JPH0933051A - Microwave oven - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To eliminate a door opening or closing button operation and to improve a service characteristic during serving a customer by a method wherein the door is waited always under its opened state and after a product to be heated is stored in a microwave oven, operating buttons are operated, time door is automatically closed to start a heating and cooking, and upon completion of cooking, the door is automatically opened. SOLUTION: A front plate 12 of a main body 1A is formed with an opening for loading or unloading a product to be heated into or out of a heating chamber 2. An operation panel 13 having a plurality of operating buttons 14A to 14C is arranged at an upper position above the opening. Then, when a door 10 for use in opening or closing the heating chamber 2 is always kept released, the product to be heated is put into the heating chamber 2, automatic cooking menu buttons 14B, 14C or a heating condition for a heating operation are set and as a cooking start button 14A is pressed, a controlling operation is carried out automatically in such a way that the door 10 is automatically closed and subsequently the heating is started, and upon completion of heating operation, the door 10 is opened. With such an arrangement as above, it is possible to eliminate the button operation to open or close the door 10 and further to improve a service characteristic when a customer is served at a convenience store or the like.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a microwave oven for heating an object to be heated such as food with high frequency, and in particular, at a convenience store or the like, when a purchased item is heated and handed over according to the customer's request, a clerk The present invention relates to a microwave oven improved so that it is easy to handle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A microwave oven is placed near a cashier counter not only in ordinary households but also in convenience stores, and is used as a service device for heating lunch boxes and side dishes purchased by customers as desired. , Has been used in a variety of ways.

Here, a microwave oven generally has a door for opening and closing the heating chamber on the front surface of its main body. If the door is a manual type with a handle, it is a hand, and if it is an electric type opening / closing door, the opening / closing is performed. A store clerk or a user operates the button to open and close the door to put the object to be heated in and out of the heating chamber and perform the heating and cooking.

This series of operation steps will be described in more detail for a microwave oven of a type having an electric opening / closing door.
The sequence control shown in (1) is performed, that is, the door in the closed state (process 51) is operated by operating the door open / close button to turn on the door open switch (SW) to open the door (process 52). After the door is opened, the object to be heated is put into the heating chamber (process 53). After storing in the heating chamber, the door open / close button is operated again to turn on the door close SW to close the door (process 54).

Next, the operation button provided on the operation panel of the microwave oven is operated to perform heating. At this time, depending on the type of food to be cooked, it is determined whether or not to perform the automatic heating by the memory cooking which is set so as to be automatically heated to a suitable degree (decision 55). If the automatic cooking menu button corresponding to the food is pressed, the automatic heating is started (process 56).

When not relying on automatic heating (N of judgment 55)
O) sets the heating conditions such as the heating output and the heating time with the setting button (process 57). After this setting, when the heating start button is operated (process 58), heating is started, and when heating and cooking are performed for a predetermined time, heating is finished (process 5).
9). After heating, operate the door open / close button again to open the door S
W is turned on to open the door (process 60), the object to be heated is taken out from the opened heating chamber (process 61), and then the door open / close button is operated to turn on the door close SW (process 62) to close the door. The next heating state.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional cooking sequence control, the operation of the door opening / closing button for opening and closing the door and the automatic cooking menu button and the heating start button for heating are performed. This requires a two-step button operation of pushing, which complicates the work, and the original work performed by the store clerk at the cashier counter, that is, the work such as cashier calculation and bagging of purchased items, takes time, and the customer needs to wait. However, there was a problem that the serviceability deteriorated and the sales efficiency declined.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points,
The operation sequence has been improved so that opening and closing of the door and heating proceed in a single sequence with a single push of the operation button. It has excellent handleability at convenience stores, etc., improves customer service, and is used efficiently and efficiently. The object is to provide a microwave oven capable of performing.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a microwave oven according to claim 1 of the present invention has a heating chamber formed in a main body, in which an object to be heated is stored by opening and closing a front door. In a microwave oven that heats and heats the object to be heated by a high-frequency heating device provided in the main body, if the operation button or the like is operated to make the door stand by in an open state and heat the object to be heated. The door is automatically closed to start heating and the control means controls the door to open automatically after the cooking is completed.

In the microwave oven according to the second aspect of the present invention, the object to be heated is housed in the heating chamber formed in the main body by opening and closing the front door, and the object to be heated is subjected to high frequency heating provided in the main body. In a microwave oven which heats and cooks by a device, an opening for loading and unloading a material to be heated formed in the front surface of the heating chamber, a door provided in the opening so as to be movable up and down, and held in an always open state, and this door A door lifting device for opening and closing, a heating start button or an automatic cooking menu button that is operated to heat the object to be heated after it has been housed in the heating chamber, and the door is automatically operated by operating these operation buttons. When the cooking is started and the heating is started, the control device controls the operation of the door elevating device and the high frequency heating device so that the door is automatically opened after the cooking is finished.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the microwave oven 1 has a high-frequency heating device 3 built in a main body 1A in which a heating chamber 2 is formed, and an object to be heated is placed on the front surface of the main body 1A. An opening 4 for taking in and out of the heating chamber 2 is formed.

The high frequency heating device 3 includes a power transformer 6 and a magnetron 7 arranged in a machine room 5 behind the main body 1A.
It is composed of a waveguide 8 for guiding the high frequency generated by the magnetron 7 to the heating chamber 2. Then, the high frequency wave guided to the waveguide 8 is uniformly radiated from the top surface of the heating chamber 2 into the heating chamber 2 by a stirrer fan or the like to heat the object to be heated. Further, steam, smoke, etc. generated from the object to be heated by heating are discharged through the exhaust duct 9.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a vertically movable door which opens and closes the opening 4 of the heating chamber 2. The door 10 is vertically opened and closed by a door lifting device 11 provided inside the main body 1A as described later. The present invention is characterized in that the door 10 always rises upward and stands by with the opening 4 open, as shown in FIG.

The opening 4 is formed in the front plate 12 of the main body 1A, and an operation panel 13 having a plurality of operation buttons for heating is arranged on the front plate 12 above the opening 4. It is provided in. Here, 14A is a heating start operation button, and 14B, 14C, etc. are automatic cooking menu buttons for performing automatic heating. Further, there is provided an output setting button 14X and a heating time setting button 14Y which are operated when the finish of heating is set according to preference without depending on the automatic heating.

Now, according to the present invention, the microwave oven 1 which is always waiting for the object to be heated by keeping the door 10 open.
However, when a heating command is received, the heating operation is performed under the following control.

FIG. 2 shows the control flow. That is, when an order for heating, such as a bento, of a purchased item is ordered at a cashier at a convenience store or the like, the clerk immediately puts the item in the heating chamber 2 with the door open,
Place it in the proper position (process 21). Then, if the store clerk presses the automatic cooking menu buttons 14B, 14C for lunch that are set in memory so that the lunch can be automatically heated to a suitable finish (process 23), the control flow is determined to be memory cooking. (Judgment 22), the door elevating device 11 is operated, the door 10 is automatically lowered and the opening 4 is closed, and then the magnetron 7 is oscillated, and the heating and cooking of the bento box is automatically performed by the high frequency, and then the heating is memorized. When the heating is completed for a certain period of time, the door 10 is lifted by the door lifting device 11
By this, the process of automatically opening is automatically performed (process 24). When the door 10 is opened, the object to be heated is taken out (process 25). After taking out, the door 10 is held in an open state and stands by to store the next object to be heated (20). If a notification device such as a buzzer that notifies the end of cooking when heating is completed is provided, it is convenient to take out the object to be heated after the completion of cooking in a timely manner.

Thus, the object to be heated is put in the microwave oven 1 with the door 10 open, and the automatic cooking menu button 14B,
As long as the user presses 14C ..., the door will automatically open and close for cooking automatically. Therefore, the store clerk opens and closes the door 10 and operates the operation button for the electric opening and closing, as in the past. The time and work involved in the microwave oven 1, such as operating it, are reduced, and during that time, it becomes necessary to carry out cash register work and to be exclusively involved in bag packing of goods, so that accurate settlement can be performed and at the cash register. It will be possible to deliver goods without waiting for customers for a long time, and it will be possible to respond smoothly and improve service.

If there is an order for a desired finish instead of automatic cooking, the heating start button 14A is pressed after the store clerk sets the heating output and heating time with the operation buttons 14X and 14Y (process 26). If pressed (process 27), the control flow simply proceeds to the judgment No., and the door 10 is closed and heated as in the case of memory cooking.
Is opened (process 24). When the heating is completed, the object to be heated may be taken out (process 25).

Further, the door 10 executed according to the above-described control flow is made to stand by in an open state, and the door 1 is issued in response to a cooking start command.
A specific example of the door elevating device 11 for moving the 0 up and down will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main body 1A of the microwave oven 1 is for opening and closing the door receiving power from the power transformer 6. Is provided with a drive motor 30, and a pin 32 provided on a disc 31 rotated by the drive motor 30 engages with an engagement groove 33 at one end, and as the disc 31 rotates, a spindle 34 serves as a fulcrum for vertical movement. Actuating lever 3 swings to
5 are provided. The tip of the operating lever 35 and the lower end of the door 10 are connected by a wire 37 via pulleys 36, 36.

Therefore, when the operating lever 35 moves upward, as shown in FIG.
The door 10 is lowered by its own weight to close the opening 4, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, when the operating lever 35 moves downward, the wire is pulled down as shown in FIG. 3, and the door 10 is opened. Here, in order to keep the door 10 always open as shown in the figure, a tension spring 38 forcibly pulling down the actuating lever 35 is provided for fixing at the intermediate portion of the actuating lever 35 and the bottom of the main body. It is stretched between the metal fittings 39.

Further, in order to smooth the vertical movement of the operating lever 35, an arcuate guide hole 41 for receiving the guide pin 40 provided at the tip of the operating lever 35 is formed in the support plate 42. Then, the drive motor 30 makes a half rotation, the operating lever 35 moves upward to close the door 10, and after heating, the drive motor 30 makes a half rotation again to complete the operation lever 3
A switch 43 for driving motor stop control for stopping the driving motor 30 by one rotation is attached to the support plate 42 when it is moved downward by operating the guide pin 40.

Therefore, the object to be heated is housed in the microwave oven 1 which is on standby with the door 10 of FIG. 3 open.
Automatic cooking menu buttons 14B, 14C ... or heating start button 14
When A is pressed, the drive motor 30 is driven, the operating lever 35 is moved up and down every half rotation of the disk 31, and the door 10 is pulled up or pulled down by the wire 37, so that the heating chamber 2 The opening 4 is automatically opened and closed. Then, the object to be heated is heated by the high-frequency heating device 3 while the door 10 is closed.

[0024]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the door of the heating chamber of the microwave oven is always open,
The object to be heated can be inserted immediately, and if you press the operation button, the door will close, heating will start, and the door will open after heating is complete, so the control means proceeds at once.
The operation such as button operation for opening and closing the door as in the past has been omitted, and it is now possible to open from the microwave oven, and the clerk can do his own work such as cash registering and bagging of goods, There is no longer the need to wait at the cash register for a long time, improving serviceability.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the door which moves up and down is used to open and close the opening for taking in and out the object to be heated on the front surface of the heating chamber, and the door is normally held in an open state. When the heating start button or the memory cooking button for automatic heating is operated after housing the object to be heated, the control device drives the door elevating device and the high frequency heating device to automatically open and close the door 0 and start heating and cooking. It becomes a microwave oven that is controlled so as to be stopped and executed, and when it is used at a convenience store, etc., it will be possible to efficiently perform service work to heat and provide items at the customer's request,
Good customer service can be maintained without affecting the necessary work such as the cashier's original checkout.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a microwave oven of the present invention in which a door is opened and a heating chamber is opened and waiting.

FIG. 2 is a control flow diagram illustrating a cooking sequence according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the microwave oven according to the present invention, showing an operating state of the door lifting device in a door open state.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional side view of the microwave oven according to the present invention, showing an operating state of the door lifting device in a door closed state.

FIG. 5 is a control flow diagram illustrating a conventional cooking sequence.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Microwave oven 2 Heating chamber 3 High frequency heating device 4 Opening 10 Door 11 Door lifting device 14A Heating start button 14B, 14C Automatic cooking menu button

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A microwave oven in which an object to be heated is housed in a heating chamber formed in the main body by opening and closing a front door, and the object to be heated is cooked by a high-frequency heating device provided in the main body. When the door is kept in an open state at all times and an operation button or the like is operated to heat the object to be heated after it has been housed, the door is automatically closed to start heating and the door is opened after the cooking is finished. A microwave oven characterized in that control is performed by a control means so as to automatically open. 2. A microwave oven in which an object to be heated is housed in a heating chamber formed inside the main body by opening and closing a front door, and the object to be heated is cooked by a high-frequency heating device provided in the main body. An opening for loading and unloading a material to be heated formed in the front surface of the heating chamber, a door provided in the opening so as to be movable up and down, and held in an always open state, and a door lifting device for opening and closing the door. , A heating start button or an automatic cooking menu button which is operated to heat the object to be heated after it has been housed in a heating chamber, and the door is automatically closed by the operation of these operation buttons to start heating and cooking. A microwave oven further comprising: a control device that controls the operation of the door elevating device and the high-frequency heating device so that the door automatically opens after cooking is completed.