Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a cooking device that can ensure uniform temperature distribution on the top surface of the cooking plate. [Solution] The heating cooker comprises a heating chamber, an irradiation device that irradiates microwaves from below toward the inside of the heating chamber, a cooking plate positioned inside the heating chamber to support the food to be heated, and a heating element attached to the bottom surface of the cooking plate that absorbs microwaves and generates heat, wherein the heating element comprises a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness different from the first thickness.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to a heating cooker that heats an object to be heated.

Background Art

[0002] A heating device is disclosed that includes a heating chamber and a cooking tray disposed inside the heating chamber, and irradiates microwaves generated by a magnetron into the heating chamber. A heating element, which is a radio wave absorber containing ferrite as a main component, is applied to the bottom surface of the cooking tray. The heating element absorbs microwaves to generate heat, and the object to be heated placed on the cooking tray is heated (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Since the object to be heated is placed on the upper surface of the cooking tray, it is desirable that the temperature of the upper surface of the cooking tray be as uniform as possible.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a heating cooker capable of achieving uniform temperature on the upper surface of a cooking tray.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A heating cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a heating chamber, an irradiation device that irradiates microwaves from below toward the inside of the heating chamber, a cooking tray disposed inside the heating chamber and supporting an object to be heated, and a heating element attached to a bottom surface of the cooking tray and configured to absorb microwaves to generate heat, wherein the heating element includes a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness different from the first thickness.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] In a heating appliance according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the heating element is formed with a portion with a greater thickness and a portion with a smaller thickness, thereby enabling uniform temperature distribution on the upper surface of the cooking plate. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] This is a schematic side cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance. [Figure 3] This is a schematic front cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance. [Figure 4] This is a schematic bottom view of a cooking dish. [Figure 5] This is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate according to Embodiment 2. [Figure 6] This is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate according to Embodiment 3. [Figure 7] This is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate according to Embodiment 4. [Figure 8] This is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate according to Embodiment 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] (Embodiment 1) The present invention will be described below based on the drawings of Embodiment 1. In the following description, the directions up, down, front, back, left, and right shown in the figures will be used. Up, down, front, back, left, and right in the figures are examples of directions and are not limited to them. Figure 1 is a perspective view of a heating appliance 1 according to an embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of the heating appliance 1. In the figures, 1 is a heating appliance, and the heating appliance 1 is configured as, for example, an oven range. The heating appliance 1 comprises an outer casing 11 and a door 12. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer casing 11 is rectangular parallelepiped and has an open front. The door 12 opens and closes the front opening of the outer casing 11. As shown in Figure 1, a handle 121 is provided on the upper part of the outer surface of the door 12. An operation unit 122 and a display unit 123 are provided on the lower part of the outer surface of the door 12. The display unit 123 displays information such as heating items indicating the type of heating and the amount of power consumed during heating. The display unit 123 may be provided with a touch panel. The operation unit 122 includes buttons, dials, or a touch panel. The operation unit 122 constitutes a reception unit.

[0010] As shown in Figure 2, the cooking appliance 1 comprises an inner box 13 and a partition wall 14. The inner box 13 is housed in an outer box 11. The inner box 13 is rectangular in shape and has an open front. The front opening of the inner box 13 is opened and closed by opening and closing the front opening of the outer box 11 with the door 12. The outer box 11, door 12, and inner box 13 are heat resistant and microwave reflective. For example, the outer box 11 and inner box 13 are made of metal.

[0011] Figure 3 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of the cooking appliance 1. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a recess is provided in the center of the inner bottom surface of the inner box 13. A plate-shaped partition wall 14 is provided above the inner bottom surface of the inner box 13, including the recess. The partition wall 14 is positioned to cover the entire inner bottom surface of the inner box 13 and watertightly closes the opening of the recess. The partition wall 14 has heat resistance and microwave permeability and is made of, for example, ceramic.

[0012] The area of ​​the inner box 13 above the partition wall 14 is used as the heating chamber 2. The inner top surface of the inner box 13 and the top surface of the partition wall 14 function as the inner top and bottom surfaces of the heating chamber 2. The portions of the left and right inner walls of the inner box 13 above the partition wall 14 function as the left and right inner walls of the heating chamber 2. The portion of the inner surface of the door 12 between the inner top and bottom surfaces of the heating chamber 2 functions as the front inner wall of the heating chamber 2. The rear inner wall of the inner box 13 functions as the rear inner wall of the heating chamber 2. The door 12 comprises, for example, a metal plate (perforated metal) with numerous through holes and transparent heat-resistant glass covered by this metal plate. When the door 12 is closed, the heating chamber 2 can be seen through the door 12.

[0013] The area below the partition wall 14 of the inner box 13 (the recess in the center of the inner bottom surface of the inner box 13) is used as the antenna chamber 10. The cooking appliance 1 is equipped with an irradiation device 15 (heating section). The irradiation device 15 is equipped with a rotating antenna 151, a motor 152, and a magnetron 153. The rotating antenna 151 is disc-shaped and is housed in the antenna chamber 10 with both sides facing up and down. The motor 152 is housed in the outer box 11, for example, located below the outer bottom surface of the inner box 13. The output shaft of the motor 152 passes through the bottom plate of the antenna chamber 10 and is connected to the center of the rotating antenna 151. The rotating antenna 151 rotates circumferentially, driven by the motor 152.

[0014] The magnetron 153 is housed in a space enclosed, for example, by the inner surface of the outer casing 11 and the outer surface of the inner casing 13. The magnetron 153 generates microwaves. The microwaves generated by the magnetron 153 are guided to the antenna chamber 10 by a waveguide member (not shown) (see the dashed arrow in Figure 2). The microwaves guided to the antenna chamber 10 are scattered by the rotating antenna 151. The scattered microwaves pass through the partition wall 14 and are irradiated from below the heating chamber 2 into the internal space of the heating chamber 2. When the irradiation device 15 is used, heating at a relatively low temperature (below 100°C) can be performed by injecting microwaves into the object to be heated 3 (object to be heated).

[0015] The heating cooker 1 includes a heater 16. The heater 16 radiates infrared rays, and is, for example, a graphite heater. The heater 16 is attached to the inner top surface of the heating chamber 2, and radiates infrared rays from above toward the internal space of the heating chamber 2 (refer to the two-dot chain line arrow shown in Figure 3). When the heater 16 is used, infrared rays enter the heated object 3, whereby heating at a relatively high temperature (for example, 250°C) can be performed.

[0016] Heating by microwaves using the irradiation device 15 and heating by infrared rays using the heater 16 are performed mutually exclusively. Therefore, there is no risk that microwaves will adversely affect the heater 16 in operation, and no risk that high heat generated by the heater 16 will adversely affect the irradiation device 15 in operation. That is, there is no possibility that the two types of heating modes will adversely affect each other.

[0017] The heating cooker 1 includes a plurality of supports 17. In the case of the heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, two sets of left and right supports 17 are provided on both left and right inner wall surfaces of the heating chamber 2, one set of left and right supports 17 is provided in the upper portion of the heating chamber 2, and one set of left and right supports 17 is provided in the lower portion of the heating chamber 2. The heights of the upper set of left and right supports 17 from the inner bottom surface of the heating chamber 2 are equal. The heights of the lower set of left and right supports 17 from the inner bottom surface of the heating chamber 2 are equal. Each support 17 protrudes toward the inner side of the heating chamber 2 and forms a ridge shape extending in the front-rear direction.

[0018] A cooking tray 4 is accommodated in a heating chamber 2. The cooking tray 4 has heat resistance and microwave impermeability. The cooking tray 4 includes a bottom plate 4a and a heating element 41. The bottom plate 4a has a rectangular shape in plan view. An object to be heated 3, for example, a food material or a food product, is placed on one surface of the bottom plate 4a, that is, the upper surface. The heating element 41 is provided on the other surface of the bottom plate 4a, that is, the lower surface. When receiving microwaves, the heating element 41 absorbs the microwaves and generates heat. The heating element 41 is integrally disposed at least on the outer surface of the bottom plate 4a. The heat generated by the heating element 41 is transmitted at least to the bottom plate 4a, and further transmitted to the object to be heated 3 placed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 4a. Therefore, the object to be heated 3 is heated and cooked. When both the irradiation device 15 and the cooking tray 4 are used, heating at a relatively high temperature (for example, 250°C) can be performed by the heat generation of the heating element 41. The heating element 41 is made of, for example, ferrite and has a plate shape. Instead of the heating element 41, a paint containing ferrite may be applied to the lower surface of the bottom plate 4a.

[0019] Two handles 5 are attached to both left and right side portions of the bottom plate 4a. The handles 5 have a lower thermal conductivity than the cooking tray 4, and have heat resistance, electrical insulation properties, and microwave permeability. The handles 5 are made of, for example, synthetic resin, and preferably made of engineering plastic. When performing heating and cooking of the object to be heated 3, a user grips a handle 121 to open a door 12, and accommodates the cooking tray 4 on which the object to be heated 3 is placed into the heating chamber 2. At that time, the user places the left and right handles 5 from above on a pair of left and right supports 17 on the upper side or the lower side (see FIG. 3). As a result, both left and right side portions of the cooking tray 4 are placed on the left and right supports 17 via the left and right handles 5.

[0020] Figure 4 is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate 4. The heating element 41 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the bottom. The heating element 41 has constrictions that protrude toward the center of the heating element 41 at the center of the front edge, the center of the rear edge, the center of the right edge, and the center of the left edge. The heating element 41 comprises a plurality of first parts 41a that are strip-shaped and extend in the front-rear direction, and a plurality of second parts 41b that are strip-shaped and extend in the front-rear direction. The first parts 41a have a first thickness, and the second parts 41b have a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. The first thickness and the second thickness indicate the vertical dimensions of the first parts 41a and the second parts 41b. As shown in Figure 4, the first parts 41a and the second parts 41b are arranged alternately in the left-right direction, forming a striped arrangement.

[0021] Experiments have revealed the following: When the cooking plate 4 is placed on the upper side of the heating chamber 2, the temperature of the first part 41a (the thinner part) is lower than that of the second part 41b (the thicker part). When the cooking plate 4 is placed on the lower side of the heating chamber 2, the temperature of the first part 41a (the thinner part) is higher than that of the second part 41b (the thicker part). For example, when a cooking plate with a heating element 41 with a thickness of 1 mm was placed on the upper side of the heating chamber 2 and heated at a power output of 1000 W for 2 minutes, the maximum temperature was 230°C. When a cooking plate with a heating element 41 with a thickness of 1.5 mm was placed on the upper side of the heating chamber 2 and heated at a power output of 1000 W for 2 minutes, the maximum temperature was 275°C. When a cooking plate with a heating element 41 having a thickness of 1 mm was placed on the lower side of the heating chamber 2 and heated at a power output of 1000 W for 2 minutes, the maximum temperature was 300°C. When a cooking plate with a heating element 41 having a thickness of 1.5 mm was placed on the lower side of the heating chamber 2 and heated at a power output of 1000 W for 2 minutes, the maximum temperature was 277°C. Therefore, by arranging the first part 41a and the second part 41b alternately in the left-right direction, it is possible to suppress a large difference in heating temperature between when the cooking plate 4 is placed on the upper side of the heating chamber 2 and when it is placed on the lower side, and to make the temperature of the upper surface of the cooking plate uniform.

[0022] (Embodiment 2) The present invention will be described below based on drawings showing a heating cooker according to Embodiment 2. In the configuration of Embodiment 2, components similar to those in Embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted. Figure 5 is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate 4. The heating element 41 comprises a plurality of strip-shaped first portions 41a extending in the left-right direction and a plurality of strip-shaped second portions 41b extending in the left-right direction. As shown in Figure 5, the first portions 41a and the second portions 41b are arranged alternately in the front-back direction, forming a striped arrangement.

[0023] (Embodiment 3) The present invention will be described below based on drawings showing a heating cooker according to Embodiment 3. In the configuration of Embodiment 3, components similar to those in Embodiments 1 or 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted. Figure 6 is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate 4. The heating element 41 comprises a plurality of rectangular first parts 41a and a plurality of rectangular second parts 41b. As shown in Figure 6, the plurality of first parts 41a and the plurality of second parts 41b are arranged alternately in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions, forming a grid or checkerboard pattern.

[0024] (Embodiment 4) The present invention will be described below based on drawings showing a heating cooker according to Embodiment 4. In the configuration of Embodiment 4, components similar to those in Embodiments 1 to 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted. Figure 7 is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate 4. The heating element 41 comprises a plurality of first portions 41a forming a strip extending diagonally in the front right and rear left directions, and a plurality of second portions 41b forming a strip extending diagonally in the front right and rear left directions. As shown in Figure 7, the first portions 41a and the second portions 41b are arranged alternately in the front left and rear right directions, forming a stripe pattern. The first portions 41a and the second portions 41b may form a strip extending in the front left and rear right directions, or they may be arranged alternately in the rear left and front right directions.

[0025] (Embodiment 5) The present invention will be described below based on drawings showing a heating cooker according to Embodiment 5. In the configuration of Embodiment 5, components similar to those in Embodiments 1 to 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed descriptions are omitted. Figure 8 is a schematic bottom view of the cooking plate 4. The heating element 41 comprises a second rectangular portion 41b positioned in the center of the cooking plate 4, and a first portion 41a positioned around the second portion 41b. Alternatively, the first portion 41a may be positioned in the center of the cooking plate 4, and the second portion 41b may be positioned around the first portion 41a.

[0026] The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is intended to include all modifications within the claims and equivalents thereof. The matters described in each embodiment can be combined with one another. Furthermore, the independent and dependent claims described in the claims can be combined with one another in any combination, regardless of the form of reference. In addition, the claims use a multi-claim format in which claims refer to two or more other claims (multi-claim format), but are not limited thereto. They may also be described using a multi-claim format in which at least one multi-claim refers to another multi-claim (multi-multi-claim format). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0027] 1 Cooker 2 Heating chamber 3 Object to be heated 4 serving dishes 15 Irradiation device 16 Heater 17 Support 41 Heating element 41a Part 1 41b Part 2 151 Rotating Antenna 152 Motor 153 Magnetron

Claims

1. The heating chamber and An irradiation device that irradiates microwaves from below toward the inside of the heating chamber, A cooking plate is placed inside the heating chamber to support the object to be heated, A heating element is attached to the bottom surface of the aforementioned cooking plate and generates heat by absorbing microwaves. Equipped with, The heating element comprises a first portion having a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness different from the first thickness. Heating cooker.

2. The heating element comprises a plurality of first parts and a plurality of second parts, The first part and the second part are arranged alternately. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

3. The first and second parts are arranged in a striped pattern. A cooking appliance according to claim 2.

4. The first and second parts are arranged in a grid pattern. A cooking appliance according to claim 2.

5. One of the first and second parts is positioned in the center of the cooking plate, and the other is positioned around the center. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

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