CN116268934A - Cooking apparatus and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art, in which the steam discharge amount is ensured and the temperature in a heating chamber is maintained within a desired range in a cooking apparatus having a steam cooking function, and to adjust the steam discharge amount to the heating chamber before the steam is discharged to the heating chamber based on the detection result of the temperature in the heating chamber by a control unit according to one embodiment. This can sufficiently ensure the discharge amount of steam and maintain the temperature in the heating chamber within a desired range.

Description

Cooking apparatus and control method thereof

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the technical field of cooking apparatuses, and more particularly, to an apparatus for performing steam cooking in which steam is applied to a cooking object, and a control method of the apparatus.

Background

In a device for producing steam in a steam oven or the like and applying the steam to food as a cooking target to perform cooking such as fermentation, it is sometimes necessary to produce and spray heating steam and to maintain the temperature in the heating chamber at a low temperature.

In such a case, if a fixed amount of heating steam is injected into the heating chamber for each fixed period, the temperature in the heating chamber exceeds a predetermined target temperature, resulting in poor cooking completion.

In order to suppress this, if the intervals between the periods of the steam to be discharged are set to be longer so as not to exceed a predetermined temperature, the heating chamber is dried, and the cooking completion may be poor.

On the other hand, when the amount of steam to be discharged is reduced, the heating chamber may not be in a dry state, but the temperature in the heating chamber may not reach a predetermined temperature.

In this way, in the conventional cooking apparatus, ensuring the steam discharge amount and maintaining the temperature in the heating chamber within a desired range are trade-off.

Prior art literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2006-325507.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a main object thereof is to provide a cooking apparatus capable of sufficiently securing a discharge amount of steam and maintaining a temperature in a heating chamber within a desired range, and a control method thereof.

Means for solving the problems

According to the 1 st aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cooking apparatus comprising: a heating chamber for accommodating food; a temperature detection unit; a steam generating device; and a control unit.

The temperature detecting unit detects a temperature in the heating chamber. The steam generating device includes: a steam generating container; a heater for heating the steam generating vessel; and a water supply device for supplying water to the steam generating container. The steam generating container has a steam generating chamber for generating steam, and an exhaust port for ejecting the generated steam to the heating chamber.

The control unit adjusts the amount of steam to be ejected into the heating chamber before the steam is ejected into the heating chamber based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit.

According to the 2 nd aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of a cooking apparatus, the cooking apparatus comprising: a heating chamber for accommodating food; a temperature detecting unit for detecting the temperature in the heating chamber; and a steam generating device including a steam generating container having a steam generating chamber for generating steam and provided with an exhaust port for discharging the generated steam to the heating chamber, a heater for heating the steam generating container, and a water supply device for supplying water to the steam generating container, wherein the control method adjusts the discharge amount of the steam based on the temperature of the heating chamber before the steam is discharged.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, since the amount of steam to be discharged to the heating chamber is adjusted before the steam is discharged to the heating chamber based on the detection result of the temperature in the heating chamber, it is possible to provide a cooking device and a control method thereof capable of sufficiently securing the amount of steam to be discharged and maintaining the temperature in the heating chamber within a desired range.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a schematic structure of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is another example perspective view showing a schematic structure of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and shows a state in which a door is opened.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a cooking apparatus shown in fig. 1, seen slightly from the front left side in a state in which a door is opened, and is an example of a state in which a left side cover of an outer case is removed and a case in which a right inner wall of a heating chamber is included.

Fig. 4 is an illustration showing a schematic structure of a steam generating container provided in the cooking apparatus shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the external appearance of the steam generating container shown in fig. 4, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a bottom view, (e) is a rear view, and (f) is a perspective view.

Fig. 6 is another perspective view as seen from the right side slightly from the front in a state where the door is opened in the cooking apparatus shown in fig. 1, and is an example of both cases where the right side cover of the outside casing is removed and where the left inner wall of the heating chamber is contained.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing an example of a main electrical structure of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the main components of the cooking apparatus shown in fig. 1, by correlation with the temperature of the heating chamber.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a main process of a control method of the cooking apparatus in one embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same or corresponding elements/components in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repetitive description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. For convenience of explanation, the shapes and sizes of the respective members in the drawings may be appropriately enlarged, reduced, or omitted so as not to match the actual scale.

In addition, the terms of ordinal numbers 1, 2, etc. used below are merely identification symbols for distinguishing the same or corresponding components, and the same or corresponding components are not limited by any of these terms.

In the present specification, the term "connected" or "coupled" refers to a concept including not only a case where each component is in direct physical contact with each other in a contact relationship between the components, but also a case where other structures are interposed between the components and the other components are in indirect contact with each other. Furthermore, the term "substantially" is used in a manner that also includes the gist of measuring an error.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a schematic structure of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 2 is another example of a perspective view showing a schematic structure of the cooking apparatus of the present embodiment, and shows a state in which a door is opened.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, a cooking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes: an outer case 100 and an inner case 150 each having an open front surface; a door 300 mounted on the front side of the outer case 100; a circuit substrate 190 on which the microcomputer 90 is assembled; an operation panel 400 for a user or the like to send a command signal for cooking operation to the cooking apparatus 1; and a speaker 500 that emits a sound to transmit a cooking state or the like to a user. The space defined by the inner housing 150 constitutes a heating chamber 200 for cooking food by steam heating. As will be described in detail later with reference to fig. 7, the microcomputer 90 is electrically connected to and controls various electrical components in the cooking apparatus 1. Further, microcomputer 90 reads a program stored in a memory (not shown), and generates a command signal for controlling the amount of steam so that heating chamber 200 maintains a desired temperature, and supplies the same to a steam generator described later. The operation panel 400 is configured by, for example, a touch panel system, is set by a user selecting a cooking menu, a heating time, a heating temperature, and the like, and is provided with a display 170 for visually displaying the set heating time, heating temperature, and the like to the user through, for example, a liquid crystal screen or the like, in addition to an operation key for instructing the start or stop of heating.

Fig. 3 is an example of a perspective view seen slightly from the front left side in a state where the door 300 is opened in the cooking apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1, and is an example of two cases where the left side cover of the outside casing 100 is removed and the right inner wall of the heating chamber 200 is included. As shown in fig. 3, a 2 nd thermistor 92 for detecting the temperature in the heating chamber 200 is provided on the right inner wall of the heating chamber 200.

Fig. 4 illustrates a main structure of the steam generating device exposed in a state in which the left side cover of the outer case 100 is removed in the cooking apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1. The steam generating device provided in the cooking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes the water supply tank 13, the water supply pump 21, the pump motor PM, the 1 st thermistor 80, and the steam generating container 20. In the present embodiment, the water supply tank 13 is disposed below the bottom of the outer case 100 together with the pump motor PM, and is connected to the water supply port WP of the steam generation container 20 via the water supply pump 21 through the water supply pipe 14. The 1 st thermistor 80 is provided inside the steam generating container 20, detects the temperature of the steam generating chamber in the steam generating container 20, and transmits a detection signal to the microcomputer 90 (see fig. 8). In the present embodiment, the water supply tank 13, the water supply pump 21, and the pump motor PM correspond to, for example, a "water supply device" defined in the claims.

Fig. 5 is a view showing an external appearance of the steam generating container 20 shown in fig. 4, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a left side view, (c) is a right side view, (d) is a bottom view, (e) is a rear view, and (f) is a perspective view. As shown in fig. 5 (a) to (f), the steam generating vessel 20 has a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape in which the vessel body H and the vessel lid C are fastened together at a plurality of places. The space divided by the container body H and the container cover C constitutes a steam generating chamber. The heater 16 is fused to the vicinity of the middle and lower layers inside the container body H, and the terminal portions at both ends thereof protrude from the side surface of the container body H. A water supply port WP for receiving water supplied from the water supply pump 21 is provided in the upper side surface of the container body H.

As shown in fig. 5 (e), steam vents 18a, 18b, 18c for discharging the generated steam to the heating chamber 200 are provided at substantially equal intervals in the horizontal direction in the upper portion of the rear surface of the steam generation container 20.

Fig. 6 is another perspective view seen from the front slightly right side in a state where the door 300 is opened in the cooking apparatus 1 shown in fig. 1, and is an example of two cases where the right side cover of the outside casing 100 is removed and the left inner wall including the heating chamber is included. As shown in fig. 6, steam vents 28a, 28b, 28c are provided in the left side wall of heating chamber 200 at substantially equal intervals in the horizontal direction, corresponding to the positions of steam vents 18a, 18b, 18c of steam generating container 20.

The main electrical structure of the cooking apparatus 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram of fig. 7.

The cooking device 1 includes: a microcomputer 90; an operation input circuit 140 electrically connected to the microcomputer 90; a 1 st thermistor 80; a 2 nd thermistor 92; a door detection switch 130; a steam generating vessel heater driving circuit 260; a pump motor driving circuit 250 for water supply; heating relay 160; a display 170 and a speaker 500; and a heater 16 for the steam generating vessel and a pump motor PM electrically connected to the steam generating vessel heater driving circuit 260 and the pump motor driving circuit 250 for water supply, respectively.

The operation input circuit 140 transmits data based on various instructions of the user input from the operation panel 400 to the microcomputer 90.

The 1 st thermistor 80 detects the temperature of the steam generating chamber in the steam generating container 20 and sends a detection signal to the microcomputer 90.

The 2 nd thermistor 92 detects the temperature in the heating chamber 200 and sends a detection signal to the microcomputer 90.

The door detection switch 130 detects the opening/closing of the door 300 by the user and transmits a detection signal to the microcomputer 90.

The display 170 displays the result of the user's operation on the operation panel 400 or the notice/report information generated by the microcomputer 90 to the user on the operation panel 400 using characters or illustrations.

The speaker 500 converts the notice/report information to the user generated by the microcomputer 90 into (including voice) sound data, and delivers the sound to the user together with the display 170 or independently of the display 170.

The heating relay 160 is connected to an external commercial power supply (not shown), and operates in accordance with temperature control of the microcomputer 90 to control ON/OFF (ON/OFF) of the steam generation container heater driving circuit 260 and the water supply pump motor driving circuit 250.

The heater 16 is electrically connected to the steam generating container heater driving circuit 260, and repeatedly performs on/OFF of the heating operation according to the on/OFF control of the heating relay 160, thereby maintaining the temperature of the steam generating chamber of the steam generating container 20 in a target temperature range during the steam operation, and is turned OFF (OFF) after the steam operation is completed.

The pump motor PM is electrically connected to the pump motor driving circuit 250 for water supply, and drives the water supply pump 21 in accordance with on/off control of the microcomputer 90 to supply water in the water supply tank 13 to the steam generation container 20.

The basic operation of the cooking apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is as follows. First, a user puts food to be heated by steam into heating chamber 200, closes door 300, sets heating conditions such as a cooking menu, temperature and time by operation of an operation panel, and then presses a start switch to start steam operation. Specifically, the microcomputer 90 drives the steam generating device or the like to perform steam operation according to a control program installed in advance based on the set cooking menu and heating conditions. Further, the microcomputer 90 determines whether or not the set food heating temperature and cooking time have been reached based on the detection signal from the 2 nd thermistor 92, and stops the driving of the steam generating device or the like when it is determined that the set food heating temperature and cooking time have been reached, ending the steam operation.

Next, a specific operation of the cooking apparatus 1 will be described with reference to fig. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 is a time chart showing an example of the operation of the main components of the cooking apparatus 1, which is clarified by the correlation with the temperature of the heating chamber 200, and fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the main process of the control method of the cooking apparatus 1 in one embodiment.

First, the user selects steam cooking, and a command signal is transmitted to the microcomputer 90 by the operation of the operation panel 400 to start steam operation (start).

When the steam operation starts, the microcomputer 90 performs on/off control of the heater 16 at the same period Ts during cooking of the steam operation (step S1). More specifically, the microcomputer 90 sets the heater 16 on (on) for each period Ts, and turns off (off) after a period T1 has elapsed since the heater was on (on) in each period.

Next, the 2 nd thermistor 92 detects the temperature T inside the heating chamber 200 at each timing when the heater is turned off (step S2), and the microcomputer 90 compares the temperature T inside the heating chamber 200 with the desired target temperature Tr based on the detection signal transmitted from the 2 nd thermistor 92 (step S3). This comparison process is performed at regular intervals during the steam operation, as indicated by the arrow of "temperature probe" in fig. 8. The interval corresponds to the length of the period Ts.

As a result of the comparison, in the case where it is judged that the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 has not reached the target temperature Tr (t+.tr; yes) (step S4 in fig. 9), the microcomputer 90 generates a command signal for performing an action a (details will be described later separately) and sends it to the steam generating device (step S5). As a result, the steam generator starts generating steam, and as shown in "a" of fig. 8, the steam is ejected to the heating chamber 200 only at time TA (step S6). When the time TA has elapsed and the steam discharge is stopped, the routine returns to step S1, and the microcomputer 90 turns on/off the heater 16 in the next cycle Ts (step S1), and compares the detection result of the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 with the target temperature Tr immediately after the closing (steps S2, S3). As a result, if T.ltoreq.Tr remains (step S4), the process of steps S1 to S6 is repeated. This series of processes is repeated until the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 exceeds the target temperature Tr (refer to fig. 8).

When the microcomputer 90 determines that the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 exceeds the target temperature Tr (t.ltoreq.tr; no) due to the discharge of steam (see step S4 in fig. 9, arrow E in fig. 8), the microcomputer 90 generates a command signal for performing operation B (details will be described later separately), and sends the command signal to the steam generating device (step S7). As a result, the steam generator starts generating steam, and as shown in "B" of fig. 8, the steam is ejected to heating chamber 200 only for time TB shorter than time TA (step S8). When the steam ejection at time TB is ended, the process returns to step S1 as long as the steam operation continues (step S8; no). Accordingly, if the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 exceeds the target temperature Tr (T.ltoreq.Tr; NO), steam is ejected for only the time TB for a predetermined period, but if T > Tr is reached, for example, as shown by an arrow F in FIG. 8, and then T.ltoreq.Tr is reached at the timing of the temperature comparison, the processes of steps S1 to S4 are executed. When the steam cooking is completed as set, or when the steam operation is completed in response to an operation stop instruction by a user such as opening of a door (step S9; yes), the microcomputer 90 stops the generation and transmission of the command signal, thereby ending the generation and ejection of steam by the steam generator (end of heating in fig. 8, end of fig. 9).

In this way, according to the control method of the cooking apparatus of the present embodiment, the time for ejecting steam into the heating chamber 200 is changed in response to the temperature T in the heating chamber 200, and thus, a situation in which the temperature T in the heating chamber 200 deviates significantly from the target temperature Tr does not occur.

In the above series of processes, the cycle in which the microcomputer 90 performs the temperature comparison is constant, and during the steam operation, even if the amount of the steam to be discharged is small, the steam is always supplied into the heating chamber at predetermined intervals, and therefore the humidity in the heating chamber 200 is maintained within a constant range. Thereby, the food in the heating chamber 200 is prevented from drying out.

Here, the above-described "operation a" and "operation B" will be described.

The operation a is a series of operations for discharging steam to the heating chamber 200 only for the time TA, and in the present embodiment, the 1 st amount of water is supplied from the water supply tank 13 to the steam generation container 20 by the pump motor PM. Similarly, the operation B is a series of operations for discharging steam to the heating chamber 200 for a time TB shorter than the time TA, and is an operation for supplying the 2 nd amount of water from the water supply tank 13 to the steam generation container 20 by the pump motor PM. More specifically, command signals for the operations a and B are sent from the microcomputer 90 to the water supply pump motor driving circuit 250, and the water supply pump motor driving circuit 250 generates driving signals corresponding to the respective operations to drive the pump motor PM, whereby the water in amounts corresponding to the respective operations is supplied from the water supply pump 21 to the steam generation chamber.

The length of the time TA and the length of the time TB, and the 1 st and 2 nd amounts may be preset according to values obtained by experiments or the like, respectively. In the example shown in fig. 8, the time TB is set to half the time of the time TA. In the present embodiment, the time TA and the time TB correspond to, for example, "1 st length" and "2 nd length" defined in the claims.

In addition, in consideration of actual product use, steam generation does not start during all cooking periods selected by the user, for example, in the following example , steam generation does not start even during a cooking period selected by the user.

(1) Immediately after the heating is started, since water does not enter the path from the water supply tank 13 to the steam generation container 20, it is necessary to lengthen the operation of the water supply pump. Therefore, the period of first generating steam is different from the normal steam generating period.

(2) Immediately before the heating is completed, for example, 1 minute before the heating is completed, the ejection of steam is stopped. This is to prevent the user from being scalded by the steam when knowing that the door is opened after the heating is completed.

(3) According to the cooking menu, it is sometimes possible to continuously bake in an electric heating device after fermentation with steam. In this case, no steam is generated during baking.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, there is provided the cooking apparatus 1 capable of maintaining the temperature in the heating chamber 200 within a desired range while ensuring the ejection amount of steam. Also, according to the present embodiment, a control method of the cooking apparatus 1 is provided that can maintain the temperature in the heating chamber 200 within a desired range while ensuring the ejection amount of steam.

Further, since the amount of water supplied to the steam generating container 20 can be controlled by the operation time of the pump motor PM, the accuracy of the steam generating amount can be improved and the cooked product can be stably completed.

Application to microwave ovens

While the present invention has been described as being applied to a steam oven in the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and it is obvious that the present invention can be applied to all cooking devices that can cook steam, such as a microwave oven having a steam cooking function.

While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are for the convenience of understanding the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention. The numbers of the above embodiments are for convenience of description only, and do not specifically indicate the merits and merits of the embodiments. In addition, although a logical order is depicted in the flowchart, the steps described may be performed in a different order under certain conditions.

Various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Various changes, equivalents, modifications, and the like may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

[ description of the reference numerals ]

13 a water supply tank; a 16 heater; 20 steam generating vessel; 21 a water supply pump; 80 st thermistor 1; a 90 microcomputer; 92 nd thermistor; 100 outer housing; 160 heating the relay; 200 heating a chamber; 250 pump motor drive circuit for water supply; 260 a steam generating vessel heater drive circuit; c a container cover of the steam generating container; a container body of the H steam generating container; a PM pump motor; WP water supply port.

Claims (8)

1. A cooking apparatus comprising:

a heating chamber for accommodating food;

a temperature detection unit for detecting a temperature in the heating chamber;

a steam generating device including a steam generating container having a steam generating chamber for generating steam and provided with an exhaust port for exhausting the generated steam to the heating chamber, a heater for heating the steam generating container, and a water supply device for supplying water to the steam generating container; and

and a control unit that adjusts the amount of steam sprayed to the heating chamber before the steam is sprayed to the heating chamber based on the detection result of the temperature detection unit.

2. Cooking apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that:

the control unit starts generating steam at the same period during cooking selected by the user.

3. Cooking apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that:

the control unit adjusts the steam discharge amount to the heating chamber by commanding the water supply device to adjust the water supply amount to the steam generating container.

4. A cooking apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the control unit generates a command signal for generating steam only for a 1 st length of time and transmits the command signal to the steam generating device in a case where it is determined that the temperature of the heating chamber is equal to or lower than a target temperature based on a detection result of the temperature detecting unit,

and in the case where it is judged from the detection result of the temperature detection unit that the temperature of the heating chamber is greater than the target temperature, a command signal for generating steam only for a 2 nd length shorter than the 1 st length is generated and sent to the steam generating device.

5. A control method of a cooking apparatus, wherein the cooking apparatus is provided with: a heating chamber for accommodating food; a temperature detection unit that detects a temperature in the heating chamber; and a steam generating device including a steam generating container having a steam generating chamber that generates steam and provided with an exhaust port that ejects the generated steam to the heating chamber, a heater that heats the steam generating container, and a water supply device that supplies water to the steam generating container, the control method being characterized in that:

before the steam is ejected, the ejection amount of the steam is adjusted based on the temperature of the heating chamber.

6. The control method of a cooking apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:

the step of adjusting the ejection amount includes a step of setting a period during which steam generation starts at the same period during cooking selected by the user.

7. The control method of a cooking apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein:

the step of adjusting the ejection amount includes the step of adjusting a water supply amount to the steam generating vessel.

8. The control method of a cooking apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the method further comprises the step of comparing the temperature of the heating chamber with a target temperature according to the detection result of the temperature detection unit before starting steam generation,

the amount of water to be supplied is adjusted,

when the temperature of the heating chamber is determined to be equal to or lower than the target temperature as a result of the comparison, steam is generated only for a 1 st length of time, and when the temperature of the heating chamber is determined to be greater than the target temperature, steam is generated only for a 2 nd length of time shorter than the 1 st length of time.

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