US20220325894A1

US20220325894A1 - Cooking apparatus and control method thereof

Info

Publication number: US20220325894A1
Application number: US17/854,080
Authority: US
Inventors: Hyunsang Kim; Jungsu Kim; Jeonghyun Park; Sangwon Lee; Byeongkyu KIM; Shinkyum KIM
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-01-02
Filing date: 2022-06-30
Publication date: 2022-10-13
Also published as: WO2021137416A1

Abstract

A cooking apparatus comprises a body forming a cavity, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cavity, a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel, and a controller configured to identify a temperature variation of the cavity based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and configured to stop an operation of the burner based on a change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than a reference value.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation application, under 35 U.S.C. § 111(a), of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2020/015763, filed on Nov. 11, 2020, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0000118, filed on Jan. 2, 2020, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0039293, filed Mar. 31, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference as a part of this application.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates to a cooking apparatus and a control method thereof, and to a technology capable of identifying incomplete combustion due to closure of an air outlet, by detecting an internal temperature of a cavity of the cooking apparatus.

Description of Related Art

In general, a cooking apparatus is an appliance that cooks food by heating, and is roughly classified into a method of generating heat for heating food using electricity and a method of generating heat for heating food by burning gas.
The cooking apparatus is a kind of home appliance that cooks food by heating the food to a high temperature with a cavity in which food is accommodated, a burner for generating heat by burning gas and air, a gas supply flow path for supplying gas to the burner, and an ignition device for generating a flame.
As is known, air is required for combustion and after combustion occurs, combustion gas corresponding to waste gas is generated. Therefore, the cooking apparatus further includes a supply flow path for supplying air to the cavity and an exhaust flow path for discharging the waste gas of the cavity. In addition, the cooking apparatus is provided with an air outlet for discharging the waste gas.
When the air outlet of the cooking apparatus is closed due to the user's carelessness, etc., the combustion gas corresponding to the waste gas is not discharged to the outside of the cooking apparatus, and air for combustion is not supplied, so the unburned gas is filled in the cavity. Recently, there is an increasing need to identify a situation, in which the air outlet of the cooking apparatus is closed, by detecting an internal temperature of the cavity to secure stability of an operation of the cooking apparatus.

SUMMARY

One aspect of the present disclosure provides a cooking apparatus including a body forming a cavity, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cavity, a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel, and a controller configured to identify a temperature variation of the cavity based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and configured to stop an operation of the burner based on a change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than a reference value.
The controller may be configured to identify the change in the temperature variation of the cavity based on a change between a temperature variation of the cavity at a first time and a temperature variation of the cavity at a second time.
The controller may be configured to stop the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value during a first reference time.
The controller may be configured to continue the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being greater than or equal to the reference value during a second reference time.
An operation of the cooking apparatus may include a pre-heating operation for pre-heating the cavity and a cooking operation for cooking food accommodated in the cavity. The controller may be configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the cooking operation in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating operation, being greater than or equal to a reference temperature, and configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the pre-heating operation in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the reference temperature.
The cooking apparatus may further include a convection fan. The controller may be configured to drive the convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.
The cooking apparatus may further include a display. The controller may be configured to cause the display to display a message indicating an operation error of the cooking apparatus based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a control method of a cooking apparatus including a body forming a cavity, and a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel, the control method including driving the burner, detecting a temperature of the cavity, identifying a temperature variation of the cavity based on the detected temperature, and stopping an operation of the burner based on a change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than a reference value.
The identifying of the change in the temperature variation of the cavity may include identifying the change in the temperature variation of the cavity based on a change between a temperature variation of the cavity at a first time and a temperature variation of the cavity at a second time.
The stopping of the operation of the burner may include stopping the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value during a first reference time.
The control method may further include continuing the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being greater than or equal to the reference value during a second reference time.
An operation of the cooking apparatus may include a pre-heating operation for pre-heating the cavity and a cooking operation for cooking food accommodated in the cavity. The control method may further include starting the cooking operation in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating operation, being greater than or equal to a first reference temperature, and starting the pre-heating operation in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the reference temperature.
The control method may further include driving a convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.
The control method may further include controlling a display to display a message indicating an operation error of the cooking apparatus based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.
Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a cooking apparatus including a body forming a cavity, a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cavity, a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel, and a controller configured to stop an operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after a predetermined time elapses since an operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than a predetermined temperature.
The operation of the cooking apparatus may include a pre-heating operation for pre-heating the cavity and a cooking operation for cooking food accommodated in the cavity. The controller may be configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the cooking operation in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating operation, being greater than or equal to a predetermined first reference temperature, and configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the pre-heating operation in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the predetermined first reference temperature.
The controller may be configured to stop the operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after a predetermined first reference time elapses since the pre-heating operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than a predetermined second reference temperature.
The controller may be configured to control the cooking apparatus to continue the cooking in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined second reference time elapses since the cooking operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being greater than or equal to a predetermined third reference temperature.
The controller may be configured to stop the operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined second reference time elapses since the cooking operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than the predetermined third reference temperature.
The cooking apparatus may further include a convection fan. The controller may be configured to drive the convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined time elapses since the operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than the predetermined temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an exterior of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an inside of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which an air outlet of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is closed.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in pre-heating of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 are graphs illustrating a temperature variation of a cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state of displaying a warning message for abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a state in which the warning message for abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is displayed on a user terminal.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in the cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating a temperature of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating a temperature variation of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in the cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a graph illustrating a change in temperature variation of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. Well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the one or more exemplar embodiments with unnecessary detail. Terms such as “unit”, “module”, “member”, and “block” may be embodied as hardware or software. According to embodiments, a plurality of “unit”, “module”, “member”, and “block” may be implemented as a single component or a single “unit”, “module”, “member”, and “block” may include a plurality of components.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” another element, it can be directly or indirectly connected to the other element, wherein the indirect connection includes “connection via a wireless communication network”.
Also, when a part “includes” or “comprises” an element, unless there is a particular description contrary thereto, the part may further include other elements, not excluding the other elements.
Throughout the description, when a member is “on” another member, this includes not only when the member is in contact with the other member, but also when there is another member between the two members.
It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, but is should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element.
As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
An identification code is used for the convenience of the description but is not intended to illustrate the order of each step. The each step may be implemented in the order different from the illustrated order unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
The present disclosure is directed to providing a cooking apparatus capable of improving stability of a product operation and securing user safety by stopping an operation of the cooking apparatus by identifying a situation, in which an air outlet is closed, through detection of an internal temperature of a cavity of the cooking apparatus, and control method thereof.
It is possible to obtain an effect of improving stability of a product operation by stopping an operation of a cooking apparatus by identifying a situation, in which an air outlet is closed, by detecting an internal temperature of a cavity of the cooking apparatus. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect of securing the safety of the user from the difficulty that the flame is discharged out of an oven due to sudden gas combustion caused by opening of the cavity filled with the unburned gas.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a view illustrating an exterior of a cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an inside of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a state in which an air outlet of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is closed.
Referring to FIG. 1, a cooking apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include an oven 2 body in which various components are placed, and a cook top 10 configured to heat a cooking container including food. The cooktop 10 may be positioned at an upper portion of the cooking apparatus 1, and the oven 2 may be positioned at a lower portion of the cooking apparatus 1. A cavity (not shown) may be formed in the oven 2. Food may be accommodated in the cavity.
In FIG. 1, the cooking apparatus 1 is illustrated as including the cooktop 10 and the oven 2, but, alternatively, the cooking apparatus 1 may include only the oven 2. That is, in the cooking apparatus 1, the cooktop 10 may be omitted. The cooking apparatus 1 may be provided as a built-in or non-built-in type.
The cooktop 10 may include a gas burner device 100 for heating food. The gas burner device 100 may use gas as an energy source. The gas burner device 100 may generate thermal power by burning gas. In FIG. 1, the cooktop 10 is illustrated as including five gas burner devices 100, but the number of gas burner devices 100 is not limited thereto.
The cooktop 10 may include a support plate 11. The support plate 11 may form an upper surface of the cooking apparatus 1. The gas burner device 100 may be mounted on the support plate 11.
A container support member 12 may be arranged on the upper portion of the support plate 11. The container support member 12 may be provided to place a cooking container (not shown) thereon. The container support member 12 may be removable from the support plate 11. The container support member 12 may be located above the gas burner device 100. The container support member 12 may be provided in plurality.
The oven 2 may be provided under the cooktop 10. A plurality of racks (not shown) may be provided inside the oven 2, and a tray (not shown) may be mounted on each rack. Food to be cooked may be accommodated in the tray.
The oven 2 may include a door 2 a configured to selectively open or close the front side of the cavity 40. The door 2 a may include a see-through member 2 b formed of a transparent or semi-transparent material to allow a user to visually check a cooking state of the food accommodated in the cavity 40. The see-through member 2 b may be provided with multiple glass layers. The multiple glass layers may be spaced apart to allow air for cooling to pass therethrough.
A knob 3 may be provided on a front upper portion of the cooking apparatus 1. The knob 3 may be provided for setting functions of the cooktop 10 and/or the oven 2. The knob 3 may be provided to operate each gas burner device 100. By operating the knob 3, the user can set on/off, a temperature, a time, and the like. Although it is illustrated that five knobs 3 are provided in FIG. 1, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the number of knobs 3 may vary. The number of knobs 3 may be provided to correspond to the number of gas burner devices 100. Each knob 3 may control each gas burner device 100 independently of each other.
In addition, a user interface 5 may be provided next to the knob 3 on the front upper portion of the cooking apparatus 1, and the user interface 5 may include a plurality of input buttons 5 a configured to receive control commands from the user, and a display 5 b provided to display operation information of the cooking apparatus 1.
When looking at the outside and inside of the cooking apparatus 1 in more detail, the cavity 40 accommodating the food is formed inside a body 1 a. The cavity 40 is formed in a substantially box shape by an upper wall 31, a lower wall 32, a left wall 33, a right wall 34 and a rear wall 35, and a front side of the cavity 40 is open for putting in and out of food.
A door 20 coupled to the body 1 a to be rotatable in the vertical direction may be provided on the open front surface of the cavity 40, and the cavity 40 may be opened and closed by the door 20. In addition, the door 20 may be provided with a handle 2 c to allow a user to easily open and close the door 20.
In addition, a plurality of supports 36 on which the rack (not shown), on which food is placed, is mounted may be provided inside the cavity 40. The plurality of supports 36 may protrude from the left wall 33 and the right wall 34.
The cavity 40 may be partitioned by a divider 43. The divider 43 may be removably mounted inside the cavity 40, and may divide the cavity 40, vertically or horizontally. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the divider 43 may be mounted parallel to the upper wall 31 and the lower wall 32 of the cavity 40 and thus the divider 43 may divide the cavity 40 to a first cavity 41 in the upper portion and a second cavity 42 in the lower portion.
The divider 43 may be formed of an insulating material, and the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 may be insulated by the divider 43. In addition, it is not required that the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 divided by the divider 43 have the same size, and thus the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 may have the different size.
In order to heat the food accommodated in the cavity 40, the cooking apparatus 1 may include various components.
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, according to one embodiment, the cooking apparatus 1 may include a plurality of burners 61 and 62 configured to heat the cavity 40 by burning gas fuel, a plurality of convection units 51 and 52 configured to circulate air in the cavity 40, an auxiliary air supply device 105 configured to assist in supplying air to the cavity 40, the user interface 5 configured to interact with a user, and a plurality of temperature sensors 80: 81 and 82 configured to detect a temperature of the cavity 40.
The plurality of burners 60: 61 and 62 may include a first burner 61 provided in an upper portion of the cavity 40 and a second burner 62 provided in a lower portion of the cavity 40. Particularly, when the cavity 40 is divided into the first cavity 41 on the upper side and the second cavity 42 on the lower side by the divider 43, the first burner 61 may be installed in the first cavity 41 and the second burner 62 may be installed in the second cavity 42.
The first burner 61 may include a first pipe burner 61 b configured to generate a flame for heating the food accommodated in the cavity 40, and a first burner valve 61 a configured to regulate gas fuel supplied to the first pipe burner 61 b.
The first pipe burner 61 b may extend forwardly from a rear surface of the cavity 40, and a plurality of gas outlet holes through which gas fuel is discharged to generate a flame may be provided on a side surface of the first pipe burner 61 b.
The first burner valve 61 a may be arranged on a first gas supply pipe (not shown) supplying gas fuel from an external gas supply source (not shown) to the first pipe burner 61 b, so as to open and close the first gas supply pipe. The first burner valve 61 a may employ a bimetal valve, and a solenoid valve.
Based on the cavity 40 being divided into the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 by the divider 43, the first burner 61 may heat the food accommodated in the first cavity 41.
In addition, the first burner 61 may be provided to be exposed on the upper portion of the cavity 40. As a result, the first burner 61 may directly heat the food accommodated in the cavity 40 as shown in FIG. 2. Particularly, the food may be directly heated by radiant heat generated by the flame of the first burner 61.
The second burner 62 may include a second pipe burner 62 b configured to generate a flame for heating the cavity 40, and a second burner valve 62 a configured to regulate gas fuel supplied to the second pipe burner 62 b.
The second pipe burner 62 b may extend forwardly from the rear surface of the cavity 40, and a plurality of gas outlet holes through which gas fuel is discharged to generate a flame may be provided on a side surface of the second pipe burner 62 b.
The second burner valve 62 a may be arranged on a second gas supply pipe (not shown) supplying gas fuel from an external gas supply source (not shown) to the second pipe burner 62 b, so as to open and close the second gas supply pipe. The second burner valve 62 a may employ a bimetal valve, and a solenoid valve.
Based on the cavity 40 being divided into the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 by the divider 43, the second burner 62 may heat the food accommodated in the second cavity 42.
In addition, the second burner 62 may be provided under the lower wall 32 of the cavity 40. As a result, the second burner 62 may indirectly heat the food accommodated in the cavity 40 as shown in FIG. 2. Particularly, the air heated by the second burner 62 may be supplied into the cavity 40 through a heating hole 32 a of the lower wall 32, and the food may be cooked by the heated air inside the cavity 40.
The plurality of convection units 51 and 52 are provided on the rear surface of the cavity 40, and includes a first convection unit 51 provided on an upper portion of the rear surface and a second convection unit 52 provided on a lower portion of the rear surface. Particularly, based on the cavity 40 being divided into the first cavity 41 in the upper portion and the lower second cavity 42 in the lower portion by the divider 43, the first convection unit 51 may be positioned in the first cavity 41 and the second convection unit 52 may be positioned in the second cavity 42.
The first convection unit 51 may include a first convection fan 51 b configured to circulate air inside the cavity 40, a first auxiliary heater 51 a configured to auxiliary heat the inside of the cavity 40, and a first convection housing 51 c provided to accommodate the first convection fan 51 b and the first auxiliary heater 51 a.
The first convection fan 51 b rotates by receiving a rotational force from a first convection fan motor, and circulates air inside the cavity 40. Particularly, the first convection fan 51 b provided on the rear surface of the cavity 40 discharges air toward the front of the cavity 40. The air discharged toward the front of the cavity 40 by the first convection fan 51 b circulates inside the cavity 40 and then returns to the first convection fan 51 b.
Because the air inside the cavity 40 is circulated by the first convection fan 51 b, the inside of the cavity 40 may have a uniform temperature distribution.
The first auxiliary heater 51 a heats the air discharged by the first convection fan 51 b. Particularly, the air heated by the first auxiliary heater 51 a is discharged into the cavity 40 by the first convection fan 51 b.
The first auxiliary heater 51 a radiates less heat than the first burner 61 and the second burner 62. Accordingly, the first auxiliary heater 51 a may be used to assist the first burner 61 and the second burner 62.
The second convection unit 52 may include a second convection fan 52 b configured to circulate air inside the cavity 40, a second auxiliary heater 52 a configured to auxiliary heat the inside of the cavity 40, and a second convection housing 52 c provided to accommodate the second convection fan 52 b and the second auxiliary heater 52 a.
The second convection fan 52 b rotates by receiving a rotational force from a second convection fan motor, and circulates the air inside the cavity 40. The second auxiliary heater 52 a heats air discharged by the second convection fan 52 b. The second auxiliary heater 52 a may radiate less heat than the first burner 61 and the second burner 62, and the second auxiliary heater 52 a may be used to assist the first burner 61 and the second burner 62.
An air inlet (not shown) supplying air for combustion of the second burner 62 is provided on the lower wall 32.
The auxiliary air supply device 105 may supply air for combustion of the first burner 61.
As is well known, air containing oxygen is required to burn fuel. If air containing oxygen is not supplied, the flame that burns the fuel is immediately extinguished.
As described above, the first burner 61 and the second burner 62 heat the cavity 40 by burning gas fuel. Also, as is widely known, because the burned gas moves from the bottom to the top, it is common to place the air inlet for supplying air in the lower portion of the cavity 40. Accordingly, the second burner 62 may receive fresh air from the air inlet (not shown) formed in the lower portion of the cavity 40. That is, a separate air supply device for supplying air to the second burner 62 is not required.
On the other hand, because it is difficult for the first burner 61 to receive air from the air inlet (not shown) formed in the lower portion of the cavity 40, a separate air supply for supplying fresh air to the first burner 61 is required. Moreover, when the cavity 40 is divided into the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42 by the divider 43, the first cavity 41 is not provided with an air inlet, and thus an air supply device for supplying fresh air to the first burner 61 is required.
In addition, in a state in which the divider 43 is not mounted, the combustion waste gas generated by the second burner 62 provided in the lower portion of the cavity 40 interferes with the combustion of the first burner 61, and thus an air supply device for supplying fresh air to the first burner 61 is required. The waste gas refers to combustion gas generated after combustion. When the gas is completely combusted, carbon monoxide and water vapor are generated, and when the gas is incompletely combusted, carbon monoxide, hydrogen, sulfur, etc. may be generated. Incomplete combustion may occur in the first burner 61 by the waste gas of the second burner 62.
Therefore, the auxiliary air supply device 105 may be provided on the upper portion of the rear surface 35 of the cavity 40 so as to supply fresh air to the first burner 61.
As shown in FIG. 1, an air outlet 90 extending to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1 so as to guide the waste gas of the cavity 40 to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1 may be formed on the upper wall 31. In addition, based on the divider 43 being mounted to the cavity 40, the air outlet 90 may discharge the waste gas of the first cavity 41.
In addition, an auxiliary air outlet 91 provided to guide the waste gas of the second cavity 42 to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1 may be provided on the rear wall 35. By the divider 43 being mounted to the cavity 40, it is difficult for the waste gas generated by the combustion of the second burner 62 to be discharged to the air outlet 90 of the upper wall 31. For this reason, the auxiliary air outlet 91 provided to discharge the waste gas of the second cavity 42 is provided at a position corresponding to the second cavity 42.
The user interface 5 may be provided next to the knob 3 on the upper front portion of the cooking apparatus 1, and include the plurality of input buttons 5 a receiving control commands from the user and the display 5 b displaying operation information of the cooking apparatus 1.
The input button 5 a may receive a setting value related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 or various control commands from the user.
For example, the user can set a cooking time, change a cooking temperature, select the cavity (e.g., the first cavity or the second cavity), or select a cooking method (e.g., baking cooking or boiling cooking) through the input button 5 a. In other words, the input button 5 a may include a broil button (not shown) for inputting a broil cooking command of the first cavity 41, a bake button (not shown) for inputting a bake cooking command of the first cavity 41, and a bake button (not shown) for inputting a bake heating command of the second cavity 42.
In addition, through the input button 5 a, the user may input a preheat-set temperature for pre-heating for the cooking apparatus 1 to preheat the cavity 40, and a cooking set temperature for cooking food accommodated in the cavity 40.
The input button 5 a transmits an electrical signal corresponding to the set value or control command input by the user to a controller 200.
The input button 5 a may employ a push switch, a toggle switch, a sliding switch, a membrane switch, a touch switch, or a dial.
The display 5 b may display various operation information related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 to the user in response to the control signal of the controller 200. For example, the display 5 b may display a cooking temperature or a cooking method selected by a user, or display a current temperature of the cavity 40. Further, as will be described later, the display 5 b may display a warning message regarding abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
The display 5 b may employ a light emitting diode (LED) panel, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel, or a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel.
In addition, the display 5 b may employ a touch screen including a touch pad sensing a user's touch. The touch screen may display a setting value or a control command that a user can select, and may receive a setting value or a control command in response to a user's touch input.
The temperature sensor 80 may include a first temperature sensor 81 provided in the upper portion of the cavity 40 and a second temperature sensor 82 provided in the lower portion of the cavity 40. Particularly, in the state in which the cavity 40 is divided into the upper first cavity 41 and the lower second cavity 42 by the divider 43, the first temperature sensor 81 may detect a temperature of the first cavity 41 and the second temperature sensor 82 may detect a temperature of the second cavity 42.
The first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 may include a thermistor in which electrical resistance changes according to a temperature. The first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 including the thermistor may output an electrical signal corresponding to the temperature of the cavity 40.
For example, in the state in which the divider 43 is mounted, the first temperature sensor 81 may output a first temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the first cavity 41 to the controller 200, and the second temperature sensor 82 may output a second temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the second cavity 42 to the controller 200. In addition, in the state in which the divider 43 is separated, the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 may output a first temperature detection signal and a second temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the cavity 40 to the controller 200.
In addition, the cooking apparatus 1 according to one embodiment may include the controller 200 configured to manage the control related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, a communication circuitry 300 configured to transmit data related to the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 to an external device, and configured to perform communication between the cooking apparatus 1 and an external device, a notification device 400 configured to output a warning sound about the abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1, and a memory 220 configured to store a program and data for controlling the cooking apparatus 1.
The controller 200 includes the memory 220 configured to store/memorize programs and data, and a processor 210 configured to process data according to the programs and data stored in the memory 220.
The processor 210 processes a control command, first and second temperature detection signals according to the control program stored in the memory 220, and output a control signal for controlling the first burner 61, the second burner 62, the first convection unit 51, the second convection unit 52, and the auxiliary air supply device 105.
For example, in response to a broil cooking command for the first cavity 41 being input from a user, the processor 210 may process the user's control command and output a control signal for controlling the first burner 61, the first convection unit 51 and the auxiliary air supply device 105 according to the first temperature detection signal. Particularly, in response to a temperature of the first cavity 41 being less than the cooking temperature, the processor 210 may output a control signal for operating the first burner 61, the first convection unit 51 and the auxiliary air supply device 105. In response to a temperature of the first cavity 41 being greater than or equal to the cooking temperature, the processor 210 may output a control signal for stopping the first burner 61, the first convection unit 51 and the auxiliary air supply device 105.
The memory 220 may store the control program and control data for controlling the cooking apparatus 1, the control command input through a user interface, the first temperature detection signal and the second temperature detection signal input from the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82, and the control signal output from the processor 210.
In addition, the memory 220 may include a volatile memory (not shown) such as Static Random Access Memory (S-RAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (D-RAM), and a non-volatile memory (not shown) such as flash memory, Read Only Memory (ROM), an Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), and an Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM).
The non-volatile memory may operate as an auxiliary storage device of the volatile memory, and may store the control program and control data for controlling the operation of the cooking apparatus 1. In addition, the non-volatile memory may maintain the stored data even when the power of the cooking apparatus 1 is turned off.
The volatile memory may load the control program and control data from the non-volatile memory and temporarily memorize the control program and control data or may temporarily memorize the control command input through the user interface, the first temperature detection signal and the second temperature detection signal input from the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82, the control signal output from the processor 210, and operation information of the first burner 61 and the second burner 62. Unlike the nonvolatile memory, the volatile memory may lose the memorized data caused by the power off of the cooking apparatus 1.
In the above, the processor 210 and the memory 220 are described as a separate component, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the processor 210 and the memory 220 may be provided as a single chip.
As mentioned above, the controller 200 may control operations of various components included in the cooking apparatus 1. Further, it may be understood that the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 to be described below is performed by a control operation of the controller 200.
As described above in FIG. 1, the air outlet 90 is provided on the upper wall 31 of the cooking apparatus 1, and the air outlet 90 is formed to extend to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1 to discharge the waste gas of the cavity 40 to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1.
As shown in FIG. 4, due to the closure of the 90 caused by negligence or mistake, such as a state in which a user places an object ob on the air outlet 90 during operation of the cooking apparatus 1, the waste gas burned inside the cooking apparatus 1 may stay inside the cavity 40 without being discharged to the outside through the air outlet 90.
Due to the waste gas filled in the cavity 40, air for combustion may not be supplied to the inside of the cooking apparatus 1, but gas may be supplied. Therefore, unburned gas is filled in the cooking apparatus 1.
When the user opens the door 2 a while the inside of the cooking apparatus 1 is filled with the unburned gas, air may flow into the cooking apparatus 1 and the unburned gas may be combusted to generate a flame, which may cause safety problems in that a user is burned.
FIG. 4 illustrates that the entire air outlet 90 of the cooking apparatus 1 is closed, as an example, but if the waste gas is not smoothly discharged to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1 even when a part of the air outlet 90 is closed, the unburned gas is filled in the cooking apparatus 1.
According to the cooking apparatus and the control method thereof according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, in the state in which unburned gas is generated and filed in the cooking apparatus 1 due to the closure of the air outlet 90 of the cooking apparatus 1, it is possible to identify the state, in which the air outlet 90 is closed, by detecting the internal temperature of the cavity 40 and to stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in pre-heating of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIGS. 7 to 9 are graphs illustrating a temperature variation of a cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a view illustrating a state of displaying a warning message for abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 11 is a view illustrating a state in which the warning message for abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is displayed on a user terminal.
Referring to FIGS. 5 to 11, in response to the start of the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1000).
As described above, the first temperature sensor 81 may output the first temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the first cavity 41 to the controller 200, and the second temperature sensor 82 may output the second temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the second cavity 42 to the controller 200. In addition, in the state in which the divider 43 is separated, the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 may output the first temperature detection signal and the second temperature detection signal corresponding to the temperature of the cavity 40 to the controller 200.
The operation and control method of the cooking apparatus 1 described below may be equally applied to the first cavity 41 and the second cavity 42, respectively, based on the divider 43 being mounted. That is, in the state in which the divider 43 is mounted, the controller 200 may determine the generation of unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90, based on the temperature of the first cavity 41 detected by the first temperature sensor 81 and the temperature of the second cavity 42 detected by the second temperature sensor 82, and may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
On the other hand, in the state in which the divider 43 is separated, the controller 200 may determine the generation of unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90 based on the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82, and may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
The controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 is greater than or equal to a first reference temperature (1010). In this case, the first reference temperature may be a set temperature input by a user through the input button 5 a in advance, or may be temperature data stored in advance in the memory 220.
The cooking apparatus 1 may be already in an operation state, or complete pre-heating, or complete cooking food prior to performing the control method of the cooking apparatus 1 according to one embodiment. That is, in response to a currently-detected temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1 being greater than or equal to a predetermined temperature value, the controller 200 may determine that the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1 is already performed or the cooking food is already performed. Accordingly, the controller 200 may determine that the cooking apparatus 1 operates normally.
In response to the completion of the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1, the notification device 400 may output a notification indicating that cooking may start. That is, in response to the currently-detected temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1 being greater than or equal to the first reference temperature, the notification device 400 may output a notification indicating the completion of the pre-heating. Accordingly, a user may listen to the notification sound and input a control command for starting the cooking of the cooking apparatus 1.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the cooking (1060), and in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the pre-heating (1020).
That is, as shown in FIG. 7, in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start the pre-heating before the cooking apparatus 1 starts the cooking, so as to heat the cavity 40 to a predetermined temperature during a first reference time t1.
The controller 200 may determine whether the first reference time t1 elapses since the start of the heating for the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1 (1030), and the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 at the expiration of the first reference time t1 (1040).
The controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 is greater than or equal to a second reference temperature (1050). In this case, the second reference temperature may be a set temperature input by a user through the input button 5 a in advance, or may be temperature data stored in advance in the memory 220.
That is, the controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the predetermined temperature during a predetermined time, by the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1, and in general, the temperature of the cavity 40 rises to the second reference temperature or more during the first reference time t1, as illustrated in FIG. 7.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the second reference temperature, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, and the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start the heating for cooking (1060). As described above, in response to the completion of the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1, the notification device 400 may output the notification indicating that cooking may start. That is, in response to the currently-detected temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1 being greater than or equal to the second reference temperature, the notification device 400 may output the notification indicating the completion of the pre-heating. Accordingly, a user may listen to the notification sound and input a control command for starting the cooking of the cooking apparatus 1.
However, as described above in FIG. 4, due to the closure of the air outlet 90 such as the state, in which a user places an object ob on the air outlet 90, the waste gas burned inside the cooking apparatus 1 may stay inside the cavity 40 without being discharged to the outside through the air outlet 90. Therefore, air for combustion may not be supplied to the inside of the cooking apparatus 1, which causes the generation of the unburned gas.
That is, gas is not completely burned inside the cooking apparatus 1, and thus the temperature of the cavity 40 does not rise. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 8, a temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 is less than the second reference temperature after the first reference time t1 elapses since the start of the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus 1.
That is, in response to the abnormal performance of the pre-heating of the cavity 40, the notification device 400 may not output the notification indicating the completion of the pre-heating, and output a warning sound indicating that a difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the second reference temperature after the pre-heating for the first reference time t1, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90, and the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
Particularly, the controller 200 may control the operation of the burner 60 to be stopped (1051). That is, by controlling the first burner valve 61 a and the second burner valve 62 a included in the first burner 61 and the second burner 62, respectively, the controller 200 may stop the gas supply so as to prevent the unburned gas from being filled in the cooking apparatus 1.
Further, the controller 200 may control the convection fan 50 b to rotate for a predetermined first circulation time (1052). That is, by controlling each of the first convection fan 51 b and the second convection fan 52 b to rotate for the predetermined time, the controller 200 may circulate the air inside the cavity 40 and allow the unburned gas inside the cavity 40 to be discharged to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1.
The controller 200 may control the first convection fan 51 b and the second convection fan 52 b to rotate for the predetermined time, such as 5 to 20 seconds, and thus the controller 200 may circulate the air in the cavity 40 and discharge the unburned gas.
Further, the controller 200 may control the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 to be locked for a predetermined first locking time (1053). That is, as described above, when a user opens the door 2 a in a state in which the unburned gas is filled in the cooking apparatus 1, air may flow into the cooking apparatus 1 and the unburned gas may be burned, thereby discharging a flame to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1. Therefore, the controller 200 may control the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 to be locked for the predetermined time until the unburned gas of the cooking apparatus 1 is discharged to the outside or disappears, and thus the controller 200 may secure the user's safety.
In addition, the controller 200 may control the notification device 400 to transmit a warning sound indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90 (1054).
The notification device 400 may be implemented in the form of a speaker that outputs a voice signal or a sound signal, and may output a warning message regarding abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1 as a predetermined sound signal such as a voice or a warning sound. The notification device 400 may output the warning message once or may output the warning message several times according to a predetermined setting.
Similarly, the controller 200 may control the display 5 b to display the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90 (1054).
That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the controller 200 may display the message regarding the abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1 on the display 5 b, and a user may identify that the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 is stopped due to the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90.
In addition, the controller 200 may control the communication circuitry 300 to transmit at least one data of the warning sound or the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90, to a user terminal 600 (1055).
The communication circuitry 300 may communicate with the user terminal 600 configured to communicate with the cooking apparatus 1. The user terminal 600 may include a device configured to communicate with the cooking apparatus 1, such as a smart phone, a tablet PC, and a device dedicated to the cooking apparatus 1 provided for the purpose of controlling the cooking apparatus 1.
The communication circuitry 300 may be implemented using a communication chip, an antenna, and related components so as to access at least one of a wired communication network and a wireless communication network. That is, the communication circuitry 300 may be implemented with various types of communication modules configured to perform short-distance communication or long-distance communication with the user terminal 600.
Based on the data received from the cooking apparatus 1 through the communication circuitry 300, the user terminal 600 may output a predetermined sound signal, such as a voice or a warning sound, regarding an occurrence of the difficulty in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90.
Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the user terminal 600 may display the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1.
The user listens to the warning sound output from the user terminal 600, or checks the warning message displayed on the user terminal 600, thereby identifying that the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 is stopped due to the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90.
The controller 200 may stop the gas supply to stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and rotate the first convection fan 51 b and the second convection fan 52 b for the predetermined time to discharge the unburned gas. After the predetermined time elapses since the discharge of the unburned gas, the controller 200 may resume the gas supply to start the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
That is, in response to the completion of the air circulation in the cavity 40 and the completion of the discharge of unburned gas while the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 is locked, the controller 200 may start the pre-heating, again. After the predetermined time elapses since the start of the pre-heating, the controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the second reference temperature. In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the second reference temperature, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the appliance 1, and control the cooking apparatus 1 to start the cooking.
On the other hand, in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the second reference temperature even after the pre-heating again for the predetermined time, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90, and the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, again. In addition, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the burner 60 to stop the gas supply, rotate the convection fan 50 b for the predetermined time to circulate the air inside the cavity 40, and maintain the door 2 a in a locked state.
As described above, the controller 200 may repeat to detect the temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1 so as to determine the abnormal combustion of the cooking apparatus 1, and accordingly, to stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and to resume the operation at the expiration of the predetermined time. In response to the repeat occurrence of the difficulty in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1 by a predetermined number of times, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and control the operation not to start again.
After the cooking apparatus 1 completes the pre-heating of the cavity 40 and starts the cooking mode (1060), the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1065).
The controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 is greater than or equal to a third reference temperature during the cooking of the cooking apparatus 1 (1070). The third reference temperature may be a reference temperature required for cooking the food accommodated in the cavity 40, and correspond to a set temperature input by the user in advance through the input button 5 a and temperature data stored in advance in the memory 220.
That is, the controller 200 may determine whether the cooking apparatus 1 is heated to the predetermined temperature or more to cook food for a certain period of time since the start of the cooking. In general, as shown in FIG. 7, the temperature of the cavity 40 for cooking rises to the third reference temperature or more.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the third reference temperature during the cooking, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, and may control the cooking apparatus 1 to continue the cooking (1090).
However, as described above in FIG. 4, due to the closure of the air outlet 90 such as the state in which a user places an object ob on the air outlet 90, the waste gas burned inside the cooking apparatus 1 may stay inside the cavity 40 without being discharged to the outside through the air outlet 90. Therefore, air for combustion may not be supplied to the inside of the cooking apparatus 1, which causes the generation of the unburned gas.
That is, gas is not completely burned inside the cooking apparatus 1, and thus the temperature of the cavity 40 does not rise. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 9, a temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 is less than the third reference temperature.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the third reference temperature, the controller 200 may determine whether the second reference time t2 elapses since the start of cooking of the cooking apparatus 1 (1080).
In response to the second reference time t2 not elapsing, the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 again (1065), and the controller 200 may compare the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 with the third reference temperature, again (1070).
The controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 is less than the third reference temperature during the second reference time t2 after the start of the cooking.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the third reference temperature at least once during the second reference time t2 after the start of the cooking, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1.
In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 continuously being less than the third reference temperature during the second reference time t2 after the start of the cooking, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90, and the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
Particularly, the controller 200 may control the operation of the burner 60 to be stopped (1081). That is, by controlling the first burner valve 61 a and the second burner valve 62 a included in the first burner 61 and the second burner 62, respectively, the controller 200 may stop the gas supply so as to prevent unburned gas from being filled in the cooking apparatus 1.
Further, the controller 200 may control the convection fan 50 b to rotate for a predetermined second circulation time (1082). That is, by controlling each of the first convection fan Mb and the second convection fan 52 b to rotate for the predetermined time, the controller 200 may circulate the air inside the cavity 40 and allow unburned gas inside the cavity 40 to be discharged to the outside of the cooking apparatus 1. The second circulation time in which the convention fan 50 b rotates may be the same as or different from the first circulation time, or may vary according to an elapsed time of the cooking progress.
Further, the controller 200 may control the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 to be locked for a predetermined second locking time (1083). That is, the controller 200 may control the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 to be locked for the predetermined time until the unburned gas of the cooking apparatus 1 is discharged to the outside or disappears, and thus the controller 200 may secure the user's safety. The second locking time in which the door 2 a is locked may be the same as or different from the first locking time or may vary according to an elapsed time of the cooking progress.
In addition, the controller 200 may control the notification device 400 to transmit the warning sound indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90 (1084).
The notification device 400 may be implemented in the form of a speaker that outputs a voice signal or a sound signal, and may output a warning message regarding abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1 as a predetermined sound signal such as a voice or a warning sound. The notification device 400 may output the warning message once or may output the warning message several times according to a predetermined setting.
Similarly, the controller 200 may control the display 5 b to display the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90 (1084).
That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the controller 200 may display the message regarding the abnormal operation of the cooking apparatus 1 on the display 5 b, and a user may identify that the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 is stopped due to the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90 during the cooking process of the cooking apparatus 1.
In addition, the controller 200 may control the communication circuitry 300 to transmit at least one data of the warning sound or the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90, to the user terminal 600 (1085).
Based on the data received from the cooking apparatus 1 through the communication circuitry 300, the user terminal 600 may output a predetermined sound signal, such as a voice or a warning sound, regarding the occurrence of the difficulty in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90.
Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the user terminal 600 may display the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1.
The controller 200 may stop the gas supply to stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and rotate the first convection fan 51 b and the second convection fan 52 b for the predetermined time to discharge the unburned gas. After the predetermined time elapses since the discharge of the unburned gas, the controller 200 may resume the gas supply to start the operation of the cooking apparatus 1.
That is, in response to the completion of the air circulation in the cavity 40 and the completion of the discharge of unburned gas while the door 2 a of the cooking apparatus 1 is locked, the controller 200 may resume the cooking operation of the cooking apparatus 1. In response to the expiration of the predetermined time after the restarting of the pre-heating, the controller 200 may determine whether the temperature of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the third reference temperature. In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the third reference temperature, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the appliance 1, and control the cooking apparatus 1 to proceed with the cooking.
On the other hand, in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the third reference temperature even after the pre-heating again for the predetermined time, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90, and the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, again. In addition, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the burner 60 to stop the gas supply, rotate the convection fan 50 b for the predetermined time to circulate the air inside the cavity 40, and maintain the door 2 a in the locked state.
As described above, the controller 200 may repeat to detect the temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1 so as to determine the abnormal combustion of the cooking apparatus 1, and accordingly, to stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and to resume the operation at the expiration of the predetermined time. In response to the repeat occurrence of the difficulty in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1 by a predetermined number of times, the controller 200 may stop the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 and control the operation not to start again. The user listens to the warning sound output from the user terminal 600, or checks the warning message displayed on the user terminal 600, thereby identifying that the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 is stopped due to the generation of the unburned gas caused by the closure of the air outlet 90.
As described above, according to the cooking apparatus and the control method thereof according to one embodiment of the disclosed disclosure, it is possible to obtain an effect of improving stability of a product operation by stopping the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 by identifying the situation, in which the air outlet 90 is closed, by detecting the internal temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect of securing the safety of the user from the difficulty that the flame is discharged out of the oven due to sudden gas combustion caused by opening of the cavity 40 filled with the unburned gas.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 is a graph illustrating a temperature of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 is a graph illustrating a temperature variation of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 12 to 14, in response to the start of the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1100). In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the cooking (1160), and in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the pre-heating (1120).
Operations 1100, 1110, and 1120 may be the same as the operations 1000, 1010, and 1020 illustrated in FIG. 5, and thus descriptions of operations 1100, 1110, and 1120 are replaced by the description of the operations 1000, 1010, and 1020.
The temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1130).
The controller 200 may determine whether a temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to a first reference value (1140). In this case, the first reference value may be a set temperature input by a user through the input button 5 a in advance or may be temperature data stored in the memory 220 in advance.
The controller 200 may store the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 in a time-series manner in the memory 220, and the controller 200 may obtain the temperature variation of the cavity 40 based on the temperature of the cavity 40 stored in time-series in the memory 220.
The controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation at different times. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the controller 200 may obtain a temperature T1 from the temperature sensor 80 at a time t1, obtain a temperature T2 at a time t2, a temperature T3 at a time t3, and a temperature T4 at a time t4. The controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation between successive times. The controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation T2-T1 between time t1 and time t2. Further, the controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation T4-T3 between time t3 and time t4.
The controller 200 may compare the temperature variation of the cavity 40 with the first reference value, and determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than the first reference value.
During the normal operation, the temperature of the cavity 40 may increase relatively constantly as shown in FIG. 13, and the temperature variation of the cavity 40 may be a constant value as shown in FIG. 14.
On the other hand, in response to the gas being incompletely combusted or not combusted due to the closure of the air outlet, the temperature of the cavity 40 may rapidly increase in an initial stage of combustion. Due to the closure of the air outlet, heat may not be discharged to the outside, and the temperature of the cavity 40 may rapidly rise until a reference time tR in which all the oxygen in the cavity 40 is burned. After the reference time tR in which all of the oxygen in the cavity 40 is burned, the gas may be incompletely combusted or not combusted, and the temperature of the cavity 40 may gradually increase.
As mentioned above, in response to the determination that the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is decreased after the reference time tR, the controller 200 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted due to the closure of the air outlet.
In order to determine whether the cooking apparatus 1 operates normally, the controller 200 may determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than the first reference value. The first reference value may be set to a value less than a temperature variation of the cavity 40 during the normal operation.
In response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the first reference value (yes in 1140), the controller 200 determines whether a third reference time elapses since the start of the heating (1150).
The controller 200 may determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the first reference value during the third reference time since the start of the heating.
In response to the determination that the third reference time does not elapse since the start of the heating (no in 1150), the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 and the controller 200 may repeat to determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the first reference value.
In response to the determination that the third reference time elapses since the start of the heating (yes in 1150), the controller 200 continues to heat the cavity 40 (1160).
In response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the first reference value during the third reference time, the controller 200 may determine that the difficulty does not occur in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1. Therefore, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to proceed with the cooking.
In response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference value (no in 1140), the controller 200 determines whether a period of time, in which the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the first reference value, is greater than or equal to a fourth reference time (1170).
Particularly, the controller 200 may determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the first reference time during the fourth reference time or more.
In response to the determination that the period of time, in which the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the first reference value, is less than the fourth reference time (no in 1170), the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature of the cavity 40 and the controller 200 repeats to determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to or the first reference value.
The temperature variation of the cavity 40 may change for a variety of reasons. Therefore, in response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference value for a short time, the controller 200 may re-determine whether the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the first reference value in order to confirm that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted.
In response to the determination that the period of time, in which the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the first reference value, is greater than or equal to the fourth reference time (yes in 1170), the controller 1180 stops the heating (1180).
In response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference value for the fourth reference time or longer, the controller 200 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted.
For example, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the temperature of the cavity 40 constantly rises during the normal operation, and the temperature variation of the cavity 40 may fluctuate within a certain range.
On the other hand, in response to the gas being incompletely combusted or not combusted, the temperature variation of the cavity 40 decreases after the reference time tR in which all the oxygen in the cavity 40 is burned, and the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is maintained at a value less than the first reference value.
Accordingly, in response to the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being maintained at the value less than the first reference value for the fourth reference time, the controller 200 may identify that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted.
For this reason, the controller 200 may stop the cooking. While the cooking is in progress, the controller 200 may control the operation of the burner 60 to be stopped, control the convection fan 50 b to rotate for the predetermined second circulation time and control the door 2 a to be maintained in the locked state for the predetermined second locking time. While the cooking is in progress, the controller 200 may control the notification device 400 to output the warning sound indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90. The controller 200 may control the display 5 b to display the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90. In addition, the controller 200 may control the communication circuitry 300 to transmit at least one data of the warning sound or the warning message indicating that the difficulty occurs in the combustion process of the cooking apparatus 1, such as the generation of the unburned gas due to the closure of the air outlet 90, to the user terminal 600.
As described above, according to the cooking apparatus and the control method thereof according to one embodiment of the disclosed disclosure, it is possible to obtain an effect of improving stability of a product operation by stopping the operation of the cooking apparatus 1 by identifying the situation, in which the air outlet 90 is closed, by detecting the difference in the temperature of the cavity 40 of the cooking apparatus 1. In addition, it is possible to obtain an effect of securing the safety of the user from the difficulty that the flame is discharged out of the oven due to sudden gas combustion caused by opening of the cavity 40 filled with the unburned gas.
As mentioned above, the cooking apparatus 1 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted based on the temperature variation of the cavity 40. Accordingly, the cooking apparatus 1 may distinguish a situation, in which the temperature of the cavity 40 is not increased due to combustion failure, from a situation, in which the temperature of the cavity 40 is not increased due to another heating failure.
FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control flow in the cooking of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 is a graph illustrating a change in temperature variation of the cavity of the cooking apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIGS. 15 and 16, in response to the start of the operation of the cooking apparatus 1, the temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1200). The controller 200 may compare the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 with the first reference temperature (1210). In response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the cooking (1160), and in response to the temperature of the cavity 40 being less than the first reference temperature, the controller 200 may control the cooking apparatus 1 to start heating for the pre-heating (1220).
Operations 1200, 1210, and 1220 may be the same as the operations 1000, 1010, and 1020 illustrated in FIG. 5, and thus descriptions of operations 1200, 1210, and 1220 are replaced by the description of the operations 1000, 1010, and 1020.
The temperature sensor 80 may detect the temperature of the cavity 40 (1230).
The controller 200 may determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the second reference value (1240). In this case, the second reference value may be a set temperature input by the user through the input button 5 a in advance or may be temperature data stored in the memory 220 in advance.
The controller 200 may store the temperature of the cavity 40 detected by the temperature sensor 80 in a time-series manner in the memory 220, and the controller 200 may obtain the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 based on the temperature of the cavity 40 stored in time-series in the memory 220.
The controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation at different times. For example, the controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation between successive times. The controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation T2-T1 between time t1 and time t2. Further, the controller 200 may obtain a temperature variation T4-T3 between time t3 and time t4.
The controller 200 may obtain a change in the temperature variation at different times. For example, the controller 200 may obtain a change in the temperature variation (T4-T3)-(T2-T1) at the time t4 based on the change between the temperature variation T2-T1 at the time t2 and the temperature variation T4-T3 at the time t4.
The controller 200 may compare the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 with the second reference value, and determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than the second reference value.
During the normal operation, the temperature of the cavity 40 may increase relatively constantly, and the temperature change of the cavity 40 may be approximately “0” (zero) as shown in FIG. 16.
On the other hand, in response to the gas being incompletely combusted or not combusted due to the closure of the air outlet, the temperature of the cavity 40 may rapidly increase before the reference time tR and gradually increase after the reference time tR. At the reference time tR, an inflection point, in which the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is decreased, that is, the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 becomes less than “0”, may occur.
As mentioned above, in response to the determination that the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is decreased (more particularly, it is less than “0” (zero)) after the reference time tR, the controller 200 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted due to the closure of the air outlet.
In order to determine whether the cooking apparatus 1 operates normally, the controller 200 may determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than the second reference value. The second reference value may be set to a value less than “0” (zero).
In response to the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the second reference value (yes in 1240), the controller 200 determines whether a third reference time elapses since the start of the heating (1250).
In response to the determination that the third reference time does not elapse since the start of the heating (no in 1250), the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature of the cavity 40 and the controller 200 repeats to determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the second reference value.
In response to the determination that the third reference time elapses since the start of the heating (yes in 1250), the controller 200 continues to heat the cavity 40 (1260).
In response to the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being greater than or equal to the second reference value for the third reference time since the start of the heating, the controller 200 may determine that the cooking apparatus 1 performs a normal combustion operation.
In response to the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being less than the second reference value (no in 1240), the controller 200 determines whether a period of time, in which the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the second reference value, is greater than or equal to a fifth reference time (1270).
Particularly, the controller 200 may determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the second reference value during the fifth reference time.
In response to the determination that the period of time, in which the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the second reference value, is less than the fifth reference time (no in 1270), the temperature sensor 80 detects the temperature of the cavity 40 and the controller 200 repeats to determine whether the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is greater than or equal to the second reference value.
In response to the determination that the period of time, in which the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the second reference value, is greater than or equal to the fourth reference time (yes in 1270), the controller 1180 stops the heating (1280).
In response to the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 being less than the second reference value for the fourth reference time or more, the controller 200 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted.
For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 during the normal operation may fluctuate around approximately “0” (zero).
On the other hand, in response to the gas being incompletely combusted or not combusted, the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is decreased at the reference time tR, in which all the oxygen in the cavity 40 is burned, and the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than “0” (zero).
Accordingly, in response to the period of time, in which the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40 is less than the second reference value, being maintained for the fourth reference time, the controller 200 may identify that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted.
For this reason, the controller 200 may stop the cooking.
As described above, the cooking apparatus 1 may determine that the gas is incompletely combusted or not combusted based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity 40. Accordingly, the cooking apparatus 1 may distinguish between the situation in which the temperature of the cavity 40 is not rapidly increased due to a relatively low external temperature and the situation in which the temperature of the cavity 40 is not increased due to poor combustion.
Meanwhile, the disclosed embodiments may be embodied in the form of a recording medium storing instructions executable by a computer. The instructions may be stored in the form of program code and, when executed by a processor, may generate a program module to perform the operations of the disclosed embodiments. The recording medium may be embodied as a computer-readable recording medium.
The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording media in which instructions which can be decoded by a computer are stored. For example, there may be a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic tape, a magnetic disk, a flash memory, and an optical data storage device.
Storage medium readable by machine, may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. “Non-transitory” means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic wave), and this term includes a case in which data is semi-permanently stored in a storage medium and a case in which data is temporarily stored in a storage medium.
The method according to the various disclosed embodiments may be provided by being included in a computer program product. Computer program products may be traded between sellers and buyers as commodities. Computer program products are distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or are distributed directly or online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) between two user devices (e.g., smartphones) through an application store (e.g., Play Store™). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product (e.g., downloadable app) may be temporarily stored or created temporarily in a device-readable storage medium such as the manufacturer's server, the application store's server, or the relay server's memory.
While the present disclosure has been particularly described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood by those of skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A cooking apparatus comprising:

a body forming a cavity;

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cavity;

a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel; and

a controller configured to identify a temperature variation of the cavity based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and configured to stop an operation of the burner based on a change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than a reference value.

2. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to identify the change in the temperature variation of the cavity based on a change between a temperature variation of the cavity at a first time and a temperature variation of the cavity at a second time.

3. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to stop the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value during a first reference time.

4. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the controller is configured to continue the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being greater than or equal to the reference value during a second reference time.

5. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, wherein

an operation of the cooking apparatus comprises a pre-heating operation of the cavity and a cooking operation of food accommodated in the cavity,

wherein the controller is configured to:

control the cooking apparatus to start the cooking operation in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating operation being greater than or equal to a reference temperature, and

control the cooking apparatus to start the pre-heating operation in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the reference temperature.

6. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a convection fan,

wherein the controller is configured to drive the convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.

7. The cooking apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a display,

wherein the controller is configured to cause the display to display a message indicating an operation error of the cooking apparatus based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.

8. A control method of a cooking apparatus including a body, the control method comprising:

driving a burner configured to heat a cavity of the cooking apparatus by burning gaseous fuel;

detecting a temperature of the cavity;

identifying a temperature variation of the cavity based on the detected temperature; and

stopping an operation of the burner based on a change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than a reference value.

9. The control method of claim 8, wherein

the identifying of the change in the temperature variation of the cavity comprises identifying the change in the temperature variation of the cavity based on a change between a temperature variation of the cavity at a first time and a temperature variation of the cavity at a second time.

10. The control method of claim 8, wherein

the stopping of the operation of the burner comprises stopping the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value during a first reference time.

11. The control method of claim 8, further comprising:

continuing the operation of the burner based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being greater than or equal to the reference value during a second reference time.

12. The control method of claim 8, wherein

an operation of the cooking apparatus comprises a pre-heating operation for pre-heating the cavity and a cooking operation for cooking food accommodated in the cavity,

wherein the control method further comprises starting the cooking operation in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating operation, being greater than or equal to a first reference temperature, and starting the pre-heating operation in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the reference temperature.

13. The control method of claim 8, further comprising:

driving a convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.

14. The control method of claim 8, further comprising:

controlling a display to display a message indicating an operation error of the cooking apparatus based on the change in the temperature variation of the cavity being less than the reference value.

15. A cooking apparatus comprising:

a body forming a cavity;

a temperature sensor configured to detect a temperature of the cavity;

a burner configured to heat the cavity by burning gaseous fuel; and

a controller configured to stop an operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after a predetermined time elapses since an operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than a predetermined temperature.

16. The cooking apparatus of claim 15, wherein

the operation of the cooking apparatus comprises pre-heating for pre-heating the cavity and cooking for cooking food accommodated in the cavity,

wherein the controller is configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the cooking in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor before the pre-heating, being greater than or equal to a predetermined first reference temperature, and configured to control the cooking apparatus to start the pre-heating in response to the temperature of the cavity being less than the predetermined first reference temperature.

17. The cooking apparatus of claim 16, wherein

the controller is configured to stop the operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after a predetermined first reference time elapses since the pre-heating of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than a predetermined second reference temperature.

18. The cooking apparatus of claim 16, wherein

the controller is configured to control the cooking apparatus to continue the cooking in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined second reference time elapses since the cooking of the cooking apparatus starts, being greater than or equal to a predetermined third reference temperature.

19. The cooking apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the controller is configured to stop the operation of the burner in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined second reference time elapses since the cooking of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than the predetermined third reference temperature.

20. The cooking apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a convection fan,

wherein the controller is configured to drive the convection fan to circulate air inside the cavity in response to the temperature of the cavity detected by the temperature sensor after the predetermined time elapses since the operation of the cooking apparatus starts, being less than the predetermined temperature.