KR102523151B1 - Cooking apparatus and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus and a control method thereof, and relates to an input unit equipped with a sensor, a control unit for applying or blocking an operating voltage to the MPU according to a signal from the input unit, an MPU for opening and closing a gas valve by the control unit, and the MPU and an ignition unit controlled to be ignited by a control unit when gas is supplied thereto. Accordingly, since the MPU is not driven by thermal electromotive force but electronically controlled by the control unit, gas can be stably supplied without being affected by performance or defects of parts.

Description

Cooking device and its control method {COOKING APPARATUS AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus capable of stably supplying gas and solving problems with ignition and indigestion and a control method thereof.

In general, cooking apparatuses used in kitchens can be classified into cooking apparatuses using gas (hereinafter referred to as gas cooking apparatuses) and cooking apparatuses using electricity (hereinafter referred to as electric cooking apparatuses). Gas-type cooking equipment includes a gas range or a gas oven range.

A gas type cooking apparatus usually has a plurality of top burners installed thereon. The top burner is ignited by a spark from a spark plug. For ignition, gas must be supplied to the burner. Gas is supplied through a pipe, and a Magnetic Power Unit (MPU) is installed to supply or block the gas.

The MPU is a kind of valve that opens and closes the gas supply pipe in conjunction with the operation of the ignition knob. Since a flame is generated when the burner is ignited, the MPU is controlled to remain open while the flame is detected. An example of a gas cooking apparatus for controlling the operation of the MPU by detecting a flame is shown in FIG. 1 .

1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of a conventional cooking apparatus.

As shown in FIG. 1 , a conventional gas cooking apparatus 10 may include an MPU 12 that opens and closes a gas pipe, and a thermal electromotive force generator 14 for operating the MPU 12 . When the user manipulates the ignition knob to the ignition position, the MPU 12 is moved to the open position by the ignition knob and the gas pipe is opened. Simultaneously with the gas supply, a spark is generated from the spark plug, and the burner of the ignition unit 16 is ignited. When the burner is ignited and sparks are generated, the thermal electromotive force generator 14 detects the flame and generates thermal electromotive force. The thermal electromotive force generated by the thermal electromotive force generator 14 keeps the MPU 12 in an open state. The thermal electromotive force generated by the thermal electromotive force generator 14 is usually within several tens of kV.

However, in the conventional gas cooking apparatus 10, when the thermal electromotive force is reduced due to a defect in the thermal electromotive force generator 14, the MPU 12 cannot be maintained in an open state, resulting in a defective ignition problem. Alternatively, the MPU 12 is suddenly switched to a closed state due to a change in thermal electromotive force during ignition, resulting in a fire extinguishing problem. In addition, since the location where the thermal electromotive force generator 14 is mounted differs in contact with the flame, a deviation may occur in the generated thermal electromotive force, which may cause fire extinguishing or ignition failure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking device capable of stably supplying gas and solving problems with ignition and indigestion.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a control method for a cooking apparatus capable of stably supplying gas and solving problems with ignition and digestion.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned above can be understood by the following description and will be more clearly understood by the examples of the present invention. It will also be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention may be realized by means of the instrumentalities and combinations indicated in the claims.

A cooking apparatus according to the present invention includes an input unit equipped with a sensor, a control unit for applying or blocking an operating voltage to the MPU according to a signal from the input unit, an MPU for opening and closing a gas valve by the control unit, and a control unit when gas is supplied by the MPU. and an ignition unit controlled to be ignited by Accordingly, since the MPU is not driven by thermal electromotive force but electronically controlled by the control unit, gas can be stably supplied without being affected by performance or defects of parts.

In addition, the cooking apparatus according to the present invention further includes a re-ignition unit for detecting a flame and re-igniting the ignition unit. According to the control method of the present invention, the control unit detects the voltage of the re-ignition unit when the flame is not detected during the operation of the cooking device, determines that the re-ignition unit is defective if there is no spark, and blocks the operating voltage applied to the MPU. Accordingly, it is possible to stably shut off the gas without being affected by defective parts.

According to the present invention, there is an effect of stably supplying gas by deleting parts affected by performance deviations or defects and changing the gas supply from a mechanical operation to an electronic control method.

In addition, according to the cooking apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to prevent ignition failure and digestion failure due to performance deviation or defect of parts, thereby improving product performance and reliability.

In addition to the effects described above, specific effects of the present invention will be described together while explaining specific details for carrying out the present invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of a conventional cooking apparatus.
2 is a schematic diagram showing main components of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling an operation of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 2 .
4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a main part of the operation control method of FIG. 3 .

The above objects, features and advantages will be described later in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs will be able to easily implement the technical spirit of the present invention. In describing the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the known technology related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

Hereinafter, the arrangement of an arbitrary element on the "upper (or lower)" or "upper (or lower)" of a component means that an arbitrary element is placed in contact with the upper (or lower) surface of the component. In addition, it may mean that other components may be interposed between the component and any component disposed on (or under) the component.

In addition, when a component is described as "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, the components may be directly connected or connected to each other, but other components may be "interposed" between each component. ", or each component may be "connected", "coupled" or "connected" through other components.

First, a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

2 is a schematic diagram showing main components of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the cooking apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an electronically controlled gas cooking apparatus. The cooking apparatus 100 includes an input unit 110 operated by a user, a control unit 130 that controls components according to signals from the input unit 110, and an MPU 150 that opens and closes a gas pipe according to control signals from the control unit 130. ), an ignition unit 170 that is ignited according to a control signal from the control unit 130, and a re-ignition unit 190 that senses a flame and has a re-ignition function.

The input unit 110, the MPU 150, the ignition unit 170, and the re-ignition unit 190 are all electrically connected to the control unit 130 to send and receive signals. The controller 130 controls the MPU 150, the ignition unit 170, and the re-ignition unit 190.

The input unit 110 may include a plurality of digital buttons or switches or a plurality of rotary knobs. In the present invention, a rotary knob will be described as an example.

The input unit 110 is ignited or extinguished according to the rotation direction and angle at which the user rotates the knob. The input unit 110 may be rotated step by step to adjust the intensity of the flame. The ignition signal of the input unit 110 is transmitted to the control unit 130 . To this end, the sensor 112 is provided in the input unit 110 .

The sensor 112 serves to detect whether the input unit 110 in the form of a knob is in a fire extinguishing position or an ignition position, and if it is in the ignition position, what level the intensity of the flame is. To this end, the sensor 112 may be provided as a hall sensor capable of detecting a rotation direction and rotation degree.

However, the sensor 112 may be replaced with a sensor other than the hall sensor as long as it can detect the rotation direction and rotation angle. The state of the input unit 110 sensed by the sensor 112 is transferred to the control unit 130 .

The control unit 130 is not applied to the conventional mechanical cooking apparatus 10 equipped with the thermal electromotive force generating unit 14 (see FIG. 1). The controller 130 is a component for automatically controlling the cooking device 100 . Since the control unit 130 is provided, the cooking apparatus 100 of the present invention is classified as an electronic cooking apparatus 100.

The control unit 130 controls the MPU 150, the ignition unit 170, and the re-ignition unit 190 based on the signal transmitted from the sensor 112 provided in the input unit 110.

The control unit 130 detects an operation of the input unit 110 according to a signal from the sensor 112 . When the operation of the input unit 110 is sensed, an operating voltage (voltage required for operation of the MPU) is applied to the MPU 150 so that the gas pipe (not shown) is opened. When gas is supplied according to the operation of the MPU 150, the ignition unit 170 is ignited.

In addition, the control unit 130 determines whether the ignition unit 170 continuously maintains an ignition state while gas supply is continued through the re-ignition unit 190 . The controller 130 closes the gas pipe by re-igniting or blocking the operating voltage of the MPU 150 according to the operating state of the cooking device 100 .

A magnetic power unit (MPU) 150 is a device that drives a gas valve (not shown) that opens and closes a gas pipe (not shown) that supplies gas to the ignition unit 170 . The MPU 150 may be installed on a gas pipe or provided on a gas flow path. The MPU 150 may be installed adjacent to the ignition unit 170 to supply and block gas to the ignition unit 170 .

The MPU 150 is connected to the control unit 130 and drives a gas valve that opens and closes the gas pipe according to a signal from the control unit 130 . The gas valve described here is a valve different from the main valve that supplies gas from the outside gas pipe to the room. Detailed configuration of the MPU (150) is a well-known technology, so a detailed description will be omitted.

Conventionally, a thermal electromotive force generation unit was provided for driving the MPU 150. Conventionally, when the thermal electromotive force generated by the thermal electromotive force generator is transmitted to the MPU 150, magnetic force is generated to drive the MPU 150 and open the gas valve.

However, the difference in thermal electromotive force according to the defect of the part itself or the installation location of the thermal electromotive force generation part greatly affects the performance. Therefore, the present invention proposes a structure in which the conventional thermal electromotive force generation unit is deleted and the MPU 150 is electronically controlled by the control unit 130.

Accordingly, the MPU 150 of the present invention is operated to open the gas valve when an operating voltage is applied from the control unit 130. Conversely, the MPU 150 is operated to close the gas valve when the control unit 130 blocks the operating voltage.

When the gas valve is opened by the MPU 150 and gas is supplied to the ignition unit 170, ignition is performed by a signal from the control unit 130.

The ignition unit 170 includes at least one burner. The burner is ignited by an ignition unit (not shown) generating a spark. A portion of the cooking apparatus 100 including the ignition unit 170, ignition unit, and input unit 110 is also referred to as a cook-top. Since the detailed configuration of the ignition unit 170 is a well-known technology, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. When the ignition unit 170 is ignited and sparks are generated, the re-ignition unit 190 detects the presence of a flame in real time.

The re-ignition unit 190 detects whether the ignition unit 170 operates normally. That is, the re-ignition unit 190 detects the presence of a flame and transmits it to the control unit 130.

The re-ignition unit 190 may sense the flame by contacting the flame of the ignition unit 170 or detect the flame by detecting the heat of the ignition unit 170 . The control unit 130 may detect when an extinguishing state in which a flame disappears occurs in a state in which gas is supplied through the re-ignition unit 190 .

Also, the re-ignition unit 190 re-ignites the ignition unit 170 according to a signal from the control unit 130 . In this case, the re-ignition unit 190 may additionally have the same parts and functions as the aforementioned ignition unit. Alternatively, the re-ignition unit 190 may have a control function of driving the ignition unit.

When re-ignition is required, if re-ignition is not made due to a defective product of the re-ignition unit 190, the control unit 130 may detect this and block the operating voltage applied to the MPU 150 (this will be described later).

In the electronically controlled cooking apparatus 100 of the present invention having the above configuration, the MPU 150 is controlled by the control unit 130, unlike conventional cooking apparatuses having a thermal electromotive force generating unit. Therefore, since the gas is supplied regardless of whether thermal electromotive force is generated or not, an operation error of the MPU 150 due to a difference in thermal electromotive force according to a defective part or an installation position can be prevented. Accordingly, the MPU 150 stops driving due to a defective part while the gas supply is made, so that the gas supply is not blocked, so that stable gas supply is possible.

In addition, when gas shutoff is required due to a defective part while gas is being supplied, the control unit 130 detects this and stops the driving of the MPU 150, thereby stably shutting off the gas.

Hereinafter, in the cooking apparatus of the present invention having the above-described configuration, a process in which the cooking apparatus is controlled by the control unit will be described (hereinafter, even if there is no separate mention, the control subject is specified as the control unit).

FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method for controlling an operation of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 2 . 4 is a flowchart illustrating a process of determining a main part of the operation control method of FIG. 3 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , when an operation of the input unit 110 is performed by the user (S100), the control unit 130 determines whether the cooking device 100 has started operating (S200).

The control unit 130 detects which knob of the input unit 110 has been operated or an ignition operation has been performed through a signal from the sensor 112 to determine whether the cooking device 100 is operating.

When it is determined that the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 has started in step S200 described above, the control unit 130 applies an operating voltage to the MPU 150 to ignite the ignition unit 170 (S300).

When an operating voltage is applied to the MPU (150), the gas valve is opened, the gas pipe is opened, and gas is supplied to the ignition unit (170). When gas is supplied to the ignition unit 170, a spark is generated by the ignition unit and the ignition unit 170 is ignited.

After ignition is completed, the control unit 130 monitors the operation of the cooking device 100 in real time. The control unit 130 may detect the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 by monitoring the sensor 112 provided in the input unit 110 or a timer (not shown) provided in the cooking apparatus 100 in real time. Accordingly, the control unit 130 can detect when the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 is completed after a predetermined time has elapsed or when the cooking device 100 has been digested due to a user's manipulation.

The controller 130 determines whether the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 is completed (S400), and when the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 is completed, blocks the operating voltage applied to the MPU 150 (S500). When the operating voltage applied to the MPU 150 is blocked, the gas valve is closed and the gas pipe is stably blocked.

The aforementioned steps S100 to S500 are control processes in a steady state. However, the ignition unit 170 may be suddenly extinguished during gas supply due to an external cause or a product defect such as the re-ignition unit 190.

To cope with this situation, the control unit 130 controls the cooking device 100 through an additional determination step in step S400.

The control unit 130 may detect the flame in real time through the re-ignition unit 190 . Therefore, if the operation of the cooking device 100 is not completed in step S400, the controller 130 determines whether there is a flame (S430). If there is a flame, the monitoring of the cooking device 100 in step S400 is repeated.

If there is no flame in a state in which the operation of the cooking apparatus 100 is not completed in step S400, the control unit 130 determines whether the voltage of the re-ignition unit 190 is detected (S450).

When the voltage of the re-ignition unit 190 is sensed, it may be determined that the re-ignition unit 190 is not defective, although it is in an extinguished state. Accordingly, the control unit 130 sends a signal to the re-ignition unit 190 to re-ignite the ignition unit 170 and repeats step S400.

If the voltage of the re-ignition unit 190 is not detected in step S450, the control unit 130 continuously detects the operating voltage (the voltage sensed during operation of the re-ignition unit) of the re-ignition unit 190 for a predetermined set time. For example, the setting time may be set to 10 seconds.

If the voltage of the re-ignition unit 190 is not sensed even after detecting the operating voltage of the re-ignition unit 190 for a preset time, the control unit 130 determines that the product of the re-ignition unit 190 is defective and enters step S500. Accordingly, the operating voltage of the MPU (150) is blocked and the gas supply is blocked to safely maintain the fire extinguishing state.

According to the above process, the control unit 130 can stably supply gas in a normal operating state and stably cut off the gas in an abnormal operating state (defective parts, etc.). Therefore, it is possible to prevent ignition failure and digestion failure due to performance deviation or defect of parts, thereby improving the performance of the cooking device and improving the reliability of the cooking device.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the drawings illustrated, but the present invention is not limited by the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and various modifications are made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is obvious that variations can be made. In addition, although the operational effects according to the configuration of the present invention have not been explicitly described and described while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects predictable by the corresponding configuration should also be recognized.

100: cooking device 110: input unit
112: sensor 130: control unit
150: MPU 170: ignition unit
190: re-ignition unit

Claims (8)

an input unit generating an ignition or fire extinguishing signal;
a sensor installed on the input unit to detect an operation of the input unit;
an ignition unit that is ignited when an ignition signal is generated from the sensor;
MPU driving a gas valve for opening and closing a gas pipe for supplying gas to the ignition unit;
a re-ignition unit for detecting whether or not there is a flame in the ignition unit and re-igniting the ignition unit according to control; and
A control unit for applying or blocking the driving voltage of the MPU according to the signal of the sensor and generating a control signal so that the ignition unit is ignited,
The control unit,
Monitoring the operating state of the cooking device through at least one of a detection signal of the sensor and a timer signal of the cooking device;
When the operation of the cooking device is not completed, monitoring whether a flame exists in the ignition unit through the re-ignition unit,
When there is no spark in the ignition unit, it is determined whether or not the voltage of the re-ignition unit is sensed for a set time;
When the voltage of the re-ignition unit is detected, the re-ignition unit is controlled to re-ignite, and when the voltage of the re-ignition unit is not detected, the re-ignition unit is judged to be defective and the driving voltage of the MPU is blocked.
cooking device.
According to claim 1,
The control unit
If the operation of the input unit detected by the sensor is an ignition operation, it detects whether the operation of the cooking device starts and applies an operating voltage to the MPU, and when it detects that the operation of the cooking device starts and ends, the operating voltage of the MPU is cut off. doing
cooking device.
delete delete delete An input unit that generates an ignition or fire extinguishing signal, a sensor installed on the input unit to detect the operation of the input unit, an ignition unit that ignites when an ignition signal is generated from the sensor, and a gas pipe for supplying gas to the ignition unit. An MPU that drives a gas valve, a control unit that applies or blocks a driving voltage of the MPU according to a signal from the sensor and generates a control signal to ignite the ignition unit, and detects whether or not a flame exists in the ignition unit, and the ignition unit extinguishes fire. In the control method of a cooking apparatus including a re-ignition unit for re-igniting the ignition unit according to the control of the control unit when the
The operation of the input unit is performed (S100);
Determining whether the cooking device has started operating by the control unit (S200);
If it is determined that the operation of the cooking apparatus has started in step S200, applying an operating voltage to the MPU by the control unit (S300);
After applying the operating voltage of the MPU, the controller monitors whether the operation of the cooking device is completed (S400); and
If the operation of the cooking device is completed in the step S400, blocking the operating voltage applied to the MPU by the control unit (S500);
including,
The control unit
Monitoring the operating state of the cooking device through at least one of a detection signal of the sensor and a timer signal of the cooking device;
When the operation of the cooking device is not completed, monitoring whether a flame exists in the ignition unit through the re-ignition unit,
When there is no spark in the ignition unit, it is determined whether or not the voltage of the re-ignition unit is sensed for a set time;
When the voltage of the re-ignition unit is detected, controlling the re-ignition unit to re-ignite and blocking the driving voltage of the MPU when the voltage of the re-ignition unit is not detected
How to control cooking equipment.
According to claim 6,
If the operation of the cooking device is not completed in step S400, determining whether or not there is a flame in the ignition unit by the control unit (S430);
If there is a spark in the ignition unit, returning to step S400, and if there is no spark in the ignition unit, determining whether or not the voltage of the re-ignition unit is detected by the control unit (S450); and
If the voltage of the re-ignition unit is not detected in the step S450, the control unit detects the voltage of the re-ignition unit for a set time (S490);
Including more,
In the step S490, if the voltage of the re-ignition unit is not detected for the set time, the control unit executes the step S500.
How to control cooking equipment.
According to claim 7,
When the voltage of the re-ignition unit is detected in step S450, the controller controls to re-ignite the ignition unit and returns to step S400
How to control cooking equipment.

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