Conditioner

Abstract

To provide a cooking device which completes treatment of impregnating a seasoning liquid with a food material and baking in a low pressure state, in the inside of the small-sized cooking device, and secures cleanliness due to being easily removed, and to provide a control method for the same.SOLUTION: A cooking device for cooking a food material includes: a container stored inside an outer case formed in a box shape by a lid and a lower cover; a tray stored in the container for placing the food material thereon; lifting / lowering means for lifting / lowering the tray; and a heater disposed at least in one of the lid and the lower cover. The cooking device positions the tray downward to impregnate a seasoning liquid with the food material, positions the tray upward to draw up the food material from the seasoning liquid, and stirs the seasoning liquid in a state of positioning the tray downward to impregnate the seasoning liquid with the food material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device, and more particularly to a cooking device suitable for impregnating food with seasoning liquid and roasting the food under low pressure. [Background technology]

[0002] Various types of cooking appliances for baking foodstuffs have been known for some time. For example, Patent Document 1, with the aim of providing a baking device that can reduce dirt during operation, is easy to clean and inspect, and has good energy efficiency, describes a baking device that "heats objects to be heated using superheated steam, and includes a superheated steam generating device that generates superheated steam and a baking chamber in which the objects to be heated are baked by the superheated steam, a conveying device that moves the objects to be heated is provided inside the baking chamber, an upper electric heater is provided above the conveying device inside the baking chamber, the superheated steam generating device is disposed below the conveying device, a drip receiving section is disposed below the side of the conveying device, and at least a part of the baking chamber has a structure that allows the interior of the baking chamber to be opened."

[0003] Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, for the purpose of obtaining a cooking device that can suppress smoke generation in a cooking chamber and can efficiently heat while ensuring the height inside the cooking chamber, the document describes a cooking chamber having an intake port and an air outlet port provided below the intake port, the cooking chamber door that covers the opening on the front side of the cooking chamber in an openable manner, a pair of door opening / closing means that are provided on each of a pair of opposing side walls of the cooking chamber and slide the cooking chamber door, an upper heating means that heats the inside of the cooking chamber from above, and a heating means that is provided in the cooking chamber and heats the food to be heated. The cooking device is configured as "a heating cooker comprising a cooking tray to be placed thereon, air blowing means for drawing in air from within the cooking chamber through the suction port and sending the drawn-in air from the outlet into the cooking chamber, circulating air heating means for heating the air drawn in through the suction port by the air blowing means, and control means for controlling the operation of the upper heating means, the air blowing means, and the circulating air heating means, wherein the width dimension of the cooking tray is smaller than the dimension between the pair of opposing side walls of the cooking chamber and larger than the dimension between the pair of door opening and closing means."

[0004] Furthermore, Patent Document 3 aims to provide a cooking appliance that can automatically prepare enzymes for processing ingredients, and describes the appliance as "a cooking appliance having a housing, comprising a storage chamber for storing ingredients, a pressure control means for controlling the pressure within the storage chamber, a temperature control means for controlling the temperature within the storage chamber, an enzyme storage means for storing an enzyme for processing ingredients, a preparation means for receiving the enzyme delivered from the enzyme storage means and preparing an enzyme aqueous solution containing the enzyme, an enzyme introduction means for introducing the prepared enzyme aqueous solution into the storage chamber, and a separation means provided inside the housing and for separating the enzyme aqueous solution in the storage chamber from ingredients." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-192237 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 06214739 [Patent Document 3] Patent No. 06084752 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] According to the above-mentioned patent documents, it is possible to provide a cooking device that satisfies the respective objectives. However, Patent Document 1 cooks food on a conveyor using heated steam, so the device becomes large and does not perform low-pressure cooking (vacuum cooking). Patent Document 2 is a convection oven for a fish grill of an IH cooking heater, and although the device can be made small, it does not perform low-pressure cooking (vacuum cooking). Patent Document 3 performs low-pressure cooking using enzymes, but the device becomes large and is equipped with tubes, solenoid valves, and waste liquid containers for enzyme switching, which increases the amount of washing and may cause problems with cleanliness. Furthermore, it is not possible to brown food.

[0007] In contrast, the present invention aims to provide a cooker that can complete the process of impregnating ingredients with seasoning liquid and baking them inside a small cooker and that can be easily removed to ensure cleanliness. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In view of the above, the present invention provides a cooking device for cooking food, the cooking device comprising: a container housed inside an outer case formed into a box shape by a lid and a bottom cover; a tray housed inside the container on which food is placed; a lifting means for lifting the tray up and down; and a heater in at least one of the lid or the bottom cover; the lifting means is composed of a drive motor located on the outer box outside the side wall of the container, a lifting gear located on the outer box outside the side wall of the container and rotated by the driving force of the drive motor, and a lifting disk located on the inner side wall of the container in a semicircular recess formed in the container, magnetically coupled to the lifting gear with the opposing side walls of the container sandwiched therebetween, rotating in response to the rotation of the lifting gear, and lifting the tray up and down; The cooking device is characterized in that the tray is positioned below to soak the food with the seasoning liquid, the tray is positioned above to pull the food out of the seasoning liquid, and the tray is positioned below to leave the food in a state where it is soaked with the seasoning liquid, and the seasoning liquid is stirred. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the cooking device of the present invention, the process of impregnating ingredients with seasoning liquid and baking them can be completed inside the small cooking device, and since it is easy to remove, it is possible to provide a cooking device and a control method thereof that can ensure cleanliness. Furthermore, the process of impregnating ingredients with seasoning liquid and baking them under low pressure can also be completed inside the small cooking device of the present invention.

[0010] In particular, according to the present invention, the cooking process can be completed within a single cooking vessel, so there is less washing up to do, and since there are fewer vessels, the volume of the device can be made smaller. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an assembled configuration of devices stored in an outer box. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a tray 6 stored in the container. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing how the tray 6 is moved up and down. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing components of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing flow in a controller 13. [Figure 8] 4 is a time chart showing a processing flow. [Figure 9] 4 is a diagram showing a flow of a series of processes in a cooking appliance control method that utilizes the cooking appliance 1 described in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a seasoning liquid stirring process in the seasoning liquid impregnation stage (second stage). [Figure 11] FIG. 13 is a time chart showing the flow of processing in the third embodiment. [Figure 12] 12 is a time chart showing the tray position at each stage in FIG. 11 . FIG. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a tray 6 suitable for stirring seasoning liquid. [Figure 14a] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the distribution of openings 6d of the tray 6 is biased toward the end portion. [Figure 14b] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example in which the distribution of openings 6d of the tray 6 is biased toward the end portion. [Figure 15a] A diagram showing cooking using precipitated seasoning. [Figure 15b] A diagram showing cooking using precipitated seasoning. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which a temperature sensor is provided on the tray 6. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which a temperature sensor is provided on the lifting disc. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a configuration example in which a non-contact temperature sensor is mounted on the inner surface of the lid of the main body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] In the following examples, a cooker and a control method thereof according to the present invention are specifically described, which can impregnate ingredients with seasoning liquid containing additives such as seasonings and enzymes by applying low pressure to the container containing ingredients, and can maintain a temperature suitable for enzyme reaction, and can drain the seasoning liquid by raising the tray on which the ingredients are placed, and can bake the ingredients using a heater on the upper surface. Specifically, the configuration of the cooker is described in Example 1, and a control method for the cooker is described in Example 2. Furthermore, in Example 3, the improvement of temperature unevenness of the seasoning liquid from the viewpoint of eliminating the temperature gradient of the seasoning liquid in the container, in particular, in Example 4, the tray structure suitable for carrying out Example 3, in Example 5, the temperature management inside the container of the cooker, and in Example 6, the control using the height direction temperature is described. EXAMPLES

[0014] In the first embodiment, the configuration of a cooking device according to the present invention will be described.

[0015] Fig. 1 shows an example of the overall configuration of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, cooking device 1 is mainly composed of an outer box 2 in which a lid 2a and a lower cover 2b are rotatably connected at a rotation joint 2c, a container 4 (vacuum container) housed inside the box-shaped outer box 2, a tray 6 housed inside the container 4, a lifting means 5 for raising and lowering the tray 6 up and down, and a heater 3 attached to, for example, the lid 2a.

[0016] In the illustrated example, the heater 3 is installed only on the lid 2a, but a variation would be to add a lower heater on the lower cover 2b side. Also, it is preferable that the top heater 3 on the lid 2a side is provided on the inside of the lid 2a, but it may also be provided on the outside of the lid 2a to transfer heat.

[0017] The space constituting cooker 1 also contains functions such as a controller that forms a vacuum inside outer box 2 and executes the steps of the control method of the present invention. Therefore, although not shown in Fig. 2, the cooker 1 has the components shown in Fig. 6 as its overall function. In addition to the devices shown in Fig. 1, the cooker has a vacuum pump 11, a controller 13, a temperature sensor 14, and an interface machine side 15, but most of these are contained in the space formed by lid 2a.

[0018] The interface unit side 15 of the cooking appliance 1 is wirelessly connected to an interface 16 such as a smartphone body or a wireless LAN such as a wifi router, so that the start can be controlled from outside such as a smartphone, or the set temperature can be displayed on the smartphone body, and information such as the remaining time and the end of cooking can be displayed externally for monitoring. The control and monitoring functions of the interface 16 in the illustrated example may be performed by the cooking appliance 1 body.

[0019] 2 is a diagram showing an example of an assembled configuration of the equipment housed in the outer box. The main components, a container 4 (vacuum container), a tray 6, and a lifting means 5 are housed in the outer box 2. Here, the lifting means 5 are disposed on both opposing side walls of the container 4, and the tray 6 is housed inside the container 4 and raised and lowered within the container 4.

[0020] Of these, each of the two sets of lifting means 5 on both side walls is composed of a lifting motor 5a, a lifting gear 5b, and a lifting disk 5c. Of these, the lifting motor 5a and the lifting gear 5b are positioned on the outside of the opposing side walls of the container 4 in a manner fixed to the outer box 2, and the lifting gear 5b rotates by the driving force of the lifting motor 5a through mechanical coupling. On the other hand, the lifting disk 5c is positioned on the inside of the opposing side walls of the container 4, and is coupled with the lifting gear 5b by an attractive force F due to magnetic coupling. For this reason, the lifting disk 5c is provided with the same number of magnets m2 and the lifting gear 5b is provided with the same number of magnets m1, and are magnetically coupled across the opposing side walls of the container 4, and the lifting disk 5c also rotates in a non-contact manner in response to the rotation of the lifting gear 5b. Note that two lifting disks 5c and two lifting gears 5b are arranged inside and outside both side walls.

[0021] Two pairs of semicircular recesses 40 are formed on the inner sides of the opposing side walls of the container 4, and the lift disk 5c is fitted into each of the semicircular recesses 40. Therefore, when the lift disk 5c is abutted in the semicircular recesses 40, it is fixed in position by the attractive force F between the magnet m1 attached to the lift gear 5b and the magnet m2 attached to the lift disk 5c, and becomes rotatable. The lift disk 5c is provided with a tab t. The tab t is formed at a position away from the center of the circular lift disk 5c. Therefore, the position of the tab t is positioned on a circular orbit with respect to the center of the lift disk 5c as the lift disk 5c rotates.

[0022] Here, magnets are arranged on both the lifting gear 5b and the lifting disk 5c, but it is also possible for one of them to be a magnet and the other to be iron, etc. Essentially, it is sufficient that magnetic force can be used to transmit rotation on the lifting gear 5b side to the lifting disk 5c side in a non-contact manner.

[0023] An enlarged view of the tray 6 stored in the container 4 is shown in Fig. 4. The tray 6 has a configuration in which a plurality of semi-cylindrical portions 6a and a plurality of valley-shaped portions 6b are alternately arranged in parallel to the opposing side walls of the container 4 in which the lifting means 5 is arranged, and when viewed from the direction A, which is a direction perpendicular to the opposing side walls of the container 4, the semi-cylindrical portions 6a and the valley-shaped portions 6b are shaped as shown in the figure. In addition, a tab hook portion 6c is formed at the end of the tray 6, and the tab hook portion 6c and the tab t are engaged with each other. Since the position of the tab t is set at a position away from the center of the lifting disc 5c, the tray 6 itself is moved up and down as the tab position moves up and down on a circular orbit due to the rotation of the lifting disc 5c.

[0024] With this structure of the tray 6, the tray 6 has a structure in which the multiple valley-shaped portions 6b prevent food from falling, the semi-cylindrical portions 6a allow liquid to flow easily, and the left and right ends shown in the figure are structured to hook onto tabs t of the lifting disk 5c. This alternates between a semi-cylindrical shape that allows liquid to fall to the left and right, and a valley shape that stabilizes food, and a certain amount of surface area can be secured, preventing food from crumbling and achieving grilled marks like those on a grill.

[0025] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration after assembly. As is apparent from FIG. 2 and other figures, the order in which the various parts are set is as follows: first, container 4 is set in the internal space of outer box 2, then lifting disk 5c is abutted against semicircular recess 40 of container 4, and tray 6 is set inside container 4, completing assembly into the shape shown in FIG. 3.

[0026] It is clear that this structure allows for easy disassembly and assembly, which means that cleaning of these parts can be easily performed, improving the cleanliness level. Also, the device can be made compact.

[0027] Fig. 5 is a diagram showing how the tab hook 6c and the tab t are engaged, and how the tray 6 itself moves up and down as the tab position rotates and moves up and down due to the rotation of the lift-up disk 5c. As the initial state is shown at the top, this illustrated state is the assembled state of Fig. 3 in which the lift-up disk 5c is fitted with the tab t in contact with the semicircular recess 40, and the tray 6 is then housed in the container 4. At this time, the tab t is located below the tab hook 6c.

[0028] The middle part of Fig. 5 shows a rotation intermediate stage, and when the lift gear 5b rotates due to the driving force of the lift motor 5a, the attractive force F caused by the magnetic coupling of the magnets m1 and m2 acts, causing the lift disk 5c to rotate in the opposite direction. At this time, the position of the tab t attached to the lift disk 5c also rises while rotating, lifting the tab hook portion 6c with which it is engaged, and as a result, lifting the tray 6. The lower part of Fig. 5 shows the relationship at the uppermost position of the tray 6 after rotation.

[0029] According to the cooking device 1 of the first embodiment described above, the process of impregnating the ingredients with seasoning liquid and baking them under low pressure can be completed inside the small cooking device, and since it is easy to remove, it is possible to make a cooking device that can ensure cleanliness.

[0030] In the above example, two sets of lifting means 5, and therefore four sets of lifting discs 5c are used to lift and lower the tray 6 while keeping it horizontal, but it is also possible to tilt the tray by varying the amount of lift on the left and right. Or, when making teriyaki, it is also possible to repeat the process of soaking in seasoning liquid and grilling in a lifted state several times. EXAMPLES

[0031] In the second embodiment, a method of controlling a cooker using the cooker 1 described in the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0032] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a series of steps in a control method for a cooker that uses the cooker 1 described in Example 1, and illustrates a series of process steps using the lifting means 5 for the tray 6, which is a unique structure of the cooker 1. Note that cooking using the lifting means 5 for the tray can be used for "baking" and "steaming." Fig. 9 illustrates baking as an example.

[0033] In Example 2, the heater 3 includes an upper heater 3a attached to the lid 2a, and a lower heater 3b attached to the lower cover 2b, and the seasoning liquid contains enzymes to cook the ingredients until they are soft. The temperature sensor 14 is attached inside the lower cover 2b, and comes into contact with the container when it is stored to measure the container temperature.

[0034] In step A of this process, the container 4 and the tray 6 are set in the lower cover 2b. In step B, the food material (e.g., meat) 30, enzymes, and seasoning liquid are put into the container. In step C, the pressure inside the container is set to, for example, a vacuum (0.6 atm), and the food material is impregnated with the enzymes. By cooking using enzymes, the food material 30 can be softened by quickly decomposing the tissues of the food material 30. For example, by using protease, which is a protein decomposing enzyme, the food material 30 such as meat or fish can be softened. In step D, the lower heater 3b is energized and used to maintain a low temperature (e.g., 40 to 60 degrees) to create an environment in which the enzyme reaction can easily proceed. The temperature at this time is detected by the temperature sensor 14 attached inside the lower cover 2b, for example, the temperature of the container 4. The temperature at this time is a temperature at which the enzyme used is likely to react, and it is preferable that the temperature can be set appropriately depending on the type of enzyme. For example, when meat or fish is used as the food ingredient 30 and protease is used as the enzyme, the optimum temperature for enzyme activity is between 40 and 60 degrees, so the lower heater is controlled to maintain the temperature inside the container 4 at 40 to 60 degrees. Note that since enzymes become inactivated at high temperatures and are unable to promote the decomposition of the food ingredient 30, the temperature inside the container 4 is controlled to maintain a constant temperature range so that it does not become too hot.

[0035] In stage E, the tray 6 is raised in the container 4 using the tray lifting means 5, which is a structure unique to the cooker 1, and the seasoning liquid is drained off. In the case of baking, electricity is applied to the upper heater 3a attached to the lid 2a and baking is performed using this. When steaming is performed in stage E, the tray 6 is raised in the container 4 using the tray lifting means 5, which is a structure unique to the cooker 1, and the process is the same as the baking process up to the point where the seasoning liquid is drained off, but in the case of steaming, electricity is applied to the lower heater 3b attached to the lower cover 2b, and the steaming process is performed using the evaporation temperature and pressure of the seasoning liquid. After that, cooking is completed in stage F after a predetermined processing time has elapsed.

[0036] Fig. 7 is a process flow when the above process is executed by the controller 13 in Fig. 6. The process in Fig. 7 is performed using the calculation unit of a computer, and in the first process step St1, with the container 4 and tray 6 stored in the outer box 2, ingredients are placed on the tray 6 and seasoning liquid is poured on it.

[0037] In process step St2, the lid 2a is closed to start cooking, and with the tray in the lowered position, the vacuum pump 11 is started to start and vacuum drawing begins. In process step St3, it is confirmed that the pressure inside the container 4 has reached the set pressure, and if it has not, vacuum drawing continues in process step St4, and when it has reached the set pressure, the process moves to process step St5. It can be confirmed that the vacuum has reached the set pressure by checking the output of the pressure sensor, but more simply, it can be assumed that vacuum has been reached when the time during which vacuum drawing has been performed reaches the set time and proceed.

[0038] In process step St5, the pressure inside the container 4 is returned to normal pressure when the evacuation is completed, the lower heater 3b is energized, and when the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 14 reaches the set temperature, keeping the temperature at the set temperature is started. In process step St6, it is confirmed that the keeping time has reached the set time, and if it has not reached the set time, the process returns to process step St5 to continue keeping the temperature, and when it has reached the set time, the process proceeds to process step St7. Note that in this case, it is desirable to be able to variably set the keeping time according to the thickness of the food material 30, the amount of food material, the type of enzyme, etc.

[0039] In process step St8, the baking process is carried out until a set time has elapsed, and when the time has elapsed, cooking is determined to be complete in process step St9.

[0040] Figure 8 is a time chart showing the flow of the above process, which is divided into four stages. The first stage, S0, is the state in which the ingredients are placed on the tray and preheated by pouring seasoning liquid over them, and represents the preparation stage in which the pressure is reduced with the tray in the upright position and the lower heater is preheated. In the second stage, the container temperature detected by the temperature sensor is maintained at T1, and the ingredients are soaked in the seasoning liquid. In the third stage, the tray is lifted and the inside of the container is heated in preparation for grilling, and in the fourth stage, grilling is performed. EXAMPLES

[0041] In Example 3, a cooker capable of improving the temperature unevenness of the seasoning liquid is described by utilizing the cooker 1 described in Examples 1 and 2 of the present invention. In this Example 3, a cooker is provided that allows even people with reduced chewing ability to enjoy meals.

[0042] When taking into consideration people with reduced chewing ability, it is necessary to ensure that the entire ingredient is uniformly soft. One challenge is that if there is a temperature gradient in the seasoning liquid, the heating history will be different between the top and bottom of the ingredient, which will change the finished product. It is also necessary to consider that there is a specific temperature range within which enzymes are most effective.

[0043] For this reason, in Example 3, in the series of baking steps in Figure 8, the container temperature detected by the temperature sensor is maintained at T1, and the seasoning liquid is stirred in the second stage (stage D in Figure 9) in which the ingredients are soaked in the seasoning liquid.

[0044] In this case, various stirring means are conceivable. These specific stirring means are means that give vibration to the container and use ultrasonic waves, and the means are not limited here. However, as a practical device, since the tray 6 can move up and down, it is practical to use the movement of the tray 6 for stirring. The movement of the tray 6 may be a uniform movement of the entire tray up and down, or it may be a movement in which when one part moves, the movement is different from the movement of the other parts, like that of a portable shrine.

[0045] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a seasoning liquid stirring process in the seasoning liquid impregnation stage (second stage). Fig. 10 shows how the tray 6 is controlled to be raised and lowered intermittently to eliminate temperature unevenness of the seasoning liquid in the container when heating and keeping warm in the second stage.

[0046] Here, the heater 3b contacts the bottom surface of the container and transfers heat, so the solution is heated from below, and convection occurs, making the temperature inside the container closer to uniform. However, because the tray 6 and food 30 are in the solution, convection may not occur easily. This may cause temperature unevenness in the seasoning liquid and food, leading to uneven cooking results, overheating, and partial overheating. Therefore, while the container is being heated and kept warm, the tray 6 is repeatedly raised and lowered, and the seasoning liquid is stirred, thereby reducing temperature unevenness. It goes without saying that the mechanism shown in FIG. 5 can be used to raise and lower the tray 6.

[0047] FIG. 11 is a time chart showing the flow of the process, which is divided into four stages as in FIG. 8, but is the same as in Example 1 except for the second stage S1. The first stage S0 is a state in which the food is set on the tray 6 and preheated by pouring seasoning liquid from above, and represents a preparation stage such as pressure reduction work and lower heater preheating with the tray position up. In the second stage, the container temperature detected by the temperature sensor is maintained at T1, and the food is soaked in the seasoning liquid. At this time, the tray is repeatedly raised and lowered to agitate the seasoning liquid and reduce temperature unevenness in the container. In the third stage, the tray is lifted and the container is heated for grilling, and in the fourth stage, grilling is performed.

[0048] Fig. 12 is a time chart showing only the tray positions enlarged at each stage in Fig. 11. In the first stage S0, food ingredients are set on the tray 6 and seasoning liquid is poured from above to preheat, and this represents the preparation stage of pressure reduction work, lower heater preheating, etc. with the tray position at the top.

[0049] In the second stage, the container temperature detected by the temperature sensor is maintained at T1, and the ingredients are soaked in the seasoning liquid. At this time, the tray position is repeatedly raised and lowered at a constant width B1. In this example, the width B1 is set so that the ingredients and tray are not exposed to the air, and are repeatedly raised and lowered in the seasoning liquid. Also, in order to reduce the splashing of the seasoning liquid when the tray operation switches from rising to falling, the rising speed is set slower than the falling speed. If the seasoning liquid is highly viscous, splashing is less likely to occur, but stirring is also less likely, so the rise and fall width B1 must be increased and the tray operation speed must also be set fast.

[0050] In addition, for ingredients with a density close to that of the seasoning liquid, the tray movement speed is set slow because the ingredients may move around on the tray due to the water flow caused by the tray rising and falling. The tray speed may be determined according to the cooking course selected by the user, or may be determined according to the weight by installing a sensor that measures the weight of the container. The weight and viscosity of the seasoning liquid may be detected from the load of the lifting motor 5a when the tray is raised and lowered. In the third stage, the tray is lifted and the inside of the container is heated for baking, and in the fourth stage, the baking takes place. EXAMPLES

[0051] In the fourth embodiment, a tray structure suitable for carrying out the third embodiment will be described. Considering mixing, the structure of the third embodiment is advantageous over the tray 6 illustrated in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 described in the first embodiment. The application of the mechanism for raising and lowering the tray is exactly the same as that of the first embodiment.

[0052] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a tray 6 suitable for stirring seasoning liquid. In this example, a large number of holes 6d are formed in the tray 6 in order to better stir the liquid. Although stirring is possible with the tray of Example 1, since the liquid passes only through the gap between the tray 6 and the container, it is difficult for the liquid to be exchanged between the upper and lower parts of the tray 6, and depending on the viscosity of the liquid, the tray position may become unstable, causing problems such as uneven distribution of ingredients or getting caught between the tray and the container. Therefore, in this example, the openings 6d are evenly arranged in the tray 6, making it easy for the water flow to pass through the tray 6.

[0053] 14a and 14b show examples in which the distribution of the openings 6d of the tray 6 is biased toward the end. According to FIG. 14a, if the openings 6d are concentrated toward the end (up and down in the figure) with respect to the center, when the tray 6 is submerged in the seasoning liquid, the water flow MI from the openings 6d of the tray 6 behaves as if it gathers in the center after passing through the openings 6d at the end as shown in FIG. 14b. Due to this action, if the ingredients 30 are biased toward either end on the tray 6 (left and right in the figure) as shown in FIG. 14b, the ingredients 30 move according to the water flow MI, and the bias of the ingredients on the tray 6 can be eliminated.

[0054] 15a and 15b show cooking using seasonings that have settled. If the water flow is weak, seasonings c1 that settle will settle to the bottom of the container 6 as shown in FIG. 15a. In contrast, by raising and lowering the tray to stir the seasoning liquid, seasonings c1 that settle can be stirred up from the bottom of the water as shown in FIG. 15b, and the seasonings can be mixed well and finished. If you want to mix more seasonings c1 that settle onto the ingredients, you can make small movements near the bottom of the water, stop for a certain period of time, and then raise the tray at a low speed to enter the finishing step, which will cause seasonings c1 that settle onto the ingredients 30, and allow more seasonings c1 to mix with the ingredients 30 and finish the cooking. EXAMPLES

[0055] In the fifth embodiment, the temperature control inside the container will be described. The temperature inside the container described here is the temperature inside the container detected as the temperature in the height direction. Specifically, it is the temperature distribution in the height direction of the seasoning liquid, and is suitable for temperature control that can estimate that the heat inside the container is distributed evenly, such as the temperature difference between the ingredients and the surface of the seasoning liquid, and that the ingredients are in an environment without unevenness.

[0056] In this case, there are several methods for measuring the temperature in the height direction, and one of the ideas is to install a temperature sensor in a part that moves in the height direction. Fig. 16 shows an example in which a temperature sensor and a temperature sensor information wireless transmission unit are integrated into a temperature detection unit S101 on a tray 6. The temperature detection unit S101 is composed of the temperature sensor S101, a microprocessor that acquires information from the temperature sensor and performs appropriate noise processing as the temperature sensor information wireless transmission unit, a wireless transmission unit, and a battery that serves as the power source for the microprocessor and the wireless transmission unit.

[0057] Furthermore, a temperature sensor information wireless receiver for transmitting temperature information measured on the tray 6 to the controller 13 has been added inside the container 1 body in Fig. 6, and the temperature information is transmitted wirelessly after measuring the temperature of the tray 6. Since the temperature sensor can be immersed in the solution, it is possible to measure the temperature with high accuracy, enabling temperature control with minimal temperature variation.

[0058] Fig. 17 also shows a case where a temperature sensor is installed in a part that moves in the height direction. Fig. 17 shows an example where a temperature sensor and a temperature sensor information wireless transmission unit are integrated into a temperature detection unit S102 on a lift-up disk 5c. The temperature detection unit S101 is composed of a temperature sensor S101, a microprocessor that acquires information from the temperature sensor and performs appropriate noise processing as the temperature sensor information wireless transmission unit, a wireless transmission unit, and a battery that serves as a power source for the microprocessor and the wireless transmission unit.

[0059] Furthermore, a temperature sensor information wireless receiver for transmitting temperature information measured on the tray 6 to the controller 13 has been added inside the container 1 body in Fig. 6, and the temperature information is transmitted wirelessly after measuring the temperature of the tray 6. Since the temperature sensor can be immersed in the solution, it is possible to measure the temperature with high accuracy, enabling temperature control with minimal temperature variation.

[0060] Another idea for measuring the temperature in the height direction is to keep the temperature sensor itself fixed and move the non-measurement side up and down, so that the result can be used as information in the height direction. Figure 18 shows a non-contact temperature sensor mounted on the inside of the lid of the main body. In order to control the temperature of the ingredients with higher accuracy, a non-contact temperature sensor S103 is mounted on the inside of the lid, and the temperature of the ingredients is directly measured and used for control, thereby improving the accuracy of the temperature.

[0061] A non-contact thermometer, such as one for a radiation thermometer, is used, and when it is desired to measure only the temperature of the ingredients, the tray is raised to expose the ingredients from the seasoning liquid and measurement is performed. When it is desired to measure the temperature of the seasoning liquid, the tray is lowered so that the non-contact temperature sensor can detect the temperature of only the liquid surface. When it is desired to cook frozen ingredients while thawing them, it is possible to prevent heat from passing only through the surface of the ingredients by alternately measuring the temperature of the seasoning liquid and the temperature of the ingredients. EXAMPLES

[0062] In Example 6, a control using the height direction temperature measured by the temperature sensor in Example 5 will be described. For example, when the temperature difference in the height direction in the seasoning liquid is large, there is a risk of temperature unevenness occurring due to differences in the degree of overheating of the ingredients caused by the temperature difference, and this can be improved by varying the lifting and lowering speed or the number of repeated lifting and lowering movements in FIG.

[0063] In the case of Figure 18, the temperature difference between the temperature at the surface of the seasoning liquid and the temperature at the surface of the food material when it is raised is also equivalent to measuring the temperature difference in the vertical direction, and in this case too, improvements can be made by varying the lifting speed or the number of times the lifting and lowering is repeated in Figure 11 according to the temperature difference. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1:Cooker 2: Outer box 2a: Lid 2b: Lower cover 2c: Rotational joint 3: Heater 4: Container 40: Semicircular depression 5: Lifting means 5a: Lifting motor 5b: Lifting gear 5c: Lifting disc 6: Tray 6a: Kamaboko Club 6b: Valley part 6c: Tab hook 6d: opening 11: Vacuum pump 12: Vacuum container 13: Controller 14: Temperature sensor 15: Interface aircraft side 16: Interface F: Suction power m1, m2: magnet t:tab S101, S102, S103: Temperature sensors

Claims

1. A cooking device for cooking ingredients, The food processor is provided with a container that is stored inside an outer box formed into a box shape by a lid and a bottom cover, a tray that is stored inside the container and on which food is placed, a lifting means that raises and lowers the tray, and a heater in at least one of the lid or the bottom cover, the lifting means is composed of a drive motor located on the outer box outside the side wall of the container, a lifting gear located on the outer box outside the side wall of the container and rotated by the driving force of the drive motor, and a lifting disk located on the inner side wall of the container in a semicircular recess formed in the container, magnetically coupled to the lifting gear with the opposing side walls of the container sandwiched therebetween, rotating in response to the rotation of the lifting gear, and lifting the tray up and down; The tray is positioned below to impregnate the food with the seasoning liquid, and the tray is positioned above to lift the food from the seasoning liquid, This cooker is characterized in that the tray is positioned underneath so that the food is impregnated with the seasoning liquid, and the seasoning liquid is stirred.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, A cooking device characterized in that the tray is moved up and down to stir the seasoning liquid.

3. The cooking device according to claim 2, A cooking device characterized in that, when the tray is moved up and down in the seasoning liquid, the ascending speed is slower than the descending speed.

4. A cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A cooking device having an opening on the floor surface of the tray.

5. The cooking device according to claim 4, A cooking device, wherein the opening in the floor surface of the tray is located at an end of the tray.

6. A cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A cooking appliance comprising a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature in the vertical direction of the container.

7. A cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, A cooking appliance comprising a temperature sensor capable of measuring the temperature in a solution.

8. The cooking device according to claim 7, The cooking appliance is characterized in that the temperature sensor is provided on the tray and transmits measured temperature information via communication means.

9. The cooking device according to claim 7, The temperature sensor is provided in the lifting means, and transmits measured temperature information via communication means.

10. The cooking device according to claim 7, The temperature sensor is a non-contact temperature sensor provided on the top of the container, and is characterized in that it measures the temperature of the surface of the seasoning liquid and the surface temperature of the ingredients when the ingredients are lifted.

11. A cooking device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, A cooking device characterized in that the stirring speed or stirring time when stirring the seasoning liquid is adjusted using information on the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

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