Page 25 - EE Times Europe March 2022

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Thermal Imaging for Smart Homes

allows us to dispense with the guesswork we
must frequently apply in selecting the power
and the time for reheating our food. At long
last, we can convey our intent directly, by
selecting the desired food temperature, and
leave the technicalities to the machine. This
intent is conveyed either through a wirelessly
connected mobile device or via the touch-
Visual image Heat map Thermal image processing screen integrated in the modified microwave
oven. Naturally, one can set the desired food
temperature as well as monitor the food while
it is being heated.
Moreover, with the advances of TinyML
and other initiatives toward the availability of
AI capabilities on embedded processors, this
setup may allow for the unit to guess what
we have put inside the microwave while it is
being heated so that the optimal temperature
is automatically selected for us.
Evoloution of the temperature statistics associated with different regions in the field of view The imperative for a timely delivery of
over time, from which the special events of boiling, overflowing and supply cut off are thermal imaging cameras for the detection
deduced, as marked by green vertical lines. of elevated temperature and the complexity
of building a good solution have led to many
Figure 2: Thermal imaging analytic for cooktop applications (Source: Meridian Innovation) partnership efforts to provide a number of
reference designs for OEMs and ODMs. One
culinary recipes or to follow other’s recipes events of boiling, overflowing, and supply good example is described in the article
to the minute details of how long and at what cut off are deduced — are marked by green “Arrow Electronics Launches AI Thermal
temperature the ingredients are being cooked vertical lines. Sensing Solution Powered by STMicroelec-
— during the process itself, in real time. “ A cooktop monitor is not the only place tronics’ X-CUBE AI,” published at European
Cartwright explained that “Cooksy com- in the kitchen where one may find a ther- Business Magazine (bit.ly/3oCJx78). Another
bines visual and thermal camera sensors with mal imaging sensor. An early prototype of a new solution, achieved with our partner
a sophisticated intelligence and connectivity thermal-imaging–enabled microwave oven — Generalplus Technology, is described later,
in a device that is easy to mount above the originally presented by Meridian Innovation in the section titled “When thermal imaging
cooktop. The device can livestream your at CES 2020 — is shown in Figure 3 (a video meets AI chipset.”
cooktop to your mobile, letting you ‘see’ the of its operation can be seen at facebook.com/
temperature of the cooked ingredients, and watch/?v=685705472262649). AIR CONDITIONING THAT CARES FOR
advises you how and when to act upon this The unit features the ability to heat the YOUR COMFORT
information.” food to the desired temperature, instead of HVAC systems are another example where
The benefits of a cooktop monitor extend heating it for a fixed time at a fixed power. integrating thermal imaging can make a
beyond culinary art and nutrition into the It is based on an off-the-shelf microwave positive impact. Most air conditioners in
realm of kitchen safety. For example, the oven that has been modified to integrate a common use today embed a simple tempera-
monitor can detect an unattended open flame thermal imager and alternative controls. This ture sensor in the box to control the room
of a gas cooker or an overheated range plate,
overheated pots and pans with or without oil
in them, boiling and overflowing containers,
and other dangerous conditions. Figure 2
shows the boiling of a pot of water, with a
lid, that is monitored over time by a thermal
imager. Although the directly observable
temperatures never hit water’s boiling point
of 100°C (212°F), the application of thermal
image processing and analytics makes it
possible to detect when the water starts to
boil, when it starts to overflow from under the
lid, and when the gas burner is turned off. In
the context of smart homes and connected
appliances, the identification of such events
allows not only the triggering of an alarm but
also the moderation or stopping of the elec-
tricity or gas supply if necessary to prevent an
incident or fire hazard.
Evolution of the temperature statistics
associated with different regions in the field
of view over time — from which the special Figure 3: Smart thermal imaging microwave oven (Source: Meridian Innovation)

www.eetimes.eu | MARCH 2022