Cooking appliances, cooking methods, and programs

Abstract

A heating cooker (500) comprises: a heating chamber (100) for heating foodstuff (99) placed therein; a first heater (102) that is installed at a lower section of the heating chamber (100); a second heater (101) that is installed at an upper section of the heating chamber (100); a temperature detector (detector (103)) that detects a temperature distribution by sensing the inside of the heating chamber (100) from above; and a heating controller (151) that uses the detected temperature distribution to control heating by the first heater (102) and heating by the second heater (101). When the foodstuff (99) is to be heated, the first heater (102) starts heating prior to the second heater (101), the second heater (101) starts heating after the first heater (102) has started heating, and the heating controller (151) adjusts the state of heating by the first heater (102) and the state of heating by the second heater (101) in accordance with a change in the temperature distribution after the second heater (101) has started heating.

Description

Technical Field

[0005]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking appliance, a cooking method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Cooking appliances for heating food ingredients are generally widespread. In the past, cooking appliances that simply set a set time and heated food ingredients at a constant output for that period were common. However, in recent years, cooking appliances with an automatic heating function that automatically heats for an appropriate cooking time when the food ingredient to be heated is placed and cooking starts have also become widespread. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking appliance, a heating cooker, as one of such cooking appliances with an automatic heating function.

[0003] The heating cooker disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes an object-to-be-cooked temperature detection means for detecting the surface temperature of an object to be cooked (food ingredient), and an inside temperature detection means for detecting the inside temperature of the cooking chamber. The first threshold value of the detected temperature of the object-to-be-cooked temperature detection means and the second threshold value of the detected temperature of the inside temperature detection means are set respectively. When it is determined that either one of the two detected temperatures has reached the corresponding first threshold value or more or the second threshold value, by determining the remaining time of the range heating, which is the continuous time of the range heating from this determination, it is possible to automatically heat and cook the object to be cooked placed in the cooking chamber without inputting the quantity, heating time, heating temperature, etc. of the object to be cooked.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the cooking appliance disclosed in Patent Document 1 may not be able to properly heat the food. This disclosure provides a cooking appliance that enables proper heating of food. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A heating appliance according to one aspect of the present disclosure comprises a heating chamber for heating food, a first heater installed in the lower part of the heating chamber, a second heater installed in the upper part of the heating chamber, a temperature detector that senses the inside of the heating chamber from above to detect the temperature distribution of a detection area including the area of ​​the food placed in the heating chamber, and a heating controller that controls the heating by the first heater and the heating by the second heater using the detected temperature distribution, wherein when heating the food, the first heater starts heating before the second heater, the second heater starts heating after the first heater has started heating, and the heating controller adjusts the heating state by the first heater and the heating state by the second heater in accordance with the change in the temperature distribution after the second heater has started heating.

[0007] A heating cooking method according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a heating cooking method for food placed in a heating chamber that can heat the food from above and below, comprising: a first heating step of starting heating from the bottom of the heating chamber; a second heating step of starting heating from the top of the heating chamber after the first heating step; and a heating adjustment step of automatically adjusting the state of heating from the bottom of the heating chamber and heating from the top of the heating chamber in accordance with the change in the temperature distribution of a detection area including the area of ​​the food as viewed from above the food.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure is a program that causes a computer to execute a cooking method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the heating appliances and the like of this disclosure, food can be properly heated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a heating appliance according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the temperature distribution of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the difference in temperature values ​​obtained by the heating cooker according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a case in which misjudgment of the quantity occurs in a cooking appliance according to an embodiment, and an example of a measure to improve the accuracy of the judgment. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a cooking appliance according to another embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] A heating appliance according to a first aspect of this disclosure comprises a heating chamber for heating food, a first heater installed at the bottom of the heating chamber, a second heater installed at the top of the heating chamber, a temperature detector that senses the inside of the heating chamber from above to detect the temperature distribution of a detection area including the area of ​​food placed in the heating chamber, and a heating controller that uses the detected temperature distribution to control heating by the first heater and heating by the second heater. When heating food, the first heater starts heating before the second heater, the second heater starts heating after the first heater has started heating, and the heating controller adjusts the heating state of the first heater and the heating state of the second heater in accordance with the change in temperature distribution after the second heater has started heating.

[0012] Such a cooking device can obtain the temperature distribution of the detection area when the food is heated by the first heater before the second heater. Heating from below by the first heater tends to raise the temperature of areas other than the food. In other words, within the detection area, only the area containing the food tends to rise in temperature with a delay. As a result, the general shape of the food, which is at a lower temperature than its surroundings, emerges in the detected temperature distribution. In this way, based on the general shape of the food obtained from the temperature distribution, subsequent heating from above and below using both the second and first heaters can be performed. For example, if the general shape of the food is used as the quantity of food, the heating state of the first heater and the heating state of the second heater can be adjusted in accordance with the change in temperature distribution, based on an appropriate quantity of food determined by a highly accurate general shape of the food, and cooking can be performed. For example, if cooking is performed automatically without knowing the quantity of food, overheating due to food being too small or underheating due to food being too large may occur, but as described above, such overheating and underheating are less likely to occur. Therefore, appropriate heating of the food can be achieved.

[0013] Furthermore, the heating appliance according to the second aspect of this disclosure is the heating appliance described in the first aspect, wherein the heating appliance further includes a receiving unit for receiving input of food information relating to the type of ingredients, and the heating controller, between the time the first heater starts heating and the time the second heater starts heating, obtains a threshold value corresponding to the type of ingredients based on the food information received, which is used to calculate the amount of ingredients according to the type of ingredients by comparing the threshold value with the detected change in temperature distribution, determines the amount of ingredients using the obtained threshold value and the change in temperature distribution, and adjusts the heating state by the first heater and the second heater according to the determined amount.

[0014] According to this, food information can be obtained by accepting input. Then, thresholds corresponding to the type of food can be obtained from the acquired food information. Based on the threshold for each type of food, the quantity of food can be determined from its general shape, and based on this quantity, the heating state of the first heater and the heating state of the second heater can be adjusted in accordance with the change in temperature distribution to cook the food. Thus, appropriate heating of the food can be achieved.

[0015] Furthermore, the heating appliance according to the third aspect of this disclosure is the heating appliance described in the first or second aspect, wherein the heating appliance further includes a receiving unit for receiving input of food information relating to the type of food ingredient, and the heating controller determines the thickness of the food ingredient using the temperature distribution when the second heater is heating and the food information received as input, after the second heater has started heating, and adjusts the heating state by the first heater and the second heater according to the determined thickness. Note that the receiving unit in the second aspect and the receiving unit in the third aspect may be implemented by different receiving units, or they may be implemented by sharing the same single receiving unit.

[0016] According to this, food information can be obtained by receiving an input. Then, using the temperature distribution when the food material is heated by the second heater and the obtained food information, the thickness of the food material can be determined. Specifically, in the heating from above by the second heater, the way heat is transmitted to the upper surface (the surface on the side of the second heater) of the food material and the side surface of the food material that intersects with the upper surface is different. That is, the way the temperature rises is different between the upper surface and the side surface of the food material. When the temperature detector is provided in a posture where it can detect the upper surface and side surface regions individually, the size of the upper surface and the size of the side surface (that is, the thickness) can be estimated based on the difference in the way the temperature rises. Alternatively, when the food information includes information indicating that the food material is regular except for the thickness part, it may be possible to detect the difference in the shape due to the thickness with respect to the shape of the food material in the case of the minimum thickness when it is regular. The thickness can be estimated based on such a difference in the shape due to the thickness. Thus, at least using the temperature distribution when the food material is heated by the second heater, the thickness of the food material can be estimated, and furthermore, based on the food information, the thickness of the food material can also be estimated by another approach. Therefore, appropriate heating of the food material can be performed using the estimated thickness as well.

[0017] Moreover, the cooking heater according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure is the cooking heater described in the third aspect, and the heating controller heats only with the second heater during the period from when the second heater starts heating until the heating controller starts adjusting the heating state by both the first heater and the second heater, determines the thickness of the food material using the temperature distribution when heated only with the second heater and the food information received as input, and adjusts the heating state by the first heater and the second heater according to the determined thickness.

[0018] According to this, in the estimation of the thickness based on the temperature distribution when the food material is heated by the second heater, the influence of the heating from the first heater that may act as noise can be suppressed. That is, the thickness can be estimated more accurately.

[0019] Moreover, the cooking appliance according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the cooking appliance according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the cooking appliance further includes a reception unit that receives an input of food information regarding the type of food material, and the heating controller determines the shape of the food material using the food information and the temperature distribution between the start of heating by the first heater and the start of heating by the second heater, uses the determined shape as the quantity of the food material, and adjusts the heating states of the first heater and the second heater according to the quantity. Note that the reception unit in the fifth aspect, the reception unit in the second aspect, and the reception unit in the third aspect may be realized by different reception units, or two of them may share and realize the same reception unit, or all of them may share and realize the same reception unit.

[0020] According to this, food information can be obtained by receiving an input. By determining the general shape (the shape here) of the food material from the type of the food material based on the food information and the temperature distribution, and using the determined shape as the quantity, it is possible to adjust the heating states of the first heater and the second heater according to the change in the temperature distribution based on the quantity of the food material, and perform cooking by heating. Therefore, appropriate heating of the food material can be performed.

[0021] In addition, the cooking method according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a cooking method for a food material using a cooking appliance capable of heating the food material placed in a heating chamber from above and below, including a first heating step of starting heating from the lower part of the heating chamber, a second heating step of starting heating from the upper part of the heating chamber after the first heating step, and a heating adjustment step of automatically adjusting the heating states of the heating from the lower part of the heating chamber and the heating from the upper part of the heating chamber according to the change in the temperature distribution of a detection region including the region of the food material as viewed from above the food material after the second heating step.

[0022] According to this, the same effects as those of the cooking appliance described above can be achieved.

[0023] Furthermore, the heating cooking method according to the seventh aspect of this disclosure is the heating cooking method described in the sixth aspect, further comprising receiving input of food information regarding the type of food ingredient, determining the thickness of the food ingredient after the second heating step using the temperature distribution when heating from the top of the heating chamber and the input food information, and automatically adjusting the heating state from the bottom of the heating chamber and the heating state from the top of the heating chamber according to the determined thickness.

[0024] According to this, the same effects as the heating appliance described in the third embodiment can be achieved.

[0025] Furthermore, the heating cooking method according to the eighth aspect of this disclosure is the heating cooking method described in the seventh aspect, wherein, after the second heating step, before the heating state from the bottom and heating state from the top of the heating chamber are adjusted, heating is performed only from the top of the heating chamber, the thickness of the food is determined using the temperature distribution when heating only from the top of the heating chamber and the food information received as input, and the heating state from the bottom and heating state from the top of the heating chamber is automatically adjusted according to the determined thickness.

[0026] According to this, the same effect as the heating appliance described in the fourth embodiment can be achieved.

[0027] Furthermore, the program relating to the ninth aspect of this disclosure is a program for causing a computer to execute the heating cooking method described in any one of the sixth to eighth aspects.

[0028] According to this, a computer can be used to achieve the same effect as the heating appliance described above.

[0029] These comprehensive or specific embodiments may be implemented as a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, or recording medium such as a computer-readable CD-ROM, or as any combination of a system, method, integrated circuit, computer program, and recording medium.

[0030] The embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, components, arrangement and connection configurations of components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are examples only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Furthermore, any components in the following embodiments that are not described in an independent claim will be described as optional components.

[0031] Furthermore, each figure is a schematic diagram and not necessarily a strictly accurate representation. Therefore, for example, the scale may not necessarily match in each figure. Also, in each figure, substantially identical components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted or simplified.

[0032] (Embodiment) The heating appliance according to this embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6.

[0033] [composition] First, the configuration of the cooking appliance according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the cooking appliance according to this embodiment. The cooking appliance 500 according to this embodiment may be any appliance that can heat food 99, such as a microwave oven, toaster oven, induction heating (IH) grill, or gas stove. However, the cooking appliance 500 is an appliance in which heaters are arranged on both sides of food 99 in a certain direction that penetrates the food 99 placed at the heating position for heating. For example, in this embodiment, the cooking appliance 500 has heaters arranged on the upper and lower sides that sandwich the food 99 placed on the mounting base 98 from above and below. In this disclosure, terms indicating directions such as up and down do not mean the up and down direction (i.e., the vertical direction) in absolute spatial perception, but rather the direction connecting the surface that is at the bottom of the heating chamber 100 and the surface that is at the top when the cooking appliance 500 is placed in the orientation in which it is used.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the cooking appliance 500 is composed of several functional components. Specifically, the cooking appliance 500 includes a heating chamber 100, a control device 150, and an information input device 300.

[0035] The heating chamber 100 is a container that houses the food ingredient 99 during heating and is configured so that the energy for heating does not leak to the outside, or so that the energy is discharged only through a designed route. The heating chamber 100 forms the main part of the cooking appliance 500. In the cooking appliance 500, a housing is provided so as to cover the heating chamber 100, and a control device 150 and an information input device 300 are arranged and integrated within the housing. The information input device 300 may be implemented by a terminal device such as a smartphone, or the control device 150 may be implemented by an information processing device such as an external server, and there are no particular limitations on how each component is distributed to one or more devices. In other words, although this embodiment describes an example in which each component is integrated into one device, it is also possible to realize a cooking system that performs the same functions as the cooking appliance 500 by distributing each component to two or more devices.

[0036] Inside the container portion of the heating chamber 100 are a mounting platform 98 on which the food ingredients 99 are placed, a first heater 102 and a second heater 101, and a detector 103. The mounting platform 98 is, for example, a turntable in a microwave oven or a grill plate in an induction grill. The mounting platform 98 is made of a hard material such as glass, resin, or metal. Typically, the mounting platform 98 has a lower specific heat than the food ingredients 99, so when heating starts, its temperature rises before that of the food ingredients 99.

[0037] The first heater 102 is, for example, an induction heater, but any heater that can be used as the first heater 102 (or even if it is not a heat source itself, as long as it can generate heat as a result) is acceptable. The first heater 102 is located in the lower part of the heating chamber 100, in particular on the side opposite the food 99 across the mounting base 98. Therefore, the first heater 102 can heat the food 99 from below across the mounting base 98. In other words, the food 99 is heated from below the heating chamber 100 by the first heater 102 located in the lower part of the heating chamber 100. The heating operation of the first heater 102 is controlled by the heating controller 151.

[0038] The second heater 101 is, for example, a flat heater, but any heater that can be used as the second heater 101 can be any heater that can be used as a heat source (or even if it is not a heat source itself, as long as it can generate heat as a result). The second heater 101 is installed in the upper part of the heating chamber 100, for example, on the inner surface of the top surface, which is the uppermost surface of the internal space of the heating chamber 100. The second heater 101 can directly heat the food 99 from above without going through the mounting base 98. In other words, the food 99 is heated from the top of the heating chamber 100 by the second heater 101 installed in the upper part of the heating chamber 100. The heating operation of the second heater 101 is controlled by the heating controller 151.

[0039] Detector 103 is an example of a temperature detector and is a sensor that detects temperature distribution. Detector 103 uses a plane orthogonal to the imaging direction, depending on its installation orientation, as its detection area, and detects temperature values ​​at each coordinate within this detection area. It then outputs a matrix-like temperature distribution where the detected temperature values ​​are arranged on a two-dimensional plane corresponding to the detection area. Detector 103 is fixed so that, based on the position of the mounting base 98, when food 99 is placed on the mounting base 98, the area of ​​the food 99 is included within the detection area. In other words, detector 103 detects the temperature distribution of the area including the food 99 and its surroundings. In this embodiment, detector 103 is installed inside the heating chamber 100 so as not to be affected by the direct heat generated by the first heater 102 and the second heater 101. Specifically, detector 103 is installed on one or more sides connected to the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, which are arranged vertically in the internal space of the heating chamber 100, avoiding the upper and lower surfaces. However, the detector 103 is positioned above so that the food ingredients 99 placed on the mounting base 98 are included in the detection area. The detector 103 can transmit the detected temperature distribution to the heating controller 151. Here, the detection of the temperature distribution by the detector 103 and the heating controller 151, and the data processing of said temperature distribution will be described.

[0040] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the temperature distribution of a heating appliance according to an embodiment. In Figure 2, (a) shows an example of the temperature distribution when a loaf of bread cut into four slices (one slice out of four slices of a typical loaf of bread) is placed on the mounting platform 98 as the food ingredient 99 and heated, and (b) shows an example of the temperature distribution when an eight-slice loaf of bread (one slice out of eight slices of a typical loaf of bread) is placed on the mounting platform 98 as the food ingredient 99 and heated.

[0041] As shown in Figure 2, the temperature distribution is represented as a thermal image in grayscale, showing the temperature values ​​at each of the 8 × 8 = 64 points. In this embodiment, the detector 103 is a compound eye IR sensor with 64 eyes. The reason why a compound eye IR sensor is superior as the detector 103 is that it is inexpensive and can detect temperature as a distribution. Note that the detector 103 is not limited to this; a higher resolution IR sensor or a lower resolution IR sensor may be used.

[0042] In Figure 2, the closer to white the temperature, the higher the temperature, and the closer to black the temperature, the lower the temperature. In other words, the roughly triangular black area in the figure corresponds to a slice of bread. Here, the obtained thermal image is subjected to super-resolution processing using Bicubic interpolation by an image processing circuit or processor provided in the heating controller 151, and trapezoidal correction is also performed on the thermal image. Since the detector 103 is installed so as to look down on the bottom surface of the mounting base 98 from above and the side, the thermal image of the detected temperature distribution is deformed into a trapezoid. Therefore, this trapezoidal correction is performed to return the deformed trapezoid to its original rectangular shape. By binarizing the thermal image obtained in this way, the pixels are divided into the part corresponding to the slice of bread and the other parts.

[0043] As shown in Figure 2(b), when we examine the binarized thermal image of an 8-slice loaf of bread that has undergone the same processing, we can see that the size of the portion corresponding to the bread is different in the binarized thermal image of a 4-slice loaf of bread compared to the binarized thermal image of an 8-slice loaf of bread. This is because the temperature distribution is detected by the detector 103 located on the top and side, and when projected onto the mounting surface, which is the top surface of the mounting base 98, the projected image is enlarged by the difference in thickness between the 4-slice and 8-slice loaves. In other words, this difference in the projected image can be used as the difference in thickness of the food ingredient 99.

[0044] Generally, the greater the thickness of the food ingredient 99, the greater the heat output or heating time required for cooking. In other words, the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 should be controlled to increase the heat output or extend the heating time by the thickness of the food ingredient 99.

[0045] In this embodiment, by detecting the temperature distribution of the food ingredient 99, the thickness of the food ingredient 99 can be determined. By controlling the heating of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 according to this determination, it is possible to heat the food ingredient 99 more appropriately than when simply detecting the internal temperature of the heating chamber 100 or the temperature of the food ingredient 99. To calculate the thickness as accurately as possible, heating from below by the first heater 102 should be performed only, and heating from above by the second heater 101 should not be performed. This is because most of the heat from the first heater 102 is consumed first to heat the mounting base 98, and the food ingredient 99 is heated afterward. As a result, as shown in the thermal image of Figure 2, a large temperature difference can be created between the food ingredient 99 and its surroundings, making it easier to accurately detect the area of ​​the food ingredient 99 from the thermal image. At this time, if heating by the second heater 101 is performed, heat is supplied directly to the food ingredient 99, and the food ingredient 99 is heated at the same time as the mounting base 98, making it difficult to create such a temperature difference.

[0046] Here, Figure 3 is a graph illustrating the difference in temperature values ​​obtained by the heating appliance according to the embodiment. In Figure 3, when four slices of bread and eight slices of bread are heated from below over the mounting platform 98 using only the first heater 102, the change in temperature value at a certain point on the temperature distribution (the position of the food 99) with respect to the elapsed time from the start of heating is shown. As shown in Figure 3, the temperature rises more easily for eight slices of bread than for four slices, and the difference reaches a detectable level in about 60 seconds. In other words, the difference in thickness can be detected by heating with only the first heater 102 for about 60 seconds.

[0047] Furthermore, although the above describes using thickness as the quantity, the quantity of food ingredient 99 may also be determined by the shape (area value) of the portion corresponding to food ingredient 99 in the temperature distribution, ignoring the thickness. In other words, after generating a binarized thermal image, the quantity of food ingredient 99 may be determined by the total number of pixels (number of pixels) corresponding to the low-temperature food ingredient 99. If the type of food ingredient 99 is known along with the area value, it becomes possible to accurately determine what kind of cooking method should be used. For example, it becomes possible to cook food according to the characteristics of that type of food ingredient 99, such as the amount of water it retains or the recommended finished texture after cooking (such as fluffy or crisp). In short, it is preferable to control the heating operation of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 using information about the type of food ingredient 99 and the shape of the food ingredient 99.

[0048] The control device 150 is a processing unit that performs various information processing in the cooking appliance 500, and is implemented by a microcomputer or processor. The control device 150 may be a separate device located away from the housing that covers the heating chamber 100. In that case, the control device 150 may be implemented, for example, by a cloud server for information processing provided by the manufacturer of the cooking appliance 500.

[0049] The control device 150 comprises a heating controller 151, a storage unit 152, and a reception unit 153. The heating controller 151 is a processing unit that adjusts the heating state by the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 by controlling the heating operation of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101. The heating controller 151 is also a processing unit that acquires the temperature distribution from the detector 103 and performs various image processing. Furthermore, the heating controller 151 also performs various judgments necessary for controlling the heating operation of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101. Using the results of such judgments, the heating controller 151 reads an appropriate heating sequence from the heating sequences stored in the storage unit 152 and outputs it to the first heater 102 and the second heater 101. The first heater 102 and the second heater 101 operate according to the heating sequence output from the heating controller 151, enabling proper cooking.

[0050] The memory unit 152 is an information storage device such as a semiconductor memory, and is used for storing the heating sequence and the program executed by the heating controller 151.

[0051] The reception unit 153 is a processing unit that receives input of food information regarding the types of ingredients 99, and is implemented by being included in the same microcomputer as the heating controller 151, or by receiving information processing from the same processor as the heating controller 151 and executing a program. The reception unit 153 receives input of information regarding the types of ingredients 99 from the information input device 300 through user operation. Alternatively, the reception unit 153 may receive input of information regarding the types of ingredients 99 from an external device such as an automatic ingredient identification device, which automatically identifies the types of ingredients 99 to be contained in the heating chamber 100. Based on the food information regarding the types of ingredients 99 that has been received as input, a threshold value corresponding to the type of ingredient 99 is obtained. This threshold value is used to calculate the amount of ingredient 99 according to the type by comparing the threshold value with the detected change in temperature distribution. The amount of ingredient 99 is determined using the obtained threshold value and the change in temperature distribution, and the heating state by the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 can be adjusted according to the determined amount. Thresholds can be obtained by reading them from a database (not shown) that links ingredients to thresholds, or by receiving them from a data server (not shown) that returns thresholds when ingredients are queried.

[0052] The thresholds mentioned above are specifically determined by the type of ingredient 99, and are used to categorize the quantity into several gradual size ranges such as large, medium, and small. If the ingredient is bread, for example, the thresholds would be 10cm and 15cm in the long direction. If the long direction length is less than 10cm, it is considered a small loaf of bread, and cooking methods suitable for small loaves are used. If the long direction length is 10cm or more but less than 15cm, it is considered a medium loaf of bread, and cooking methods suitable for medium loaves are used. If the long direction length is 15cm or more, it is considered a large loaf of bread, and cooking methods suitable for large loaves are used.

[0053] Furthermore, if the ingredient is fish, for example, two values ​​are obtained as thresholds: 10cm and 20cm in the longitudinal direction, and 5cm and 7cm in the transverse direction. In this case, if either the longitudinal or transverse direction exceeds the threshold, it is determined to be a fish one size larger. In other words, if the longitudinal length is less than 10cm and the transverse length is less than 5cm, it is considered a small fish and is cooked using a method suitable for small fish. If the longitudinal length is 10cm or more but less than 20cm, or the transverse length is 5cm or more but less than 7cm, it is considered a medium-sized fish and is cooked using a method suitable for medium-sized fish. If the longitudinal length is 20cm or more, or the transverse length is 7cm or more, it is considered a large fish and is cooked using a method suitable for large fish.

[0054] Thus, in setting the threshold, in addition to the numerical value of the threshold itself, the physical quantity used to classify each of the 99 types of food ingredients and the classification method may be set differently for each type of food ingredient. In other words, each of the 99 types of food ingredients may be classified simply by a threshold for the length in the longitudinal direction, by thresholds in both the longitudinal and shortened directions, or by a threshold for the area value. Furthermore, food information may also be used to estimate the thickness of food ingredients in conjunction with their outlines.

[0055] In this embodiment, the information input device 300 is an operation panel provided on the cooking appliance 500, and is implemented as a touch display or the like.

[0056] The information input device 300 may be a separate device located away from the housing covering the heating chamber 100. In that case, the information input device 300 may be implemented as a terminal device equipped with an interface for information input, such as a smartphone or tablet device owned by the user. Such a terminal device is then connected to the control device 150 via a wired or wireless communication line and functions as part of the heating cooker 500.

[0057] Next, an example of the operation of the heating cooker 500 described above will be explained using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the heating cooker according to the embodiment. As shown in Figure 4, when the operation of the heating cooker 500 is started, first the control device 150 determines whether or not food ingredients 99 have been placed in the heating chamber 100 (step S101). Step S101 is repeated many times until it becomes Yes (while it remains No). When food ingredients 99 are placed in (Yes in step S101), the control device 150 determines whether or not heating has started (step S102). Step S102 is repeated many times until it becomes Yes (while it remains No). When heating has started (Yes in step S102), the heating controller 151 starts heating in the first heater 102 (first heating step S103). At that time, the detector 103 detects the temperature distribution. From the obtained temperature distribution, the heating controller 151 determines the amount of food ingredients 99 (step S104). Unless the determination is complete (No in step S105), steps S104 to S105 are repeated. Once the determination is complete (Yes in step S105), the heating controller 151 reads the heating sequence from the storage unit 152 (step S106) and starts heating by the second heater 101 (second heating step S107). Then, according to the heating sequence, the heating operation of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 is controlled based on the temperature change (step S108). This adjusts the heating state by the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 (heating adjustment step).

[0058] Here, we will further explain the case where the thickness described above is used as the quantity of food ingredient 99 using Figure 5. Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a case in which misjudgment of quantity occurs in the heating cooker according to the embodiment, and an example of a measure to improve the accuracy of the judgment. In Figure 5, with three different sizes of food ingredient 99 placed in the heating chamber 100, (a) to (c) show the case when heating is performed from below by the first heater 102, and (d) to (f) show the case when heating is performed from above by the second heater 101. The white arrows in the figure indicate the direction of the heat (direct heat) supplied by the heating of the first heater 102 or the second heater 101.

[0059] As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), when heating from below by the first heater 102, the thickness can be determined by the difference in the area of ​​the temperature distribution (thick black line in the projection image 104) between Figure 5(a) and Figure 5(b), which have the same surface shape (shape of the contact surface with the mounting base 98). However, as shown in Figure 5(c), food item 99 has a relatively small thickness and a large surface shape, which is similar to the projection image 104 in Figure 5(b). With heating from below by the first heater 102, it is difficult to distinguish between food items 99 that have the same projection image 104. Therefore, as shown in Figures 5(d) to 5(f), when heating from above by the second heater 101, a difference in temperature occurs between the top surface and the side surface of the food item 99 detected by the detector 103 due to the difference in how heat is received from above. By utilizing this, if the food 99 is heated only by the second heater 101 (interrupting heating in the first heater 102), the projection image corresponding to the thickness can be the projection image 105 on the side of the detector 103 beyond the dashed line corresponding to the boundary between the top surface and the side, and the projection image corresponding to the size can be the projection image 106 on the opposite side of the detector 103 beyond the dashed line. This reduces misjudgment of quantity and improves the accuracy of the judgment. In the above example, when determining thickness, heating in the first heater 102 is interrupted and heating is performed only by the second heater 101, but it is not necessary to interrupt heating in the first heater 102. For example, the heating intensity in the first heater 102 can be reduced to a level that allows for thickness determination without interrupting heating in the first heater 102.

[0060] Furthermore, when using thickness as the quantity for ingredient 99 as described above, the shape of ingredient 99 may be necessary as a prerequisite. Therefore, the shape of ingredient 99 may be used to determine its thickness. For example, food information that includes characteristics indicating that only the thickness is variable (otherwise it is of a fixed shape) may be accepted as input.

[0061] Below, an example of the operation of a heating cooker 500 according to another embodiment based on this finding will be described with reference to Figure 6. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of a heating cooker according to another embodiment. Note that in Figure 6, step S201 is the same as step S101, step S202 is the same as step S102, and the first heating step S203 is the same as the first heating step S103, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0062] As shown in Figure 6, in step S204, the heating controller 151 determines the outline of the food. The outline of the food is the area corresponding to the region of the food 99 in the temperature distribution obtained by heating from below only by the first heater 102. Steps S204 to S205 are repeated until the determination of the outline of the food 99 is complete (No in step S205). Once the determination of the outline of the food 99 is complete (Yes in step S205), the process proceeds to step S206, and heating by the first heater 102 is temporarily suspended. Then, heating from above only by the second heater 101 is started (second heating step S207), and the thickness of the food 99 is determined by using the projection image of the side of the food 99 (step S208). Alternatively, the general shape and thickness may be determined by calculation using food information and the outline of the food. Steps S208 to S209 are repeated until the determination of the thickness of the food 99 is complete (No in step S209). Once the thickness of the food ingredient 99 has been determined (Yes in step S209), the process proceeds to step S210. Step S210 in Figure 6 is the same as step S106, so the explanation is omitted. Then, heating by the first heater 102 is resumed (step S211). Then, according to the heating sequence, the heating operation of the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 is controlled based on the temperature change (step S212). This adjusts the heating state by the first heater 102 and the second heater 101 (heating adjustment step).

[0063] Step S206 (interruption of heating by the first heater 102) is not mandatory and may be omitted along with the corresponding step S211 (resumption of heating by the first heater 102). Alternatively, in step S206, the heating intensity may be reduced without interrupting heating by the first heater 102. In this case, the heating intensity may be restored to its original level in step S211, or step S211 may be omitted and the heating intensity may be adjusted in the control according to the heating sequence in step S212. Furthermore, step S206 may be performed not only after step S205 is answered with Yes and before the second heating step S207, but also after the second heating step S207, or at the same time as the second heating step S207. At a minimum, steps S206 and S211 may be performed at any timing, as long as there is an overlap between the period after heating by the second heater 101 has started and the period during which heating by the first heater 102 is not being performed. Furthermore, depending on the subsequent heating sequence, heating by the first heater 102 may not be resumed. In other words, heating by the first heater 102 may be terminated rather than interrupted. In that case, the step of terminating heating by the first heater 102 is performed instead of step S206, and step S211 is not performed.

[0064] (Other embodiments) Although the heating appliance and the like according to the embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments.

[0065] For example, each processing unit in the heating cooker according to the above embodiment is typically implemented as an LSI (Large-Scale Integrated Circuit). These may be individually integrated into a single chip, or some or all of them may be integrated into a single chip.

[0066] Furthermore, integrated circuit implementation is not limited to LSIs; it may also be achieved using dedicated circuits or general-purpose processors. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which can be programmed after LSI manufacturing, or reconfigurable processors, which allow for the reconfiguration of the connections and settings of the circuit cells within the LSI, may also be used.

[0067] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, each component may be implemented by being composed of dedicated hardware or by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may also be implemented by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory.

[0068] Furthermore, one aspect of this disclosure may be implemented as a cooking method performed by a cooking appliance or a control method for a cooking appliance. Also, one aspect of this disclosure may be a computer program that causes a computer to perform each characteristic step included in the cooking method or control method.

[0069] Furthermore, the heating appliance according to the above embodiments may be implemented as a single device or as a plurality of devices. When the heating appliance is implemented as a plurality of devices, the components of the heating appliance may be distributed among the plurality of devices in any way. For example, the control device may be a mobile terminal. Also, for example, at least one of the functional configurations of the control device may be implemented by a mobile terminal or a server (e.g., a cloud server) that can communicate with the mobile terminal. When the heating appliance is implemented as a plurality of devices, the method of communication between the plurality of devices is not particularly limited and may be wireless communication or wired communication. Also, wireless communication and wired communication may be combined between the devices.

[0070] Furthermore, the division of functional blocks in the block diagram is just one example; multiple functional blocks can be implemented as a single functional block, a single functional block can be divided into multiple parts, or some functions can be moved to other functional blocks. In addition, the functions of multiple functional blocks with similar functions can be processed in parallel or time-sharing by a single piece of hardware or software.

[0071] Furthermore, the order in which each step in the flowchart is performed is illustrative for the purpose of specifically illustrating this disclosure, and may be in a different order. Also, some of the above steps may be performed simultaneously (in parallel) with other steps.

[0072] This disclosure is not limited to one or more of the embodiments described above. Any modifications of these embodiments that are conceivable to those skilled in the art, or configurations constructed by combining components from different embodiments, may also be included within the scope of one or more embodiments, as long as they do not deviate from the spirit of this disclosure. [Industrial applicability]

[0073] This disclosure is applicable to cooking appliances. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 98 Mounting platform 99 ingredients 100 heating chamber 101 Second heater 102 1st heater 103 Detector 104, 105, 106 Projection image 150 Control device 151 Heating controller 152 Storage section 153 Reception Department 300 Information Input Devices 500 Cooker

Claims

1. A heating chamber for placing and heating food ingredients, A first heater installed at the bottom of the heating chamber, A second heater installed at the top of the aforementioned heating chamber, A temperature detector that senses the inside of the heating chamber from above to detect the temperature distribution of a detection area including the area of ​​the food placed in the heating chamber, The system includes a heating controller that controls heating by the first heater and heating by the second heater using the detected temperature distribution, When heating the aforementioned ingredients, The first heater starts heating before the second heater. The second heater begins heating after the first heater has started heating. The heating controller adjusts the heating state of the first heater and the heating state of the second heater in accordance with the change in the temperature distribution after the second heater has started heating. Heating cooker.

2. The aforementioned cooking appliance further includes a reception unit that receives input of food information relating to the type of ingredients, The aforementioned heating controller is Between the time the first heater starts heating and the time the second heater starts heating, Based on the food information received as input, a threshold value corresponding to the type of food ingredient is obtained, and by comparing this threshold value with the detected change in temperature distribution, a threshold value is obtained that is used to calculate the amount of the food ingredient corresponding to the type of food ingredient. The amount of the food ingredient is determined using the acquired threshold and the change in temperature distribution. The heating state of the first heater and the second heater is adjusted according to the determined quantity. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned cooking appliance further includes a reception unit that receives input of food information relating to the type of ingredients, The heating controller is, After the second heater has started heating, The thickness of the food is determined using the temperature distribution when heated in the second heater and the food information received as input. The heating state of the first heater and the second heater is adjusted according to the determined thickness. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

4. The aforementioned heating controller is From the time the second heater starts heating until the heating controller starts adjusting the heating state of both the first and second heaters, heating is performed using only the second heater. The thickness of the food is determined using the temperature distribution when heated by the second heater alone and the food information received as input. The heating state of the first heater and the second heater is adjusted according to the determined thickness. A cooking appliance according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned cooking appliance further includes a reception unit that receives input of food information relating to the type of ingredients, The aforementioned heating controller is Between the time the first heater starts heating and the time the second heater starts heating, The shape of the food ingredient is determined using the food information and the temperature distribution. The determined shape is used as the quantity of the food ingredient, and the heating state of the first heater and the second heater is adjusted according to that quantity. A heating appliance according to claim 1.

6. A method for cooking food using a cooking device that can heat food placed in a heating chamber from above and below, A first heating step in which heating is started from the lower part of the heating chamber, A second heating step is performed after the first heating step, in which heating is started from the top of the heating chamber, The process includes, after the second heating step, a heating adjustment step that automatically adjusts the heating state from the bottom of the heating chamber and the heating state from the top of the heating chamber in accordance with the change in the temperature distribution of the detection area including the area of ​​the food as viewed from above the food, Cooking method.

7. Furthermore, the system accepts input of food information regarding the types of ingredients mentioned above. After the second heating step, The thickness of the food is determined using the temperature distribution when the heating chamber is heated from the top and the food information received as input. The heating state from the lower part of the heating chamber and the heating state from the upper part of the heating chamber are automatically adjusted according to the determined thickness. The heating cooking method according to claim 6.

8. After the second heating step, and before adjusting the heating state from the bottom and the heating state from the top of the heating chamber, heating is performed only from the top of the heating chamber. The thickness of the food is determined using the temperature distribution when the heating chamber is heated only from the top and the food information received as input. The heating state from the lower part of the heating chamber and the heating state from the upper part of the heating chamber are automatically adjusted according to the determined thickness. The heating cooking method according to claim 7.

9. To cause a computer to execute the heating cooking method described in any one of claims 6 to 8, program.

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