JP7126046B2 - heating cooker - Google Patents

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a heating cooker for heating food.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a heating cooker having an imaging unit for imaging the inside of a refrigerator. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a heating cooker having an imaging unit on the ceiling of a heating chamber. The heating cooker has a heating section for heating the object to be heated.

JP-A-59-044793

However, many members such as a heating unit are often arranged on the upper side of the heating chamber. In such a configuration, if the photographing unit is provided on the ceiling of the heating chamber, it is difficult for the photographing unit to secure a sufficient field of view.

The heating cooker in the present disclosure includes a heating chamber having a front opening , a door that opens and closes the front opening and has a glass window that allows light to pass through, a heating unit that heats an object to be heated stored in the heating chamber, A camera whose optical axis is inclined toward the rear side of the heating chamber with respect to the vertical direction, and is arranged on the front side of the upper wall of the heating chamber and substantially the center of the heating chamber so as to face the inside of the heating chamber. and a top plate portion disposed along the upper wall below the upper wall of the heating chamber and provided with a top plate opening that is an opening for the camera to photograph the inside of the heating chamber; an antenna cover disposed between the upper wall of the chamber and the top plate and provided to cover from below the antenna of the heating unit attached to the upper part of the heating chamber, the top plate The top plate portion excluding the opening and the antenna cover are configured so as not to enter the field of view of the camera, and in the field of view, the virtual straight line on the front side with the center of the imaging surface of the camera as a base point is the above It is formed so as to intersect with the bottom wall of the heating chamber .

The present disclosure is an antenna in which an imaging unit is provided at an angle on the upper wall of a heating chamber, and a top plate portion provided with an opening for imaging is disposed below the upper wall of the heating chamber to protect the heating unit. By arranging the cover, the photographing unit can photograph in a wide field of view while protecting the upper part inside the heating chamber.

1 is a perspective view of a heating cooker according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heating cooker with a door opened according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. Front view of a heating cooker with a door removed according to one aspect of the present disclosure 1 is a perspective view from below of a heating cooker with a door removed according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a heating cooker with a portion of a housing removed according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of a heating cooker with a portion of the housing removed according to one aspect of the present disclosure; Side cross-sectional view according to one aspect of the present disclosure Side cross-sectional view according to one aspect of the present disclosure Front cross-sectional view according to one aspect of the present disclosure 1 is a cross-sectional view from below according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of main components according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view from below of the main components according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in top view illustrating a configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in a front view illustrating a configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in a side view illustrating a configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in a side view illustrating a configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram in a side view illustrating a configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure;

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a heating cooker includes a heating chamber having a front opening, a heating unit for heating an object to be heated stored in the heating chamber, and an optical axis inclined with respect to the vertical direction. A camera is arranged on the upper wall of the heating chamber so as to face the inside of the heating chamber, and a camera is arranged below the upper wall of the heating chamber along the upper wall to photograph the inside of the heating chamber. The antenna of the heating unit is placed between the top plate part, which is provided with a top plate opening that is an opening for heating, and the top wall of the heating chamber and the top plate part, and is attached to the top of the heating chamber. an antenna cover provided to cover the from below. As a result, the photographing unit can photograph a wide field of view while protecting the upper part of the heating chamber.

In addition, the camera is arranged on the upper wall of the heating chamber on the front side of the approximately center of the heating chamber when viewed from the top, and the optical axis of the optical axis is inclined rearward with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber. You can As a result, a wide field of view can be photographed while suppressing halation due to incident light from outside the heating chamber.

Also, the front end of the top plate opening may be formed so that a virtual straight line passing through the front end of the top plate opening with the center of the imaging surface of the camera as a base point intersects with the bottom wall of the heating chamber. good. As a result, a wide field of view can be photographed while suppressing halation due to incident light from outside the heating chamber.

In addition, the rear end of the top plate opening is formed so that a virtual straight line passing through the rear end of the top plate opening with the center of the imaging surface of the camera as a base point intersects the back wall of the heating chamber. can be As a result, objects to be heated at various heights can be photographed while protecting the upper part of the heating chamber.

Also, a slope may be provided on the front side of the antenna cover so as not to narrow the field of view of the camera. As a result, the photographing unit can photograph a wide field of view while protecting the upper part of the heating chamber.

Also, the top plate opening may be opened so that at least a part of the photographing surface of the camera and the front end portion of the antenna cover are positioned within the opening when viewed from below. As a result, a wide field of view can be photographed while suppressing halation due to incident light from outside the heating chamber.

(Embodiment 1)
[overall structure]
1 to 17 show a cooking device according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the heating cooker 1 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 100, a heating chamber 110 arranged in the housing 100, and a front frame 101 serving as the front surface of the housing 100. and a door 120 that openably and closably covers the front opening 102 located at the bottom.

In the description of the present disclosure, the front opening 102 side of the heating cooker 1 is the front side, and the opposite inner side is the rear side. When viewed from the front side, that is, when viewed from the front, the top side of the heating cooker 1 is the upper side, and the bottom side is the lower side. When viewed from the front, the right direction of the heating cooker 1 is defined as the right side, and the left direction is defined as the left side.

In addition, when viewing the heating cooker 1 from the front, the right direction is the X direction, and the left direction is the -X direction. The rearward direction of the heating cooker 1 is the Y direction, and the forward direction is the -Y direction. The upward direction of the heating cooker 1 is the Z direction, and the downward direction is the -Z direction.

The heating chamber 110 includes an upper wall 111a, left and right side walls 111b and 111c, a rear wall 111d, and a bottom wall 111e. and a space is formed therein.

The door 120 is attached to the housing 100 on the left side of the front opening 102 so as to be openable and closable at the center of rotation in the vertical direction. The door 120 has a handle 121 on the right end of the front surface. When the handle 121 is pulled by the user, the door 120 is rotated and the front opening 102 is opened. Also, the front opening 102 is closed by the user pushing the handle 121 . The door 120 is provided with a glass window 122 so that the user can check the conditions inside the heating chamber 110 .

An operation unit 130 having a horizontally long shape when viewed from the front is provided on the upper front portion of the housing 100 and above the door 120 . The operation unit 130 has a plurality of operation switches 131 for the user to set cooking details, and a plurality of display units 132 for displaying the operation status to the user. Each operation switch 131 is a button for selecting various information, a start button for starting cooking, and the like. The display unit 132 displays the operating state of the heating cooker 1, the operation state of the operation switch 131, and the like. Each operation switch 131 and display section are controlled by the control section 105 . The control unit 105 may be configured by, for example, a CPU, microcomputer, or hardware logic.

Heating cooker 1 supplies at least one of microwaves (high frequency), radiant heat, hot air, and steam to heat an object placed on the bottom of heating chamber 110 . For this purpose, the heating cooker 1 includes a high-frequency generator having a magnetron 106 that generates microwaves, an upper heater unit (not shown) that heats the object to be heated with radiant heat, and a heating chamber 110 that circulates hot air. At least one of a convection heater unit (not shown) and a steam generating section (not shown) for generating steam in the heating chamber 110 is provided as a heating section as a heating means. In the present disclosure, as will be described later, two magnetrons 106 are provided as heating units.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 is provided with a wall opening 112 as an opening. A concave wall recess 113 is provided upward from the peripheral edge of the wall opening 112 . The wall surface recess 113 is formed so as to be recessed obliquely upward from the peripheral edge of the wall surface opening 112 provided in the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 .

A concave bottom opening 114 that is an opening for photographing is provided at the concave bottom of the wall surface concave portion 113, that is, on the upper side. A side wall of the recessed wall surface 113 has a tapered shape that narrows from the side of the heating chamber 110 toward the side of the wall surface opening 112 .

Below the upper wall 111a, a substantially flat plate-shaped top plate portion 140 is provided so as to provide a gap with the upper wall 111a and to be parallel to the upper wall 111a. A top plate opening 141 is provided as an opening on the front side of the top plate portion 140 .

A side wall of the recessed wall surface 113 has a tapered shape that narrows from the side of the heating chamber 110 toward the side of the wall surface opening 112 . The concave bottom opening 114 is arranged to face the vicinity of the camera 154 . In addition, the cross-sectional area of the opening surface of the recessed bottom opening 114 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the opening surface of the wall surface opening 112 . In this way, by making the opening of the recessed bottom opening 114 smaller, it is possible to suppress the leakage of microwaves from inside the heating chamber 110 while ensuring a wide viewing range.

5 to 10, the arrangement of the photographing unit 150, the blower unit 160, the lighting units (upper lighting 170a, left lighting 170b, right lighting 170c), and the top panel 140 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the cooking device 1 with the top and side surfaces of the housing 100 removed, and FIG. 6 is a top view of the housing 100 with the top and side surfaces removed.

7 is a cross-sectional view between C1-C1 in FIG. 6, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view between C2-C2 in FIG. 6, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view between C3-C3, and FIG. is a cross-sectional view of C4-C4 in .

Two magnetrons 106 are vertically provided at the rear of the heating cooker 1 . Each magnetron 106 is connected to a respective waveguide 107 that transmits microwaves. Each waveguide 107 is connected to each radiation opening 108 arranged substantially in the center in the heating chamber 110 when viewed from above.

Microwaves generated by the magnetron 106 radiate into the heating chamber 110 from above and below via the respective waveguides 107 and radiation openings 108 . An object to be heated can be heated uniformly by radiating microwaves from above and below.

A stirrer 109, which is a rotating antenna, is provided in the vicinity of the radiation aperture 108 to stir the microwaves radiated from the radiation aperture 108 and heat the object to be heated more uniformly.

An antenna cover 145 is provided below the upper stirrer 109 so as to cover the rotation range of the stirrer 109 from below.

A top plate portion 140 is provided below the antenna cover 145 so as to be parallel to the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 . The top plate portion 140 is provided with a top plate opening 141 on the front side and below the photographing portion 150 . Details of the antenna cover 145 and the top plate portion 140 will be described later.

An imaging unit 150 and a blower unit 160 are provided above the heating chamber 110 . Illumination units (upper illumination 170a, left illumination 170b, right illumination 170c) for illuminating the inside of the heating chamber 110 are provided above and on the sides of the heating chamber 110 .

The imaging unit 150 has a support frame 151, a camera substrate, a camera 154, a shutter, and a drive motor.

The photographing unit 150 is provided so as to cover the wall recess 113 on the upper surface of the heating chamber 110 with a support frame 151 . The photographing unit 150 is attached so as to face the inside of the heating chamber 110 from the front side of the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 .

The camera substrate has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, and a camera 154 is attached substantially in the center of the surface that becomes the lower side when the support frame 151 is installed on the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 .

The camera 154 has a substantially circular imaging surface. For example, a CCD, a CMOS, or the like is used as an imaging device of the camera 154 . Camera 154 photographs the interior of heating chamber 110 based on an instruction from control unit 105 .

The camera substrate is attached to the support frame 151 so that the photographing opening, the recessed bottom opening 114, and the wall surface opening 112 are aligned in the photographing direction of the camera 154, that is, the optical axis 157 direction. As a result, the camera 154 can view the inside of the heating chamber 110 and take an image of the inside of the heating chamber 110 .

The photographing unit 150 has a shutter rotated by a drive motor in order to protect the camera 154 from steam and flying objects from the object to be heated.

Since the photographing unit 150 is provided on the upper wall of the heating chamber 110, that is, on the ceiling side, the photographing unit 150 can photograph images at an angle and a position where the heating chamber 110 is directed downward. As a result, the state of the upper side of the object to be heated can be photographed with higher accuracy, that is, with higher resolution and less trapezoidal distortion. Such a configuration for photographing from the upper wall of the heating chamber 110 is used for applications such as recognizing characters and symbols written on the upper surface of the object to be heated with high accuracy, recognizing the type of ingredients of the object to be heated, and It is particularly effective in applications such as recognizing the shape and size of an object and recognizing the heating state of an object to be heated.

The heating cooker 1 according to the present disclosure can improve convenience for users in business use such as convenience stores and home use.

Also, the imaging unit 150 is provided on the front side of the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 . Further, the photographing surface of the camera 154 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane so that the photographing direction is toward the substantially central direction of the bottom wall 111 e of the heating chamber 110 . That is, the photographing unit 150 is provided so that the optical axis 157 , which is the photographing direction of the camera 154 , is inclined toward the rear side with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber 110 . As a result, the photographing unit 150 can be arranged in a narrow space, avoiding the vicinity of the approximate center in the top view where the radiation opening 108 for emitting microwaves, which is an example of the heating unit, is arranged. Also, a wide range in the heating chamber 110 can be photographed with high precision while avoiding the vicinity of the center.

In addition, since the photographing unit 150 is provided so that the photographing direction is tilted toward the rear side from the vertical direction, it is possible to suppress the external light entering from the glass window 122 of the door 120 from affecting the photographing. . In other words, it is possible to avoid a situation in which external light entering through the glass window 122 is directly or indirectly reflected in an image captured by the camera 154 with high brightness, and the accuracy of capturing is lowered.

Air blower 160 has a fan case, a fan, and an exhaust port.

A fan is provided inside the fan case. The fan case has an exhaust port for blowing air. The fan is driven by a DC motor and generates an airflow toward the imaging section 150 . The fan is driven based on instructions from the control unit 105 .

Above and on the sides of the heating chamber 110 are provided lighting units for illuminating the inside of the chamber. The illumination section has an upper illumination 170a, a left illumination 170b and a right illumination 170c.

The upper illumination 170a includes an illumination substrate 170aa, LEDs 170ab, and an illumination support portion 170ac.

A plurality of LEDs 170ab are provided as light emitting elements, which are light sources, on the surface of the lighting substrate 170aa on the heating chamber 110 side. By using LEDs as the light source, a larger amount of light can be supplied into the heating chamber 110 with high reliability. The illumination substrate 170aa is attached to the illumination support portion 170ac. The lighting support portion 170ac is attached to the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 .

Light emission of the illumination unit is controlled based on instructions from the control unit 105 . The left lighting 170b and the right lighting are also provided with lighting substrates, LEDs, and lighting supports, similarly to the upper lighting 170a. Details of the upper lighting 170a, the left lighting 170b, and the right lighting 170c will be described later.

[Main part configuration]
11 to 14, the lighting section, the top plate section 140, and their surroundings will be described in detail.

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view including the lighting section, heating chamber 110, and top plate section 140. FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view from below including heating chamber 110, antenna cover 145, and top plate opening 141. FIG. 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams illustrating the configuration and arrangement of the illumination unit and the like in a top view. FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration and arrangement of the lighting section and the like in a front view.

The upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 is provided with an illumination opening 115a made up of a plurality of punched holes behind the approximate center in top view. A diffusion sheet 171 is provided to cover the illumination opening 115a from the outside. Further, an upper lighting 170a is provided on the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 so as to face the inside of the heating chamber 110 through the diffusion sheet 171 and the lighting opening 115a.

The upper lighting 170a is arranged behind the approximate center of the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 when viewed from above. The upper illumination 170a and the photographing unit 150 are arranged at positions sandwiching the waveguide 107 which is inclined with respect to the front-rear direction when viewed from above. The upper illumination 170a and the photographing unit 150 are arranged at positions sandwiching the radiation aperture 108 when viewed from above. As a result, the upper illumination 170a can be arranged in a narrow space, avoiding the vicinity of the approximate center in top view where various parts are arranged.

A left side wall 111b of the heating chamber 110 is provided with an illumination opening 115b formed of a plurality of punched holes on the front side and the upper side in a side view. A diffusion sheet 171 is provided to cover the illumination opening 115b from the outside. Further, a left light 170b is provided on the left side wall 111b of the heating chamber 110 so as to face the interior of the heating chamber 110 through the diffusion sheet 171 and the lighting opening 115b.

A right side wall 111c of the heating chamber 110 is provided with an illumination opening 115c formed of a plurality of punched holes on the front side and the upper side in a side view. A diffusion sheet 171 is provided to cover the illumination opening 115c from the outside. Further, a right lighting 170c is provided on the right side wall 111c of the heating chamber 110 so as to face the inside of the heating chamber 110 through the diffusion sheet 171 and the lighting opening 115c.

The diffusion sheet 171 is made of a film whose main material is polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate. The diffusion sheet 171 diffuses the light emitted from each illumination (upper illumination 170a, left illumination 170b, right illumination 170c) in a direction perpendicular to the illumination direction.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a stirrer 109, which is a rotating antenna for stirring microwaves, is provided approximately in the center of the top wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 when viewed from above. The stirrer 109 is provided below the upper wall 111 a , that is, inside the heating chamber 110 in order to stir microwaves in the heating chamber 110 .

Further, an antenna cover 145 is provided on the surface of the upper wall 111a on the heating chamber 110 side so as to cover the rotation range of the stirrer 109 from below. The antenna cover 145 is provided below the imaging section 150 and above the top plate section 140 . The antenna cover 145 is made of polypropylene material. As a result, it can be arranged so as to be in contact with the wall surface of the heating chamber 110 which becomes hot, and the microwaves radiated into the heating chamber 110 can be transmitted.

The antenna cover 145 has a bowl shape with a bottom that tapers downward and has an open top. The antenna cover 145 is attached so that the edge of the upper opening is in contact with the upper wall 111a. An inclined surface 145 a is provided on the front side of the antenna cover 145 and is inclined with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber 110 . The slope 145 a is inclined toward the rear side of the heating chamber 110 on the lower side.

As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, below the upper wall 111a, a substantially flat plate-shaped top plate portion 140 is provided so as to provide a gap between the upper wall 111a and parallel to the upper wall 111a. It is Also, the top plate portion 140 is provided below the antenna cover 145 .

The top plate portion 140 is formed by a flat plate, which is the main surface, and its peripheral portion. A flat plate, which is the main surface of the top plate portion 140, is formed of a laminated plate of glass cloth and silicon. As a result, light can be softly diffused and transmitted, and microwaves can also be transmitted. A peripheral portion of the flat plate of the top plate portion 140 is formed of a polypropylene material. As a result, it can be arranged so as to be in contact with the wall surface of the heating chamber 110 which becomes hot, and the microwaves radiated into the heating chamber 110 can be transmitted. In this way, since the flat plate portion of the top plate portion 140 is made of a material that is translucent and has light guiding properties in the surface direction, it is possible to diffuse high-brightness light and perform surface illumination softly. .

In addition, the top plate portion 140 is also configured as part of an air passage that guides the air flow in the heating chamber 110 .

A top plate opening 141 is provided as an opening on the front side of the top plate portion 140 . Since the top plate portion 140 is provided with the top plate opening 141 , the photographing portion 150 arranged on the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 can photograph the interior of the heating chamber 110 .

However, when the top plate opening 141 is provided in the top plate portion 140 in order to photograph the inside of the heating chamber 110, the user of the heating cooker 1 touches the stirrer 109 arranged on the upper wall 111a through the top plate opening 141. touch is possible. To prevent this, an antenna cover 145 is provided between the stirrer 109 and the top plate portion 140 . As shown in FIG. 13, an antenna cover 145 is positioned inside the opening of the top plate opening 141 when viewed from above. By arranging the antenna cover 145 in this way, it is possible to prevent the user of the heating cooker 1 from touching the stirrer 109 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 14 , the upper illumination 170 a is provided above the top plate portion 140 , and the left illumination 170 b and the right illumination 170 c are provided below the top plate portion 140 . Thereby, the illumination light from the upper illumination 170a arranged on the upper side of the heating chamber 110, which is on the same side as the imaging unit 150 in a side view, can be applied to the object 2 to be heated as soft planar illumination. Therefore, while a sufficient amount of light is supplied to the upper surface of the object 2 to be heated, it is possible to prevent halation in the photographed image of the photographing unit 150, that is, deterioration of the accuracy of the photographed image due to high-brightness light rays.

Further, since the left lighting 170b and the right lighting 170c are arranged below the top plate portion 140, a larger amount of light can be supplied to the heating chamber 110. FIG. Further, the left lighting 170b and the right lighting 170c are arranged on the front side of the heating chamber 110, which is the same side as the photographing unit 150 in top view, and illuminate the inside of the heating chamber 110 with the horizontal direction as the main axis. As a result, it is possible to prevent the illumination light from the left illumination 170b and the right illumination 170c from directly illuminating the photographing unit 150 and prevent halation from occurring in the photographed image.

[Action] (Figs. 15 to 17)
Hereinafter, the operation of the heating cooker 1 of the present disclosure will be described mainly using FIGS. 15 to 17. FIG.

15A and 15B are schematic side views illustrating the relationship between the illumination unit and the illumination of the top plate unit 140. FIG. 16A and 16B are schematic side views illustrating the relationship of the imaging directions of the imaging unit 150. FIG. 17A and 17B are schematic side views for explaining the relationship of the viewing angles of the photographing unit 150. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 15, an upper illumination 170a is provided on the rear side of the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 when viewed from above. The upper illumination 170a is provided with a plurality of LEDs 170ab as light sources so that the illumination direction is downward. The LED 170ab is a light source that uses an LED element with high luminance and strong directivity.

The light emitted from the LED 170ab travels substantially straight downward, that is, toward the heating chamber 110 side. The light emitted from the LEDs 170ab reaches the diffusion sheet 171 arranged below the upper lighting 170a. The diffusion sheet 171 diffuses incident light in the surface direction of the sheet. That is, the light emitted from the LEDs 170ab is emitted downward while being diffused in the horizontal direction by the diffusion sheet 171 .

The light diffused by diffusion sheet 171 enters heating chamber 110 through illumination opening 115a formed of a plurality of punched holes. Since the illumination opening 115a is configured to have a small punched hole, it is possible to suppress the leakage of microwaves from the inside of the heating chamber 110 . Further, since the illumination opening 115a is formed of a plurality of punched holes, a large amount of light can be supplied into the heating chamber 110 while suppressing microwave leakage.

The light incident into heating chamber 110 through illumination opening 115a reaches top plate portion 140 while spreading in the horizontal direction. Since the top plate part 140 is made of a translucent material, the high-brightness light that has reached it is diffused in the horizontal direction while passing through the lower part of the heating chamber 110 . Thereby, a sufficient amount of light can be supplied to the upper surface of the object to be heated 2 placed in the heating chamber 110 while weakening the concentration of luminance.

Further, the top plate portion 140 guides the incident light in the plane direction, that is, in the horizontal direction inside the flat plate. Thereby, a wider range in the heating chamber 110 can be illuminated from the top plate portion 140 . Therefore, a sufficient amount of light can be supplied to a wider upper surface of the object to be heated 2 placed in the heating chamber 110 .

Thus, in the present disclosure, although the LED, which is a point light source with strong directivity and high brightness, is used as a light source, it is possible to illuminate a wide range while preventing the brightness from increasing locally. The interior of the heating chamber 110 can be illuminated from above as a surface light source capable of supplying a large amount of light.

A photographing unit 150 is provided on the front side of the upper wall 111 a of the heating chamber 110 . The photographing unit 150 is provided so that the photographing direction of the camera 154 , that is, the optical axis 157 is inclined toward the rear side with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber 110 .

The photographing unit 150 faces the interior of the heating chamber 110 through a wall opening 112 provided in the upper wall 111 a and through a top plate opening 141 provided in the top plate portion 140 .

That is, the imaging unit 150 takes an image by directing the optical axis 157 into the heating chamber 110 through the wall opening 112 and the top plate opening 141 .

The illumination light emitted from the upper illumination 170 a passes through the diffusion sheet 171 and the top plate portion 140 and is illuminated onto the object 2 to be heated. That is, the illumination of the object 2 to be heated from above is soft planar illumination. As a result, the upper portion of the object to be heated 2 is illuminated with a large amount of light whose brightness is weakened over a wide range. Therefore, although the optical axis 157 of the photographing unit 150 is inclined toward the object 2 to be heated, the reflected light from the object 2 to be heated has a weakened luminance, but a sufficient amount of light. It becomes the supplied light. Therefore, when the image capturing unit 150 captures an image, it is possible to prevent halation from occurring in the captured image due to high luminance.

Thus, in the present disclosure, since a sufficient amount of light can be supplied, the exposure time (or shutter opening/closing time) can be shortened. Thereby, the imaging time of the imaging unit 150 can be shortened, and the operability of the cooking device 1 for the user can be improved. In addition, since the exposure time can be shortened, it is possible to suppress blurring of the image captured by the imaging unit 150 even when the heating cooker 1 vibrates. Since it is possible to suppress the occurrence of halation while supplying a sufficient amount of light, it is possible to improve the accuracy of recognition in the application of recognizing a photographed image as described above.

As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, a left lighting 170b is provided on the front side of the left side wall 111b of the heating chamber 110, and a right lighting 170c is provided on the front side of the right side wall 111c of the heating chamber 110. FIG.

The left lighting 170b and the right lighting 170c irradiate light in the left-right direction, that is, in the horizontal direction. Thereby, a sufficient amount of light can be supplied even to the lower part in the heating chamber 110, that is, the low position. Furthermore, since it is possible to suppress direct incidence of light from the left illumination 170b and the right illumination 170c to the photographing unit 150, the occurrence of halation in the photographed image of the photographing unit 150 can be suppressed.

Further, a plurality of lights, that is, a left light 170b and a right light 170c are used below the top plate part 140. As shown in FIG. As a result, it is possible to increase the total amount of light while reducing the brightness of each piece, so that the interior of the heating chamber 110 can be more uniformly illuminated and the occurrence of halation in the photographed image of the photographing unit 150 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 15 , the imaging unit 150 is provided so that the optical axis 157 is inclined toward the rear side with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber 110 . Furthermore, below the photographing unit 150, a top plate unit 140 is provided from the position of the back wall 111d of the heating chamber 110 to the vicinity of the front opening 102. As shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent external light entering heating chamber 110 from the outside of heating cooker 1 through front opening 102 from reaching camera 154 of photographing unit 150 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent halation from occurring in the image captured by the imaging unit 150 due to external light.

Further, the photographing unit 150 is arranged on the front side of the heating chamber 110 and is inclined rearward. Therefore, it is possible to prevent external light from reflecting off the upper surface of the object to be heated 2 placed in the heating chamber 110 and reaching the photographing unit 150, and to prevent halation from occurring in the photographed image of the photographing unit 150. .

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 , the photographing unit 150 is provided with an optical axis 157 inclined toward the rear side with respect to the vertical direction of the heating chamber 110 . The photographing unit 150 faces the interior of the heating chamber 110 through a wall opening 112 provided in the upper wall 111 a and through a top plate opening 141 provided in the top plate portion 140 .

As shown in FIG. 17, the field of view range 158 indicates the range captured by the imaging unit 150 . Since the top plate opening 141 is provided in the top plate portion 140 , the photographing portion 150 can photograph the object to be heated 2 placed in the heating chamber 110 in a wide visual field range 158 .

Regarding the position of the front end of the top plate opening 141, a straight line passing through the front end of the top plate opening 141 with the position of the camera 154 of the photographing unit 150 as a reference point is aligned with the surface of the bottom wall 111e of the heating chamber 110. formed to intersect. That is, the front end of the visual field range 158 of the camera 154 is formed so as not to intersect the front opening 102 . As a result, it is possible to prevent the outside light entering from the front opening 102 from directly entering the imaging unit 150 . Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of halation in the image captured by the imaging unit 150 due to external light.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 17 , the center of the top plate opening 141 in the front-rear direction is provided behind the center of the photographing unit 150 when viewed from above. As a result, even in a configuration in which the photographing unit 150 is inclined toward the rear of the heating chamber 110 , a wide viewing range 158 can be ensured while suppressing the incidence of external light from the front opening 102 . That is, the photographing unit 150 can photograph the object to be heated 2 placed in a wide range inside the heating chamber 110 .

However, since the top plate opening 141 is provided in the top plate portion 140 , the user of the heating cooker 1 may touch the stirrer 109 arranged in the upper part of the heating chamber 110 . In the present disclosure, an antenna cover 145 is provided to cover the stara 109 from below. As shown in FIG. 13 , the top plate opening 141 , the imaging surface of the imaging unit 150 , and a portion of the antenna cover 145 are arranged so as to overlap with each other from a transparent viewpoint in the vertical direction. Thereby, the user of the heating cooker 1 can be prevented from touching the stirrer 109 .

However, if the antenna cover 145 is provided below the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 so as to cover the star 109, the field of view 158 of the photographing unit 150 also provided on the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 is narrowed. In the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 17, 12, and 4, a slope 145a is provided on the front side of the antenna cover 145, that is, on the photographing unit 150 side. The slope 145 a is provided to be inclined to the front side of the antenna cover 145 so as to follow the slope of the rear side of the viewing range 158 . As a result, the rear end of the visual field range 158 of the camera 154 can be formed as a straight line with the position of the camera 154 of the photographing unit 150 as a base point and passing through the rear end of the top plate opening 141 . That is, a wide visual field range 158 can be ensured without being obstructed by the antenna cover 145 .

In this way, the position of the rear end of the top plate opening 141 is determined by the position of the camera 154 of the photographing unit 150, and the straight line passing through the rear end of the top plate opening 141 is the back wall of the heating chamber 110. It is formed so as to intersect with the surface of 111d. Thereby, the imaging unit 150 can photograph a wide range inside the heating chamber 110 . In addition, the photographing unit 150 can photograph a taller object 2 to be heated placed in the heating chamber 110 . Thus, in the present disclosure, it is possible to photograph a wide range inside the heating chamber 110 while suppressing the incidence of external light. As a result, objects 2 to be heated at various heights can be photographed. In addition, the object to be heated 2 placed at various positions on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 110 can be photographed.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the above embodiment has been described as an example of the technology disclosed in the present application. However, the technology in the present disclosure is not limited to this, and can be applied to embodiments in which modifications, replacements, additions, omissions, etc. are made as appropriate.

Therefore, other embodiments will be exemplified below.

In the above-described embodiment, the shutter protects the photographing unit 150 from steam and flying objects from the object to be heated. However, a glass plate or the like may be provided on the photographing direction side of the photographing unit 150 to protect the photographing unit 150 from steam and flying objects from the object to be heated.

In the above embodiment, an LED was used as the light source. However, other than the LED, a laser light source, a halogen light source, or other light source with a large amount of light and high brightness may be used.

Also, as the illumination unit, a configuration having three illuminations, that is, an upper illumination 170a, a left illumination 170b, and a right illumination 170c is shown. However, the number of lights may be any number of one or more.

In the above embodiment, the configuration in which the upper lighting 170a is provided above the upper wall 111a of the heating chamber 110 is shown. However, it is sufficient that the upper illumination 170a is arranged above the top plate portion 140 and illuminates toward the top plate portion 140 side.

In the above-described embodiment, top plate portion 140 has a flat plate, which is the main surface, formed of a laminated plate of glass cloth and silicon. However, any translucent material that softly diffuses and transmits light may be used.

Further, the top plate portion 140 has a main surface formed of a flat plate. However, the main surface may be formed of a curved surface or a plurality of flat surfaces. Further, the top plate opening 141 may have an open end at a part of the periphery of the opening when viewed from above.

In the above embodiment, the antenna cover 145 is made of polypropylene material. However, the antenna cover 145 may be made of a flame-retardant material that transmits microwaves.

Further, the antenna cover 145 is formed in a substantially circular shape when viewed from above. However, the antenna cover 145 may have any shape as long as it covers the stirrer 109 and the heating section, which are exposed below the upper wall of the heating chamber 110 .

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present disclosure is applicable to a heating cooker that captures an image of the inside of the refrigerator using an imaging unit.

1 heating cooker 2 object to be heated 100 housing 101 front frame 102 front opening 105 control section 106 magnetron (heating section)
107 waveguide (heating part)
108 radiation opening (heating part)
109 Stara (Antenna)
110 Heating chamber 111a Top wall 111b Left side wall 111c Right side wall 111d Back wall 111e Bottom wall 112 Wall opening 113 Wall recess 114 Recessed bottom opening 115a, 115b, 115c Lighting opening 120 Door 121 Handle 122 Glass window 130 Operation part 131 Operation switch 132 Display Part 140 Top plate part 141 Top plate opening 145 Antenna cover 145a Slope 150 Photographing part 151 Support frame 154 Camera 157 Optical axis 158 View range 160 Blower part 170a Top illumination (first illumination)
170b left illumination (second illumination)
170c right illumination (third illumination)
170aa lighting board 170ab LED
170ac lighting support 171 diffusion sheet

Claims (4)

a heating chamber having a front opening;
a door that opens and closes the front opening and has a glass window through which light passes;
a heating unit that heats an object to be heated that is stored in the heating chamber;
The optical axis is inclined toward the rear side of the heating chamber with respect to the vertical direction, and is arranged on the front side of the upper wall of the heating chamber and substantially the center of the heating chamber so as to face the inside of the heating chamber. a camera with
A top plate portion disposed below the top wall of the heating chamber along the top wall and provided with a top plate opening that is an opening for the camera to photograph the inside of the heating chamber; ,
an antenna cover disposed between the upper wall of the heating chamber and the top plate portion and provided to cover from below the antenna of the heating unit attached to the upper portion of the heating chamber; prepared,
The top plate portion excluding the top plate opening and the antenna cover are configured not to enter the field of view of the camera, and in the field of view, a virtual straight line on the front side with the center of the imaging surface of the camera as a base point. is formed to intersect the bottom wall of the heating chamber,
heating cooker. The rear end of the top plate opening is arranged so that a virtual straight line passing through the rear end of the top plate opening with the center of the imaging surface of the camera as a base point intersects the back wall of the heating chamber. formed,
The heating cooker according to claim 1 . A slope is provided on the front side of the antenna cover so as not to narrow the field of view of the camera,
The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2 . The top plate opening is open so that at least a portion of the photographing surface of the camera and the front end of the antenna cover are positioned within the opening when viewed from the bottom.
The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .

Images