US 12,167,817 B2
Systems and methods for automated cooking
Vijay Kodali, Palatine, IL (US); and Ajay Kumar Sunkara, South Barrington, IL (US)
Assigned to Nala Robotics Inc., Arlington Heights, IL (US)
Filed by Nala Robotics, Inc., Arlington Heights, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 29, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/136,609.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/955,939, filed on Dec. 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0196081 A1, Jul. 1, 2021
Int. Cl. B25J 9/16 (2006.01); A47J 44/00 (2006.01); B25J 11/00 (2006.01); B25J 13/08 (2006.01); B25J 19/02 (2006.01)
CPC A47J 44/00 (2013.01) [B25J 9/1661 (2013.01); B25J 11/0045 (2013.01); B25J 11/008 (2013.01); B25J 13/085 (2013.01); B25J 19/021 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer having a processor to perform a method for preparing food items in a robot kitchen, the method comprising:
identifying a recipe associated with an order for at least one food item, wherein the recipe includes a set of instructions for preparing the at least one food item;
identifying an ingredient and an associated ingredient compartment based on the set of instructions of the recipe;
estimating a predetermined location of the associated ingredient compartment for a future time based on projections of where an object will be at a given time, using the at least one robot sensor;
determining a measurement associated with the ingredient based on the set of instructions of the recipe, and based on a type of compartment of the associated ingredient compartment;
tracking a container to contain the measured ingredient to a predetermined position relative to the associated ingredient compartment of the ingredient based on sensor data from at least one robot sensor and a coordinate map of the robot kitchen;
confirming the container is positioned in the predetermined location relative to the associated ingredient compartment of the ingredient;
dispensing the measurement of the ingredient into the container in response to the confirmation;
confirming that the measurement of the ingredient is present in the container based on sensor data from the at least one robot sensor, wherein the at least one robot sensor detects an amount of the ingredient in the container;
assess a quality of the ingredient in the container based on the sensor data generated by detecting the ingredient in the container with the at least one robot sensor;
causing a robotic device to retrieve a measured portion of the ingredient in the container based on the measurement and the quality of the ingredient in the container, and deliver the measured portion of the ingredient to cookware in the robot kitchen; and
causing the robotic device to execute a task in response to the measured portion of the ingredient being delivered to the cookware.