Heat cooker

Abstract

To provide a heat cooker that can be configured separately from a sink and further allows maintenance to a top face of a top plate without time and effort.SOLUTION: A heat cooker 1 includes a heating part 4 that is disposed in a top plate 2. The top plate 2 is configured so that water can be poured in the top face while including a heating part-side weir part 24 disposed around the heating part 4 and an outer peripheral-side weir part 25 disposed on the outer peripheral side thereof, and includes an ultrasonic wave generating part 5 for generating an ultrasonic wave so as to propagate to the water W poured in the top face of the top plate 2.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device in which a heating unit is arranged on a top plate. [Background technology]

[0002] In the above-mentioned cooking appliances, a heated object such as a frying pan or pot is placed on a trivet or the like and heated with a heating part such as a burner to perform cooking, but during cooking, the food often boils over, spills, and oil splashes, making the top surface of the top plate easily dirty. However, the top surface of the top plate has a relatively complex shape, with the heating part located there and the annular trivet mounting part, etc., formed as a raised part, making it difficult to clean and maintain.

[0003] Therefore, in order to improve ease of cleaning, a cooking device has been proposed in which the top surface of the top plate has a flat shape with few irregularities, as shown in Patent Document 1. Also, as shown in Patent Document 2, a cooking device has been proposed in which a sink with a roughly horizontal bottom for washing dishes and the like is extended to the side, and a heating unit is located above the expanded portion of the sink that is extended to the side. In the cooking device described in Patent Document 2, water can be made to flow into the expanded portion of the sink, or water can be stored in the expanded portion of the sink. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6076095 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-154730 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the heating cooker described in Patent Document 1, the top surface of the top plate is flat with few irregularities, making it easy to clean with a scrubbing brush or dishcloth, but there are still some irregularities, albeit minor, so it is still difficult to completely clean the top surface of the top plate.

[0006] In the cooking appliance described in Patent Document 2, water can be poured into the enlarged portion of the sink above the heating unit, or cleaning work can be performed with a scrubbing brush or the like while the sink is filled with water, allowing efficient cleaning using the water in the enlarged portion of the sink. However, there is a demand for a cooking appliance that can be easily cleaned and maintained. Furthermore, the cooking appliance described in Patent Document 2 uses a sink, so it is necessary to provide an integrated sink in addition to the cooking appliance itself, which leads to an increase in size and a complex structure.

[0007] In view of this situation, a main object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance that can be constructed separately from a sink and that allows cleaning of the top surface of the cooking top to be performed with less effort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first characteristic configuration of the present invention is a cooking device in which a heating unit is arranged on a top plate, the top plate has a heating unit-side dam portion disposed around the heating unit and an outer periphery-side dam portion disposed on the outer periphery thereof, and is configured so that water can be poured onto the top surface; The heater is provided with an ultrasonic wave generating unit that generates ultrasonic waves and propagates them through water spread on the top surface of the top plate.

[0009] According to this configuration, when dirt adheres to the top surface of the top plate during cooking, the ultrasonic generating unit can be activated while water is poured over the top surface of the top plate, and the dirt adhering to the top surface of the top plate can be removed by ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves that propagate through the water poured over the top surface of the top plate, eliminating or reducing the need for manual cleaning work. Therefore, the top surface of the countertop can be cleaned without any additional effort, while the countertop can be configured separately from the sink.

[0010] A second characteristic configuration of the present invention is that the heating unit is configured by a burner unit that heats a heating object supported by a trivet, A trivet installation portion for installing the trivet is formed in a raised manner around the heating unit side dam portion on the top plate, The height of the outer periphery side dam portion and the heating section side dam portion on the top plate is set higher than the trivet installation portion, and the top plate is configured to be able to be filled with water at a water level higher than the top surface of the trivet installation portion.

[0011] The trivet mounting area is particularly prone to dirt buildup, and its raised shape makes it difficult to clean. In contrast, with this configuration, the top plate is designed to be submerged in water at a level higher than the top surface of the trivet mounting area, ensuring that the trivet mounting area can be submerged. By activating the ultrasonic generator in this state, ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves propagating through the water can remove dirt from the trivet mounting area, making cleaning the top surface of the top plate even easier.

[0012] A third characteristic feature of the present invention is that the ultrasonic wave generating unit is disposed in the trivet installation unit.

[0013] With this configuration, ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves can be applied more directly to the trivet installation area, which is an area that is particularly prone to dirt and is difficult to clean due to its raised shape, and dirt that has adhered to the trivet installation area can be effectively removed.

[0014] A fourth characteristic feature of the present invention is that the ultrasonic wave generating units are distributed over the entire top plate.

[0015] According to this configuration, ultrasonic waves are propagated from ultrasonic generators distributed over the entire top plate into the water stretched over the top surface of the top plate, thereby reducing blind spots in the ultrasonic generators and making it easier to apply ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves to the entire top surface of the top plate.

[0016] A fifth characteristic configuration of the present invention is a water supply means for supplying water to an upper surface of the top plate through a water supply port provided in the top plate; a drainage means for freely draining water from the top surface of the top plate through a drainage port provided in the top plate; a control unit that controls the operating states of the ultrasonic wave generating unit, the water supply means, and the water drainage means; an operation unit, When the operating unit is operated, the control unit activates the water supply means to fill the top surface of the tabletop with water, and after the water is filled, activates the ultrasonic wave generating unit to propagate ultrasonic waves into the water filled on the top surface of the tabletop, and then stops the operation of the ultrasonic wave generating unit and activates the drainage means to perform a tabletop cleaning process by draining water from the top surface of the tabletop.

[0017] According to this configuration, water can be supplied directly to the top plate by the water supply means through a water supply port located on the top plate, and water can be drained directly from the top plate by the drainage means through a drainage port located on the top plate, making it easy to fill the top plate with water and drain it from the top plate. When the operating unit is operated, a top plate cleaning process is executed, and the top plate is cleaned by filling the top surface of the top plate with water, transmitting ultrasonic waves to the water filled on the top surface of the top plate, and draining the water from the top surface of the top plate in that order, so that the top surface of the top plate can be cleaned simply by operating the operating unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] Perspective view of a cooking device [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a cooking appliance when a top plate cleaning process is being performed. [Figure 3] Flowchart showing the operation flow of the top plate cleaning process DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a cooking device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, this cooking device 1 is equipped with a plate-shaped top plate 2 and a box-shaped device main body 3 arranged below the top plate 2. The device main body 3 and the top plate 2 are formed into a rectangular shape that is long in the left-right direction in a plan view. In the central region of the top plate 2, multiple heating units 4 (three in the illustrated example) that heat objects to be heated, such as frying pans and pots, are distributed and arranged.

[0020] Each of the heating sections 4 is a gas combustion type that receives fuel gas from the device main body 3 and heats the object to be heated by burning the fuel gas, and is equipped with a burner section 41 that heats the object to be heated supported by a trivet 42. A trivet installation section 21 having a circular, substantially horizontal installation surface 21a on which a trivet 42 is placed is formed as a raised portion around the burner section 41 on the top plate 2. The trivet 42 is detachable from the trivet installation section 21, and the top plate 2 and the trivet 42 can be cleaned separately after the trivet 42 is removed from the trivet installation section 21.

[0021] The front of the device main body 3 is provided with a grill door 31 for opening and closing a grill chamber (not shown) inside the device main body 3, an operation unit 33 for operating the cooking appliance 1, a display unit 32 for displaying the status of the cooking appliance 1, and an audio output unit (not shown) for outputting the status of the cooking appliance 1 by voice. The operation unit 33 is provided with, for example, an operation button 33a for starting and stopping the heating operation of the heating unit 4 and the grill, an operation knob 33b for adjusting the heating capacity of the heating unit 4 and the grill, and an operation switch 33d for setting an automatic cooking mode and for executing a baking sheet cleaning process (described later). The display unit 32 is provided with, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0022] The device body 3 is provided with a control unit 34 that controls the operating state of the cooking device 1. This control unit 34 is configured to control the operating state of each unit, such as the heating unit 4, display unit 32, and audio output unit, according to the operating state of the operation unit 33.

[0023] 1 and 2, this cooking appliance 1 is configured so that the top plate 2 can be filled with water, so that cleaning of the top plate 2, which is prone to getting dirty during cooking, can be easily performed, and is equipped with an ultrasonic wave generator 5 that propagates ultrasonic waves into water W filled in a water filling area R on the top surface of the top plate 2. Note that Fig. 2 shows a water filling state in which water W is stored in the water filling area R, and the water W filled in the water filling area R is shown in gray. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, this cooking device 1 is provided with a water supply means 6 that can supply water W to the water filling area R through a water supply port 26 provided in the top plate 2, and a drainage means 7 that can drain water W from the water filling area R through a drainage port 27 provided in the top plate 2.

[0024] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the top plate 2 has a heating unit side dam section 24 arranged around the heating unit 4 and an outer periphery side dam section 25 arranged on its outer periphery, and is configured to receive water W in a water filling area R surrounded by the heating unit side dam section 24 and the outer periphery side dam section 25 in a plan view, allowing water to be filled.

[0025] A heating unit-side dam section 24 is provided for each heating unit 4. Each heating unit-side dam section 24 is connected in a circular ring shape surrounding the heating unit 4 in a plan view, and is raised from the inner peripheral edge of the mounting surface 21a of the trivet installation section 21 in the water filling region R of the top plate 2. The outer peripheral dam section 25 is connected in a rectangular shape approximately along the outer peripheral edge of the top plate 2, and is raised from the outer peripheral side of the top plate 2 located on the outer peripheral side of the multiple heating unit-side dam sections 24. The height of the upper ends of the heating unit-side dam sections 24 and the outer peripheral dam section 25 is set higher than the trivet installation section 21, and the top plate 2 is configured so that water can be filled in the water filling region R at a water level higher than the mounting surface 21a of the upper surface of the trivet installation section 21, as shown in FIG. 2 . For example, the outer peripheral dam section 25 is provided with a water level sensor 63 that can detect the level of water W filled in the water filling region R.

[0026] 1, in this embodiment, a water supply port 26 is provided in the top plate 2 at the rear end of one end (the left bridge side in the figure) in the left-right direction of the water filling area R, and a drain outlet 27 is provided at the front end of the other end (the right pillar side in the figure) in the left-right direction of the water filling area R, diagonally separated from the water supply port 26. The arrangement, shape, size, etc. of the water supply port 26 and the drain outlet 27 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the bottom surface of the water filling area R of the top plate 2 can be formed into a slope that slopes downward from the location of the water supply port 26 toward the location of the water drain port 27, making it easier to drain the water after filling it with water. Also, the water drain port 27 can be equipped with a residue filter that captures relatively large dirt and foreign matter in the drainage water.

[0027] As shown in Figure 2, the water supply means 6 is configured using an indoor water supply pipe 8 that is laid indoors and supplies water at the water supply pressure of the water pipe. The water supply means 6 includes a water supply passage 61 that connects the water supply inlet 26 and the indoor water supply pipe 8, and a water supply valve 62 that is interposed in the water supply passage 61 and opens and closes the water supply passage 61. The water supply valve 62 is housed in the device main body 3. The water supply means 6 is configured to supply water at the above-mentioned water supply pressure from the indoor water supply pipe 8 through the water supply passage 61 and the water supply inlet 26 to the water filling area R when the water supply valve 62 opens.

[0028] The drainage means 7 is configured using an indoor drainage pipe 9 laid indoors so as to lead to a predetermined drainage location. The drainage means 7 includes a drainage channel 71 that connects the drain outlet 27 and the indoor drainage pipe 9, and a drainage valve 72 that is interposed in the drainage channel 71 and opens and closes the drainage channel 71. The drainage valve 72 is housed in the device main body 3. The drainage means 7 is configured to drain water from the water-filled area R into the indoor drainage pipe 9 through the drainage outlet 27 and the drainage channel 71 when the drainage valve 72 is opened. In this embodiment, the downstream end of the drainage channel 71 is connected to an indoor drainage pipe 9, but the downstream end of the drainage channel 71 may also be configured to be open to a sink (not shown) adjacent to the cooking appliance 1 so that the wastewater is discharged into the sink.

[0029] 1 and 2, the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 includes an ultrasonic vibrator made of a piezoelectric element or the like, and is configured to emit ultrasonic waves by vibrating in response to an AC drive signal input from the control unit 34. As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 is provided on the tabletop 2 in a state where it is in contact with the underside (rear surface) of the tabletop 2, and by operating it in a water-filled state where water W is filled in the water filling region R, it can generate ultrasonic waves that propagate through the water W filled in the water filling region R.

[0030] 1, in this embodiment, a plurality of ultrasonic wave generating units 5 (six in the illustrated example) are provided, and the plurality of units are distributed over the entire water-filled area R of the top board 2. Specifically, an ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 is disposed in each trivet installation section 21 in the water-filled area R, and is disposed in a plurality of locations (two locations in the illustrated example) that are spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the annular mounting surface 21a of each trivet installation section 21. The arrangement of the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 can be changed as appropriate. For example, instead of or in addition to the mounting surface 21a within the trivet installation section 21, the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 can be arranged on the inclined rising surface 21b that is continuous with the outer periphery of the mounting surface 21a, or further, outside the trivet installation section 21, on the heating unit side dam section 24, the outer periphery side dam section 25, or the bottom surface of the water-filled area R. The number of ultrasonic wave installation sections 5 can also be changed as appropriate.

[0031] The control unit 34 is configured to control the operating states of the water supply means 6, the drainage means 7, and the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 as the operating states of each unit of the cooking appliance 1. The control unit 34 controls the operating states of the water supply means 6, the drainage means 7, and the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 according to the operating state of the operating unit 33. Specifically, when the operation switch 33d of the operating unit 33 is operated, the control unit 34 operates the water supply means 6 to fill the water filling area R with water, and after the water filling, operates the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 to propagate ultrasonic waves into the water W filled in the water filling area R, and then stops the operation of the ultrasonic wave generating unit 5 and operates the drainage means 7 to drain water from the water filling area R, thereby performing a baking sheet cleaning process. The top plate cleaning process executed by the control unit 34 will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

[0032] When the operation switch 33d of the operation unit 33 is turned ON and an operation to execute the top plate cleaning process is performed, a cleaning start notification process is performed (if the answer is Yes in step #1 of FIG. 3, step #2). In this cleaning start notification process, the display unit 32 displays a message that the top plate cleaning process is being executed, and a voice output is made to indicate that the top plate cleaning process will start. The display that the cleaning process is being executed continues until the cleaning completion notification process, which will be described later, is executed.

[0033] After the maintenance start notification process is performed, the water filling process is executed (step #3 in FIG. 3). In this water filling process, the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 is opened, and water W is supplied from the indoor water supply pipe 8 to the water filling area R on the upper surface of the top panel 2 through the water supply path 61 and the water supply port 26. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2, when the water level in the water filling area R reaches a predetermined water level higher than the mounting surface 21a on the upper surface of the trivet installation section 21, the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 is closed, and the water supply is stopped.

[0034] In this embodiment, when the water level sensor 63 detects that the water level on the upper surface of the top plate 2 has reached a predetermined water level, the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 is closed to stop the water supply. Alternatively, for example, the time from when the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 is opened until the water level in the water filling area R reaches a predetermined water level may be calculated and set in advance, and when the set time has elapsed since the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 was opened, the water supply valve 62 of the water supply means 6 may be closed to stop the water supply.

[0035] After the water filling process, an ultrasonic wave generation process is performed in which ultrasonic waves are propagated through the water W filled on the top surface of the tabletop 2 (step #4 in FIG. 3). In this ultrasonic wave generation process, as shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic wave generator 5 installed on the back surface of the tabletop 2 is activated to generate ultrasonic waves, which are then propagated through the water W filled in the water filling region R. For example, in the ultrasonic wave generation process, the ultrasonic wave generator 5 can be continuously operated for a predetermined time (e.g., several minutes), or can be repeatedly operated continuously for a relatively short period of time (e.g., several seconds) within the predetermined time.

[0036] By this treatment, dirt adhering to the upper surface of the top plate 2 can be removed by ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves propagating through the water W in the water-filled region R. Furthermore, in this embodiment, ultrasonic waves are generated from the ultrasonic generating unit 5 located in the trivet mounting portion 21, which is an area that is particularly prone to dirt and is difficult to clean due to its raised shape, so ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves can be applied directly to the trivet mounting portion 21, effectively removing dirt that has adhered to the trivet mounting portion 21. Furthermore, ultrasonic waves are propagated from the ultrasonic generating units 5 distributed over the entire top plate 2 into the water W laid on the top surface of the top plate, so that the dead spots of the ultrasonic generating units 5 are reduced, making it easier to apply ultrasonic vibrations and shock waves to the entire top surface of the top plate 2.

[0037] After the ultrasonic wave generation process is performed, a drainage process is performed to drain the water W filled in the water filling area R (step #5 in FIG. 3). In this drainage process, the drain valve 72 of the drainage means 7 is opened, and the water W, together with dirt, is drained from the water filling area R through the drain outlet 27 and the drainage channel 71 into the indoor drain pipe 9. Then, when the drainage is complete, the drain valve 72 is closed. In this embodiment, the time from when the drain valve 72 of the drainage means 7 is opened until the drainage is complete is calculated and set in advance, and when the set time has elapsed since the drain valve 72 of the drainage means 7 was opened, the drain valve 72 of the drainage means 7 is closed and the drainage is stopped.

[0038] After the drainage process is completed, a cleaning completion notification process is performed (step #6 in FIG. 3). In this cleaning completion notification process, the display on the display unit 32 indicating that the top plate cleaning process is in progress is stopped, and an audio output is made to indicate that the top plate cleaning process has been completed.

[0039] [Another embodiment] Another embodiment of the present invention will now be described. The configurations of the embodiments described below are not limited to being applied independently, but can also be applied in combination with the configurations of other embodiments.

[0040] (1) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which the ultrasonic generating units were dispersed throughout the entire tabletop 2. However, if the ultrasonic generating units are highly effective in removing dirt, it is also possible to arrange, for example, one ultrasonic generating unit in a specific location on the tabletop 2.

[0041] (2) In the above embodiment, when an operation to execute the top plate cleaning process is performed, the control unit executes the top plate cleaning process and automatically performs the water filling process, ultrasonic wave generation process, and drainage process. However, this is not limited to this, and the operations to execute the water filling process, ultrasonic wave generation process, and drainage process may be performed individually, and each process may be performed at its own timing based on the operator's wishes.

[0042] (3) In the above embodiments, the heating unit 4 is of the gas combustion type, but it is not limited to the gas combustion type and may be of the electromagnetic induction type or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1 Cooker 2. Top plate 4 Heating section 5 Ultrasonic generator 6 Water supply means 7 Drainage means 21 Trivet installation area 24 Heating section side dam 25 Outer dam section 26 Water inlet 27 Drain 33 Operation section 34 Control Unit 41 Burner section 42 Trivet W water

Claims

1. A cooking device in which a heating unit is arranged on a top plate, the top plate has a heating unit-side dam portion disposed around the heating unit and an outer periphery-side dam portion disposed on the outer periphery thereof, and is configured so that water can be poured onto the top surface; The cooking device is provided with an ultrasonic wave generating unit that generates ultrasonic waves and propagates them through water spread on the top surface of the top plate.

2. The heating unit is configured with a burner unit that heats a heating object supported by a trivet, A trivet installation portion for installing the trivet is formed in a raised manner around the heating unit side dam portion on the top plate, 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the height of the outer periphery dam portion and the heating unit side dam portion on the top plate is set higher than the trivet installation portion, and the top plate is configured to be able to be filled with water at a water level higher than the top surface of the trivet installation portion.

3. 3. The cooking device according to claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic wave generating unit is disposed in the trivet mounting portion.

4. 4. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic wave generating units are distributed over the entire top plate.

5. a water supply means for supplying water to an upper surface of the top plate through a water supply port provided in the top plate; a drainage means for freely draining water from the top surface of the top plate through a drainage port provided in the top plate; a control unit that controls the operating states of the ultrasonic wave generating unit, the water supply means, and the water drainage means; an operation unit, The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the operating unit is operated, the control unit activates the water supply means to fill the top surface of the top plate with water, and after filling the water, activates the ultrasonic generating unit to propagate ultrasonic waves into the water filled on the top surface of the top plate, and then stops the operation of the ultrasonic generating unit and activates the drainage means to perform a top plate cleaning process to drain water from the top surface of the top plate.

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