Heating regulator

Abstract

To efficiently cool an infrared ray intensity sensor, in a cooker provided with the infrared ray intensity sensor.SOLUTION: A cooker comprises a body part 1 that is provided at an upper part and supports an object to be heated, and a heat source 2 that is provided in the body part 1 and heats the object to be heated. The cooker comprises: an infrared ray intensity sensor 3 that is provided inside the body part 1, and detects intensity of infrared rays emitted from the object to be heated; a sensor cover 21 that is provided inside the body part 1, and covers the infrared ray intensity sensor 3 so as to isolate the sensor from the inside of the body part 1; a ventilation path 14 that is isolated from the inside of the body part 1, and communicates an area outside the body part 1 with the inside of the sensor cover 21; and a cooling air supply unit 20 that supplies air in the ventilation path 14 to the inside of the sensor cover 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a configuration for detecting the temperature of an object to be heated, such as a pan, in a cooking appliance provided with a heat source, such as a gas burner or a heater. [Background technology]

[0002] In a gas stove, which is an example of a heating cooker, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, an infrared intensity sensor that detects the intensity of infrared rays emitted from the heated object is provided inside the main body of the gas stove, and the temperature of the heated object is detected based on the detection value of the infrared intensity sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-214652 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the gas stove of Patent Document 1, a heat source (gas burner) is placed near the infrared intensity sensor, and since the infrared intensity sensor is prone to becoming hot, a fan is provided to supply cooling air to the infrared intensity sensor to ensure the detection accuracy of the infrared intensity sensor. An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance provided with an infrared intensity sensor, in which the infrared intensity sensor is efficiently cooled. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The heating cooker of the present invention comprises a main body portion that supports an object to be heated on top, a heat source that is provided in the main body portion and heats the object to be heated, an infrared intensity sensor that is provided inside the main body portion and detects the intensity of infrared rays radiated from the object to be heated, a sensor cover that is provided inside the main body portion and covers the infrared intensity sensor so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body portion, an air duct that is isolated from the inside of the main body portion and connects the area outside the main body portion with the inside of the sensor cover, and a cooling air supply unit that supplies air from the air duct to the inside of the sensor cover.

[0006] According to the present invention, when air is supplied to the infrared intensity sensor by the cooling air supply unit, air outside the cooking appliance is supplied to the infrared intensity sensor as cooling air through the ventilation passage, and the air outside the cooking appliance is at a lower temperature than the air inside the cooking appliance. Since the ventilation passage is isolated from the inside of the main body, the air passing through the ventilation passage does not diffuse into the inside of the cooking appliance, and the air inside the main body does not enter the ventilation passage.

[0007] According to the present invention, when cooling the infrared intensity sensor, a sensor cover is provided that covers the infrared intensity sensor so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body, and air (cooling air) is supplied from the ventilation duct to the inside of the sensor cover, so that the air (cooling air) does not diffuse from the infrared intensity sensor into the inside of the cooking appliance, and air from inside the main body does not enter the inside of the sensor cover.

[0008] As described above, the infrared intensity sensor can be cooled efficiently because air (cooling air) that is cooler than the air inside the cooking appliance is supplied to the infrared intensity sensor, the ventilation passage is isolated from the inside of the main body, and the infrared intensity sensor is isolated from the inside of the main body. By efficiently cooling the infrared intensity sensor, the detection accuracy of the infrared intensity sensor can be improved.

[0009] In the present invention, it is preferable that the ventilation passage is provided in the bottom of the main body.

[0010] According to the present invention, by providing the ventilation passage at the bottom of the main body, the ventilation passage is positioned away from the heat source and the temperature rise of the ventilation passage is suppressed, which is advantageous in that air (cooling air) that is cooler than the air inside the cooking appliance is supplied to the infrared intensity sensor, and is advantageous in that the infrared intensity sensor is cooled efficiently.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable that the ventilation passage is provided across the front end of the main body and the sensor cover, and also across the rear end of the main body and the sensor cover.

[0012] When a cooking appliance is embedded in a base, the right and left ends of the cooking appliance are often not open. When a cooking appliance is installed next to other cooking appliances in the horizontal direction, the other cooking appliances are often positioned close to the right and left ends of the cooking appliance. In contrast, the front and rear ends of the cooking appliance are often open.

[0013] According to the present invention, the ventilation passage is provided across the front end (rear end) of the main body and the sensor cover, so that air outside the cooking appliance is smoothly introduced into the ventilation passage from the open front end (rear end) of the main body and supplied to the infrared intensity sensor as cooling air.

[0014] According to the present invention, for example, when air outside the cooking appliance is introduced into the ventilation passage from the front end of the main body and supplied to the infrared intensity sensor as cooling air, the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor passes through the ventilation passage and smoothly exits the cooking appliance from the rear end of the main body. For example, when air outside the cooking appliance is introduced into the ventilation passage from the rear end of the main body, as described above, the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor passes through the ventilation passage and smoothly exits the cooking appliance from the front end of the main body. This reduces interference between the introduction of air (cooling air) from outside the cooking appliance and the discharge of air (cooling air) that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor.

[0015] As described above, the air outside the cooking appliance can be smoothly introduced into the ventilation passage from the open front end (rear end) of the main body, the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor can easily exit the cooking appliance from the front end (rear end) of the main body, and there is little interference between the introduction and discharge of air (cooling air).This is advantageous in that air (cooling air) that is cooler than the air inside the cooking appliance can be supplied to the infrared intensity sensor, and in that the infrared intensity sensor can be efficiently cooled.

[0016] In the present invention, it is preferable that the plurality of heat sources are arranged in the main body portion in a row along the left-right direction, the plurality of infrared intensity sensors are arranged inside the main body portion in a row along the left-right direction so as to be provided for each of the plurality of heat sources, and the ventilation passage has a width in the left-right direction that spans the plurality of infrared intensity sensors.

[0017] In a cooking appliance, multiple heat sources may be arranged in the left-right direction inside the main body, and multiple infrared intensity sensors may be arranged in the left-right direction inside the main body so that one sensor corresponds to each of the multiple heat sources.

[0018] According to the present invention, the ventilation passage is configured to have a width in the left-right direction that spans the plurality of infrared intensity sensors, and is configured to have a relatively large width. As a result, when air outside the cooking appliance is introduced into the ventilation duct, the introduced air is easily divided by the wide ventilation duct and supplied to multiple infrared intensity sensors, making it less likely that some infrared intensity sensors will not receive enough air.This is advantageous in that air (cooling air) that is cooler than the air inside the cooking appliance is supplied to the infrared intensity sensors, and in that the infrared intensity sensors can be cooled efficiently.

[0019] In the present invention, it is preferable that a heat insulating cover be provided inside the main body portion and cover the sensor cover so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body portion.

[0020] According to the present invention, the sensor cover is covered with a heat-shielding cover so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body, making it difficult for heat from the heat source to be transmitted to the sensor cover, and suppressing the temperature rise inside the sensor cover, which is advantageous in terms of efficiently cooling the infrared intensity sensor.

[0021] In the present invention, it is preferable that another heat-shielding cover is provided to cover the heat-shielding cover.

[0022] According to the present invention, another heat-shielding cover is provided inside the main body to cover the heat-shielding cover, making it even more difficult for heat from the heat source to be transmitted to the sensor cover, further suppressing the temperature rise inside the sensor cover, which is advantageous in terms of efficiently cooling the infrared intensity sensor.

[0023] In the present invention, it is preferable to provide a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor, and a cooling control unit that controls the cooling air supply unit so that the detected value of the temperature detection unit is within a predetermined temperature range.

[0024] According to the present invention, the amount of air (cooling air) entering the inside of the sensor cover is controlled by the cooling air supply unit and the cooling control unit based on the detection value of the temperature detection unit, making it easier to maintain the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor at a value within a predetermined temperature range. This makes it easier to maintain the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor at an optimum temperature for detection by the infrared intensity sensor, which is advantageous in terms of improving the detection accuracy of the infrared intensity sensor. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional front view of the vicinity of the sensor cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Figures 1, 2 and 3 show a gas stove, which is an example of a cooking appliance, and in Figures 1, 2 and 3, F indicates the front direction, B indicates the rear direction, U indicates the up direction, D indicates the down direction, R indicates the right direction and L indicates the left direction.

[0027] (Overall configuration of gas stove) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the gas stove comprises a main body 1, a gas burner 2 (corresponding to a heat source), an infrared intensity sensor 3, an air duct 14, an electric fan 20 (corresponding to a cooling air supply unit), etc.

[0028] The main body 1 has an upper portion 4, a front portion 5 (corresponding to the front end portion), a rear portion 6 (corresponding to the rear end portion), right and left side portions 7, and a bottom portion 8, and is configured in the shape of a rectangular box. The interior of the main body 1 forms a heating chamber 10, and two circular openings 4a are provided in the upper part 4 of the main body 1, aligned in the left-right direction. Two trivets 11 for supporting objects to be heated (not shown), such as pots and frying pans, are provided in the upper part 4 of the main body 1 so as to surround the openings 4a.

[0029] In the heating chamber 10 of the main body 1, a support frame 12 extending in the vertical direction is connected between the top 4 and bottom 8 of the main body 1, and a support frame 13 extending in the horizontal direction is connected between the right and left support frames 12.

[0030] Two ring-shaped gas burners 2 are provided, and the gas burners 2 are supported by a support frame 13 so as to be positioned below the upper part 4 of the main body 1, and are provided in the heating chamber 10 of the main body 1. A large number of flame ports 2a are provided on the inner periphery of the gas burners 2, and the flame ports 2a of the gas burners 2 face the opening 4a in the upper part 4 of the main body 1.

[0031] A disk-shaped cover 9 is supported by a support frame 13 so as to be positioned below the gas burner 2 and the opening 4a in the upper part 4 of the main body 1. An opening 9a is formed in the center of the cover 9, and the opening 9a of the cover 9 is closed by heat-resistant glass (not shown) that is heat-resistant and capable of transmitting infrared rays.

[0032] (Ventilation duct configuration) 1 and 2, ventilation passage 14 is provided in bottom 8 of main body 1. A flat upper portion 15, a flat front portion 16, a flat rear portion 17, flat right and left side portions 18, and a flat bottom portion 19 are provided to form a rectangular box with a narrow vertical width. Ventilation passage 14 is formed by being surrounded by upper portion 15, front portion 16, rear portion 17, side portions 18, and bottom portion 19.

[0033] The bottom 19 of the ventilation passage 14 is set at the same height as the bottom 8 of the main body 1, so that the bottom 19 of the ventilation passage 14 and the bottom 8 of the main body 1 are flush with each other, and the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14 is positioned slightly higher than the bottom 8 of the main body 1.

[0034] The front portion 16 and the rear portion 17 of the ventilation passage 14 are disposed in the same positions as the front portion 5 and the rear portion 6 of the main body 1, and the front portion 16 and the rear portion 17 of the ventilation passage 14 are flush with the front portion 5 and the rear portion 6 of the main body 1. A plurality of ventilation openings 16a are opened in the front portion 16 of the ventilation passage 14, and a plurality of ventilation openings 17a are opened in the rear portion 17 of the ventilation passage 14.

[0035] (Configuration of infrared intensity sensor) 1, 2, and 3, right and left openings 15a are provided in the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14, aligned in the left-right direction. Infrared intensity sensors 3 using thermopiles are provided at the positions of the right and left openings 15a in the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14, and the two infrared intensity sensors 3 are provided in the heating chamber 10 of the main body 1. Two electric fans 20 are provided below each of the infrared intensity sensors 3.

[0036] A box-shaped sensor cover 21 with an open bottom is provided at the right and left openings 15a of the upper part 15 of the ventilation duct 14, and the infrared intensity sensor 3, the electric fan 20, and the opening 15a of the upper part 15 of the ventilation duct 14 are covered by the sensor cover 21.

[0037] The bottom of the sensor cover 21 is open, and the infrared intensity sensor 3, the electric fan 20, and the bottom of the sensor cover 21 face the ventilation duct 14 through an opening 15a in the top 15 of the ventilation duct 14. An opening 21a is formed in the top of the sensor cover 21, and the opening 21a of the sensor cover 21 is closed by heat-resistant glass (not shown) that is heat-resistant and allows infrared rays to pass through.

[0038] A heat-shielding cover 23 having a triangular shape when viewed from the front is provided, and is provided on the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14 so as to cover the opening 15a of the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14 and the sensor cover 21. Another heat-shielding cover 23 is provided on the upper part 15 of the ventilation passage 14 so as to cover the heat-shielding cover 23, so that the heat-shielding cover 23 has a double structure. The upper part of the heat-shielding cover 23 is open upward and faces the opening 9a of the cover 9 of the main body 1 and the opening 4a of the upper part 4.

[0039] As a result, the infrared intensity sensor 3 faces the opening 4a in the upper part 4 of the main body 1 through the opening 21a in the sensor cover 21, the inside and upper part of the heat-shielding cover 23, and the opening 9a in the cover 9 of the main body 1. Infrared rays radiated from the object to be heated supported by the trivet 11 reach the infrared intensity sensor 3, and the intensity of the infrared rays is detected by the infrared intensity sensor 3, and the temperature of the object to be heated is detected based on the detection value of the infrared intensity sensor 3. In this case, the heat-resistant glass may be eliminated from either the opening 21a of the sensor cover 21 or the opening 9a of the cover 9 of the main body 1. The heat-resistant glass may be eliminated from both the opening 21a of the sensor cover 21 and the opening 9a of the cover 9 of the main body 1.

[0040] (Arrangement of infrared intensity sensors, etc.) As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, two gas burners 2 are provided on the main body 1, aligned in the left-right direction.

[0041] Two infrared intensity sensors 3 and electric fans 20 are provided in the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1, lined up along the left-right direction so as to be provided for each of the two gas burners 2. An air passage 14 is provided in the bottom 8 of the main body 1, and is isolated from the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1 by an upper portion 15 and a lateral portion 18 of the air passage 14.

[0042] When viewed from the side (see Figure 2), the ventilation passage 14 is provided between the lower part of the front part 5 (front end) of the main body part 1 and the sensor cover 21, and is also provided between the lower part of the rear part 6 (rear end) of the main body part 1 and the sensor cover 21.

[0043] The ventilation passage 14 has a width in the left-right direction that spans the two infrared intensity sensors 3, the electric fan 20, and the right and left openings 15a of the upper portion 15 of the ventilation passage 14 when viewed from the front (see FIG. 1). With the above configuration, the ventilation passage 14 allows the outer area of ​​the main body 1 to communicate with the inside of the sensor cover 21.

[0044] A sensor cover 21 is provided in the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1 and covers the infrared intensity sensor 3, the electric fan 20, and the opening 15a at the top 15 of the ventilation passage 14 so as to isolate them from the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1.

[0045] A heat-shielding cover 23 is provided in the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1 and covers the sensor cover 21 (infrared intensity sensor 3 and electric fan 20) and the opening 15a at the top 15 of the ventilation passage 14 so as to isolate them from the heating chamber 10 (inside) of the main body 1.

[0046] (Infrared intensity sensor cooling state) As shown in Figures 1 and 2, when the electric fan 20 is driven to rotate, air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) is introduced into the ventilation duct 14 through the ventilation opening 16a at the front part 16 of the ventilation duct 14, and is supplied to the electric fan 20 through the ventilation duct 14.

[0047] Air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) is supplied as cooling air from the electric fan 20 to the inside of the sensor cover 21, and the infrared intensity sensor 3 is cooled by the cooling air supplied to the inside of the sensor cover 21.

[0048] The air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor 3 enters the ventilation passage 14 from inside the sensor cover 21, passes through the ventilation passage 14 to reach the rear part 17 of the ventilation passage 14, and passes through the ventilation opening 17a at the rear part 17 of the ventilation passage 14 to exit to the outside of the cooking appliance (main body 1).

[0049] Similar to the above situation, three other situations can occur: A state in which air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) passes through the ventilation opening 17a at the rear 17 of the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation duct 14, and is supplied from the electric fan 20 to the inside of the sensor cover 21, and the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor 3 passes through the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation opening 16a at the front 16 of the ventilation duct 14 and exits to the outside of the cooking appliance (main body 1).

[0050] A state in which air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) passes through the ventilation opening 16a at the front 16 of the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation duct 14, and is supplied from the electric fan 20 to the inside of the sensor cover 21, and the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor 3 passes through the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation opening 16a at the front 16 of the ventilation duct 14 and exits to the outside of the cooking appliance (main body 1).

[0051] A state in which air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) passes through the ventilation opening 17a at the rear 17 of the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation duct 14, and is supplied from the electric fan 20 to the inside of the sensor cover 21, and the air that has cooled the infrared intensity sensor 3 passes through the ventilation duct 14 and the ventilation opening 17a at the rear 17 of the ventilation duct 14 and exits to the outside of the cooking appliance (main body 1).

[0052] 3, a temperature detection unit 24 such as a thermistor is provided inside the infrared intensity sensor 3, and the temperature detection unit 24 detects the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor 3. A cooling control unit 25 is provided in the main body 1, and a detection value of the temperature detection unit 24 is input to the cooling control unit 25.

[0053] Based on the air flow described above, when air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) is supplied as cooling air from the electric fan 20 to the inside of the sensor cover 21, the cooling control unit 25 controls the rotation speed of the electric fan 20 to be high or low so that the detection value of the temperature detection unit 24 (the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor 3) is within a predetermined temperature range.

[0054] (First Alternative Embodiment of the Invention) The infrared intensity sensor 3, the electric fan 20, the sensor cover 21, and the opening 15a in the upper part 15 of the ventilation duct 14 may be provided at the left end of the interior of the right heat-shielding cover 23 and the right end of the interior of the left heat-shielding cover 23 in the upper part 15 of the ventilation duct 14. According to this configuration, the infrared intensity sensor 3, the electric fan 20, and the sensor cover 21 are arranged close to each other.

[0055] (Second Alternative Embodiment of the Invention) Instead of electric fan 20 blowing air toward the inside of sensor cover 21 , electric fan 20 may be configured to suck air from the inside of sensor cover 21 and discharge it into ventilation passage 14 . According to this configuration, air outside the cooking appliance (main body 1) is supplied to the inside of sensor cover 21 through ventilation passage 14 by sucking air inside sensor cover 21.

[0056] (Third Alternative Embodiment of the Invention) In a cooking appliance, when legs (not shown) are provided at multiple locations on the bottom 8 of the main body 1 and the cooking appliance is configured to be placed on the top surface of the installation stand using the legs, the bottom 8 of the main body 1 is slightly above the top surface of the installation stand.

[0057] In the cooking device as described above, openings (not shown) may be provided at a plurality of locations on bottom 19 of ventilation passage 14, or bottom 19 of ventilation passage 14 may be eliminated. This allows ventilation passage 14 to be open downward.

[0058] According to this configuration, if the bottom 8 of the main body 1 is located slightly above the top surface of the installation stand as described above, air outside the cooking appliance will enter between the bottom 8 of the main body 1 and the top surface of the installation stand from various directions, such as front, back, left and right, relative to the main body 1, and air outside the cooking appliance will also be introduced into the ventilation passage 14 from below.

[0059] (Fourth Alternative Embodiment of the Invention) Only one set of the gas burner 2 and the infrared intensity sensor 3 may be provided, or three or four sets may be provided. Another two or three heat-shielding covers 23 may be provided on the upper portion 15 of the ventilation passage 14 so as to cover the heat-shielding cover 23, so that the heat-shielding cover 23 has a triple or quadruple structure.

[0060] (Fifth Alternative Embodiment of the Invention) Instead of the trivet 11, an iron plate (not shown) may be provided on the upper part 4 of the main body 1. An electric heater (not shown) may be provided as a heat source instead of the gas burner 2. With this configuration, an electric stove is formed. [Industrial Applicability]

[0061] The present invention can be applied not only to gas stoves, but also to various commercial and domestic cooking appliances such as teppanyaki grills and rice cookers, and cooking appliances equipped with electric heaters as heat sources. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 Main body 2 Gas burner (heat source) 3. Infrared intensity sensor 5 Front (front end) 6 Rear (rear end) 8 bottom 10 Heating chamber (inside) 14 Ventilation duct 21 Sensor cover 20 Electric fan (cooling air supply unit) 23 Heat-shielding cover 24 Temperature detection unit 25 Cooling control unit

Claims

1. a main body portion on the upper portion of which supports an object to be heated; a heat source provided in the main body portion and configured to heat the object to be heated; an infrared intensity sensor provided inside the main body for detecting the intensity of infrared rays radiated from the object to be heated; a sensor cover provided inside the main body portion and covering the infrared intensity sensor so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body portion; an air passage that is isolated from the inside of the main body and that connects an area outside the main body with the inside of the sensor cover; a cooling air supply unit that supplies air from the ventilation passage to the inside of the sensor cover.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the ventilation passage is provided in the bottom of the main body.

3. 3. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation passage is provided between the front end of the main body and the sensor cover, and between the rear end of the main body and the sensor cover.

4. The plurality of heat sources are arranged in the left-right direction on the main body, the plurality of infrared intensity sensors are arranged in the left-right direction inside the main body so as to correspond to the plurality of heat sources, The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ventilation passage has a width in the left-right direction that spans the plurality of infrared intensity sensors.

5. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a heat insulating cover provided inside the main body portion and covering the sensor cover so as to isolate it from the inside of the main body portion.

6. The cooking device according to claim 5 , further comprising another heat-shielding cover that covers the heat-shielding cover.

7. a temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the infrared intensity sensor; The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a cooling control unit that controls the cooling air supply unit so that the detection value of the temperature detection unit is within a predetermined temperature range.

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