JPH0310846B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to an automatic heating cooker with a scale equipped with a weight measurement function, a temperature sensor, and a humidity sensor.

Conventional configuration and its problems In conventional automatic heating cookers with a weight measurement function, the weight of the food is detected and measured before heating starts, and cooking is performed using the optimal control sequence according to the weight. When the weight could not be measured for some reason, it was determined that automatic cooking was not possible, and automatic cooking was terminated at that point. In other words, it is very annoying and inconvenient for users that automatic heating cooking is not possible even though they expect it to be possible.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The present invention aims to eliminate the above-mentioned conventional inconveniences.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above object, in the automatic heating cooker with a scale of the present invention, when accurate weight measurement is not possible, the control section estimates why the accurate weight measurement was not possible. ,Furthermore, even if automatic heating cooking is started as it is, menus that can be controlled well and menus that cannot be separated are separated, and if the menu can be controlled well, cooking will be started with a different heating sequence, thereby avoiding inconvenience to the user. . Also, if there is a menu where automatic cooking cannot be achieved unless a weight value is obtained, the system notifies the user to start over from the initial weight measurement, which is really helpful.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a side sectional view of an automatic heating cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a heating chamber in which food 2 as an object to be heated is placed; 3 is a high-frequency heating source connected to the heating chamber 1; The heating chamber 1 is provided with a sub-heating chamber 5 partitioned by a perforated plate 4, and the sub-heating chamber 5 is provided with an electric heating device 6 and a circulation fan 7 for circulating hot air into the heating chamber 1. 8 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the heating chamber 1, and 9 is a humidity sensor that detects steam generated from food. Reference numeral 10 denotes a weight detection device that detects the weight of the food 2 based on the vibration frequency of the vibration generated by the weight. FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of the weight detection device 10. A table 11 on which the food 2 is placed and a cantilever spring 13, one piece of which is connected to the shaft 12, have another piece supported by the bottom surface 14 of the main body, and the table 1
The cantilever spring 13 vibrates due to the weight of food 1 and food 2, and the frequency of vibration changes depending on the weight. As the cantilever spring 13 vibrates, the magnet 15 attached to its tip also vibrates in the coil 16, so that an induced current flows through the coil 16 and its frequency is equal to the frequency of the cantilever spring 13. This induced current is converted into voltage, and the control unit reads the frequency of this voltage fluctuation and converts it into a weight value. Based on this weight value, the control unit executes automatic heating cooking. The third block diagram shows this system.
It is a diagram. There are three main reasons for incorrect weight measurement: the influence of other vibration systems, the cantilever spring 13 sticking to the bottom 14 of the main body and no longer vibrating due to excessive weight, and the other reason being that weight measurement cannot be performed properly. This is a mechanical or electrical failure of the unit. In the case of the last failure, there is no choice but to have it repaired, but the former two can be distinguished in the control unit.
If it is due to the influence of another vibration system, there will be vibrations, even if they are not regular vibrations, and when the weight is over, there will be no vibrations at all.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the contents of the control section. When the user wants to start reheating cooking, the user presses the reheat key 17, opens the door 18 shown in FIG.
Press (Fig. 4). microcomputer 19
(hereinafter abbreviated as microcomputer) controls the door 18 by means of a door switch 20 that opens and closes when the door 18 opens and closes.
The weight of the food 2 is calculated by recognizing that the door 18 is closed and measuring the vibration of the spring caused by the opening and closing of the door 18 and converted into a weight pulse 21.

The microcomputer 19 calculates the weight and humidity sensor 9
The heating sources such as the high-frequency heating source 3 and the electric heating device 6 and the circulation fan 7 are controlled based on the humidity and temperature information in the heating chamber 1 (FIG. 1) obtained by the temperature sensor 8 and the high-frequency heating source 3 and the electric heating device 6. On the other hand, the display tube 22 and buzzer 23 display the menu selected by the user, the remaining time, and the current temperature, and notify the end of cooking. The above is the mechanism of automatic heating cooking, but as mentioned above, there is a cooking menu in which automatic heating cooking cannot be performed at all when correct weight measurement is not possible, and a cooking menu in which automatic cooking can be done to some extent with just the humidity sensor 9. be. For example, thawing cooking etc.
The humidity sensor 9 cannot be used because the food 2 is not heated to a high enough temperature to generate steam. Therefore, unless accurate weight values can be measured, it is difficult to automate defrosting and cooking. On the other hand, when reheating the food 2, etc., the food 2 is heated to a high temperature, and when steam comes out from the food 2, the humidity sensor 9 detects this steam and controls the heating. is mainly used for control, and weight is only used to compensate for the amount of food 2 in the vapor detection conditions. Therefore, in reheating cooking, the humidity sensor 9 is mainly used, and the weight measurement value is used secondarily, and it is possible to automate the cooking to some extent even without the secondary weight measurement value.

Therefore, in defrosting cooking, when the microcomputer 19 determines that the correct weight value could not be obtained due to the influence of other vibration systems or overweight, it stops the automatic heating control for defrosting and also uses a buzzer 23 to notify the user of this. sound. In addition, the buzzer notification (Fig. 5b) is different from the buzzer notification (Fig. 5a) indicating the end of cooking, and the user is notified once again by the door 18.
Ask them to open and close the door and re-measure the weight.

On the other hand, in reheating cooking, similarly to thawing, even when the microcomputer 19 determines that a weight value cannot be obtained, heating is not stopped and automatic heating control is executed only by humidity sensor control. At this time, a large value is set as the weight value so as not to interfere with the humidity sensor control.

In addition, in Chawanmushi cooking, although humidity sensor control is used in the same way as in reheating cooking, the weight value is also very important in knowing the number of pieces to be cooked, so the weight value cannot be measured due to the influence of other vibration systems. If so,
Heating is stopped, a buzzer sounds to request re-weighing, and if the weight is over, the cooking sequence is controlled using three larger bowls.

The above control sequence is summarized in the flowchart shown in FIG. When the user sets the cooking menu and starts cooking, the frequency of the weight pulse is measured three times and the measured values are compared to see if they match. If they match, it is determined that the vibrations are correct and regular, and the heating is controlled using a sensor for monitoring the heating status and the weight information, and the food is heated (cooked) when it is determined that the heating status of the food is optimal. When finished, sound the buzzer. Further, when the vibration frequencies do not match or there is no vibration, it is determined that the weight is not a correct value or that weight measurement is impossible. At this time, if the menu is Defrost or Chawanmushi, cooking cannot be controlled without weight information, so a buzzer will sound to notify the user that the weight cannot be measured, and the user will be asked to press the start key again to measure the weight. to be notified. Moreover, if the menu is other than the above, heating can be controlled only by the sensor that monitors the heating state, so heating is started.

In this way, according to this embodiment, when the correct weight value cannot be obtained, heating is stopped during thawing cooking, and a notification that the correct weight value has not been obtained is notified, which makes it easier for the user to cancel. The cause is obvious and easy to understand. In reheating cooking,
This is helpful because it allows automatic heating control to continue as is.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Even when the correct weight value cannot be obtained, the menu that can be controlled without the weight value is configured so that automatic heating control can continue.
It is convenient and friendly for users who expect automatic heating and cooking.

(2) Even when a correct weight value cannot be obtained and a menu is displayed to cancel heating control, the cause is clear and easy for the user to understand by notifying the user of this fact. Furthermore, by remeasuring the weight once again, the correct weight value can be obtained, making it possible to perform accurate automatic heating control without failure.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an automatic heating cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a structural diagram of a weight detection device, Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an automatic heating cooking system, and Fig. 4 is a A block diagram showing the contents of the control section, Figure 5a shows the timing of the buzzer sounding when cooking is completed, and Figure 5b shows the timing of the buzzer sounding when the correct weight is not obtained. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the control section. 1... Heating chamber, 2... Food, 3... High frequency heating source, 6... Electric heating device, 8... Temperature sensor, 9...
Humidity sensor, 10... Weight detection device, 11... Food placement table, 17... Reheat cooking selection key,
18...Start key, 19...Microcomputer, 20
...Door switch, 21...Weight pulse, 22...
...Display tube, 23...Buzzer, 24...Defrost cooking selection key, 25...Chawanmushi cooking selection key.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A cooking menu input means, a heat source for heating food, a food table supported via an elastic member, a frequency detection means for detecting the frequency of the food table, and weight calculation means for converting the periodic signal from the vibration frequency detection means into a weight value of the food; a sensor for monitoring the heating state of the food; and weight information obtained from the weight calculation means and heating state information obtained from the sensor. The controller includes a control unit that controls the power of the heat source based on the information to perform automatic heating cooking, and the control unit controls the control unit when the periodic signal from the vibration frequency detection means is irregular or when the period of the periodic signal is predetermined. Equipped with a scale that selects whether to finish cooking at that point or automatically cook in a different sequence using only the sensor when the value exceeds the set reference value, based on the data input from the cooking menu input means. Automatic heating cooker.