Heat treatment monitoring system

Abstract

A heat treatment monitoring system comprises a sensor unit having at least one sensor to determine current sensor data of food being heated; a processing unit to determine current feature data from the current sensor data; and a monitoring unit adapted to determine a current heating process state in a current heating process of the monitored food by comparing the current feature data with reference feature data of a reference heating process.

1 . A heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ), comprising:
 a sensor unit ( 1810 ) having at least one sensor ( 1812 ) to determine current sensor data of food being heated;   a processing unit ( 1820 ) to determine current feature data from the current sensor data; and   a monitoring unit ( 1830 ) adapted to determine a current heating process state in a current heating process of the monitored food by comparing the current feature data with reference feature data of a reference heating process.   
     
     
         2 . The heat treatment monitoring system of  claim 1 , further comprising
 a learning unit ( 1840 ) adapted to determine a mapping of current sensor data to current feature data and/or to determine reference feature data of a reference heating process based on feature data of at least one training heating process.   
     
     
         3 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of  claim 2 , wherein the learning unit ( 1840 ) is adapted to determine a mapping of current sensor data to current feature data by means of a variance analysis of at least one training heating process to reduce the dimensionality of the current sensor data. 
     
     
         4 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of  claim 2  or  3 , wherein the learning unit ( 1840 ) is adapted to determine a mapping of current feature data to feature data by means of a variance analysis of at least one training heating process to reduce the dimensionality of the current feature data. 
     
     
         5 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of  claim 3  or  4 , wherein the variance analysis comprises at least one of principal component analysis (PCA), isometric feature mapping (ISOMAP) or linear Discriminant analysis (LDA) or a dimensionality reduction technique. 
     
     
         6 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the  claims 2  to  5 , wherein the learning unit ( 1840 ) is adapted to determine reference feature data of a reference heating process by combining predetermined feature data of a heating program with a training set of feature data of at least one training heating process being classified as being part of the training set by an user preference. 
     
     
         7 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the  claims 2  to  6 , further comprising a recording unit ( 1822 ) to record current feature data of a current heating process, wherein the learning unit ( 1840 ) is adapted to receive the recorded feature data from the recording unit ( 1822 ) to be used as feature data of a training heating process. 
     
     
         8 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sensor unit ( 1810 ) comprises a camera ( 160 ) recording a pixel image of food being heated, wherein the current sensor data of the camera corresponds to the current pixel data of a current pixel image. 
     
     
         9 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of  claim 8 , wherein the current pixel data comprises first pixel data corresponding to a first color, second pixel data corresponding to a second color, and third pixel data corresponding to a third color. 
     
     
         10 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of  claim 9 , wherein the first, second and third color corresponds to R, G and B, respectively. 
     
     
         11 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the  claims 8  to  10 , wherein the camera ( 160 ) is adapted to generate HDR processed pixel images as current pixel data. 
     
     
         12 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a classification unit ( 1850 ) adapted to classify the type of food to be heated and to choose a reference heating process corresponding to the determined type of food. 
     
     
         13 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit ( 1860 ) adapted to change a heating process from a proofing process to a baking process based on a comparison of the current heating process state determined by the monitoring unit with a predetermined heating process state. 
     
     
         14 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit ( 1860 ) adapted to control a display unit ( 1880 ) being adapted to indicate a remaining time of the heating process based on a comparison of the current heating process state determined by the monitoring unit with a predetermined heating process state corresponding to an end point of heating and/or to display images of the inside of the heat treatment chamber. 
     
     
         15 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit ( 1860 ) adapted to alert a user, when the heating process has to be ended. 
     
     
         16 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a control unit ( 1860 ) adapted to control a temperature control of a heating chamber, means to adapt humidity in the heat treatment chamber by adding water or steam, a control of the ventilating mechanism, means for adapting the fan speed, means for adapting the differential pressure between the heat treatment chamber and the respective environment, means for setting a time dependent temperature curve within the heat treatment chamber, means for performing and adapting different heat treatment procedures like proofing or baking, means for adapting internal gas flow profiles within the heat treatment chamber, means for adapting electromagnetic and sound emission intensity of respective electromagnetic or sound emitters for probing or observing properties of the food to be heated. 
     
     
         17 . The heat treatment monitoring system ( 100 ) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one sensor ( 1812 ) of the sensor unit ( 1810 ) comprises at least one of hygrometer, insertion temperature sensor, treatment chamber temperature sensor, acoustic sensors, scales, timer, camera, image sensor, array of photodiodes, a gas analyser of the gas inside the treatment chamber, means for determining temperature profiles of insertion temperature sensors, means for determining electromagnetic or acoustic process emissions of the food to be treated like light or sound being reflected or emitted in response to light or sound emitters or sources, means for determining results from 3D measurements of the food to be heated including 3D or stereo camera systems or radar, or means for determining the type or constitution or pattern or optical characteristics or volume or the mass of the food to be treated.