Heating cooker

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker in which a communication part does not prevent a flow of air while securing communication with an external part.SOLUTION: A heating cooker comprises: a main body of which an outline is formed by a metal plate with a top plate on an upper surface; a heating part; a driving substrate for driving the heating part; a first cooling fan for cooling the heating part and the driving substrate; a first air channel of the main body, through which air blown by the first cooling fan passes; an operation part that performs a setting of a heating condition; a communication part that performs communication between external communication devices which can input and output of information for setting the heating condition of the heating part; and a control part that controls the heating part, the first cooling fan, and the communication part. On a back surface plate constructing the outline of the main body, a concave part that is provided so as to be concaved toward an inner side of the main body from a front surface of the back surface plate is provided. The communication part is attached into the concave part so as to be not projected to an outside from the front surface of the back surface plate. The communication part attached to the concave part projected into the main body not interferes to the air channel in the main body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking heater that can receive an input for setting heating conditions from an external communication device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a cooking heater that can input setting conditions for cooking from an external communication device has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the cooking heater disclosed in Patent Document 1, the communication unit is arranged in the air flow generated by driving an electric blower, and is arranged near the intake hole provided in the metal plate inside the housing formed of a metal plate, so that communication is less likely to be hindered even inside the metal housing and communication can be performed well.

[0005] However, the cooking heater disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an induction cooking heater, and since the induction heating coil and the circuit board for supplying power to the induction heating coil become hot, it is necessary to cool them to maintain performance, and an air passage through which air flows is formed and air is introduced from the outside using an electric blower for cooling.

[0006] In such a configuration, when a structure such as a communication unit is arranged in the air flow, it becomes an obstacle to the air flow. For example, if it is arranged on the air intake side, the air intake amount will decrease, and if it is arranged on the air delivery side, there will be a pressure loss and the air delivery amount will decrease.

[0007] In addition, in order to compensate for the decrease in the air intake and air delivery amounts, there are also problems such as an increase in the driving noise due to using the electric blower at a high rotation speed, or an increase in cost by introducing an electric blower with a large air volume.

[0008] The cooking heater of the present disclosure solves the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a cooking heater that can ensure communication with the outside while the communication unit does not obstruct the air flow.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] The cooking heater according to the present disclosure includes a top plate on which an object to be cooked is placed, a main body having the top plate on its upper surface and having an outer shell formed of a metal plate, and a heater provided inside the main body below the top plate. Prepared food A heating unit for heating, a drive board for driving the heating unit, a first cooling fan for blowing air for cooling the heating unit and the drive board, a first air passage in the main body through which the air blown by the first cooling fan passes, an operation unit for setting the heating conditions of the heating unit, a communication unit for communicating with an external communication device capable of inputting and outputting information for setting the heating conditions of the heating unit, and a control unit for controlling the heating unit, the first cooling fan, and the communication unit. A recess formed so as to be recessed from the surface of the back plate toward the inside of the main body is provided on the back plate constituting the outer shell of the main body, the communication unit is attached to the recess so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the back plate, and the communication unit attached to the recess protruding from the back plate into the main body does not interfere with the first air passage in the main body.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present disclosure, the communication unit is mounted in a recess provided so as to be recessed from the surface of the back plate of the main body toward the inside of the main body so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the back plate. Therefore, since the communication unit is not surrounded by a metal plate, communication can be performed well, and a cooking heater that does not interfere when the cooking heater is incorporated into kitchen furniture can be provided. Further, the communication unit attached to the recess protruding from the back plate into the main body does not interfere with the air passage in the main body, so that the flow of air for cooling in the main body due to the attachment of the communication unit is not hindered, and a cooking heater that does not affect the cooling performance can be provided.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of a cooking appliance according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited by the embodiments described below. Also, in the following drawings including FIG. 1, the size relationships of the respective constituent members may be different from the actual ones. Further, in the following description, terms indicating directions are appropriately used for ease of understanding, but these are for the purpose of explanation and do not limit the present disclosure. Examples of terms indicating directions include, for example, "up", "down", "right", "left", "front", or "rear (back surface)", etc. Note that the cooking appliance includes a composite cooking appliance having a plurality of types of heating means.

[0013] Embodiment 1. In the present Embodiment 1, the "first heating means" HM1 is a heat source for heating an object to be heated on the top plate 2A described later. A typical example of the first heating means HM1 is an induction heating coil. As a typical example of an induction heating coil (IH coil), there is one formed by bundling about 30 thin copper wires or aluminum wires of about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm and winding this bundle in a spiral shape while twisting a plurality of them. Also, as an induction heating coil, there is one formed by winding about 1000 to 1500 of those of about 0.05 mm. Further, there is a proposal to configure an induction heating coil with a flat conductive material and an annular conductor formed in an annular shape. Any of these forms corresponds to the "IH coil" which is the main part of the induction heating source 9.

[0014] In the first embodiment, the "second heating means" HM2 refers to a heat source for heating an object to be heated accommodated inside a heating chamber 6 described later. The second heating means HM2 may be a steam generator that supplies high-temperature steam, such as superheated steam, i.e., a boiler. In the first embodiment, a magnetron, which is a microwave oscillation device, is used as the microwave heat source, but there is no limitation on the microwave oscillation principle or method, such as a microwave oscillator. Further, the cooking heater 1 may be provided with a plurality of heat sources.

[0015] In the first embodiment, the "third heating means" HM3 is referred to as "third" to show the difference from the second heating means HM2, but it does not mean a superiority or inferiority relationship. Also, in the first embodiment, a heating source using a radiant heat source, such as a sheathed heater, a mica heater, a carbon heater, a ceramic heater, an infrared heater, or a radiant heater, is used, but a heating source that generates heat in other forms or methods may also be used. The third heating means HM3 refers to one that can perform cooking in one heating chamber 6.

[0016] A form in which a plurality of heat sources having different heating principles, such as an electric heater or the like and a gas combustor (burner), are used in combination may also be used. Further, an induction heating source 9 may be used as the heat source for heating the heating chamber 6. Also, the heat source may be a steam generator that supplies high-temperature steam, such as superheated steam, i.e., a boiler. Furthermore, the third heating means HM3 may be a heat source that heats the wall surface of the heating chamber 6 from the outside, or a heat source installed in the internal space of the heating chamber 6 to raise the atmosphere of the internal space to a high temperature. Also, a form in which a heat generating member that becomes high temperature by an induction heating method is arranged in the heating chamber 6, and the wall surface of the heating chamber 6 is heated from the outside by this heat generating member, or the air inside the heating chamber 6 is heated, may also be used.

[0017] (System Configuration and Main Body Configuration) FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cooking system according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. The cooking system 1a includes a cooking device 1, an external communication device 200 such as a smart speaker capable of voice input having a function of performing wireless communication with the cooking device 1, and a control device 201. The control device 201 performs communication from the cloud server 300, management of information, and data conversion for notifying the cloud server 300 of voice input from the user. Further, the external communication device 200 is provided with a voice input unit (not shown) for inputting the user's voice and a voice output unit (not shown) for outputting voice. Note that the external communication device 200 is, for example, an information processing terminal device, and may be a portable terminal device such as a tablet terminal device with a communication function or a smartphone in addition to a smart speaker.

[0018] The recipe information providing server 301 provided in the cloud server 300 exchanges recipe information with the external communication device 200, and the external communication device 200 and the recipe information providing server 301 are connected by a network 202 such as an Internet line. Here, the recipe information providing server 301 includes a recipe providing site. Note that the recipe providing site includes a recipe database 302. Further, the recipe information providing server 301 and the cooking device 1 are connected by a network 203 such as an Internet line. Note that a wireless router (not shown) may be interposed between the external communication device 200 and the cloud server 300. Similarly, a wireless router (not shown) may be interposed between the cooking device 1 and the cloud server 300. The recipe information providing server 301 also includes heating setting data of the cooking device 1, and heating conditions and the like that can be set from the external communication device 200 to the cooking device 1, which will be described later, are recorded.

[0019] The cooking system 1a can transmit cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to a recipe created by a user in the external communication device 200 to the recipe information providing server 301, temporarily store it in the recipe database 302, and provide it to the cooking appliance 1. That is, when the external communication device 200 exists at a location such as a place far away from the house where the cooking appliance 1 is installed, the cooking condition data (not shown) of the external communication device 200 can be stored in the recipe information providing server 301, which is highly convenient.

[0020] The cooking appliance 1 downloads cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to a specific recipe stored in the recipe information providing server 301 through the network 203 between the cooking appliance 1 and the recipe information providing server 301.

[0021] The user performs an operation to register identification information such as the model name of the cooking appliance 1 as an initial setting. By this registration, the user can obtain cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to the specifications of the cooking appliance 1, such as the heating capabilities of the respective heating means HM1 to HM3, from the recipe information providing server 301. The cloud server 300 has a cloud control unit 303 that controls communication using the network 203 and manages access to the recipe information providing server 301 by the cooking appliance 1 and the external communication device 200.

[0022] FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of a cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of kitchen furniture (system kitchen) in which the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is incorporated, FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of incorporating the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure into kitchen furniture (system kitchen), FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a state where the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is incorporated into kitchen furniture (system kitchen), FIG. 6 is an external plan view showing a state of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from above, FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a left display unit, a left heating power display unit, and a left operation unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a central operation unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a right display unit, a right heating power display unit, and a right operation unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram showing a control unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 11 is an external front view showing a state of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from the front, FIG. 12 is an external side view showing a state of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from the right side, FIG. 13 is an external rear view showing a state of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from the rear, FIG. 14 is an external perspective view showing a state of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from the rear lower side, FIG. 15 is a view showing a state where the top plate of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is removed as viewed from the upper side, FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view showing a right side view of the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 5 cut along the cutting line A-A, FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a right side view of the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 5 cut along the cutting line B-B, FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation procedure of the central operation unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, and FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the operation procedure of the central operation unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure.

[0023] The cooking appliance 1 is a built-in type IH cooking heater that is incorporated into and used in kitchen furniture 500, which is also referred to as a system kitchen 500 and has a cooking table (sometimes referred to as a countertop) 500A at the upper part shown in FIG. 3. The cooking appliance 1 has a main body 3 and a top plate 2 installed on the main body 3.

[0024] The top plate 2 is exposed on the cooking table 500A that constitutes the top surface of the kitchen furniture 500. The top plate 2 is composed of, for example, a top plate 2A formed of a heat-resistant glass plate and a frame body 2B formed in a frame shape of metal attached around the top plate 2A. As shown in FIG. 6, three heating ports, namely a left heating port 2L, a central heating port 2M, and a right heating port 2R, are provided on the upper surface of the top plate 2A.

[0025] The left heating port 2L, the central heating port 2M, and the right heating port 2R indicate areas where metal cooking containers such as pots or frying pans are placed. The metal cooking container is also referred to as the "object to be heated" with respect to the first heating means HM1. Guide marks (not shown) serving as a guide for placing the object to be heated are drawn by printing on the upper surface of the top plate 2A for each of the left heating port 2L, the central heating port 2M, and the right heating port 2R.

[0026] An exhaust port cover 5 is provided on the rear side, which is the back side of the top plate 2. The exhaust port cover 5 is composed of a perforated metal or a lattice-shaped metal member having innumerable small through holes, is air-permeable throughout, and reduces the ventilation resistance. The exhaust discharged from the inside of the heating cooker 1 passes through the exhaust port cover 5 and exits outside the heating cooker 1. As will be described later, the exhaust discharged from the inside of the heating cooker 1 is the cooling air that has cooled high-temperature components provided inside the heating cooker 1 and is discharged.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 6, a left operation unit 15L, a central operation unit 15M, and a right operation unit 15R are provided on the front side of the upper surface of the top plate 2 of the heating cooker 1. These may be collectively referred to as the "operation unit" or the "input operation unit", and the symbol 15 is used in that case. On the rear side, which is the back side of the left operation unit 15L, the central operation unit 15M, and the right operation unit 15R, a left heating power display unit 17L, a central display unit 16M, and a right heating power display unit 17R, and a left display unit 16L and a right display unit 16R are provided.

[0028] The three, i.e., the left display unit 16L, the center display unit 16M, and the right display unit 16R, may be collectively referred to as the "display unit", and in that case, the reference numeral 16 is used. Note that the center display unit 16M has a liquid crystal display screen that is long in the horizontal direction. The left firing power display unit 17L and the right firing power display unit 17R display the firing power level by light-emitting elements (such as LEDs) and do not have a display screen.

[0029] Also, adjacent to the right operation unit 15R, an operation button 20A for the main power switch 20 (see FIG. 10) is provided. The main power switch 20 turns on or off the main power of the cooking heater 1. The button that is pressed when turning it on or off is the operation button 20A. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation button 20A is a capacitance-type touch button. When the main power of the cooking heater 1 is off and the operation button 20A is touched for, for example, several seconds, the main power turns on. Also, when the main power of the cooking heater 1 is on and the operation button 20A is touched for, for example, several seconds, the main power turns off. Note that the operation button 20A is not limited to a capacitance-type touch button and may be a mechanical operation button.

[0030] The center display unit 16M displays information and warnings about the entire cooking heater 1 and is composed of a liquid crystal display. On the display screen of the center display unit 16M, the selection result of the induction heating means (first heating means) HM1, the microwave heating means (second heating means) HM2, or the radiant heat heating means (third heating means) HM3 is displayed. Further, on the display screen of the center display unit 16M, the operating state of each heating means, caution information regarding cooking by each heating means, or warning information is displayed. Although the center display unit 16M is a single liquid crystal display in terms of hardware, as shown in FIG. 8, it has three display areas: the first display area 22 on the left, the second display area 23 in the center, and the third display area 24 on the right, and different displays can be made for each display area.

[0031] In addition, the three display areas 22 to 24 are appropriately coordinated according to the display scene to form one large display area, and there may be cases where one target display is performed. The central operation unit 15M mainly inputs operations related to cooking in the heating chamber 6 and cooking by the central heating port 4C.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 8, the central operation unit 15M includes nine input buttons 151M, 152M, 153M, 154M, 155M, 156M, 157M, 158M, and 159M. The nine input buttons 151M to 159M are capacitive touch buttons. In addition, individual light-emitting units 21M are provided near these input buttons 151M to 159M. The input button 159M used for function setting is for enabling various operations and displays of the entire cooking heater 1 to be set as desired by the user.

[0033] When the input button 159M for function setting is pressed, the cooking heater control unit 40 described later switches to the "function mode" and displays the following "function setting menu" (not shown) on the display screen of the central display unit 16M. Note that these are just examples, and other setting items may be displayed, or fewer setting items may be displayed. (1) Child lock setting (operation invalidation setting for various input buttons). (2) Ventilation fan interlock mode setting. (3) Cleaning guide setting (automatic notification function setting for the cleaning time of the heating chamber 6 and the exhaust port cover 5). (4) Peak cut setting (select one from four levels of 5700W, 5000W, 4800W, and 4000W for the maximum power consumption). (5) Voice setting for voice guide. (6) Volume setting for voice guide. (7) Setting for preventing forgetting to take out the object to be cooked, cooking utensils, etc. from the heating chamber 6 (necessity of alarm on the voice notification unit 50 and the central display unit 16M). (8) HEMS registration setting (setting related to the power usage restriction function by the home power control device). Regarding the above settings, various settings can be changed by operating the central operation unit 15M.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the left display unit 16L, the left heating power display unit 17L, and the left operation unit 15L of the cooking heater 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 7, the left display unit 16L displays information related to cooking on the left heating port 4L, and is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display. The left display unit 16L displays the set time of timer cooking for the object to be heated placed on the left heating port 4L, the elapsed time since the start of the heating operation at the left heating port 4L, or the remaining time until the timer set time ends.

[0035] When preheating cooking is selected at the left heating port 4L, the left display unit 16L displays the default temperature, which is the automatically set temperature, or the current temperature. The default temperature, which is the automatically set temperature, refers to the target temperature of the bottom surface of the object to be heated when heating an object to be heated, for example, a metal pot, at the left heating port 4L. The default temperature can be arbitrarily changed within a certain range by the user.

[0036] The left heating power display unit 17L is composed of LEDs, which are a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a horizontal straight line, and displays the heating power of the left heating port 4L in multiple steps. The left heating power display unit 17L expresses the heating power by switching the lighting states of the plurality of LEDs, for example, lighting, extinguishing, or blinking, or by switching the lighting color. Thereby, it is possible to provide an intuitive and easy-to-understand notification of the heating power to the user.

[0037] The left operation unit 15L is for inputting operations related to cooking on the left heating port 4L. As shown in FIG. 7, the left operation unit 15L includes five input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L. The input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L are touch switches, which are capacitance type touch sensors that can be input by utilizing a change in capacitance when, for example, a user lightly touches them with a finger or the like.

[0038] Corresponding to the input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L, an individual light-emitting unit 21L is provided. The individual light-emitting unit 21L is composed of a plurality of light-emitting elements, namely LEDs, and emits light in response to the operation of the input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L. Note that the two adjacent input buttons 154L and 155L share one individual light-emitting unit 21L because they perform the same type of function of increasing or decreasing the heating power.

[0039] The input button 151L is a button that is pressed when selecting timer cooking at the left heating port 4L. Timer cooking is a cooking method in which the user sets the cooking time and the heating operation is performed only for the set time. The input button 152L is a button that is pressed when selecting the control menu to be executed at the left heating port 4L. Each time the input button 152L is pressed, one of a plurality of control menus can be selected. The "control menu" mentioned here is, for example, boiling water, stewing, and deep-frying (automatic cooking). For each control menu, the driving time, heating power, or driving pattern of the left heating port 4L is different.

[0040] The control menus for using the left heating port 4L and the right heating port 4R without operating the central operation unit 15M by operating the left operation unit 15L or the right operation unit 15R are all control menus of the "single cooking mode" KM1 that performs induction heating. The "single cooking mode" KM1 will be described later. The input button 153L is a button that is pressed to start or stop the heating cooking at the left heating port 4L. That is, when the input button 153L is pressed, the left IH coil 9L disposed below the left heating port 4L is driven. When the left IH coil 9L is being driven and the input button 153L is pressed again, the driving of the left IH coil 9L is stopped and the induction heating operation is immediately stopped.

[0041] The input buttons 154L and 155L are buttons that are pressed when specifying the heating power during cooking at the left heating port 4L. By pressing the input button 154L on the left, the heating power is decreased step by step. Conversely, by pressing the input button 155L on the right, the heating power is increased step by step. Note that the induction heating power during cooking at the left heating port 4L has nine levels from the rated minimum power (heating power level 1: 150W) to the rated maximum power (heating power level 9: 3200W).

[0042] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the central operation unit 15M of the cooking heater 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 8, the central operation unit 15M of the input operation unit 15 is composed of an individual light emitting unit 21M and an input button group. The individual light emitting unit 21M emits light when the input function of each input button is valid, and continues to emit light during the period until the input function becomes invalid. In the central operation unit 15M, an input button 157M for function setting is arranged at a position adjacent to the left of the input button 153M.

[0043] In Embodiment 1, an input form in which the cooking heater 1 is controlled by an operation (including a light touch) pressed by a user's fingertip or the like is called a "touch input mode" TM. Therefore, the various input buttons 151M to 159M, 151R to 155R, and 151L to 155L described later may be referred to as a "touch input mode selection unit" TMC. Note that not only touch input buttons using capacitance change but also input buttons using push-button type mechanical switches are a type of the touch input mode selection unit TMC.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the right display unit 16R, the right heating power display unit 17R, and the right operation unit 15R of the cooking heater 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 9, the right display unit 16R displays information related to cooking at the right heating port 4R and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display.

[0045] The information regarding cooking by the right heating port 4R displayed on the right display section 16R is the same as the information regarding cooking by the left heating port 4L. The right heating power display section 17R is composed of LEDs which are a plurality of light emitting elements, and displays the heating power of the right heating port 4R in multiple stages. The right heating power display section 17R expresses the heating power by switching the lighting state of the LEDs which are a plurality of light emitting elements, for example, turning on, turning off, or blinking, or by switching the lighting color, in the same way as the left heating power display section 17L.

[0046] The right operation section 15R is for inputting operations regarding cooking by the right heating port 4R. As shown in FIG. 9, the right operation section 15R includes five input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R. The input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R are capacitive touch buttons that can be input by utilizing the change in capacitance when, for example, the user lightly touches them with a finger or the like. Corresponding to the input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R, individual light emitting sections 21R are respectively provided.

[0047] The individual light emitting sections 21R are LEDs which are light emitting elements, and according to the operations of the input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R, the individual light emitting sections 21R corresponding to the input buttons respectively emit light. However, the two adjacent input buttons 154R and 155R share one individual light emitting section 21R in order to perform the same type of function of increasing or decreasing the heating power.

[0048] The input button 151R is a button that is pressed when selecting timer cooking at the right heating port 4R. The input button 152R is a button that is pressed when selecting a control menu to be executed at the right heating port 4R. The input button 153R is a button that is pressed to start or stop heating cooking at the right heating port 4R. The input buttons 154R and 155R are buttons that are pressed when specifying the heating power during heating cooking at the right heating port 4R. By pressing the left input button 154R, the heating power is decreased step by step. Conversely, by pressing the right input button 155R, the heating power is increased step by step. Note that the heating power during induction heating cooking at the right heating port 4R has nine levels from the rated minimum heating power (heating power level 1) of 150W to the rated maximum heating power (heating power level 9) of 3200W.

[0049] Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing the control unit (40) of the cooking heater 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the cooking heater 1 includes a cooking heater control unit 40 that integrally controls the entire cooking heater 1.

[0050] The cooking heater control unit 40 is an electronic circuit board on which electronic components such as a control circuit for controlling the operations of each part constituting the cooking heater 1 are mounted, and is controlled by the operation display board 115 shown in Figure 15. The cooking heater control unit 40 controls the driving of the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the central IH coil 9M based on the operations of the left operation unit 15L and the right operation unit 15R, and the temperature of the object to be heated (not shown) on the top plate 2A detected by the contact type temperature sensor 30A and the non-contact type temperature sensor 30B described later.

[0051] In addition, the cooking appliance control unit 40 controls the following operations based on the operations of the central operation unit 15M, the temperature of the object to be heated on the top plate 2A detected by the contact type temperature sensor 30A or the non-contact type temperature sensor 30B, the detection result of the infrared sensor 30C that non-contact detects the temperature of the object to be heated arranged in the heating chamber 6 described later, and the detection result of a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature in the heating chamber 6. For example, the driving of the central IH coil 9M, the microwave oscillator 11, the upper radiant heat heating means 12A, and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B.

[0052] Furthermore, the cooking appliance control unit 40 controls the displays of the left display unit 16L, the right display unit 16R, the left heating power display unit 17L, and the right heating power display unit 17R based on the operations of the left operation unit 15L and the right operation unit 15R. Then, the cooking appliance control unit 40 controls the display of the central display unit 16M based on the open signal from the open / close detection unit 10 and the operations of the left operation unit 15L, the right operation unit 15R, and the central operation unit 15M.

[0053] The cooking appliance control unit 40 has a storage device 41 that stores data such as various programs and parameters (not shown) used for controlling the cooking appliance 1, and data of the display screens displayed on the respective display units 16L, 16R, 16M, 17L, and 17R. The data of various programs and parameters, etc. are collectively referred to as "control data". The data of the display screens displayed on the display units 16L, 16R, 16M, 17L, and 17R are collectively referred to as "display condition data".

[0054] In addition, the cooking appliance control unit 40 activates the voice notification unit 50 as needed, and audibly conveys the operating status of the cooking appliance 1 to the user. As described above, the left operation unit 15L, the right operation unit 15R, and the central operation unit 15M may be collectively referred to as the operation unit 15. The operation unit 15 has a button that shifts to a standby state for receiving the input of heating conditions from an external communication device 200 described later.

[0055] The button for shifting to the standby state is, for example, in Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, input buttons 153M and 154M which are menu buttons for selecting a menu as shown in FIG. 8. They are shifted to the standby state by the first operation of input buttons 153M and 154M after the power is turned on.

[0056] The cooking heater control unit 40 stores data obtained by organizing information such as various programs and parameters used for the cooking control of the heating control unit 43 in a certain format in the cooking condition data storage unit 42 of the storage device 41. This data is the cooking condition data described above. The "cooking condition data" and the "display condition data" can be acquired by the cooking heater 1 for each individual cooking menu from an external communication device 200 such as a communication terminal.

[0057] The cooking condition data storage unit 42 stores the "cooking condition data" and the "display condition data". The cooking condition data storage unit 42 may constitute one section, that is, an area in the storage device 41, or may be configured separately from the storage device 41 in terms of hardware.

[0058] The heating control unit 43 integrally controls the overall heating operation of the cooking heater 1 and is mainly composed of a microcomputer (a microcontroller). The data acquisition unit 53 acquires the "cooking condition data" from the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 via the communication unit 51. Also, the data acquisition unit 53 may acquire the "display condition data" from the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 via the communication unit 51. The communication unit 51 performs wireless communication with the outside and has a function of performing wireless communication with the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0059] The power supply circuit 57 supplies power of a constant voltage to the cooking heater control unit 40. The main power switch 20 is a switch for the main power inserted into the power supply circuit 57.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 8, menu buttons 153M and 154M have the function of increasing and decreasing menu selection. Also, fire buttons 155M and 156M have the function of increasing and decreasing fire selection. Further, time buttons 157M and 158M have the function of increasing and decreasing time selection.

[0061] As shown in FIG. 15, below the left heating port 2L, an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "left IH coil 9L") as left induction heating means is provided. Similarly, below the right heating port 2R, an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "right IH coil 9R") as right induction heating means is provided, and below the central heating port 2M, an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "central IH coil 9M") as central induction heating means is provided.

[0062] The heating means including the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the central IH coil 9M, and the first inverter substrate 112 and the second inverter substrate 113 which are drive circuits of a high-frequency power supply circuit such as an inverter circuit for driving them may be referred to as an induction heating source 9 or a first heating means HM1. In the following description, unless otherwise contradictory, the first heating means HM1 is used. A temperature sensor group 30 (see FIG. 10) composed of a plurality of temperature sensors is mounted on the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the central IH coil 9M to detect the temperature of the top plate 2A or the object to be heated.

[0063] For example, a contact type temperature sensor 30A (see FIG. 15) composed of a thermistor or the like, a non-contact type temperature sensor 30B (see FIG. 15) composed of an infrared sensor or the like, etc. constitute one of the sensors in the temperature sensor group 30. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, two contact type temperature sensors 30A and one non-contact type temperature sensor 30B are mounted on the left IH coil 9L and the right IH coil 9R, and one contact type temperature sensor 30A is mounted on the central IH coil 9M. However, the configuration of the temperature sensor group 30 is not limited to this, and the combination and number can be set as appropriate.

[0064] Inside the main body 1, below the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the center IH coil 9M, a heating chamber 6 is provided. The heating chamber 6 is surrounded by a metal wall such as stainless steel and is a space for heating food, ingredients, and other objects to be cooked accommodated in the heating chamber 6. The object to be cooked is placed in the heating chamber 6 after being put into a heat-resistant plastic container or placed on a porcelain plate or a heat-resistant glass plate. In this case, the plate or container may be referred to as a "container to be heated".

[0065] An opening for putting in and taking out the object to be cooked is formed in the front surface of the heating chamber 6. The opening in the front surface of the heating chamber 6 is covered by a heating chamber door 4 so as to be openable and closable. The heating chamber door 4 is rotatably connected and supported to the main body 1 via a hinge (not shown) and an arm (not shown). The heating chamber door 4 is provided with a handle 4A for opening and closing, and the heating chamber door 4 is configured to open to a horizontal position forward with the lower end as a fulcrum, that is, the rotation center, when the handle 4A is pulled. Note that the heating chamber door 4 may be pulled forward integrally with a support member (not shown) that supports the container to be heated from below by a slide rail (not shown). The support member refers to a structure such as a tray or a baking net.

[0066] The heating chamber door 4 is provided with an opening / closing detection unit 10 (see FIGS. 10 and 18) for detecting the opening and closing of the heating chamber door 4. As shown in FIG. 18, the opening / closing detection unit 10 is composed of, for example, a microswitch. Note that as long as the opening and closing of the heating chamber door 4 can be detected, it is not limited to a microswitch and may be composed of an infrared sensor or the like.

[0067] On the side of the heating chamber 6, at a position closer to the rear, there is provided a microwave oscillation device 11 that heats the object to be cooked accommodated in the heating chamber 6 with microwaves. The microwave oscillation device 11 is composed of, for example, a magnetron, and heats the object to be cooked placed in the heating chamber 6 by radiating microwaves into the heating chamber 6. The heating means including the microwave oscillation device 11, the inverter substrate 116 for driving the microwave oscillation device equipped with an inverter circuit for driving it, and the power supply substrate 117 that supplies power to the inverter substrate 116 for driving the microwave oscillation device may be referred to as the second heating means HM2.

[0068] In addition, the heating chamber 6 is provided with an upper radiant heat heating means 12A that heats the object to be cooked by heater from above and below, and a lower radiant heat heating means 12B. The upper radiant heat heating means 12A is disposed on the outer or inner ceiling wall surface of the heating chamber 6, and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B is disposed on the inner or outer wall surface of the heating chamber 6. Both are mica heaters. As other types of radiant heat heating means, for example, a sheathed heater or a carbon heater may be installed outside the heating chamber 6. FIGS. 16 and 17 show an example in which the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, both of which are mica heaters, are installed so as to be in close contact with the outer wall surface of the heating chamber 6.

[0069] The aforementioned power supply substrate 117 also supplies power to the radiant heat heating means. The heating means including the upper radiant heat heating means 12A, the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, and the power supply substrate 117 may be referred to as the third heating means HM3. In addition, the upper radiant heat heating means 12a and the lower radiant heat heating means 12b may be collectively referred to as "radiant heat heating means", and the symbol in that case is 12.

[0070] Furthermore, in the heating chamber 6, an infrared sensor 30C, which is a non-contact type temperature sensor, is provided to detect the temperature of the object to be cooked in the heating chamber 6 without contact. The temperature range detected by the infrared sensor 30C is set to, for example, -20°C to 100°C. Thereby, the degree of heating of the object to be cooked can be accurately detected in real time, for example, in 1°C increments. The infrared sensor 30C also constitutes one of the temperature sensor group 30 (see FIG. 10).

[0071] Then, in the heating chamber 6, a contact type temperature sensor (not shown), which is an indoor temperature sensor for detecting the ambient temperature inside the heating chamber 6 or the wall surface temperature of the heating chamber 6, is also provided. Since the contact type temperature sensor detects temperature by capturing the change in temperature as a change in electrical resistance, the upper limit value of the temperature that can be detected is about 250°C. The contact type temperature sensor also constitutes one of the temperature sensor group 30 (see FIG. 10).

[0072] When the top plate 2 is removed, as shown in FIG. 15, operation switch substrates 131A and 131B are arranged at positions corresponding to the left operation part 15L, the central operation part 15M, and the right operation part 15R under the top plate 2A. The operation switch substrates 131A and 131B have a plurality of electrodes 132 that detect changes in capacitance.

[0073] First, when a predetermined time touch is applied to the operation button 20A on the top plate 2A of the top plate 2, a change in capacitance is detected by the electrode 132 corresponding to the operation key of the operation switch substrate 131B under the top plate 2A, and the fact that the operation key has been input is input as a signal to the operation display control microcomputer 115D mounted on the operation display substrate 115 described later, and the power supply of the heating cooker 1 is turned on.

[0074] After that, when touching any key among the left operation part 15L, the center operation part 15M, and the right operation part 15R on the top plate 2A, a change in capacitance is detected by an electrode 132 corresponding to an operation key on the operation switch substrate 131A or the operation switch substrate 131B under the top plate 2A. That the operation key has been input is input as a signal to an operation display control microcomputer (not shown) mounted on the operation display substrate 115 described later, and the operation content is displayed on the center display device (main display device) 115M.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 15, the operation display substrate 115 is accommodated closer to the front side of the main body case 101. The main body case 101 is configured in a U shape by a left side plate 101A, a right side plate 101B, and a bottom plate 101C, each formed of metal.

[0076] The operation display substrate 115, the operation switch substrate 131A, and the operation switch substrate 131B are connected by an operation switch substrate connection line (not shown) such as a flat cable. On the operation display substrate 115, a left display device 115L, a center display device (main display device) 115M, and a right display device 115R corresponding to the left display part 16L, the center display part (main display part) 16M, and the right display part 16R of the top plate 2A are respectively mounted.

[0077] The left display device 115L, the center display device (main display device) 115M, and the right display device 115R are LCDs (Liquid Crystal Devices). Since the center display device (main display device) 115M has a large amount of information to be displayed, it is a full dot LCD.

[0078] The setting information and the like displayed on the left display device 115L, the center display device (main display device) 115M, and the right display device 115R are visually observed by the user through the top plate 2A in the left display part 16L, the center display part (main display part) 16M, and the right display part 16R, which are the transparent parts of the top plate 2A.

[0079] The main body case 101 houses various substrates. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, in addition to the aforementioned operation display substrate 115, a power supply substrate 111, a first inverter substrate 112, a second inverter substrate 113, and a filter substrate 114 are housed. Note that the first inverter substrate 112 is housed below the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the operation display substrate 115, so it is not shown in FIG. 15 but is illustrated in FIGS. 16 to 19.

[0080] The filter substrate 114 is provided with a filter circuit (not shown) for removing the noise of the commercial AC voltage 200V input from an external power supply. The power supply substrate 111 is provided with a constant voltage circuit (not shown) for generating a constant voltage of 24V or less to be supplied to the operation display substrate 115 and the like. Note that in the cooking heater 1 of the present disclosure, an example in which the filter substrate 114 and the power supply substrate 111 are configured separately is described, but they may be integrally configured.

[0081] The second inverter substrate 113 is a drive control substrate on which a circuit for driving the central IH coil 9M at a high frequency is mounted. Note that in the cooking heater 1 of the present disclosure, a form with three heating ports is described, but the number of heating ports may be two. When there are two heating ports, the central IH coil 9M disappears, so the second inverter substrate 113 for driving the central IH coil 9M at a high frequency becomes unnecessary.

[0082] The first inverter substrate 112 is a drive control substrate on which a circuit for driving the left IH coil 9L and the right IH coil 9R arranged side by side in the left - right direction at a high frequency, a circuit generally called an inverter circuit, is mounted.

[0083] FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation procedure of the central operation unit 15M of the cooking appliance 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 23(a), when the power is ON, "Power is on" is displayed on the central display unit 16M. At this time, "Power is on" is displayed across the entire area from the first display area 22 to the third display area 24 without dividing the entire area, and one piece of information is displayed across all three areas or across two areas according to the situation and content, providing an easy-to-understand display for the user.

[0084] Then, as shown in FIG. 23(b), when the menu button 153M (or 154) is pressed, it enters the standby state as the initial menu selection, and the heating menu and the setting range are displayed on the central display unit 16M.

[0085] When the menu button 153M or 154M is pressed and, for example, "sliced meat" is selected, as shown in FIG. 23(c), the sliced meat and the setting range corresponding to the sliced meat are displayed on the central display unit 16M. When the heat level button 155M or 156M is pressed and "slightly stronger" is selected, as shown in FIG. 23(d), the sliced meat and slightly stronger are displayed on the central display unit 16M. After that, when the start button 151M is pressed, cooking starts.

[0086] FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing another example of an operation procedure of the central operation unit 15M of the cooking appliance 1 according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 24(a), it enters the standby state as the initial menu selection, and the heating menu and the setting range are displayed on the central display unit 16M. When the menu button 153M or 154M is pressed and "range manual" is selected, as shown in FIG. 24(b), the range manual and the setting range corresponding to the range manual are displayed from the first display area 22 to the third display area 24 of the central display unit 16M.

[0087] When the fire button 155M or 156M is pressed and "200W" is selected, as shown in Fig. 24(c), "Range Manual" and "200W" are displayed in the first display area 22 and the second display area 23 of the central display unit 16M. When the time button 157M or 158M is pressed and "5 minutes 00 seconds" is selected, as shown in Fig. 24(d), "Range Manual", "200W", and "5 minutes 00 seconds" are displayed from the first display area 22 to the third display area 24 of the central display unit 16M. After that, when the start button 151M is pressed, cooking starts.

[0088] So far, an example of manually inputting and setting heating conditions and starting cooking from the input operation unit 15 has been described. However, when the power supply shown in Fig. 23(a) is ON and the menu button 153M (or 154) is pressed as described above, the standby state is set as the initial menu selection. This standby state means that the heating cooker 1 can receive inputs and operations from an external communication device 200 such as a smart speaker or a smartphone.

[0089] When an operation is performed to set the heating cooker 1 to the standby state, information indicating that the heating cooker 1 has entered the standby state is sent from the heating cooker control unit 40 of the heating cooker 1 to the communication unit 51, and this information is transmitted from the communication unit 51 to the cloud server (external communication device) 300 via the network 203.

[0090] When the cloud control unit 303 receives this information, it notifies the external communication device 200 via the network 202 that inputs and operations from the external communication device 200 are now possible. Regarding the notification, if the external communication device 200 is equipped with a display means, the message may be displayed on the display means, or if the external communication device 200 is equipped with a voice output means, the message may be notified by voice.

[0091] (Configuration of the internal air duct and configuration and arrangement of the communication unit) FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state as viewed from the right side showing an air passage through which air passes inside the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a state as viewed from the front showing an air passage through which air passes inside the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing the communication unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the recess in which the communication unit is housed, and related components as viewed from the right side, FIG. 21(a) is an exploded perspective view showing the communication unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, the recess in which the communication unit is housed, and the separated state of related components as viewed obliquely downward, FIG. 21(b) is a perspective view showing the components constituting the recess in which the communication unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is housed, FIG. 22(a) is an external perspective view showing the communication unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed obliquely downward, and FIG. 22(b) is an exploded perspective view showing the communication unit of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure in an exploded state as viewed obliquely downward.

[0092] The communication unit 51 that receives the input and operation information transmitted from the external communication device 200 to the cloud server (external communication device) 300 via the network 202 and the network 203 (see FIG. 1) and transmits it to the cooking appliance control unit 40 of the cooking appliance 1 is attached to a hole (not shown) provided in the main body back plate 102 of the main body 3 via a communication unit holding case 102C formed of metal, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 20. The communication unit holding case 102C constitutes the recess of the present invention.

[0093] More specifically, the main body back plate 102 formed of metal has a vertical surface portion 102A and an inclined surface portion 102B that inclines from the lower end portion 102Aa of the vertical surface toward the front side of the main body 3. By forming the inclined surface portion 102B on the main body back plate 102, as shown in FIG. 4, the cooking appliance 1 can be easily incorporated into the kitchen furniture (system kitchen) 500.

[0094] The concave communication unit holding case (the concave component of the present invention) 102C is attached to the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102 with fixing screws 103 so that the concave portion, that is, the concave part, is buried inside the main body 3. The communication unit 51 is inserted into the projection receiving hole 102Cc provided in the communication unit holding case (concave component) 102C with the projection 51Db shown in Fig. 20 so as to be housed inside the concave portion, and after temporarily determining the mounting position, a fixing screw 52 is screwed into the screw receiving hole 102cb for attachment.

[0095] When the communication unit 51 is housed in the concave portion of the communication unit holding case 102C, as shown in the enlarged view of part A in Fig. 17, the surface of the communication unit 51, specifically, the surface of the first case 51C on the surface side of the main body back plate 102, has a step of L1 with respect to the surface of the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102 and is attached. L1 assumes a step of about 1 mm to 3 mm, for example, but a deeper step may also be possible.

[0096] In this way, since the communication unit 51 is attached with a predetermined step L1 from the surface of the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102, it does not protrude from the surface of the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102, and it does not interfere with the work even when the cooking heater 1 is incorporated into the kitchen furniture 500 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0097] As shown in Fig. 22(b), the communication unit 51 is housed by sandwiching the communication substrate 51A between a first case 51C formed of resin and a second case 51D also formed of resin. By connecting the connector 51Ba of the connection wire 51B to the connector 51Ac provided on the communication substrate 51A, the communication unit control unit (microcomputer) (not shown) mounted on the communication substrate 51A and the cooking heater control unit 40 of the cooking heater 1 can communicate with each other.

[0098] The communication substrate 51A is equipped with a display LED 51Aa that can be confirmed by emitting light regarding the communication state, setting state, etc. Further, a switch 51Ab is mounted that can perform communication tests, communication settings, etc. Since the communication substrate 51A is surrounded by a first case 51C and a second case 51D in the assembled state as the communication unit 51, a window portion 51Ca, which is a through hole for directly visually recognizing the display LED 51Aa, is provided in the first case 51C.

[0099] Similarly, since the communication substrate 51A is surrounded by the first case 51C and the second case 51D in the assembled state as the communication unit 51, a through hole 51Cb is provided in the first case 51C so that the switch 51Ab can be input with a rod-shaped member (not shown). With these, the window portion 51Ca and the through hole 51Cb enable confirmation of the communication state based on the emission state of the display LED 51Aa even in the assembled state as the communication unit 51, and the switch 51Ab can be operated to perform communication tests, communication settings, etc., thus improving the convenience for the user or the service staff.

[0100] As shown in FIGS. 12 to 19, the outer shell of the main body 3 is composed of a left side plate 101A, a right side plate 101B, a bottom plate 101C, and a main body back plate 102, each formed of metal, for the surfaces other than the upper surface provided with the top plate 2 and the front surface provided with the heating chamber door 4. If a communication unit 51 for communication with the outside is arranged inside surrounded by metal plates, there is a high possibility of a decrease in communication strength, communication failures, etc. when communicating with the outside.

[0101] Therefore, if it is attempted to be arranged below the upper surface, the top plate 2, which is not surrounded by metal plates, there are an induction heating source 9 such as a left IH coil 9L, a central IH coil 9M, and a right IH coil 9R, and a first inverter substrate 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L, and a second inverter substrate 113 that supplies power to the central IH coil 9M and the right IH coil 9R, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 19, so there is a high possibility of communication failures due to the influence of noise during high-frequency driving.

[0102] Also, as shown in FIG. 19, the interior of the main body 3 is partitioned into an upper space and a lower space by the main body upper and lower partition plate 106, and induction heating sources 9 such as a left IH coil 9L, a central IH coil 9M, and a right IH coil 9R, a first inverter substrate 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L, a second inverter substrate 113 that supplies power to the central IH coil 9M and the right IH coil 9R, etc. are arranged in the upper space.

[0103] Induction heating sources 9 such as a left IH coil 9L, a central IH coil 9M, and a right IH coil 9R, a first inverter substrate 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L, and a second inverter substrate 113 that supplies power to the central IH coil 9M and the right IH coil 9R need to be cooled because they become hot during driving.

[0104] For this cooling, when the heating cooker control unit 40 drives the cooling fan 121, which is the first cooling fan of the present disclosure provided in the upper space of the main body 3, air G3 outside the main body is taken in from the outside air inlet 101Aa provided on the left side plate 101A, taken in by the cooling fan 121 from the air inlet 106A provided on the main body upper and lower partition plate 106, and after cooling the induction heating source 9 and the first inverter substrate 112, etc. as the air flow N3 inside the main body, it is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 101F shown in FIG. 15. The air passage from this outside air inlet 101Aa to the exhaust port 101F is the first air passage of the present disclosure.

[0105] In this way, since there is a first air passage, which is a route through which air for cooling flows, in the upper space, if the communication unit 51 is carelessly arranged in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2, it may interfere with the air passage of the cooling air and hinder the air flow. In that case, there is a risk that the cooling capacity will decrease and cause a decrease in the heating performance of the induction heating source 9. Therefore, it is preferably not to arrange the communication unit 51 in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2.

[0106] Further, as described above, the left side plate 101A of the main body 3 is provided with an outside air inlet 101Aa, and since the space near the left side plate 101A of the main body 3 is a part of the first air passage of the present disclosure, in order not to interfere with the air passage of the air to be cooled and inhibit the air flow, it is preferable not to arrange the communication unit 51 in the space near the left side plate 101A of the main body 3.

[0107] Next, if it is to be arranged near the front not surrounded by a metal plate, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a heating chamber opening 6A is provided in the front of the heating chamber 6, and the heating chamber opening 6A is closed by a heating chamber door 4. As described above, the heating chamber 6 can be heated by microwaves, but the oscillation frequency of the microwaves is in the 2.45 GHz band, while the frequency used for communication with the outside is in the 2.5 GHz band and the frequency bands are approximate. Therefore, if it is to be arranged near the front, it will be close to the heating chamber opening 6A, so there is a possibility of being affected by microwaves, and there is a possibility that problems may occur in communication when communication is performed while heating by microwaves. Therefore, it is preferable not to arrange the communication unit 51 near the heating chamber opening 6A where heating is performed by microwaves.

[0108] As described above, since the heating chamber 6 can be heated by microwaves, as shown in FIG. 18, it is provided with a microwave oscillator 11 that generates microwaves and a microwave oscillator driving inverter substrate 116 equipped with an inverter circuit for driving the same. When heating is performed by microwaves, the microwave oscillator 11 and the microwave oscillator driving inverter substrate 116 become hot, so both require cooling.

[0109] Therefore, a rear cooling fan 142, which is the third cooling fan of the present disclosure, is provided for cooling the microwave oscillator 11, and a front cooling fan 141, which is the second cooling fan of the present disclosure, is provided for cooling the microwave oscillator driving inverter substrate 116.

[0110] When the heating cooker control unit 40 drives the rear cooling fan 142 in accordance with the drive of the microwave oscillator 11, air G2 outside the main body is taken in from the rear intake port 101Cb provided in the bottom plate 101C shown in FIGS. 14 and 18, cools the microwave oscillator 11 as the air flow N2 inside the main body, and the air flow N2 inside the main body that has passed through the discharge duct 62 is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 101D shown in FIGS. 15 and 18.

[0111] The air passage from this rear intake port 101Cb through the discharge duct 62 to the exhaust port 101D is the third air passage of the present disclosure. This third air passage is independent of other air passages inside the heating cooker 1 from the rear intake port 101Cb to the exhaust port 101D and does not intersect with the air taken into the main body by other cooling fans.

[0112] Similarly, when the heating cooker control unit 40 drives the front cooling fan 141 in accordance with the drive of the microwave oscillator 11, air G1 outside the main body is taken in from the front intake port 101Ca provided in the bottom plate 101C shown in FIGS. 14, 18, and 19, cools the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator as the air flow N1 inside the main body, and is sent to the communication part 60.

[0113] A part of the air flow N1 inside the main body sent to the communication part 60 is used as N1a for cooling the infrared sensor 30C that non - contact detects the temperature of the object to be heated (not shown) arranged in the heating chamber 6. The air flow N1 inside the main body sent to the communication part 60 is further sent to the discharge duct 61, and the air flow N1 inside the main body that has passed through the discharge duct 61 is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 101E shown in FIG. 15.

[0114] The air passage from this front intake port 101Ca through the communication part 60, the discharge duct 61 to the exhaust port 101E is the second air passage of the present disclosure. This second air passage is independent of other air passages inside the heating cooker 1 from the front intake port 101Ca to the exhaust port 101E and does not intersect with the air taken into the main body by other cooling fans.

[0115] As such, since the space near the right side plate 101B of the main body 3 is part of the second and third air ducts of the present disclosure, in order to prevent interference with the air duct of the air to be cooled and obstruction of the air flow, it is preferable not to arrange the communication unit 51 in the space near the right side plate 101B of the main body 3.

[0116] So far, it has been described that it is preferable not to arrange the communication unit 51 in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2 where there is an air duct, the space near the left side plate 101A of the main body 3, and the space near the right side plate 101B of the main body 3, and it is also preferable not to arrange the communication unit 51 near the heating chamber opening 6A where heating is performed by microwaves. However, as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, there is a rear lower space 3a of the main body inside the main body 3 behind the heating chamber 6, and there is no air duct provided for the air to flow for cooling as described above.

[0117] Therefore, even if the communication unit 51 is arranged in this rear lower space 3a of the main body, it will not interfere with the air duct of the air to be cooled and obstruct the air flow, so it is a suitable space for arranging the communication unit 51. However, if it is arranged in the internal space of the main body 3 surrounded by the main body rear plate 102 formed of metal as described above, when communicating with the outside, the communication strength may decrease and communication failures may occur. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 13, 14, and 20, the communication unit 51 is attached to a hole (not shown) provided in the main body rear plate 102 of the main body 3 via a concave communication unit holding case 102C.

[0118] In this way, the communication unit 51 is housed inside the concave portion of the communication unit holding case 102C and arranged in a space that is not an air duct. Therefore, it does not interfere with the air duct of the air to be cooled inside the main body, does not obstruct the air flow, and does not affect the cooling performance of the components that become hot inside the main body 3.

[0119] Also, without being surrounded by the main body rear plate 102 formed of metal, the communication unit 51 itself is housed inside the concave portion of the communication unit holding case 102C and is exposed to the outside of the main body 3. Therefore, a decrease in communication strength, communication failures, etc. caused by being shielded by a metal plate do not occur.

[0120] Of course, for cooking in the heating chamber 6, radiant heating means, specifically heating using the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B (see Fig. 16), is also performed. The object to be heated (not shown) placed in the heating chamber 6 is heated by the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, generating oil fumes. The oil fumes are sent from an exhaust port (not shown) in the heating chamber 6 to a discharge duct (not shown) connected to the heating chamber 6 due to the increase in pressure in the heating chamber 6 caused by the rise in temperature in the heating chamber 6, and are discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 101G shown in Fig. 15.

[0121] At this time, although the heating chamber 6 itself also becomes high temperature due to the radiant heat of the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, since the communication unit 51 is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C formed of metal, a metal plate can be interposed as a heat insulating material between the high-temperature heating chamber 6 and the communication unit 51, which also has an effect as a heat insulation measure for the communication unit 51. However, since there is no air passage and no air flow in the rear space 3a at the lower part of the main body as described above, there is a possibility that the influence of heat dissipation from the heating chamber 6 cannot be alleviated only by the communication unit holding case 102C. Therefore, as shown in Figs. 20 and 21(a), a heat insulating member 104 is provided outside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C (inside the main body 3).

[0122] The heat insulating member 104 is composed of a frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A that is wound around the outside of the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C (inside the main body 3) by butting the end 104Aa and the end 104Ab at the joint 104Ac, and a plate-shaped heat insulating material 104B that is attached to cover the frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A.

[0123] In the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C, with the case attached to the main body back panel 102, a connection line passage hole 102Ca for passing the connection line 51B shown in Fig. 21(a) is provided on the lower side in the vertical direction. The frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A is wound so that the joint 104Ac overlaps with the connection line passage hole 102Ca. Since the frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A is only butting the end 104Aa and the end 104Ab without being joined, by winding the joint 104Ac so as to overlap with the connection line passage hole 102Ca, the connection line 51B coming out of the connection line passage hole 102Ca can be passed through the joint 104Ac of the end 104Aa and the end 104Ab, and the connection line can be easily passed through without the need for unnecessary processing of the heat insulating member.

[0124] As described above, the heating chamber 6 can be heated by microwaves. When the heating cooker control unit 40 drives the microwave oscillator 11 by the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator, microwaves are oscillated in the waveguide 118 formed of, for example, metal as shown in Figs. 16 to 18, and advance in the waveguide 118 and are radiated into the heating chamber 6 from the back side of the heating chamber 6.

[0125] Since microwaves are reflected by metal, a heating chamber back panel 66 formed of, for example, heat-resistant glass is provided on the back of the heating chamber 6. The microwaves pass through the heating chamber back panel 66 and are radiated into the heating chamber 6. Since microwaves have high directivity, when the heating cooker control unit 40 drives the microwave oscillator 11, the antenna rotation motor 143 is rotated to rotate the antenna 144 attached to the antenna rotation motor 143, so as to diffuse the microwaves and radiate them into the heating chamber 6 so that the microwaves are evenly radiated into the heating chamber 6.

[0126] As described above, the microwave travels through the waveguide 118 and is radiated into the heating chamber 6 from the back side of the heating chamber 6. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the waveguide 118 is provided on the back side of the heating chamber 6 and is radiated from the back side of the heating chamber 6 into the heating chamber 6, in other words, radiated from the back side of the heating chamber 6 toward the front side of the main body 3.

[0127] As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the communication unit 51 is provided on the back side of the main body 3 which is on the opposite side of the radiation direction of the microwave. As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, since the communication unit 51 is attached on the opposite side of the direction in which the microwave is radiated, the connection line 51B (see FIG. 21(a)) that communicably connects the communication unit control unit (microcomputer), not shown, mounted on the communication substrate 51A (see FIG. 22(b)) of the communication unit 51 and the heating cooker control unit 40 of the heating cooker 1 is less affected by noise caused by the radiation of the microwave. Therefore, even when the microwave oscillator 11 is driven, it is possible to ensure and maintain a stable communication state.

[0128] As described above, the communication unit holding case 102C is attached to the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102 with fixing screws 103 so that its concave portion, that is, the recess, is buried inside the main body 3. To explain further, as shown in FIG. 21, the communication unit holding case 102C has four corner portions, namely, an upper outer corner portion 102Cd, a lower outer corner portion 102Ce, a right outer corner portion 102Cf, and a left outer corner portion 102Cg, on the side closer to the main body back plate 102 in a state of being attached to the main body back plate 102. Further, the recess has four corner portions, namely, an upper inner corner portion 102Ch, a lower inner corner portion 102Ci, a right inner corner portion 102Cj, and a left inner corner portion 102Ck, on the inner side of the recess.

[0129] As shown in FIGS. 13, 14, 16, and 17, the communication unit holding case 102C is attached such that the upper outer corner portion 102Cd is positioned below the vertical surface lower end portion 102Aa which is the lower end portion of the vertical surface portion 102A of the main body back plate 102. In the attached state, since the upper inner corner portion 102Ch is positioned above the upper outer corner portion 102Cd, the upper outer corner portion 102Cd is inclined so as to be downward.

[0130] If liquid such as water drips down along the vertical surface portion 102A of the main body back plate 102 due to an unexpected situation, even if the liquid such as water flows along the inclined surface portion 102B, it will not flow toward the upper inner corner portion 102Ch side and can be dripped at the upper outer corner portion 102Cd.

[0131] Also, the first case 51C on the surface side of the main body back plate 102 of the communication unit 51 has a first case upper corner portion 51Cc. As shown in the enlarged view of part A in Fig. 17, the first case upper corner portion 51Cc protrudes most outward when the communication unit 51 is attached. The first case upper corner portion 51Cc that protrudes most outward of the communication unit 51 and the upper outer corner portion 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C are located with the upper outer corner portion 102Cd being more outward in the horizontal front-rear direction in the attached state. Therefore, liquid such as water dripping at the upper outer corner portion 102Cd will not reach the communication unit 51. Note that L2 assumes a step of about 5 mm to 8 mm, but a longer length may also be acceptable.

[0132] In this way, even if liquid such as water drips down along the vertical surface portion 102A of the main body back plate 102 due to an unexpected situation, the communication unit 51 will not receive the liquid such as water dripping from the upper outer corner portion 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C, and the communication substrate 51A will not get wet by the liquid such as water and cause problems. Therefore, a stable communication state can be ensured and maintained.

[0133] As described above, since the communication unit 51 of the cooking appliance according to Embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is attached with a predetermined step L1 from the surface of the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102, it does not protrude from the surface of the inclined surface portion 102B of the main body back plate 102, and it does not interfere with the work even when the cooking appliance 1 is incorporated into the kitchen furniture 500 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0134] In addition, since the communication unit 51 is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C and arranged in a space that is not an air passage, it does not interfere with the air passage of the cooling air inside the main body, does not impede the air flow, and has no effect on the cooling performance degradation of the components that become hot inside the main body 3.

[0135] Furthermore, even if liquid such as water drips along the vertical surface portion 102A of the main body back panel 102 due to an unexpected situation, the communication unit 51 does not receive the liquid such as water dripping from the upper outer corner portion 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C, and the communication substrate 51A is not wetted by the liquid such as water and does not malfunction. Therefore, a stable communication state can be ensured and maintained.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0136] Depth dimension of the built-in opening, G1 Air outside the main body, G2 Air outside the main body, G3 Air outside the main body, HM1 First heating means (induction heating means), HM2 Second heating means (microwave heating means), HM3 Third heating means (radiant heat heating means), L1 Step, L2 Length, N1 Airflow inside the main body, N1a Airflow inside the main body, N2 Airflow inside the main body, N3 Airflow inside the main body, W Width dimension of the built-in opening, 1 Cooker, 1a Cooking system, 2 Top plate, 2A Top plate, 2B Frame body, 2L Left heating port, 2M Central heating port, 2R Right heating port, 3 Main body, 3a Rear lower space of the main body, 4 Heating chamber door, 4A Handle, 5 Exhaust port cover, 6 Heating chamber, 6A Heating chamber opening, 9 Induction heating coil (induction heating source), 9L Left IH coil, 9M Central IH coil, 9R Right IH coil, 10 Opening / closing detection unit, 11 Microwave transmitter (magnetron), 12 Radiant heat heating means, 12A Upper radiant heat heating means, 12B Lower radiant heat heating means, 15 Input operation unit, 15L Left operation unit, 15M Central operation unit, 15R Right operation unit, 16 Display unit, 16L Left display unit, 16M Central display unit, 16R Right display unit, 17 Heating power display unit, 17L Left heating power display unit, 17R Right heating power display unit, 20 Main power switch, 20A Operation button, 21M Individual light-emitting unit, 21L Individual light-emitting unit, 21R Individual light-emitting unit, 22 First display area, 23 Second display area, 24 Third display area, 30 Temperature sensor group, 30A Contact type temperature sensor, 30B Non-contact type temperature sensor, 30C Infrared sensor, 40 Cooker control unit, 41 Storage device, 42 Cooking condition data storage unit, 43 Heating control unit, 50 Voice notification unit, 51 Communication unit, 51A Communication board, 51Aa Display LED, 51Ab Switch, 51Ac Connector, 51B Connection line, 51Ba Connector, 51Bb Electric wire, 51C First case, 51Ca Window part, 51Cb Through hole, 51Cc Upper corner part of the first case, 51D Second case, 51Da Slit part, 51Db Projection part, 52 Fixing screw, 53 Data acquisition unit, 57 Power circuit, 60 Communication part, 61 Exhaust duct, 62 Exhaust duct, 66 Back panel of the heating chamber (glass plate), 101 Main body case, 101A Left side panel, 101Aa Outside air inlet, 101B Right side panel, 101C Bottom panel, 101Ca Front intake port, 101CbRear intake port, 101D exhaust port, 101E exhaust port, 101F exhaust port, 101G exhaust port, 102 main body back panel, 102A vertical surface part, 102Aa lower end part of the vertical surface, 102B inclined surface part, 102C communication part holding case (holding member having a recess of the present disclosure), 102Ca hole for passing connection wires, 102cb screw receiving hole, 102Cc projection receiving hole, 102Cd upper outer corner part, 102Ce lower outer corner part, 102Cf right outer corner part, 102Cg left outer corner part, 102Ch upper inner corner part, 102Ci lower inner corner part, 102Cj right inner corner part, 102Ck left inner corner part 103 fixing screw, 104 heat insulating member, 104A frame-shaped heat insulating material, 104Aa end part, 104Ab end part, 104Ac joint, 104B plate-shaped heat insulating material, 106 main body upper and lower partition plate, 106A intake port, 111 power supply board, 112 first inverter board, 113 second inverter board, 114 filter board, 115 operation display board, 115L left display device, 115M central display device (main display device), 115R right display device, 116 inverter board for driving microwave oscillation device, 117 power supply board (for driving microwave oscillator, for radiant heat heating means), 118 waveguide, 121 cooling fan (the first cooling fan of the present disclosure), 131 operation switch board, 131A operation switch board, 131B operation switch board, 132 electrode, 141 front cooling fan (the second cooling fan of the present disclosure), 142 rear cooling fan (the third cooling fan of the present disclosure), 143 antenna rotation motor, 144 antenna, 151L~155L input buttons, 151M start button, 152M cancel button, 153M menu button, 154M menu button, 155M heating power button, 156M heating power button, 157M time button, 158M time button, 159M input button, 151R~155R input buttons, 200 external communication device (smart speaker, smartphone), 201 control unit, 202 network, 203 network, 300 cloud server (external communication device), 301 recipe information providing server, 302 recipe database, 303 cloud control unit, 500 kitchen furniture (system kitchen), 500A cooking counter (countertop), 500B built-in opening, 500C front opening, 500D internal space, 500E storage, 500F storage, 500GBack panel, 500H bottom panel.

Claims

1. A top plate on which an object to be cooked is placed, A main body having the top plate on its upper surface and having an outer shell formed of a metal plate, A heating unit provided inside the main body below the top plate for heating the object to be cooked, A drive substrate for driving the heating unit, A first cooling fan that blows air for cooling the heating unit and the drive substrate, A first air passage in the main body through which the air blown by the first cooling fan passes, An operation unit for setting the heating conditions of the heating unit, A communication unit that communicates with an external communication device capable of inputting and outputting information for setting the heating conditions of the heating unit, A control unit that controls the heating unit, the first cooling fan, and the communication unit, Comprising, On the back plate constituting the outer shell of the main body, a concave portion is provided that is formed to be recessed from the surface of the back plate toward the inside of the main body, The communication unit is attached to the concave portion so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the back plate, and the communication unit attached to the concave portion protruding into the main body from the back plate does not interfere with the first air passage in the main body. A cooking heater.

2. The back plate has a vertical surface and an inclined surface that inclines from the lower end of the vertical surface downward from the back side of the main body to the front side of the main body, The concave portion is provided on the inclined surface, and the upper end of the concave portion is arranged to be lower than the lower end of the vertical surface. The cooking heater according to claim 1.

3. The concave portion is provided in a holding member attached to the back plate, The holding member has an upper outer corner portion located above the concave portion closer to the back plate when attached to the back plate. The cooking heater according to claim 2.

4. The communication unit has a communication unit upper corner portion located above the concave portion closer to the back plate when attached to the concave portion of the holding member, When viewed in the horizontal direction in the front-rear direction, the upper outer corner portion is located behind the communication unit upper corner portion. The cooking heater according to claim 3.

5. A heating chamber provided inside the main body with an open front side capable of cooking an object to be heated, A heating chamber door provided on the front side of the main body for closing the opening of the heating chamber, A microwave oscillation device that supplies microwaves for cooking to the heating chamber, A third cooling fan that blows air for cooling the microwave oscillation device, A third air passage in the main body through which the air that has cooled the microwave oscillation device blown by the third cooling fan passes, A microwave oscillator driving substrate for driving the microwave oscillator; A second cooling fan for blowing air for cooling the microwave oscillator driving substrate; A second air passage in the main body through which the air cooled by the second cooling fan for cooling the microwave oscillator driving substrate passes; further comprising; The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication unit attached to the recess protruding from the rear plate into the main body does not interfere with the second air passage and the third air passage in the main body. **Claim 6** Comprising a waveguide for supplying the microwave generated by the microwave oscillator to the heating chamber; The microwave supplied from the waveguide to the heating chamber is emitted toward the heating chamber door provided on the front side of the main body, and the communication unit is attached on the side opposite to the emission direction of the microwave. The heating cooker according to claim 5.

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