JPS63153325A - Heating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow the cocking by the operation of a single heating command key by performing an automatic determination from the cooking tray position and the way steam and gas are generated from the food-stuff to be cooked by detecting the distance to the food-stuff to be cooked or cooking tray by means of a distance measuring sensor and monitoring the generation of steam and gas from the food-stuff to be by means of a gas sensor. CONSTITUTION:The heating command signal inputted by an automatic key 4 is interpreted in a control section 5. The control section 5 measures the distance D to the cooking tray 8 on which the food-stuff to be cooked 7 is placed by means of a distance measuring sensor 6. If the cooking tray is placed on the top position, the detected distance is smallest, and the distance becomes greater as the tray is placed in the lower position. That is, by measuring the distance D, the tray position can be determined. Further, the control section 5 sets the heating temperature which corresponds to the estimated menu, and controls the electrical power supply to the upper and lower heaters, monitoring the temperature in the heating chamber by means of a temperature sensor 13. Once the heating is started, steam and gas from the food- staff to be cooked 7 are detected by a gas sensor 14. By monitoring the way they are generated, the name of an estimated menu is identified.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention automates heating equipment by detecting the position of a mounting plate on which an object to be heated is placed and by detecting the position of a tray on which an object to be heated is placed using a ranging sensor and a gas sensor. The present invention relates to a heating device realized by monitoring how water vapor or gas is generated.

Conventional technology Heating devices that raise the ambient temperature in the heating chamber and cook the object by convection heating, such as electric ovens and gas ovens, have different baking temperatures and cooking times depending on the type of object to be heated. Generally, separate keys are provided on the operation panel for each type of object to be heated. In other words, for oven dishes such as kutsky, cakes, choux, and butter rolls, the user presses different keys on the control panel to start cooking.

Furthermore, in such oven cooking, in addition to selecting the desired baking temperature and time using separate keys as described above, multiple shelf rails are installed inside the heating chamber to obtain the optimal heat distribution for the object being heated. Normally, a predetermined one is selected and a placement plate on which the object to be heated is placed is selectively positioned.

This is because a delicate temperature gradient naturally occurs in the vertical direction of the heating chamber, and the optimum vertical heat balance must be selected depending on the type of object to be heated.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, in conventional heating devices that perform oven cooking using convection heating, keys must be separated depending on the type of object to be heated, such as cookies or cakes, and the user It gave a feeling of complication. Furthermore, it is unclear whether or not the trays have been set correctly on the predetermined shelf positions, and the user has to spend time in uncertainty until the cooking is finished.

In view of this background, the present invention is configured so that both cookies and cakes can be automatically determined based on the position of the placing plate and the way steam and gas are generated from the object to be heated, and cooking can be performed with a single heating command key. The aim is to realize a fully automatic heating device.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a distance measuring sensor to detect the distance to the object to be heated or the mounting plate. Furthermore, a gas sensor is provided to monitor the generation of water vapor and gas from the heated object.

Function: In the heating device of the present invention, the distance sensor detects the distance to the object to be heated or the distance to the mounting plate, and the control unit determines the position of the mounting plate based on this distance data. Estimate which menu of oven dishes is about to be cooked. Furthermore, a gas sensor monitors how water vapor and gas are generated from the heated object to determine whether there are any errors in menu estimation. Based on this estimation and judgment, the method of supplying power to the heating means is automatically changed to realize fully automatic heating using a single key.

EXAMPLE Hereinafter, a heating device according to an example of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body of the heating device according to the present invention.

A door body 2 is pivotally supported on the front surface of the main body 1 so as to be freely openable and closable, and an operation panel 3 is provided. A single fully automatic key 4 is arranged on this operation panel 3.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of such a heating device. The heating command inputted from the fully automatic key 4 is decoded by the control section 5. Then, the control unit 5 uses the distance measuring sensor 6 to measure the distance to the mounting plate 8 on which the object to be heated 7 is mounted.

On the opposite side walls of the heating chamber 9, there are paired shelf rails l.
A plurality of shelves are provided, and an appropriate shelf position is selected depending on the object to be heated. For example, kutsky is on the top shelf, choux and butter rolls are on the middle shelf, cakes are on the bottom shelf, and so on. The appropriate shelf position is determined mainly by the design of the heating chamber, and the optimal shelf position is determined by heat distribution to the upper and lower heaters, overall heat balance, material distribution of the dough, etc.

Now, when the mounting plate 8 is at the upper stage, the detection distance is the smallest, and the distance becomes larger as it moves lower to the middle and lower stages. In other words, by detecting the distance, the position of the mounting plate can be determined.

The placing tray 8 is a rectangular metal part as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 3, and its peripheral flange portion rests on a shelf.

The entire surface is treated with enamel or other surface treatments to increase corrosion resistance.

Returning to FIG. 1, with the above configuration, the control unit 5 is able to detect the position of the mounting tray 8 using the distance measurement sensor 6, and based on this determination, Conversely, it is possible to estimate the menu of oven cooking that is about to start. In other words, if it's on the upper level, it's Kutsky.
By using the regulation of shelf position selection in reverse, we can sell choux, butter rolls on the middle shelf, cakes on the bottom shelf, and so on.
The type of object to be heated is estimated.

After estimating the menu, the control unit 5 starts supplying power to the heating means 12 via the driver 11.

In this embodiment, the heating means 12 are arranged vertically outside the heating chamber.
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to a hot air circulation type electric oven, and also to a gas oven equipped with a gas burner.

Now, the control unit 5 sets the heating temperature corresponding to the estimated menu, and controls the power supply to the upper and lower heaters while monitoring the temperature in the heating chamber with the temperature sensor 13. Power distribution up and down and heating time are also changed according to menu estimates.

When heating is started, water vapor and gas emitted from the object to be heated 7 are detected using the gas sensor 14.

By monitoring how this occurs, the estimated menu name is determined.

FIG. 4 is a time chart showing such a discrimination method, where the horizontal axis represents elapsed time and the vertical axis represents changes in absolute humidity.

For example, even if the shelf position of the tray 8 is in the middle, it cannot be determined whether the product is a choux pastry or a butter roll, but by looking at the change in humidity over time, one can be determined.

In other words, in the case of choux pastry, the humidity increases and then begins to dry out, and when it decreases a little, the product is baked, but with butter rolls, the humidity continues to increase.

Similarly, in kutsky, the humidity rises and then decreases, as in choux pastry, while in cakes, the steam continues to increase slowly.

By monitoring how humidity is generated in this way, the menu name can be determined in conjunction with the shelf position, and the 1-sip fever temperature can be corrected at that point. For example, let's assume that the shelf is in the middle shelf position, and when you start cooking at 180°C assuming it is a choux pastry or a butter roll, it is determined that it is a shoe cake based on the way steam is generated. 1 suitable for Kutsky at this point
The temperature can be fine-tuned to 70°C.

Of course, the heating time can be changed, and the finishing point can also be detected using a gas sensor.

15 is a distance sensor detection circuit, 16 is a temperature sensor detection circuit, and 17 is a gas sensor detection circuit.

As the temperature sensor detection circuit 16, an A/D converter or the like is used, but if the control section 5 is constituted by a microcomputer or the like, one with a built-in A/D circuit can be used.

Furthermore, if a humidity sensor is selected as the gas sensor, its detection circuit 17 and control method will be described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 51-111.
This can be realized by Japanese Patent No. 34951.

An example of the configuration of the distance measuring sensor 6 and its detection circuit 15 will now be described. FIG. 5 shows an ultrasonic sensor as an example of a distance measuring sensor.

The ultrasonic sensor includes a piezoelectric element 18, a conical resonator 20 that engages with the piezoelectric element 18 via a coupling shaft 19, and a lead wire 2.
1, a terminal 22 coupled to the piezoelectric element 18, a terminal plate 23 that fixes the terminal 22, and a case 2 forming an outer shell.
4, a beam shaping plate 25 that covers the opening of the case 24 on the conical resonator 20 side, and a sound absorbing sheet 26 provided on the inner surface of the terminal plate 23. (National Technical Report P, 504-514 Vol. 29
No. 3 1983) As the distance measuring sensor 6, other optical sensors such as infrared sensors and photocouplers can also be used.

Next, FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the detection circuit 15 of the ultrasonic sensor.

The control unit 5 is composed of a microcomputer or the like, and by performing timing control, one ultrasonic sensor transmits an ultrasonic wave of several tens of kHz, and when receiving it, it is switched to a transfer device and operates.

27 is a transmitting circuit, and 28 is a receiving circuit. Comparison circuit 29
compares the reference voltage with the received signal, latches the received signal exceeding the reference voltage, and inputs it to the control section 5. The control unit 5 counts the time from transmitting the ultrasonic waves to receiving them, calculates the distance to the mounting plate from the propagation velocity of the ultrasonic waves, and detects the position of the mounting plate from this.

With the above configuration, it is possible to detect the position of the placing plate and the generation of steam or gas from the object to be heated, and it is possible to cook a plurality of menus with a single heating command key, such as the "sweets" key.

Note that the present invention is also applicable to a so-called microwave oven, which is a combination of a microwave oven and an electric or gas oven.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the heating device of the present invention is equipped with a distance sensor and a gas sensor, which detect the position of the mounting plate and the generation of water vapor or gas from the object to be heated, It is configured to estimate the type and change the power supply to the heating means, allowing a wide range of objects to be heated to be automatically heated with just a few keys.

In addition, even after heating has started, the way the steam is coming out is monitored, so even if the kutsky is baked on the middle rack instead of the top rack, you can change the heating temperature or the way the power is supplied to the upper and lower heaters. You can also do it. It can also detect when the cooking is finished and automatically end cooking.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a heating device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main body, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mounting tray, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing water vapor from an object to be heated. FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic sensor as an example of a distance measuring sensor, and FIG. 6 is a circuit block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a detection circuit of the ultrasonic sensor. 4--Full automatic key, 5--Control unit, 6--Distance sensor, 7--Object to be heated, 8--Placement plate, 9--Heating chamber, 1
0. --1-- Shelf rail, 12 -- Heating means, 14
-・Gas sensor. Name of agent Patent attorney Toshio Nakao 1 person No. 10 No. 3 [F] x4 diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] A heating chamber that stores an object to be heated, a heating means provided in the heating chamber, a control unit that controls power supply to the heating means, a mounting plate on which the object to be heated is placed, and a distance that is detected. It consists of a distance measurement sensor and a gas sensor that detects water vapor or gas generated from the object to be heated. By detecting the distance from the distance measuring sensor to the object to be heated or the placing plate, the position of the placing plate in the heating chamber is determined, and the gas sensor is used to detect the distance from the object to be heated or the placing plate. A heating device configured to monitor how water vapor or gas is generated and change the method of supplying power to the heating means based on the position of the mounting plate and the method of generating water vapor or gas.