JPH06193883A - Cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit automatic cooking without any unevenness in the finishing of cooking by a method wherein the surface temperature itself of a food is measured correctly without being affected by the kind, configuration, number of pieces, conditions of arrangement and the like of the food. CONSTITUTION:A cooker is provided with a food temperature detecting means 5, detecting the temperatures of a plurality of places of a food 2, a shielding plate 10, blockading the opening window 11 of a heating chamber 1 properly, and a deciding means 8, deciding the temperature distribution of the food based on the output of the food temperature detecting means 5, which is corresponding to the rotating position of a rotary table 3. According to this constitution, a resistance to contamination on the optical axis of the food temperature detecting means 5 is improved and a highly accurate thermal picture can be obtained. On the other hand, a control means 6 controls a cooking means 4 based on the output of the deciding means 8 whereby automatic cooking without any variability in the finish of cooking can be effected.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooking device for measuring food temperature for the purpose of automatic cooking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 4, a cooking utensil of this type (here, a microwave oven) has a turntable 3 for placing a food 2 in a cooking chamber 1 and further cooks the food 1. The cooking means 4, a food temperature detecting means 5 for detecting the temperature of the food 1 without contact, and a control means 6 for controlling the cooking means 4 based on the output of the food temperature detecting means 5 are provided.

The cooking means 4 comprises a heater or a magnetron, and the food 2 according to the control amount given by the control means 6.
Cook to.

In order to reduce uneven heating of the food 2 on the turntable 3, when the cooking means 4 heats the food 2 by radio wave, the food 2 is constantly rotated (for example, one revolution is made in 10 seconds).
It's a turntable.

The food temperature detecting means 5 has a wide field of view.
Thermal energy radiated from the food 2 which is fixed to the ceiling surface of the cooking chamber 1 and is placed near the center of the rotating part 3 through the aperture window, which is composed of a pyroelectric type or thermopile type infrared sensor of the element. Is detected without contact and converted to temperature. When the temperature measuring area of the infrared sensor is circular, the temperature measuring area is shown in FIG.
It corresponds to the vicinity of the center point of the turntable 3 as shown in. In FIG. 5, the arrow indicates the rotation direction of the rotating unit 3, but the rotating unit 3
Does not displace the temperature measurement position even after rotating.

The control means 6 receives the temperature information output from the food temperature detecting section 5 during the cooking of the food 2 by the cooking means 4. When this temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, automatic cooking is realized by terminating the heating or changing the heating pattern for the cooking means 4 according to the menu to be cooked.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional structure, the food temperature detecting means can measure only the average surface temperature of the food placed near the center of the rotating part in the field of view of the infrared sensor. It is not possible to grasp the state of uneven heating in each part of food. In addition, if the shape of the food is small relative to the field of view of the infrared sensor or if the food is placed near the end of the rotating table, the temperature of the food cannot be detected accurately, resulting in imperfect automatic cooking and uneven cooking results. Was occurring. In addition, there is a problem that the infrared ray optical axis is contaminated by steam and splashes generated from food during cooking, the infrared ray transmittance is lowered, and the temperature accuracy is deteriorated.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and by accurately measuring the surface temperature of the food itself without being influenced by the type, shape, number, and placement of the food, there is no variation in the finished product. It is intended to provide a cooking utensil capable of automatic cooking.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the cooker of the present invention comprises a cooking cabinet for storing foods,
The cooking means for cooking the food in the cooking cabinet, the food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through the opening provided in the cooking cabinet, and the temperature detecting position of the temperature detecting means are changed. Detecting position driving means, closing means for closing the opening, and control means for activating the closing means when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, and driving the closing means by the detecting position driving means. It is configured.

Further, the control means for activating the closing means by the output of the food temperature detecting means is provided.

Further, a cooking cabinet for storing the food, a cooking means for cooking the food in the heating cabinet, and a food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through an opening provided in the cooking cabinet. A closing means for closing the opening, a forced cooling means for cooling the food temperature detecting means, and a control means for activating the closing means when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, the forced cooling means The closing means is driven by means.

[0012]

The cooker of the present invention includes a cooking cabinet for storing food.
The cooking means for cooking the food in the cooking cabinet, the food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through the opening provided in the cooking cabinet, and the temperature detecting position of the temperature detecting means are changed. A configuration that includes detection position driving means, closing means for closing the opening, and control means for bringing the closing means into an active state when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, and driving the closing means by the detection position driving means. Therefore, the food temperature detecting means simultaneously measures the temperature information at a plurality of points across the food in parallel, the driving means moves the temperature detecting means so as to traverse the food, and reciprocally scans. Each time it rotates, the surface temperature distribution of the food, plate, turntable, etc. is obtained as two-dimensional thermal image information. In the two-dimensional thermal image obtained by the food temperature detecting means, a portion whose temperature is remarkably increased by heating is regarded as a food portion, the temperature unevenness state of the extracted food and the average temperature of the food are judged, and changes momentarily. By adjusting the output of the cooking means according to the temperature state of the food, it is possible to perform automatic cooking without variations in the workmanship, and when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, the detection position driving means drives the closing means, Since the opening of the food storage is closed, it acts to protect the food temperature detecting means from vapor and splash generated from the food.

Further, since the control means for activating the closing means by the output of the food temperature detecting means is provided, when the food reaches a certain temperature, the amount of vapor and splash from the food inevitably increases, It acts to prevent contamination on the infrared optical axis.

Further, a cooking cabinet for storing the food, cooking means for cooking the food in the cooking cabinet, and food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through an opening provided in the cooking cabinet A closing means for closing the opening, a forced cooling means for cooling the food temperature detecting means, and a control means for activating the closing means when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, and the forced cooling means means Since the closing means is driven, the food temperature detecting means is always cooled in the active state by the forced cooling means, so that a large output of the food temperature detecting means can be obtained. This is because the output voltage (V) of the infrared sensor which is the food temperature detecting means is proportional to the difference between the infrared incident energy (food temperature) and the atmosphere, T1 (K): object temperature T0 (K): infrared sensor atmosphere temperature η is the emissivity of the object, and K is a constant, and is expressed as V = K · (η · T14-T04) based on Stefan-Boltzmann's law. Also, because the forced cooling means closes the opening of the heating chamber when the food temperature detection means is inactive, the infrared sensor is forcibly cooled only while the temperature of the food is being measured, and when the temperature measurement ends. Since the cooking cabinet and the infrared sensor are isolated by the blocking means, there is no variation in the finished product by accurately measuring the temperature condition of the food without receiving the heat from the cooking means and the contamination from steam and splash from the food. Acts to enable automatic cooking.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those of the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 5 denotes a food temperature detecting means using a pyroelectric type or thermopile type one-element infrared sensor having a narrow field of view, for measuring the temperature in a region. Driving means 9 for changing the temperature detection position is connected to the food temperature detecting means 5, and the driving means 9 is constituted by, for example, a stepping motor, is connected to the food temperature detecting means 5 via a timing belt, and crosses the food 2. The temperature detecting means 5 is moved to perform reciprocal scanning.

Reference numeral 8 stores the temperature information for each area transmitted from the food temperature detecting means 5 in correspondence with the rotation position of the rotary table 3 and the position of the driving means, and when the rotary table 3 makes one revolution, one screen is stored. 2D thermal image information. Comparing with the data for the second lap based on the data for the first lap of the rotary table 3, when the food 2 is heated and cooked by the cooking means 4, the temperature rise of the food part in the obtained thermal image is remarkable. The food 2 is extracted from the entire thermal image such as the position on the turntable 3 and the size thereof. In addition, uneven heating in the food 2 is also determined. The control means 6 controls the cooking means 4 based on the output of the determination means 8.

A shielding plate 10 is provided at a position facing the aperture window 11 and is opened and closed by a driving means.

The food temperature detecting means 5 is mounted near the ceiling surface of the cooking chamber 1 located above the midpoint between the center point and the end point of the rotating table 3, and the temperature detecting position is driven by the driving means 9 at the radial portion of the rotating table 3. The heat radiated from the food 2, the turntable 3 or the wall surface of the cooking chamber 1 entering the field of view through the aperture window 11 at regular intervals while reciprocatingly rotating (swinging) by a constant angle so as to cover the food. Energy is detected non-contact and converted to temperature. In this case, the shield plate 10 is held in the open state by the driving means 9. At the same time, while the food 2 is being cooked by the cooking means 4, since the rotating table 3 continues to rotate in a constant direction at a constant cycle, temperature information at constant intervals is stored in correspondence with the rotating position of the rotating table 3. When the rotary table 3 makes one revolution, it is treated as one-screen two-dimensional thermal image information. Assuming that the swing time of the food temperature detecting means 5 is divided into 8 times, and 8 times per round trip.
When the temperature is detected one by one and the temperature measuring region of this infrared sensor is circular, the temperature measuring region is shown as in FIG. In FIG. 2, the arrow indicates the rotation direction of the rotating unit 3, and the dotted line indicates the locus of the visual field center point accompanying the swing motion. The temperature of the target food 2 and its surroundings are sequentially detected in accordance with the swing motion or the rotation of the turntable 3, and when the turntable 3 makes one revolution, the whole area is covered and thermal image information for one screen is obtained. It is possible.

With the above structure, the food temperature detecting means 5 consisting of a one-element infrared sensor is used to detect the temperature corresponding to the rotational position of the rotary table 3 while sequentially moving the temperature detecting position by the drive unit 9 and the food 2 and Since it acts to obtain the temperature distribution around it in the form of a two-dimensional thermal image, it is possible to accurately measure the surface temperature of the food itself without being influenced by the type, shape, number, and placement of the food 2. it can. In this way, when the surface temperature of the food itself reaches a predetermined temperature, the second control means 12 stops the food temperature detection means 5 and protects the food temperature detection means 5 from vapor and splash generated from the food 2. Therefore, the shield plate 10 is closed by moving the driving means 9 to an angle deviating from the reciprocating rotation (pivoting) movement by a certain angle. In this case, the cooking means 4 may be stopped at the same time, or may be further operated for a predetermined time (corresponding to the temperature rising speed of the food 2). Especially, the food temperature detecting means 5 is composed of a one-element infrared sensor, and the rotary motion of the rotary base 3 which is used to reduce the heating unevenness of the food 2 is also used to realize the two-dimensionalization. Since the driving means 9 serves both the swinging motion of the food temperature detecting means 5 and the opening / closing of the shield plate 10, it can be realized at a very low cost.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The difference from the first embodiment is that a cooling fan 13 for forcibly cooling the food temperature detecting means 5 is provided, and the shielding plate 10 is configured to be openable / closable by the wind pressure of the cooling fan 13.

With the above-described structure, the food temperature detecting means 5 consisting of a one-element infrared sensor is detected by the drive unit 9 while sequentially moving the temperature detecting position and detecting the temperature corresponding to the rotational position of the rotary table 3. The temperature distribution around it can be obtained in the form of a two-dimensional thermal image. Further, the cooling fan 13 operates while the food temperature detecting means 5 detects the temperature rise of the food 2, thereby forcibly cooling the food temperature detecting means 5 and at the same time pushing up the shield plate 10 by the wind pressure of the food temperature detecting means 5 Since it acts to secure the optical axis of the food 2, the surface temperature of the food itself does not depend on the type, shape, number and placement of the food 2, and the temperature difference between the temperature detecting means and the food becomes large. Can be measured accurately. In this way, when the surface temperature of the food itself reaches a predetermined temperature, the second control means 12 stops the food temperature detection means 5 and protects the food temperature detection means 5 from vapor and splash generated from the food 2. Cooling fan 1
The shield plate 10 is closed by stopping the switch 3.
In this case, the cooking means 4 may be stopped at the same time, or may be further operated for a predetermined time (corresponding to the temperature rising speed of the food 2). In particular, the food temperature detecting means 5 is composed of a one-element infrared sensor, and the rotary motion of the rotary base 3 which has been used to reduce heating unevenness of the conventional food 2 is also used.
The cooling fan 13 can increase the output of the food temperature detecting means 5 and the shield plate 1 can be realized.
Since it is also used as the open / close drive source of 0, it can be realized at a very low cost.

[0023]

As described above, according to the cooking appliance of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) Since the drive means for changing the temperature detection position of the temperature detection means composed of a single-element infrared sensor is provided and the shield plate located in the opening window of the cooking cabinet is opened and closed by the same drive means, rotation of the rotary table The temperature distribution can be detected corresponding to the position, and the two-dimensional thermal image of the entire cooking chamber can be obtained without deterioration in accuracy due to contamination of the temperature detecting means. (2) The food temperature detecting means is forcibly cooled by the cooling fan, and the shielding plate located in the open window of the cooking cabinet is opened and closed by the wind pressure of the cooling fan, so that the output of the food temperature detecting means can be increased. The accuracy increases. Therefore, the temperature of the food itself being cooked can be accurately detected without being affected by the type, shape, number, or placement of the food,
In addition, the food temperature detection means can be protected from steam and splashes generated from food during cooking, which is highly reliable and enables automatic cooking with no variations in workmanship.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cooking utensil according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a temperature measurement region obtained in the same example.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a cooking utensil according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional cooking utensil.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a temperature measurement region obtained by a conventional cooking utensil.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Cooking Room (Cook) 2 Food 4 Cooking Means 5 Food Temperature Detecting Means 6 Control Means 8 Judging Means 9 Driving Means 10 Shielding Plates (Shielding Means)

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Shunichi Nagamoto 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Prefecture Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (72) Takuo Shimada, 1006 Kadoma, Kadoma City, Osaka Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cooking cabinet for storing food, a cooking means for cooking the food in the cooking cabinet, and a food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through an opening provided in the cooking cabinet. A detection position drive means for changing the temperature detection position of the temperature detection means, a closing means for closing the opening, and a control means for activating the closing means when the food temperature detection means is inactive. And a cooking utensil for driving the closing means by the detection position driving means. 2. The cooking utensil according to claim 1, further comprising control means for activating the closing means by an output of the food temperature detecting means. 3. A cooking cabinet for storing food, a cooking means for cooking the food in the cooking cabinet, and a food temperature detecting means for non-contactly detecting the temperature of the food through an opening provided in the cooking cabinet. A closing means for closing the opening, a forced cooling means for cooling the food temperature detecting means, and a control means for activating the closing means when the food temperature detecting means is inactive, A cooking utensil for driving the closing means.