Flyer

Abstract

To allow a residual quantity for cooking in an oil addition tank to be grasped at low cost.SOLUTION: A fryer 1 comprises: an oil tank 3; a pulse burner 4; first and second oil surface temperature sensors 11 and 12 and a cooking temperature sensor 13 installed at different heights in a vertical direction in the oil tank 3, and for detecting temperatures of cooking oil; an oil addition tank 45 installed outside the oil tank 3, and for storing the cooking oil; an oil addition pipe 49, an oil addition pump 50, and an oil addition solenoid valve 51 (oil addition means) for adding the cooking oil into the oil tank 3 from the oil addition tank 45; and a burner controller 70 for controlling the pulse burner 4 and the oil addition means. When operating the oil addition means, the burner controller 70 monitors a difference between detected temperatures of the first and second oil surface temperature sensors 11 and 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13, and determines the presence or absence of the cooking oil in the oil addition tank 45 on the basis of the difference between the detected temperatures.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a commercial fryer that heats cooking oil in an oil tank and heats and cooks an object to be cooked by putting the object to be cooked into the oil tank.

Background Art

[0002] A fryer heats and cooks an object to be cooked such as potatoes put into an oil tank by heating the cooking oil contained in the oil tank to a predetermined cooking temperature by heating means such as a burner or a pulse combustor. As the number of times of heat cooking increases, the cooking oil in the oil tank decreases due to the oil absorbed by the object to be cooked. Therefore, Patent Document 1 discloses that a one-bushel can (topping-up oil tank) containing cooking oil (solid oil) is arranged in the body and kept warm by an electric heater, and an oil level thermistor for detecting the position of the oil level is provided in the oil tank. When the decrease in the detected temperature of the oil level thermistor confirms the decrease in the oil level, a pump provided in a pipe connecting the one-bushel can to the oil tank is operated to replenish (top up) a predetermined amount of cooking oil.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the above fryer, it is desirable to grasp the amount of oil in the topping-up oil tank, detect whether the remaining amount is less than the required amount or the remaining amount becomes 0, and give a notification to prompt the replacement of the topping-up oil tank or the replenishment of cooking oil. However, it is necessary to newly provide a sensor or the like for detecting the remaining amount in the topping-up oil tank, which leads to an increase in cost.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a fryer that is excellent in usability by enabling the remaining amount of cooking oil in the topping oil tank to be grasped at low cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present disclosure includes an oil tank capable of accommodating cooking oil, heating means provided in the oil tank for heating the cooking oil, at least two temperature sensors installed at different vertical heights in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil, a topping oil tank installed outside the oil tank for storing cooking oil, topping oil means for replenishing the cooking oil from the topping oil tank into the oil tank, Notification means for notifying that the topping oil tank is empty; control means for controlling the heating means and the topping oil means, and when the control means operates the topping oil means, the control means monitors the difference in the detected temperatures of the two temperature sensors, If the difference in the detected temperature after a predetermined first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of operation of the topping oil means is not less than a predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of topping oil, it is determined that the cooking oil in the topping oil tank is empty, and the control means operates the notification means if the difference in the detected temperature after a predetermined second monitoring time longer than the first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of operation of the topping oil means is not less than the predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of topping oil. which is characterized by the above. Another aspect of the present disclosure is that, in the above configuration, one of the two temperature sensors is a cooking temperature sensor for the control means to control the heating means during cooking, and the other is an oil surface temperature sensor provided at a position higher than the cooking temperature sensor for the control means to detect a decrease in the oil surface in the oil tank. Another aspect of the present disclosure is that, in the above configuration, the control means can execute a first cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled with a predetermined first rated oil amount to cook the object to be cooked, and a second cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled with a second rated oil amount increased from the first rated oil amount to cook the object to be cooked. The oil surface temperature sensor includes a first oil surface temperature sensor disposed below the oil surface position at the first rated oil amount in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil, and a second oil surface temperature sensor disposed above the oil surface position at the first rated oil amount in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil. When the control means executes the first cooking mode, it monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the first oil level temperature sensor, and when executing the second cooking mode, it monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the second oil level temperature sensor. In the present disclosure, the cooking oil in the topping oil tank being "empty" includes both the case where the remaining amount is exactly 0 and the case where the remaining amount is less than the required topping oil amount.

Advantages of the Invention

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to detect the remaining amount in the topping oil tank by using the existing temperature sensors provided in the oil tank. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the remaining amount of cooking oil in the topping oil tank at low cost, and it becomes excellent in usability. In particular If the difference in the detected temperature after the elapse of the first monitoring time from the start of the operation of the topping oil means is not less than a predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the topping oil, the control means determines that the cooking oil in the topping oil tank is empty. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the presence or absence of cooking oil in the topping oil tank at an early timing before the operation of the topping oil means ends. Further, since the presence or absence of cooking oil is determined by comparing with the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the topping oil, the determination accuracy is high. Furthermore If the difference in the detected temperature after the elapse of the second monitoring time from the start of the operation of the topping oil means is not less than a predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the topping oil, the control means activates the notification means. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine the presence or absence of cooking oil in the topping oil tank, and it is possible to prompt measures such as replacement of the topping oil tank or replenishment of cooking oil. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, one of the two temperature sensors is a cooking temperature sensor and the other is an oil level temperature sensor. Therefore, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of cooking oil in the topping oil tank by using the existing cooking temperature sensor and oil level temperature sensor arranged at different heights. According to another aspect of the present disclosure, in addition to the above effects, the oil level temperature sensor includes a first oil level temperature sensor for the first cooking mode and a second oil level temperature sensor for the second cooking mode, and the control means monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the first oil level temperature sensor when the first cooking mode is executed, and monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the second oil level temperature sensor when the second cooking mode is executed. Therefore, by using the first and second oil level temperature sensors and the cooking temperature sensor used for each cooking mode, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the topping oil tank for each cooking mode.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a fryer, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the fryer. This fryer 1 is provided with a pair of left and right oil tanks 3, 3 at the upper part inside the container body 2. At the bottom of each oil tank 3, a pair of left and right pulse combustors 4, 4 as heating means are respectively provided. Each pulse combustor 4 has a combustion chamber 5 provided on the inner wall on the front side of the oil tank 3, and a tail pipe 6 connected to the combustion chamber 5 and snaking through the inside of the oil tank 3. Since the configurations of each oil tank 3 and its combustion system and exhaust system are the same on the left and right, the following mainly describes the oil tank 3 on the left side of FIG. 1.

[0010] The oil tank 3 has a first cooking section 7 and a second cooking section 8. The first cooking section 7 is formed above the pulse combustor 4 and has a rectangular tube shape with a constant opening area in the vertical direction. The second cooking section 8 is located above the first cooking section 7 and is formed in an inverted taper shape that expands in the front, rear, left, and right directions as it goes upward from the upper end of the first cooking section 7. The upper end up to the second cooking section 8 serves as a storage section for cooking oil. A basket 9 containing an object to be cooked such as potatoes can be inserted into the oil tank 3. Above the pulse combustors 4, 4, a net 10 for receiving the basket 9 is provided. Below the upper end surface of the first cooking section 7, a first oil surface temperature sensor 11 is provided. Above the upper end surface of the first cooking section 7 and below the upper end surface of the second cooking section 8, a second oil surface temperature sensor 12 is provided. Near the tail pipe 6 of the pulse combustor 4 in the oil tank 3, a cooking temperature sensor 13 is provided. A thermistor is used for each temperature sensor. An electric heater 33 is provided on the outer peripheral surface at the lower part of the oil tank 3.

[0011] Behind the oil tank 3 and at the upper part of the container body 2, an oil increasing tank 14 for storing cooking oil is provided. At the lower surface of the oil increasing tank 14, an oil increasing pipe 15 connected to the rear surface of the oil tank 3 and communicating with the second cooking section 8 is connected. An oil increasing valve 16 that is opened and closed manually is provided on the oil increasing pipe 15. An oil increasing opening / closing detection section (for example, a reed switch) 55 for detecting the open / closed state is provided on the oil increasing valve 16. An oil increasing temperature sensor 17 for detecting the temperature of the stored cooking oil is provided in the oil increasing tank 14. An overflow section 18 is provided on the front surface of the oil replenishment tank 14. The overflow section 18 is formed by a pipe connected to the front surface of the oil replenishment tank 14, a flow path formed vertically on the front surface of the oil replenishment tank 14, and the like. The upper end of the overflow section 18 is connected to an opening formed in the upper part of the front surface of the oil replenishment tank 14 and hangs down. The lower end of the overflow section 18 is connected to the rear inner surface in the oil tank 3 via an outlet 19. Therefore, when the cooking oil in the oil replenishment tank 14 exceeds the lower edge of the opening, the overflowed cooking oil flows down into the oil tank 3 along the rear inner surface of the oil tank 3 from the outlet 19.

[0012] An air chamber 20 is provided outside the front side of the oil tank 3. A mixing chamber (not shown) communicating with the combustion chamber 5 is provided in the air chamber 20. A gas conduit 21 equipped with a gas solenoid valve 22 is connected to the mixing chamber, and fuel gas is supplied. Also, an air supply pipe 23 is connected to the mixing chamber. The air supply pipe 23 is connected to a fan 24 provided at the lower part of the appliance body 2, and combustion air is supplied. The tail pipes 6, 6 of the pulse combustors 4, 4 are arranged in a serpentine shape at the lower part of the oil tank 3 and then connected to exhaust pipes 25, 25 drawn out from the air chamber 20. These exhaust pipes 25, 25 have mufflers 26, 26 arranged at the rear part of the appliance body 2. The mufflers 26, 26 are arranged upward in a state of being in contact with the rear surface of the oil replenishment tank 14, and can discharge combustion exhaust gas. The oil replenishment tank 14 and the mufflers 26, 26 are covered with an exhaust pipe cover 27 provided on the appliance body 2. Protection covers 28 are provided on the front surfaces of the left and right exhaust pipe covers 27, 27. Basket hangers 29, 29 for suspending and supporting the baskets 9, 9 are fixed to the protection covers 28. The outlet 19 of the overflow section 18 is provided below the basket hanger 29.

[0013] At the bottom of the body 2, a filtering tank 30 with a filter at the bottom is provided. At the bottom of the oil tank 3, an oil drain pipe 31 is connected, and the cooking oil in the oil tank 3 can be discharged to the filtering tank 30 through the oil drain pipe 31. An oil drain valve 32 that opens and closes manually is provided on the oil drain pipe 31. A filtering pump 35 is provided at the lower part of the body 2. The suction side of the filtering pump 35 is connected to the bottom of the filtering tank 30 through a suction pipe 36. The discharge side of the filtering pump 35 branches into a first oil supply pipe 37 and a second oil supply pipe 38. The first oil supply pipe 37 is connected to the oil increasing pipe 15 upstream of the oil increasing valve 16. A first oil supply valve 39 that opens and closes manually is provided on the first oil supply pipe 37. A fuel supply opening / closing detection unit (for example, a reed switch) 56 that detects the open / closed state is provided on the first oil supply valve 39. The second oil supply pipe 38 is connected to the lower part of the oil tank 3. A second oil supply valve 40 that opens and closes manually is provided on the second oil supply pipe 38.

[0014] Below the oil tank 3, an additional oil tank 45 using a one-bucket can is provided. The additional oil tank 45 is installed on a mounting base 46 provided on the body 2. A heat preservation heater 47 for heating the additional oil tank 45 and a tank temperature sensor 48 for detecting the temperature of the additional oil tank 45 are provided on the mounting base 46. The lower end of an additional oil pipe 49 is inserted into the additional oil tank 45. The upper end of the additional oil pipe 49 is connected to the oil tank 3 above the second cooking unit 8. An additional oil pump 50 and an additional oil solenoid valve 51 are provided on the additional oil pipe 49 from the upstream side.

[0015] On the upper front part of the main body 2, a fry controller 60 is provided. The fry controller 60 is equipped with an operation panel 61. As also shown in Fig. 3, the operation panel 61 is provided with a power switch 62, a plurality of cooking buttons 63, 63··, in addition to display units 64, 64 for the selected cooking mode, maintenance menu, etc., a mode selection button 65 for selecting the cooking mode, and rated quantity display lamps 66A, 66B for displaying the rated quantity. The rated quantity display lamp 66A corresponds to the first rated quantity, and the rated quantity display lamp 66B corresponds to the second rated quantity respectively. On the lower part of the main body 2, a burner controller 70 is provided. The burner controller 70 is equipped with a timer 71 and a storage unit 72. According to the cooking mode instructed by the fry controller 60, based on the program stored in the storage unit 72, it performs ON / OFF control of the pulse burner 4 to cook the food to be cooked such as potatoes. Detection signals such as the first and second oil surface temperature sensors 11, 12, cooking temperature sensor 13, additional oil temperature sensor 17, tank temperature sensor 48, additional oil opening / closing detection unit 55, and fuel supply opening / closing detection unit 56 are input to the burner controller 70. Based on these detection signals and the instructions from the operation panel 61, the burner controller 70 controls the pulse burner 4, gas solenoid valve 22, fan 24, electric heater 33, filtering pump 35, heat preservation heater 47, additional oil pump 50, additional oil solenoid valve 51, etc.

[0016] In the fryer 1 configured as above, the amount of the food to be cooked at one time is defined into two types, a predetermined first rated quantity and a second rated quantity larger than the first rated quantity, and it can be cooked in a first cooking mode corresponding to the first rated quantity and a second cooking mode corresponding to the second rated quantity respectively. In the additional oil tank 14, the cooking oil in a full state (additional oil) is stored. (First cooking mode) First, when cooking the food to be cooked in the first rated quantity, as shown by the hatching in Fig. 4(A), cooking oil (the first rated oil quantity) is stored in the oil tank 3 up to the upper end of the first cooking section 7. In this state, when the cook turns on the power switch 62 of the operation panel 61, the burner controller 70, which has confirmed the cooking oil up to the upper end of the first cooking section 7 with the first oil surface temperature sensor 11, rotates the fan 24 for a predetermined time to supply air, and then intermittently burns the mixed gas in the combustion chamber 5 to operate the pulse burner 4 in an ON / OFF manner. That is, the mixed gas is ignited in the combustion chamber 5 and explosively combusted in the combustion chamber 5, and the combustion exhaust is forcibly discharged to the tail pipe 6 due to the pressure increase in the combustion chamber 5 accompanying the combustion. Then, the fuel gas and the combustion air are inhaled into the combustion chamber 5 that becomes negative pressure due to the discharge of the combustion exhaust. By repeating this ON / OFF operation, the cooking oil stored in the oil tank 3 is heated. The burner controller 70 monitors the detected temperature obtained from the cooking temperature sensor 13. When it is confirmed that the temperature of the cooking oil has reached a predetermined cooking temperature (for example, 160°C), the fry controller 60 notifies by outputting a display of "Cooking OK" to the display section 64 of the operation panel 61 or the like.

[0017] Next, the cook selects the first cooking mode with the mode selection button 65. Then, the fry controller 60 causes the display section 64 to display that it is the first cooking mode and lights the rated quantity display lamp 66A to notify that it is the first rated quantity. <( After this notification is made, the cook puts the basket containing the food to be cooked in the first rated quantity into the oil tank 3. At this time, since the display section 64 of the operation panel 61 displays the first cooking mode and the rated quantity display lamp 66A is lit, the possibility that the cook will misjudge the quantity of the food to be cooked to be put in is reduced. When the cook presses the cooking start button (here, the leftmost cooking button 63), the burner controller 70 performs heating and cooking of the object to be cooked with the first cooking time preset in the storage unit 72 corresponding to the first rated amount and the first calorific value of the pulse combustor 4. When the first cooking time runs out by the count of the timer 71, the fry controller 60 sounds an alarm to notify the end of cooking. Therefore, the cook pulls up the basket 9 from the oil tank 3. When continuing to cook with the first rated amount, if the object to be cooked is put in and the cooking start button is pressed, the same control is repeated.

[0018] (Switching from the first cooking mode to the second cooking mode) When switching from the first cooking mode to the second cooking mode, it is necessary to increase the cooking oil from the oil increasing tank 14. Therefore, when the cook manually operates the oil increasing valve 16 to open it, as shown by the hatching in Fig. 4(B), the cooking oil for the increased amount in the oil increasing tank 14 is supplied through the oil increasing pipe 15 to the upper end of the second cooking section 8 of the oil tank 3, and the oil increasing tank 14 becomes empty. The valve opening operation of the oil increasing valve 16 is detected by the burner controller 70 through the oil increasing open / close detection section 55. When the oil increasing valve 16 is closed and this valve closing operation is detected by the burner controller 70 through the oil increasing open / close detection section 55, the fry controller 60 displays on the display section 64 that it is in the second cooking mode, turns off the rated amount display lamp 66A and turns on the rated amount display lamp 66B to notify the change to the second rated amount. This mode switching notification may be performed immediately after detecting the valve opening - closing of the oil increasing valve 16, or a predetermined oil increasing completion time (for example, 1 minute) may be counted between the valve opening and the valve closing, and the notification may be performed after confirming the valve closing after the elapse of the time. An oil increasing completion time for counting for a while after the valve closing may also be set.

[0019] On the other hand, the burner controller 70 switches the sensor for detecting the oil level position to the second oil level temperature sensor 12 by detecting the valve opening operation of the oil increasing valve 16 by the oil increasing open / close detection section 55. Therefore, when the second oil level temperature sensor 12 confirms that the cooking oil supplied to the oil tank 3 has reached the upper end of the second cooking unit 8 (the second rated oil volume), the detected temperature obtained from the cooking temperature sensor 13 is monitored. When it is confirmed that the temperature of the cooking oil has reached a predetermined cooking temperature, the fry controller 60 notifies by outputting a "Cooking OK" display on the display unit 64 of the operation panel 61 or the like.

[0020] When this notification is made, the cook puts the basket 9 containing the object to be cooked at the second rated amount into the oil tank 3. At this time, on the operation panel 61, since the second cooking mode is displayed on the display unit 64 and the rated amount display lamp 66B is lit, the possibility that the cook will misplace the amount of the object to be cooked is reduced. When the cook presses the cooking start button, the burner controller 70 performs heating and cooking of the object to be cooked with the second cooking time preset in the storage unit 72 corresponding to the second rated amount and the second heat amount larger than the first heat amount in the first cooking mode. This second heat amount is obtained by operating the electric heater 33 in addition to the pulse combustor 4. However, the gas input may be increased only by the pulse combustor 4 without using the electric heater 33 to obtain the second heat amount. When the second cooking time runs out due to the count by the timer 71, the fry controller 60 sounds an alarm to notify the end of cooking. The cook pulls up the basket 9 from the oil tank 3. When continuing to cook at the second rated amount, if the object to be cooked is put in and the cooking start button is pressed, the same control is repeated.

[0021] (Switching from the second cooking mode to the first cooking mode) When switching from the second cooking mode to the first cooking mode with a smaller oil volume, the cook opens the drain valve 32 from the state of the second rated oil volume shown in Fig. 4(B) and drops all the cooking oil in the oil tank 3 into the filtering tank 30 as shown by the hatching in Fig. 5(A). Next, the first fuel supply valve 39 of the first fuel supply pipe 37 is set to the open state, the second fuel supply valve 40 of the second fuel supply pipe 38 is set to the closed state, and the fuel increasing valve 16 of the fuel increasing pipe 15 is set to the closed state. Then, the burner controller 70 that detects the opening of the first fuel supply valve 39 by the fuel supply opening / closing detection unit 56 drives the filtering pump 35. Therefore, the cooking oil in the filtering tank 30 is filtered and then supplied to the fuel increasing tank 14 via the first fuel supply pipe 37 and the fuel increasing pipe 15. When the fuel increasing tank 14 is full, as shown in Fig. 5(B), the cooking oil is supplied to the oil tank 3 through the overflow part 18. And when filtering is performed until the filtering tank 30 becomes empty, as shown in Fig. 4(A), the cooking oil of the second rated fuel quantity supplied to the fuel increasing tank 14 is supplied to the oil tank 3 through the overflow part 18, leaving only the increased fuel quantity from the first rated fuel quantity. That is, the cooking oil of the first rated fuel quantity used in the first cooking mode is stored in the oil tank 3.

[0022] Then, when the filtering is completed and the cook closes the first fuel supply valve 39, and the burner controller 70 detects this closing through the fuel supply opening / closing detection unit 56, the drive of the filtering pump 35 is stopped. Then, the fry controller 60 that obtains the closing information of the first fuel supply valve 39 from the burner controller 70 by the fuel supply opening / closing detection unit 56 displays that it is the first cooking mode on the display unit 64, turns off the rated quantity display lamp 66B, and turns on the rated quantity display lamp 66A. This mode switching notification may also be performed immediately when the opening - closing of the first fuel supply valve 39 is detected, or a predetermined fuel supply completion time (for example, 1 minute) may be counted between the opening and the closing, and the notification may be performed after confirming that the valve is closed after the elapse of this time. A fuel supply completion time for counting for a while after the valve is closed may also be set. On the other hand, the burner controller 70 switches the sensor for detecting the oil level position to the first oil level temperature sensor 11 by detecting the opening operation of the first fuel supply valve 39 by the fuel supply opening / closing detection unit 56, and executes the above - mentioned first cooking mode.

[0023] During operation in the first and second cooking modes, the burner controller 70 monitors the detected temperature obtained from the tank temperature sensor 48 and controls the on / off of the heat preservation heater 47 so that a predetermined heat preservation temperature is maintained in the makeup oil tank 45. Then, when the burner controller 70 detects a decrease in the cooking oil required in any of the cooking modes based on the detected temperature of the first oil level temperature sensor 11 in the first cooking mode or the detected temperature of the second oil level temperature sensor 12 in the second cooking mode, it supplies makeup oil from the makeup oil tank 45 into the oil tank 3. During this makeup oil supply, the burner controller 70 monitors the difference between the detected temperatures of the first oil level temperature sensor 11 or the second oil level temperature sensor 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13 to detect the remaining amount of cooking oil in the makeup oil tank 45. Hereinafter, the makeup oil supply and remaining amount detection control will be described based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 6 and 7. First, when cooking starts, in step (hereinafter referred to as "S") 1, the selected cooking mode is confirmed. If it is the first cooking mode, in S2, the oil level is detected based on the detected temperature of the first oil level temperature sensor 11. If it is the second cooking mode, in S3, the oil level is detected based on the detected temperature of the second oil level temperature sensor 12. In the case of the first cooking mode, in S4, it is determined whether the oil level has dropped, that is, whether the detected temperature of the first oil level temperature sensor 11 has dropped to a predetermined temperature. If a drop in the oil level is confirmed here, it is determined that the cooking oil in the first cooking unit 7 has decreased in volume, and in S5, it waits for the end of the heating cooking. If a drop in the oil level is not confirmed in the determination of S4, in S6, it waits for the end of the heating cooking and ends this control.

[0024] On the other hand, when the heating cooking ends in S5, the first makeup oil supply is performed in S7. This first makeup oil supply drives the makeup oil pump 50 and opens the makeup oil solenoid valve 51 for a predetermined first supply time. Then, the liquefied cooking oil in the makeup oil tank 45 is directly supplied to the oil tank 3 through the makeup oil pipe 49. Next, in S8, it is determined whether or not a predetermined first monitoring time shorter than the first supply time has elapsed since the start of the additional oil supply. When it is confirmed that the first monitoring time has elapsed, in S9, it is determined whether or not the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil surface temperature sensor 11 is smaller than a predetermined first temperature or more than the difference between the detected temperatures of both temperature sensors 13 and 11 immediately after the start of the additional oil supply. If it is not smaller than the first temperature here, it is determined that the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is 0 or less than the required additional oil amount, and in S10, it waits for the elapse of a second monitoring time longer than the first monitoring time. In the determination of S9, if the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil surface temperature sensor 11 is smaller than the difference immediately after the start of the additional oil supply by the first temperature or more, it is determined that the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is large, and in S11, it waits for the end of the first additional oil supply and ends this control.

[0025] The reason for comparing the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil surface temperature sensor 11 with the difference between the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the additional oil supply is as follows. When there is a sufficient remaining amount in the additional oil tank 45 and the required amount of additional oil is supplied into the oil tank 3, the oil surface of the cooking oil becomes a position sufficiently separated upward from the first oil surface temperature sensor 11, and the surrounding environments of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil surface temperature sensor 11 do not differ greatly. As time passes, the temperature difference between both temperature sensors 13 and 11 also becomes smaller. Therefore, if this temperature difference becomes smaller than the first temperature or more from immediately after the start of the additional oil supply when the first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of the additional oil supply, it can be determined that there is a margin in the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is small and the required amount of additional oil is not supplied into the oil tank 3, the oil surface becomes close to the first oil surface temperature sensor 11. Therefore, the detected temperature of the first oil surface temperature sensor 11 becomes low due to the influence of the air above the oil surface, and even as time passes, the difference from the detected temperature of the cooking temperature sensor 13 remains large. Therefore, if the temperature difference between both temperature sensors 11 and 13 does not become smaller than the first temperature or more from immediately after the start of the additional oil supply when the first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of the additional oil supply, it is regarded that the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is 0 or less than the required amount.

[0026] Then, when it is confirmed in S10 that the second monitoring time has elapsed, in S12, it is determined again whether the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil level temperature sensor 11 is less than the first temperature or more from the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the additional oil supply. If it is still not less than the first temperature here, it is determined that the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 remains empty, and in S13, a notification prompting the replacement of the additional oil tank 45 or the replenishment of the cooking oil is issued. This notification is issued by displaying it on the display unit 64 of the operation panel 61, or by emitting an alarm sound. It is also possible to perform both display and alarm. After that, in S14, it waits for the end of the first additional oil supply and then ends this control. In the determination in S12, if the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil level temperature sensor 11 is less than the first temperature or more from the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the additional oil supply, no notification prompting the replacement of the additional oil tank 45 or the replenishment of the cooking oil is issued, and in S14, it waits for the end of the first additional oil supply and then ends this control.

[0027] On the other hand, when the cooking mode is the second cooking mode, in S15, it is determined whether the oil level has dropped, that is, whether the detected temperature of the second oil level temperature sensor 12 has dropped to a predetermined temperature. If a drop in the oil level is confirmed here, it is determined that the cooking oil in the second cooking unit 8 has decreased in volume, and in S16, it waits for the end of the heating cooking. If no drop in the oil level is confirmed in the determination in S15, in S17, it waits for the end of the heating cooking and then ends this control.

[0028] On the other hand, when the heating cooking ends in S16, in S18, the second additional oil supply is performed. In this second additional oil supply, the additional oil pump 50 is driven to open the additional oil solenoid valve 51 for a predetermined second supply time. Then, the cooking oil liquefied in the additional oil tank 45 is directly supplied to the oil tank 3 through the additional oil pipe 49. Next, at S19, it is determined whether or not a predetermined third monitoring time shorter than the second supply time has elapsed since the start of the additional oil supply. When it is confirmed that the third monitoring time has elapsed, at S20, it is determined whether or not the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the second oil level temperature sensor 12 has become smaller than a predetermined second temperature from the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the additional oil supply. If it has not become smaller than the second temperature here, it is determined that the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is 0 or less than the required amount, and at S21, it waits for the elapse of a fourth monitoring time longer than the third monitoring time. In the determination at S20, if the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the second oil level temperature sensor 12 has become smaller than the second temperature or more than the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the additional oil supply, at S22, it waits for the end of the second additional oil supply and ends this control.

[0029] Then, when it is confirmed at S21 that the fourth monitoring time has elapsed, at S23, again, it is determined whether or not the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the second oil level temperature sensor 12 has become smaller than the second temperature or more than the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the additional oil supply. If it is still confirmed here that it has not become smaller than the second temperature or more, it is determined that the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 remains empty, and at S24, a notification prompting the replacement of the additional oil tank 45 or the replenishment of the cooking oil is issued. Thereafter, at S25, it waits for the end of the second additional oil supply and ends this control. In the determination at S23, if the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the second oil level temperature sensor 12 has become smaller than the second temperature or more than the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the additional oil supply, a notification prompting the replacement of the additional oil tank 45 or the replenishment of the cooking oil is not issued, and at S25, it waits for the end of the second additional oil supply and ends this control.

[0030] In this way, when performing additional oil supply for each cooking mode, the difference in the detected temperatures between the first oil level temperature sensor 11 or the second oil level temperature sensor 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13 is monitored to confirm the remaining amount of the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45, and if it is empty, a notification is issued, so that the cook can immediately take necessary measures such as replacing the additional oil tank 45 or replenishing the solid oil. In particular, after the start of the additional oil supply, the difference in the detected temperature is confirmed in two stages at the timing of the elapse of two monitoring times, so that false detection can be eliminated and it can be notified with certainty that the inside of the additional oil tank 45 is empty.

[0031] As described above, the fryer 1 of the above-described embodiment includes an oil tank 3 capable of storing cooking oil, a pulse burner 4 (heating means) provided in the oil tank 3 for heating the cooking oil, and is installed at different vertical heights in the oil tank 3 to detect the temperature of the cooking oil. The first and second oil surface temperature sensors 11 and 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13 (at least two temperature sensors), an additional oil tank 45 installed outside the oil tank 3 for storing cooking oil, an additional oil pipe 49 for replenishing the cooking oil from the additional oil tank 45 into the oil tank 3, an additional oil pump 50, and an additional oil solenoid valve 51 (additional oil means), and a burner controller 70 (control means) for controlling the pulse burner 4 and the additional oil means. Then, when the burner controller 70 operates the additional oil means, it monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the first and second oil surface temperature sensors 11 and 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13, and determines the presence or absence of cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 based on the difference in the detected temperatures. According to this configuration, it is possible to detect the remaining amount in the additional oil tank 45 by using the existing temperature sensors provided in the oil tank 3. Therefore, the remaining amount of cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 can be grasped at low cost, and it becomes excellent in usability.

[0032] In particular, if the difference in the detected temperature after the elapse of a predetermined first or third monitoring time from the start of the operation of the additional oil means is not smaller than a predetermined first or second temperature than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the additional oil supply, the burner controller 70 determines that the cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 is empty. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the presence or absence of cooking oil in the additional oil tank 45 at an early timing before the operation of the additional oil means ends. In addition, since the presence or absence of cooking oil is determined by comparing with the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of the additional oil supply, the determination accuracy is improved. Further provided are a display unit 64 and / or an alarm (notification means) for notifying that the make-up oil tank 45 is empty, and the burner controller 70 activates the notification means if the difference in the detected temperature after a predetermined second or fourth monitoring time longer than the first or third monitoring time from the start of operation of the make-up oil means has not become smaller than a predetermined first or second temperature than the difference in the detected temperature immediately after the start of make-up oil. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably determine the presence or absence of cooking oil in the make-up oil tank 45, and it is possible to prompt actions such as replacement of the make-up oil tank 45 or replenishment of cooking oil.

[0033] One of the two temperature sensors is the cooking temperature sensor 13 for the burner controller 70 to control the pulse burner 4 during cooking, and the other is the first and second oil level temperature sensors 11 and 12 provided at a position higher than the cooking temperature sensor 13 for the burner controller 70 to detect the drop in the oil level in the oil tank 3. Therefore, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of cooking oil in the make-up oil tank 45 using the existing cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first and second oil level temperature sensors 11 and 12 arranged at different heights. The burner controller 70 can execute a first cooking mode in which the pulse burner 4 is controlled with a predetermined first rated oil quantity to heat-cook the object to be cooked, and a second cooking mode in which the pulse burner 4 is controlled with a second rated oil quantity increased from the first rated oil quantity to heat-cook the object to be cooked. The oil level temperature sensor includes a first oil level temperature sensor 11 arranged below the oil level position at the first rated oil quantity in the oil tank 3 to detect the temperature of the cooking oil, and a second oil level temperature sensor 12 arranged above the oil level position at the first rated oil quantity in the oil tank 3 to detect the temperature of the cooking oil. Then, when the first cooking mode is executed, the burner controller 70 monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the first oil level temperature sensor 11, and when the second cooking mode is executed, the burner controller 70 monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor 13 and the second oil level temperature sensor 12. Therefore, it is possible to detect the remaining amount of cooking oil in the make-up oil tank 45 for each cooking mode using the first and second oil level temperature sensors 11 and 12 and the cooking temperature sensor 13 used for each cooking mode.

[0034] The following describes a modification example. In the above embodiment, after detecting the remaining amount when the first or third monitoring time has elapsed after the start of the top-up oil, waiting for the second or fourth monitoring time to elapse and then detecting the remaining amount again, and when it is determined that the top-up oil tank is empty at the determination when the second or fourth monitoring time has elapsed, notification is performed. However, a warning notification may be performed when it is determined that the top-up oil tank is empty at the determination when the first or third monitoring time has elapsed. Further, the timing of the remaining amount detection is not limited to when two monitoring times have elapsed, and three or more monitoring times may be set. Conversely, instead of detecting the remaining amount by the elapse of a plurality of monitoring times, the remaining amount can be detected when the first monitoring time has elapsed, and notification can be performed when it is determined that the top-up oil tank is empty. Without setting a monitoring time, the remaining amount can be detected when the top-up oil time (supply time) has elapsed, and notification can be performed when it is determined that the top-up oil tank is empty.

[0035] In the above embodiment, the difference between the detected temperatures of the cooking temperature sensor and the first and second oil surface temperature sensors is compared with the difference between the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the top-up oil, and it is determined whether it is less than the first temperature or less than the second temperature for each cooking mode. However, the temperature difference to be compared may be fixed to one for any cooking mode. The elapsed time for each cooking mode may also be fixed to one. In the above embodiment, two oil surface temperature sensors are provided corresponding to two cooking modes. However, when there is one oil surface temperature sensor for one fryer in a single cooking mode, the difference between the detected temperatures of the oil surface temperature sensor and the cooking temperature sensor may be compared with the difference between the detected temperatures immediately after the start of the top-up oil. Further, the two temperature sensors used for the remaining amount detection are not limited to the cooking temperature sensor and the oil surface temperature sensor. Any two existing temperature sensors arranged at different upper and lower heights can be used in the present disclosure. In the above-described embodiment, the make-up oil tank is connected to the make-up oil pipe, and the make-up oil pump and the make-up oil solenoid valve together constitute the make-up oil means. However, the make-up oil means is not limited to this. For example, an oil increasing tank may be used as the make-up oil tank, an oil increasing valve may be used as the solenoid valve, and the make-up oil means may be constituted by automatically opening the oil increasing valve by operating the operation panel. In this case as well, it is possible to detect the remaining amount based on the difference in the detected temperatures of the two temperature sensors.

[0036] Also, when reducing the oil, the first fuel supply valve is manually opened to return the filtered cooking oil to the oil tank through the oil increasing tank, but it is not limited to this. For example, the oil drain valve and the first fuel supply valve may be solenoid valves, and both valves may be automatically opened by operating the operation panel for filtering. Also, the reduction of the oil may be an operation of reducing the cooking oil in the oil tank by manually opening or automatically opening only the oil drain valve. The fryer is not limited to one in which the fry controller and the burner controller are provided separately, and may be one provided with a single controller having both functions of the fry controller and the burner controller. The heating means may be formed only by a pulse combustor, or may be formed only by an electric heater. Also, the heating means may be formed only by a gas burner provided outside the oil tank. Furthermore, the heating means may be formed by a combination other than the combination of a pulse combustor and an electric heater. In the above-described embodiment, a pair of left and right oil tanks are provided, but there may be one oil tank, or conversely, three or more oil tanks.

Explanation of Signs

[0037] 1. Fryer, 2. Body, 3. Oil tank, 4. Pulse combustor, 5. Combustion chamber, 6. Tail pipe, 7. First cooking section, 8. Second cooking section, 9. Basket, 11. First oil level temperature sensor, 12. Second oil level temperature sensor, 13. Cooking temperature sensor, 14. Oil replenishment tank, 15. Oil replenishment pipe, 16. Oil replenishment valve, 18. Overflow section, 22. Gas solenoid valve, 30. Filtering tank, 35. Filtering pump, 37. First fuel supply pipe, 38. Second fuel supply pipe, 39. First fuel supply valve, 40. Second fuel supply valve, 55. Oil replenishment open / close detection section, 56. Fuel supply open / close detection section, 60. Fry controller, 61. Operation panel, 62. Power switch, 63. Cooking button, 64. Display section, 65. Mode selection button, 66A, 66B. Rated quantity display lamp, 70. Burner controller, 71. Timer, 72. Memory section.

Claims

1. An oil tank capable of accommodating cooking oil, Heating means provided in the oil tank for heating the cooking oil, At least two temperature sensors installed at different vertical heights in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil, A topping oil tank installed outside the oil tank for storing cooking oil, Topping oil means for replenishing the cooking oil from the topping oil tank into the oil tank, Notification means for notifying that the topping oil tank is empty, Control means for controlling the heating means and the topping oil means, and When the control means operates the topping oil means, it monitors the difference in the detected temperatures of the two temperature sensors. If the difference in the detected temperatures after a predetermined first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of operation of the topping oil means is not less than a predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of topping oil, it determines that the cooking oil in the topping oil tank is empty. At the same time, The control means operates the notification means if the difference in the detected temperatures after a predetermined second monitoring time longer than the first monitoring time has elapsed since the start of operation of the topping oil means is not less than the predetermined temperature lower than the difference in the detected temperatures immediately after the start of topping oil. A fryer characterized by this.

2. One of the two temperature sensors is a cooking temperature sensor for the control means to control the heating means during cooking, and the other is an oil surface temperature sensor provided at a position higher than the cooking temperature sensor for the control means to detect a decrease in the oil level in the oil tank. The fryer according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The control means can execute a first cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled with a predetermined first rated oil volume to cook the object to be cooked, and a second cooking mode in which the heating means is controlled with a second rated oil volume increased from the first rated oil volume to cook the object to be cooked. At the same time, The oil surface temperature sensor includes a first oil surface temperature sensor arranged below the oil surface position at the first rated oil volume in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil, A second oil surface temperature sensor arranged above the oil surface position at the first rated oil volume in the oil tank for detecting the temperature of the cooking oil, and When the first cooking mode is executed, the control means monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the first oil surface temperature sensor, and when the second cooking mode is executed, the control means monitors the difference in the detected temperatures between the cooking temperature sensor and the second oil surface temperature sensor. The fryer according to claim 2, characterized in that.

Images