JP7462467B2 - Heating Cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking device.

Conventionally, various cooking menus are prepared in advance for cooking appliances such as microwave ovens. The cooking menus have preset heating conditions for completing the target dish. The user simply prepares the ingredients required for the desired cooking menu and selects that cooking menu on the cooking appliance. Patent Document 1 below discloses a cooking appliance with such an automatic cooking course. When displaying the course names of the automatic cooking courses, this cooking appliance displays the course names in order of the most frequently executed course names during each time period during which the automatic cooking course is to be executed.

In addition, the following Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for analyzing a user's preferences based on the operations performed by the user in a cooking device such as a microwave oven, and presenting cooking information according to the user's preferences.

JP 2001-90954 A JP 2007-334605 A

Since cooking appliances are equipped with a wide variety of cooking menus, users can enjoy a variety of dishes by utilizing these menus. However, even if a user is interested in menus other than the ones they normally use, if they cannot imagine the dish, they will not be selected and will not be used. On the other hand, it is preferable that users can start cooking immediately with a menu that they are familiar with, with minimal operations.

The present invention aims to provide a cooking device that improves user operability and promotes the use of the cooking device.

The cooking device of the present invention includes a display unit, a display control unit, a reception unit, and a heating control unit. The display control unit displays a menu screen including a first menu and a second menu as menus on the display unit. The reception unit receives a user operation. The heating control unit controls the execution of cooking in response to the user operation. The user operation includes a menu selection operation for selecting the first menu or the second menu, and a cooking instruction operation for instructing the execution of cooking of the menu selected by the menu selection operation. The first menu is a menu for which the operation frequency of the cooking instruction operation received by the reception unit is less than a predetermined frequency, and the operation frequency of the cooking instruction operation is equal to or greater than a predetermined frequency for the second menu. The display control unit transitions from the menu screen to the first screen when a menu selection operation for selecting the first menu is received by the reception unit, and transitions from the menu screen to the second screen when a menu selection operation for selecting the second menu is received by the reception unit. The first screen includes cooking information related to cooking of the menu selected by the menu selection operation. The heating control unit executes the cooking only when a cooking instruction operation is received by the reception unit while the second screen is being displayed.

The cooking device of the present invention can improve the operability for the user and promote the use of the cooking device.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a cooking device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cooking device shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of menu information in the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is an operational flow diagram of the menu screen display process in the first embodiment. FIG. 4B is an operational flow diagram of the menu screen display process in the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the common menu screen. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an individual menu screen. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an individual menu screen different from that in FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing a display example of an individual menu screen that is displayed when a plurality of menus B are included in the menu information. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of menu information in which a plurality of menus set as menu B exist. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing menu information in the application example 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of menu information according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9B is a diagram illustrating an example of usage history information. FIG. 10A is a schematic diagram showing an individual menu screen corresponding to time period A. As shown in FIG. FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram showing an individual menu screen corresponding to time period C. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of menu information in an application example of the second embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of menu information in the third embodiment. FIG. 13 is an operation flow diagram showing a display process of a transition screen of a cooking device in the third embodiment. FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram showing an example of an individual menu screen. FIG. 14B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cooking start screen. FIG. 14C is a schematic diagram showing an example of the preparation screen. FIG. 14D is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the cooking start screen, and shows a display example different from that of FIG. 14B. FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a cooking device according to an application example of the third embodiment. FIG. 16A is a schematic diagram showing a display example of a preparation screen in the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 15 . FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the SNS screen. FIG. 16C is a schematic diagram showing an example of the recipe screen.

Below, an embodiment of the cooking device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, the same or corresponding parts will be given the same reference symbols and the description will not be repeated.

[First embodiment]
Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a cooking device 1 according to a first embodiment. The cooking device 1 is, for example, a cooking device having at least one of an oven function and a range function. As shown in Fig. 1, the cooking device 1 has a cabinet 10, a heating chamber (not shown) provided in the cabinet 10, and an operation panel (an example of a reception unit) 20 provided on a surface of the cabinet 10.

The operation panel 20 includes a touch display 21 and an operation button 22 marked "Start." Hereinafter, the operation button 22 may be referred to as the "Start button 22."

The user touches the menu screen displayed on the touch display 21 to select the desired cooking menu, places the ingredients required for cooking in the heating chamber, and then starts cooking by pressing the start button 22. In other words, the start button 22 is an operator that starts cooking the specified menu.

The cooking device 1 has a common menu screen and an individual menu screen as menu screens. The common menu screen displays a menu determined as a common menu from among the cooking menus preset in the cooking device 1. The individual menu screen displays a menu (hereinafter, an individual menu) according to the usage history of the menu used by the user from among the above preset menus. In other words, the individual menu changes according to the actual usage of the cooking device 1. In this embodiment, the menu includes menus in which the heating conditions (temperature and time) are preset according to the object to be heated or the dish, and menus in which the heating conditions are manually set by the user. The configuration of the cooking device 1 will be specifically described below.

(composition)
Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the cooking appliance 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the cooking appliance 1 includes an operation panel 20, a control unit 30, a cooking unit 40, a storage unit 50, and a timing unit 60.

As described above, the operation panel 20 includes a touch display 21 and an operation button 22 (start button 22).

The touch display 21 has a display (an example of a display unit) and a touch sensor (both not shown). Under the control of the control unit 30, the display displays a menu screen, an operation screen required for cooking, and the like. The touch sensor is, for example, a capacitance-type touch sensor. The touch sensor is driven under the control of the control unit 30, detects the capacitance that changes when the surface of the touch display 21 is touched by a user's finger, etc., and outputs the detection result to the control unit 30.

When the operation button 22 is pressed by the user, it outputs a signal indicating that it has been pressed to the control unit 30.

The cooking unit 40 has a heating unit with a heater and a magnetron, and a steam generating unit that generates steam (both not shown). Under the control of the control unit 30, the cooking unit 40 drives the heating unit and/or the steam generating unit according to the heating conditions (including temperature and time) corresponding to the menu selected by the user, and cooks the heated object in the heating chamber (not shown).

The storage unit 50 is a non-volatile storage device such as a semiconductor memory or a hard disk. The storage unit 50 stores menu information and various image data required for displaying menu screens, etc.

(Menu information)
Here, the menu information will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the menu information 510 in the first embodiment. The menu information shown in Fig. 3 shows an initial setting state before the user starts using the cooking device 1. As shown in Fig. 3, the menu information 510 stores a menu number, a menu name, a type, and a number of times of use per month in association with each menu.

The menu number is a unique identification number assigned to each menu.

The menu name is the name (name) that represents the menu and is displayed on the menu screen.

The type is information that distinguishes between a menu whose frequency of use is less than a predetermined value and which is set as a menu recommended to the user (hereinafter, menu A (an example of a first menu)) and a menu whose frequency of use is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (hereinafter, menu B (an example of a second menu)). In other words, menu B is a menu that the user normally uses, whereas menu A is a menu that the user does not normally use very often. In this embodiment, the type of menu A is "1" and the type of menu B is "2". As shown in FIG. 3, in the initial setting state, the type indicating menu B is not set, and only the type of menu A is set.

The number of uses per month indicates how often the menu is used. In this example, the number of times the menu is used in one month is the frequency of use, but the period used as the basis for frequency of use is not limited to one month. The number of times the menu is used is the number of times the menu is selected and the start button 22 is pressed. In other words, in this embodiment, use of the menu refers not only to the operation of selecting the menu, but also to the operation of pressing the start button 22 and performing cooking.

Returning to FIG. 2, the control unit 30 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and memories such as a ROM and a RAM. The control unit 30 has the functions of an acquisition unit 311, a menu information update unit 312, a display control unit 313, and a heating control unit 314. The control unit 30 controls each unit of the heating cooker 1 by the CPU executing a control program stored in the memory.

The acquisition unit 311 acquires the menu information 510 from the memory unit 50 at a predetermined timing, such as when the power (not shown) of the cooking device 1 is turned on and when the user performs an operation to display the menu screen.

The menu information update unit 312 updates the number of uses per month (frequency of use) of the menu information 510 acquired by the acquisition unit 311. Specifically, the menu information update unit 312 counts the number of times a menu is used each time the menu is used, and continually tallys up the number of times the menu has been used in the most recent month to reflect the number of uses per month in the menu information 510. The menu information update unit 312 sets the type of a menu in the menu information 510 whose number of uses per month is equal to or greater than a threshold value (e.g., 10) to "2" (menu B). In this embodiment, the threshold value is 10, but the threshold value is not limited to this.

When a predetermined operation is performed, the display control unit 313 displays the common menu screen on the display of the touch display 21 as an initial screen. The predetermined operation may be an operation in which the user turns on the power (not shown) of the cooking appliance 1 or an operation in which the user touches any point on the touch display 21. When an operation to switch from the common menu screen to an individual menu screen is performed, the display control unit 313 displays the individual menu screen on the touch display 21 based on the type in the menu information 510 described with reference to FIG. 3. In other words, in this embodiment, the individual menu screen is displayed when the user performs an operation to switch screens after the common menu screen is displayed.

The common menu screen displays a plurality of preset menus among the menus stored in the menu information 510. When a menu (B menu) with a type of "2" exists in the menu information 510, at least one of the A menu and the B menu is displayed on the individual menu screen according to the number of the B menus. If the number Kb of the B menus is less than the upper limit number N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) of menus that can be displayed in a list on the individual menu screen, all the B menus and (N-Kb) A menus are displayed on the individual menu screen. Also, if the number Kb of the B menus is N or more, N B menus are displayed on the individual menu screen. In other words, when a B menu exists, the B menu is displayed on the individual menu screen with priority over the A menu. Note that when the number Kb of the B menus is N or more, not only the B menu is displayed on the individual menu screen, but only one A menu may also be displayed. Specifically, N-1 B menus and one A menu may be displayed on the individual menu screen.

The heating control unit 314 drives the heating and cooking unit 40 according to the heating conditions preset for the menu selected on the common menu screen or the individual menu screen.

The timing unit 60 outputs the measured time to the control unit 30 under the control of the control unit 30.

(motion)
A description will now be given of a menu screen display operation in the cooking appliance 1. Figures 4A and 4B are operation flow diagrams of a menu screen display process in the first embodiment.

After a predetermined operation such as turning on the power supply (not shown) of the cooking appliance 1, the cooking appliance 1 acquires the menu information 510 from the memory unit 50 by the acquisition unit 311, and displays the common menu screen on the display of the touch display 21 by referring to the menu information 510 by the display control unit 313 (step S1).

Now, the common menu screen will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the common menu screen 200A. As shown in FIG. 5, the common menu screen 200A includes images 211 and 212, an icon 210, and icons 213a to 213h. Image 211 indicates the current time measured by the clock unit 60 (see FIG. 2). Image 212 indicates that the common menu screen is displayed. Each of the icons 213a to 213h includes a text image indicating a menu name associated with a menu that is preset as a common menu among the menus in the menu information 510. Icon 210 is associated with a process of switching to an individual menu screen, and is represented by an image of a right arrow in FIG. 5. Hereinafter, icon 210 will be referred to as individual menu switching icon 210.

Returning to FIG. 4A, when the cooking appliance 1 receives an operation of the user touching any of the icons 213a to 213h on the common menu screen 200A on the touch display 21 and also receives an operation of pressing the start button 22 (step S2: NO, step S3: YES, step S4: YES), the heating control unit 314 drives the cooking unit 40 to start cooking the selected menu (hereinafter, the selected menu). Then, the menu information update unit 312 updates the menu information 510 (step S5 in FIG. 4B). Specifically, the menu information update unit 312 increments the number of times the selected menu has been used by one, and when the number of times the selected menu has been used after the increment is equal to or greater than a threshold value (10 in this embodiment), the type of that menu is set to "2".

When the cooking appliance 1 receives an individual menu screen switching operation on the touch display 21 in which the user touches the individual menu switching icon 210 on the common menu screen 200A (step S2 in FIG. 4A: YES), the display control unit 313 checks whether or not there is a B menu in the menu information 510 (step S6). That is, the display control unit 313 checks whether or not there is a menu whose type is set to "2" in the menu information 510.

If the display control unit 313 determines that a B menu exists in the menu information 510 (step S6: YES) and that the number Kb of B menus is not less than N (step S7: NO), it selects N B menus in descending order of frequency of use and displays an individual menu screen including the N individual menus including the B menu on the display of the touch display 21 (step S8).

If the display control unit 313 determines that a B menu exists in the menu information 510 (step S6: YES) and that the number Kb of B menus is less than N (step S7: YES), it displays an individual menu screen including all B menus and (K-Nb) A menus on the display of the touch display 21 (step S9).

If the display control unit 313 determines in step S6 that the menu information 510 does not contain menu B (step S6: NO), it displays an individual menu screen including the N menus A in the menu information 510 on the display of the touch display 21 (step S10). If the menu information 510 does not contain menu B, this occurs when the cooking device 1 is in an initial state or when the number of times all menus have been used does not meet the threshold value.

The A menus displayed on the individual menu screen may be selected in the order of the menu numbers in the menu information 510, or may be selected randomly using a predetermined random number function. In short, the number of A menus to be displayed on the individual menu screen may be selected from the menus (A menus) whose type in the menu information 510 is "1" by a predetermined algorithm.

The configuration of the individual menu screen in this embodiment will now be described. Figures 6A and 6B are schematic diagrams showing a display example of the individual menu screen 200B. Specifically, Figures 6A and 6B show the individual menu screen 200B displayed in steps S10 and S9, respectively, of Figure 4B. Figure 6B shows a display example of an individual menu screen 200B that is different from that of Figure 6A.

As shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the individual menu screen 200B displays individual menu icons including an image 211, an icon 215, and at least one of icons 214 and 216.

Icon 215 corresponds to the process of switching to the common menu screen 200A and is marked with a left arrow. Hereinafter, icon 215 will be referred to as common menu switching icon 215.

The icon 214 includes a text image indicating the menu name associated with each of the A menus selected in step S9 or S10 among the menus (A menus) whose type in the menu information 510 is "1".

The icon 216 includes a text image indicating the menu name associated with each of the B menus selected in step S8 or S9 among the menus (B menus) whose type in the menu information 510 is "2".

In the following description, icon 214 may be referred to as A menu icon 214, and icon 216 may be referred to as B menu icon 216. Furthermore, when there is no need to distinguish between A menu icon 214 and B menu icon 216, they may simply be referred to as individual menu icons. Furthermore, a menu corresponding to an individual menu icon may be referred to as an individual menu.

In the individual menu screen 200B shown in Figures 6A and 6B, the upper limit N of the number of individual menu icons that can be displayed in a list is "4". When the cooking appliance 1 is in the initial state, as shown in Figure 6A, four A menu icons 214 corresponding to four A menus are displayed as "recommended menus" on the individual menu screen 200B. Furthermore, when the cooking appliance 1 is being used and a menu (B menu) that has been used 10 or more times per month exists in the menu information 510, the B menu icon 216 and the A menu icon 214 are displayed on the individual menu screen 200B as shown in Figure 6B.

In FIG. 6B, the individual menu screen 200B displays a B menu icon 216a corresponding to one B menu, "Manual cooking microwave," as the "usual menu," and A menu icons 214 corresponding to three A menus as the "recommended menu." The state shown in FIG. 6B is a state in which only "Manual cooking microwave" is set as the B menu in the menu information 510. In other words, FIG. 6B shows a state in which the microwave function for manual cooking associated with icon 213g on the common menu screen 200A (FIG. 5) is used frequently, and other menus are not used much.

As the user becomes accustomed to using the cooking appliance 1, the range of menus used will increase, and the number of menus set as B menus in the menu information 510 will increase. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing an example of an individual menu screen 200B that is displayed when multiple B menus are included in the menu information 510. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of menu information 510 that corresponds to the state of the individual menu screen 200B in FIG. 6C.

As shown in FIG. 7, the menu information 510 includes three B menus (menu No. "1", "2", "15") with a type of "2". In this case, as shown in FIG. 6C, three B menu icons 216a to 216c containing text images indicating the menu names corresponding to the menu Nos. "1", "2", and "15", respectively, are displayed as "regular menus" on the individual menu screen 200B. Since the upper limit N of the number of individual menu icons that can be displayed on the individual menu screen 200B is "4", one A menu icon 214 is displayed on the individual menu screen 200B. This A menu icon 214 corresponds to one A menu determined by a predetermined algorithm among the menus (A menus) with a type of "1" in the menu information 510 (see FIG. 7).

In this way, the number of B menus and A menus and the individual menus displayed on the individual menu screen 200B change depending on how the user uses the menus.

Referring to FIG. 4B, when a menu is selected by touching any of the individual menu icons on the individual menu screen 200B (step S11: YES) and the start button 22 is pressed (step S12: YES), the cooking appliance 1 performs the process of step S5.

When the touch display 21 does not accept a touch operation of an individual menu icon on the individual menu screen 200B (step S11: NO), or when in step S12, the start button 22 is not pressed and the touch display 21 does not accept a touch operation of the common menu switching icon 215 (step S12: NO, step S13: NO), the cooking appliance 1 waits with the individual menu screen 200B displayed. When the touch display 21 accepts a touch operation of the common menu switching icon 215 on the cooking appliance 1 in step S13 (step S13: YES), the display control unit 313 causes the cooking appliance 1 to display the common menu screen 200A (FIG. 5) on the display of the touch display 21.

As described with reference to Figures 1 to 7, at least one of menu A and menu B is displayed on the individual menu screen 200 according to the actual usage of the cooking device 1 by the user. Menu B is used more frequently than a predetermined frequency (threshold value), and menu A is used less frequently by the user. Since the number of individual menus that can be displayed in a list on the individual menu screen 200B is limited, the B menu is displayed in preference to the A menu, thereby improving user convenience. Furthermore, when the cooking device 1 is first used, simple menus are likely to be used, and the menus set as the B menu are likely to be limited. Therefore, by displaying menu A, which is not often used by the user, on the individual menu screen 200B, the user is made aware of the existence of menu A, and the effect of promoting utilization of the cooking device 1 can be expected.

(Application example 1 of the first embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the A menu to be displayed on the individual menu screen 200B (hereinafter, the display target A menu) may be determined as follows. For example, the A menu that has been selected a predetermined number of times or more within a certain period may be set as the display target A menu. That is, in this case, in step S3 of FIG. 4A and step S11 of FIG. 4B, the number of times the menu is selected when the operation to select the menu is performed but the start button 22 is not pressed is counted in the menu information update unit 312 and stored in the menu information. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing menu information 520 in this application example. As shown in FIG. 8, in the menu information 520, in addition to each item of the menu information 510 (see FIG. 3, etc.), the number of times the menu is selected within a certain period (for example, one month) is associated with each menu.

In step S9 or S10 of FIG. 4A, if there is an A menu (A menu) whose type in the menu information 520 is "1" and which has been selected a predetermined number of times (e.g., 5 times) or more per month, the display control unit 313 may set that A menu as the A menu to be displayed in priority over other A menus. If there are multiple A menus whose selection count per month is a predetermined number of times (e.g., 5 times) or more, the A menu to be displayed may be determined in descending order of the number of times selected.

(Application Example 2 of the First Embodiment)
The A menu set in the menu information 510, 520 is preferably set according to the actual usage of the user. For example, in the case of a user who frequently uses the microwave function and rarely uses the oven function, only the menu using the microwave function may be set in the A menu, or conversely, only the menu using the oven function may be set in the A menu. In this case, in the cooking device 1, the cooking pattern of the user may be specified based on the frequency of use (number of times used per month) of the menu in the menu information 510, 520, and the A menu may be determined according to the specified cooking pattern. The cooking pattern may be, for example, a cooking pattern using only the microwave function, a cooking pattern using only the oven function, a cooking pattern using the microwave function and the oven function, etc. The cooking pattern may be specified from the heating method (heating by the microwave function, heating by the oven function, or heating by the microwave function and the oven function) specified in the menu used by the user. Since the frequency of use of the menu changes, the cooking pattern may be specified at regular intervals and updated as needed.

(Application Example 3 of the First Embodiment)
The menu A in the menu information 510, 520 may be set according to the user's preferences based on the user's actual usage. In other words, based on the frequency of use of the menu, the ingredients used in the menu, etc., the dishes that the user likes (meat dishes, fish dishes, vegetable dishes, etc.) may be specified as the user's preference pattern, and a menu that matches the user's preference pattern may be set as the menu A in the menu information 510, 520. In other words, if the user's preference pattern is "meat dishes", the menu A may be set to a menu that is used less than a predetermined frequency and uses "meat" as an ingredient among the menus in the menu information 510, 520. Conversely, for a user who likes "meat dishes", a menu that uses "vegetables" as an ingredient may be set as the menu A. By displaying the menu of "vegetable dishes" on the individual menu screen 200B as the menu A, rather than the "meat dishes" that the user usually tends to select, the effect of making the user more aware of the balance of food and increasing the health consciousness of the user can be expected.

[Second embodiment]
In the cooking device 1 described with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 8, the individual menu displayed on the individual menu screen 200B and the display mode of the individual menu screen 200B may be changed according to the timing at which the individual menu screen 200B is displayed. Specifically, for example, an individual menu corresponding to the time zone in which the individual menu screen 200B is displayed is displayed on the individual menu screen 200B. Also, the individual menu screen 200B is displayed in a color corresponding to the time zone in which the individual menu screen 200B is displayed.

Fig. 9A is a diagram showing an example of menu information 530 in the second embodiment. As shown in Fig. 9A, in the menu information 530, in addition to each item of the menu information 510 (see Fig. 3), a time period is associated with each menu. The time periods are, for example, the following four time periods A to D. Note that, when the cooking appliance 1 is in an initial state, the time period for each menu in the menu information 530 is preset to one of the following time periods.
Time period A: Morning (6:00-12:00)
Time period B: Daytime (12:00-18:00)
Time period C: Night (18:00-24:00)
Time period D: Late night (0:00-6:00)

The menu information update unit 312 stores usage history information of the selected menu each time the start button 22 is pressed in step S4 (FIG. 4A) or step S12 (FIG. 4B) for the menu selected in step S3 (FIG. 4A) or step S11 (FIG. 4B) described above. FIG. 9B is a diagram showing an example of usage history information 610. The usage history information 610 is stored in the storage unit 50. As shown in FIG. 9B, the usage history information 610 associates the menu number of the selected menu, the menu name, the date the start button 22 was pressed, and the time measured by the timing unit 60.

The menu information update unit 312 identifies the time period during which each menu item was most frequently used during a certain period (e.g., January) based on the usage history information 610. The menu information update unit 312 then sets the identified time period as the time period in the menu information 530 (see FIG. 9A). Note that for menu items in the menu information 530 that are not stored in the usage history information 610, i.e., menu items that have never been used, a time period may be set as the default.

When displaying the individual menu screen 200B in steps S8 to S10 (FIG. 4A) described above, the display control unit 313 extracts from the menu information 530 menu B and menu A associated with a time period including the time measured by the clock unit 60. The display control unit 313 selects an individual menu to be displayed on the individual menu screen 200B according to the number Kb of extracted menu B, and displays an individual menu icon corresponding to the selected individual menu on the individual menu screen 200B. The display control unit 313 also displays the individual menu screen 200B in a color determined according to the time period on the touch display 21.

Fig. 10A is a schematic diagram showing an individual menu screen corresponding to time period A. Fig. 10B is a schematic diagram showing an individual menu screen corresponding to time period C. As with Figs. 6A to 6C described above, the individual menu screen 201B shown in Figs. 10A and 10B displays an image 211, a common menu switching icon 215, and individual menu icons (214, 216), but the colors 218a, 218b of the entire individual menu screen 201B are different between Figs. 10A and 10B. The individual menu screen 201B shown in Fig. 10A may be displayed in a bright color such as white or yellow, and the menu screen 201B shown in Fig. 10B may be displayed in a dark color such as navy blue or purple.

Although not shown, the individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period B may be displayed, for example, in a lighter color than the individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period A and in a darker color than the individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period C. The individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period D may be displayed in a darker color than the individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period A and in a lighter color than the individual menu screen 201B corresponding to time period C. In short, it is sufficient if the individual menu screen 201B is displayed in a different color for each time period, but it is preferable that the color of the individual menu screen 201B evokes the respective time period.

When the individual menu screen 201B is displayed, the user can easily recognize at a glance which time period the menu is displayed for. The user can immediately recognize whether or not the desired menu is displayed on the individual menu screen 201B, and therefore, if the desired menu is on the individual menu screen 201B, the user can immediately select that menu and start cooking. Also, if the desired menu is not on the individual menu screen 201B, the user can touch the common menu switching icon 215 to return to the common menu screen and select the desired menu. In other words, the user can predict to some extent which menu will be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B, and therefore can smoothly move on to the next operation to be performed.

Note that in FIGS. 10A and 10B, an example in which the overall color of the individual menu screen 201B is changed has been described as an example in which the display mode of the individual menu screen 201B is changed for each time period, but the display mode is not limited to this. For example, the color of at least one of the A menu icon 214 and the B menu icon 216 on the individual menu screen 201B may be changed according to the time period. In other words, the color of a portion of the individual menu screen 201B may be changed for each time period. Also, images of different characters may be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B for each time period, or images of the sun, moon, etc. that change according to the time period may be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B.

The type of display mode of the individual menu screen 201B may be selectable by the user. In this case, at a predetermined timing, such as when the power (not shown) of the cooking appliance 1 is turned on, the display control unit 313 may display an initial setting screen on the display of the touch display 21 for selecting the type of display mode of the individual menu screen 201B, and the user may select the type of display mode.

(Application example of the second embodiment)
In the cooking appliance 1, the individual menus displayed on the individual menu screen 201B and the display mode of the individual menu screen 201B may be varied not only according to the time period but also according to the season or seasonal events (New Year's Day, Setsubun, Hinamatsuri, Boy's Festival, Tanabata, Halloween, Christmas, etc.). Specifically, in the menu information, seasonal information indicating the season or seasonal event is set in advance for each menu, and the display control unit 313 selects the individual menu to be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B from among the menus associated with the time period and seasonal information corresponding to the display timing of the individual menu screen 201B.

Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of menu information 540 in this application example. As shown in Figure 11, in addition to the items shown in Figure 9A, seasonal information is associated with each menu item in the menu information 540.

Seasonal information includes, for example, information indicating a season or a seasonal event, and a period or date corresponding to the season or seasonal event. That is, seasonal information indicating "spring" may include "March to May" as the period corresponding to "spring", and seasonal information indicating "summer" may include "June to August" as the period corresponding to "summer". Seasonal information indicating "autumn" may include "September to November" as the period corresponding to "autumn", and seasonal information indicating "winter" may include "December to February" as the period corresponding to "winter". Seasonal information indicating "New Year's" as a seasonal event may include "January 1st to January 3rd" as the period corresponding to "New Year's", and seasonal information indicating "Christmas" as a seasonal event may include "December 24th to December 25th" as the period corresponding to "Christmas".

The seasonal information corresponding to each menu item in the menu information 540 may be set according to the ingredients used in that menu item, the time of year when that menu item is most likely to be eaten, and the like. Specifically, in the menu information 540, the menu item indicated by menu number "40" (menu name: "Mackerel marinated in miso and grilled") uses Spanish mackerel, which is in season in the spring, as an ingredient, and therefore may be associated with seasonal information indicating "spring." In addition, in the menu information 540, the menu item indicated by menu number "25" (menu name: "Boiled egg") and the like is likely to be used throughout the year regardless of the season or seasonal event, and therefore, for example, a period of "January to December" may be set as the seasonal information.

When displaying the individual menu screen 200B in steps S8 to S10 (FIG. 4A) described above, the display control unit 313 displays the individual menu on the individual menu screen 201B based on the time zone and seasonal information in the menu information 540. Specifically, the display control unit 313 extracts from the menu information 530 menu B and menu A associated with the time zone including the time clocked when displaying the individual menu screen 201B and seasonal information including the day on which the individual menu screen 200B is displayed. The display control unit 313 selects an individual menu to be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B according to the number Kb of extracted menu B, and displays the individual menu icon of the selected individual menu on the individual menu screen 201B.

The display control unit 313 also displays the individual menu screen 200B on the touch display 21 in a display mode corresponding to the time period and seasonal information according to the display timing (date and time) of the individual menu screen 201B. Specifically, for example, the base color of part or all of the individual menu screen 201B may be different for each season (spring, summer, autumn, winter), and the tone of the base color may be different for each time period. That is, for example, in the case of seasonal information indicating "spring", the base color may be "green", and the "green" may become deeper in the order of time periods A to D. Also, if the individual menu screen 201B includes an individual menu corresponding to a seasonal event, an image representing the seasonal event may be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B. Specifically, for example, if seasonal information indicating "Christmas" is set in the individual menu, an image reminiscent of Christmas, such as a Christmas tree or a Christmas cake, may be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B.

In this way, the individual menus corresponding to the time zone and seasonal information according to the display timing (date and time) of the individual menu screen 201B are displayed in a display mode according to the time zone and seasonal information according to the display timing of the individual menu screen 201B, so that the user can be provided with a menu appropriate for the time of the day. As a result, the user has more opportunities to learn about menus that are not usually used, making it easier to broaden the range of uses for the cooking appliance 1.

In this application example, an individual menu corresponding to the time period and seasonal information according to the display timing (date and time) of the individual menu screen 201B is displayed on the individual menu screen 201B, but only the individual menu corresponding to the seasonal information may be displayed on the individual menu screen 201B.

[Third embodiment]
Among the individual menus displayed on the individual menu screens 200B, 201B of the cooking appliance 1 described using Figures 1 to 11, the screen displayed next to the individual menu screens 200B, 201B may be different depending on the type of individual menu selected by the user.

Specifically, when menu B is selected on individual menu screen 200B, 201B, the individual menu screen 200B, 201B transitions to a cooking start screen, and when menu A is selected, the individual menu screen 200B, 201B transitions to a preparation screen. When the cooking start screen is displayed and the user presses start button 22 (see FIG. 1), cooking of menu B starts, but when the preparation screen is displayed and the user presses start button 22 (see FIG. 1), cooking of menu A does not start. In other words, pressing start button 22 is only valid when the cooking start screen is displayed, and is invalid when the preparation screen is displayed. The configuration of the cooking device 1 in this embodiment will be specifically described below. In the following description, the cooking start screen and the preparation screen may be referred to as transition screens.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of menu information 550 in the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, a menu (menu A) whose type in menu information 550 is "1" is associated with cooking information in addition to each item of menu information 510 shown in FIG. 3. The cooking information is set with image identification information such as image 001 indicating a completed dish image of menu A. Image data of the completed dish image indicated by the image identification information is stored in advance in storage unit 50.

(motion)
FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing a display operation of a transition screen of the cooking appliance 1 in the third embodiment.

The cooking appliance 1 performs the process of step S9 (see FIG. 4A) by the display control unit 313, and displays the individual menu screen 200B on the display of the touch display 21 (step S21). FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the individual menu screen 200B. When the touch display 21 accepts a touch operation of the B menu icon 216 including the text image "Low temperature steamed vegetables" on the individual menu screen 200B shown in FIG. 14A, that is, when the B menu is selected by the user (step S22: NO, step S25: YES), the display control unit 313 displays a cooking start screen on the display of the touch display 21 (step S26).

Figure 14B is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cooking start screen 202. The cooking start screen 202 displays an icon 221 including the text image "Back" and images 217 and 218.

Icon 221 is associated with a process for switching to the individual menu screen 200B shown in FIG. 14A. When the user touches icon 221, the cooking start screen 202 is switched to the individual menu screen 200B.

Image 217 is a text image showing the menu name "Low temperature steamed vegetables" corresponding to the B menu selected in step S25. Image 218 is a text image showing information regarding the use of the B menu selected in step S25.

When the start button 22 is pressed while the cooking start screen 202 is displayed (step S27: YES), the cooking device 1 performs the same process as step S5 described above. That is, the heating control unit 314 drives the cooking unit 40 (see FIG. 1) to start cooking the B menu selected in step S25, and the menu information update unit 312 updates the number of times per month that the B menu is used in the menu information 550.

In step S27, if the start button 22 does not accept a pressing operation, but the touch display 21 accepts a touch operation of the icon 221 including the text image "Back" (step S27: NO, step S28: YES), the cooking appliance 1 switches the display from the cooking start screen 202 to the individual menu screen 200B via the display control unit 313. Also, in step S28, if the touch display 21 does not accept a touch operation of the icon 221 (step S28: NO), the cooking appliance 1 waits with the cooking start screen 202 displayed.

In addition, in step S22, when the touch display 21 receives a touch operation on the A menu icon 214 including the text image "Tandoori Chicken", i.e., when the A menu is selected by the user (step S22: YES), the cooking appliance 1 causes the display control unit 313 to display a preparation screen on the display of the touch display 21 (step S23). Fig. 14C is a schematic diagram showing an example of the preparation screen 203. As shown in Fig. 14C, the preparation screen 203 displays an icon 221a including the text image "Back", images 219 and 220, and an icon 222 including the text image "Make".

Icon 221a is associated with the process of switching to individual menu screen 200B shown in FIG. 14A. Image 219 is a text image showing the menu name "Tandoori Chicken" corresponding to menu A selected in step S22. Image 220 is a completed dish image shown in the cooking information corresponding to menu A selected in step S22 in menu information 540. Icon 222 is associated with the process of switching cooking start screen 202 for menu A selected in step S22. In other words, icon 222 is an icon that instructs cooking of menu A selected in step S22.

When the icon 222 is touched by the user on the preparation screen 203 shown in FIG. 14C (step S24: YES), the cooking appliance 1 proceeds to the process of step S26 described above, and the display control unit 313 displays the cooking start screen 202 for the menu A selected in step S22 on the display of the touch display 21. FIG. 14D is a schematic diagram showing an example of the cooking start screen 202 for the selected menu A. As shown in FIG. 14D, the cooking start screen 202 displays an image 217 showing the menu name "Tandoori Chicken" corresponding to the selected menu A.

In step S24, if the touch display 21 does not accept a touch operation on the icon 222 including the text image "Make" (step S24: NO), the cooking appliance 1 waits with the preparation screen 203 displayed. In step S25, if the touch display 21 does not accept a touch operation on the individual menu icon of the B menu (step S25: NO), the cooking appliance 1 waits with the individual menu screen 200B shown in FIG. 14A displayed.

14B and 14C, when the B menu is selected on the individual menu screen 200B, the cooking start screen 202 is displayed, and when the A menu is selected, the preparation screen 203 is displayed. When the start button 22 is pressed while the cooking start screen 202 is displayed, cooking of the selected B menu is started immediately, but when the start button 22 is pressed while the preparation screen 203 is displayed, cooking of the selected A menu is not started. The B menu is used more frequently than the A menu, and is a menu that the user is relatively familiar with. Therefore, the user can start cooking with a minimum operation of pressing the start button 22 while the cooking start screen 202 is displayed. On the other hand, the A menu is a menu that the user does not usually use and is unfamiliar with. Therefore, by displaying a cooked image of the A menu on the preparation screen 203, it is easy for the user to imagine the dish of the A menu, and it is easy for the user to use the A menu.

(Application example of the third embodiment)
In the cooking device 1 described with reference to Figs. 12 to 14D, the cooking information of menu A displayed on the preparation screen 203 may include not only a completed image of the dish of menu A but also other information related to menu A (hereinafter, menu-related information). The menu-related information may be a recipe for the dish of menu A, cooking time, SNS (Social Networking Service) information related to menu A, etc. The SNS information may be information related to menu A, such as reviews of dishes of menu A by others who have tried them, or information on arrangements of dishes of menu A. The configuration of the cooking device according to this application example will be specifically described below.

Figure 15 is a block diagram showing the schematic configuration of a cooking device 1A according to this application example. In Figure 15, the same components as those in the cooking device 1 shown in Figure 1 are given the same reference numerals as in Figure 1. Below, the configurations that differ from the cooking device 1 will mainly be described.

As shown in FIG. 15, the cooking device 1A includes a communication unit 70 and a menu-related information acquisition unit 315. Although not shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of web servers are connected to the Internet 300.

The communication unit 70 is a wired or wireless communication interface for connecting to the Internet 300.

The menu-related information acquisition unit 315 communicates with a specific web server (not shown) on the Internet 300 via the communication unit 70, downloads a web page related to Menu A displayed on the individual menu screen 200B (Figure 14A), and stores it in memory.

When menu A is selected on individual menu screen 200B, display control unit 313 displays a preparation screen on the display of touch display 21 based on menu information 550 (FIG. 12). In addition, display control unit 313 displays a menu-related information screen including a cooking recipe or SNS information for menu A on the display of touch display 21. Details of the preparation screen and the menu-related information screen will be explained in the operation explanation below.

The cooking recipes may be pre-stored in the storage unit 50 for each menu in the menu information 550, or may be acquired by the menu-related information acquisition unit 315 from a specific web server (not shown) on the Internet 300.

(motion)
The display operation of the preparation screen in the cooking appliance 1A will be described below with reference to Fig. 13. When the individual menu screen 200B (see Fig. 14A) is displayed on the display of the touch display 21 in step S21, the cooking appliance 1A accesses a predetermined web site in a predetermined web server (not shown) via the communication unit 70 by the menu-related information acquisition unit 315. Then, the cooking appliance 1A downloads a web page including the A menu corresponding to the A menu icon 214 displayed on the individual menu screen 200B by the menu-related information acquisition unit 315 and stores it in memory.

When the touch display 21 of the cooking appliance 1A receives a touch operation on the individual menu icon of the A menu on the individual menu screen 200B (step S22: YES), the display control unit 313 displays a preparation screen (step S23). Fig. 16A is a schematic diagram showing a display example of the preparation screen 203A on the cooking appliance 1A. As shown in Fig. 16A, the preparation screen 203A displays icons 223 and 224 in addition to icons 221a and 222 and images 219 and 220 that are the same as those on the preparation screen 203 shown in Fig. 14C described above.

Icon 223 includes a text image "SNS" and is associated with a process for displaying a menu-related information screen (hereinafter, SNS screen) including SNS information. FIG. 16B is a schematic diagram showing an example of SNS screen 203B. As shown in FIG. 16B, icon 221b including a text image "Back" and image 225 are displayed on SNS screen 203B. Icon 221b is associated with a process for switching the display from SNS screen 203B to preparation screen 203A (FIG. 16A). Image 225 indicates SNS information stored in memory by menu-related information acquisition unit 315. In other words, SNS information for menu A selected on individual menu screen 200B is displayed on SNS screen 203B.

Returning to FIG. 16A, icon 224 is labeled "Recipe" and is associated with the display process of a menu-related information screen (hereinafter, recipe screen) that includes cooking recipes. FIG. 16C is a schematic diagram illustrating recipe screen 203C. As shown in FIG. 16C, recipe screen 203C displays icon 221b and image 226. Image 226 shows the cooking recipe that corresponds to menu A selected on individual menu screen 200B.

When the touch display 21 of the cooking appliance 1A receives a touch operation of the icon 221b on the SNS screen 203B (FIG. 16B) or the recipe screen 203C (FIG. 16C) and receives a touch operation of the icon 222 including the text image "Make" on the preparation screen 203A (step S24: YES), the display control unit 313 displays the cooking start screen 202 on the display of the touch display 21 (step S26). In other words, even if the start button 22 is pressed while the SNS screen 203B or the recipe screen 203C is displayed, the cooking appliance 1A does not drive the cooking unit 40 by the heating control unit 314. In other words, pressing the start button 22 while the SNS screen 203B or the recipe screen 203C is displayed is invalidated, and cooking does not start.

When Menu A is selected on the individual menu screen 200B, the cooking appliance 1A shown in FIG. 15 can display a preparation screen 203A showing an image of the completed dish corresponding to Menu A, and can also display menu-related information screens such as an SNS screen 203B and a recipe screen 203C corresponding to Menu A. This allows the user to learn more about the selected dish of Menu A, making it easier for the user to decide whether or not to cook Menu A, and can also generate interest in Menu A.

The above describes the embodiments with reference to the drawings (Figs. 1 to 16C). However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The drawings are mainly schematic illustrations of each component for ease of understanding, and the thickness, length, number, etc. of each component shown in the drawings may differ from the actual ones due to the convenience of creating the drawings. Furthermore, the materials, shapes, dimensions, etc. of each component shown in the above embodiments are merely examples and are not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible without substantially departing from the effects of the present invention. Below, modifications of the above embodiments are described.

[Modification]
(1) In the cooking appliance 1A described with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 16C, when the B menu is selected on the individual menu screen 200B, a completed dish image of the selected B menu may be displayed on the cooking start screen 202 (Fig. 14B). Also, on the cooking start screen 202, an icon for switching the display to the menu-related information screen 203B or 203C may be displayed, and when the icon is touched by the user, the menu-related information screen 203B or 203C of the selected B menu may be displayed.

(2) In the cooking device 1A described with reference to Figures 12 to 16C, the completed dish image may be different depending on the display timing of the individual menu screen 200B. That is, for example, depending on whether the time period in which the individual menu screen 200B is displayed is morning or afternoon, a completed dish image corresponding to the time period may be displayed on the preparation screen 203, even if the menu is the same. Specifically, for example, the completed dish image displayed in the morning may be an image with an overall brighter image than the completed dish image displayed in the afternoon. This configuration is expected to have the effect of stimulating the user's appetite and encouraging the use of the menu.

Alternatively, the frequency of use of the menu in the menu information 550 (number of times used per month) and the ingredients used in the dishes of the used menu may be used to identify the user's preferred dishes (meat dishes, fish dishes, vegetable dishes, etc.) as the user's preference pattern, and a completed dish image based on the user's preference pattern may be displayed. Specifically, for example, if the user's preference pattern is "vegetable dishes," a completed dish image including an image of meat or fish may be displayed on the preparation screens 203, 203A regardless of which menu is selected. This increases the likelihood that the user will incorporate meat or fish into dishes, even if the menu is "vegetable dishes," making it easier for the user to be conscious of dietary balance.

(3) In the cooking appliances 1, 1A described using Figures 1 to 16C, the menu information 510 to 550 is stored in the storage unit 50 of the cooking appliances 1, 1A, but the menu information 510 to 550 may be stored in an external server connected to the Internet, for example. In this case, the acquisition unit 311 may acquire the menu information 510 to 550 from the external server (not shown) via the communication unit 70 shown in Figure 15. In this case, the external server (not shown) may have the function of the menu information update unit 312 in the cooking appliances 1, 1A.

The process of identifying the user's preference pattern described in Application Example 3 of the first embodiment may be performed by an external server (not shown). The user's preference pattern identified by the external server may be acquired by the acquisition unit 311 of the cooking appliance 1.

In application example 3 of the first embodiment and this modified example, the process of identifying a user's preference pattern may be executed by the cooking appliance 1 or an external server using a machine learning program that uses a trained model that outputs a preference pattern from a menu and the frequency of use of the menu.

(4) In the cooking appliances 1 and 1A described with reference to Figures 1 to 16C, an example has been described in which the common menu screen 200A (see Figure 5) and the individual menu screen 200B (see Figure 6, etc.) are provided as menu screens, but only the individual menu screen 200B may be provided. In this case, for example, for a certain period of time after the cooking appliance 1 is started to be used, the individual menu screen 200B may display a menu similar to the common menu screen 200A, and after the certain period has elapsed, an individual menu may be displayed according to the user's history of using the menu.

(5) In the above-described embodiment, application example, and modified example, a cooking device has been mainly described as an example, but the technology related to displaying an individual menu for a cooking device may also be applied to a device such as a washing machine that allows the user to select one menu from among multiple menus.

The present invention is useful, for example, in the field of cooking appliances.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1, 1A Cooking device 10 Cabinet 20 Operation panel 21 Touch display 22 Start button, operation button 30 Control unit 40 Cooking unit 50 Memory unit 60 Timer unit 70 Communication unit 200, 200A, 200B Common menu screen 202 Cooking start screen 203, 203A Preparation screen 203B SNS screen 203C Recipe screen 311 Acquisition unit 312 Menu information update unit 313 Display control unit 314 Heating control unit 315 Menu-related information acquisition unit

Claims (4)

A display unit;
a display control unit that displays a menu screen including a first menu and a second menu as menus on the display unit;
A reception unit that receives a user operation;
a heating control unit that controls the execution of cooking in response to the user operation,
the user operation includes a menu selection operation for selecting one of the first menu and the second menu, and a cooking instruction operation for instructing the execution of cooking of the menu selected by the menu selection operation,
the first menu is a menu in which the operation frequency of the cooking instruction operation accepted by the accepting unit is less than a predetermined frequency, and the second menu is a menu in which the operation frequency of the cooking instruction operation is equal to or greater than the predetermined frequency,
the display control unit transitions from the menu screen to a first screen when the menu selection operation selecting the first menu is accepted by the acceptance unit, and transitions from the menu screen to a second screen when the menu selection operation selecting the second menu is accepted by the acceptance unit;
the first screen includes cooking information related to cooking of the menu selected by the menu selection operation,
The heating control unit, when the cooking instruction operation is accepted by the reception unit while the first screen is being displayed, invalidates the cooking instruction operation, and performs the heating cooking only when the cooking instruction operation is accepted by the reception unit while the second screen is being displayed. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the display control unit transitions from the first screen to the second screen when the cooking instruction operation is received by the reception unit while the first screen is displayed. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooking information includes a completed cooking image corresponding to the menu selected in the menu selection operation. The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooking information includes at least one of information on ingredients required for cooking the menu selected by the menu selection operation and cooking time.

Images