Cooking device, method for controlling cooking device, and control program

Abstract

To automatically set an antenna to a suitable angle so as to be capable of quickly heating foods according to kinds of the foods and their arrangement.SOLUTION: A heating cooker 5 comprises: a heating chamber 58 for accommodating food 1; an antenna 54 which is rotatably arranged and heats the food 1 by discharging microwaves; a motor 53 for rotating the antenna 54; a thermo-viewer 56 which can detect the temperatures of the food 1 accommodated in the heating chamber 58 by discerning the temperatures separately in at least two regions 11, 12; and control means for detecting the temperatures of the regions 11, 12 with the thermo-viewer 56 while rotating the antenna 54 discharging the microwaves in a state where the food 1 is accommodated in the heating chamber 58 by using the motor 53, calculating the rates of temperature rise in the regions 11, 12, and stopping the antenna 54 after rotating it with the motor 53 up to an angle at which the rates of temperature rise in the regions 11, 12 become higher than a prescribed value after making the rates of temperature rise in the regions 11, 12 and the angle of the antenna 54 correspond to each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device, a control method for a cooking device, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] A cooking appliance is required to heat food evenly to a target temperature in a short time. Patent Document 1 discloses a high-frequency heating device that stops the antenna so that it maintains a predetermined initial antenna angle for a certain period of time after heating begins, in order to eliminate uneven heating, and then rotates the antenna after the certain period of time has passed based on information about the temperature rise rate of the heating chamber that has been obtained in advance. Patent document 2 discloses a device that predefines the placement of the food items to eliminate uneven heating of two foods, measures the operating efficiency using anode current and voltage, and alternately concentrates heating on low-temperature and high-temperature areas. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-190752 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-174470 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Patent Document 1 uses information on the temperature rise rate of the heating chamber obtained in advance, but this is under no load and has the problem of not being able to take into account what happens when food is actually placed in the heating chamber. For example, even with the same antenna rotation angle, the temperature distribution changes depending on the type and placement of the food. In Patent Document 2, the anode current and voltage are used to determine the temperature efficiency, but when two products are very close to each other, it is not possible to distinguish between them, which creates the problem of having to set them in advance.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to automatically set the antenna to a suitable angle so that food can be heated to a target temperature in a short time depending on the type of food and its placement. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the cooking device of the present invention comprises a heating chamber that contains food, an antenna that is rotatably arranged and that emits microwaves to heat the food, a motor that rotates the antenna, temperature detection means that is capable of detecting the temperature of the food contained in the heating chamber by distinguishing between at least two regions, and while the antenna that emits microwaves is rotated by the motor with the food contained in the heating chamber, the temperature detection means is used to detect the temperature of the region and calculate the rate of temperature rise of the region, and after correlating the rate of temperature rise of the region with the angle of the antenna, the motor rotates the antenna to an angle at which the rate of temperature rise of the region becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stops the rotation. After the first process , specified Allow the food to heat for a period of time. No. 2 Processing and performing the first process and the second process. and a control means for repeating the process.

[0007] A control method for a cooking device of the present invention is a control method for a cooking device comprising a heating chamber that contains food, an antenna that is rotatably arranged and that emits microwaves to heat the food, a motor that rotates the antenna, temperature detection means, and control means, wherein the control means includes the steps of: detecting the temperature of the food contained in the heating chamber by using the temperature detection means to distinguish between at least two regions of the food; detecting the temperature of the region using the temperature detection means while rotating the antenna that emits microwaves with the motor while the food is contained in the heating chamber; calculating a temperature rise rate for the region based on a change in temperature of the region over time; correlating the temperature rise rate for the region with the angle of the antenna; and rotating the antenna with the motor until the temperature rise rate for the region becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stopping the antenna. No. 1Steps and After the first step, Allow the food to heat for a period of time. No. 2 Steps and repeating the first step and the second step; The present invention is characterized by comprising:

[0008] The control program of the present invention is for a cooking device comprising a heating chamber that accommodates food, a rotatably arranged antenna that emits microwaves to heat the food, a motor that rotates the antenna, temperature detection means, and control means. The control program includes the following steps for the control means: a step of using the temperature detection means to distinguish and detect the temperature of at least two areas of the food accommodated in the heating chamber; a step of using the temperature detection means to detect the temperature of the area while rotating the antenna that emits microwaves with the motor while the food is accommodated in the heating chamber; a step of calculating a temperature rise rate of the area based on a change in temperature of the area over time; a step of associating the temperature rise rate of the area with the angle of the antenna; and a step of using the motor to rotate the antenna to an angle at which the temperature rise rate of the area becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stopping the rotation of the antenna. No. 1 procedure, After the first step, Allow the food to heat for a period of time. No. 2 procedure and repeating the first and second steps. , is intended to execute. Other means will be described in the detailed description of the invention. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically set the antenna at a suitable angle so that food can be heated to a target temperature in a short time depending on the type and placement of the food. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cooking device. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart of a cooking process. [Figure 4A]10 is a graph showing an example of temperature changes of three loads in an angle search process. [Figure 4B] 10 is a graph showing changes in the antenna angle in the angle search process. [Figure 5] 1 is a graph showing temperature changes in two regions during cooking. [Figure 6] 10 is a graph showing an example of the rate of temperature increase in two types of water during cooking. [Figure 7] 10 is a graph showing an example of the rate of temperature increase when cooking two types of rice. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a cooking device 5 according to this embodiment. A thermoviewer 56 for detecting the surface temperature of food 1, which is the object to be heated, is provided at the upper end on the rear side of heating chamber 58. This thermoviewer 56 is a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of food 1 by distinguishing between areas 11 and 12.

[0012] Heating chamber 58 is a space surrounded by housing 501 and door 502, and is a space for storing food and heating the food. An antenna 54, a motor 53, and a magnetron 52 are provided below the heating chamber 58. The magnetron 52 supplies microwaves to the inside of the heating chamber 58 via the antenna 54. The motor 53 rotates the rotatable antenna 54 to a desired angle.

[0013] In cooking appliances, non-contact temperature measuring devices, such as thermoviewers, are most commonly installed on the upper part of the interior wall of the cooking appliance. This has the advantage of designing the device such that the distance to the center of the cooking appliance can be increased, making most of the bottom surface of the heating chamber 58 the detection range. In this embodiment, the thermoviewer 56 is installed at the rear of the upper interior surface of the cooking appliance 5, thereby solving the problem of making most of the bottom surface of the heating chamber 58 the detection range.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the cooking device 5. As shown in FIG. The cooking device 5 includes a control means 51, a magnetron 52, a motor 53, an antenna 54, a touch panel display 55, a thermoviewer 56, a storage unit 57, and a heating chamber 58. The storage unit 57 stores a program 571.

[0015] Heating chamber 58 is a section where food is stored and heated. The control means 51 is, for example, a combination of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and receives input signals from the touch panel display 55, an input signal from a start switch (not shown), a detection signal from the thermo viewer 56, etc. By executing a program 571, the control means 51 controls the magnetron 52, controls the angle of the antenna 54 by the motor 53, and controls the touch panel display 55, etc., based on the input signals and the detection signals.

[0016] With food placed in heating chamber 58, control means 51 rotates antenna 54, which is emitting microwaves, using motor 53, detects the temperatures of regions 11 and 12 using thermoviewer 56, calculates the temperature rise of regions 11 and 12, and correlates the temperature rise rate of regions 11 and 12 with the angle of antenna 54. After that, control means 51 rotates antenna 54 with motor 53 to an angle at which the temperature rise rate of regions 11 and 12 becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stops antenna 54. Based on the temperature of food 1 detected by thermoviewer 56, control means 51 calculates either the average value, maximum value, or minimum value of the temperature distribution of food 1. This allows control means 51 to use an appropriate value according to the heating method.

[0017] Magnetron 52 supplies microwaves to the inside of heating chamber 58 via antenna 54. Motor 53 rotates antenna 54, which is rotatably mounted, to a desired angle. Touch panel display 55 is a display with a transparent touch panel superimposed on it, and functions as an operation and display means that receives operation inputs and displays the current process.

[0018] A thermoviewer 56 is provided at the upper end of the back side of heating chamber 58 to detect the temperature distribution in heating chamber 58. This thermoviewer 56 simultaneously detects the temperature of a predetermined area where food, which is the object to be heated, is placed, and can detect the temperature distribution of the food by distinguishing between at least two areas. The storage unit 57 is configured with, for example, a flash memory or a ROM (Read Only Memory), and stores a program 571. The processing when the control means 51 executes the program 571 is shown, for example, as a flowchart in FIG.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the cooking process. After rotating and stopping antenna 54 by a predetermined angle (step S10), control means 51 detects the temperature change in areas 11 and 12 by detecting the food temperature distribution on-the-fly for a predetermined period of time (step S11). Control means 51 then calculates a temperature rise value (rate of temperature rise) based on the temporal change in the temperature of food areas 11 and 12 (step S12). In this way, control means 51 detects, from the temperature rise of food areas 11 and 12, uneven temperature rise due to differences in electric field strength distribution depending on the angle of antenna 54. Note that in this embodiment, the temperature rise value is also referred to as the rate of temperature rise. The control means may calculate the temperature rise value (rate of temperature rise) based on the temporal change in temperature of at least two or more points on the food, and is not limited to two points.

[0020] Then, in step S13, control means 51 determines whether or not the angle search has ended. If the angle search has not ended (No), control means 51 returns to step S10, and if the angle search has ended (Yes), control means 51 proceeds to step S14. Here, control means 51 detects the relationship between the rotation angle of antenna 54 and the temperature rise at each point on the food during one rotation immediately after the start of heating. The processing from steps S11 to S13 is called the angle search process. Control means 51 searches for the optimal angle of antenna 54 for each point on the food based on the temperature rise value at each point on the food at each angle of antenna 54. By repeatedly rotating and stopping antenna 54 intermittently, it is possible to reduce the amount of data relating to the relationship between the angle of antenna 54 and the rate of temperature rise, and it is possible to simplify the processing by control means 51.

[0021] Then, based on the detection result, the control means 51 controls the rotation angle of the antenna 54 during the remaining heating process so as to make the temperature of each point of the food uniform. Specifically, the control means 51 calculates the solution of simultaneous linear equations relating to the heating of each point on the food (step S14).

[0022] The control means 51 selects a combination of time and angle that constitutes a solution to the simultaneous linear equations, and repeats the processes from steps S15 to S20. Here, the control means 51 rotates the antenna 54 to an angle related to the selected solution and stops it (step S16), and waits for a time related to the selected solution (step S17).Then, the control means 51 determines whether the food temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (step S18).

[0023] In step S18, if the food temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined value (Yes), control means 51 temporarily stops output from antenna 54. If the food temperature is lower than the predetermined value (No), control means 51 proceeds to step S20.

[0024] In step S20, if there are any combinations of time and angle that constitute solutions to the simultaneous linear equations that have not been selected, the control means 51 returns to step S15. When the control means 51 has selected all combinations of time and angle that constitute solutions to the simultaneous linear equations, the control means 51 ends the processing in Fig. 3. In this embodiment, by performing directional heating control in this manner, it is possible to increase the efficiency of heating and reduce uneven heating.

[0025] Furthermore, during the loop of steps S15 to S20, if the difference between the target temperature of food 1 and the temperature of each area of ​​the food detected using thermoviewer 56 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, control means 51 may terminate heating by antenna 54. This allows cooking device 5 to prevent overheating of food 1 even if there is an error in the temperature rise rate measured (detected) in the angle search step.

[0026] FIG. 4A is a graph showing an example of temperature changes in each of three loads during the angle search process. The vertical axis of the graph shows the temperatures of loads a to c. The solid line shows the temperature of load a. The dotted line shows the temperature of load b. The dashed line shows the temperature of load c. The horizontal axis of the graph shows elapsed time. Here, loads a to c refer to the various areas of the food contained in heating chamber 58.

[0027] 4B is a graph showing changes in the angle of antenna 54 in the angle search process. The vertical axis of the graph represents the angle of antenna 54. The horizontal axis of the graph represents elapsed time, which is the same as the horizontal axis of the graph in FIG. 4A. The angle search process refers to the processing from steps S11 to S13 in the flowchart in FIG. 3. The control means 51 rotates antenna 54 by 45° intermittently and associates the angle of antenna 54 with the temperature rise value of each load, thereby calculating a combination of angle and time for optimally heating each load.

[0028] In the angle search process, the amount of heat dissipated Q out Compared to the amount of heat, Q in is dominant. Heat dissipation Q out can be approximated by 0 as shown in equation (1).

number

[0029] Heating amount Q in is calculated from the mass, specific heat, and temperature change of the food using equation (2). m is the mass of the food. c is the specific heat of the food. ΔT is the temperature change.

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[0030] From the graphs in Figures 4A and 4B, the amount of temperature rise can be estimated from the product of the temperature rise per unit time and time, ignoring the amount of heat dissipation. This is expressed by equation (3). Equation (3) is the temperature rise matrix per unit time [°C / s]. Each row of the matrix indicates loads a to c, and each column of the matrix indicates an angle. Element α in row 1 and column 1 a1 is the temperature rise value of the load a when the antenna 54 is heated at the first angle. cβ is the temperature rise value of the load c when the antenna 54 is heated at the angle β.

number

[0031] Equation (4) is a simultaneous linear equation for calculating the temperature rise matrix up to the target temperature in the control process. The left side of equation (4) is the temperature rise matrix up to the target temperature [°C]. T a_end is the target temperature of load a, and T a_start is the initial temperature of load a. T b_end is the target temperature of load b, and T b_start is the initial temperature of load b. T c_end is the target temperature of load c, and T c_start is the initial temperature of load c. The first matrix on the right side of equation (4) is the temperature rise matrix per unit time [°C / s]. The second matrix on the right side of equation (4) is the antenna stop time matrix [s]. The control means 51 solves the simultaneous linear equations of equation (4) and controls the antenna based on the calculated antenna stop time that allows each load to reach the target temperature at the same time.

number

[0032] FIG. 5 is a graph showing temperature changes in two regions during cooking. The vertical axis of the graph represents temperature, and the horizontal axis of the graph represents elapsed time. The solid line of the graph represents the temperature of region 11 in Figure 1. The dashed line of the graph represents the temperature of region 12 in Figure 1. The dashed line of the graph represents the temperature of food 1 when antenna 54 continues to rotate at a predetermined rotation speed.

[0033] The angle search process is from time T0 to time T1 immediately after the start of heating. During this angle search process, control means 51 scans the rotation angle of antenna 54 and the food temperature distribution at least two points in real time, and detects uneven temperature rise due to differences in the electric field strength distribution from the temperature rise of the food.

[0034] The heating process is from time T1 to time T4. Based on the detection results, control means 51 controls the antenna rotation angle for the remaining heating to equalize the temperature of the food. At time T1, the temperature of region 11 is lower than the temperature of region 12. Therefore, control means 51 rotates antenna 54 to a first fixed angle at which the temperature rise rate of region 11 is higher than the temperature rise rate of region 12, and then stops it. At this first fixed angle, the average temperature rise rate of regions 11 and 12 is better than at other angles.

[0035] At time T1, the antenna 54 stops at a first fixed angle, then starts rotating again at time T2, and at time T3, the antenna 54 stops at a second fixed angle. At time T2, the temperature of region 12 is lower than the temperature of region 11. Therefore, control means 51 rotates antenna 54 to a second fixed angle at which the rate of temperature rise of region 12 becomes higher than the rate of temperature rise of region 11, and then stops the rotation. At this second fixed angle, the average value of the rate of temperature rise of regions 11 and 12 is better than at other angles. This makes it possible to reduce the temperature difference between the two points compared to the conventional case where antenna 54 is constantly rotating. Also, by controlling the angle of antenna 54, the temperature can be increased efficiently, so food can be heated to the target temperature Tt in a shorter time than conventional cases. Note that in conventional cases, the food reaches the target temperature Tt at time T5.

[0036] FIG. 6 is a graph showing two examples of the rate of temperature increase in heating water. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the rate of temperature rise when the two water samples are heated, and the horizontal axis of the graph indicates the angle of antenna 54. Note that this graph plots data collected at 45° intervals. The dashed line indicates the rate of temperature rise of the water on the left side. The solid line indicates the rate of temperature rise of the water on the right side. The dashed-dotted line is the average of the rates of temperature rise of the two water samples.

[0037] When heating these two bodies of water, it is possible to first heat them by positioning antenna 54 at the most efficient angle of 225°, and then heat the water on the right at a relatively efficient angle of 135°, which can suppress the temperature rise of the water on the right.

[0038] FIG. 7 is a graph showing an example of the rate of temperature increase when cooking two types of cooked rice. The vertical axis of the graph indicates the rate of temperature rise when the two rice dishes are heated, and the horizontal axis of the graph indicates the angle of antenna 54. Note that this graph plots data collected at 45° intervals. The dashed line indicates the rate of temperature rise of the rice dish on the left. The solid line indicates the rate of temperature rise of the rice dish on the right. The dashed line is the average of the rate of temperature rise of the two rice dishes.

[0039] When heating these two bowls of rice, it is possible to first heat them with antenna 54 at the most efficient angle of 180°, and then heat them at a relatively efficient angle of 270°, which can suppress the temperature rise of the water on the left side.It is also possible to heat them only at an angle of 270° from the beginning.

[0040] According to this embodiment, the heating method can be optimally controlled according to the type of food and the actual placement of the food. This embodiment also makes it possible to prevent uneven heating of food, improve energy efficiency, and shorten heating time.

[0041] (Variation) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. It is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is also possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations.

[0042] The above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in part or in whole by hardware such as an integrated circuit. The above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be realized by software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as the programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory, a hard disk, or an SSD (Solid State Drive), or on a storage medium such as a flash memory card or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk).

[0043] In each embodiment, the control lines and information lines shown are those that are considered necessary for the explanation, and not all control lines and information lines in the product are necessarily shown. In reality, it can be considered that almost all components are interconnected. As modified examples of the present invention, for example, the following (a) to (f) are available.

[0044] (a) The rotation direction of the antenna is not limited to one direction, but may be bidirectional. This reduces the time it takes to reach a high temperature angle, thereby saving time. (b) A learning function may be provided for the antenna rotation angle. This will enable the optimum solution to be found more quickly, thereby saving time. (c) In this embodiment, the temperature distribution is measured at two points, but the number of measurement points may be three or more.

[0045] (d) In the embodiment of FIG. 5, two fixed angles of the antenna are combined, but the fixed angles of the antenna may be one pattern only, or three or more patterns of fixed angles may be combined, and there is no limitation. (e) In the angle search process, the antenna is not limited to intermittent stopping and rotation, but may be rotated slowly and continuously. (f) If the temperature of any of the multiple areas of the food is higher than a predetermined value and overheating due to uneven heating is detected, the cooking device may not only temporarily suspend output but also reduce output, thereby preventing overheating of the heated object (food). [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 food 11,12 area 5 Cooker 501 Case 502 Door 51 Control means 52 Magnetron 53 Motor 54 Antenna 55 Touch Panel Display 56 Thermoviewer (temperature detection means) 57 Memory section 571 Programs 58 Heating chamber

Claims

1. a heating chamber containing food; a rotatably disposed antenna that emits microwaves to heat the food; a motor that rotates the antenna; a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the food contained in the heating chamber by distinguishing between at least two regions; With the food placed in the heating chamber, the antenna emitting microwaves is rotated by the motor, the temperature of the region is detected using the temperature detection means, a temperature rise rate of the region is calculated, and the temperature rise rate of the region is associated with an angle of the antenna, a control means for performing a first process of rotating the antenna by the motor until the angle at which the temperature rise rate of the region becomes higher than a predetermined value and then stopping the rotation, and then performing a second process of heating the food for a predetermined time, and repeating the first process and the second process; A heating cooker comprising:

2. The control means, while the food is placed in the heating chamber, rotates the antenna emitting microwaves, uses the temperature detection means to associate a temperature rise rate and an angle of the antenna from the temperatures of at least two regions of the food, and then performs a first process of rotating the antenna with the motor until an angle at which the temperature rise rate of at least the lower temperature region of the two regions is higher than the temperature rise rate of the higher temperature region, and then stops the rotation. Thereafter, the control means performs a second process of heating the food for a predetermined time, and repeats the first process and the second process. The cooking device according to claim 1 .

3. a heating chamber containing food; a rotatably disposed antenna that emits microwaves to heat the food; a motor that rotates the antenna; A temperature detection means; A control method for a cooking device including a control means, a step in which the control means detects the temperature of the food contained in the heating chamber by the temperature detection means, distinguishing between at least two regions of the food; a step of detecting the temperature of the region using the temperature detection means while rotating the antenna emitting microwaves with the motor while food is placed in the heating chamber; calculating a temperature rise rate of the region based on a change in temperature of the region over time; Correlating the temperature rise rate of the region with the angle of the antenna; a first step of rotating the antenna by the motor to an angle at which a temperature rise rate in the region becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stopping the rotation; a step of performing a second step of heating the food for a predetermined time after the first step, and repeating the first step and the second step; A method for controlling a cooking appliance, comprising:

4. a heating chamber containing food; a rotatably disposed antenna that emits microwaves to heat the food; a motor that rotates the antenna; A temperature detection means; A control means for a cooking device including: a step of detecting the temperature of the food contained in the heating chamber by the temperature detection means, distinguishing between at least two regions of the food; a step of detecting the temperature of the region using the temperature detection means while rotating the antenna emitting microwaves with the motor while food is placed in the heating chamber; calculating a temperature rise rate of the region based on a change in temperature of the region over time; Correlating the temperature rise rate of the region with the angle of the antenna; a first step of rotating the antenna by the motor to an angle at which a temperature rise rate in the region becomes higher than a predetermined value, and then stopping the rotation; a step of executing a second step of heating the food for a predetermined time after the first step, and repeating the execution of the first step and the second step; A control program for executing the above.

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