JP7207777B1 - heating cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

A heating cooker capable of realizing a thawing function without complicating the device configuration is provided. A heating cooker includes a generator that generates microwaves and a controller that controls microwave output from the generator. In a defrosting mode for defrosting an object to be cooked, the controller controls a first intermittent output having a minimum rated microwave output value of the generating unit and the rated microwave having the same period as the first intermittent output and a different duty ratio. The microwave power is controlled by combination with the second intermittent power of the lowest wave power. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

The present invention relates to a heat cooker.

2. Description of the Related Art Heating cookers such as microwave ovens that heat cooking objects by microwave heating have a thawing function for thawing frozen cooking objects. In the thawing mode, it is required to prevent overheating of the object and to prevent uneven thawing (perform uniform thawing).

For example, in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent overheating, control is performed such that the microwave output is set to a low value and the microwave output is intermittently turned on and off to weaken the average output over the total time. In addition, in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent uneven thawing, the microwave output is controlled according to the detection result of the temperature distribution of the object using the infrared sensor and the detection result of the internal temperature using the temperature sensor. is also done.

JP 2018-54250 A

Uniform thawing can be achieved by detecting the temperature distribution of the object and controlling the microwave power accordingly. However, in such a method, since the microwave output is controlled while sequentially monitoring the temperature distribution, the configuration of the device becomes complicated, such as the need for a large number of sensors, and the cost increases. There is also a thawing control technology that does not use such sensors, but it has limitations such as the necessity of using a dedicated thawing tray.

The present invention provides a heating cooker capable of realizing a thawing function without complicating the device configuration.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heating cooker that heats an object to be cooked placed in a storage by radiating microwaves into the storage, comprising: a generator that generates microwaves; a designating unit that designates the type of the object to be cooked; and a control unit that controls microwave output from the generating unit . According to the duty ratio, a first intermittent output of the minimum rated microwave output value of the generator is performed, and after the first intermittent output , a second duty having the same period as the first intermittent output and smaller than the first duty ratio. According to the ratio , the microwave output is controlled so as to perform a second intermittent output of the rated minimum microwave output value, the rated microwave output minimum value is 300 W, and is specified by the specifying unit When the type of the object to be cooked is sashimi, the control unit determines the first duty ratio so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 150 W, and the microwave output by the second intermittent output is The second duty ratio is determined so that the microwave output is equivalent to 100 W or 90 W, and when the type of the cooking object specified by the specifying unit is not sashimi, the control unit controls the first intermittent The first duty ratio is determined so that the microwave output by the output is equivalent to 200 W, and the second duty ratio is determined so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100 W. A heating cooker for heating is provided.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the heating cooker which can implement|achieve a defrosting function is provided, without complicating an apparatus structure.

Principal part sectional drawing of a heating cooker. The functional block diagram of a control system. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an external configuration of an operation panel; The figure explaining the heating operation in thawing mode. 4 is a flow chart showing a control procedure of heating operation in defrosting mode.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of features described in the embodiments are essential to the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. Also, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are omitted.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of main parts of a heating cooker 1 according to an embodiment. The heating cooker 1 can be a so-called microwave oven that heats an object to be cooked placed in the storage by radiating microwaves into the storage. A heating cooker 1 includes a power supply 2, a magnetron 3, a waveguide 4, and a container 5 for storing food 6 to be cooked.

A power supply 2 applies a predetermined voltage to the magnetron 3 by a transformer system or an inverter system. Magnetron 3, which is a generator for generating microwaves, generates microwaves of 2.45 GHz when a predetermined voltage is applied from power source 2. Magnetron 3 generates microwaves of 2.45 GHz. Microwaves generated from the magnetron 3 are guided into the container 5 (inside the container) by the waveguide 4 .

The storage 5 is made into a closed space by closing a front door (not shown). A tray 7 on which food 6 is placed is placed in the container 5 , and below the tray 7 is a microwave for radiating microwaves guided by the waveguide 4 and agitating them into the container 5 . of rotating antennas 8 are arranged. The rotating antenna 8 can be rotationally driven by an antenna motor 9 . The arrangement positions of the waveguide 4 and the rotating antenna 8 are not limited to this, and the waveguide 4 and the rotating antenna 8 may be arranged above the storage 5, for example. Also, instead of using the rotating antenna 8, the tray 7 may be used as a turntable, and the turntable may be driven to rotate during radiation of microwaves.

A control board 10 is arranged in the heating cooker 1 . The control board 10 is mounted with a control unit (described later) that controls the operation of the heating cooker 1 . The control unit can perform manual operation combining selection of microwave output strength and operation time, and automatic operation according to the heating menu. In automatic operation, it is possible to operate while monitoring the internal temperature, humidity, weight of the food 6, infrared generation status, and the like. Therefore, the heating cooker 1 includes a temperature sensor for detecting the internal temperature, a humidity sensor for detecting the humidity increased by water vapor generated from the food 6, a weight sensor for detecting the weight of the food, and an amount of infrared rays generated from the food 6. An infrared sensor or the like for detecting can be arranged as appropriate. In addition, the heating cooker 1 may incorporate an opening/closing detection mechanism for the front door, an interior light, an interior cooling fan, a notification unit, and the like. However, since all of these have been commonly used in the past and are not particularly related to the present invention, detailed descriptions of their configurations and processes using them are omitted here. .

In the present embodiment, the rated microwave output (rated high frequency output, so-called “range output”) of the magnetron 3 (generator) is, for example, 900 W, 600 W, 500 W, and 300 W, and these can be used by switching. . These are output values that allow the magnetron 3 to continuously oscillate. When heating at a power lower than 300 W, which is the lowest rated microwave power, this is achieved by an intermittent power of 300 W. This is because the magnetron 3 will not oscillate if the continuous output is lower than 300W.

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of a control system mounted on the control board 10. As shown in FIG. A control unit 20 , a magnetron driver 21 , a motor driver 22 and a display controller 25 can be mounted on the control board 10 . The control unit 20 can be configured by a general-purpose computer including a memory and a CPU for storing programs and data. Alternatively, the control unit 20 may be implemented by a dedicated device such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). Magnetron driver 21 includes drive circuitry for driving magnetron 3, which may include a high frequency transformer and/or inverter circuitry. Note that such a magnetron driver 21 may be incorporated in the power supply 2 . Motor driver 22 may include a drive circuit that drives antenna motor 9 . The display controller 25 controls display on the display unit 24 . For example, the operation panel 30 is arranged on the front door, and the display unit 24 is incorporated therein. The display unit 24 is, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), in which case the display controller 25 may include an LCD drive circuit. An operation unit 23 is arranged on the operation panel 30 , and a signal from the operation unit 23 is input to the control unit 20 .

FIG. 3 shows a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of the operation panel 30. As shown in FIG. The operation unit 23 (designation unit) can include a plurality of operation keys (operation buttons). Specifically, the operation unit 23 can include a mode key 31 , a time/weight key 32 , an output switching key 33 , an auto menu key 34 , a finishing key 35 , a start key 36 and a cancel key 37 . The mode key 31 includes a thawing key that designates a ``thaw mode'' for thawing food, a rice key that designates a ``rice warming mode'' for warming rice, and a drink key that designates a ``drink warming mode'' for warming drinks. can contain keys. The time/weight key 32 includes a 10-minute key for designating the heating operation time in 10-minute units, a 1-minute key for designating the heating operation time in 1-minute units, and a 10-second key for designating the heating operation time in 10-second units. can contain keys. In one example, the 1 minute key also serves as a key for designating the weight of the food 6 in units of 100 g, and the 10 second key also serves as a key for designating the weight of the food 6 in units of 10 g.

The output switching key 33 is a key for switching the microwave output to any of 900 W, 600 W, 500 W, 300 W, 200 W (equivalent), 100 W (equivalent), and the like. The auto menu key 34 is a key for designating a menu (type of food) for automatic operation. The finishing key 35 is a key for adjusting the intensity of heating or the heating time during automatic operation. A start key 36 is a key for instructing the start of heating. The cancel key 37 is a key for canceling the operation or instructing to stop the heating operation.

The display unit 24 displays the setting contents according to the operation through the operation unit 23, the state of the heating cooker 1, and the like. Note that the operation unit 23 may be configured by a touch panel configured to overlap the display unit 24 .

Next, the heating operation in the thawing mode in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the thawing mode, even at the lowest rated microwave power (300 W), continuous operation is too strong for thawing. Therefore, in the thawing mode, the average microwave output during the total time is weakened by performing intermittent output of the lowest rated microwave output (300 W).

FIG. 4(a) shows an example of intermittent operation that achieves a microwave output equivalent to 200W. In this example, one cycle is 29 seconds, in which 300 W is turned on for the first 20 seconds and turned off for the next 9 seconds. The reason why one cycle is set to 29 seconds is that the number of rotations of the rotating antenna 8 is assumed to be 30 rpm, and one cycle is made asynchronous with the rotation period. In this case, if the duty ratio is D, the average output per cycle is
300·D=300·(20 seconds/29 seconds)
≒207W
, which can be equivalent to 200W.

FIG. 4(b) shows an example of intermittent operation for realizing a microwave output equivalent to 100W. In this example, 300 W is turned on for the first 10 seconds of one cycle (29 seconds) and turned off for the following 19 seconds. In this case, the average output per cycle is
300·D=300·(10 seconds/29 seconds)
≒103W
, which can be equivalent to 100W.

Intermittent operation of other average powers can be realized in a similar manner. For example, to achieve a microwave output equivalent to 150 W, 300 W is turned on for the first 15 seconds of one cycle (29 seconds) and turned off for the following 14 seconds. In this case, the average output per cycle is
300·D=300·(14 seconds/29 seconds)
≒155W
, which can be equivalent to 150W.

In order to realize a microwave output equivalent to 90 W, 300 W is turned on for the first 9 seconds of one cycle (29 seconds) and turned off for the following 20 seconds. In this case, the average output per cycle is
300·D=300·(9 seconds/29 seconds)
≒93W
, which can be equivalent to 90W.
It should be noted that the specific numerical values and procedures for determining the microwave power described above are merely examples, and other numerical values and procedures may be applied.

In the present embodiment, the first intermittent output of the lowest rated microwave output value and the second intermittent output of the lowest rated microwave output value, which has the same period as the first intermittent output and a different duty ratio, are combined. Hybrid control I do. According to such hybrid control, it is possible to perform more detailed output control than by intermittent output in a single cycle, which is advantageous in preventing overheating, for example.

FIG. 5 shows a flow chart showing the control procedure of the heating operation in the thawing mode, which is executed by the control unit 20. As shown in FIG. This decompression mode is started by pressing the decompression key of the mode key 31 .

In step S<b>1 , the control section 20 sets the type of the food 6 to be thawed according to the operation signal from the operation section 23 . In one example, it is assumed that there are three types of food: "minced meat/sliced meat", "meat (lump)/fish", and "sashimi". The user can specify the type of food 6 by, for example, the number of times the decompression key is pressed within a predetermined time. For example, when the decompression key is pressed once, "minced meat/sliced meat" is selected, when pressed twice, "meat (chunk)/fish" is specified, and when pressed three times, "sashimi" is specified. be done. Data indicating the specified type is stored in the memory as type setting data.

In step S<b>2 , the control section 20 sets the weight of the food 6 . In one example, the control unit 20 sets the weight of the food 6 to a predetermined default value (eg, 100 g), and the user can change the weight via the time/weight key 32, for example. Data indicating the specified weight is stored in the memory as weight setting data.

In step S3, the control unit 20 sets the finishing intensity of heating. In the present embodiment, the cooker 1 can have four levels of finishing strength, for example, low, medium (standard), high 1, and high 2. However, the number of stages of finish strength is not limited to a specific number, and the number of stages may be less than 4 stages, 4 stages or more, or there may be no such stages. . The control unit 20 sets medium (standard) as the finish strength as a predetermined default value, and the user can change the finish strength by operating the finish key 35, for example. Data indicating the specified finishing strength is stored in the memory as finishing strength setting data.

In step S4, the control unit 20 determines a first duty ratio D1, which is the duty ratio of the first intermittent output, and a second duty ratio D2, which is the duty ratio of the second intermittent output. A method for determining the duty ratio is exemplified below.

For example, when the rated microwave output minimum value is 300 W, the control unit 20 determines the first duty ratio D1 so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 200 W, as in the example of FIG. Then, the second duty ratio D2 is determined so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100W. Alternatively, the control unit 20 determines the first duty ratio D1 so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 150 W, and sets the second duty ratio D2 so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100 W. Alternatively, it may be determined to be equivalent to 90W.

Alternatively, when the type of food set (specified) in step S1 is "sashimi", the control unit 20 sets the first duty ratio D1 so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 150 W. Then, the second duty ratio D2 is determined so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100W or 90W. On the other hand, if the type of food set (specified) in step S1 is not "sashimi", the control unit 20 sets the first duty ratio D1 so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 200 W. Then, the second duty ratio is determined so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100W or 90W. That is, when the food is sashimi, the microwave output is weakened more than other types. This may prevent overheating of the sashimi.

In step S5, the control unit 20 sets the rated microwave output to 300W, which is the lowest value.

At step S6, the control unit 20 confirms whether the cancel key 37 has been pressed. If the depression of the cancel key 37 is detected here, the decompression mode is terminated. If the depression of the cancel key 37 is not detected, the process proceeds to step S7.

At step S7, the control unit 20 confirms whether the start key 36 has been pressed. Here, if the depression of the start key 36 is not detected, the process returns to step S6. If pressing of the start key 36 is detected, the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, the control unit 20 performs the first intermittent output with the first duty ratio D1 determined in step S4. After that, in step S9, the control unit 20 performs the second intermittent output with the second duty ratio D2 determined in step S4.

The heating operation in the thawing mode in this embodiment is as described above. Here, according to the example described with respect to step S4, the relationship between the first duty ratio D1 and the second duty ratio D2 determined in step S4 is
D1 > D2
There is a relationship. According to this relationship, the microwave output (e.g., equivalent to 200 W) in the first intermittent output in step S8 is higher than the microwave output (e.g., equivalent to 100 W) in the second intermittent output in step S9. In the second half, the heat of the food warmed in the first half melts the surrounding ice, while the food can be gradually thawed at a low output.

The cycle duration of the first intermittent output performed in step S8 and the second intermittent output performed in step S9 will be described below. The cycle duration time is the total time during which the intermittent output cycle is repeatedly executed.

In this embodiment, the cycle duration of the first intermittent output and the cycle duration of the second intermittent output can be determined according to the weight of the food. For example, the cycle duration of the first intermittent output and the cycle duration of the second intermittent output are determined according to a polynomial including the weight of the food specified in step S2.

Assuming that the weight of the food specified in step S2 is M, the cycle duration of the first intermittent output is T1, and the cycle duration of the second intermittent output is T2, T1 and T2 are expressed by the following equations.

T1=α1·M+β1,
T2=α2・M+β2
However, α1, α2, β1, and β2 are coefficients for the weight M, respectively.

The coefficients α1, α2, β1 and β2 can have values according to the type of food specified in step S1. Examples of each coefficient according to the type of food are shown below. However, the values of these coefficients are only examples, and are not limited to these values.

(1) Minced meat/sliced meat (equivalent to 200 W + equivalent to 100 W):
α1=0.3, β1=-30, α2=0.75, β2=120,
(2) Meat (lumps)/fish (equivalent to 200 W + equivalent to 100 W):
α1=0.4, β1=-20, α2=0.6, β2=90,
(3) Sashimi (equivalent to 150 W + equivalent to 90 W):
α1=0.3, β1=0, α2=1.0, β2=100

To give a specific example, when the type of food is set to "minced meat/sliced meat" and the weight M of the food is set to 200 g, the heating operation time T for defrosting is as follows.

T = Cycle duration time T1 of the first intermittent output (equivalent to 200 W)
+ Cycle duration of second intermittent output (equivalent to 100 W) = (0.3 x 200 g - 30) + (0.75 x 200 g + 120)
= 300 seconds

Further, when the food type is set to "sashimi" and the food weight M is set to 200 g, the heating operation time T required for thawing is as follows.

T = Cycle duration time T1 of the first intermittent output (equivalent to 150 W)
+ Cycle duration T2 of second intermittent output (equivalent to 90 W)
= (0.3 x 200g) + (1.0 x 200g + 100)
= 360 seconds

Furthermore, the control unit 20 may adjust the cycle duration T1 of the first intermittent output and the cycle duration T2 of the second intermittent output according to the finished strength specified in step S3. For example, a coefficient is set in advance according to the finished strength. The coefficient for each finished strength is, for example, as follows. However, the values of these coefficients are only examples, and are not limited to these values. Also, the numerical values relating to the above weight are only examples, and other numerical values may be applied.

Weak: 0.9,
Medium (standard): 1,
Strong 1: 1.1,
Strong 2: 1.2

The control unit 20 multiplies the heating operation time T for thawing by a coefficient according to the finished strength. For example, when the finish strength is "weak", the heating operation time is adjusted to 0.9×T. 0.9×T, for example, means that each cycle's on-time and off-time are multiplied by 0.9. Similarly, when the finishing strength is "High 1", the heating operation time is adjusted to 1.1 x T, and when the finishing strength is "High 2", the heating operation time is adjusted to 1.2 x T. be.

In this manner, the heating operation time is adjusted according to the finished strength designated by the user. As a result, it is possible to reflect the prediction of the degree of completion of defrosting based on the experience of the user in the heating operation time.

According to the embodiment described above, a defrosting function that is advantageous in terms of cost is realized without impairing the finished state of defrosting and without complicating the apparatus configuration.

The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the invention.

1: heating cooker, 2: power supply, 3: magnetron, 4: waveguide, 5: storage, 6: food, 7: tray, 8: rotating antenna, 9: antenna motor

Claims (5)

A heating cooker that heats an object to be cooked placed in the storage by radiating microwaves into the storage,
a generator that generates microwaves;
a designation unit that designates the type of the object to be cooked;
a control unit for controlling the microwave output from the generating unit;
with
In a defrosting mode for defrosting the object to be cooked, the control section performs a first intermittent output of the lowest rated microwave output of the generating section with a first duty ratio, and after the first intermittent output, the It is configured to control the microwave output so as to perform a second intermittent output of the lowest rated microwave output with a second duty ratio that has the same period as the first intermittent output and is smaller than the first duty ratio. ,
The rated microwave output minimum value is 300 W,
When the type of the cooking object designated by the designation unit is sashimi, the control unit determines the first duty ratio so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 150 W, and determining the second duty ratio so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100 W or 90 W;
When the type of the cooking object specified by the specifying unit is not sashimi, the control unit determines the first duty ratio so that the microwave output by the first intermittent output is equivalent to 200 W, Determining the second duty ratio so that the microwave output by the second intermittent output is equivalent to 100 W;
A heating cooker characterized by: The specifying unit is configured to further specify the weight of the cooking object,
The control unit determines the cycle duration of the first intermittent output and the cycle duration of the second intermittent output according to the weight of the object to be cooked designated by the designation unit.
The heating cooker according to claim 1 , characterized by: M the weight of the cooking object specified by the specifying unit;
The coefficients for the weight M are α1, α2, β1, β2,
a cycle duration T1 of the first intermittent output;
Assuming that the cycle duration of the second intermittent output is T2,
T1 is represented by α1·M+β1,
T2 is represented by α2·M+β2,
The heating cooker according to claim 2 , characterized by: The heating cooker according to claim 3 , wherein the coefficients α1, α2, β1, and β2 have values corresponding to the type of the cooking object specified by the specifying unit. The designating unit is configured to further designate finishing strength of defrosting of the cooking object,
The control unit adjusts the cycle duration T1 of the first intermittent output and the cycle duration T2 of the second intermittent output according to the finish strength specified by the specifying unit.
The heating cooker according to claim 4 , characterized in that:

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