Cooking apparatus, method of controlling a cooking apparatus, and cooking system

Abstract

A cooking apparatus according to one embodiment includes a cooking chamber, a plurality of heaters, an input, a display, and a controller, wherein the cooking chamber includes a plurality of cooking zones; the plurality of heaters is configured to heat at least one of the plurality of cooking zones; the input is configured to receive a command from a user related to cooking; the controller is configured to control the plurality of heaters and the display, wherein, when cooking is performed in some of the plurality of cooking zones, the controller can control the display to display other cooking zones in which additional cooking can be performed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure relate to cooking apparatus, methods for controlling cooking apparatus, and cooking systems. Background Technology

[0002] A cooking appliance is a device used to heat a cooking target (e.g., food) to cook the cooking target, and it also refers to a device having various functions related to cooking (e.g., heating, defrosting, drying, and sterilizing the cooking target). Cooking appliances include, for example, ovens (e.g., gas ovens and electric ovens), microwave heating devices (hereinafter referred to as microwave ovens), gas stoves, electric stoves, gas grills, and electric grills.

[0003] Typically, an oven is a device configured to cook food by directly transferring heat to the food or by heating the interior of the cooking chamber through a heat source (such as a heater), while a microwave oven is a device configured to cook food by using frictional heat generated between molecules to perturb the molecular arrangement of the food at high frequencies as a heat source.

[0004] Recently, cooking devices that combine both heaters and magnetrons are emerging, as are cooking devices capable of cooking multiple types of food simultaneously. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] Therefore, one aspect of this disclosure is to provide a cooking apparatus, a method for controlling the cooking apparatus, and a cooking system that is capable of simultaneously and independently cooking multiple foods in multiple cooking zones located in a cooking chamber, and of performing additional cooking in another cooking zone while cooking is being performed in some cooking zones.

[0007] Furthermore, one aspect of this disclosure is to provide a cooking apparatus, a method for controlling the cooking apparatus, and a cooking system that can display to a user additional cooking areas that can be cooked while cooking is taking place in some of the multiple cooking zones.

[0008] Technical solution

[0009] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber, a plurality of heaters, an input device, a display, and a controller, wherein the cooking chamber includes a plurality of cooking zones, the plurality of heaters are configured to heat at least one of the plurality of cooking zones, the input device is configured to receive cooking-related commands from a user, and the controller is configured to control the plurality of heaters and the display, wherein when cooking is performed in some of the plurality of cooking zones, the controller controls the display to show another cooking zone in which additional cooking can be performed.

[0010] In response to receiving an additional cooking command associated with another cooking zone, the controller can change the first recipe being applied to some cooking zones, determine the second recipe to be applied to another cooking zone, and control multiple heaters based on the changed first and second recipes.

[0011] The controller can change at least one of the cooking time and cooking temperature included in the first recipe.

[0012] The controller can independently control the output of each of the multiple heaters based on the modified first and second recipes.

[0013] The cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include a magnetron configured to transmit high-frequency waves into the cooking chamber, wherein the controller can independently control the output of the magnetron based on a modified first recipe and a modified second recipe.

[0014] The controller can control the display to show the first remaining time of cooking completion for some cooking zones and the second remaining time of cooking completion for another cooking zone.

[0015] In response to the need for simultaneous cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another cooking zone, the controller can adjust the start time of cooking in the other cooking zone.

[0016] When an additional cooking area is allowed to be added, the controller can control the display to show the recommended recipe and the other cooking area.

[0017] In response to a delay in the arrangement of food in another cooking zone after the controller receives an additional cooking command, the controller can control the display to show a delay notification.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus may further include a communicator configured to communicate with a server and perform a connection with a mobile device through the server, wherein the controller may control the operation of the cooking apparatus based on user input received from at least one of the input devices or the mobile device, and control the communicator to send information to the mobile device relating to another cooking area in which additional cooking can be performed.

[0019] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for controlling a cooking apparatus is provided, wherein the cooking apparatus includes a cooking chamber, a plurality of heaters, an input device, and a display, the cooking chamber including a plurality of cooking zones, the plurality of heaters configured to heat at least one of the plurality of cooking zones, the input device configured to receive cooking-related commands, the method comprising: performing cooking in some of the plurality of cooking zones in the cooking chamber, and controlling the display to show another cooking zone in which additional cooking can be performed.

[0020] The method of controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include: in response to receiving an additional cooking command associated with another cooking zone, changing a first recipe being applied to some cooking zones and determining a second recipe to be applied to the other cooking zone; and controlling a plurality of heaters based on the changed first and second recipes.

[0021] Changing the first recipe may include changing at least one of the cooking time and cooking temperature included in the first recipe.

[0022] Controlling multiple heaters can include independently adjusting the output of each of the multiple heaters based on a modified first recipe and a second recipe.

[0023] The cooking apparatus may also include a magnetron configured to transmit high-frequency waves into the cooking chamber, and a method of controlling the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include: independently controlling the output of the magnetron based on a modified first recipe and a modified second recipe.

[0024] The method of controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include: controlling a display to show a first remaining time for cooking to be completed in some cooking zones and a second remaining time for cooking to be completed in another cooking zone.

[0025] Determining a second recipe may include adjusting the start time of cooking in the other cooking zone in response to the need for cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another cooking zone to be completed simultaneously.

[0026] The control display may include: displaying a recommended recipe and another cooking area when another cooking area is allowed to be added.

[0027] The method of controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include: controlling a display to show a delay notification in response to a delay in the arrangement of food to be cooked in another cooking area after receiving an additional cooking command.

[0028] The cooking apparatus may also include a communicator configured to communicate with a server and perform a connection with a mobile device via the server, and a method for controlling the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment may further include: sending information via the communicator to the mobile device relating to another cooking area in which additional cooking can be performed.

[0029] Beneficial effects

[0030] In the disclosed cooking apparatus and method of controlling the cooking apparatus, multiple types of food can be cooked in multiple cooking zones set in the cooking chamber, and additionally, while cooking is being carried out in some cooking zones, additional cooking can be carried out in another cooking zone.

[0031] Furthermore, in the disclosed cooking apparatus and its control method, while cooking is being performed in some of the multiple cooking zones, other cooking zones where additional cooking can be performed can be displayed to the user. Therefore, multiple cooking zones located within a single cooking chamber can be used effectively.

[0032] Furthermore, in the disclosed cooking apparatus and its control method, since multiple cooking zones that are spatially and temporarily separable are provided in a cooking chamber, the same effect as integrated cooking apparatuses can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a view showing some components of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a view showing the heat source and shelf of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a plan view showing the upper part of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0039] Figure 7 This is a view showing the heater and wire connection of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0040] Figure 8 This is a view illustrating a cooking system according to one embodiment.

[0041] Figure 9 This is a control block diagram illustrating a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0042] Figure 10 This is a control block diagram illustrating a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0043] Figure 11 This is a graph illustrating an example of how a heat source operates.

[0044] Figure 12 This is a view showing an example of another cooking area where additional cooking can be performed, displayed on the monitor of the cooking device.

[0045] Figure 13 This is a view showing an example of another cooking area where additional cooking can be performed, displayed on a mobile device.

[0046] Figure 14 This is a view showing an example of the screen displayed on the monitor of the cooking device when additional cooking is being performed in another cooking area.

[0047] Figure 15 This is a view showing an example of the screen displayed on a mobile device's monitor when additional cooking is being performed in another cooking area.

[0048] Figure 16 This is a flowchart describing a method for controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0049] Figure 17 This is a flowchart describing in more detail a method for controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0050] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are merely exemplary examples of the disclosed content. This disclosure covers various modifications that may replace the embodiments and drawings herein at the time of filing this application.

[0051] Furthermore, the same reference numerals or symbols indicate parts or components that essentially perform the same function.

[0052] Furthermore, the terminology used in this specification is for describing exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit and / or narrow the scope of the embodiments. Unless they have a clearly different meaning in the context, the singular usage covers the plural usage. In this specification, terms such as “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are intended to indicate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and are not intended to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0053] Furthermore, it should be understood that although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any one or a combination of the associated listed items.

[0054] The terms "~part", "~device", "~block", "~component", "~module" as used in this specification can be implemented using software or hardware. Each of the terms "~part", "~device", "~block", "~component", "~module" can represent a unit that performs at least one function or operation. Furthermore, each of the terms "~part", "~device", "~block", "~component", "~module" can represent at least one process stored in at least one of hardware, circuitry, and memory, executed by at least one software or processor.

[0055] Throughout the specification, when a component is referred to as being “connected” to another component, it includes both “direct connection” to another component and “indirect connection” to another component, and “indirect connection” to another component includes being “connected” to another component via a wireless communication network.

[0056] The reference numerals in the diagrams are used for convenience of description and do not describe the order of operations. Operations may be performed in a different order than that described unless the context clearly indicates a particular order.

[0057] In the following, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0058] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 2 This is a perspective view showing a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment. Figure 3 This is a view showing some components of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view showing a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0059] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The cooking device 1 may include a housing 10 and a door 20, the door 20 being used to open or close the openings of the housing 10 and the inner housing 12.

[0060] An input device 21 may be provided on door 20, which receives user input related to the operation of cooking appliance 1. The input device 21 may be located in another location within cooking appliance 1, instead of on door 20. The input device 21 can communicate with controller 600 (see...). Figure 9 The output corresponds to the electrical signal (voltage or current) input by the user. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this diagram, the input device 21 is shown in the form of a dial, but is not limited to this. For example, the input device 21 may be provided in the form of a button.

[0061] In addition, a transparent component 22 can be installed in the door 20. When the door 20 is closed, the user can observe the interior of the cooking chamber 11 through the transparent component 22. The transparent component 22 can be replaced by a semi-transparent component, an opaque component, or a transparent display.

[0062] Furthermore, a display 23 can be provided on the door 20 to show information related to the operation of the cooking appliance 1. For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the display 23 can be positioned above the input device 21. Furthermore, as... Figure 2 As shown, the display 23 can be positioned next to the input device 21 and below the transparent member 22. Alternatively, the display 23 can be positioned in another location within the cooking appliance 1, instead of within the door 20.

[0063] Display 23 may include one of various types of display panels. For example, display 23 may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, a light-emitting diode (LED) panel, an organic LED panel, or a micro LED panel. Display 23 may be used as an input device including a touch screen.

[0064] The display 23 can display information input by the user or provided to the user using various screens. The display 23 can display information related to the operation of the cooking appliance 1 through at least one of images and text. Furthermore, the display 23 can display a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows the cooking appliance 1 to be controlled. That is, the display 23 can display user interface (UI) elements such as icons.

[0065] In addition, such as Figure 2 As shown, the display 23 may further include a screen area 23a and a touch button area 23b. The screen area 23a displays information related to the operation of the cooking device 1, and the touch button area 23b receives user input. The touch button area 23b may include at least one of a start button, a stop button, a smart control button, and a back button. Furthermore, the touch button area 23b may include various other buttons.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4The cooking apparatus 1 may include a cooking chamber 11 in which food is placed for cooking. Furthermore, the cooking chamber 11 may be formed by an inner shell 12. A predetermined partition space 15 may be formed between the inner shell 12 and the outer shell 10.

[0067] The outer shell 10 and the inner shell 12 can be configured to open along a first direction A, which is the forward direction of the cooking device 1. The user can place food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 11 through the opening formed in the inner shell 12 along the first direction A. The cooking chamber 11 can be configured as a rectangular parallelepiped shape, having a long side 11L in the left-right direction along a second direction B perpendicular to the first direction A.

[0068] The cooking apparatus 1 may include an electrical chamber 13 formed in the housing 10 and disposed below the cooking chamber 11. Various electrical components for operating the cooking apparatus 1 may be disposed in the electrical chamber 13.

[0069] The cooking apparatus 1 may include a shelf 30 installed in a cooking chamber 11, and food to be cooked is arranged in the shelf 30. The shelf 30 may be detachably installed in the cooking chamber 11. The cooking chamber 11 may include supports 11c formed on two side surfaces of the cooking chamber 11, such that the shelf 30 is installed between the upper surface 11a and the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11.

[0070] Multiple support members 11c can be arranged along a third direction C, allowing the shelf 30 to be mounted at one of various heights. The third direction C is perpendicular to either the first direction A or the second direction B.

[0071] The shelf 30 may include a body 31 on which a cooking surface 32 is provided, on which food can be cooked. When the shelf 30 is mounted on the support 11c, the cooking surface 32 may be positioned to face the upper surface 11a of the cooking chamber 11. The cooking surface 32 may have a rectangular shape, having a long side in the second direction B and a short side in the first direction A.

[0072] The cooking apparatus 1 may include a heat source 100 that provides heat to a cooking chamber 11, thereby cooking food. The heat source 100 can heat the food disposed in the cooking chamber 11. The heat source 100 can also provide heat to the food located on a shelf 30. Furthermore, the food may also be located on the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. The heat source 100 can also provide heat to the food located on the lower surface 11b.

[0073] The heat source 100 may include a heater 200 disposed on the upper surface 11a of the cooking chamber 11. The heater 200 may be configured as a plurality of heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240. Heat generated by the plurality of heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240 is transferred to the food being cooked. The heater 200 may be defined as a first heat source. The heater 200 may include a sheathed heater, a surface heater, a halogen lamp heater, etc.

[0074] Furthermore, the heat source 100 may include a magnetron 300 disposed below the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. The magnetron 300 may be defined as a second heat source. The magnetron 300 can generate a high frequency. The high frequency generated by the magnetron 300 repeatedly alters the molecular arrangement of water contained in the food being cooked, so that the food can be heated by frictional heat between water molecules. The magnetron 300 may be disposed in the electrical chamber 13. The magnetron 300 can emit a high frequency from the electrical chamber 13 to the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11, and the high frequency can be emitted from the lower surface 11b to the shelf 30.

[0075] Traditional electric stove-type cooking appliances use a magnetron to heat and cook food. However, a problem with traditional electric stove-type cooking appliances is that, depending on the water distribution or moisture content of the food being cooked, the high frequency cannot be evenly distributed throughout the food, and the food may not be cooked efficiently. To solve these problems, a heater 200 capable of transferring heat to the entire food being cooked can be installed in the cooking appliance 1. By providing additional heat to the food, efficient cooking can be achieved.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 may include a heater 200 and a magnetron 300 to effectively cook food. As described above, the heater 200 may be disposed on the upper surface 11a of the cooking chamber 11 to transfer heat to the upper part of the food being cooked. However, the heater 200 may not be able to effectively transfer heat to the lower part of the food being cooked, which is disposed on the shelf 30.

[0077] In a cooking apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, a heating element 33 may be disposed in a shelf 30, such that heat is effectively transferred to the lower part of the food to be cooked disposed on the shelf 30. The heating element 33 may be disposed on the side opposite to the cooking surface 32 in the body 31 of the shelf 30. When the shelf 30 is mounted on the support 11c of the cooking chamber 11, the heating element 33 may be disposed facing the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11.

[0078] The heating element 33 can absorb the high frequency generated by the magnetron 300 to generate heat. The heat generated by the heating element 33 can be transferred to the cooking surface 32 of the shelf 30. That is, the heat generated by the heating element 33 can be transferred to the cooking surface 32 to be supplied to the lower part of the food being cooked on the cooking surface 32 of the shelf 30. The heating element 33 can be formed of a ferrite material to absorb the high frequency. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and materials capable of generating heat due to high frequency, ceramics, etc., can be mixed to form the heating element 33.

[0079] Therefore, even if the user does not flip the food during cooking, cooking can still be carried out effectively because heat can be supplied to the food in the vertical direction.

[0080] According to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 may include a cooking chamber 11 having a rectangular parallelepiped shape that is longer in a second direction B and relatively shorter in a first direction A. In other words, the cooking chamber 11 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a long side 11L in the second direction B. Multiple cooking zones may be provided in the cooking chamber 11. Cooking zones 34 and 35 are provided on the shelf 30 (see...). Figure 5 The cooking area 34 and the cooking area 35 can be defined, and the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11 can be defined as a third cooking area. Although the cooking area is described as providing two cooking areas on the shelf 30, three or more cooking areas may also be provided.

[0081] Simultaneously, there exists a situation where multiple foods at different cooking temperatures are placed into the cooking chamber 11 and cooked simultaneously within it. That is, different foods can be individually placed in one of the cooking areas 34 and 35 of the shelves 30 or on the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. In this case, the temperatures of the heat generated by the multiple heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) in the cooking apparatus 1 can be set to be different from each other. That is, the outputs of the multiple heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240 can be independently adjusted in the cooking apparatus 1. Furthermore, the output of the magnetron 300 can be independently adjusted in the cooking apparatus 1. Therefore, different amounts of heat energy can be transferred to each of the multiple foods placed in the cooking areas 34 and 35 of the shelves 30 or on the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11.

[0082] With multiple heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240 arranged on the upper surface 11a of the cooking chamber 11 according to one embodiment, various foods can be placed at positions corresponding to the positions of the multiple heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240. For example, the cooking surface 32 of the shelf 30 can be divided into a first cooking area 34 and a second cooking area 35, and the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 of the shelf 30 can be heated at different temperatures. Each of the various foods can be located in one of the cooking areas 34 and 35 of the shelf 30. Therefore, different amounts of heat can be provided to each of the various foods.

[0083] Multiple heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240 can be configured to face the cooking zones 34 and 35 of the shelf 30 on a third-direction C. The different heat generated by each of the multiple heaters 200 can be directly transferred to one of the first cooking zones 34 and the second cooking zone 35 of the shelf 30.

[0084] Therefore, even when multiple foods with different cooking temperatures are simultaneously placed into the cooking chamber 11, each food can be cooked at one of the different temperatures. In other words, if each food is placed in one of the first cooking zone 34, the second cooking zone 35, and the third cooking zone (i.e., the lower surface 11b), each food can be cooked at one of the different temperatures.

[0085] However, the food being cooked in the first cooking zone 34, the second cooking zone 35, and the third cooking zone (i.e., the lower surface 11b) can also be cooked at the same temperature. For example, if one of the food being cooked is located in both the first cooking zone 34 and the second cooking zone 35, multiple heaters 200 can be controlled to generate the same amount of heat energy simultaneously.

[0086] According to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 includes a plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240), each heater having a long axis 200L extending along a first direction A. The heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a second direction B corresponding to the long side 11L of the cooking chamber 11. A plurality of cooking zones 34 and 35, each receiving a different temperature, may be separated along the second direction B on the cooking surface 32 of the shelf 30.

[0087] As described above, since the multiple heaters 210, 220, 230, and 240 are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the second direction B, and the cooking zones 34 and 35 of the shelf 30 are separated in the second direction B, the width of the cooking zones can be increased, and the temperature difference between the cooking zones can be increased. Furthermore, when multiple types of food are placed on the shelf 30, since the multiple types of food do not need to be placed deep on the rear surface of the cooking chamber 11, the food placed on the shelf 30 is easily observable.

[0088] However, in conventional cooking apparatus, heaters having length in the second direction B are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the first direction A, and multiple cooking zones, each capable of receiving one of different temperatures, are separated in the first direction A. When multiple cooking zones are separated in the first direction A (which is the direction of the short side 32S of the cooking surface 32), the width of the cooking zones inevitably becomes small. Due to the small width of the cooking zones formed along the first direction A, the actual temperature difference between the separated cooking zones may be small.

[0089] Furthermore, in traditional cooking devices, the problem is that the food being cooked is located outside the cooking area, which has a relatively narrow width, and it is inconvenient to observe the food being cooked deep within the cooking chamber on the back surface when cooking various foods.

[0090] In the following description, a plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230 and 240) and a plurality of cooking zones 34 and 35 on a shelf 30 are described in detail according to one embodiment.

[0091] Figure 5 This is a view showing the heat source and shelf of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 6 This is a plan view showing the upper part of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 7 This is a view showing the heater and wire connection of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0092] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 Each of the plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) may have a long axis 200L extending in a first direction A, and the plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in a second direction B corresponding to the long side 11L of the cooking chamber 11. The separation distance between the plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) may be a first separation distance d1 and / or a second separation distance d2.

[0093] The first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can be positioned above the first cooking zone 34 with a first separation distance d1, and the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can be positioned above the second cooking zone 35 with a first separation distance d1. The first heater 210 and the second heater 220 can be positioned with a second separation distance d2. The second separation distance d2 can be greater than the first separation distance d1. This is used to provide a temperature difference between the first cooking zone 34 and the second cooking zone 35.

[0094] Heater 200 is described as including a first heater 210, a second heater 220, a third heater 230, and a fourth heater 240, but is not limited thereto. Heater 200 may also include a first heater 210 and a second heater 220, or include four or more heaters.

[0095] Since all the multiple heaters 200 (210, 220, 230 and 240) have the same shape, the fourth heater 240 will be described in detail below. The fourth heater 240 may include a main body portion 241 and two ends 242, the main body portion 241 extending along the direction of the long axis 200L and being heated by electricity, and the two ends 242 being disposed at both ends of the main body portion 241.

[0096] Two ends 242 may be provided to supply external power to the fourth heater 240. The main body 241 may generate heat due to the power supplied through the two ends 242, and the heat may be transferred to the shelf 30. The two ends 242 may be arranged along a first direction A.

[0097] The first heater 210 can be disposed on one side of the cooking device 1 along the second direction B, and the second heater 220 can be disposed on the side opposite to the first heater 210 along the second direction B. Specifically, the first heater 210 can be disposed on one side, and the second heater 220 can be disposed on the side opposite to the center line G of the cooking surface 32. The third heater 230 can be disposed adjacent to the first heater 210, and the fourth heater 240 can be disposed adjacent to the second heater 220.

[0098] The first heater 210, the second heater 220, the third heater 230, and the fourth heater 240 can be controlled independently. The significance of independently controlling multiple heaters 200 is that the operation of the heaters 200 is independent, not interdependent. In other words, multiple heaters 200 can be selectively controlled. That is, among the multiple heaters 200, some heaters 200 can be controlled to operate, while others can be controlled to not operate. Furthermore, multiple heaters 200 can be controlled to simultaneously generate the same amount of heat energy.

[0099] For example, the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can generate heat at the same temperature. Similarly, the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can generate heat at the same temperature. The first heater 210 and the second heater 220 can generate heat at different temperatures. Likewise, the third heater 230 and the fourth heater 240 can generate heat at different temperatures. That is, the heating temperatures on the left and right sides can be different relative to the center line G. Specifically, in the cooking apparatus 1, the heating temperature of the first heater 210 can be set higher than the heating temperature of the second heater 220. In this case, the first heater 210 and the second heater 220 can be controlled independently based on a preset temperature.

[0100] Meanwhile, although the heating temperatures of the multiple heaters 200 (210, 220, 230, and 240) can be set to the same, the driving methods can be controlled differently. For example, during the total cooking time in the cooking apparatus 1, the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can be continuously driven, and the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can be repeatedly turned on and off to be repeatedly driven and de-driven. Therefore, the heat energy provided by the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can be greater than the heat energy provided by the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240. Furthermore, during the same cooking time, the multiple heaters 200 can be operated based on different heating temperatures and different heating on / off times. For example, the heating temperature of the first heater 210 can be set to 90°C, and the on / off cycle of the first heater 210 can be set to 3 minutes. The heating temperature of the second heater 220 can be set to 100°C, and the on / off cycle of the second heater 220 can be set to 4 minutes. The heating temperature of the third heater 230 can be set to 110℃, and the on-off cycle of the third heater 230 can be set to 5 minutes. The heating temperature of the fourth heater 240 can be set to 120℃, and the on-off cycle of the fourth heater 240 can be set to 6 minutes.

[0101] One or more heaters can be provided to correspond to a cooking zone. For example, one heater can be set to correspond to a first cooking zone, and three heaters can be set to correspond to a second cooking zone.

[0102] like Figure 5As shown, the cooking surface 32 of the shelf 30 can be divided into a first cooking area 34 and a second cooking area 35. The first cooking area 34 can be formed on the left side, and the second cooking area 35 can be formed on the right side relative to the center line G. Although two cooking areas of the shelf 30 are shown, three or more cooking areas can also be formed. For example, in the case of forming three cooking areas, a first cooking area can be provided to correspond to the positions of the first heater 210 and the third heater 230, a second cooking area can be provided to correspond to the position of the second heater 220, and a third cooking area can be provided to correspond to the position of the fourth heater 240.

[0103] Multiple heaters 200 can provide heat to at least one of the first cooking zone 34 and the second cooking zone 35 of the shelf 30. A first heater 210 and a third heater 230 may be positioned along the third direction C corresponding to the first cooking zone 34. A second heater 220 and a fourth heater 240 may be positioned along the third direction C corresponding to the second cooking zone 35.

[0104] As described above, when the heat generated by the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 is different from the heat generated by the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240, the heat energy transferred to the first cooking zone 34 and the heat energy transferred to the second cooking zone 35 can be different. That is, the heat generated by the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can be transferred from the upper surface 11a to the first cooking zone 34. The heat generated by the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can be transferred from the upper surface 11a to the second cooking zone 35.

[0105] Furthermore, the heat generated from the heating element 33 can be transferred to the first cooking zone 34 and the second cooking zone 35. The heating element 33 can be heated at high frequency by a magnetron 300 disposed below the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. The heat generated by the heating element 33 can be transferred to the cooking surface 32.

[0106] The heat generated by the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 and the heat generated by the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can be different, and the heat transferred to the first cooking zone 34 and the heat transferred to the second cooking zone 35 can be different. Therefore, each of the cooked foods with different cooking temperatures can be set in one of the first cooking zone 34 and the second cooking zone 35 and cooked simultaneously.

[0107] Furthermore, since the food being cooked can be positioned on the left and right sides of the shelf 30 along the second direction B, the user can easily observe the cooking status of the food through the transparent component 22.

[0108] like Figure 5 As shown, the short side 32S of the cooking surface 32 may intersect the long side 32L perpendicularly and extend in the first direction A. The first cooking region 34 and the second cooking region 35 may be separated in the second direction B to correspond to a plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230 and 240) spaced apart from each other in the second direction B. Since the long side 32L of the cooking surface 32 extends in the second direction B, the first cooking region 34 and the second cooking region 35 may have sufficient length in one direction.

[0109] That is, in the second direction B, the length of the first cooking region 34 can be defined as a first length 34a, and the length of the second cooking region 35 can be defined as a second length 35a. The first length 34a and the second length 35a can be configured such that each of the first cooking region 34 and the second cooking region 35 has an area sufficient to accommodate one of the cooked foods. Therefore, the area of ​​the first cooking region 34 and the area of ​​the second cooking region 35 can be provided as 34a*(length of the shorter side 32S) and 35a*(length of the shorter side 32S), respectively.

[0110] Meanwhile, the first length 34a or the second length 35a can be set to be the same as the length of the short side 32S of the cooking surface 32. In this case, each of the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 can be provided as a square shape, and the food can be easily positioned in the first cooking area 34 or the second cooking area 35.

[0111] Furthermore, the first length 34a or the second length 35a can be set to a length different from the short side 32S of the cooking surface 32. In this case, each of the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 can be provided as a rectangular shape. Even when each of the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 is set as a rectangular shape, the ratio between the horizontal length and the vertical length of each of the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 is set within a predetermined ratio range. Therefore, the first cooking area 34 and the second cooking area 35 can provide a larger space than conventional cooking appliances to accommodate food being cooked.

[0112] Reference Figure 6 The housing 10 may have a long side 10L along the second direction B and a short side 10S along the first direction A to correspond to the area of ​​the cooking chamber 11. The plurality of heaters 200 (210, 220, 230 and 240) may each have a long axis 200L extending along the first direction A and may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other along the second direction B.

[0113] Therefore, the main body 241 of the fourth heater 240 can be disposed within the inner shell 12 to be positioned within the cooking chamber 11. The two ends 242 of the fourth heater 240 can pass through the inner shell 12 to be disposed in the partition space 15 formed outside the cooking chamber 11.

[0114] Each of the plurality of heaters 200 may include a power supply unit 250 and a wire 260, through which power supply unit 250 supplies power to heater 200, and the wire 260 is connected to two ends 242 to supply power to each of the plurality of heaters 200. The wire 260 may be configured to connect to the two ends 242 in a partition space 15 formed between the inner shell 12 and the outer shell 10.

[0115] When describing an example of the fourth heater 240, the two ends 242 of the fourth heater 240 are arranged along a first direction A. Therefore, the wire 260 and the two ends 242 can be connected in a first partition space 15a formed between the long side 10L of the housing 10 and the long side 11L of the cooking chamber 11.

[0116] However, when the wire 260 is inserted into both ends 242 along either the first direction A or the second direction B, the wire 260 may be excessively bent, and a stable connection between them may be difficult. To solve this problem, as... Figure 7 As shown, the two ends 242 of the fourth heater 240 can be configured to be connected to the wire 260 along the third direction C.

[0117] Therefore, even when the first partition space 15a is narrow, the wire 260 and the fourth heater 240 can be stably connected. That is, since the wire 260 and the two ends 242 are connected in the third direction C, the stress caused by the bending of the wire 260 in the first direction A or the second direction B can be minimized, and the wire 260 and the two ends 242 can be stably connected.

[0118] However, in the case of conventional cooking appliances, the difference between conventional cooking appliances and the present disclosure is that the heater is arranged along the second direction B. That is, the heater of a conventional cooking appliance is connected to a wire formed in the second partition space 15b between the short side 10S of the housing 10 and the short side 11S of the cooking chamber 11.

[0119] According to one embodiment, a wire 260 connected to a heater 200 may include a contact portion 261 that contacts two ends 242 of each heater 200 to supply power to each heater 200. The two ends 242 may include flanges 243 configured to contact the contact portion 261 in a third direction C. The two ends 242 may include a connecting member 244 configured to connect the contact portion 261 and the flange 243 when the flange 243 is in contact with the contact portion 261. The connecting member 244 may be a screw or the like. With the contact portion 261 in contact with the flange 243 in a third direction C, the connecting member 244 may be connected to the flange 243 in a third direction C to secure the contact state between the flange 243 and the contact portion 261.

[0120] Therefore, since the heater 200 and the wire 260 are assembled in a direction corresponding to the third direction C, the heater 200 and the wire 260 can be easily assembled even when the first partition space 15a is narrow.

[0121] Figure 8 This is a view illustrating a cooking system according to one embodiment.

[0122] Reference Figure 8 The cooking system 0 may include a cooking device 1, a mobile device 2, and a server 3. The cooking device 1 is the same as described above. The cooking device 1 can be connected to at least one of the mobile device 2 and the server 3 via a network. Furthermore, the mobile device 2 and the server 3 can also be connected via a network. The server 3 corresponds to a computing device. The cooking device 1 can connect to the mobile device 2 via the server 3 to send and receive data. Alternatively, the cooking device 1 can be directly connected to the mobile device 2 to send and receive data. The mobile device 2 may be a mobile phone, a portable multimedia player (PMP), a digital radio player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a music file player (e.g., a Moving Image Experts Group (MPEG) Audio Layer-3 (MP3) player), a portable gaming terminal, a tablet PC, or a smartphone. The mobile device 2 includes a display with an output screen. Hereinafter, the mobile device 2 will be referred to as a smartphone.

[0123] For example, mobile device 2 can send control signals to cooking appliance 1 via server 3. Mobile device 2 can receive user input and send signals corresponding to the user input to server 3. Server 3 can then send the signals received from mobile device 2 to cooking appliance 1. The communicator 400 of cooking appliance 1 (see...) Figure 9 The device can receive signals sent from server 3 and send an electrical signal corresponding to the received signal to controller 600. Therefore, controller 600 of cooking device 1 can control the operation of cooking device 1 in response to user input.

[0124] As another example, mobile device 2 can directly send control signals to cooking appliance 1. The communicator 400 of cooking appliance 1 can receive the control signals from mobile device 2. Mobile device 2 can receive user input and send control signals corresponding to the user input to cooking appliance 1. The communicator 400 of cooking appliance 1 can send the received control signals to controller 600. Therefore, controller 600 of cooking appliance 1 can control the operation of cooking appliance 1 in response to user input.

[0125] Mobile device 2 may include an application for controlling cooking appliance 1. Furthermore, mobile device 2 may display a GUI that allows controllability of cooking appliance 1. For example, mobile device 2 may display a GUI associated with multiple cooking zones in cooking appliance 1. A user can operate cooking appliance 1 using mobile device 2.

[0126] Mobile device 2 can communicate with server 3 to send and receive data. For example, mobile device 2 can receive recipe data from server 3. Mobile device 2 can send recipe data to cooking device 1 via server 3, or send recipe data directly to cooking device 1. Furthermore, cooking device 1 can also receive recipe data directly from server 3. Cooking device 1 can perform cooking based on the recipe data received from mobile device 2 or server 3.

[0127] Figure 9 This is a control block diagram illustrating a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment. Figure 10 This is a control block diagram illustrating a cooking apparatus according to another embodiment.

[0128] Reference Figure 9 According to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 may include an input device 21, a display 23, a heat source 100, a communicator 400, a sensor 500, and a controller 600. The controller 600 is electrically connected to the input device 21, the heat source 100, the communicator 400, and the sensor 500. The controller 600 can control the components of the cooking apparatus 1.

[0129] The input device 21 can receive user input. User input can include various commands. The input device 21 can receive commands related to the operation of the cooking device 1. For example, the input device 21 can receive at least one of the following: a command to select a cooking mode, a command to select a cooking zone, a command to select a recipe, a command to adjust the output of the heat source, a command to adjust the cooking time, a command to adjust the cooking temperature, a cooking start command, and a cooking stop command. Furthermore, the input device 21 can receive commands corresponding to each of the multiple cooking zones.

[0130] In addition, user input can be received from the mobile device 2. The communicator 400 of the cooking device 1 can receive at least one of the following commands input via the mobile device 2: commands for selecting a cooking area, commands for selecting a recipe, commands for adjusting the output of the heat source, commands for adjusting the cooking time, commands for adjusting the cooking temperature, cooking start commands, and cooking stop commands, from the server 3, or receive at least one of them directly from the mobile device 2.

[0131] As examples of cooking modes, single cooking mode, multiple cooking mode, and add-cook mode can be provided. Single cooking mode can be a mode where one type of food is cooked, while multiple cooking mode can be a mode where multiple types of food are cooked simultaneously. Add-cook mode can be defined as an intermediate mode used to change a recipe when, while cooking is taking place in some of the multiple cooking areas within cooking chamber 11, additional cooking is required in the remaining cooking areas. In other words, if additional cooking areas are needed to cook the food while cooking in single or multiple cooking modes, the cooking mode can be switched to add-cook mode, thus allowing for recipe changes. Single cooking mode, multiple cooking mode, and add-cook mode do not need to be identified by the user. Cooking device 1 can automatically determine the cooking mode based on user input selecting the cooking area.

[0132] For example, while cooking is being performed in the first cooking zone 34 of the shelf 30, it may be necessary to add another food item to be cooked in the second cooking zone 35 of the shelf 30. Specifically, while cooking is being performed in the first cooking zone 34, the cooking device 1 can receive additional cooking commands related to the second cooking zone 35 from the mobile device 2 or the input device 21. In this case, the cooking device 1 can change the recipe applied to the first cooking zone 34 and determine the recipe to be applied to the second cooking zone 35. (Refer to...) Figure 14 and Figure 15 Describe the additional cooking steps in detail.

[0133] The processor 610 of the controller 600 can process cooking-related commands received via at least one of the input device 21 and the mobile device 2, and control the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 corresponding to the received commands. The cooking apparatus 1 can automatically perform cooking based on recipes received from the mobile device 2, the server 3, or the memory 620.

[0134] Heat source 100 can provide heat to at least one of a plurality of cooking zones in cooking chamber 11. Heat source 100 may include heater 200 and magnetron 300. Heater 200 may be configured as a plurality of heaters 210, 220, 230 and 240. Heater 200 may be defined as a first heat source and magnetron 300 may be defined as a second heat source. Heat source 100 is the same as described above.

[0135] The communicator 400 can connect the cooking device 1 and external devices via a network or communication channel. For example, the communicator 400 can communicate with at least one of the mobile device 2 and the server 3 to send and receive data. The mobile device 2 can be exemplified as a smartphone. The communicator 400 may include various communication modules. The communicator 400 may include a wireless communication module and / or a wired communication module. As wireless communication technologies, wireless local area networks, home radio frequency (RF), infrared communication, ultra-wideband (UWB) communication, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc., can be applied.

[0136] Reference Figure 9 The cooking apparatus 1 may include various sensors 500. For example, the cooking apparatus 1 may include one or more of a current sensor 510, a voltage sensor 520, and a temperature sensor 530. The current sensor 510 can measure the current applied to the heat source 100. The current sensor 510 can measure the current applied to the power supply unit 250 and send the measured current value to the processor 610. The voltage sensor 520 can measure the voltage applied to the heat source 100. The voltage sensor 520 can check and / or measure the voltage applied to the power supply unit 250 and send the measured voltage value to the processor 610. Figure 9 The current sensor 510 and voltage sensor 520 are shown separately, but they can also be implemented as a single device. The temperature sensor 530 can check and / or measure the temperature in the cooking chamber 11 and transmit the measured temperature value to the processor 610. The temperature sensor 530 may also include a probe that contacts the food being cooked to measure its temperature.

[0137] Reference Figure 10 The cooking apparatus 1 may also include a food position sensor 540. The food position sensor 540 can acquire position data of the food being cooked, which is disposed within the cooking chamber 11. Specifically, the food position sensor 540 can detect the position of the food being cooked, which is disposed on the shelf 30 and the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. The food position sensor 540 can transmit the position data of the food being cooked to the controller 600. The position data of the food being cooked may include three-dimensional position data of the food being cooked.

[0138] The cooking food position sensor 540 may include an image sensor such as a camera and / or a non-image sensor such as radar. Furthermore, the cooking food position sensor 540 may also include an optical device that emits light toward the cooking food. An image sensor, such as a camera, can capture an image of the cooking food and obtain image data. A non-image sensor, such as radar, can transmit radio waves toward the cooking food, receive radio waves reflected by the cooking food, and obtain position data using the transmitted and received radio waves.

[0139] The food position sensor 540 can be located on the upper side of the inner housing 12. The controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can determine the state of the food being placed in the cooking area based on the position data of the food obtained by the food position sensor 540. The controller 600 can determine whether the food is correctly placed in the cooking area according to the recipe.

[0140] Furthermore, the controller 600 can identify the shape, position, and type of food being cooked, positioned within the cooking chamber 11, based on image data acquired by the food position sensor 540. A recognition model for identifying the shape, position, and type of the food being cooked can be stored in the memory 620. The controller 600 can input image data acquired by the food position sensor 540 into the recognition model and identify the shape, position, and type of the food being cooked based on the output data from the recognition model.

[0141] Recognition models can be generated using machine learning (e.g., deep learning) based on previously acquired image data (data used for learning). Machine learning is an algorithmic technique used to classify and learn from features of multiple input data. For example, recognition models can be generated by learning via one of such neural networks, such as deep neural networks (DNNs), convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), deep belief networks (DBNs), and deep Q-networks.

[0142] The recognition model can be generated by the server 3 or the processor 610 of the cooking appliance 1. Alternatively, when the cooking appliance 1 is manufactured, the recognition model generated by a separate computing device can be stored in the memory 620 of the cooking appliance 1.

[0143] The controller 600 may include a processor 610 and a memory 620. The processor 610 is hardware and may include logic and arithmetic circuits. The processor 610 can use programs, instructions, and / or data stored in the memory 620 for operating the cooking apparatus 1 to control the components of the electrical connections of the cooking apparatus 1. The controller 600 may be implemented as a control circuit including capacitors, coils, resistors, etc. The processor 610 and the memory 620 may be implemented as separate chips or a single chip. Furthermore, the controller 600 may include multiple processors and multiple memories.

[0144] The memory 620 may store programs, applications and / or data for operating the cooking device 1, and may also store data generated by the processor 610. The memory 620 may include non-volatile memory (such as read-only memory (ROM) and flash memory) for long-term data storage and volatile memory (such as static random access memory (S-RAM) and dynamic random access memory (D-RAM)) for temporary data storage.

[0145] The processor 610 can change the operating settings of the heaters 200 (210, 220, 230 and 240) located above the cooking chamber 11 and the magnetron 300 located below the cooking chamber 11.

[0146] Figure 11 It is a graph showing an example of the operation of a heat source.

[0147] First, the controller 600 can determine at least one cooking zone among multiple cooking zones in the cooking chamber 11, based on user input received from at least one of the mobile device 2 and the input device 21, in which cooking will be performed. The controller 600 can then control the display 23 of the cooking device 1 to display a recipe associated with the determined cooking zone. Furthermore, the cooking device 1 can send the recipe associated with the determined cooking zone to the mobile device 2. The display 23 of the cooking device 1 and the mobile device 2 can then display a list of recipes associated with the cooking zone.

[0148] The recipe to be applied to each of the cooking zones can be determined based on user input. The controller 600 can control at least one of the heater 200 and the magnetron 300 based on the determined recipe associated with each cooking zone. The recipe may include information about the types of food that can be cooked in each cooking zone. Furthermore, the recipe consists of cooking parameters for operating the heat source 100 and may include at least one of cooking temperature, cooking time, and the output of the heat source 100.

[0149] Reference Figure 11The controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can cook the steak in the first cooking zone 34 and the garlic in the second cooking zone 35 based on user input received from at least one of the mobile device 2 and the input device 21. As described above, the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 can heat the first cooking zone 34, and the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 can heat the second cooking zone 35. Generally, cooking steak requires a greater amount of heat energy than cooking garlic. To successfully cook steak and garlic simultaneously, different amounts of heat energy need to be supplied to the cooking zones.

[0150] With the total cooking time set to 9 minutes, the controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can drive the first heater 210 and the third heater 230, both with the same output, for 9 minutes. Furthermore, after 4 minutes from the start of cooking, the controller 600 can drive the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240, both with the same output, for 5 minutes. Additionally, the controller 600 can drive the magnetron 300 by repeatedly turning it on and off from the start of cooking. The magnetron 300 can be repeatedly turned off for 5 seconds and on for 25 seconds.

[0151] By controlling the heat source 100 as described above, multiple types of food can be successfully cooked simultaneously in multiple cooking zones. Figure 11 This is a view showing only one example of the operation of a heat source used for cooking various foods, and the operation of the heat source can be varied according to various recipes. The operation of cooking device 1 will be specifically described below when cooking is being carried out in some cooking zones, and when additional cooking is required in another cooking zone.

[0152] Figure 12 This is an example view of the display screen of a cooking appliance, showing additional cooking areas that can be used for cooking when some cooking areas are being cooked.

[0153] Reference Figure 12 The mobile device 2 or controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can determine the cooking zones and the recipes used for cooking based on the recipe information selected by the user. When cooking is being performed in some of the multiple cooking zones, the controller 600 can control the display 23 of the cooking apparatus 1 to display images of other cooking zones that are not currently being cooked but can be used for additional cooking. For example, when cooking is being performed in the first cooking zone 34 of the shelf 30 according to the recipe, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to display images of the second cooking zone 35 of the shelf 30 and the third cooking zone (which is the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11) as other cooking zones that are not currently being cooked but can be used for additional cooking.

[0154] As another example, controller 600 can use cooking food position sensor 540 to detect cooking areas where cooking food is detected and cooking areas where cooking food is not detected, and display images of cooking areas where additional cooking can be performed on display 23. Controller 600 can use the aforementioned recognition model to identify the shape, position, and type of cooking food from the data obtained by cooking food position sensor 540. Controller 600 can determine whether the cooking food is properly arranged in the cooking area according to the recipe, and display an indicator showing the arrangement status of the cooking food on display 23. The user can identify improper arrangement of the cooking food using the indicator.

[0155] exist Figure 12 An example is shown where, when the first cooking area 34 of the shelf 30 and the first recipe have been selected and cooking is in progress, images of the second cooking area 35 and the third cooking area (which is the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11) of the shelf 30 are displayed on the monitor 23 as additional cooking areas where further cooking can be performed. The monitor 23 of the cooking device 1 can display a cooking device image 801 and an information window 809. Operation information of the cooking device 1 can be displayed as text in the information window 809. Furthermore, cooking performed in the first cooking area 34 can be displayed using a first icon 803 drawn with solid lines. The second cooking area 35 and the third cooking area of ​​the shelf 30, which can be used for additional cooking, can be displayed using second icons 805 and third icons 807 drawn with dashed lines, respectively. The first icon 803, the second icon 805, and the third icon 807 can have a circular shape. The cooking device image 801 is a predetermined standard image or graphic showing the shape of the cooking device 1, the cooking chamber 11, and the cooking areas 34, 35, and 11b.

[0156] Furthermore, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to show recommended recipes along with other cooking areas when displaying images of other cooking areas that can be added. For example... Figure 12 As shown, "potato" can be displayed as a recommended recipe in the second cooking zone 35, while "garlic" can be displayed as a recommended recipe in the third cooking zone, which is the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11. As described above, when cooking is being done in some cooking zones, the efficient use of multiple cooking zones can be encouraged by showing the user other cooking zones where additional cooking can be performed.

[0157] Furthermore, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to show the remaining time for the cooking process currently underway in the first cooking zone 34 to complete. Figure 12 In the first cooking area 34, the remaining time for cooking is displayed as 08:59.

[0158] Figure 13 This is a view showing examples of other cooking areas displayed on a mobile device, where additional cooking can be performed.

[0159] Reference Figure 13 The mobile device 2 connected to the cooking appliance 1 can display a GUI for controlling the cooking appliance 1. That is, operation information for the cooking appliance 1 can be displayed on the screen of the mobile device 2. When the mobile device 2 displays the operation information for the cooking appliance 1, the operation information may not be displayed on the screen 23 of the cooking appliance 1.

[0160] The controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can control the communicator 400 to send operation information of the cooking apparatus 1 to the mobile device 2. Specifically, the cooking apparatus 1 can send information about the cooking area currently being cooked to the mobile device 2 via the server 3, or send the information directly to the mobile device 2. In addition, the cooking apparatus 1 can send information to the mobile device 2 about other cooking areas where additional cooking can be performed.

[0161] For example, cooking device 1 can send information to mobile device 2 about the first cooking zone where cooking is currently taking place, as well as information about the second and third cooking zones, which are cooking zones where additional cooking can be performed. Therefore, mobile device 2 can display a screen, as... Figure 12 The screen shown is the same as that displayed on the monitor 23 of the cooking appliance 1. That is, the mobile device 2 can display the cooking appliance image 801 and the information window 809.

[0162] Furthermore, the mobile device 2 can display a first icon 803 drawn with solid lines, a second icon 805 drawn with dashed lines, a third icon 807 drawn with dashed lines, and an information window 809. The first icon 803 indicates that cooking is in progress in the first cooking area 34; the second icon 805 indicates a second cooking area 35 where additional cooking can be performed; and the third icon 807 indicates a third cooking area where additional cooking can be performed. The first icon 803, the second icon 805, and the third icon 807 can be displayed overlapping the cooking device image 801. As described above, the user can more easily check the space available for additional cooking in the cooking device 1 using the mobile device 2.

[0163] Furthermore, when mobile device 2 displays additional cooking areas that can be added, it can display recommended recipes utilizing those areas. These recommended recipes can be received from server 3 or from recipe data pre-stored in memory 620. For example, "potatoes" can be displayed as a recommended recipe in the second cooking area 35, while "garlic" can be displayed as a recommended recipe in the third cooking area, which is the lower surface 11b of cooking chamber 11. As described above, when cooking is being performed in several cooking areas, the efficient use of multiple cooking areas can be encouraged by displaying additional cooking areas where further cooking can be performed.

[0164] Figure 14 This is a view showing an example of the display screen of the cooking device's monitor when additional cooking is being performed in another cooking area. Figure 15 This is a view showing an example of the screen displayed on a mobile device's monitor when additional cooking is being performed in another cooking area.

[0165] Some cooking zones can be in a state of applying a first recipe. For example, the first recipe applied to the first cooking zone 34 may include information such as that the type of food being cooked is steak, the cooking time is 9 minutes, the cooking temperature is 90°C, the heaters to be operated are the first heater 210 and the third heater 230, and the drive output of the first heater 210 and the third heater 230 is 700W.

[0166] Users can use at least one of the input devices 21 of cooking apparatus 1 and mobile device 2 to input additional cooking commands related to another cooking area. For example, additional cooking commands can be such touch input by the user, which selects... Figure 13 The second icon 805, depicting a second cooking area 35 in a circle with dashed lines, is shown on the mobile device 2. That is, the user can select the cooking area to be cooked in by touching at least one of the first icon 803, the second icon 805, and the third icon 807 displayed on the mobile device 2.

[0167] The controller 600 can modify a first recipe applied to some cooking zones, and upon receiving an additional cooking command related to another cooking zone, determine a second recipe to apply to that other cooking zone. Specifically, the controller 600 can modify at least one of the cooking time and cooking temperature included in the first recipe. Changes to the first recipe can be influenced by the second recipe selected relative to the other cooking zone. That is, the content of the first recipe can vary depending on the content of the second recipe. The controller 600's memory 620 stores at least one of a program, algorithm, and application for performing recipe changes or modifications based on additional cooking commands.

[0168] The second recipe applied to another cooking area can be a recipe included in an additional cooking command. Furthermore, in addition to additional cooking commands, the second recipe can be a recipe entered by the user via input device 21 or mobile device 2.

[0169] The controller 600 can control multiple heaters 200 based on modified first and second recipes. Furthermore, the controller 600 can control the magnetron 300 based on modified first and second recipes.

[0170] For example, when cooking is performed in the first cooking zone 34, the controller 600 can receive additional cooking commands related to the second cooking zone 35. The second recipe related to the second cooking zone 35 may include the following information: the type of food being cooked is potatoes, the cooking time is 7 minutes and 30 seconds, the cooking temperature is 100°C, the heaters to be operated are the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240, and the drive output of the second heater 220 and the fourth heater 240 is 700W.

[0171] In this configuration, the controller 600 can modify the first recipe applied to the first cooking zone 34. The controller 600 can increase the cooking time of the first recipe by 1 minute and 30 seconds. That is, the cooking time of the first recipe can be changed from 9 minutes to 10 minutes and 30 seconds. Since cooking in the first cooking zone 34 can be temporarily stopped before additional cooking begins in the second cooking zone 35, the cooking time of the first recipe can be increased. The first heater 210 and the third heater 230, which heat the first cooking zone 34, operate during the increased cooking time.

[0172] Furthermore, the cooking temperature of the first recipe can be changed. If cooking in the first cooking zone 34 is temporarily stopped due to the addition of the second cooking zone 35, the temperature of the food being cooked in the first cooking zone 34 may decrease. Therefore, the cooking temperature of the first recipe can be temporarily set high. When the cooking temperature of the first recipe is changed, the output of the first heater 210 and the output of the third heater 230 can be changed. As described above, when cooking is taking place in the first cooking zone 34, if cooking in the second cooking zone 35 is added, changing the recipe applied to the first cooking zone 34 prevents cooking from failing.

[0173] Furthermore, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to show the first remaining time for cooking to complete in some cooking zones and the second remaining time for cooking to complete in another added cooking zone. For example... Figure 14As shown, the display 23 can show that the remaining time for cooking to be completed in the first cooking zone 34 is 10 minutes and 29 seconds, and the remaining time for cooking to be completed in the second cooking zone 35 is 10 minutes and 29 seconds. That is, the cooking device 1 can display the remaining time for cooking to be completed in some cooking zones that are currently cooking, as well as the remaining time for cooking to be completed in another added cooking zone. Furthermore, as... Figure 15 As shown, the first remaining time and the second remaining time can be displayed on the mobile device 2. Therefore, users can easily check the remaining time for cooking to be completed in the cooking area.

[0174] Furthermore, when cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another added cooking zone need to be completed simultaneously, the controller 600 can adjust the start time of cooking in the other cooking zone. The input device 21 or the mobile device 2 can receive user input that selects whether cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another added cooking zone are completed individually or simultaneously.

[0175] exist Figure 14 and Figure 15 The diagram illustrates a scenario where cooking in the first cooking zone 34 and cooking in the second cooking zone 35 need to be completed simultaneously. Because cooking in both zones needs to be completed concurrently, the first remaining time for completion in the first cooking zone 34 and the second remaining time for completion in the second cooking zone 35 are both displayed as 10 minutes and 29 seconds after cooking begins in both zones. In other words, although the cooking time for the second recipe applied to the second cooking zone 35 is 7 minutes and 30 seconds, the start time of cooking in the second cooking zone 35 can be delayed by 3 minutes.

[0176] In cases where cooking in the first cooking zone 34 and cooking in the second cooking zone 35 need to be completed separately, the start time of cooking in the second cooking zone 35 does not need to be adjusted. In other words, cooking in the second cooking zone 35 can be executed based on an additional cooking start command associated with the second cooking zone 35. In this case, after cooking in the second cooking zone 35 has just started, the remaining time for completion of cooking in the second cooking zone 35 can be displayed as 7 minutes and 29 seconds. As described above, since the user can choose whether cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another added cooking zone will be completed separately or simultaneously, user convenience can be improved.

[0177] Simultaneously, if the controller 600 receives an additional cooking command and the arrangement of food being cooked in another cooking area is delayed, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to display a delay notification. The delay notification can be displayed on the display 23 as at least one of text and an image. For example, after an additional cooking command related to the second cooking area 35 is entered, the arrangement of food being cooked in the second cooking area 35 may be delayed due to reasons such as user error. Cooking in the first cooking area 34 may be temporarily stopped due to the additional cooking command related to the second cooking area 35, and cooking may fail as the stop time increases. To prevent this, if the arrangement of food being cooked is delayed for a predetermined time after the additional cooking command is entered, the controller 600 can control the display 23 to display a delay notification after the predetermined time has elapsed. This delay notification can also be displayed on the mobile device 2.

[0178] Figure 16 This is a flowchart describing a method for controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0179] Reference Figure 16 According to one embodiment, the controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can perform cooking (1001) in some of the multiple cooking zones within the cooking chamber 11. The controller 600 can determine, based on user input, at least one cooking zone among the multiple cooking zones in the cooking chamber 11 to be used for cooking, and a recipe to be applied to said at least one cooking zone. For example, a first cooking zone 34 and a first recipe can be selected via user input. Cooking in the first cooking zone 34 can be performed via a cooking start command associated with the first cooking zone 34.

[0180] When cooking is being performed in some of the multiple cooking zones, the controller 600 can control at least one of the display 23 and the mobile device 2 to display other cooking zones in which additional cooking can be performed (1002). While cooking is being performed in the first cooking zone 34 of the shelf 30, the controller 600 can control the display 23 or the mobile device 2 to display the second cooking zone 35 and the third cooking zone of the shelf 30 (which is the lower surface 11b of the cooking chamber 11) as other cooking zones in which additional cooking can be performed.

[0181] Then, controller 600 can receive additional cooking commands related to another cooking area (1003). Controller 600 can modify the first recipe being applied to some cooking areas (1004) based on the additional cooking commands and determine a second recipe to be applied to another cooking area (1005). For example, while performing cooking in the first cooking area 34, controller 600 can receive additional cooking commands related to the second cooking area 35. Controller 600 can modify the first recipe being applied to the first cooking area 34 based on the additional cooking commands and determine a second recipe to be applied to the second cooking area 35. The second recipe applied to another cooking area can be a recipe included in the additional cooking commands. Furthermore, in addition to the additional cooking commands, the second recipe can be a recipe entered by the user via input device 21 or mobile device 2.

[0182] The controller 600 can control multiple heaters 200 (1006) based on the modified first and second recipes. Furthermore, the controller 600 can control the magnetron 300 based on the modified first and second recipes.

[0183] Figure 17 This is a flowchart describing in more detail a method for controlling a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment.

[0184] Reference Figure 17 According to one embodiment, the controller 600 of the cooking apparatus 1 can perform cooking in some of the multiple cooking zones in the cooking chamber 11 (1101). For example, cooking can be performed in the first cooking zone 34. When cooking is performed in some of the multiple cooking zones, the controller 600 can control at least one of the display 23 or the mobile device 2 to display other cooking zones where additional cooking can be performed (1102). The controller 600 can receive additional cooking commands associated with another cooking zone via the input device 21 or the mobile device 2 (1103). For example, the controller 600 can receive additional cooking commands associated with the second cooking zone 35.

[0185] Furthermore, the controller 600 can determine, after receiving an additional cooking command, whether the arrangement of the food to be cooked in another cooking area is delayed (1104). If the arrangement of the food to be cooked in another cooking area is delayed after the controller 600 receives the additional cooking command, the controller 600 can control at least one of the display 23 and the mobile device 2 to display a delay notification (1105). If the arrangement of the food to be cooked is delayed for a predetermined time after the controller 600 receives the additional cooking command, the controller 600 can control at least one of the display 23 and the mobile device 2 to display a delay notification after the predetermined time has elapsed. The delay notification can be displayed as at least one of text and an image.

[0186] When food is placed for cooking within a predetermined time after the controller 600 receives an additional cooking command, the controller 600 can change the first recipe being applied to some cooking areas based on the additional cooking command, and determine a second recipe to be applied to another cooking area (1106). For example, the controller 600 can change the first recipe being applied to the first cooking area 34 based on the additional cooking command, and determine a second recipe to be applied to the second cooking area 35.

[0187] Furthermore, controller 600 can determine whether cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in an added cooking zone need to be completed simultaneously (1107). Input device 21 or mobile device 2 can receive user input that selects to complete cooking in some cooking zones individually or simultaneously in another added cooking zone. Controller 600 can determine whether cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another cooking zone need to be completed simultaneously based on user input obtained through input device 21 or mobile device 2.

[0188] When cooking in some cooking zones and cooking in another added cooking zone need to be completed simultaneously, the controller 600 can adjust the cooking start time (1108) of the other cooking zone. For example, the cooking time of a first recipe applied to a first cooking zone 34 and the cooking time of a second recipe applied to a second cooking zone 35 can be different. That is, the cooking time of the first recipe can be 10 minutes and 30 seconds, and the cooking time of the second recipe can be 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Since cooking in the first cooking zone 34 and cooking in the second cooking zone 35 need to be completed simultaneously, the cooking start time of the second cooking zone 35 can be delayed by 3 minutes.

[0189] In cases where cooking in the first cooking zone 34 and cooking in the second cooking zone 35 need to be completed separately, the cooking start time of the second cooking zone 35 does not need to be adjusted. In other words, cooking in the second cooking zone 35 can be executed via an additional cooking start command associated with the second cooking zone 35. In this case, cooking in the second cooking zone 35 can be executed without considering cooking in the first cooking zone 34.

[0190] The controller 600 can control multiple heaters 200 to provide heat to some cooking zones and another cooking zone (1109). For example, the controller 600 can control multiple heaters 200 based on a modified first recipe in a first cooking zone 34 and a second recipe in an added second cooking zone 35. In addition, the controller 600 can control the magnetron 300 based on the modified first and second recipes.

[0191] As can be clearly seen from the above description, the disclosed cooking apparatus and method of controlling the cooking apparatus allow for the cooking of a variety of foods in multiple cooking zones located in the cooking chamber. Furthermore, while cooking is being carried out in some cooking zones, additional cooking can be performed in another cooking zone.

[0192] Furthermore, in the disclosed cooking apparatus and its control method, when cooking is being performed in some of the multiple cooking zones, other cooking zones that can be used for additional cooking can be displayed to the user. Therefore, multiple cooking zones located within a single cooking chamber can be used effectively.

[0193] Furthermore, in the disclosed cooking apparatus and its control method, since multiple cooking zones that are spatially and temporarily separable are provided in a cooking chamber, the same effect as integrated cooking apparatuses can be provided.

[0194] Furthermore, the disclosed embodiments can be implemented in the form of a storage medium storing computer-executable commands. The commands can be stored as program code, and when executed by a processor, a program module can be generated to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments.

[0195] Device-readable storage media may be provided in the form of non-transitory storage media. Here, the term "non-transitory storage media" refers only to tangible devices, excluding signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where data is temporarily stored. For example, a non-transitory storage medium may include a buffer in which data is temporarily stored.

[0196] According to one embodiment, methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein can be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., an optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) through an app store (e.g., the Play Store). TM Distribution can be online (e.g., download or upload) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., a downloadable application) may be stored or generated at least temporarily in a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a relay server.

[0197] The disclosed embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings as described above. Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure may be implemented in other forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the above embodiments should be considered merely examples and should not be construed as limiting.

Claims

1. A cooking apparatus, comprising: Cooking room; Shelves, installed in the cooking room; A first cooking area and a second cooking area are formed on the upper surface of the shelf; Multiple heaters are arranged on the upper surface of the cooking chamber and configured to heat at least one of the first cooking area and the second cooking area; monitor; as well as The controller is configured to control the plurality of heaters and the display; The controller is configured as follows: Receive a command to select a first recipe for a first type of food from multiple recipes for different types of food. Upon receiving a command to select the first recipe, and in response to receiving a cooking command to perform cooking, the plurality of heaters are controlled to perform cooking according to the first recipe in the first cooking zone. When cooking according to the first recipe is performed in the first cooking area, a second recipe for a second food, which is different from the first food, is determined to allow additional cooking in the second cooking area. The display shows a first user interface element, a second user interface element, and information representing the first and second foods. The first user interface element indicates that cooking is in progress in the first cooking area, and the second user interface element indicates that the second recipe can be cooked additionally in the second cooking area. In response to the cooking device receiving an additional cooking command for performing cooking in the second cooking zone, the first recipe being applied to the first cooking zone is changed, and the plurality of heaters are controlled based on the changed first recipe and the second recipe.

2. The cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, In order to change the first recipe, the controller changes at least one of the cooking time and cooking temperature in the first recipe.

3. The cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The controller independently controls the output of each of the plurality of heaters based on the modified first recipe and the second recipe.

4. The cooking apparatus as described in claim 3, further comprising: A magnetron is configured to transmit high-frequency waves into the cooking chamber. The controller is configured to control the output of the magnetron based on the modified first recipe and the second recipe.

5. The cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to control the display to show a first remaining time for cooking to be completed in the first cooking area and a second remaining time for cooking to be completed in the second cooking area.

6. The cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to: In response to the need for simultaneous completion of cooking in the first cooking zone and cooking to be performed in the second cooking zone, the cooking start time in the second cooking zone is adjusted.

7. The cooking apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The controller is configured to: In response to a delay in the arrangement of the second type of food in the second cooking area after receiving the additional cooking command, the display is controlled to show a delay notification.

8. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: The input device is configured to receive input from the user. as well as The communicator is configured to communicate with the server and perform connections to mobile devices through the server. The controller is configured as follows: The operation of the cooking device is controlled based on input received from the user via the input device and / or input received from the user via the mobile device. The communicator is controlled to send information to the mobile device relating to the second cooking area in which the additional cooking can be performed.

9. A method of controlling a cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus comprising a cooking chamber, a shelf, a first cooking area and a second cooking area, a plurality of heaters and a display, the shelf being disposed in the cooking chamber, the first cooking area and the second cooking area being formed on an upper surface of the shelf, the plurality of heaters being disposed on the upper surface of the cooking chamber and configured to heat at least one of the first cooking area and the second cooking area, the method comprising: Receive a command to select a first recipe for a first type of food from multiple recipes for different types of food. Upon receiving a command to select the first recipe, and in response to receiving a cooking command to perform cooking, the plurality of heaters are controlled to perform cooking according to the first recipe in the first cooking zone. When cooking according to the first recipe is performed in the first cooking area, a second recipe for a second food, which is different from the first food, is determined to allow additional cooking in the second cooking area. The display shows a first user interface element, a second user interface element, and information representing the first and second foods. The first user interface element indicates that cooking is in progress in the first cooking area, and the second user interface element indicates that the second recipe can be cooked additionally in the second cooking area. In response to receiving an additional cooking command from the cooking device for performing cooking in the second cooking zone, the first recipe being applied to the first cooking zone is changed, and the plurality of heaters are controlled based on the changed first recipe and the second recipe.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, Changing the first recipe includes changing at least one of the cooking time and cooking temperature included in the first recipe.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein, Controlling the plurality of heaters includes: independently adjusting the output of each of the plurality of heaters based on the modified first recipe and the second recipe.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein: The cooking apparatus also includes a magnetron configured to transmit high-frequency waves into the cooking chamber; as well as The method further includes controlling the output of the magnetron based on the modified first recipe and the second recipe.

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