JP4646841B2 - Cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooking device including an operation panel for inputting cooking conditions such as cooking time, such as a microwave oven and a microwave oven.

  A cooking device equipped with a door in the front of the cooking chamber that houses and heats the object to be cooked, and an operation panel is arranged adjacent to the door, and a plurality of operation keys are arranged on the operation panel. There is a problem that the number of operation keys increases and the operation procedure is difficult to understand.

Therefore, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, there is a configuration in which a liquid crystal shutter is provided on an operation switch arranged on an operation panel so that a key to be set according to an operation is displayed.
JP 9-35863 A

  On the other hand, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a liquid crystal shutter for each key, and the structure of the operation key is complicated and the specific configuration is not described. There is a problem that a detecting means for detecting is required, and the total cost of the operation keys becomes expensive.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve the operability during an input operation while improving the design of an operation panel.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, an operation panel is disposed at an appropriate position of the cooker body, and a plurality of touch keys for detecting an input operation based on a change in capacitance are disposed on the operation panel. The touch key is printed on the back surface of the operation panel and an illumination lamp is arranged on the back surface of the operation panel. When the illumination lamp is turned off, the touch key cannot be seen from the front surface. configuration and is provided with a control means for controlling the blinking of the illumination lamp, the control means is constituted so as to light the an illumination lamp above one of the touch key is operated, the touch during standby is not performed cooking It is configured to increase the key detection sensitivity.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the illumination lamp is arranged for each touch key or a plurality of touch keys, and the illumination lamp is turned on by operating the touch key when the illumination lamp is turned off. Thereafter, the control means is configured so that only the illumination lamp of the touch key that requires operation is turned on.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, the operation panel is configured to be tiltable in the vertical direction by an electric mechanism, and the operation panel is maintained in a vertical state when not cooking. When the touch key is operated, it is configured to tilt by an electric mechanism.

According to the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, a touch key for detecting an input operation based on a change in capacitance is arranged on the operation panel. The touch key is printed on the back surface of the operation panel and an illumination lamp is arranged. When the lighting lamp is turned off, the touch key is not visible, and when any touch key is operated, the lighting lamp is turned on. It is possible to improve the design by forming the operation panel surface with a flat surface without unevenness without displaying. Also, by increasing the sensitivity of the touch key during standby, it is possible to shift to the normal operation state by lightly touching the operation panel, and the operability during standby can be improved. By setting the sensitivity to normal, malfunction can be prevented.

  According to the configuration of the second aspect of the present invention, an illumination lamp is arranged for each touch key or for each of a plurality of touch keys, and only the illumination lamp of the touch key that needs to be operated is lit, so that an operation is required during the operation. Only touch keys are displayed, and operability can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the operation panel is configured to be tilted by the electric mechanism, and the operation panel is tilted at the time of operation, whereby the operability of the touch key can be improved.

  An embodiment according to the present invention will be described first with reference to FIG. 1. Reference numeral 1 denotes a floor-type cooker body incorporated in, for example, a system kitchen or the like. The door 3 is pivotally supported on the front surface of the cooking chamber 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. In addition, an operation panel 4 is disposed adjacent to the side of the door.

  The operation panel 4 is configured such that the height dimension thereof is shorter than the height dimension of the door 3, the fixing plate 5 is disposed below the operation panel 4, and the height of the fixing plate and the operation panel 4 is set to the height of the door 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the operation panel 4 is pivotally supported at its upper end by a rotary shaft 6, closed at its bottom by a bottom plate 7, and is attached to the bottom of the bottom plate. A rack gear 8 is attached.

  The operation panel 4 includes a panel case 9 constituting the outer shell made of a conductive member such as aluminum, stainless steel, or a resin mixed with a conductive material, and a fixed plate below the rack gear 8. 5, a pinion gear 10 that meshes with the rack gear 8 and a geared motor 11 that rotationally drives the pinion gear are arranged, and an electric mechanism 12 is configured by these.

  FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the operation panel 4, in which a display device 20 composed of a liquid crystal panel, a fluorescent display tube or the like is arranged at the top, and an operation unit 21 is provided below the display device. .

  The display 20 displays a plurality of automatic menus 22 for automatic cooking, a manual menu 23 for manual operation, a setting display unit 24 for displaying temperature and output, and a time and a timer. A timer unit 25 and the like are arranged.

  The operation panel 4 is composed of a semi-transparent resin panel or a glass plate colored on the back surface, which displays nothing by smoke such as black when not energized, and indicates the operation position on the back surface. A plurality of touch keys 26 are printed. Thereby, when the cooker main body 1 is not used, as shown in FIG. 1, nothing is displayed on the entire surface of the operation panel 4.

  The display 20 is configured to turn off and display nothing when the standby power is reduced by the power saving function. When displaying the clock, the timer unit 25 displays the clock. You may comprise so that it may perform.

  On the other hand, the touch keys 26 are configured so that operation keys to be displayed simultaneously are arranged side by side. For example, in the case of the embodiment, a lock key 27 for setting a key lock and a sound volume are set. A voice key 28 for performing operation and an operation panel key 29 for returning the operation panel 4 to be inclined or vertical are arranged side by side, and an automatic cooking key 30 for selecting and setting an automatic cooking menu below these keys and a manual cooking menu are selected. A manual cooking key 31 to be set and a finishing key 32 to set the finished state of cooking to be stronger or weaker are arranged side by side, and temperature keys 33 and 34 for setting the cooking temperature are arranged side by side below these keys. Furthermore, three time keys 35, 36, and 37 for setting the time and timer time are arranged side by side below these keys, and the start is performed below these time keys. It is arranged over 38 and cancel key 39.

  On the back side of each key, as shown in FIG. 4, a first light guide plate 40 that simultaneously displays a lock key 27, a voice key 28, and an operation panel key 29 is arranged, and an automatic cooking key 30 and a manual cooking key are arranged. The second, third, and fourth light guide plates 41, 42, and 43 for individually displaying these are arranged on the back side of the 31 and the finish key 32, and these are simultaneously displayed on the back side of the temperature keys 33 and. A fifth light guide plate 44 is arranged, and a sixth light guide plate 45 for simultaneously displaying these is arranged on the back side of the time keys 35, 36, and 37, and these are individually displayed on the back side of the start key 38 and the cancel key 39. Seventh and eighth light guide plates 46 and 47 are arranged.

  Each light guide plate is formed in a substantially L shape or a gate shape, and LED lamps 48,... For emitting a plurality of colors, which are illumination lamps, are arranged so as to face these bent lower end surfaces.

  Reference numeral 49 denotes an operation board for detecting an input operation of each touch key 26..., For example, by the capacitance method described in USP 5,730,165, USP 6,452,514, USP 6,466,036, and the above operation It is configured to detect an input operation due to the proximity or contact of a finger to the print range of each touch key 26 of the unit 4.

  That is, on the operation board 49, electrodes 50 are arranged by pattern printing or the like so as to face the touch keys 26, and an input operation is detected by a change in capacitance due to the approach of a finger to these electrodes. To do.

  FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the control circuit 60 constituting the control means. A power supply circuit 62 is connected to a commercial AC power supply 61, and a main control unit 63 constituted by a microcomputer is connected to the output of the power supply circuit. In addition, a door switch 64 that opens and closes contacts according to the opening and closing of the door 3 is connected to the output of the power supply circuit 62, and the output of this door switch is connected to the input port of the main control unit 63.

  Further, the output port of the main control unit 63 is connected to an interior light driving circuit 66 that drives the interior light 65 that illuminates the interior of the cooking chamber 2 and a gas burner 67 that is a heat source for heating the interior of the cooking chamber 2. An electromagnetic valve drive circuit 69 for driving an electromagnetic valve 68 for controlling fuel supply, a circulation fan drive circuit 71 for driving a circulation fan 70 for circulating the hot air of the heat source in the cooking chamber 2, and another in the cooking chamber 2 A magnetron driving circuit 73 that drives a magnetron 72 that supplies high-frequency radio waves serving as a heat source, an ignition circuit 74 for igniting the gas burner 67, and a motor driving circuit that drives a geared motor 11 that tilts the operation panel 4 electrically by driving. 75 and a display circuit 76 for driving the display device 20 are connected, and each touch key 26... By the electrodes 50. Is connected to the output of the key input circuit 78 for detecting the input of the cooking chamber 2 and the output of the internal temperature detection circuit 80 for detecting the temperature in the cooking chamber 2 by the output of the thermistor 79. Similarly, the gas burner 67 is connected to the input / output port. A flame detection circuit 81 for detecting the ignition of the gas and a memory 82 for data storage are connected.

  Further, when the door 3 is opened, the main control unit 64 detects this by the output of the door switch 64 and operates the motor drive circuit 75, and operates the geared motor 11 by the output to operate the operation panel 4 in FIG. Inclined as indicated by a broken line inside, the touch keys 26 arranged on the operation unit 21 are easily operated.

  On the other hand, the main control unit 64 is configured to increase the input sensitivity of each touch key 26... During so-called standby when the cooker is not used, thereby starting the operation of the operation unit 21. Detecting this by touching the operation panel 4 with a finger or the like, or touching the operation panel 4 lightly, and operating the geared motor 11 to tilt the operation panel 4 as described above. Then, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the automatic cooking key 30, the manual cooking key 31, and the cancel key 39 that perform the selection operation first are displayed in white, for example, and the input operation is performed supplementarily. The lock key 27, the voice key 28, and the operation panel key 29 are configured to be displayed in blue.

  With these configurations, the design of the operation panel 4 during standby can be improved and the operability can be improved.

  When the standby state ends, the main control unit 64 reduces the sensitivity of each touch key 26... So as not to accept an input operation unless a finger or the like is in contact with the touch key 26. This is configured to prevent erroneous operation.

    Further, the main control unit 64, for example, when the automatic cooking key 30 is turned on and automatic cooking is selected, the selected automatic cooking key 30 continues to be white as shown in FIG. 6B. The automatic menu 22... Is displayed on the display 20, the automatic cooking menu 30 is selected by turning on the automatic cooking key 30, and the manual cooking key 31 and the finish key 32 are purple, for example. The start key 38 for performing the input operation and the cancel key 39 are illuminated in white, and the key for the next operation is clearly displayed.

  When the automatic cooking menu is confirmed, by turning on the start key 38, the start key 38 is changed to orange, for example, as shown in FIG. Is displayed in white as it is to indicate that automatic cooking is being performed, and the manual cooking key 31 and the finishing key 32 that are no longer required to operate are turned off.

  With these configurations, only the operation keys that can be input are displayed according to the input operation status, and the keys to be operated next are displayed by changing the emission color, thereby facilitating selection of the keys to be operated. The operability can be improved.

  When the start key 38 is turned on and cooking is started, the main control unit 64 reverses the geared motor 11 when a predetermined time (for example, 2 seconds) elapses after the start key is turned on. Is configured to return to a vertical state. Thereby, during cooking, the operation panel 4 is returned to a vertical state, and the human body and the operation panel 4 are prevented from being damaged by the contact of the human body and the transported object with the operation panel.

  On the other hand, when cooking is completed and the door 3 is opened, this is detected by the output of the door switch 64, the geared motor 11 is operated by the motor drive circuit 75, and the operation panel 4 is tilted, whereby the next input It is configured to facilitate operation.

  When the door 3 is closed after the door 3 is opened and the object to be cooked is taken out, this is detected by the output of the door switch 64, and the operation panel 4 is returned to the vertical state after a predetermined period of time as described above. . If for some reason it is desired to return the operation panel 4 to the vertical state with the door 3 opened, it can be easily returned by operating the operation panel key 29.

  Further, the main control unit 63 drives the motor if there is no input operation from each touch key arranged on the operation unit 21 even when a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute) elapses with the operation panel 4 tilted. The circuit 75 is configured to operate the geared motor 11 to return the operation panel 4 to a vertical state.

It is a front view which shows the Example of this invention. It is side surface longitudinal cross-sectional view of the principal part. It is a front view of an operation panel similarly. It is the front view (a) and perspective view (b) of the principal part. It is also a block diagram of a control circuit. It is a front view of the operation panel which similarly shows the operation procedure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cooker body 4 Operation panel 12 Electric mechanism 26 Touch key 48 LED lamp (illumination lamp)
60 Control circuit (control means)

Claims (3)

In the case where an operation panel is arranged at an appropriate position of the cooker main body and a plurality of touch keys for detecting an input operation based on a change in capacitance are arranged on the operation panel, the operation panel is formed of a translucent material, The touch key is printed on the back side of the operation panel, and the illumination lamp is arranged on the back side of the operation panel. When the illumination lamp is turned off, the touch key cannot be seen from the front side, and the flashing of the illumination lamp is controlled. The control means is configured to turn on the illumination lamp when any of the touch keys is operated, and configured to increase the detection sensitivity of the touch key during standby when cooking is not performed. A cooking device characterized by things. The lighting lamp is arranged for each touch key or a plurality of touch keys, and after the lighting lamp is turned on by operating the touch key when the lighting lamp is turned off, only the lighting lamp of the touch key that needs to be operated is turned on. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the control means is configured as described above. The operation panel is configured to be tiltable up and down by an electric mechanism, and the operation panel is maintained in a vertical state when not cooking, and is tilted by the electric mechanism when any of the touch keys is operated. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2.