TW202033915A - Heating cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

The bar code on an object to be heated is appropriately and quickly made readable. This heating cooker comprises a heating chamber and a reading device, wherein: the reading device is installed at an installation position that is outside of the heating chamber and is positioned above a front surface opening section of the heating chamber; and the reading device has a reading region for reading the information code, the reading region being below the installation position, and being such that the reading center is in a region offset from the front surface opening section toward the outside of the heating chamber.

Description

Heating conditioner

The present invention relates to a heating conditioner that heats food materials that have been arranged inside a heating chamber.

In the past, for example, in convenience stores, foods such as bento that have been sold are heated by a heating conditioner such as a microwave oven and handed to customers.

The suitable heating temperature and heating time in the case of heating food differs according to the type of food. Therefore, in the microwave oven shown in Patent Document 1, the barcode indicating the type of food that has been described in the container of the food is read by a reader, and the heating information corresponding to the type of food (heating temperature, heating Time) and heat the food.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3076649 gazette.

By the way, in the microwave oven of Patent Document 1, the barcode reading device is provided on the top surface of the heating chamber, so a barcode reading area is formed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber. In this case, generally, the entire bottom surface of the heating chamber is not used as a barcode reading area, and a part of the bottom surface of the heating chamber becomes a barcode reading area. Therefore, it is difficult to know where to read the barcode in the heating chamber. It takes time to read the barcode. Therefore, there is a problem that the convenience of using the barcode to quickly perform heating and conditioning cannot be obtained.

In addition, the barcode reading area is fixed. Therefore, depending on the position of the barcode in the heated object, the barcode does not enter the barcode reading area, and the barcode cannot be read appropriately, and a barcode reading error occurs.

One aspect of the present invention aims to realize a convenient heating conditioner that can always read the information code (bar code) of the object to be heated appropriately and quickly.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an aspect of the heating conditioner of the present invention includes: a heating chamber, and a reading device that reads at least an information code indicating heating conditions of the object to be heated; In a heating conditioner that heats food inside, the reading device is installed outside the heating chamber and above the front opening of the heating chamber as an installation position, and has a position below the installation position, and The reading center is shifted from the front opening to the area outside the heating chamber to read the information code.

According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a convenient heating conditioner that can appropriately and quickly read the information code of the object to be heated.

[Implementation Mode One] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

(Overview of heating conditioner 1) Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a state where the front door 12 of the heating conditioner 1 of the present embodiment is closed, as viewed from diagonally above the front. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a state where the front door 12 of the heating conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1 has been opened, as viewed diagonally from the front. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a state where the front door 12 of the heating conditioner 1 shown in Fig. 1 has been opened when viewed diagonally from the lower right. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the control board 17 included in the heating conditioner 1 shown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the heating conditioner, such as a microwave oven, has an operating panel 11 on the upper part of the front, and a front door 12 below the operating panel 11. The front door 12 is a door that opens and closes the heating compartment 13 provided in the front door 12, and covers the front opening 13b of the heating compartment 13 in a closed state. In the present embodiment, the front door 12 is a horizontally opened form that rotates with the end toward the left as the center, and has a handle 14 near the right end.

The operation panel 11 is provided in front of the control frame (substrate storage portion) 15. In the front-rear direction of the heating conditioner 1, the front position of the operation panel 11 is substantially the same as the front position of the front door 12.

Inside the control frame 15, there is provided a control board 17 (FIG. 4) that performs control of the display unit of the operation panel 11 and acceptance of user operations with respect to input keys and the like.

On the control board 17, as shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal panel 19 which comprises the display part of the operation panel 11, and the camera (reading device) 16 for reading a barcode are mounted. In addition, the camera 16 is mounted so that the optical axis OA of a lens (not shown) included in the camera 16 is parallel to the control board 17. In addition, the operation surface of the operation panel 11 is parallel to the mounting surface of the camera 16 of the control board 17.

(Camera 16) FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the control frame 15 showing the installation state of the camera 16. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the reading area 100 of the camera 16.

The control frame 15 is provided in a protruding shape toward the front of the heating conditioner 1. The camera 16 is installed in the lower part of the control frame 15.

The camera 16 is, for example, a barcode reader, which reads an information code (for example, a barcode) given to the food or the container of the food heated by the heating conditioner 1.

The camera 16 uses the area below the camera 16 as the reading area 100, and the control frame 15 has a transparent reading window 18 at a portion of the lower wall facing the camera 16.

The detailed installation position of the camera 16 is as follows. That is, the camera 16 sets the outside of the heating chamber 13 and the upper position (the position on the top wall 13a side) of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 as the installation position. Furthermore, the reading area 100 of the camera 16 is formed below the installation position of the camera 16, and the reading center is shifted from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the outside of the heating chamber 13.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the control board 17 is tilted within the control frame 15 such that the optical axis OA included in the camera 16 passes through the center 100 a of the reading area 100. Thereby, the reading area 100 of the camera 16 can be located below the installation position of the camera 16 and the reading center can be shifted from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the outside of the heating chamber 13.

According to the above configuration, the area of the reading area 100 outside the heating chamber 13 of the camera 16 can be increased. As a result, the ratio of the area that can be read within 100 within the reading area can be increased, so that it becomes an information code that can reliably read the object to be heated before entering the heating chamber 13.

Moreover, the ratio of the reading light irradiated to the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13 does not decrease, so it is possible to reduce the reflected light of the reading light from the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13 from entering the camera 16. As a result, the information code can be read. The effect of increased accuracy.

Moreover, the camera 16 is provided in the center part of the width direction (left-right direction) of the front opening part 13b of the heating chamber 13, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.

The reading area 100 of the camera 16 is represented by, for example, red light so that the user can understand the reading area 100 visually. This red light is irradiated by the reading area illuminating unit 21 (FIG. 9) installed at a position close to the camera 16 of the control frame 15. As the reading area lighting unit 21, for example, a red LED is used. In addition, the light indicating the reading area 100 is not limited to red, and may be other light that the user can visually see, such as a laser. In addition, the number of red LEDs may be one or multiple.

(Information code) Fig. 7(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code composed of a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark)), and Fig. 7(b) is an example of an information code composed of a one-dimensional bar code Illustration. FIG. 8(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a guide display on the operation panel 11 used for reading the information code by the camera 16, and FIG. 8(b) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the information code used by the camera 16 An explanatory diagram of another guide display example of the read operation panel 11.

The information code is information indicating the type of food, and is assigned to the food or the container of the food, for example, by printing or sticker. The information code indicates the type of food, for example, the food is bento (or the type of bento), rice ball (or the type of rice ball).

The information code, for example, as shown in Figure 7(a), can also be a two-dimensional code, as shown in Figure 7(b), or a one-dimensional bar code. In addition, the information code may be any one that can indicate the type of food, and is not particularly limited to a barcode or the like.

In the operation panel 11, in order to smoothly read the information code by the camera 16, a guide display 20 for the user is performed. For example, in the example of Fig. 8(a), the guidance display 20 of "Please open the door and insert the information code to the red light" is performed. In addition, in the example of Fig. 8(b), the guidance display 20 of "Please open the door and shine red light on the information code" is performed. In addition, these guidance displays 20 are just an example, and it is not specifically limited to these.

In addition, the position where the guidance display 20 is performed is not limited to the position approximately in the center of the operation panel 11 as shown in FIG. 8(a)(b), and any position is acceptable as long as it is on the operation panel 11. In addition, if If the position where the reading operation of the information code by the camera 16 can be guided with respect to the user, it may be a position other than the operation panel 11 (the front surface of the heating conditioner 1). A better position for the user to improve the convenience of use is the position of the operation panel 11 that must be paid attention to under the premise of operating the heating conditioner 1. Furthermore, it is more preferable if it is near (above) the reading window 18.

(Guide display) The guidance display 20 is realized by printing the content of the method of guiding the operation to the user on the operation panel 11. For example, a sticker on which the guide display 20 is printed is pasted on the operation panel 11. However, as a method of realizing the guide display 20, it is not limited to printing on the operation panel 11. A liquid crystal panel may be provided on the operation panel 11, and the guide display 20 may be performed on the liquid crystal panel. In this case, in conjunction with the opening and closing of the front door 12, lighting control of the backlight of the liquid crystal panel is performed. For example, if the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 (FIG. 9) detects the opening of the front door 12, it is linked with the opening of the front door 12 to light up the backlight of the liquid crystal panel displaying the guide display 20. As a result, the guide display 20 can be easily recognized by the user. Alternatively, the guide display 20 may be performed, and the content of the guide display 20 may be notified by sound. In this case, even a user who is difficult to see the characters displayed on the guide display 20 can confirm it by voice, and therefore it becomes possible to perform smooth operations.

(Control device) FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device included in the heating conditioner 1. The control device includes a control unit 22 that controls the operation of the heating conditioner 1. The control unit 22 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and has a CPU, ROM, and RAM.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 22 is connected with an operation panel 11, a heating operation unit 23, a camera 16, a reading area lighting unit 21, a reading result notification unit 24, and a front door opening/closing detection unit 25. The front door opening/closing detection unit 25 is composed of, for example, a switch that is turned on when the front door 12 is closed, and detects the open state and the closed state of the front door 12.

The heating operation part 23 is an operation part which heats the food arrange|positioned in the heating chamber 13, and is a microwave output device, a heater, for example. The reading result notification unit 24 is a buzzer and a sound generating unit, and is controlled by the control unit 22 to notify the user of the success or failure of the reading of the information code by the camera 16.

The control unit 22 can communicate with the server 31 using, for example, an Internet line. In the server 31, heating information corresponding to various types of food is registered. The control unit 22 obtains heating information corresponding to the type of food obtained by reading the information code by the camera 16 from the server 31, and controls the heating operation unit 23 in accordance with the obtained heating information to heat the food. In addition, the heating information corresponding to the type of food may be provided by the heating conditioner 1 itself. In this case, the heating conditioner 1 does not need to communicate with the server 31.

In addition, the control unit 22 controls the operation of the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the success or failure of the reading of the information code by the camera 16.

(The action of heating conditioner 1) In the above configuration, the operation of the heating conditioner 1 will be described below. Here, a description will be given of a case where the lunch box with the information code attached to the upper surface of the container is heated by the heating conditioner 1.

First, the user confirms the guidance display 20 of the operation panel 11 (for example, "Please open the door and insert the information code into the red light"). In addition, the user opens the front door 12 according to the guide display 20. If the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects the open state of the front door 12, the control unit 22 causes the camera 16 and the reading area lighting unit 21 to operate.

Then, the user moves the bento by following the guidance display 20 of the operation panel 11 in such a way that the information code enters the reading area 100 of the camera 16 (the way the red light reaches the information code).

With this action, the camera 16 reads the information code assigned to the lunch box. If the reading of the information code by the camera 16 is successful, the control unit 22 uses the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the reading result. In this case, the operation of the reading result notification unit 24 is, for example, an operation of emitting a continuous sound of "beep-", an operation of emitting a sound of "reading of the information code succeeded", or both.

If the user is notified of the success of the reading of the information code by the reading result notification unit 24, he places the lunch in the heating compartment 13, closes the front door 12, and presses the start button of the operation panel 11.

If the reading of the information code is successful, the control unit 22 communicates with the server 31 and obtains the heating information corresponding to the type of food indicated by the information code from the server 31. After that, if the user closes the front door 12 and presses the start button of the operation panel 11, the control unit 22 heats the lunch in the heating compartment 13 according to the obtained heating information.

On the other hand, if the reading of the information code by the camera 16 fails, the control unit 22 uses the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the reading result. In this case, the operation of the reading result notification unit 24 includes, for example, an operation of emitting a "beep, beep, beep" intermittent sound, an operation of emitting a sound of "reading of the information code has failed", or both.

If the user is notified of the failure of the reading of the information code by the reading result reporting unit 24, the information code enters the reading area 100 of the camera 16 (the red light is applied to the information code), and the information code is used again Bento moves. Therefore, the operation in the case where the reading of the information code is successful is as described above.

(Advantages of heating conditioner 1) In the heating conditioner 1, the camera 16 is installed so that the outside of the heating chamber 13 and the upper position of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 are set as the installation position, and the reading area 100 is provided below the installation position.

Therefore, during a series of actions in which the user places the heated food in the heating compartment 13, the information code can be read by the camera 16. As a result, the user does not need an independent operation for reading the information code with the camera 16, and the reading operation of the information code becomes easy.

In addition, the reading area 100 is formed outside the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13, so the influence of reflected light from the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13 is reduced, and the reading accuracy of the information code is improved.

In addition, since the camera 16 is installed above the front opening 13 b of the heating chamber 13, the detection signal passing surface (the lower surface of the reading window 18) is less likely to be dirty, and it is less likely to be affected by the temperature in the heating chamber 13.

In addition, at a position above the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13, the control frame 15 of the control board 17 housing the operation panel 11 is provided in a protruding shape. The camera 16 is installed from the bottom of the control frame 15 to the bottom. In this way, the heating chamber 16 is installed using the control frame 15 that houses the control board 17 of the operation panel 11.

Furthermore, on the operation panel 11, a guidance display 20 for the user is performed. As a result, it becomes possible to perform smooth reading of the information code from the heating library 16. In other words, even a user who is not accustomed to the operation of the heating conditioner 1 can simply look at the guide display 20 and easily grasp how the heating conditioner 1 is operated.

In the foregoing first embodiment, as a method of shifting the reading area 100 and the reading center 100a from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the outside of the heating chamber 13, as shown in FIG. The method of tilting the control board 17 itself on which the camera 16 is mounted in the frame 15 is not limited to this, and other methods may be used. The following second and third embodiments describe other methods of shifting the reading area 100 and the reading center 100a from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the outside of the heating chamber 13.

[Embodiment 2] In the following, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In addition, for convenience of description, components having the same functions as the components described in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same symbols, and the descriptions are not repeated.

(Overview of heating conditioner 2) FIG. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the control frame 15 showing the installation state of the camera 16 included in the heating conditioner 2 of the present embodiment.

The heating conditioner 2 has substantially the same structure as the heating conditioner 1 of the first embodiment, and the installation state of the camera 16 is different.

In the heating conditioner 1 of the aforementioned first embodiment, in order to place the reading area 100 of the camera 16 below the installation position of the camera 16, and the reading center is shifted from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the heating Outside of the library 13, the control board 17 itself on which the camera 16 is mounted is tilted so that the optical axis OA of the lens (not shown) included in the camera 16 passes through the center 100a of the reading area 100. In this embodiment, As shown in FIG. 10, the optical axis OA of the camera 16 itself is tilted on the control board 17 so that it passes through the center 100 a of the reading area 100. Specifically, a spacer 200 such as a gasket is arranged between the camera 16 and the control board 17 to tilt the camera 16 at a desired angle. The tilt of the camera 16 can be adjusted by the thickness of the spacer 200.

(Advantages of heating conditioner 2) The heating conditioner 2 has substantially the same effect as the heating conditioner 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, it is only necessary to tilt the camera 16 on the control board 17, so compared to tilting the control board 17 in the control frame 15. In the case of, there is also an effect that the position of the reading area 100 can be easily set.

[Implementation Mode Three] In the following, other embodiments of the present invention will be described. In addition, for convenience of description, components having the same functions as the components described in the above-mentioned embodiments are denoted by the same symbols, and the descriptions are not repeated.

(Overview of heating conditioner 3) FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the control frame 15 showing the installation state of the camera 16 included in the heating conditioner 3 of the present embodiment.

The heating conditioner 3 has substantially the same structure as the heating conditioner 1 of the first embodiment, and the installation state of the camera 16 is different. Specifically, the shape of the control frame 15 is different.

In the heating conditioner 1 of the aforementioned first embodiment, in order to place the reading area 100 of the camera 16 below the installation position of the camera 16, and the reading center is shifted from the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 to the heating Outside of the library 13, the control board 17 itself on which the camera 16 is mounted is tilted so that the optical axis OA of the lens (not shown) included in the camera 16 passes through the center 100a of the reading area 100. In this embodiment, As shown in FIG. 11, the control frame 15 is inclined with the operating surface of the operating panel 11 facing upward.

(Advantages of heating conditioner 3) The heating conditioner 3 has substantially the same effect as the heating conditioner 1 of the first embodiment. Furthermore, the operating surface of the operating panel 11 faces upward, so that the user can easily confirm the operating surface. In addition, since the control frame 15 itself is formed so that it faces upward, it becomes easier for the user to see the reading window 18 and to grasp the reading area 100. As a result, the accuracy of reading the information code is improved.

In addition, in the aforementioned first to third embodiments, the camera 16 is provided at the center of the width direction (left-right direction) of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The present invention is not limited to this. .

[Modifications] Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a state where the front door 12 of the heating conditioner 4, which is a modification of the foregoing first to third embodiments, is opened, as viewed diagonally from the lower right.

(Camera 16) In the heating conditioner 2, the camera 16, as shown in FIG. 12, is installed on the side opposite to the center of rotation of the horizontally opened front door 12 from the center in the width direction (left-right direction) of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 s position. The other configurations of the heating conditioner 4 and the operation of the heating conditioner 4 are the same as the heating conditioners 1 to 3 described above.

(Advantages of heating conditioner 4) In the heating conditioner 4, the camera 16 is provided at a position opposite to the center of rotation of the horizontally opened front door 12 from the center of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 in the width direction. Therefore, even when the front door is opened halfway, small foods such as rice balls are put into the heating chamber 13 from a position opposite to the rotation center of the front door 12, the information code of the camera 16 Reading failures also become difficult to produce. The other advantages of the heating conditioner 4 are the same as the aforementioned heating conditioner 1.

In addition, the camera 16 is not limited to one, and two cameras may be provided. In this case, the first camera 16 is provided at the position described above, and the second camera 16 may be provided at a position corresponding to the end of the front door 12 on the rotation center side of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13 and the first camera 16 Between the positions.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope indicated by the patent application. The embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical methods disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the present invention. Technical scope. Furthermore, by combining the technical methods disclosed in the respective embodiments, new technical features can be formed.

1, 2, 3, 4: heating conditioner 11: Operation panel 12: front door 13: Heating library 13b: Front opening 14: handle 15: control box 16: Camera (reading device) 17: Control board 19: LCD panel 20: Boot display 21: Reading area lighting department 22: Control Department 23: Heating operation part 24: Reading result notification department 25: Front door opening and closing detection department 31: Server 100: read area 100a: Reading center 200: spacer OA: Optical axis

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a state where the front door of the heating conditioner according to the embodiment of the present invention is closed, as seen from diagonally above the front. Fig. 2 is a front view of a state where the front door of the heating conditioner shown in Fig. 1 has been opened. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a state where the front door of the heating conditioner shown in Fig. 1 has been opened when viewed diagonally from the lower right. Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a control board included in the heating conditioner shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a control frame showing an installation state of a camera included in the heating conditioner shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a reading area of the camera shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7(a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code composed of a two-dimensional code read by a camera shown in Fig. 5, and (b) is an illustration showing a one-dimensional bar code structure read by a camera shown in Fig. 5 An explanatory diagram of an example of the information code. Fig. 8 (a) is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a guide display used on the operation panel for reading the information code of the camera shown in Fig. 5, and (b) is an explanatory diagram showing a guide display for reading the information code shown in Fig. 5 An explanatory diagram of another guide display example of the operation panel for reading the information code of the camera. Fig. 9 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device included in the heating conditioner shown in Fig. 1. 10 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a control frame showing the installation state of a camera included in the heating conditioner according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a control frame showing the installation state of the camera included in the heating conditioner according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of a state where the front door of the heating conditioner according to a modification of the present invention has been opened when viewed diagonally from lower right.

1: Heating conditioner

11: Operation panel

13: Heating library

13a: top wall

13b: Front opening

15: control box

16: Camera (reading device)

17: Control board

18: reading window

100: read area

100a: Reading center

OA: Optical axis

Claims (5)

A heating conditioner, comprising: a heating library, and a reading device that reads at least an information code indicating the heating condition of an object to be heated; heating the food arranged in the heating library; The reading device is provided with the outside of the heating chamber and the upper position of the front opening of the heating chamber as the installation position. It has a lower position than the installation position, and the reading center is shifted from the front opening to the The area outside the heating library reads the reading area of the information code. The heating conditioner according to claim 1, wherein the reading device is a camera mounted on a control board, and the control board is accommodated in a board accommodating portion protruding outward from the front opening of the heating chamber. The heating conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the camera is mounted on the control substrate in such a manner that the optical axis of the lens included in the camera is parallel to the substrate surface of the control substrate; The control substrate is inclined in the substrate accommodating part so that the optical axis passes through the center of the reading area. The heating conditioner according to claim 2, wherein the camera is inclined on the control substrate in such a manner that the optical axis of the lens included in the camera passes through the center of the reading area. The heating conditioner according to claim 2, wherein: The camera is mounted on the control board in such a way that the optical axis of the lens included in the camera is parallel to the board surface of the control board; The operation surface of the operation panel provided in the substrate accommodating portion is parallel to the substrate surface of the control substrate; The substrate accommodating portion is tilted with the operation surface facing upward so that the optical axis of the lens included in the camera passes through the center of the reading area.

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