JP2006230517A - Built-in kitchen - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a built-in kitchen capable of varying the space of a cooking table area C or a stove area B, arranging a cooking pot to be heated or the like in an optional position and effectively utilizing the space without arranging a coil unit for an induction heating on a top plate. <P>SOLUTION: The space 19 is formed according to a position on which a cooking vessel 20 can be placed at the lower part of the top plate 13 on which at least the cooking vessel 20 is placed. The coil units 3 having an induction heating coil 42 for generating a high frequency magnetic field and an inverter block 31 for driving the induction heating coil 42 is fixed and arranged inside the space 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a system kitchen, and more particularly to a system kitchen suitable for cooking by heating by placing a cooking container on an arbitrary position on a top board.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the system kitchen 50 installed in the kitchen includes a sink cabinet 51, a stove cabinet 52 installed adjacent to the sink cabinet 51, and a single top plate 53 that covers them. ing. In the system kitchen 50, a sink 54 is formed in a sink area A that covers the sink cabinet 51 of the top plate 53, and hot water is supplied from the faucet 61 to the sink 54. A rectangular opening 56 is cut out near the front portion of the stove area B that covers the stove cabinet 52, and one stove 55 is dropped onto the stove cabinet 52 from the opening 56. Further, a cooking table unit region C is formed between the sink region A and the stove region, and the user cooks food on the top plate 53 pasted on the upper surface of the cooking table unit region C. Alternatively, an appliance or tableware necessary for cooking is placed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Here, the system kitchen is generally a modular and coordinated combination with various floor cabinets for storage, a work top on the floor cabinet, and a sink or cooking device as necessary. It is a type kitchen, and in a broad sense includes a partition storage cabinet and a dining counter. These worktops or counters are collectively referred to below as the top board.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of use in the stove area B and the counter unit area C.

  In the example shown in FIG. 10, first, in the stove area B, the main body case 81 constituting the main body of the stove 55 is fixedly mounted in a lowered state from the top plate. A plurality of gas burners 84 are disposed in the main body of the stove 55, and a cover 83 provided on the upper surface is provided with a burner opening 85 through which each gas burner 84 faces. Furthermore, a virtues 86 are disposed above the burner opening 85, and the virtues 86 along the bottom surface of the cooking pan 74 or the like in which the flame of the burner or the hot air generated by the flames is placed on the claws of the virtues 86 is provided. It is designed to be released to the outside. That is, by burning the gas burner 84, it becomes possible to heat-cook the food in the cooking pan 74 placed on the virtues 86.

  In the cooking table unit area C, a cutting board 91 for actually chopping and processing food, a stainless steel tableware bowl 92 for drying washed dishes, and the like are placed. Furthermore, cooking equipment and the like necessary for actual cooking such as the toaster 65, the juicer 69, the rice cooker 71, and the like are arranged narrowly. These cooking appliances are supplied with power via an outlet 61 and a plug 67.

  As an alternative to various cooking devices such as the toaster 65, juicer 69, rice cooker 71 and the like, various cooking devices such as a whisk and a dishwasher may be arranged in the cooking table unit region C. Will be supplied.

  By the way, as many recipes are being studied, the necessity of operating many cooking devices at the same time is increasing in recent years when a wide variety of cooking, which is a variety of Japanese, Western, and Eastern and Western, has become feasible at home.

  However, in order to simultaneously operate many cooking appliances in the conventional system kitchen as described above, many cooking appliances must be arranged in the cooking unit unit area C having a limited area. For this reason, the space for putting other tableware including a tableware bowl and the space for processing food using a cutting board inevitably become small. In addition, in the stove area B adjacent to the cooking stove unit area C, food or the like put in the cooking pan may be boiled at the same time using the gas stove, but the heat from the gas stove on the cooking stove unit area C Since heat may be transferred to the cooking equipment that is placed, further restrictions are imposed on the location of the cooking equipment.

  On the other hand, when cooking many foods at the same time using many gas stoves, it is necessary to increase the number of gas stoves. There is a case where it is desired to set the occupation rate of the unit area C low. Further, in the existing system kitchen shown in FIG. 10, the main body case is fixedly mounted in a state of being dropped from the top plate, and it has not been possible to increase the number of gas stoves or move the gas stove area significantly.

  Therefore, it is necessary to realize such cooking more efficiently by making the occupation ratio of the cooking unit unit area C and the stove area B on the top plate variable according to the user's intention.

  In addition, some users may want to enjoy cooking with a fresher feeling by changing the arrangement of each cooking device and gas stove from day to day. That is, in recent years, there has been a growing demand for creating new applications for enjoying variations in the arrangement of cooking appliances and gas stoves on the top board 55.

  However, in the conventional system kitchen, the stove area B and the cooking table unit area C are clearly distinguished, the gas stove is disposed in the stove area B, and the cooking appliance is disposed in the cooking table unit area C. It is a premise. For this reason, the user cannot enjoy the variation of the arrangement described above.

  Incidentally, in order to realize the above-mentioned new application, the most important issue is how to improve the degree of freedom of arrangement of the gas stove. In order to solve such a problem, a method of using a cordless device that performs cooking using electromagnetic induction as an alternative to the gas stove has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the cordless device 100 shown in Patent Document 1 includes a load unit 98 represented by a cooking pan and the like, and a magnetic generation unit 99 that induction-heats the load unit 98. The unit 99 includes a top plate 103 on which the load unit 98 is placed, a primary coil 104 that is provided below the top plate 103 and generates a high-frequency magnetic field for performing the induction heating, and the primary coil 104. The inverter 107 is driven, and power is supplied to the inverter 107 via the power cord 109.

Since the user can arrange the magnetism generating unit 99 at an arbitrary position on the top board, the user can distinguish between the cooking unit unit area C and the stove area B between the cordless device 100 and the cooking device. It becomes possible to enjoy the variation of free arrangement.
JP-A-5-184471

  However, when this conventional cordless device 100 is used as an alternative to the above-described gas stove, not only the load unit 98 but also the magnetism generating unit 99 main body must be placed on the top plate. The magnetism generator 99 is wide in width and depth because of mounting various devices such as the primary coil 104 and the inverter 107, and the thickness is increased. For this reason, the magnetism generating unit 99 placed on the top plate itself occupies a vast space, and there arises a problem that the degree of freedom of arrangement in other cooking appliances cannot be ensured.

  Moreover, in this cordless apparatus 100, since the power cord 109 connected to the inverter 107 is placed on the top plate, the troublesomeness cannot be eliminated. In particular, when many cooking devices are used at the same time, the power cord 109 must be connected by a so-called octopus leg wiring using the plug 67 in addition to the outlet 61, and the current that can flow is limited and the limitation is imposed. If an excess current is passed, the power cord itself may heat up and cause a fire. In addition, the arrangement position of the cordless device 100 on the top plate is governed only by the length of the power cord 109, the position of the outlet provided in the system kitchen, and the like. It will be.

  Further, in the cordless device 100, when the magnetism generating unit 99 is moved to a desired position on the top board, this must always be performed by the user's hand. Therefore, even when the arrangement variation is slightly changed, the burden on the user's labor is increased, resulting in a lack of validity.

  Therefore, the present invention has been devised in view of the above-described problems, and the object of the present invention is to make the space of the cooking table unit region C and the stove region B variable and to heat the same. It is to provide a system kitchen in which a cooking pot and the like can be arranged at an arbitrary position and space can be effectively used without arranging a coil unit for induction heating on the top plate. .

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the inventor forms a space according to a position at which the cooking container can be placed at least in a lower part of the top plate on which the cooking container is placed, and generates a high-frequency magnetic field. A plurality of coil units each including an induction heating coil for generating and an inverter circuit for driving the induction heating coil are fixedly arranged in the space.

  That is, the system kitchen according to the present invention includes at least a top plate on which a cooking container is placed, a space formed at least below the top plate according to a position where the cooking container can be placed, and a high-frequency magnetic field. An induction heating coil and an inverter circuit that drives the induction heating coil, and at least a coil unit that can be fixedly arranged at any position in the space. The coil unit includes a plurality of coil units in the space. It is fixedly arranged over.

  In the present invention, an induction heating coil for generating a high-frequency magnetic field by forming a space in accordance with a position where the cooking container can be placed at least in a lower part of the top plate on which the cooking container is placed, and the induction A plurality of coil units having an inverter circuit for driving the heating coil are fixedly arranged in the space.

  Thereby, the user selects an arbitrary coil unit from the plurality of coil units arranged in the space, and places the cooking container at a position on the top plate corresponding to the selected coil unit. Thus, the induction heating described above can be executed. For this reason, compared with the conventional system kitchen, the occupation ratio of the stove area B and the cooking-table unit area C can be made variable according to a user's intention, and cooking can be performed more efficiently. Become. Moreover, it becomes possible to implement | achieve cooking by more flexible arrangement | positioning, without being caught by the concept itself, such as the stove area | region B and the cooking-table unit area | region C. FIG.

  In particular, depending on the user, the arrangement of cooking equipment to be cooked can be changed every day, and it becomes possible to enjoy cooking with a fresher feeling. It is also possible to create applications.

  Furthermore, in this invention, compared with the conventional cordless apparatus which cooks using electromagnetic induction, the power cord is not placed on the top board, and the troublesomeness can be eliminated. For this reason, it is no longer governed by the length of the power cord, the position of the outlet provided in the system kitchen, etc., and the degree of freedom of arrangement in the cooking container can be further increased. In addition, since it is not necessary to place the magnetism generator body on the top board, the space is not greatly occupied, and it is possible to further secure the degree of freedom of arrangement in other devices. As a result, the space on the top board can be utilized more effectively.

  Hereinafter, as the best mode for carrying out the present invention, a cordless system kitchen applied when cooking food in a restaurant or home will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  A system kitchen 1 to which the present invention is applied is a system kitchen having at least a work top or a counter (hereinafter referred to as a “top plate”), and as shown in FIG. 1, a cabinet 11 and a cooking table unit in the cabinet 11. A top plate 13 covering the upper surface of the region C, a sink 14 formed in the sink region A adjacent to the top plate 13, and a faucet 15 for supplying hot water to the sink 14 are provided.

  The cabinet 11 includes doors 21, 22, and 23 that are pivotally attached to the front side through hinges (not shown) so as to be openable on one side, and storage drawers 24a to 24d that are inserted on slide members (not shown). Yes. In each of the doors 21 to 23 and the storage drawer 24 constituting the cabinet 11, shelves, cases and the like that can mainly store kitchen utensils and tableware may be provided.

  The sink 14 is formed with a draining recess 14a, and a drain port 14b is provided on the bottom surface. In the sink 14, the recess 14a and the drain port 14b are integrally formed with each other by a method such as press molding, cast molding, injection molding, or the like. The material of the sink 14 is not particularly limited, but a metal such as a heat-resistant resin or a stainless steel plate can also be used.

  The faucet 15 causes water or hot water to flow out into the sink 14 via the faucet 17 in accordance with a rotation operation by the user. Thereby, it is also possible to cook in the sink 14 while flowing water from the faucet 17. Incidentally, when not flowing water, the faucet 17 may be rotated in the direction E in the figure. Thereby, it becomes possible to cook using the inside of the sink 14 without using the faucet 17 as a barrier.

  The top plate 13 is composed of a glass plate having a smooth surface. On the top plate 13, a cooking container 20 typified by a cooking pan or pot for cooking food and the like, a cutting board 22 for actually chopping and processing the food, etc. are located at any position of the user. It is set as the structure which can be mounted. This top plate 13 is not limited to the case where all the regions are made of the same material, but may be made of a glass plate or the like as described above for the range in which the coil unit is arranged.

Incidentally, the place where this cooking container 20 can be induction-heated is fixed in advance. The marking 101 is given about the place which can be induction-heated. By placing the cooking container 20 at a position on the top plate 13 where the marking 101 is applied, it is possible to perform cooking by heating.

  In addition to the cutting board 22, various cooking devices such as a tableware bowl, a rice cooker, a juicer, and the like may be placed on the top plate 13 at arbitrary positions. That is, the top plate 13 is a place where the cooking container 20 may be placed. Therefore, it is necessary to configure the top plate 13 with a material excellent in heat resistance, impact resistance, chemical resistance, and mechanical strength. Usually, it is made of heat-resistant glass or ceramics. Incidentally, a space described below is formed below the top plate 13.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining the configuration of the space 19.

  In the space 19 provided in the system kitchen 1, a substantially flat bottom plate 28 and a top plate 13 parallel to the bottom plate 28 are installed at a predetermined interval, and further, the top plate 13 and the bottom plate 28. Is surrounded by a side wall 19a so as to form a closed space. The space between the top plate 13 and the bottom plate 28 expressed as the height of the space 19 is configured in the range of 30 mm to 100 mm, but is not limited to this, and configured with any other height. Also good.

  Incidentally, the space 19 is formed on the top plate 13 so as to correspond to a position where the cooking container 20 can be placed. For example, in the above-described sink area A, the cooking container 20 cannot be placed as a matter of course, and the space 19 does not need to be formed up to the lower part of the area A. Also in the cooking table unit area C, when it is known in advance that the cooking container 20 cannot be placed due to the fixed arrangement of the tableware etc. This space 19 does not have to be formed.

  That is, the space 19 may be configured in any width and shape as long as it is formed at the lower part of the top plate 13 according to at least a position where the cooking container 20 can be placed. Further, the space 19 is not limited to a closed space, and a vent hole or the like to the outside may be formed in the side wall 19a.

  In this space 19, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of coil units 3 for induction heating the cooking container 20 are fixedly arranged. In the following description, the coil units 3 will be described on the assumption that they are regularly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions as shown in FIG. 3. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. It may be arranged at any location.

  The coil unit 3 is supplied with power via a power cord 30 connected to a power plug 29. Further, the coil unit 3 is disposed at a position in the space 19 corresponding to the marking 101 provided on the top plate 13.

  The coil unit 3 is applied as a so-called IH (Induction Heating) cooking heater, and its diameter is adjusted according to the size of the cooking container 20 typified by a cooking pan or the like. Hereinafter, the details of the coil unit 3 will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the coil unit 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the coil unit 3. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the coil unit 3 is roughly divided into an inverter block 31 and a control block 32. The inverter block 31 is a block for controlling a high-frequency magnetic field that is actually induction-heated, and the control block 32 is a block for controlling the entire coil unit 3.

  The inverter block 31 is disposed between the power cord 30 and the rectifier circuit 33, and a rectifier circuit 33 for receiving household AC200V (50/60 Hz) power from the power plug 29 via the power cord 30. A current detecting coil 44, a choke coil 34 connected to the rectifier circuit 33 and wound by winding a coil around an iron core, and a capacitor 35 constituting a series LC circuit between the choke coil 34; A first switching element 36 and a second switching element 37 arranged so as to connect the output terminals of the rectifier circuit 33 in series, and two switching elements 36 and 37 connected in parallel to each other. A resonant capacitor 38, 39, a current transformer 40 short-circuited to a connection point of these resonant capacitors 38, 39, And a circuit protection thermo 41 to be mounted on either the internal Taburokku 31. An induction heating coil 42 is further connected to one end side of the current transformer 40 in the inverter block 31 and the connection point of the switching elements 36 and 37, and a pan temperature detection thermistor is provided near the approximate center of the induction heating coil 42. 50 is provided. By the way, at the time of cooking, the coil unit 3 itself is moved to a position where the cooking container 20 can be induction-heated via the top plate 13 by the high-frequency magnetic field from the induction heating coil 42.

  The control block 32 includes a primary current detection circuit 45 connected to the current detection coil 44 in the inverter block 31, a power supply voltage detection circuit 46 for detecting a current supplied to the rectifier circuit 33, and at least the primary current detection. A control circuit 47 connected to the circuit 45 and the power supply voltage detection circuit 46 and serving as a central processing unit for controlling the entire control block 32, and the control circuit 47 and the switching elements 36 and 37. A connected inverter drive circuit 48, a temperature detection circuit 49 for transmitting detection information from the connected circuit protection thermo 41 to the control circuit 47, a coil current connected to the current transformer 40 and the control circuit 47, respectively. The detection circuit 51 is connected to the temperature detection thermistor 50 and the control circuit 47, respectively. And it includes at least a pan temperature sensing circuit 52 that. The control block 32 is configured by further connecting a cooling fan 54, an alarm 62, a display unit 63, and an operation unit 57 to the control circuit 47.

  As shown in FIG. 5, these components are mounted inside the housing 5, and in particular, the inverter block 31 and the control block 32 are mounted on the mounting table 6. Further, the casing 5 has an intake port 58 formed on the bottom surface near the position where the cooling fan 54 is disposed, and an exhaust port 59 formed on one side surface.

  First, the detailed configuration of the inverter block 31 will be described.

  The rectifier circuit 33 is arranged to rectify the power source current from the connected power plug 29, and converts the supplied power source current as alternating current into direct current. The rectifier circuit 33 is configured by a so-called full-wave rectifier circuit configured by connecting four diodes (not shown) in a bridge shape, but is not limited thereto, and is a half-wave rectifier circuit using only one diode. It may be configured.

  The LC series circuit constituted by the choke coil 34 and the capacitor 35 constitutes a so-called smoothing circuit. By passing the power supply current output from the rectifier circuit 33 through the choke coil 34 and the capacitor 35, the magnitude thereof can be controlled to be constant. If the power supply current supplied from the rectifier circuit 33 is large, electrostatic energy or magnetic energy is stored in the choke coil 34 and the capacitor 35. When the power supply current supplied from the rectifier circuit 33 decreases, the electrostatic energy or magnetic energy accumulated in the choke coil 34 and the capacitor 35 is released, so that the circuit in the subsequent stage has a constant magnitude. It becomes possible to supply a power supply current.

  The switching elements 36 and 37 are constituted by transistors or the like, for example, and reverse conduction diodes 62 and 63 are connected in parallel to the emitters and collectors of the switching elements 36 and 37, respectively. A drive signal QA from the inverter drive circuit 48 is supplied to the base of the switching element 36, and a drive signal QB from the inverter drive circuit 48 is supplied to the base of the switching element 37. That is, the inverter drive circuit 48 can supply a resonance current to the resonance capacitors 38 and 39 and the induction heating coil 42 by alternately supplying the drive signal QA and the drive signal QB.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the induction heating coil 42 is disposed to face the upper surface 5 a of the housing 5. The number of turns in the induction heating coil 42 governs the electric power when the cooking container 20 is heated, and is optimally adjusted in relation to the skin resistance of the bottom plate and the magnitude of the resonance current in the cooking container 20. Need to be. The induction heating coil 42 is resonated based on the supplied resonance current, and as a result, a high frequency magnetic field can be generated.

  The circuit protection thermo 41 is composed of a thermistor or the like whose resistance value changes according to a change in temperature, and is made of, for example, a ceramic semiconductor obtained by sintering a metal oxide as a main raw material at a high temperature. The circuit protection thermo 41 mainly measures the temperature of the space that constitutes the inverter block 31 and the control block 48.

  The pan temperature detection thermistor 50 is composed of a thermistor in the same manner as the circuit protection thermo 41. The pan temperature detection thermistor 50 is disposed near the center of the induction heating coil 42 as described above in order to detect the temperature of the cooking container 20 via the top plate 13.

  The current transformer 40 is a coil or the like for detecting the current value of the resonance current flowing through the induction heating coil. The current detected by the current transformer 40 is read by a coil current detection circuit 51 described later.

  Next, a detailed configuration of the control block 32 will be described.

  The primary current detection circuit 45 detects the current value of the power supply current supplied via the power plug 29 via the connected current detection coil 44. The primary current detection circuit 45 notifies the control circuit 47 of the detected current value.

  The power supply voltage detection circuit 46 detects a voltage based on the power supply current from the power supply plug 29. The power supply voltage detection circuit 46 notifies the control circuit 47 of the detected voltage.

  The control circuit 47 is composed of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, and is composed of an ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) that performs arithmetic operations, a register that primarily stores data, a bus interface that performs input and output with a memory and peripheral devices, and the like. The In addition, a function such as a floating point arithmetic unit that performs a floating point arithmetic operation, a cache that temporarily stores more information than a register, and the like may be provided. Incidentally, when the control circuit 47 is notified of the current value detected by the primary detection circuit 45 and the voltage detected by the power supply voltage detection circuit 46, the control circuit 47 is set with reference to these. The inverter drive circuit 48 is controlled so that the generated power is obtained. The control circuit 47 interprets a command from the user via the operation unit 57, controls the inverter drive circuit 48, the cooling fan 54, and the alarm 62 based on this, and sends predetermined information via the display unit 63. indicate. Note that a memory (not shown) may be mounted in the control circuit 47. By storing a program in this memory, the entire coil unit 3 may be controlled according to the program. It becomes possible.

  The inverter drive circuit 48 is configured as an oscillation circuit for oscillating a sine wave signal, and generates the drive signal QA or the drive signal QB based on control by the control circuit 47.

  The temperature detection circuit 49 detects a change in resistance value in the circuit protection thermo 41. The temperature detection circuit 49 detects the temperature inside the housing 5 based on the detected change in the resistance value of the circuit protection thermo 41. The temperature detection circuit 49 notifies the control circuit 47 of the detected temperature inside the housing 5. The control circuit 47 can recognize the temperature inside the housing 5 at any time through the notification from the temperature detection circuit 49. As a result, for example, when the cooling fan or the like is stopped during operation, or when the cooling performance is deteriorated, such as when the intake port 58 or the exhaust port 59 is clogged, the temperature inside the housing 5 rapidly increases. In addition, the control circuit 47 can recognize this via the temperature detection circuit 49 and can stop the operation of the entire coil unit 3.

  The coil current detection circuit 51 reads the current value of the resonance current detected by the current transformer 40 and notifies the control circuit 47 of this value. The control circuit 47 can recognize the current value of the resonance current at any time via the coil current detection circuit 51. Thereby, the control circuit 47 can suppress, for example, the flow of resonance current more than necessary for the electric power necessary for induction heating determined according to the material and shape of the cooking container 20, Furthermore, when the cooking container 20 is removed during induction heating, it is possible to stop the operation of the entire coil unit 3 and notify the user of this via the alarm 62.

  The pan temperature detection circuit 52 detects a change in resistance value in the pan temperature detection thermistor 50. The pan temperature detection circuit 52 detects the temperature of the cooking container 20 based on the detected change in the resistance value of the pan temperature detection thermistor 50. The pan temperature detection circuit 52 notifies the control circuit 47 of the detected temperature of the cooking container 20. The control circuit 47 can recognize the temperature of the cooking container 20 at any time via the notification from the temperature detection circuit 49. As a result, for example, when the temperature of the bottom of the cooking container 50 rises above a specified value, the operation of the entire coil unit 3 can be stopped.

  The cooling fan 54 is rotated based on control by the control circuit 47. In accordance with the rotation of the cooling fan 54, the cooling air is sucked from the intake port 58. The sucked cooling air passes through the inverter block 31 and the control block 32 to cool them, and is discharged from the discharge port 59 to the outside.

  The alarm 62 is composed of an audio oscillator that generates a predetermined sound based on control by the control circuit 47.

  The display unit 63 includes a liquid crystal display surface that displays predetermined information based on control by the control circuit 47. Note that. As shown in FIG. 4, the display unit 63 is assumed to be provided on the surface of the housing 5, but the display unit 63 is not limited to this and is wired to the control circuit 47 as will be described later. Or you may comprise by sticking the display surface which can communicate by radio | wireless communication on the front surface of the top plate 13, etc. FIG.

  The operation unit 57 is embodied by keys, buttons, and the like for the user to actually operate the coil unit 3. The content input from the user in the operation unit 57 is notified to the control circuit 47, and the control circuit 47 controls each component of the coil unit 3 based on the input content. Incidentally, the operation unit 57 is assumed to be a button or the like formed on the surface of the housing 5, but is not limited to such a case. For example, the operation unit 57 is for transmitting input content from a user by wireless communication. You may be comprised with the remote controller.

  FIG. 6 shows an example in which the operation unit 57 is embodied as the remote controller 110. Incidentally, FIG. 6A shows an external configuration diagram of the remote controller 110, and FIG. 6B shows a block configuration of the remote controller 110.

  The remote controller 110 is configured by mounting each component in a resin case 116, and includes a control unit 111 embodied by a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. A liquid crystal display unit 112 and a transmission unit 113 connected to each other and operation buttons 114a to 114c for a user to perform an input operation are provided.

  The liquid crystal display unit 112 includes a liquid crystal display surface formed on the center surface of the case 116 and displays predetermined information based on control by the control unit 111. From the liquid crystal display unit 112, information regarding the power-on state, information regarding the set temperature for the coil unit 3, and the like are displayed to the user who actually operates the remote controller 110.

  The transmission unit 113 is provided at the tip of the case 116 and performs serial communication with the coil unit 3 using infrared rays.

  The operation buttons 114a, 114b, and 114c are formed on the surface of the case 116 so that the user himself / herself gives instructions for turning on / off the power, increasing the set temperature, decreasing the set temperature, and the like. The control unit 111 switches display contents on the liquid crystal display unit 112 in accordance with the pressed operation button 114, generates an infrared signal corresponding to this, and transmits this to the coil unit 3 via the transmission unit 113.

  When the operation unit 57 is embodied as the remote controller 110, an infrared light receiving element (not shown) may be provided in the control block 48 in the coil unit 3. As a result, an infrared signal transmitted from the remote controller 110 is received by an infrared light receiving element (not shown), and this is photoelectrically converted so that the control circuit 47 can interpret what instruction is received from the user. It becomes possible.

  Further, in the remote controller 110 having the above-described configuration, the transmission unit 113 may include a function for receiving an infrared signal on which predetermined information is superimposed. In such a case, information transmitted from the outside can be transmitted to the user via the liquid crystal display unit 112.

  Next, a description will be given of a method of actually heating the cooking container 20 by the coil unit 3 having the above-described configuration.

  First, a current for power supply is received from the power plug 29 via the power cord 30. The received power supply current is rectified in the rectifier circuit 33. At this time, the inverter drive circuit 48 adjusts the drive signals QA and QB supplied to the switching elements 36 and 37 under the control of the control circuit 47.

  7A shows the resonance current flowing through the induction heating coil 42, FIG. 7B shows the drive signal QA supplied to the switching element 36, and FIG. 7C shows the switching element 37. The drive signal QB supplied with respect to is shown.

Inverter drive circuit 48 under the control of the control circuit 47, the drive time from the time point _{t 0} until the time point _{t 1} is ON outputs a drive signal QA is T1. During the driving time T1, resonance occurs in a closed circuit formed by the switching element 36 and the diode 62, the induction heating coil 42, and the resonance capacitor 38. Incidentally, the inverter drive circuit 48 turns OFF the drive signal QA at time _{t 1.}

Then inverter driving circuit 48 under the control of the control circuit 47, the time driven from the time _{t 2} is ON outputs a drive signal QB is T2. During this driving time T2, resonance occurs in a closed circuit formed by the switching element 37 and the diode 63, the induction heating coil 42, and the resonance capacitor 39. The driving time T2 is the same as the driving time T1.

  Thus, by changing the closed circuit and causing the induction heating coil 42 to resonate, a high frequency magnetic field can be generated in the induction heating coil 42. The generated high-frequency magnetic field passes through the bottom plate of the cooking container 20 through the top plate 13. Since the bottom plate of the cooking container 20 is made of metal, an eddy current is generated by passing the high-frequency magnetic field through the metal bottom plate. Due to this eddy current and the electrical resistance of the cooking container 20, Joule heat is generated, and the cooking container 20 itself generates heat. As a result, the food in the cooking container 20 can be heated and cooked.

  FIG. 8 shows an example in which the cooking container 120 in which the secondary coil is mounted is placed on the top plate 13. The cooking container 120 shown in FIG. 8 includes a secondary coil 121 that magnetically couples with a high-frequency magnetic field from the induction heating coil 42 when placed on the upper part of the coil unit 3, and a power outlet socket 122. , And a rectifier 123 provided on a conducting wire 124 connecting the secondary coil 121 and the outlet portion 122.

  The secondary coil 121 generates a high-frequency voltage between both terminals to which the conducting wire 124 is connected by intermingling with the high-frequency magnetic field generated from the induction heating coil 42.

  The rectifier 123 rectifies the current based on the high frequency voltage generated by the secondary coil 121. This rectified current is sent to the outlet section 122.

  The outlet section 122 generates a 200 V (50/60 Hz) power source as a commercial power source generated based on the current sent through the rectifier 123 for other cooking via a plug (not shown) inserted therein. Send it to the device.

  That is, the cooking container 120 having such a configuration magnetically couples the high-frequency magnetic field generated from the induction heating coil 42 and the secondary coil 121, and based on this, a high-frequency voltage is applied to both terminals of the secondary coil 121. In addition, heat cooking is realized based on the high-frequency voltage, and power can be supplied to other cooking equipment (not shown) via the outlet 122.

  Thus, in the system kitchen 1 to which the present invention is applied, a space 19 corresponding to a position where at least the cooking container 20 can be placed is formed in the lower part of the top plate 13 on which the cooking container 20 is placed. A plurality of coil units 3 are fixedly arranged in the space 19. At this time, a visual marking 101 may be provided at a position on the top plate 13 corresponding to the arrangement of the coil unit 3.

  Thereby, the user of the system kitchen 1 selects an arbitrary coil unit 3 from the plurality of coil units 3 arranged in the space 19, and the position on the top plate 13 corresponding to the selected coil unit 3. It becomes possible to perform the induction heating mentioned above by mounting the container 20 for cooking. Here, by giving the marking 101 as described above, an arbitrary one is selected from the positions on the top plate 13 where the marking 101 is applied, and the cooking container 20 is placed on the selected marking 101 position. It is possible to place it and heat it by induction.

  Thereby, compared with the conventional system kitchen, the occupation ratio of the stove area | region B and the cooking-table unit area | region C can be made variable according to a user's intention, and cooking can be performed more efficiently. Become. Moreover, it becomes possible to implement | achieve cooking by more flexible arrangement | positioning, without being caught by the concept itself, such as a stove area | region B and a cooking-table unit area | region.

  In particular, depending on the user, the arrangement of the cooking device 20 to be cooked can be changed every day, and cooking can be enjoyed with a fresher feeling, so that variations of the arrangement on the top plate 13 can be enjoyed. It is also possible to create new applications.

  Furthermore, in the system kitchen 1 to which the present invention is applied, the power cord is not placed on the top plate 13 as compared with the conventional cordless device that uses the electromagnetic induction to cook and eliminates the troublesomeness. It is also possible to do. For this reason, it is no longer governed by the length of the power cord, the position of the outlet provided in the system kitchen, etc., and the degree of freedom of arrangement in the cooking container can be further increased. Further, since it is no longer necessary to place the magnetism generator main body on the top plate 13, space is not greatly occupied, and the degree of freedom of arrangement in other devices can be further secured. As a result, the space on the top board can be utilized more effectively.

It is a perspective view of the system kitchen to which this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating per structure of space. It is a figure for demonstrating about the arrangement | positioning method of a coil unit. It is a block block diagram of a coil unit. It is a section lineblock diagram of a coil unit. It is a figure for demonstrating about the example which comprises an operation part by a remote controller. It is a figure shown about the example of the resonant current produced | generated based on a drive signal. It is a figure which shows the example which mounts the cooking container in which the secondary coil was mounted inside on a top plate. It is a figure which shows the system kitchen in the past. It is a figure for demonstrating about the problem in the conventional system kitchen. It is a figure for demonstrating about the example of the cordless apparatus in the past.

Explanation of symbols

1 System Kitchen 3 Coil Unit 11 Cabinet 13 Top Plate 14 Sink 15 Faucet 17 Faucet 21, 22, 23 Door 24 Storage Drawer 29 Power Plug 30 Power Cord 31 Inverter Block 32 Control Block 33 Rectifier Circuit 34 Choke Coil 35 Capacitor 36 1 switching element 37 second switching element 38, 39 resonant capacitor 40 current transformer 41 circuit protection thermo 42 induction heating coil 44 current detection coil 45 primary current detection circuit 46 power supply voltage detection circuit 47 control circuit 48 inverter drive circuit 49 temperature Detection circuit 50 Pan temperature detection thermistor 51 Coil current detection circuit 52 Pan temperature detection circuit 54 Cooling fan 57 Operation unit 62 Alarm 63 Display unit

Claims (3)

A top plate on which at least a cooking container is placed;
A space formed according to a position where at least the cooking container can be placed in the lower part of the top plate;
An induction heating coil for generating a high-frequency magnetic field, and an inverter circuit for driving the induction heating coil, comprising at least a coil unit that can be fixedly arranged at an arbitrary position in the space,
The system kitchen, wherein the coil unit is fixedly arranged in a plurality over the space. The system kitchen according to claim 1, wherein the coil units are regularly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions in the space. The system kitchen according to claim 1, wherein visual markings are provided on the top board according to the position of the coil unit fixedly arranged in the space.

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