Cooker

The cooking device addresses thickness-related doneness variations by adjusting heating unit power based on food thickness, ensuring consistent cooking results.

JP2025185904APending Publication Date: 2025-12-23RINNAI CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024094384
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-06-11
Publication Date
2025-12-23

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional cooking devices result in varying degrees of doneness due to food thickness, leading to surface burning or undercooking issues.

Method used

The cooking device adjusts the heating amount of the upper and lower heating units based on the distance between the food and a reference point, with thicker foods receiving less heat from the upper unit and more heat from the lower unit to prevent burning, while thinner foods receive more heat from the upper unit to prevent undercooking.

Benefits of technology

The device effectively cooks food to the appropriate doneness level regardless of thickness by optimizing heat distribution, preventing surface burning or undercooking.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

To provide a cooker capable of suppressing variations in the degree of toasting due to the thickness of an object to be cooked.SOLUTION: A cooker 40 includes: a mounting member 41; a heating unit 43 having an upper heating unit 61 disposed above the mounting member 41 for heating an object 50 to be cooked mounted on the mounting member 41; a setting unit 333 for setting a specific content according to a distance L between the object 50 to be cooked mounted on the mounting member 41 and a base point C positioned above the object 50 to be cooked in a heating chamber 42; and a control unit 44 for controlling a heating amount of the heating unit 43 on the basis of the specific content. When the heating amount of the upper heating unit 61 in a case where a first specific content corresponding to a first distance L1 is set in the setting unit 333 is a first upper heating amount, and a heating amount of the upper heating unit 61 in a case where a second specific content corresponding to a second distance L2 longer than the first distance L1 is set in the setting unit 333 is a second upper heating amount, the control unit 44 controls the first upper heating amount to be smaller than the second upper heating amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] An example of a conventional cooking device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. This cooking device includes a mounting member, a heating chamber, a heating unit, a setting unit, and a control unit.

[0003] The food to be cooked is placed on the placing member. The heating chamber stores the placing member together with the food to be cooked. The heating section heats the food to be cooked placed on the placing member. The heating section has an upper heating section arranged above the placing member and a lower heating section arranged below the placing member. The control section controls the combustion state of the heating section based on the contents set in the setting section.

[0004] When cooking bread using this cooking appliance, the user places the bread on the placement member inside the heating chamber and selects toast from the à la carte menu using the setting unit. This causes the control unit to automatically cook the bread while controlling the combustion state of the heating unit according to the toast à la carte menu item.

[0005] Specifically, the control unit switches the heat power of the heating units according to the toast à la carte menu item as follows: First, heating is started by setting the heat power of the upper heating unit to high and the heat power of the lower heating unit to low. Then, once a predetermined heat power switching time has elapsed or the temperature inside the heating chamber has reached a predetermined heat power switching temperature, the control unit turns off the upper heating unit and switches the heat power of the lower heating unit to high to continue heating. After the predetermined heating time has elapsed, the lower heating unit is also turned off, ending cooking. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-022425 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, with the above-mentioned conventional cooking appliances, the degree of doneness varies depending on the thickness of the food, resulting in the surface of the food being burnt more than necessary or not being browned properly due to insufficient cooking. This is thought to be because the distance between the food and the upper heating unit changes depending on the thickness of the food placed on the mounting member, and the degree of heating by the upper heating unit set to high heat varies greatly depending on the thickness of the food.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object to be achieved is to provide a cooking device that can suppress variations in doneness of food due to the thickness of the food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first cooking device of the present invention comprises a mounting member on which an object to be cooked is placed; A heating chamber that stores the food to be cooked and the placing member; A heating unit having an upper heating unit arranged above the mounting member for heating the food placed on the mounting member; A setting unit that sets specific content according to the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the placing member and a base point located above the food to be cooked in the heating chamber; a control unit that controls the amount of heat of the heating unit based on the specified content, the distance is a first distance, and a first specific content corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit, the heating amount of the upper heating unit is set as a first upper heating amount; When the distance is a second distance longer than the first distance, and a second specific content corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit, the heating amount of the upper heating unit is set to a second upper heating amount, The control unit controls the first amount of heating from above to be smaller than the second amount of heating from above.

[0010] In the first cooking device of the present invention, when a thick food is placed on the support member, the first distance, which is the distance between the food and a base point located above the food, is shorter than the second distance, which is the distance between the food and the base point when a thin food is placed on the support member. Here, there is a one-to-one correspondence between the distance between the food placed on the support member and the base point located above the food, and the distance between the food placed on the support member and the upper heating unit located above the support member for heating the food. In other words, the thicker the food placed on the support member, the closer the food is to the base point and the upper heating unit. Therefore, thick food is more likely to burn on the top than thin food. On the other hand, when a thin food is placed on the support member, the second distance, which is the distance between the food and the base point, is longer than the first distance, which is the distance between the food and the base point when a thick food is placed on the support member. In other words, when a food is thinner, the food is farther from the base point and the upper heating unit. For this reason, thin food is more likely to be undercooked than thick food.

[0011] In this regard, in this first cooking device, a specific setting corresponding to the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the mounting member and the base point is set in the setting unit, and the control unit controls the heat amount of the upper heating unit based on the specific setting. That is, for a thick food, the distance from the base point becomes the first distance, and the first specific setting corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit. In this case, the control unit controls the heat amount of the upper heating unit to a first upper heating amount that is smaller than the second upper heating amount that would be set in the setting unit if a second specific setting corresponding to the second distance were set in the setting unit. On the other hand, for a thin food, the distance from the base point becomes the second distance, and the second specific setting corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit. In this case, the control unit controls the heat amount of the upper heating unit to a second upper heating amount that is larger than the first upper heating amount that would be set in the setting unit if the first specific setting corresponding to the first distance were set in the setting unit.

[0012] In this way, in this first cooking device, by reducing the amount of heat from the upper heating section for thicker foods, it is possible to prevent the top surface of the thicker foods from burning. On the other hand, by ensuring the amount of heat from the upper heating section for thinner foods, it is possible to prevent the thin foods from being undercooked. As a result, this cooking device can properly cook the foods depending on their thickness.

[0013] Therefore, the first cooking device of the present invention can suppress variations in doneness due to the thickness of the food to be cooked.

[0014] In the first cooking device of the present invention, the heating unit may have a lower heating unit disposed below the mounting member. When the heating amount of the lower heating unit when the first specific content is set in the setting unit is a first lower heating amount, and the heating amount of the lower heating unit when the second specific content is set in the setting unit is a second lower heating amount, it is preferable that the control unit controls the first lower heating amount to be greater than the second lower heating amount.

[0015] As the thickness of the food increases, the heat capacity of the food also increases. As a result, the inside of a thick food is likely to be underheated, while the inside of a thin food is likely to be overheated. In this regard, in this cooking device, when a thick food is being cooked, the first lower heating amount of the lower heating section is controlled to be large, thereby preventing the inside of the thick food from being underheated. On the other hand, when a thin food is being cooked, the second lower heating amount of the lower heating section is controlled to be small, thereby preventing the inside of the thin food from being overheated. As a result, this cooking device can properly cook the inside of the food depending on the thickness of the food.

[0016] The second cooking device of the present invention includes a mounting member on which an object to be cooked is placed; A heating chamber that stores the food to be cooked and the placing member; A heating unit having a lower heating unit arranged below the mounting member for heating the food placed on the mounting member; A setting unit that sets specific content according to the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the placing member and a base point located above the food to be cooked in the heating chamber; a control unit that controls the amount of heat of the heating unit based on the specified content, a first lower heating amount when the distance is a first distance and a first specific content corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit; When the distance is a second distance that is longer than the first distance, and a second specific content corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit, the heating amount of the lower heating unit is set to a second lower heating amount, The control unit controls the first lower heating amount so that the first lower heating amount is greater than the second lower heating amount.

[0017] In the second cooking device of the present invention, similarly to the first cooking device, a specific setting corresponding to the distance between the food item placed on the mounting member and a reference point located above it is set in the setting unit. In the second cooking device, the control unit controls the heat amount of the lower heating unit based on the specific setting. That is, for a thick food item with a large heat capacity, the distance from the reference point becomes the first distance, and a first specific setting corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit. In this case, the control unit controls the heat amount of the lower heating unit to a first lower heating amount that is larger than the second lower heating amount that would be set in the setting unit if a second specific setting corresponding to the second distance were set. On the other hand, for a thin food item with a small heat capacity, the distance from the reference point becomes the second distance, and a second specific setting corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit. In this case, the control unit controls the heat amount of the lower heating unit to a second lower heating amount that is smaller than the first lower heating amount that would be set in the setting unit if the first specific setting corresponding to the first distance were set.

[0018] In this way, in this second cooking device, for thick foods with large heat capacity, the first lower heating amount of the lower heating section is increased, thereby preventing the inside of the thick foods from being undercooked. On the other hand, for thin foods with small heat capacity, the second lower heating amount of the lower heating section is decreased, thereby preventing the inside of the thin foods from being overcooked. As a result, in this second cooking device, the inside of the foods can be cooked to an appropriate degree depending on the thickness of the foods.

[0019] Therefore, the second cooking device of the present invention can suppress variations in doneness due to the thickness of the food to be cooked.

[0020] The first and second cooking appliances of the present invention may be grill devices that heat food by burning fuel gas. If the grill device has an upper heating section, the upper heating section is preferably a surface combustion gas burner that has a combustion surface facing the food and heats the food from above. If the grill device has a lower heating section, the lower heating section is preferably a gas burner for heating a mounting member that has multiple flame ports that spray combustion exhaust into the grill chamber and heats the underside of the mounting member.

[0021] In this case, the entire top surface of the food can be heated with high uniformity by the combustion surface of the surface combustion gas burner facing the food, and by heating the underside of the mounting member with the mounting member heating gas burner, the entire underside of the food can be heated with high uniformity through the mounting member.

[0022] In the first and second cooking devices of the present invention, the food to be cooked may be bread. Preferably, the setting unit is configured to input specific information indicating the number of slices of bread.

[0023] In this case, the user inputs specific information into the setting unit indicating how many slices of bread are to be cooked, which allows the bread to be cooked at the appropriate toasting level according to its thickness with a simple operation. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] The first and second cooking devices of the present invention can suppress variations in doneness due to the thickness of the food to be cooked. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gas stove equipped with a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cooking device of the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cooking device of the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the cooking device of the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a data table showing the strength of the heat of the upper and lower burners and the combustion time for the cooking device of the embodiment when the bread is cut into four slices, five slices, and six slices. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the control operation of the cooking device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The gas stove 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a so-called built-in gas stove that is installed in a kitchen, etc. This gas stove 1 is equipped with a grill device 40 as an example of the first cooking device and the second cooking device of the present invention.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, this gas stove 1 comprises an appliance body 10 with an open top, and a top plate 11 that covers the opening on the top of the appliance body 10 from above. In Figure 1, the front surface 10a of the appliance body 10 is defined as the front of the gas stove 1, the depth direction of the gas stove 1 when viewed from the front is defined as the front-to-back direction, the width direction perpendicular to the front-to-back direction is defined as the left-to-right direction, and the height direction perpendicular to the front-to-back and left-to-right directions is defined as the up-to-down direction, and the front-to-back direction, left-to-right direction, and up-to-down directions are shown.

[0028] The appliance body 10 has a generally rectangular box shape. Inside the appliance body 10, three stove burners 20 and a grill device 40 for grilling are provided.

[0029] The stove burners 20 have the same configuration as known stove burners, and burn fuel gas supplied from an external source. Each stove burner 20 has the same configuration. The stove burners 20 have a first stove burner 21 located on the right side of the front of the top plate 11, a second stove burner 22 located on the left side of the front of the top plate 11, and a third stove burner 23 located in the center of the rear of the top plate 11.

[0030] Although not shown in the figure, a stove gas supply path branching off from a main gas supply path through which fuel gas is supplied from the outside is connected to the stove burners 20. When the fuel gas supplied from the stove gas supply path is ignited by an ignition electrode, each stove burner 20 is ignited, and an object to be heated (not shown) placed on the trivet 12 (described later) can be heated.

[0031] The top plate 11 is made of heat-resistant glass and has a generally rectangular shape extending in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions. Three trivets 12 are arranged on the top plate 11. Each trivet 12 is positioned to surround a corresponding stove burner 20. An object to be heated is placed on the trivet 12, and the object is heated by the stove burner 20. An exhaust port 13 is formed at the rear of the top plate 11.

[0032] This gas stove 1 has a switch group 30. The switch group 30 is provided on the front surface 10a of the appliance body 10. The switch group 30 is used by the user to issue desired instructions and various settings to a controller 44, which will be described later.

[0033] The switch group 30 includes, for example, a power switch 31 that switches the power of the gas stove 1 on and off, a stove burner operation unit 32 that performs operations such as igniting and extinguishing each stove burner 20 and adjusting the flame power, and a grill burner operation unit 33 that performs operations such as igniting and extinguishing and adjusting the flame power of the grill burner 43 described below.

[0034] The stove burner operation unit 32 is located on the front surface 10a of the appliance body 10 to the right of the grill door 46, which will be described later. The stove burner operation unit 32 has three stove switches 321, a stove display unit 322, and a stove setting unit 323. The user uses each stove switch 321 to turn on and off the stove burners 20 and adjust the flame power. The stove display unit 322 displays the operating status of each stove burner 20. The stove setting unit 323 allows the user to start and stop automatic cooking using the stove burners 20, as well as to perform settings for automatic cooking.

[0035] The grill burner operating section 33 is disposed to the left of a grill door 46 (described later) on the front surface 10a of the appliance body 10. The grill burner operating section 33 will be described in detail later.

[0036] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, grill device 40 includes cooking plate 41, grill chamber 42, grill burner 43, and controller 44. Cooking plate 41 is an example of the "mounting member" of the present invention. Grill chamber 42 is an example of the "heating chamber" of the present invention. Grill burner 43 is an example of the "heating unit" of the present invention. Controller 44 is an example of the "control unit" of the present invention.

[0037] Cooking plate 41 is used to place food 50. Cooking plate 41 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, such as aluminum.

[0038] The grill chamber 42 is installed inside the appliance body 10. The grill chamber 42 is generally box-shaped with an open front. Inside the grill chamber 42, a cooking plate 41, a grill pan 47, etc. are stored.

[0039] The front opening of the grill chamber 42 is closed from the front by a grill door 46 that slides back and forth. A sliding frame extending rearward is connected to the grill door 46. A support plate that supports a grill pan 47 is fixed to the sliding frame. A support frame 48 that supports a cooking plate 41 is erected on the support plate. When cooking meat, fish, etc., a grill grate (not shown) may be supported on the support frame 48 instead of the cooking plate 41. This allows the grill pan 47, support frame 48, cooking plate 41, etc. to be pulled out from inside the grill chamber 42 by pulling the grill door 46 forward. The sliding frame and support plate are not shown.

[0040] Although not shown, an exhaust opening is formed on the rear surface of the grill chamber 42, which is connected to the exhaust port 13 of the top plate 11 via an exhaust duct. This allows smoke and cooking exhaust generated inside the grill chamber 42 to be discharged to the outside via the exhaust opening, exhaust duct, and exhaust port 13.

[0041] The grill burner 43 has an upper burner 61 and a pair of left and right lower burners 62. The upper burner 61 is an example of the "upper heating section" in the present invention. The lower burners 62 are an example of the "lower heating section" in the present invention.

[0042] The top-fire burner 61 is disposed in the upper part of the grill chamber 42, above the cooking plate 41. The top-fire burner 61 corresponds to the "surface combustion gas burner" of this invention.

[0043] The upper-fire burner 61 is fixed to the upper wall 421 of the grill chamber 42. A ceramic combustion plate 63 is provided on the underside of the upper-fire burner 61. The combustion plate 63 extends above the cooking plate 41 in a U-shape to occupy the entire area of ​​the cooking plate 41. The underside of the combustion plate 63 is the combustion surface 63a, on which multiple upper flame ports 63b are formed in a two-dimensional distribution. The combustion surface 63a faces the cooking plate 41 and the food 50 placed on the cooking plate 41. When the upper-fire burner 61 is ignited, a flame is formed across the entire combustion surface 63a, and combustion exhaust and radiant heat are emitted downward. In addition, a shielding cover 422 is fixed to the upper wall 421 of the grill chamber 42, covering the upper part of the upper-fire burner 61. Note that the ceramic combustion plate 63 may be replaced with a sheet metal combustion plate.

[0044] The bottom burner 62 is disposed in the lower part of the grill chamber 42, below the cooking plate 41. The bottom burner 62 corresponds to the "gas burner for heating a mounting member" in this invention.

[0045] The grill chamber 42 has inlets 424 extending longitudinally at the bottom of its left and right side walls 423. The inlets 424 are located below the underside 41a of the cooking plate 41. A pair of lower burners 62 are disposed on the outside of the left and right side walls 423 of the grill chamber 42. Each lower burner 62 extends longitudinally along the side wall 423. Each lower burner 62 has multiple lower flame ports 62a aligned longitudinally and facing the inlets 424. The lower flame ports 62a are an example of the "flame port" defined in the present invention. The lower flame ports 62a face the center of the grill chamber 42 and eject combustion exhaust into the grill chamber 42. Instead of the pair of lower burners 62, a surface combustion gas burner with a ceramic or sheet metal combustion plate or an electromagnetic induction heater with an IH coil may be disposed in the lower part of the grill chamber 42, below the cooking plate 41.

[0046] 2, the grill device 40 is provided with a grill supply path 71 that branches off from a main supply path (not shown) through which fuel gas is supplied from the outside. The grill supply path 71 branches off into an upper-fire supply path 72 and a lower-fire supply path 73. The upper-fire supply path 72 is connected to the upper burner 61, and the lower-fire supply path 73 further branches off and is connected to each of the lower burners 62. The grill supply path 71 is provided with a solenoid valve 74 that cuts off the supply of fuel gas to the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. The upper-fire supply path 72 is provided with an upper-fire flow rate adjustment valve 75 that adjusts the amount of fuel gas supplied to the upper burner 61, and the lower-fire supply path 73 is provided with a lower-fire flow rate adjustment valve 76 that adjusts the amount of fuel gas supplied to the lower burner 62.

[0047] The opening / closing and opening degrees of these solenoid valves 74, upper-fire flow rate adjustment valve 75, and lower-fire flow rate adjustment valve 76 are controlled by the controller 44. Specifically, by adjusting the opening degree of the upper-fire flow rate adjustment valve 75 while the upper burner 61 is burning, the heat power of the upper burner 61 can be switched between high and low. Also, by adjusting the opening degree of the lower-fire flow rate adjustment valve 76 while both lower burners 62 are burning, the heat power of both lower burners 62 can be switched between high and low. Furthermore, by closing the lower-fire flow rate adjustment valve 76 and adjusting the opening degree of the upper-fire flow rate adjustment valve 75 while the upper burner 61 and both lower burners 62 are burning, the heat power of the upper burner 61 can be switched between high and low while both lower burners 62 are extinguished. Furthermore, by closing the upper burner flow rate adjustment valve 75 and adjusting the aperture of the lower burner flow rate adjustment valve 76 while the upper burner 61 is burning and extinguishing the upper burner 61, the heat power of both lower burners 62 can be switched between high and low. Furthermore, by closing the solenoid valve 74 while the upper burner 61 and both lower burners 62 are burning, the upper burner 61 and both lower burners 62 can be extinguished. The heat power of the upper burner 61 and the lower burners 62 may be switched between three or more stages.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1 , the grill burner operating unit 33 has a grill switch 331, a grill display unit 332, and a grill setting unit 333. The grill setting unit 333 is an example of the "setting unit" of the present invention. The grill switch 331 is used by the user to turn on and off the grill burner 43. The grill display unit 332 displays the operating status of the grill burner 43, etc. The grill setting unit 333 is used by the user to perform various setting operations related to automatic cooking and specific cooking. For example, if the specific cooking is cooking bread, the user can select the toast mode on the grill setting unit 333.

[0049] The controller 44 is installed inside the appliance body 10. Although not shown, the controller 44 is a microcomputer equipped with a CPU, a memory unit (ROM, RAM, etc.), a timer, etc., and in which a predetermined control program and a predetermined data table are stored in advance. The controller 44 controls the stove burner 20 and the grill burner 43 in accordance with the control program and data table, in response to various setting operations by the user on the switch group 30, to perform automatic cooking or specific cooking operations.

[0050] For example, when a specific cooking setting is made in the grill setting section 333, the controller 44 controls the operation of the upper fire flow control valve 75 and the lower fire flow control valve 76, etc., according to the setting, thereby changing the heat power and combustion time of the upper fire burner 61 and the lower fire burner 62 in the grill burner 43 and performing the specific cooking operation.

[0051] In this grill device 40, a specific setting can be set in the grill setting section 333 according to the distance L (see FIG. 2) between the food 50 placed on the cooking plate 41 and the upper burner 61 in the grill chamber 42. Specifically, a specific setting can be set in the grill setting section 333 according to the distance L between the food 50 placed on the cooking plate 41 and a base point C (see FIG. 2, etc.) on the combustion surface 63a of the upper burner 61, which is a point located above the food 50. That is, in this grill device 40, a point on the combustion surface 63a of the upper burner 61 is used as the base point C. Then, based on the specific setting set in the grill setting section 333, the controller 44 controls the operation of the upper burner flow rate adjustment valve 75 and the lower burner flow rate adjustment valve 76, etc., to control the heating amounts of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 of the grill burner 43. The heating amount here is the integrated value of the heating power and the combustion time. If the amount of heat is replaced with the input, the amount of heat is the product of the input and the burning time.

[0052] The following describes an example in which the grill device 40 is used to cook bread as the food 50.

[0053] As shown in Fig. 3, when thick-sliced ​​bread 51, such as four slices, is placed on cooking plate 41, the distance L between thick-sliced ​​bread 51 and upper-fire burner 61 is a first distance L1. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, when thin-sliced ​​bread 52, such as six slices, is placed on cooking plate 41, the distance L between thin-sliced ​​bread 52 and upper-fire burner 61 is a second distance L2 that is longer than first distance L1.

[0054] In this case, the user inputs a specification corresponding to the distance L, i.e., a specification indicating how many slices the bread to be cooked is, into the grill setting unit 333. For example, a user who intends to cook thick-cut bread 51 with four slices inputs into the grill setting unit 333 the first specification corresponding to the first distance L1 that the bread is to be cut into four slices. A user who intends to cook thin-cut bread 52 with six slices inputs into the grill setting unit 333 the second specification corresponding to the second distance L2 that the bread is to be cut into six slices. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the user can specify the number of slices using the grill setting unit 333 according to the selection screen displayed on the grill display unit 332, and a signal corresponding to the specification is sent to the controller 44.

[0055] Figure 5 is a data table showing the burning time for 4-slice bread, 5-slice bread, and 6-slice bread when the heat output of the upper burner 61 is high or low, and the burning time when the heat output of the lower burner 62 is high or low.

[0056] 5, the relationship between the magnitude of strong heating power and the magnitude of weak heating power in the upper burner 61, the relationship between the magnitude of strong heating power and the magnitude of weak heating power in the lower burner 62, and the relationship between the magnitude of strong heating power in the upper burner 61 and the magnitude of strong heating power in the lower burner are as follows: In the data table of FIG. 5 and the flowchart of FIG. 6, "upper fire" refers to the upper burner 61, and "lower fire" refers to the lower burner 62.

[0057] That is, when the input of the upper burner 61 at high heat is A (kW), the input of the upper burner 61 at low heat is the product of A and P (for example, 0.6≦P≦0.9). Similarly, when the input of the lower burner 62 at high heat is B (kW), the input of the lower burner 62 at low heat is the product of B and Q (for example, 0.6≦Q≦0.9). The magnitude relationship between A and B is not particularly limited and is set appropriately depending on the type and size of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. In this embodiment, A>B. The values ​​of A, B, P, and Q are set to predetermined values ​​in advance based on actual test data.

[0058] As shown in Figure 5, when comparing the combustion times of the top-fire burner 61 for four-slice to six-slice bread, the combustion time for four slices is significantly shorter than the combustion time for five slices. This is for the following reason. The top-fire burner 61, which is a surface-combustion gas burner, has the characteristic that when the distance L between the food 50 and the top-fire burner 61 becomes shorter than a certain boundary value L0, the influence of the flame from the top-fire burner 61 on the food 50 increases rapidly. In this embodiment, because there is a boundary value L0 for the distance L between the four-slice and five-slice breads, the influence of heat from the top-fire burner 61 increases rapidly when the food is cut into four slices, resulting in an extremely short combustion time.

[0059] Next, the control operation of grill device 40 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6 for the cases where four-slice bread, five-slice bread, and six-slice bread are cooked.

[0060] First, the user places the bread to be cooked on the cooking plate 41 and stores the cooking plate 41 together with the bread in the grill chamber 42.

[0061] Then, when the user presses power switch 31, grill device 40 is powered on. In this state, the user can select a specific cooking mode using grill setting section 333. Therefore, the user selects the toast mode using grill setting section 333 (step S1).

[0062] If the toast mode is selected in step S1, the user can set the number of slices of bread to be cooked in the grill setting section 333 (step S2).

[0063] The user who set the four-slice setting in step S2 (yes in step S2) performs an ignition operation on the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 (yes in step S3). As a result, the heat power of the upper burner 61 is set to high heat power, and the heat power of the lower burner is also set to high heat power, and cooking of four-slice bread using the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 begins (step S4).

[0064] At the same time that the ignition operation is performed in step S3, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 1. In this embodiment, the switching time 1 is set to 140 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0065] Then, when the switching time 1 has elapsed (yes in step S5), the controller 44 changes the combustion states of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, the controller 44 extinguishes the upper burner 61 while maintaining the heat power of the lower burner 62 at high heat power (step S6).

[0066] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 2. In this embodiment, the switching time 2 is set to 200 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0067] Then, when the switching time 2 has elapsed (yes in step S7), the controller 44 again changes the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, the upper burner 61 is kept extinguished, and the heat power of the lower burner 62 is changed to low heat (step S8).

[0068] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 3. In this embodiment, the switching time 3 is set to 120 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0069] Then, when the switching time 3 has elapsed (yes in step S9), the controller 44 extinguishes the lower burner 62, and ends cooking of the four-slice bread.

[0070] On the other hand, if the user does not set the grill setting unit 333 to 4 slices in step S2 (no in step S2) but sets 5 slices in step S10 (yes in step S10), the user performs an ignition operation on the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 (yes in step S11). As a result, the heat power of the upper burner 61 is set to high heat power, and the heat power of the lower burner is also set to high heat power, and cooking of 5 slices of bread is started by the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 (step S12).

[0071] At the same time that the ignition operation is performed in step S11, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 4. In this embodiment, the switching time 4 is set to 180 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0072] Then, when the switching time 4 has elapsed (yes in step S13), the controller 44 changes the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, while maintaining the heat power of the upper burner 61 at high heat power, it changes the heat power of the lower burner 62 to low heat power (step S14).

[0073] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 5. In this embodiment, the switching time 5 is set to 160 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0074] Then, when the switching time 5 has elapsed (yes in step S15), the controller 44 again changes the combustion states of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, the upper burner 61 is extinguished while the heat power of the lower burner 62 is maintained at a low heat power (step S16).

[0075] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 6. In this embodiment, the switching time 6 is set to 130 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0076] Then, when the switching time 6 has elapsed (yes in step S17), the controller 44 extinguishes the lower burner 62, and ends cooking of the five-slice bread.

[0077] On the other hand, if the user does not set the grill setting unit 333 to 5 slices in step S10 (no in step S10) but sets 6 slices in step S18 (yes in step S18), the user performs an ignition operation on the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 (yes in step S19). As a result, the heat power of the upper burner 61 is set to high heat power, and the heat power of the lower burner is also set to high heat power, and cooking of 6 slices of bread is started using the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 (step S20).

[0078] At the same time that the ignition operation is performed in step S19, the controller 44 starts a timer set to the switching time 7. In this embodiment, the switching time 7 is set to 200 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0079] Then, when the switching time 7 has elapsed (yes in step S21), the controller 44 changes the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, while maintaining the heat power of the upper burner 61 at high heat power, it changes the heat power of the lower burner 62 to low heat power (step S22).

[0080] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 8. In this embodiment, the switching time 8 is set to 180 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0081] Then, when the switching time 8 has elapsed (yes in step S23), the controller 44 again changes the combustion states of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62. That is, the heating power of the upper burner 61 is changed to low heating power, and the lower burner 62 is extinguished (step S24).

[0082] At this time, simultaneously with the change in the combustion state of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62, the controller 44 starts a timer set to a switching time 9. In this embodiment, the switching time 9 is set to 120 seconds (see FIG. 5).

[0083] Then, when the switching time 9 has elapsed (yes in step S25), the controller 44 turns off the upper fire burner 61, and ends cooking of the 6-slice bread.

[0084] When we cooked four-slice, five-slice, and six-slice bread in this way, the surface of each loaf was properly browned and the inside of the bread was also properly heated.

[0085] According to the data table shown in FIG. 5 based on actual test data, the heating amounts of the upper burner 61 and the lower burner 62 for four slices, five slices, and six slices are as shown in Table 1.

[0086] [Table 1]

[0087] As shown in Table 1, when comparing the magnitude of the heating amount of the upper-fire burner 61 for 4-cut, 5-cut, and 6-cut slices, the relationship is 140A < 340A < (380A + 120AP), i.e., (heating amount for 4-cut slices) < (heating amount for 5-cut slices) < (heating amount for 6-cut slices). Here, for the upper burner 61, the heating amount for 4-cut slices corresponds to the "first upper heating amount" in the present invention, and the heating amount for 6-cut slices corresponds to the "second upper heating amount" in the present invention. Also, for the upper-fire burner 61, the heating amount for 5-cut slices corresponds to the "second upper heating amount" in the present invention relative to the heating amount for 4-cut slices, and corresponds to the "first upper heating amount" in the present invention relative to the heating amount for 6-cut slices.

[0088] This confirmed that when cooking thick-sliced ​​bread, by setting the heating amount of the upper fire burner 61 to be smaller than that when cooking thin-sliced ​​bread, it is possible to prevent the surface of even thick-sliced ​​bread from browning more than necessary. On the other hand, when cooking thin-sliced ​​bread, by setting the heating amount of the upper fire burner 61 to be larger than that when cooking thick-sliced ​​bread, it was confirmed that the surface of even thin-sliced ​​bread can be appropriately browned.

[0089] Furthermore, as shown in Table 1, when comparing the magnitude of the heating amount of the bottom burner 62 for 4 slices, 5 slices, and 6 slices, the result is (340B + 120BQ) > (180B + 290BQ) > (200B + 180BQ), i.e., (heating amount for 4 slices) > (heating amount for 5 slices) > (heating amount for 6 slices). Here, for the bottom burner 62, the heating amount for 4 slices corresponds to the "first lower heating amount" in this invention, and the heating amount for 6 slices corresponds to the "second lower heating amount" in this invention. Furthermore, for the bottom burner 62, the heating amount for 5 slices corresponds to the "second lower heating amount" in this invention with respect to the heating amount for 4 slices, and corresponds to the "first lower heating amount" in this invention with respect to the heating amount for 6 slices.

[0090] This confirmed that when cooking thick-sliced ​​bread, the heating amount of the bottom fire burner 62 can be made larger than the heating amount of the bottom fire burner 62 when cooking thin-sliced ​​bread, thereby making it possible to properly heat even thick-sliced ​​bread to the inside. On the other hand, when cooking thin-sliced ​​bread, the heating amount of the bottom fire burner 62 can be made smaller than the heating amount of the bottom fire burner 62 when cooking thick-sliced ​​bread, thereby making it possible to prevent the inside of even thin-sliced ​​bread from being overheated.

[0091] Therefore, the grill device 40 of the embodiment can suppress variations in the degree of doneness of bread due to the thickness of the bread.

[0092] In particular, in this grill device 40, the upper burner 61 is a surface combustion gas burner, which allows for highly even heating of the entire surface of bread placed on the cooking plate 41. Also, in this grill device 40, the lower burner 62 is a gas burner for heating the cooking plate, and combustion exhaust and radiant heat from the flame are emitted from both the left and right sides of the grill chamber 42 toward the center of the grill chamber 42, allowing for highly even heating of the entire underside 41a of the cooking plate 41. Then, using the grill device 40 provided on the gas stove 1, bread can be cooked to the appropriate degree of doneness depending on the thickness of the bread.

[0093] Furthermore, with this grill device 40, the specific information indicating how many slices of bread are to be cooked can be input into the grill setting section 333, making it highly convenient as it allows for appropriate cooking according to the thickness of the bread.

[0094] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the examples, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above examples and can be modified and applied as appropriate within the scope of the invention.

[0095] In the embodiment, the base point C is a point on the combustion surface 63a of the upper fire burner 61, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the base point may be located above the mounting member within the heating chamber, for example, on the upper wall surface of the heating chamber.

[0096] In the embodiment, the case of cooking 4 to 6 slices of bread has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be similarly applied to the case of cooking 8 slices, 10 slices, or other slices of bread.

[0097] In the embodiment, the food to be cooked is a loaf of bread, such as four or five slices, and the user inputs the number of slices of bread into the setting unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to cases where the food to be cooked is a loaf of bread cut into appropriate thicknesses, or where the food to be cooked is meat such as thigh or steak, or fish. In these cases, a distance measuring sensor or the like can be installed in the heating chamber to measure the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the mounting member and the upper heating unit, and the measurement result can be automatically set in the setting unit by the control unit as the specific content.

[0098] In the embodiment, the specific content corresponding to the distance L between the food 50 placed on the cooking plate 41 and the upper burner 61 is set in the grill setting section 333, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the specific content corresponding to the distance between the food placed on the placement member and the upper wall surface inside the heating chamber may be set in the setting section.

[0099] In the embodiment, a pair of left and right bottom burners 62 are arranged on the left and right side walls 423 of the grill chamber 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as the bottom burner, a gas burner for heating a mounting member, which has a circular outer shape and has multiple flame ports facing radially outward on its outer circumferential surface, may be arranged in the center of the bottom wall of the heating chamber.

[0100] In the embodiment, gas burners are used as the upper and lower heating sections, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the heating sections may be electromagnetic induction heating (IH) type, or may be electric heating sections (such as sheath heaters) that heat nichrome wire to red heat.

[0101] In the embodiment, the present invention is applied to a grill device mounted on a gas stove, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to a standalone grill device. [Industrial Applicability]

[0102] The present invention can be used, for example, in kitchens in homes and kitchen equipment in facilities. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 40...Grill device (heating cooker) 41...Cooking plate (mounting member) 42...Grill compartment (heating compartment) 43...Grill burner (heating part) 44...Controller (control unit) 50...To be cooked 61...Top burner (upper heating part, surface combustion gas burner) 62... Lower fire burner (lower heating part, gas burner for heating mounted member) 62a...Lower flame nozzle (flame nozzle) 63a...burning surface 333...Grill setting unit (setting unit)

Claims

1. A placing member on which the food to be cooked is placed; A heating chamber that stores the food to be cooked and the placing member; A heating unit having an upper heating unit arranged above the mounting member for heating the food placed on the mounting member; A setting unit that sets specific content according to the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the placing member and a base point located above the food to be cooked in the heating chamber; a control unit that controls the amount of heat of the heating unit based on the specified content, a first upper heating amount is set as a heating amount of the upper heating unit when the distance is a first distance and a first specific content corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit; When the distance is a second distance that is longer than the first distance, and a second specific content corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit, the heating amount of the upper heating unit is set to a second upper heating amount, The cooking device, wherein the control unit controls the first amount of heating from above to be smaller than the second amount of heating from above.

2. the heating unit has a lower heating unit disposed below the mounting member, a heating amount of the lower heating unit when the first specific content is set in the setting unit is a first lower heating amount; When the heating amount of the lower heating unit when the second specific content is set in the setting unit is a second lower heating amount, The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the first lower heating amount to be greater than the second lower heating amount.

3. the cooking device is a grill device that heats the food to be cooked by combustion of fuel gas, The upper heating unit is a surface combustion gas burner having a combustion surface facing the food to be cooked and heating the food from above, 3. The cooking device according to claim 2, wherein the lower heating section is a gas burner for heating a mounting member, the gas burner having a plurality of flame ports for ejecting combustion exhaust gas into the heating chamber and for heating the lower surface of the mounting member.

4. A placing member on which the food to be cooked is placed; A heating chamber that stores the food to be cooked and the placing member; A heating unit having a lower heating unit arranged below the mounting member for heating the food placed on the mounting member; A setting unit that sets specific content according to the distance between the food to be cooked placed on the placing member and a base point located above the food to be cooked in the heating chamber; a control unit that controls the amount of heat of the heating unit based on the specified content, a first lower heating amount when the distance is a first distance and a first specific content corresponding to the first distance is set in the setting unit; When the distance is a second distance that is longer than the first distance, and a second specific content corresponding to the second distance is set in the setting unit, the heating amount of the lower heating unit is set to a second lower heating amount, The cooking device, wherein the control unit controls the first lower heating amount so that the first lower heating amount is greater than the second lower heating amount.

5. the cooking device is a grill device that heats the food to be cooked by combustion of fuel gas, 5. The cooking device according to claim 4, wherein the lower heating section is a gas burner for heating a mounting member, the gas burner having a plurality of flame ports for ejecting combustion exhaust gas into the heating chamber and for heating the lower surface of the mounting member.

6. The food to be cooked is bread, The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the setting unit inputs the specific content indicating how many slices the bread is to be cut into.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Heating cooker with grill

    JP2010022425A