Heating cooker

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker which is provided with temperature sensors to detect the temperature of a cooking pot on both the cooking pot side and the cooker side, and achieves automatic cooking using the temperature sensors on both sides, in contrast to conventional heating cookers that do not fully utilize the temperature sensors provided on both the cooking pot side and the cooker side.SOLUTION: The heating cooker comprises: temperature sensors for measuring the pot temperature; a storage unit for storing reference temperature information for an automatic cooking process; and a control unit that controls the heat level or heating duration in the automatic cooking process based on a comparison between the measured pot temperature and the reference temperature information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device that provides temperature sensors on both the cooking pot side and the cooking device side for detecting the temperature of the cooking pot, and realizes automatic cooking by using both temperature sensors. [Background technology]

[0002] The cooker of Patent Document 1 is known as a cooker provided with temperature sensors on both the cooking pot side and the cooker side to detect the temperature of the cooking pot. For example, the abstract of this document states that the following problem can be solved: "Conventional electromagnetic cookers have a function to control the heating intensity set by the user based on information from temperature and weight sensors, but the user must monitor the heating time and stop the heating when the time specified in the recipe has elapsed, which causes cooking failure for beginners." This problem can be solved by the following solution: "In the electromagnetic cooker, a means is provided to present cooking guidance according to recipe information while obtaining confirmation from the user for each step, and a means is provided to control the cooker from the cooking guidance, and in the recipe content, heating control information is output to the cooker and cooking is performed according to the heating control information, so that even beginners can cook according to the recipe." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-192274 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, as explained in paragraph 0035 of the document, "Upon receiving the heating setting information 1300 and being instructed to perform cooking, the heating control unit 150 sets the specified heat intensity 1310 for the heating unit 200, and after starting the heating process, feedback controls the heat intensity for the heating unit 200 to maintain the set heating temperature 1330 while monitoring the temperature sensor 320 of the cooking pot 300 or the temperature sensor 230 of the electromagnetic cooking unit." Also, as explained in paragraph 0091, "Possible abnormal causes include when temperature sensors 220, 320 detect an abnormally high temperature that is presumed to be due to dry-boiling (1680), ..." the temperature sensors on the cooking pot and cooker sides of the cooking device in the document are only used for feedback control to maintain the set temperature and for detecting abnormalities, and it cannot be said that the temperature sensors on both the cooking pot and cooker sides are fully utilized.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize automatic cooking using both temperature sensors in a heating cooker provided with temperature sensors on both the cooking pot side and the cooking appliance side for detecting the temperature of the cooking pot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] Scheduled to be pasted Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the cooking device of the present invention, in a cooking device provided with temperature sensors on both the cooking pot side and the cooking device side for detecting the temperature of the cooking pot, automatic cooking can be achieved by using both temperature sensors. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top view of the cooking device body of the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cooking device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 3 is a control flowchart of the cooking device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4]4 is a control flowchart illustrating the details of a routine R1 in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 4 is a control flowchart illustrating the details of a routine R2 in FIG. 3; [Figure 6] 6 is an example of automatic cooking according to the control flowcharts of FIGS. 3 to 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of a cooking device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the cooking device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0010] First, a cooking device 100 according to a first embodiment, which is composed of a cooking device body 10 and a cooking pot 20, will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a top view of a cooking device main body 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the top surface of the cooking device main body 10 is covered with a top plate 11 made of heat-resistant glass, and three pot placement sections 11a are drawn on the top surface of the top plate 11. In addition, a plurality of operation keys 12a are arranged along the front edge of the top plate 11, and a display operation section 12b is arranged in the center of the front side of the top plate 11. Furthermore, a plurality of weight sensors 15, which will be described later, are installed inside the left and right pot placement sections 11a corresponding to automatic cooking so as to protrude slightly (for example, about 2 mm) from the top surface of the top plate 11. Note that, although FIG. 1 shows an induction heating cooking device (IH cooking heater) as an example of the cooking device main body 10, the cooking device main body 10 may be a gas cooking device.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cooking device 100, and shows a state in which a cooking pot 20 made of a magnetic metal is placed on a top plate 11 of the cooking device body 10. As shown in FIG.

[0013] As shown, a pot sensor 21 is installed on the upper edge of cooking pot 20. This pot sensor 21 has the function of measuring the temperature of cooking pot 20 and wirelessly transmitting the measured pot temperature to cooker body 10.

[0014] Meanwhile, in addition to the above-mentioned operation keys 12a and display operation unit 12b, cooking device main body 10 also includes heating coil 13, infrared sensor 14, weight sensor 15, communication unit 16, storage unit 17, control unit 18, and inverter circuit 19. Each component will be described below in order.

[0015] The operation keys 12a are a human interface that is mainly operated when setting the heat and heating time when manually heating the cooking pot 20. Specifically, the operation keys 12 are an off / start key, a low heat key, a medium heat key, a high heat key, a heat down key, a heat up key, a timer key, and the like, which are provided for each pot placement portion 11a. Note that three levels of heat are further provided for each of the low, medium, and high heat settings, and the heat can be finely adjusted by using the heat down key and heat up key.

[0016] The display operation unit 12b is a human interface that mainly uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) and a touch panel to be operated when performing automatic cooking.

[0017] Heating coil 13 is a coil for induction heating cooking pot 20, and is supplied with a high-frequency current according to heating power from inverter circuit 19, which will be described later.

[0018] Infrared sensor 14 is a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the bottom surface of cooking pot 20. Note that infrared sensor 14 has a characteristic of having a faster response than pot sensor 21.

[0019] Weight sensor 15 is a sensor that detects the weight of cooking pot 20. As shown in Fig. 1, weight sensor 15 is a plurality of sensors arranged inside pot mounting portion 11a, so that the weight of cooking pot 20 placed on pot mounting portion 11a can be detected by adding up the outputs of the weight sensors. Since the weight of cooking pot 20 is known, weight sensor 15 can calculate the weight of ingredients in cooking pot 20 by subtracting the known pot weight from the detected weight.

[0020] The communication unit 16 receives the pot temperature wirelessly transmitted by the pot sensor 21 of the cooking pot 20 .

[0021] The storage unit 17 is a storage device such as a semiconductor memory that stores various data such as a reference temperature curve to be referred to during automatic cooking. The reference temperature curve is a temperature curve prepared for each automatic cooking menu, which is assumed to be used for heat control during automatic cooking, and is data that registers, for example, an exemplary temperature curve (hereinafter referred to as the "first reference temperature curve G1") detected by the infrared sensor 14 when an experienced chef cooks, and an exemplary temperature curve (hereinafter referred to as the "second reference temperature curve G2") detected by the pan sensor 21. Therefore, if heat control during automatic cooking is performed according to this reference temperature curve, cooking similar to that performed by an experienced chef can be automatically achieved.

[0022] The control unit 18 is a control device that controls the inverter circuit 19 (described later) in response to inputs from the operation keys 12a, the display operation unit 12b, the infrared sensor 14, the communication unit 16, the memory unit 17, etc., and also has a timer function.

[0023] The inverter circuit 19 is a power conversion device that supplies a high-frequency current to the heating coil 13 in response to a command from the control unit 18 .

[0024] <Flowchart> Next, the control during automatic cooking in this embodiment will be described with reference to the control flow charts of Figures 3 to 5. Note that Figure 3 is a control flow chart focusing on the first step in which automatic cooking starts after the user selects an automatic cooking menu. The control in the subsequent steps is equivalent to steps S1 to S3 in Figure 3, or the control omitting routine R2, so the following will describe the details of the automatic cooking control only for the most complicated first step.

[0025] In step S1, the control unit 18 obtains the names of automatic cooking menu candidates from the storage unit 17 and displays them on the display operation unit 12b.

[0026] In step S2, the control unit 18 determines whether the user has selected an automatic cooking menu via the display operation unit 12b, and if any automatic cooking menu has been selected, the process proceeds to step S3, otherwise, step S2 is repeated.

[0027] In step S3, the control unit 18 acquires setting data corresponding to the selected automatic cooking menu from the storage unit 17, and starts automatic cooking based on the setting data, i.e., control of the inverter circuit 19. The setting data acquired here includes the first reference temperature curve G1, the second reference temperature curve G2, the reference heating time, the reference weight, etc., corresponding to the selected automatic cooking menu.

[0028] In step S4, control unit 18 determines whether the temperature of cooking pot 20 detected by infrared sensor 14 is approximately equal to the first reference temperature that should currently be. If the two are approximately equal, control proceeds to step S5; if not, control proceeds to routine R1. Note that "approximately equal" in this step refers to a state in which the temperature detected by infrared sensor 14 is within a range of, for example, ±1°C of the first reference temperature that should currently be. Note that the numerical value "±1°C" exemplified here is a parameter set according to the selected automatic cooking menu.

[0029] In routine R1, steps S11 to S14 in Fig. 4 are executed. When the processes in steps S12 to S14 are executed, a message to that effect may be displayed on the display operation unit 12b.

[0030] In step S11, control unit 18 compares the temperature of cooking pot 20 detected by pot sensor 21 with a second reference temperature that should be the current temperature. If the detected temperature is sufficiently higher than the second reference temperature, the process proceeds to step S12; if the detected temperature is substantially equal to the second reference temperature, the process proceeds to step S13; if the detected temperature is sufficiently lower than the second reference temperature, the process proceeds to step S14. Note that the meaning of "substantially equal" in this step is the same as in step S4.

[0031] In step S12, the control unit 18 reduces the heat used for automatic cooking by one level or shortens the heating time of the current heating process by one level. This is because the temperature of the cooking pot 20 is higher than expected and the cooking of the ingredients is considered to have progressed more than expected, so by reducing the heat or shortening the heating time, the cooking progress at the end of the current cooking process will be closer to the expected progress.

[0032] In step S13, control unit 18 maintains the current heating power used for automatic cooking and the current heating time for the current heating step. This is because the temperature of cooking pot 20 is as expected, and the cooking of the ingredients is also as expected, so there is no need to adjust the heating power or the heating time.

[0033] In step S14, the control unit 18 increases the heat used for automatic cooking by one level or extends the heating time of the current heating process by one level. This is because the temperature of the cooking pot 20 is lower than expected and the cooking of the ingredients is taking longer than expected, so by increasing the heat or extending the heating time, the cooking progress at the end of the current cooking process will be closer to the expected progress.

[0034] In step S5, the control unit 18 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the current cooking process. If the predetermined time has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S6, and if not, the process returns to step S4. The predetermined time in this step is, for example, the standard heating time for each process acquired in step S3.

[0035] In step S6, control unit 18 determines whether the temperatures detected by infrared sensor 14 and pan sensor 21 are both approximately equal to the reference temperatures that should be present at that time. If the conditions are met, control proceeds to routine R2, and if not, control returns to step S4.

[0036] In routine R2, steps S21 to S24 in Fig. 5 are performed. This routine R2 is a routine for setting the heating power and heating time for the next process, so it is omitted in the final process. When the processes from step S22 to step S24 are performed, the fact may be displayed on the display operation unit 12b.

[0037] In step S21, control unit 18 compares the actual weight of cooking pot 20 detected by weight sensor 15 with the reference weight. If the detected actual weight is sufficiently lighter than the reference weight, the process proceeds to step S22; if the detected actual weight is substantially equal to the reference weight, the process proceeds to step S23; if the detected actual weight is sufficiently heavier than the reference weight, the process proceeds to step S24. Note that "substantially equal" in this step means, for example, that the detected actual weight is within a range of ±1% of the reference weight.

[0038] In step S22, the control unit 18 reduces the heat power used for the next process of the automatic cooking by one step from the initial setting, or shortens the heating time for the next process by one step from the initial setting. This is because the actual weight of the cooking pot 20 is lighter than expected, and the cooking (dehydration) of the ingredients is thought to have progressed more than expected, so by reducing the heat power for the next process or shortening the heating time, the cooking progress at the end of the next process can be made closer to that expected.

[0039] In step S23, control unit 18 maintains the heating power to be used for the next process of automatic cooking as the initial setting, and also maintains the heating time for the next process as the initial setting. This is because the actual weight of cooking pot 20 is as expected, and the cooking (dehydration) of the ingredients is also as expected, so there is no need to change the heating power or heating time from the initial setting.

[0040] In step S24, the control unit 18 increases the heat used for the next process of the automatic cooking by one step from the initial setting, or extends the heating time of the next process by one step from the initial setting. This is because the actual weight of the cooking pot 20 is heavier than expected, and the cooking (dehydration) of the ingredients is also slower than expected, so by increasing the heat or extending the heating time of the next process, the cooking progress at the end of the next process can be made closer to the expected progress.

[0041] <Examples of automatic cooking control> Next, using the graph in Figure 6, we will specifically explain the changes in temperature and heat of cooking pot 20 over time after starting automatic cooking of a certain menu, which consists of three steps: the first step on high heat, the second step on low heat, and the third step on medium heat.

[0042] In this figure, the horizontal axis is time (min) and the vertical axis is temperature (°C). The solid line in the graph is a temperature curve connecting the pan temperatures measured by infrared sensor 14, and the dashed-dotted line is a first reference temperature curve G1 for infrared sensor 14. The dashed line in the graph is a temperature curve connecting the pan temperatures measured by pan sensor 21, and the dashed-two-dotted line is a second reference temperature curve G2 for pan sensor 21.

[0043] In this diagram, the number of temperature measurements during each process is small, but this is for the sake of simplicity, and in reality, temperature measurements are performed more frequently. Note that in this diagram, the pan temperature is measured at regular intervals Δt, but the intervals for temperature measurements do not have to be regular.

[0044] <<First step>> The first process is a cooking process that starts heating at the initial heat setting of "high heat 2" at time t0 and is scheduled to end at time t3.

[0045] At time t1, the infrared sensor temperature is higher than the first reference temperature and the pot sensor temperature is also higher than the second reference temperature, so the processing of step S12 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat is reduced by one level from "high heat 2" to "high heat 1".

[0046] At time t2, the infrared sensor temperature is lower than the first reference temperature and the pot sensor temperature is also lower than the second reference temperature, so the process of step S14 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat is increased by one level from "high heat 1" to "high heat 2".

[0047] At time t3, the infrared sensor temperature is equal to the first reference temperature, and the pan sensor temperature is equal to the second reference temperature, so the process of step S13 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat level "high heat 2" is maintained.

[0048] However, time t3 is also the scheduled end time of the first process, so if the sensor temperature is the reference temperature (Yes in step S6 in FIG. 3), routine R2 is executed and weight measurement is performed by weight sensor 15. Then, depending on the result of comparing the measured weight with the reference weight, one of steps S22 to S24 in FIG. 5 is executed, and the initial heating power and heating time in the next second process are adjusted.

[0049] <<Second process>> The second process is a cooking process that starts heating at the initial heat setting of "low heat 2" at time t3 and is scheduled to end at time t6.

[0050] At time t4, the infrared sensor temperature is lower than the first reference temperature and the pot sensor temperature is also lower than the second reference temperature, so the processing of step S14 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat is increased by one level from "low heat 2" to "low heat 3".

[0051] At time t5, the infrared sensor temperature is equal to the first reference temperature (Yes in step S4 in FIG. 3), so the processing of step S5 is executed. However, since this point has not yet reached time t6, which is the scheduled end time of the second process, the second process continues at "low heat 3."

[0052] At time t6, the infrared sensor temperature is equal to the first reference temperature, and the pan sensor temperature is equal to the second reference temperature, so the process of step S13 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat level "low heat 3" is maintained.

[0053] However, time t6 is also the scheduled end time of the second step, so if the sensor temperature is the reference temperature (Yes in step S6 in FIG. 3), routine R2 is executed and weight measurement is performed by weight sensor 15. Then, depending on the result of comparing the measured weight with the reference weight, one of steps S22 to S24 in FIG. 5 is executed, and the initial heating power and heating time in the next third step are adjusted.

[0054] <<3rd process>> The third process is a cooking process that starts heating at the initial heat setting of "medium heat 2" at time t6 and is scheduled to end at time t9.

[0055] At time t7, the infrared sensor temperature is higher than the first reference temperature and the pot sensor temperature is also higher than the second reference temperature, so the processing of step S12 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat is reduced by one level from "medium 2" to "medium 1".

[0056] At time t8, the infrared sensor temperature is lower than the first reference temperature and the pot sensor temperature is also lower than the second reference temperature, so the processing of step S14 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat is increased by one level from "medium 1" to "medium 2".

[0057] At time t9, the infrared sensor temperature is equal to the first reference temperature, and the pot sensor temperature is equal to the second reference temperature, so the process of step S13 in FIG. 4 is executed and the heat level "medium 2" is maintained.

[0058] However, time t9 is also the scheduled end time of the third process, which is the final process, so automatic cooking ends at time t9.

[0059] In this way, according to this embodiment, by adjusting the heat during automatic cooking based on the measured temperatures of the infrared sensor 14 and the pot sensor 21 and the measured weight of the weight sensor 15, it is possible to realize heat control such that the temperature of the cooking pot 20 is equivalent to the reference temperature curve (i.e., cooking by an experienced chef). EXAMPLES

[0060] Next, a second embodiment of the cooking device 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Note that a duplicated description of the points common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0061] In the first embodiment, the reference temperature curve and various parameters necessary for realizing automatic cooking were stored in the storage unit 17 of the cooking device main body 10. Therefore, in the first embodiment, automatic cooking could not be performed for an automatic cooking menu that was not prepared at the time of shipping of the cooking device 100. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by linking with the server 200 connected via a communication network, automatic cooking can be performed for an automatic cooking menu that was not prepared at the time of shipping, and the usability of the cooking device 100 is further improved.

[0062] For example, by acquiring desired data from the recipe content D1 and the reference temperature data D2 of the server 200, it becomes possible to automatically cook an automatic cooking menu that was not prepared at the time of shipment.

[0063] Furthermore, for example, by storing the history of automatic cooking menus used by a certain user with a certain heating cooker 100 in the recipe history D3 of the server 200, even when the user uses another heating cooker 100, the user can easily understand the history of past menu selections by referring to the recipe history D3 of the server 200. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 100 Cooker 10 Cooking machine body 11 Top Plate 11a Pot placement part 12a Operation Key 12b Display operation section 13 Heating coil 13a aperture 14 Infrared Sensor 15 Weight Sensor 16 Communications Department 17 Memory section 18 Control Unit 19 Inverter circuit 20 Cooking Pot 21 Pot Sensor 200 Servers D1 Recipe Content D2 Reference temperature data D3 Recipe History

Claims

1. A temperature sensor for measuring the temperature of the pot; A storage unit that stores reference temperature information for an automatic cooking process; A control unit that controls the heat or heating time in the automatic cooking process based on a comparison between the measured pan temperature and the reference temperature information.

2. In claim 1, One of the temperature sensors is an infrared sensor that is provided below the top plate and measures the temperature of the bottom surface of the pot; The control unit compares the temperature measured by the infrared sensor with a first reference temperature and adjusts the heat or the heating time.

3. In claim 2, One of the temperature sensors is a pot sensor provided in the pot, The control unit reduces the heat or shortens the heating time when the measured temperature of the infrared sensor is higher than the first reference temperature and the measured temperature of the pot sensor is higher than the second reference temperature.

4. In claim 2, One of the temperature sensors is a pot sensor provided in the pot, The control unit of the heating cooker increases the heat or extends the heating time when the measured temperature of the infrared sensor is higher than the first reference temperature and the measured temperature of the pot sensor is lower than the second reference temperature.

5. In claim 2, One of the temperature sensors is a pot sensor provided in the pot, The control unit of the heating cooker reduces the heat or shortens the heating time when the measured temperature of the infrared sensor is lower than the first reference temperature and the measured temperature of the pot sensor is higher than the second reference temperature.

6. In claim 2, One of the temperature sensors is a pot sensor provided in the pot, The control unit of the heating cooker increases the heat or extends the heating time when the temperature measured by the infrared sensor is lower than the first reference temperature and the temperature measured by the pot sensor is lower than the second reference temperature.

7. In any one of claims 3 to 6, The cooking device, wherein the first reference temperature and the second reference temperature are obtained from a server via a network and stored in the storage unit.

8. In any one of claims 3 to 6, a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the pot is provided on the top plate; The memory unit stores a reference weight for the automatic cooking process, The control unit sets the heat or heating time for the next process by comparing the weight of the pot at the time a predetermined process is completed with a reference weight.

9. In claim 8, The control unit increases heat for the next process or extends a heating time for the next process when the measured weight is greater than the reference weight.

10. In claim 8, The control unit reduces heat for the next process or shortens a heating time for the next process when the measured weight is smaller than the reference weight.

11. In claim 8, The reference weight is obtained from a server via a network and stored in the storage unit.

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