WO2005033584A1

WO2005033584A1 - Microwave oven

Info

Publication number: WO2005033584A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/014571
Authority: WO
Inventors: Masaru Noda
Original assignee: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2003-09-30
Filing date: 2004-09-28
Publication date: 2005-04-14
Also published as: CN1603692A; JP2005106388A; KR20050031903A

Abstract

The processing executed by a control circuit of a microwave oven includes: a step of starting microwave radiation in a cooking box (S702), a step of receiving a signal from a reflected wave (S704), a step for detecting the distance to an object (S706), a step of judging the condition of the cooking plate according to the distance detected (S708), and a step of heating controlled according to the position of the cooking plate (S712) if the cooking plate is arranged in the cooking box (YES in S710).

Description

Description Microwave oven Technical field

The present invention relates to a microwave oven, and more particularly to a microwave oven that can select a heat treatment based on a distance to food. Background art

Microwave ovens have multiple heating courses as a function, and users can optimally heat food by selecting an appropriate heating course. However, depending on the food to be heated, there is a problem that such selection is not easy and it is difficult to make a forgery for selecting a heating course. In addition, even when a heating course is selected, there is a problem that heating cannot be appropriately controlled based on the type, quantity, or shape of the food.

Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-273.38 (Patent Document 1) discloses that a distance sensor is used to measure the distance to a cooking utensil, and a course such as an oven or a Darly is used. Disclose a heating device that can be selected. The heating device includes a heating unit, a container installed in the heating room in accordance with the cooking mode from the upper surface of the heating room, a detection unit for detecting a distance to a dish eating tool, and a detection unit. A control unit that controls the heating unit based on the signal.

According to this heating device, the cooking mode is identified when the installation position of a dedicated container used in accordance with the cooking mode and the installation position of utensils such as cooking i and the distance from the upper surface of the heating chamber are measured. Control unit for controlling the heating unit had based 'on the identification result, and can be automated cooking _σ Thus, the identification of the cooking mode pressing -.. Made as a selection of Netsukoichisu By doing so, the user can easily cook using the microwave oven.

In addition, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-77332 (Patent Document 2) discloses a heating device that can determine an object to be heated. This heating emblem is. A detection unit that detects the distance from the upper surface of the room to the object to be heated; a recognition unit that recognizes changes in distance based on the output signal from the detection unit; and a heating unit based on the output signal from the recognition unit And a control unit that controls

According to the heating device, the temporal change in the distance information from the upper surface of the heating chamber to the object to be heated causes the bulging of the top of the food covered with the wrap, the bulging of the cake, etc. . Is detected. Since the control unit controls the heating unit based on the information detected in this way, it is possible to improve the quality of cooking of the heated unit.

However, according to the heating device disclosed in Patent Document 1, even if it is possible to identify the cooking mode for a particular type of cooking dish, it is possible to distinguish each dish for a plurality of dishes, or It is not possible to identify when the dish is placed directly on the bottom of the cooking cabinet. Therefore, the heating course was not selected properly. '

Further, according to the heating device disclosed in Patent Document 2, even though the heating process can be controlled based on the change during heating of the object to be heated, what kind of heating is performed before heating. It is not possible to determine whether to heat an object. For this reason, there were cases where the complaint of the object to be heated was not properly controlled.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and

The goal is to provide a microwave oven with improved processing ability and the ability to determine the type of processing and the placement and storage.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a microwave oven that can automatically determine the type of food and the course to be heated. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The microwave oven of the present invention comprises a heating chamber for accommodating food, a cooking dish disposed in the heating chamber, and having a surface state different from the surface state of the bottom surface of the heating chamber, and heating the food. Means for radiating the wave into the heating chamber, receiving the reflected wave of the wave, and outputting the reception result, and the receiving range of the wave reflection obtained in advance. A storage means for storing in association with a cooking dish, and a determination means for determining a state of a grain on a cooking cliff based on a reception result and a reception range. And control means for controlling the heating means so as to heat the food based on the installation state of the cooking dish.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, when the input means emits a wave to the heating chamber and receives a reflected wave of the wave, the reception result is output. The output means includes, for example, an infrared sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like. The reception result includes a wave phase, a voltage value, a detection distance, and the like. Here, the detection distance is not an actual distance but a distance calculated based on a reflected wave received by the output means. The storage means is the reception range of the reflected wave of the wave.The range (for example, the range considering the detection error, the design error, the variation of the state of the cooking dish, etc.) is stored in association with the cooking dish. Judgment: Another means is to determine the installation state of the cooking dish in the heating room based on the reception result and the reception range. The surface of the cooking dish can be determined based on the reflected wave because the surface is affected by the surface roughness, shape, inclination, coater, etc. Whether or not it is placed in the room, or-is placed, including the type of cooking dish, etc.-The control means is a heating means that heats food based on its installation-condition (For example, a magnetron). Interest 甩者 di is 'without setting the position of the cooking dish location, optimum pressure' distribution in the heating chamber heat 'treatment - management' -

¾It can be performed in a microwave oven. Alternatively, if the installation position or type of cooking m and the cooking menu are stored in association with each other in advance, it is possible to automatically determine the cooking menu from the state of the grain on the processing dish. As a result, the convenience of the user can be improved, and a microwave oven can be provided.

Preferably, the storage means stores the range of the distance detected in advance corresponding to the cooking dish. The output means outputs the detected distance detected based on the reception state of the anti-If wave of the wave. The discriminating means includes grain setting state discriminating means for discriminating the state of the dish from being raised based on the range of the stored distance and the detected distance. .

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, by detecting the distance to the cooking dish and judging the state of the grain of the cooking dish, it is possible to execute the optimal heat treatment. Can be '

Preferably, the storage means stores a range of the distance acquired in advance as an output of the output means when the cooking dish is not arranged in the heating chamber. The installation state determination means includes presence / absence determination means for determining whether or not the cooking dish is placed in the heating chamber based on the stored range of the distance and the detection distance.

According to the microwave oven, the presence / absence discrimination means is based on the detected distance and the distance range 'previously acquired and stored. It is determined whether or not it is arranged in the heating chamber. Therefore, by storing the range of the distance in the storage means in advance, it is possible to accurately determine that the cooking dish is not arranged in the heating chamber.

Preferably, the presence / absence determination means determines that the cooking i is not arranged in the heating chamber when the detection distance is included in the range of the distance. If the detection distance is not included in the range of the distance, the presence / absence determination means determines that the cooking dish is disposed in the heating chamber.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, if the detected distance is not included in the range of the distance stored in advance, it is determined that cooking i is arranged in the heating chamber. . Therefore, it is possible to make it possible to perform the heating process only in such a case, and to make it impossible to perform the heating process when the cooking dish is not arranged in the heating chamber. . Alternatively, it is possible to automatically select between heating control when the dish is defined in the heating chamber and heating control when it is not arranged. In this way, malfunction of the electronic range can be prevented.

Preferably, the heating chamber is provided with a number of nails in which cooking dishes are arranged. The storage means detects the case where the cooking dish is placed in each placement section. The storage means stores the range of each distance. The 'installation state determining means' determines which of the placement sections the cooking dish is placed on based on the detection range and the stored range of the distance. Including means for determining the position.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, in addition to determining whether or not cooking and clothes are placed in the heating chamber, the cooking dishes are arranged in a plurality. It is determined whether or not any of the parts is arranged in any of the arrangement parts. Therefore, the electron Since the heat treatment using the microwave oven can be changed according to the arrangement, more appropriate heat treatment can be performed.

Preferably, when the detected distance is included in the range of the distance, the position judging means determines that the cooking dish is arranged in the arrangement portion corresponding to the range of the distance.

According to the electronic synth, it is possible to determine the position by storing in advance in the storage means the data of the distance to each of the arrangement portions detected by the output means. The arrangement section where the dishes are arranged is determined. In this way, even if a plurality of arrangement parts are formed in the heating chamber, each arrangement part can be easily specified, so that the accuracy of the ripening treatment can be improved.

Preferably, the surface state is any one of a material, a finished state of a surface treatment, a shape, and a surface roughness.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the reflected wave of the wave radiated to the cooking dish and the reflected wave of the wave radiated to the bottom of the heating chamber have different reception states of phase, intensity, and the like. In other words, the arrangement state of the cooking dish can be determined based on the reception state.

Preferably, the microwave includes a plurality of cooking dishes.备 Cooking dishes have different surface conditions.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, since it is possible to determine which cooking is placed in the cooking chamber, the cooking clothes can be placed on each cooking dish without individually inputting the settings of the clothes. The ripened food can be ripened.

Preferably, the microwave oven further includes an infrared sensor having a filter that transmits infrared light. The output means uses light waves as radiated waves. The wavelength of the light wave is below the wavelength that can be transmitted by the filter.

According to the electron sensor having such a configuration, the output means outputs a pipiodo having a wavelength longer than the wavelength (for example, Ιμπι) of the output wave that can be detected by the infrared sensor. As a result, the detection of infrared rays by the infrared ray sensor is not affected by the wave radiated by the output means, so the accuracy of the detection results of the infrared sensor (for example, the ) Is reduced. This allows. Electronic The range can carry out accurate heat treatment.

Preferably, the microwave oven further includes means for storing heating conditions corresponding to the type of food, state detection means for detecting a reception state of the reflected wave based on a reception result, and reception of the reflected wave. Type determination means for determining the type of food based on the state, and heating control means for controlling the heating means to heat the food based on the heating conditions corresponding to the type of food are included. No.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the type of food placed in the heating chamber is determined based on the reception state of the reflected wave. Here, the type of food includes, for example, solid food and liquid food. The reception state of the reflected wave includes, for example, the attenuation rate of the reflected wave, the number of changes in the detection distance in a predetermined time, the change rate, and the like. In this way, the user can cause the microwave to perform the optimal heating process without having to enter settings for the type of food. Thus, a microwave oven with improved convenience can be provided.

Preferably, the state detection means includes a detection means for continuously detecting a distance from the reception state to the object reflecting the wave for a predetermined time. The determining means includes a food determining means for determining whether the food is a solid food or a liquid food based on the change in the distance.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, it is determined whether the food placed in the heating chamber is a solid food or a liquid food based on the amount of change in the detected distance within a predetermined time. You. As a result, the influence of the erroneous determination due to the detection error can be suppressed as compared with, for example, instantaneously determining the type of food, so that the accuracy of the heat treatment can be improved.

Preferably, the detecting means calculates a change amount of the distance for a predetermined time. The determining means determines that the food is a solid food when the change in the distance is less than a predetermined value. The determining means determines that the food is a liquid food when the change in distance exceeds a predetermined value.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the solid food or the liquid food is determined based on the amount of change in the distance detected within a predetermined time, so that the determination is instantaneous. Compared with the detection signal , It is possible to reduce the possibility of misjudgment due to the error of

Preferably, the detecting means calculates a frequency at which the distance changes for a predetermined time. The determination means determines that the food is a solid food when the frequency is lower than a predetermined value. The determining means determines that the food is a liquid food if the frequency exceeds a predetermined value.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the solid food or the liquid food is determined based on the frequency at which the distance changes within a predetermined time, so that the determination is instantaneous as compared with the case where the determination is performed instantaneously. Thus, the possibility of erroneous determination due to an error in the detection signal can be reduced.

Preferably, the microwave oven further includes a storage detecting means for detecting that the food is stored in the heating chamber. The state detecting means starts detecting the state of the change in the reflected wave from the time when the food is stored in the heating chamber.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, since data for determining the type of food is taken in after the food is stored in the heating chamber, erroneous determination can be prevented. In this way, for example, when the food is not placed in the heating chamber, the heating process is not performed, so that malfunction can be prevented.

Preferably, the microwave oven further includes opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door portion. The state detecting means starts detecting the state of the change in the reflected wave from when the door is closed.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the detection of the distance for discriminating the type of food is started when the user closes the door portion, so that the discrimination can be performed accurately.

Preferably, the control means prohibits the heating operation by the heating means when the warehousing detection means does not detect the warehousing of the food.

According to the microwave oven having such a configuration, the presence / absence of storage, that is, the presence / absence of food in the heating chamber can be determined by the storage detection means. With this configuration, the heating process can be performed only when the food is stored in the heating chamber, so that the malfunction of the microwave oven can be prevented. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram (part 1) illustrating an overview of the microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram (part 2) illustrating an overview of the microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a cooking dish arranged in the cooking chamber of the microwave oven shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining data stored in the memory shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the arrangement state of the cooking dishes illustrated in FIG. 4 and the result of distance detection by the distance sensor.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process executed by the control circuit of the microwave oven according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an overview of a microwave oven according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a diagram (part 1) for explaining the relationship between foods contained in the microwave oven and the detection distance according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view (No. 2) for explaining the relationship between the food stored in the microwave and the detection distance according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process executed by the control circuit of the microwave oven according to the second embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are the same. Therefore, detailed description of them will not be repeated.

<First embodiment> Hereinafter, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The configuration of the microwave oven 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the microwave oven 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the microwave oven 100 includes a control circuit 110, a distance sensor 120 connected to the control circuit 110, an operation unit 130, and a door detection switch 1. 3, an infrared sensor 1 34, a cooling fan motor 1 36, an oven heater 1 38, a microphone mouth wave oscillation circuit 140, and a display section 142. The control circuit 110 includes a microcomputer 112 and a memory 114. Distance sensor 120 includes a wave radiating unit 122 and a wave receiving unit 124. ·

The control circuit 110 detects an instruction input by the user based on a signal from the operation unit 130. The control circuit 110 determines whether or not the door 150 of the microwave oven 100 is open based on a signal from the door detection switch 1332. The control circuit 110 is an infrared sensor

The temperature in the cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 100 is detected based on the signal from the microwave oven. The control circuit 110 detects the distance to the object based on the signal from the wave receiver 124. This object includes the bottom of the cooking cabinet, in addition to the cooking dishes placed in the cooking cabinet.

The control circuit 110 transmits a signal to the distance sensor 120 to emit a wave (for example, light or supersonic wave) for measuring the distance of the microwave oven 100 in the cooking chamber. The control circuit 110 drives a cooling fan (not shown) for cooling the microwave oven 100 by driving a cooling fan motor 1336. The control circuit 110 transmits a signal to the oven heater 1338 to execute the oven function of the microwave oven 100. The control circuit 110 outputs a microwave to the cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 100 by transmitting a signal to the microphone mouth wave oscillation circuit 140. The control circuit 110 transmits a predetermined signal to the display unit 142 to display the control state.

Referring to FIG. 2, the internal structure of microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment explain about. FIG. 2 is a view showing the electron range 100 from which a force par (not shown) has been removed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the microwave oven 100 is provided with a distance sensor 120 at an upper part of the cooking cabinet. The attachment position of the distance sensor 120 is preferably, for example, near the center of the cooking cabinet, but the attachment position is not limited to the center. For example, it may be an end of a cooking cabinet.

The microwave oven 100 further includes an infrared sensor 134 that detects infrared rays emitted from the cooking chamber and measures the temperature. The mounting position of the infrared sensor 134 is, for example, at an obliquely upper part (not shown) of the cooking cabinet, but is not limited to this position. For example, it is conceivable to mount the sensor at a position where the infrared signal from the infrared sensor 134 can scan the entire inside of the cooking cabinet.

With reference to FIG. 3, the configuration of microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment will be further described. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the door 150 of the microwave oven 100 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 3, the microwave oven 100 is provided with mounting rails 152 and 154 for disposing a cooking dish to be described later. By disposing the cooking dish in one of the mounting parts, it is possible to adjust the position of the cooking dish to a position suitable for the food to be cooked, in addition to the case where the cooking dish is placed on the bottom surface 103 of the cooking cabinet. it can. The number or position of the mounting rails 15 2 and 15 4 configured as described above (that is, the distance from the bottom surface 103) is not limited to that shown in FIG. Further, the shapes of the mounting rails 152 and 154 are not limited to the convex shapes as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 4, a cooking dish attached to microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 (A) shows a ceramic cooking dish 400. FIG. 4 (B) shows a metal cooking dish 4 10.

The ceramic cooking dish 400 has a smooth surface finish on the upper surface on which the food is placed. On the other hand, the back surface is provided with a heating film 401 so as to absorb microwaves and generate heat. On the other hand, the metal cooking dish 4100 has an enamel finish on the upper surface on which food is arranged. Shi Therefore, the ceramic cooking dish 400 and the metal cooking dish 410 have mutually different surface conditions (eg, material, surface treatment mode, cross-sectional shape, etc.). become.

In this case, the state of reflection of the wave radiated from the distance sensor differs for each cooking dish, and the reception state of the reflected wave by the sensor also differs for each cooking dish. As a result, even when cooking dishes having different surface states are arranged on the same mounting portion of microwave oven 100, distance sensor 120 detects the reception state of different reflected waves. Therefore, it is possible to determine the type of the cooking dish arranged on the attachment section based on such a reception state.

1 1

The cooking dish attached to the microwave oven 100 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 4 (A) or FIG. 4 (B), and the direction of the signal reflected from the distance sensor may be different. Anything with a good surface finish.

With reference to FIG. 5, data used by microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5A is a diagram conceptually showing a data structure stored in memory 114 of control circuit 110. FIG. 5B is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the cooking dish and the detection distance based on the above data structure. This detection distance is, for example, a distance obtained by irradiating infrared rays to each cooking dish and the state of the reflected wave, and is different from the actual distance to each cooking dish.

As shown in FIG. 5 (A), data representing the correspondence between the cooking dishes 400 and 410 and the mounting position of each cooking dish is stored in the memory 114. Here, the maximum value and the minimum value are the upper and lower limit values at which the distance sensor 120 determines that the cooking dish is installed at the corresponding position. The data indicating the type of the cooking dish is a cooking dish that can be attached to the microwave oven 100 and can be set in advance. The position means the position where each cooking dish is arranged. This position includes the mounting rails 15 2 and 15 4. When the cooking dish is not placed in the microwave oven 100, data “NULL” is stored.

As shown in FIG. 5 (B), the distance detected by the distance sensor 120 is different for each cooking dish. By doing so, the type of the dish placed at a predetermined position with respect to the detection result by the distance sensor 120, or the presence or absence of the dish Can be determined. The number of cooking dishes that can be arranged and the distance between the detection distances by the distance sensor 1 2 • 0 are not particularly limited.

Referring to Fig. 6, when each cooking dish was placed in the microwave oven 100, and when the air conditioner i was not placed in the microwave oven 1, the detection results obtained by the distance sensor 12 and I will explain the secret officer. FIG. 6 (A) is a diagram showing the distances detected when the cooking dishes 400 and 410 having different surface conditions are placed at various places in the cooking cabinet. ·· 6 (Β) represents the distance detected when the garbage is not placed in the microwave oven 100.

For example, if the cooking pan 40 / hi is placed directly on the bottom 1/3 of the microwave oven, the distance sensor 120 will detect 2911 mm. If the cooking pan 4 GG is placed on the mounting rail 15 2 of the microwave oven 100, the distance detected by the distance sensor 120 will be 2 25 mm. If the cooking pan 400 is placed on the mounting rail 15.4, the distance will be 103 mm. Similarly, in the case of the cooking dish 410, the respective detection distances are 2'79 mm, 236 mm, and 1.3.0 mm.

On the other hand, if none of the dishes is placed in the cooking cabinet of the 'microwave oven 10', the distance detected by the distance sensor 1.20 is 26 Q mm. In this manner, different distances are detected by the distance sensor 120 when the cooking dish is placed on one microwave oven and when the cooking dish is not placed. Also, when different cooking dishes are arranged on the same mounting portion, the distance detected by the cooking dishes differs. Therefore, the presence or absence of a cooking dish and the type of the cooking dish can be determined based on the detection distance of the distance sensor 120.

In this way, the determination of the presence or absence of the cooking dish and the type of the cooking dish is not limited to the distance detected by the distance sensor 120. That is, the output value of the win condition capable of receiving shines release wave (voltage value, phase etc.) Oh. One in. Also, Yo Rere _σ

With reference to FIG. 7, a control structure of microwave oven 1'0 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of processing executed by the control circuit 1.10. Of the microwave oven 100.

In step S702, the control circuit. 110 sends a predetermined signal to the distance sensor 120. The emission of the wave is started by transmitting the control signal.

In step S7.04, the control circuit 110 receives a signal from the wave receiving unit 124 of the distance sensor 1'2 that has received the reflected wave of the wave.

In step S.70.6, the control circuit 1 ′ 1 sends a signal based on the received signal to the elephant placed in the “cooking” box of the microwave 1 'Detect the distance. This object is, for example, a cooking dish. In addition, if the preparation dish is not placed in the cooking cabinet, the object will be the bottom of the cooking cabinet.

In step S7Q8, the control circuit 110 detects the arrangement mode of the cooking dish based on the detected distance. This state includes whether the dish is placed in the microwave oven's kitchen, and if the dish is 'disposed', the dish is placed in any mounting This includes whether or not they are arranged.

Step S · 7 1 (At Γ, the control circuit 110 determines whether or not the cooking dish has been placed in the cooking chamber based on the detected state. , If it is located (YE S-> at step S'71, processing is moved to step S712. Otherwise, otherwise (at step S.71.0 NO), the process proceeds to step S714.

Step S71 2J Trowel, control. Circuit. 1. The Q heats the cooking chamber with the control (output) according to the position where the cooking dish is placed. For example, when the cooking dish is placed on the upper mounting rail 15 4-, the output is smaller than when it is placed on the lower mounting rail 15 2.

In step S714, the control {1} path 110 performs the heating control in the case where the cooking dish is not placed in the cooking cabinet.

The operation of the microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment based on the above brochure will be described. The following describes the operation when the cooking pan 4.0.0,0 is placed on the upper mounting rails 1,5,4 of the cooking cabinet of the 'microwave' microwave oven 1 1.

When the user puts food / food on the cooking pan 4.00, puts it in the cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 100 ', closes the door, and detects that the door is closed. Then, a wave for measuring the distance is emitted from the distance sensor (step S702). The reflected wave of the wave is received (step S 704), and the reception is performed. Is detected (step S 706), it is determined that the cooking dish placed in the cooking cabinet is the cooking dish 400 based on the distance (step S 708). Since the cooking dish 400 is stored in the microwave oven 100 (YES in step S710), it depends on the conditions when the cooking dish 400 is placed in the mounting portion 154. Is performed (step S710).

As described above, the microwave oven 100 according to the present embodiment radiates a wave for detecting the distance to the cooking dish arranged in the cooking cabinet and receives a reflected wave of the wave. . In this case, the surface of each cooking dish or cooking cabinet is formed so that the respective surface conditions are different. Therefore, even when the respective cooking dishes are arranged at the same position in the cooking cabinet, the detection results obtained by the distance sensors 120 are different from each other. Therefore, by associating the position of each cooking dish with the heating condition and storing it in the memory 114 in advance, the type of the cooking dish and the arrangement position thereof can be determined without the user inputting the setting of the cooking dish. You. By doing so, cooking can be performed without increasing the load on the user, so that the operability of the microwave oven 100 can be improved.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that the hardware configuration of the microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment. Therefore, their description will not be repeated.

The microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment is different from the above-described first embodiment in that the type of food placed in the cooking cabinet can be determined. Here, the type of food includes liquid food or solid food. Liquid foods include, for example, beverages and other liquid foods injected into containers. Solid foods are foods that have a higher viscosity than liquid foods, such as rice and other solid foodstuffs placed in containers.

An example in which the microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment is used will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 (A) is a diagram showing a state in which the bowl 8100 is placed in the cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 800. FIG. Figure 8 (B) shows the milk being poured It is a figure showing the state where the mug 820 was placed similarly.

As shown in FIG. 8 (A), the tea bowl 8 10 is disposed, for example, at a substantially central portion of the bottom surface of the microwave oven 8 O 0 cooking cabinet. This position is, for example, a range included in the field of view of a distance sensor (not shown), but is not limited to the position of the bowl 8.10. For example, it is possible to remove the restriction on the position of the bowl 8.10 by attaching a distance sensor having a wide field of view to the ceiling of the cooking cabinet. By doing so, the processing described later can be executed without disposing the bowl 8100 at the center of the bottom surface of the cooking cabinet.

With reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, a result of distance detection by the distance sensor 120 will be described. FIG. 9 is a time chart showing a transition of a distance detected when the mag tub 820 into which milk 200 ml has been poured is put into a cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 800. FIG. FIG. 10 is a time chart showing a change in the distance detected when 150 g of rice is placed in a bowl 8.10.

As shown in Fig. 9, the detection distance is about 290 mm until about 2 seconds have elapsed since the start of distance detection. This distance indicates that nothing is placed in the cooking cabinet of the microwave oven 800 at this time. After that, when the mug 820 into which cows are poured is placed in the microwave oven 800, the result of the detection distance drops sharply to about 160 mm. This is because the liquid level of the mug 820 or the milk was detected by the distance sensor 120.

Thereafter, the graph gradually changes to the level of 200 mm while the vibration repeats up and down. This is because the milk level vibrates when the mug 8200 is stored in the microwave oven 800. When this vibration is detected by the distance sensor 120, the vibration is displayed as shown in FIG. In this case, when such a liquid is put into a microwave oven 800, it takes several seconds (for example, about 5 seconds) until the detection distance converges.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the bowl 810 on which rice is placed is placed in the microwave oven 800, the value of the detected distance is reduced to about 16 Omm. After that, the distance value rises to about 175 mm, converges, and maintains the leverage state. In other words, rice has a higher viscosity than beef, The amplitude of the vibration generated when the glass is placed in the container 800 is smaller than the vibration generated when the glass 800 in which the liquid (eg, milk) is injected is placed.

Therefore, by preliminarily setting the relationship shown in FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 in the memory 114 as, for example, the magnitude, frequency, or time change rate of the amplitude, the food arranged in the cooking unit can be obtained. Can be easily determined as a liquid food or a solid food.

With reference to FIG. 11, a control structure of control circuit 110 for realizing microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of a process executed by control circuit 110. The same processes as those in the first embodiment are given the same step numbers, and description thereof will not be repeated.

In step S1106, control circuit 110 determines whether or not food has been stored in the cooking cabinet. This determination is made based on the detection result of the distance sensor 120. For example, if there is no change in the preset distance, control circuit 110 determines that the food is not stored in microwave oven 800. On the other hand, if the result temporarily changes with respect to the predetermined detection result, it is determined that the food has been stored. If the food has been received (Y E S in step S 1106), the process proceeds to step S 110. If not (NO in step S1106), the judgment process is executed again after a predetermined time has elapsed.

In step S111, the control circuit 110 detects the distance to the food based on the signal from the distance sensor 120.

In step S110, the control circuit 110 determines whether or not the detected value of the distance is oscillating. This determination is made, for example, based on whether or not the detection distance has changed by a predetermined number of times within a predetermined time. If the distance detection value is oscillating (Y E S in step S 111), the process proceeds to S 111. If not (NO at step S111), the process proceeds to step S111.

In step S111, the control circuit 110 executes a predetermined control. Thus, the control for heating the beverage placed in the cooking cabinet is executed. At this time, the control circuit 110 reads the heating conditions (output, heating time, etc.) stored in advance corresponding to the beverage from the memory 114, and issues an instruction for the heating conditions to the microphone mouth wave oscillation circuit 1. Output to 40 etc.

In step S111, the control circuit 110 executes control for heating the solid food placed in the processing cabinet. At this time, the control circuit 1 1

0 reads out the heating conditions (output, heating time, etc.) stored in advance corresponding to the beverage from the memory 114, and outputs an instruction for the heating conditions to the microwave oscillation circuit 140 or the like.

The operation of the microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment based on the above structure and flowchart will be described. Tea bowl 8 1 0 is microwave oven 1

The case where the value can be set to 00 will be described.

When the user puts the bowl with rice on it into the microwave oven and closes the door, the distance sensor emits waves and starts detecting the distance. The control circuit 110 determines that the food has been received (step S110)

At 6, the distance to the bowl 8 10 is detected (Step S 110)

8).

In this case, since the vibration of the detected distance value converges immediately (NO in step S111), a heating process suitable for rice is executed (step S111).

As described above, the microwave oven 800 according to the present embodiment is configured such that the object is a solid like rice, Determine if it is a food or a liquid food such as milk. The heating process is performed based on a heating condition selected based on the determination result. By doing so, the process according to the type of food stored in the cooking cabinet is automatically set, so that the process can be executed more optimally. Thus, a microwave oven with improved convenience can be provided.

In each of the above embodiments, the position at which the object is arranged is determined by detecting a change in the output of the distance sensor 120 capable of measuring the distance to the object. Or the type of target object (ie, whether the target object is a solid food or a liquid food). Such a discrimination can be made using an output other than the output of the distance sensor 120. For example, these determinations may be made by emitting light waves or sound waves and receiving the reflected waves.

The embodiments disclosed this time are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims. Industrial applicability

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the microwave oven which concerns on this invention, since a user does not need to input the arrangement state of a cooking dish into a microwave for every cooking, the convenience of cooking can be improved. Alternatively, the heating control method is automatically selected according to the arrangement of the cooking dishes, so that the convenience of cooking can be improved.

Further, according to the microwave oven of the present invention, the type of food placed in the heating chamber is determined, so that it is possible to execute the most suitable cooking according to the type of food.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. A heating chamber for containing food;

A cooking dish disposed in the heating chamber and having a surface state different from a surface state of a bottom surface of the heating chamber;

Heating means for heating the food,

Output means for emitting a wave into the heating chamber, receiving a reflected wave of the wave, and outputting a reception result;

A storage unit for storing a reception range of the reflection of the wave acquired in advance in association with the cooking dish;

Determining means for determining an installation state of the cooking dish based on the reception result and the reception range;

Control means for controlling the heating means so as to heat the food based on the installation state of the cooking dish.

2. The storage unit stores a range of a distance detected in advance corresponding to the cooking dish, which is obtained in advance,

The output means outputs a detection distance detected based on a reception state of the reflected wave of the wave,

2. The microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein the determination unit includes an installation state determination unit configured to determine an installation state of the cooking dish based on the stored range of the distance and the detected distance.

3. The storage means stores a range of a distance previously acquired as an output of the output means when the cooking dish is not arranged in the heating chamber,

The installation state determination means includes presence / absence determination means for determining whether or not the cooking dish is arranged in the heating chamber based on the stored range of the distance and the detected distance. The microwave oven according to item 2.

4. The presence / absence determining means is:

When the detection distance is included in the range of the distance, it is determined that the cooking dish is not arranged in the heating chamber,

4. The electronic lens according to claim 3, wherein when the detection distance is not included in the range of the distance, it is determined that the cooking dish is disposed in the heating chamber. Di.

5. The heating chamber is provided with a plurality of arrangement portions in which the cooking dishes are arranged,

The storage means stores a range of each distance detected when the cooking dish is placed in each of the placement units,

The installation state determination unit includes a position determination unit configured to determine which of the placement units the cooking dish is disposed on based on the detection distance and the stored range of the distance. The microwave oven according to claim 2, comprising:

6. The position determining means determines that the cooking dish is arranged in the arrangement section corresponding to the range of the self-distance when the detection distance is included in the range of the distance. The microwave oven according to 5.

7. The microwave oven according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the surface state is any one of a material, a finished state of a surface treatment, a shape, and a surface roughness.

8. The microwave oven includes a plurality of the cooking dishes,

The microwave oven according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each of the cooking dishes has a different surface state.

9. The microwave oven further includes an infrared ray sensor having a filter that transmits infrared rays,

The output means uses a light wave as a radiated wave,

The microwave oven according to claim 1, wherein a wavelength of the light wave is smaller than a wavelength that can be transmitted by the filter.

10. The microwave oven further comprises:

Means for storing a heating condition corresponding to the type of the food; state detection means for detecting a reception state of the reflected wave based on the reception result;

Based on the reception state of the reflected wave, a type determination unit for determining the type of the food,

2. The microwave oven according to claim 1, further comprising: heating control means for controlling the heating means so as to heat the food based on the heating conditions corresponding to the determined type of the food.

11. The state detecting means includes a detecting means for continuously detecting a distance from the reception state to the object reflecting the wave for a predetermined time,

The microwave oven according to claim 10, wherein said type determining means includes a food determining means for determining whether the food is a solid food or a liquid food based on the change in the distance.

12. The detection means calculates a change amount of the distance for a predetermined time,

The determining means includes:

If the amount of change in the distance is less than a predetermined value, the food is determined to be a solid food,

The microwave oven according to claim 11, wherein the food is determined to be a liquid food when the amount of change in the distance exceeds the predetermined value.

13. The detection means calculates a frequency at which the distance changes for a predetermined time,

The determining means includes:

If the frequency is lower than a predetermined value, the food is determined to be a solid food,

12. The microwave oven according to claim 11, wherein if the frequency exceeds the predetermined value, the food is determined to be a floating food.

14. The microwave oven further includes a storage detection unit for detecting that the food is stored in the heating chamber,

The microwave oven according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the state detection unit starts detecting the state of the change in the reflected wave from the time when the food is stored in the heating chamber.

15. The microwave oven further includes an opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the door portion.

The microwave oven according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the state detection unit starts detecting the state of the change in the reflected wave from when the door unit is closed.

16. The microwave oven according to claim 14, wherein the control unit prohibits a heating operation by the heating unit when the storage detection unit does not detect the storage of the food.