Heating cooker

Abstract

The present invention is configured so as not to operate under no-load conditions. In this cooker (1), after it has been determined by a determination unit (22a) that there is no food inside a heating chamber (13), a reading control unit (22c) stops a reading operation performed by a reading device (16) for a prescribed time, or cancels an information code read by the reading device (16) for the prescribed time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device for heating food placed in a heating chamber.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, for example, in convenience stores, a service is provided in which food such as boxed lunches sold is heated by a cooking device such as a microwave oven and handed to customers.

[0003] Suitable heating temperatures and heating times when heating food vary depending on the type of food. Therefore, in the cooking devices disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a barcode indicating the type of food written on the food container is read by a reading device, and the food is heated according to heating information (heating temperature and heating time) corresponding to the type of food.

[0004] Specifically, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a barcode scanner is connected to a microwave oven, and the user manually operates the barcode scanner to read the barcode written on the food container to obtain heating information corresponding to the type of food.

[0005] Also, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, the barcode written on the food container is read by holding the barcode in front of a first barcode reading device provided on one side of the front surface of the cooking device to obtain heating information corresponding to the type of food. Alternatively, the food contained in the container is placed inside the heating chamber of the cooking device, and the barcode written on the food container is read by a second barcode reading device provided on the ceiling of the heating chamber to obtain heating information corresponding to the type of food.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] By the way, neither Patent Document 1 nor 2 describes the timing at which a barcode scanner or the first or second barcode reader reads a barcode. However, if these readers are always in a state where they can read barcodes, there is a risk of accidentally reading the barcode on the container of the food when taking out the heated food from inside the heating cabinet. In this case, since the food has already been taken out of the heating cabinet, there is a risk that heating will be performed with no food in the heating cabinet. That is, by performing no-load operation, a problem occurs in that a burden is imposed on the heating unit of the cooking heater, for example, the magnetron, and the equipment life is shortened.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention aims to prevent no-load operation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, a cooking heater according to one aspect of the present invention includes a heating cabinet, a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of food in the heating cabinet, a reading device that reads an information code for cooking the food, a heating control unit that controls heating of the food disposed in the heating cabinet based on the information code read by the reading device, and a reading control unit that controls the reading operation of the reading device. The reading control unit stops the reading operation by the reading device for a predetermined time after the determination unit determines that there is no food in the heating cabinet, or cancels the information code read by the reading device for a predetermined time after the determination unit determines that there is no food in the heating cabinet.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to one aspect of the present invention, no-load operation can be suppressed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] 〔Embodiment 1〕 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. FIG. 1 is a perspective view when the front door 12 provided on the main body of the cooking appliance 1 according to the present embodiment is closed and viewed obliquely upward from the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the front door 12 of the cooking appliance 1 shown in FIG. 1 is open and viewed obliquely downward from the front. FIG. 3 is a perspective view when the front door 12 of the cooking appliance 1 shown in FIG. 1 is open and viewed obliquely downward from the right.

[0013] (Overview of the cooking device 1) As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cooking device 1 is, for example, a microwave oven, has an operation panel 11 at the upper part of the front surface, and has a front door 12 below the operation panel 11. The front door 12 is a door that opens and closes a heating chamber 13 provided at the back of the front door 12, and covers the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 in the closed state. In the present embodiment, the front door 12 is of a side-opening type that rotates about the left end portion facing it, and has a handle 14 near the right end, which is the end portion on the side opposite to the rotation center.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 2, a food sensor 31 is provided on the side surface 13a inside the heating chamber 13. The food sensor 31 detects whether or not food is placed on a flat plate 13c provided on the bottom surface inside the heating chamber 13. That is, it detects the presence or absence of food inside the heating chamber 13. Details of the food sensor 31 and the detection of food will be described later.

[0015] The operation panel 11 is provided on the front surface of a control frame 15. The operation panel 11 is provided such that the front surface of the operation panel 11 is substantially flush with the front surface of the front door 12 in the front-rear direction of the cooking device 1.

[0016] Inside the control frame 15, a control board (not shown) is provided for controlling the display unit 30 of the operation panel 11 and receiving user operations for input keys and the like.

[0017] (Reading device 16) FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the control frame 15 showing the installation state of the reading device 16. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the reading area 19 of the reading device 16.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 4, the control frame 15 is provided so as to project forward of the cooking appliance 1. The reading device 16 is attached to the lower surface of the reading device substrate (circuit board) 17 and is provided at the lower part inside the control frame 15. The reading device substrate 17 includes a drive circuit for the reading device 16. That is, the reading device 16 is installed at a position outside the heating chamber 13 and above the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13, and is provided so as to have a reading area 19 below the installation position.

[0019] The reading device 16 is, for example, a barcode reader, and is configured to read an information code (for example, a barcode) attached to food to be heated by the cooking appliance 1 or a container for food.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 5, the reading device 16 has a lower region thereof as the reading area 19, and the control frame 15 has a transparent reading window 18 at a portion of the lower wall portion facing the reading device 16.

[0021] The reading area 19 of the reading device 16 is indicated by, for example, red light so that the user can visually understand the reading area 19. This red light is irradiated by a reading area illumination unit 21 (see FIG. 8). As the reading area illumination unit 21, for example, a red LED is used. Note that the light indicating the reading area 19 is not limited to red, and may be other light visible to the user, such as a laser. Also, the number of red LEDs may be one or a plurality.

[0022] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reading device 16 is provided at the central portion in the width direction (left - right direction) of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13.

[0023] (Information code) FIG. 6(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code composed of a two - dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark)), and FIG. 6(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code composed of a one - dimensional barcode.

[0024] The information code is used for cooking food by heating. For example, the information code includes information indicating the type of food and information indicating the cooking conditions for heating the food of the indicated type (heating information). The heating information is the information necessary for cooking by heating and includes the heating time and the wattage of the high-frequency output in the heating cooker 1. Specifically, the information code includes information indicating the type of food, for example, that the food is a bento (or further the type of bento) or that it is an onigiri (or further the type of onigiri), and heating information including the heating time and the wattage of the high-frequency output corresponding to the indicated food. This information code is provided on the food or the container of the food, for example, by printing or sealing. Note that since the information code is used for cooking the specified food by heating, it may include only the information for specifying the food and obtain the heating information of the specified food from an external server 51 (Fig. 8). Also, the information code may include only the heating information of the food.

[0025] Note that the information code may be a two-dimensional code as shown in Fig. 6(a) or a one-dimensional bar code as shown in Fig. 6(b). Note that the information code only needs to be able to indicate the type of food and is not particularly limited to bar codes or the like.

[0026] (Detection of the presence or absence of food in the heating chamber 13) Fig. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement and detection area of the food sensor 31 in the heating cooker 1 shown in Fig. 1.

[0027] The food sensor 31 is composed of, for example, a reflection type photosensor. By applying the light from the light-emitting element in the reflection type photosensor to the detection object (food) and receiving the light reflected by the detection object, the presence or absence of the detection object is detected. Here, as indicated by reference numeral 1071 in Fig. 7, the irradiation range of the light from the light-emitting element of the food sensor 31 is the sensor detection area 32.

[0028] The food sensor 31 receives the reflected light from the sensor detection area 32 and sends the received signal (received light signal) to the control unit 22 (Fig. 8) of the cooking appliance 1. The control unit 22 determines the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 from the received light signal sent. Details of the determination of the presence or absence of the food 40 will be described later.

[0029] As described above, in order to detect the presence or absence of the food 40, which is the detected object arranged in the heating chamber 13, it is necessary to adjust the position and size of the sensor detection area 32. In the present embodiment, as shown by reference numeral 1072 in Fig. 7, an example is shown in which three food sensors 31 are arranged in the depth direction of the heating chamber 13. Note that the heights of the three food sensors 31 from the installation surface are the same. In this way, the sensor detection area 32, which is an area for detecting the presence or absence of the food 40 arranged on the flat plate 13c of the heating chamber 13, is formed using the three food sensors 31 having the same height from the installation surface. Therefore, by adjusting the number of the food sensors 31 and the height from the installation surface according to the size of the heating chamber 13, it is possible to form the sensor detection area 32 corresponding to the size of the heating chamber 13. Thus, the number of the food sensors 31, the installation height, etc. are not particularly limited as long as the sensor detection area 32 of a desired size can be formed.

[0030] Also, the food sensor 31 is not limited to a reflection type photosensor. For example, three near-infrared LEDs and three phototransistors (light receiving wavelength: 900 nm) may be used instead of the reflection type photosensor. Therefore, the food sensor 31 may have any configuration as long as it can detect the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13.

[0031] (Control device) Fig. 8 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control device provided in the cooking appliance 1. The control device includes a control unit 22 that controls the operation of the cooking appliance 1. The control unit 22 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer and has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 22 is connected to an operation panel 11, a heating operation unit 23, a reading device 16, a reading area illumination unit 21, a reading result notification unit 24, a front door opening / closing detection unit (opening / closing detection unit) 25, and a memory (storage unit) 52. The front door opening / closing detection unit 25 is composed of, for example, a switch that turns on when the front door 12 is closed, and detects the open state and closed state of the front door 12.

[0033] The heating operation unit 23 is an operation unit that heats the food placed in the heating chamber 13, and is, for example, a microwave output device or a heater. The reading result notification unit 24 is a buzzer or a voice generation unit, and is controlled by the control unit 22 to notify the user of the success or failure of reading the information code by the reading device 16.

[0034] The control unit 22 can communicate with the server 51 using, for example, an Internet line. Various types of heating information corresponding to the types of foods are registered in the server 51. The control unit 22 acquires the heating information corresponding to the type of food obtained by the reading device 16 reading the information code from the server 51, and controls the heating operation unit 23 so that the food is heated according to the acquired heating information. Note that the heating information corresponding to the type of food may be possessed by the heating cooker 1 itself. In this case, the heating cooker 1 does not need to communicate with the server 51.

[0035] Furthermore, the control unit 22 includes a determination unit 22a that determines whether or not a food 40 exists in the heating chamber 13, a heating control unit 22b that controls the heating operation of the heating operation unit 23 based on the determination result of the determination unit 22a, and a reading control unit 22c that controls the reading operation of the reading device 16 based on the determination result of the determination unit 22a.

[0036] The determination unit 22a determines whether or not food 40 exists in the heating chamber 13 based on the signal (light reception signal) from the food sensor 31. Specifically, the presence or absence of food 40 is determined as follows. That is, if the food 40 is not placed in the sensor detection area 32, the light irradiated by the light emitting element of the food sensor 31 is reflected by the flat plate 13c in the sensor detection area 32, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element. On the other hand, if the food 40 is placed in the sensor detection area 32, the light irradiated by the light emitting element of the food sensor 31 is reflected by the food 40 in front of the flat plate 13c in the sensor detection area 32, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element. Here, using the light reception intensity of the food sensor 31 when no food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13 as a reference value, if the light reception intensity is different from the reference value, it is determined that food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13.

[0037] If the determination result of the determination unit 22a indicates that food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the heating control unit 22b permits the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23. On the other hand, if the result indicates that no food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the heating control unit 22b does not permit the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23.

[0038] (Control when the determination unit 22a determines that there is no food) If the determination result of the determination unit 22a indicates that no food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c stops the operation of reading the information code by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time, or cancels the information code read by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. Note that the information code read by the reading device 16 includes heating information necessary for heat cooking. The heating information refers to the heating time and the wattage of the high-frequency output in the heat cooker 1.

[0039] The predetermined time when the information code reading operation by the reading device 16 stops, and the predetermined time for canceling the information code read by the reading device 16 may be set arbitrarily, and may be set to at least the time until the food 40 is completely taken out of the heating chamber 13 and passes the reading position by the reading device 16. By setting the predetermined time in this way, when taking out the food after heating from the heating chamber 13, the possibility that the information code is read again by the reading device 16 can be made lower.

[0040] It is preferable that the start of the predetermined time is after the time point when the determination unit 22a transitions from the state of determining that there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13 to the state of determining that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13. In this case, since the reading operation by the reading device 16 is stopped after the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 disappears, even if the food 40 taken out from the heating chamber 13 passes the reading position of the reading device 16, there is almost no risk that the information code of the food 40 is read.

[0041] (Control when the determination unit 22a determines that there is food) When the determination result of the determination unit 22a determines that there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c stops the reading operation by the reading device 16, or cancels the information code read by the reading device 16.

[0042] Thereby, for example, even when the food sensor 31 malfunctions and determines that there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13 although there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the information code is not read by the reading device 16, or even if it is read, it is canceled, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of no-load operation.

[0043] The completion of the predetermined time may be, for example, when the front door opening / closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 has been closed. Specifically, after the door opening / closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 has been opened and the determination unit 22a determines that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, after a predetermined time, or after stopping the reading operation by the reading device 16, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is released after the door opening / closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 has been closed. In this case, since it is necessary to open the front door 12 to take out the food 40 that has completed the heat cooking from the heating chamber 13, the food 40 is taken out from the heating chamber 13 with the front door 12 open. At this time, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is started. Then, after a predetermined time has elapsed or after the front door 12 has been closed, the stop of the reading operation by the reading device 16 is released. As a result, next, when the front door 12 is opened to put the food 40 into the heating chamber 13 for heat cooking the food 40, the information code of the food 40 can be read by the reading device 16.

[0044] The heating information included in the information code read by the reading device 16 is stored in the memory 52. As a result, for the food whose information code has been read once, since the heating information is registered in the memory 52 of the heat cooker 1, it is not necessary to obtain the heating information each time the information code is read from outside the heat cooker 1.

[0045] (Operation of the heat cooker 1) In the above configuration, the operation of the heat cooker 1 will be described below. Here, the case where the food 40 is a bento with an information code attached to the upper surface of the container and this bento is heated by the heat cooker 1 will be described.

[0046] First, the user checks the guidance display 20 (for example, "Open the door and hold the information code under the red light") on the operation panel 11. Then, the user opens the front door 12 according to this guidance display 20. When the front door opening / closing detection unit 25 detects the open state of the front door 12, the control unit 22 operates the reading device 16 and the reading area illumination unit 21.

[0047] Next, the user moves the bento so that the information code enters the reading area 19 of the reading device 16 (so that the information code is illuminated by red light) according to the guidance display 20 on the operation panel 11.

[0048] By this operation, the reading device 16 reads the information code attached to the bento. When the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 is successful, the control unit 22 causes the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the reading result. The operation of the reading result notification unit 24 in this case is, for example, an operation of emitting a continuous sound such as "beep", an operation of emitting a voice such as "The reading of the information code was successful", or both.

[0049] When the user is informed by the reading result notification unit 24 that the reading of the information code has been successful, after placing the bento inside the heating chamber 13, the user closes the front door 12 and presses the start button on the operation panel 11. In this state, the bento to be heated is placed at a predetermined position inside the heating chamber 13. That is, as shown by reference numeral 1071 in FIG. 7, the bento (food 40) is placed in the sensor detection area 32 of the food sensor 31 inside the heating chamber 13. At this time, the control unit 22 determines by the determination unit 22a that the bento is placed inside the heating chamber 13, and based on this determination result, heating control by the heating control unit 22b, that is, the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23 is permitted.

[0050] When the reading of the information code is successful, the control unit 22 communicates with the server 51 and acquires heating information corresponding to the type of food indicated by the information code from the server 51. Thereafter, when the user closes the front door 12 and presses the start button on the operation panel 11, the control unit 22 heats the bento inside the heating chamber 13 according to the acquired heating information.

[0051] Thereafter, the control unit 22 determines that the user closes the front door 12, the heating change button 11a on the operation panel 11 is operated, and the start button is pressed. Then, in accordance with the pressing of the start button, the bento inside the heating chamber 13 is heated according to the acquired heating information.

[0052] On the other hand, when the information code reading by the reading device 16 fails, the control unit 22 causes the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the reading result. The operation of the reading result notification unit 24 in this case is, for example, an operation of emitting an intermittent sound such as "beep, beep, beep", an operation of emitting a voice such as "The reading of the information code has failed", or both of them.

[0053] When the user is informed by the reading result notification unit 24 of the failure of the information code reading, the user moves the bento again so that the information code enters the reading area 19 of the reading device 16 (so that the information code is irradiated with red light). Thus, the operation when the reading of the information code is successful is as described above.

[0054] As described above, when the heating of the bento is completed, the user is notified of that fact, and the user takes out the bento from the heating chamber 13. By taking out the bento from the heating chamber 13, the bento disappears from the sensor detection area 32 in the heating chamber 13, and the signal received by the food sensor 31 becomes the reference value. Therefore, the determination unit 22a of the control unit 22 determines that the bento is not in the heating chamber 13. Based on the determination result of this determination unit 22a (the bento is not arranged in the heating chamber 13), the heating control unit 22b does not permit the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23. Thereby, the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23 is not performed in a state where no bento is arranged in the heating chamber 13. That is, the heating operation in the no-load state is not performed.

[0055] Furthermore, based on the determination result of the determination unit 22a (the lunch box is not placed in the heating chamber 13), the reading control unit 22c stops the operation of reading the information code by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. Thereby, for example, during the removal of the lunch box, the reading device 16 does not read the information code of the lunch box, so the heating control by the heating control unit 22b is not performed. Also, when the determination unit 22a determines that the lunch box is not placed in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c cancels the information code read by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. Therefore, also in this case, the heating control by the heating control unit 22b is not performed.

[0056] (Reading Control of Information Code) FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of reading control of the information code in the cooking heater 1.

[0057] First, the control unit 22 determines whether or not the cooking has ended (step S11). Specifically, the end of the cooking is determined based on whether or not the control of the heating operation unit 23 by the heating control unit 22b of the control unit 22 has been completed.

[0058] Next, if the control unit 22 determines in step S11 that the cooking has ended (YES), it determines whether or not there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13 (step S12). Specifically, the determination unit 22a of the control unit 22 determines the presence or absence of the food 40 based on the signal from the food sensor 31.

[0059] Subsequently, if the control unit 22 determines in step S12 that there is no food (YES), it stops the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 (step S13). Specifically, the reading control unit 23c of the control unit 22 stops the reading of the information code of the reading device 16.

[0060] Next, the control unit 22 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed (step S14). Specifically, the reading control unit 22c of the control unit 22 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed. That is, the reading control unit 22 determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed in a state where the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 is stopped. Here, if the reading control unit 22c determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (YES), the reading stop of the information code by the reading device 16 is released (step S15).

[0061] In the above processing, an example in which the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 is stopped for a predetermined time when there is no food has been described. However, when there is no food, the information code read by the reading device 16 may be canceled for a predetermined time.

[0062] (Effect) According to the cooking heater 1 having the above configuration, it is determined whether or not the food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13. As a result of the determination, if the food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is stopped for a predetermined time, or the information code read by the reading device 16 is canceled for a predetermined time. Thereby, in a state where there is no object to be heated in the heating chamber 13, that is, the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 in the no-load state is not performed for a predetermined time, or even if the information code is read, it is canceled for a predetermined time. Therefore, the heating operation (no-load operation) by the heating operation unit 23 is not performed either. Therefore, there is no problem that the magnetron is burdened by the no-load operation and the device life is shortened.

[0063] In the present embodiment, in the cooking heater 1, in order not to perform no-load operation, when it is determined that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 is stopped for a predetermined time, or even if the information code is read, it is canceled for a predetermined time. In the following Embodiment 2, another example for preventing no-load operation in the cooking heater 1 will be described.

[0064] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described below. For convenience of explanation, members having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

[0065] In this embodiment, in addition to the control of the above Embodiment 1, information indicating the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 and information indicating the presence or absence of reading of the information code of the food 40 are notified to the user who uses the cooking heater 1, so as to more surely prevent unloaded operation.

[0066] Specifically, by displaying on the display unit (notification unit) 30 of the operation panel 11 the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 or the presence or absence of reading of the information code of the food 40, the situation in the heating chamber 13 and the reading situation of the information code are visually notified to the user.

[0067] (Notification example) FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of notification to the user using the operation panel 11.

[0068] As shown by reference numeral 1101 in FIG. 10, a substantially circular notification area 30a that lights up and goes out may be provided in a part of the display screen of the display unit 30 in the operation panel 11, and the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 may be notified using this notification area 30a. Here, the notification area 30a shows a lit state when there is food 40 and an unlit state when there is no food 40. The display control in this notification area 30a is performed by the control unit 22 according to the determination result from the determination unit 22a. That is, if the determination result indicates that there is food, the notification area 30a shows a lit state, and if the determination result indicates that there is no food, the notification area 30a shows an unlit state.

[0069] Also, as shown by reference numeral 1102 in FIG. 10, a substantially rectangular first notification area 30b and a second notification area 30c for lighting and extinguishing a part of the display screen of the display unit 30 in the operation panel 11 are provided. The presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 is notified using the first notification area 30b, and whether or not the information code (QR code (registered trademark)) of the food has been read is notified using the second notification area 30c. Here, the first notification area 30b shows a lit state when there is food 40 and an extinguished state when there is no food 40. The second notification area 30c shows a lit state when the information code (QR code) has been read and an extinguished state when the information code (QR code) has not been read. The display control in the first notification area 30b is performed by the control unit 22 according to the determination result from the determination unit 22a. That is, if the determination result indicates that there is food, the notification area 30a is displayed in a lit state, and if the determination result indicates that there is no food, the notification area 30a is displayed in an extinguished state. On the other hand, the display control in the second notification area 30c is performed by the control unit 22 according to the read presence / absence information from the reading control unit 22c. That is, if the read presence / absence information indicates that the information code has been read, the second notification area 30c is displayed in a lit state, and if the read presence / absence information indicates that the information code has not been read, the second notification area 30c is displayed in an extinguished state.

[0070] (Effect) As described above, by displaying the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 and the presence or absence of the reading of the information code on the display unit 30 of the operation panel 11, it is possible to visually notify the user. That is, the user can know the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 and the presence or absence of the reading of the information code by looking at the display unit 30. In this example, the information to be notified to the user (the presence or absence of the food 40, the presence or absence of the reading of the information code) is displayed on the display unit 30, but the means for notifying the user is not particularly limited. For example, the buzzer or the reading result notification unit 24 including the voice generation unit provided in the cooking heater 1 of the first embodiment may be used to notify the user of the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13 and the presence or absence of the reading of the information code by the reading device 16.

[0071] In this way, by notifying the user of the information indicating the presence or absence of the food 40 in the heating chamber 13, it is possible to eliminate the situation where the user directly checks the inside of the heating chamber 13 or does not know whether the information code is being read. Furthermore, it is also possible to know whether the food sensor 31 is malfunctioning. For example, if the notification areas 30a or 30b are lit even though there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, it can be determined that the food sensor 31 is malfunctioning.

[0072] 〔Example of Realization by Software〕 The control blocks of the control unit 22 (particularly the determination unit 22a, the heating control unit 22b, and the reading control unit 22c) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

[0073] In the latter case, the control unit 22 includes a computer that executes instructions of a program that is software for realizing each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium that stores the above program. Then, in the above computer, when the above processor reads and executes the above program from the above recording medium, the object of the present invention is achieved. As the above processor, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) can be used. As the above recording medium, a "non-transitory tangible medium", for example, in addition to a ROM (Read Only Memory), a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, etc. can be used. Further, it may further include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the above program. Further, the above program may be supplied to the above computer via any transmission medium (communication network, broadcast wave, etc.) capable of transmitting the program. Note that one aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the above program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0074] 〔Summary〕 The cooking heater according to Aspect 1 of the present invention includes a heating chamber (13), a determination unit (22a) that determines the presence or absence of food (40) in the heating chamber (13), a reading device (16) that reads an information code for cooking the food (40), a heating control unit (22b) that controls the heating of the food (40) disposed in the heating chamber (13) based on the information code read by the reading device (16), and a reading control unit (22c) that controls the reading operation of the reading device (16). The reading control unit (22c) stops the reading operation by the reading device (16) for a predetermined time after the determination unit (22a) determines that there is no food (40) in the heating chamber (13), or cancels the information code read by the reading device (16) for a predetermined time after the determination unit (22a) determines that there is no food (40) in the heating chamber (13).

[0075] According to the above configuration, after it is determined that there is no food in the heating chamber, the reading operation by the reading device stops for a predetermined time, or the information code read by the reading device (16) is canceled for a predetermined time. As a result, even if food moves to the reading position of the reading device during the predetermined time, the information code of the food is not read, or even if the information code of the food is read, it is canceled. Therefore, heating control by the heating control unit based on the heating information necessary for cooking included in the information code is not performed. Accordingly, heating control in a state where no food is disposed in the heating chamber, that is, no-load operation is not performed.

[0076] The cooking heater according to Aspect 2 of the present invention may, in the above Aspect 1, start the predetermined time after the transition from the state where the determination unit (22a) determines that there is food (40) in the heating chamber (13) to the state where it is determined that there is no food (40) in the heating chamber (13).

[0077] According to the above configuration, the start / stop time of the reading operation by the reading device is after the transition from the state where it is determined that there is food in the heating chamber to the state where it is determined that there is no food in the heating chamber. As a result, since the reading operation by the reading device is stopped after the food has disappeared from the heating chamber, even if the food moves to the reading position of the reading device, the information code of the food is less likely to be read. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that heating control by the heating control unit based on the heating information necessary for cooking included in the information code is performed.

[0078] The cooking heater according to Aspect 3 of the present invention is, in the above Aspect 1 or 2, a door (front door 12) that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body including the heating chamber (13), and an opening / closing detection unit (front door opening / closing detection unit 25) that detects the opening and closing of the door (front door 12). The reading control unit (22c) detects that the door (front door 12) has been opened by the opening / closing detection unit (front door opening / closing detection unit 25), and after it is determined by the determination unit (22a) that there is no food (40) in the heating chamber (13), after a predetermined time has elapsed, or stops the reading operation by the reading device (16), and after the opening / closing detection unit (front door opening / closing detection unit 25) detects that the door (front door 12) has been closed, the reading operation by the reading device (16) may be resumed, or the cancellation of the information code read by the reading device (16) may be cancelled.

[0079] According to the above configuration, after a predetermined time has elapsed, or after the door has been closed, the stop of the reading operation by the reading device is cancelled, or the cancellation of the information code read by the reading device (16) is cancelled. As a result, next, when the door is opened to heat-cook food and the food is about to be placed in the heating chamber, the information code of the food can be read by the reading device, or the read information code can be used.

[0080] The cooking heater according to aspect 4 of the present invention may further include a notification unit (display unit 30) that notifies the result of the presence or absence of the food (40) by the determination unit (22a) in any one of aspects 1 to 3 described above.

[0081] According to the above configuration, the user can know the presence or absence of food in the heating chamber by the notification unit.

[0082] The cooking heater according to aspect 5 of the present invention may further notify, in aspect 4, the result of the presence or absence of reading of the information code by the reading device (16) by the notification unit (display unit 30).

[0083] According to the above configuration, in addition to the presence or absence of food in the heating chamber, the user can know the presence or absence of reading of the information code by the notification unit.

[0084] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment, new technical features can be formed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 1 Cooking heater 11 Operation panel 11a Heating change button 12 Front door (door) 13 Heating chamber 13a Side surface 13b Front opening 13c Flat plate 14 Handle 15 Control frame 16 Reading device 17 Device substrate 19 Reading area 20 Guide display 21 Area illumination unit 22 Control unit 22a determination unit 22b heating control unit 22c reading control unit 23 heating operation unit 24 result notification unit 25 front door opening / closing detection unit (opening / closing detection unit) 30 display unit (notification unit) 30a notification area 30b first notification area 30c second notification area 31 food sensor 32 sensor detection area 40 food 51 server 52 memory

Claims

1. A heating chamber, a determination unit that determines the presence or absence of food in the heating chamber, a reading device that reads an information code for cooking food by heating, a heating control unit that controls the heating of the food placed in the heating chamber based on the information code read by the reading device, and a reading control unit that controls the reading operation of the reading device, wherein the reading control unit stops the reading operation by the reading device for a predetermined time after the determination unit determines that there is no food in the heating chamber, or cancels the information code read by the reading device for a predetermined time after the determination unit determines that there is no food in the heating chamber. A cooking heater characterized by the above.

2. The cooking heater according to claim 1, wherein the start of the predetermined time is after the time when the determination unit transitions from determining that there is food in the heating chamber to determining that there is no food in the heating chamber.

3. a door that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body including the heating chamber, and an opening / closing detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the door, wherein the reading control unit detects that the door has been opened by the opening / closing detection unit, and after the determination unit determines that there is no food in the heating chamber, after a predetermined time has elapsed, or stops the reading operation by the reading device, and after the opening / closing detection unit detects that the door has been closed, cancels the stop of the reading operation by the reading device, or cancels the cancellation of the information code read by the reading device. The cooking heater according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above.

4. The cooking heater according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the result of the presence or absence of the food by the determination unit.

5. The notification unit The cooking appliance according to claim 4, further characterized in that the presence or absence of the reading of the information code by the reading device is further notified.

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