Robotic kitchen assistant for preparing food items in a commercial kitchen and related methods

Abstract

A flexible robotic kitchen assistant automates the preparation of food items. The robotic kitchen assistant includes a robotic arm, a sensor assembly comprising a plurality of cameras aimed at a kitchen workspace for preparing the food items, a controller operable to move the robotic arm, and a processor. The processor is operable to command the robotic arm to perform a food preparation step on the food items in the kitchen workspace based on order information, recipe information, kitchen equipment information, and camera data. The system is capable of performing a wide range of tasks commonly used in residential and commercial kitchens and is able to work collaboratively with and in close proximity to human kitchen workers.

1 . A robotic kitchen assistant system for preparing a plurality of food items in a kitchen environment, the system comprising:
 a robotic arm;   a sensor assembly comprising at least one camera aimed at a kitchen workspace for preparing the plurality of food items; and   a processor operable to command the robotic arm to perform a food preparation step on the plurality of food items in the kitchen workspace based on data from the at least one camera and recipe information.   
     
     
         2 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein processor is operable to recognize each of the plurality of food items or food preparation items. 
     
     
         3 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 2 , wherein the processor is operable to recognize kitchen equipment and position of the human kitchen worker. 
     
     
         4 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 3 , wherein the processor is operable to recognize each of the plurality of food items, kitchen equipment, and the human kitchen worker by employing a convolutional neural network. 
     
     
         5 . (canceled) 
     
     
         6 . (canceled) 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . (canceled) 
     
     
         9 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to update the storage with current or new order information, recipe information, kitchen equipment information, and location information. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the sensor assembly comprises a heated transparent cover inhibiting materials arising in the kitchen environment from collecting on the cover. 
     
     
         12 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , further comprising a fan directing air over the sensor assembly or the transparent cover on the sensor assembly. 
     
     
         13 . (canceled) 
     
     
         14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . (canceled) 
     
     
         17 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to determine a command for the food manipulating end-effector based on instructions from a source remote to the kitchen environment. 
     
     
         18 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller, and wherein the processor is part of a remote server in communication with the controller and sensor assembly via the internet. 
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the display is operable to show the food items and locations in the kitchen augmented with instructions for the human kitchen worker. 
     
     
         21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , further comprising an input device for accepting information from a human kitchen worker. 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . (canceled) 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is connected with a restaurant point of sale (POS) to receive order information. 
     
     
         27 . (canceled) 
     
     
         28 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is operable to compute a volume of the food item based on the data from the sensor assembly, and to determine a cooking time based on the volume. 
     
     
         29 . (canceled) 
     
     
         30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further operable to automatically determine an instruction to display to the human kitchen worker based on the estimated internal temperature of a food item. 
     
     
         33 . A robotic kitchen assistant system for preparing a plurality of food items in a kitchen environment, the system comprising:
 a robotic arm;   a sensor assembly comprising at least one camera aimed at a kitchen workspace for preparing the plurality of food items; and   a processor operable to command the robotic arm to perform a food preparation step on the plurality of food items in the kitchen workspace based on data from the at least one camera and recipe information; wherein the sensor assembly and processor are operable to detect the presence of a food item being placed on a grill, monitor the food item for a threshold condition, and robotically manipulate the food item when the threshold condition has been met.   
     
     
         34 . The robotic kitchen assistant system of  claim 33 , wherein the threshold condition is an internal temperature of the food item. 
     
     
         35 . (canceled) 
     
     
         36 . A robotic assisted method for preparation of food items in a kitchen workspace of a commercial kitchen to prepare an order, the method comprising:
 a. receiving the order;   b. evaluating on a processor whether at least one food preparation step associated with the order can be performed robotically;   c. calculating on the processor a set of steps required to prepare the order; and   d. robotically manipulating the food item based on the order from the receiving step, recipe information, and steps required to prepare the order computed in the calculating step.   
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , further comprising automatically recognizing the presence and location of a food item in the kitchen workspace. 
     
     
         38 . (canceled) 
     
     
         39 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of calculating the set of steps to prepare the order includes determining a time required to perform each step. 
     
     
         40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 36 , wherein the step of calculating the set of steps to prepare the order is based on recipe information including given preparation and cooking times. 
     
     
         42 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 36 , further comprising communicating an instruction to a human kitchen worker to perform a food preparation step. 
     
     
         43 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 42 , wherein the step of communicating includes an instruction selected from the following: place food item onto grill, remove food item from grill, place food item onto another food item; remove food item from grill; remove the food item from a storage and place onto a grill at a specific location. 
     
     
         44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . (canceled) 
     
     
         46 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 42 , further comprising verifying the food preparation step was performed by the human kitchen worker by recognizing and locating the food item after the food preparation step was performed by the human kitchen worker. 
     
     
         47 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 37 , further comprising storing a state of each of the following: received customer order, recognized food items, and manipulated food items. 
     
     
         48 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 47 , further comprising updating the state based on current or new customer orders and completion of the food preparation steps. 
     
     
         49 . The robotic assisted method of  claim 48 , wherein the step of calculating is based on the updated state. 
     
     
         50 .- 84 . (canceled)