JPH0517522Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a device that uses a heater to cook food according to the height of the food, and particularly relates to a height detection mechanism.

<Prior art> Conventionally, the height detection method is to provide an internal light on one side of the heating chamber to illuminate the inside of the heating chamber, and to install a plurality of holes in the height direction on the side wall facing the internal light. It is known that the tip of a heat-resistant optical fiber is connected to the hole, and an optical semiconductor such as a phototransistor is connected to the other end of the optical fiber. The characteristics of this optical semiconductor are said to change significantly due to heat, and the high temperature of the side wall of the heating chamber (approx.
Because it is difficult to obtain optical semiconductors that can withstand temperatures (150℃),
It is located in an area with relatively low temperature.

In such a cooking device, the optical semiconductor detects changes in the amount of light incident on each optical fiber as it is blocked by the food, and the height of the food is recognized according to the output of the optical semiconductor. The heater is lowered to the appropriate position to brown the food appropriately.

<Problems> Optical fibers are relatively expensive, increasing the cost of cooking appliances, and the light is attenuated while passing through the optical fiber, making it difficult for a sufficient amount of light to be input to the optical semiconductor.

If detection is to be performed directly with an optical semiconductor without using an optical fiber, the optical semiconductor must be placed close to the heating chamber, which is undesirable due to thermal effects.

<Means for solving the problem> A light source is provided on the side wall of the heating chamber, a plurality of holes are provided in the height direction on the side wall facing the light source, and a detection block including a plurality of photosensitive elements facing the holes is rotated. A detection block moving device is provided which is movable and positions the detection block at a position facing the hole before the start of cooking, and at the bottom side of the heating chamber at the start of cooking.

<Function> Before the start of cooking to detect the height of the food to be cooked, a detection block having a photosensitive element is positioned in a position facing the hole in the side wall using a detection block moving device to detect the light from the light source, and when cooking starts, the detection block is moved. The detection block is moved to the bottom side of the heating chamber by the moving device to perform cooking.

<Examples> Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof. In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a heating chamber shaped like a housing, and an opening/closing door 2 is provided on the front surface of the heating chamber. Reference numeral 3 denotes a cooking plate placed on the bottom wall 1a of the heating chamber 1, and the food 4 to be cooked is placed on the plate 3. Reference numeral 5 denotes a heater rotatably disposed within the heating chamber 1. This heater 5 has a fulcrum at a deep position in the heating chamber 1, and is rotatably supported by a driving means such as a stepping motor, so that the heater 5 can be supported at any rotation angle. It's getting old. 6 is a detection block placed on one side wall outside the heating chamber. The detection block 6 is rotatably supported outside the heating chamber with a fulcrum on the lower surface side, and can be placed at least vertically as shown by the solid line and horizontally as shown by the dotted line. It is held in two states: A plurality of optical semiconductors 8 are arranged in this detection block 6, and the optical semiconductors 8 are connected to appropriate detection circuits. A hole 7 is formed in one of the heating chamber walls adjacent to the detection block 6, and the optical semiconductor 8 is brought into contact with the hole 7 with the detection block erected. Reference numeral 9 denotes an interior light provided on the side wall facing the detection block 6, and this interior light 9 is provided with a window 10 such as a punched plate formed on the side wall.
It now illuminates more of the inside of the refrigerator.

The operation of the above cooker will be explained. First, the food 4 is placed in the heating chamber 1. Next, the detection block 6 is vertically installed as shown by the solid line. In this case, the detection block 6 is rotated by another user's lever operation such as an AC/DC motor or an electromagnetic plunger, but it is preferable to rotate it by a driving means such as an automatically controlled motor or plunger. If light is irradiated from the interior light 9 in such a state, the light will be irradiated into the interior of the refrigerator such as the food 4 to be cooked. This light passes through a hole in the side wall of the heating chamber to a detection block 6 located outside the room.
However, on the lower side, the light is blocked by the food 4 and becomes a shadow. Therefore, the optical semiconductor 8 provided in the detection block 6 detects the light from the interior lamp 9 on the upper side and outputs a signal, and on the lower side, no detection signal is output due to the shadow. This detection signal is input to a detection circuit to recognize the height of the shadow, and recognizes the height of the shadow as the height of the food to be cooked. When the height is recognized, the detection block 6 is rotated and stored at the bottom side of the heating chamber 1.
Then, the heater 5 is rotated to an appropriate position according to the recognized height, and the position is maintained. By energizing the heater 5 in this state, the food 4 can be browned to a moderate degree.

<Effects> The heating cooker of the present invention directly detects the height of the food to be cooked by positioning the detection block at a position facing the hole in the side wall using the detection block moving device before starting cooking.
Since the detection block is positioned at the bottom of the heating chamber by the detection block moving device at the start of cooking, it is possible to prevent thermal effects on the photosensitive element without using expensive optical fibers.

In addition, the detection block is moved to the bottom of the heating chamber at the start of cooking to prevent contamination of the photosensitive element by water vapor and various gases generated during cooking, so even during long-term use, the detection block is moved to the bottom of the heating chamber. can be detected accurately.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view thereof. 1...Heating chamber, 4...Cooked food, 5...Heater,
6...Detection block, 8...Optical semiconductor, 9...Interior light.

Claims (1)

[Claim for Utility Model Registration] In a device that adjusts the height of the heater according to the height of the food to be cooked, a light source is provided on the side wall of the heating chamber, and a plurality of holes are formed in the height direction on the side wall facing the light source. A detection block equipped with a plurality of photosensitive elements facing the hole is rotatably provided, and the detection block is positioned facing the hole before the start of cooking, and positioned at the bottom side of the heating chamber when the cooking starts. 1. A heating cooking device characterized by being provided with a detection block moving device.