JP2005043019A - Heating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a heating apparatus equipped with a vapor generation apparatus from stopping vapor generation due to lack of water in the middle of cooking. <P>SOLUTION: The heating apparatus is structured to detect whether there is enough water required to generate sufficient volume of vapor required to heat food at one time with a water level detecting device 28 at heating start. Hence, vapor generation does not stop in the middle of cooking and thus effect capable of preventing failure of cooking is obtained. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating device provided with a water supply tank and a steam generator.

  A conventional steam generator of this type is generally as shown in FIG. This steam generator includes a liquid container 1 in which a water supply device is removable, a water level detecting means 2 provided in the liquid container, and a control means 4 for controlling the operation of the steam generating means 3 based on a signal from the water level detecting means 2. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The steam generating means includes a steam heating chamber 5 for heating the liquid, an excitation coil 6 provided on the outer periphery of the steam heating chamber 5, and a heating element that generates heat due to a magnetic field change generated by the excitation coil 6 installed in the steam heating chamber 5. 7 is configured such that a liquid is dropped onto the heating element 7 by the liquid pumping means 8 to generate a vapor.

  According to the present invention, the presence / absence of water in the liquid container 1 is determined by the water level detection means 2, and when the determination signal is received, the steam generation means is operated by the control means 4 in a state where water is present in the liquid container 1. Therefore, there is no abnormal overheating such as heating of the heating element, and steam can be generated stably at all times.

The water level detecting means 2 includes a float 10 in which a magnet 9 mounted in the liquid container 1 is embedded, and a reed switch 11 disposed at a position separated from the liquid container 1. Therefore, the liquid container 1 can be removed from the steam generating means 3 and brought into a place where there is a city water faucet or a washing place to replenish water or wash the container. Further, the water level detection means 2 comprises a prism body mounted on the liquid container 1 and an optical transmission means disposed at a position separated from the liquid container 1, and the water level detection can be performed without using a movable part. Can be increased.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-110903

  However, in the conventional steam generator, the presence or absence of water in the liquid container 1 is discriminated by the water level detecting means 2, the discrimination signal is received, and the gas generating means 3 is in a state where water is present in the liquid container 1 by the control means. However, it is possible to eliminate abnormal overheating such as emptying of the heating element 7, but for example, the amount of water in the liquid container 1 is limited to determine that the water level detection means 2 has water. If it is in the vicinity, there is a risk that the water in the liquid container may be lost during cooking, and at this time, steam generation stops and there is a problem that cooking cannot be performed well. Further, even if it is informed that the water in the liquid container 1 has been exhausted, if the user is away from the steam generator, the user will not be aware of it, so water will not be replenished and cooking will not be successful.

  Further, since the water level detection means 2 of the conventional steam generator has a structure in which the float 10 or the prism is incorporated in the liquid container 1, the liquid container 1 has a complicated structure, and the inner surface of the container is uneven, which makes it difficult to clean. There was a problem that it could not be kept hygienic.

  In order to solve the above problems, the present invention detects a heating chamber for storing food, a steam generator for supplying steam to the heating chamber, a water tank for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, and a water level in the water tank. The water level detection device and a control device for determining and informing at the start of heating whether or not the amount of water necessary for generating the amount of steam required for one heating of the food is in the water tank. Is.

  According to the said invention, since it can determine and alert | report whether there exists water required for one cooking at the time of a heating start, the failure of the cooking by the steam generation stop in the middle of cooking can be prevented.

  Further, the water tank is made of a material that transmits light, and has a corner or a curved surface in part, and the water level is detected by a light transmission detecting means that detects whether or not the light is transmitted through the corner or the curved surface. Is.

  According to the above invention, the water tank is usually formed with corners or curved surfaces, and it is possible to detect the water level without attaching special processing or parts to the water tank, and there is no unevenness in the water tank. It becomes easy to clean and can be kept hygienic.

  As described above, the heating device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a heating chamber for storing food, a steam generator for supplying steam to the heating chamber, a water tank for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, and the water. A water level detection device for detecting the water level in the tank, and a control device for determining and informing at the start of heating whether or not the amount of water necessary for generating the amount of steam necessary for heating the food is in the water tank. Prepare. Thereby, since it can be determined and alert | reported whether there exists water required for cooking at the time of a heating start, there exists an effect that the failure of cooking by the steam generation stop in the middle of cooking can be prevented. Further, at the start of cooking, the user is operating the heating device and can always be aware of the notification, so that water can be replenished immediately.

  Moreover, since the heating apparatus concerning Claim 2 of this invention can detect the water level of two or more steps at least high and low in a water level detection apparatus, when cooking which requires a lot of steam, cooking with sufficient amount of steam is small. It is possible to determine and notify whether there is a required water level for each. If only one level of water level can be detected, even if sufficient cooking is performed with a small amount of steam, if there is no water level required for cooking that requires a large amount of steam, it must be reported that water supply is necessary. Although the frequency of replenishment increases and is troublesome, if two or more levels of water levels can be detected, it is possible to determine that there is a necessary water level for each type of cooking, and there is an effect that the frequency of water replenishment can be reduced.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating device, wherein the water level detection device can detect at least two levels of high and low water levels and directs heating, and the operation unit includes a plurality of menus having different heating means or heating time. And a menu selection means for selecting the amount of water necessary for generating the amount of steam required for one-time heating of the selected menu by storing the water level required for each menu. Since it is equipped with a control device that determines and notifies whether heating is started or not, it is determined and notified at the start of cooking whether or not there is a water level necessary for cooking the selected menu simply by selecting the menu by the user. There is an effect that can be.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating device comprising a material that allows light to pass through the water tank, a part of which has a corner or a curved surface, and a light that detects whether or not light passes through the corner or the curved surface. Since the water level is detected by the permeation detection means, the water level can be detected without attaching special processing or parts to the water tank using the corners or curved surfaces forming the water tank. Since there is no unevenness, the cleaning is easy and it is possible to keep it hygienic.

  Further, the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light emitting element uses an infrared light emitting diode that emits light more efficiently than a light emitting diode that emits visible light. The effect is that it is possible to detect the water level without deterioration over time even in a water tank where the light transmittance tends to decrease due to adhesion of scale etc. There is.

  Moreover, since the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 6 of the present invention is configured to cover the light receiving element and the light emitting element with a cover made of a material capable of preventing light transmission, the directivity can be improved. It is possible to prevent erroneous determination of the water level due to light entering from outside the heating device.

  In addition, since the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 7 of the present invention is configured to detect the water level before the operation of the lighting device inside the heating device of the present invention, the water level is detected by light such as illumination inside the heating device body. There is an effect that it is possible to prevent erroneous determination.

  Further, the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 8 of the present invention is configured to be provided on a surface different from the surface of the heating chamber provided with an illumination device for illuminating the inside of the heating chamber. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous determination of the water level since it is difficult for the light to reach the light transmission detecting means.

  The heating device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a heating chamber for storing food, a steam generator for supplying steam to the heating chamber, a water tank for storing water supplied to the steam generator, and a water level in the water tank. A water level detection device for detecting, and a control device for determining and informing at the start of heating whether or not the amount of water necessary for generating the amount of steam required for heating the food is in the water tank. And since it can determine and alert | report whether there exists water required for cooking at the time of a heating start, the failure of the cooking by the steam generation stop in the middle of cooking can be prevented. In addition, when cooking is started, the user is operating the heating device and can always notice the notification, so that water can be replenished immediately.

  Moreover, since the heating apparatus concerning Claim 2 of this invention can detect the water level of two or more steps at least high and low in a water level detection apparatus, when cooking which requires a lot of steam, cooking with sufficient amount of steam is small. It is possible to determine and notify whether there is a required water level for each. If only one level of water level can be detected, even if sufficient cooking is performed with a small amount of steam, if there is no water level required for cooking that requires a large amount of steam, it must be reported that water supply is necessary. Although the frequency of replenishment increases and is troublesome, if the water level in two or more stages can be detected, it can be determined that there is a necessary water level for each type of cooking, and the frequency of water replenishment can be reduced.

  Further, in the heating device according to claim 3 of the present invention, the water level detection device can detect at least two levels of high and low water levels, and the operation unit for instructing heating, and the operation unit includes a plurality of heating means or different heating times. And a menu selection means for selecting the menu, and the water level required for each menu is stored, and the amount of water required to generate the amount of steam required for heating the selected menu is in the water tank. Since it is equipped with a control device that determines and informs whether or not heating is started, the user simply selects a menu and determines whether or not there is a water level necessary for cooking the selected menu. be able to.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating device comprising a material that allows light to pass through the water tank, a part of which has a corner or a curved surface, and a light that detects whether or not light passes through the corner or the curved surface. Since the water level is detected by the permeation detection means, the water level can be detected without attaching special processing or parts to the water tank using the corners or curved surfaces forming the water tank. Since there is no unevenness, cleaning becomes easy and it can be kept hygienic.

  Further, the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 5 of the present invention comprises a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light emitting element uses an infrared light emitting diode that emits light more efficiently than a light emitting diode that emits visible light. Since a large amount of light energy can be emitted even with the same applied energy, the water level can be detected without deterioration over time even in a water tank in which the light transmittance tends to decrease due to adhesion of scales or the like.

  Moreover, since the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 6 of the present invention is configured to cover the light receiving element and the light emitting element with a cover made of a material capable of preventing light transmission, the directivity can be improved. It is possible to prevent erroneous determination of the water level due to light entering from outside the heating device.

  In addition, since the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 7 of the present invention is configured to detect the water level before the operation of the lighting device inside the heating device of the present invention, the water level is detected by light such as illumination inside the heating device body. It is possible to prevent erroneous determination.

  Further, the light transmission detecting means of the heating device according to claim 8 of the present invention is configured to be provided on a surface different from the surface of the heating chamber provided with an illumination device for illuminating the inside of the heating chamber. This makes it difficult for the light to reach the light transmission detecting means, so that it is possible to prevent erroneous determination of the water level.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a heating device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

  In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a heating chamber that stores the food 13. Reference numeral 14 denotes a mounting table on which the food 13 is mounted. A heat source 15 is provided above the heating chamber 12 to heat the upper surface of the heating chamber 12 and raise the atmosphere in the heating chamber 12. A high frequency generator 16 is provided below the heating chamber 12 and can be introduced into the heating chamber 12 through the waveguide 17 to heat the food 13. A water tank 18 stores water.

  The water tank 18 is divided into a container portion 19 and a lid portion 20, and the lid portion includes a suction pipe 21 having a water suction port below the container and a water supply joint 22 for sending water, and the water tank 18 is a heating device main body. It is detachable from. Water in the water tank 18 is supplied by a pump 23 to an evaporating dish 25 provided on the back bottom surface of the heating chamber 12 through a water pipe 24. A heater 26 is provided at the lower part of the evaporating dish 25 to heat the water supplied to the evaporating dish 25 and generate steam in the heating chamber 12. Below the evaporating dish 25 is provided temperature detecting means 27 for detecting the temperature of the evaporating dish 25. The temperature detection means 27 prevents the evaporating dish 25 from being abnormally heated by the heater 26 when water is not supplied to the evaporating dish 25 for some reason. A water level detection device 28 is provided in the vicinity of the water tank 18. In this embodiment, three sets of water level detectors 28 are provided so that three levels of water levels can be detected. An operation panel 31 provided with a selection switch 29 for a plurality of menus having different heating means or heating times and a start switch 30 for instructing heating is provided. A lamp 32 illuminates the inside of the heating chamber 12. The lamp 32 is provided on the surface of the heating chamber 12 opposite to the surface on which the water tank 18 is provided. A control device 33 controls the heat source 15, the high frequency generator 16, the pump 23, the heater 26, the lamp 32, and the like based on instructions from the operation panel 31 and information from the water level detection device 28 and temperature detection means 27. is there.

  In FIG. 2, a water level detection device 28 is provided at a corner portion of a water tank 18 made of a material having a substantially rectangular cross section and transmitting light. The water level detection device 28 is provided on the substrate 36 so that the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35 that emit infrared rays sandwich the corner portion of the water tank 18 and the optical axes thereof coincide with each other. The light emitting element 34 is a photodiode or the like, and the light receiving element 35 is a photodiode or the like. Since the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35 are provided so as to sandwich the corner portion of the water tank, the light emitting element is provided to have a predetermined incident angle with respect to the surface of the water tank 18. Three combinations of the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35 are provided, and three-stage detection of a high water level, a middle water level, and a low water level is possible. The light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35 are covered with a cover 37, and openings 38 and 39 are provided in front of the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35.

  Next, the operation and action will be described. The food 13 is stored in the heating chamber 12, and the menu is selected by the menu selection switch 29 on the operation panel. When the start switch 30 is pressed and the start of heating is instructed, the control device 33 confirms whether or not the water tank 18 has a high water level or a medium water level or higher necessary for the selected menu stored in advance. If there is a stored water level, water is supplied to the evaporating dish 25 by the pump 23 and the heater 26 is energized to generate steam in the heating chamber 12. Further, the heat source 15 or the high frequency generator 16 is energized to heat the food 13 and the lamp 32 is turned on to illuminate the inside of the heating chamber 12. When it is determined that the required water level is not present when the water level is confirmed at the start of cooking, the control device 33 informs the user that water needs to be replenished by sound or light. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the quality of cooking from being deteriorated due to the loss of water in the water tank 18 during cooking. In addition, when water is insufficient, the user is immediately notified at the start of cooking, so the user can immediately notice and replenish water without leaving the heating device. The amount of water required for cooking differs depending on the menu, and when baking bread or the like, the heating chamber 12 is hot and the cooking time is long, so a large amount of water is required and the required water level is stored as a high water level. In addition, it is sufficient to reheat the rice for a short time, and the necessary water level is memorized as the middle water level.

  Next, the operation and action of the water level detection device 28 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 showing a cross section of the main part of the water level detection device 28 of this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state where there is no water in the water tank 18 at the positions of the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which water in the water tank 18 is at the position of the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35. In FIG. 3, if there is no water in the water tank 18, the light emitted from the light emitting element 34 travels almost straight, passes through the water tank 18, reaches the light receiving element 35, and a large amount of photocurrent flows through the light receiving element 35. You can see that there is no. In FIG. 4, when there is water in the water tank 18, the light emitting element 34 is provided with a predetermined incident angle with respect to the surface of the water tank 18, so that the light emitted from the light emitting element 34 is refracted by the water tank. The total reflection occurs at the boundary surface between the water tank 18 and the water due to the difference between the refractive index and the refractive index of water, and the light does not reach the light receiving element 35 almost without going straight. For this reason, it can be seen that only a slight current of about dark current flows through the light receiving element 35, and there is water. The light emitting element 34 is configured to emit infrared light. In the light emitting diode, infrared light has higher output efficiency than visible light, so it is possible to emit a large amount of light energy even with the same applied energy. In the absence of water, it is possible to allow light to reach the light receiving element 35 and to prevent the water level from being mistakenly determined. Further, the light emitting element 34 and the light receiving element 35 are covered with a cover 37, so that it is possible to prevent light other than the light emitting element 34 from entering and reaching the light receiving element 35 and making a mistake in determining the water level. Further, since the openings 38 and 39 are formed in a cylindrical shape, it is possible to prevent light other than the light emitting element 34 from entering. In addition, since the lamp 32 is lit after the heating of the lamp 32 that illuminates the inside of the heating chamber 12 is started and the determination of the water level is completed, the light of the lamp 32 reaches the light receiving element 35 and the determination of the water level is wrong. Can be prevented. Further, since the lamp 32 is provided on the opposite surface of the water tank 18 across the heating chamber 12, it is possible to prevent the light from the lamp 32 from reaching the light receiving element 35 and making a mistake in determining the water level.

  In the above embodiments, the light emitting element 34 is described as a light emitting diode, but it goes without saying that other light sources are also possible.

The block diagram of the heating apparatus in Example 1 of this invention Cross-sectional view of main parts showing the configuration of the water tank and water level detection device of the heating device Operation explanatory drawing in the state without water in principal part sectional drawing which shows the structure of the water tank and water level detection apparatus of the heating apparatus Operation explanatory drawing which shows a state with water in principal part sectional drawing which shows the structure of the water tank and water level detection apparatus of the heating apparatus Block diagram of a conventional steam generator

Explanation of symbols

12 Heating chamber 18 Water tank 26 Heater 28 Water level detection device 33 Control device

Claims (8)

A heating chamber for storing food, a steam generator for supplying steam to the heating chamber, a water tank for storing water to be supplied to the steam generator, and a water level detecting device for detecting the water level in the water tank. A heating apparatus provided with a control means for determining whether or not the water level necessary for generating the amount of steam necessary for cooking is at the start of cooking. The heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the water level detection device is configured to detect at least two levels of high / low. The heating device includes an operation unit for instructing heating, and the operation unit includes a heating unit or a menu selection unit for selecting a plurality of menus having different heating times, and stores and selects a required water level for each menu. 3. A heating apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control means for determining the presence / absence of a water level necessary for generating a steam amount necessary for heating the menu at the start of heating. The water tank has a corner portion or a curved surface as a material through which light is transmitted, and the water level is detected by a light transmission detecting unit that detects whether light is transmitted through the corner portion or the curved surface. The heating device described. The heating device according to claim 4, wherein the light transmission detecting means includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and the light emitting element is a light emitting diode that emits infrared light. The heating device according to claim 5, wherein the light transmission detecting means is configured to cover the light receiving element and the light emitting element with a cover made of a material capable of preventing light transmission. The heating apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the water level is detected before the illumination means inside the heating apparatus operates.
Heating device The heating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the water level detection device is provided on a surface different from the wall surface of the heating chamber provided with the illumination means.

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