 3/128: {in baking ovens} - F24C 7/085: {on baking ovens} - F24C: DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES (exclusively for solid fuels F24B); DETAILS OF DOMESTIC STOVES OR RANGES, OF GENERAL APPLICATION ## Abstract A cooking appliance and a method for operating a cooking appliance are provided. The cooking appliance includes a heating element configured to provide heat to a cooking chamber. The cooking chamber is configured to receive foodstuffs for cooking. An imaging device is configured with a field of view including at least a portion of the cooking chamber. A controller is in operable communication with the imaging device. The controller is configured to acquire, via the imaging device, an image at a rate of capture, the image corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; determine, from the image, a doneness prediction corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; and adjust the rate of capture based on comparing a rate of change of the foodstuffs to a change threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A cooking appliance, comprising: a heating element configured to provide heat to a cooking chamber, the cooking chamber configured to receive foodstuffs for cooking; an imaging device configured with a field of view including at least a portion of the cooking chamber; and a controller in operable communication with the imaging device, the controller configured to: acquire, via the imaging device, an image at a rate of capture, the image corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; determine, from the image, a doneness prediction corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; and adjust the rate of capture based on comparing a rate of change of the foodstuffs to a change threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust the rate of capture based on a doneness model configured to generate a plurality of doneness predictions based on the plurality of images. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The cooking appliance of claim 2, wherein the plurality of doneness predictions comprises a current doneness prediction and a previous doneness prediction, and wherein the rate of change is a function of a difference in the current doneness prediction and the previous doneness prediction over a change in time. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to increase the rate of capture when the rate of change is greater than the change threshold. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to maintain the rate of capture when the rate of change is equal to the change threshold. ### Claim 6 (depends on 3) The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to decrease the rate of capture when the rate of change is less than the change threshold. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to iteratively acquire the image and determine the doneness prediction based on each image. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The cooking appliance of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to generate a control signal when the rate of change corresponding to a plurality of iteratively acquired images is less than the change threshold. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to: compare a quantity of determinations of the rate of change equal to the change threshold to a change limit; and generate the control signal when the quantity of determinations of rate of change equal to the change threshold exceeds the change limit. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to: generate the control signal when the rate of change corresponding to the plurality of iteratively acquired images is less than the change threshold after the controller increased the rate of capture and after the controller maintained the rate of change. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the control signal corresponds to a user signal indicating completion of foodstuff cooking. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The cooking appliance of claim 8, wherein the control signal corresponds to a control command decreasing heat output from the heating element. ### Claim 13 A computer-implemented method for operating a cooking appliance, the method comprising: acquiring, via an imaging device with a field of view of foodstuffs at a cooking chamber, an image at a rate of capture, the image corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; determining, from the image, a doneness prediction corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; and adjusting the rate of capture based on comparing a rate of change of the foodstuffs to a change threshold. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, the method comprising: determining a rate of change based on a current image and a previous image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, the method comprising: comparing the rate of change to the change threshold; and determining an adjusted rate of capture based on comparing the rate of change to the change threshold. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, the method comprising: increasing the rate of capture when the rate of change is greater than the change threshold; maintaining the rate of capture when the rate of change is equal to the change threshold; and decreasing the rate of capture when the rate of change is less than the change threshold. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, the method comprising: generating a control signal when the rate of change corresponding to a plurality of iteratively acquired images is less than the change threshold. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, the method comprising: comparing a quantity of determinations of the rate of change equal to the change threshold to a change limit; and generating the control signal when the quantity of determinations of rate of change equal to the change threshold exceeds the change limit. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the rate of change is a function of a difference in the current doneness prediction and the previous doneness prediction over a change in time. ### Claim 20 A system for cooking foodstuff, the system comprising: a communication system comprising a network communicatively coupling to a remote server and a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance comprising a heating element, an imaging device, and a controller, wherein the heating element is configured to provide heat to a cooking chamber, the cooking chamber configured to receive foodstuffs for cooking, and wherein the imaging device is configured with a field of view including at least a portion of the cooking chamber, wherein the controller is in operable communication with the imaging device and the remote server, the controller configured to: acquire, via the imaging device, an image at a rate of capture, the image corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; transmit, via the network, the image and a parameter indicative of the rate of capture; and and wherein the remote server is configured to: determine, from the image received from the controller, a doneness prediction corresponding to foodstuffs at the cooking chamber; compare the rate of change received from the controller to the change threshold; determine an adjusted rate of capture based on comparing the rate of change to the change threshold; and transmit the adjusted rate of capture to the controller.