Automatic cooking equipment

Abstract

To provide an automatic cooking device capable of providing dishes with a variety of menus.SOLUTION: An automatic cooking device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a bottomed cylindrical cooking container, and a container holding unit that holds the cooking container, and performs at least stirring and cooking of ingredients housed in the cooking container. The cooking container is provided with a stirring member for stirring ingredients, the container holding unit includes a container rotation mechanism that causes the cooking container to rotate about a container rotation axis, and, when a rotation direction, a rotation speed, or a stationary motional state of the cooking container is in a first motional state, the stirring member can assume a second motional state different from the first motional state of the cooking container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an automatic cooking device, and more particularly to an automatic cooking device that at least stirs and cooks ingredients contained in a cooking container. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, the food and beverage industry has been moving toward automating cooking operations due to various factors, such as securing chefs, maintaining cooking skills, and improving the cooking environment. As an automatic cooking device that automates cooking operations, a technology such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed.

[0003] The automatic cooking device described in Patent Document 1 above changes the position of the deep pot to one of an ingredient receiving position in which the ingredients are received into the deep pot, a cooking position in which the deep pot is rotated on its axis to stir the ingredients, a serving position in which the deep pot is turned down towards a plate, and a cleaning position in which the deep pot is cleaned. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-175791 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the automatic cooking device of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the position of the deep pot can be changed to any one of the ingredient receiving position, cooking position, serving position, and cleaning position, and automatic cooking including cleaning of the deep pot can be performed. However, there are various problems in providing a variety of dishes using an automatic cooking device. For example, in order to cook stir-fried vegetables, it is necessary to increase the heating temperature, heat the ingredients thoroughly, and stir the ingredients in the deep pot so that they do not burn. In addition, for example, when cooking fried rice, in order to stir the rice so that it becomes fluffy, it is necessary to stir the rice so that the grains of rice dance in the deep pot in order to achieve cooking similar to the action of a chef shaking the pot. In addition, when the heating temperature of the deep pot is increased, the cleaning method for removing dirt from the inside of the deep pot is also required to be improved.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, that is, an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic cooking device that can provide a variety of dishes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following configuration. That is, the first aspect of the present invention The automatic cooking device includes a bottomed cylindrical cooking container and a container holding unit that holds the cooking container, and at least stirs and cooks ingredients contained in the cooking container, wherein the cooking container is provided with a stirring member for stirring the ingredients, the container holding unit is provided with a container rotation mechanism that rotates the cooking container about a container rotation axis, the stirring member is driven from the bottom side of the cooking container, and when the cooking container is in a first motion state, the stirring member does not depend on the rotation direction, rotation speed, or stationary motion state of the cooking container. No.The present invention is characterized in that the stirring member drive mechanism is capable of taking two motion states, the container holding unit being equipped with an agitation member drive mechanism which rotationally drives the agitation member, the agitation member drive mechanism being capable of setting the motion state of the agitation member to a second motion state which is different from the first motion state of the cooking container caused by the container rotation mechanism, and when the operating state of the cooking container is clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or a stationary state, the agitation member drive mechanism is capable of setting the operating state of the agitation member to any of clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or a stationary state.

[0010] The present invention 2 The automatic cooking device of this aspect is the automatic cooking device of the first aspect, further comprising: The member is adapted to be connected to the automatic cooking device depending on the operating state of the stirring member and / or the cooking vessel. The cooking pot further includes a scraping member for scraping out cooked food.

[0011] The present invention 3 The automatic cooking device of the present invention is the automatic cooking device of the first aspect, (1) an ingredient receiving position in which the ingredient is received in the cooking container; (2) a cooking posture in which the cooking container is rotated by the container rotation mechanism to cook the ingredients; (3) A serving position in which the cooking container is faced down toward a serving container; or (4) A cleaning position in which the opening side of the cooking container is directed downward to clean the cooking container; The cooking vessel can be changed to any one of the following positions: It is a sign.

[0012] The present invention 4 The automatic cooking device of the present invention is 3 In the automatic cooking device of the embodiment, When the container is in a cleaning position, a scraper is brought into contact with the inner surface of the cooking container to clean it. It is a sign.

[0013] The present invention 5The automatic cooking device of the present invention is 4 In the automatic cooking device of the embodiment, When the container is in a cleaning position, the scraper is brought into elastic contact with the inner surface of the cooking container; Driving the scraper in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, or and rotating the cooking vessel on its axis while the cooking vessel is in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel. The cleaning state is characterized in that the cleaning method is either one of the above. Effect of the Invention

[0014] According to a first aspect of the present invention, the automatic cooking device includes a cylindrical cooking container with a bottom and a container holding unit for holding the cooking container, and at least stirs and cooks ingredients contained in the cooking container. The cooking container is provided with a stirring member for stirring the ingredients, and the container holding unit includes a container rotation mechanism for rotating the cooking container around a container rotation axis. When the rotation direction, rotation speed, or stationary motion state of the cooking container is a first motion state, the stirring member can take a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking container, so that the ingredients can be appropriately stirred according to the menu. For example, in order to cook stir-fried vegetables, the heating temperature can be increased, the ingredients can be heated well, and the ingredients can be stirred in the cooking container so as not to burn. In addition, for example, when cooking fried rice, in order to stir the rice so that it becomes fluffy, by appropriately setting the first motion state of the cooking container and the second motion state of the stirring member, cooking similar to the action of a cook shaking a pan can be realized, and the rice grains can be stirred so that they fly around in the cooking container. This makes it possible to provide an automatic cooking device that can prepare a wide variety of dishes.

[0015] According to the second aspect of the automatic cooking device of the present invention, the container holding unit is equipped with an agitation member driving mechanism that rotates the agitation member, and the agitation member driving mechanism is capable of setting the motion state of the agitation member to a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking container caused by the container rotation mechanism.Therefore, while the cooking container is rotated around the container rotation axis by the container rotation mechanism, the operating state of the agitation member can be freely set by the agitation member driving mechanism, so that it is possible to achieve appropriate mixing of ingredients according to the menu using a simple mechanism.

[0016] According to the automatic cooking device of the third aspect of the present invention, when the operating state of the cooking container is clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary, the stirring member drive mechanism can set the operating state of the stirring member to any of clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary.Therefore, the stirring member drive mechanism can freely set the operating state of the stirring member regardless of the operating state of the cooking container by the container rotation mechanism, making it easy to set appropriate stirring of ingredients according to the menu.

[0017] According to the automatic cooking device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the stirring member further includes a scraping member that scrapes out the food cooked by the automatic cooking device depending on the operating state of the stirring member and / or the cooking container, so that even the serving of the food cooked by the automatic cooking device in a serving container can be automated. Moreover, according to the automatic cooking device of this embodiment, automatic serving can be realized by a simple mechanism that only requires adding a scraping member to the stirring member.

[0018] According to the automatic cooking device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, (1) an ingredient receiving position in which the ingredient is received in the cooking container; (2) a cooking position in which the cooking container is rotated by the container rotation mechanism to cook the ingredients; (3) a serving position in which the cooking container is tilted down toward a serving container; or (4) A cleaning position in which the opening side of the cooking container is directed downward to clean the cooking container; Since the position of the cooking vessel can be changed to take any of the above positions, all of the steps of receiving ingredients, cooking, plating, and cleaning can be appropriately automated.

[0019] According to the sixth aspect of the automatic cooking device of the present invention, when the cooking vessel is in the cleaning position, a scraper is brought into contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel to cleanly wash away even burnt dirt on the inner surface of the cooking vessel. For example, when the heating temperature of the cooking vessel is increased, food may burn inside the cooking vessel, but the burnt dirt can be cleaned away by the scraper.

[0020] According to the seventh aspect of the automatic cooking device of the present invention, when the cooking vessel is in the cleaning posture, the scraper is elastically brought into contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, the scraper is driven in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, or the cooking vessel is rotated on its axis with the scraper in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, so that dirt on the cooking vessel can be washed off more effectively. For example, by bringing the scraper into elastic contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, the force with which the scraper is pressed against the inner surface of the cooking vessel can be adjusted, so that a problem such as the scraper being pressed against the cooking vessel with excessive force during cleaning can be prevented. Also, for example, by driving the scraper in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, dirt on the inner surface of the cooking vessel can be appropriately scraped off by the scraper. In addition, by rotating the cooking vessel while the scraper is in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel, the function of the vessel rotation mechanism can be used in combination, making it possible to scrape off dirt from the inner surface of the cooking vessel with the scraper without the need for an additional mechanism. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a right perspective view of an automatic cooking apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. [Diagram 3]2 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in a cooking position. [Figure 4] 2 is a left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in a serving position. [Diagram 5] 2 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in a cleaning posture. [Figure 6] 2 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 during cleaning. [Figure 7] 2 is a perspective view of a cooking container 110 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 2 is an elevational view of the stirring member 120 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] 2 is a rear cross-sectional view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rear side of the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 11] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rear side of the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 12] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 160 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 13] 2 is a left side cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 160 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 15] 2 is a first cooking example of the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 16] 2 shows a second cooking example of the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking container 110 of an automatic cooking apparatus 100 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] An example of cooking using the automatic cooking device 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 19] 18 shows a first example of the serving operation of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. [Figure 20] 18 shows a second example of the serving operation of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an automatic cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the following embodiments are merely examples of automatic cooking devices for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, and can be equally applied to other embodiments included in the scope of the claims. In the following description, for convenience, expressions such as up and down, front and back, left and right are used, but these are based on the directions shown in the corresponding drawings, and only describe the directions in the state shown in the corresponding drawings. Please note that if the position or posture of the movable part changes from the state shown in the drawings, the direction after the change may naturally differ from the drawings drawn in a stationary state. In addition, expressions such as right rotation and left rotation are used to describe the rotation direction of the cooking container and the stirring member, but all of these are rotation directions when viewed from the opening side of the cooking container.

[0023] [Embodiment 1] An automatic cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs.

[0024] 1. Overview of the automatic cooking device 100 First, an overview of the automatic cooking device 100 and a procedure for automatic cooking using the automatic cooking device 100 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 6.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a right perspective view of an automatic cooking apparatus 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1. Both Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 show the position of a cooking container 110 for receiving ingredients. However, the ingredient receiving position shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is an example of a position that makes it easy to receive ingredients, and this embodiment is not limited to the cooking container 110 taking this position when supplying ingredients. For example, ingredients can be supplied to the cooking container 110 even when the cooking container 110 is in a cooking position as shown in Fig. 3 described later.

[0026] The automatic cooking apparatus 100 comprises a detachable cooking container 110, a cooking counter 130, a container holding unit 140, a serving unit 150, a cleaning unit 160, and a control unit 170 (not shown). Power is supplied to the automatic cooking apparatus 100 through a power supply cord 180. The cooking counter is provided with an upper surface 131 and a container heating section 132, and a plate serving container D is placed on the upper surface 131. In addition, above the serving unit 150, an operation panel 171 is provided for inputting cooking operations to the automatic cooking apparatus 100 and for displaying the operating status of the automatic cooking apparatus 100. In addition, the cooking container 110 is a cylindrical container with a bottom, and a stirring member 120 is provided inside the cooking container 110.

[0027] The container holding unit 140 holds the cooking container 110 and includes a container rotation mechanism 144 (see FIG. 11) for rotating the cooking container 110 around a container rotation axis 114 (see FIG. 11). The stirring member 120 is provided inside the cooking container 110. The container holding unit 140 includes an agitation member drive mechanism 145 (see FIG. 11) for rotating the stirring member 120. The rotation drive of the stirring member 120 by the agitation member drive mechanism 145 can be set separately from the rotation of the cooking container 110 by the container rotation mechanism 144. Therefore, when the rotation direction, rotation speed, or stationary motion state of the cooking container 110 is the first motion state, the stirring member 120 can take a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking container 110. In addition, the agitation member drive mechanism 145 can set the motion state of the stirring member 120 to a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking container by the container rotation mechanism 144. For example, when the operating state of the cooking vessel 110 is clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary, the stirring member drive mechanism 145 can cause the operating state of the stirring member 120 to be clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary.

[0028] In addition, the container holding unit 140 is configured to be driven to rotate relative to the serving unit 150. Therefore, the container holding unit 140 can change the posture of the cooking container 110 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. By tilting the cooking container 110 forward from the position in FIG. 1, the container holding unit 140 can change the cooking posture of the cooking container 110 to the container heating section 132. In addition, by tilting the cooking container 110 backward from the position in FIG. 1 so that the opening of the cooking container faces downward, the container holding unit 140 can change the cooking container 110 to the cleaning posture of the cleaning unit 160.

[0029] Furthermore, serving unit 150 is configured to be rotationally driven by serving position actuator 152 (not shown). Therefore, when cooking container 110 is in a cooking position in which it is located in container heating section 132, serving unit 150 is rotationally driven together with container holding unit 140, thereby changing the position of cooking container 110 to a serving position in which the opening faces downward.

[0030] 3 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in a cooking position. By tilting the cooking container 110 forward from the ingredient receiving position in FIG. 1, the container holding unit 140 can change the cooking position of the cooking container 110 to a cooking position in which the cooking container 110 is located in the container heating section 132. The container heating section 132 is provided with, for example, an IH heater 132a as a heating device, and the temperature of the heating device is controlled to a heating temperature according to a cooking menu input from the operation panel 171. Here, the IH heater 132a is exemplified as the heating device of the container heating section 132, but this embodiment is not limited to this, and any type of heating device can be used as long as the heating temperature can be controlled, such as a heater that uses an electric heating wire or a combustion type heating device.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the serving position. From the cooking position of FIG. 3, the serving unit 150 is rotated forward together with the container holding unit 140 by the serving position actuator 152, thereby changing the position of the cooking container 110 to a serving position with the opening facing downward. At this time, the container heating unit 132 remains fixed to the cooking table 130 and does not move together with the serving unit 150. Since the container heating unit 132 can remain fixed in the serving position, there are advantages such as no need to drive the weight unit including the heating device, easy wiring of the heating device, and easy thermal insulation measures for the heating device. As the serving position actuator 152, various actuators such as a rotary motor, an electric linear actuator, a hydraulic or pneumatic actuator, etc. can be used. Further, although the serving posture actuator 152 has been described here as being used to rotationally drive the serving unit 150, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and for example, a rotational drive device such as a manual lever 151 may be provided in place of or in combination with the serving posture actuator 152. Note that when the serving posture actuator 152 is provided, the manual lever 151 can be omitted.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 in the cleaning position, and FIG. 6 is a rear left perspective view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 1 during cleaning. First, the serving unit 150 is returned to the serving position of FIG. 3 together with the container holding unit 140 by the serving position actuator 152 from the serving position of FIG. 4. Next, the cooking container 110 is tilted backward from the serving position of FIG. 3 so that the opening faces downward, and the container holding unit 140 can change the cooking container 110 to a cleaning position in which the cleaning unit 160 is located. At this time, the cleaning unit 160 has moved to a retracted position below the cooking table 130 so as not to interfere with the cooking container 110. When the cooking container 110 is changed to the cleaning position, the cleaning unit 160 is controlled to move from the retracted position shown in FIG. 5 to the cleaning position shown in FIG. 6.

[0033] Through the above operations shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the automatic cooking device 100 of this embodiment: (1) an ingredient receiving position in which the ingredient is received in the cooking container; (2) a cooking position in which the cooking container is rotated by the container rotation mechanism to cook the ingredients; (3) a serving position in which the cooking container is tilted down toward a serving container; and (4) A cleaning position in which the opening side of the cooking container is directed downward to clean the cooking container; Since the position of the cooking vessel 110 can be changed to take the above-mentioned position, all steps of receiving ingredients, cooking, plating, and cleaning can be appropriately automated.

[0034] Next, the procedure for automatic cooking by the automatic cooking device 100 will be described. First, the cooking contents to be cooked by the automatic cooking device 100 are input from the operation panel 171. The cooking contents are input by selecting, for example, the cooking menu, the amount of food, the heating time, and the recipe. The operation panel 171 has a preset function, so multiple menus and cooking methods can be stored in advance. In addition, the heating time and stirring cooking can be set by interactive input. In addition to setting the preset menu, it is also possible to directly set the heating time, the speed setting of the cooking container and the stirring member, the cleaning time, etc.

[0035] When the cooking contents are input from the operation panel 171, the cooking container 110 is controlled to assume an ingredient receiving posture (FIGS. 1 and 2), and the cooking container 110 receives the ingredients. Next, the cooking container 110 is controlled to assume a cooking posture (FIG. 3), and cooking is performed with the heating time and stirring conditions according to the cooking contents input from the operation panel 171. Note that the cooking contents do not necessarily require heating as long as they are stirring cooking. For example, it is also possible to cook salads, chirashi sushi, mixed rice, and other dishes that do not require heating.

[0036] Next, cooking vessel 110 is controlled to assume a serving position (FIG. 4), and in the serving position, cooking vessel 110 and / or stirring member 120 are rotated to automatically serve food. Although automatic serving has been described here, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and it is also possible to manually serve food as necessary, or to use manual serving in combination.

[0037] After plating, cooking container 110 is controlled to assume a cleaning posture (FIGS. 5 and 6), and the cleaning unit cleans cooking container 110 with a water flow. When cleaning is complete, the cooking contents are again input from operation panel 171, or, if the next cooking contents have already been input, input from operation panel 171 is skipped and the process proceeds to the next cooking operation.

[0038] 2. Shape of the Stirring Member 120 Fig. 7 is a perspective view of cooking vessel 110 of automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 8 is an elevational view of stirring member 120 of automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8A is a perspective view, Fig. 8B is a top view, Fig. 8C is a left side view, and Fig. 8D is a front view.

[0039] The stirring member 120 is composed of a base portion 120a, a straight portion 120b, and a curved portion 120c. Meanwhile, the cooking vessel 110 is composed of a bottom surface portion 110a, an inclined surface portion 110b, and a side surface portion 110c. The shape of the stirring member is such that the base portion 120a is aligned along the bottom surface portion 110a, the straight portion 120b is aligned along the inclined surface portion 110b, and the curved portion 120c is aligned along the side surface portion 110c. Moreover, the base portion 120a and the straight portion 120b are on the same plane, and the curved portion 120c is curved when viewed from above and from the front.

[0040] <3. Container holding unit 140> Next, the structure of the container holding unit 140 will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 11. Figure 9 is a rear cross-sectional view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1, Figure 10 is a partial rear cross-sectional view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 11 is a partial rear cross-sectional view of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0041] The container holding unit 140 includes a posture control mechanism 141 and a container driving subunit 143. The posture control mechanism 141 includes a posture control motor 141a and a rotary drive arm 141b. The serving unit 150 includes a serving actuator 152 (not shown). The rotary drive arm 141b is driven to rotate around the rotation axis of the rotary drive arm 141 by the serving actuator 152. For example, a linear actuator or a rotary motor can be used as the serving actuator 152. For example, the linear actuator is attached between the rotary drive arm 141b and the cooking table 130. For example, the rotary motor drives the rotary drive arm 141b to rotate around the rotation axis by direct drive, gear drive, belt drive, or the like. The container driving subunit 143 includes a container rotation mechanism 144 and a stirring member drive mechanism 145. The posture of the cooking container 110 is controlled by the container holding unit 140 and the serving unit 150.

[0042] <3.1. Attitude control mechanism 141> The posture control mechanism 141 is composed of a rotary drive arm 141b and a posture control motor 141a attached to the rotary drive arm 141b. The posture control motor 141a can control the angles of the cooking vessel 110 in the front-rear and up-down directions by rotating the vessel drive subunit 143. The vessel drive subunit 143 has shaft insertion holes 143a and 143b at both ends in the left-right direction. A drive shaft 141a1 of the posture control motor 141a is fixed to the left shaft insertion hole 143a. A shaft (not shown) protruding from the right rotary drive arm 141b is inserted into the right shaft insertion hole 143b. The posture of the vessel drive subunit 143 is controlled in the front-rear and up-down directions by the posture control motor 141a around the left-right axis of both shaft insertion holes 143a and 143b through the pair of left and right shaft insertion holes 143a and 143b. As described above, the rotary drive arm 141b is rotated around the rotation axis of the rotary drive arm 141 by the serving actuator 152. This controls the position of the cooking vessel 110 to be one of the ingredient receiving position, cooking position, serving position, and cleaning position.

[0043] <3.2. Container rotation mechanism 144> The agitation member rotation shaft 121 is disposed concentrically inside the hollow container rotation shaft 114. The agitation member rotation shaft 121 and the hollow container rotation shaft 114 are rotatable relative to each other and are each rotatably supported by a container driving subunit 143. The container rotation mechanism 144 is structured so that a container side passive pulley 144d connected to this hollow container rotation shaft 114 is driven by the driving force of a container driving motor 144a via a container driving belt 144c. A container drive pulley 144b that drives a container drive belt 144c is attached to the output shaft of the container drive motor 144a. The container drive pulley 144b is connected to the container rotation shaft 114, so that the container drive motor 144a can control the rotational movement of the cooking container via the container drive belt 144c. The container drive motor 144a is not particularly limited, but for example, a brushless motor can be used. The container drive belt 144c is not particularly limited, but for example, a belt made of rubber or polyurethane can be used.

[0044] <3.3. Agitation member driving mechanism 145> The agitator drive mechanism 145 is supported concentrically inside the hollow container rotation shaft 114 and is configured to drive an agitator side driven pulley 145d fixed to an agitator drive shaft 145e connected to the agitator rotation shaft 121 by the driving force of an agitator drive motor 145a via an agitator drive belt 145c. An agitator drive pulley 145b that drives the agitator drive belt 145c is attached to the output shaft of the agitator drive motor 145a. The agitator drive mechanism 145 also includes an encoder 145m that detects the rotation angle of the agitator drive shaft 145e. The encoder 145m can detect the rotation speed and rotation position of the agitator 120 by detecting rotation information of a rotating plate 145k fixed below the agitator side driven pulley 145d of the agitator drive shaft 145e. Since the agitator drive pulley 145b is connected to the agitator rotation shaft 121, the agitator drive motor 145a can control the rotation speed and rotation position of the agitator 120 via the agitator drive belt 145c. The agitator drive motor 145a is not particularly limited, but for example, a stepping motor or the like can be used to facilitate positioning control. The agitator drive belt 145c is not particularly limited, but for example, a belt made of rubber or polyurethane can be used.

[0045] <3.4. Container Rotation Shaft 114 and Agitator Rotation Shaft 121> As described above, the agitation member rotation shaft 121 is concentrically disposed inside the hollow container rotation shaft 114. The agitation member rotation shaft 121 and the hollow container rotation shaft 114 are mutually rotatable and each is rotatably supported by the container driving subunit 143. Next, the structures of the container rotation shaft 114 and the agitation member rotation shaft 121 will be described in detail.

[0046] Cooking container 110 is fixed to the upper end of container rotation shaft 114. A bottom through-hole is provided in the center of bottom portion 110a of cooking container 110 to fix cooking container 110 to container rotation shaft 114. Inside this bottom through-hole, container inner fixing plate 111 overlaps above container outer periphery fixing plate 112, and bottom portion 110a of cooking container 110 is sandwiched between container outer fixing plate 112 and container inner fixing plate 111 and fixed by container fixing screw 113. An O-ring 114c is provided between container rotation shaft 114, container outer periphery fixing plate 112, and container inner fixing plate 111.

[0047] The lower part of the container rotation shaft 114 is rotatably supported by the container mounting mechanism 115. The container mounting mechanism 115 is composed of a base 115b, a gripping part 115c fixed to the base 115b, and a bearing support part 115a fixed to the inside of the base 115b by a screw 115d. A container bearing 116 is provided on the inside of the bearing support part 115a. The thrust receiving part 114a of the container rotation shaft 114 is in sliding contact with the upper inside part of the container bearing 116, forming a thrust bearing against downward forces. A thrust receiving ring 114b is provided on the outside of the container rotation shaft 114 below the container bearing 116. The thrust receiving ring 114b is in sliding contact with the lower inside part of the container bearing 116, forming a thrust bearing against upward forces.

[0048] An agitator rotation shaft 121 is rotatably supported by agitator bearings 123a and 123b on the inside of the container rotation shaft 114. A base 120a of an agitator 120 is fixed to an agitator attachment part 121a at the upper end of the agitator rotation shaft 121 by an agitator fixing screw 122. A thrust bearing part 121b of the agitator rotation shaft 121 slides on the inside upper part of the upper agitator bearing 123a to form a thrust bearing against downward forces. An oil seal 124 is provided on the inside of the container rotation shaft 114 above the thrust bearing part 121b to prevent liquid leakage to the inside of the container rotation shaft 114. Below the lower stirring member bearing 123b is located an agitator rotating shaft connecting part 125 which connects the agitator rotating shaft 121 and the agitator drive shaft 145e by a shape fit, and the lower surface of the lower stirring member bearing 123b and the upper surface 125a of the agitator rotating shaft connecting part 125 form a thrust bearing against upward forces.

[0049] The container side passive pulley 144d is connected to the lower end of the container rotation shaft 114 by form fitting to form a container fixed shaft coupling portion 117. A bearing support portion 145g supporting the agitation drive bearing 145e is fixed to the container drive subunit 143 by a screw. A thrust bearing 144g is provided at the lower end of the container side passive pulley 144d. A thrust receiving portion 144f of the container side passive pulley 144d is in sliding contact with the thrust bearing 144g.

[0050] The container attachment mechanism 115 supports the cooking container 110 and the stirring member 120 for rotation as a unit, and the cooking container 110, the stirring member 120, and the container attachment mechanism 115 are attached to and detached from the container drive subunit 143 as a unit, thereby enabling the cooking container 110 to be attached to and detached from the automatic cooking apparatus 100. The attachment and detachment of the container rotation shaft 114 and the container side passive pool, and the attachment and detachment of the stirring member rotation shaft 121 and the stirring member drive shaft 145e are realized by shape coupling. That is, for example, the shafts can be connected so that they can transmit rotational forces to each other by providing projections and recesses that mesh with each other and fitting them together. When the container attachment mechanism 115 is attached to the container drive subunit 143, it is fixed with a mounting screw 115e.

[0051] Bearings 145f and 145h are provided on the inner circumference of the container-side driven pulley 144d. The agitation member drive shaft 145e is journaled on the inner side of the bearings 145f and 145h. The lower surface 125b of the agitation member rotating shaft connecting portion 125 is in sliding contact with the upper surface of the bearing 145f. In addition, a thrust receiving portion 145j in which the agitation member drive shaft 145e is expanded in diameter is provided above the agitation drive bearing 145i, and the upper and lower portions of the thrust receiving portion 145j are in sliding contact with the bearing 145h and the agitation drive bearing 145i, respectively. A rotating plate 145k is attached to the lower end of the agitation member drive shaft 145e, and an encoder 145m is provided opposite the rotating plate 145k.

[0052] With the above-mentioned structure, when the rotation direction, rotation speed, or stationary motion state of the cooking vessel 110 is a first motion state, the stirring member 120 can take a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking vessel 110. In addition, the stirring member drive mechanism 145 can set the motion state of the stirring member 120 to a second motion state different from the first motion state of the cooking vessel 110 caused by the vessel rotation mechanism 144. For example, when the operating state of the cooking vessel 110 is a right rotation, a left rotation, or a stationary state, the stirring member drive mechanism 145 can set the operating state of the stirring member 120 to any of a right rotation, a left rotation, or a stationary state. In this way, the stirring member drive mechanism 145 can control the stirring member 120 independently of the rotational motion of the cooking vessel 110 caused by the vessel rotation mechanism 144. Furthermore, the stirring member driving mechanism 145 is capable of grasping the rotational position and / or speed of the stirring member 120 and appropriately controlling the rotational position and / or speed of the stirring member 120 according to the cooking contents inputted from the operation panel 171.

[0053] Furthermore, cooking vessel 110 may take a position where the opening faces downward, such as a cleaning position or a serving position, in addition to a position where the opening faces upward. According to the above-described structure of vessel rotation shaft 114 and agitator rotation shaft 121, the thrust load and radial load of cooking vessel 110 can be supported by the bearing mechanism regardless of the position of cooking vessel 110, and cooking vessel 110 can be appropriately supported.

[0054] <4. Cleaning unit 160> Next, the structure of the cleaning unit 160 will be described with reference to Figures 12 and 13. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 160 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 13 is a left side cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 160 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0055] The washing unit 160 has a plurality of nozzles 161 for washing the cooking vessel 110 with a water flow. The water flow jetted from the plurality of nozzles can wash the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110. The water flow from the plurality of nozzles is controlled by an electromagnetic valve 166 (not shown). The electromagnetic valve 166 controls the on / off of the water flow jetted from each nozzle, and the electromagnetic valve 166 may further control the amount of water and the water pressure of the water flow jetted from each nozzle. The washing unit 160 is provided with a water tank, and the water in the water tank is heated by a heater to become hot water, and this hot water is jetted from the nozzles to circulate the washing water and wash the cooking vessel. Depending on the degree of dirt, a detergent can also be used. It is better to use tap water instead of circulating water for rinsing. A rinse agent can also be used to make it easier to dry.

[0056] The cleaning unit 160 is provided with a scraper pressing mechanism 162, a pressing mechanism 163, and a driving mechanism 164, and is capable of pressing a scraper 162a against the cooking vessel 110 during cleaning. By rotating the cooking vessel 110 on its axis while the scraper 162a is in elastic contact with the cooking vessel 110, dirt on the inside of the cooking vessel 110 can be scraped off. The structure for pressing the scraper 162a against the cooking vessel 110 will be described in detail below.

[0057] <4.1. Scraper pressing mechanism 162> The scraper pressing mechanism 162 is composed of a scraper 162a and a scraper pressing member 162b. The scraper 162a is a substantially rectangular member having a bottom edge 162a1 and a side edge 162a2, and the shapes of the bottom edge 162a1 and the side edge 162a2 correspond to the shapes of the bottom surface 110a and the inclined surface 110b of the cooking vessel 110, respectively. Therefore, when the scraper 162a is pressed against the inside of the cooking vessel 110, the bottom edge 162a1 and the side edge 162a2 fit the bottom surface 110a and the inclined surface 110b of the cooking vessel 110, respectively, and can scrape off dirt from each.

[0058] The scraper pressing member 162b is composed of a scraper fixing portion 162b1, a curved portion 162b2, a pivot support portion 162b3, and an operating portion 162b5. The scraper 162a is fixed to the scraper fixing portion 162b1 in such a position that the bottom edge 162a1 and the side edge 162a2 are pressed against the bottom surface portion 110a and the inclined surface portion 110b of the cooking vessel 110, respectively.

[0059] The pivot support portion 162b3 is provided with a pivot hole 162b4, and the pivot shaft 162c is inserted into this pivot hole, so that the scraper pressing member 162b can swing freely around the pivot shaft 162c. An operation point 162b6 that receives a pressing force in the P direction from a pressing member 163a (described later) is provided at the tip of the operation portion 162b5. When a pressing force in the P direction is applied to the operation point 162b6, the scraper pressing member 162b swings in the Q direction around the pivot shaft 162c, and the scraper 162a is pressed against the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110.

[0060] The scraper pressing member 162b has a substantially U-shaped shape, and its shape and the position of the pivot hole are balanced so that the scraper 162a moves away from the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 due to the weight of the scraper pressing member 162b. Therefore, when the pressing force in the P direction applied to the operating point 162b6 is released, the scraper pressing member 162b swings due to its own weight in a direction in which the operating point 162b6 pushes back the pressing member 163a, that is, in the opposite direction to the P and Q directions.

[0061] <4.2. Pressing mechanism 163> The pressing mechanism 163 transmits the driving force from the driving mechanism 164 to an operating point 162b6 of an operating portion 162b5 of the scraper pressing mechanism 162 via a buffer member 163b and a pressing member 163a.

[0062] The pressing mechanism 163 is composed of a pressing member 163a, a buffer member 163b, a screw 163c, a spring member 163d, a spring receiving member 163e, a screw 163f, an oil seal 163g, and a sliding member 163h. The buffer member 163b is a rod-shaped member, and is provided with a screw hole 163b1, a sliding portion 163b2, a step portion 163b3, a small diameter portion 163b4, and a screw hole 163b5 in this order from the top. The pressing member 163a is fixed to the screw hole 163b1 by a screw 163c. A hollow cylindrical sliding member 163h is fixed to a housing 164k, and the sliding portion 163b2 slides against the inside of the sliding member 163h, so that the sliding portion 163b2 slides in the vertical direction. A thin diameter portion 163b4 is provided below the sliding contact portion 163b2, and a step portion 163b3 is provided between the sliding contact portion 163b2 and the thin diameter portion 163b4. The thin diameter portion 163b4 is inserted into the through hole 165a of the driving plate 165, and is positioned so that the upper end of the driving plate 165 can abut against the step portion 163b3.

[0063] A spring receiving member 163e is fixed to a screw hole 163b5 at the lower end of the small diameter portion 163b4 by a screw 163f. A cylindrical spring member 163d is provided concentrically on the outer periphery of the small diameter portion. In a compressed state, the spring member 163d is in elastic contact with the spring receiving member 163e at its lower end and with the driving plate 165 at its upper end. As a result, the driving force of the driving plate 165 is transmitted to the buffer member 163b by the pressing force of the spring member 163d while the driving plate 165 is in elastic contact with the stepped portion 163b3.

[0064] The driving plate 165 is driven in the vertical direction by a driving mechanism 164 described later. Since the driving plate 165 is pressed against the step portion 163b3 by the elastic force of the spring member 163d, the buffer member 163b also slides in the vertical direction in response to the vertical movement of the driving plate 165. As a result, the driving force of the driving mechanism 164 is transmitted to the pressing member 163a via the driving plate 165 and the buffer member 163b.

[0065] When scraper 162a is pressed against the inner surface of cooking vessel 110 and cooking vessel 110 is rotated to scrape off dirt adhering to the inner surface of cooking vessel 110 with scraper 162a, a reaction force against the force in the Q direction pressing scraper 162a against the inner surface of cooking vessel 110 may be generated. This reaction force is applied to buffer member 163b from operating point 162b6 to pressing member 163a as a force in the opposite direction to the P direction (upward force). Here, if the reaction force is large, driving plate 165 moves downward from step portion 163b3 against the elastic force of spring member 163d. As a result, buffer member 163b has a buffer function, and scraper 162a can be brought into elastic contact with the inner surface of cooking vessel 110.

[0066] <4.3. Driving mechanism 164> The driving mechanism 164 drives the driving plate 165 , and the driving force is transmitted to the scraper pressing mechanism 162 via the above-mentioned pressing mechanism 163 .

[0067] The drive mechanism 164 includes a scraper drive motor 164a. The rotation of the scraper drive motor 164a is transmitted to the drive member 164d via the motor drive shaft 164b and the shaft connection portion 164c. The drive member 164d is a rod-shaped member and includes a screw thread portion 164d1. The drive member 164d is supported by an upper bearing 164e and a lower bearing 164j. A female screw member 164g is engaged with the screw thread portion 164d1. The upper end of the female screw member 164g is fixed to the drive plate 165 by a fixing screw 164h. The drive plate 165 has a shape corresponding to the inner surface of the housing 164k, so that the female screw member 164g does not rotate. As a result, the female screw member 164g is driven in the vertical direction in response to the rotation of the scraper drive motor 164a, and this driving force is transmitted to the pressing mechanism 163 via the drive plate 165. The range in which the female screw member 164g is driven is limited by an upper stopper 164f provided above the drive plate 165 and a lower stopper 164i provided below the female screw member 164g.

[0068] As described above, the cleaning unit 160 is provided with the scraper pressing mechanism 162, the pressing mechanism 163, and the driving mechanism 164, and can press the scraper 162a against the cooking vessel 110 during cleaning. When the cooking vessel 110 is rotated while the scraper 162a is pressed against it during cleaning, the scraper 162a can scrape off dirt on the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 while cleaning with the water flow. After stir-frying with high heat, burnt dirt may occur on the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110, but by scraping off the dirt on the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 with the scraper 162a, the cooking vessel 110 can be more appropriately cleaned even when burnt dirt occurs. In addition, if the pressing force is too strong when the scraper 162a is pressed against the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110, problems such as overloading the vessel rotation mechanism 144 or damaging the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 may occur. Therefore, by using a buffer member 163b in the pressing mechanism 163, the scraper 162a is brought into elastic contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110, and the scraper 162a is always pressed against the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 with an appropriate pressing force, which contributes to improving the cleaning effect and preventing malfunctions.

[0069] <5. Control Unit 170> Next, the control unit 170 will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a system configuration diagram of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in Fig. 1.

[0070] The control unit 170 of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 includes an operation panel 171, a cooking control command unit 172, a posture control unit 173, a heating control unit 174, a container rotation control unit 175, a stirring member rotation control unit 176, and a cleaning control unit 177. The cooking control command unit 172 is connected to each of the control units 173 to 177 and the operation panel 171 in order to control the automatic cooking apparatus 100 to perform cooking according to the cooking contents input from the operation panel 171.

[0071] The cooking control command unit 172 is also connected to the other automatic cooking appliances 100A to 100N and a management server 179 via an external network. The management server 179 can be, for example, a cloud server. The automatic cooking appliance 100 manages cooking menu information, cooking control information, maintenance information, and the like by the management server 179.

[0072] The cooking contents inputted from the operation panel 171 are transmitted to the cooking control command unit 172. Moreover, cooking status information and the like are transmitted from the cooking control command unit 172 to the operation panel 171, and the information can be displayed on the operation panel 171. The attitude control unit 173 controls the driving motor 141a of the attitude control mechanism 141 and the serving attitude actuator 152 of the serving unit 150 to control the attitude of the cooking container 110. The heating control unit 174 controls the IH heater 132a of the container heating unit 132 to control the heating state of the cooking container 110, such as the heating temperature and heating time. The container rotation control unit 175 controls the container driving motor 144a of the container rotation mechanism 144 to control the rotation direction and rotation speed of the cooking container 110. The stirring member rotation control unit 176 controls the stirring member driving motor 145a of the stirring member driving mechanism 145 to control the rotation position, rotation direction, rotation speed, and the like of the stirring member 120.

[0073] The stirring member rotation control unit 176 can control the position and speed of the stirring member 120 according to the position and speed information of the stirring member 120. For example, when the cooking vessel 110 is in a cooking posture, the stirring state of the ingredients can be controlled by controlling the rotation direction and rotation speed of the stirring member 120. Also, for example, when the cooking vessel 110 is in a cleaning posture, the stirring member 120 can be positioned and controlled so that the rotation angle does not interfere with the scraper 162a of the cleaning unit 160. Also, for example, when the cooking vessel 110 is in a serving posture, the serving state can be controlled by controlling the rotation position, rotation direction, and rotation speed of the stirring member 120.

[0074] The cleaning control unit 177 controls the solenoid valve 166 and the scraper drive motor 164a of the cleaning unit 160. The cleaning control unit 177 controls the on / off, water volume, water pressure, etc. of the water flow ejected from each nozzle 161 by controlling the solenoid valve 166. In addition, the cleaning control unit 177 controls the scraper drive motor 164a to press the scraper 162a against the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110, thereby controlling the state in which dirt on the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 is scraped off.

[0075] Each of the control units 173 to 177 of the control unit 170 can perform mutually coordinated control in response to a cooking command from the cooking control command unit 172. For example, when the cooking container 110 is in a cooking posture, the heating control unit 174, the container rotation control unit 175, and the stirring member rotation control unit 176 are controlled in coordination so that the heating state and the stirring state of the ingredients are in an appropriate state according to the cooking contents input from the operation panel 171. Also, for example, when the cooking container 110 is in a cleaning posture, the container rotation control unit 175, the stirring member rotation control unit 176, and the cleaning control unit 177 are controlled in coordination so that the stirring member 120 is positioned at a rotation angle that does not interfere with the scraper 162a, and then the scraper 162a is pressed against the cooking container 110, the rotation of the cooking container 110, the water flow, and the like are controlled. Furthermore, for example, when cooking vessel 110 is in a serving position, vessel rotation control unit 175 and stirring member rotation control unit 176 are controlled in cooperation with each other so that the food cooked in cooking vessel 110 by stirring member 120 is appropriately served in serving vessel D. Furthermore, for example, since the control of the position of cooking vessel 110 needs to be synchronized with the control by each of control units 174 to 177, position control unit 173 is controlled in cooperation with each of control units 174 to 177.

[0076] <6. Cooking Examples> Next, cooking examples using the automatic cooking device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Figure 15 shows a first cooking example using the automatic cooking device 100 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 16 shows a second cooking example using the automatic cooking device 100 shown in Figure 1.

[0077] The first cooking example shown in FIG. 15 is an example of cooking stir-fried vegetables. Since the cooking is done with a strong fire, it is necessary to stir-cook while rotating the cooking container 110 to prevent the food from burning. For this purpose, the cooking container 110 is rotated left, and the stirring member 120 is also rotated left. Although not particularly limited, the rotation speed at this time is set to, for example, about 20 to 30 rpm. In this embodiment, the shape of the stirring member 120 is designed so that the stirring member 120 scoops up the ingredients when rotating left. As shown in FIG. 15, by rotating the stirring member 120 left (forward rotation), the stirring member 120 stirs the ingredients along the inner surface shape of the cooking container 110. When the rotation directions of the cooking container 110 and the stirring member 120 are both rotated left, the ingredients are easily scooped up by the stirring member 120, and therefore the ingredients are easily stirred.

[0078] Furthermore, in the cooking posture, cooking container 110 is heated from the side by container heating unit 132, but in the first cooking example, cooking container 110 rotates left, so the parts of the ingredients that come into contact with cooking container 110 are constantly changing, and so the ingredients can be appropriately heated while being prevented from burning on the inner surface of cooking container 110. For example, by setting the rotation speed of cooking container 110 slightly (for example, about 1 to 3 rpm) higher than the rotation speed of stirring member 120, the parts of cooking container 110 that come into contact with the ingredients can be constantly changed, making it easier to prevent burning.

[0079] In the first cooking example of stir-fried vegetables, both the cooking container 110 and the stirring member 120 were rotated counterclockwise. However, when cooking highly viscous ingredients, for example, rotating the cooking container 110 to the right and rotating the stirring member to the left has the effect of preventing the ingredients from burning.

[0080] The second cooking example shown in FIG. 16 is an example of cooking fried rice. In the second cooking example, (1) A forward rotation mode in which the cooking vessel 110 rotates left and the stirring member 120 also rotates left, as in FIG. 15 ; (2) a reverse rotation mode in which the cooking vessel 110 rotates left and the stirring member 120 rotates right; When cooking fried rice, in order to fry the rice until it becomes fluffy, it is necessary to realize cooking that is similar to the action of a chef shaking a pan. For this reason, by setting a time period for cooking in reverse rotation mode, it is possible to reproduce the action of a chef shaking a pan. Furthermore, (3) A right-rotation mode in which the cooking vessel 110 rotates right and the stirring member 120 also rotates right. It is also possible to set a time period for the right rotation mode. The right rotation mode is effective in reproducing the action of shaking the pot more vigorously, so in the second cooking example, by incorporating the time period for this right rotation mode, it is possible to reproduce a variety of cooking techniques performed by a chef. In addition, since the reverse rotation mode and right rotation mode reduce the contact time between the stirring member and the ingredients, it is possible to reproduce the mixing method, such as cutting rice when making sushi rice, which is also effective when cooking sushi rice, scattered sushi, and mixed rice. Although there is no particular limitation, the rotation speed in the second cooking example is set to about 60 rpm.

[0081] In the automatic cooking device of this embodiment, the combination of the rotation directions and rotation speeds of the cooking vessel 110 and the stirring member 120 is arbitrary, and for example, the following combinations are possible. (a) Cooking vessel 110 rotates left, stirring member 120 rotates left (b) The cooking vessel 110 rotates to the right, and the stirring member 120 rotates to the left (c) The cooking vessel 110 rotates left, and the stirring member 120 rotates right (b) The cooking vessel 110 rotates to the right, and the stirring member 120 rotates to the right (e) The cooking vessel 110 and the stirring member 120 are rotated at the same speed. (f) The speed of the cooking vessel 110 is faster than that of the stirring member 120 (g) The speed of the cooking vessel 110 is slower than that of the stirring member 120 (h) The cooking vessel 110 rotates to the right and the stirring member 120 stops (i) Cooking vessel 110 rotates left, stirring member 120 stops (j) Cooking vessel 110 stops, stirring member 120 rotates right (k) Cooking vessel 110 stops, stirring member 120 rotates left (l) Cooking vessel 110 stops, stirring member 120 stops By combining the above operations (a) to (l), a variety of stirring cooking can be set, so that the automatic cooking device of this embodiment can reproduce stirring cooking that reproduces the cooking techniques used by a chef.

[0082] [Embodiment 2] An automatic cooking device according to embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 20. The same components as those in embodiment 1 are given the same numbers and their description will be omitted. Figure 17 is a perspective view of a cooking container 110 of an automatic cooking device 100 according to embodiment 2 of the present invention. In this embodiment, a scraping member 126 is attached to a stirring member 120 to perform a serving operation more appropriately.

[0083] The scraping member 126 is composed of a base portion 126a, an inclined portion 126b, and a scraping portion 126c. An attachment member 128 is fixed to the base portion 126a by a screw 128a. Meanwhile, an agitator side fixing portion 127 is attached to the straight portion 120b of the agitator 120. The attachment member 128 is attached to the agitator side fixing portion 127 by a hinge 129 so that the scraping member 126 is rotatable relative to the agitator 120.

[0084] The scraping member 126 rotates in the same direction together with the stirring member 120 as the stirring member 120 rotates. When the stirring member rotates counterclockwise (forward direction), the scraping member 126 moves by its own weight, but when the stirring member rotates in the forward direction, the scraping function of scraping food from the cooking container 110 is not performed. On the other hand, when the stirring member rotates clockwise (reverse direction), the scraping member 126 not only moves by its own weight, but also rotates with the outer surfaces of the inclined portion 126b and the scraping portion 126c in contact with the inclined surface portion 110b and the side surface portion 110c of the cooking container 110, respectively, so that the food in the cooking container 110 is pushed out by the scraping portion 126c and scraped into the serving container D. At this time, the angle formed by the inclined portion 126b and the straight portion 120b is determined by the position where the scraping portion 126c contacts the side portion 110C, the position where the hinge 129 is attached to the straight portion 120b, and the position where the straight portion 120b contacts the inclined surface portion 110b.

[0085] In addition, even when the stirring member 120 is kept stationary and only the cooking vessel is rotated to the left, the cooking vessel 110 rotates with the outer surfaces of the inclined portion 126b and the scraping portion 126c abutting against the inclined surface portion 110b and side surface portion 110c of the cooking vessel 110, respectively, so that the food in the cooking vessel 110 is pushed out by the scraping portion 126c and scraped into the serving vessel D.

[0086] Next, a cooking example of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. FIG. 18 is a cooking example of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 17, FIG. 19 is a first plating operation example of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 17, and FIG. 20 is a second plating operation example of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 17.

[0087] FIG. 18 shows a cooking example in which stir-frying is performed using the stirring member 120 to which the scraping member 126 is attached. The cooking container 110 rotates left, and the stirring member 120 also rotates left. In this case, as in the first cooking example of the first embodiment, the stirring member 120 rotates left (forward), so that the stirring member 120 stirs the ingredients along the inner surface shape of the cooking container 110. When both the cooking container 110 and the stirring member 120 are rotated left, the ingredients are easily scooped up by the stirring member 120, so that the ingredients are easily stirred. When the stirring member 120 is rotated left, the scraping member 126 oscillates due to its own weight, but this does not affect the stirring state of the ingredients.

[0088] FIG. 19 shows a first serving example in which the scraping member 126 is rotated and served. The cooking vessel 110 is rotated left, and the stirring member 120 is rotated right. As described above, when the stirring member 120 is rotated right (reverse rotation), the scraping member 126 rotates at an angle determined by the scraping portion 126c, the hinge 129, and the straight portion 12b, with the outer surfaces of the inclined portion 126b and the scraping portion 126c abutting the inclined surface portion 110b and the side surface portion 110c of the cooking vessel 110, respectively, so that the food in the cooking vessel 110 is pushed out by the scraping portion 126c and scraped out into the serving vessel D. In the first serving example, the stirring member 120 is rotated right (not particularly limited, for example, about 10 to 20 rpm) while the cooking vessel 110 is rotated left at a low speed (not particularly limited, for example, about 1 to 3 rpm) during serving. In the first serving example, serving is possible without rotating cooking vessel 110. However, if serving is performed while cooking vessel 110 is stationary, it may be difficult to scrape out the cooking that has stuck to the upper part of the inner surface of cooking vessel 110, so it is preferable to perform the serving operation while rotating cooking vessel 110 counterclockwise, especially for cooking with high viscosity.

[0089] 20 shows a second serving example in which the food is served with the scraping member 126 stopped. The cooking vessel 110 rotates left (for example, about 10 to 20 rpm, although this is not particularly limited), and the stirring member 120 is stopped. In this case, a force in the right direction is applied to the scraping member 126 relative to the peripheral surface of the cooking vessel 110, so that the outer surfaces of the inclined portion 126b and the scraping portion 126c come into contact with the inclined surface portion 110b and the side surface portion 110c of the cooking vessel 110, respectively, at an angle determined by the scraping portion 126c, the hinge 129, and the straight portion 12b, and the food in the cooking vessel 110 is pushed out by the scraping portion 126c and scraped into the serving vessel D. In the second serving example, the cooking container 110 is rotated to the left, but rather than constantly rotating to the left, there are periods when it is rotated to the right from time to time, so that the food can be scraped out without sticking to the entire circumference of the cooking container 110.

[0090] <Modification> The above-described embodiments are examples of automatic cooking devices for embodying the technical ideas of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention thereto. The present invention may be equally applied to other embodiments, such as those in which the present embodiment is modified or those in which the techniques described in the present embodiment are combined.

[0091] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the stirring member is provided on the bottom surface of the cooking vessel, but the stirring member is not necessarily provided on the bottom surface of the cooking vessel, and it is also possible to insert the stirring member from the opening surface side. Also, while the cooking vessel 110 has been described as having the bottom surface portion 110a, the inclined surface portion 110b, and the side surface portion 110c, the shape of the cooking vessel 110 may be any shape as long as it is a cylindrical shape with a bottom. For example, the shapes of the bottom surface portion 110a, the inclined surface portion 110b, and the side surface portion 110c may be hemispherical or conical.

[0092] For example, the arrangement of each device in the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to that shown in the drawings, and can be changed left and right or front and back. For example, the arrangement of the operation panel 171 and the power supply cord 180 is arbitrary and is not limited to that shown in the drawings.

[0093] For example, in the above embodiment, the cleaning unit 160 cleans the cooking container 110 with cleaning water, but the cleaning method for the inner surface of the cooking container 110 is not limited to washing with water. Also, in the above embodiment, the automatic cooking apparatus 100 is equipped with the cleaning unit 160, but the cleaning unit 160 may be separate from the automatic cooking apparatus 100. When the cleaning unit 160 is separate from the automatic cooking apparatus 100, the automatic cooking apparatus 100 and the cleaning unit 160 are controlled by a control device that controls the behavior of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 and the behavior of the cleaning unit 160, respectively.

[0094] For example, in the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the cooking vessel 110 is rotated while the scraper 162a is pressed against the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110, but a mechanism may be provided that drives the scraper 162a so that it reciprocates along the inner surface of the cooking vessel 110 while being pressed against the cooking vessel 110. In this case, dirt on the inside of the cooking vessel 110 can be scraped off by driving only the scraper 162a, or by both the rotational driving of the cooking vessel 110 and the driving of the scraper 162a.

[0095] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the heating device of the container heating section 132 is not limited to the IH heater 132a, and any heating device can be applied as long as it is possible to control the temperature, and may be, for example, a radiant heater that heats the cooking container by heating with an electric heating wire, or a sheath heater.

[0096] For example, in the above embodiment, the control unit 170 automatically controls all of the automatic cooking apparatus 100 based on the cooking contents input from the operation panel 171. However, it is also possible to replace some of the controls by the control unit 170 with input instructions from the operator. Furthermore, instead of automatically performing all of the cooking operations by the automatic cooking apparatus 100, some of the cooking operations may be performed manually or semi-automatically. For example, when plating food, the operator may manually arrange the plating from a design perspective. Furthermore, the automatic cooking apparatus 100 can be controlled independently without connecting the control unit 170 to the external network 178. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 100 Automatic cooking device 110 Cooking vessels 110a Bottom part 110b Slope section 110c side part 111 Container inner fixing plate 112 Container outside fixing plate 113 Container fixing screw 114 Container Rotation Axis 114a Thrust receiving part 114b Ring 114c O-ring 115 Container attachment mechanism 115a Bearing support part 115b base 115c Grip 116 Container Bearing 117 Container fixed shaft connection part 120 Agitating member 120a base 120b Straight section 120c curved section 121 Agitating member rotating shaft 121a Agitation member mounting portion 121b Thrust receiving part 123a Agitator bearing 123b Agitator bearing 124 Oil seal 125 Agitator rotating shaft connection part 125a Top side 125b Bottom side 126 Scraping material 126a base 126b Slope 126c Scraping part 127 Stirring member side fixed part 128 Mounting material 129 Hinge 130 Cooking table 131 Top surface 132 Container heating section 132a IH heater 140 Container holding unit 141 Attitude Control Mechanism 141a Attitude control motor 141a1 drive shaft 141b Rotating drive arm 143 Vessel drive subunit 143a Right shaft insertion hole 143b Left shaft insertion hole 144 Container Rotation Mechanism 144a Container drive motor 144b Container drive pulley 144c Container drive belt 144d Container side passive pulley 144f Thrust receiving part 144g thrust bearing 145 Container Rotation Mechanism 145 Agitation member drive mechanism 145a Stirring member drive motor 145b Agitator drive pulley 145c Agitator drive belt 145d Agitating member side driven pulley 145e Agitator drive shaft 145f bearing 145h bearing 145g Bearing support part 145h bearing 145i Agitator Drive Bearing 145j Thrust receiving part 145k Rotating Plate 145m Encoder 150 serving unit 151 Manual Lever 152 Serving posture actuator 160 Cleaning Unit 161 Nozzle 162 Scraper pressing mechanism 162a Scraper 162a1 bottom edge 162a2 Side Edge 162b Scraper pressing member 162b1 scraper fixing part 162b2 curved section 162b3 pivot support 162b4 pivot hole 162b5 operation section 162b6 operating point 162c pivot axis 163 Pressing mechanism 163a Pressing member 163b Cushioning material 163b1 hole 163b2 sliding contact part 163b3 step section 163b3 sliding part 163b4 narrow diameter part 163b5 hole 163d Spring parts 163e Spring support member 163f Screw 163g Oil seal 163h Sliding parts 164 Drive Mechanism 164a Scraper drive motor 164b Motor drive shaft 164c Shaft connection 164d Driving member 164e Bearing 164f Upper stopper 164g material 164h Fixing screw 164i Lower stopper 164j Bearing 164k case 165 Drive plate 165a Through hole 166 Solenoid valve 170 Control Unit 171 Operation Panel 172 Cooking Control Command Unit 173 Attitude Control Unit 174 Heating control section 175 Container rotation control unit 176 Stirring member rotation control section 177 Cleaning control section 178 External Network 179 Management Server 180 Power Supply Cord D Serving container P: Pressing direction of the pressing member 163a Q Swing direction of scraper pressing mechanism 162 W Cleaning water

Claims

1. An automatic cooking device comprising a bottomed cylindrical cooking container and a container holding unit for holding the cooking container, and for at least stirring and cooking ingredients contained in the cooking container, The cooking container is provided with a stirring member for stirring ingredients, The container holding unit includes a container rotation mechanism that rotates the cooking container around a container rotation axis, The stirring member is driven from the bottom side of the cooking vessel, The stirring member is capable of taking a second motion state independent of the first motion state of the cooking vessel when the rotation direction, rotation speed, or stationary motion state of the cooking vessel is a first motion state; the container holding unit includes a stirring member driving mechanism that rotates the stirring member, and the stirring member driving mechanism is capable of setting the motion state of the stirring member to a second motion state different from a first motion state of the cooking container caused by the container rotation mechanism, An automatic cooking device characterized in that when the operating state of the cooking container is clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary, the stirring member drive mechanism is capable of setting the operating state of the stirring member to any of clockwise rotation, counterclockwise rotation, or stationary.

2. 2. The automatic cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the stirring member further comprises a scraping member that scrapes out food cooked by the automatic cooking device depending on the operating state of the stirring member and / or the cooking container.

3. (1) an ingredient receiving position in which the ingredient is received by the cooking container; (2) a cooking position in which the cooking container is rotated by the container rotation mechanism to cook the ingredients; (3) a serving position in which the cooking container is tilted down toward a serving container; or (4) A cleaning position in which the cooking vessel is cleaned with the opening side of the cooking vessel facing downward.

2. The automatic cooking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cooking vessel is capable of being changed to take any one of the above positions.

4. 4. The automatic cooking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein when the cooking vessel is in the cleaning position, a scraper is brought into contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel to clean it.

5. When the cooking vessel is in a cleaning position, Bringing the scraper into elastic contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel; Driving the scraper in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel; or Rotating the cooking vessel on its axis while the scraper is in contact with the inner surface of the cooking vessel; 5. The automatic cooking apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the automatic cooking apparatus is set to at least one of the cleaning states.

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