KR20200045302A - Cooking apparatus and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus capable of preventing a problem of the cooking apparatus due to overheating by detecting an operation of a mechanical cooking unit to control an electronic cooking unit; and to a control method thereof. To this end, the cooking apparatus of the present invention can include a voltage amplifying unit which is provided on a circuit connected to an MPU from a thermal electromotive force generation unit, is connected to a first control unit, and amplifies a voltage generated by the thermal electromotive force generation unit to a voltage that can be recognized by the first control unit.

Description

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

The present invention relates to a cooking apparatus and a control method for preventing a problem of a cooking apparatus due to overheating by detecting an operation of the mechanical cooking unit and controlling the electronic cooking unit.

In general, the cooking apparatus used in the kitchen can be divided into a cooking apparatus using gas (hereinafter referred to as a gas-type cooking apparatus) and an electric cooking apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an electric cooking apparatus). Alternatively, the cooking apparatus may be divided into a mechanical cooking apparatus, an electronic cooking apparatus, and an inverted-type cooking apparatus according to an operation method.

In general, a mechanical cooking device includes a thermo couple that senses the flame of a burner and generates thermal electromotive force, and an MPU that controls the opening and closing of a gas valve by generating a magnetic force according to the thermal electromotive force. The cooking apparatus having such a configuration is referred to as a mechanical cooking apparatus because the MPU is controlled by thermal electromotive force generated when the burner is ignited, not electronically controlled by a controller or the like. An example of a mechanical cooking apparatus is disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-0097512 (Publication Date 2003.12.31).

In contrast, in the electronic cooking apparatus, a controller or a controller controls components such as opening and closing of a gas valve according to the operation of an ignition switch operated by a user instead of a thermocouple.

Recently, according to various demands of users, the use of products having both a mechanically controlled cooking unit and an electronically controlled cooking unit in one cooking apparatus has increased. Such a cooking device may be classified as an inverting-type cooking device. An example of an inverted-type cooking apparatus is a gas oven range.

The gas oven range is provided with a mechanical cooking unit in which a plurality of burners and ignition handles, which are ignited by supplying gas to the upper portion, are disposed. The lower portion of the mechanical cooking unit is provided with a gas- or electric-operated heater and a plurality of input switches, and an electronic cooking unit composed of a cooking space in which a heater is installed. The mechanical cooking part is what is often called a gas range, and the electronic cooking part is what is often called an oven.

The inversion-type cooking apparatus may operate by operating the mechanical cooking unit and the electronic cooking unit separately. Therefore, the user may be cooking in the mechanical cooking unit while cooking food in the electronic cooking unit.

However, when the time for cooking food in the two cooking units at the same time becomes long, stress due to heat may increase in components or wiring. If this condition is repeated, deterioration of parts or damage resulting from overheating of the product may occur. However, since the user cannot forcibly prevent the use of the two cooking units, a countermeasure capable of solving the above-described problem is required.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooking apparatus and a control method capable of detecting the operation of the mechanical cooking unit and limiting the simultaneous use of the electronic cooking unit or controlling the electronic cooking unit to operate according to a preset limiting algorithm.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the objects mentioned above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, it will be readily appreciated that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means of the appended claims and combinations thereof.

The cooking apparatus according to the present invention includes a first input unit that generates an ignition or fire signal, a first heater that is ignited when an ignition signal is generated from the input unit, and a gas valve that opens and closes a gas pipe for supplying gas to the ignition unit. A driving MPU, a thermal electromotive force generator for generating the thermal electromotive force when the first heater is ignited, and a circuit connected to the MPU by the thermal electromotive force generator for driving the MPU are connected to the first controller It provides a mechanical cooking unit having a voltage amplifying unit for amplifying the fine voltage generated by the thermal electromotive force generation unit to a voltage of a size recognizable by the first control unit. In addition, the cooking apparatus of the present invention is operated separately from the first input unit and generates a second input unit, a second heater that is driven when an operation signal of the second input unit is generated, and a signal according to the second input unit. It provides an electronic cooking unit having a second control unit for controlling the driving of the second heater. The voltage amplification unit amplifies the fine voltage generated by the thermal electromotive force generation unit, and the second control unit may receive an amplification voltage from the first control unit and detect whether the second heater is operating. Therefore, the second control unit may limit the use of the second heater when the operation signal of the second heater is input during the operation of the first heater or may control the second heater according to a preset restriction algorithm. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent overheating of parts and cooked foods that may occur due to the operation of the second heater during the operation of the first heater.

The cooking apparatus according to the present invention can prevent problems such as component damage due to overheating or overheating of the food being cooked, which may occur when the electronic cooking unit is additionally operated when the mechanical cooking unit is operated.

In addition to the above-described effects, the concrete effects of the present invention will be described together while describing the specific matters for carrying out the invention.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing some components of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling operation of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 1.

The above-described objects, features, and advantages will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, and accordingly, a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement the technical spirit of the present invention. In describing the present invention, when 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 of 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.

In the following, the arrangement of any component in the "upper (or lower)" or "upper (or lower)" of the component means that any component is disposed in contact with the upper surface (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.

Also, when a component is described as being "connected", "coupled" or "connected" to another component, the components may be directly connected to or connected to each other, but other components may be "interposed" between each component. It should be understood that "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 (in the present invention, a cooking apparatus having both a mechanically controlled cooking unit and an electronically controlled cooking unit will be defined and described as an inverted cooking unit). ).

1 is a schematic diagram showing the main components of a cooking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing some components of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 1.

1 and 2, the cooking apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an inverted-type cooking apparatus including a mechanical cooking unit 100 and an electronic cooking unit 300. The mechanical cooking unit 100 may be provided above the main body of the cooking device 10. The electronic cooking unit 300 may be provided below the mechanical cooking unit 100. In the present invention, the mechanical cooking unit 100 may be a cook-top equipped with a plurality of gas type burners. The electronic cooking unit 300 may be a gas or electric oven having a predetermined cooking space and a heating element in the cooking space.

The mechanical cooking unit 100 generates a first electromotive force generated by a first input unit 110 operated by a user, a MPU 120 driving a gas valve for opening and closing a gas pipe, and a thermal electromotive force that is an operating voltage of the MPU 120 The unit 130, a voltage amplification unit 140 for detecting motion of the mechanical cooking unit 100, a first control unit 150 for controlling components of the mechanical cooking unit 100, and a first heater for cooking food 160.

The first input unit 110, the MPU 120, the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130, the voltage amplification unit 140, and the first heater 160 are electrically connected to the first control unit 150 to exchange signals.

The first input unit 110 is a portion where a user inputs ignition, extinguishing, and ignition steps. It may be provided with a mechanically operated button or switch, a rotary knob, and the like. When an ignition signal is generated through the first input unit 110, gas is supplied to the first heater 160, and the first heater 160 is ignited by an ignition unit (not shown).

MPU (Magnetic Power Unit, 120) is a device for driving a gas valve (not shown) for opening and closing a gas pipe (not shown) for supplying gas to the first heater 160. The MPU 120 may be installed on a gas pipe or provided on a gas flow path. The MPU 120 may be installed adjacent to the first heater 160 to supply and block gas to the first heater 160.

The MPU 120 is driven with a salt voltage generated by the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130 to drive a gas valve that opens and closes a gas pipe. The MPU 120 keeps the gas valve open while the salt voltage is being generated. When the salt voltage is cut off, the operation of the MPU 120 is stopped and the gas valve is switched to the closed state. That is, the gas valve may be opened or closed by the MPU 120 to open or close the gas valve, so that the gas may be supplied or blocked by the first heater 160. The gas valve described here is a valve different from the main valve that supplies gas from the external gas pipe to the room. Since the detailed configuration of the MPU 120 is a known technology, detailed description will be omitted.

The thermal electromotive force generation unit 130 is in contact with a flame when the first heater 160 is ignited and a spark is generated. When the thermal electromotive force is generated by the heat of the flame in the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130, a fine voltage is generated. The voltage generated in this way is defined as the salt voltage. Generally, the salt voltage is several mV to tens of mV or less. The salt voltage is transferred to the MPU 120 to operate the MPU 120 (see arrow A in FIG. 2).

When the first heater 160 is extinguished and there is no flame, the thermal electromotive force is not generated in the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130, so that the salt voltage transmitted to the MPU 120 is blocked.

The operation and stoppage of the MPU 120 by the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130 may be performed without a special control process by transferring or blocking salt voltage by thermal electromotive force.

However, if the mechanical cooking unit 100 is provided with a configuration for automatic fire extinguishing such as a timer, the first control unit 150 may control the MPU 120 to stop the operation of the MPU 120. When the cooking end signal is input to the first control unit 150 by the timer, the control unit may stop driving of the MPU 120 by applying a back EMF to the MPU 120 (see arrow B in FIG. 2). To this end, the first control unit 150 should be able to detect whether the MPU 120 is driven in real time. The voltage amplifying unit 140 may be provided for driving detection and control of the MPU 120.

The voltage amplification unit 140 is provided on a circuit connected from the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130 to the MPU 120 (see the position C in FIG. 2) and is connected to the first control unit 150. The voltage amplification unit 140 serves to amplify to a voltage that is recognizable by the microcomputer of the first control unit 150 when the salt voltage, which is a fine voltage, occurs. For example, the voltage amplification unit 140 may be provided as a differential amplifier. The voltage amplification unit 140 is connected to the first control unit 150, and when a thermal electromotive force is generated, a voltage of several mV to tens of mV or less is amplified to several V and transferred to the first control unit 150.

The voltage amplifying unit 140 may be configured to automatically amplify the voltage when a micro salt voltage is generated. Alternatively, the voltage amplifying unit 140 may be configured to amplify the voltage according to the control signal of the first controller 150 after first detecting it in the first controller 150 when the micro salt voltage is generated. In this embodiment, for convenience, amplification of the voltage according to the control signal of the first control unit 150 will be described as an example.

The first control unit 150 functions to control the mechanical cooking unit 100 as a whole. The first control unit 150 receives and processes signals from the first input unit 110 and the voltage amplification unit 140. The mechanical cooking unit 100 includes a display (see FIG. 1) that displays an operating state such as ignition or fire extinguishing, a strength of a flame, and a remaining time when the timer is driven, and a buzzer that transmits a notification sound to the user when the timer is completed (FIG. 1) Reference) may be provided. The first control unit 150 may display an operation state of the mechanical cooking unit 100 on a display or drive a timer. Also, the first control unit 150 stops the MPU 120 from being driven when necessary.

The first control unit 150 may detect whether the thermal electromotive force is generated in the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130 through the voltage amplification unit 140. The first control unit 150 communicates with the second control unit 320 to transfer whether or not thermal electromotive force is generated to the second control unit 320. That is, the first control unit 150 may transmit whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is driven to the second control unit 320.

The first control unit 150 may transmit whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operated to the second control unit 320 through a simple signal. Alternatively, the first control unit 150 may convert the operation state of the mechanical cooking unit 100, the operation maintenance time, the remaining operation time, etc., and transmit the data to the second control unit 320.

In the related art, since the mechanical cooking unit 100 and the electronic cooking unit 300 were driven separately, the controller of the electronic cooking unit 300 could not detect whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 was driven. However, in the present invention, by operating the first control unit 150 and the second control unit 320, the second control unit 320, which is the controller of the electronic cooking unit 300, may determine the operating state of the mechanical cooking unit 100.

In the present invention, the first heater 160 is a burner that is supplied with gas and ignited. The first heater 160 is a type that is ignited when sparks are generated by an ignition unit (not shown). Since the detailed configuration of the first heater 160 is a known technique, a detailed description is omitted.

Meanwhile, the electronic cooking unit 300 includes a second input unit 310 operated by a user, a second control unit 320 for controlling the electronic cooking unit 300, and a second heater 330 for cooking food. Includes. The electronic cooking unit 300 is provided with at least one second heater 330 inside a predetermined cooking space. A second input unit 310 for user input is provided outside the cooking space. The second heater 330 may be a heating element generated by gas or electricity. The second heater 330 may be installed at both the top, bottom, and top and bottom of the cooking space (the second heater 330 is a known technology, and thus detailed description is omitted).

The second input unit 310 may be embodied as a button or a touch screen that outputs a digital signal. The second input unit 310 may further include a rotary dial or the like as necessary. The second input unit 310 is controlled by the user, and may include temperature, time, and various automatic menu buttons. When the user manipulates the second input unit 310, the signal of the second input unit 310 is transmitted to the second control unit 320.

The second control unit 320 processes the signal of the second input unit 310 and controls the second heater 330 based on the signal of the second input unit 310. The second control unit 320 may display the operating state, menu, time, etc. of the second heater 330 on a touch screen or the like. Alternatively, the second control unit 320 may control components of the electronic cooking unit 300 not shown in the drawing, such as displaying the operating state of the second heater 330 on an oven lamp (see FIG. 1).

When the mechanical cooking unit 100 is not operated, the second control unit 320 controls components of the electronic cooking unit 300 such as the second heater 330 according to a user input. However, when the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operating, the second control unit 320 controls components of the electronic cooking unit 300 according to a preset limit algorithm in preference to a user input.

Alternatively, when the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operating, the second control unit 320 may temporarily control the second heater 330 from being used. In this case, the second control unit 320 outputs a user notification message to the oven lamp or the second input unit 310.

As described above, in order to limit the use of the second heater 330 during operation of the mechanical cooking unit 100 or to control the electronic cooking unit 300 by a restriction algorithm, whether the second control unit 320 operates the mechanical cooking unit 100 Should be able to know. To this end, the mechanical cooking unit 100 is provided with a voltage amplification unit 140, and the first control unit 150 and the second control unit 320 are configured to be able to communicate. Therefore, the second control unit 320 may determine whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operating through a signal received from the first control unit 150.

In the present embodiment, the second control unit 320 receives the amplified voltage from the first control unit 150 and determines whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operated through the input amplification voltage. The result that the second control unit 320 recognizes whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operated may be transmitted to the first control unit 150. Therefore, the first control unit 150 can determine whether the second control unit 320 has correctly determined whether the mechanical cooking unit 100 is operating, and can prepare for a component failure or an error.

Hereinafter, in the cooking apparatus having the above-described configuration, a process in which the first control unit and the second control unit are interlocked to control the cooking apparatus will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling operation of the cooking apparatus according to FIG. 1.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the cooking device 10 may be driven by the user by the first heater 160 (S100). As described above, the first heater 160, which is a mechanical heater, is operated by driving the MPU 120 and the ignition unit (not shown) when a user operates the first input unit 110 to generate an ignition signal.

When the first heater 160 is driving, the first control unit 150 determines whether a fine salt voltage is generated (S200). When the thermal electromotive force is generated in the thermal electromotive force generation unit 130, a fine salt voltage is generated, and the fine salt voltage is supplied to the operating voltage of the MPU 120. Therefore, the first control unit 150 may determine the driving state of the first heater 160 through whether a fine salt voltage is generated.

If the first control unit 150 detects that a fine salt voltage is generated in step S200, the first control unit 150 amplifies the voltage through the voltage amplification unit 140 (S300). The amplified voltage is amplified to a voltage that can be recognized by the microcomputer of the second control unit 320. The second control unit 320 sends the amplified voltage to the second control unit 320.

The second control unit 320 recognizes the operation of the first heater 160 through the amplified voltage (S400). When the operation of the first heater 160 is recognized in step S400, the second control unit 320 limits the use of the second heater 330 or operates with a preset restriction algorithm (S500).

Since the mechanical cooking unit 100 and the electronic cooking unit 300 are separately controlled and operated, the electronic cooking unit 300 may also be driven while the user drives the mechanical cooking unit 100. In this case, since various problems may occur due to overheating, the second control unit 320 may automatically limit the use of the second heater 330. When the use of the second heater 330 is restricted, the second control unit 320 may output a warning message and a notification sound to inform the user of the usage restriction of the second heater 330.

Alternatively, the use of the second heater 330 is not limited, but the second control unit 320 may operate by changing the temperature of the second heater 330 to a temperature lower than the user-set temperature. Alternatively, the second control unit 320 may temporarily control the use of the second heater 330 and control the second heater 330 to operate after a set time. In this case, the second control unit 320 may control the second heater 330 to operate when the use completion time of the mechanical cooking unit 100 approaches. In this way, limiting the temperature or operating time of the second heater 330 when the first heater 160 is operated is preset and stored as a limiting algorithm.

The above-described control process is based on the premise that the first heater 160 is driven, but when the first heater 160 is not driven, it is not necessary to limit the use of the second heater 330. Therefore, if the first heater 160 is not driving in step S100, the amplification voltage is not input through the first controller 150, so that the second controller 320 operates the second heater 330 according to a previously stored normal operation algorithm. Control (S600).

Although the voltage amplified in step S400 described above is input to the second control unit 320, the second control unit 320 may not recognize the operation of the first heater 160. In this case, the first control unit 150 or the second control unit 320 may output an error code to the user or a warning sound (S700).

After inputting the amplification voltage from the first control unit 150 to the second control unit 320, if the second control unit 320 does not transmit the result of the recognition of the first heater 160 to the first control unit 150, the first control unit 150 1 The control unit 150 may determine that there is an error in the second control unit 320 or the electronic cooking unit 300.

As described above, the cooking apparatus of the present invention can prevent problems such as component damage due to overheating or overheating of the food being cooked by additionally operating the electronic cooking unit when the mechanical cooking unit is operated.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the exemplified drawings, but the present invention is not limited by the examples and drawings disclosed in the present specification, and can be varied by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. It is obvious that modifications can be made. In addition, although the operation and effect according to the configuration of the present invention has not been explicitly described and described while explaining the embodiment of the present invention, it is natural that the predictable effect by the configuration should also be recognized.

10: cooking device 100: mechanical cooking unit
110: first input unit 120: MPU
130: thermal electromotive force generation unit 140: voltage amplification unit
150: first control unit 160: first heater
300: electronic cooking unit 310: second input unit
320: second control unit 330: second heater

Claims (7)

A first input unit for generating an ignition or fire signal, a first heater ignited when an ignition signal is generated from the input unit, an MPU driving a gas valve for opening and closing a gas pipe for supplying gas to the ignition unit, and the first 1 When the heater is ignited, a mechanical cooking unit having a thermal electromotive force generation unit that generates thermal electromotive force to drive the MPU; And
A second input unit that is operated separately from the first input unit and generates an operation signal, a second heater that is driven when an operation signal of the second input unit is generated, and controls the driving of the second heater according to the signal of the second input unit An electronic cooking unit having a second control unit;
Including,
The second controller receives an operation signal of the first heater from the first controller.
Cooking device.
According to claim 1,
The mechanical cooking unit
A voltage that is provided on a circuit connected to the MPU by the thermal electromotive force generation unit to be connected to the first control unit, and amplifies the fine voltage generated by the thermal electromotive force generation unit to a voltage that is recognizable by the first control unit. Further comprising an amplification unit
Cooking device.
According to claim 2,
The second control unit
When the operation signal of the second heater is input during the operation of the first heater, the use of the second heater is restricted.
Cooking device.
According to claim 2,
The second control unit
When the operation signal of the second heater is input during the operation of the first heater, the second heater is controlled according to a preset restriction algorithm.
Cooking device.
A first input unit for generating an ignition or fire signal, a first heater ignited when an ignition signal is generated from the input unit, an MPU driving a gas valve for opening and closing a gas pipe for supplying gas to the ignition unit, and the first 1 When the heater is ignited, a thermal electromotive force generation unit generating heat electromotive force and driving the MPU is provided on a circuit connected from the thermal electromotive force generation unit to the MPU, connected to the first control unit, and the thermal electromotive force generation unit A mechanical cooking unit having a voltage amplifying unit for amplifying the minute voltage generated in the first voltage to a voltage recognizable by the first control unit; And a second input unit operated separately from the first input unit and generating an operation signal, a second heater driven when the operation signal of the second input unit is generated, and driving of the second heater according to the signal of the second input unit. In the control method of a cooking apparatus comprising; an electronic cooking unit having a second control unit for controlling,
The first heater is driven (S100);
If the first heater is driving, determining whether a fine salt voltage is generated in the first control unit (S200);
A step of amplifying a voltage through the voltage amplifying unit in the first control unit when the fine salt voltage is generated in the step S200 (S300);
The second controller receives the amplified voltage from the first controller and recognizes whether the first heater is operating (S400); And
When the operation of the first heater () is recognized in step S400, the second control unit limits the use of the second heater or operates with a preset restriction algorithm (S500);
Control method of a cooking apparatus comprising a.
The method of claim 5,
If the first heater is not driven in step S100, the second control unit controls the second heater according to a previously stored normal operation algorithm (S600);
Containing more
How to control the cooking device. The method of claim 5,
In step S400, when the second control unit does not recognize the operation of the first heater, the first control unit or the second control unit outputs an error code or a warning sound (S700);
The control method of the cooking apparatus further comprising.

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