Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a cooker that reports caution information that the execution of other cooking can be selected before executing heater cooking for increasing an inside temperature.SOLUTION: A microwave oven comprises a hot air heater 33 and a hot air fan 34 for heating an object to be cooked with radiation heat, a magnetron 19 and a rotating antenna 22 for performing microwave heating of the object to be cooked, and display means 6 and report means 51 for reporting various cooking information to a user. If an inside temperature reaches a predetermined temperature or higher due to oven heating with the hot air heater 33 and the hot air fan 34, and the microwave heating with the magnetron 19 and the rotating antenna 22 cannot be executed immediately after the oven heating, the display means 6 reports caution information by displaying it, and the report means 51 reports the caution information by emitting a buzzer sound, before the oven heating is executed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device equipped with a heating means that uses microwaves and a heating means that uses heat from a heater. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an example of this type of heating cooker, which includes a heating means having a magnetron and an antenna, a heating means having an upper heater consisting of a flat heater and a lower heater consisting of a sheath heater, an operating unit having an interrupt key, and a memory, and when an interruption to a second food item is set by the interrupt key while a first food item is being cooked by the heating means, the cooking status of the first food item being cooked is temporarily stored in memory, the second food item is cooked by the heating means, and after cooking of the second food item is completed, cooking of the first food item is continued again depending on the cooking status of the first food item stored in memory. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-114266 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In this type of cooking appliance, microwave heating uses a microwave heating means, which irradiates the food and raises the temperature of the food itself. In contrast, heater heating using an upper and lower heaters heats the food using radiant heat from the upper and lower heaters, which raises the temperature of the food and the components of the cooking appliance. Although not described in Patent Document 1, cooking appliances with a hot air convection heating function are also known, and this method also raises the temperature of the food and the components of the cooking appliance. Because cooking with components at high temperatures can cause damage to the components, methods of cooling these components using cooling means, such as a cooling fan, during and after heating are known. However, it takes a certain amount of time to cool these components to below a predetermined temperature. Therefore, even if a user attempts to perform microwave heating while these components are cooling, the microwave heating is typically disabled until the components have cooled to below a predetermined temperature. Therefore, in this case, even if the interrupt operation of Patent Document 1 is performed when the part is being cooled, there is a problem in that the microwave heating cannot actually be performed until the part has cooled to below a predetermined temperature.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a cooking appliance that issues warning information that allows the user to select another cooking method before carrying out cooking that will increase the temperature inside the cooking chamber. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The cooking device of the present invention comprises a radiant heating means for heating food by radiant heat, a microwave heating means for heating the food in a microwave oven, and a notification means for notifying various cooking information. A setting means for interrupt-setting cooking and a storage means for storing cooking steps; When the temperature inside the oven reaches a predetermined temperature or higher due to cooking by the radiant heating means and cooking by the microwave heating means cannot be performed immediately after cooking by the radiant heating means, the notification means issues warning information before cooking by the radiant heating means is performed. After starting a cooking process in which cooking by the radiant heating means is performed following the first cooking by the microwave heating means, the second cooking by the microwave heating means can be repeatedly set as an interrupt before cooking by the radiant heating means, and the storage means stores the unexecuted portion of the cooking process when the interrupt is set.It is characterized by: [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, the user can recognize the warning information before carrying out cooking that increases the temperature inside the oven. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an external perspective view of a microwave oven showing a first 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] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow when the automatic cooking menu item "macaroni gratin" is selected. [Figure 5] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow when the automatic cooking menu of "Naan" is selected. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow when a user-set automatic cooking menu is selected in the microwave oven according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the flow of a conventional microwave oven when multiple cooking menus are performed with heating settings of different outputs and different cooking times. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] 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.

[0010] Figures 1 to 5 show the configuration in which a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied to an oven range. 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 the main body 1 that can be opened and closed freely.

[0011] 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.

[0012] The cabinet 2 that forms the left and right side surfaces and top surface of the main body 1 is arranged 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 15 that serves as the bottom plate of the oven, which will be described later, is made of a material that is impermeable to microwaves.

[0013] The peripheral walls that form the inner surface of cooking chamber 12 are made up of ceiling wall 12a, bottom wall 12b, left side wall 12c, right side wall 12d, and rear wall 12e, and ceiling wall 12a is provided with an internal temperature sensor 14, such as a thermistor or humidity sensor, that serves as a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of cooking chamber 12. The front of cooking chamber 12 extends to an oven front panel (not shown) that forms the front of oven chamber 11, and is open to allow food to be cooked or a container containing food to be cooked to be placed in and removed, and this opening is configured to be opened and closed by door 3.

[0014] A table 15 on which food to be cooked or a container is placed is provided on the bottom wall 12b of the cooking chamber 12. The table 15 is made of glass, ceramic, or other material that transmits microwaves. A microwave heating means 17 is disposed below the table 15, radiating microwaves from below the table 15 toward the interior space of the cooking chamber 12. The microwave heating means 17 is provided in the lower part of the side space 18 of the main body 1, and is mainly composed of a magnetron 19 as a microwave generating means for supplying microwaves, which are radio waves, into the cooking chamber 12, a magnetron driver 47 (see FIG. 3) that drives the magnetron 19, a waveguide 21 provided between the bottom wall 12b of the cooking chamber 12 and the table 15, a rotating antenna 22 provided below the table 15, and an antenna rotation motor 23 that rotates the rotating antenna 22. Reference numeral 24 denotes a recessed antenna storage section that is made up of a part of the waveguide 21 and a metal plate and that stores the rotating antenna 22 , and the top opening of this antenna storage section 24 is covered by the stand 15 .

[0015] The rotating antenna 22 stirs the microwaves generated by the magnetron 19 and guided directly below the rotating antenna 22 by the waveguide 21, and irradiates the microwaves evenly onto the food to be cooked placed on the table 15 or the food to be cooked contained in a container placed on the table 15. The entire rotating antenna 22 is positioned facing the table 15 and parallel to it.

[0016] Reference numeral 31 denotes a hot air heater unit for heating the oven, which is provided inside the main body 1 on the outdoor side of the cooking chamber 12. This hot air heater unit 31 is provided in the side space 18 of the 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 32 attached to the right side wall 12d, a hot air heater 33 for heating the air, a hot air fan 34 for sending and circulating the heated air into the cooking chamber 12, and an electric hot air motor 35 for rotating the hot air fan 34 in a predetermined direction. The hot air heater 33 and the hot air fan 34 are each disposed in a heating chamber 36 formed on the outdoor side of the cooking chamber 12 as an internal space between the right side wall 12d and the casing 32.

[0017] The hot air fan 34 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 33 is arranged surrounding the radial direction of the hot air fan 34. In this embodiment, the hot air heater 33, 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.

[0018] The right side wall 12d has an air intake 37 in its center, and a plurality of hot air outlets 38 around the air intake 37. These air intakes 37 and hot air outlets 38 function as ventilation sections that connect the cooking chamber 12 and the heating chamber 36.

[0019] When hot air motor 35 is energized and hot air fan 34 is driven to rotate, air is sucked in from inside cooking chamber 12 through intake port 37 and blown out in the radial direction of hot air fan 34, where it is heated by energized hot air heater 33, and the hot air passes through hot air outlet 38 and is supplied into cooking chamber 12. This forms a path for circulating hot air inside and outside cooking chamber 12, and food or containers inside cooking chamber 12 are oven-heated by hot air convection heating.

[0020] Figure 3 shows the main electrical configuration of the microwave oven of this embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 41 denotes control means constituted by a microcomputer, which, as is well known, includes a CPU as a processing means, storage means 42 such as a memory as a storage medium, timing means 43 such as a timer for timing various times such as the time of day and cooking times, and input / output devices.

[0021] The input port of the control means 41 is electrically connected to not only the operating means 7 and the inside temperature sensor 14, but also door open / close detection means 44 for detecting the open / close state of the door 3, hot air motor rotation detection means 45 for detecting the rotation speed of the hot air fan 34, and antenna position detection means 46 for detecting the origin position of the rotating antenna 22 that constitutes the microwave generator.The output port of the control means 41 is electrically connected to not only the display means 6 and magnetron drive device 47, but also rotary antenna drive means 48 for operating the antenna rotation motor 23, heater drive means 49 consisting of an electromagnetic relay, power transistor, etc. for turning on and off the hot air heater 33 for heating the oven, hot air motor drive means 50 for rotating and driving the hot air motor 35, and alarm means 51 such as a buzzer for sound alarms.

[0022] The control means 41 has the function of receiving operation signals from the operation means 7 and detection signals from the oven temperature sensor 14, door open / close detection means 44, hot air motor rotation detection means 45, and antenna position detection means 46, and outputting drive control signals to the magnetron drive device 47, rotary antenna drive means 48, heater drive means 49, and hot air motor drive means 50, outputting display control signals to the display means 6, and outputting notification control signals to the notification means 51, at predetermined timing based on the timing of the timing means 43. These functions are realized by the control means 41 reading programs stored in the storage means 42, and in this embodiment in particular, the control means 41 is provided with a program that causes it to function as a cooking control unit 55 and a display control unit 56.

[0023] Cooking control unit 55 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 44 and determines that door 3 is closed, it sends control signals to magnetron drive unit 47, rotary antenna drive means 48, heater drive means 49, and hot air motor drive means 50 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 42 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 42, cooking control unit 55 cooks the food in a predetermined procedure in accordance with the cooking information for the selected cooking menu.

[0024] The cooking menus include manual cooking menus and automatic cooking menus. The manual cooking menu allows for manual setting of the type of cooking, such as oven heating or microwave heating, and the output power, as well as the temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 and cooking time during cooking. The automatic cooking menu allows for settings of the type of cooking, output power, temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 and cooking time during cooking to be stored in advance in the storage means 42, and when selected, the food is cooked according to those settings. Here, when multiple cooking methods are to be performed in the automatic cooking menu settings, the cooking methods are configured to pause between cooking methods until the previous cooking method is completed and the next cooking method is started.

[0025] For example, when an automatic cooking menu for microwave heating is selected and an instruction to start cooking is given, cooking control unit 55 has a function of controlling magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 in a procedure corresponding to the selected cooking menu. Specifically, cooking control unit 55 controls magnetron drive device 47 to generate microwaves from magnetron 19, and controls rotating antenna drive means 48 to stir the microwaves with rotating antenna 22 and uniformly irradiate the food to be cooked. Thus, magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 constitute microwave heating means that heats the food to be cooked in the microwave.

[0026] Furthermore, when an automatic oven heating cooking menu is selected and an instruction to start cooking is given, cooking control unit 55 has a function of controlling hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 in a procedure corresponding to the selected cooking menu. Specifically, cooking control unit 55 controls heater drive means 49 and hot air motor drive means 50 so that air heated by hot air heater 33 is supplied to the inside of cooking chamber 12 by hot air fan 34. Therefore, hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 constitute oven heating means that heats the food to be cooked in the oven.

[0027] Display control unit 56 cooperates with cooking control unit 55 to control the display-related operations of display means 6 and the notification-related operations of notification means 51. Note that display means 6, which is the object of control by display control unit 56, is configured with a liquid crystal panel or an illumination lamp, but other display devices may also be used.

[0028] The operation means 7 is configured as a plurality of touch keys, each of which is formed by connecting a transparent electrode made of a conductive polymer with a contact portion connected to a control PC board (not shown) that controls the display means 6 and the operation means 7 via pattern wiring, and is disposed on the display means 6 as described above. A plurality of display elements are displayed on the display means 6, and a display element is selected by touching a portion of the operation means 7 corresponding to that display element. In this embodiment, the display elements that can be operated in this manner include a "Start" button display portion 7a, a "Off" button display portion 7b, and a "Memory button" button display portion 7c. Note that this is merely an example, and there are no particular limitations on the configuration of the "Start" button display portion 7a, the "Off" button display portion 7b, and the "Memory button" button display portion 7c.

[0029] "Start" button display section 7a is operated when starting cooking or when starting the next cooking step of a paused automatic cooking menu, and when a cooking menu is selected and "Start" button display section 7a is touched, cooking control section 55 performs cooking of the food in a predetermined procedure according to the cooking information of the selected cooking menu. Also, for example, when an automatic cooking menu is set to perform several cooking steps (for example, in Case 1 described below, "Microwave 600W for 4 minutes" → "Microwave 600W for 1 minute" → "Oven heating at 230°C for 20 minutes"), touching "Start" button display section 7a during a pause between cooking steps causes cooking control section 55 to start cooking using the cooking settings following the cooking step performed immediately before, according to that automatic cooking menu. In this embodiment, when the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the cooking information for the selected cooking menu to see if oven heating is set for the next cooking step, i.e., whether the temperature inside the oven is expected to reach a predetermined temperature or higher. If it is determined that the temperature will reach a predetermined temperature or higher, the cooking control unit 55 controls the heating means so that the next cooking step does not begin. The display control unit 56 also controls the display means 6 to display warning information and the notification means 51 to sound a buzzer when warning information is available. If it is determined that the temperature will not reach a predetermined temperature or higher, the cooking control unit 55 controls the heating means to begin the next cooking step.

[0030] The "OFF" button display section 7b is operated when heating and cooking is stopped. When the "OFF" button display section 7b is touched, the heating and cooking control section 55 stops heating and cooking the food in the cooking chamber 12 and controls the device to enter the OFF state, which means that no cooking menu has been selected and no heating and cooking is being performed.

[0031] The "memory button" button display section 7c is operated when the main unit 1 is cooking food in the cooking chamber 12 or when setting another cooking method to be executed as an interrupt when a cooking method is paused between cooking methods. When the "memory button" button display section 7c is touched, the display control section 56 controls the display means 6 to display a cooking setting screen (not shown). The cooking setting screen displays the current cooking settings and order. Additional cooking settings can also be set using the operating means 7. The cooking settings and order are stored in the storage means 42 at the time of setting, allowing other cooking settings to be executed in the desired order. Therefore, the "memory button" button display section 7c has an interrupt setting function that allows interrupt setting to execute other cooking methods in the desired order.

[0032] Next, the operation of the microwave oven configured as described above will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows Case 1, which shows the flow when an automatic cooking menu for "macaroni gratin" is selected, for example, "microwave 600W for 4 minutes" → "microwave 600W for 1 minute" → "oven 230°C for 20 minutes," while Figure 5 shows Case 2, which shows the flow when an automatic cooking menu for "naan" is selected, for example, "oven 270°C for 5 minutes."

[0033] (Case 1) In step S10, the user selects an automatic cooking menu item, for example, "macaroni gratin," using the operation means 7. When the user then touches the "start" button display section 7a, the cooking control section 55 receives an operation signal from the "start" button display section 7a and checks the setting for the next cooking step in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control section 55 confirms that the next cooking step is "microwave cooking at 600W for 4 minutes." Then, because oven heating is not set for the next cooking step, the cooking control section 55 determines that the internal cooking temperature will not reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S11.

[0034] In step S11, an item to be cooked, such as chicken meat placed in a heat-resistant container, is heated in a microwave oven for 4 minutes at an output of 600 W. When cooking control unit 55 receives a signal from timing means 43 indicating that the set time of 4 minutes has elapsed since the start of microwave heating, it proceeds to the next step S12 and stops microwave heating.

[0035] During the pause in step S12, for example, the user opens door 3 and removes a heat-resistant container containing food to be cooked, such as chicken, from cooking chamber 12. After that, the user places a heat-resistant container containing food to be cooked, for example, a mixture of the previous food to be cooked and mushrooms added, on stand 15, closes door 3, and touches "Start" button display section 7a.

[0036] When the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the setting for the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "microwave heating at 600W for 1 minute." Then, because oven heating is not set for the next cooking method, the cooking control unit 55 determines that the internal temperature will not reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S13.

[0037] In step S13, for example, the food placed in a heat-resistant container is heated in a microwave oven for one minute at an output of 600 W. When cooking control unit 55 receives a signal indicating that one minute has passed since the start of microwave heating, it proceeds to the next step S14 and stops microwave heating.

[0038] During the pause in step S14, for example, the user opens door 3 and removes a heat-resistant container containing food to be cooked, for example, mushrooms, from cooking chamber 12. After that, the user places a gratin dish containing food to be cooked, for example, the previous food to which white sauce, macaroni, cheese, etc. have been added, on stand 15, closes door 3, and touches "Start" button display section 7a.

[0039] When the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "oven heating at 230°C for 20 minutes." The cooking control unit 55 then determines that oven heating is set for the next cooking method and that the temperature inside the oven is expected to reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S15.

[0040] In step S15, the cooking control unit 55 controls the hot air heater 33 and the hot air fan 34 that constitute the oven heating means so that the next cooking operation does not start yet. The display control unit 56 also controls the display unit 6 to display warning information indicating that microwave heating will not be possible for a predetermined period of time after oven heating, such as a message saying, "The oven will be used next. The microwave cannot be used for 30 minutes after the oven is used." The display control unit 56 also controls the notification unit 51 to issue a warning, such as a voice message saying, "The microwave cannot be used for 30 minutes after the oven is used," or a buzzer sound that is emitted when there is warning information. Therefore, the display unit 6 and the notification unit 51 also function as notification means for issuing warning information. The process then proceeds to step S16. The warning information may be a message in text only, a message in audio only, or a message in both text and audio.

[0041] In this embodiment, the screen displaying the warning information is configured to allow the user to select whether or not to notify the warning information. If the warning information is set to "No" in the warning information settings, step S15 is omitted from the next time onward, and if the "Start" button display section 7a is touched in step S14, the process proceeds to step S22.

[0042] In step S16, the user selects whether to interrupt another cooking operation. For example, if the user wants to interrupt another cooking operation, such as "microwave cooking at 600W for 3 minutes" to warm up a lunchbox, the user touches the "Memory Button" button display section 7c, and the process proceeds to step S17. If the user does not want to interrupt another cooking operation and wants to proceed with the automatic cooking menu, for example, "Macaroni Gratin," the user touches the "Start" button display section 7a again, and the process proceeds to step S22.

[0043] In step S17, upon receiving an operation signal from the button display 7c for the "Memory Button," the display control unit 56 stores the cooking settings and order for the subsequent cooking steps not yet performed in the "Macaroni Gratin" automatic cooking menu, "Oven Cooking at 230°C for 20 minutes," in the storage unit 42. It also displays a cooking setting screen and controls the display unit 6 to display the cooking settings and order for the current "Macaroni Gratin" automatic cooking menu, e.g., "Microwave Cooking at 600W for 4 minutes," "Microwave Cooking at 600W for 1 minute," and "Oven Cooking at 230°C for 20 minutes." The display control unit 56 then executes a cooking interrupt setting, such as entering the desired cooking order, e.g., "Microwave Cooking at 600W for 3 minutes" after the previous cooking step, "Microwave Cooking at 600W for 1 minute." The display control unit 56 may also include a setting deletion unit for deleting the cooking settings and order stored in the storage unit 42.

[0044] If an interruption setting is made, the gratin dish is removed from the cooking chamber 12, the lunch box is placed on the table 15, and the door 3 is closed. After that, the "Start" button display section 7a is touched.

[0045] When the cooking control unit 55 receives the operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the settings for the next cooking. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking is set to "microwave heating at 600W for 3 minutes." Then, because oven heating is not set for the next cooking, the cooking control unit 55 determines that the temperature inside the oven will not reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S18.

[0046] In step S18, the food contained in the lunch box is heated in the microwave for 3 minutes at an output of 600 W. After that, when cooking control unit 55 receives a signal indicating that 3 minutes have passed since the start of microwave heating, it proceeds to the next step S19 and stops the microwave heating.

[0047] During the pause in step S19, for example, the user opens door 3 and removes the lunch box from cooking chamber 12. After that, the user places the gratin dish containing the food to be cooked on stand 15, closes door 3, and touches "START" button display section 7a.

[0048] When the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "oven heating at 230°C for 20 minutes." The cooking control unit 55 then determines that oven heating is set for the next cooking method and that the internal temperature is expected to reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S20.

[0049] In step S20, similar to step S15, cooking control unit 55 controls hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 that constitute the oven heating means so that the next cooking operation does not start yet. Display control unit 56 also controls display means 6 to display warning information, and controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound when warning information is available. Then, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0050] In step S21, the user selects whether to interrupt another cooking operation. If an interruption is desired for another cooking operation, the user touches the "Memory Button" button display section 7c, and the process proceeds to step S17 again. If an interruption is not desired for another cooking operation and the user wishes to proceed with the automatic cooking menu, for example, "Macaroni Gratin," the user touches the "Start" button display section 7a again, and the process proceeds to step S22.

[0051] In step S22, cooking control unit 55 heats the gratin dish containing the food to be cooked in the oven so that the temperature inside cooking chamber 12 is maintained at the set temperature of 230° C. After that, when cooking control unit 55 receives a signal indicating that the set time of 20 minutes has elapsed since the start of oven heating, it proceeds to the next step S23 and stops oven heating.

[0052] In step S23, cooking control unit 55 checks the next cooking setting in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. If it is determined that there is no next cooking setting and that all cooking settings have been completed, display control unit 56 controls display means 6 to display information indicating that the cooking menu has been completed, such as a message saying "Cooking completed," and also controls notification means 51 to sound a buzzer when cooking is completed, thereby completing cooking.

[0053] (Case 2) In step S30, the user selects an automatic cooking menu item, for example "Naan," using the operation means 7. When the user then touches the "Start" button display unit 7a, the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a and checks the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "oven cooking at 270°C for 5 minutes." The cooking control unit 55 then determines that oven heating is set for the next cooking method and that the internal temperature is expected to reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step, S31.

[0054] In step S31, cooking control unit 55 controls hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 that constitute the oven heating means so that the next cooking operation does not start yet. Display control unit 56 also controls display means 6 to display warning information, and controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound when warning information is available. Then, the process proceeds to step S32.

[0055] In step S32, the user selects whether to interrupt another cooking operation. For example, if another cooking operation, such as "microwave heating at 600W for 3 minutes" to warm up a lunch box, is interrupted, the user touches the "Memory Button" button display section 7c and proceeds to step S33. If another cooking operation is not interrupted and the user wants to proceed with the automatic cooking menu for "Naan," for example, the user touches the "Start" button display section 7a again and proceeds to step S38.

[0056] In step S33, upon receiving an operation signal from the button display unit 7c for the "memory button," the display control unit 56 stores in the memory means 42 the cooking settings and order of "oven heating at 270°C for 5 minutes," which is the cooking setting for the subsequent cooking that has not been performed in the automatic cooking menu for "naan," and also controls the display means 6 to display the cooking setting screen and display "oven heating at 270°C for 5 minutes," which is the setting and order of the subsequent cooking to be performed in the automatic cooking menu for "naan," which is the current automatic cooking menu.Then, a cooking interrupt setting is made in the desired order, for example, by inputting the cooking setting of "microwave heating at 600W for 3 minutes" before the next cooking setting of "oven heating at 270°C for 5 minutes."

[0057] In the case of an interrupt setting, the square plate containing the naan ingredients is removed from the cooking chamber 12, the lunch box is placed on the table 15, and the door 3 is closed. After that, the "Start" button display section 7a is touched.

[0058] When the cooking control unit 55 receives the operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the settings for the next cooking. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking is set to "microwave heating at 600W for 3 minutes." Then, because oven heating is not set for the next cooking, the cooking control unit 55 determines that the temperature inside the oven will not reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S34.

[0059] In step S34, the food contained in the lunch box is heated in the microwave for 3 minutes at an output of 600 W. After that, when cooking control unit 55 receives a signal indicating that 3 minutes have passed since the start of microwave heating, it proceeds to the next step S35 and stops microwave heating.

[0060] During the pause in step S35, the user opens door 3 and removes the lunch box from cooking chamber 12. The user then places a square tray containing naan ingredients in cooking chamber 12, closes door 3, and touches "Start" button display section 7a.

[0061] When the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "oven heating at 270°C for 5 minutes." The cooking control unit 55 then determines that oven heating is set for the next cooking method and that the internal temperature is expected to reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S36.

[0062] In step S36, cooking control unit 55 controls hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 that constitute the oven heating means so that the next cooking operation does not start yet. Display control unit 56 also controls display means 6 to display warning information, and controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound when warning information is available. Then, the process proceeds to step S37.

[0063] In step S37, the user selects whether or not to interrupt another cooking operation. If an interruption is desired for another cooking operation, the user touches the "Memory Button" button display section 7c, and the process returns to step S17. If an interruption is not desired for another cooking operation and the user wishes to proceed with the automatic cooking menu for "Naan," for example, the user touches the "Start" button display section 7a again, and the process returns to step S38.

[0064] In step S38, cooking control unit 55 heats the square tray containing the food to be cooked in the oven so that the temperature inside cooking chamber 12 is maintained at the set temperature of 270° C. After that, when cooking control unit 55 receives a signal indicating that the set time of 5 minutes has elapsed since the start of oven heating, it proceeds to the next step S39 and stops oven heating.

[0065] In step S39, cooking control unit 55 checks the next cooking setting in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. If it is determined that there is no next cooking setting and that all cooking settings have been completed, display control unit 56 controls display means 6 to display end information indicating that the automatic cooking menu has been completed, and also controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound when cooking is completed, thereby ending cooking.

[0066] As described above, the oven range as a heating cooker of this embodiment comprises hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 constituting oven heating means as radiant heating means that heats the food to be cooked by radiant heat, magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 as microwave heating means that heats the food to be cooked in the microwave, and display means 6 and notification means 51 as notification means that notify the user of various cooking information.If the oven heating by hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 causes the temperature inside the oven to reach a predetermined temperature or higher and microwave heating by magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 cannot be performed immediately after the oven heating, display means 6 will issue a warning message, for example, by displaying ``The oven will be used next. The microwave cannot be used for 30 minutes after the oven is used,'' before the oven heating is performed, and notification means 51 will issue a warning message, for example, by sounding a buzzer when there is warning information.

[0067] By configuring it in this way, the user can recognize the warning information before performing oven heating, which is a type of cooking that raises the temperature inside the oven, and if there is other cooking that requires microwave heating, the user can be given a choice of cooking methods, such as postponing oven cooking and performing microwave heating first, thereby improving convenience.

[0068] Furthermore, the microwave oven of this embodiment is configured so that it is possible to set whether or not to notify the user of warning information, thereby eliminating the inconvenience of notifying the user of warning information when such notification is not required.

[0069] In addition, the oven range of this embodiment further comprises a button display section 7c for a "memory button" as a setting means for interrupt-setting the heating means to be used, and a memory means 42 for storing cooking menus as cooking processes. After starting a cooking menu in which first heating cooking using the magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 is followed by heating cooking using the hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34, it is possible to interrupt-set heating cooking using the hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 or second heating cooking using heating cooking using the magnetron 19 and rotating antenna 22 before heating cooking using the hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34, and the memory means is configured to store the unexecuted portion of the cooking process when this interrupt setting is performed.

[0070] By configuring in this way, the currently executed cooking menu can be interrupted and another cooking operation can be performed, and after the other cooking operation is completed, the cooking operation after the interruption of the cooking menu can be resumed.

[0071] Fig. 6 shows a configuration in which a cooking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied to an oven range. For example, the flow is shown when "heat oven at 200°C for 15 minutes" is set to "heat oven at 170°C for 25 minutes" in the user-set automatic cooking menu. In this embodiment, the cooking settings in the automatic cooking menu can be set by the user.

[0072] Figure 7 is a diagram explaining the flow of cooking with a conventional microwave oven. Conventional microwave ovens cannot simultaneously perform multiple cooking menus, each with different cooking settings for different outputs and cooking times, and require each cooking setting to be manually set one by one.

[0073] For example, to cook a butter cake by successively performing "oven heating at 200°C for 15 minutes" and "oven heating at 170°C for 25 minutes," as shown in Figure 7, first, in step S201, the manual cooking menu is selected and the cooking settings of "oven heating," "200°C," and "15 minutes" are entered. Next, in step S202, when the "start" button display unit 7a is touched, cooking control unit 55 controls hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 based on the temperature detected by internal temperature sensor 14 to perform oven cooking by "oven heating at 200°C for 15 minutes." Then, after the "oven heating at 200°C for 15 minutes" cooking is completed in step S203, the user must again select the manual cooking menu in step S204 and enter the cooking settings of "oven heating," "170°C," and "25 minutes." Furthermore, by touching the "Start" button display section 7a again in step S205, the cooking control section 55 controls the hot air heater 33 and the hot air fan 34 based on the temperature detected by the internal temperature sensor 14 so as to perform cooking in the oven at 170°C for 25 minutes. Then, in step S206, this cooking in the oven at 170°C for 25 minutes is completed, which requires the user to repeatedly select the manual cooking menu and input the cooking settings, which places a burden on the user.

[0074] Therefore, in this embodiment, the heating cooking settings in the automatic cooking menu are configured so that the user can set them as user settings, and cooking menus with multiple heating cooking settings with different outputs and different cooking times can be set together.

[0075] In the microwave oven of this embodiment, when the main body 1 is in the off state, touching the button display section 7c of the "memory button" causes the display control section 56 to control the display means 6 to display a cooking setting screen. Here, when the cooking settings are input using the operation means 7 on the cooking setting screen, the cooking settings and order are stored in the storage means 42 as a user-defined automatic cooking menu at the time of setting. Therefore, the storage means 42 is configured to store cooking settings and orders with different outputs and cooking times as user-defined automatic cooking menus. This allows multiple cooking settings to be configured at once, eliminating the need to repeatedly select a manual cooking menu and input cooking settings, thereby reducing the burden on the user after cooking begins. Furthermore, once stored, the user can simply recall this user-defined automatic cooking menu from the storage means 42 the next time, eliminating the need to reconfigure multiple cooking settings, further reducing the burden on the user. Note that instead of automatically storing the settings in the storage means 42, the settings may be stored in the storage means 42, for example, by touching the button display section 7c of the "memory button."

[0076] In step S50, when the "Memory Button" button display section 7c is touched while the main unit 1 is off, the display control section 56 controls the display means 6 to display a cooking setting screen. Then, when the user inputs, for example, "Oven Heat," "200°C," and "15 minutes" as the setting for the first cooking operation and "Oven Heat," "170°C," and "25 minutes" as the setting for the second cooking operation using the operation section 7, the display control section 56 controls the storage section 42 to store the cooking settings and order for successive cooking operations. The display control section 56 also controls the display means 6 to display the cooking settings and order for successive cooking operations exactly as input, e.g., "Oven Heat 200°C for 15 minutes" followed by "Oven Heat 170°C for 25 minutes." As in the first embodiment, the display control section 56 may also have a setting deletion section for deleting the cooking settings and order stored in the storage section 42.

[0077] Thereafter, when the "Start" button display section 7a is touched, the cooking control section 55 checks the setting for the next cooking method in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control section 55 confirms that the next cooking method is "oven heating at 200°C for 15 minutes." The cooking control section 55 then determines that oven heating is set for the next cooking method and that the internal temperature is expected to reach or exceed the predetermined temperature, and proceeds to the next step S51.

[0078] In step S51, cooking control unit 55 controls hot air heater 33 and hot air fan 34 that constitute the oven heating means so that the next cooking operation does not start yet. Display control unit 56 also controls display means 6 to display warning information, and controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound when warning information is available. Then, the process proceeds to step S52.

[0079] In step S52, the user selects whether or not to interrupt another cooking operation. If an interruption is to be set for another cooking operation, the user touches the "Memory Button" button display section 7c, and the process proceeds to step S53. If an interruption is not to be set for another cooking operation and the user wishes to proceed with the automatic cooking menu set by the user, the user touches the "Start" button display section 7a again, and the process proceeds to step S58. Note that steps S53 to S57 are the same as steps S17 to S21 in the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0080] In step S58, cooking control unit 55 heats the food to be cooked, for example, a cake mold containing ingredients for a butter cake, in the oven while maintaining the temperature inside cooking chamber 12 at the set temperature of 200° C. After that, when cooking control unit 55 times the set time of 15 minutes since the start of oven heating, it proceeds to the next step S59 and stops oven heating.

[0081] During the pause in step S59, for example, the user opens door 3 and removes the cake pan containing the food to be cooked from cooking chamber 12. After that, the user places the cake pan containing the food to be cooked, with chestnuts for topping pressed into it, on a square tray (not shown) disposed in cooking chamber 12, closes door 3, and touches "Start" button display section 7a.

[0082] When the cooking control unit 55 receives an operation signal from the "Start" button display unit 7a, it checks the next cooking step in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. As a result, the cooking control unit 55 confirms that the next cooking step is "oven heating at 170°C for 25 minutes." The cooking control unit 55 also confirms that oven heating was performed in the previous cooking step, and determines that if the next cooking step is microwave heating, it cannot be performed until the internal temperature has dropped, but if the next cooking step is oven heating, it can be performed immediately regardless of the internal temperature, and proceeds to the next step S60.

[0083] In step S60, the cooking control unit 55 heats the cake mold containing the food to be cooked in the oven so that the temperature inside the cooking chamber 12 is maintained at the set temperature of 170° C. After that, when the cooking control unit 55 times that the set time of 25 minutes has elapsed since the start of oven heating, it proceeds to the next step S61 and stops oven heating.

[0084] In step S61, cooking control unit 55 checks the next cooking setting in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. If it is determined that there is no next cooking setting and that all cooking settings have been completed, display control unit 56 controls display means 6 to display end information indicating that the cooking menu has been completed, and also controls notification means 51 to issue a buzzer sound, for example, when cooking is completed, thereby ending cooking.

[0085] As described above, the microwave oven as a cooking appliance of this embodiment is further equipped with the display means 6 that displays information about cooking, and the operation means 7 that selects or sets cooking options. Therefore, the user can check the cooking settings and order set by the user on the display means 6, and can operate the oven while checking the settings on the display means 6, improving convenience.

[0086] In addition, the oven range of this embodiment is configured so that the user can set an automatic cooking menu using the button display section 7c of the "memory button" of the operating means 7, and the heating cooking settings and order set by the user can be confirmed, thereby improving convenience.

[0087] In addition, the oven range of this embodiment may further include a setting erasure means of the operating means 7 for erasing the cooking settings and order set by the user. This makes it easier to make corrections to cooking settings, for example, and allows for smoother setting of each cooking method in the user-set automatic cooking menu.

[0088] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, the first and second embodiments may be combined. In the first and second embodiments, when the "Start" button display unit 7a is touched, the cooking control unit 55 confirms the next cooking step in the cooking information for the selected cooking menu. However, if the cooking setting for the cooking menu includes oven cooking, the display control unit 56 may be configured to notify the user of the warning when the cooking step preceding the oven cooking step is completed when the cooking step for the cooking menu is selected. For example, in Case 1, when the automatic cooking menu "Macaroni Gratin" is selected in step S10, the display control unit 56 may be configured to notify the user of the warning when the cooking step "Microwave Cooking at 600W for 1 minute," which precedes the cooking step "Oven Cooking at 230°C for 20 minutes" in step S22, is completed. This configuration allows the user to be notified of the warning more quickly.

[0089] The display control unit 56 may also control the display unit 6 to display warning information when an automatic cooking menu is selected using the operation unit 7 in step S10 or step S30, for example. This can notify the user that there is a cooking setting that will raise the cooking chamber temperature above a predetermined temperature before cooking begins, allowing the user to select microwave heating before performing cooking that will raise the cooking chamber temperature. If the cooking appliance further includes upper and lower heaters, such as sheathed heaters, and grill heating means for grilling the food using the upper and lower heaters, the display unit 6 may also display warning information and the alarm unit 51 may sound a buzzer before grilling, which will raise the cooking chamber temperature in the cooking chamber 12. The configuration and shape of each component of this embodiment are not limited to those shown in the drawings and can be modified as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 6 Display means (notification means) 7c "Memory button" button display 19 Magnetron (microwave heating means) 22 Rotating antenna (microwave heating means) 33 Hot air heater (oven heating means) 34 Hot air fan (oven heating means) 42 Memory means 51 Notification means

Claims

1. A radiant heating means for heating the food to be cooked by radiant heat; A microwave heating means for heating the food to be cooked; a notification means for notifying various cooking information; A setting means for interrupting cooking; and a storage means for storing cooking steps, When the temperature inside the oven reaches a predetermined temperature or higher due to cooking by the radiant heating means and cooking by the microwave heating means cannot be performed immediately after cooking by the radiant heating means, the notification means issues warning information before cooking by the radiant heating means is performed, After starting a cooking process in which cooking by the radiant heating means is performed following the first cooking by the microwave heating means, the second cooking by the microwave heating means can be repeatedly set as an interrupt before cooking by the radiant heating means, The cooking device is characterized in that the storage means stores the unexecuted portion of the cooking process when the interrupt is set.

2. A grill heating means for grilling food, 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein when the temperature inside the cooking chamber rises above a predetermined temperature due to cooking by the grill heating means and cooking by the microwave heating means cannot be performed immediately after cooking by the grill heating means, the notification means issues warning information before cooking by the grill heating means is performed.

3. 2. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein it is possible to set whether or not to notify the warning information.

4. a display means for displaying information about the cooking process; The cooking device according to claim 1, further comprising an operation means for selecting or setting the cooking method.

5. 5. The cooking device according to claim 4, wherein the cooking process can be set by the operating means.

6. 6. The cooking device according to claim 4, wherein the setting of the cooking process can be erased by the operating means.

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