Conditioner

Abstract

To provide a cooker capable of obtaining good visibility for a selected menu.SOLUTION: A cooker includes: a display part displaying a plurality of cooking menus; a menu selection part having a cooking menu selection key for selecting the cooking menus to select one cooking menu of the plurality of cooking menus; a display control means lighting / displaying the selected one cooking menu in a first period following the selection operation of the one cooking menu, and blinking / displaying the selected one cooking menu in a second period following the first period; and a detection part detecting that cooking is performed according to the selected one cooking menu blinked / displayed by the display control part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance such as a cooking heater.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a cooking heater equipped with multiple cooking menus such as automatic cooking, only the menu lamp of the currently selected menu among the multiple menu options is made to blink, and the menu lamps of the remaining unselected menus are lit, so that the user can recognize at a glance the currently selected menu, and a cooking heater with excellent visibility has been proposed. (For example, see Patent Document 1)

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides a cooking appliance that can obtain good visibility for the selected cooking menu.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The cooking appliance in the present disclosure has a display unit that displays a plurality of cooking menus, a cooking menu selection key for selecting a cooking menu, a menu selection unit that selects one cooking menu from the plurality of cooking menus, a display control unit that causes the selected one cooking menu to be lit and displayed in a first period following the selection operation of the one cooking menu, and causes the selected one cooking menu to blink and be displayed in a second period consecutive to the first period, and a determination unit that determines to cook with the one cooking menu that is blink-displayed by the display control unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0006] In this disclosure, when a cooking menu is selected from multiple cooking menus, the cooking appliance illuminates the selected menu during a first period following the selection operation. This illuminated indicator reduces the likelihood of the user mistakenly believing that the selected menu has not been selected. In a second period immediately following the first period, the selected menu is flashed, allowing the user to recognize that the selected menu has been correctly selected. This ensures good visibility of the selected menu. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] As an example, here is a flowchart showing the display times for the selected menu indicator lamps and the unselected menu indicator lamps from the power-up of an induction cooker to the start of the automatic cooking menu. [Figure 2] Flowchart of the display time for the selected menu indicator lamp and the unselected menu indicator lamp from the power-up of the induction heating cooker to the start of the automatic cooking menu in Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] Overall view of the induction cooker in Embodiment 1 [Figure 4] External view of the operation / display unit of the induction heating cooker in Embodiment 1 [Figure 5] Flowchart of the operation mode from power-up to automatic cooking menu start process of the induction heating cooker in Embodiment 1 [Figure 6] Display flowchart from power-up of induction heating cooker to automatic cooking menu start process in Embodiment 1 [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] (Knowledge and other information that formed the basis of this disclosure) The inventors of this invention have diligently studied the visibility of the display of selected menus when selecting a menu, with a view to improving user convenience in relation to a cooking appliance equipped with multiple cooking menus. At this time, considering the specifications of the cooking appliance, and with the expectation that the number of parts and costs would be reduced and the cooking appliance would become more widespread, we conceived and considered a cooking appliance that would have a system in which different cooking menus are sequentially switched by operating a single shared cooking menu selection key to select the desired cooking menu, and that also has two types of cooking menus as multiple cooking menus.

[0009] The specific configuration and operation of the cooking appliance are as follows: In other words, one example of a cooking appliance has a display unit that displays multiple cooking menus, a cooking menu selection key for selecting a cooking menu, a menu selection unit that selects one of the multiple cooking menus, a display control unit that makes the selected cooking menu blink with a menu lamp and the unselected cooking menus light up with a menu lamp, and a decision unit that decides to cook using the blinked cooking menu.

[0010] With this cooking appliance, as shown by the solid line in Figure 1, the lamp for the selected cooking menu (selected menu) flashes alternately between being off (S3, S3) and on (S4), while the lamp for the unselected cooking menu (unselected menu) is illuminated (S2~S4). As a result, for example during the period of S3, the user can distinguish between the selected and unselected menus and recognize that the selected menu has been correctly selected.

[0011] Here, I will add some information about the flashing indicator lights for the cooking menu (selected menu) mentioned above.

[0012] Prior to the present inventors' investigation, in the field of this technology, a technique has been used to make a selected menu lamp blink in order to allow the user to visually confirm that the selected menu has been correctly selected, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-220091, which is described in the background art of this specification. This flashing display technology, in order to ensure that the user can see as quickly and reliably as possible that the selected cooking menu has been correctly chosen, is a technology that controls the menu lamp to turn on the menu lamp, which was originally off, and then alternate between turning it off and on, creating a flashing display.

[0013] The aforementioned flashing indicator, in that it repeatedly turns on and off during the display period, is included in the broad sense of a flashing indicator. Considering that the technical term "flashing indicator" is generally familiar, this specification will, for convenience, use the technical term "flashing indicator" wherever "flashing indicator" is used. Below, we will return to the story of how this disclosure came about and continue the explanation. The inventors of this invention focused on the fact that as cooking appliances with the above-described specifications become widespread, new users who are unfamiliar with using such appliances will be using them, and have come to anticipate the following concerns in such cases.

[0014] In other words, with this cooking appliance, during the period after one cooking menu has been selected (S2, S3), the lamp for the selected cooking menu (selected menu) will be turned off, and the lamp for the unselected cooking menu (unselected menu) will be turned on. Some new users who encounter this display may feel uneasy and mistakenly believe at this point that they may have made a mistake in switching cooking menus, and the lamp for the selected menu that they thought they had selected will be turned off. The problem is that users may not have actually selected a particular option, and may mistakenly believe they have selected a non-selected menu item.

[0015] Also, in the subsequent period (S4), although the selection menu lamp is lit and will blink by being continuous from the off state (S3), in the case of a user who misrecognizes that a non - selected menu has been selected, this blinking display may make the user wonder whether the selected menu has been correctly selected, or may cause uneasiness thinking that this blinking display may be notifying a failure in the display unit or the like.

[0016] The inventors of the present invention repeatedly considered solutions for this concern, investigated that simply shortening the switching time from the off - state of the selected menu lamp to the on - state alone still leaves the concern unresolved and is not always sufficient as a solution, recognized the necessity of a new solution, and finally arrived at a solution of the present disclosure that has not existed before, thus resolving the concern.

[0017] That is, the main feature of the present disclosure is that when a cooking menu is selected, in the first period following this selection operation, the selected cooking menu is lit without being turned off, so that the user is not made to misrecognize that the selected menu is not selected. In the second period following this first period, the selected cooking menu is blinked, so that the user can recognize that the selected menu has been correctly selected and good visibility is obtained.

[0018] The following embodiments will be described in detail. However, a more detailed description than necessary may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of well - known matters or duplicate descriptions of substantially the same configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid making the following description overly redundant and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art.

[0019] Note that the accompanying drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0020] (Embodiment 1) Embodiment 1 will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0021] [1-1. Structure] In this embodiment, a heating cooker is used as the cooking appliance. First, the overall configuration of the induction heating cooker, which is the heating cooker, will be explained using Figure 3. Figure 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the induction heating cooker (hereinafter referred to as the heating cooker) in this embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 3, the heating cooker includes a top plate 2 on which a pot 1 is placed, an induction heating coil 3 provided below the top plate 2 which is a heating unit for heating the pot 1, an inverter 4 for limiting the current flowing through the induction heating coil 3, a control unit 5 for controlling the inverter 4, a display unit 6 that shows the usage status of the heating cooker to the user, and an operation unit 7 for the user to operate the heating cooker. In this embodiment, the top plate 2 and the induction heating coil 3 constitute the cooking unit.

[0022] The basic operation of this heating appliance is as follows: the user operates various cooking keys provided on the control unit 7, which causes the control unit 5 to control the inverter 4, supplying a high-frequency current to the induction heating coil 3. The magnetic flux generated from the induction heating coil 3 generates eddy currents in the pot 1, which then heats the pot 1. At this time, the control unit 5 displays the usage status of the heating appliance on the display unit 6, and the user uses the heating appliance. The usage status can be understood. Next, the configuration of the display unit 6 and the operation unit 7 will be explained using Figure 4.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the display unit 6 and operation unit 7 of a heating cooker in an embodiment of the present invention. In Figure 4, the display unit 6 has a heat level display unit 8, a timer display unit 10, and a menu display unit 12.

[0024] The heat output indicator 8 shows the output when heating the induction heating coil 3. The menu display unit 12 shows the cooking menu to be heated. As shown in Figure 4, the menu display unit 12 has two types: a grilling lamp 13a and a dried fish lamp 13b.

[0025] The characters in the heat level display section 8, the timer display section 10, and the menu display section 12 are membrane sheets, and each character can be displayed by illuminating it with an LED from the back of the sheet. The control section 7 is provided with multiple operation keys for operating the heating appliance. As shown in Figure 4, there are six types of operation keys: a heat level down key 14a, a heat level up key 14b, a menu selection key 14c (which is the menu selection section), a heating on / off key 14d, a timer selection key 14e, and a power switch key 14f.

[0026] [1-2. Operation] The specific operation of the cooking appliance configured as described above is explained below.

[0027] Figure 2 is a flowchart showing the display time of the selected menu indicator lamp and the unselected menu indicator lamp from the power-up of the induction heating cooker to the start of the automatic cooking menu in Embodiment 1.

[0028] Figure 5 is an operation mode flowchart representing the modes of the heating appliance in this embodiment. The transition steps from pressing the power key to starting the automatic cooking menu are shown in S1 to S5.

[0029] Figure 6 is a display flowchart showing the status of the menu lamps of the cooking appliance in this embodiment. It shows the display configuration of the display unit 6 during the operation modes S1 to S5 shown in Figure 5.

[0030] First, the user turns on the power to the appliance by pressing the power switch key 14f of the cooking appliance shown in Figure 4. The display at this time is shown as S1 in Figure 6, and the operating mode is shown as S1 in Figure 5. At this point, the menu selection key 14c has not been pressed, and the display unit 6 shown in Figure 4 does not indicate that a menu has been selected; therefore, all menu lamps are off (see also S1 in Figure 2).

[0031] Next, by pressing the menu selection key 14c on the cooking appliance shown in Figure 4, the system switches to a mode where an automatic cooking menu can be selected. The display at this time is shown as S2 in Figure 6, and the operating mode is shown as S2 or S3 in Figure 5. When transitioning to this mode, the initial setting is that the grilled dipping mode is selected first, so the display on the display unit 6 shown in Figure 4 illuminates both the grilled dipping lamp 13a corresponding to the grilled dipping menu currently selected by the user and the dried fish lamp 13b corresponding to the dried fish menu that has not been selected (see also S2 in Figure 2).

[0032] Next, after the first period A has elapsed, the grilled dipping lamp 13a, which corresponds to the currently selected grilled dipping menu in Figure 4, is turned off. The display at this time is shown as S3 in Figure 6. At this time, the dried fish lamp 13b, which corresponds to the dried fish menu that has not been selected, remains lit. It remains in the same state (see also S3 in Figure 2).

[0033] Next, after the second period B has elapsed, the grilled dipping lamp 13a, which corresponds to the currently selected grilled dipping menu in Figure 4, is turned on. The display at this time is shown as S4 in Figure 6. At this time, the dried fish lamp 13b, which corresponds to the dried fish menu that has not been selected, remains lit. For convenience, this state is referred to as the first display state (see also S4 in Figure 2).

[0034] Next, after the second period B described above has elapsed, the grilling lamp 13a corresponding to the currently selected grilled dish menu in Figure 4 is turned off. The display at this time is shown as S3 in Figure 6. At this time, the dried fish lamp 13b corresponding to the unselected dried fish menu remains lit. For convenience, this state is referred to as the second display state (see also S4 in Figure 2).

[0035] Here, the magnitude relationship between the above-mentioned first period A and second period B is A < B as described in FIG. 2. This is because the first period A (S2) is a period for preventing the user from misrecognizing that a non-selected menu display is currently selected, and is not a period for notifying which menu is currently selected. Therefore, it is important for the first period A to allow the user to recognize that the display lamps for the menu and the non-selected menu are lit simultaneously when transitioning to the automatic cooking menu selection mode, and it is sufficient to ensure a time period (for example, about 0.5 seconds to 1 second) during which the user can recognize that both display lamps are lit simultaneously. For this reason, there is no need to set the first period A to be longer than necessary. In contrast, the second period B is a period for notifying which menu is currently selected. If the second period B is too short, the blinking period becomes short, causing flicker of light and the possibility that the user may not be able to correctly recognize it. Therefore, the second period B is set to take A < B as described in FIG. 2 in order to ensure a certain time width (for example, about 2 seconds to 3 seconds).

[0036] After this, unless there is a special key operation, the first display state and the second display state will be repeated. As a result, the menu lamp (in this embodiment, the yakitori lamp 13a) corresponding to the currently selected menu (in this embodiment, the yakitori menu) can be blink-displayed. As a result, it is possible to display and convey to the user the currently selected menu (in this embodiment, the yakitori menu), and the possibility that the user misrecognizes the selected menu can be reduced.

[0037] Next, by pressing the menu selection key 14c of the induction heating cooker shown in FIG. 4, the selection is changed from the currently selected automatic cooking menu to another automatic cooking menu. When transitioning to this mode, since the selected menu is changed (from the yakitori menu to the dried food menu), the display of the display unit 6 shown in FIG. 4 turns off the yakitori lamp 13a corresponding to the unselected yakitori menu and turns on the dried food lamp 13b corresponding to the currently selected dried food menu.

[0038] Next, by pressing the heating on / off key 14d of the induction cooker shown in Figure 4, the system switches to a mode that starts automatic cooking for the selected automatic cooking menu. The display at this time is shown as S5 in Figure 6, and the operation mode is shown as S5 in Figure 5. (Note that in Figures 5 and 6, the selected menu is the grilling mode.) When the system switches to this mode, the display unit 6 shown in Figure 4 lights up only the menu indicator lamp corresponding to the automatic cooking mode to start cooking (for example, the grilling lamp), and turns off the other menu indicator lamps (for example, the dried fish lamp).

[0039] [1-3. Effects, etc.] As described above, in this embodiment, in a heating appliance with two cooking menus, when transitioning to the cooking menu selection state, both menu lamps are lit up once, and then the menu lamp for the selected cooking menu is made to blink. This eliminates the confusion and anxiety the user may feel at the moment of transitioning to the cooking menu selection state, which would otherwise only display cooking menus that the user has not selected.

[0040] (Other embodiments) As described above, Embodiment 1 has been explained as an example of the technology disclosed in this application. However, the technology in this disclosure is not limited to this and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted. Furthermore, it is possible to create new embodiments by combining the components described in Embodiment 1 above. The following are specific examples. In Embodiment 1, a grilled food menu was given as an example of a cooking menu, and a configuration was described that specifically included two types of grilled food: marinated grilling or dried fish grilling. However, this can be applied to other cooking menus as well. This allows for a unified display specification of the cooking menu, increasing ease of understanding for the user and improving the overall visibility of the device. Furthermore, the cooking menu is not limited to two types, but can also be applied to configurations that include three or more types.

[0041] In Embodiment 1, a specific example was described in which a light-emitting lamp is used to display the cooking menu, and the menu is displayed by turning the lamp on or off. However, other light-emitting devices such as LEDs (Light-emitting diodes) and other light-emitting devices can also be used.

[0042] In Embodiment 1, the display operation for flashing the selected cooking menu was set to equal the off-time and on-time of the menu lamp and to maintain a constant flashing cycle. However, the system is not limited to this, and it is possible to change and set these parameters as appropriate, such as by selectively setting at least one of the off-time, on-time, and flashing cycle from a data set stored in the control unit's memory. For example, regarding the off-time, by setting the first off-time following the on-time display (S2) to be shorter than the subsequent off-times (for example, from 0.5 seconds to about 1.5 seconds), the transition from on-time to flashing becomes smoother compared to when the off-times are set to be equal. In this case, the user who sees the selected cooking menu being displayed on the on-time display during period S2 will see the off-time display for a relatively short time during period S3, and then see the on-time display during period S4, thus further improvement in visibility can be expected.

[0043] Furthermore, in Embodiment 1, the illumination time for the selected cooking menu during the first period (A) was set to be shorter than the illumination time for the flashing display of the selected cooking menu during the second period (B), but they may be set to be equal, for example.

[0044] Furthermore, regarding the menu selection unit for selecting a cooking menu, in addition to the configuration described in Embodiment 1, which "has a shared cooking menu selection key, and by operating this cooking menu selection key, different cooking menus are sequentially switched and the desired cooking menu is selected," it may also be configured, for example, to "have a dedicated cooking menu selection key for each different cooking menu, and the desired cooking menu is selected by operating any one of the cooking menu selection keys."

[0045] Furthermore, regarding the display format of the cooking menu, in addition to the format described in Embodiment 1, "when the power of the cooking appliance is turned on, the cooking menu on the display unit remains off without being illuminated, and in this state, the cooking menu is selected," there is also, for example, the format described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-220091, which is cited as background art for this specification, "when the power of the cooking appliance is turned on, all cooking menus on the display unit are initially illuminated and then turned off, and then the cooking menu is selected." It can also be applied to the "do" form.

[0046] Incidentally, the heating appliance of this disclosure is not limited to the induction heating type cooking appliance described in Embodiment 1, but may also be a gas stove type heating appliance. Furthermore, this disclosure is not limited to heating appliances, but can be applied to all cooking appliances such as rice cookers, bakeries, and microwave ovens that have multiple processing menus, and the user selects one of the processing menus on the display unit and performs the automatic processing corresponding to the selected menu. [Industrial applicability]

[0047] As described above, when a cooking menu is selected from among multiple cooking menus, the cooking appliance of this disclosure illuminates the selected cooking menu during a first period following the selection operation. By visually observing this illuminated indicator, the user is less likely to mistakenly believe that the selected cooking menu has not been selected. Furthermore, by flashing the selected cooking menu during a second period immediately following the first period, the user can recognize that the selected cooking menu has been correctly selected. This provides good visibility of the selected cooking menu and is effective for applications such as induction cookers, gas stovetop cookers, rice cookers, microwave ovens, and home bread makers. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1: Hot pot 2: Top plate 3: Induction heating coil 4: Inverter 5: Control Unit 6: Display section 7:Operation unit 8: Firepower display section 9: Fire lamp 10: Timer display section 11: Timer lamp 12: Menu display section 13a: Grilled lamp 13b: Dried fish lamp 14a: Firepower Down Key 14b: Firepower Up Key 14c: Menu selection key 14d: Heating On / Off Key 14e: Timer selection key 14f: Power switch key

Claims

1. A display unit that shows multiple cooking menus, A menu selection unit has a cooking menu selection key for selecting a cooking menu, and selects one cooking menu from the multiple cooking menus, A display control unit that, during a first period following the selection of one cooking menu, illuminates the selected cooking menu, and during a second period following the first period, blinks the selected cooking menu; A cooking appliance having a determination unit that determines to cook using one cooking menu that is flashed by the display control unit, A cooking appliance characterized in that, during the second period, the first timeout following the illumination of the first period is set to be shorter than the timeouts of the second and subsequent timesouts.

2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the illumination time of one cooking menu during the first period is shorter than the illumination time included in the flashing display of one cooking menu during the second period.

3. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the illumination time, extinguishing time, and flashing cycle of the flashing display for the selected cooking menu, following the first period, is modifiable.

4. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the number of cooking menus is two, one of which is a selectable menu and the remaining cooking menu is a non-selectable menu.

5. The display control means is During the first period, the selected cooking menu and the other unselected cooking menus are illuminated. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 or 4, wherein during the second period, the selected cooking menu is displayed in a flashing light, and the other cooking menus that are not selected are displayed in a steady light.

Images