JP2025020391A - Cooking equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a heating cooker automatically cooking a material to be cooked and not causing inconvenience on a user.SOLUTION: A heating cooker includes: a first process until the time when an internal temperature reaches a first set temperature T11; and a second process for stabilizing the internal temperature at a second set temperature T12. A first set temperature T and a second set temperature T are set in accordance with the kind of a material to be cooked. Heating means for heating the material to be cooked by hot air convection includes: a hot air heater heating air; and a hot air fan sending the heated air into a cooking room and circulating the air. An automatic oven cooking control part controls the hot air heater to continuously operate until the internal temperature reaches the first set temperature T, controls the hot air heater to stop until the internal temperature lowers to the second set temperature T when it is determined that the internal temperature has reached the first set temperature T, and controls the hot air heater to operate again when it is determined that the internal temperature has lowered to the second set temperature T.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 13

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking device that automatically cooks food placed in the cooking chamber without the need to input the amount of food, heating time, heating temperature, etc.

A known type of cooking device that automatically performs microwave cooking is equipped with an infrared sensor that detects the temperature distribution in the cooking chamber and a control means that controls a magnetron based on a detection signal from the infrared sensor, and that appropriately microwaves the food to be cooked using microwaves from the magnetron. However, with this type of cooking device, the amount of food to be cooked used in the microwave cooking must conform to the amount specified in the recipe, and if the amount is not as specified, there is a risk of overheating or underheating. Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cooking device that is equipped with an infrared sensor that is installed at the rear upper part of the heating chamber and detects the temperature of the food to be heated, a weight sensor, and a control means that controls the heating means based on the detection results of the infrared sensor, and the control means adjusts the output of the heating means based on the detection signals of the infrared sensor and the weight sensor.

For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a cooking device that automatically performs oven cooking, which includes an air blowing means that draws air through a circulating air duct from an intake port and blows it out through an outlet port to circulate it, and a heating means that heats the air in the circulating air duct, and heats food placed in the cooking chamber by diffusing the circulating hot air blown out from the outlet port.

JP 2019-190682 A JP 2007-24365 A

The cooking device in Patent Document 1 uses an infrared sensor to detect temperature, but for example, steam from the food being cooked can cause the infrared light to be diffused, and the infrared sensor cannot detect the food and therefore cannot correctly detect the temperature of the food, which can lead to overheating or underheating, causing inconvenience to the user.

The cooking device in Patent Document 2 is not suitable for cooking thick meat, such as a block of meat. When using the cooking device in Patent Document 2 to cook thick meat in an automatic oven, the surface of the meat will brown while the inside will be undercooked, again causing inconvenience to the user.

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a cooking device that automatically heats and cooks food placed in the cooking chamber, without causing inconvenience to the user.

The cooking device of the present invention comprises a cooking chamber for accommodating food to be cooked, a heating means for convection heating the food to be cooked with hot air, a control means for controlling the heating means, an internal temperature detection means for detecting the internal temperature of the cooking chamber, and a selection means for selecting the type of food to be cooked. The cooking device has a first step until the internal temperature reaches a first set temperature, and a second step thereafter for stabilizing the internal temperature at a second set temperature, the first set temperature and the second set temperature being set according to the type of food to be cooked, the second set temperature being lower than the first set temperature, and the heating means comprises a hot air heater for heating air, and a selection means for selecting the type of food to be cooked. and a hot air fan that sends the heated air into the cooking chamber and circulates it. The control means controls the hot air heater to operate continuously until the inside temperature reaches the first set temperature, controls the hot air heater to stop until the inside temperature drops to the second set temperature when it is determined that the inside temperature has reached the first set temperature, controls the hot air heater to operate again when it is determined that the inside temperature has dropped to the second set temperature, and controls the on/off of the hot air heater so that the inside temperature converges and stably reaches a saturated state at the second set temperature.

According to the present invention, two processes with different set temperatures are provided, and in the first process, the temperature is first raised to the first set temperature and then lowered to the second set temperature for heating. This allows the surface of the food to be browned while still being cooked through to the inside, even if the food is a thick block of meat. The food placed in the cooking chamber can be automatically oven-cooked without the need to input the amount of food, heating time, heating temperature, etc., so there is no inconvenience to the user.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an oven range showing an embodiment of the present invention. Same as above, view from the front when the door is open. FIG. This is a view from the front with the cabinet and oven back panel removed. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the microwave generating device and its surrounding essential parts as viewed from the side. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the internal structure of the main body of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the food temperature detection means and its surroundings. FIG. 2 is a front view of the detection element of the first sensor. FIG. 13 is a front view of the detection element of the second sensor. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the oven range and the field of view of the first sensor. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the oven range and the field of view and movement direction of the first sensor. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the oven range and the fields of view of a first sensor and a second sensor. FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a graph showing the temperature measurement results of each sensor when a large amount of food and a small amount of food are automatically heated in the oven range showing the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a graph showing the temperature measurement results of each sensor when meat and potatoes are automatically heated in the microwave as the food to be cooked. 11 is a table showing the relationship between the type of food to be cooked and the coefficient corresponding to that type. This is a timing chart showing the changes in the internal temperature in the cooking chamber and the voltage input to the hot air heater and hot air motor when a large amount of meat and a small amount of meat are heated by hot air convection in an oven range showing the second embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a table showing the relationship between the type of meat to be cooked and the process temperature and standard cooking time corresponding to that type of meat. 10 is a table showing the relationship between the type of meat to be cooked and the cooking time corresponding to that type of meat.

Below, preferred embodiments of the cooking device of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that common parts are designated by common reference numerals throughout these drawings.

Figures 1 to 13 show the configuration of a cooking device applied to an oven range, which is common to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. First, the overall configuration of the oven range will be explained based on Figures 1 to 6. Reference numeral 1 denotes a main body configured in a substantially rectangular box shape, which is provided with a metal cabinet 2 as a member that covers the outer shell of the oven range that will be the product. Reference numeral 3 denotes a door that is provided on the front of the main body 1 and can be opened and closed freely.

The top of the door 3 is equipped with a handle 4 for opening and closing the door, which opens vertically, and the side of the door 3 is equipped with an operation panel unit 5 for display, notification, and operation. The operation panel unit 5 is provided with a display means 6 that displays the cooking settings and progress, as well as operation means 7, such as keys on the operation panel unit 5 and a touch panel on the surface of the display means 6, which enable various operation inputs related to heating and cooking. Although not shown, an operation panel PC (printed circuit) board is arranged inside the door 3 behind the operation panel unit 5 to control the display means 6 and operation means 7.

A water supply cassette 8 and a water receiver 9 are disposed at the bottom of the main body 1, and can be attached and detached from the front of the main body 1. The water supply cassette 8 is a bottomed container that holds liquid water as a supply source for the mist that is sprayed from the mist supply device 43, which will be described later. The water receiver 9 is also a bottomed container that receives food debris, water droplets, steam, etc., from the main body 1.

The cabinet 2, which forms the left and right side surfaces and top surface of the main body 1, is provided between the oven front plate 12, which forms the front surface of the main body 1, and the oven rear plate 13, which forms the rear surface of the main body 1, so as to cover the oven bottom plate 11, which forms the bottom surface of the oven range. The main body 1 is also provided with a cooking chamber 14, which contains the food S to be cooked, and a thermistor 15, which is a temperature detection element that detects the temperature of the cooking chamber 14. The front of the cooking chamber 14 reaches the oven front plate 12 and is open to allow the food S to be put in and taken out, and this opening is configured to be opened and closed by the door 3. The thermistor 15, which serves as an internal temperature detection means, is provided inside the cooking chamber 14, near the door 3.

The peripheral walls forming the inner surface of the cooking chamber 14 are made up of a ceiling wall 14a, a bottom wall 14b, a left side wall 14c, a right side wall 14d, and a rear wall 14e. The rear wall 14e of the cooking chamber 14 has an intake port 16 in its center, and a number of outlet ports 17 around the intake port 16. In addition, facing the dome-shaped ceiling wall 14a that forms the upper wall surface of the cooking chamber 14, an upper heater 18 for a grill that radiates heat on the food S to be cooked from above the cooking chamber 14 is provided on the upper part of the main body 1, and a microwave generator 19 including a magnetron is provided on the bottom of the main body 1 to supply microwaves, which are radio waves, into the cooking chamber 14. As a result, the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14 is grill-heated from above by heat radiation caused by energizing the upper heater 18, and microwaves are radiated to the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14 by energizing the microwave generator 19, heating the food S in the microwave oven.

The left side wall 14c and the right side wall 14d of the cooking chamber 14 are provided with a pair of shelf supports 22 on the top and bottom to store and hold a metal square plate 21 in a suspended state inside the cooking chamber 14. The square plate 21 used here is composed of a storage section 21A that is concave with a bottom and has an open top and no holes elsewhere, and a flange section 21B that extends horizontally outward from the top end of the storage section 21A. The flange section 21B also has an opening formed in it, called a vent hole 21C, which allows hot air to flow through the square plate 21. In FIG. 2, the flange portion 21B of the square plate 21 is placed on the lower shelf support 22 inside the cooking chamber 14, and the food S is placed on the storage portion 21A, but depending on the cooking, the square plate 21 may be placed only on the upper shelf support 22, or two square plates 21 may be placed on each of the upper and lower shelf supports 22, or another accessory such as a grill (not shown) may be stored and held instead of the square plate 21. In addition, in the microwave heating using the microwave generator 19 described above, the food S can be placed in a microwaveable container (not shown) inside the cooking chamber 14 and cooked without placing the square plate 21 or grill inside the cooking chamber 14.

24 is a hot air unit for oven heating provided inside the main body 1 from the rear outside of the cooking chamber 14 downward. This hot air unit 24 is generally composed of a convex casing 26 attached to the back wall 14e as a heating means for the food S, a hot air heater 27 for heating the air, a hot air fan 28 for sending heated air into the cooking chamber 14 and circulating it, an electric hot air motor 29 for rotating the hot air fan 28 in a predetermined direction, and a transmission mechanism 30 for transmitting the driving force from the hot air motor 29 to the hot air fan 28. The hot air heater 27 and the hot air fan 28 are respectively arranged in a heating chamber 31 formed outside the cooking chamber 14 rearward as an internal space between the back wall 14e and the casing 26, while the hot air motor 29 is arranged in a lower space 32 formed inside the main body 1 between the cooking chamber 14 and the oven bottom plate 11. An oven rear panel 13 is disposed at the rear of the main body 1 so as to cover the entire hot air unit 24 from the rear outside.

The hot air fan 28 of this embodiment is a so-called centrifugal fan that takes in air in the axial direction and expels it in a radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction by centrifugal force during rotation, and the tubular hot air heater 27 is arranged surrounding the radial direction of the hot air fan 28. The hot air heater 27, which is also a heat generating part, uses, for example, a sheath heater, mica heater, quartz tube heater, or halogen heater. The aforementioned intake port 16 and hot air outlet port 17 function as ventilation parts that communicate between the cooking chamber 14 and the heating chamber 31.

In this embodiment, when the hot air fan 28 rotates as a result of the hot air motor 29 being energized, air is sucked in from inside the cooking chamber 14 through the intake port 16 and blown out in the radial direction of the hot air fan 28, where it is heated by the energized hot air heater 27, and the hot air passes through the outlet port 17 and is supplied into the cooking chamber 14. This forms a path for circulating hot air inside and outside the cooking chamber 14, and the food S in the cooking chamber 14 is heated by hot air convection.

Next, the microwave generator 19 as a microwave heating means for heating the food S to be cooked and the detailed structure around it will be described. The bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14 is formed by covering the upper opening of a concave antenna storage section 35 formed in a metal plate 34 with a bottom plate 36 that is permeable to microwaves, such as a ceramic plate. The metal plate 34 that is impermeable to microwaves not only forms the periphery of the bottom wall 14b, but also integrally forms the left side wall 14c, right side wall 14d, and rear wall 14e, and the entire inner surface of the cooking chamber 14 except for the bottom plate 36 is made of a material that is impermeable to microwaves.

The microwave generator 19 is mainly composed of a magnetron (not shown) that serves as a microwave supply source, a waveguide 37 that guides microwaves generated by the magnetron to directly below the antenna storage section 35 in the lower space 32 inside the main body 1, an antenna motor 38 disposed below the waveguide 37, an antenna holder 39 whose lower end is disposed inside the waveguide 37 and attached and fixed to the rotating shaft of the antenna motor 38, a cylindrical cable shaft 40 inserted and fixed into the antenna holder 39, and an antenna 41 whose upper end is attached and fixed to the center of the cable shaft 40 and which is rotatably provided inside the antenna storage section 35. When the top opening of the antenna storage section 35 is closed with the bottom plate 36, the entire antenna 41 faces the flat bottom plate 36 that forms the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14 and is arranged parallel to the bottom plate 36.

The mist supply device 43 that sends mist into the cooking chamber 14 includes, in addition to the water supply cassette 8 described above, a nozzle 45 that turns the water being supplied into a mist, a water supply pipe 46 that connects between the water supply cassette 8 and the nozzle 45, a water supply pump 47 that directs water from the water supply cassette 8 to the nozzle 45, and a number of mist outlets 44 that communicate with the nozzle 45. As a result, when the mist supply device 43 is in operation, the water from the water supply cassette 8 is sent to the nozzle 45 by the water supply pump 47, and the water supplied by the nozzle 45 is turned into mist and supplied from the mist outlets 44 into the inside of the cooking chamber 14. At this time, if the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 is higher than 100 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure (hereinafter, temperature values are assumed to be temperature values in degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure), this mist instantly vaporizes inside the cooking chamber 14 and turns into superheated steam, so that the food S placed inside the cooking chamber 14 is heated quickly and evenly with the appropriate amount of water molecules (superheated steam).

Figure 7 shows the food temperature detection means and its surrounding essential parts. As shown in the figure, a first sensor 55 and a sensor motor 56 are disposed between the cooking chamber 14 and the main body 1, facing the outside of the raised member 52 including the window 53, and a second sensor 58 is disposed facing the window 54. The sensor motor 56 and the second sensor 58 are fixedly attached inside the main body 1, while the first sensor 55 is attached to the freely rotatable rotating shaft 59 of the sensor motor 56.

The sensor motor 56, which is the drive device for the first sensor 45, is composed of a stepping motor or the like, and has a rotating shaft 59 that swings the first sensor 55 back and forth inside the main body 1. The main components of the first sensor 55 are a hollow sensor case 61 attached and fixed to the rotating shaft 59, a sensor board 62 stored inside the sensor case 61, multiple (e.g., eight) infrared detection elements 63 mounted on the surface of the sensor board 62, and a lens 64 attached and fixed to the sensor case 61 facing the infrared detection elements 63.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, multiple infrared detection elements 63 are arranged in a straight line along the vertical direction of the cooking chamber 14, and as shown in Figures 10 and 11, the field of view V1 of each infrared detection element 63 is arranged in the left-right direction of the approximately rectangular bottom wall 14b through the window 53 from the upper center of the right side wall 14d of the cooking chamber 14. Also, as shown in Figure 11, in this embodiment, when the sensor motor 56 receives a motor drive signal from the control means 71 (see Figure 13) described later and reciprocates its rotation shaft 59 in the forward and reverse directions by a predetermined angle, the first sensor 55 swings, and the field of view V1 of the multiple infrared detection elements 63 reaching the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14 repeatedly swings in a fan shape along the moving direction X1 around each infrared detection element 63. The line connecting the multiple infrared detection elements 63 shown by the dashed line in Figure 7 and the rotation center axis of the rotation shaft 59 are approximately aligned. In addition, to reduce the thermal effects on the inside of the main body 1, the window 53 may be covered with an infrared-transmitting material (not shown).

On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 7 and 9, the second sensor 58 mainly comprises a hollow sensor case 66 attached and fixed inside the main body 1, a sensor board 67 housed inside the sensor case 66, an infrared detection element 68 mounted on the surface of the sensor board 67, and a lens 69 attached and fixed to the sensor case 66 facing the infrared detection element 68. As shown in Fig. 12, the second sensor 58 is attached and fixed inside the main body 1 so that the field of view V2 of the infrared detection element 68 always reaches the center of the front, back, left and right of the bottom wall 14b through the window 54 from the center of the top, bottom, front and back of the right side wall 14d. Note that the window 54 may be covered with an infrared-transmitting member (not shown) to reduce the thermal effect on the inside of the main body 1.

The first sensor 55 and the second sensor 58 are both infrared sensors, and constitute the food temperature detection means 65 of this embodiment. The food temperature detection means 65 here detects the temperature distribution throughout the cooking chamber 14 using the swinging first sensor 55 and the fixed second sensor 58, and detects the surface temperature of the food S in a short time from the amount of infrared radiation emitted by the food S contained therein.

Figure 13 shows the main electrical configuration of the oven range of this embodiment. In the figure, 71 is a control means composed of a microcomputer, and as is well known, this control means 71 is equipped with a CPU as a calculation processing means, a memory as a storage means, a timer as a timekeeping means, an input/output device, etc.

The input port of the control means 71 is electrically connected to the operation means 7 using the keys or touch panel described above, the food temperature detection means 65, as well as an internal temperature detection means 72 including a thermistor 15 for detecting the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14, a hot air motor rotation detection means 73 for detecting the rotation speed of the hot air fan 28, a door opening/closing detection means 74 for detecting the open/closed state of the door 3, and an antenna position detection means 75 for detecting the origin position of the antenna constituting the microwave generator 19.

In addition to the display means 6 mentioned above, the output port of the control means 71 is electrically connected to microwave heating means 78 including a magnetron and its driving means, heater driving means 79 such as a relay that turns on and off the upper heater 18 for grill heating, the hot air heater 27 for oven heating, and the evaporation heater for steam heating, antenna driving means 80 for operating the antenna motor 38 that rotates and drives the antenna 41 that radiates microwaves into the cooking chamber 14, hot air motor driving means 81 for rotating and driving the hot air motor 29, sensor motor driving means 82 for driving the sensor motor 56 in forward and reverse rotation, and pump driving means 83 for operating the water supply pump 47 of the mist supply device 43.

The control means 71 receives operation signals from the operation means 7 and detection signals from the food temperature detection means 41, the inside temperature detection means 72, the hot air motor rotation detection means 73, the door opening/closing detection means 74, and the antenna position detection means 75, and outputs drive control signals to the microwave heating means 78, the antenna driving means 80, the heater driving means 79, the hot air motor driving means 81, the sensor motor driving means 82, and the pump driving means 83 at a predetermined timing based on the timing from the timing means, and also outputs a display control signal to the display means 6. These functions are realized by the control means 71 reading a program recorded in the memory as a storage medium, and in this embodiment in particular, the control means 71 is provided with a program that causes the control means 71 to function as a cooking control unit 85 and a display control unit 86.

The cooking control unit 95 mainly controls the operation of each unit related to cooking the food S. When it receives an operation signal from the operating means 7, if it determines that the door 3 is closed based on a detection signal from the door open/close detection means 74, it sends control signals to the microwave heating means 78, antenna driving means 80, heater driving means 79, hot air motor driving means 81, sensor motor driving means 82, and pump driving means 83 in response to the operation signal to control various cooking operations for the food S. In this embodiment, multiple menus are stored in the memory in advance as cooking information including the ingredients and heating conditions of the food S to be cooked, and the cooking control unit 95 has an automatic cooking function that automatically heats the food S in a predetermined procedure according to the selected menu when an operation to cook is performed from the operating means 7 for one menu selected from the menus.

Among these automatic cooking functions, in this embodiment, when an automatic microwave menu for warming or defrosting food S is selected, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 is provided as one of the functions of the heating cooking control unit 95, which radiates microwaves from the microwave generator 19 into the cooking chamber 14, automatically sets the cooking time, microwave output, etc. without any operational input from the operating means 7, drives and controls the microwave generator 19 at the set output until the set time is reached, and microwave-heats the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14. Also in this embodiment, when an automatic oven cooking menu for heating meat such as a block of meat or meat with bones as the food S is selected and the type of meat is then selected, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 is provided as one of the functions of the heating cooking control unit 85, which automatically sets the cooking time and heating temperature without any operation input from the operating means 7 while air heated by the hot air heater 27 is supplied to the inside of the cooking chamber 14 by the hot air fan 28, and drives and controls the hot air heater 27 and the hot air fan 28 at the set temperature until the set time is reached, thereby hot air convection heating the meat as the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14.

The display notification control unit 96 cooperates with the cooking control unit 95 to control the operation related to the display of the display means 6. The display means 6 controlled by the display notification control unit 96 is composed of a liquid crystal panel or a lighting lamp, but other display devices may also be used.

Next, the operation of the oven range having the above configuration in the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 14 and 15. When the food S to be cooked is placed in the cooking chamber 14, the door 3 is closed while holding the handle 4, a cooking menu is selected using the operating means 7, and then a command is given to start cooking the food S. In accordance with the control program built into the memory of the control means 71, a control signal generated in accordance with the selected cooking menu is output from the output port of the control means 71 at a predetermined timing, and the food S is cooked.

For example, when a microwave heating cooking menu is selected, the heating cooking control unit 85 of the control means 71 receives detection signals from the food temperature detection means 65 and the internal temperature detection means 72, and sends control signals to the microwave heating means 78, antenna driving means 80, and sensor motor driving means 82 so that the food S is heated to the set temperature. This causes the microwave generator 19 to be energized and emit microwaves, and the rotational force generated in the antenna motor 38 is transmitted to the antenna 41 to rotate it, emitting microwaves into the cooking chamber 14 and heating the food S placed on the bottom wall 14b in the microwave.

During this microwave cooking, the rotating shaft 59 of the sensor motor 56 repeatedly rotates in a clockwise (forward) and counterclockwise (backward) direction from a position where the rotation angle is 0° (when the fields of view V1 of the eight infrared detection elements 63 are aligned in a row in the center of the front-to-rear direction of the bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14 as shown in FIG. 10). As a result, the first sensor 55 oscillates inside the main body 1, and the fields of view V1 of each infrared detection element 63 repeatedly swing in a fan shape along the moving direction X1 as shown in FIG. 11. At this time, the rotating shaft 59 of the sensor motor 56 rotates intermittently at a predetermined angle, and the control means 71 captures the detection signals from each infrared detection element 63 each time the rotating shaft 59 rotates at a predetermined angle to monitor the temperature of the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14. In this way, each infrared detection element 63 receives infrared rays from substantially the entire bottom wall 14b of the cooking chamber 14, making it possible to detect the temperature of the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14.

The sensor motor 56 swings the first sensor 55 over a predetermined period of time, for example, five seconds, during which the first sensor 55 detects the temperature at 64 locations per infrared detection element 63 in one direction and 128 locations in a round trip. In other words, by swinging the first sensor 55, which has eight infrared detection elements 63, the first sensor 55 can measure the temperature at 128 x 8 = 1024 locations per period, allowing the first sensor 55 to detect the internal temperature of the large cooking chamber 14 in detail over a wide range.

Separately, a second sensor 58 fixed to the main body 1 continuously detects the temperature of the food S placed in the field of view V2 of the infrared detection element 68 as shown in FIG. 12. The control means 71 captures a detection signal from the single infrared detection element 68 at least each time the rotating shaft 59 of the sensor motor 56 rotates through a predetermined angle, or at shorter time intervals, to monitor the temperature of the food S near the center of the cooking chamber 14.

In this way, the detection signals from the first sensor 55 having eight infrared detection elements 63 allow the temperature in the cooking chamber 14 to be detected in detail over a wide range, and the detection signal from the second sensor 58 having one infrared detection element 68 allows the temperature near the center of the cooking chamber 14 to be continuously detected. The control means 71 receives these detection signals and controls the operation of the microwave generator 19 so that the desired microwave cooking is performed on the food S. In addition, as a function of abnormality monitoring, if the detected temperature of the food S exceeds the normal range, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the equipment and the power supply to the microwave generator 19 is forcibly stopped. In either case, the temperature of the food S can be instantly determined by using the first sensor 55 and the second sensor 58 in combination, which results in accurate control of cooking and abnormality monitoring.

When the oven heating menu is selected, the cooking control unit 85 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 and sends control signals to the heater drive means 79 and the hot air motor drive means 81, respectively, to control the on/off of the hot air heater 27 and the hot air motor 29 so that the inside of the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature. As a result, the rotational force generated in the hot air motor 29 is transmitted to the hot air fan 28, which rotates inside the heating chamber 31, and the speed is captured by the hot air motor rotation detection means 73 and the cooking control unit 85. At the same time, air sucked into the heating chamber 31 from the cooking chamber 14 through the intake port 16 is sent to the energized hot air heater 27 side, and the heated air is supplied to the cooking chamber 14 through the outlet port 17 as hot air, so that the food S in the cooking chamber 14 is heated by hot air convection.

When the grill cooking menu is selected, the heating and cooking control unit 85 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 and controls the heater drive means 79 to turn on and off the upper heater 18 so that the inside of the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature, and the food S in the cooking chamber 14 is grill-heated from above.

When a menu item for steam cooking using mist superheated steam is selected, the cooking control unit 85 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 and controls the heater drive means 79 to turn on and off the upper heater 18 so that the inside of the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature. When the cooking control unit 85 determines that the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 14 has reached the set temperature, it sends a control signal to the pump drive means 83, which controls the operation of the water supply pump 47 built into the mist supply device 43 to spray water from the mist outlet 44 into the inside of the cooking chamber 14 to supply mist.

When mist is supplied to the inside of the cooking chamber 14, the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 decreases. The cooking control unit 85 judges whether the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 has reached the set temperature based on the detection signal from the temperature detection means 72, and if the cooking control unit 85 judges that the temperature has not reached the set temperature, the cooking control unit 85 controls the heater drive means 79 to turn on and off the upper heater 18 so that the inside of the cooking chamber 14 is heated to the set temperature. If the cooking control unit 85 judges that the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 has reached the set temperature, water is sprayed into the inside of the cooking chamber 14 as described above to supply mist again. This causes the mist to instantly vaporize into superheated steam, and the food S in the cooking chamber 14 is heated with the appropriate amount of water molecules (superheated steam).

Next, the operation of the cooking menu of the automatic range by the automatic range cooking control unit 88 in the range heating described above in the first embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 14 to 16. In Figure 14, infrared sensor graphs _GI1 and _GI2 and temperature sensor graphs _GT1 and _GT2 are shown, with _GI1 and _GT1 being graphs when the amount of food S to be cooked is small, and _GI2 and _GT2 being graphs when the amount of food S to be cooked is large. In particular, in this embodiment, in the cooking menu of the automatic range by pressing the operation means 7 once, in order to eliminate potential user dissatisfaction due to under-heating or over-heating of the food S, or differences in the degree of heating depending on the food and amount, two types of infrared sensors, the first sensor 55 and the second sensor 58 constituting the food temperature detection means 65, and the temperature sensor 15 constituting the inside temperature detection means 72 are used in combination. FIG. 15 shows the temperature measurement results of each sensor when three servings of nikujaga (beef and potatoes) were heated using the cooking menu of an automatic microwave oven, showing a graph G _I3 of the infrared sensor and a graph G _T3 of the temperature sensor.

The first sensor 55 and the second sensor 58 detect the surface temperature of the food S. As described above, the first sensor 55 swings to detect a wide area, while the second sensor 58 continuously detects a single point. However, the infrared sensor has the characteristic that the accuracy is reduced due to diffuse reflection by the steam, which starts to generate steam from the food S when the temperature inside the chamber reaches around 70°C. On the other hand, the thermistor 15 detects the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 by the steam generated by the food S. Therefore, the temperature rise is slow until steam is generated. Therefore, if the temperature of the food S is determined by only one sensor, the temperature of the food may not be detected accurately due to diffuse reflection by steam or slow temperature rise, and there is a risk of overheating or underheating, which may result in poor cooking results. However, in this embodiment, a triple sensor using these sensors 15, 55, and 58 is used, and the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 controls the operation of the microwave generator 19 and antenna driver 80, greatly improving the microwave heating performance that automatically heats the food S to be cooked.

When the food S is placed in the cooking chamber 14, the door 3 is closed while holding the handle 4, the operation means 7 is used to select the automatic range cooking menu for heating the food S, and the cooking start command is given. During the microwave heating of the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 takes in a detection signal from the food temperature detection means 65 and measures the temperature of the food S from the detection signal until steam is generated from the food S, and when steam is generated from the food S, it also takes in a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 and measures the food temperature that will be the temperature of the food S from the detection signal. The measured food temperature is heated to an appropriate set temperature higher than room temperature, and the moisture in the food S is boiled. The automatic range cooking control unit 88 also measures the time from the start of cooking by timing the timer of the control means 71 as a timing means. In addition, when the food item S is heated in the microwave, the temperature of the food item tends to rise more depending on the seasonings that are added to the food item S than on the food item itself.

If the food S is mainly leafy vegetables, not much steam is generated before boiling, and the water in the food S reaches a boiling temperature before steam is generated from the food S and fills the cooking chamber 14. Therefore, in this embodiment, as the first boiling detection, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 is configured to determine that the water in the food S has boiled when a detection signal is received from the food temperature detection means 65 during microwave heating that the detected temperature of the food S has reached or exceeded the first threshold value _Th1 of the infrared sensor.

Also, if the food S is meat, root vegetables, fruit vegetables, or other foods other than leafy vegetables, steam is generated before the food S boils, and this steam fills the cooking chamber 14 before the water in the food S boils, reducing the accuracy of the food temperature detection means 65. Therefore, as shown in Figure 14, the infrared sensor graphs _GI1 and _GI2 do not reach 100°C due to diffuse reflection by the steam, and converge and stabilize at about 92°C to reach saturation. Also, when the temperature inside the oven reaches about 70°C, steam begins to be generated from the food S, and if there is a lot of steam, as shown in Figure 15, the amount of change in the detection signal from the food temperature detection means 65 within a specified period, i.e., the slope of the infrared sensor graph _{GI3 ,} becomes suddenly gentler at about 70°C. Therefore, in this embodiment, as a second boiling detection, when a detection signal is received from the internal temperature detection means 72 during such microwave heating that the detected temperature of the food S has reached or exceeded the first threshold value _Th2 of the temperature sensor, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 is configured to determine that the water in the food S has boiled.

When comparing the graphs G _I1 and G _I2 of the infrared sensor and the graphs G _T1 and G _T2 of the temperature sensor in Fig. 14, it can be seen that the graphs G _I2 and G _T2 , which show a larger amount of food, have a smaller change in the detection signal than the graphs G _I1 and G _T1 , which show a smaller amount of food. In other words, the slope of the graph is gentler. When the amount of food S is large as shown in Fig. 15, even if the food S is actually boiling at time t ₁ , the automatic range cooking control unit 88 cannot detect this boiling using the first boiling detection method, and the automatic range cooking control unit 88 cannot detect this boiling using the second boiling detection method until time t ₂ when the graph G _T3 of the temperature sensor becomes T ₁ , so it takes a long time Δt, and there is a risk of overheating.

Therefore, in this embodiment, as a third boiling detection, during such microwave heating, when a detection signal is received from the food temperature detection means 65 indicating that the detected temperature of the food S is a temperature above point _T2 on the second threshold _Th3 of the infrared sensor which is set lower than the first threshold _Th1 of the infrared sensor, and a detection signal is received from the internal temperature detection means 72 indicating that the detected temperature of the food S is a temperature above point _T3 on the second threshold _Th4 of the temperature sensor which is set lower than the first threshold _Th2 , the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 is configured to determine that the moisture in the food S has boiled. Therefore, even if the amount of food S is large and both the detection signals from food temperature detection means 65 and the internal temperature detection means 72 have not yet reached the first threshold values _Th1 and _Th2 of the infrared sensor and temperature sensor, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 can determine that the water in the food S has boiled at time _t1 when these detection signals have both reached the second threshold values _Th3 and _Th4 of the infrared sensor and temperature sensor, which are predetermined values, and can prevent overheating of the food S. The automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 may be configured so that the boiling of the food S can be detected by the third boiling detection a predetermined time after the start of cooking of the food S.

In this embodiment, when steam is generated from the ingredients of the food S, the slopes of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , and G _I3 become gentler, while the slopes of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , and G _T3 become steeper. This phenomenon can be utilized for boiling detection, and instead of the above-mentioned threshold values _Th1 to _Th4 , the amount of change in the detection signal from the food temperature detection means 65 within a specified period, i.e., the slope of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , G _I3 , and the amount of change in the detection signal from the inside temperature detection means 72 within a specified period, i.e., the slope of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , G _T3, can be set as the first to fourth threshold values _Th1 to _Th4 , and when the slope becomes steeper than these thresholds _Th1 to _Th4 , the automatic range cooking control unit 88 can make the same judgment as if the temperature had reached the above-mentioned threshold values _Th1 to _Th4 in the first to third boiling detections, and can be configured to judge that the water in the food S has boiled. Furthermore, the first threshold value _Th1 may be set for the amount of change in the detection signal, and the second to fourth threshold values _Th2 to _Th4 may be set for a predetermined temperature, and the setting of the threshold values is not limited.

When the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S has boiled, it calculates a predetermined time t, which is the time elapsed until the food S boils as measured by the timer, i.e., the time from the start of cooking until the food S reaches a preset threshold value _Th1 , _Th2 , _Th3 , or _Th4 and is determined to be boiling, and determines the remaining time, which is the duration of microwave heating after boiling, based on this predetermined time t. To explain in detail with reference to Figure 15, when the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S has boiled in the first boiling detection, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S is a leafy vegetable, such as stir-fried vegetables, spinach sauteed with bacon, or simmered Japanese mustard spinach, and determines the remaining time to be 0.2t to 0.3t, which is the predetermined time t multiplied by a coefficient of 0.2 to 0.3.

As described above, when steam is generated from the ingredients of the food S, the accuracy of the first sensor 55 and the second sensor 58 decreases due to diffuse reflection caused by the steam, and the slope of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , and G _I3 becomes gentler. On the other hand, since the thermistor 15 detects the inside temperature by the steam, when steam is generated from the ingredients of the food S, the slope of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , and G _T3 becomes steeper. Therefore, when the automatic range cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S has boiled by the second boiling detection or the third boiling detection, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 determines whether the food S is meat or a root vegetable or fruit vegetable from the change in the detection signal from the food temperature detection means 65 within a specified time t and a specified period, i.e., the slope of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , G I3, and the change in the detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 within a specified period, i.e. _, the slope of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , G _T3 .

If the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S is a root vegetable or fruit such as butter-sautéed potatoes and bacon, boiled pumpkin, boiled eggplant, or stir-fried burdock, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 will determine the remaining time to be 0.5t to 0.7t, which is the specified time t multiplied by a coefficient of 0.5 to 0.7, since root vegetables and fruit vegetables require a certain amount of boiling or stewing.

In addition, if the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the food S is meat, such as sweet and sour pork, meat and potatoes, or stir-fried pork and bacon, the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines the remaining time to be the value t obtained by multiplying the specified time t by a coefficient of 1.0, since meat needs to be simmered slowly.

After the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 has determined the remaining time, it controls the display control unit 86 to display this remaining time on the display means 6. The automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 controls the display control unit 86 so that the displayed remaining time decreases over time as the timer counts, and reaches 0 seconds when the automatic microwave cooking ends. Therefore, after the remaining time has been determined, the user can check the remaining time until the automatic microwave cooking ends on the display means 6.

The automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 also receives detection signals from the food temperature detection unit 65 and the internal temperature detection unit 72, measures the food temperature, which is the temperature of the food S, from the detection signals until the remaining time displayed on the display unit 7 reaches zero, and controls the microwave heating unit 78 and the antenna driving unit 80 so that microwave heating to the set food temperature continues. When the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the remaining time displayed on the display unit 7 reaches zero, it controls the microwave heating unit 78 and the antenna driving unit 80 to stop microwave heating.

As described above, the oven range as a heating cooker in this embodiment comprises a cooking chamber 14 for accommodating the food S to be cooked, a microwave heating means 78 for heating the food S in the microwave, an automatic range cooking control unit 88 as a control means for controlling the microwave heating means 78, a food temperature detection means 65 for detecting the surface temperature of the food S to be cooked, and an internal temperature detection means 72 for detecting the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 14, and the automatic range cooking control unit 88 sets a first threshold _Th1 of the infrared sensor as a first threshold for the detected temperature of the food temperature detection means 65, and a first threshold Th2 of the temperature sensor as a second threshold for the detected temperature of the internal temperature detection means ₇₂ , and when the automatic range cooking control unit 88 determines that either of the two detected temperatures has reached the first threshold _Th1 or _Th2 of the corresponding infrared sensor or temperature sensor, it is configured to determine the remaining range heating time, which is the duration of the range heating from that determination.

This configuration makes it possible to prevent the sensor from being unable to accurately detect the temperature of the food ingredients, thereby preventing poor cooking results due to overheating or underheating. The food S placed in the cooking chamber 14 can be automatically cooked in the microwave without the need to input the amount of food S, heating time, heating temperature, etc., so there is no inconvenience to the user.

In addition, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 of this embodiment sets a second threshold value Th3 of the infrared sensor as a third threshold value for the detected temperature of the cooked food temperature detection means 65 _{, which} is set lower than the first threshold value _Th1 , and a second threshold value _Th4 of the temperature sensor as a fourth threshold value for the detected temperature of the internal temperature detection means ₇₂ , which is set lower than the first threshold value Th2, and is configured to determine the remaining time from the judgment when it determines that the detected temperature of the cooked food temperature detection means 65 has reached the second threshold value _Th3 of the infrared sensor and that the detected temperature of the internal temperature detection means 72 has reached the second threshold value _Th4 of the temperature sensor.

By configuring in this manner, even if the amount of food S to be cooked is large and both the detection signal from the food temperature detection means 65 and the detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 have not reached the first threshold values _Th1 and _Th2 of the infrared sensor or temperature sensor, if these detection signals reach the second threshold value _Th3 of the infrared sensor, which is a predetermined value, and also reach the second threshold value _Th4 of the temperature sensor, which is a predetermined value, it can be determined that the food S to be cooked has boiled, and overheating of the food S can be prevented.

In addition, in the oven range of this embodiment, at least one of the first to fourth threshold values _Th1 to _Th4 may be a value set to the temperature difference per unit time of the detected temperatures of the food temperature detection means 65 or the internal temperature detection means 72, for example the slope of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , G _I3 or the slope of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , G _T3 , and in this case, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 is configured to determine that the moisture in the food S has boiled based on the temperature difference per unit time of these detected temperatures.

By configuring in this manner, when steam is generated from the ingredients of the food being cooked S, the slope of the infrared sensor graphs G _I1 , G _I2 , and G _I3 becomes gentler and the slope of the temperature sensor graphs G _T1 , G _T2 , and G _T3 becomes steeper, and by utilizing this, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 can detect boiling.

Furthermore, the oven range of this embodiment calculates and determines the remaining time by multiplying the time t from the start of microwave heating until the temperature detected by the food temperature detection means 65 or the inside temperature detection means 72 reaches the threshold value _Th1 , _Th2 , _Th3 or _Th4 and the automatic microwave cooking control unit 88 determines that the water in the food S has boiled, by a coefficient according to the type of food S, such as meat, root vegetables, fruit vegetables, leafy vegetables, etc. Therefore, when a process such as boiling or stewing is required after the water in the food S has boiled, the remaining time, which is the time for this process, can be calculated based on the time t until boiling.

The oven range of this embodiment may further include a humidity sensor, which may be used in place of the internal temperature detection means 72 when detecting boiling. In this case, the automatic range cooking control unit 88 is configured to set a humidity threshold value, and determine that the water in the food item S has boiled when it receives a detection signal from the humidity sensor during range heating indicating that the humidity due to steam generated from the ingredients of the food item S has reached or exceeded the humidity threshold value.

Next, the operation of the oven heating described above in the second embodiment, particularly the cooking menu of the automatic oven by the automatic oven cooking control unit 89, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 17 to 19. In Figures 17 (A) and (B), the solid line is a graph of the temperature inside the cooking chamber 14 in this embodiment, and the blocks below this graph indicate the control of the hot air heater 27 and the hot air fan 28, and the hot air heater 27 and the hot air fan 28 are turned on and off at the points of the blocks to perform hot air convection heating.

With meat as the food S placed in the cooking chamber 14, the door 3 is closed while holding the handle 4, and the operation means 7 is used to select an automatic oven cooking menu for heating the food S. Then, the type of meat is selected. The automatic oven cooking control unit 89 sets the first set temperature _T11 , the second set temperature _T12 , and the total time _twhole according to the selected type of meat, as shown in the table in Fig. 18. Note that in this embodiment, meat is used as the food S, but as shown in Fig. 19, for example, an item "vegetables" is also set, so that the food S is not limited to meat in this invention, and can be used for food S other than thick meat.

The automatic oven cooking control section 89 also measures the time from the start of cooking by the timer, which is the timing means of the control means 71. In Fig. 17 (A) and (B), pork is used as the food S to be cooked, and "pork" and "meat on the bone" are selected as the type of meat by the operation means 7. As shown in Fig. 18, in this embodiment, the total time t _whole is set to, for example, 21 minutes by default for beef, 24 minutes by default for pork, 24 minutes by default for chicken, and 29 minutes by default for vegetables, and when "pork" and "meat on the bone" are selected as described above, the first set temperature T ₁₁ is set to 200°C, the second set temperature T ₁₂ is set to 180°C, and the total time t _whole is set to 33 minutes, but these values are merely examples and are not limiting.

As shown in Fig. 19, in this embodiment, the automatic oven cooking setting can be selected from a total of five levels, including standard, two high levels, and two low levels, allowing the user to customize the way meat as the food S is cooked. This automatic oven cooking setting is normally set to "standard" and can be set when the type of meat is selected, and this setting is stored in the memory of the control means 71. Note that the values shown in Fig. 19 are merely examples and are not limiting, while when the type of meat is "pork," there is a risk of food poisoning if the meat is not heated properly, so the shortest time for the total time t _whole is set, for example, to 1 minute at 75°C or higher and 10 minutes at 60°C or higher.

When the start of cooking is then instructed, the process moves to the first step, and the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 to measure the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 14, and controls the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81 so that air heated by the hot air heater 27 is supplied to the inside of the cooking chamber 14 by the hot air fan 28 until the internal temperature reaches the first set temperature _T11 of 200°C, and the food S to be cooked in the cooking chamber 14 is heated by hot air convection.

In order to prevent the food S from being overheated by continuous hot air convection heating for a long period of time in the first step, a process Max time, which is the longest time, is set in the time _t11 elapsed in the first step, and when this process Max time has elapsed from the start of cooking, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 is configured to transition to the second step even if the temperature inside the oven has not reached the first set temperature _T11 .

Thereafter, when the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection means 72 and determines that the internal temperature has reached the first set temperature _T11 , which is 200°C, it proceeds to the second step, and controls the heater drive means ₇₉ and the hot air motor drive means 81 so that the temperature converges and stabilizes at the second set temperature _T12, which is 180°C, which is lower than the first set temperature T11, and reaches a saturated state, and hot air convection heating is performed while controlling the temperature so that the food S is cooked all the way to the center.

Specifically, when the process proceeds to the second step, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection unit 54 and controls the heater driving unit 79 and the hot air motor driving unit 81 to stop hot air convection heating until the internal temperature drops to 180°C, which is the second set temperature _T12 . Then, when the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection unit 72 and determines that the internal temperature has dropped to 180°C or lower, it controls the heater driving unit 79 and the hot air motor driving unit 81 to resume hot air convection heating. After that, when the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 receives a detection signal from the internal temperature detection unit 54 and determines that the internal temperature has reached 180°C or higher, it controls the heater driving unit 79 and the hot air motor driving unit 81 to resume hot air convection heating. By repeating these steps, the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 14 stabilizes and converges to 180°C, which is the second set temperature _T2, in the second step, and reaches a saturated state. In this way, in the first step, the temperature is first raised to the first set temperature _T1 and then lowered to the second set temperature _T2 , so that even if the food S is a thick piece of meat such as a block of meat, it can be cooked through to the inside while browning the surface.

Furthermore, at the start of the second step, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 estimates the amount of meat as the food S to be cooked based on the time _t11 elapsed in the first step measured by the timer, the type of meat selected, and the first set temperature _T11, calculates the time t12 for the second step such that the total time _twhole is a certain time even with this amount of meat, for example, 32 minutes in the case of Figures 17(A) and (B) because "pork" and "meat with bones" are selected, and controls the display control unit ₈₆ to display this time _t12 on the display means 6 as the remaining time until the end of the automatic oven cooking. As shown in the table of Figure 18, the total time _twhole differs depending on the type of meat, and as a result, the time _t12 for the second step is calculated to have a different value depending on the type of meat and the amount of meat, so the remaining time also differs. Therefore, by controlling the display control unit 86 so that the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 displays this as the remaining time on the display means 6, the user can confirm that the second step has started through the display means 6. Furthermore, the automatic oven cooking control section 89 controls the display control section 86 so that the displayed remaining time decreases over time according to the timing of the timer serving as the timing means of the control means 71, and reaches 0 seconds when the second step is completed. Therefore, after the start of the second step, the user can check the remaining time until the automatic oven cooking is completed on the display means 6.

17(A) and (B), it can be seen that the graph for (A), which uses a small amount of meat as the food S, reaches the first set temperature _T11 before the graph for (B), which uses a large amount of meat as the food S. In the case of (B), which uses a large amount of meat, the temperature inside the oven rises slower than in (A), so the time _t11 of the first step is longer than in (A), and the amount of heat applied to the meat increases. Therefore, if the time _t12 of the second step is kept constant and set to an appropriate amount of heat for the amount of meat in (A), the heating time is too long and the amount of heat is excessive, which may cause the meat to burn. On the other hand, in the case of (A) where the amount of meat is small, the temperature inside the oven rises more quickly compared to (B). Therefore, if the time _t12 of the second step is kept constant and set to an appropriate heating time for the amount of meat in (B), the heating time may be too short and the amount of heat applied to the meat may be insufficient, as opposed to (B), resulting in the meat being undercooked inside.

Therefore, in the oven range of this embodiment, the amount of meat to be cooked S is estimated based on the selected type of meat, the first set temperature _T11 , and the time _t11 elapsed in the first step, and the time _t12 of the second step is changed depending on this amount of meat to keep the total time _twhole constant, so that automatic oven cooking can be performed for a constant time while adjusting the amount of heat applied to the meat depending on the amount of meat to be cooked S, making it easy to see when the automatic oven cooking will end. In addition, because hot air convection heating is performed at two set temperatures, the first set temperature _T11 in the first step and the second set temperature _T11 in the second step, the total time _twhole is shortened by 60 seconds compared to conventional hot air convection heating, as shown in FIG.

Then, when the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 determines that the remaining time displayed on the display means 7 has reached zero, it controls the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81 to stop hot air convection heating.

The automatic oven cooking control unit 89 may be configured to set a first set temperature _T11 and a total time t _whole in accordance with the type of meat selected by the operating means 7, and when moving to the second step, to estimate the amount of meat from the type of meat selected at the start and the time t ₁₁ elapsed in the first step, and to determine a second set temperature _T12 based on this amount of meat and the time t ₁₁ of the first step.

In addition, in this embodiment, two steps, the first step and the second step, are provided, but three or more steps may be provided. In this case, the set temperature may be set lower as it progresses to the later steps, and even if it is a thick piece of meat such as a block of meat, it is possible to brown the surface while cooking it more thoroughly.

As described above, the oven range as a heating cooker of this embodiment includes the cooking chamber 14 for accommodating meat as the food S to be cooked, the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81 as heating means for hot air convection heating the meat, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 as control means for controlling the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81, the internal temperature detection means 72 for detecting the internal temperature of the cooking chamber 14, and the operation means 7 as selection means for selecting the type of meat. The oven range includes a first step, which is an initial step, in which the internal temperature is a first set temperature _T11 , and a second step, which is a step following the first step, in which the internal temperature is a second set temperature _T12 . The first set temperature _T11 and the second set temperature _T12 are set according to the type of meat, for example, chicken, pork, beef, block meat, or bone-in meat, and the second set temperature _T12 is configured to be lower than the first set temperature _T11 .

With this configuration, two processes with different set temperatures are provided, and in the first process, the temperature is first raised to the first set temperature _T11 and heated, and then the temperature is lowered to the second set temperature _T12 and heated. Even if the food S is a thick piece of meat such as a block of meat, it can be cooked through to the inside while browning the surface. The food S placed in the cooking chamber 14 can be automatically oven-cooked without the need to input the amount of food S, heating time, heating temperature, etc., so that the user does not experience any inconvenience.

Furthermore, the oven range of this embodiment is configured so that the time _t12 of the second step varies depending on the time _t11 of the first step, and since the time _t11 of the first step varies depending on the amount of meat, the amount of heat can be adjusted depending on the amount of meat.

In addition, in the oven range of this embodiment, in the first step, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 controls the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81 so that hot air convection heating is continued until the temperature inside the oven reaches the first set temperature _T11 , and in the second step, the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 controls the heater driving means 79 and the hot air motor driving means 81 so that hot air convection heating is performed so that the temperature inside the oven converges and stabilizes at the second set temperature _T12 and becomes saturated. The automatic oven cooking control unit 89 determines the amount of meat from the time _t11 of the first step, the type of meat selected, and the first set temperature _T11 and adjusts the time _t12 of the second step so that the total time _twhole , which is the sum of the time _t11 of the first step and the time _t12 of the second step, is constant even if the amount of meat is different, and the total time _twhole is set according to the type of meat. Therefore, the automatic oven cooking can be performed for a fixed time while adjusting the amount of heat applied to the meat as the food S to be cooked depending on the amount of the meat, and the end time of the automatic oven cooking can be easily known.

The oven range of this embodiment also includes a display means 6 that displays the cooking settings and progress, and the automatic oven cooking control unit 89 is configured to calculate the remaining time until automatic oven cooking as hot air convection heating is completed and display the remaining time on the display means 6, with this remaining time being a different value depending on the type and amount of meat. Therefore, the user can check the remaining time until automatic oven cooking is completed on the display means 6.

The automatic oven cooking control unit 89 of this embodiment is also configured to display the remaining time from the start of the second process. Therefore, the user can confirm that the second process has started by using the display means 6.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the oven range of the first embodiment and the oven range of the second embodiment are described separately, but the oven range may have the configurations of both the first and second embodiments. Furthermore, the configuration and shape of each part of this embodiment are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and can be modified as appropriate.

6 Display means (selection means)
7 Operation means (selection means)
14 Cooking chamber 27 Hot air heater (heating means, oven heating means)
28 Hot air fan (heating means, oven heating means)
65 Cooked food temperature detection means 72 Internal temperature detection means 78 Microwave heating means 88 Automatic microwave cooking control unit (control means)
89 Automatic oven cooking control unit (control means)
S: Food to be cooked T: ₁₁ : First set temperature T: ₁₂ : Second set temperature t: ₁₁ : Time of first process t: ₁₂ : Time of second process t: _Whole: Total time Th _{: 1} : First threshold value of infrared sensor (first threshold value)
Th ₂ : First threshold value (second threshold value) of the temperature sensor

Claims (9)

A cooking chamber for accommodating food to be cooked;
A heating means for heating the food by hot air convection;
A control means for controlling the heating means;
An internal temperature detection means for detecting an internal temperature of the cooking chamber;
A selection means for selecting the type of food to be cooked;
A first step until the inside temperature reaches a first set temperature, and a second step thereafter of stabilizing the inside temperature at a second set temperature,
The first set temperature and the second set temperature are set according to the type of the food to be cooked,
the second set temperature is lower than the first set temperature,
The heating means includes a hot air heater that heats air, and a hot air fan that sends the heated air into the cooking chamber and circulates it.
The control means
Controlling the hot air heater so as to be continuously driven until the inside temperature reaches the first set temperature;
When it is determined that the inside temperature has reached the first set temperature, the hot air heater is controlled so as to stop until the inside temperature drops to the second set temperature.
This heating cooker is characterized in that when it is determined that the temperature inside the oven has dropped to the second set temperature, the hot air heater is controlled to be operated again, and the power to the hot air heater is controlled to be turned on and off so that the temperature inside the oven converges stably at the second set temperature and reaches a saturated state. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the time of the second step varies depending on the time of the first step. The control means is configured to determine the amount of the food to be cooked from the time of the first step, the selected type of food to be cooked, and the first set temperature, and adjust the time of the second step so that the total time of the first step and the time of the second step is constant even if the amount of the food to be cooked varies,
3. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the total time is set according to the type of the food to be cooked. Further, a display means for displaying the cooking settings and progress of the cooking is provided.
The control means is configured to calculate a remaining time until the hot air convection heating is completed and display the remaining time on the display means,
4. The cooking device according to claim 3, wherein the remaining time varies depending on the type and amount of the food to be cooked. The cooking device according to claim 4, characterized in that the control means is configured to display the remaining time from the start of the second process. A cooking chamber for accommodating food to be cooked;
A microwave heating means for heating the food to be cooked;
An oven heating means for heating the food by hot air convection;
A control means for controlling the microwave heating means and the oven heating means;
A food temperature detection means including an infrared sensor for detecting the surface temperature of the food;
An internal temperature detection means including a thermistor for detecting the internal temperature of the cooking chamber;
A selection means for selecting the type of food to be cooked;
The control means sets a first threshold value of the detection temperature of the food temperature detection means and a second threshold value of the detection temperature of the inside temperature detection means during the microwave heating,
When the control means determines that one of the two detected temperatures is equal to or higher than the corresponding first threshold value or reaches the corresponding second threshold value during the microwave heating, the control means determines a remaining time of the microwave heating, which is the duration of the microwave heating from the determination,
The hot air convection heating method includes a first process, in which the inside temperature is a first set temperature, and a second process, in which the inside temperature is a second set temperature, after the first process;
The first set temperature and the second set temperature are set according to the type of the food to be cooked,
the second set temperature is lower than the first set temperature,
The oven heating means includes a hot air heater that heats air, and a hot air fan that sends the heated air into the cooking chamber and circulates it.
The control means
Controlling the hot air heater so as to be continuously driven until the inside temperature reaches the first set temperature;
When it is determined that the inside temperature has reached the first set temperature, the hot air heater is controlled so as to stop until the inside temperature drops to the second set temperature.
This heating cooker is characterized in that when it is determined that the temperature inside the oven has dropped to the second set temperature, the hot air heater is controlled to be operated again, and the power to the hot air heater is controlled to be turned on and off so that the temperature inside the oven converges stably at the second set temperature and reaches a saturated state. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that the food to be cooked is meat or vegetables. The cooking device according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that the hot air convection heating setting can be selected from a plurality of stages. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 6, characterized in that a predetermined maximum time is set in the first step, and when the maximum time has elapsed since the start of cooking, the cooking device transitions to the second step even if the temperature inside the cooking chamber has not reached the first set temperature.

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