Induction heating cooker

Abstract

The invention provides an induction heating cooker which can easily select a heating coil of one of a plurality of heating parts according to the use condition of the other heating part, thereby improving the operability of a user. The induction heating cooker is provided with a first heating unit, a second heating unit, a first control unit for controlling the heating operation of the first heating unit, and a second control unit for controlling the heating operation of the second heating unit. The first heating section has a first coil unit and a second coil unit. The distance between the second coil unit and the second heating part is shorter than the distance between the first coil unit and the second heating part. The second control unit restricts the heating operation of the second heating unit when the first control unit performs the heating operation in which the high-frequency current flows through the second coil unit. The first control unit restricts the heating operation of the second coil unit when the second control unit performs the heating operation in which the high-frequency current flows through the second heating unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an induction heating cooker. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, there is known an induction heating cooker which includes a plurality of heating coils and on which a cooking vessel can be placed across the plurality of heating coils.

[0003] For example, the induction heating cooker described in Patent Document 1 has a plurality of heating coils. The user selects the heating coil mode information through a selection unit. The heating coil mode information is information for selecting heating coils that can be energized and heating coils that cannot be energized among the plurality of heating coils. The user selects the mode that best suits the cooking menu while visually confirming the heatable area displayed on the top plate. Each heatable area operates independently at a different frequency depending on the material and shape of the object to be heated. As a result, the user can place a pot, pan, or other object to be heated in the heatable area that he or she wants to use, and heat it using the induction heating cooker.

[0004] Prior art literature

[0005] Patent Literature

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-003491 Summary of the invention

[0007] In conventional induction heating cookers, there are many options for heating coil mode information, which may confuse users. In addition, it is necessary to control multiple heating coils and complex combinations.

[0008] One of the objects of the present disclosure is to provide an induction heating cooker that can improve user operability by narrowing down the options of a heating coil of one of a plurality of heating units according to the usage status of the other heating units.

[0009] An induction heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a first heating unit and a second heating unit; a top plate covering the first heating unit and the second heating unit; a first control unit controlling the heating operation of the first heating unit; and a second control unit controlling the heating operation of the second heating unit. The first heating unit includes a first coil unit and a second coil unit. The distance between the second coil unit and the second heating unit is shorter than the distance between the first coil unit and the second heating unit. The first control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by either a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through the first coil unit and the second coil unit at the same time, or a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows selectively through one of the first coil unit and the second coil unit. The second control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through the second heating unit. When the first control unit performs a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through the second coil unit, the second control unit limits the heating operation of the second heating unit. When the second control unit performs a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through the second heating unit, the first control unit limits the heating operation of the second coil unit.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an induction heating cooker that allows easy selection of a heating coil of another heating unit according to the usage status of one of the plurality of heating units, thereby improving user operability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 It is a schematic perspective view of an example of the induction heating cooker 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2 The diagram shows the details and connection relationship of the heating units 4A, 4B, 4C, the operation panel 7, the display panel 8, and the control unit 10.

[0013] Figure 3 The diagram schematically shows that the left IH control unit 10A, the rear IH control unit 10B, and the right IH control unit 10C control the left IH heating unit 4A, the rear IH heating unit 4B, and the right IH heating unit 4C, respectively.

[0014] Figure 4 This is a diagram showing the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab constituting the left IH heating section 4A.

[0015] Figure 5 It is a schematic enlarged view of the coil member 5 constituting the coil unit 4A and the coil unit 4C.

[0016] Figure 6 It is a diagram schematically showing an example of the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A.

[0017] Figure 7It is a diagram schematically showing another example of the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A.

[0018] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing the arrangement relationship between the left IH heating unit 4A and the rear IH heating unit 4B.

[0019] Fig. 9A This is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating section 4B is permitted during the heating operation of the front coil unit 4Af.

[0020] Fig. 9B This is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating section 4B is restricted during the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0021] Fig. 9C This is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is restricted in the entire heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A.

[0022] Fig.9D It means in Fig. 9A FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is restricted when the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Cb is further performed in the example.

[0023] Fig.9E This is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab is restricted during the heating operation of the rear IH heating section 4B.

[0024] Fig.9F This is a diagram showing an example in which the heating operation of the entire left IH heating unit 4A is restricted during the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B.

[0025] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing a table of combinations of the heating units 4A to 4C that can perform heating operations simultaneously.

[0026] Fig.11A It is an enlarged view showing the operation panel 7 and the display panel 8 .

[0027] Fig. 11B The diagram shows the state immediately after the area switching keys 7A-1, 7B-1, and 7C-1 are pressed once for the respective heating units 4A to 4C.

[0028] Fig. 12A 1 and 2 are diagrams showing transitions in the display of the status indicator when the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed.

[0029] Fig. 12B It means Fig.9E and Fig.9F FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a transition of the display corresponding to pressing of the area switching key 7A-1 in the example.

[0030] Fig.13 It means that in the initial state ( Fig.11A ) is a diagram showing the contents displayed on the left display panel 8A-2 and the rear display panel 8B-2 when a button other than the area switching keys 7A-1 and 7B-1 is pressed.

[0031] Fig.14 It is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the induction heating cooker 1 .

[0032] Fig.15 Yes means Fig.14 Flowchart of the process of selecting the subroutine of process 1 in the flowchart of .

[0033] Fig.16 Yes means Fig.14 Flowchart of the process of the subroutine for selecting process 2 in the flowchart of .

[0034] Description of Reference Numerals

[0035] 1: Induction heating cooker; 2: Top plate; 4A: Left IH heating section; 4Af: Front coil unit; 4Ab: Back coil unit; 4B: Back IH heating section; 4C: Right IH heating section; 4Cf: Front coil unit; 4Cb: Back coil unit; 5: Coil member; 7: Operation panel; 7A: Left operation panel; 7B: Back operation panel; 7C: Right operation panel; 8: Display panel; 8A: Left display panel; 8B: Back display panel; 8C: Right display panel; 10: Control section; 10A: Left IH control section; 10B: Back IH control section; 10C: Right IH control section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The induction heating cooker is installed in a kitchen cabinet or the like. Therefore, from the perspective of a user facing the induction heating cooker, the induction heating cooker has a limited depth and length in the left-right direction. On the other hand, recently, not only pots with circular bottoms but also pots with elliptical and rectangular bottoms are used. The induction heating cooker also needs to cope with pots of such various shapes.

[0037] The inventors (et al.) have developed an induction heating cooker with a heating unit of a new shape in order to take into account the limitations of the induction heating cooker in the depth direction and the left-right direction and to cope with pots of various shapes. For example, in an induction heating cooker with a heating unit having two openings, the inventors (et al.) have configured one heating unit (the first heating unit) to be elongated so as to be able to heat a non-circular pot, and have configured the other heating unit (the second heating unit) to be circular so as to be able to heat a circular pot as in the past. With regard to the first heating unit, in consideration of heating a circular pot, the first heating unit is configured to heat only the near front side or the inner side in a circular shape, respectively.

[0038] Conventionally, the distance between the heating parts was relatively long, and it was difficult to cause interference between the placed pans.

[0039] On the other hand, in the new induction heating cooker, the distance between the position of the back side of the first heating part and the second heating part is shorter than before, so the pots placed separately may interfere with each other. Alternatively, depending on the size of the pot, it is also possible to arrange the pot across the first heating part and the second heating part. In such a situation, even if the first heating part and the second heating part are operated, it is possible that the pot cannot be effectively heated.

[0040] Therefore, the inventors (etc.) limit the heating action of the second heating unit when the heating action is performed at least on the inner side of the first heating unit of the induction heating cooker. Alternatively, when the heating action is performed by the second heating unit, the heating action on the inner side of the first heating unit is limited. Here, "limiting the heating action" means not performing heating.

[0041] In addition, the above structure can be applied not only to induction heating cookers with a heating part having two ports, but also to induction heating cookers with a heating part having more than three ports. This is because, as the number of heating parts increases, the distance between the heating parts is more likely to be restricted in the depth direction and the left-right direction of the induction heating cooker. For example, in the case of an induction heating cooker with a heating part having three ports, in addition to the above-mentioned first heating part and second heating part, a third heating part having the same slender structure as the first heating part can be provided. The heating parts can be arranged in a manner that the second heating part is sandwiched by the first heating part and the third heating part. The restriction on the heating action at this time is the same as the relationship between the first heating part and the second heating part. That is, when the heating action is performed on the inner side of the third heating part, the heating action of the second heating part is restricted. Or, when the heating action is performed by the second heating part, the heating action on the inner side of the third heating part is restricted.

[0042] The same is true for induction heating cookers with more than four burners. When there is a possibility of interference between the pots due to the relatively short interval between the heating parts, the heating action can be limited to one heating part instead of performing the heating action through both heating parts.

[0043] Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the structure described below is only an example of the present disclosure, and the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. The technology in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and even outside of these embodiments, various changes, substitutions, additions, omissions, etc. can be made according to the design, etc., as long as they do not depart from the scope of the technical ideas involved in the present disclosure.

[0044] The present disclosure is fully described in association with the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but various modifications and variations are obvious to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that such modifications and variations are included in the scope of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure according to the attached technical solutions.

[0045] (Implementation Method)

[0046] [Structure of induction heating cooker]

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic three-dimensional diagram of an example of an induction heating cooker 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. In addition, the XYZ coordinate system shown in the figure is recorded to help understand the invention and is not intended to limit the invention. The X-axis direction represents the left-right direction. The Y-axis direction represents the depth direction. The Z-axis direction represents the vertical direction.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, the induction heating cooker 1 is a cooker that induction heats a cooking container C that accommodates a cooking object T. The cooking container C is described as an example of an object to be induction heated by the induction heating cooker 1. The object to be heated is not limited to the cooking container C, and any object to be induction heated may be used.

[0049] Induction heating is achieved by supplying a high-frequency current to the coil of the heating unit. More specifically, when an inverter circuit (not shown) causes a high-frequency current to flow through the coil of the heating unit, magnetic lines of force are generated. When the magnetic lines of force pass through the metal pot, eddy currents are generated. When the eddy currents flow through the bottom of the pot, the resistance of the pot causes the pot to heat up. In this way, the pot can be heated.

[0050] The induction heating cooker 1 includes: a top plate 2 on which a cooking container C is placed, which is made of, for example, heat-resistant glass; and a housing 3 mounted on the lower surface of the top plate 2. The induction heating cooker 1 includes a plurality of heating units 4A, 4B, 4C, an operation panel 7, a display panel 8, and a control unit 10 in the housing 3. The top plate 2 is arranged so as to cover the plurality of heating units 4A, 4B, 4C. The plurality of heating units 4A, 4B, 4C are respectively arranged below the top plate 2, and perform induction heating on the cooking container C placed on the opposite portion of the top plate 2. That is, the plurality of heating units 4A, 4B, 4C each include an induction heating coil unit. The heating unit 4A and the heating unit 4C include a plurality of coils. The details of the structures of the heating unit 4A and the heating unit 4C will be described later. On the other hand, the heating unit 5 may be composed of one coil or a plurality of coils. In addition, an example in which the induction heating cooker 1 has three heating units is described, but the structure disclosed in the present invention only needs to have at least two heating units. That is, the configuration of the present disclosure only needs to include the heating section 4A and the heating section 4B, or only needs to include the heating section 4B and the heating section 4C.

[0051] The control unit 10 is, for example, a computer, and includes a calculation circuit and a storage device (not shown). The control unit 10 can control the plurality of heating units 4A, 4B, and 4C.

[0052] The calculation circuit controls the overall operation of the induction heating cooker 1. The calculation circuit may be a system in which hardware resources and software cooperate to realize a predetermined function, or a system in which a specially designed hardware circuit is used to realize a predetermined function.

[0053] As an example of the former, the operation circuit includes a general-purpose processor such as a CPU or MPU that implements a specified process or function by executing a program. The operation circuit is configured to be able to communicate with a storage device. The operation circuit implements various functions in the control unit 10 by reading and executing an operation program stored in the storage device. As an example of the latter, the operation circuit includes an FPGA and an ASIC. As can be seen from the above, the operation circuit can be implemented using semiconductor integrated circuits such as a CPU, an MPU, a GPU, an FPGA, a DSP, and an ASIC.

[0054] The storage device is a storage medium capable of storing various information. The information includes programs and data. For example, the storage device stores operation programs for realizing various functions of the present embodiment. The storage device is realized by, for example, DRAM, SRAM, flash memory, SSD, and other volatile or non-volatile semiconductor memories, HDD, and other storage devices, or a suitable combination thereof. For example, the operation circuit can use the programs or data stored in the storage device to execute multiple heating modes and multiple operation modes described later.

[0055] The operation panel 7 receives user operations related to the heating operation of the heating units 4A, 4B, and 4C. The operation panel 7 is an example of an input interface device. The operation panel 7 is electrically connected to the control unit 10. The user can operate the operation panel 7 to operate the heating units 4A, 4B, and 4C through the control unit 10.

[0056] The display panel 8 displays information related to the heating units 4A, 4B, 4C and / or the operation panel 7. The display panel 8 is, for example, a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel that can display text, graphics, etc. The user can understand the setting state and operation state of each heating unit 4A, 4B, 4C based on the information displayed on the operation panel 7.

[0057] Figure 2 The details and connection relationship of the heating units 4A, 4B, 4C, the operation panel 7, the display panel 8, and the control unit 10 are shown.

[0058] like Figure 2As shown, when describing including positions, for example, the heating units 4A, 4B, and 4C are respectively described as "left IH heating unit 4A", "rear IH heating unit 4B", and "right IH heating unit 4C". In the present embodiment, the operation panel 7, the display panel 8, and the control unit 10 are provided to correspond to the left IH heating unit 4A, the rear IH heating unit 4B, and the right IH heating unit 4C, respectively. For example, the operation panel 7 has a left operation panel 7A, a rear operation panel 7B, and a right operation panel 7C in a manner corresponding to the left IH heating unit 4A, the rear IH heating unit 4B, and the right IH heating unit 4C, respectively. Similarly, the display panel 8 also includes a left display panel 8A, a rear display panel 8B, and a right display panel 8C, and the control unit 10 also has a left IH control unit 10A, a rear IH control unit 10B, and a right IH control unit 10C.

[0059] For example, the left operation panel 7A receives user operations related to the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A. The left display panel 8A displays information related to the left IH heating unit 4A and / or the left operation panel 7A.

[0060] Figure 3 The left IH control unit 10A, the rear IH control unit 10B, and the right IH control unit 10C are schematically shown to control the left IH heating unit 4A, the rear IH heating unit 4B, and the right IH heating unit 4C, respectively. For easy understanding, the control unit 10 is assumed to include three control units 10A to 10C for explanation, but the operation of each control unit 10A to 10C may be realized by one, two, or more than four operation circuits. For example, when the operation of each control unit 10A to 10C is realized by one operation circuit, the operation circuit may execute the operation of each control unit 10A to 10C in parallel through a program.

[0061] Hereinafter, the description will be given with focus on the left IH heating unit 4A and the right IH heating unit 4C.

[0062] The left IH heating unit 4A includes a front coil unit 4Af and a back coil unit 4Ab, and the right IH heating unit 4C includes a front coil unit 4Cf and a back coil unit 4Cb.

[0063] Figure 4 The front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab constituting the left IH heating section 4A are shown. Figure 4 The same is true for the front coil unit 4Cf and the back coil unit 4Cb constituting the right IH heating unit 4C.

[0064] The front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab are each composed of a plurality of coil members 5. More specifically, the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab are each composed of six coil members 5 arranged radially adjacent to each other in a plan view. In this specification, "plan view" means viewing from the vertical direction, that is, the Z-axis direction.

[0065] The area heated by the front coil unit 4Af is an area having a center C1 when viewed from above. In addition, the area heated by the inner coil unit 4Ab is an area having a center C2 when viewed from above. When viewed from above, the outer shapes of the front coil unit 4Af and the inner coil unit 4Ab are circular, so the heated areas are also roughly circular. The outer shapes of the front coil unit 4Af and the inner coil unit 4Ab can also be polygons larger than hexagons. The bottom surface of the pot is mostly circular. By making the outer shapes of the front coil unit 4Af and the inner coil unit 4Ab circular or polygonal larger than hexagons, the magnetic lines of force generated from the coil unit can pass not only in the radial direction of the bottom of the pot but also in the circumferential direction. In this way, the heating efficiency of the pot can be improved.

[0066] In addition, as later referenced Figure 5 As described above, in this embodiment, the heating section 4A and the heating section 4C are respectively formed by combining a plurality of coil components 5 in a roughly triangular shape. However, each coil component does not need to be triangular, and may be, for example, circular or spherical. Even with such a coil component, a plurality of them may be radially arranged to form the front coil unit 4Af of the heating section 4A, and similarly form the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0067] In the present embodiment, the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab share two coil components 5a and 5b. That is, the area heated by the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab overlaps at the position of the coil components 5a and 5b. By overlapping, the size of the heated area in the depth direction (Y-axis direction) can be shortened to achieve space saving. In the case of non-overlapping arrangement, on the contrary, the heated area can be expanded by the area heated by the coil components 5a and 5b.

[0068] For either the front coil unit 4Af or the back coil unit 4Ab, the maximum bottom length of the heated object assumed in the design is usually determined. The heated area may be the area where the cooking container C is arranged as shown on the upper surface of the top plate 2 when viewed from above. Alternatively, it may be an area smaller than the area where the cooking container C can be arranged as shown on the upper surface of the top plate 2 when viewed from above.

[0069] Figure 5 It is a schematic enlarged view of the coil member 5 constituting the coil units 4A and 4C.

[0070] like Figure 5 As shown, the first coil component 5 has a coil component body 11, an outer lead wire 12 and an inner lead wire 13. In this way, the first coil component 5 has two ends. The two ends include a first end 14 corresponding to the inner lead wire 13 and a second end 15 corresponding to the outer lead wire 12. The first coil component 5 has a coil wire wound multiple times. The coil wire has a first end 14 and a second end 15. The first end 14 and the second end 15 are connected to an inverter circuit not shown.

[0071] The coil member body 11 is a part formed by winding the coil wire. The coil member body 11 has a frame shape when viewed from above. In the present embodiment, the coil member body 11 has a fan shape when viewed from above. In addition, the shape of the coil member body 11 is not limited to a fan shape, and may have any shape.

[0072] The outer lead wires 12 are lead wires led out from the outside of the coil element main body 11 .

[0073] The inner lead wires 13 are lead wires led out from the inner side of the coil element main body 11 .

[0074] In the present embodiment, the first coil member 5 is formed of a single coil wire. The coil wire is an example of an electric wire. The coil wire is formed of, for example, a conductive material.

[0075] [Heating operation of induction heating cooker]

[0076] Next, the basic operation of the induction heating cooker 1 of the present disclosure will be described.

[0077] First, the heating operation will be described. The heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A will be described below. The right IH heating unit 4C is also the same, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0078] The left IH control unit 10A can make the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab operate independently. "Independently" means that high-frequency current can flow independently through the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab. The high-frequency current mentioned here means a current with at least the same frequency. On the contrary, the left IH control unit 10A limits different high-frequency currents to flow simultaneously in the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0079] Figure 6 An example of the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A is schematically shown. The left IH control unit 10A allows a high-frequency current to flow through the front coil unit 4Af and does not allow a high-frequency current to flow through the back coil unit 4Ab. Thus, the left IH control unit 10A can heat only the object to be heated placed above the front coil unit 4Af.

[0080] Figure 7Another example of the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A is schematically shown. The left IH control unit 10A allows a high-frequency current to flow through the back coil unit 4Ab and does not allow a high-frequency current to flow through the front coil unit 4Af. Thus, the left IH control unit 10A can heat only the object to be heated placed above the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0081] Furthermore, the left IH heating unit 4A can also allow high-frequency current to flow through both the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab at the same time. Figure 4 The entire left IH heating unit 4A shown in FIG. 1 can heat the object to be heated located above it. Figure 4 It can be seen that an elliptical or rectangular object to be heated can be heated.

[0082] In addition, regarding the rear IH heating unit 4B, the heating operation can be switched on and off according to whether or not a high-frequency current flows.

[0083] [Restrictions on the heating operation of induction cooking devices]

[0084] Next, the restrictions set when the left IH heating unit 4A and the rear IH heating unit 4B perform heating operations simultaneously will be described.

[0085] Figure 8 The arrangement relationship between the left IH heating unit 4A and the rear IH heating unit 4B is shown.

[0086] According to the conventional induction heating cooker, the front coil unit 4Af and the rear IH heating unit 4B can be arranged at a distance corresponding to the distance between them. For example, the distance d1 between the center C1 of the front coil unit Af and the center C3 of the rear IH heating unit 4B can be about 200 mm. The diameter of the pot bottom is mostly 180 mm or more, so by spacing the distance d1 by 200 mm or more, it is possible to ensure space for placing the pot on both the front coil unit Af and the rear IH heating unit 4B.

[0087] However, the induction heating cooker of this embodiment can heat an elliptical or rectangular object to be heated, so the left IH heating unit 4A extends along the Y-axis direction (above the paper). In particular, the distance d2 between the center C2 of the back coil unit 4Ab and the center C3 of the rear IH heating unit 4B is relatively narrow. For example, in this embodiment, the distance d2 is less than 200 mm, specifically 155 mm.

[0088] As a result, the space for placing the pans in both the back coil unit 4Ab and the rear IH heating unit 4B may become insufficient. Alternatively, each pan cannot be placed in the center of each heating area, which is a major cause of stress for the user and makes it difficult to heat evenly.

[0089] Therefore, the inventors (etc.) imposed restrictions so that at least the back coil unit 4Ab and the rear IH heating unit 4B are not used to perform heating operations simultaneously. Figures 9A to 9F , an example in which the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab and the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B are not subject to restrictions and an example in which the restrictions are applied are described.

[0090] In addition, Figure 8 In the figure, the operation panel 7 and the display panel 8 are also shown together with the heating units 4A to 4C. As shown in the figure, as the operation unit of the left IH heating unit 4A, the left operation panel 7A is arranged near the left IH heating unit 4A. In addition, as the operation unit of the rear IH heating unit 4B, the rear operation panel 7B is arranged near the rear IH heating unit 4B. In addition, as the operation unit of the right IH heating unit 4C, the right operation panel 7C is arranged near the right IH heating unit 4C. Thus, no matter which heating area is heated, the user only needs to input the operation on the operation panel near it, and even if the heating area changes, the convenience of use can be improved.

[0091] FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D This is an example of a case where the rear IH heating unit 4B can perform a heating operation or a case where the heating operation is restricted in a state where the left IH heating unit 4A performs a heating operation. Fig.9E as well as Fig.9F This is an example of a case where the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab is restricted while the rear IH heating unit 4B is performing the heating operation. The outer shape is indicated by a solid line when the heating operation is permitted, and by a dotted line when the heating operation is restricted.

[0092] Fig. 9A The example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is allowed during the heating operation of the front coil unit 4Af is shown. The distance between the front coil unit 4Af and the rear IH heating unit 4B can be said to be sufficiently far, so the heating operation using both can be performed.

[0093] Fig. 9B An example is shown in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating section 4B is restricted during the heating operation of the rear coil unit 4Ab. Fig. 9C The example in which the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is restricted among the heating operations of the entire left IH heating unit 4A, that is, the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab is shown. Fig.9D Indicated in Fig. 9A In the example of further performing the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Cb, the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is still restricted. Figure 9B to Figure 9DIn any of the examples, it can be said that the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is restricted at least when the back coil unit 4Ab or 4Cb performs the heating operation.

[0094] Fig.9E An example is shown in which the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab is restricted during the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B. Fig.9F The example in which the heating operation of the entire left IH heating unit 4A is restricted during the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B is shown. If the left IH heating unit 4A is replaced with the right IH heating unit 4C, the same situation also applies to the right IH heating unit 4C.

[0095] Fig.10 This is a table showing combinations of the heating units 4A to 4C that can perform heating operations simultaneously. Fig.10 "A", "B", "C", "D", and "E" correspond to the front coil unit 4Af, the back coil unit 4Ab, the front coil unit 4Cf, the back coil unit 4Cb, and the rear IH heating unit 4B, respectively. "1" indicates that the heating action is allowed, and "0" indicates that the heating action is restricted. As described above, when at least one of "B" and "D" is "1", "E" is always "0". On the contrary, when "E" is "1", both "B" and "D" are "0". For example, by limiting the heating action of a combination in which the space for placing a pot on both the back coil unit 4Ab and the rear IH heating unit 4B may become insufficient, even if the pots are placed separately, they can be placed in the center of each heating area, and can be easily heated evenly. For the user, the main causes of stress such as the inability to place the pot in the center and the inability to heat evenly will not occur.

[0096] As described above, for a specific combination of the heating units 4A to 4C, the heating operation is permitted or the heating operation is restricted, and therefore, it is preferable to notify the user of the induction heating cooker 1 of the combination that can be selected or cannot be selected. The induction heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment displays the selectable state on the display panel 8 in a manner that can be visually confirmed when the heating operation is permitted, and accepts the heatable combination from the user on the operation panel 7. On the other hand, when the heating operation is restricted, the induction heating cooker 1 adjusts the display of the display panel 8 and does not accept the selection of the operation panel 7, so that the back coil unit 4Ab and / or 4Cb cannot be selected.

[0097] Fig.11A It is an enlarged view of the operation panel 7 and the display panel 8. The operation panel 7 has a power switch 7D for turning the power on and off. Fig.11A The state after the power is turned on by pressing the power switch 7D is shown. Figure 2The left operation panel 7A, the rear operation panel 7B, the right operation panel 7C, the left display panel 8A, the rear display panel 8B and the right display panel 8C are described.

[0098] When the power is turned on, the user selects which heating unit 4A to 4C to use. Three "▼" are shown on the display panel 8. That is, the selection indicators 8A-1, 8B-1, and 8C-1 of the heating units 4A to 4C, respectively. The user can select the corresponding heating unit 4A to 4C by pressing any one of the area switching keys 7A-1, 7B-1, and 7C-1 corresponding to the selection indicators 8A-1, 8B-1, and 8C-1.

[0099] Fig. 11B The state after the area switching keys 7A-1, 7B-1, and 7C-1 have been pressed once for each heating unit 4A to 4C is shown. The left display panel 8A-2, the rear display panel 8B-2, and the right display panel 8C-2 are lit, and "Menu" for selecting a menu and "Start" for starting heating are displayed for each heating unit 4A to 4C.

[0100] In addition, Fig. 11B In the figure, a state indicator 8A-3 indicating the selection state of the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab of the heating unit 4A is displayed. Fig. 11B In the example, by pressing the area switching key 7A-1 once, an indicator f indicating that the front coil unit 4Af is selected is displayed with "■". In addition, a state indicator indicating the selection state of the front coil unit 4Cf and the back coil unit 4Cb of the heating unit 4C is also provided on the right display panel 8C corresponding to the heating unit 4C, and an indicator f indicating that the front coil unit 4Cf is selected is displayed with "■".

[0101] Fig. 12A This shows the transition of the display of the status indicator when the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed. Fig. 12A (a) shows the initial state in which the selection indicator 8A-1 is lit just after the power switch 7D is pressed, and (b) shows the state in which the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed once and the indicator f is lit. As described above, the lighting of the indicator f indicates that the front coil unit 4Af of the left IH heating section 4A is selected. At this time, the indicator b is off. The lighting and extinguishing of the indicator b respectively indicate that the back coil unit 4Ab is selected and the back coil unit 4Ab is not selected.

[0102] Fig. 12A (c) further indicates that the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed once more and both indicators f and b are lit. At this time, both the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab are selected.

[0103] and then, Fig. 12A(d) shows that the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed once more, the indicator f turns off and the indicator b turns on. At this time, it is shown that the front coil unit 4Af is not selected and only the back coil unit 4Ab is selected.

[0104] After that, when the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed once more, the Fig. 12A The initial state of (a). Whenever the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed, Fig. 12A As in (a) to (d) of FIG. 1 , the indicators f and b are turned on / off.

[0105] If in Fig. 12A In the state (b), if the button corresponding to "start" of heating on the left operation panel 7A is pressed, the heating operation will start only by the front coil unit 4Af. Fig. 12A In the state (c), the button corresponding to "start" of heating on the left operation panel 7A is pressed, and the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab start heating. Fig. 12A When the button corresponding to "start" of heating on the left operation panel 7A is pressed in the state (d), only the back coil unit 4Ab starts the heating operation.

[0106] The above-mentioned transition is also applicable to the right operation panel 7C and the right display panel 8C corresponding to the heating unit 4C.

[0107] As reference Figures 9A to 9F As described above, the induction heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment allows or restricts heating operation for a specific combination of the heating units 4A to 4C. Therefore, the display contents of the display panel 8 when the heating operation is allowed and when the heating operation is not allowed will be described below.

[0108] First, explain FIG. 9A to FIG. 9D For example. Regarding the rear IH heating unit 4B, there are two situations: whether it can be selected or not. In this embodiment, if it can be selected, the rear display panel 8B-2 lights up, and if it cannot be selected, Fig.11A The selection indicator 8B-1 shown in the figure is turned off, and the rear display panel 8B-2 is turned off. That is, the lighting of the selection indicator 8B-1 shows whether the selection of the rear IH heating unit 4B can be accepted. In addition, it is also considered that the rear IH heating unit 4B is selected in a selectable state, and then the user wants to cancel the selection. In such a case, the cancellation can also be accepted by pressing any button of the rear operation panel 7B, such as a button with a clock graphic displayed.

[0109] Next, explain Fig.9E and Fig.9F For example. Fig.9E and Fig.9F In the example of , since the rear IH heating unit 4B performs heating operation, the back coil unit 4Ab cannot be selected. Fig. 12B Representation and Fig.9E as well as Fig.9F The display changes corresponding to the pressing of the area switching key 7A-1 in the example. Even if the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed multiple times, the indicator b is not displayed. In addition, Fig. 12B The changes shown also apply to Fig. 9A In the example of FIG. 4 , the rear IH heating unit 4B performs the heating operation first.

[0110] The above-mentioned control is performed by the control unit 10. For example, the left IH control unit 10A accepts the operation of the left operation panel 7A and controls the display / non-display of the left display panel 8A. The rear IH control unit 10B accepts the operation of the rear operation panel 7B and controls the display / non-display of the rear display panel 8B. The right IH control unit 10C accepts the operation of the right operation panel 7C and controls the display / non-display of the right display panel 8C.

[0111] also, Fig.13 It shows that in the initial state ( Fig.11A ) when a button other than the area switching keys 7A-1 and 7B-1 is pressed. As an example, the display example of the left display panel 8A-2 and the rear display panel 8B-2 when the buttons 7A-2 and 7B-2 adjacent to the area switching keys 7A-1 and 7B-1 are pressed is shown. In this embodiment, the selection of an area or a menu can be requested.

[0112] Next, refer to Figure 14 to Figure 16 The operation of the control unit 10 of the induction heating cooker 1 will be described.

[0113] Fig.14 1 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the induction heating cooker 1. In the following, for convenience of description, it is described that the control unit 10 executes the following processing after the power switch 10D is pressed.

[0114] The control unit 10 receives a selection of any one of the left IH heating unit 4A / the right IH heating unit 4C / the rear IH heating unit 4B ( S10 ).

[0115] The control unit 10 determines whether the selection of the left IH heating unit 4A or the right IH heating unit 4C is accepted (S11). If accepted, the process proceeds to selection process 1 (S12). If not accepted, that is, when the rear IH heating unit 4B is selected, the process proceeds to selection process 2 (S13).

[0116] Fig.15 Yes means Fig.14 The control unit 10 receives the selection of the front / whole / back area (S20). The front / whole / back area refers to only the front coil unit 4Af, both the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab, and only the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0117] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the entire area or the back area is selected (S21). If it is selected, the process proceeds to step S22, and if it is not selected, the process ends.

[0118] In step S22, the control unit 10 prohibits the selection of the rear IH heating unit 4B. That is, the rear display panel 8B corresponding to the rear IH heating unit 4B is switched from Fig.11A The state where the selection indicator 8B-1 is turned off is changed.

[0119] Fig.16 Yes means Fig.14 The control unit 10 prohibits the selection of the entire area and the back area of ​​the left IH heating unit 4A and the rear IH heating unit 4B (S30).

[0120] Next, the control unit 10 switches the selection / non-selection of the front area every time the area switching key is pressed. Fig. 12B As shown, the display of the left operation panel 7A or the right operation panel 7C is changed.

[0121] Refer again Fig.14 .

[0122] The control unit 10 receives the button press for starting heating (S14). Then, the control unit 10 starts supplying high-frequency current to the selected coil unit / the coil of the selected area (S15). Thus, heating of the front side / the whole / the back side area of ​​the left IH heating unit 4A, heating of the front side / the whole / the back side area of ​​the right IH heating unit 4C, and / or heating of the rear IH heating unit 4B are started.

[0123] [Effect]

[0124] According to the induction heating cooker 1 of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the following effects can be achieved.

[0125] The induction heating cooker 1 includes a left IH heating unit 4A / a right IH heating unit 4C and a rear IH heating unit 4B, a top plate 2, a left IH control unit 10A / a right IH control unit 10C and a rear IH control unit 10B. The top plate 2 covers the left IH heating unit 4A / a right IH heating unit 4C and the rear IH heating unit 4B. The left IH control unit 10A / a right IH control unit 10C controls the heating action of the left IH heating unit 4A / a right IH heating unit 4C. The rear IH control unit 10B controls the heating action of the rear IH heating unit 4B. For example, the left IH heating unit 4A includes a front coil unit 4Af and a back coil unit 4Ab. The distance between the back coil unit 4Ab and the rear IH heating unit 4B is shorter than the distance between the front coil unit 4Af and the rear IH heating unit 4B. The left IH control unit 10A is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing any heating operation of a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab simultaneously, and a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through one of the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab selectively. The rear IH control unit 10B is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the rear IH heating unit 4B. When the left IH control unit 10A performs a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the back coil unit 4Ab, the rear IH control unit 10B limits the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B. When the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the rear IH heating unit 4B, the left IH control unit 10A limits the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0126] According to such a structure, the following induction heating cooker can be provided: in the induction heating cooker 1 using a plurality of heating parts (heating coils), it is easy to select the heating coil of another heating part according to the use condition of one of the plurality of heating parts, thereby improving the operability of the user. That is, when the left IH control unit 10A performs a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the inner coil unit 4Ab, the rear IH control unit 10B limits the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B. The user can select other heating parts instead of the rear IH heating unit 4B. Alternatively, when the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating operation of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the rear IH heating unit 4B, the left IH control unit 10A limits the heating operation of the inner coil unit 4Ab. The user can select other heating parts instead of the inner coil unit 4Ab.

[0127] In addition, in the induction heating cooker 1, the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab each have a plurality of coil components through which the high-frequency current flows, and share at least one coil component 5a or 5b. The left IH control unit 10A can allow the high-frequency current to flow only through the front coil unit 4Af, only through the back coil unit 4Ab, or through both the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab. The left IH control unit 10A limits different high-frequency currents to flow simultaneously through the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab.

[0128] The outer shape of the front coil unit 4Af is circular or a polygon larger than a hexagon, and the outer shape of the inner coil unit 4Ab is circular. Alternatively, the front coil unit 4Af has a plurality of coil components arranged radially, and the inner coil unit 4Ab has a plurality of coil components arranged radially. Thus, when a pot with a circular bottom is used, the outer shape of the front coil unit 4Af and / or the inner coil unit 4Ab is easily matched with the shape of the pot bottom, which can improve thermal efficiency.

[0129] The induction heating cooker 1 further includes a left operation panel 7A for accepting user operations related to the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A and / or a right operation panel 7C for accepting user operations related to the heating operation of the right IH heating unit 4C. In addition, the induction heating cooker 1 further includes a rear operation panel 7B for accepting user operations related to the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B. For example, the left operation panel 7A includes a region switching key 7A-1 for switching the selection state of the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab. The rear operation panel 7B includes a region switching key 7B-1 for switching the selection state of the rear IH heating unit 4B. For example, when the left IH control unit 10A performs the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab, the rear IH control unit 10B prohibits the selection of the rear IH heating unit 4B based on the region switching key 7B-1. When the rear IH control unit 10B performs the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B, the left IH control unit 10A prohibits the selection of the back coil unit 4Ab based on the region switching key 7A-1. For example, the heating operation based on the combination that may become insufficient space is limited, such as placing a pan on both the back coil unit 4Ab and the rear IH heating unit 4B. As a result, for example, a pan can be placed on the front coil unit 4Af and the rear IH heating unit 4B, so it can be placed in the center of each heating area and easily heated evenly. For the user, there will be no major cause of stress such as not being able to place it in the center and not being able to heat evenly.

[0130] The induction heating cooker 1 further includes a left display panel 8A for displaying information related to the left IH heating unit 4A and / or the left operating panel 7A. Alternatively, the induction heating cooker 1 further includes a right display panel 8C for displaying information related to the right IH heating unit 4C and / or the right operating panel 7C. When the rear IH control unit 10B does not perform a heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B, the left display panel 8A switches and displays a state A in which the front coil unit 4Af is selected, a state B in which the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab are selected, a state C in which the back coil unit 4Ab is selected, and a state D in which the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab are not selected, according to the pressing of the area switching key 7A-1. When the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B, the left display panel 8A switches and displays the state A and the state D each time the area switching key 7A-1 is pressed. Thus, the user can easily understand which of the front coil unit 4Af and the back coil unit 4Ab can be selected.

[0131] The induction heating cooker 1 further includes a rear display panel 8B for displaying information related to the rear IH heating unit 4B and / or the rear operation panel 7B. When the left IH control unit 10A does not perform the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab, the rear display panel 8B displays the state of accepting the selection of the rear IH heating unit 4B. When the left IH control unit 10A performs the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Ab, the rear display panel 8B displays the state that the rear IH heating unit 4B cannot be selected. Thus, the user can easily understand whether the rear IH heating unit 4B can be selected.

[0132] For example, when the left IH control unit 10A performs the heating operation of the inner coil unit 4Ab, it means that the left IH control unit 10A only performs the heating operation of the inner coil unit 4Ab, or the left IH control unit 10A performs the heating operation of the front coil unit 4Af and the inner coil unit 4Ab.

[0133] The induction heating cooker 1 further includes: a right IH heating unit 4C; a right IH control unit 10C that controls the heating operation of the right IH heating unit 4C; and a right operating panel 7C that receives user operations related to the heating operation of the right IH heating unit 4C. The right IH heating unit 4C includes a front coil unit 4Cf and a back coil unit 4Cb. The back IH control unit 10B is disposed between the back coil unit 4Ab of the left IH heating unit 4A and the back coil unit 4Cb of the right IH heating unit 4C. The right IH control unit 10C is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing either a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through both the front coil unit 4Cf and the back coil unit 4Cb, or a heating operation in which a high-frequency current selectively flows through one of the front coil unit 4Cf and the back coil unit 4Cb, according to the user operation received by the right operating panel 7C.

[0134] In the induction heating cooker 1, the distance between the back coil unit 4Cb and the rear IH heating unit 4B is shorter than the distance between the front coil unit 4Cf and the rear IH heating unit 4B. When the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating operation of passing a high-frequency current through the back coil unit 4Cb, the rear IH control unit 10B limits the heating operation of the rear IH heating unit 4B. When the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating operation of passing a high-frequency current through the rear IH heating unit 4B, the right IH control unit 10C limits the heating operation of the back coil unit 4Cb.

[0135] According to the above structure, it is also possible to provide an induction heating cooker that makes it easy to select the heating coil of one of the multiple heating parts according to the usage status of another part, thereby improving the operability of the user. That is, when the right IH heating part 4C performs a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the inner coil unit 4Cb, the rear IH control unit 10B limits the heating action of the rear IH heating part 4B. The user can select other heating parts instead of the rear IH heating part 4B. Alternatively, when the rear IH control unit 10B performs a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the rear IH heating part 4B, the right IH control unit 10C limits the heating action of the inner coil unit 4Cb. The user can select other heating parts instead of the inner coil unit 4Cb.

[0136] (Variation Example)

[0137] The display panel 8 may also reduce the brightness of the display when a predetermined time has passed since the operation panel 7 accepted the last user operation, and then increase the brightness of the display when the user operates the operation panel 7. The reduction of the brightness of the display is sometimes referred to as "dark spot lighting". The increase of the brightness of the display includes returning to the initial brightness.

[0138] The scheduled time can be set independently for the left display panel 8A, the rear display panel 8B and the right display panel 8C, or can be shared. In the former case, the first scheduled time for the left display panel 8A, the second scheduled time for the rear display panel 8B and the third scheduled time for the right display panel 8C can be pre-stored in a flash memory not shown. Thus, it is clear whether the heating unit 4A to 4C is used as the operation object, and the user can correctly identify it. Each prescribed time is, for example, any one of 15 seconds, 30 seconds, and 45 seconds, or it can be selected by the user independently.

[0139] In addition, for each of the heating units 4A to 4C, after the heating operation is completed, when the user operation related to the heating operation of the heating unit 4A to 4C is accepted again, the same selection state as the selection state during the last heating operation can be set for each heating unit 4A to 4C. The "selection state" mentioned here refers to the selection state of the front side / whole / back side area. The information indicating the selection state of the last heating operation can be pre-stored in a memory not shown.

[0140] The above-mentioned operation can also be performed when the power switch 7D is pressed to turn off the power and then pressed again to turn on the power. For example, when the power is turned off by pressing the power switch 7D, the control unit 10 causes the flash memory (not shown) to store information for determining the selection state of each heating unit 4A to 4C during the last heating operation. And after the power is turned on by pressing the power switch 7D, the operation panel 7 again accepts user operations related to the selection state of any one of the heating units 4A to 4C during the heating operation. Then, the control unit 10 reads the information stored in the flash memory and sets the same selection state as the selection state during the last heating operation.

[0141] By automatically setting the selection state at the time of the previous heating operation, the process of making selections at the time of the same cooking can be omitted, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0142] According to the above-mentioned modification, the induction heating cooker 1 further includes: a left display panel 8A, which displays information related to the left IH heating unit 4A and / or the left operating panel 7A; and a rear display panel 8B, which displays information related to the rear IH heating unit 4B and / or the rear operating panel 7B. The left display panel 8A can also change the displayed information according to the user operation on the left operating panel 7A. When a specified time has passed since the last user operation on the left operating panel 7A was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced, and then when the user operation is performed on the left operating panel 7A, the brightness of the display is increased. The rear display panel 8B can change the displayed information according to the user operation on the rear operating panel 7B. When a specified time has passed since the last user operation on the rear operating panel 7B was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced, and then when the user operation is performed on the rear operating panel 7B, the brightness of the display is increased.

[0143] In addition, the induction heating cooker 1 further includes a right display panel 8C that displays information related to the right IH heating unit 4C and / or the right operation panel 7C. The right display panel 8C can change the displayed information according to the user operation on the right operation panel 7C. The right display panel 8C reduces the display brightness when a predetermined time has passed since the last user operation on the right operation panel 7C was accepted, and then increases the display brightness when the user operation on the right operation panel 7C is performed.

[0144] After the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A is completed, when the left operation panel 7A receives the user operation related to the heating operation of the left IH heating unit 4A again, the left IH control unit 10A sets the same selection state as the selection state in the previous heating operation. In addition, after the heating operation of the right IH heating unit 4C is completed, when the right operation panel 7C receives the user operation related to the heating operation of the right IH heating unit 4C again, the right IH control unit 10C sets the same selection state as the selection state in the previous heating operation.

[0145] In addition, the induction heating cooker 1 also has a power switch 7D for turning the power on and off and a storage unit such as a flash memory. When the power is turned off by pressing the power switch 7D, the storage unit stores information for determining the last heating action of the left IH heating unit 4A. After the power is turned on by the power switch 7D, when the left operation panel 7A accepts the user operation related to the heating action of the left IH heating unit 4A again, the left IH heating unit 4A reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as the selection state at the last heating action. In addition, when the power is turned off by pressing the power switch 7D, the storage unit stores information for determining the last heating action of the right IH heating unit 4C. After the power is turned on by the power switch 7D, when the right operation panel 7C accepts the user operation related to the heating action of the right IH heating unit 4C again, the right IH control unit 10C reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as the selection state at the last heating action.

[0146] By automatically setting the selection state at the time of the previous heating operation, the process of making selections at the time of the same cooking can be omitted, thereby improving the convenience of the user.

[0147] As described above, the above embodiments are described as examples of the technology in the present disclosure. The above embodiments can be implemented by a device, a system, a method, a computer program, a computer-readable storage medium, and a combination thereof.

[0148] In addition, in this specification, the terms "first", "second", etc. are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or order of technical features. Features defined as "first" and "second" indicate or imply that one or more of the features are included.

[0149] (Summary of methods)

[0150] As can be seen from the above description, the present disclosure includes the following aspects.

[0151] (Method 1)

[0152] The induction heating cooker comprises: a first heating part and a second heating part; a top plate covering the first heating part and the second heating part; a first control part controlling the heating action of the first heating part; and a second control part controlling the heating action of the second heating part, wherein the first heating part comprises a first coil unit and a second coil unit, the distance between the second coil unit and the second heating part is shorter than the distance between the first coil unit and the second heating part, the first control part is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing any one of a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the first coil unit and the second coil unit at the same time, and a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through one of the first coil unit and the second coil unit selectively, and the second control part is configured to heat the object to be heated by causing a high-frequency current to flow through the second heating part, when the first control part performs a heating action of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second coil unit, the second control part limits the heating action of the second heating part, and when the second control part performs a heating action of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second heating part, the first control part limits the heating action of the second coil unit.

[0153] (Method 2)

[0154] In the induction heating cooker of method 1, the first coil unit and the second coil unit respectively have a plurality of coil components for the high-frequency current to flow through, and share at least one coil component, the first control unit can make the high-frequency current flow only through the first coil unit, only through the second coil unit, or through the first coil unit and the second coil unit at the same time, and the first control unit restricts different high-frequency currents from flowing through the first coil unit and the second coil unit at the same time.

[0155] (Method 3)

[0156] In the induction heating cooker according to the second aspect, the outer shape of the first coil unit is circular or a polygon with a hexagon or larger shape, and the outer shape of the second coil unit is circular.

[0157] (Method 4)

[0158] In the induction heating cooker according to the second aspect, the first coil unit includes a plurality of coil components arranged radially, and the second coil unit includes a plurality of coil components arranged radially.

[0159] (Method 5)

[0160] The induction heating cooker of mode 1 further comprises: a first operating unit that accepts user operations related to the heating operation of the first heating unit; and a second operating unit that accepts user operations related to the heating operation of the second heating unit. The first operating unit has a first switching key that switches the selection state of the first coil unit and the second coil unit, and the second operating unit has a second switching key that switches the selection state of the second heating unit. When the first control unit performs the heating operation of the second coil unit, the second control unit prohibits the selection of the second heating unit based on the second switching key, and when the second control unit performs the heating operation of the second heating unit, the first control unit prohibits the selection of the second coil unit based on the first switching key.

[0161] (Method 6)

[0162] The induction heating cooker of mode 5 further comprises a first display unit, which displays information related to the first heating unit and / or the first operating unit. When the second control unit does not perform a heating operation of the second heating unit, the first display unit switches to display a state A in which the first coil unit is selected, a state B in which the first coil unit and the second coil unit are selected, a state C in which the second coil unit is selected, and a state D in which the first coil unit and the second coil unit are not selected in response to the pressing of the first switching key. When the second control unit performs a heating operation of the second heating unit, the first display unit switches to display the state A and the state D each time the first switching key is pressed.

[0163] (Method 7)

[0164] The induction heating cooker of mode 5 further comprises a second display unit, which displays information related to the second heating unit and / or the second operating unit. When the first control unit does not perform the heating operation of the second coil unit, the second display unit displays a state in which the selection of the second heating unit is accepted, and when the first control unit performs the heating operation of the second coil unit, the second display unit displays a state in which the second heating unit cannot be selected.

[0165] (Method 8)

[0166] In the induction heating cooker of method 1, 5 or 7, when the first control unit performs the heating operation of the second coil unit means that the first control unit only performs the heating operation of the second coil unit, or the first control unit performs the heating operation of the first coil unit and the second coil unit.

[0167] (Method 9)

[0168] The induction heating cooker of the fifth embodiment further comprises: a first display unit that displays information related to the first heating unit and / or the first operating unit; and a second display unit that displays information related to the second heating unit and / or the second operating unit. The first display unit changes the information to be displayed according to the user operation on the first operating unit, and when a first predetermined time has passed since the last user operation on the first operating unit was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced, and when the user operation is performed on the first operating unit, the brightness of the display is increased; the second display unit changes the information to be displayed according to the user operation on the second operating unit, and when a second predetermined time has passed since the last user operation on the second operating unit was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced, and when the user operation is performed on the second operating unit, the brightness of the display is increased.

[0169] (Method 10)

[0170] In the induction heating cooker of method 5, after the heating action of the first heating unit is completed, when the first operating unit again accepts a user operation related to the heating action of the first heating unit, the first control unit sets the same selection state as the selection state during the last heating action.

[0171] (Method 11)

[0172] The induction heating cooker of embodiment 5 further comprises a power switch for turning the power on and off and a storage unit. When the power is turned off by pressing the power switch, the storage unit stores information for determining the last heating action of the first heating unit, and after the power is turned on by the power switch, when the first operating unit again accepts a user operation related to the heating action of the first heating unit, the first control unit reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as the selection state at the time of the last heating action.

[0173] (Method 12)

[0174] Any one of the induction heating cookers of Modes 1 to 7 further comprises: a third heating unit; a third control unit that controls the heating action of the third heating unit; and a third operating unit that receives a user operation related to the heating action of the third heating unit. The third heating unit comprises a third coil unit and a fourth coil unit, the second heating unit is arranged between the second coil unit of the first heating unit and the fourth coil unit of the third heating unit, and the third control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing any one of a heating action of simultaneously passing a high-frequency current through the third coil unit and the fourth coil unit and a heating action of selectively passing a high-frequency current through one of the third coil unit and the fourth coil unit according to the user operation received by the third operating unit.

[0175] (Method 13)

[0176] In the induction heating cooker of method 12, the distance between the fourth coil unit and the second heating part is shorter than the distance between the third coil unit and the second heating part, and when the third control part performs a heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the fourth coil unit, the second control part limits the heating operation of the second heating part, and when the second control part performs a heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second heating part, the third control part limits the heating operation of the fourth coil unit.

[0177] (Method 14)

[0178] The induction heating cooker of embodiment 12 further comprises a third display unit which displays information related to the third heating unit and / or the third operating unit. The third display unit changes the information to be displayed according to the user operation on the third operating unit, reduces the brightness of the display when a third predetermined time has passed since the last user operation on the third operating unit was accepted, and increases the brightness of the display when the user operation on the third operating unit is performed thereafter.

[0179] (Method 15)

[0180] In the induction heating cooker of method 12, after the heating action of the third heating unit is completed, when the third operating unit again accepts a user operation related to the heating action of the third heating unit, the third control unit sets the same selection state as the selection state during the last heating action.

[0181] (Method 16)

[0182] The induction heating cooker of embodiment 12 further comprises a power switch for turning the power on and off and a storage unit. When the power is turned off by pressing the power switch, the storage unit stores information for determining the last heating action of the third heating unit, and after the power is turned on by the power switch, when the third operating unit again accepts a user operation related to the heating action of the third heating unit, the third control unit reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as the selection state at the time of the last heating action.

[0183] Possibility of Industrial Application

[0184] The present disclosure can be applied to an induction heating cooker that performs heating using a plurality of heating units.

Claims

1. An induction heating cooker, wherein: The induction heating cooker comprises: a first heating unit and a second heating unit; a top plate covering the first heating part and the second heating part; and a first control unit and a second control unit, wherein the first control unit controls the heating operation of the first heating unit and the second control unit controls the heating operation of the second heating unit, The first heating unit includes a first coil unit and a second coil unit. The distance between the second coil unit and the second heating part is shorter than the distance between the first coil unit and the second heating part. The first control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing either a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through the first coil unit and the second coil unit simultaneously or a heating operation in which a high-frequency current flows through one of the first coil unit and the second coil unit selectively. The second control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by causing a high-frequency current to flow through the second heating unit for heating. When the first control unit performs a heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second coil unit, the second control unit limits the heating operation of the second heating unit. When the second control unit performs a heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second heating unit, the first control unit limits the heating operation of the second coil unit.

2. The induction heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein: The first coil unit and the second coil unit each have a plurality of coil components through which the high-frequency current flows, and share at least one coil component. The first control unit causes the high-frequency current to flow only through the first coil unit, only through the second coil unit, or through both the first coil unit and the second coil unit. The first control unit restricts different high-frequency currents from flowing through the first coil unit and the second coil unit at the same time.

3. The induction heating cooker according to claim 2, wherein: The outer shape of the first coil unit is a circle or a polygon larger than a hexagon, and the outer shape of the second coil unit is a circle.

4. The induction heating cooker according to claim 2, wherein: The first coil unit has a plurality of coil components arranged radially, and the second coil unit has a plurality of coil components arranged radially.

5. The induction heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises: a first operating unit for accepting a user operation related to a heating operation of the first heating unit; and a second operating unit for accepting a user operation related to a heating operation of the second heating unit, The first operating unit has a first switching key, and the first switching key switches the selection state of the first coil unit and the second coil unit. The second operating part has a second switching key, and the second switching key switches the selection state of the second heating part. When the first control unit performs a heating operation of the second coil unit, the second control unit prohibits selection of the second heating unit based on the second switching key. The first control unit prohibits selection of the second coil unit by the first switch key when the second control unit performs a heating operation of the second heating unit.

6. The induction heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein: The induction heating cooker further includes a first display unit that displays information related to the first heating unit and / or the first operating unit. When the second control unit does not perform the heating operation of the second heating unit, the first display unit switches and displays a state A in which the first coil unit is selected, a state B in which the first coil unit and the second coil unit are selected, a state C in which the second coil unit is selected, and a state D in which the first coil unit and the second coil unit are not selected in response to pressing of the first switching key. When the second control unit performs the heating operation of the second heating unit, the first display unit switches and displays the state A and the state D every time the first switch key is pressed.

7. The induction heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein: The induction heating cooker further includes a second display unit that displays information related to the second heating unit and / or the second operating unit. When the first control unit is not performing the heating operation of the second coil unit, the second display unit displays a state of accepting the selection of the second heating unit. When the first control unit performs a heating operation of the second coil unit, the second display unit displays a state in which the second heating unit cannot be selected.

8. The induction heating cooker according to any one of claims 1, 5 and 7, wherein: When the first control unit performs the heating operation of the second coil unit means when the first control unit performs the heating operation of only the second coil unit, or when the first control unit performs the heating operation of the first coil unit and the second coil unit.

9. The induction heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises: a first display unit, which displays information related to the first heating unit and / or the first operating unit; as well as a second display unit for displaying information related to the second heating unit and / or the second operating unit, The first display unit changes information to be displayed according to a user operation on the first operating unit, and when a first predetermined time has passed since the last user operation on the first operating unit was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced, and when the user operation is performed on the first operating unit thereafter, the brightness of the display is increased, The second display unit changes the information to be displayed according to the user operation on the second operating unit, reduces the brightness of the display when a second specified time has passed since the last user operation on the second operating unit was accepted, and then increases the brightness of the display when the user operation is performed on the second operating unit.

10. The induction heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein: After the heating operation of the first heating unit is completed, when the first operating unit again receives a user operation related to the heating operation of the first heating unit, the first control unit sets the same selection state as the selection state during the previous heating operation.

11. The induction heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises: A power switch for turning the power on and off; and Storage Department, When the power supply is turned off by pressing the power switch, the storage unit stores information for specifying the last heating operation of the first heating unit. After the power is turned on by the power switch, when the first operating unit again accepts a user operation related to a heating operation of the first heating unit, the first control unit reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as that during the last heating operation.

12. The induction heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises: A third heating unit; a third control unit, which controls a heating action of the third heating unit; and a third operating unit for accepting user operations related to the heating operation of the third heating unit, The third heating unit includes a third coil unit and a fourth coil unit. The second heating unit is arranged between the second coil unit of the first heating unit and the fourth coil unit of the third heating unit. The third control unit is configured to heat the object to be heated by performing any one of a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through the third coil unit and the fourth coil unit simultaneously and a heating action of causing a high-frequency current to flow through one of the third coil unit and the fourth coil unit selectively according to the user operation received by the third operating unit.

13. The induction heating cooker according to claim 12, wherein: The distance between the fourth coil unit and the second heating part is shorter than the distance between the third coil unit and the second heating part. When the third control unit performs a heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the fourth coil unit, the second control unit limits the heating operation of the second heating unit. The third control unit limits the heating operation of the fourth coil unit when the second control unit performs the heating operation of causing the high-frequency current to flow through the second heating unit.

14. The induction heating cooker according to claim 12, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises a third display unit, which displays information related to the third heating unit and / or the third operating unit. The third display unit changes the information to be displayed according to the user operation on the third operating unit. When a third specified time has passed since the last user operation on the third operating unit was accepted, the brightness of the display is reduced. Thereafter, when the user operation is performed on the third operating unit, the brightness of the display is increased.

15. The induction heating cooker according to claim 12, wherein: After the heating operation of the third heating unit is completed, when the third operating unit again receives a user operation related to the heating operation of the third heating unit, the third control unit sets the same selection state as the selection state during the previous heating operation.

16. The induction heating cooker according to claim 12, wherein: The induction heating cooker further comprises: A power switch for turning the power on and off; and Storage Department, When the power supply is turned off by pressing the power switch, the storage unit stores information for specifying the last heating operation of the third heating unit. After the power is turned on by the power switch, when the third operating unit again accepts a user operation related to a heating action of the third heating unit, the third control unit reads the information from the storage unit and sets the same selection state as that during the last heating action.

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