JP7564550B2 - Heating and cooking system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating and cooking system.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, robots have come to be used to perform various tasks in cooking facilities, such as store kitchens and food trucks.
For example, in kitchens where deep-frying is performed, a cooking robot performs tasks such as submerging food in a tank of heated cooking oil and then removing the food after a predetermined time has elapsed.
By having robots perform the work, it is possible to reduce the frequency with which humans are involved in dangerous tasks and to have robots take over physically demanding tasks in high-temperature environments, making robots increasingly valuable in cooking locations.
A technology for using a robot in cooking facilities is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

International Publication No. 2020/075526

However, when a robot is used in a facility where cooking is performed, heat may be transferred from cooking utensils to the robot due to radiation or convection, and oil vaporized with heated air or oil splashed from cooking utensils may adhere to the robot. If the temperature of the robot rises excessively, the robot may not operate normally. Also, if a large amount of oil adheres to the surface of the robot, the housing of the robot may be deteriorated.
In response to such a situation, conventional technologies have taken measures such as cooling the air around the robot with air conditioning or installing the robot away from cooking utensils, but these measures do not fully consider the environment suitable for the robot used in the facility where cooking is performed. Furthermore, if the robot is installed away from the cooking utensils, a robot with a long reach is required, which raises concerns about the robot becoming larger.
In other words, in conventional technology, a suitable environment for the robot to operate has not been realized in facilities where cooking is performed using the robot.

The objective of the present invention is to realize a more suitable environment for the operation of robots in facilities where cooking is performed using robots.

In order to solve the above problems, a heating and cooking system according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises:
A cooking system for cooking food, comprising:
A cooking device for heating ingredients;
An exhaust fan installed above the cooking device;
a cooking robot that is installed at a position offset from a flow path of heated air from the cooking device to the exhaust fan and that transfers the food;
The present invention is characterized by comprising:

The present invention makes it possible to create a more suitable environment for the robot to operate in facilities where cooking is performed using a robot.

1 is a schematic diagram (a perspective view from the front) showing the overall configuration of a heat cooking system 1 according to the present invention. 1 is a schematic diagram (perspective view from the rear) showing the overall configuration of a heat cooking system 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of installation of a heating and cooking system 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an installation form of a blower fan 50. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the blowing direction of a blower fan 50. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of a control device 70. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device 70. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of a cooking process executed by the cooking system 1. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an air current formed in the heating and cooking system 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cooking system 1 including one cooking appliance 10 and one exhaust fan 20. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cooking system 1 including a cooking device 10 for baking food.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
[composition]
1 and 2 are schematic diagrams showing the overall configuration of a cooking system 1 according to the present invention, where FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the cooking system 1 seen from the front, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking system 1 seen from the rear.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of installation of the cooking system 1. As shown in FIG.
1 to 3, the cooking system 1 includes a cooker 10, an exhaust fan 20, an articulated robot 30, a safety window 40, a blower fan 50, an imaging device 60, and a control device 70. When the cooking system 1 is installed, a food supplying device 100 and a shielding member 200 are installed adjacent to the cooking system 1. A workbench 300 for processing cooked food is appropriately installed around the cooking system 1.

The cooking device 10 is a cooking device that heats and cooks ingredients, and in this embodiment, two cooking devices 10A and 10B are installed side by side. The cooking devices 10A and 10B can be configured with devices that perform various types of cooking, and in this embodiment, the cooking devices 10A and 10B are fryers that deep-fry food using edible oil.

The exhaust fan 20 is an exhaust device that exhausts the heated air generated from the cooking appliance 10 to the outside (e.g., outdoors). In this embodiment, two exhaust fans 20A, 20B are installed above (at a higher position from the ground) the cooking appliances 10A, 10B, respectively. When exhaust fans 20A, 20B are installed, it is possible to appropriately provide a fan hood for collecting the heated air.

The articulated robot 30 is, for example, a 6-axis vertical articulated robot, and the tip of the robot arm is equipped with a hand capable of holding a fry basket F. In this embodiment, the articulated robot 30 is installed between the two cooking appliances 10A, 10B. This allows the articulated robot 30 to have a relatively short reach, making it possible to reduce the size and cost of the articulated robot 30. In addition, compared to a case where the articulated robot 30 is installed in front of the cooking appliances 10A, 10B, the heat generated from each of the cooking appliances 10A, 10B is less likely to be transmitted, and the proportion of cooking oil splashed from the cooking appliances 10A, 10B that reaches the robot can be reduced.

The articulated robot 30 also grasps the fry basket F and transfers it to the food supplying device 100, where the food to be cooked (frozen potatoes, etc.) discharged from the food discharge port of the food supplying device 100 is placed in the fry basket F. The articulated robot 30 then submerges the fry basket F containing the food in cooking oil heated to an appropriate temperature by the cooking device 10, and after a predetermined time has passed, lifts up the fry basket F. In this way, deep-frying is performed using the articulated robot 30. The articulated robot 30 then moves the cooked food together with the fry basket F to the work table 300, where it is seasoned and distributed by another robot or a worker, etc.

The area around the hand of the articulated robot 30 is photographed by an imaging device 60 fixed to the ceiling or the like, or by an imaging device 60 installed at the tip of the articulated robot 30, and the position of the fry basket F and the positions of surrounding objects are constantly recognized during the process of grasping the fry basket F, feeding ingredients, frying, and transferring it to the workbench 300.

The safety window 40 is a structure that separates the area where cooking work is performed in the cooking system 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "cooking area") from the area where workers and the like work or move around (hereinafter referred to as the "worker area"). In this embodiment, it is composed of a window frame and a plate-shaped window member made of a transparent material such as glass or resin. The lower end of the window frame of the safety window 40 is located slightly lower than or at approximately the same height as the upper opening of the cooking oil storage tank in the cooking device 10. That is, the lower part of the safety window 40 is an opening 40a, and the blower fan 50 is installed in this opening 40a. In this embodiment, a shielding member (a sheet-like or plate-shaped member made of transparent resin or the like) that extends above and to the left and right sides of the window frame and surrounds the cooking area is installed. The shielding member above the window frame extends to the fan hood of the exhaust fan 20, thereby preventing heated air from flowing into the worker area from the space above the window frame.

The blower fan 50 is installed in the opening 40a of the safety window 40 and blows air from the operator area towards the cooking area.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an installation form of the blower fan 50. As shown in FIG.
As shown in Fig. 4, the blower fan 50 is installed at a certain height from the floor for sanitation reasons, and in this embodiment, it is installed at the lower end of the window frame of the safety window 40 (i.e., at a position slightly lower than the upper opening of the cooking oil storage tank in the cooking appliance 10). In the example shown in Fig. 4, the blower fan 50 is installed at a height h = 750 [mm] from the floor.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the air blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is fixed to the direction that is estimated to provide the greatest cooling effect for the articulated robot 30 through calibration performed in advance.

The imaging device 60 is an imaging device that captures the operating range of the cooking system 1 at a predetermined time interval (e.g., every second) and can be configured, for example, by a digital camera. In this embodiment, multiple imaging devices 60 can be installed in required positions, and can capture the entire operating range of the cooking system 1 and recognize the positions of various objects such as the fry basket F based on the capture results, or capture the area near the cooking appliance 10 and recognize the cooking state of the cooking appliance 10 based on the capture results.

The control device 70 is configured by an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a programmable controller, and executes various programs to control the entire cooking system 1. For example, the control device 70 controls the operation of the articulated robot 30, the operation of the food supply device 100, the operation of the exhaust fan 20, the blower fan 50, etc.
The food supplying device 100 automatically supplies food ingredients to be cooked in the cooking system 1. For example, the food supplying device 100 discharges a predetermined amount of frozen potatoes or the like to be fried from a food outlet in response to operation of the control device 70 or an operator.

The shielding member 200 is a member that surrounds a part of the flow path of heated air from the cooking device 10 to the exhaust fan 20, and in this embodiment, the cooking system 1 is installed against a wall, so that the wall functions as the shielding member 200. However, when the cooking system 1 is installed in a position away from the wall, a plate-shaped shielding member 200 may be installed separately. By installing the shielding member 200, the shielding member 200 receives the air blown from the blower fan 50, suppresses the airflow from leaking to the outside, and allows the exhaust fan 20 to efficiently exhaust the air.
The worktable 300 is appropriately installed for processing (seasoning, distributing, etc.) ingredients after cooking by the heat-cooking system 1.

[Airflow control of heated air]
In the cooking system 1 according to the present embodiment, the effect of protecting the articulated robot 30 is achieved by the airflow that is blown from the blower fan 50 and exhausted from the exhaust fan 20 .
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the blowing direction of the blower fan 50. As shown in FIG.
5 shows a partially enlarged side view of the heat cooking system 1. As shown in FIG.
5, the blowing direction (broken arrow) of the blower fan 50 is directed toward a point that is estimated to provide the highest protection effect for the articulated robot 30 in the standard posture (standby posture) of the articulated robot 30 through a calibration performed in advance. In the example shown in Fig. 5, in the standard posture of the articulated robot 30, the blowing direction is set to a straight line that passes from the blower fan 50 through the vicinity of the hand of the articulated robot 30 and the first axis (the joint closest to the attachment portion).

In this embodiment, the cooling effect of the articulated robot 30 is used as an indicator of the protective effect of the articulated robot 30. However, the anti-fouling effect on the articulated robot 30 (the effect of suppressing adhesion of oil) may also be used as an indicator of the protective effect of the articulated robot 30.

When calibration is performed to determine the air blowing direction, for example, a temperature measuring device such as a thermometer or tape is placed at a predetermined location (such as the position of each joint) of the articulated robot 30, and cooking oil is heated by the cooking device 10 with the articulated robot 30 in a standard posture, thereby measuring the temperature of each part of the articulated robot 30 during cooking. Then, under these conditions, the air blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is changed in various ways to identify which direction is most effective in achieving the cooling effect of the articulated robot 30. During actual cooking, the air blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is fixed in the identified direction and the articulated robot 30 is operated.
As a result, the blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is adjusted to cool the articulated robot 30 and to form a flow path that efficiently moves the heated air in the direction of the exhaust fan 20.

In this embodiment, the articulated robot 30 is installed in a position midway between the positions of the two exhaust fans 20A and 20B. Therefore, when the blower fan 50 blows air in the direction of the articulated robot 30, the air is blown in a direction midway between the exhaust fans 20A and 20B, and the exhaust capacity of the two exhaust fans 20A and 20B can be efficiently utilized.

[Hardware configuration of the control device 70]
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 70. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 6 , the control device 70 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 711, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 712, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 713, a bus 714, an input unit 715, an output unit 716, a storage unit 717, a communication unit 718, and a drive 719.

The CPU 711 executes various processes according to a program recorded in the ROM 712 or a program loaded from the storage unit 717 to the RAM 713 .
The RAM 713 also stores data and the like necessary for the CPU 711 to execute various processes.

The CPU 711, ROM 712, and RAM 713 are connected to each other via a bus 714. An input unit 715, an output unit 716, a memory unit 717, a communication unit 718, and a drive 719 are connected to the bus 714.

The input unit 715 includes input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard, and receives input of various information to the control device 70. The input unit 715 may include a microphone, and may receive input of various information by voice input from the worker.
The output unit 716 is composed of a display, a speaker, etc., and outputs images and sounds.
The storage unit 717 is configured with a hard disk or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or the like, and stores various data managed by each server.
The communication unit 718 controls communication with other devices via the network.

Removable media 731, such as a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a semiconductor memory, is appropriately loaded into the drive 719. A program read from the removable media 731 by the drive 719 is installed in the storage unit 717 as necessary.
It should be noted that the above hardware configuration is the basic configuration of the control device 70, and it is possible to adopt a configuration that does not include some of the hardware, to include additional hardware, or to change the implementation form of the hardware.

[Functional configuration]
Next, the functional configuration of the control device 70 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 70.
7, by executing a program for controlling the operation of the cooking system 1, a foodstuff supply control section 151, a cooking control section 152, an exhaust control section 153, an air supply control section 154, an articulated robot control section 155, and an imaging control section 156 function in the CPU 711 of the control device 70. In addition, a parameter storage section 171 and a history database (history DB) 172 are formed in the storage section 717.

The parameter storage unit 171 stores various parameters (e.g., the overheating temperature of the cooker 10 according to the cooking method) used when the cooking system 1 operates.
History DB 172 stores parameters or food cooking result data when various cooking processes are performed by heat cooking system 1.

The food supply control unit 151 controls the food supply device 100, and when the articulated robot 30 is in a standby state to receive food supplies (a state in which the fry basket F is waiting at the food discharge outlet position), it causes a predetermined amount of food to be discharged from the food discharge outlet.
The cooking control unit 152 controls the cooker 10 and adjusts the heating temperature in the cooker 10 when cooking is performed in the cooking system 1 .

Exhaust control section 153 controls exhaust fans 20A, 20B, respectively, and when cooking is performed in heat-cooking system 1, controls the rotation speed of each of exhaust fans 20A, 20B.
The air blower control unit 154 controls the blower fan 50, and controls the rotation speed of the blower fan 50 when cooking is performed in the cooking system 1.
The articulated robot control unit 155 controls the operation of the articulated robot 30, and causes the articulated robot 30 to perform a series of predefined operations according to the type of cooking performed in the cooking system 1. For example, the articulated robot control unit 155 causes the articulated robot 30 to perform operations such as gripping the fry basket F with the hands of the articulated robot 30, transporting the fry basket F, and submerging the fry basket F in heated cooking oil for a predetermined period of time.

The imaging control unit 156 controls the imaging device 60 to capture images of the entire operating range of the cooking system 1 and images near the hands of the articulated robot 30 at predetermined time intervals.

[Action]
Next, the operation of the cooking system 1 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the cooking process executed by the cooking system 1.
When the cooking process is started, in step S1, the control device 70 turns on the switches of the cooking device 10, the exhaust fan 20, the articulated robot 30, and the blower fan 50. Note that the power of the food supplying device 100 is always on because the food is frozen and stored.

In step S2, the cooking control unit 152 confirms that the temperature of the edible oil in the cooking appliance 10 has risen to a temperature suitable for cooking (for example, 180° C.). The temperature of the edible oil is constantly measured by a thermometer installed in the cooking appliance 10.
In step S3, the articulated robot control unit 155 causes the articulated robot 30 to grasp the empty fry basket F and transport it to the position of the food discharge outlet of the food supplying device 100.
In step S4, the food supply control unit 151 discharges a predetermined amount of food from the food discharge port. The discharged food is placed in the fry basket F held by the articulated robot 30.

In step S5, the articulated robot control unit 155 controls the articulated robot 30 to submerge the fry basket F containing the ingredients in the cooking oil of the cooking device 10, and perform deep frying.
In step S6, the articulated robot control unit 155 controls the articulated robot 30 to wait for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 minutes) to elapse, and then to lift the fry basket F from the cooking oil in the cooking device 10.
In step S7, the articulated robot control unit 155 controls the articulated robot 30 to transfer the fry basket F containing the cooked ingredients to a predetermined area (such as the workbench 300) where the subsequent work is performed. The fried ingredients are handed over to the subsequent work in the predetermined area.

In step S8, the articulated robot control unit 155 determines whether or not an instruction to end cooking has been given.
If the end of cooking has not been instructed, the result of step S8 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S2.
On the other hand, if an instruction to end cooking has been issued, the answer in step S8 is YES, and the process proceeds to step S9.

In step S9, the articulated robot control unit 155 stores history data indicating a series of operations in the cooking process in the history DB 172. At this time, data on the cooking results of the cooked food may be manually input by an operator or automatically based on the results of analyzing the image captured by the imaging device 60 and stored in the history DB 172.
After step S9, the cooking process ends.
Upon completion of the cooking process, the articulated robot 30 returns to the standard posture, and the switches of the cooking device 10, the exhaust fan 20, the articulated robot 30 and the blower fan 50 are turned off.

In this embodiment, since two cookers 10A and 10B are provided as the cooker 10, the above operations in the cookers 10A and 10B can be executed in parallel. In this case, when determining the end of cooking, the operation of the cooking system 1 ends on the condition that cooking in both cookers 10A and 10B has been instructed to end.

[effect]
In the above-mentioned steps S2 to S8, an airflow is formed from the blower fan 50 to the exhaust fan 20, and the effect of protecting the articulated robot 30 (cooling effect and anti-fouling effect) is realized.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an air current formed in the heat cooking system 1. As shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9 , air from the blower fan 50 is blown toward the first axis of the articulated robot 30 , and the air that hits the articulated robot 30 is divided into two flows to the left and right of the articulated robot 30 .
Then, in the left and right flow paths, the heated air generated from the cooking devices 10A and 10B is guided to the exhaust fans 20A and 20B.

This prevents the edible oil vaporized together with the heated air from adhering to the articulated robot 30 and prevents the edible oil from splashing from the cooking appliances 10A, 10B in the direction of the articulated robot 30, thereby realizing an anti-fouling effect for the articulated robot 30. In addition, since the articulated robot 30 is constantly exposed to air blown from the blower fan 50, it is possible to prevent the articulated robot 30 from overheating due to heat from the cooking appliances 10A, 10B, thereby realizing a cooling effect for the articulated robot 30.
Therefore, according to the heating and cooking system 1 of this embodiment, a more suitable environment for the robot to operate can be realized in a facility where cooking is performed using a robot.

In addition, in this embodiment, the cooking area is partially enclosed by the safety window 40 and the shielding member 200, so that the airflow from the blower fan 50 and the exhaust fan 20 can be efficiently formed.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, the configuration of the cooking system 1 including the two cookers 10A, 10B and the two exhaust fans 20A, 20B has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the cooking system 1 may be configured to include one cooker 10 and one exhaust fan 20 .
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cooking system 1 including one cooking appliance 10 and one exhaust fan 20. As shown in FIG.
10 , in the case where one cooking appliance 10 and one exhaust fan 20 are provided, the exhaust fan 20 is installed above the cooking appliance 10, and the articulated robot 30 can be installed in a position offset to the side of the cooking appliance 10. The blower fan 50 can be installed in front of the articulated robot 30, at the lower end of the window frame of the safety window 40.

In the case of this modified example, the blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is set in a direction in which the air passes between the cooking appliance 10 and the articulated robot 30 and reaches the exhaust fan 20 .
By setting the air blowing direction in this manner, a flow path is formed through which the air blown from the blower fan 50 directly reaches the exhaust fan 20, and the heated air generated from the cooking device 10 is more effectively guided to the exhaust fan 20.
This prevents the edible oil vaporized along with the heated air from adhering to the articulated robot 30 and prevents the edible oil from splashing from the cooking device 10 in the direction of the articulated robot 30, thereby realizing an anti-fouling effect for the articulated robot 30.
Therefore, according to the heating and cooking system 1 of this modified example, a more suitable environment for the robot to operate can be realized in equipment where cooking is performed using a robot.
In this modified example, the direction of air blown from the blower fan 50 may also be specified by performing calibration in advance.

[Modification 2]
In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the cooking system 1 includes the cooking appliance 10 that performs deep-frying, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the cooking system 1 may be configured to include a cooking appliance 10 that performs grilling.
FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a cooking system 1 including a cooking appliance 10 for baking food.
The cooking system 1 shown in FIG. 11 differs from the cooking system 1 of the first embodiment in that the cooking device 10 heats a grill, a hot plate, a frying pan, or the like.

11, in the cooking device 10 for baking, heated air is generated as in the case of deep-frying, and heat is transferred to the articulated robot 30 by radiation, convection, etc. Also, grease generated from the ingredients and cooking oil used to prevent burning may splash from the cooking device 10 in the direction of the articulated robot 30.
Even in such a case, by forming an airflow by the blower fan 50 and the exhaust fans 20A, 20B as in the first embodiment, the edible oil vaporized together with the heated air is prevented from adhering to the articulated robot 30, and the edible oil is prevented from splashing from the cooking appliances 10A, 10B in the direction of the articulated robot 30, thereby realizing an anti-fouling effect for the articulated robot 30. In addition, since the articulated robot 30 is constantly exposed to air blown from the blower fan 50, the articulated robot 30 is prevented from overheating due to heat from the cooking appliances 10A, 10B, and a cooling effect for the articulated robot 30 is realized.
Therefore, according to the heating and cooking system 1 of this embodiment, a more suitable environment for the robot to operate can be realized in a facility where cooking is performed using a robot.

Even if the configuration includes one cooking device 10 and one exhaust fan 20 as in variant 1, the cooking oil vaporized together with the heated air is prevented from adhering to the articulated robot 30 and the cooking oil is prevented from splashing from the cooking device 10 in the direction of the articulated robot 30, so that the anti-fouling effect of the articulated robot 30 can be achieved, as in variant 1.

[Modification 3]
In the above-described embodiment and modified examples, the cooking system 1 is described as including the cooker 10 that performs deep-frying or grilling, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, the present invention can also be applied when the cooking device 10 performs cooking by boiling.
When cooking by boiling, a large amount of steam fills the area around the articulated robot 30, so creating an airflow using the blower fan 50 and the exhaust fan 20 is particularly effective in protecting the articulated robot 30 from humidity.

[Modification 4]
In the above-described embodiment and modified example, the cooking system 1 includes the blower fan 50, and the airflow from the blower fan 50 is used to form a flow path to the exhaust fan 20, but this is not limited to the above.
In other words, the blowing function of the blower fan 50 can be substituted by utilizing the air conditioner provided in the cooking facility itself or the air flow designed as part of the facility's structure.
In this case, the cooking system 1 can be configured at lower cost without including the blower fan 50.

[Modification 5]
In the above-described embodiment and modified example, the case where the air blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is fixed has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, it is possible to provide a movable blower fan 50 in which the blowing direction of the blower fan 50 is variable.
For example, the blower fan 50 may be configured to change the angle of the blowing direction shown in Fig. 5 or to oscillate when blowing air. Also, the blower fan 50 may be configured to slide horizontally along the lower edge of the window frame of the safety window 40 shown in Fig. 4.
With this configuration, it is possible to flexibly blow air depending on the overheating state of the cooking system 1.

As described above, the cooking system 1 in this embodiment includes the cooker 10, the exhaust fan 20, and the articulated robot 30.
The cooking device 10 heats ingredients.
The exhaust fan 20 is installed above the cooking appliance 10 .
The articulated robot 30 is installed at a position offset from the flow path of heated air from the cooking device 10 to the exhaust fan 20 and transports the food.
This allows the heated air generated in the cooking device 10 to be guided to the exhaust fan 20 via a flow path that is shifted from the articulated robot 30.
Therefore, in facilities where cooking is performed using a robot, a more suitable environment for the robot to operate can be realized.

The cooking system 1 is equipped with a blower fan 50 .
The blower fan 50 is installed on the opposite side of the exhaust fan 20 with the cooking appliance 10 in between.
This makes it easier to form a flow path from the blower fan 50 to the exhaust fan 20, making it possible to further improve the cooling effect and anti-fouling effect of the airflow.

A part of the flow path of the heated air from the cooking device 10 to the exhaust fan 20 is shielded from the outside of the flow path by a shielding member 200.
The blower fan 50 is installed at a position lower than the position where heated air is generated from the cooking device 10, on the opposite side of the cooking device 10 from the shielding member 200, and blows air in the direction of the exhaust fan 20.
This allows the heated air generated in the cooking appliance 10 to be guided in the direction of the exhaust fan 20 by the air blown from the blower fan 50, and the shielding member 200 prevents the airflow from leaking to the outside, allowing the air to be exhausted from the exhaust fan 20 more efficiently.

One cooking device 10 is installed.
The articulated robot 30 is installed in a position that includes the cooking appliance 10 within its movable range.
The blower fan 50 is positioned so that the air passes between the cooking device 10 and the articulated robot 30 and also blows air toward the exhaust fan 20 .
This forms a flow path through which the air from the blower fan 50 directly reaches the exhaust fan 20, and the heated air generated from the cooking device 10 is more effectively guided to the exhaust fan 20.

Two cooking appliances 10 are installed.
The exhaust fans 20 are installed above each of the cooking appliances 10 .
The articulated robot 30 is installed between the two cookers 10 .
This allows the articulated robot 30 to have a relatively short reach, thereby enabling the articulated robot 30 to be made smaller and less expensive. Also, compared to a case where the robot is installed in front of one of the two cookers 10, the heat generated from each of the two cookers 10 can be made less likely to be transmitted, and the proportion of cooking oil splashed from the cookers 10 that reaches the robot can be reduced.

Two cooking appliances 10 are installed.
The exhaust fans 20 are installed above each of the cooking appliances 10 .
The blower fan 50 is disposed so as to blow air toward a midpoint between the two exhaust fans 20 .
This allows the exhaust capacities of the two exhaust fans 20 to be utilized efficiently.

The cooking system 1 is provided with a safety window 40 .
The safety window 40 is disposed on the opposite side of the cooking appliance 10 from the shielding member 200, and comprises a plate-like member that separates the area in which the cooking appliance 10 is installed from the outside.
This partially encloses the cooking area, allowing airflow by the blower fan 50 and the exhaust fan 20 to be efficiently generated.

The safety window 40 has an opening 40a.
The blower fan 50 blows air from outside the area in which the cooking appliance 10 is installed through the opening 40a.
This allows air outside the cooking area to be blown into the cooking area, thereby further enhancing the cooling effect of the air blown.

The cooking device 10 is a fryer that deep-fries food.
This makes it possible to prevent the articulated robot 30 from overheating and to prevent the adhesion of cooking oil when cooking fried foods, which are cooked at high temperatures and are prone to becoming dirty with cooking oil.

The above-described embodiment and modifications are merely examples of the present invention, and various embodiments that realize the functions of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.
Furthermore, the examples described in the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined to implement the present invention.
The above-described series of processes can be executed by hardware or software.
In other words, the functional configuration in Fig. 7 is merely an example and is not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the cooking system 1 has a function capable of executing the above-mentioned series of processes as a whole, and the functional blocks used to realize this function are not particularly limited to the example in Fig. 7.
Furthermore, one functional block may be configured as a single piece of hardware, a single piece of software, or a combination of both.

When the series of processes is executed by software, the program constituting the software is installed into a computer or the like from a network or a recording medium.
The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware, or may be a computer capable of executing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

The storage medium that stores the program is composed of removable media distributed separately from the device body, or storage media that is pre-installed in the device body. Removable media is composed of, for example, a magnetic disk, optical disk, magneto-optical disk, or flash memory. Optical disks are composed of, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray Discs (registered trademark), etc. Magneto-optical disks are composed of, for example, MDs (Mini-Disks), etc. Flash memory is composed of, for example, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or SD cards. Storage media pre-installed in the device body is composed of, for example, a ROM or hard disk in which the program is stored.

In this specification, the steps of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium include not only processes that are performed chronologically according to the order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically but are executed in parallel or individually.
In addition, in this specification, the term "system" refers to an overall device that is composed of a plurality of devices, a plurality of means, etc.

The above embodiment shows an example of the application of the present invention, and does not limit the technical scope of the present invention. In other words, the present invention can be modified in various ways, such as by omission or substitution, without departing from the gist of the present invention, and various embodiments other than the above embodiment can be adopted. The various embodiments and modifications that the present invention can adopt are included in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents.

1 Cooking system, 10, 10A, 10B Cooking device, 20, 20A, 20B Exhaust fan, 30 Articulated robot, 40 Safety window, 40a Opening, 50 Blower fan, 60 Imaging device, 70 Control device, 100 Food supply device, 200 Shielding member, 300 Work table, F Fry basket, 151 Food supply control unit, 152 Cooking control unit, 153 Exhaust control unit, 154 Blower control unit, 155 Articulated robot control unit, 156 Imaging control unit, 157 Machine learning model construction unit, 171 Parameter storage unit, 172 History database (history DB), 711 CPU, 712 ROM, 713 RAM, 714 Bus, 715 Input unit, 716 Output unit, 717 Storage unit, 718 Communication unit, 719 Drive, 731 Removable media

Claims (4)

A cooking system for cooking food, comprising:
A cooking device for heating ingredients;
An exhaust fan installed above the cooking device;
a cooking robot that is installed at a position offset from a flow path of heated air from the cooking device to the exhaust fan and that transfers the food;
A blower fan installed on the opposite side of the exhaust fan and the cooking device;
Equipped with
The cooking system is characterized in that the blower fan is installed at a position lower than the position where heated air is generated from the cooking device, and blows air toward a position near the hand of the cooking robot when the cooking robot is in a standby state posture or toward the position of the joint closest to the attachment part of the cooking robot, and the blower fan creates an air current that guides the heated air from the cooking device in the direction of the exhaust fan. The heating and cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan blows air in a direction passing through the vicinity of the hand of the cooking robot and the joint closest to the attachment part of the cooking robot when the cooking robot is in a standby posture. A cooking system for cooking food, comprising:
A cooking device for heating ingredients;
An exhaust fan installed above the cooking device;
a cooking robot that is installed at a position offset from a flow path of heated air from the cooking device to the exhaust fan and that transfers the food;
A blower fan installed on the opposite side of the exhaust fan and the cooking device;
Equipped with
Two of the cooking devices are installed,
The exhaust fans are installed above each of the cooking appliances,
A cooking system, characterized in that the cooking robot is installed between the two cookers. A cooking system for cooking food, comprising:
A cooking device for heating ingredients;
An exhaust fan installed above the cooking device;
a cooking robot that is installed at a position offset from a flow path of heated air from the cooking device to the exhaust fan and that transfers the food;
A blower fan installed on the opposite side of the exhaust fan and the cooking device;
Equipped with
Two of the cooking devices are installed,
The exhaust fans are installed above each of the cooking appliances,
The cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the blower fan is disposed so as to blow air toward a midpoint between the two exhaust fans.

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