Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker capable of being continuously used without stopping heating cooking when temperature detection means with no defects exists, even if there is a problem in which the behavior in temperature detection by temperature detection means is different from that in a normal time.SOLUTION: Control means includes determination means for determining presence or absence of a problem in a chamber temperature sensor 14, an infrared temperature sensor 15 or a bottom plate temperature sensor 18. The control means is constituted to control a magnetron 33 and a rotary antenna 35, or to control a hot air heater 43 and a hot air fan 44 on the basis of a detection temperature of the temperature sensor that is not determined to be defective, even when any of the chamber temperature sensor 14, the infrared ray temperature sensor 15 and the bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is determined to be defective during heating cooking of a cooked object S.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device that controls a heating means for heating food based on a temperature detected by an infrared temperature detecting means. [Background technology]

[0002] There are many heating cookers of this type. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooker that heats food to be cooked using high-frequency heating, hot air heating, or steam heating, and is equipped with an infrared temperature sensor located below the bottom tray to measure the temperature of the bottom tray to which the container containing the food to be cooked is in contact, and a temperature sensor consisting of a thermistor located in the ceiling to measure the temperature inside the cooker, and heating is controlled based on the temperatures measured by the infrared temperature sensor and the temperature sensor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5626851 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the past, if there was a malfunction where the infrared temperature sensor or temperature sensor's temperature detection behavior was different from normal for some reason, cooking without being able to detect the temperature of the food being cooked could result in overheating, so there were other temperature sensors with normal temperature detection behavior, and some cooking appliances would stop the heating means of the cooking appliance even while the food was being cooked, and the heating means could not be turned on until repairs or maintenance was performed.This caused problems such as the food not being cooked properly, or the food being left half-cooked and ruined.

[0005] In addition to a malfunction of the infrared sensor, there are many other reasons that can cause the temperature detection behavior of the infrared temperature sensor to differ from normal, such as when the food being cooked is placed outside the infrared sensor's field of view, when the opening of the container is too narrow to detect the food temperature within the infrared sensor's field of view, or when steam or vapor is generated from the food or liquid, causing the infrared rays to be scattered and the temperature detected by the infrared sensor to become unstable.However, in conventional cookers, if a malfunction occurs that causes the temperature detection behavior of the infrared temperature sensor to differ from normal, the heating means is uniformly stopped, and some cookers cannot be used because the heating means cannot be turned on without repair or maintenance, which can cause the cooker to become unusable, even if the infrared sensor is not broken.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a cooking device that can continue cooking without interrupting cooking even if a malfunction occurs in the temperature detection means, causing the temperature detection behavior to differ from normal, if there is a temperature detection means that is not malfunctioning. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The cooking device of the present invention comprises a heating means for heating food to be cooked, a plurality of temperature detection means for detecting temperatures related to cooking, and a control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperatures detected by the temperature detection means, wherein the control means has a determination means for determining whether or not the temperature detection means is malfunctioning, and the control means controls the heating means based on the detected temperatures of the temperature detection means that are not determined to be malfunctioning, even if the determination means determines that any of the temperature detection means is malfunctioning during cooking of the food to be cooked. The control means invalidates the temperature detected by the temperature detection means that has been determined to be defective a specific number of times by the determination means from the next cooking onward. It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, even if any of a plurality of temperature detection means is determined to be defective, that is, the temperature detection behavior of the temperature detection means is different from normal, if there is a temperature detection means that is not determined to be defective, it is possible to avoid the situation where heating and cooking in the oven range itself becomes impossible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of an oven range showing one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the same as viewed from the front. [Figure 3] 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing the bottom plate temperature sensor and its surrounding essential parts, taken along the frame A in FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing the infrared temperature sensor and its surrounding essential parts. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the infrared temperature sensor. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow when the determining means determines whether or not there is a malfunction in the temperature sensor in the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the cooking device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that common parts are designated by common reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0011] Figures 1 to 7 show the configuration of an oven range in which a cooking device according to one embodiment of the present invention is applied. First, the overall configuration of the oven range will be explained based on Figures 1 and 2. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body formed in a substantially rectangular box shape, which is provided with a metal cabinet 2 as a member that covers the outer shell of the oven range that will be the product. Reference numeral 3 denotes a door provided on the front of main body 1 that can be opened and closed freely.

[0012] The top of the door 3 is provided with a handle 4 for opening and closing the vertically opening door 3, and the side of the door 3 is provided with an operation panel unit 5 for display, notification, and operation. The operation panel unit 5 is provided with a display unit 6 that displays cooking settings and progress, as well as an operation unit 7 that allows various operation inputs related to cooking. In this embodiment, the operation unit 7 is composed of, for example, a touch sensor provided on the surface of the display unit 6, but it may also include physical keys, buttons, etc., and the configuration is not particularly limited. Inside the door 3, behind the operation panel unit 5, an operation panel PC (printed circuit) board (not shown) is provided for controlling the display unit 6, operation unit 7, etc. Also, reference numeral 8 denotes a power cord provided with a power plug that can be inserted into or removed from a household outlet.

[0013] The cabinet 2 that forms the left and right side surfaces and top surface of the main body 1 is provided to cover a metal oven compartment 11, which forms a cooking chamber 12 that accommodates food to be cooked. Because the oven compartment 11 is made of metal, the entire inner surface of the cooking chamber 12, except for a base 17 that serves as the bottom plate of the oven, which will be described later, is made of a material that is impermeable to microwaves.

[0014] The peripheral walls that form the interior surface of cooking chamber 12 are ceiling wall 12a, bottom wall 12b, left side wall 12c, right side wall 12d, and rear wall 12e. Ceiling wall 12a is provided with an interior temperature sensor 14, such as a thermistor or humidity sensor, that detects the temperature of cooking chamber 12. An infrared temperature sensor 15 is provided on the upper outside of left side wall 12c as a surface temperature detection means that detects the surface temperatures of food S placed in cooking chamber 12 and containers C containing food S. Infrared temperature sensor 15 detects the temperature distribution throughout cooking chamber 12 within field of view V through window 16, and can quickly detect the surface temperatures of food S and containers C from the amount of infrared radiation emitted by the food S and containers C contained therein. 2, the container C has a lid L, and the infrared temperature sensor 15 detects the surface temperature of the lid L of the container C within the field of view V, but it will be understood that if there is no lid L, the infrared temperature sensor 15 will detect the surface temperature of the food S contained in the container C. These infrared temperature sensors 15 and window 16 will be explained in detail later. The front of the cooking chamber 12 extends to an oven front panel (not shown) that forms the front of the oven compartment 11, and is open so that the food or the container containing the food can be put in and taken out, and this opening is opened and closed by a door 3.

[0015] A base 17 is provided on the bottom wall 12b of the cooking chamber 12 for placing the food S or the container C. The base 17 is made of glass, ceramic, or other material that transmits microwaves. Reference numeral 18 denotes a base temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the base 17, and is provided below the base 17.

[0016] Figure 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of frame A in Figure 2. Bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is formed by electrically connecting thermistor element 21 and lead wires 22, wrapping thermistor element 21 together with lead wires 22 in heat-conductive rubber 23, and filling this heat-conductive rubber 23 with heat-conductive filler 24. In this way, the heat-conductive filler 24 eliminates any gap between thermistor element 21 and heat-conductive rubber 23, allowing the thermistor element 21 to detect the heat on the outer surface of heat-conductive rubber 23. In addition, a biasing elastic member 25, such as a spring, is provided below bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and heat-conductive grease 26 is applied to the area where base 17 and bottom plate temperature sensor 18 come into contact. When bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is placed on the underside of base 17 via thermally conductive grease 26, elastic member 25 is placed between thermally conductive rubber 23 of bottom plate temperature sensor 18 and bottom wall 12b of cooking chamber 12, and this elastic member 25 urges bottom plate temperature sensor 18 upward, ensuring contact between base 17 and bottom plate temperature sensor 18 and enabling bottom plate temperature sensor 18 to sensitively detect the temperature of base 17. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any device that can sensitively detect changes in temperature rise or fall of base 17 will suffice.

[0017] Reference numeral 31 denotes a microwave heating means that radiates microwaves from below the stand 17 toward the interior space of the cooking chamber 12, and is disposed below the stand 17. The microwave heating means 31 is provided in the lower part of the side space 32 of the main body 1, and is mainly composed of a magnetron 33 as a microwave generating means for supplying microwaves, which are radio waves, into the cooking chamber 12, a magnetron driver 57 (see FIG. 6) that drives the magnetron 33, a waveguide 34 that is provided between the bottom wall 12b of the cooking chamber 12 and the stand 17, a rotating antenna 35 that is provided below the stand 17, and an antenna rotation motor 36 that rotates the rotating antenna 35. Reference numeral 37 denotes a concave antenna housing that is made up of a part of the waveguide 34 and a metal plate and that houses the rotating antenna 35, and the top opening of the antenna housing 37 is covered by the stand 17.

[0018] The rotating antenna 35 stirs the microwaves generated by the magnetron 33 and guided directly below the rotating antenna 35 by the waveguide 34, and irradiates the microwaves evenly onto the food S to be cooked placed on the stand 17 or the food S contained in a container C placed on the stand 17. The entire rotating antenna 35 is positioned facing the stand 17 and parallel to it.

[0019] Reference numeral 41 denotes a hot air heater unit for heating the oven, which is provided inside main body 1 on the outdoor side of cooking chamber 12. This hot air heater unit 41 is provided in side space 32 of main body 1 as a heating means for the food to be cooked or a container containing the food, and in this embodiment is generally composed of a convex casing 42 attached to right side wall 12d, a hot air heater 43 for heating the air, a hot air fan 44 for sending and circulating the heated air into cooking chamber 12, and an electric hot air motor 45 for rotating hot air fan 44 in a predetermined direction. The hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44 are each disposed in a heating chamber 46 formed on the outdoor side of cooking chamber 12 as an internal space between right side wall 12d and casing 42.

[0020] The hot air fan 44 is provided as a so-called centrifugal fan that takes in air in the axial direction and expels it in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction by centrifugal force during rotation, and the tubular hot air heater 43 is arranged surrounding the radial direction of the hot air fan 44. In this embodiment, the hot air heater 43, which also serves as the heat generating part, is, for example, a sheath heater, mica heater, quartz tube heater, or halogen heater, but the present invention is not limited to this and is not particularly limited thereto.

[0021] The right side wall 12d has an intake port 47 in its center, and a plurality of hot air outlets 48 around the intake port 47. These intake ports 47 and hot air outlets 48 function as ventilation sections that connect the cooking chamber 12 and the heating chamber 46.

[0022] When hot air motor 45 is energized and hot air fan 44 is driven to rotate, air is sucked in from inside cooking chamber 12 through intake port 47 and blown out in the radial direction of hot air fan 44, where it is heated by energized hot air heater 43, and the hot air passes through hot air outlet 48 and is supplied into cooking chamber 12. This forms a path for circulating hot air inside and outside cooking chamber 12, and food to be cooked or containers inside cooking chamber 12 are oven-heated by hot air convection heating.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows the infrared temperature sensor 15 and its surrounding components, and FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the infrared temperature sensor 15. Referring to these figures, the window 16 is a slit-shaped hole located at the top of a recess 16a formed in the left side wall 12c. The infrared temperature sensor 15 of this embodiment includes multiple infrared sensor elements 15b-15g arranged in a row inside the sensor case 15a, and an imaging lens 15h serving as a light-receiving unit on the incident side of these infrared sensor elements 15b-15g. The fields of view V of the infrared sensor elements 15b-15g are aligned from the center of the top of the left side wall 12c of the cooking chamber 12 through the window 16, extending horizontally along the generally rectangular bottom wall 12b. As the infrared temperature sensor 15 is swung by a sensor drive mechanism (not shown), the fields of view V of the multiple infrared sensor elements 15b-15g reaching the bottom wall 12b of the cooking chamber 12 repeatedly swing in a fan shape, generally centered around the window 16. In addition, in the main body 1 of this embodiment, the window 16 does not have a cover, and air is blown into the side space 38 formed between the cabinet 2 and the oven compartment 11, in which the infrared temperature sensor 15 is installed, by a blowing means (not shown), and an air curtain is formed at the window 16 so that air flows from the side space 38 side to the cooking chamber 12 side.

[0024] Reference numeral 15i denotes a transparent coating film serving as a light-transmitting layer formed on the outer surface of the imaging lens 15h. The transparent coating film 15i is formed from a non-stick material, such as fluororesin or silicone resin, that is heat-resistant to temperatures above 250°C and has oil- and water-repellent properties. Here, for example, when cooking repeatedly over a long period of time, especially when cooking ingredients containing a lot of fat or oil, or when a power outage occurs or cooking is stopped midway and an air curtain is not formed, gas containing contaminants that has filled the cooking chamber 12 may flow into the side space 38 through the window 16. Even in such cases, the transparent coating film 15i formed on the outer surface of the imaging lens 15h repels the moisture and oil in the gas that flows in, preventing most liquids from adhering to the transparent coating film 15i. This prevents contamination from adhering to the imaging lens 15h, which serves as the light-receiving portion of the infrared sensor. This prevents contamination of the imaging lens 15h.

[0025] figure 6 1 shows the main electrical configuration of the microwave oven of this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 51 denotes control means constituted by a microcomputer, which, as is well known, includes a CPU as a processing means, storage means 52 such as a memory as a storage medium, timing means 53 such as a timer for timing various times such as the time of day and cooking times, and input / output devices.

[0026] The input port of the control means 51 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned operation means 7, interior temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, and bottom plate temperature sensor 18, as well as door open / close detection means 54 for detecting the open / close state of the door 3, hot air motor rotation detection means 55 for detecting the rotation speed of the hot air fan 44, and antenna position detection means 56 for detecting the origin position of the rotating antenna 35 that constitutes the microwave heating means 31. The output port of the control means 51 is electrically connected to the above-mentioned display means 6 and magnetron drive device 57, as well as rotary antenna drive means 58 for operating the antenna rotation motor 36, heater drive means 59 consisting of an electromagnetic relay, power transistor, etc. for turning on and off the hot air heater 43 for heating the oven, hot air motor drive means 60 for rotating and driving the hot air motor 45, and alarm means 61 such as a buzzer for sound alarms.

[0027] The control means 51 receives operation signals from the operation means 7 and detection signals from the oven temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, bottom plate temperature sensor 18, door open / close detection means 54, hot air motor rotation detection means 55, and antenna position detection means 56, and outputs drive control signals to the magnetron drive device 57, rotary antenna drive means 58, heater drive means 59, and hot air motor drive means 60, as well as display control signals to the display means 6 and notification control signals to the notification means 61, at predetermined timing based on the timing of the timing means 53. These functions are realized by the control means 51 reading a program stored in the storage means 52, and in this embodiment in particular, the control means 51 is provided with a program that causes the control means 51 to function as a cooking control unit 63, a display control unit 64, and a determination means 65.

[0028] Cooking control unit 63 mainly controls the operation of each unit related to cooking of food, and when it receives an operation signal associated with operation of operating unit 7, and if it receives a detection signal from door open / close detection means 54 and determines that door 3 is closed, it sends control signals to magnetron driving unit 57, rotary antenna driving means 58, heater driving means 59, and hot air motor driving means 60 in accordance with the operation signal to control various cooking methods for the food. In addition, a plurality of cooking menus are stored in advance in storage means 52 as cooking information for cooking settings including ingredients and heating conditions for the food to be cooked for various cooking methods, and when an operation is performed from operating unit 7 to start cooking for one cooking menu selected from the cooking menus stored in storage means 52, cooking control unit 63 cooks the food in a predetermined procedure in accordance with the cooking information for the selected cooking menu.

[0029] The cooking menus include manual cooking menus and automatic cooking menus. The manual cooking menu is a cooking menu in which the type of cooking (such as oven heating or microwave heating), the output of the heating means, the temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 during cooking, and the cooking time are manually set. The automatic cooking menu is a cooking menu in which the settings for the type of cooking (such as oven heating or microwave heating), the output of the heating means, the temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 during cooking, and the cooking time are pre-stored in the storage means 52, and when selected, the food is cooked according to those settings.

[0030] For example, when an automatic cooking menu for microwave heating is selected and an instruction to start cooking is given, cooking control unit 63 has a function of controlling magnetron 33 and rotating antenna 35 in accordance with a procedure corresponding to the selected automatic cooking menu. Specifically, cooking control unit 63 controls magnetron driving device 57 to generate microwaves from magnetron 33, and controls rotating antenna driving means 58 to stir the microwaves with rotating antenna 35 and irradiate the microwaves evenly onto the food to be cooked.

[0031] Furthermore, when an automatic oven heating cooking menu is selected and an instruction to start cooking is given, cooking control unit 63 has a function of controlling hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44 in a procedure corresponding to the selected automatic cooking menu. Specifically, cooking control unit 63 controls heater driving means 59 and hot air motor driving means 60 so that air heated by hot air heater 43 is supplied to the inside of cooking chamber 12 by hot air fan 44. Therefore, hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44 constitute oven heating means that heats the food to be cooked in the oven.

[0032] The display control unit 64 cooperates with the cooking control unit 63 to control the display-related operations of the display means 6 and the notification-related operations of the notification means 61. The display means 6 controlled by the display control unit 64 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or an illumination lamp, but other display devices may also be used.

[0033] The determination means 65 determines whether there is a malfunction that causes the temperature detection behavior of the temperature detection means, such as the inside temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15, or the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, to differ from normal. Therefore, the determination means 65 has individual determination means for the number of temperature detection means, and in this embodiment has inside temperature sensor determination means 65a, infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b, and bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c. The internal temperature sensor determination means 65a, the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b, and the bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c each have their own thresholds and criteria for determining whether the temperature detection behavior of the corresponding temperature sensor is abnormal. For example, the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b determines that the infrared temperature sensor 15 has an abnormal temperature detection and is malfunctioning when it meets any of the following criteria: a first criterion that determines that the infrared temperature sensor 15 continuously detects a temperature above or below a predetermined temperature range, such as -20°C or 300°C; a second criterion that determines that the temperature detected by the infrared temperature sensor 15 is within the predetermined temperature range but is below a predetermined temperature rise rate during cooking; or a third criterion that determines that the temperature detected by the infrared temperature sensor 15 is a jagged noise that repeatedly changes, for example, between 20 and 30°C every second. Note that the other internal temperature sensor determination means 65a and the bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c may also make similar judgments. These are just examples, and the values ​​and determination methods are not limited to those described above.

[0034] The operation means 7 is configured such that a plurality of components are arranged as touch keys, each of which is formed by connecting a transparent electrode section made of a conductive polymer with a contact section that is connected to a control PC board that controls the display means 6 and operation means 7 via pattern wiring, and is arranged on the display means 6 as described above. A plurality of display elements are displayed on the display means 6, and the display element can be selected by touching the part of the operation means 7 that corresponds to the display element.

[0035] Next, the operation of the microwave oven configured as described above will be described in detail. First, microwave cooking will be described. The user selects, for example, a microwave cooking menu using the operation means 7. When the user then starts cooking using the operation means 7, the cooking control unit 63 receives an operation signal from the operation means 7 and microwaves, for example, food S contained in a container C, according to the cooking information for the selected cooking menu stored in the storage means 52 and the cooking information entered during the selection operation, such as power output and cooking time. During cooking using microwave heating, the cooking control unit 63 controls the magnetron 33 and the rotating antenna 35 based on the temperatures detected by the internal temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15, and the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and is configured to constantly monitor the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 12 detected by the internal temperature sensor 14, the surface temperature of the food S to be cooked or the surface temperature of the container C in which the food S is stored detected by the infrared temperature sensor 15, the temperature of the base 17 detected by the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and the cooking time measured by the timing means 53.

[0036] For example, when the heating cooking control unit 63 receives a signal from the infrared temperature sensor 15 indicating that the surface temperature of the food S or container C has reached a predetermined temperature, such as 100°C or higher, it controls the magnetron 33 and the rotating antenna 35 to stop, thereby ending the microwave heating cooking, even if the heating cooking time has not reached the cooking time specified in the cooking information and the temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 or the temperature of the table 17 has not reached the predetermined temperature.

[0037] Furthermore, for example, when the cooking control unit 63 does not receive the above-mentioned detection signal from the infrared temperature sensor 15, such as when a large amount of steam is generated from the food S and the field of view V from the infrared temperature sensor 15 does not reach the food S or the container C, if the cooking control unit 63 receives a signal from the internal temperature sensor 14 indicating that the internal temperature has reached a predetermined temperature, such as 100°C or higher, the cooking control unit 63 will end the microwave cooking even if the cooking time in the cooking information has not reached the cooking time and the temperature of the base 17 has not reached the predetermined temperature.

[0038] For example, when food item S is a solid food such as garlic, potato, sweet potato, rice, rice ball, bread, pizza, or frozen food wrapped in plastic wrap, or when food item S is contained in a lunch box container C, if food item S or container C is placed directly on table 17, heat from food item S or container C is easily transferred to table 17, so that the temperature of table 17 becomes approximately the same as that of food item S or container C. Therefore, when cooking control unit 63 receives a signal from bottom plate temperature sensor 18 indicating that the temperature of table 17 has reached a predetermined temperature, such as 100°C or above, it ends microwave cooking even if it has not received the aforementioned detection signal from infrared temperature sensor 15 or internal temperature sensor 14 and the cooking time has not reached the cooking time specified in the cooking information.

[0039] Furthermore, for example, when the cooking control unit 63 receives a signal from the timing means 53 indicating that the cooking time has elapsed, it terminates the microwave cooking even if it has not received the above-mentioned detection signals from the infrared temperature sensor 15, the internal temperature sensor 14, or the bottom plate temperature sensor 18.

[0040] Note that these are just examples, and for example, the configuration may be such that the temperature of the base 17 detected by the bottom plate temperature sensor 18 during microwave cooking is not monitored, and the cooking control unit 63 controls the magnetron 33 and the rotating antenna 35 based on the temperatures detected by the internal temperature sensor 14 and the infrared temperature sensor 15, and is configured to constantly monitor the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 12 detected by the internal temperature sensor 14, the surface temperature of the food S to be cooked or the surface temperature of the container C containing the food S detected by the infrared temperature sensor 15, and the cooking time measured by the timing means 53.

[0041] Next, regarding oven cooking, the user selects, for example, an oven cooking menu using the operating unit 7. When the user then starts cooking using the operating unit 7, the cooking control unit 63 receives an operation signal from the operating unit 7 and performs oven cooking on, for example, the food S placed in a container C, based on cooking information for the selected cooking menu stored in the storage unit 52, such as the oven temperature and cooking time, or cooking information entered during the selection. During oven cooking, the cooking control unit 63 controls the hot air heater 43 and the hot air fan 44 based on temperatures detected by the oven temperature sensor 14 and the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and constantly monitors the oven temperature of the cooking chamber 12 detected by the oven temperature sensor 14, the temperature of the table 17 detected by the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and the cooking time measured by the timer 53. As with the microwave cooking described above, the surface temperature of the food S or the surface temperature of the container C containing the food S may also be constantly monitored by the infrared temperature sensor 15.

[0042] 7 is a flowchart showing the flow when the determination means 65 determines whether or not there is a malfunction in the internal temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, or bottom plate temperature sensor 18. Referring to the figure, cooking begins in step S0, and in step S1 the cooking control unit 63 controls the heating means to turn on. Specifically, the cooking control unit 63 controls the magnetron 33 and rotary antenna 35 when cooking using microwave heating, and controls the hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44 when cooking using oven heating. Then, the process moves to step S2.

[0043] In step S2, the cooking control unit 63 determines whether the cooking time measured by the timing means 53 from the start of heating has exceeded the cooking time specified in the cooking information. If it determines that the cooking time has exceeded the cooking time specified in the cooking information ("Yes" in step S2), the process proceeds to step S12, and the cooking control unit 63 ends the cooking even if it has not received the detection signals described above from the infrared temperature sensor 15, the internal temperature sensor 14, or the bottom plate temperature sensor 18. On the other hand, if it determines that the cooking time has not exceeded the cooking time specified in the cooking information ("No" in step S2), the process proceeds to step S3.

[0044] In step S3, the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b determines whether or not the infrared temperature sensor 15 is malfunctioning based on the detection signal from the infrared temperature sensor 15. If the detection signal from the infrared temperature sensor 15 satisfies any of the first, second, or third criteria and the infrared temperature sensor 15 is determined to be malfunctioning ("Yes" in step S3), the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b proceeds to step S4. On the other hand, if the detection signal from the infrared temperature sensor 15 does not satisfy any of the first, second, or third criteria and the infrared temperature sensor 15 is determined to be not malfunctioning ("No" in step S3), the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b proceeds to step S2.

[0045] In step S4, the display control unit 64 determines whether or not the infrared temperature sensor 15 detected a temperature detection anomaly during this cooking process and has controlled the display means 6 to display a message indicating a malfunction. In this embodiment, if the user operates the display means 6 to remove the message indicating this malfunction from the display means 6 during the same cooking process, the display means 6 is configured not to display the same message indicating the malfunction again, thereby eliminating any inconvenience to the user. If the display control unit 64 has displayed a message indicating the malfunction ("Yes" in step S4), the process proceeds to step S7, and if the display control unit 64 has not displayed a message indicating the malfunction ("No" in step S4), the process proceeds to step S5.

[0046] In step S5, the display control unit 64 controls the display means 6 to display a message indicating that the infrared temperature sensor 15 has detected a temperature detection anomaly and is malfunctioning. This message may be erased from the display means 6 by performing a specific operation, such as operating a cancel button (not shown) on the operation unit 7. The display control unit 64 may also be configured to notify the notification means 61 of the temperature detection anomaly and malfunctioning of the infrared temperature sensor 15 in addition to the message displayed on the display means 6. The control unit 51 then stores in the storage means 52 a record of the infrared temperature sensor determination means 65b determining that the infrared temperature sensor 15 is malfunctioning. At this time, the storage means 52 may store only the fact that the infrared temperature sensor 15 has been determined to be malfunctioning, or may store in the storage means 52 detailed error information, such as which of the first to third criteria was met to determine that the infrared temperature sensor 15 is malfunctioning. After this, the process proceeds to step S6.

[0047] In step S6, cooking control unit 63 controls the output of the heating means to be reduced. For example, if cooking is being performed using microwave heating at 1000 W, cooking control unit 63 controls magnetron 33 and rotating antenna 35 to reduce the output to 500-600 W. This allows cooking to continue even if a malfunction occurs in infrared temperature sensor 15. Also, by reducing the output of the heating means, safety during cooking is increased in the event of a malfunction in infrared temperature sensor 15. Note that the numerical values ​​are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to such control. After this, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0048] In step S7, the inside temperature sensor determination means 65a determines whether or not the inside temperature sensor 14 is malfunctioning based on the detection signal from the inside temperature sensor 14. Here, if the detection signal from the inside temperature sensor 14 satisfies any of the first, second, or third criteria and the inside temperature sensor 14 is determined to be malfunctioning ("Yes" in step S7), the inside temperature sensor determination means 65a proceeds to step S8. On the other hand, if the detection signal from the inside temperature sensor 14 does not satisfy any of the first, second, or third criteria and the inside temperature sensor 14 is determined not to be malfunctioning ("No" in step S7), the inside temperature sensor determination means 65a proceeds to step S2.

[0049] In step S8, it is determined whether the display control unit 64 has controlled the display means 6 to display a message indicating that there is a temperature detection anomaly in the internal temperature sensor 14 during this cooking operation. If the display control unit 64 has displayed a message indicating this anomaly ("Yes" in step S7), the process proceeds to step S10; if the display control unit 64 has not displayed a message indicating this anomaly ("No" in step S4), the process proceeds to step S9. Note that in the case of a configuration in which the temperature of the base 17 detected by the bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is not monitored during cooking using microwave heating, if the result in step S7 is "Yes", the process proceeds to step S12, and the cooking control unit 63 controls the heating means to end cooking.

[0050] In step S9, the display control unit 64 controls the display means 6 to display a message that the in-compartment temperature sensor 14 has detected a temperature detection anomaly and is therefore malfunctioning. This message may be configured to be erased from the display means 6 by performing a specific operation. The display control unit 64 may also be configured to notify the notification means 61 that the in-compartment temperature sensor 14 has detected a temperature detection anomaly and is therefore malfunctioning, in addition to the message displayed on the display means 6. Here, the control means 51 stores in the memory means 52 a record that the in-compartment temperature sensor determination means 65a has determined that the in-compartment temperature sensor 14 is malfunctioning. After this, the process proceeds to step S10.

[0051] In step S10, bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c determines whether or not there is a malfunction in in-compartment temperature sensor 14 based on the detection signal from bottom plate temperature sensor 18. Here, if in-compartment temperature sensor determination means 65a determines that the detection signal from in-compartment temperature sensor 14 meets either the first criterion, the second criterion, or the third criterion and determines that bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is malfunctioning ("Yes" in step S10), it proceeds to step S11. On the other hand, if bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c determines that the detection signal from bottom plate temperature sensor 18 does not meet any of the first criterion, the second criterion, or the third criterion and determines that bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is not malfunctioning ("No" in step S10), it proceeds to step S2.

[0052] In step S11, display control unit 64 controls display means 6 to display a message indicating that bottom plate temperature sensor 18 has detected a temperature detection abnormality and is malfunctioning. This message may be erased from display means 6 by performing a specific operation. Display control unit 64 may also be configured to notify notification means 61 that bottom plate temperature sensor 18 has detected a temperature detection abnormality and is malfunctioning, in addition to the message displayed on display means 6. Here, control means 51 stores in memory means 52 a record that bottom plate temperature sensor determination means 65c has determined that bottom plate temperature sensor 18 is malfunctioning. After this, the process proceeds to step S12, and cooking control unit 63 controls the heating means to turn off, thereby ending cooking.

[0053] In this embodiment, the memory means 52 stores records of the infrared temperature sensor 15, the chamber temperature sensor 14, and the base plate temperature sensor 18 being determined to be malfunctioning. If the same temperature sensor repeatedly records a temperature detection abnormality during different cooking operations, e.g., three consecutive times, the display control unit 64 controls the display means 6 to display a message urging maintenance or repair instead of a message indicating a temperature detection abnormality. This allows the user to know that the malfunctioning temperature sensor needs repair. Furthermore, even if the cooking control unit 63 receives a detection signal from the temperature sensor that repeatedly records a temperature detection abnormality, it does not control the heating means based on the detection signal. Instead, it disables the temperature detected by the temperature detection means in subsequent cooking operations until maintenance or repair is performed. This prevents the display means 6 from repeatedly displaying a message urging maintenance or repair, allowing the user to cook using the oven without worrying or misunderstanding that the oven is unusable due to the message. Here, for example, if infrared temperature sensor 15 repeatedly records a certain number of errors, cooking control unit 63 may be configured to reduce the output of the heating means until maintenance or repair is performed, skipping steps S3 to S6 in Fig. 7 and proceeding from step S2 to step S7. Note that such control may be configured to be performed, for example, when a malfunction due to the same temperature sensor is repeatedly recorded based on the first to third criteria, or when a malfunction due to different temperature sensors is repeatedly recorded based on the first to third criteria. In this embodiment, if the same temperature sensor repeatedly records errors due to abnormal temperature detection, cooking control unit 63 disables automatic cooking, but allows manual cooking, in which the cooking time, output of the heating means, and internal temperature are manually selected and input.

[0054] As described above, the oven range as a cooking appliance of this embodiment comprises magnetron 33, rotary antenna 35, hot air heater 43, and hot air fan 44 as heating means for heating food S to be cooked, interior temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, and bottom plate temperature sensor 18 as a plurality of temperature detection means for detecting temperatures related to cooking, and a control unit for controlling magnetron 33 and rotary antenna 35 or hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44 based on the temperatures detected by interior temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, or bottom plate temperature sensor 18. The control means 51 has a determination means 65 for determining whether or not there is a malfunction in the internal temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15 or the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, and the control means 51 is configured to control the magnetron 33 and the rotating antenna 35, or control the hot air heater 43 and the hot air fan 44, based on the detected temperature of the temperature sensor that is not determined to be malfunctioning, even if the determination means 65 determines that there is a malfunction in any of the internal temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15 or the bottom plate temperature sensor 18 during heating and cooking of the food S to be cooked.

[0055] With this configuration, even if the determination means 65 determines that any of the internal temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, and bottom plate temperature sensor 18 has a malfunction that causes the temperature detection behavior of the temperature detection means to differ from normal, cooking can continue without being stopped if there is a temperature sensor that has not been determined to be malfunctioning. Therefore, if there is no malfunction in any of the internal temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, and bottom plate temperature sensor 18, cooking can continue without being stopped, preventing the oven range from being unable to cook at all.

[0056] In addition, the temperature sensor of this embodiment has an infrared temperature sensor 15 as a surface temperature detection means for non-contactly detecting the surface temperature of the food to be cooked S, and an internal temperature sensor 14 as an internal temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the cooking chamber 12 that contains the food to be cooked S, and when the determination means 65 determines that there is a malfunction in the infrared temperature sensor 15, the heating cooking control unit 63 of the control means 51 is configured to control the magnetron 33 and the rotating antenna 35, or the hot air heater 43 and the hot air fan 44, based on the temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 14.

[0057] By configuring in this way, cooking by microwave heating or oven heating can be performed based on the detected temperature of a temperature sensor that is not malfunctioning, and it is possible to avoid the situation where cooking by the oven range itself becomes impossible.

[0058] Furthermore, when the judgment means 65 of this embodiment judges that there is a malfunction in any of the internal temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15 and the bottom plate temperature sensor 18, after that judgment, even if the heating cooking control unit 63 receives the detected temperature of the temperature sensor judged to be malfunctioning, it does not control the heating means based on this detection signal, and the detected temperature of this temperature detection means is not used and is invalidated.

[0059] With this configuration, even if any of the internal temperature sensor 14, the infrared temperature sensor 15 and the bottom plate temperature sensor 18 malfunctions, cooking can be continued without being interrupted.

[0060] Furthermore, the cooking control unit 63 of this embodiment is configured to invalidate the temperature detected by a temperature sensor that has been repeatedly determined to be defective by the determination means 65 a specified number of times for subsequent cooking. In this case, the determination means 65 does not determine whether a temperature sensor that has been determined to be defective is defective, so the display means 6 does not display a message indicating that there is a temperature detection abnormality and that there is a malfunction, or a message urging maintenance or repair, allowing the user to cook in the oven range without worrying or misunderstanding that the oven range cannot be used because such a message is displayed.

[0061] The microwave oven of this embodiment further includes timing means 53 that can measure cooking times, and cooking control section 63 of control means 51 controls magnetron 33 and rotary antenna 35, or hot air heater 43 and hot air fan 44, based on the temperatures detected by internal temperature sensor 14, infrared temperature sensor 15, or bottom plate temperature sensor 18 and the time measured by timing means 53. This makes it possible to prevent overheating of food when cooking.

[0062] The infrared temperature sensor 15 of this embodiment is an infrared temperature detection means having an imaging lens 15h as a light receiving part, and is configured such that a transparent coating film 15i as a light transmitting layer having oil and water repellency is formed on the outer surface of the imaging lens 15h. Therefore, the transparent coating film 15i repels water and oil in the gas that flows in, and can prevent most liquids from adhering to the transparent coating film 15i, thereby preventing adhesion of dirt to the imaging lens 15h, which is the light receiving part of the infrared sensor.

[0063] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, an infrared sensor may be further provided at a predetermined height from the stand 17 on the lower outer side of the left side wall 12c or the right side wall 12d, to detect the surface temperature of the lower side of the container C. In this case, the infrared sensor can be provided at a position lower than the opening of the container C, so that steam evaporated from the food S contained in the container C will not head toward the infrared sensor, minimizing the effect of steam generated from the container C. Furthermore, the configuration and shape of each part of this embodiment are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 14. In-cabinet temperature sensor (temperature detection means, in-cabinet temperature detection means) 15 Infrared temperature sensor (temperature detection means, surface temperature detection means, infrared temperature detection means) 15h Imaging lens (light receiving part) 15i Transparent coating film (light-transmitting layer) 18 Bottom plate temperature sensor (temperature detection means) 33 Magnetron (heating means) 35 Rotating antenna (heating means) 43 Hot air heater (oven heating means) 44 Hot air fan (oven heating means) 51 Control means 53 Timekeeping means 65 Judgment means S To be cooked

Claims

1. A heating means for heating the food to be cooked; a plurality of temperature detection means for detecting temperatures related to cooking; a control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means, The control means has a determination means for determining whether or not there is a malfunction in the temperature detection means, The control means controls the heating means based on the detected temperature of the temperature detection means that is not determined to be defective even if the determination means determines that any of the temperature detection means is defective during the cooking of the food to be cooked, The cooking device is characterized in that the control means invalidates the temperature detected by the temperature detection means that has been determined to be defective a specified number of times by the determination means from the next cooking operation onwards.

2. The temperature detection means includes a surface temperature detection means for detecting the surface temperature of the food to be cooked in a non-contact manner, and an internal temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the cooking chamber that accommodates the food to be cooked.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein when the determination means determines that there is a malfunction in the surface temperature detection means, the control means controls the heating means based on the temperature detected by the internal temperature detection means.

3. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the determination means determines that there is a malfunction in any of the temperature detection means, after that determination, the control means invalidates the detected temperature of the temperature detection means determined to be malfunctioning.

4. Further provided with a timing means capable of measuring the time related to cooking, 4. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the heating means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detection means and the time measured by the time measuring means.

5. The temperature detection means has a surface temperature detection means for detecting the surface temperature of the food to be cooked in a non-contact manner, the surface temperature detection means is an infrared temperature detection means having a light receiving portion, 5. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein an oil-repellent and water-repellent light-transmitting layer is formed on an outer surface of the light-receiving portion.

6. The surface temperature of the food to be cooked is detected non-contactly by an infrared temperature detection means having a light receiving unit.

2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein an oil-repellent and water-repellent light-transmitting layer is formed on the outer surface of the light-receiving portion.

Images