JP7198977B2 - High-frequency heating device and high-frequency heating method - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a high-frequency heating apparatus and a high-frequency heating method, and more particularly to a high-frequency heating apparatus and a high-frequency heating method using the high-frequency heating apparatus as a cooking utensil for cooking using a dielectric heating phenomenon caused by a high-frequency electric field.

Conventionally, in a microwave oven as a cooking utensil in a high-frequency heating device, the surface and the inside of the object to be heated are heated almost simultaneously. Used for heating food. In particular, microwave ovens are widely used to heat food in various dishes because the cooking time can be significantly shortened.

2. Description of the Related Art At home, a cooking method called “one bowl cooking” is spreading as a cooking method that allows cooking to be easily prepared in a short time and that can greatly shorten the cooking time. This "one-bowl cooking" is basically a cooking method in which a desired dish can be easily prepared in a short time simply by putting various ingredients in one bowl, heating them, and mixing them. In such "one-bowl cooking", a microwave oven is used as a cooking utensil.

JP 2018-138861 A

Originally, the cooking method is said to be ``baking'', ``simmering'', ``steaming'', and ``frying''. On the other hand, if we look at the order of appearance of the main dishes at home by cooking method, we find that 1st place is "grilling", 2nd place is "frying", 3rd place is "frying", and 4th place is "simmering". It was found that the appearance frequency of "things" was very high. This has the advantage that you can have both a main dish such as meat or fish and a side dish such as vegetables in one dish.

Chinese dishes such as stir-fried vegetables, mapo tofu, and mapo eggplant are representative menus of this “fried food”. Chinese cuisine is a very popular home-cooking dish in which a main dish containing protein such as meat and seafood is stir-fried with side dishes such as vegetables, and then finished with a thickening of potato starch dissolved in water. Here, "thickness" is starch-containing flour such as potato starch suspended in an aqueous solution and gelatinized. That is.

However, when trying to cook this Chinese dish in a conventional pot or frying pan, it is necessary to fry things that do not cook well first (think about the order of frying), or to constantly stir the ingredients so that they can be heated evenly (operation during the process). ), after adding the seasoning liquid, reduce the heat so that it does not burn (fire power adjustment), and add potato starch dissolved in water so that the whole is "thick" (stir to finish so that there are no lumps). Like this, once you start cooking, you have to make full use of the necessary cooking know-how and operate it continuously throughout the cooking process to create delicious food.

"One-bowl Chinese" executed in the high-frequency heating apparatus according to the present invention is to make Chinese cuisine including "thickness" such as mapo tofu, mapo eggplant, and Happosai by "one-bowl cooking". Ingredients for cooking are placed in a container (bowl) with an open top, and the container is built up in a heating chamber of a high-frequency heating device using at least dielectric heating.

In a microwave oven as a cooking utensil in a high-frequency heating device, the surface and the inside of the object to be heated are heated almost simultaneously. Protein sclerosis, such as hardening and shrinking, tends to occur.

In addition, if the heating is continued without any operation during the process, the "thickness" may accumulate at the bottom of the container, causing sticking or carbonization.
Especially in "one-bowl cooking", a lot of ingredients are put into a container (bowl) at once and cooked according to the number of people to cook, so the inside of the heating chamber of the heating cooker (microwave) is large. filled with containers. In "one-bowl cooking," a large amount of different food ingredients are contained in one container according to the number of people.

When such a container is subjected to dielectric heating in a heating chamber of a heating cooker (microwave oven), it is a serious problem that protein hardening and "thickening" carbonization occur due to overheating as described above. Simply detecting the surface temperature of the food in the container and adjusting the heating output based on the detected temperature may cause sticking (burning) to the container. While preventing the hardening of proteins contained in ingredients and ingredients, it was not possible to perform optimal heat cooking for each dish and create each dish deliciously.

The present invention prevents food from sticking to a container (bowl) containing food for various dishes and hardening of proteins contained in the food for various dishes, while performing optimal heat cooking for selected dishes. An object of the present invention is to provide a high-frequency heating apparatus and a high-frequency heating method capable of

A high-frequency heating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention solves the above-described problems in the conventional art, and includes a heating chamber in which food stored in a container with an open top is placed, and cooking details of the food. An operation unit for inputting cooking conditions, a high-frequency generator for generating high-frequency waves, a high-frequency supply unit for supplying high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generator to the heating chamber, and a temperature detection area for the food contained in the container. is divided into a plurality of regions, the temperature is detected for each divided region, and the detected temperature for each region is output as temperature detection information; a heating control unit for controlling the output of the high frequency generation unit; When a cooking menu containing an ingredient that strengthens the "thickness" of the food is selected by the operation unit, the heating control unit determines at least two temperatures with different values as the "thickness" determination temperature, At least two of the "thickness" determination temperatures are the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate on the bottom surface of the container containing the food, and the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate, and the protein contained in the food material hardens. The temperature is set to be lower than the temperature, and when the maximum temperature in the divided regions of the food reaches the "thickness" judgment temperature, the output of the high frequency generator is reduced.

A high-frequency heating method according to one aspect of the present invention solves the above-described problems in the conventional art. An operation unit for inputting cooking conditions, a high-frequency generator for generating high-frequency waves, a high-frequency supply unit for supplying high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generator to the heating chamber, and a temperature detection area for the food contained in the container. is divided into a plurality of regions, the temperature is detected for each divided region, and the detected temperature for each region is output as temperature detection information; a heating control unit for controlling the output of the high frequency generation unit; A high-frequency heating method in a high-frequency heating device comprising
The high-frequency heating method is
adding a food ingredient that strengthens the "thickness" to the food;
Determining at least two temperatures with different values as the "thickness" determination temperature;
In the temperature detection information from the temperature detection unit, when the maximum temperature in the divided regions of the food reaches the "thickness" judgment temperature, reducing the output of the high frequency generation unit , At least two temperatures of the "thickness" determination temperature are the temperature at which the "thickness" starts to stagnate on the bottom of the container containing the food, and the temperature at which the "thickness" starts to stagnate and lower than the temperature at which the protein contained in the food material hardens. set to temperature .

A high-frequency heating method according to one aspect of the present invention solves the above-described conventional problems,
a heating chamber in which food contained in a container with an open top is placed;
an operation unit for inputting cooking conditions indicating cooking details of the food;
a high-frequency generator that generates high-frequency waves;
a high-frequency supply unit that supplies high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generation unit to the heating chamber;
a temperature detection unit that divides the temperature detection area for the food contained in the container into a plurality of areas, detects the temperature of each divided area, and outputs the detected temperature of each area as temperature detection information;
A high-frequency heating method in a high-frequency heating device comprising a heating control section for controlling the output of the high-frequency generating section, the high-frequency heating method comprising:
Depending on the type of food contained in the food (for example, protein-containing food such as meat and fish), it is necessary to coat the surface of the food with potato starch, wheat flour, etc. in advance before heating in order to prevent the protein from hardening due to heating. This includes covering the surface of the food with powder to prevent it from hardening due to heating.

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent sticking of objects to be heated in containers containing ingredients for various dishes and hardening of proteins contained in ingredients for various dishes, and perform optimal cooking according to the dishes. It is possible to provide a high-frequency heating apparatus and a high-frequency heating method.

1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a high-frequency heating device according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention; The perspective view which shows the state which opened the door in the heating cooker shown in FIG. (a) Schematic diagram showing the viewing angle of the temperature detection target area at the first position in the temperature detection operation of the infrared sensor in dielectric heating control in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 (b) Temperature detection target at the second position Schematic diagram showing the viewing angle of the area Graph showing changes in internal temperature of the heating chamber when, for example, ``shrimp chili'' of ``one bowl Chinese'' is selected in the heating cooker of the first embodiment. Flowchart showing the first half of the high-frequency heating sequence for, for example, "shrimp chilli" in "one bowl Chinese" in the heating cooker of the first embodiment Flowchart showing the second half of the high-frequency heating sequence of FIG. 5 in the heating cooker of Embodiment 1

A high-frequency heating device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes:
a heating chamber in which food contained in a container with an open top is placed;
an operation unit for inputting cooking conditions indicating cooking details of the food;
a high-frequency generator that generates high-frequency waves;
a high-frequency supply unit that supplies high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generation unit to the heating chamber;
a temperature detection unit that divides the temperature detection area for the food contained in the container into a plurality of areas, detects the temperature of each divided area, and outputs the detected temperature of each area as temperature detection information;
a heating control unit that controls the output of the high-frequency generation unit;
The heating control unit determines a “thickness” determination temperature according to the cooking content of the food, and the maximum temperature in the divided area of the food is the “thickness” determination temperature in the temperature detection information from the temperature detection unit. It is configured to reduce the output of the high frequency generator when the temperature is reached.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of the first aspect according to the present invention configured as described above, food such as broth and ingredients, which are the objects to be heated in the container containing the ingredients for various dishes, are prevented from sticking to each other. It is possible to perform optimal heating and cooking according to the situation.

A high-frequency heating device according to a second aspect of the present invention is such that the heating control unit of the first aspect determines at least two temperatures with different values as the "thickness" determination temperature, and divides the food. The output of the high-frequency generator may be gradually reduced each time the maximum temperature in the region reaches the "thickness" determination temperature.

In the high-frequency heating device according to the third aspect of the present invention, at least two different temperatures as the "thickness" determination temperature in the second aspect are the temperature at which the food starts to stick and the temperature at which the food starts to stick. The temperature may be set lower than the curing temperature of the protein contained in the food.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of the third aspect of the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to perform optimal cooking according to the food while preventing the hardening of proteins contained in ingredients of various dishes.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a high-frequency heating apparatus, wherein the heating control unit in any one of the first to third aspects is configured such that the average temperature of the divided regions of the food is set to a predetermined value. The quantity of the food may be detected based on the quantity detection time when the quantity detection temperature is reached and the cooking conditions, and the cooking end time for the food may be calculated according to the detected quantity. .

A high-frequency heating device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that the temperature detection unit in any one of the first to fourth aspects is a temperature detection target region in the upper open end portion of the container. may be configured to be included in

A high-frequency heating method according to a sixth aspect of the present invention comprises:
a heating chamber in which food contained in a container with an open top is placed;
an operation unit for inputting cooking conditions indicating cooking details of the food;
a high-frequency generator that generates high-frequency waves;
a high-frequency supply unit that supplies high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generation unit to the heating chamber;
a temperature detection unit that divides the temperature detection area for the food contained in the container into a plurality of areas, detects the temperature in each divided area, and outputs the detected temperature in each area as temperature detection information;
A high-frequency heating method in a high-frequency heating device comprising a heating control section that controls the output of the high-frequency generating section,
The high-frequency heating method is
adding a food ingredient that strengthens the "thickness" to the food;
Determining the "thickness" judgment temperature according to the cooking content of the food,
reducing the output of the high-frequency generator when the maximum temperature in the divided regions of the food reaches the "thickness" judgment temperature in the temperature detection information from the temperature detector.

According to the high-frequency heating method of the sixth aspect according to the present invention configured in this way, food such as broth and ingredients, which are objects to be heated in a container containing ingredients for various dishes, are prevented from sticking. It is possible to perform optimal heat cooking according to the food.

A high-frequency heating method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is the sixth aspect, wherein at least two temperatures with different values are determined as the "thickness" determination temperature, and the maximum temperature in the divided area of the food is It may include gradually reducing the output of the high-frequency generator each time the "thickness" determination temperature is reached.

An eighth aspect of the high-frequency heating method according to the present invention is the seventh aspect, wherein at least two temperatures having different values as the "thickness" determination temperature are the temperature at which the food starts to stick and the temperature at which the food starts to stick. A temperature higher than the temperature but lower than the curing temperature of the protein contained in the food may be set.

According to the high-frequency heating method of the eighth aspect of the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to prevent hardening of proteins contained in food ingredients for various dishes, and perform optimal cooking according to the dishes. .

A ninth aspect of the present invention is a high-frequency heating method according to any one of the sixth to eighth aspects, wherein the average temperature of the divided regions of the food reaches a predetermined portion detection temperature. detecting the quantity of the food based on the quantity detection time and the cooking conditions when the cooking is done; and calculating the cooking end time for the food according to the detected quantity.

A high-frequency heating method according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the sixth to ninth aspects, may include an upper open end portion of the container in the temperature detection target region. .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A heating cooker having a dielectric heating function as an embodiment of a high-frequency heating apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The high-frequency heating apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the following embodiments, and is constructed based on technical ideas equivalent to the technical ideas described in the following embodiments. Heating devices, for example, include those having at least one of various heating functions such as heat conduction, hot air circulation, heat radiation, steam, etc., in addition to configurations having only dielectric heating functions. Numerical values, shapes, configurations, steps, order of steps, and the like shown in the following embodiments are examples and do not limit the present invention. Among the constituent elements in the following embodiments, constituent elements that are not described in independent claims indicating the highest concept will be described as optional constituent elements.

(Embodiment 1)
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A high-frequency heating apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a high-frequency heating device according to Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the door of the high-frequency heating apparatus of FIG. 1 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 is configured such that a front opening of a heating chamber 2 provided inside a cooker body 1 can be opened and closed by a door 3 . A handle 3a is provided at the upper end of the door 3. A user grips the handle 3a to rotate the door 3 to open and close the front opening of the heating chamber 2 upward. The interior of the heating chamber 2 is substantially sealed by closing the door 3, and the food, which is the object to be heated, placed inside the heating chamber 2 is cooked in a substantially sealed state.

As shown in FIG. 1, on the front of the high-frequency heating apparatus, an operation unit for setting various cooking conditions such as cooking temperature setting, cooking time setting, and the type of object to be heated is provided on a door 3 that opens upward. 4 is provided. An operation unit 4 provided on the front surface of the heating cooker has a display unit for displaying various cooking conditions, the heating state during cooking, and the like.

As the heating means (heating unit) in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, a high-frequency heating unit that radiates high-frequency waves into the heating chamber 2 to dielectrically heat an object (food) placed in the heating chamber is used. In addition, a flat heater heating unit that is provided in a portion including the ceiling wall of the heating chamber 2 and heats the inside of the heating chamber by radiation, a steam heating unit that steam-heats the object to be heated by injecting steam into the heating chamber, and a heating A configuration in which a hot air circulating heating unit that heats an object to be heated by hot air convection inside the room is provided will be described as an example. However, the heating means in the high-frequency heating apparatus of the present invention may have a configuration in which at least a high-frequency heating unit for performing dielectric heating is provided.

As described above, the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 is provided with a plurality of heating units. Thus, a suitable heating unit is selected. The user places the food to be heated inside the heating chamber 2 of the high-frequency heating device, closes the door 3, selects/sets the heating unit, cooking conditions, cooking contents, etc. on the operation unit 4, and presses the start button. The cooking operation is started by pressing . The operation unit 4 is configured with a touch screen for selecting/setting and displaying various kinds of information.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main configuration in dielectric heating control in the high-frequency heating device of Embodiment 1. FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the high-frequency heating apparatus according to the first embodiment includes information such as the cooking conditions and cooking contents set in the operation unit 4, such as the specification of the heating unit, the specification of the object to be heated, and the type of cooking. A heating control unit 5 to which various selected/set information is input, a high frequency generation unit 6 having a magnetron or a solid-state oscillation element that is driven and controlled by the heating control unit 5 to generate high frequency, and a high frequency of the high frequency generation unit 6 is provided to the heating chamber 2, for example, a high-frequency supply unit 7 equipped with a waveguide, and a temperature detection unit 8 for detecting the temperature of the heating chamber 2. As the temperature detection unit 8 in Embodiment 1, in addition to an internal temperature sensor (for example, a thermistor) that detects the internal temperature, as will be described later, it is an area where an object to be heated can be placed. An infrared sensor 9 (IR sensor) is included to detect the temperature of the entire surface of the area where the object to be heated can be placed. Further, in the high-frequency heating device of Embodiment 1, the temperature detection unit 8 includes an environmental temperature sensor (for example, a thermistor) that detects the environmental temperature of the location where the infrared sensor 9 is provided. The environmental temperature information detected by the environmental temperature sensor is used to calibrate the temperature detected by the infrared sensor 9 according to the environmental temperature. As described above, in the heating control unit 5, in addition to the temperature detection information from the infrared sensor 9 regarding the area where the object to be heated inside the heating chamber 2 can be placed, the internal temperature information and the environment temperature information are also received by the temperature detection unit. Input from 8.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, various information such as cooking conditions and cooking contents set in the operation unit 4 are input to the heating control unit 5, and when cooking is performed by dielectric heating, high-frequency waves are generated. The high-frequency generator 6 is controlled to heat and cook the object (food) in the heating chamber 2 according to the set cooking conditions. In addition to the high-frequency heating unit for dielectric heating, the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 is provided with a planar heater unit for radiation heating, a steam heating unit for steam heating, and a hot air circulation heating unit for hot air heating. These heating units are appropriately driven according to various information such as set cooking conditions and cooking contents. In the following description of cooking by the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, an example using a high-frequency heating unit that performs dielectric heating as a heat source will be described.

The high frequency generated in the high frequency generating section 6 is radiated into the heating chamber 2 via the waveguide of the high frequency supplying section 7 by high frequency radiation means such as a rotating antenna. A rotating antenna, which is a high-frequency radiation means for radiating high-frequency waves into the heating chamber 2 , is arranged directly below the center of the bottom surface of the heating chamber 2 . The rotating antenna according to Embodiment 1 has directivity in the radiation direction of high frequencies and has a configuration capable of radiating circularly polarized waves directly above the rotating antenna. Therefore, in the rotating antenna according to the first embodiment, a rotating mechanism is provided to rotate the radiation port of the rotating antenna so that the high frequency can be uniformly radiated inside the heating chamber 2. Circularly polarized waves are also radiated to dielectrically heat an object to be heated which is placed directly above the .

A heating chamber 2 for storing food, which is an object to be heated, inside the cooker main body 1 is divided by five surfaces including left and right sides, a top surface, a bottom surface, and an inner surface, and a door 3 provided at an opening on the front side. configured as follows. In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, the opening side of the heating chamber 2 is the front side (user side), the inner side is the back side, the top side is the upper side, and the bottom side is the lower side. When viewed from the front side, the right side is called the right side, and the left side is called the left side.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, in addition to dielectric heating, the heating chamber 2 is provided with a grill plate used for grill cooking in which the food to be heated is directly radiantly heated by heat radiation or the like, and a heating chamber 2 is heated by hot air heating. and an oven dish used for oven cooking in which food is cooked by increasing the temperature inside the oven. Therefore, in order to support each plate such as a grill plate and an oven plate, on the right side and left side of the heating chamber 5, support projections extending horizontally in the front-rear direction are vertically arranged in a plurality of stages (in practice). In form 1, three stages are provided, and each plate in the heating chamber can be installed at the optimum position for cooking and heating according to the set cooking conditions.

As described above, in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, the heating control unit 5 includes a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the object to be heated (food) placed in the area where the object to be heated can be placed inside the heating chamber 2. It is configured to receive temperature detection information from the infrared sensor 9 (IR sensor) of the unit 8 . The infrared sensor 9 is configured to detect the temperature of the object to be heated (food) inside the heating chamber 2 through an opening formed in the upper central portion of the right side surface of the heating chamber 2 . The infrared sensor 9 has eight infrared detection elements arranged in one row (1×8 eyes), and these infrared detection elements are arranged in eight rows (8×8 eyes: 64 areas) to form a two-dimensional matrix. are arranged in The infrared sensor 9 is an area sensor that detects the temperature in the temperature detection area, divides the temperature detection area into 64 areas, detects the temperature in each divided area, and uses the detected temperature in each area as temperature detection information. This is the configuration for output. The infrared sensor 9 configured in this manner can detect the temperature of the object to be heated (food) in the area in which the object to be heated can be placed inside the heating chamber 2 .

In the high-frequency heating device of Embodiment 1, the infrared sensor 9 is configured to detect the temperature of the object-to-be-heated area of the heating chamber 2 through an opening formed in the upper center of the right side surface of the heating chamber 2, A single temperature detection operation by the infrared sensor 9, which is an area sensor, divides the bottom surface of the heating chamber 2 (the area where the object to be heated can be placed) into 64 parts for temperature detection. Further, the infrared sensor 9 in the high-frequency heating device of Embodiment 1 is configured to be capable of swinging in the vertical direction. It is possible to perform temperature detection at the position of . Therefore, when detecting the temperature of the object to be heated (food) placed in the area where the object to be heated can be placed, the infrared sensor 9 swings in order to detect the temperature characteristics of the object in more detail. It is effective to do and move to the required position.

In the heating cooker of Embodiment 1, temperature detection at the first position and temperature detection at the second position by the infrared sensor 9 can be performed by switching control in the heating control section 5 . The viewing angle of the infrared sensor 9 at the first position is the entire large container (bowl) 10 placed in the heating chamber 2 as a temperature detection target, and the entire object (food) to be heated in the container (bowl) 10. is the viewing angle position where the temperature can be detected. The viewing angle of the second position of the infrared sensor 9 is a viewing angle position at which temperature changes characteristic of cooking, in which starch-containing powders are suspended in an aqueous solution and gelatinized and increase in stickiness, can be detected. In FIG. 3 , the viewing angles of the two temperature detection target regions by the temperature detection operation of the infrared sensor 9 are schematically indicated by arrows. In addition, FIG. 3 shows an example in which a container 10 containing foodstuffs of "one bowl Chinese food" as an object to be heated is arranged inside the heating chamber 2 of the high-frequency heating device.

[High-frequency heating sequence in “One Bowl Chinese”]
As an example of an object to be heated in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 configured as described above, a specific cooking method of "one-bowl Chinese food" will be described.

"One bowl Chinese food" described in Embodiment 1 is a cooking method using a high-frequency heating device (microwave oven) that performs dielectric heating as a cooking utensil. ingredients (including liquid ingredients and solid ingredients) are put in, heated for a predetermined time, and mixed after heating to create a desired dish. Hereinafter, the heating cooking of the high-frequency heating sequence in "One Bowl Chinese" will be described using specific dishes.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, for example, all ingredients of "shrimp chilli" are placed in a large container (bowl) 10 that can be stored inside the heating chamber 2, and the upper open portion of the container (bowl) 10 Food that is wrapped with a transparent film for food packaging so as to close the "one bowl cooking" will be explained. Here, a case will be described in which ingredients for 4 servings are stored in a container (bowl) 10 as a food material for "shrimp chilli", and the container (bowl) 10 is wrapped with a thin film and cooked.

FIG. 4 is an example of a graph showing changes in internal temperature of the heating chamber 2 when "shrimp chili" of "one bowl Chinese food" is selected as the cooking content in the high-frequency heating apparatus of the first embodiment.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 4 , in the initial stage of “shrimp chili” of “one bowl Chinese”, it is cooked with the first high-frequency output (for example, 600 W), which is the maximum output (first cooking stage P1). In the first cooking stage P1, the average temperature of the 64 temperature detection regions is calculated based on the temperature detection information detected by the infrared sensor 9 every predetermined time, for example, every 1.0 second. . This average temperature substantially corresponds to the temperature of the food in the heating chamber 2 . When the calculated average temperature reaches a predetermined temperature (quantity detection temperature), for example, 65 ° C., the inventors found that the arrival time (quantity detection time) at that time has a proportional relationship according to the quantity of food. I found out. In quantity detection, the longer the quantity detection time, the larger the quantity, and the shorter the quantity detection time, the smaller the quantity.

Based on the result of quantity detection, the finish time (T) of the heat cooking of the cooking content (chili shrimp) of the food is calculated. A formula for calculating the end time is expressed as (T=A*K+B). In this formula, "A" is the amount detection time when the amount is detected, and "K" and "B" are constants preset according to the cooking details of the food.

The calculated end time is set in the heating controller 5 of the high-frequency heating device as the end time of the high-frequency heating sequence for the cooking content of the food, that is, the end time of the heating time. In addition, immediately after the detection of the quantity, the process proceeds to the next second cooking stage P2. In the second cooking stage P2, the food is cooked with an output (second high-frequency output: 600 W, for example) equivalent to the first high-frequency output in the preceding first cooking stage P1. In the second cooking stage P2, the temperature detection operation by the infrared sensor 9 is performed at predetermined time intervals shorter than that in the first cooking stage P1, for example, every 0.1 seconds. This operation may be performed continuously while the high-frequency heating sequence is being performed.

In the heat cooking after the second heat cooking stage P2, the flour that is previously sprinkled on the meat or fish before heating in order to prevent hardening of the protein contained in the food material becomes "thick", and the bottom of the container (bowl) 10 Since there is a risk of stagnation and sticking, the "thickness" judgment is performed and the heating output is adjusted based on the result. In FIG. 4, the temperature level F1 is the temperature at which the "thickness" of the food starts to stagnate on the bottom of the bowl 10, and the temperature level from F1 to F2 is the "thickness" of the food. is the temperature range that prevents sticking and hardening of proteins contained in food.

As shown in FIG. 3A, in the infrared sensor 9, the temperature detection target area is set as a viewing angle (first position) where the entire upper part of the container (bowl) 10 can be seen in the first cooking stage P1, It was effective for accurate quantity detection. However, after the second cooking stage P2, as shown in FIG. 3B, the temperature of the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 is important. ) 10 is moved to a downward viewing angle (second position) where the temperature of the bottom surface of 10 is easily detected, and the temperature is detected.

As for the temperature detection at this time, it is necessary to monitor changes over time such as preventing sticking of "thickness" and hardening of proteins contained in ingredients such as meat and fish placed near the bottom of the container (bowl) 10. Therefore, the temperature detection operation by the infrared sensor 9 may be continuously performed at predetermined time intervals shorter than that in the first cooking stage P1, for example, at intervals of 0.1 seconds.

In the temperature detection operation by the infrared sensor 9 described above, hardening of proteins contained in ingredients such as meat and fish arranged near the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 is prevented, In order to prevent sticking of "thickness" that tends to occur, it is necessary to watch the maximum value of the temperature change over time. In order to more precisely detect the temperature detection information detected every 0.1 seconds at intervals shorter than that of the first cooking stage P1, 64 areas are detected every 0.1 seconds. With respect to each element of , the following "thickness" determination may be performed using the temperature detection information obtained by averaging the nine temperature detection information obtained every 0.1 seconds before that. With this method, for each element, for example, every 0.1 seconds, the average value of the previous 10 temperature detection information is compared as the temperature detection information, so the temperature can be detected more accurately. It has the advantage of being able to make more accurate judgments.

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, when a dish is specified (selected), for example, "shrimp chili" in "one bowl Chinese", the temperature threshold when performing the first "thickness" determination for the dish (First "thickness" determination temperature), temperature threshold when performing second "thickness" determination (second "thickness" determination temperature), and temperature threshold when performing third "thickness" determination (third " (thickness" determination temperature) and a temperature threshold value (fourth "thickness" determination temperature) for performing the fourth "thickness" determination are set. The first “thickness” determination temperature, the second “thickness” determination temperature, the third “thickness” determination temperature, and the fourth “thickness” determination temperature are included in the ingredients in the container (bowl) 10 in the cooking of the dish. The temperature detection information about the food detected by the infrared sensor 9 is used to prevent the protein from being hardened by heating and the "thickness" that tends to stay on the bottom of the container (bowl) 10 from sticking and carbonizing. It is a temperature threshold value when performing a total of four "thickness" determinations from the first "thickness" determination to the fourth "thickness" determination based on.

In the first "thickness" judgment, it is for monitoring the temperature of "thickness" that begins to stagnate near the bottom of the container (bowl) 10. At this time, the first stage of thermal power adjustment may be performed ( Third cooking stage P3).

In the second "thickness" determination, it is mainly for monitoring that the temperature of meat and fish does not rise too much, and in the fourth heat cooking stage P4 after the second "thickness" determination, the OFF time is increased, control power.

It is known that the protein contained in meat begins to shrink and harden at approximately 65°C, but begins to soften at 75-85°C (mechanism of gelatinization of collagen, a type of protein). If the temperature rises above this temperature range, the meat and fish become increasingly hard and may lose their flavor. It is necessary to control the power so that meat and fish can maintain this softening temperature range.

Next, in the fifth heat cooking stage P5 after the third "thickness" determination, the entire food is heated while maintaining the proper temperature of the food. The OFF time is further increased and the power is controlled so that the heating can be maintained. Furthermore, in the sixth cooking stage P6 after the fourth "thickness" determination, finish heating is performed while suppressing the uneven heating of the whole. At this time, the OFF time is further increased to prevent the protein contained in the food material in the container (bowl) 10 from being hardened by heating, or the "thickness" sticking to the vicinity of the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 and being carbonized. This is for prevention and optimum heating.

These four different temperature settings have the effect of preventing hardening of the protein contained in the food and the sticking and carbonization of the "thickness" of the protein, as well as maintaining the heated state without hardening or carbonization. is set so that In order to prevent such problems, if the ""thickness"" does not carbonize reliably, or the protein contained in the food does not harden, and the heat is adjusted to a weaker level, a moderate heating state cannot be maintained. Therefore, the problem arises that the food cannot be sufficiently heated, or that cooking takes too much time. By setting these four different temperatures, the proteins contained in the ingredients will not harden due to heating, and the "thickness" will not be carbonized. Ideal results can be achieved.

As shown in the graph of FIG. 4, the first "thickness" determination temperature is set to the temperature (F1) at which "thickness" begins to stagnate near the bottom of the container (bowl) 10, and the second "thickness" The judgment temperature is higher than the first "thickness" judgment temperature, the third "thickness" judgment temperature is higher than the second "thickness" judgment temperature, the fourth "thickness" judgment temperature is higher than the third "thickness" judgment temperature, and the food is set to a temperature lower than the curing temperature (F2) of the protein contained in . After the first "thickness" determination, the second "thickness" determination, the third "thickness" determination, and the fourth "thickness" determination of the high-frequency heating sequence are performed, as described later, the specified (selected) The heating output is reduced step by step according to the content of cooking.

The first "thickness" determination is made when it is determined whether or not the maximum temperature of the food has reached the first "thickness" determination temperature in the detected temperature information about the food detected by the infrared sensor 9 . When the infrared sensor 9 detects that the maximum temperature of the food has reached the first "thickness" determination temperature, the second cooking stage P2 is shifted to the third cooking stage P3. In the third heating cooking stage P3, the heating output is reduced by changing the ON/OFF duty ratio of the heating output (for example, the maximum output of 600 W).

Next, in the third cooking stage P3, when the infrared sensor 9 detects that the maximum temperature of the food has reached the second "thickness" judgment temperature, the process proceeds to the fourth cooking stage P4. In the fourth heating cooking stage P4, the heating output (for example, maximum output 600 W) is further reduced by changing the on/off duty ratio.

Next, in the fourth cooking stage P4, when the infrared sensor 9 detects that the maximum temperature of the food has reached the third "thickness" judgment temperature, the process proceeds to the fifth heating stage P5. In the fifth cooking stage P5, the on/off duty ratio of the heating output (for example, maximum output of 600 W) is changed to further reduce the heating output.

Next, in the fifth cooking stage P5, when the infrared sensor 9 detects that the maximum temperature of the food has reached the fourth "thickness" judgment temperature, the process proceeds to the sixth heating stage P6. In the sixth cooking stage P6, the heating power is further reduced by changing the on/off duty ratio of the heating power (for example, the maximum power of 600 W). This sixth heating stage P6 is continued until the cooking end time calculated for the food, and the heat cooking is completed.

As described above, the first "thickness" determination temperature, the second "thickness" determination temperature, the third "thickness" determination temperature, and the fourth "thickness" determination temperature are the specified (selected) cooking content (cooking/food ) is set in advance in consideration of the sticking temperature (or the hardening temperature of the protein contained in the food). The first "thickness" determination temperature is a temperature lower than the second "thickness" determination temperature, and the second "thickness" determination temperature and the third "thickness" determination temperature are the third "thickness" determination temperature and the fourth "thickness" determination temperature, respectively. ' judgment temperature, which is a lower temperature, and the final fourth 'thickness' judgment temperature is set to a temperature close to the curing temperature of the protein contained in the dish (food). For example, when the dish (food) is "shrimp chilli", the first "thickness" determination temperature is 78°C, the second "thickness" determination temperature is 83°C, and the third "thickness" determination temperature is 88°C. , the fourth "thickness" determination temperature is 93°C. As a specific example, when the dish (food) is "Happosai", the first "thickness" determination temperature is 80 ° C., the second "thickness" determination temperature is 85 ° C., and the second "thickness" determination temperature is 85 ° C. 3 The "thickness" determination temperature is 90°C, and the fourth "thickness" determination temperature is 95°C. These settings are set by taking into consideration whether the ingredients in the ingredients have proteins that harden easily, or whether the ingredients need to be heated sufficiently. In this way, the determination temperature increases in order such as the first "thickness" determination temperature, the second "thickness" determination temperature, the third "thickness" determination temperature, and the fourth "thickness" determination temperature, and the dish (food) Considering the sticking temperature of the "thickness" in the food, or the hardening temperature of the protein contained in the food, it is set to a temperature close to them.

As described above, in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, by performing the high-frequency heating sequence on the food, the protein contained in the food is not hardened, and the container is not thickened. It is possible to perform optimal heating and cooking according to the selected dish without letting it get hot.

5 and 6 are flow charts showing a specific high-frequency heating sequence in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, showing the high-frequency heating sequence for "shrimp chili" of "one bowl Chinese". 5 shows the first half of the high-frequency heating sequence (first cooking stage P1 to second cooking stage P2), and FIG. 6 shows the second half of the high-frequency heating sequence (second cooking stage P2 to sixth cooking stage P2). It shows stage P6).

In the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, the user selects "shrimp chili" of "one bowl Chinese food" from the cooking menu (step S101), and presses the start button of the operation unit 4 to start the cooking operation. (Step S102). At the beginning of the cooking operation, the heating output is set to the first high-frequency output (for example, 600 W), which is the maximum output (step S103).

Step S104 is a step of inputting the name of the dish menu of "shrimp chili" set in "one bowl Chinese". If the set cooking menu is a cooking menu other than "shrimp chilli", for example, "Happosai" or "Mabo tofu", it is determined "NO" in step S104, and the process proceeds to the next step S200. , another food menu other than "shrimp chilli" is input, and the heat cooking stage of the input another food menu is executed. Here, "shrimp chili" will be explained as a set cooking menu, but the difference in other cooking menus is the constant for calculating the cooking end time based on the amount detection, the "thickness" judgment temperature (here, 4 temperature thresholds ), set output, etc., and the basic cooking flow in the high-frequency heating sequence is the same.

In the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, when the set cooking menu is "shrimp chilli", the process proceeds from step S104 to step S105, and the first "thickness" judgment temperature predetermined in the cooking menu, Four temperature thresholds are set for a second "thickness" determination temperature, a third "thickness" determination temperature, and a fourth "thickness" determination temperature.

In step S106, based on the temperature detection information detected by the infrared sensor 9, the average temperature of the food is calculated. As the average temperature of the food calculated at this time, the average temperature of the temperature detection information (detected temperature of each of the 64 regions) detected by the infrared sensor 9 is used in principle. If the internal temperature is higher than the standard environmental temperature for some reason, the temperature detection information detected by the infrared sensor 9 is used to identify the area of the food based on the ratio of the temperature rise value from the initial environmental temperature. An average temperature of a specified area may be used.

In step S107, when the calculated average food temperature reaches a preset quantity detection temperature, for example, 65° C., the quantity of the food is detected based on the required time (quantity detection time) at that time. In step S108, as described above, the cooking time from the start to the end of heat cooking for the food (chili shrimp) is calculated (T=A*K+B).

In addition, "T" is the cooking time until the end of cooking, "A" is the time required to detect the amount (amount detection time), and "K" and "B" are preset according to the cooking content of the food. is a constant.

Immediately after the quantity detection in step S109, the heating output is controlled from the first high frequency output (600 W) to the second high frequency output. In the second heating stage P2, the heating power may be reduced for cooking. Here, it is assumed that the second high-frequency output is kept at 600 W for cooking. FIG. 6 shows a flow chart after the second cooking stage P2.

In FIG. 6, in the second heating cooking stage P2 in the high-frequency heating sequence, the first "thickness" determination is performed based on the temperature detection information regarding the food, and whether the maximum temperature of the food has reached the first "thickness" determination temperature. A determination is made (step S110 in FIG. 6). As described above, the maximum temperature of the food is obtained by detecting the temperature detection information (temperature detection information of each element of 64 regions) detected by the infrared sensor 9 every 0.1 seconds, for example, and then calculating the temperature for the past 10 items. The temperature detection information obtained by averaging (moving average) the detection information for each element may be used. The first "thickness" determination is made when the maximum temperature detected in the food in the container (bowl) 10 is a predetermined temperature (first "thickness" determination temperature: temperature at which "thickness" begins to stagnate on the bottom of the container (F1)) is close to the temperature at which food (chili shrimp) may stick, so the heating output is reduced.

For example, when the “shrimp chili” food material containing potato starch to be “thickened” in the container (bowl) 10 is wrapped in the container (bowl) 10 and cooked by dielectric heating, the potato starch is combined with moisture. It may start to gelatinize and stay on the bottom of the container and stick to it. In such a case, the temperature of the food on the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 and its vicinity suddenly rises to a high temperature due to the food on the other area. As a result, if the temperature of the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 and its vicinity becomes too high compared to other areas of the food, gelatinized potato starch may stick to the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10. was confirmed to be high.

Therefore, in "one bowl Chinese food" in Embodiment 1, as shown in FIG. In order to reliably detect the temperature, the infrared sensor 9 swings to move to a viewing angle (downward) where the temperature of the bottom surface of the container (bowl) 10 can be detected more easily. In addition, in the "one bowl Chinese" in Embodiment 1, considering the temperature at which the starch gelatinized in the food may stick or the temperature at which the protein contained in the food may harden, four times Four "thickness" judgment temperatures are set in advance as temperature thresholds for judging "thickness", and based on the temperature detection information of the entire food (including the temperature of the container 10) from the infrared sensor 9, the maximum temperature in the food When it is detected that (including the bottom portion of the container 10 and the inner plate portion in the vicinity thereof) has reached the “thickness” judgment temperature, the “thickness” judgment is performed and the heating output is reduced. there is

As described above, when the first "thickness" determination temperature is detected, for example, the on/off duty ratio at the maximum output of 600 W is changed to reduce the heating output and shift to the third cooking stage P3. (step S111). For example, the ON/OFF duty ratio of the heating output is set to 12 (ON):4 (OFF) to reduce the heating output to approximately 450W.

Furthermore, in the third heat cooking stage P3, a second “thickness” determination is made (step S112 in FIG. 6). The second “thickness” determination is based on the second “thickness” determination temperature, which is higher than the above-mentioned first “thickness” determination temperature, considering the temperature at which the protein contained in the food material may harden. Based on the preset temperature detection information from the infrared sensor 9, the maximum temperature of the food (including the bottom part of the container 10 and the inner plate part near it) has reached the second "thickness" judgment temperature. is configured to change the "thickening" high frequency output setting when When it is detected that the second "thickness" determination temperature has been reached, for example, the on/off duty ratio at the maximum output of 600 W is changed to reduce the heating output and shift to the fourth cooking stage P4 ( step S113). For example, the ON/OFF duty ratio of the heating output is set to 10 (0N):6 (OFF) to reduce the heating output to approximately 380W.

Further, in the fourth cooking stage P4, a third “thickness” determination is made (step S114 in FIG. 6). The third “thickness” judgment is to keep the food at an appropriate temperature and heat the entire food while preventing the possibility that the gelatinized starch of the food sticks or the possibility that the protein contained in the food hardens. , a temperature higher than the above-mentioned second "thickness" determination is set in advance as the third "thickness" determination temperature, and based on the temperature detection information from the infrared sensor 9, the highest temperature in the food (bottom part of the container 10 and the inner plate portion in the vicinity thereof) reaches the third "thickness" judgment temperature, the high-frequency output setting is changed. When it is detected that the third "thickness" determination temperature has been reached, for example, the on/off duty ratio at the maximum output of 600 W is changed to reduce the heating output and shift to the fifth cooking stage P5 ( step S115). For example, the ON/OFF duty ratio of the heating output is set to 6 (0N):10 (OFF) to reduce the heating output to approximately 200W.

Furthermore, in the fifth cooking stage P5, a fourth “thickness” determination is made (step S116 in FIG. 6). The fourth “thickness” judgment is to prevent the possibility that the gelatinized starch of the food sticks or the possibility that the protein contained in the food material hardens, while suppressing uneven heating of the entire food and proceeding with the final heating. , a temperature higher than the above-mentioned third "thickness" determination temperature is set in advance as the fourth "thickness" determination temperature, and based on the temperature detection information from the infrared sensor 9, the maximum temperature of the food (bottom surface of the container 10 (including the inner plate portion in the vicinity thereof) reaches the fourth "thickening" judgment temperature, the "thickening" high-frequency output setting is changed. When it is detected that the fourth "thickness" determination temperature has been reached, for example, the on/off duty ratio at the maximum output of 600 W is changed to reduce the heating output and shift to the sixth cooking stage P6 ( step S117). For example, the ON/OFF duty ratio of the heating output is set to 4 (0N):12 (OFF) to reduce the heating output to approximately 150W.

As described above, the heating output is reduced each time the "thickness" determination temperature is reached (steps S111, S113, S115, and S117). A method of setting the on/off duty ratio of the heating output and reducing the output to the corresponding output may be used as in the method of reducing the heating output to a constant low output for heating.

From the viewpoint of preventing the gelatinized starch from sticking to the food, the above two methods were compared, and it was found that the on/off duty ratio of the heating output was set rather than reducing the output to a constant low level. It has been found that heating reduced to the appropriate power output is more effective in preventing sticking of gelatinized starch in foods. Therefore, in this sequence, the on/off duty ratio of the heating output is set to gradually reduce the heating output.

In step S119, the end time (T) of heat cooking for the food (shrimp chili) calculated in step S108 is detected (step S118), and the high-frequency heating sequence in the "one bowl Chinese" is terminated (high-frequency output Stop: step S119).

As described above, the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1 has a configuration in which the temperature of the area in which the object to be heated can be placed in the heating chamber 2 is constantly measured, and the temperature of the object to be heated is measured based on the time required to reach a predetermined temperature. The amount of food in a container (bowl) 10, which is an object, is detected to determine the end time of cooking the food. In addition, in the high-frequency heating apparatus of Embodiment 1, at least two or more " Set the "thickness" judgment temperature, and every time the maximum temperature of the food in the container reaches the "thickness" judgment temperature, the heating output is gradually reduced to prevent the gelatinized starch of the food in the container from sticking. , it has a configuration to prevent the hardening of the protein contained in the foodstuff.

As described above, in the present embodiment, as a specific example of cooking, the invention of the present disclosure has been described by citing the case where "thickness" is added using water-soluble potato starch in "shrimp chili" of "One Bowl Chinese" and cooked. However, the invention of the present disclosure is not limited to this, and depending on the type of food contained in the food (for example, protein-containing food such as meat and fish), the hardening of the protein is prevented by heating. Therefore, the surface of the foodstuffs may be guarded by dusting the surfaces of the foodstuffs with powder such as potato starch or wheat flour before heating to prevent the proteins from hardening due to heating.

Further, in the high-frequency heating device of Embodiment 1, the infrared sensor 9 having 64 infrared detection elements arranged in a two-dimensional 8×8 eye matrix is used to enable a swinging operation. In the present invention, the temperature of the entire large container (bowl) 10 placed in the heating chamber 2 is subject to temperature detection. However, it is not limited to the configuration of the first embodiment.

Although the present invention has been described with a certain degree of detail in the embodiments, the details of the configuration disclosed in the embodiments should be changed, and changes in the combination, order, etc. of each element in the embodiments may be changed. may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention makes it possible to easily and deliciously prepare a desired dish of food stored in a container without sticking gelatinized starch of the food on the bottom of the container or hardening protein contained in the ingredients. It is possible to provide a high-frequency heating device and a high-frequency heating method that can achieve high versatility and usefulness.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 cooker body 2 heating chamber 3 door 4 operation unit 5 heating control unit 6 high frequency generation unit 7 high frequency supply unit 8 temperature detection unit 9 infrared sensor

Claims (6)

a heating chamber in which food contained in a container with an open top is placed;
an operation unit for inputting cooking conditions indicating cooking details of the food;
a high-frequency generator that generates high-frequency waves;
a high-frequency supply unit that supplies high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generation unit to the heating chamber;
a temperature detection unit that divides a temperature detection target area for the food contained in the container into a plurality of areas, detects the temperature of each divided area, and outputs the detected temperature of each area as temperature detection information;
a heating control unit that controls the output of the high frequency generation unit,
When a cooking menu containing ingredients that strengthen the "thickness" of the food is selected by the operation unit ,
The heating control unit determines at least two temperatures with different values as the "thickness" determination temperature,
At least two of the "thickness" determination temperatures are the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate on the bottom surface of the container containing the food, and the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate, and the protein contained in the food material hardens. set to a temperature lower than the temperature,
A high-frequency heating device configured to reduce the output of the high-frequency generator when the highest temperature in the divided regions of the food reaches the "thickness" judgment temperature. The heating control unit detects the amount of the food based on the amount detection time when the average temperature of the divided areas of the food reaches a predetermined amount detection temperature and the cooking conditions, and detects the detected amount. 2. The high-frequency heating device according to claim 1 , configured to calculate the cooking end time for the food according to . 3. The high-frequency heating device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature detection unit is configured to include the upper open end portion of the container and the bottom surface portion of the container in a temperature detection target area. a heating chamber in which food contained in a container with an open top is placed;
an operation unit for inputting cooking conditions indicating cooking details of the food;
a high-frequency generator that generates high-frequency waves;
a high-frequency supply unit that supplies high-frequency waves from the high-frequency generation unit to the heating chamber;
a temperature detection unit that divides a temperature detection target area for the food contained in the container into a plurality of areas, detects the temperature of each divided area, and outputs the detected temperature of each area as temperature detection information;
A high-frequency heating method in a high-frequency heating device comprising a heating control section that controls the output of the high-frequency generating section,
adding a food ingredient that strengthens the "thickness" to the food;
Determining at least two temperatures with different values as the "thickness" determination temperature;
In the temperature detection information from the temperature detection unit, when the maximum temperature in the divided area of the food reaches the “thickness” judgment temperature, reducing the output of the high frequency generation unit ,
At least two temperatures of the "thickness" determination temperature are the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate on the bottom of the container containing the food, and the temperature at which the protein contained in the food material hardens, which is higher than the temperature at which the "thickness" begins to stagnate. A high frequency heating method , which is set at a lower temperature . detecting the quantity of the food based on the quantity detection time when the average temperature of the divided regions of the food reaches a predetermined quantity detection temperature and the cooking conditions;
5. The high-frequency heating method of claim 4 , comprising calculating a cooking end time for the food according to the sensed quantity. 6. The high-frequency heating method according to claim 4 , wherein the temperature detection target area includes the upper open end portion of the container and the bottom portion of the container.

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