JP2009238613A - Induction heating cooking appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an induction heating cooking appliance capable of arranging a heated object at any position on a top plate, and with which a user can instinctively recognize an area where another heated object can be placed and an area where no more objects can be placed. <P>SOLUTION: An inverter 72 converts direct-current power from a converter 71 into high-frequency alternating current and supplies it to induction heating coils 4 uniformly arranged in dispersion and a resonating capacitor 75. A sensor 76, provided at a center of the induction heating coils 4 or between the induction heating coils 4 themselves, detects a pan 2 on the top plate 3. A control means 74 compares an output of the sensor 76 with a reference value, and decides on existence of the pan when the output of the sensor 76 goes beyond the reference value, and estimates the size of an arrangement position (a center position) and a size of an occupied area of the pan. The control means 74 changes a display mode of a corresponding area of the display part 5 based on its 74 estimation result, also displays an operating part 73 at the same time, and validates a function of the operating part 73. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an induction heating cooker using an induction heating coil, and particularly to an arrangement position on a top plate of a heated object such as a pan and its display.

  A conventional induction heating cooker includes a plurality of (three) heating units that heat the object to be heated on the top plate, a thermal power display unit that displays the heating state of the object to be heated, and an operation unit. All of the heating parts are heating parts including induction heating coils, and the thermal power display parts are arranged on the top plate so that the respective heating parts correspond to the respective heating parts. In addition, the thermal power from the heating unit is digitized and displayed on the thermal power display unit, making it possible to perform individual operations such as changing the thermal power without changing the line of sight while looking at the thermal power status in relation to each heating unit. There was a good one (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, two induction heating coils are arranged below the top plate on which the cooking container is placed, and the thermal detectors and the heating power of the induction heating coils are displayed in a plurality of colors in the vicinity corresponding to each induction heating coil. A cooking container provided with two heating power indicators, two heating state indicators for displaying the operating state of the induction heating coil, and a control circuit, and above the induction heating coil of the top plate according to the output of the temperature detector or the like There is a pan detection means to detect the presence or absence of the cooking container and the material of the cooking container, and when the pan detection means detects the presence of a pan, the heating state indicator is lit in different colors according to the cooking content, and there is no pan In some cases, the thermal power indicator and the heating state indicator are blinked when detecting the above (for example, see Patent Document 2).

  Also, a top plate for placing the load and two touch operation units for operating the heating operation of the heating means for controlling the heating of the load are provided, and the operation units of the respective touch operation units are arranged below the top plate. It has a display character and a backlight that displays the display character through the top plate when lit, and when the operation unit is not displayed, the entire operation unit including the display character is turned off and the operation unit is operated. By disabling it, the user can clearly recognize that it is invalid, and there is one that improves usability (for example, see Patent Document 3).

JP 2007-18786 A (pages 2 to 4, FIGS. 1 and 2) JP 2003-197360 A (page 4, FIG. 2) JP 2007-107800 A (page 5, FIG. 1, FIG. 3, FIG. 5)

However, any of the conventional heating cookers described in Patent Documents 1 to 3 correspond to the mounting position where the heated object such as a pan on the top plate is fixed. The operation unit was also fixed. For this reason, the user cannot place the object to be heated at a free position on the top board, and there is a problem that the degree of freedom in operability is greatly impaired.
In addition, if the object to be heated can be placed at a free position on the top plate, there is no restriction on the size or shape of the object to be heated, but the object to be heated is added to any position. There was a problem that it was difficult to see whether it could be placed.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and a first object is to arrange a heated object such as a pan in a free position on the top plate. An object of the present invention is to provide an induction heating cooker in which a user can intuitively understand an area occupied by an object, an area where an object to be heated can be additionally placed, and an area where an object cannot be additionally placed.

  An induction heating cooker according to the present invention includes a top plate on which a heated object such as a pan is placed, a plurality of induction heating coils that are substantially uniformly distributed below the top plate, and the placed heated object. A heated object detecting means for detecting the position of the heated object, a placing possibility judging means for judging whether or not another heated object can be placed in a region where the heated object is not placed, and a placing possibility judgment Display means for displaying a region where other objects to be heated can be placed according to the determination result of the means.

  According to the induction heating cooker according to the present invention, a top plate on which an object to be heated such as a pan is placed, a plurality of induction heating coils that are substantially uniformly distributed below the top plate, and the placed subject. A heated object detecting means for detecting the position of the heated object, a placement possibility judging means for judging whether or not another heated object can be placed in a region where the heated object is not placed, and placing is possible Display means for displaying the area where other objects to be heated can be placed according to the determination result of the sex determination means, so that the user can place the objects to be heated such as pans at free positions on the top plate The user can intuitively understand the area occupied by the object to be heated, the area where the object to be heated can be additionally placed, and the area where the object to be heated cannot be additionally placed on the top board.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an induction heating cooker according to the present invention, showing a state in which the top plate is seen through at the same time, and showing the arrangement of induction heating coils in an easy-to-understand manner. As shown in FIG. 1, the induction heating cooker is provided at the top of the main body 1, the top of the main body and on which a heated object 2 such as a pan can be placed, and below the top 3. It is comprised from the induction heating coil 4, the display part 5 provided in front of the top plate 3, the touch panel which is not shown in figure, the main body side operation part 6 and the roaster 7 which were provided in the main body 1 side. The display unit 5 constitutes display means, and the touch panel constitutes operation display means. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, relatively small induction heating coils 4 (hereinafter also referred to as small coils) are distributed almost uniformly below the top plate 3.

  2 is a diagram showing the layout of the top board 3 and the display unit 5. In FIG. 2 (a), the display area of the display unit 5 is in front of the top board 3 as shown in FIG. 2 (a). On the side and along the edge of the top plate 3, it is displayed continuously in the left-right direction (hereinafter also referred to as the X-axis direction) linearly across the top plate. The display unit 5 is not displayed until the power switch provided on the side or the back side of the main body is pressed. When the power switch is pressed, all areas are lit in white. This white color indicates that an object to be heated such as a pan can be placed. In the first embodiment, the case where the objects to be heated are arranged in a substantially line in the left-right direction of the top 3 will be described. FIG. 2B is a diagram showing an example of a face-to-face induction heating cooker, and shows an example in which strip-like display units 5 are arranged in the front X-axis direction and the back X-axis direction. . The display unit 5 is displayed on both the near side and the far side, and cooking is possible from either the near side or the far side.

  Moreover, FIG. 3 is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display part 5 interlock | cooperated with the mounting position of the to-be-heated material of the induction heating cooking appliance concerning this invention. In Fig.3 (a), the color of the display part 5 of the near side corresponding to each of the pan mounted in the approximate center of the top plate 3 as the to-be-heated object 2 and the frying pan mounted on the right side is lit red. While showing that it is cooking, it shows that the to-be-heated object can be added while the left end of the display part 5 remains white. In FIG.3 (b), while the color of the display part 5 of the near side corresponding to the pan mounted in the approximate center of the top plate 3 as the to-be-heated object 2 lights in red, it shows that it is cooking, and the The display portions 5 on both sides remain white and indicate that two further objects to be heated can be placed. FIG. 3C shows a place where the color of the front display unit 5 corresponding to a large pan tray placed on the left side of the top 3 as the object to be heated 2 is lit in green and placed. The right side of the display portion remains white, indicating that an object to be heated can be added. Here, when the user puts a metal bowl that is not cooked on the top plate, if the user puts the washed pan on the top plate, the pan containing the stored dishes is not on the top plate. If the operation unit is displayed in response to the placement of the object, the user may feel uneasy. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3A to FIG. 3C, a non-display button is displayed as the operation unit 73 for turning off the display in front of each heated object 2. In the case of non-use, the operation unit 73 (non-display button) is operated so that the color of the display unit 5 returns to the original white. The operation unit 73 constitutes an operation unit.

  Moreover, FIG. 4 is a figure which shows the layout of the induction heating coil (small coil) 4 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the small coils 4 may be arranged in a grid shape, or as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the small coils 4 may be arranged in a honeycomb shape. As shown in (c), a conventional large induction heating coil and the small coil 4 may be mixed and arranged.

FIG. 5 shows a case where a temperature detecting means for detecting infrared rays such as a thermistor or a capacity detecting means for detecting the capacity between the small coils 4 is used as a sensor for detecting the object to be heated 2 (sensor 76 shown in FIG. 7). FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a layout, and a sensor may be arranged in a gap between the small coils 4 as shown in FIG. 5A, or may be arranged in the center of the small coils 4 as shown in FIG. 5B. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5 (c), the gaps between the small coils 4 and the center of the small coils 4 may be arranged.
The placement position of the object to be heated on the top 3 is sensed by a plurality of sensors 76 indicated by black circles in FIGS. When the object to be heated is placed on the top plate, the sensor 76 detects the placement position of the object to be heated on the top plate, and based on this, the control means (not shown) of the cooking device serves as the top plate 3 of the pan. The arrangement position (specifically, the center position) and size (bottom diameter) of the object to be heated are calculated, and based on this, the color of the portion of the display unit 5 facing the area occupied by the object to be heated is changed from white. Change to green. When the user performs an operation to start heating, the control unit starts heating by controlling the small coil 4 in the portion facing the occupation area of the object to be heated. The color changes to orange. Then, the control means changes the color of the display unit 5 from, for example, orange to red in conjunction with the heating temperature of the object to be heated.
When the sensor is a temperature detection means, the induction heating cooker is the temperature at which the temperature becomes higher than a predetermined value (for example, 70 ° C.) among all the temperature detection means after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of heating. The detection means is specified, it is determined that the object to be heated 2 is directly above the specified temperature detection means, and the arrangement position of the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3 is determined from the arrangement positions of the plurality of specified temperature detection means. Calculate the size.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the light irradiation method when the light emitting means and the light receiving means are used as the sensor of the object to be heated 2 in an easy-to-understand manner. As shown in FIG. You may provide in the top plate 3 side surface, and may arrange | position above the top plate 3 as shown in FIG.6 (b). Although not shown, the sensor may be disposed obliquely above the top 3. In this case, the induction heating cooker is arranged on the top plate 3 based on the incident angle of the light when the light emitted from the light emitting means is received by the light receiving means, the sensor placement position, and the placement position and size of the top board 3. The arrangement position and size of the object to be heated 2 can be calculated. In addition, when providing a sensor in the side surface of the top plate 3, if two sensors are provided at different positions, the accuracy is improved. Alternatively, one sensor is placed on a rail provided along the edge of the top plate 3 so that it can be moved in the horizontal direction, and the object to be heated 2 is observed while moving this sensor. Thus, the arrangement position of the heated object 2 may be detected based on the position of the sensor that can detect the heated object 2. The same can be said for the vertical direction as well as the horizontal direction.

Moreover, FIG. 7 is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure in Embodiment 1 of the induction heating cooking appliance concerning this invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the induction heating cooker is set by a user using a converter 71 that converts commercial AC power into DC power, an inverter 72 that converts the output of the converter 71 into high-frequency AC power, and an operation unit 73. Based on the thermal power setting information, the output frequency is set, the PWM calculation is performed, the inverter drive signal is generated and the inverter 72 is controlled, and the control means 74 that is driven by the inverter 72 and operates with the resonance capacitor 75 to operate the high frequency magnetic field. From the induction heating coil (small coil) 4 that generates the heat, the center of the induction heating coil 4 or between the induction heating coils 4, and the sensor 76 that detects the object 2 to be heated on the top 3. A pan detection circuit 77 that amplifies the output signal and compares it with a reference value to remove noise and perform A / D conversion. Composed of the touch panel 78. which is a display area of the display unit 5 and the operating unit 73 is provided. The operation unit 73 includes a non-display button.
In FIG. 7, only one induction heating coil 4, resonant capacitor 75, and sensor 76 are shown, but a large number are actually arranged.
Further, when the control means 74 determines that there is no object to be heated 2 based on the output of the pan detection circuit 77, the inverter 72 is controlled so as not to supply a high frequency current to the induction heating coil 4.

Further, the control means 74 is constituted by a microcomputer, a DSP, etc., and when judging the presence or absence of the object to be heated 2, the output of the pan detecting circuit 77 is compared with a preset reference value, and when this output exceeds the reference value It is determined that there is an object to be heated 2 and the position and size of the object to be heated 2 are determined.
Further, when the frequency of the high-frequency current from the inverter 72 is the resonance frequency, the induction heating coil 4 outputs the maximum magnetic field, that is, the maximum heating force.
As the sensor 76, means capable of detecting an area where an object is placed, such as temperature detecting means or capacity detecting means shown in FIG. 4, or light emitting means and light receiving means shown in FIG. 5, is used.
In the above description, a pan is taken as an example of the article 2 to be heated. However, the pan is not limited to a pan, and other metal containers (particularly iron-based containers) may be used.

The display unit 5 is composed of an LED or an LCD, and is composed of a large number of displayable elements such as organic EL, CRT, PDP (plasma display), small projector, DLP (registered trademark), and has a continuous area. Any material that can be displayed may be used. Further, the display unit 5 is provided around the top plate 3 along the edge thereof, and is stored in advance in the storage unit in association with the image of the operation unit 73 and the center position (coordinates) of the image, and the control unit 74 when necessary. However, the operation unit 73 can be displayed in accordance with the area of the display unit 5 onto which the object to be heated is projected. Further, an image of the operation unit 73 (non-display button) is stored in advance in the storage unit, the control unit 74 displays the image of the operation unit 73 in accordance with the center position of the object to be heated 2, and the control unit 74 is the user. By comparing the position of the operation unit 73 operated by the control unit 74 with the center position of the object 2 to be heated on the top plate, the operation unit 73 of the object 2 to be heated is identified. be able to.
In addition, there is a control circuit for the main body side operation unit 6 and the roaster 7 provided on the main body 1 side, but since it is not related to the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the object to be heated 2 and the display of the display unit 5 on the top plate 3 of the induction heating cooker according to the present invention.
Next, the relationship between the object to be heated 2 and the display on the display unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
When cooking, the user first turns on a main power switch (not shown) provided on, for example, the side or the back of the induction heating cooker body 1. Thereby, the upper part of the induction heating cooker is the left-right direction (X-axis direction) along the edge on the near side of the top plate 3 of the induction heating cooker as shown in FIG. 8B from the state of FIG. The white display portion 5 indicating that the object to be heated 2 can be placed over both ends of the top plate is displayed, and at the same time, the control means 74 periodically places the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3. Whether or not the sensor is placed is monitored using a sensor 76.
When the user places, for example, a pan as the object to be heated 2 on the top 3, an area having the same size as the pan (bottom diameter) of the display unit 5 in front of the pan as shown in FIG. The display color of (part) changes from white to green, and an operation unit 73 (non-display button) is displayed in front of the center of the display area. In addition, both sides of the green display area remain white, indicating that an object to be heated can be additionally placed.
The green display area of the display unit 5 corresponds to the area where the object to be heated 2 is projected onto the display unit 5.

When the user moves the object to be heated away from the top board by moving or lifting it, and then placing it again on the top board, the display on the display unit 5 indicating the area occupied by the object to be heated is the original position. If this is the case, the display and the object to be heated will not correspond to each other, which is confusing. Therefore, when the user moves the pan, the green area of the display unit 5 displayed until the pan is moved as shown in FIG. Is erased. In addition, the display color of the area (part) having the same size as the pan size (bottom diameter) of the display unit 5 in front of the destination pan is changed from white to green again, and at the same time, operated to the center of this display area. Part 73 is redisplayed.
As a result, the object to be heated such as a pan can be placed at a free position on the top board, and the area occupied by the object to be heated, the area where the object to be heated can be placed additionally, and the area where it cannot be placed additionally Can be intuitively understood by the user.

FIG. 9 shows the relationship between the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3 of the induction heating cooker according to the present invention and the display on the display unit 5 and the display when the operation unit 73 (non-display button) is pressed. It is explanatory drawing.
Next, the relationship between the object to be heated 2 and the display on the display unit 5 will be described with reference to FIG.
When cooking, the user first turns on a main power switch (not shown) provided on, for example, the side or the back of the induction heating cooker body 1. Thereby, the upper part of the induction heating cooker is a horizontal direction (X-axis direction) from the state of Fig.9 (a) to the front edge of the top plate 3 of the induction heating cooker as shown in Fig.9 (b). The white display portion 5 indicating that the object to be heated 2 can be placed over both ends of the top plate is displayed, and at the same time, the control means 74 periodically places the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3. Whether or not the sensor is placed is monitored using a sensor 76.
When the user places, for example, a pan as the object to be heated 2 on the top 3, an area having the same size as the pan (bottom diameter) of the display portion 5 in front of the pan as shown in FIG. The display color of (part) changes from white to green, and the operation unit 73 is displayed in front of the center of the display area. Therefore, when the user presses the operation unit 73, the operation unit 73 is erased as shown in FIG. 9D, and at the same time, the green area of the display unit 5 returns to white.
Thereby, the user can intuitively distinguish the object to be heated that is not cooked, and can avoid an erroneous operation of erroneously cooking the object to be heated that does not need to be cooked.

Next, an example is demonstrated about the detection method of the arrangement position of the to-be-heated object 2, and the display method of the display part 5 corresponding to the arrangement position of the to-be-heated object 2. FIG.
It is assumed that the sizes (bottom diameters) of the plurality of objects to be heated 2 used here are all different, and the objects to be heated are assumed to be arranged side by side in approximately one row. Further, storage means (not shown) is provided inside or outside of the control means, and all the objects to be heated 2 and their sizes are associated with each other in a table and stored in the storage means. The arrangement position and size on the top plate 3 are stored.
When the power switch is turned on in order to realize the above function under the above conditions, the control means 74 is activated, and first displays white over the entire area of the display unit 5. At the same time, the control means 74 periodically monitors the arrangement position of the object to be heated 2 on the top 3 using the sensors 76 corresponding to the number of induction heating coils 4. When the object to be heated 2 is placed on the top plate 3, the control means 74 estimates the current arrangement position and size of the object to be heated 2 based on the detection signal from the sensor 76, and arranges the storage means. Whether the heated object 2 on the top 3 is a pan or not by updating the position and collating the estimated size of the heated object 2 with the size of the heated object 2 stored in the storage means. Identify whether it is a pan, a frying pan, or some other container. Then, the estimated current arrangement position of the identified object to be heated 2 is compared with the information stored in the storage means of the identified object to be heated 2. 2 is determined not to move. As a result of the comparison, when the current arrangement position is different from the previous arrangement position, that is, when the arrangement position is changed, the control means 74 determines that the article to be heated 2 has moved during cooking. When the control means determines that the object 2 to be heated has not moved as a result of comparison or at the initial stage, it drives all induction heating coils (small coils) 4 immediately below the occupied area of the object 2 to be heated. In addition, the display state of the area corresponding to the area occupied by the object to be heated 2 on the display unit 5 is changed to a display indicating that the object to be heated is placed, and the operation unit 73 is displayed at the corresponding position. The function of the operation unit 73 is validated.
Further, when the control means determines that the object to be heated 2 has moved, after the elapse of time when the arrangement position of the destination of the object to be heated 2 is sufficiently stabilized, all of the objects immediately below the occupied area of the object to be heated 2 of the destination The induction heating coil (small coil) 4 is driven and the display state of the display unit 5 corresponding to the occupied area of the object to be heated 2 is changed to the same as that before the movement, and the corresponding position is set. The operation unit 73 is displayed to enable the function of the operation unit 73, and the induction heating coil corresponding to the previous placement area of the object to be heated is stopped and the previous area to be heated 2 of the display part 5 is occupied. The display state of the area corresponding to is returned to the initial display mode, and the operation unit 73 at the position corresponding to the previous arrangement position of the object to be heated is deleted to disable the function.
In addition, by enabling the function of the operation unit 73, the operation unit 73 can input a user operation.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of Embodiment 1 of the induction heating cooker according to the present invention, and shows the operation of the control means. Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
When cooking using an induction heating cooker, the user first turns on a main power switch (not shown) provided in the induction heating cooker body 1. Thereby, the control means 74 of the induction heating cooker starts the operation, and first, the entire area is displayed on the display unit 5 (step S1001), and periodically from the sensor 76 with a certain time delay as a period. Based on the detection signal, it is checked whether or not the object to be heated 2 is on the top plate 3 (steps S1002 to S1004). If not, the process returns to step S1002 to continue monitoring. If so, the process proceeds to step S1005. When the user places the object to be heated 2 containing food on the top board 3, the control means 74 specifies the area occupied by the object to be heated 2 on the top board 3 from the signal detected by the sensor 76. The center position and size of the object to be heated 2 are calculated from the occupied area (step S1005).

  Next, the control means 74 changes the display color of the area | region corresponding to the occupation area of the to-be-heated material 2 of the display part 5 to green (step S1006). Next, the control means 74 calculates the distance between the objects to be heated 2 or the distance between the object to be heated 2 and the end of the top 3 that is closest to the end of the top 3 (step S1007). It compares with the size of all the to-be-heated objects 2 which are not yet mounted, and it is investigated whether any to-be-heated object enters in the said space | interval (step S1008). If no object to be heated enters the interval, the region corresponding to the interval on the display unit 5 is blinked in order to inform the user to that effect (step S1009), and the process proceeds to step S1010. If any object to be heated enters the interval, the process proceeds to step S1010. In step S1010, it is checked whether an operation unit 73 (non-display button) described later has been operated. Since it is No at first, the process proceeds to the next step S1011.

  Next, the control unit 74 displays the image of the operation unit 73 stored in advance in the storage unit on the touch panel 78 in the vicinity of the center position of the object to be heated 2 and makes the function of the operation unit 73 effective. Then, the operation input from the user is accepted (step S1011). Next, the control means 74 checks whether or not there is another object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3, and if so, the process returns to step S1005, and the center position and the size of the object to be heated 2 found again are detected. The operations from the calculation of the height to the display of the operation unit 73 are repeated until no pan is found (S1005 to S1012). If no more items are found (No in step S1012), it is checked whether or not the user operates the operation unit 73. The display form of the operation unit 73 at this time is as shown in FIG. 8 (c) or FIG. 9 (c). Here, when the user determines that the display is unnecessary, when the user does not need to cook the object to be heated 2 or does not want to perform the cooking, the user presses the operation unit 73 at his / her own will. As a result, the coordinates of the operation unit 73 are sent to the control unit 74. When the control unit 74 receives the coordinates of the operation unit 73, the image of the operation unit 73 is erased and the function is invalidated. Is stopped, the display of the corresponding area of the display unit 5 is returned to the initial state (step S1014), and the process returns to step S1002.

  When the user does not press the operation unit 73, the control unit 74 monitors whether or not the previous center position of the article to be heated 2 has been moved. That is, the control means 74 acquires the previous center positions and sizes of all the heated objects 2 from the storage means, and collates them with the sizes of the heated objects 2 estimated this time. If the same thing can be extracted as a result of the collation, the previous center position of the object to be heated and the center position estimated this time are compared to determine whether or not there is a change (steps S1015 to S1016). If they are the same as a result of the comparison, it is determined that there is no movement, and the process returns to step S1002 to continue monitoring. As a result of the comparison, if there is a change in positioning, it is determined that it has moved, the display of the previous display unit 5 is restored (step S1017), the previous operation unit 73 is erased, and the function is disabled ( In step S1018), the induction heating coil 4 corresponding to the previous time is stopped, the process returns to step S1005, and the calculation of the center position and size of the object to be moved, display on the display unit 5, display on the operation unit 73, and the like are resumed.

  Note that if the display color of the display unit 5 is changed according to the heating temperature of the article to be heated 2 (for example, if the color is changed from orange to red), the user can intuitively understand the heating state at a glance. A more convenient cooking device can be obtained.

Although not shown, the control means 74 is provided with storage means, and the control means 74 stops driving the induction heating coil 4 when it is determined that the heated object 2 is separated from the top plate 3 based on the output of the sensor 76. At the same time, the thermal power state at that time is stored, and when the object to be heated 2 is arranged on the top plate 3 before leaving within a predetermined time, the object to be heated 2 is arranged again in the thermal power state stored in the storage means. The induction heating coil 4 corresponding to the selected area is driven to activate the corresponding operation unit 73.
Further, the control means 74 displays a display when the object to be heated 2 is not placed on the top plate 3 again within a predetermined time after determining that the object to be heated 2 is separated from the top plate 3 based on the output of the sensor 76. The display of the area corresponding to the position of the area to be heated in the unit 5 is returned to the display state before the object to be heated 2 is placed, and the operation unit 73 is erased to disable the function. Thereby, an unnecessary display can be erased.

FIG. 11 is a detailed flowchart showing an example of the flow of operations when calculating the center position and size of the occupation area of the article 2 to be heated.
Next, the operation for calculating the location and size of the object to be heated 2 will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the following description, the left-right direction of the top plate 3 is the X-axis direction, and the front-rear direction is the Y-axis direction.
Further, it is assumed that the shape of the bottom of the article to be heated 2 is either circular or elliptical.
Further, it is assumed that a plurality of objects to be heated 2 can be placed side by side in the X-axis direction, but only one can be placed in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the object to be heated 2 is allowed to be disposed slightly beyond the top plate 3 in the X-axis direction. It is assumed that the oval pan is not placed diagonally on the top 3.
Further, the display unit 5 is provided along the edge of the top plate 3 around the front side of the top plate 3 as shown in FIG.

The operation will be described below.
Based on the information acquired from the sensor 76, the control means 74 specifies the maximum position and the minimum position in the Y-axis direction of the occupied area on the top plate 3 of the object to be heated 2 (step S1101). Next, the control means 74 calculates the center position of the non-heated object 2 in the Y-axis direction by taking the average value of the maximum position and the minimum position, and determines the center position of the X axis passing through this center position (step). S1102). Next, the control means 74 specifies the maximum position and the minimum position in the X-axis direction of the occupied area on the top plate 3 of the object to be heated 2 based on the information acquired from the sensor 76 (step S1103). Next, the control means 74 calculates the distance X1 between the maximum position in the X-axis direction and the center position and the distance X2 between the minimum position in the X-axis direction and the center position, and compares X1 and X2 (step S1104). . If X1 and X2 are equal, it is determined that the object to be heated 2 is in the top plate 3, and a value obtained by doubling X1 is estimated to be the size of the object to be heated 2 in the X-axis direction. Further, if X1 is larger than X2, the control means 74 determines that the object to be heated 2 protrudes slightly to the left from the top plate 3, and a value obtained by doubling X1 in the X-axis direction of the object to be heated 2 Estimated size. Further, if X2 is larger than X1, the control means 74 determines that the object to be heated 2 protrudes slightly to the right from the top plate 3, and a value obtained by doubling X2 in the X-axis direction of the object to be heated 2 The size is estimated (step S1105).

  In addition, the calculation method of the center position and magnitude | size of the occupation area | region of the to-be-heated material 2 is not restricted to said method.

  According to the first embodiment, the area occupied by the object to be heated, the area where the object to be heated can be additionally placed, and the area where the object to be heated cannot be additionally placed are displayed on the top board. You can intuitively understand where you can place it on the board. Further, if the color of the display unit is changed in accordance with the heating temperature, the cooking state can be intuitively grasped and the usability is improved. In addition, when the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3 is not used, the operation unit 73 itself can be erased by pressing the non-display button by the user, so that malfunction can be prevented and safety can be improved. it can. Even if the object to be heated 2 moves during cooking, the display unit 5 is displayed at the destination, so that the area occupied by the object to be heated after the movement, the area where the object to be heated can be placed, and the additional Users can intuitively understand areas that cannot be placed. Furthermore, if the heating efficiency is automatically maintained at the destination, comfortable cooking can be continuously performed without impairing operational convenience.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the sizes of the plurality of heated objects 2 to be used are all different. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and even when there are a plurality of heated objects of the same size, the number of the heated objects is not limited to this. Is stored in the storage means, the control means can determine what size of the object to be heated 2 can be placed in addition to the empty area on the top 3.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the first embodiment, whether or not there is a region where the heated object can be additionally placed is determined by comparing the size of the heated object stored in advance with the distance between the pans (S1008 in FIG. 10). ), Or a comparison with a predetermined distance (for example, 15 cm). That is, if the distance between the heated objects or the distance between the heated object 2 closest to the end of the top plate 3 and the end of the top 3 is 15 cm or more, it is determined that another heated object 2 can be placed. Thus, the color of the display unit 5 is set to white indicating that it can be placed. On the other hand, if the distance is less than 15 cm, it is determined that another object to be heated 2 cannot be placed, and the color of the display unit 5 is changed to green indicating that the placement is impossible.
Further, the maximum number (for example, four) of the object to be heated can be stored in the storage unit according to the allowable maximum power amount (for example, 6 kilowatts) of the induction heating cooker, and the control unit 74 can control the sensor 76. Each time the heated object 2 is placed on the top 3 based on the output, the number is counted, and when the count value reaches the maximum number that can be placed as described above, a message is displayed to inform the user that no further placement is possible. You may make it change the display of the part 5 to the color which shows that mounting is impossible. Further, in order to determine whether or not the power amount is within the allowable range, the number of heating coils 4 that are driven or the amount of power that is used is detected instead of the number of objects to be heated. You may make it compare with a threshold value. In this case, if the electric energy is equal to or less than the threshold, it is determined that another object to be heated can be placed, and if the amount exceeds the threshold, it is determined that the placement is impossible.
Further, when the distance between the heated objects or the distance between the heated object 2 closest to the end of the top plate 3 and the end of the top plate 3 is equal to or greater than a predetermined distance, the number of heated objects is further set to a predetermined number. In comparison, if the number can be additionally placed, it may be determined that placement is possible, and if the number cannot be added, it may be judged that placement is impossible. Furthermore, determination based on the amount of power may be combined.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In Embodiment 1, although the example (refer FIG. 15A) which provided the display part 5 in the strip | belt shape in the near side or the back | inner side of the top plate 3 was shown, it is not restricted to this, The upper surface of a heating cooker main body It is possible to appropriately provide it on the periphery or the front part of the front where the user can easily see. For example, it may be provided on the left and right ends of the upper surface of the main body from the front to the back. Thereby, it becomes possible to determine whether or not the object to be heated can be placed on the back side of the top plate 3, and the operability of the heating cooker that can arrange the object to be heated at a free position can be further improved.
Moreover, you may provide a strip | belt-shaped display part in the suitable part of the upper surface of the top plate 3 not only in the periphery of a main body. For example, if a strip-shaped display unit is provided in the middle of the top plate 3 in the left-right direction, an easy-to-understand display is possible when objects to be heated can be placed in two rows in the depth direction.
Further, the display method is not limited to the line display, and may be displayed in a planar form by a plurality of light sources 10 arranged in the gaps of the heating coils below the top plate 3 as shown in FIG. . In this case, the region where other objects to be heated can be placed becomes easier to understand intuitively.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 15C and 15D, a plurality of light sources 10 or a light source 10 whose irradiation direction can be changed is provided on the side or upper side of the main body, and the top plate 3 is attached using the light sources 10. It is also possible to display the area where the image can be placed by illuminating it in a planar shape. Also in this case, the region where other objects to be heated can be placed becomes easier to understand intuitively, and there is no need to provide components such as the light source 10 inside the main body. Further, it may be displayed on the top 3 using a projector.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the first embodiment, a number of sensors 76 such as temperature detectors and capacity detectors corresponding to the number of induction heating coils 4 are arranged in the center of the induction heating coil 4 or between the induction heating coils 4 to adjust the heating object 2. The case where the arrangement position is directly detected has been described. However, it is also possible to detect the arrangement position of the object to be heated 2 using the current detector 121 instead of the sensor 76 described above. In the fourth embodiment, an example of such a mode will be described.
1 to 6, 8 to 9, and 11 are also used in the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration in the fourth embodiment of the induction heating cooker according to the present invention. 11, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 7 denote the same or corresponding parts. Hereinafter, different configurations will be described. The current detector 121 is a sensor that detects a high-frequency current flowing between the resonant capacitor 75 and the inverter 72, and is configured by, for example, an ACCT (AC current transformer). Further, the direct current flowing through the converter 71 may be detected. In this case, for example, a direct current device may be configured by a resistor, and the current may be converted based on the voltage generated at both ends of the resistor, or directly. The direct current device may be constituted by DCCT (DC current transformer) or the like.

Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment will be outlined.
Since the operations in FIGS. 8 to 9 have been described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.
As a preparation for explaining the operation of the fourth embodiment, the operation in the case of current detection will be described. When the control means 74 of the induction heating cooker starts operation, not only the detection by the sensor but also the high frequency current is sequentially supplied to the induction heating coil 4 periodically with the time set at the time of system introduction as a cycle from the current detector 121. When the object to be heated 2 is placed, the magnetic coupling with the induction heating coil 4 directly below it increases, so that a current flows through the induction heating coil 4 and the object to be heated is At the position where 2 is not placed, the magnetic coupling between the induction heating coil 4 and the object to be heated 2 immediately below it becomes small, so that no current flows through the induction heating coil 4. Therefore, the current detected by the current detector 121 inserted in the common line of the inverter 72 is compared with a preset reference value while sequentially driving all the induction heating coils 4, and the current detected by the current detector 121 is If it exceeds the reference value, it is determined that the object to be heated 2 is present directly above, and if not, it is determined that there is no object to be heated 2 immediately above. In this case, current detection only once for each induction heating coil 4 may cause erroneous detection due to noise. Therefore, current detection is performed several times, and an average is obtained after removing data with a large deviation. Then, the obtained average value is compared with a reference value. If the above operation is sequentially performed for all induction heating coils 4 that are uniformly distributed below the top plate 3, the heated object 2 can easily determine the occupied area (range) on the top plate 3. it can.
However, as the number of induction heating coils 4 increases, the time required for sequential driving increases. When the sequential driving is periodically performed in order to monitor whether or not the object to be heated 2 is moving during cooking, the time spent for monitoring the induction heating coil 4 is less than the time spent for original cooking. In some cases, the length becomes longer, which not only makes it impossible to cook comfortably, but also may cause great trouble in cooking.
Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a smaller number of sensors 76 (for example, half the number of induction heating coils 4) than the number of induction heating coils 4 are dispersedly arranged, and the object 2 to be heated is used by using the sensors 76. If the presence / absence of the object and the range of the occupied area are roughly (coarsely) detected, and the occupied area of the object to be heated 2 can be detected roughly, these areas including the surrounding area as a margin to prevent the detected occupied area from being overlooked An inspection current is passed through the induction heating coil 4 corresponding to the region, and the current detector 121 is used to detect the occupied region of the article to be heated 2 with high accuracy.

Under the above operation principle, the operation of the control means 74 will be described below.
In order to realize the above functions, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the sizes (bottom diameters) of the plurality of objects to be heated 2 to be used are all different, and the objects to be heated are substantially in a line. The description will be made on the assumption that they are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. Further, storage means (not shown) is provided inside or outside of the control means, and all the objects to be heated 2 and their sizes are associated with each other in a table and stored in the storage means. The arrangement position and size on the top plate 3 are stored.
When the power switch is turned on, the control means 74 is activated, and first displays white over the entire area of the display unit 5. At the same time, the control means 74 periodically monitors the arrangement position of the object to be heated 2 on the top 3 using the sensors 76 that are smaller than the number of the induction heating coils 4. When the object to be heated 2 is placed on the top 3, the control means 74 roughly estimates the current occupied area of the object to be heated 2 based on the detection signal from the sensor 76, and this estimated object to be heated The induction heating coil is driven with respect to the area occupied by the object 2 and its surrounding area, and the current arrangement position and size of the object to be heated 2 are estimated with higher accuracy. Then, the control means collates the estimated size of the heated object 2 with the size of the heated object 2 stored in the storage means, so that the heated object 2 on the top 3 is a pan. Identify whether it is a pan, a frying pan, or some other container. Then, the estimated current arrangement position of the identified object to be heated 2 is compared with the information stored in the storage means of the identified object to be heated 2. 2 is determined not to move. As a result of the comparison, when the current arrangement position is different from the previous arrangement position, that is, when the arrangement position is changed, the control means 74 determines that the article to be heated 2 has moved during cooking. When the control means determines that the object 2 to be heated has not moved as a result of comparison or at the initial stage, it drives all induction heating coils (small coils) 4 immediately below the occupied area of the object 2 to be heated. At the same time, the display state of the area corresponding to the area occupied by the object to be heated 2 on the display unit 5 is changed, and the operation unit 73 is displayed at the corresponding position to enable the function of the operation unit 73.
Further, when the control means determines that the object to be heated 2 has moved, after the elapse of time when the arrangement position of the destination of the object to be heated 2 is sufficiently stabilized, all of the objects immediately below the occupied area of the object to be heated 2 of the destination The induction heating coil (small coil) 4 is driven and the display state of the display unit 5 corresponding to the occupied area of the object to be heated 2 is changed to the same as that before the movement, and the corresponding position is set. The operation unit 73 is displayed to enable the function of the operation unit 73, and the induction heating coil corresponding to the previous placement area of the object to be heated is stopped and the previous area to be heated 2 of the display part 5 is occupied. The display state of the area corresponding to is returned to the initial display mode, and the operation unit 73 at the position corresponding to the previous arrangement position of the object to be heated is deleted to disable the function.
In addition, by enabling the function of the operation unit 73, the operation unit 73 can input a user operation.

FIGS. 13-14 is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 4 of the induction heating cooking appliance concerning this invention, and has shown operation | movement of the control means. Next, the operation of the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
When cooking using an induction heating cooker, the user first turns on a main power switch (not shown) provided in the induction heating cooker body 1. Thereby, the control means 74 of the induction heating cooker starts the operation, and first, the entire area is displayed on the display unit 5 (step S1301), and periodically from the sensor 76 with a certain time delay as a period. Based on the detection signal, it is roughly checked whether or not the object to be heated 2 is on the top plate 3 (steps S1302 to S1304). If there is no object, the process returns to step S1302 to continue monitoring. If yes, the process proceeds to step S1305. When the user places the object to be heated 2 containing food on the top board 3, the control means 74 roughly specifies the area occupied by the object to be heated 2 on the top board 3 from the signal detected by the sensor 76. . Next, the control means 74 is used to inspect the induction heating coils 4 corresponding to these areas including the surrounding area as a margin in order to increase the accuracy and the area occupied by the heated object 2 roughly specified by the sensor 76. A current is passed, and the area occupied by the object to be heated 2 is detected with high accuracy using the current detector 121 at that time. The current detected by the current detector 121 is compared with a reference value while a current for inspection is sequentially supplied to all the induction heating coils 4 in the specified occupied area. Then, based on the arrangement position of the induction heating coil 4 where a current greater than the reference value is detected, the occupied area on the top plate 3 of the object to be heated 2 is specified with high accuracy, and the center position and size of this occupied area are calculated. (Steps S1305 to S1307).

  Next, the control means 74 changes the display color of the area | region corresponding to the occupation area of the to-be-heated material 2 of the display part 5 to green (step S1308). Next, the control means 74 calculates the distance between the heated objects 2 or the distance between the heated object 2 and the end of the top 3 that is closest to the end of the top 3 (step S1309). It compares with the size of all the to-be-heated objects 2 which are not yet mounted, and it is investigated whether any to-be-heated object enters in the said space | interval (step S1310). If no object to be heated enters the interval, the region corresponding to the interval on the display unit 5 is blinked in order to notify the user to that effect (step S1311), and the process proceeds to step S1312. If any object to be heated enters the interval, the process proceeds to step S1312. In step S1312, it is checked whether or not the operation unit (non-display button) 73 has been operated. Since the first is No, the process proceeds to the next step S1313.

  Next, the control unit 74 displays the image of the operation unit 73 stored in advance in the storage unit on the touch panel 78 in the vicinity of the center position of the object to be heated 2 and makes the function of the operation unit 73 effective. The operation input from the user is accepted (step S1313). Next, the control means 74 checks whether or not there is another object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3, and if there is, returns to step S1307, and again finds the object 2 to be heated and its center position and size. The operations from the calculation of the height to the display of the operation unit 73 are repeated until no pan is found (S1307 to S1314). If no more items are found (No in step S1314), it is checked whether or not the user operates the operation unit 73 (step S1315). The display form of the operation unit 73 at this time is as shown in FIG. 8 (c) or FIG. 9 (c). Here, when the user does not need to cook the object to be heated 2 or does not want to perform cooking, the user presses the operation unit 73 at his / her own will. As a result, the coordinates of the operation unit 73 are sent to the control unit 74. When the control unit 74 receives the coordinates of the operation unit 73, the image of the operation unit 73 is erased and the function is invalidated. Is stopped, the display of the corresponding area of the display unit 5 is returned to the initial state (step S1316), and the process returns to step S1302.

  When the user does not press the operation unit 73, the control unit 74 monitors whether or not the previous center position of the article to be heated 2 has been moved. That is, the control means 74 acquires the previous center positions and sizes of all the heated objects 2 from the storage means, and collates them with the sizes of the heated objects 2 estimated this time. If the same thing can be extracted as a result of the collation, the previous center position of the object to be heated and the center position estimated this time are compared to determine whether or not there is a change (steps S1317 to S1318). If they are the same as a result of the comparison, it is determined that there has been no movement, and the process returns to step S1302 to continue monitoring. As a result of the comparison, if there is a change in positioning, it is determined that it has moved, the display of the previous display unit 5 is restored (step S1319), the previous operation unit 73 is erased, and the function is disabled ( In step S1018), the induction heating coil 4 corresponding to the previous time is stopped, the process returns to step S1307, the calculation of the center position and size of the object to be moved, the display on the display unit 5, the display on the operation unit 73, etc. is resumed.

According to the fourth embodiment, the operation unit 73 is automatically displayed and enabled at the position closest to the location of the user who cooks using the heated object 2 on the top plate 3 of the induction heating cooker.
The user can arrange the object to be heated 2 at a free position on the top board 3, and cooking with high convenience in operation is possible. In addition, the occupying area of the object to be heated and its heating state, the area where the object to be heated can be placed, and the area where it cannot be additionally placed are displayed on the top board. Can understand. Further, when the object to be heated 2 on the top plate 3 is not used, the operation unit 73 itself can be erased by pressing the operation unit 73 by the user, so that malfunction can be prevented and safety can be improved. it can. In addition, even if the object to be heated 2 moves during cooking, the operation unit 73 closest to the destination is automatically displayed and activated, so that the heating efficiency is automatically maintained and the operation is performed during cooking. Convenient cooking is possible without sacrificing convenience. In addition, since the occupation area of the article to be heated 2 is first specified with a predetermined accuracy (roughly) and then only the specified occupation area is specified with high accuracy, the occupation area of the article to be heated 2 is determined. Since the number of sensors 76 can be smaller than the number of induction heating coils 4, the induction heating cooker can be supplied at low cost.

The display unit 5 may be displayed together on the touch panel 78 that displays the operation unit 73.
In addition, in the case of the object 2 to be heated frequently or when the container is large and the heat is difficult to escape if it is placed in the middle of the top plate, the position on the top plate is set in advance. When the container is placed on the top 3, the control means 74 can identify the object 2 to be heated from its size. Therefore, when the container is specified, the arrangement position is deviated from the preset position as described above. If it is, the display of the set position on the display unit 5 may be blinked or the color may be changed to prompt the user to move the object to be heated to the set position. This configuration can save power.
Further, in the above embodiment, the display on the display unit blinks as an alarm. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and sound can be used, and the effect can be further improved.

It is a perspective view of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is the figure which showed the layout of the top plate 3 and the display part 5. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the display part interlock | cooperated with the mounting position of the to-be-heated material of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the layout of the induction heating coil (small coil) of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the layout example of the to-be-heated object detection sensor of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which showed clearly the irradiation method of the light at the time of using a light emission means and a light-receiving means as a to-be-heated object detection sensor of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure in Embodiment 1 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing (the 1) which shows the relationship between the to-be-heated object on the top plate of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention, and the display of a display part. It is explanatory drawing (the 2) which shows the relationship between the to-be-heated material on the top plate of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention, and the display of a display part. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 1 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a detailed flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement when calculating the center position and magnitude | size of the occupation area of a to-be-heated material. It is a block diagram which shows the circuit structure in Embodiment 4 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 4 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of Embodiment 4 of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention (continuation). It is a figure which shows the method of the display of the induction heating cooking appliance which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1 main body, 2 object to be heated (pan), 3 top plate, 4 induction heating coil (small coil), 5 display section, 6 main body side operation section, 7 roaster, 10 light source, 71 converter, 72 inverter, 73 operation section ( (Non-display button), 74 control means, 75 resonance capacitor, 76 sensor, 77 pan detection circuit, 78 touch panel, 121 current detector.

Claims (11)

A top plate on which a heated object such as a pan is placed;
A plurality of induction heating coils arranged substantially uniformly below the top plate;
A heated object detecting means for detecting the position of the heated object mounted;
A placement possibility judging means for judging whether or not another heated object can be placed in a region where the heated object is not placed;
In accordance with the determination result of the previous placement possibility determination means, a display means for displaying a placeable area of another object to be heated,
Induction heating cooker with.   The display means is provided in a strip shape on the periphery of the upper surface of the main body, and represents a portion corresponding to the placement area of the object to be heated and a portion corresponding to an area where another object to be heated can be placed by different displays. The induction heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein the induction heating cooker is a thing.   2. The display means displays a region in which another object to be heated can be placed in a planar shape by turning on a plurality of light sources provided below the top plate. The induction heating cooker described in 1.   The display means illuminates the upper surface of the main body with a light source provided on the side or upper side of the main body to represent a region in which another object to be heated can be placed in a planar shape. The induction heating cooker according to 1.   The placement possibility judging means compares the distance between the placed heated objects and the distance between the placed heated object and the end of the top plate with a predetermined distance. The induction heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein the object to be heated is determined to be mountable.   2. The above-described placement possibility determining means determines that another heated object can be placed if the number of placed heated objects is equal to or less than a predetermined number. Induction heating cooker.   The induction heating cooking according to claim 1, wherein the placement possibility judging means judges that another object to be heated can be placed if the amount of electric power in use is not more than a predetermined amount. vessel. A storage means for storing the size of the object to be used;
The placement possibility determining means includes the distance between the placed heated objects and the distance between the placed heated object and the end of the top plate among the heated objects stored in the storage means. Compared with the size of the object to be heated that is not placed, if the distance is larger than the size of the object to be heated that is not placed, it is determined that another object to be heated can be placed. The induction heating cooker according to claim 1. Infrared detection means for detecting the temperature of the heated object,
The induction heating cooking according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the display means changes a display color of a portion corresponding to the object to be heated according to a temperature level detected by the infrared detection means. vessel.   The operation means which erases the display of the said display means in the vicinity of the display part of the said display means corresponding to the mounting position of the mounted to-be-heated material is provided. Induction heating cooker.   The induction heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the object to be heated detection means is a capacity detection means arranged in a gap between the induction heating coils.

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