KR20030012039A - Apparatus for detecting cooks for microwave oven and method therefore - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A device and method for detecting food in a microwave oven are provided to prevent the damage of the food caused by ultraviolet rays in sterilization mode by using an ultrasonic wave and exactly detecting the existence of the food. CONSTITUTION: An ultrasonic generator(101) is installed at the inside of a cooking chamber, and generates a first ultrasonic wave. An ultrasonic transmitting/receiving unit(103,105) radiates the first ultrasonic wave, and receives a second ultrasonic wave reflected in the food. A control unit(109) compares the first ultrasonic wave with the second ultrasonic wave and measures the received signal strength of the ultrasonic wave, and determines whether food is in the cooking chamber according to the received signal strength. A storing unit(107) stores the first ultrasonic wave.

Description

Food detection device and method of the microwave oven {APPARATUS FOR DETECTING COOKS FOR MICROWAVE OVEN AND METHOD THEREFORE}

The present invention relates to a food sensing device and method of the microwave oven, and more particularly, to a food sensing device and method of the microwave oven that can accurately determine the presence or absence of food in the cooking room by using ultrasonic waves.

In general, a microwave oven vibrates water molecules contained in food by applying high voltage electricity to a magnetron, which is a high frequency oscillating tube, and thereby rapidly and simultaneously moves the outside and the inside by frictional heat generated by the vibration of the food. Electric appliances that heat up, and nowadays, there is a microwave oven that uses a heater to cook grills to cook a variety of food.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional microwave oven is installed on the bottom surface of the rectangular space inside the microwave oven main body 50, and the tray 52 allows the food to be rotated and cooked evenly, and the microwave oven main body. It is installed on one side of 50 to set each cooking function, and includes an operation panel 56 including start and end keys, a microwave oven door 54, the microwave oven body 50 and the door 54. A door lock safety device 60 is provided.

In addition, a general microwave oven is provided at a predetermined position inside the microwave oven main body 50, and an ultraviolet sterilization lamp 62 for sterilizing dishes and the like using ultraviolet rays is provided.

In such a microwave oven, the user opens the door 54 to put the food on the tray 52 and puts the food on the tray 52, and then adjusts the cooking and cooking time and start key by operating the corresponding key of the operation panel 56. Select in order. Then, the magnetron received a high voltage through a high voltage transformer (not shown) emits a constant electromagnetic wave through the waveguide to cook the food in the cooking chamber for a set time.

At this time, the cooking time, the weight of the food is detected by a sensor installed on the bottom surface of the tray 52, the detected food is determined by the weight.

On the other hand, when a sterilization key of the operation panel 56 is input after putting a tableware or the like into the cooking chamber, the ultraviolet sterilization lamp 62 is turned on to generate ultraviolet rays, and the tableware having received the ultraviolet rays is sterilized for a predetermined time.

As described above, in a general microwave oven, since the food weight is sensed by a sensor installed on the bottom of the tray 52, only the weight of the food is sensed on the tray 52, and a small amount placed on the tray 52. Since it is impossible to detect the food, even though there is food in the cooking chamber, when the sterilization mode such as tableware is executed, there is often a problem that the food is damaged due to the ultraviolet rays generated from the UV sterilization lamp.

Accordingly, the present invention was created to solve the above problems, the present invention accurately detects the presence of food using ultrasonic waves, and recognizes the presence of the detected food to the user to prevent the mistaken food to the tableware It is an object of the present invention to provide a food sensing device and method thereof of a microwave oven.

Food detection device of the microwave oven according to the present invention for achieving the above object,

In the microwave oven to cook the food contained in the cooking chamber by projecting a high heat generated by the electromagnetic wave and the heater generated by the magnetron in the cooking chamber,

An ultrasonic generator installed at a predetermined position in the cooking chamber to generate first ultrasonic waves;

An ultrasonic transceiver unit configured to radiate the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator to food and to receive the second ultrasonic waves reflected from the food;

The second ultrasonic wave received from the food and the first ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic generator to measure the received electric field intensity of the ultrasonic wave, and determines the presence of food in the cooking chamber according to the received field intensity value of the ultrasonic wave user A control unit for recognizing;

And a storage unit for storing the first ultrasonic waves radiated from the ultrasonic wave generator.

Preferably, the food detection method of the microwave oven in another aspect of the present invention,

The control unit has a program for projecting the food generated in the cooking chamber by projecting high heat generated by the magnetron and the heater into the cooking chamber, and recognizing the presence or absence of food using the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic generator. In the method for detecting the presence of food in a microwave oven comprising:

a) radiating the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator to food;

b) storing the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator;

c) comparing the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator with the second ultrasonic waves provided from the food to measure the received electric field strength of the ultrasonic waves, and comparing the ultrasonic received electric field intensity values with the set values; And

d) in the step c), if the ultrasonic field strength value is smaller than the set value, it is determined that there is food, and then the step of recognizing the presence of food to the user.

According to the present invention, by recognizing the presence of food in the cooking chamber to the user, it is possible to prevent the risk in accordance with the sterilization mode of the microwave oven.

1 is a view showing the front of the microwave oven to which the present invention is applied.

2 is a view showing the configuration of the food detection apparatus of the microwave oven according to the present invention.

3 is a flow chart showing a food detection process of the microwave oven according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing>

101: ultrasonic generator 103: ultrasonic transmitter

105: ultrasonic receiving unit 107: storage unit

109 control unit 111 display unit

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the following examples.

2 is a view showing the configuration of the food sensing device of the electronic cash register according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the food sensing apparatus of the microwave oven according to the present invention includes an ultrasonic wave generator 101 for generating ultrasonic waves when the sterilization mode of the user is selected, and ultrasonic waves connected to an output side of the ultrasonic wave generator 101. A transmitter 103, an ultrasonic receiver 105 for receiving ultrasonic waves reflected from food, a controller 109 connected to an input / output side of the ultrasonic transceiver 103, 105, and an input / output of the controller 109 A storage unit 107 connected to the side, and a display unit 111 connected to the output side of the control unit 109.

Here, the ultrasonic transmitter 103 is provided to radiate the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 101 to food placed in the microwave oven body, and the ultrasonic receiver 105 receives the second ultrasonic waves reflected from the food. It is provided to.

The storage unit 107 is provided to store the first ultrasound and the second ultrasound provided through the control unit 109, and the control unit 109 compares the first ultrasound and the second ultrasound to measure the ultrasonic reception electric field intensity. Then, the presence of food is determined inside the microwave oven main body by comparing the ultrasonic reception electric field intensity with the set value.

That is, the control unit 109 determines that there is food when the ultrasonic reception electric field intensity is smaller than the set value, and executes at least one of visual and hearing to the user. The user judges that there is no food and performs at least one of visual and hearing to the user.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the presence of food is provided to execute at least one of visual and auditory, but may be provided to execute the sterilization lock mode according to the control signal of the controller according to the presence of food.

3 is a flow chart showing a food detection process of the microwave oven according to the present invention. Hereinafter, the food detection process of the microwave oven according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, when power is supplied to the microwave oven (step 301) and the sterilization mode selection key (not shown) of the microwave oven is selected by the user (step 303), the control unit 109 controls the signal for generating ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic wave generating unit 101 receives the control signal and generates ultrasonic waves (step 305). The first ultrasound generated at this time is stored in the storage unit 107 (step 307).

The first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator 101 are radiated to the food inside the cooking chamber through the ultrasonic transmitter 103 (step 309), and the ultrasonic receiver 103 receives the second ultrasonic waves reflected from the food (step 309). Step 311).

At this time, if there is food in the cooking chamber, the electric field strength of the first ultrasound has a larger value than the electric field strength of the second ultrasound.

The second ultrasound received through the ultrasound receiver 103 is provided to the controller 109, and the controller 109 compares the electric field strength of the second ultrasound and the first ultrasound stored in the storage 107 to determine the ultrasound. The received field strength value is measured (step 313) and the ultrasonic received field strength value is compared with the set value (step 315).

In this case, when the ultrasonic reception electric field intensity is smaller than the set value, it is determined that the food is present and executes at least one of visual and hearing to the user for the presence of food, and executes the sterilization lock mode (step 317), and the ultrasonic reception electric field If the intensity is greater than the set value, it is determined that there is no food, and the user performs at least one or more of visual and auditory hearing that there is no food, and executes sterilization mode (step 319).

As described above, according to the present invention, by checking whether there is food in the cooking chamber by using ultrasonic waves, when it is determined that there is no food in the cooking chamber, the sterilization mode is executed, thereby minimizing the risk due to the sterilization mode of the microwave oven. It can be reduced, thereby obtaining an effect that can further improve the stability of the microwave oven.

In addition, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and modifications and improvements are possible within the scope of ordinary knowledge of those skilled in the art.

Claims (2)

In the microwave oven to cook the food contained in the cooking chamber by projecting a high heat generated by the electromagnetic wave and the heater generated by the magnetron in the cooking chamber, An ultrasonic generator installed at a predetermined position in the cooking chamber to generate first ultrasonic waves; An ultrasonic transceiver unit configured to radiate the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator to food and to receive the second ultrasonic waves reflected from the food; The second ultrasonic wave received from the food and the first ultrasonic wave emitted from the ultrasonic generator to measure the received electric field intensity of the ultrasonic wave, and determines the presence of food in the cooking chamber according to the received field intensity value of the ultrasonic wave user A control unit for recognizing; The food sensing apparatus of the microwave oven further comprises a storage unit for storing the first ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic generator. The control unit has a program for projecting the food generated in the cooking chamber by projecting high heat generated by the magnetron and the heater into the cooking chamber, and recognizing the presence or absence of food using the ultrasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic generator. In the method for detecting the presence of food in a microwave oven comprising: a) radiating the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator to food; b) storing the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator; c) comparing the first ultrasonic waves generated by the ultrasonic generator with the second ultrasonic waves provided from the food to measure the received electric field strength of the ultrasonic waves, and comparing the ultrasonic received electric field intensity values with the set values; And d) in the step c), if the ultrasonic field strength value is smaller than the set value, the food sensing method of the microwave oven, characterized in that the step of recognizing the presence of the food to the user in the sequence.