Heating Regulator

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker which enables input of numeric values by familiar operation in a device such as a smartphone.SOLUTION: A heating cooker of the invention includes: display means 6; a touch panel 8 which is provided at a position overlapping with a display screen of the display means 6 as a touch operation part which receives touch operation from a user and receives the operation from the user; and display control means 62 which controls display of the display means 6 based on the operation input to the touch panel 8. The display control means 62 receives, as operations input to the touch panel 8, a touch operation in which a predetermined position on the touch panel 8 is touched and a slide operation in which the predetermined position is touched with a finger and the finger slides from the predetermined position. With the touch operation, an operation for setting a heating output of the heating cooker can be performed. In the slide operation, the touch panel 8 is operated on picker display parts B6, B7, B9 which are regions in which numerical values indicating a heating time at the set heating output of the heating cooker are displayed. With the slide operation, the set heating time is displayed between an upper limit value and a lower limit value, which may be set at the set heating output, in a looped manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating cooker with improved operability of a display screen for performing cooking settings and the like. [Background Art]

[0002] Conventionally, in this type of heating cooker, as a display means of a display screen for performing cooking settings and the like, for example, a color liquid crystal panel capable of color-displaying characters, numbers, photographs, and the like is provided, and the color liquid crystal panel is configured as a touch panel, so that, for example, a user can select an image displayed on the color liquid crystal panel by touching the touch panel with a finger (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2019-124459 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned prior art, for example, in the heating cooker disclosed in Patent Document 1, since the operation means of the touch panel is a touch operation, when inputting a numerical value with the heating cooker, there has been a demand for a configuration that directly uses a UI that is familiar to users, for example, of smartphones.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a heating cooker that allows input of numerical values through operations familiar to users of smartphones and the like. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0006] The present invention comprises a heating appliance, a display means, a touch panel provided at a position overlapping the display screen of the display means and accepting user operations, and a display control means that controls the display of the display means based on operations on the touch panel, wherein the display control means accepts, as operations, a touch operation made by touching a predetermined position on the touch panel, and a slide operation made by touching a predetermined position on the touch panel and sliding from there, the touch operation allows setting the heating output of the heating appliance, the slide operation is an independent operation of the touch panel on the minute digit and the second digit of the numerical value in an area where a numerical value indicating the heating time at the set heating output of the heating appliance is displayed in minutes and seconds, and the slide operation causes the minute digit to loop display between an upper limit and a lower limit that can be set at the set heating output The display control means is configured such that, when the numerical value reaches the upper limit, the upper key display unit, which is a key that causes the numerical value to shift upward one by one each time the touch panel is tapped, is not displayed on the display means at all; and the lower key display unit, which is a key that causes the numerical value to shift downward one by one each time the touch panel is tapped, is displayed on the display means at all; and when the numerical value reaches the lower limit, the lower key display unit is not displayed on the display means at all; and the upper key display unit is displayed on the display means at all. It is characterized by the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooking appliance that allows users to view the entire information on a display means and use a familiar UI from smartphones and other devices by operating it on a touch panel. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view of a heating appliance according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is an explanatory diagram of the hot air unit and the internal components of the upper and lower heaters in the same cooking appliance. [Figure 3] This is an internal diagram of the steam unit in the same cooking appliance. [Figure 4] This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the internal structure of the heating appliance. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration. [Figure 6] This is a front view of the display device showing the first top screen. [Figure 7] This is a front view of the display device showing the second top screen. [Figure 8] This is a front view of the display means, which shows the main display units related to setting the microwave heating time in the manual microwave menu displayed on the first top screen. [Figure 9] This is an explanatory diagram showing the display operation of the picker display section for the tenth and one-minute digits, which rotates in a drum-roll fashion. [Figure 10] This is a front view of the display device, showing all the display units that are displayed while setting the microwave heating time in the manual microwave menu displayed on the first top screen. [Figure 11] The same diagram shows a front view of the display mechanism that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "00" minutes and "00" seconds on the first top screen, and an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display section and button display section. [Figure 12] The same diagram shows a front view of the display mechanism that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "00" minutes and "10" seconds on the first top screen, and an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display section and button display section. [Figure 13] The same diagram shows a front view of the display mechanism that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "00" minutes and "50" seconds on the first top screen, and an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display section and button display section. [Figure 14] The same diagram shows a front view of the display mechanism that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "01" minutes and "00" seconds on the first top screen, and an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display section and button display section. [Figure 15] The same diagram shows a front view of the display device that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "09" minutes and "00" seconds on the first top screen, as well as an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display and button display sections. [Figure 16] The same diagram shows a front view of the display mechanism that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "10" minutes and "00" seconds on the first top screen, and an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display section and button display section. [Figure 17] The same diagram shows a front view of the display device that appears when the microwave heating time is set to "90" minutes and "00" seconds on the first top screen, as well as an explanatory diagram showing the state of the main key display and button display sections. [Figure 18] Also, it is an explanatory diagram for displaying hamburger steak recipe information on a display means by a swipe operation. MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Common reference numerals are assigned to common parts throughout all these drawings.

[0010] FIGS. 1 to 18 show an embodiment in which the heating cooker of the present invention is applied to a microwave oven. First, the overall configuration of the microwave oven will be described based on FIG. 1. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body formed in a substantially rectangular box shape, and the main body 1 includes a metal cabinet 2 as a member covering the outer shell of the product microwave oven. Reference numeral 3 denotes an openable and closable door provided on the front face of the main body 1.

[0011] An upper portion of the door 3 is provided with an opening / closing operation handle 4 that is gripped when opening and closing the vertically opening door 3, and a side portion of the door 3 is provided with an operation panel unit 5 for display, notification and operation. In addition to display means 6 that displays cooking setting contents, progress status, and the like, the operation panel unit 5 is provided with operation means 9 such as keys 7 provided on the operation panel unit 5 and a touch panel 8 provided on a surface of the display means 6 to enable various operation inputs related to heating cooking. Although not shown in the drawings, an operation panel printed circuit (PC) board is arranged inside the door 3 at a rear side of the operation panel unit 5 to control the display means 6, the operation means 9, and the like.

[0012] At a lower portion of the main body 1, a water supply cassette 11 detachable from the front face of the main body 1 and a water receiver 12 are respectively disposed. The water supply cassette 11 is a bottomed container for holding liquid water serving as a liquid supply source for steam-heating a food object placed in a cooking chamber 14 described later. The water receiver 12 is a bottomed container that receives food residues, water droplets, steam and the like from the main body 1.

[0013] The display means 6 is a backlit display that displays all information related to cooking, such as the type of heating, the name of the dish, the heating time, the temperature, and a photograph of the cooking process, in color using characters, numbers, symbols, and photographs. In this case, it is composed of a liquid crystal display using a TFT (thin film transistor) as a switching element, but other display devices such as organic EL may also be used, and it is not limited to color display but can also be monochrome display. In any case, the flat display means 6 is positioned higher than the keys 7, slightly above one side of the door 3, so that it is easy for the user to see when they are positioned in front of the oven range.

[0014] Key 7 is a push operation unit that receives push operations from the user and is located in a position that does not overlap with the display means 6 of the operation panel 5. Here it consists of a start key 7A and a cancel key 7B. The start key 7A is pressed to start heating and cooking, and the cancel key 7B is pressed to stop heating and cooking midway or to cancel an operation or setting. In this embodiment, an illumination light (not shown), such as an LED, is placed near the start key 7A to illuminate or flash the start key 7A as needed.

[0015] The touch panel 8 is positioned on top of the display screen of the display means 6 as a touch operation unit that receives touch operations from the user. For example, in a capacitive touch panel 8 made of transparent material, when the user touches the surface of the touch panel 8 with their finger, the surface charge changes and an operation signal is output. In addition to the capacitive type, other types of touch panels 8 such as the resistive type, surface acoustic wave type, infrared type, or electromagnetic induction type may also be used. Furthermore, the touch panel 8 may be operated not only with a finger, but also with a pen-shaped object such as a stylus.

[0016] Figures 2 to 4 schematically show the internal structure of the oven range in this embodiment. In each of these figures, the surrounding walls forming the cooking chamber 14 consist of a ceiling wall 14a, a bottom wall 14b, a left side wall 14c, a right side wall 14d, and a back wall 14e. The ceiling wall 14a is dome-shaped with a convex shape towards the top, while the other walls 14b to 14e are all formed in a flat shape.

[0017] The back wall 14e of the cooking chamber 14 has an intake port 16 in the center, and horizontally elongated hot air outlets 17 and 18 are located above and below the intake port 4. In addition, an upper heater 19 is embedded in the ceiling wall 14a of the cooking chamber 14 to heat the food being cooked from above the cooking chamber 14, and a lower heater 20 is embedded in the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14 to heat the food being cooked from below the cooking chamber 14.

[0018] As shown in Figure 2, 21 is a hot air unit located inside the main body 1, behind the cooking chamber 14. This hot air unit 21 consists of a hot air heater 22 as a heating means for heating air, a hot air fan 23 as a centrifugal fan for sending heated air into the cooking chamber 14 and circulating it, and a hot air motor 24 for rotating the hot air fan 23 in the forward or reverse direction.

[0019] The hot air unit 21 is equipped with a hot air fan 23 located approximately in the center, facing the intake port 16, with hot air heaters 22 arranged around it. When the hot air motor 24 is powered, the hot air fan 23 rotates, and air drawn in from inside the cooking chamber 14 through the intake port 16 is blown out in the radial direction of the hot air fan 23, heated by the hot air heaters 22, and supplied to the cooking chamber 14 through the hot air outlets 17 and 18. This creates a path for circulating hot air inside and outside the cooking chamber 14, heating the food to be cooked inside the cooking chamber 14 for oven cooking. The hot air unit 21 is housed in a case 25 attached to the rear of the cooking chamber 14.

[0020] As mentioned above, the cooking chamber 14 is equipped with an upper heater 19 and a lower heater 20. When power is supplied to the upper heater 19 and the lower heater 20, infrared heat radiation from the upper heater 19 and the lower heater 20 is generated in the sealed space within the cooking chamber 14, thereby heating the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 14 and enabling grilling.

[0021] As shown in Figure 3, 26 is a steam unit that serves as a steam generator located inside the main body 1, on the side of the cooking chamber 14. This steam unit 26 is connected to a steam generator 29 via a pump 27 and a water supply pipe 28 that deliver water from a water supply cassette 11 in order to supply saturated steam or superheated steam into the cooking chamber 14.

[0022] The steam generator 29 is configured such that a sheathed heater 31 is embedded in a hollow vaporization chamber 32 made of die-cast aluminum, and the water supply pipe 28 is connected to the vaporization chamber 32. Water supplied into the vaporization chamber 32 is heated by energizing the sheathed heater 31 to generate steam, which is then supplied into the cooking chamber 14 from a plurality of steam outlets 33 formed on the left side wall 14c of the cooking chamber 14. This creates a steam flow within the cooking chamber 14 as shown by the dashed line in Figure 3, heating the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 14 and enabling steam cooking.

[0023] As shown in Figure 4, 34 is a microwave generator installed below the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14, which irradiates the food being cooked from below the cooking chamber 14 with microwaves to perform microwave heating. The microwave generator 34 consists of a magnetron 35 which is the source of microwave generation, a waveguide 36 which guides the microwaves from the magnetron 35 into the cooking chamber 14, an antenna 37 which radiates microwaves from the waveguide 36 into the cooking chamber 14, an antenna motor 39 such as an AC motor which rotates the antenna 37 horizontally around an upright axis 38, and a microswitch 40 which is attached near the antenna 37.

[0024] In addition, a control means 41, which will be described later, is incorporated below the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14, and an internal temperature distribution detection means 42 is incorporated above the right side wall 14d of the cooking chamber 14. The internal temperature distribution detection means 42 is configured by equipping an infrared sensor (not shown) with a swing mechanism, and by detecting the temperature distribution inside the cooking chamber 14, it is possible to detect the temperature of the food being cooked inside.

[0025] Figure 5 shows the main electrical configuration of a microwave oven. In this figure, 41 is a control means configured by a microcomputer, and as is well known, this control means 41 includes a CPU as a means of calculation processing, memory as a means of storage, a timer as a means of timing, and input / output devices.

[0026] In addition to the aforementioned operating means 9 via the key 7 and touch panel 8, the internal temperature detection means 15, and the internal temperature distribution detection means 42, the input port of the control means 41 is electrically connected to the following: a hot air motor rotation detection means 43 for detecting the rotation of the hot air motor 24 incorporated in the hot air unit 21, a door opening / closing detection means 44 for detecting the opening / closing state of the door 3, an antenna position detection means 45 equipped with a microswitch 40 for detecting the origin position of the antenna 37 constituting the microwave generator 34, and a vaporization chamber temperature detection means 46 such as a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the vaporization chamber 32 constituting the steam unit 26.

[0027] The output port of the control means 41 is electrically connected to the following: the display means 6 using a liquid crystal display; the microwave heating means 48 including the magnetron 35 of the microwave generator 34 and its driving means; the heater driving means 49 including relays for switching the power on and off to the upper heater 19 and lower heater 20 for grill heating, the hot air heater 22 for oven heating, and the sheathed heater 31 for steam heating; the antenna driving means 50 for rotating the antenna motor 39 which is the driving source for the antenna 37; the hot air motor driving means 51 for rotating the hot air motor 24 which is the driving source for the hot air fan 23; and the pump driving means 52 for operating the pump 27 of the steam unit 26.

[0028] The control means 41 receives operation signals from the operation means 9 and detection signals from the internal temperature detection means 15, internal temperature distribution detection means 42, hot air motor rotation detection means 43, door opening / closing detection means 44, antenna position detection means 45, and vaporization chamber temperature detection means 46. Based on timing determined by the timing means, it outputs control signals for driving the microwave heating means 48, heater driving means 49, antenna driving means 50, hot air motor driving means 51, and pump driving means 52, all of which are heating means, and also outputs control signals for display to the display means 6. These functions are realized by the control means 41 reading a program recorded in the memory, which serves as a storage medium. In particular, in this embodiment, the control means 41 is equipped with a program that mainly functions as a heating control unit 61 and a display control unit 62.

[0029] The heating control unit 61 primarily controls the operation of each part related to heating the food placed in the cooking chamber 14. Upon receiving an operation signal from the operating means 9, and if it determines that the door 3 is closed based on a detection signal from the door opening / closing detection means 44, it sends control signals to the microwave heating means 48, heater driving means 49, antenna driving means 50, hot air motor driving means 51, and pump driving means 52 in accordance with the operation signal to control the heating of the food in the cooking chamber 14. In this embodiment, cooking information for all menus that can be heated in the oven range is stored in the all-menu storage unit 63, which forms part of the memory. When the operating means 9 issues an instruction to start cooking for one menu selected from the all-menu storage unit 63, the heating control unit 61 heats the food according to a predetermined procedure based on the cooking information of the selected menu.

[0030] The menus stored in the all-menu-storage unit 63 can be broadly divided into manual cooking menus and automatic cooking menus. Manual cooking menus are those selected from the all-menu-storage unit 63, where the time, power output, and temperature are set by touching the touch panel 8 before operating the start key 7A. The manual microwave menu described later falls into this category. Automatic cooking menus are those selected from the all-menu-storage unit 63, where the time, power output, and temperature are not set. The hamburger menu described later falls into this category.

[0031] The display control unit 62 primarily controls the operation related to the display of the display means 6. In particular, in this embodiment, in order to switch and display various screens on the display means 6, which is a liquid crystal display, the display means 6 includes a top screen display control unit 62A that selectively displays the top screen, such as the "heat" screen or the "cook" screen, on the display means 6 immediately after power-on, and a transition screen display control unit 62B that receives an operation signal from the operation means 9 and displays a series of transition screens on the display means 6 from the top screen displayed on it until heating and cooking can be started with the final selected menu. How these top screen display control unit 62A and transition screen display control unit 62B cause the display means 6 to display various screens will be explained in detail later.

[0032] Next, to explain the operation of the oven range with the above configuration, with the food to be cooked already placed in the cooking chamber 14, the user closes the door 3 while holding the handle 4, and then uses the operating means 9 to select one menu from the menu memory unit 63. After that, the user presses the key 7 on the operating means 9 to start cooking. In accordance with the control program stored in the memory of the control means 41, a control signal generated in accordance with the cooking information of the selected menu is output at a predetermined timing, and the food to be cooked is heated and cooked.

[0033] For example, if a menu for oven heating is selected, the heating control unit 61 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 15 and sends control signals to the heater drive means 49 and the hot air motor drive means 51, respectively, so that the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature, thereby controlling the power supply to the hot air heater 22 and the hot air motor 24. As a result, the rotational force generated in the hot air motor 24 is transmitted to the hot air fan 23, causing the hot air fan 23 to rotate in one direction inside the hot air unit 21. Its speed is taken into the heating control unit 61 by the hot air motor rotation detection means 43, and air drawn into the hot air unit 21 from the cooking chamber 14 through the intake port 16 is sent to the powered hot air heater 22. The air heated here is then supplied as hot air to the cooking chamber 14 through the hot air outlets 17 and 18, thereby heating the food being cooked in the cooking chamber 14 using hot air convection heating.

[0034] Furthermore, when a menu for steam cooking is selected, the heating control unit 61 receives a detection signal from the vaporization chamber temperature detection means 46 and sends control signals to at least the heater drive means 49 and the pump drive means 52, respectively, to control the operation of the pump 27 incorporated in the steam unit 26 and the power supply to the sheath heater 31, so that the vaporization chamber 32 reaches a predetermined temperature. This causes saturated steam or superheated steam to be ejected from the steam outlet 33 into the cooking chamber 14, steaming the food being cooked in the cooking chamber 14.

[0035] Furthermore, when a microwave cooking menu is selected, the heating control unit 61 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature distribution detection means 42 and, while confirming the origin position of the antenna 37 with a detection signal from the antenna position detection means 45, sends appropriate control signals to the microwave heating means 48 and the antenna driving means 50, respectively, so that the food to be cooked is heated to the set temperature. As a result, the magnetron 35 and antenna 37 of the microwave generator 34 operate, and microwaves generated from the surface of the rotating antenna 37 are supplied into the cooking chamber 14, and the food to be heated in the cooking chamber 14 is heated at high frequency.

[0036] Furthermore, when a menu for grilling is selected, the heating control unit 61 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 42 and controls the power supply to the upper heater 19 and lower heater 20 so that the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature, and the food to be cooked in the cooking chamber 14 is grilled from above and below.

[0037] Next, the display and operation of the control panel 5 will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 18. In the following description, "tab display section" refers to a display section where, when the touch panel 8 is tapped, detailed information about that tab display section is displayed on the display means 6, and other tab display sections continue to be displayed on the display means 6, but their detailed information is hidden; "button display section" refers to a display section where, when the touch panel 8 is tapped, the entire screen or part of the screen of the display means 6 switches to something else; "list display section" refers to a display section where, when the touch panel 8 is tapped, a list of items that can be selected in the list display section is displayed, and when the touch panel 8 is tapped on one of those items, the touched item is selected and only that item is displayed in the list display section; "picker display section" refers to a display section where, when the touch panel 8 is slid over, a list of items that can be selected in the picker display section scrolls and is displayed, and when the scrolling stops, the selected item is displayed in the center; and "key display section" refers to a display section where, each time the touch panel 8 is tapped over, the list of items displayed in the aforementioned picker display section switches one by one.

[0038] Furthermore, "text displays" are displays represented by strings of characters, numbers, and symbols; "icon displays" are displays that represent things using simple pictures as symbols; and "image displays" are displays created from photographs taken with cameras or paintings.

[0039] In this embodiment, a mechanism is incorporated into the display control unit 62 that allows various screens, including these display units and displays, to be displayed on the display means 6 in response to various user inputs to the touch panel 8. The display control unit 62 accepts tap operations and slide operations as needed as touch operations on the screen displayed on the display means 6. A "tap operation" here refers to the operation of touching the touch panel 8 on the screen with a finger and immediately releasing the finger, while a "slide operation" refers to the operation of touching the touch panel 8 on the screen with a finger and then sliding the finger away from it. Slide operations accepted by the display control unit 62 include swiping, where the finger is touched on the touch panel 8 on the screen and slid in one direction, and flicking, where the finger is touched on the touch panel 8 on the screen and then swiped away from it.

[0040] Figure 6 shows the first top screen G1, which is the initial screen displayed on the display means 6 immediately after power-on. When the user plugs the power plug (not shown) that has been pre-installed on the main unit 1 into a household outlet and opens the closed door 3, the necessary power (electricity) is supplied to each part, such as the display means 6 and the control means 41. At this time, the top screen display control unit 62A defaults to displaying the first top screen G1 as shown in Figure 6 on the display means 6. The "default display" here refers to the display that first appears on the display means 6, which is pre-configured by the top screen display control unit 62A, immediately after power is supplied to the display means 6 and before any operation is performed on the operation means 9.

[0041] The first top screen G1 is a so-called tab-style screen, and at its top, a tab display area A1 is formed, which displays tab display section B1 containing the text display element D1 that says "Warm Up", tab display section B2 containing the text display element D2 that says "Cook", and tab display section B3 containing icon display element D3 that evokes various settings of the microwave oven, arranged side by side. Furthermore, below the tab display area A1, the first menu display area M1 is initially displayed by default, showing the manual range menu selected from among multiple heating function menus stored in the all-menu storage unit 63 as the most frequently used menu, with the output set to 600W, which is the most frequently used output among multiple configurable outputs of the microwave heating means 48 included in the cooking information of that menu. The second menu display area M2 is also formed above and below, and displays by default several menus, including microwave heating menus that are expected to be frequently used after the manual range menu, selected from among multiple menus stored in the all-menu storage unit 63, allowing these menus to be selected.

[0042] The first menu display area M1 has an output setting display area that allows setting the output of microwave heating and a time setting display area that allows setting the time of microwave heating, arranged vertically. The output setting time area is composed of a list display section B4 which includes a text display element D4 that shows the set output of microwave heating and an icon display element D5 that suggests displaying a list of output levels that can be set in the text display element D4. As shown in Figure 6, when the first top screen G1 is displayed by default on the display means 6, the text display element D4 that reads "Microwave 600W" is displayed in the list display section B4 to indicate that the microwave heating output is initially set to 600W.

[0043] Furthermore, the time setting display area of ​​the first menu display area M1 has a drum-roll-shaped display unit that rotates to display the set time for microwave heating, including a picker display unit B6 that includes a text display unit D6 that shows the set 10-minute digit, a picker display unit B7 that includes a text display unit D7 that shows the set 1-minute digit, a text display unit D8 that says "minutes" to remind that the numbers displayed in text display units D6 and D7 are minutes, a picker display unit B9 that includes a text display unit D9 that shows the set 10-second digit, and a text display unit D9 that says "seconds" to remind that the numbers displayed in text display unit D9 are seconds. The display units D10 are arranged in order from left to right, and in the default display state of the first top screen G1 shown in Figure 6, an upper key display unit B11 is positioned above the picker display unit B6, which includes an icon display unit D11 that evokes the increase of the tenth digit displayed on the text display unit D6; an upper key display unit B12 is positioned above the picker display unit B7, which includes an icon display unit D12 that evokes the increase of the one-minute digit displayed on the text display unit D7; and an upper key display unit B13 is positioned above the picker display unit B9, which includes an icon display unit D13 that evokes the increase of the tenth digit displayed on the text display unit D9. In addition, although not shown in Figure 6, depending on the numbers displayed in text displays D6, D7, and D9, as shown in Figures 8 to 17, one or all of the upper key display units B11 to B13 described above may be hidden, or in the time setting display area of ​​the first menu display area M1, a lower key display unit B14 containing an icon display unit D14 that suggests a decrease in the tens-minute digit displayed in text display unit D6 may be displayed below the picker display unit B6, a lower key display unit B15 containing an icon display unit D15 that suggests a decrease in the one-minute digit displayed in text display unit D7 may be displayed below the picker display unit B7, and a lower key display unit B16 containing an icon display unit D16 that suggests a decrease in the tens-second digit displayed in text display unit D9 may be displayed below the picker display unit B9.

[0044] Meanwhile, in the second menu display area M2, the following are displayed side by side, arranged vertically and horizontally: button display area B21 including a text display unit D21 that says "rice" and an icon display unit D22 that suggests an automatic rice cooking menu; button display area B23 including a text display unit D23 that says "side dishes" and an icon display unit D24 that suggests an automatic side dish cooking menu; button display area B25 including a text display unit D25 that says "bread and others" and an icon display unit D26 that suggests an automatic bread cooking menu; button display area B27 including a text display unit D27 that says "drinks" and an icon display unit D28 that suggests an automatic drink cooking menu; button display area B29 including a text display unit D29 that says "boiled vegetables" and an icon display unit D30 that suggests an automatic boiled vegetable cooking menu; and button display area B31 including a text display unit D31 that says "defrost" and an icon display unit D32 that suggests an automatic defrost cooking menu.

[0045] Figure 7 shows the second top screen G2, which can be easily switched to from the aforementioned first top screen G1 by sliding it left or right. This second top screen G2 is displayed on the display means 6 when the first top screen G1 is displayed on the display means 6, by sliding the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the first menu display area M1 or the second menu display area M2 to the left, or by tapping the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the tab display area B2 that displays "Cook" in the tab display area A1.

[0046] The second top screen G2 is a tab-format screen that shares the same display as the first top screen G1 and the tab display area A1. Below the tab display area A1, a third menu display area M3 is formed, which displays the detailed information contained in the tab display section B2 selected within the tab display area A1. This area allows the user to select manual cooking menus that are expected to be used relatively frequently, other than the manual range menus displayed in the first menu display area M1 of the first top screen G1 and other automatic cooking menus displayed in the second menu display area M2. A fourth menu display area M4 is also formed, which allows the user to select automatic cooking menus that are expected to be used relatively frequently. These are arranged vertically.

[0047] In the third menu display area M3, a text indicator D40 that reads "Manual Cooking" is displayed in the upper left corner to indicate that this area relates to manual cooking menus. In addition, a button display area B41 containing a text indicator D41 that reads "Oven" and an icon display area D42 that suggests manual cooking menus using oven heating, a button display area B43 containing a text indicator D43 that reads "Grill" and an icon display area D44 that suggests manual cooking menus using grill heating, a button display area B45 containing a text indicator D45 that reads "Steam" and an icon display area D46 that suggests manual cooking menus using steam heating, and a button display area B47 containing a text indicator D47 that reads "Other" and an icon display area D48 that suggests other main manual cooking menus are displayed, arranged vertically and horizontally.

[0048] In the fourth menu display area M4, a text display unit D50 that says "Automatic Cooking" is displayed in the upper left corner to indicate that this area relates to automatic cooking menus. In addition, a button display unit B51 that includes a text display unit D51 that says "Stone Oven Automatic Baking" and an icon display unit D52 that suggests an automatic cooking menu using oven heating, a button display unit B53 that includes a text display unit D53 that says "Recommended" and an icon display unit D54 that suggests calling up a recommended automatic cooking menu, a button display unit B55 that includes a text display unit D55 that says "Favorites" and an icon display unit D56 that suggests calling up a favorite automatic cooking menu, and a button display unit B57 that includes a text display unit D57 that says "Recipe Collection Search" and an icon display unit D58 that suggests searching for an automatic cooking menu are displayed, each arranged vertically and horizontally.

[0049] To switch the second top screen G2 displayed on the display means 6 to the first top screen G1, you can either slide the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the third menu display area M3 or the fourth menu display area M4 to the right, or tap the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the tab display area B1 that displays "Warm Up" in the tab display area A1.

[0050] As shown in Figure 6, immediately after power is turned on to the display means 6, the top screen display control unit 62A causes the display means 6 to display the first top screen G1 with the "Warm Up" tab display unit B1, which is located in the leftmost position in the tab display area A1, selected. In this first top screen G1 with "Warm Up" selected, the "Warm Up" tab display unit B1 is displayed in a brighter color than the unselected "Cook" tab display unit B2. Furthermore, a first menu display area M1 is displayed by default, indicating that the manual microwave menu has already been selected from all the menus stored in the all-menu storage unit 63, and its output is set to 600W, which is the most frequently used manual microwave menu, with only the user needing to set the time. A second menu display area M2 is displayed by default, indicating that the user can select from multiple automatic cooking menus, mainly using the microwave heating means 48 to heat the food, from all the menus stored in the all-menu storage unit 63, as the heating function that is expected to be used by the user next most frequently after the manual microwave menu.

[0051] If the user then uses the manual range menu displayed in the first menu display area M1 to heat the food placed in the cooking chamber 14, they can change the microwave heating output to something other than the initially set 600W as needed, and then set the microwave heating time. After that, they can simply operate the start key 7A to heat the food using the microwave heating means 48 at the set output and time.

[0052] Specifically, to change the microwave heating output from the default "600W microwave" displayed on the list display unit B4, the user taps the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the icon display unit D5 displayed on the right edge of the list display unit B4. In response, the top screen display control unit 62A expands the display area of ​​the list display unit B4 displayed on the display means 6 (not shown) and displays a list of outputs that can be selected in the manual microwave menu, such as "1000W", "600W", "500W", "200W", and "100W". When the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with one of these outputs is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A sets the output corresponding to the touched part as the new output in the manual microwave menu, returns the display area of ​​the list display unit B4 to its original size, and displays only the newly set output.

[0053] Next, we will explain how to set the microwave heating time. Figure 8 shows the menu for manual microwave operation displayed in the first menu display area M1 of the first top screen G1, and illustrates the main display units related to setting the microwave heating time. In this embodiment, the top screen display control unit 62A of the display control unit 62 is pre-built with a UI that allows numerical settings such as the microwave heating time to be made on the first top screen G1 displayed on the display means 6 using both slide and tap operations on the touch panel 8.

[0054] To increase the microwave heating time setting value displayed in picker display sections B6, B7, and B9, either slide the part of touch panel 8 that overlaps the picker display section B6, B7, or B9 displaying the value you want to increase upwards, or tap the part of touch panel 8 that overlaps the corresponding upper key display section B11, B12, or B13 above the picker display section B6, B7, or B9 displaying the value you want to increase. Conversely, to decrease the microwave heating time setting value, either slide the part of touch panel 8 that overlaps the picker display section B6, B7, or B9 displaying the value you want to decrease downwards, or tap the part of touch panel 8 that overlaps the corresponding lower key display section B14, B15, or B16 below the picker display section B6, B7, or B9 displaying the value you want to decrease. In both cases, when a slide operation is performed, the numerical items displayed in picker display sections B6, B7, and B9 will rotate and move one or more times in succession, increasing or decreasing according to the amount of the operation. When a tap operation is performed, with a single tap, the numerical items displayed in picker display sections B6, B7, and B9 will rotate and move one by one, increasing or decreasing.

[0055] This allows users to freely choose between sliding and tapping operations when setting numerical values ​​related to the control of the microwave oven, such as microwave heating time. Furthermore, this can be applied not only to setting numerical values ​​such as time and temperature, but also to settings from multiple items. For example, a screen related to a single menu could have a first button display section showing "Next" to move to the next screen and a second button display section showing "Back" to move to the previous screen. Each screen could then be treated as multiple items, and the display control unit could accept tapping or sliding operations by tapping the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the button display section, or by sliding the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the displayed screen, and change the displayed screen accordingly.

[0056] As shown in Figure 1, the handle 4, which extends horizontally along the top of the door 3, is positioned so as not to be above the display screen of the display means 6. In other words, the handle 4 for opening and closing the door 3 is not formed on the upper vertical (up and down) side of the display means 6, and no convex part is provided on the upper vertical side of the display means 6 that protrudes above the flat surface of the display means 6. This ensures good visibility when the user views the oven from diagonally above, without the handle 4 getting in the way, and has the advantage that fingers or pen-like objects will not hit the handle 4 when the user slides their fingers or pen-like objects from bottom to top on the surface of the display means 6.

[0057] Furthermore, the convex handle 4 is not formed not only on the vertical upper side of the display means 6, but also in the horizontal (left-right) direction of the display means 6. This prevents fingers or pen-like objects from hitting the handle 4 when the user slides them left or right on the surface of the display means 6.

[0058] Figure 8 shows the first to fourth virtual lines L1 to L4 along each side of the display means 6, which has a rectangular outline when viewed from the front. Preferably, the extensions of the upper and lower first and second virtual lines L1 and L2, and the extensions of the left and right third and fourth virtual lines L3 and L4, are not used to position the convex handles 4 between each extension line. This prevents fingers or pen-like objects from hitting the handles 4 when the user slides them in any direction (up, down, left, or right) on the surface of the display means 6. Furthermore, it is preferable that there are no convex parts that protrude beyond the display means 6 between each extension line.

[0059] Figure 9 schematically shows the display operation of the 10-minute picker display unit B6 and the 1-minute picker display unit B7, both of which rotate in a drum-roll fashion. In this embodiment, the cooking information for the manual range menu stored in the all-menu storage unit 63 includes the relationship between the range heating output and the maximum time. For example, if the range heating output is set to 600W, the top screen display control unit 62A controls the display of the picker display units B6 and B7 on the first top screen G1 based on the relationship between the output and time stored in the all-menu storage unit 63, so that the maximum time for range heating is not set to more than 20 minutes.

[0060] Specifically, if the number displayed as text display D7 in the minute-digit picker display B7 is "0", then the number displayed as text display D6 in the tens-digit picker display B6 will only display "0", "1", or "2", regardless of how the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the picker display B6 is slid, or how the parts of the touch panel 8 located above or below the picker display B6 that overlap the upper key display B11 or lower key display B14 are tapped, and no other numbers will be displayed.

[0061] Furthermore, if the number displayed in the minute-digit picker display section B7 is anything other than "0" and is between "1" and "9", the number displayed in the tens-minute picker display section B6 will only show "0" or "1", regardless of how the part of the touch panel 8 overlapping the picker display section B6 is slid, or how the part of the touch panel 8 overlapping the upper key display section B11 or the lower key display section B14 is tapped, and other numbers will not be displayed.

[0062] Furthermore, if the number displayed in the tens-minute picker display section B6 is "2", the number displayed in the one-minute picker display section B7 will remain "0" and will not change regardless of how the touch panel 8 overlapping the picker display section B7 is slid, or how the touch panel 8 located above or below the picker display section B7 and overlapping the upper key display section B12 or the lower key display section B15 is tapped.

[0063] Furthermore, if the number displayed in the tens-minute picker display section B6 is anything other than "2", such as "1" or "0", the number displayed in the minutes-minute picker display section B7 will change to any number from "0" to "9" when the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the picker display section B7 is slid, or when the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display section B12 or the lower key display section B15 is tapped.

[0064] Thus, in this embodiment, when a user sets numerical values ​​such as temperature and time related to the control of the oven range from the first top screen G1 displayed on the display means 6, the top screen display control unit 62A receives operation input from the touch panel 8 and, when the set value reaches the upper limit of the settable value (for example, 20 minutes), it does not accept the setting of a higher value, and when the set value reaches the lower limit of the settable value (for example, 0 minutes), it does not accept the setting of a lower value, so that the numerical values ​​displayed on the picker display units B6 and B7 loop between the upper and lower limits.

[0065] Therefore, when a user sets various values ​​by operating the touch panel 8, for example, if the microwave heating output is set to 600W, the configurable time displayed on the picker display units B6 and B7 will automatically be between 0 and 20 minutes, and if the microwave heating output is set to 200W, the configurable time displayed on the picker display units B6 and B7 will automatically be between 0 and 90 minutes. By appropriately changing the range of configurable values ​​displayed on the display means 6 in accordance with different microwave heating outputs, the top screen display control unit 62A can eliminate unnecessary operations for the user.

[0066] Figure 10 shows the manual range menu displayed on the first top screen G1, illustrating all the display units shown while setting the microwave heating time. When a user sets the microwave heating time from the first "00" minutes "00" seconds displayed in the picker display units B6, B7, B9 to a different time by operating the touch panel 8 from the first top screen G1, which is displayed by default on the display means 6 shown in Figure 6, the top screen display control unit 62A expands the display of the first menu display area M1 on the first top screen G1 to the second display menu display area M2, and prevents the display of the second display menu display area M2, as shown in Figure 10. At this time, the first menu display area M1 is further displayed with a button display section B61 including a text display section D61 that says "Clear," and a text display section D62 that says "No accessories, can start," indicating that heating can begin without any accessories such as plates. When the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the button display section B61 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A resets the microwave heating time to the initial "00" minutes "00" seconds and displays the initial screen, the first top screen G1, as shown in Figure 6, on the display means 6 again.

[0067] Figures 11 to 17 show, in tables, how the top screen display control unit 62A displays the first top screen G1 on the display means 6 when the microwave heating time is set to a different time from the initial "00" minutes "00" seconds, and also the state of the key display units B11, B12, B13, B14, B15, B16 and the button display unit B61, respectively.

[0068] As shown in Figure 11, when the top screen display control unit 62A defaults to displaying the first top screen G1 on the display means 6, the microwave heating time displayed in the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 is set to the initial "00" minutes and "00" seconds. In this display state of the first top screen G1, i.e., the "0 display" state, the upper key display unit B13, which includes an icon display unit D13 for increasing the tens-second digit ("+10 seconds" in the figure), the upper key display unit B12, which includes an icon display unit D12 for increasing the one-minute digit ("+1 minute" in the figure), and the upper key display unit B11, which includes an icon display unit D11 for increasing the tens-minute digit ("+10 minutes" in the figure), are all lit up and displayed, while the tens-second digit is decreased ( The lower key display section B16, which includes the icon display element D16 for displaying "-10 seconds" (as shown in the diagram), the lower key display section B15, which includes the icon display element D15 for decreasing the minute digit (as shown in the diagram for "-1 minute"), the lower key display section B14, which includes the icon display element D14 for decreasing the tens digit (as shown in the diagram for "-10 minutes"), and the button display section B61, which includes the text display element D61 for returning the screen displayed on the display means 6 to "0 display" (as shown in the diagram for "clear"), are all turned off and become invisible.

[0069] When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B13 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and increases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the increased 10-second digit number on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B12 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 1 minute, displaying the increased 1-minute digit number on the text display unit D7 corresponding to the picker display unit B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 10 minutes, displaying the increased 10-minute digit number on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display unit B6.

[0070] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the touch panel 8 for the lower key display units B16, B15, B14 and button display unit B61, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the time displayed in the 10-minute digit on the picker display unit B6 will not rotate so that it is less than "0" minutes, the time displayed in the 1-minute digit on the picker display unit B7 will not rotate so that it is less than "0" minutes, and the time displayed in the 10-second digit on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it is less than "00" seconds.

[0071] Figure 12 shows the state of the first top screen G1 that the top screen display control unit 62A displays on the display means 6 when, starting from the "0 display" state shown in Figure 11, the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display unit B13 is tapped once to set the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "00" minutes and "10" seconds, i.e., the "10-second display" state in which the 10-second digit is set as the minimum time. In this "10-second display" state, the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display unit D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display unit D16 for "-10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display unit D12 for "+1 minute", the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display unit D11 for "+10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display unit D61 for "clear", are all lit up and displayed, while the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display unit D15 for "-1 minute", and the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display unit D14 for "-10 minutes", are both turned off and not displayed.

[0072] When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B13 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and increases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the increased 10-second digit number on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B16 is tapped, the input is accepted and decreases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the decreased 10-second digit number on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated upper key display section B12 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is increased by one minute at a time, and the increased minute-digit number is displayed on the text display section D7 corresponding to the picker display section B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated upper key display section B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is increased by ten minutes at a time, and the increased ten-minute number is displayed on the text display section D6 corresponding to the picker display section B6. Also, when a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated button display section B61 is tapped, the input is accepted and the display on the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0073] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the corresponding touch panel 8 for the lower key display units B15 and B14, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the rotation will not result in the tens-minute and one-minute digits of the picker display units B6 and B7 being less than "00" minutes.

[0074] Figure 13 shows the state of the first top screen G1 that the top screen display control unit 62A displays on the display means 6 when, starting from the "0 display" state shown in Figure 11, the touch panel 8 overlapping the upper key display unit B13 is tapped five times to set the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "00" minutes and "50" seconds, i.e., the "50-second display" state with the 10-second digit set to the maximum time. In this "50-second display" state, the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display unit D16 for "-10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display unit D12 for "+1 minute", the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display unit D11 for "+10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display unit D61 for "clear", are all lit up and displayed, while the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display unit D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display unit D15 for "-1 minute", and the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display unit D14 for "-10 minutes", are all turned off and not displayed.

[0075] When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated upper key display unit B16 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and decreases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the 10-second digit of the decreased time on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated upper key display unit B12 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 1 minute, displaying the 1-minute digit of the increased time on the text display unit D7 corresponding to the picker display unit B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated upper key display unit B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 10 minutes, displaying the 10-minute digit of the increased time on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display unit B6. Furthermore, when a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated button display unit B61 is tapped, the input is accepted and the display of the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0076] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the touch panel 8 for the upper key display unit B13 and the lower key display units B15 and B14, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can understand that the 10-second digit displayed on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it is greater than "50" seconds, and the 10-minute and 1-minute digits displayed on the picker display units B6 and B7 will not rotate so that they are less than "00" minutes.

[0077] Figure 14 shows the state of the first top screen G1 that the top screen display control unit 62A displays on the display means 6 when, starting from the "0 display" state shown in Figure 11, the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display unit B12 is tapped once to set the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "01" minutes and "00" seconds, i.e., the "1 minute display" state in which the minute digit is set as the minimum time. In this "1 minute display" state, the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display unit D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display unit D12 for "+1 minute", the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display unit D15 for "-1 minute", the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display unit D11 for "+10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display unit D61 for "clear", are all lit up and displayed, while the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display unit D16 for "-10 seconds", and the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display unit D14 for "-10 minutes", are both turned off and not displayed.

[0078] When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B13 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and increases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the increased 10-second digit number on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B12 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 1 minute, displaying the increased 1-minute digit number on the text display unit B7 corresponding to the picker display unit B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated upper key display section B15 on body D7 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is decreased by one minute at a time, and the number of minutes that has been decreased is displayed on the text display body D7 corresponding to the picker display section B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated upper key display section B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is increased by ten minutes at a time, and the number of minutes that has been increased is displayed on the text display body D6 corresponding to the picker display section B6. Also, when a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated button display section B61 is tapped, the input is accepted and the display on the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0079] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the touch panel 8 for the lower key display units B16 and B14 that have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the time displayed in the 10-minute digit on the picker display unit B6 will not rotate so that it becomes less than "0" (1 minute), and the time displayed in the 10-second digit on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it becomes less than "00" (seconds).

[0080] Figure 15 shows the state of the first top screen G1 displayed on the display means 6 by the top screen display control unit 62A, i.e., the "9 minute display" state, where the minute digit is set to the maximum time. This is achieved by tapping the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display unit B12 nine times, starting from the "0 display" state shown in Figure 11, and setting the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "09" minutes and "00" seconds. Note that the maximum time for microwave heating increases or decreases depending on the microwave heating output setting. This is because the higher the microwave heating output is set, the faster the temperature rise of the magnetron 35 and other heat-generating components of the microwave generator 34, and the shorter the time until the temperature limit is reached. For example, if the microwave heating output is set to 600W, the maximum time is 9 minutes, but if the microwave heating is set to 1000W, the maximum time is shortened to 5 minutes, and conversely, if the microwave heating is set to 200W or 100W, the maximum time is lengthened to 90 minutes. Furthermore, if you select an automatic cooking menu that uses microwave heating, the output power and the corresponding cooking time will be automatically set according to the selected menu.

[0081] In this "9-minute display" state, the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display unit D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display unit D15 for "-1 minute", the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display unit D11 for "+10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display unit D61 for "clear", are all lit up and displayed, while the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display unit D16 for "-10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display unit D12 for "+1 minute", and the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display unit D14 for "-10 minutes", are all turned off and not displayed.

[0082] When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated upper key display unit B13 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and increases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the increased 10-second digit on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated lower key display unit B15 is tapped, the input is accepted and decreases the time by 1 minute, displaying the decreased 1-minute digit on the text display unit D7 corresponding to the picker display unit B7. When a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated upper key display unit B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 10 minutes, displaying the increased 10-minute digit on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display unit B6. Furthermore, when a portion of the touch panel 8 overlapping the illuminated button display unit B61 is tapped, the input is accepted and the display of the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0083] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the touch panel 8 for the upper key display unit B12 and lower key display units B16 and B14, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the time displayed in the 10-minute digit on the picker display unit B6 will not rotate so that it is less than "0" (9 minutes), the time displayed in the 1-minute digit on the picker display unit B7 will not rotate so that it is more than "9" (minutes), and the time displayed in the 10-second digit on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it is less than "00" (seconds).

[0084] Figure 16 shows the state of the first top screen G1 that the top screen display control unit 62A displays on the display means 6 when, starting from the "0 display" state shown in Figure 11, the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display unit B11 is tapped once to set the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "10" minutes and "00" seconds, i.e., the "10-minute display" state in which the 10-minute digit is set as the minimum time. In this "9-minute display" state, the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display unit D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display unit D12 for "+1 minute", the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display unit D11 for "+10 minutes", the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display unit D14 for "-10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display unit D61 for "clear", are all lit up and displayed, while the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display unit D16 for "-10 seconds", and the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display unit D15 for "-1 minute", are both turned off and not displayed.

[0085] When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B13 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the input and increases the time by 10 seconds, displaying the increased 10-second digit number on the text display unit D9 corresponding to the picker display unit B9. When the portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display unit B12 is tapped, the input is accepted and increases the time by 1 minute, displaying the increased 1-minute digit number on the text display unit B7 corresponding to the picker display unit B7. When the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated upper key display section B11 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is increased by 10 minutes, and the increased 10-minute digit is displayed on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display section B6. When the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated lower key display section B14 is tapped, the input is accepted and the time is decreased by 10 minutes, and the decreased 10-minute digit is displayed on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display section B6. Also, when the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the illuminated button display section B61 is tapped, the input is accepted and the display on the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0086] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the corresponding touch panel 8 for the lower key display units B15 and B14, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the minute digit displayed on the picker display unit B7 will not rotate so that it becomes less than "0" minutes, and the tens-second digit displayed on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it becomes less than "00" seconds.

[0087] Figure 17 shows the state of the first top screen G1 that the top screen display control unit 62A displays on the display means 6, i.e., the "90-minute display" state, where the 10-minute digit is set to the maximum time. This is achieved by changing the output from 600W to 200W using the list display unit B4 so that the microwave heating time is set to a maximum of 90 minutes, and then tapping the part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps the upper key display unit B11 nine times to set the microwave heating time displayed on the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to "90" minutes and "00" seconds. In this "90-minute display" state, the upper key display section B14, which includes the icon display element D14 for "-10 minutes", and the button display section B61, which includes the text display element D61 for "clear", are illuminated and displayed, while the upper key display section B13, which includes the icon display element D13 for "+10 seconds", the upper key display section B16, which includes the icon display element D16 for "-10 seconds", the upper key display section B12, which includes the icon display element D12 for "+1 minute", the upper key display section B15, which includes the icon display element D15 for "-1 minute", and the upper key display section B11, which includes the icon display element D11 for "+10 minutes", are all turned off and not displayed.

[0088] When a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated lower key display unit B14 is tapped, the top screen display control unit 62A accepts the operation input and decreases the time by 10 minutes at a time, displaying the 10-minute digit of the decreased time on the text display unit D6 corresponding to the picker display unit B6. Also, when a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with the illuminated button display unit B61 is tapped, the operation input is accepted and the display of the first top screen G1 is returned to "0 display".

[0089] On the other hand, the top screen display control unit 62A does not accept operation input from the touch panel 8 for the upper key display units B13, B12, B11 and the lower key display units B16, B15, which have been turned off. Therefore, the user can be made to understand that the time displayed in the tens-minute digit on the picker display unit B6 will not rotate so that it is greater than "9" (0 minutes), the time displayed in the one-minute digit on the picker display unit B7 will not rotate so that it is greater than or less than "0" (0 minutes), and the time displayed in the tens-second digit on the picker display unit B9 will not rotate so that it is greater than or less than "00" (0 seconds).

[0090] In the examples shown in Figures 11 to 17, if any digit displayed in picker display units B6, B7, or B9 reaches the upper or lower limit, the upper key display units B11 to B13 and lower key display units B14 to B16, which correspond to that digit, are completely hidden from display on the display means 6. However, the same effect can be obtained by keeping these keys displayed on the display means 6 and changing their color (including hue) from what it was before.

[0091] Next, referring to the first top screen G1 shown in Figure 6 and the second top screen G2 shown in Figure 7, we will explain again how these operation screens categorize (classify) the heating functions.

[0092] First, on the first top screen G1, where "Reheat" is selected as shown in Figure 6, a first menu display area M1 for manual range menus and a second menu display area M2 for automatic reheat menus are separately arranged. Here, the manual range menu, which is expected to be used most frequently by the user, is already selected and displayed in the first menu display area M1 with the range heating output set to 600W. Therefore, unless the output setting of 600W is changed, the user can start heating the food in the cooking chamber 14 by simply operating the touch panel 8 to set the range heating time displayed in the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 to something other than "00" hours and "00" minutes, and then pressing the start key 7A. The heating control unit 61 receives the operation signal from this start key 7A and controls the operation of the microwave heating means 48 so that the food is microwave-heated at the set output and time.

[0093] Furthermore, while conventionally the top screen displayed on the display means 6 could be switched between a screen for categories related to "manual" cooking menus and a screen for categories related to "automatic" cooking menus, in this embodiment, the configuration is divided into a first top screen G1 (Figure 6) for the "heating" category, which is assumed to be used frequently, and a second top screen G2 (Figure 7) for the "cooking" category, which is assumed to be used less frequently. This has been changed so that for everyday use, only the first top screen G1, which is displayed by default on the display means 6, is needed. As a result, users can immediately select the frequently used heating function from the first top screen G1, which is the initial screen.

[0094] The first top screen G1 and the second top screen G2 can be easily switched between by sliding left or right on the touch panel 8, and then scrolled on the display means 6. The direction of this sliding operation is different from the direction of the up and down sliding operation of the picker display units B6, B7, and B9 when setting the microwave heating time, and is perpendicular to each other, so the two operations do not interfere with one another.

[0095] Furthermore, the second top screen G2 shown in Figure 7 consolidates the heating functions in the "Cooking" category, allowing users to reliably select a single heating function according to their cooking purpose. Specifically, the second top screen G2 displayed on the display means 6 is divided into two sections: a third menu display area M3 that summarizes the main manual cooking menus where time, power, and temperature can be precisely numerically set, and a fourth menu display area M4 that summarizes the main automatic cooking menus that do not require setting time, power, or temperature and can be selected according to the cooking image. This allows users to select their desired menu from the third menu display area M3, where manual and automatic cooking menus are clearly arranged.

[0096] In the first top screen G1 shown in Figure 6, when "Warm" is selected, if a part of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with any of the button display units B21, B23, B25, B27, B29, or B31 in the second menu display area M2 is tapped, the transition screen display control unit 62B will display a heating function selection screen corresponding to the touched button display unit B21, B23, B25, B27, B29, or B31 on the display means 6 instead of the first top screen G1.

[0097] Similarly, on the second top screen G2, where "Cook" is selected as shown in Figure 7, when a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with any of the button display units B41, B43, B45, or B47 in the third menu display area M3 is tapped, the transition screen display control unit 62B displays the heating function selection screen for the manual cooking menu corresponding to the touched button display unit B41, B43, B45, or B47 on the display means 6 instead of the second top screen G2. Also, when a portion of the touch panel 8 that overlaps with any of the button display units B51, B53, B55, or B57 in the fourth menu display area M4 is tapped, the transition screen display control unit 62B displays the heating function selection screen for the automatic cooking menu corresponding to the touched button display unit B51, B53, B55, or B57 on the display means 6 instead of the second top screen G2.

[0098] Furthermore, the top screen control unit 62A may be configured so that, within the first top screen G1 which is displayed by default on the display means 6, the user can select a heating function other than the microwave heating menu by operating the operating means 9. This allows the user to, for example, select the oven heating menu instead of the microwave heating menu using the operating means 9, and the oven heating menu will already be selected, with the oven heating temperature set to 250°C. The user can then start cooking simply by setting the heating time. This allows the user to change the heating function displayed by default in the first menu display area M1 of the display means 6 from among multiple heating functions according to their preference.

[0099] Figure 18 shows how, when the hamburger cooking menu is selected as one of the automatic cooking menus from the total cooking menu storage unit 63, the transition screen display control unit 62B displays recipe information corresponding to how to make hamburgers on the display means 6 as the aforementioned heating function selection screen. In the figure, the area enclosed by the frame is one screen that can be displayed on the display means 6.

[0100] The transition screen display control unit 62B accepts slide operations (swipes or flicks) from the touch panel 8 if the information such as recipes and usage instructions to be displayed on the display means 6 does not fit on a single screen of the display means 6. When the user performs such a slide operation on the touch panel 8 with their finger or a pen-like object, the information to be displayed on the display means 6 is scrolled in the direction of the slide.

[0101] Specifically, as shown in Figure 18, when the transition screen display control unit 62B determines that the recipe information R1 extracted from the cooking information of the hamburger menu in the all-menu storage unit 63 does not fit on one screen of the display unit 6, it accepts a slide operation from the touch panel 8. Initially, only a portion of the hamburger recipe information R1 is displayed on the display unit 6. However, when the user touches the touch panel 8 with their finger F and then swipes downwards, the transition screen display control unit 62B, sensing this, scrolls the recipe information R displayed on the display unit 6 downwards, as indicated by the arrow, in accordance with the movement of the finger F. This allows the user to view the entire recipe information R on the display unit 6.

[0102] Furthermore, if the downward swipe operation reaches the end of the recipe information R displayed on the display means 6, the user can then perform an upward swipe operation, which the transition screen display control unit 62B will accept, allowing the recipe information R to scroll upwards. This allows the user to review the entire recipe information R on the display means 6 at any time. Thus, in this embodiment, the user can use a familiar UI from a smartphone or other device directly on the oven's touch panel 8, and various pieces of information that do not fit on a single screen of the display means 6 can be thoroughly reviewed using swipe operations and the accompanying scrolling display.

[0103] As described above, in this embodiment, the heating cooker comprises a display means 6, a touch panel 8 provided at a position overlapping the display screen of the display means 6 as a touch operation unit that receives touch operations from the user, a UI that displays a screen including the display unit and display body on the display means 6 in response to user input to the touch panel 8, and a display control means 62 that receives a slide operation as a touch operation on the screen displayed on the display means 6, where the user touches the touch panel 8 on the screen of the display means 6 and slides from there.

[0104] In this case, the user can view the entire information on the display means 6, and the cooking appliance can be provided that allows the user to use a familiar UI from a smartphone or other device by operating the touch panel 8.

[0105] In this embodiment, when the display control means 62 displays a screen for displaying information on the display means 6, if it determines that the information does not fit on one screen of the display means 6, it accepts a slide operation from the touch panel 8 and scrolls the information to be displayed on the display means 6 in the direction slid by the slide operation.

[0106] In this case, various pieces of information that do not fit on a single screen of the display means 6 can be thoroughly examined using swipe gestures and the accompanying scrolling.

[0107] In this embodiment, the display control means 62 incorporates a UI that allows settings to be made on the screen displayed on the display means 6 using both sliding and tapping operations.

[0108] In this case, when setting numerical values ​​related to the control of a cooking appliance, such as microwave heating time, users can freely choose whichever operation is easier for them: sliding or tapping.

[0109] In this embodiment, when a user sets a numerical value indicating at least one of the temperature or time related to the control of the cooking appliance from the screen displayed on the display means 6, the display control means 62 is configured to receive operation input from the touch panel 8 and, when the set numerical value reaches the upper limit of the settable value, it will not accept the setting of a higher numerical value, and when the set numerical value reaches the lower limit of the settable value, it will not accept the setting of a lower numerical value, so that the displayed numerical value loops between the upper and lower limits.

[0110] In this case, unnecessary operations for the user can be eliminated by appropriately changing the range of configurable numerical values ​​displayed on the display means 6.

[0111] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the numerical value displayed on the display means 6 reaches the upper limit or the lower limit, the display control means 62 is configured to either completely hide the key display unit, which is a key that will be displayed so that the numerical value changes one by one each time the touch panel 8 is tapped, from the display means 6, or to keep the key display unit displayed on the display means 6 but change the color of the key display unit to a different color than before.

[0112] In this case, the user can visually understand that the numerical value displayed on the display means 6 has reached either the upper or lower limit.

[0113] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the handle 4 extending horizontally above the openable and closable door 3 provided on the front of the main body 1 is not formed on the vertically upper side of the display means 6, and the configuration is such that there is no convex portion protruding from the flat surface of the display means 6 on the vertically upper side of the display means 6.

[0114] In this case, when the user views the cooking appliance from diagonally above, the handle 4 does not obstruct the view, ensuring good visibility. In particular, when the user performs a sliding operation from bottom to top on the surface of the display means 6, their fingers or a pen-like object will not come into contact with the handle 4.

[0115] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display means 6 is configured so that no convex handle 4 is formed on its horizontal side.

[0116] In this case, when the user performs a left-right sliding operation on the surface of the display means 6, their fingers or a pen-like object will not come into contact with the handle 4.

[0117] In this embodiment, the four first to fourth virtual lines L1 to L4 along each side of the display means 6, which has a rectangular outer shape when viewed from the front, are configured such that no convex portions are placed between the extensions of the first and second virtual lines L1 and L2, which are the upper and lower virtual lines, and between the extensions of the third and fourth virtual lines L3 and L4, which are the left and right virtual lines.

[0118] In this case, no matter which direction the user slides their finger or pen-like object on the surface of the display means 6 (up, down, left, or right), it is possible to prevent the object from hitting any part that protrudes beyond the display means 6. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0119] 6 Display means 8 Touch panel 62 Display Control Unit (Display Control Means) B6 10th digit picker display area (area where the number is displayed) , fractional numbers ) B7 Minute digit picker display area (area where the number is displayed) , fractional numbers ) B9 10-second digit picker display area (area where the number is displayed) , the number of seconds ) B11, B12, B13 Upper key display section (key display section) B14, B15, B16 Lower key display area (key display area) G1 First Top Screen (A display screen showing a numerical value indicating the heating time at the set heating output of the cooking appliance) M1 First menu display area (first display area) M2 Second menu display area (second display area)

Claims

1. Display means and A touch panel is provided in a position overlapping the display screen of the aforementioned display means, and which accepts user operations. The system includes a display control means that controls the display of the display means based on operations performed on the touch panel, The display control means is The aforementioned operations include a touch operation performed by touching a predetermined position on the touch panel, and a slide operation performed by touching a predetermined position on the touch panel and then sliding from that position. The aforementioned touch operation allows you to set the heating output of the cooking appliance. The aforementioned slide operation is an independent operation of the touch panel on the area where the minutes digit and the seconds digit are displayed, indicating the heating time at the set heating output of the cooking appliance. The aforementioned slide operation causes the numerical value of the fractional digit to loop between the upper and lower limits that can be set with the set heating output. The display control means is When the aforementioned value has reached the upper limit, the upper key display unit, which is a key that causes the value to shift upwards one by one each time the touch panel is tapped, is not displayed at all on the display means, and the lower key display unit, which is a key that causes the value to shift downwards one by one each time the touch panel is tapped, is displayed on the display means. A cooking appliance characterized in that, when the aforementioned numerical value reaches the aforementioned lower limit, the lower key display unit is completely hidden from the display means, and the upper key display unit is displayed on the display means.

2. The display screen, which displays a numerical value indicating the heating time at the set heating output of the aforementioned cooking appliance, has a first display area on which the numerical value is arranged, and a second display area that defaults to displaying several menus selected from a plurality of menus so that those menus can be selected. The heating cooker according to claim 1, characterized in that the display control means controls the display of the display means so as to expand the first display area to the second display area when the touch panel is operated over the area where the numerical value indicating the heating time is displayed.

Images