JPH02242022A - Electronically controller cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control a heating in a cooker by a method wherein the number of corn particles is estimated in response to a weight of food, the number of times generating sound more than a predetermined level after rupturing of cones until the food reaches a desired state is calculated in advance and the rupturing sound generates the aforesaid calculation times. CONSTITUTION:A food weight W set is divided by a standard weight W of one corn particle, an approximate number N (=w/w) of the corn particles in a food 2 is calculated, a predetermined coefficient K is stored in advance in a computer 12 together with the calculated corn numbers N. A counter M may count the number of times of sound more than a predetermined level generated from the food 2 under a rupturing of corn. As the heating operation proceeds, the corn starts to rupture and the sound more than a predetermined level is started to generate, thereby the sound is detected by a microphone 7, the number of times of sound is counted by the counter M. As it reaches the calculated times K.N, a subsequent heating based on the discrimination is controlled.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an electronically controlled cooking device that controls the heating of foods that generate noise when heated.

(b) Conventional Technology In the cooking device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 181518/1984, the sound generated from food as it is heated is detected by a microphone serving as a sound detection means.

Heating is controlled.

However, although such a cooker is suitable for controlling the heating simply by the generation of sound, it is not suitable for controlling the heating of foods such as popcorn, which are prepared by frequently generating noise. That is, in such a popcorn food, when the popping sound of the minus-sized corn is detected, there is a risk that the heating will be immediately terminated without many of the remaining corns bursting.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention is a cooking device that detects the sound from food to control the heating, and enables food such as popcorn to be cooked to a good quality by detecting the sound. be.

(2l! Means for Solving the Problems) The cooking device of the present invention includes a heating chamber in which food that generates a sound when heated is placed, and a sound that detects the sound generated when the food is heated. Based on the detection means and the weight of the food,
a calculation means for calculating the number of sounds of a predetermined level or higher generated by the food until the food reaches a desired state; and a calculation means for calculating the number of sounds of a predetermined level or higher from the food detected by the sound detection means. It includes a determining means for determining whether or not the heating has occurred the calculated number of times, and a post-heating control means for controlling subsequent heating based on an affirmative determination by the determining means.

(e) Effect: For example, in heating control of popcorn food, the number of corn kernels is predicted based on the weight of the food, and the number of times the corn bursts and generates a sound above a predetermined level is calculated before the food reaches the desired state. It is calculated in advance, and heating control is performed by generating such a plosive sound the calculated number of times.

(f) Embodiment FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention. ) supplies microwaves for heating into the heating chamber 2
′, magnetron, (4) is a ventilation fan that ventilates the inside of the heating chamber (1), and the air from the fan is passed through the intake hole (5) (
5) The water vapor generated from the food (2) during heating enters the heating chamber (1) through the exhaust hole (6) (
61... is discharged to the outside. (7) is a sound detection means, that is, a microphone placed near the intake hole (5) (5)...The microphone detects the sound generated by the heating of the food (2) and sends a sound signal. Output. (8
) is the amplifier, (9) is the filter circuit, (lO) is the keyboard, (11) is the display, (12) is the above amplifier (8)
and the magnetron (3) and fan (4) based on the sound signal from the microphone (7) input via the filter circuit (9) and the signal from the keyboard (10).
and a microcomputer that drives and controls the display (11).

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the flow of a program installed in such a microcomputer (12), and the operation of the main parts of the microwave oven will be explained below along with the same chart.

When controlling the heating of the popcorn food (2), the popcorn food (2) is first placed in the heating chamber (1), and then a popcorn key (not shown) is operated on the keyboard (1G). Then, in step S1, all rewritable areas in the computer (12) are reset, and steps S2 and S3 are executed cyclically. In step S2, the weight W of food (2) is displayed on the keyboard (1,0).
It will be accepted if it is set. In step S3, it is determined whether a weight has been set. And food (
When the weight W of 2) is set using the keyboard (lO), steps S4 and S5 are then executed sequentially. Step S4 corresponds to the calculation means of the present invention, and in the same step, the set food weight W is divided by the reasonable weight W of corn kernels to calculate the approximate number N (= '
8) is calculated, and the number N of corn grains calculated in this way is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient K (this K is stored in advance in the computer (12). 0 x K x 1) to obtain the food (2).
-N is calculated as the number of times the food (2) generates a sound of a predetermined level or higher until the food (2) reaches the desired state. In step S5, the magnetron (3) is driven and microwave heating is started. Thereafter, steps S6, S7, and S8 are executed in cycles unless the cone of food (2) bursts. S6
In the step, sound is detected using a microphone (7). In step S7, it is determined whether the magnitude of the detected sound is at least a predetermined level and the sound signal from the microphone (7) is at least the reference signal v. Step S8 corresponds to the determination means of the present invention, in which the computer (12)
It is determined whether the count value of the counter M within has reached -N the number of times of calculation. That is, the counter M counts the number of times the sound of a predetermined level or higher is generated from the food (2) due to the bursting of the cone, and the number of sounds of a predetermined level or higher is generated from the food (2) according to the count value of the counter M. It is determined whether the sound has occurred the calculated number of times -N. As the heating progresses, the cone begins to burst and a sound above a predetermined level is generated.When a certain sound is detected by the microphone (7), steps S7 to S9 are executed each time. After that, the process reaches step S8. In step S9, the counter M is incremented by one. In this way, a sound above a predetermined level begins to be generated, and the number of times that sound occurs is counted by the counter M.
When the calculated number reaches -H, this is determined in step S8 and step S10 is executed.

The SIO step corresponds to the post-heating control means of the present invention, and the SIO step corresponds to the post-heating control means of the present invention.
Subsequent heating is controlled based on the judgment made in eight steps. In this case, the magnetron (3) is stopped and controlled to end the heating. Here, food (2) is in a state where the corn bursts and generates a sound higher than the predetermined level by the calculated number of times -N, and therefore food (2) is in a state where most of the corns burst and it is well-finished. .

In the above embodiment, the weight of the food is set using the keyboard (lO), but a weight sensor may be provided and the weight of the food may be measured and set using such a sensor.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an extremely practical cooking device that can cook even foods such as popcorn to a good quality using sound detection.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the microwave oven. (1)... Heating chamber, (7)... Microphone, (1
2)...Microcomputer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A heating chamber in which a food that generates sound as it is heated is placed; a sound detection means that detects the sound that the food generates as it is heated; a calculation means for calculating the number of times the food generates a sound of a predetermined level or higher until a state is reached, and a sound of a predetermined level or higher from the food detected by the sound detection means occurs the number of times calculated by the calculation means. What is claimed is: 1. An electronically controlled cooking appliance characterized by comprising a determining means for determining whether or not the heating has been performed, and a post-heating means for controlling subsequent heating based on an affirmative determination by the determining means.