Heat cooker

Abstract

To provide a heat cooker that can prevent overheating of an object to be heated.SOLUTION: A heat cooker includes: a heating chamber; an infrared sensor; a movement mechanism capable of moving the infrared sensor to a first position capable of detecting internal temperature of the heating chamber and a second position separated from the heating chamber more than the first position; and a controller for controlling such that the movement mechanism starts to move the infrared sensor toward the first position from the second position in accordance with satisfying a movement condition.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance. [Background technology]

[0002] The cooking appliance of the background art is equipped with an infrared sensor and a motor outside the oven. The motor moves the lens of the infrared sensor between a detection position and a standby position. The detection position is a position when temperature detection inside the oven is performed, and is a position facing the oven interior. The standby position is a position when temperature detection is not performed, and is a position different from the detection position (see Patent Document 1, for example). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-52994 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a cooking device, it is necessary to prevent the food from being overheated.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a cooking device capable of preventing overheating of an object. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A cooking device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a heating chamber, an infrared sensor, a moving mechanism, and a control unit. The moving mechanism is capable of moving the infrared sensor to a first position where the temperature inside the heating chamber can be detected, and a second position that is farther away from the heating chamber than the first position. When a moving condition is satisfied, the control unit starts to move the infrared sensor from the second position toward the first position by the moving mechanism. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cooking device capable of preventing overheating of an object to be heated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of the cooking device. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooking device in FIG. 1 with the door closed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooking device in FIG. 1 with the door open. [Figure 4] 2 is a top view of the cooking device in FIG. 1 with the exterior body and the door removed. FIG. [Diagram 5] 2 is a right side view of the cooking device in FIG. 1 with the exterior body and the door removed. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a rear view of the cooking device in FIG. 1 with the exterior body and the door removed. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the sensor unit in FIG. 7, particularly showing a state in which the detection surface of the infrared sensor faces the interior space. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of the cooking device of FIG. 1. [Figure 10] FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the sensor unit in FIG. 7, particularly showing a state in which the detection surface of the infrared sensor is not facing the interior space. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart of the control unit 10 in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, a cooking device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference characters and the repeated description will be avoided.

[0010] In the following, in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the following description may refer to the mutually orthogonal X, Y, and Z directions. For example, the X, Y, and Z directions indicate the left-right, front-rear, and up-down directions of the cooking device 100 (see, for example, FIG. 1).

[0011] [First embodiment] Fig. 1 is an external perspective view of a cooking device 100. Fig. 2 is a front view of the cooking device 100 in Fig. 1 with the door 3 closed. Fig. 3 is a front view of the cooking device 100 in Fig. 1 with the door 3 open.

[0012] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the cooking device 100 includes an exterior body 1, a heating chamber 2, and a door 3. The exterior body 1 has an outer shape of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The heating chamber 2 is provided inside the exterior body 1. The heating chamber 2 generally has walls 23 to 27 (see Fig. 3). The walls 23 to 27 define an internal space 21 in which an object is placed. The internal space 21 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The front end of the internal space 21 forms an opening 22 that opens forward.

[0013] The door 3 opens and closes the opening 22 by a user operation. In detail, the door 3 is movable between a closed position (position in FIG. 2) and a closed position (position in FIG. 3) in a circumferential direction θ1 of an axis 34 along the left-right direction. When in the closed position, the door 3 abuts against a portion (hereinafter referred to as the "front surface") 11 of the exterior body 1 surrounding the opening 22 and closes the opening 22. On the other hand, when in the open position, the door 3 is separated from the front surface 11 in the circumferential direction θ1 and opens the opening 22. In the embodiment, the axis 34 is located near the lower end 12 of the front surface 11. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the axis 34 may be located near the left end or the right end of the front surface 11.

[0014] The door 3 has a glass 31 , a display unit 32 , and an operation unit 33 .

[0015] The glass 31 has a rectangular shape extending in the vertical and horizontal directions. The glass 31 is translucent, and is attached to the door 3 so that the user can visually check the interior space 21 when the door 3 is in the closed position.

[0016] The display unit 32 and the operation unit 33 are located next to the glass 31 on the door 3. The display unit 32 is, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic electroluminescence panel. The display unit 32 displays various images under the control of the control unit 10 (see FIG. 9). The operation unit 33 includes a plurality of buttons and a rotary dial operated by the user. Each of the plurality of buttons is assigned the function of starting and stopping heating. In addition, the rotary knob sets the menu number, wattage, heating time, etc.

[0017] The walls 23, 24, 26 are a bottom wall, an upper wall, and a right wall. A protrusion 261 and a recess 262 for the infrared sensor 43 (see FIG. 8) are formed in the wall 26 at a position closer to the wall 26 than the wall 23. A through hole 263 is formed in the protrusion 261 and the recess 262. The infrared sensor 43 is exposed to the heating chamber 2 from the through hole 263. The through hole 263 may be formed anywhere among the walls 23 to 27 other than the wall 23.

[0018] Fig. 4 is a top view of the cooking device 100 with the exterior body 1 and the door 3 of Fig. 1 removed. Fig. 5 is a right side view of the cooking device 100 with the exterior body 1 and the door 3 of Fig. 1 removed. Fig. 6 is a rear view of the cooking device 100 with the exterior body 1 and the door 3 of Fig. 1 removed.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the cooking device 100 further includes a generating unit 8, a heater 9, a sensor unit 4, a motor 5, a fan 6, and a duct .

[0020] The generating unit 8 generates microwaves that are radiated toward the inside of the heating chamber 2. According to the cooking device 100, an object to be heated in the heating chamber 2 is heated by microwave heating. The generating unit 8 is, for example, a magnetron.

[0021] The heater 9 generates infrared rays that are radiated toward the inside of the heating chamber 2. According to the cooking device 100, an object to be heated in the heating chamber 2 is heated by infrared heating. The heater 9 is an example of a "heating section" in the present disclosure.

[0022] The sensor unit 4 is disposed in the upper right corner of the heating chamber 2. When attached to the heating chamber 2, the sensor unit 4 has a shape that is long in the front-rear direction.

[0023] The motor 5 is located behind the sensor unit 4 and the wall 27 (i.e., the rear wall) in the front-rear direction. The motor 5 generates power for rotating the sensor unit 4.

[0024] The fan 6 is located inside the exterior body 1, rearward and below the heating chamber 2, and generates wind.

[0025] The duct 7 guides at least a portion of the wind generated by the fan 6 toward the sensor unit 4. In detail, one end of the duct 7 is connected to an outlet (not shown) of the fan 6 so as to allow fluid to flow therethrough. The duct 7 extends from one end of the duct 7 toward the space between the exterior body 1 and the wall 27 (see FIG. 6). The duct 7 further extends upward in the space between the exterior body 1 and the wall 27 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to cover at least a portion of the sensor unit 4 and the motor 5. That is, in the embodiment, the duct 7 guides the wind generated by the fan 6 toward the sensor unit 4 and the motor 5.

[0026] Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device 100 taken along line VII-VII in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the sensor unit 4 in Fig. 7. Fig. 8 shows a state in which the detection surface 43A of the infrared sensor 43 faces the internal space 21 through the through-hole 263.

[0027] 7 and 8, the sensor unit 4 has a substantially cylindrical container 41, a semi-cylindrical rotor 42, and an infrared sensor 43. Therefore, the cooking device 100 is provided with the infrared sensor 43.

[0028] The storage section 41 is made of PPS or the like. The storage section 41 is located between the wall 26 (right wall) and the exterior body 1 along the through hole 263. The storage section 41 is substantially cylindrical and defines a storage space 41A. A through hole 41B is formed in the storage section 41 at a position opposite to the through hole 263.

[0029] The rotating body 42 is substantially semi-cylindrical in shape. The substantially semi-cylindrical rotating body 42 shares an axis 41C with the accommodation portion 41. The rotating body 42 is accommodated in the accommodation space 41A so as to be rotatable around the axis 41C of the substantially cylindrical accommodation portion 41.

[0030] The infrared sensor 43 is fixed between both ends 42B, 42C of the rotor 42. The infrared sensor 43 has an infrared detection surface 43A, and outputs a signal at a level correlated to the amount of infrared energy when infrared rays are incident on the detection surface 43A. The detection surface 43A can be exposed to the interior space 21 through the through holes 263, 41B.

[0031] Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the cooking device 100 of Fig. 1. Fig. 10 is an enlarged view of the sensor unit 4 of Fig. 7, showing the state in which the detection surface 43A of the infrared sensor 43 is farthest from the through-hole 263 around the axis 41C.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 9, the cooking device 100 further includes a control unit 10. Note that Fig. 9 also shows a motor 5 as a main part of the cooking device 100.

[0033] The motor 5 generates power under the control of the control unit 10. The motor 5 is an example of a "moving mechanism" of the present disclosure, and can move the infrared sensor 43 between a first position (position in FIG. 8) where the temperature inside the heating chamber 2 can be detected, and a second position (position in FIG. 10) that is farther from the heating chamber 2 than the first position. More specifically, the first position is a position where the detection surface 43A faces the through holes 263, 41B in the circumferential direction of the axis 41C, as shown in FIG. 8. On the other hand, the second position is a position where the detection surface 43A is 180° away from the first position in the circumferential direction of the axis 41C, as shown in FIG. 10.

[0034] The control unit 10 has a central processing unit or a microcomputer, and controls each component of the cooking device 100.

[0035] In detail, the control unit 10 moves the infrared sensor 43 from the second position to the first position by the motor 5 in response to the satisfaction of a predetermined movement condition. Thus, overheating of the object to be heated is prevented. In detail, since the infrared sensor 43 starts moving early, the object to be heated is prevented from being heated by microwaves during a period when the temperature of the object to be heated is not detected. As a result, overheating of the object to be heated is prevented.

[0036] In detail, the control unit 10 causes the generating unit 8 to generate microwaves after the infrared sensor 43 starts to move toward the first position. After the microwaves are generated, the control unit 10 causes the infrared sensor 43 to reach the first position using the motor 5. After the infrared sensor 43 reaches the first position, the control unit 10 determines the temperature inside the heating chamber 2 based on the output signal from the infrared sensor 43. After the microwaves are generated, the infrared sensor 43 immediately reaches the first position. Therefore, the temperature inside the heating chamber 2 can be determined early, preventing overheating of the object to be heated.

[0037] When the user operation satisfies the movement condition, the control unit 10 starts to move the infrared sensor 43 from the second position toward the first position by the motor 5. Unnecessary movement of the infrared sensor 43 by the control unit 10 is suppressed.

[0038] The heating chamber 2 can accommodate a first object that requires the infrared sensor 43 and a second object that does not require the infrared sensor 43. The operation unit 33 can specify the first object or the second object as the object to be heated by a user operation. The condition for moving is that the first object is specified by a user operation. Therefore, overheating of the first object can be prevented. In addition, the control unit 10 is prevented from moving the infrared sensor 43 unnecessarily.

[0039] A through hole 263 is formed in the heating chamber 2. The first position (see FIG. 8) is, in other words, a position where the infrared sensor 43 is exposed to the heating chamber 2 through the through hole 263. The second position (see FIG. 10) is a position where the infrared sensor 43 is not exposed to the heating chamber 2. Therefore, when the infrared sensor 43 is not in use, the infrared sensor 43 is unlikely to be exposed to high temperatures.

[0040] Preferably, the control unit 10 moves the infrared sensor 43 from the second position to the third position by the motor 5 in response to the satisfaction of the movement condition. The third position is an intermediate position between the second position and the through hole. Therefore, the infrared sensor 43 is unlikely to be exposed to high temperatures, and the infrared sensor 43 quickly reaches the first position.

[0041] Preferably, the control unit 10 returns the infrared sensor 43 to the second position in response to the satisfaction of the return condition after the infrared sensor 43 starts to move from the second position to the first position by the motor 5. Therefore, unnecessary temperature detection by the infrared sensor 43 is suppressed.

[0042] The heater 9 can heat a first object or a second object housed in the heating chamber 2. The operation unit 33 can specify the first object or the second object by a user operation, and can specify the start of heating by the heater 9. The return condition is that the second object and the start of heating are specified by a user operation. Therefore, unnecessary temperature detection by the infrared sensor 43 is suppressed.

[0043] Fig. 11 is a flowchart of the control unit 10 of Fig. 9. This flowchart includes steps S101 to S111. Before the control by the control unit 10 starts, the infrared sensor 43 is in the second position.

[0044] In step S101 of FIG. 11, the control unit 10 determines whether or not the movement condition is satisfied. The movement condition is that a predetermined user operation is performed. The predetermined user operation is at least one of user operations A, B, and C. User operation A is to open the door 3. User operation B is an operation of the operation unit 33. User operation C is to close the door 3. In the embodiment, the predetermined user operation is an operation of adjusting the rotary knob constituting the operation unit 33 to a menu number for defrosting a first object as an object to be heated. In defrosting, there is a concern that the first object may be overheated. Therefore, adjusting the rotary knob to the menu number for defrosting corresponds to an operation of specifying the first object.

[0045] When the control unit 10 determines that the movement condition is satisfied (Yes in step S101), the control unit 10 executes step S102. When the control unit 10 determines that the movement condition is not satisfied (No in step S101), the control unit 10 executes step S108.

[0046] In step S102, the control unit 10 gives a control signal to the motor 5 to generate power. The power is transmitted to the sensor unit 4 through a driving force transmission unit (not shown) such as a gear. As a result, in the sensor unit 4, the rotor 42 rotates in the circumferential direction of the axis 41C, and the infrared sensor 43 starts to move from the second position to the first position.

[0047] In step S103, the control unit 10 starts generating microwaves in the generating unit 8. As a result, microwave heating of the object to be heated placed in the heating chamber 2 starts.

[0048] In step S104, in response to the infrared sensor 43 reaching the first position, the control unit 10 stops providing the control signal to the motor 5. As a result, the infrared sensor 43 stops at the first position.

[0049] In step S105, the control unit 10 starts to identify the temperature of the object to be heated based on the output signal of the infrared sensor 43. That is, the control unit 10 monitors the temperature of the object to be heated.

[0050] In step S106, when a predetermined time has elapsed since step S103, the control unit 10 ends the microwave heating.

[0051] In step S107, the control unit 10 gives a control signal to the motor 5 to generate power. The power is transmitted to the sensor unit 4 through a driving force transmission unit (not shown) such as a gear. As a result, in the sensor unit 4, the rotor 42 rotates in the circumferential direction of the axis 41C, and the infrared sensor 43 moves from the first position to the second position. By executing step S107, the process of FIG. 11 ends.

[0052] In step S108, the control unit 10 determines whether or not to perform infrared heating. Whether or not to perform infrared heating is determined based on whether or not the rotary knob constituting the operation unit 33 has been set to the menu number for oven heating or grill heating. Therefore, setting the rotary knob to the menu number for oven heating or grill heating corresponds to an operation of designating the second object.

[0053] When the control unit 10 determines that infrared heating is to be performed (Yes in step S108), the control unit 10 executes step S109. When the control unit 10 determines that infrared heating is not to be performed (No in step S108), the control unit 10 executes step S111.

[0054] In step S109, the control unit 10 starts infrared heating by the heater 9. In the case of infrared heating, the control unit 10 does not provide a control signal to the motor 5. Therefore, the infrared sensor 43 remains stopped at the second position. That is, the detection surface 43A is located farthest from the internal space 21 that becomes hot.

[0055] In step S110, when a predetermined time has elapsed since step S109, the control unit 10 ends the infrared heating. By executing step S110, the processing in FIG.

[0056] In step S111, the control unit 10 executes another heating process in response to a user operation. After execution of step S111, the process of FIG.

[0057] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the gist of the present invention. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining multiple components disclosed in each of the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components across different embodiments may be appropriately combined. The drawings are mainly shown schematically for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings are different from the actual ones due to the convenience of drawing. In addition, the speed, material, shape, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are examples and are not particularly limited, and various changes are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention.

[0058] (1) Steps S102 and S103 may be modified as follows. That is, in step S102, the control unit 10 moves the infrared sensor 43 from the second position to the third position by providing a control signal to the motor 5. In step S103, the control unit 10 moves the infrared sensor 43 from the third position to the first position, and then causes the generation unit 8 to start generating microwaves.

[0059] (2) After step S102, the control unit 10 may execute the following process. That is, the control unit 10 may return the infrared sensor 43 to the second position by providing a control signal to the motor 5 in response to the satisfaction of the return condition. Examples of the return condition include (a) no user operation for a predetermined time, or (b) a cancel operation of the user operation is executed.

[0060] (3) According to Fig. 11, the control unit 10 executes steps S102, S103, S104, and S105 in the order shown. However, this is not limited to the above, and the control unit 10 may execute steps S103 and S104 in the opposite order. That is, the control may be executed in the order of steps S104 and S103.

[0061] Alternatively, the control unit 10 may execute steps S102, S104, S105, and S103 in the order described above. [Industrial Applicability]

[0062] The cooking device according to the present disclosure has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100: Cooker 2:Heating cabinet 263:Through hole 3: Door 31: Glass 32: Display section 33:Operation section 4: Sensor unit 43: Infrared sensor 43A: Detection surface 5: Motor 8: Generation section 9: Heater 10: Control section

Claims

1. A heating chamber and An infrared sensor; A moving mechanism capable of moving the infrared sensor between a first position capable of detecting a temperature inside the heating chamber and a second position farther from the heating chamber than the first position; a control unit that starts to move the infrared sensor from the second position toward the first position by the movement mechanism in response to a movement condition being satisfied; A heating cooker comprising:

2. Further comprising a generating unit capable of generating microwaves in the heating chamber, The control unit is After the infrared sensor starts moving toward the first position, the microwave is generated by the generating unit; After the microwaves are generated, the infrared sensor is moved to the first position by the moving mechanism, and further The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein after the infrared sensor reaches the first position, a temperature inside the heating chamber is determined based on an output signal from the infrared sensor.

3. The cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control unit starts to move the infrared sensor from the second position toward the first position by the movement mechanism in response to a user operation satisfying the movement condition.

4. The heating chamber can accommodate a first object that requires the infrared sensor and a second object that does not require the infrared sensor, The apparatus further includes an operation unit capable of designating the first object or the second object by the user operation, The cooking device according to claim 3 , wherein the movement condition is that the first object is designated by the user operation.

5. The heating chamber is formed with a through hole, The first position is a position where the infrared sensor is exposed to the heating chamber through the through hole, The cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second position is a position where the infrared sensor is not exposed to the heating chamber.

6. When the movement condition is satisfied, the control unit causes the movement mechanism to move the infrared sensor from the second position to a third position; The cooking device according to claim 5 , wherein the third position is an intermediate position between the second position and the through hole.

7. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the control unit returns the infrared sensor to the second position when a return condition is satisfied after the control unit starts to move the infrared sensor from the second position toward the first position using the moving mechanism.

8. The heating chamber can accommodate a first object that requires the infrared sensor and a second object that does not require the infrared sensor, A heating unit capable of heating the first object or the second object accommodated in the heating chamber; an operation unit capable of designating the first object or the second object by the user operation and designating start of heating by the heating unit; The cooking device according to claim 7 , wherein the return condition is that the second object and the start of heating are designated by the user operation.

Images