Cooker

Abstract

To improve cooling performance of a camera unit provided in a side surface of a cooking chamber.SOLUTION: A cooker 10 comprises: a main body 11; a cooking chamber 22 housed inside the main body; a heating element (a heater 26) for heating an object to be cooked inside the cooking chamber; imaging means (a camera unit 18) arranged inside the main body and in a side surface 22d of the cooking chamber, and for imaging the object to be cooked; and a cooling air passage 27 provided inside the main body and outside the cooking chamber, and for passing cooling air F for cooling the imaging means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device. [Background technology]

[0002] In the past, in a cooking appliance, it has been proposed to provide a camera unit on the door to monitor the doneness of food stored in the cooking chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, when a camera unit is provided on the door, wiring must be provided between the camera unit and the main body to supply power to the camera unit and send and receive signals. Therefore, when a camera unit is provided on the door, the door of the cooking appliance cannot be removed, making it difficult to insert and remove containers. Therefore, the inventors of the present invention attempted to provide a camera unit on the side of the cooking chamber to make it easier to insert and remove containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-172597 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the camera unit is provided on the side of the cooking chamber, heat generated during cooking is transferred from the side of the cooking chamber to the camera unit, causing the camera unit to heat up. Therefore, it is desirable for the cooking device with this configuration to have improved cooling performance for the camera unit. It is also desirable to be able to take clear images of the inside of the cooking chamber.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a heating cooker that can improve the cooling performance of a camera unit installed on the side of a cooking chamber.

[0006] Furthermore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a heating cooker that can clearly photograph the inside of the cooking chamber using a camera unit installed on the side of the cooking chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a heating cooking appliance comprising a main body, a cooking chamber contained within the main body, a heating element for heating food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber, an imaging means arranged inside the main body and on a side of the cooking chamber for imaging the food to be cooked, and a cooling air duct arranged inside the main body and outside the cooking chamber for passing cooling air to cool the imaging means. Other means will be described later. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, the cooling performance of the camera unit provided on the side of the cooking chamber can be improved.

[0009] Furthermore, according to the present invention, the inside of the cooking chamber can be photographed clearly by the camera unit provided on the side inside the cooking chamber. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a system kitchen incorporating a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cooking device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the cooking device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooking device near the left end portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the grill unit as viewed from above. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooking device at the center. [Figure 8]FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a camera unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the camera unit. [Figure 10] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the camera unit. [Figure 11A] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the camera unit. [Figure 11B] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a camera unit. [Figure 11C] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a camera unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for attaching the camera unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a cooking device and a mobile terminal (external device) according to the embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of cooling air flowing through the cooking device according to the embodiment. [Figure 15A] An explanatory diagram of reflected light (1). [Figure 15B] This is an explanatory diagram of reflected light (2). [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a camera unit according to a modified example. [Figure 17] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a heating cooker according to a modified example. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of a cooking device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as "the present embodiment") will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that each drawing is merely a schematic illustration to allow a sufficient understanding of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to only the illustrated examples. In addition, in each drawing, common or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0012] The present embodiment is also intended to provide a cooking device that can solve the following problems (1) and (2).

[0013] <(1) Cooling Issues> When imaging the inside of the cooking chamber with a camera unit, it is desirable to image the food from as close as possible to the food stored in the cooking chamber so that the top surface of the food is captured in order to obtain high imaging performance. On the other hand, the cooking chamber is provided with upper and lower heaters to obtain high heating performance (high grilling performance), but providing upper and lower heaters makes it easy for the camera unit to become hot. Therefore, it is desirable for the cooking chamber to separate the heater and the camera unit so that the camera unit is at or below the heat resistance temperature of the parts. It is desirable to reduce the size of the cooking chamber so that it can be installed in a small space, but meeting this demand leads to an increase in size. It is desirable for such a cooking chamber to efficiently cool the camera unit without increasing the size.

[0014] <Means for solving the problem> The above-mentioned problem (1) regarding cooling can be solved by the following measures. The cooking appliance has a cover glass between the cooking chamber and the camera unit to separate the space inside the cooking chamber from the space on the side where the camera unit is installed, and the cooking appliance sends cooling air into the space on the side where the camera unit is installed to cool the camera unit.

[0015] <Effects> This type of cooking appliance can ensure high imaging performance because the camera unit can be placed close to the food. In addition, this type of cooking appliance can efficiently cool the camera unit by separating the space inside the cooking chamber from the space on the side where the camera unit is installed. Therefore, this type of cooking appliance can efficiently cool the camera unit without increasing the size or reducing the heating performance (grilling performance) (i.e., without removing the heater on either the top or bottom side or making the heater smaller).

[0016] <(2) Lighting Issues> A cooking appliance requires lighting when capturing images of the inside of the cooking chamber with a camera unit, but if the lighting device is provided as a separate part from the camera unit, a separate cooling structure for cooling the lighting device will be required, and the cooling structure will become complicated. Also, depending on the position of the lighting device, reflected light may appear in the captured image of the cooking appliance.

[0017] <Means for solving the problem> The above-mentioned problem (2) regarding lighting can be solved by the following means. The cooking appliance is configured so that a lighting device is provided on a camera board built into the camera unit, and a first window portion is provided to pass reflected light from the heated object to the imaging section (lens section described later) of the camera unit, and a second window portion is provided to pass light from the lighting device.

[0018] <Effects> In this type of cooking device, the imaging unit (lens unit described later) and the lighting device are mounted on the same camera board, and the window sections for the imaging unit (lens unit described later) and the lighting device are provided separately, thereby preventing reflected light from appearing in the captured image.

[0019] <Configuration of cooking device> Hereinafter, the configuration of the cooking device 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 6. Note that in the present embodiment, a built-in type IH cooking heater, which is an induction cooking device, will be described as an example of the cooking device 10 according to the present embodiment, but the cooking device 10 may be a free-standing type IH cooking heater or other types of cooking devices as long as it has a built-in grill unit.

[0020] Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a system kitchen incorporating a cooking device 10 according to this embodiment. The cooking device 10 shown in Fig. 1 is a built-in type IH cooking heater incorporated in a system kitchen, and is equipped with a grill unit 20 on the left side of the front. The grill unit 20 is also sometimes called a roaster or an oven.

[0021] <Heating cooker 10> A top plate 12 made of a material with high heat resistance, such as crystallized glass, is placed on the upper surface of the main body 11 of the cooking device 10. Pot placement sections 13a, 13b, and 13c are provided on the upper surface of the top plate 12. Hereinafter, the pot placement sections 13a, 13b, and 13c may be collectively referred to as the "pot placement section 13". The pot placement section 13 indicates the placement location of an object to be heated, such as a pot. Heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c are provided below each of the pot placement sections 13. Hereinafter, the heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c may be collectively referred to as the "heating coil 14". The heating coil 14 applies a high-frequency current output from an inverter circuit to generate a high-frequency magnetic field, and inductively heats the object to be heated placed on the pot placement section 13. An upper surface operation section 15 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the top plate 12. The upper operation section 15 has upper operation keys 15a for selecting and setting menus related to the pot mounting section 13, and an upper display section 15b for displaying these. Upper exhaust ports H2 are provided on the left and right sides at the back of the upper surface. The upper exhaust ports H2 function as an outlet for the air passage.

[0022] Furthermore, a grill unit 20 for grilling food is provided on the left front side of main body 11. Details of grill unit 20 will be described later. Furthermore, a front operation section 17 is provided on the right front side of main body 11. Front operation section 17 includes front operation keys 17a mainly for operating to select and set menus for grill unit 20, and a front display section 17b for displaying information related thereto. Furthermore, a power switch 17c for turning power to grill unit 20 on and off is provided above front operation section 17.

[0023] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cooking device 10. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the cooking device 10 includes a grill unit 20 on the left side of the front of the main body 11, and a front operation unit 17 on the right side of the front of the main body 11. The cooking device 10 also includes an upper display unit 15b on the inner front side of the main body 11, and a partition plate 11b covering the grill unit 20 on the inner left side of the main body 11. The cooking device 10 also includes a board stand 73a on the upper right side of the partition plate 11b, and also includes a control board 70a on the board stand 73a, a board cover 60a covering the control board 70a, and a main fan 90. The board stand 73a is an insulating member (resin member) for fixing the control board 70a, and is fixed to the inner wall of the main body 11 or the partition plate 11b. The main fan 90 is a fan device that sends cooling air to any location in the main body 11. The main fan 90 has an impeller 91 (impeller wheel), a motor 92 for rotating the impeller 91, an upper casing 90a covering the impeller 91 from above, and a lower casing 90b covering the impeller 91 from below. The cooking device 10 also has a board stand 73b on the upper left side of the partition plate 11b, a control board 70b and electronic components 71 on the board stand 73b, and a board cover 60b covering the control board 70b and the electronic components 71. The electronic components 71 are integrated circuits, inverter circuits, capacitors, resistors, etc. used to supply high-frequency current to the heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c described below and to drive the main fan 90. The board stand 73b is an insulating member (resin member) for fixing the control board 70b, and is fixed to the inner wall of the main body 11 and the partition plate 11b. Hereinafter, the board stands 73a and 73b may be collectively referred to as "board stand 73." The control boards 70a and 70b may be collectively referred to as "control board 70." The board covers 60a and 60b may be collectively referred to as "board cover 60."

[0024] The main fan 90 has an impeller 91 between an upper casing 90a and a lower casing 90b. The cooking device 10 is configured to guide cooling air from discharge ports 95 provided at the outlets of the upper casing 90a and the lower casing 90b to the control board 70b. The bottom surface of the discharge port 95 and the top surface of the control board 70b are at the same height, so that the cooling air sent out from the main fan 90 can be smoothly sent to the control board 70b.

[0025] Heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c are installed above the substrate covers 60a and 60b. Hereinafter, the heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c may be collectively referred to as "heating coils 14." A top plate 12 is installed above the heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c to cover them from above.

[0026] Each heating coil 14 is installed under the top plate 12, and a temperature sensor 34 for detecting the temperature of the bottom of the pot is installed near the center. Each heating coil 14 is also arranged downstream of the main fan 90. The cooling air blown out from the main fan 90 cools the control boards 70a, 70b inside the board covers 60a, 60b, and then is discharged from the discharge part 61a provided at the front corner of the main body 11 to cool each heating coil 14. Each heating coil 14 is a coil through which a high-frequency current flows by driving an inverter circuit, and is placed on a coil base 33. In this embodiment, the cooking device 10 has heating coils 14a, 14b, and 14c, one each at the right, left, and center back in a plan view. The coil base 33 is supported by three support parts 35 (e.g., springs), and the support parts 35 apply an upward biasing force. This causes the heating coil 14 to be pressed against the lower surface of the top plate 12, and the distance between the cooking pot and the heating coil 14 is kept constant.

[0027] In addition, the rear side of the main body 11 is provided with an intake opening H1 for taking in air from the outside by driving a main fan 90 (fan device). The intake opening H1 is connected to the space below the pan placement part 13b and the heating coil 14b on the right front side. In this space, electronic components 71 such as a control circuit (not shown) and an inverter circuit mounted on a control board 70 are arranged. After cooling the control circuit (not shown) and the electronic components 71 in the space, a part of the low-temperature air sucked in from the intake opening H1 passes through a relay duct 16f (FIG. 5) and an exhaust duct 16e (FIG. 5) described later, and is exhausted from an upper exhaust port H2, and a part is supplied to the inside of the board covers 60a and 60b. The main body 11 is provided with a main fan 90 for forcibly sucking in air. The upper exhaust ports H2 are a plurality of holes for discharging the air blown out from the main fan 90, and are provided on the rear right and rear left sides of the top plate 12.

[0028] 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the cooking device 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the rear side of the main body 11 is provided with an intake opening H1 for taking in air from the outside by driving the main fan 90. As shown in FIG. 2, the air (cooling air) blown out from the main fan 90 into the main body 11 flows over the control board 70 installed in the gap between the board stand 73a and the board cover 60 (see arrow F1), and flows through the gap between the board cover 60 and the top plate 12 toward the heating coil 14 installed on the board cover 60 downstream (see arrow F2). The air flowing through the gap between the board cover 60 and the top plate 12 (see arrow F2) cools the heating coil 14 as cooling air, and then proceeds toward the upper exhaust port H2 at the rear of the main body 11 and is discharged to the outside from the upper exhaust port H2.

[0029] A camera unit 18 for monitoring the doneness of food stored in the cooking chamber 22 is provided on a side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22. The air flowing over the control board 70 (see arrow F1) acts as cooling air to cool not only the electronic components 71, such as a control circuit (not shown) and an inverter circuit, but also the camera unit 18.

[0030] <Grill unit 20> FIG. 4 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the grill unit 20. In this figure, the grill unit 20 is shown with the front door 21 removed in order to make the configuration of the grill unit 20 easier to see. As shown in FIG. 4, the grill unit 20 has a box-shaped cooking chamber 22 with an opening at the front, a cooking container 23 for placing ingredients (food to be cooked) such as fish, meat, and pizza, a cooking container receiver 24 for placing the cooking container 23, and a rail 25 for pulling the cooking container 23 and the cooking container receiver 24 forward or returning them to the cooking chamber 22. As shown in FIG. 1, a door 21 for closing the front opening 22a of the cooking chamber 22 is attached to the front side of the rail 25. The door 21 may be fitted with heat-resistant glass with high transparency so that the inside of the cooking chamber 22 can be observed, or may be covered with a resin plate on the front side so that the door surface temperature can be suppressed to prevent burns or the like when touching the door.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooking device 10 near the left end. As shown in FIG. 5, the grill unit 20 has an upper heater 26a provided below the top surface 22b of the cooking chamber 22 and above the partition plate 22c as a heating element for heating the food (food to be cooked) placed in the cooking container 23, and a lower heater 26b provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber 22. The upper heater 26a is an upper heating element provided at the top of the cooking chamber 22, and the lower heater 26b is a lower heating element provided at the bottom of the cooking chamber 22. Hereinafter, the upper heater 26a and the lower heater 26b may be collectively referred to as "heater 26". The partition plate 22c is made of a material with high thermal emissivity, such as enamel, a steel plate with a heat-resistant paint, ceramics, or heat-resistant glass, and efficiently radiates heat from the upper heater 26a to efficiently cook the food in the cooking container 23. Additionally, the upper heater 26a, which has a complex shape, is covered with the partition plate 22c, which has a simple structure, preventing dirt such as oil generated during cooking from directly adhering to the upper heater 26a, making it easy to clean the inside of the cooking chamber 22. In this embodiment, a sheath heater is used as the heater 26, but an electric heater or a gas heater may be used as the heater 26 as long as it can ensure a heating temperature sufficient to heat the food to be cooked (for example, 580°C or higher). A flat heater such as a mica heater may also be used.

[0032] 5, a front air intake 16a is provided at the lower rear of the door 21 to supply outside air to the cooking chamber 22. As indicated by arrow A1 in the figure, the air supplied into the cooking chamber 22 from the front air intake 16a passes through multiple small-diameter through-holes 16b provided at the left and right ends of the partition plate 22c, the ventilation passage 16c between the top surface 22b and the partition plate 22c, and the connecting air passage 16d in this order, enters the exhaust duct 16e described above, and is exhausted from the upper exhaust port H2 together with the exhaust air via the relay duct 16f.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the grill unit 20 seen from above. The vertical cross-sectional view at the position XX in FIG. 6 is FIG. 5 described above, and the vertical cross-sectional view at the position YY is FIG. 7 described below. The partition plate 22c shown in FIG. 6 is a plate-like member having a large number of small-diameter or slit-shaped through holes 16b penetrating vertically at the left and right ends. The left and right sides and one side on the back side of the partition plate 22c abut against the wall surface of the cooking chamber 22, and the front side abuts against the top surface 22b near the front opening 22a. As a result, an air passage 16c in which the upper heater 26a is arranged is formed between the partition plate 22c and the top surface 22b. As a result, the air inside the cooking chamber 22 is discharged through the through hole 16b, the ventilation passage 16c, and the connecting ventilation passage 16d opening in the center of the rear side of the top surface 22b, as shown by arrow A in the figure, to the exhaust duct 16e shown in Figure 5, and finally discharged from the upper exhaust port H2.

[0034] In the grill unit 20, when the moisture in the ingredients turns to steam due to heating by the heater 26 and the pressure inside the cooking chamber 22 increases, the air containing odorous components, smoke, etc. enters the ventilation duct 16c from the through holes 16b and comes into contact with the upper heater 26a, which is heated to about 600°C, where it is deodorized and smoke-removed. The air then passes through the connecting ventilation duct 16d and the exhaust duct 16e in that order and is exhausted to the outside from the upper exhaust port H2.

[0035] Here, by making each of the through holes 16b of the partition plate 22c small, cleaning can be made easier. In the partition plate 22c of this embodiment, since a large number of through holes 16b are provided, it is possible to ensure the amount of exhaust required for cooking in the grill unit 20. The size of the through holes 16b can be, for example, 4 to 6 mm in diameter, but is not limited thereto and can be set arbitrarily. The number of the through holes 16b is also not particularly limited and can be set arbitrarily. As shown in FIG. 6, the through holes 16b can be provided on both the left and right sides of the partition plate 22c from the front opening 22a side of the grill unit 20 to the rear side.

[0036] <Arrangement of camera unit 18> Next, a configuration example of the camera unit 18 will be described with reference to FIGS. Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooking device 10 at the center. Fig. 7 is an example of a vertical cross-sectional view of the cooking device 10 at the position YY in Fig. 6. In addition to the above-mentioned components, Fig. 7 shows a camera unit 18 as an imaging means and an image processing board 19 imaged by the camera unit 18. Figs. 8 to 10 are explanatory diagrams of the camera unit.

[0037] The camera unit 18 is a device that captures an image of the cooking state of ingredients in the cooking container 23. In the example shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the camera unit 18 is installed on the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22 at a position higher than the upper end of the cooking chamber 23, with the imaging direction facing downward. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the inside of the cooking device 10 seen from above. As shown in Fig. 9, the camera unit 18 is preferably installed on the side surfaces 22d on both the left and right sides of the cooking chamber 22. The dashed arrow in Fig. 9 indicates the imaging direction of the camera unit 18. The cooking device 10 has a cooling air passage 27 around the camera unit 18. The cooling air passage 27 is an air passage that flows cooling air, and corresponds to the above-mentioned "space on the camera unit installation side". The cooking device 10 cools the camera unit 18 by sending cooling air F into the cooling air passage 27. 10, a window 100 is provided on the side of the cooking chamber 22 of the cooking device 10, and the camera unit 18 is disposed behind the window 100. The window 100 has a transparent cover glass 18h. The cover glass 18h is a transparent window member that allows reflected light from the food to pass through to the camera unit 18 (imaging means).

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7, the grill unit 20 may include an exhaust fan 57 in the exhaust duct 16e. The exhaust fan 57 is connected to a motor 54 that drives the exhaust fan 57. The motor 54 is installed below the relay duct 16f. The motor 54 runs when the power switch 17c is used to turn on the grill unit 20, and stops when the power is turned off. In this manner, the grill unit 20 can efficiently exhaust air that has been deodorized and desmoked by the upper heater 26a and an air purification catalyst (not shown) from the upper exhaust port H2 through the exhaust duct 16e.

[0039] If an exhaust fan 57 is provided to forcibly exhaust the air from inside the cooking chamber 22, it is desirable to increase the rotation speed of the exhaust fan 57 and forcibly exhaust the air from inside the cooking chamber 22 before capturing an image with the camera unit 18. This is because it is possible to capture a clear image with steam and smoke removed from inside the cooking chamber 22.

[0040] <Example of camera unit 18 configuration> Next, a configuration example of camera unit 18 will be described with reference to Fig. 11A to Fig. 12. Fig. 11A is an external perspective view of camera unit 18. Fig. 11B is a configuration diagram of camera unit 18. Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram of how camera unit 18 is attached.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B, the camera unit 18 has a lens unit 18a, a camera board 18b, a board case 18c, a shielding material 18d, an insulating case 18e, an LED 18f, a partition plate 18g, and a cover glass 18h. The lens unit 18a is a component that collects reflected light from the food to be cooked, and is arranged with the imaging direction facing the cooking chamber 22. The camera board 18b is an imaging board equipped with an imaging element (not shown) and an image processing circuit (not shown). The camera board 18b is arranged with the surface on which the lens unit 18a is provided facing diagonally downward so that the imaging direction of the lens unit 18a faces the cooking chamber 22. The board case 18c is a lower case arranged below the camera board 18b arranged diagonally downward, and is made of a resin material to hold and insulate the camera board 18b. The shielding material 18d is a member for reducing noise from the heating coil 14 and the inverter circuit, and is made of a metal material (aluminum plate, aluminum seal, etc.). The insulating case 18e is an upper case arranged on the upper side of the camera board 18b arranged diagonally downward, and is made of a resin material to hold and insulate the metallic shielding material 18d. The LED 18f is a lighting device that irradiates light toward the cooking chamber 22. In the example shown in Figs. 11A and 11B, two LEDs 18f are mounted on the camera board 18b so as to be arranged on both sides of the lens unit 18a. The partition plate 18g is a member for preventing the light irradiated from the LED 18f from directly entering the lens unit 18a, and is arranged between the LED 18f and the lens unit 18a.

[0042] 11B, the cover glass 18h is a transparent window member that transmits light and protects the LEDs 18f and the lens portion 18a. The cover glass 18h has a first window portion 101 that transmits the light reflected from the food to the lens portion 18a and a second window portion 102 that transmits the light emitted from the LEDs 18f to the cooking chamber 22.

[0043] 11C, the camera unit 18 may include an LED board 18k of the lighting device in addition to the camera board 18b. In this embodiment, the partition plate 18g is disposed in the camera unit 18 so as to separate not only the LED 18f and the lens unit 18a, but also the camera board 18b and the LED board 18k.

[0044] 12, the cooking device 10 includes a bottom unit 120 having a bottom part 121 on which the lower heater 26b (FIGS. 5 and 7) and the cooking chamber 22 are mounted, and a bottom cover 122 that covers a part of the side part of the bottom part 121. The camera unit 18 is attached to the side part of the bottom part 121 and is sealed by the bottom cover 122.

[0045] <Method of displaying image data captured by camera unit 18> Next, a display method of the imaging data of the camera unit 18 in the cooking device 10 will be described using the functional block diagram of FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of the cooking device 10 and the mobile terminal 30 (external device). The cooking device 10 can display the imaging data of the camera unit 18 on the front display unit 17b or on the mobile terminal 30 such as a smartphone. Therefore, in this embodiment, the cooking device 10 is configured such that the image processing unit 19a that processes a signal output from the camera board 18b mounted on the camera unit 18 to generate imaging data, and the wireless communication unit 19b that transmits the generated imaging data to the mobile terminal 30 are provided on the image processing board 19. Although not shown, the camera unit 18 and the image processing board 19 are connected by a power cable, and power is supplied from the image processing board 19 to the camera unit 18.

[0046] The mobile terminal 30 acquires the image data of the camera unit 18 via the wireless communication unit 31, and displays the image data on an image display unit 32 such as a liquid crystal display. This allows the user of the cooking device 10 to check the cooking state of the ingredients in the grill unit 20 via his / her mobile terminal 30.

[0047] In addition, although Fig. 13 illustrates a configuration in which imaging data is directly transmitted from the cooking appliance 10 to the mobile terminal 30, the same data may be transmitted via a server (not shown). In this case, the cooking appliance 10 transmits imaging data to the server, and the mobile terminal 30 acquires the imaging data from the server. In addition, in Fig. 13, a configuration in which imaging data of the camera unit 18 is displayed on the mobile terminal 30 is illustrated, but the cooking appliance 10 may be configured to display imaging data of the camera unit 18 on a display device built in the cooking appliance 10. For example, the cooking appliance 10 may be configured to display imaging data of the camera unit 18 on the top display section 15b of the top operation section 15 or the front display section 17b of the front operation section 17.

[0048] <Structure for cooling the camera unit 18> As shown in Fig. 7, the cooking device 10 has the camera unit 18 on the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22. In such a cooking device 10, heat generated during cooking is transferred from the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22 to the camera unit 18, and the camera unit 18 is heated. For this reason, it is desirable for the cooking device 10 to have improved cooling performance for the camera unit 18. Therefore, the cooking device 10 is provided with a structure for cooling the camera unit 18.

[0049] Hereinafter, a structure for cooling the camera unit 18 will be described with reference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling air flowing through the cooking device 10. The cooking device 10 is configured such that a cover glass 18h is installed between the cooking chamber 22 and the camera unit 18, and separates the space inside the cooking chamber 22 from the space (cooling air passage 27) on the side where the camera unit is installed. The cooking device 10 also has a main fan 90 as a fan device for cooling the control board 70 (FIG. 2). The cooking device 10 uses the main fan 90 to cool the camera unit 18. The main fan 90 takes in air from the outside of the cooking device 10 to the inside as the main cooling air Fa for cooling the control board 70 (FIG. 2). The cooking device 10 branches a part of the main cooling air Fa, and sends a branch cooling air Fb for cooling the camera unit 18 into the cooling air passage 27 in which the camera unit 18 is provided. As a result, the cooking appliance 10 uses the diverted cooling air Fb to cool the camera unit 18. The cooling air F shown in FIG. 9 corresponds to the diverted cooling air Fb shown in FIG.

[0050] <Modifications of the camera unit 18> Camera unit 18 can be modified as shown in Fig. 16. Modified examples of camera unit 18 will be described below with reference to Figs. 15A, 15B, and 16. Figs. 15A and 15B are explanatory diagrams of reflected light. Fig. 16 is an explanatory diagram of a modified camera unit 18.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 15A, in the cooking device 10, when dirt 201 adheres to the cover glass 18h, light 202 may be scattered by the dirt 201. The light 202 is a part of the light emitted from the LED 18f, and is totally reflected inside the cover glass 18h. As shown in Fig. 15B, when the light 202 is scattered by the dirt 201, the dirt 201 appears in the captured image, making the captured image unclear and making it difficult to see the food.

[0052] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 16, the cooking device 10 of the modified example has one camera cover glass 18i and two LED cover glasses 18j instead of one cover glass 18h (Fig. 10). The camera cover glass 18i is a first window member for passing the reflected light from the food to be cooked through the lens section 18a, and is used as the first window section 101. The LED cover glass 18j is a second window member for passing the light irradiated from the LED 18f through the cooking chamber 22, and is used as the second window section 102.

[0053] In the cooking device 10 of this modified example, the window portion 100 is composed of a camera cover glass 18i and an LED cover glass 18j, which are separate parts. Therefore, even if dirt 201 (FIG. 15A) adheres to either or both of the camera cover glass 18i and the LED cover glass 18j, the cooking device 10 of the modified example can prevent light 202 (FIG. 15A) reflected by the LED cover glass 18j from entering the camera cover glass 18i and being confused by the dirt 201. As a result, the cooking device 10 of the modified example can prevent the dirt 201 from appearing in the captured image and making the captured image unclear, thereby maintaining the ease of viewing the food.

[0054] <Modifications of the structure for cooling the camera unit 18> The structure for cooling camera unit 18 can be modified as shown in Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. Modified examples of the structure for cooling camera unit 18 will be described below with reference to Fig. 17 and Fig. 18. Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a modified cooking device 10A. Fig. 18 is an explanatory diagram of a modified cooking device 10A.

[0055] As shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the cooking device 10A of the modified example includes a wall air intake 110, a camera cooling fan 111, and a cooling air passage 28. The wall air intake 110 is a through hole for taking in air from the outside of the cooking device 10 to the inside, and is provided on the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22. The camera cooling fan 111 is a cooling fan dedicated to the camera unit 18. In the example shown in Figs. 17 and 18, the camera cooling fan 111 is configured as a sirocco fan. The cooling air passage 28 is an air passage for circulating the cooling air F, and corresponds to the above-mentioned "space on the camera unit installation side". The cooling air passage 28 is provided in place of the cooling air passage 27 (Fig. 9). The camera unit 18 is provided in the cooling air passage 28.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 18, the modified cooking device 10A has an upper heater 26a disposed on an upper heater plate 132, and an upper heater pressing member 131 holds down and fixes the upper heater 26a. The modified cooking device 10A also has a cover glass 18h disposed on a glass base 135, and a glass pressing member 134 holds down and fixes the cover glass 18h. The modified cooking device 10A also has a cover glass 18h and a heat shield 136 disposed between the cooking chamber 22 and the camera unit 18, and is configured to separate the space inside the cooking chamber 22 from the space on the camera unit installation side (cooling air duct 28).

[0057] Cooking appliance 10A cools camera unit 18 using camera cooling fan 111. Cooking appliance 10A drives camera cooling fan 111 to take in air as cooling air F from the outside to the inside of cooking appliance 10 through wall intake port 110 provided on side surface 22d of cooking chamber 22. Cooking appliance 10A cools camera unit 18 by sending cooling air F into cooling air passage 28.

[0058] In addition, the cooking device 10A is configured to provide the wall intake 110 and the camera cooling fan 111 above the camera unit 18, and to allow the cooling air F to flow from above the camera unit 18 downward. This is to make the space below the camera unit 18 narrower than the space above, and to make the internal space of the cooking chamber 22 as wide as possible. In other words, in the cooking device 10A, it is desired to narrow the space below the camera unit 18 in order to make the internal space of the cooking chamber 22 as wide as possible. Therefore, the space below the camera unit 18 does not have much room to install the camera cooling fan 111. In contrast, the space above the camera unit 18 can be made wider than the space below the camera unit 18, so there is room to install the camera cooling fan 111. Therefore, the cooking device 10A is configured to provide the wall intake 110 and the camera cooling fan 111 above the camera unit 18, and to allow the cooling air F to flow from above the camera unit 18 downward.

[0059] <Main features of the cooking device> (1) As shown in Figures 9 and 14, the heating cooker 10 of this embodiment comprises a main body 11, a cooking chamber 22 housed inside the main body 11, a heater 26 which is a heat generating element that heats the food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber 22, a camera unit 18 which is disposed inside the main body 11 and on a side of the cooking chamber 22 and is an imaging means for imaging the food to be cooked, and a cooling air duct 27 which is provided inside the main body 11 and outside the cooking chamber 22 and through which cooling air F flows to cool the camera unit 18 (imaging means).

[0060] In the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment, the cooling performance of the camera unit 18 provided on the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22 can be improved.

[0061] (2) As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 14, the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment includes a top plate 12, a heating coil 14 provided below the top plate 12, a control board 70 provided below the heating coil 14, and a main fan 90 which is a fan device provided on a board stand 73 which is a support member supporting the control board 70 and cools the control board 70. The camera unit 18 (imaging means) is preferably cooled by cooling air Fb which is blown from the main fan 90 (fan device) and diverted into the cooling air passage 27.

[0062] The cooking device 10 according to this embodiment does not have a dedicated cooling fan for the imaging means (camera unit 18), but cools the camera unit 18 (imaging means) using a fan device (main fan 90) for the control board 70 that is originally provided. This allows the cooking device 10 to be reduced in manufacturing cost and to be made smaller by reducing the internal space.

[0063] (3) As shown in Figures 11A and 11B, in the heating cooker 10 of this embodiment, the camera unit 18 (imaging means) preferably includes a lens section 18a (imaging section) that images the food to be cooked, and an LED 18f (lighting device) that is provided on a camera board 18b, which is an imaging board that operates the camera unit 18 (imaging means), and that illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber 22.

[0064] In the heating cooker 10 of this embodiment, the lens section 18a (imaging section) and the LED 18f (lighting device) are provided on the same camera board 18b, which reduces component costs and reduces the internal space, making it possible to achieve miniaturization.

[0065] (4) As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, in the cooking device 10 according to the present embodiment, a partition plate 18g may be provided between the LED 18f (illumination device) and the lens unit 18a (imaging unit).

[0066] In the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment, the LED 18f (illumination device) and the lens unit 18a (imaging unit) are separated by the partition plate 18g, so that reflected light can be prevented from appearing in a captured image.

[0067] (5) As shown in FIG. 16, in the heating cooker 10 of this embodiment, a window portion 100 is provided on the side of the cooking chamber 22, and the window portion 100 preferably has a camera cover glass 18i that functions as a first window portion 101 that passes reflected light from the food to be cooked to the lens portion 18a (imaging portion), and an LED cover glass 18j that functions as a second window portion 102 that passes light from an LED 18f (lighting device).

[0068] In the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment, the window portion 100 is composed of a camera cover glass 18i and an LED cover glass 18j, which are separate components. Therefore, in the cooking device 10 having this configuration, even if dirt 201 (FIG. 15A) adheres to either or both of the camera cover glass 18i and the LED cover glass 18j, it is possible to prevent light 202 (FIG. 15A) reflected by the LED cover glass 18j from entering the camera cover glass 18i and being confused by the dirt 201.

[0069] (6) As shown in Fig. 13, the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment further includes a wireless communication unit 19b that functions as a communication unit for communicating with an external device, that is, a mobile terminal 30. The cooking device 10 may transmit imaging data of the camera unit 18 (imaging means) to the mobile terminal 30 (external device) via the wireless communication unit 19b (communication unit).

[0070] The cooking device 10 according to this embodiment can display an image on the image display unit 32 of the mobile terminal 30, allowing the user to check the cooking state of the ingredients.

[0071] (7) As shown in Figures 17 and 18, a modified heating cooker 10A includes a main body 11, a cooking chamber 22 housed inside the main body 11, a heater 26 which is a heat generating element that heats the food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber 22, a camera unit 18 (imaging means) which is arranged inside the main body 11 and on the side of the cooking chamber 22 and which images the food to be cooked, a wall intake 110 provided on the wall of the main body 11, and a camera cooling fan 111 (cooling fan) which draws in air from the wall intake 110 and blows it to the camera unit 18 (imaging means).

[0072] In the cooking appliance 10A of this modified example, the camera unit 18 can be cooled by the camera cooling fan 111, and therefore the cooling performance of the camera unit 18 provided on the side surface 22d of the cooking chamber 22 can be improved.

[0073] As described above, according to the cooking device 10 according to the present embodiment, the cooling performance of the camera unit provided on the side surface of the cooking chamber can be improved.

[0074] The cooking device 10 according to this embodiment is a device having the following configuration. That is, as shown in Fig. 9 and Fig. 11A to Fig. 11C, the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment includes a main body 11, a cooking chamber 22 housed inside the main body 11, a heater 26 (heating element) that heats the food inside the cooking chamber 22, a lens unit 18a (imaging unit) that is arranged inside the main body 11 and on a side surface of the cooking chamber 22 and captures an image of the food, an LED 18f (illumination device) that is provided on a camera board 18b (imaging board) that operates the lens unit 18a (imaging unit) and illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber 22, and a window unit 100 provided on a side surface of the cooking chamber. As shown in FIG. 16, the window portion 100 is configured to have a camera cover glass 18i that functions as a first window portion 101 that passes reflected light from the food to be cooked to the lens portion 18a (imaging portion), and an LED cover glass 18j that functions as a second window portion 102 that passes light from an LED 18f (lighting device).

[0075] In the cooking device 10 according to this embodiment, the window portion 100 is composed of a camera cover glass 18i and an LED cover glass 18j, which are separate components. Therefore, in the cooking device 10 having this configuration, even if dirt 201 (FIG. 15A) adheres to either or both of the camera cover glass 18i and the LED cover glass 18j, it is possible to prevent light 202 (FIG. 15A) reflected by the LED cover glass 18j from entering the camera cover glass 18i and being confused by the dirt 201.

[0076] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail to easily explain the present invention, and is not necessarily limited to having all of the configurations described. In addition, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of the embodiment with another configuration, and it is also possible to add another configuration to the configuration of the embodiment. In addition, it is possible to add, delete, or replace a part of each configuration with another configuration.

[0077] For example, the camera unit 18 (imaging means) of the modified cooking device 10A can be configured similarly to the camera unit 18 (imaging means) of the cooking device 10 according to the embodiment described above. The camera unit 18 (imaging means) of the modified cooking device 10A can be configured to include, for example, a lens unit 18a (imaging unit) that images the food to be cooked, and an LED 18f (lighting device) that is provided on a camera board 18b that is an imaging board that operates the camera unit 18 (imaging means) and illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber 22. In addition, the modified cooking device 10A can be configured to include a window unit 100 provided on the side of the cooking chamber 22, similar to the cooking device 10 according to the embodiment, and the window unit 100 can include a camera cover glass 18i that functions as a first window unit 101 that passes reflected light from the food to be cooked to the lens unit 18a (imaging unit), and an LED cover glass 18j that functions as a second window unit 102 that passes light from the LED 18f (lighting device). In addition, like the heating cooker 10 according to the embodiment, the heating cooker 10A of the modified example is equipped with a communication unit (wireless communication unit 19b) and can transmit imaging data from the camera unit 18 (imaging means) to an external device via the communication unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 10,10A heating cooker 11 Main unit 11b Partition 18 Camera unit (imaging means) 18a Lens section (imaging section) 18b Camera board (imaging board) 18c Circuit Board Case (Lower Case) 18d Shielding material 18e Insulation case (upper case) 18f LED (lighting device) 18g Partition 18h Cover glass (window) 18i Camera cover glass (first window part) 18j LED cover glass (second window) 18k LED board 19 Image processing board 19a Image processing section 19b Wireless communication unit (communication unit) 20 Grill unit 22 Cooking room 26 Heater (heating element) 26a Upper heater (upper heating element) 26b Lower heater (lower heating element) 27,28 Cooling air passage 30 Mobile terminals (external devices) 70, 70a, 70b Control board 73, 73a, 73b Substrate stand (support member) 90 Main fan (fan unit) 100 Window 101 First window 102 Second window 110 Wall intake (intake) 111 Camera cooling fan (cooling fan) F Cooling air Fa Cooling air (main stream) Fb Cooling air (divided flow)

Claims

1. The main body, A cooking chamber accommodated inside the main body; A heating element for heating food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber; An imaging means arranged inside the main body and on a side surface of the cooking chamber for imaging the food to be cooked; A cooling air duct is provided inside the main body and outside the cooking chamber, and a cooling air duct is provided to flow cooling air for cooling the imaging means. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, A top plate and A heating coil provided below the top plate; A control board provided below the heating coil; a fan device provided on a support member that supports the control board and that cools the control board, the imaging means is cooled by cooling air that is blown from the fan device and diverted into the cooling air duct; A heating cooker characterized by the above.

3. The cooking device according to claim 2, The imaging means is An imaging unit that images the food to be cooked; A lighting device is provided on an imaging board that operates the imaging means and illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

4. The cooking device according to claim 3, A partition plate is provided between the illumination device and the imaging unit. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

5. The cooking device according to claim 4, A transparent window is provided on the side of the cooking chamber, The window portion has a first window portion that passes reflected light from the food to the imaging portion and a second window portion that passes light from the lighting device. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

6. The cooking device according to claim 5, Further, a communication unit for communicating with an external device is provided, Transmitting the imaging data of the imaging means to the external device via the communication unit. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

7. The main body, A cooking chamber accommodated inside the main body; A heating element for heating food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber; An imaging means arranged inside the main body and on a side surface of the cooking chamber for imaging the food to be cooked; An intake port provided on a wall surface of the main body; a cooling fan that draws in air from the intake port and sends the air to the imaging means, A heating cooker characterized by the above.

8. The cooking device according to claim 7, The imaging means is An imaging unit that images the food to be cooked; A lighting device is provided on an imaging board that operates the imaging means and illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

9. The cooking device according to claim 8, A transparent window is provided on the side of the cooking chamber, The window portion has a first window portion that passes reflected light from the food to the imaging portion and a second window portion that passes light from the lighting device. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

10. The cooking device according to claim 9, Further, a communication unit for communicating with an external device is provided, Transmitting the imaging data of the imaging unit to the external device via the communication unit. A heating cooker characterized by the above.

11. The main body, A cooking chamber accommodated inside the main body; A heating element for heating food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber; An imaging unit arranged inside the main body and on a side surface of the cooking chamber, which images the food to be cooked; A lighting device provided on an imaging board that operates the imaging unit and illuminates the inside of the cooking chamber; A window portion provided on a side surface of the cooking chamber; The window portion has a first window portion that passes reflected light from the food to the imaging portion and a second window portion that passes light from the lighting device. Heating cooker.

12. The cooking device according to claim 11, A partition plate is provided between the illumination device and the imaging unit. Heating cooker.

13. The cooking device according to claim 12, and a cooling fan that draws in air from an air intake provided on a wall surface of the main body and sends the air to the imaging unit and the lighting device. Heating cooker.

14. The cooking device according to claim 13, Further, a communication unit for communicating with an external device is provided, transmitting imaging data captured by the imaging unit to the external device via the communication unit; Heating cooker.

Images