JPH04110520A - Cooking utensil - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To restrain temperature rise of a lighting fixture while heating of food is not under way, by providing a cooling device which sends cooling air to heat-generating parts of the lighting fixture and others during heating of food, and a power saving device which reduces the power consumption of the lighting fixture while food is not heated. CONSTITUTION:Microwaves are generated by a magnetron 2 and microwave heating takes place. A cooling fan 7 is operated to cool the magnetron 2 and an illuminating lamp 6 which are generating heat, so that peripheral parts are prevented from receiving a bad influence even when a large amount of heat is generated. When food is taken out of a heating compartment 1 after a door is opened and food is placed in the heating compartment 1 while heating of food is not under way, a door switch 16 is turned off, and a controller 14 turns on a fourth relay switch 13 but not first, second and third relay switches 9, 10 and 11. The illuminating lamp 6 is not cooled by the cooling fan 7, but only half a cycle of commercial power source is supplied to the illuminating lamp 6 by the action of a diode 12 and the power consumption of the illuminating lamp 6 is reduced to half, so that the illuminating lamp 6 is restrained from exerting a bad influence on the peripheral parts.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a cooking appliance that illuminates the inside of a heating chamber for heating food.

(b) Conventional technology In microwave ovens that heat food using microwaves,
When heating food, the inside of the heating chamber is illuminated with a lighting lamp so that the heating status of the food can be clearly seen through the door.
(See Publication No. 2775). Further, such lighting lamps generally illuminate the inside of the heating chamber even when the door is opened and food is put into or taken out of the heating chamber.

The lighting lamps that illuminate the heating chamber generate heat, so
When heating food, it is necessary to cool it together with heat-generating components such as magnetrons that generate microwaves, and therefore lighting lamps, magnetrons, etc. are cooled by cooling air generated by cooling fans.

However, although this cooling fan operates when a magnetron or the like operates during food heating, it stops when food is not being heated. For this reason, the above-mentioned lighting lamp is used when food is not heated,
When the heating chamber is illuminated when the door is opened to put food into or take food out of the heating chamber, the heating chamber is not cooled.

Therefore, the temperature of the illumination lamp increases, which adversely affects parts arranged around the illumination lamp.

(c) Problems to be Solved by the Invention The present invention attempts to suppress the rise in temperature of the illumination means by stopping the driving of the cooling means when food is not heated.

(d) Means for Solving the Problems The cooking appliance of the present invention includes a heating chamber for storing food, a heating means for heating the food in the heating chamber, a lighting means for illuminating the inside of the heating chamber, and a heating chamber for storing food. It includes a cooling means that sends cooling air to the heat generating portion such as the lighting means during heating, and a reduction means that reduces the power consumption of the lighting means when the food is not heated.

(E) Function When heating food, the heating chamber is illuminated by the lighting means, so that the heating state of the food can be clearly checked through the door.

The illumination means is cooled by the cooling means, and even if the amount of heat generated by the illumination means is large, it does not adversely affect surrounding components.

When food is not heated, the lighting means is not cooled by the cooling means, but since the power consumption of the lighting means is reduced, the amount of heat generated by the lighting means is reduced, and adverse effects on components around the lighting means are suppressed. In this case, the lighting inside the heating chamber is poor, but when food is not being heated, for example when opening the door to put food into or take food out of the heating chamber, you can see the inside of the heating chamber directly instead of through the door. Therefore, there is no problem in viewing the inside of the heating chamber.

(f) Embodiment / Fig. 1 shows the structure of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention. A heating chamber 1 for storing food is provided, and the food in this heating chamber is microwave-heated by microwaves supplied from a magnetron 2 through a waveguide 3. Punched holes 5.5... are formed in the side wall 4 of the heating chamber 1, and an illumination light 6 is placed outside the heating chamber facing the punched holes. The inside of the heating chamber 1 is illuminated through the heating chamber 1. The illumination lamp 6 generates heat during illumination, and is cooled by cooling air sent from the cooling fan 7 together with the magnetron 2 and the like, which also generate heat. The cooling air then flows into the heating chamber 1 through the punched holes 5.5, and is discharged to the outside of the heating chamber along with water vapor generated from the food.

FIG. 2 shows the circuit of the microwave oven. The magnetron 2 is supplied with power from a high-voltage circuit 8 including a high-voltage transformer and oscillates microwaves, and this oscillation is controlled by turning a first relay switch 9 on and off. Above cooling fan 7
The drive is controlled by turning on and off the second relay switch 10. The lighting lamp 6 is driven by a third relay switch 11.
It is controlled by turning on and off the diode 12.
is controlled by turning on and off a fourth relay switch 13 connected in series. Each of these relay switches 9.10.1
1.13 is turned on and off by a control unit 14 including a microcomputer.

The on/off control by this control unit is performed based on operation information on a keyboard 15 provided on the front of the microwave oven and on/off information on a door switch 16 that detects opening/closing of the door.

To explain the operation of such a microwave oven, food is placed in the heating chamber 1, the door is closed, and desired cooking conditions are entered on the keyboard 1.
5 and when the start operation is performed, the control section 14
, turn on the second and third relay switches 9.10.11. As a result, microwaves are oscillated from the magnetron 2, microwave heating is performed, and the illumination lamp 6 is activated to illuminate the heating chamber 1. This lighting allows the heating chamber 1 to
It can be clearly seen through the door, more specifically through the microwave blocking punched holes in the punched plate provided on the door. Further, the cooling fan 7 is driven to cool the magnetron 2 and illumination lamp 6, which generate heat, so that even if the amount of heat generated is large, it does not adversely affect surrounding components.

When the food is not being heated and when the door is opened to put the food into the heating chamber 1 or to take the food out from the heating chamber 1, the door switch 16 is turned off, and based on this, the control section 14
Turn on relay switch 13. The first, second and third relay switches 9.10.11 are not turned on. Then, although the illumination lamp 6 is not cooled by the cooling fan 7, only half a cycle of commercial power is supplied by the action of the diode 12, and the power consumption of the illumination lamp 6 is reduced, and the amount of heat generated by the illumination lamp 60 is halved. This also prevents adverse effects on parts around the lamp 6. In this case, although the degree of illumination inside heating chamber 1 is poor, when the door is opened to put food in or take food out of the heating chamber as described above, you can see the inside of the heating chamber directly instead of through the door. There is no problem in viewing the inside of the heating chamber 1. As is clear now, the diode 12 is for reducing power consumption and corresponds to the reducing means of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the illuminating lamp 6 is configured so that the amount of heat generated is halved, but the present invention is not limited to this.

(G) Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, when the food is not heated and the door is opened to put the food into the heating chamber or take the food out from the heating chamber, the cooling means stops driving, but the lighting does not stop. It is possible to significantly suppress an adverse effect on surrounding components due to temperature rise of the means.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a microwave oven according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram thereof. 1... Heating chamber, 2... Magnetron, 6... Lighting lamp, 7... Cooling fan, 12... Diode.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A heating chamber for storing food, a heating means for heating the food in the heating chamber, a lighting means for illuminating the inside of the heating chamber, and sending cooling air to heat generating parts such as the lighting means when heating the food. A cooking appliance characterized by comprising a cooling means and a reducing means for reducing the power consumption of the lighting means when food is not heated.