JP2005114350A - Heating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use steam used to heat an object to be heated, to clean a heating chamber, and facilitate the cleaning operation. <P>SOLUTION: In response to a signal input from a control part, cleaning is performed in an evaporation pan cleaning mode or heating chamber cleaning mode. In the heating chamber cleaning mode, inner surfaces of a heating chamber 11 are wet with steam, which loosens stains on the inner surfaces of the heating chamber 11 to facilitate the removal of them. In the evaporation pan cleaning mode, a cleaning agent comprising a citric acid solution poured in an evaporation pan 35 is heated to a predetermined temperature and kept for a given time to facilitate the removal of calcium, magnesium and the like on the evaporation pan 35. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a heating apparatus that heats an object to be heated by combining high frequency and steam, and cleans a heating chamber that is soiled by the heat treatment.

  High-frequency heating devices that heat the object to be heated with high frequency include a single-function type that only has high-frequency heating and a composite function type that has an oven function added. These high-frequency heating devices contain the object to be heated. In the heating chamber, the juice or debris of the object to be heated may adhere to the heating chamber, and if left untreated, sticking or scorching will occur and the heating chamber will become dirty. . Such attached dirt not only causes a problem in maintaining the heating chamber in a sanitary manner, but also causes smoke and the like during high-frequency heating. For this reason, the heating chamber is frequently cleaned, or dirt in the heating chamber is removed by a high-temperature burn-out function provided in the heating device itself.

  However, the above-described cleaning of the heating chamber is a troublesome operation, and the attached dirt cannot be easily removed. If the dirt is severe, a neutral detergent may be used. In this case, sufficient wiping is required, and the cleaning work becomes more manual. In addition, when cleaning is performed using the high-temperature burn-out function, it is often difficult to completely remove the attached dirt even if part of the dirt is decomposed and odors can be removed. It must be in a situation.

On the other hand, a container containing water is placed in a heating chamber and heated at high frequency, and the heating chamber is filled with steam, so that the dirt adhering to the heating chamber is loosened by the steam and then cleaned. A cleaning method for obtaining a good detergency is known. However, each time the heating chamber of the high-frequency heating device is cleaned by this cleaning method, it takes time to put water in the heat-resistant container and place it in the heating chamber, and heating until the steam fills up. We had to keep monitoring the device and it was not easy to use.
Several high-frequency heating devices with a steam generation function for supplying steam to the heating chamber have been proposed. In any heating device, the generated steam is used for heating an object to be heated, and the heating chamber must be cleaned. There is nothing intended, and therefore there is no high frequency heating device with a steam generating function with an automatic cleaning function programmed for cleaning the heating chamber. In other words, the usability at the time of cleaning was not good as described above.

  Further, in the steam generating portion of the high-frequency heating apparatus with the steam generating function, calcium, magnesium, and the like in the water are concentrated in the course of steam generation, and settled and fixed in the bottom of the vaporizing section and the water supply pipe. As a result, the amount of steam generated is reduced, and as a result, there is a problem that an unsanitary environment in which fungi and the like are easily propagated. In particular, in a configuration in which the vaporizing section for generating heated steam is buried in an unreachable part such as below the heating chamber, in addition to the above problems, it is difficult to perform daily cleaning work around the heating chamber. There was also.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and provides a heating device that can use steam for heating an object to be heated for cleaning the heating chamber and easily perform this cleaning operation. The purpose is that.

  The heating device of the present invention is a heating device that heats an object to be heated with steam, and includes a heating chamber that houses the object to be heated, a steam generation unit that supplies at least steam, and the heating chamber by the steam generation unit. A controller having a heating chamber cleaning mode for automatically supplying steam to clean the dirt in the heating chamber, signal input means for causing the controller to execute the heating chamber cleaning mode, and the cleaning mode An informing means for informing at the end.

  According to this heating apparatus, when a signal for executing the heating chamber cleaning mode is input, the control unit automatically supplies steam to the heating chamber to clean the dirt in the heating chamber. The heated heating chamber can be cleaned very easily and can be kept clean.

  In the heating chamber cleaning mode, a steam supply period for supplying steam and a leaving time for which the steam supply is left for a predetermined time from the end of the steam supply are provided, and the notification means performs notification after the end of the leaving period. it can.

  By performing such a heating chamber cleaning mode, dirt due to scattered matter from the heated object stuck to the inner surface of the heating chamber is lifted from the inner surface of the heating chamber. The dirt can be removed all at once by wiping off the attached dirt in a state where the degree of adhesion with the inner surface of the heating chamber is lowered.

  Furthermore, a circulation fan that stirs the air in the heating chamber can be provided, and the generated steam can be stirred in the heating chamber when steam is generated in the steam generating section.

  According to this heating device, when steam is generated in the steam generating section, the generated steam is stirred, so that the steam is not biased in the heating chamber and can be uniformly condensed on the surface of the heating chamber, and the attached dirt can be removed. It can be removed more reliably over the entire heating chamber.

  According to the heating device of the present invention, dirt is attached without performing complicated work by executing the designated cleaning mode based on the signal input to the control unit via the signal input means. The heating chamber can be cleaned very easily.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a high-frequency heating device according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a state in which an opening / closing door of a high-frequency heating device according to the present invention is opened, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an evaporating dish of a steam generating unit used in this apparatus, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the steam generating unit.

First, the basic configuration of the high-frequency heating device 100 according to the present invention will be described.
The high-frequency heating device 100 with a steam generating function is a heating cooker that supplies a high-frequency (microwave) and steam to the heating chamber 11 that houses the object to be heated to heat the object to be heated. There are a magnetron 13 as a high frequency generator for generating a high frequency, a steam generator 15 for generating steam in the heating chamber 11, a circulation fan 17 for stirring and circulating the air in the heating chamber 11, and the heating chamber 11. To the convection heater 19 as an indoor air heater that heats the air circulating inside, the infrared sensor 20 that detects the temperature in the heating chamber 11 through a detection hole provided in the wall surface of the heating chamber 11, and the steam generation unit 15 And a water tank 43 for supplying water.

  The heating chamber 11 is formed inside a box-shaped high-frequency heating device body 10 that is open on the front surface, and has a translucent window 21 a that opens and closes a heated object outlet of the heating chamber 11 on the front surface of the high-frequency heating device body 10. An opening / closing door 21 is provided. The open / close door 21 can be opened and closed by a lower end hinged to the lower edge of the high-frequency heating apparatus body 10. A predetermined heat insulation space is secured between the wall surfaces of the heating chamber 11 and the high-frequency heating device main body 10, and a heat insulating material is loaded in the space as necessary. The space behind the heating chamber 11 is a circulation fan chamber 25 that houses the circulation fan 17 and its drive motor 23 (see FIG. 9), and the rear wall of the heating chamber 11 is the heating chamber 11 and the circulation fan chamber. 25 is a partition plate 27 that defines 25. The partition plate 27 has an intake vent hole 29 for sucking air from the heating chamber 11 side to the circulation fan chamber 25 side, and an air vent hole 31 for blowing air from the circulation fan chamber 25 side to the heating chamber 11 side. Different formation areas are provided. Each ventilation hole 29 and 31 is formed as many punch holes.

  The circulation fan 17 is arranged with the central portion of the rectangular partition plate 27 as the center of rotation, and a rectangular annular convection heater 19 is provided in the circulation fan chamber 25 so as to surround the circulation fan 17. . The intake vent holes 29 formed in the partition plate 27 are disposed in front of the circulation fan 17, and the blower vent holes 31 are disposed along the rectangular annular convection heater 19. When the circulation fan 17 is turned, the wind is set so as to flow from the front side of the circulation fan 17 to the rear side of the drive motor 23, so that the air in the heating chamber 11 passes through the intake vent hole 29. Is passed through the convection heater 19 in the circulation fan chamber 25 and sent out from the ventilation holes 31 into the heating chamber 11. Therefore, by this flow, the air in the heating chamber 11 is circulated through the circulation fan chamber 25 while being stirred.

  The magnetron 13 is disposed, for example, in a space below the heating chamber 11, and a stirrer blade 33 is provided at a position for receiving a high frequency generated from the magnetron 13. By rotating the stirrer blade 33, the high frequency from the magnetron 13 irradiated to the stirrer blade 33 is supplied into the heating chamber 11 with stirring. Note that the magnetron 13 and the stirrer blade 33 are not limited to the bottom of the heating chamber 11, but can be provided on the upper surface or the side of the heating chamber 11. Further, the high frequency heating method may be a turntable method.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the steam generating unit 15 is disposed below the evaporating dish 35 and the evaporating dish 35 having a water reservoir recess 35 a that generates steam by heating, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. It comprises an evaporating dish heater 37 that heats the evaporating dish 35 and a reflecting plate 39 having a substantially U-shaped cross section that reflects the radiant heat of the heater toward the evaporating dish 35. The evaporating dish 35 is, for example, an elongated plate made of stainless steel, and is disposed on the back bottom surface of the heating chamber 11 opposite to the heated object outlet, with the longitudinal direction along the partition plate 27, The infrared sensor 20 is provided substantially outside the detection range by temperature detection scanning. As the evaporating dish heater 37, a glass tube heater, a sheathed heater, a plate heater, or the like can be used.

  Here, FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing a state in which the water tank is housed on the side surface of the high-frequency heating device, and FIG. 6 shows a side view of the high-frequency heating device. As shown in FIG. 5, a water tank lid 41 is provided on the side wall 10a of the high-frequency heating device body 10 so as to be freely opened and closed. In order to supply water to the steam generator 15 in the internal space 10b of the side wall 10a. The water tank 43 is detachably stored. Referring also to FIG. 6, the water tank 43 includes a thin main body 45 having a rectangular shape and an upper opening, and a lid 47 detachably attached to the opening of the main body 45. The lid 47 is provided with a water intake pipe mounting portion 49, and a water intake pipe 51 that extends through the lid 47 to the vicinity of the bottom surface 45 a of the main body 45 is provided below the water intake pipe mounting portion 49. Note that a connecting pipe 53 protrudes behind the intake pipe mounting portion 49 (in the direction in which the water tank is inserted in FIG. 5).

  As shown in FIG. 6, a pump 55 that intermittently discharges a constant amount of water is provided in the internal space 10 b of the side wall 10 a of the high-frequency heating device main body 10. And the supply side pipe 55b are connected. The end of the water intake side pipe 55a opposite to the pump 55 side is detachably connected to the end of the connection pipe 53 of the water tank 43 when the water tank 43 is accommodated in the high-frequency heating device main body 10. It is connected to the joint part 56. On the other hand, the supply side pipe 55 b is connected to the evaporating dish 35 of the steam generating unit 15 through the pipe 57. In the internal space 10b of the side wall 10a, a water tank attachment / detachment detection portion 59 for detecting the attachment / detachment of the water tank 43 is provided above the intake pipe attachment portion 49 of the water tank 43, and the water tank 43 is accommodated. It is detected whether it is done.

  As shown in a part of the opening / closing door of the high-frequency heating device 100 in FIG. 7, an input operation unit 61 and a display unit 63 are provided below the opening / closing door 21 on the front side of the high-frequency heating device 100. The input operation unit 61 is provided with a start switch 65 that instructs the start of cooking, a cleaning switch 81 that performs cleaning, a setting dial 82 (signal input means), and the like. Further, the display unit 63 is provided with a display panel 75 or the like as notification means. Further, although not shown, there may be a function of emitting a sound or a warning sound.

  The cleaning switch 81 can perform cleaning operations in various modes by pressing this switch. In addition, setting dials 82 are provided on both sides of the display panel 75, and various settings can be selected by turning the setting dial 82.

  Here, as the cleaning mode, there are an evaporating dish cleaning mode, a heating chamber cleaning mode, and a deodorizing mode. After pressing the cleaning switch 81, the setting dial 82 is turned so that these various cleaning modes can be arbitrarily selected. It has become. Then, when the mode is selected by the setting dial 82, when the start switch 65 is pressed, the high frequency heating device 100 executes the selected cleaning mode.

  FIG. 8 is a control block diagram illustrating a control system in the cleaning mode. The control system includes a control unit 83 to which an input signal from the input operation unit 61 is input. The control unit 83 includes an evaporating dish heater 37, a drive motor 23 that rotates the circulation fan 17, and evaporation. Pumps 55 for supplying water to the dishes are connected to each other, and are controlled by the control unit 83. Further, the control unit 83 is connected to a temperature sensor 84 such as a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the evaporating dish 35, and by inputting a detection signal from the temperature sensor 84, feedback from the evaporating dish heater 37, etc. Control is performed. The control unit 83 controls the evaporating dish heater 37, the drive motor 23, and the pump 55 based on a predetermined sequence based on the input signal from the input operation unit 61 and the detection signal from the temperature sensor 84.

The operation at the time of steam heating will be described as an example of the basic heating operation by the high-frequency heating device 100 having the configuration described above.
When a steam heating mode is selected from various heating modes such as a high-frequency heating mode, a steam heating mode, and an oven heating mode and the start switch 65 is pressed, as shown in FIG. When the evaporating dish heater 37 is turned on, water in the evaporating dish 35 supplied from the water tank 43 by the pump 55 is heated, and steam S is generated. The steam S rising from the evaporating dish 35 is sucked into the central portion of the circulation fan 17 from the intake vent hole 29 provided in the substantially central portion of the partition plate 27, and passes through the circulation fan chamber 25 to surround the partition plate 27. It blows out toward the inside of the heating chamber 11 from the ventilation hole 31 for ventilation provided in the section.

  The blown-out steam is stirred in the heating chamber 11 and again sucked into the circulation fan chamber 25 side from the intake vent hole 29 at the substantially central portion of the partition plate 27. Thereby, a circulation path is formed in the heating chamber 11 and the circulation fan chamber 25. The generated steam is guided to the intake vent hole 29 without providing the ventilation vent hole 31 below the position where the circulation fan 17 is disposed on the partition plate 27. Therefore, as shown by the white arrow in the figure, the steam circulates through the heating chamber 11, and the steam is efficiently sprayed on the object to be heated M.

  At this time, since the steam in the heating chamber 11 can be heated by the room air heater 19, the temperature of the steam circulating in the heating chamber 11 can be set to a high temperature. Therefore, so-called superheated steam is obtained, and heating cooking with a burnt surface on the surface of the article to be heated M is also possible.

  When performing high frequency heating, the magnetron 13 is turned on and the stirrer blade 33 is rotated to supply high frequency into the heating chamber 11 while stirring. In the high-frequency heating apparatus 100, high-frequency heat treatment combining steam and high-frequency can be performed.

The above is the heat treatment procedure including normal steam heating. Next, the heating chamber cleaning function, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described below.
The operation of the high-frequency heating device 100 when the cleaning mode is selected and executed by the input operation unit 61 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.
When the cleaning switch 81 of the input operation unit 61 is pressed (step 1, hereinafter referred to as S1), an input signal is transmitted from the input operation unit 61 to the control unit 83, and the control unit 83 enters a cleaning mode selection standby state (S2). ). Then, the evaporating dish cleaning mode, the heating chamber cleaning mode, or the deodorizing mode is selected by turning the setting dial 82 in this state. When one of the cleaning modes is selected and the start switch 65 is pressed, operation in the selected cleaning mode is started (S3, S4).

Here, each cleaning mode will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 11 and 12.
(Evaporation dish cleaning mode)
First, a cleaning solution in which citric acid is dissolved in water is poured into the evaporating dish 35 (S11). In this state, when the evaporating dish cleaning mode is selected and the start switch 65 is pressed, the evaporating dish 35 is heated by the evaporating dish heater 37, and the cleaning liquid in the evaporating dish 35 is heated to about 80 ° C. in about 1 minute. (S12). Then, the evaporating dish heater 37 is operated intermittently so as to maintain the temperature of the cleaning liquid at about 60 to 80 ° C. for 5 minutes (S13). Thereafter, the temperature is gradually lowered to about 40 ° C. where wiping can be performed, and the evaporating dish 35 is soaked.

When a predetermined time (for example, about 30 minutes from the start of heating) elapses in the cleaning liquid (S14), the end of cleaning is displayed on the display panel 75 together with a sound, an alarm sound, etc. in order to notify the end of the cleaning process. (S15). After confirming the completion of the above cleaning, the door 21 is opened and the evaporating dish 35 is wiped off with a cloth or the like (S16).
By performing such an evaporating dish cleaning mode, deposits such as calcium and magnesium adhering to the evaporating dish 35 are decomposed by citric acid and can be reliably and easily removed.
Note that citric acid that is safe for food hygiene and highly effective in decomposing calcium, magnesium, etc. is suitably used as the cleaning liquid, but is not limited to this, and a surfactant or the like is added to the citric acid solution to obtain an oil component. It is also possible to improve the cleaning performance against dirt, and other cleaning liquids may be used.

(Heating chamber cleaning mode)
When the heating chamber cleaning mode is selected and the start switch 65 is pressed, water is intermittently supplied from the water tank 43 into the evaporating dish 35 by the pump 55 (S21). Then, the evaporating dish heater 37 is turned on, whereby the water in the evaporating dish 35 is heated and steam is generated (S22). Further, the drive motor 23 of the circulation fan 17 is intermittently driven (S23). At this time, the drive motor 23 is driven intermittently, for example, for about 2 seconds per 30 seconds. As a result, the circulating air shown in FIG. 9 is obtained, and the generated steam stays in the heating chamber 11 and is distributed without being biased, so that the steam is condensed on the entire inner surface of the heating chamber 11.

Then, after a lapse of a predetermined time of about 5 to 8 minutes (S24), the pump 55 and the drive motor 23 are turned off (S25) and left in the dewed state (S26). When 30 minutes have elapsed from the start of the heating chamber cleaning mode (S27), in order to notify the end of cleaning, a message indicating the end of cleaning is displayed on the display panel 75 together with voice, alarm sound, etc. (S28). When the completion of cleaning is confirmed, the opening / closing door 21 is opened, and the inner surface of the heating chamber 11 is wiped with a cloth or the like (S29).
By performing such a heating chamber cleaning mode, dirt such as scattered matter from the heated object M sticking to the inner surface of the heating chamber 11 rises from the inner surface of the heating chamber 11. The dirt can be removed all at once by wiping off the attached dirt in a state where the degree of adhesion with the inner surface of the heating chamber is lowered.

In the deodorization mode prepared together with the steam evaporating dish cleaning mode and the heating chamber cleaning mode, the following operation is performed.
When the deodorization mode is selected and the start switch 65 is pressed, the convection heater 19 and the drive motor 23 of the circulation fan 17 are operated to heat the inside of the heating chamber 11 to about 230 ° C., and the surface is subjected to self-cleaning processing. On the inner surface of the heating chamber 11, the deposit that is the source of the odor of oil or the like scattered and adhered from the heated object M during cooking is burned out.

  Thus, according to the high-frequency heating device 100 having the above structure, the control unit 83 controls the steam generation unit 15, the water supply pump 55, the circulation fan 17, and the like based on the signal input to the input operation unit 61. By executing a desired cleaning mode, the inner surface of the heating chamber 11 and the evaporating dish 35 can be cleaned by a simple operation, and without performing complicated work, The evaporating dish 35 can be cleaned very easily and can be kept clean.

  That is, in the evaporating dish cleaning mode, a cleaning liquid made of a citric acid solution is poured into the evaporating dish 35, and heated and soaked at a predetermined temperature, so that dirt such as calcium and magnesium adhering to the evaporating dish 35 is decomposed. The Thereby, the deposits can be reliably and easily removed simply by wiping the evaporating dish 35. Further, in the heating chamber cleaning mode, the inner surface of the heating chamber 11 is condensed with steam, and the dirt adhering to the inner surface of the heating chamber 11 is lifted, thereby facilitating the wiping of the dirt. It can be in a clean state.

  In each cleaning mode, after the start switch 65 is pressed, the high-frequency heating apparatus 100 automatically performs cleaning, so that the operator does not always have to monitor the high-frequency heating apparatus 100 and is notified of the end of cleaning. Until then, no restraint. In addition, after cleaning is finished, dirt that was usually difficult to remove is in a state that can be removed very easily, and it can be sufficiently wiped off by lightly wiping without applying force, easily obtaining a good cleaning effect be able to.

  The high-frequency heating device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and appropriate modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

  As described above, according to the heating device of the present invention, a complicated operation is performed by executing the designated cleaning mode based on the signal input to the control unit via the signal input means. In addition, it is possible to clean the heating chamber in which dirt is attached very easily.

It is a front view which shows the state which opened the opening / closing door of the high frequency heating apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the evaporating dish of the steam generation part used for the high frequency heating apparatus of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the evaporating dish heater of a steam generation part, and a reflecting plate. It is sectional drawing of a steam generation part. It is explanatory drawing showing a mode that a water tank is accommodated in the side surface of a high frequency heating device. It is a side view of a high frequency heating device. It is a front view of the opening-and-closing door provided with the input operation part and display part of a high frequency heating device. It is a control block diagram of a high frequency heating device. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a high frequency heating apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the cleaning mode of a high frequency heating apparatus. It is a flowchart explaining the evaporating dish cleaning mode of a high frequency heating device. It is a flowchart explaining the heating chamber cleaning mode of a high frequency heating device.

Explanation of symbols

11 Heating chamber 13 Magnetron (high frequency generator)
15 Steam generating part 35 Evaporating dish 37 Evaporating dish heater (evaporating dish heating means)
43 Water tank 57 Piping (water supply pipeline)
55 Pump 83 Control unit 100 High-frequency heating device M Object to be heated

Claims (3)

A heating device that heats an object to be heated with steam,
A heating chamber for storing an object to be heated;
A steam generator for supplying at least steam;
A control unit having a heating chamber cleaning mode for automatically supplying steam into the heating chamber by the steam generation unit and cleaning dirt in the heating chamber;
Signal input means for causing the controller to execute the heating chamber cleaning mode;
And a notifying unit for notifying at the end of the cleaning mode. The heating device according to claim 1,
The heating chamber cleaning mode is composed of a steam supply period for supplying steam and a leaving period for which the steam chamber is left for a certain period of time after the end of steam supply,
The said notification means is a heating apparatus which performs notification after completion | finish of the said leaving period. The heating device according to claim 1 or 2,
A heating apparatus comprising a circulation fan that stirs air in the heating chamber, and stirs the generated steam into the heating chamber when steam is generated in the steam generation section.

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