Heating regulator

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker which can reduce a user's setting error of a heating condition, in the heating cooker which displays the heating condition by a drum roll.SOLUTION: A heating cooker 100 comprises a heating cooking chamber, a heating part 50, an operation display part 40 and a control part 60. A heating object is arranged in the heating chamber. The heating part 50 heats the heating object. The operation display part 40 accepts an operation which is performed by a user, and drum-roll displays a heating condition indicating a condition at the heating of the heating object. The control part 60 controls the heating part 50. The operation display part 40 accepts a selective operation for selecting the heating condition, and rotationally displays a plurality of the heating conditions at the drum-roll display, or fixedly displays one heating condition at the drum-roll display according to the selective operation. The operation display part 40 accepts a heating start operation for starting heating by the heating part 50 in the fixed display state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device. [Background technology]

[0002] Cooking appliances that can effectively display information within a limited display area are known. The cooking appliance described in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a liquid crystal panel as a display means. The liquid crystal panel displays information related to cooking. The liquid crystal panel allows the user to select the wattage of the microwave, the extended heating time, etc., using the button display. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-207219 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because the cooking device in Patent Document 1 displays the heating conditions using buttons, the number of setting values ​​that can be displayed in a limited display area is limited. Therefore, it is conceivable to set the heating conditions using a drum roll display. However, with a drum roll display, there is a problem in that heating starts in the middle of setting the heating conditions, making it unclear whether heating has started with the intended settings.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to reduce errors in setting heating conditions by a user in a cooking device that displays heating conditions using a drum roll. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a cooking device includes a cooking chamber, a heating unit, an operation display unit, and a control unit. A heating object is placed in the cooking chamber. The heating unit heats the heating object. The operation display unit accepts a user's operation and displays heating conditions in a drum roll, indicating the conditions for heating the heating object. The control unit controls the heating unit. The operation display unit accepts a selection operation to select the heating condition, and, depending on the selection operation, rotates and displays multiple heating conditions in the drum roll display, or fixes and displays one heating condition in the drum roll display. While the fixed display is in place, the operation display unit accepts a heating start operation to start heating by the heating unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the cooking device of the present invention, heating is started based on the display state of the heating conditions displayed in a drum roll, thereby reducing errors in setting the heating conditions by the user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooking device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is a front view of an operation display unit of the cooking device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the operation display unit of FIG. 2 is not stopped. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functions of a control unit. [Figure 5] 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cooking device of FIG. 1 to accept a heating start operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference characters and detailed description will not be repeated.

[0010] <Embodiment> A cooking device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5. Fig. 1 is a front view of the cooking device 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a front view of the operation display unit 40 of the cooking device 100 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the operation display unit 40 of Fig. 2 is not stopped. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the functions of the control unit 60. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the cooking device 100 of Fig. 1 to accept a heating start operation.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooking device 100 includes a housing 10, a cooking chamber 20, an opening / closing door 30, and an operation display unit 40. The operation display unit 40 includes a heating time display unit 44 (described later) and a heating start button 46. The heating time display unit 44 displays the heating time using a drum 44a. The heating start button 46 accepts a heating start operation when the drum 44a of the heating time display unit 44 is stopped. As a result, it is possible to reduce errors in setting heating conditions by the user, such as starting heating while the heating conditions are being set.

[0012] The housing 10 has, for example, a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an open front. The cooking chamber 20 is provided inside the housing 10. In the cooking chamber 20, an object to be heated H is placed.

[0013] The door 30 shown in FIG. 1 is a vertical-opening door. Specifically, the door 30 is attached to the housing 10 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis defined by a side of a lower portion 32 of the housing 10. The door 30 also has a handle 34. The handle 34 is disposed on an upper portion 31 of the door 30. However, the door 30 of this embodiment is not limited to a vertical-opening door. For example, the door 30 may be a horizontal-opening door that is rotatable around a vertical axis defined by a side portion 33 on the left side of the housing 10.

[0014] The operation display unit 40 can display various heating conditions of the cooking device 100. The operation display unit 40 is disposed on one side 33 of the opening and closing door 30 (the right side in FIG. 1). The operation display unit 40 accepts operations by the user and displays the heating conditions indicating the conditions for heating the heating object H in a drum roll.

[0015] The drum roll display in this embodiment is a display format in which heating condition options selectable by the user are arranged in a specific arrangement direction, and a specific option among them is highlighted as selected. In the drum roll display, the user can change the heating condition option to any option in the list of options by touching the options. Examples of options include setting values ​​for the heating conditions of the cooking device 100, such as heating temperature and wattage.

[0016] Specifically, a touch operation is a so-called slide operation in which a user touches a displayed option with their finger and slides it in the operation direction. Here, the operation direction of the slide operation preferably matches the arrangement direction of the list of options, but any direction within a certain angle range (for example, 0° to 30°) from the arrangement direction is accepted as a valid operation. In a drum roll display, the user touches the option itself with their finger to perform the slide operation, so the area in which the options are displayed is the area that accepts the user's touch operation (slide operation).

[0017] In the drum roll display, the positions of the heating condition options are fixed. When an option is slid, the list of options moves relative to the position of the selected option, thereby changing the selected option. In addition, the list of options displayed in the drum roll display does not need to display all of the options included in the list on the screen; it is sufficient if only some of the options, including the selected option, are displayed. Options that are not displayed on the screen are in a standby state outside the screen.

[0018] When the list of options is moved by a slide operation, options that were in a standby state off the screen are moved onto the screen, and options that were displayed on the screen are moved off the screen and put into a standby state. As an example of the drum roll display shown in Figure 2, images of the options, that is, the minutes (min) and seconds (sec) that are the setting values ​​of the heating time, are displayed fixedly side by side on the side of the drum (cylinder) 44a.

[0019] Here, in this embodiment, fixed display refers to a state in which a set value is selected and the drum 44a is stopped, as in the heating time display unit 44 in Fig. 2. On the other hand, rotating display refers to a state in which the drum 44a is displayed as if it is rotating when the list of set values ​​is moved by a slide operation.

[0020] 2 includes a heating condition display section 41 and a button group 42. The heating condition display section 41 displays the heating conditions of the cooking device 100. The heating condition display section 41 may be, for example, a touch panel.

[0021] The heating condition display unit 41, for example, includes an output display unit 43, a heating time display unit 44, and a back button 45. The output display unit 43 displays a plurality of microwave output wattages using buttons. The output display unit 43 in FIG. 2 includes, for example, buttons 43a to 43d. Button 43a displays the wattage of 800 W, button 43b displays the wattage of 600 W, button 43c displays the wattage of 500 W, and button 43d displays the wattage of 200 W. The user selects the desired wattage from the displayed wattages and touches a button.

[0022] The heating time display unit 44 of the operation display unit 40 displays the heating time, which is one of the heating conditions. The heating time display unit 44 displays, for example, a heating time setting value (minutes, seconds) using a drum roll display and accepts a selection operation to select a setting value. The user selects the heating time by performing a selection operation, in other words, a sliding operation, on the drum 44a. As shown in FIG. 3, the heating time display unit 44 rotates and displays multiple heating conditions, i.e., heating time setting values ​​(minutes, seconds), on the drum roll display in response to the sliding operation. Then, when the user selects a setting value, the heating time setting value, which is one of the heating conditions, is fixedly displayed on the drum roll display shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] The back button 45 is a button for returning to the operation state before the transition. By touching the back button 45, the user can return the operation display unit 40 to the previous operation state.

[0024] The cooking device 100 according to the present embodiment is not limited to a mode in which only the heating time display unit 44 of the heating condition display unit 41 displays a drum roll. For example, the output display unit 43 may also be configured to display and select wattage using a drum roll display.

[0025] The button group 42 includes, for example, a heating start button 46 and a cancel button 47. The button group 42 may be, for example, a physical button. The heating start button 46 is for accepting a heating start operation. The button group 42 is not limited to physical buttons. For example, a touch panel may be used as the button group 42.

[0026] The heating start button 46 accepts a heating start operation to start heating by the heating unit 50, which will be described later, when the heating time display unit 44 is fixedly displaying the heating time. The heating start button 46 includes a notification unit 46a. The notification unit 46a notifies the user that the heating start operation is ready to be accepted. The notification unit 46a may be, for example, an LED (Light Emitting Diode). As will be described later, when the heating start button 46 is ready to accept the heating start operation, the notification unit 46a lights up to notify the user. When the user presses the heating start button 46, heating is started by the heating unit 50, which will be described later.

[0027] The cancel button 47 is for canceling the set operation. For example, the user presses the cancel button 47 when stopping heating midway.

[0028] The cooking device 100 also includes a heating unit 50. The heating unit 50 shown in FIG. 4 heats the heating target H placed in the cooking chamber 20 under the control of a control unit 60, which will be described later. The heating unit 50 may include, for example, a magnetron. The magnetron supplies microwaves to the cooking chamber 20 in which the heating target H is accommodated. The magnetron is an example of a microwave generator. The cooking device 100 according to this embodiment may include the functions of either a microwave oven or an oven, or both.

[0029] The cooking appliance 100 further includes a control unit 60. The control unit 60 shown in Fig. 4 is a hardware circuit configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc. The control unit 60 controls the operation of each component of the cooking appliance 100.

[0030] Next, the operation of the cooking device 100 to accept a heating start operation will be described with reference to Fig. 5 etc. First, in step S101, the user slides the drum 44a of the heating time display unit 44 to set the heating time. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the drum 44a of the heating time display unit 44 is being slid and the heating time has not been determined. In other words, the drum 44a is operating and is not stopped.

[0031] Next, in step S102, it is determined whether the drum 44a is stopped. If the drum 44a is not stopped (No in step S102), the user is selecting a setting value for the heating time, and the process returns to step S101. Then, as shown in FIG. 2, if it is determined that the drum 44a is stopped (Yes in step S102), the heating time is determined, and the process proceeds to step S103.

[0032] The control unit 60 shown in FIG. 4 grasps the operation of the drum 44a as described above, for example, from a signal sent from the heating condition display unit 41. When the drum 44a is rotating and heating is not possible, the control unit 60 turns off the notification unit 46a. In addition, the heating start button 46 may be locked so that it cannot be pressed. As a result, even if the user accidentally presses the heating start button 46, heating will not start.

[0033] When the drum 44a stops and heating becomes possible, in step S103, the control unit 60 causes the notification unit 46a to flash. That is, the control unit 60 notifies the user that the heating start operation is possible. Furthermore, if the heating start button 46 is locked, the control unit 60 unlocks the heating start button 46.

[0034] In step S104, the user receives the notification from the notification unit 46a and presses the heating start button 46, whereby the heating start operation is accepted and the process ends. Thereafter, the heating unit 50 heats the heating target H. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a situation in which heating starts in the middle of selecting the setting values ​​of the heating conditions, leaving it unclear whether heating has started with the intended setting values.

[0035] Furthermore, the heating time display unit 44 may count down and display the remaining heating time on the drum 44a after heating has started, allowing the user to grasp the remaining heating time at a glance, improving convenience.

[0036] The heating time display unit 44 may further accept a time change operation while the countdown is being displayed. As a result, the user can extend or shorten the heating time depending on the heating state of the heating object H. Specifically, after heating has started, the user can change the heating time by sliding the drum 44a again.

[0037] On the other hand, the heating time display unit 44 may limit the period during which it accepts a time change operation. For example, the period during which it accepts a time change operation may be a predetermined period from the start of heating. As a result, it is possible to reduce operational errors, such as the user accidentally extending the heating time just before the end of heating.

[0038] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The drawings mainly show each component in a schematic manner for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, spacing, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a scope that does not substantially deviate from the configuration of the present invention.

[0039] As described with reference to Fig. 1, the operation display unit 40 is provided on one side 33 of the opening / closing door 30. However, the location where the operation display unit 40 is provided is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the operation display unit 40 may be disposed on the upper part 31 or lower part 32 of the opening / closing door 30. In this case, the heating condition display unit 41 and the button group 42 displayed on the operation display unit 40 may be displayed side by side along the upper part 31 or lower part 32 of the opening / closing door 30.

[0040] 1 has the operation and display unit 40 and the opening and closing door 30 integrally provided. However, the cooking device 100 of this embodiment is not limited to the above-described configuration. The operation and display unit 40 may be provided as a separate member from the opening and closing door 30.

[0041] Furthermore, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the control unit 60 uses one CPU to control the heating condition display unit 41 and the button group 42. However, the cooking appliance 100 of the present embodiment is not limited to the above-described configuration. The control unit 60 may include multiple CPUs. Specifically, the heating condition display unit 41 and the button group 42 are controlled by different CPUs. The CPU that controls the heating condition display unit 41 notifies the CPU that controls the button group 42 of the state of the drum 44a of the heating time display unit 44. The CPU that controls the button group 42 controls the heating start button 46 based on the notification. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention provides a cooking device and has industrial applicability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 20 Cooking room 40 Operation display section 44 Heating time display section 44a Drum 46 Heating start button 46a Notification section 50 Heating section 60 Control Unit 100 Cooker H Heating target

Claims

[Claim 1] a cooking chamber in which an object to be heated is placed; a heating unit that heats the heating target; an operation display unit that displays a heating time indicating the conditions for heating the heating object in a drum roll; a heating start button that accepts a heating start operation to start heating by the heating unit; a notification unit that notifies that the heating start button is in a state capable of accepting a heating start operation; a control unit that controls the heating unit; Equipped with the operation display unit accepts an operation by a user, and displays the heating time in a rotating manner on the drum roll display, or displays the heating time in a fixed manner on the drum roll display; The control unit When the heating time is displayed in a rotating manner in the drum roll display, the operation of the heating start button is not accepted, When the heating time is displayed as a fixed time in the drum roll display, the operation of the heating start button is accepted, the notification unit notifies the user that the heating start button is in a state capable of accepting a heating start operation when the heating time is fixedly displayed in the drum roll display; When the user operates the heating start button and the heating unit starts heating, the drum roll display counts down the heating time, Accepting an operation to change the heating time during the countdown display, The cooking device wherein the period during which the change operation is accepted is a predetermined period from the start of heating.

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