Heating cooker, heating method, and heating program

Abstract

A heating cooker (100) comprises a heating chamber (110), a placement member (120), a heater (170), a temperature detector (130), and a control device (140), wherein the control device (140) is provided with a distribution acquisition unit (141) that acquires a temperature distribution from the temperature detector (130), a heating control unit (142) that controls the heater (170), and a region identification unit (143) that identifies a region of a food material (210). The heating control unit (142) causes the heater (170) to perform preheating for heating the placement member (120) from below. The distribution acquisition unit (141) acquires the temperature distribution after preheating. The region identification unit (143) identifies, as a side surface region (211) corresponding to the thickness of the food material (210), a region in which a temperature gradient in the acquired temperature distribution appears. The heating control unit (142) controls the heater (170) so that the position of a hot spot in the vertical direction is at a predetermined position within the side surface region (211).

Description

Cooking device, heating method, and heating program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a cooking device, a heating method, and a heating program for heating food in a heating chamber.

[0002] Conventionally, in a cooking device capable of performing microwave heating, oven heating, grill heating, steam heating, etc., there is a technology in which the temperature of the food to be heated is detected by an infrared sensor and reflected in a cooking program, etc. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which, when high-temperature and low-temperature parts of the food are detected based on information from the infrared sensor, the part of the food that is irradiated with microwaves is moved.

[0003] International Publication No. 2014 / 087967

[0004] However, the heating cooker described in Patent Document 1 changes the microwave irradiation position based only on the surface temperature of the food material, and therefore cannot adequately address uneven heating in food materials with complex shapes, such as food materials with thicknesses that vary depending on the position.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and provides a cooking device, a heating method, and a heating program that can cook food with complex shapes while reducing uneven heating.

[0006] One heating cooker disclosed herein is a heating cooker comprising a heating chamber, a supporting member that is placed within the heating chamber and on which food is placed, a heater that heats the food on the supporting member, a temperature detector that detects the temperature distribution of the supporting member and an area on the supporting member that includes the food, and a control device, wherein the control device comprises a distribution acquisition unit that acquires the temperature distribution from the temperature detector, a heating control unit that controls the heater, and an area identification unit that identifies the area of ​​the food on the supporting member, wherein the heating control unit causes the heater to perform preheating by heating the supporting member from below or above, the distribution acquisition unit acquires the temperature distribution after the preheating, the area identification unit identifies an area in which a temperature gradient appears in the acquired temperature distribution as a side area corresponding to the thickness of the food, and the heating control unit controls the heater so that the position of a hotspot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area.

[0007] One heating method disclosed herein is a heating cooker comprising a heating chamber, a placing member that is placed within the heating chamber and on which food is placed, a heater that heats the food on the placing member, a temperature detector that detects the temperature distribution of the placing member and an area on the placing member that includes the food, and a control device, wherein the control device is a heating method using a heating cooker that comprises a distribution acquisition unit that acquires the temperature distribution from the temperature detector, a heating control unit that controls the heater, and an area identification unit that identifies the area of ​​the food on the placing member, and heats the placing member from below or above as preheating, acquires the temperature distribution after the preheating, identifies the area where a temperature gradient appears in the acquired temperature distribution as a side area corresponding to the thickness of the food, and controls the heater so that the position of the hotspot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area.

[0008] One heating program disclosed herein is a heating cooker comprising a heating chamber, a placing member that is placed within the heating chamber and on which food is placed, a heater that heats the food on the placing member, a temperature detector that detects the temperature distribution of the placing member and an area on the placing member that includes the food, and a control device, wherein the control device is a heating method using a heating cooker that comprises a distribution acquisition unit that acquires the temperature distribution from the temperature detector, a heating control unit that controls the heater, and an area identification unit that identifies the area of ​​the food on the placing member, and the control device heats the placing member from below or above as preheating, acquires the temperature distribution after the preheating, identifies an area in which a temperature gradient appears in the acquired temperature distribution as a side area corresponding to the thickness of the food, and causes a processor to execute a heating method that controls the heater so that the position of a hotspot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, food ingredients with complex shapes can be heated appropriately, reducing uneven heating.

[0010] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a cooking device; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the cooking device together with food with the door open; FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the cooking device in a see-through state with the door open; FIG. 4 is a view showing the detection state of a temperature detector from the front of the heating chamber; FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a temperature distribution 1 in the temperature measurement area of ​​the temperature detector; FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a control device; FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one of the processing flows of the cooking device; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a temperature distribution 2 in the temperature measurement area of ​​the temperature detector; and FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a temperature distribution 3 in the temperature measurement area of ​​the temperature detector.

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of a cooking device, a heating method, and a heating program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are presented as examples to explain the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For example, the shapes, structures, materials, components, relative positional relationships, connection states, numerical values, mathematical formulas, the content of each step in the method, and the order of each step shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and may include content not described below. Furthermore, while geometric expressions such as parallel and orthogonal may be used, these expressions do not imply mathematical precision and include substantially acceptable errors, deviations, and the like. Furthermore, expressions such as simultaneous and identical also include substantially acceptable ranges.

[0012] The drawings are schematic diagrams in which emphasis, omission, or adjustment of proportions has been appropriately made to explain the present disclosure, and differ from the actual shapes, positional relationships, and proportions. The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in the drawings represent Cartesian coordinates arbitrarily set for the purpose of illustrating the drawings. In other words, the Z-axis is not necessarily an axis along the vertical direction, and the X-axis and Y-axis are not necessarily located within a horizontal plane.

[0013] In addition, multiple inventions may be collectively described below as one embodiment, and some of the content described below may be described as optional components related to the present disclosure.

[0014] Furthermore, the flowchart is an example, and even if the process flow is different, such as the order of processes being different, multiple processes being integrated, or one process being separated, it may still be included in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0015] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of cooking device 100. Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing cooking device 100 with door 111 open, together with food 210. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of cooking device 100 in a see-through state with door 111 open.

[0016] Cooking device 100 is a device that heats food material 210 placed in heating chamber 110 formed by door 111 and rectangular parallelepiped housing 112 with an opening on the front, and includes mounting member 120, heater 170, temperature detector 130, and control device 140. In the present embodiment, cooking device 100 includes notification means 160.

[0017] Ingredient 210 refers to a single or multiple types of food in a single lump, and includes food in a container. Ingredient 210 may be liquid, solid, or an intermediate form thereof, or may be a mixture of these. Ingredient 210 may also include inedible items such as containers such as plates or bowls, bags made of paper or resin, sheets made of paper or resin, and hard bones.

[0018] The placing member 120 is a member on which the food material 210 is placed. The type of placing member 120 is not particularly limited. For example, the placing member 120 may be coated with a heat-generating paint containing ferrite or the like that generates heat when irradiated with microwaves. In this case, the placing member 120 functions as one of the heaters 170. The placing member 120 may be detachable from the housing 112, such as a so-called grill pan. The placing member 120 may be integrated with the housing 112 and may be a part of the housing 112. The shape of the placing member 120 is not particularly limited, and examples include a rectangular dish, a rectangular plate, and a disk.

[0019] The heater 170 is a device that heats the food material 210 placed on the mounting member 120. The type of heater 170 is not limited. Examples of types of heater 170 include a device that irradiates microwaves, a component that generates heat by microwaves, a heater that heats the food material 210 by radiant heat, a heater that heats the food material 210 via the mounting member 120, and a steam generator that generates steam (including heated water vapor). The cooking device 100 includes at least one type of heater 170, but may also include multiple types of heaters 170. The cooking device 100 may also include multiple heaters 170 of the same type. In this embodiment, the cooking device 100 includes an upper heater 171, which is a heater 170 located on the ceiling of the heating chamber 110 and heats the food material 210 from above, and a lower heater 172, which is a heater 170 located on the floor and heats the food material 210 from below. The cooking device 100 is also provided with a first heater 173, a second heater 174, a third heater 175, a fourth heater 176, a fifth heater 177, a sixth heater 178, a seventh heater 179, and an eighth heater 180, which are multiple divided heaters that can independently control the heating of at least two (four in the case of this embodiment) divided regions in a horizontal plane. The first heater 173, the second heater 174, the third heater 175, and the fourth heater 176 function as the upper heater 171, and the fifth heater 177, the sixth heater 178, the seventh heater 179, and the eighth heater 180 function as the lower heater 172.

[0020] FIG. 4 is a front view of the heating chamber 110 showing the detection state of the temperature detector 130. The temperature detector 130 detects the temperature distribution of the temperature measurement area 220, which includes the mounting member 120 and the food 210 on the mounting member 120. The type of temperature detector 130 is not limited, but an example is an infrared sensor that detects the temperature of a predetermined area based on infrared radiation emitted from the mounting member 120 or the food 210. The method for acquiring the temperature distribution within the temperature measurement area 220 is not limited. Examples include a method of acquiring the temperature distribution of the entire temperature measurement area 220 by scanning the field of view of a single or multiple infrared sensors, or a method of simultaneously acquiring the temperature distribution of the entire temperature measurement area 220 using multiple infrared sensors arranged on a plane, like a thermal camera. In this embodiment, the temperature detector 130 is positioned diagonally above the food 210 within the heating chamber 110. This allows the temperature distribution of the food material 210 placed on the mounting member 120, which is composed of a side region 211 corresponding to the thickness of the food material 210 and an upper surface region 212 corresponding to the upper surface, as a single food material region 213, to be detected. Figure 5 shows temperature distribution 1 in the temperature measurement region 220 of the temperature detector 130. Figure 5 shows a state before heating, in which the food material 210 and the mounting member 120 are both at room temperature and uniformly at approximately the same temperature. Note that the dashed grid in Figure 5 is an example to explain the resolution of the temperature detector 130 and does not represent the actual resolution.

[0021] The notification means 160 is a device that notifies the user of the cooking appliance 100 of information. The type of notification means 160 is not limited. In the present embodiment, the cooking appliance 100 is provided with a display device such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel as the notification means 160. The notification means 160 may not only display images or text, but also notify by sound or light, etc. Furthermore, the notification means 160 may notify information via a network to a terminal device owned by the user of the cooking appliance 100.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the control device 140. The control device 140 is a device that controls the heating operation of the cooking appliance 100 and includes a processor. The control device 140 realizes a distribution acquisition unit 141, a heating control unit 142, and an area identification unit 143 by having the processor execute a heating program. In the present embodiment, the control device 140 realizes a notification unit 144 and an open / close detection unit 145 by having the processor execute the heating program. Note that although each processing unit will be described below, the order of the description may not match the order of the processing. Specific examples of the processing flow will be described later.

[0023] The open / close detection unit 145 is a processing unit that detects whether the door 111 is open or closed by acquiring open / close information indicating whether the door 111 is open or closed from the open / close sensor 113 provided in the cooking appliance 100 .

[0024] The distribution acquisition unit 141 is a processing unit that acquires information output from the temperature detector 130 as a temperature distribution. For example, the distribution acquisition unit 141 may sequentially acquire information obtained by the temperature detector 130 scanning the temperature measurement area 220 one or more times, and generate a temperature distribution within the temperature measurement area 220. Alternatively, the distribution acquisition unit 141 may acquire information for one image or multiple images from the temperature detector 130 functioning as a thermal camera, and treat the information as a temperature distribution.

[0025] The region identifying unit 143 is a processing unit that identifies the entire region of the food material 210 on the mounting member 120 based on the temperature distribution acquired by the distribution acquiring unit 141, and identifies a region within the food material 210. A specific method for identifying a region will be described later.

[0026] The heating control unit 142 is a processing unit that controls the heater 170 based on the region identified by the region identification unit 143. When there are multiple heaters 170, the heating control unit 142 may individually control each heater 170. A specific control method of the heating control unit 142 will be described later.

[0027] The notification unit 144 is a processing unit that notifies the user of the cooking appliance 100 via the notification means 160 that the food material 210 should be removed, for example.

[0028] Next, the operation of the cooking appliance 100 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing one example of the process flow of the cooking appliance 100. In this embodiment, a case will be described in which a user places room-temperature food 210 on the mounting member 120. When the user closes the door 111 after placing the food 210, the open / close detection unit 145 detects that the door 111 has been closed (S101, Yes). The heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 to preheat the mounting member 120 from below or above (S102). The preheating method is not limited. In this embodiment, the mounting member 120 is heated using four heaters, which are heaters 170 arranged below (on the floor surface of) the mounting member 120. For example, the heating control unit 142 controls the four heaters to heat the entire mounting member 120 evenly. In addition, in the case where the mounting member 120 can be heated by microwaves emitted by an electronic heater (not shown), the mounting member 120 may be heated by microwaves. Also, the mounting member 120 and the food material 210 may be heated by four heaters, which are heaters 170, arranged on the ceiling surface of the heating chamber 110.

[0029] After a predetermined time has elapsed during which a temperature gradient is believed to have developed in the thickness direction (Z-axis direction in the figure) of the food material 210 placed on the mounting member 120 (S103, Yes), the temperature detector 130 detects the temperature distribution in the temperature measurement region 220, and the distribution acquisition unit 141 acquires the temperature distribution (S104). FIG. 8 illustrates the temperature distribution 2 acquired by the distribution acquisition unit 141. In FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 (described later), higher temperatures are indicated by darker black. However, since the temperature of the mounting member 120 is likely to be higher than the temperature of the underside of the food material 210 when the heater is heating for preheating, as shown in FIG. 8 , in order to easily distinguish the temperature detection region of the food material 210 from the temperature detection region of the mounting member 120 in the figure, the temperature detection region of the mounting member 120 around the food material region 213 is depicted in a slightly lighter black than the temperature detection region near the underside of the food material 210 during preheating (the region below the side region 211 in FIG. 8 ). After a predetermined time has elapsed since preheating began, the temperature of the mounting member 120 rises faster than that of the food material 210, and a temperature gradient occurs in the food material 210, where the temperature of the portion in contact with the mounting member 120, i.e., the bottom surface of the food material 210, is higher and the temperature of the top surface is lower. This temperature gradient is shown as the temperature distribution in the side region 211 in Figure 8.

[0030] Based on the temperature distribution acquired by the distribution acquisition unit 141, the region identification unit 143 identifies a region with a lower temperature than the placement member 120 as the food region 213 corresponding to the food ingredient 210, and determines whether the temperature distribution within the food ingredient region 213 is uneven (S105). If the temperature distribution within the food ingredient region 213 is determined to be uniform (No in S105), the heating control unit 142 performs a third heating control (S116). The third heating control is, for example, a control that continues heating without moving the hot spot. If the temperature distribution within the food ingredient region 213 is determined to be uneven (Yes in S105), as shown in FIG. 8, the region identification unit 143 identifies a region in the acquired temperature distribution where a temperature gradient appears as the side region 211 corresponding to the thickness of the food ingredient 210, and identifies the region within the food ingredient region 213 other than the side region 211 as the top region 212 (S106).

[0031] The heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 through first heating control so that the hot spot in the vertical direction (thickness direction of the food material) is located at a predetermined position within the side region 211 (S107). The specific heating control method of the heating control unit 142 is not limited. For example, the heating control unit 142 derives the thickness of the food material 210 based on the side region 211 and controls the heater 170 so that the hot spot with the highest temperature is located in the center of the food material 210 in the thickness direction. Specifically, the heating control unit 142 may control the upper heater 171 located on the ceiling of the heating chamber 110 so that the output of the lower heater 172 located on the floor is higher than that of the upper heater 171. Alternatively, the heater 170 may be controlled so that the microwave irradiation position emitted by the electronic heater (not shown) is located in the center of the food material 210 in the thickness direction. Note that the energy used to heat the food material 210 in the first heating control (S107) is higher than the energy used to heat the food material 210 in the preheating (S102).

[0032] During the first heating control, the temperature detector 130 detects the temperature distribution in the temperature measurement region 220 at predetermined intervals, and the distribution acquisition unit 141 acquires the temperature distribution (S108). If the region identification unit 143 determines that the food material 210 has reached a predetermined temperature based on the temperature distribution acquired by the distribution acquisition unit 141 (S109, Yes), the heating control unit 142 terminates heating in response (S114). On the other hand, if the region identification unit 143 determines that the food material 210 has not reached the predetermined temperature based on the temperature distribution (S109, No), the region identification unit 143 further determines whether there is a bias in the temperature distribution within the upper surface region 212 based on the temperature distribution acquired by the distribution acquisition unit 141 (S110). If it is determined that the center portion of the upper surface region 212 has the highest temperature (S110, No), the heating control unit 142 maintains the first heating control. Figure 9 shows a temperature distribution within the upper surface region 212 that is biased toward the highest temperature position. As shown in FIG. 9 , if it is determined that the hottest position within the upper surface region 212 is biased (S110, Yes), the heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 using the second heating control so that the hot spot in the horizontal plane (the XY plane in the figure) is centered within the upper surface region 212 (S111). The specific heating control method of the heating control unit 142 is not limited. For example, the heating control unit 142 adjusts the amount of energy applied to the food material 210 by each of the divided heaters, from the first heater 173 to the eighth heater 180, so that the hot spot with the highest temperature is located in the center of the food material 210 in the thickness direction and within the upper surface region 212. The hot spot position may also be adjusted by adjusting the irradiation position of microwaves emitted by an electronic heater (not shown).

[0033] During the second heating control, the temperature detector 130 detects the temperature distribution in the temperature measurement area 220 at predetermined time intervals, and the distribution acquisition unit 141 acquires the temperature distribution (S112). If the heating control unit 142 determines based on the temperature distribution that the food material 210 has not reached the predetermined temperature (S113, No), the heating control unit 142 maintains the second heating control (S111). On the other hand, if the heating control unit 142 determines based on the temperature distribution that the food material 210 has reached the predetermined temperature (S113, Yes), the heating control unit 142 ends the heating (S114).

[0034] When heating by the heating control unit 142 ends (S114), the notification unit 144 causes the notification means 160 to notify that heating of the food material 210 has ended and that the food material 210 can now be removed (S115). This ends the operation of the cooking appliance 100.

[0035] It should be noted that the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, the present disclosure may be embodied in another embodiment realized by any combination of the components described in this specification or by excluding some of the components. Furthermore, the present disclosure also includes modifications obtained by applying various modifications to the above-described embodiments that would occur to a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, i.e., the meaning of the wording of the claims.

[0036] For example, the present disclosure can be practiced by implementing a heating program corresponding to each process executed by the control device 140. Of course, the present disclosure can also be practiced by implementing a recording medium on which the heating program is recorded.

[0037] Although FIG. 8 shows a case where a temperature gradient occurs at the end close to the temperature detector 130, a temperature gradient may also exist at other ends of the food material region 213.

[0038] Furthermore, the ingredients 210 placed on the placing member 120 may not only be at room temperature, but may also be refrigerated ingredients 210 or frozen ingredients 210. Two or more ingredients 210 may be placed on the placing member 120. In this case, control may be performed to move the hot spots to appropriate positions for each of the two ingredient regions 213.

[0039] Furthermore, although the detection of the closing of the door 111 is used as a trigger for preheating, preheating may be started by an event such as the user pressing a start button.

[0040] (Summary) The cooking device 100 of the first aspect is the cooking device 100 including a heating chamber 110, a mounting member 120 that is arranged in the heating chamber 110 and on which food 210 is placed, a heater 170 that heats the food 210 on the mounting member 120, a temperature detector 130 that detects a temperature distribution in the mounting member 120 and an area including the food 210 on the mounting member 120, and a control device 140, and the control device 140 includes a distribution acquisition unit 141 that acquires the temperature distribution from the temperature detector 130, a heating control unit 142 that controls the heater 170, and a temperature detector 170 that detects a temperature distribution in the area including the food 210 on the mounting member 120. and an area specifying unit 143 that specifies an area of ​​the food material 210, wherein the heating control unit 142 causes the heater 170 to perform preheating by heating the placing member 120 from below or above, the distribution acquisition unit 141 acquires the temperature distribution after the preheating, the area specifying unit 143 identifies an area in the acquired temperature distribution where a temperature gradient appears as a side area 211 corresponding to the thickness of the food material 210, and the heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 so that the position of the hot spot in the vertical direction is at a predetermined position within the side area 211.

[0041] According to the first aspect, it is possible to derive the thickness even for food material 210 with a complex shape, and it is possible to adjust the position of the hot spot in the thickness direction to avoid uneven heating at least in the thickness direction.

[0042] The second aspect of the heating cooker 100 includes the first aspect, and the area identification unit 143 identifies an area with uniform temperature connected to the side area 211 based on the temperature distribution as the top surface area 212 corresponding to the top surface portion of the food ingredient 210, and the heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 so that the position of the hotspot in the horizontal plane is at a predetermined position within the top surface area 212.

[0043] According to the second aspect, even if the food material 210 has a complex shape, a hot spot can be placed in the center of the upper surface area 212, making it possible to avoid uneven heating of the food material 210.

[0044] The third aspect of the heating cooker 100 includes the first aspect or the second aspect, and the heater 170 includes an upper heater 171 that heats the food material 210 from above and a lower heater 172 that heats the food material 210 from below, and the heating control unit 142 controls the upper heater 171 and the lower heater 172 so that the position of the hot spot in the vertical direction is at a predetermined position within the side region 211.

[0045] The fourth aspect of the heating cooker 100 includes any of the first to third aspects, and the heater 170 is provided with a plurality of divided heaters that can independently control the heating of each of at least two divided areas in a horizontal plane, and the heating control unit 142 controls each of the divided heaters so that the position of the hot spot in the horizontal plane is at a predetermined position within the upper surface area 212.

[0046] The fifth aspect of the heating cooker 100 includes any of the first to fourth aspects, and the heater 170 includes at least one of an upper heater 171 that heats the food material 210 from above and a lower heater 172 that heats the food material 210 from below, and an electronic heater that heats the food material 210 with microwaves, and the heating control unit 142 changes the position of the hot spot by changing the radiation direction of the microwaves from the electronic heater.

[0047] Any of the third to fifth aspects provides a specific configuration for adjusting the position of the hot spot.

[0048] The sixth aspect of the heating method is a heating method using a heating cooker 100 that includes a heating chamber 110, a placing member 120 that is placed in the heating chamber 110 and on which food ingredient 210 is placed, a heater 170 that heats the food ingredient 210 on the placing member 120, a temperature detector 130 that detects the temperature distribution in the area including the placing member 120 and the food ingredient 210 on the placing member 120, and a control device 140, in which the heater 170 heats the placing member 120 from below or above as preheating, the temperature distribution is acquired by the distribution acquisition unit 141 after preheating, the area where a temperature gradient appears in the acquired temperature distribution is identified by the area identification unit 143 as a side area 211 corresponding to the thickness of the food ingredient 210, and the heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 so that the position of the hotspot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area 211.

[0049] According to the sixth aspect, it is possible to derive the thickness even for food material 210 with a complex shape, and it is possible to adjust the position of the hot spot in the thickness direction to avoid uneven heating at least in the thickness direction.

[0050] The seventh aspect of the heating program is a heating method using a heating cooker 100 that includes a heating chamber 110, a placing member 120 that is placed in the heating chamber 110 and on which food ingredient 210 is placed, a heater 170 that heats the food ingredient 210 on the placing member 120, a temperature detector 130 that detects the temperature distribution in an area including the placing member 120 and the food ingredient 210 on the placing member 120, and a control device 140, in which the heater 170 heats the placing member 120 from below or above as preheating, the distribution acquisition unit 141 acquires the temperature distribution after preheating, the area identification unit 143 identifies the area in which a temperature gradient appears in the acquired temperature distribution as a side area 211 corresponding to the thickness of the food ingredient 210, and the heating control unit 142 controls the heater 170 so that the position of the hotspot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area 211.

[0051] According to the seventh aspect, it is possible to derive the thickness even for food material 210 with a complex shape, and it is possible to adjust the position of the hot spot in the thickness direction to avoid uneven heating at least in the thickness direction.

[0052] The present disclosure can be applied to any cooking device that can heat and cook food placed in a heating chamber.

[0053] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Cooking device 110 Heating chamber 111 Door 112 Housing 113 Open / close sensor 120 Placement member 130 Temperature detector 140 Control device 141 Distribution acquisition unit 142 Heating control unit 143 Area identification unit 144 Notification unit 145 Open / close detection unit 160 Notification means 170 Heater 171 Upper heater 172 Lower heater 173 First heater 174 Second heater 175 Third heater 176 Fourth heater 177 Fifth heater 178 Sixth heater 179 Seventh heater 180 Eighth heater 210 Food material 211 Side area 212 Upper area 213 Food material area 220 Temperature measurement area

Claims

1. A cooking device comprising: a heating chamber; a placing member that is placed within the heating chamber and on which food is placed; a heater that heats the food on the placing member; a temperature detector that detects the temperature distribution of the placing member and an area on the placing member that includes the food; and a control device, wherein the control device comprises: a distribution acquisition unit that acquires the temperature distribution from the temperature detector; a heating control unit that controls the heater; and an area identification unit that identifies the area of ​​the food on the placing member, wherein the heating control unit causes the heater to perform preheating by heating the placing member from below or above, the distribution acquisition unit acquires the temperature distribution after the preheating, the area identification unit identifies an area in the acquired temperature distribution where a temperature gradient appears as a side area corresponding to the thickness of the food, and the heating control unit controls the heater so that a hotspot in the vertical direction is located at a predetermined position within the side area.

2. The heating cooker of claim 1, wherein the region identification unit identifies a region other than the side region within the food region as a top surface region corresponding to the top surface portion of the food based on the temperature distribution, and the heating control unit controls the heater so that the position of the hot spot in the horizontal plane is at a predetermined position within the top surface region.

3. The heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein the heater comprises an upper heater that heats food from above and a lower heater that heats food from below, and the heating control unit controls the upper heater and the lower heater so that the position of a hot spot in the vertical direction is at a predetermined position within the side area.

4. The heating cooker according to claim 2, wherein the heater comprises a plurality of divided heaters capable of independently controlling the heating of at least two divided regions on a horizontal plane, and the heating control unit controls each of the divided heaters so that the position of a hot spot on the horizontal plane is at a predetermined position within the upper surface region.

5. A heating cooker as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the heater comprises at least one of an upper heater that heats food from above and a lower heater that heats food from below, and an electronic heater that heats food with microwaves, and the heating control unit changes the position of the hot spot by changing the radiation direction of the microwaves from the electronic heater.

6. A heating method using the cooking device of claim 1, comprising the steps of: heating the mounting member from below or above as preheating; obtaining a temperature distribution after the preheating; identifying an area in the obtained temperature distribution where a temperature gradient appears as a side area corresponding to the thickness of the food material; and controlling the heater so that the position of the hot spot in the vertical direction is a predetermined position within the side area.

7. A heating program for causing a processor to execute the heating method according to claim 6.

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