JP7538730B2 - Gas stove - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a gas stove that includes a stove burner with an annular burner head, a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of an object to be heated that is placed above the stove burner, a gas amount adjustment means for adjusting the amount of fuel gas supplied to the stove burner, and a control means.

Conventionally, as an example of this type of gas stove, Patent Document 1 discloses a stove that is capable of low-temperature cooking, in which the heated object is heated to a temperature of about 100°C or lower. With this stove, low-temperature cooking is performed by frequently and repeatedly turning the stove burner on and off.

However, if the burner is turned on and off frequently like this during low-temperature cooking, it can be uncomfortable for the user.

JP 2019-90544 A

In view of the above, the present invention aims to provide a gas stove that allows low-temperature cooking without frequently turning the stove burner on and off.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a gas stove comprising a stove burner having an annular burner head, temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of an object to be heated placed above the stove burner, gas amount adjustment means for adjusting the amount of fuel gas supplied to the stove burner, and control means, the stove burner comprising a first burner section having a number of first flame ports formed on the outer peripheral surface of the burner head and a first mixing tube connected to the upstream side of the first flame ports, and fuel gas is supplied to the first burner section from the gas amount adjustment means, the stove burner comprising a number of openings formed on the outer peripheral surface of the burner head and positioned above the first flame ports, the gas stove comprising an air supply means for supplying air to these openings, The apparatus is provided with a low-temperature cooking stage and a low-temperature cooking instruction means for instructing a low-temperature cooking mode, and the control means is configured to execute low-temperature cooking control when the low-temperature cooking mode is instructed by the low-temperature cooking instruction means, and in the low-temperature cooking control, based on the temperature of the heated object detected by the temperature detection means , the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is controlled to be switched between a predetermined first set amount and a predetermined second set amount which is smaller than the first set amount, and when the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is set to the first set amount, the amount of air supplied by the air supply means is reduced or the air supply is stopped, and when the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is set to the second set amount, the amount of air supplied by the air supply means is increased or the air supply is resumed .

According to the present invention, in low-temperature cooking control, air from the air supply means is ejected above the combustion flame formed in the first flame port of the burner head through the opening of the burner head, and the amount of heat transferred from the combustion flame to the heated object can be reduced by this air. Therefore, low-temperature cooking can be performed without frequently repeating turning on and off the stove burner (first burner section), and discomfort to the user can be suppressed. Also, according to the present invention, when the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is reduced to the second set amount to suppress heating of the heated object, the amount of heat transferred to the heated object can be effectively reduced by the air from the air supply means, thereby improving the accuracy of low-temperature cooking.

In addition, in the present invention, a means for acquiring information on the shape of the object to be heated, the weight of the object to be heated, and the gradient of the temperature change of the object to be heated over a predetermined time period detected by the temperature detection means may be provided, and in the low-temperature cooking control, the gas amount adjustment means may control the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner and the air supply means may control the air supply based on the information acquired by the information acquisition means on the temperature of the object to be heated detected by the temperature detection means. This can further improve the accuracy of low-temperature cooking.

Furthermore, in the present invention, the stove burner may be provided with a second burner section having a second flame port formed from the above-mentioned opening of the burner head and a second mixing tube connected to the upstream side of the second flame port in addition to the first burner section, and the second burner section may be configured as a forced air supply burner in which air from the above-mentioned air supply means is supplied as primary air to the second mixing tube. In this case, a switching means is provided to switch between a single combustion state in which fuel gas is supplied only to the first burner section and only the first burner section is burned, and a simultaneous combustion state in which fuel gas is also supplied to the second burner section and both the first and second burner sections are burned, and in low-temperature cooking control, the switching means may be used to switch to the single combustion state. According to this, by switching to the simultaneous combustion state, the amount of heat of the heated object can be increased, the turndown ratio can be increased, and the range of possible cooking can be expanded.

1 is a perspective view of a main part of a gas stove according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a stove burner provided in the gas stove of the embodiment. A flow chart showing the contents of low-temperature cooking control executed in the gas stove of the embodiment. A flow chart showing the contents of another embodiment of low-temperature cooking control.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a gas stove according to an embodiment of the present invention is equipped with a stove burner 2 facing a burner opening 11 provided in a top plate 1 covering the top surface of the stove body (not shown). The stove burner 2 has a burner body 21, the upper part of which is inserted into the burner opening 11, and an annular burner head 22 on the burner body 21. A trivet 12 is placed on the top plate 1 so as to surround the burner opening 11, and a cover ring 13 is placed on top to cover the gap between the burner opening 11 and the part of the burner body 21 that is inserted therein.

Referring also to Figure 3, the stove burner 2 comprises a first burner section 21 having a number of first flame ports _23-1 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the burner head ₂₂ and a first mixing tube _24-1 connected to the upstream side of the first flame ports _23-1 , and a second burner section 22 having a number of second flame ports _23-2 consisting of openings formed above the first flame ports _23-1 on the outer peripheral surface of the burner head ₂₂ and a second mixing tube _24-2 connected to the upstream side of the second flame ports _23-2 .

More specifically, the burner body 21 has an outer cylinder 211, an intermediate cylinder 212, and an inner cylinder 213, which are triple cylinders inserted into the burner opening 11. The burner head 22 is composed of an annular lower head member 221 having a vertically extending cylinder section 221a on its inner circumference that fits into the intermediate cylinder section 212 of the burner body 21, and an annular upper head member 222 having a vertically extending cylinder section 222a on its lower inner circumference that fits into the inner cylinder section 213 of the burner body 21.

An annular wall 221b is vertically attached to the outer periphery of the lower surface of the lower head member 221, and is seated on the upper end of the outer cylindrical body 211 of the burner body _21. This annular wall 221b has a number of grooves formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, which grooves are recessed upward from the lower end surface and serve as first flame ports 23-1. The first flame ports _23-1 communicate with a space surrounded by the lower head member 221, the outer cylindrical body 211 of the burner body 21, and the intermediate cylindrical body 212, and a first mixing tube _24-1 integral with the burner body 21 is provided so as to communicate with this space.

An annular wall 222b is vertically disposed on the outer periphery of the lower surface of the upper head member 222, and is seated on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the lower head member _221. This annular wall 222b has a number of grooves formed at intervals in the circumferential direction, which grooves are recessed upward from the lower end surface of the annular wall 222 and serve as second flame ports 232. The second flame ports ₂₃₂ communicate with a space surrounded by the lower head member 221, the upper head member 222, and the intermediate cylinder 212 and the inner cylinder 213 of the burner body 21, and a second mixing tube ₂₄₂ integral with the burner body 21 is provided so as to communicate with this space.

3, the first mixing tube 24 ₁ , i.e., the first burner section 2 ₁ , is supplied with fuel gas via a first burner gas supply passage 3 ₁ branched off from the common gas supply passage 3, and the second mixing tube 24 ₂ , i.e., the second burner section 2 ₂ , is supplied with fuel gas via a second burner gas supply passage 3 ₂ branched off from the common gas supply passage 3. A safety valve 31 and a flow rate control valve 32 serving as a gas amount control means are interposed in the common gas supply passage 3. Also, a second burner solenoid valve ₃₃ serving as a switching means for switching between an independent combustion state in which fuel gas is supplied _only to the first burner section 2 ₁ to burn only the first burner section 2 ₁ , and a simultaneous combustion state in which fuel gas is also supplied to the second burner section 2 ₂ to burn both the first and second burner sections 2 ₁ , 2 2 .

A gas nozzle (not shown) facing the inlet 24 ₁ a at the upstream end of the first mixing tube 24 ₁ is connected to the downstream end of the first burner gas supply passage 3 _1. Primary air is sucked from the inlet 24 ₁ a as fuel gas is sprayed from this gas nozzle. On the other hand, a fan 4 serving as an air supply means is connected to the upstream end of the second mixing tube 24 _2. The second burner section 2 ₂ is composed of a forced air supply burner that supplies air from the fan 4 as primary air to the second mixing tube 24 _2. A gas inlet 24 ₂ a connected to a gas nozzle (not shown) inside the second mixing tube 24 ₂ is provided on the side surface near the upstream end of the second mixing tube 24 ₂ , and the second burner gas supply passage 3 ₂ is connected to this gas inlet 24 ₂ a.

The stove burner 2 is also provided with an ignition electrode 25 for igniting the first burner section ₂₁ , and a thermocouple 26 as a flame detection element for detecting the combustion flame of the _first burner section 21. Furthermore, a pot bottom temperature sensor 5 as a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the heated object placed above the stove burner 2, i.e., the heated object (cooking vessel) placed on the trivet 12, is provided so as to protrude upward through the space surrounded by the burner head 22.

The above-mentioned safety valve 31, flow rate control valve 32, second burner solenoid valve 33, fan 4, and igniter (not shown) for applying high voltage to ignition electrode 25 are controlled by controller 6 consisting of a microcomputer serving as control means. Signals from ignition/extinction operation section 61, heat power adjustment operation section 62, and cooking mode selection section 63 provided on an operation panel (not shown), a signal from pot bottom temperature sensor 5, and a signal from thermocouple 26 are input to controller 6. When an ignition command signal is input from ignition/extinction operation section 61, controller 6 opens safety valve 31 and turns on the igniter to ignite first burner section _21. Thereafter, when misfire is detected based on the signal from thermocouple 26 or when an extinguishing command signal is input from ignition/extinction operation section 61, controller 6 closes safety valve 31.

When the manual cooking mode is selected by the cooking mode selection unit 63, the flow rate control valve 32 is controlled based on a signal from the heat adjustment operation unit 62. When the heat adjustment operation unit 62 commands a predetermined medium heat level or higher, the second burner solenoid valve 33 is opened to switch to a simultaneous combustion state in which both the first and second burner units ₂₁ , ₂₂ are burned, and the fan 4 is driven to supply an amount of air corresponding to the amount of fuel gas supplied to the second burner unit _22. When an automatic cooking mode other than the low-temperature cooking mode described later is selected by the cooking mode selection unit 63, the flow rate control valve 32, the second burner solenoid valve 33, and the fan 4 are controlled so that the temperature of the heated object detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 5 falls within a predetermined set temperature range corresponding to the cooking mode.

Here, the cooking mode selection unit 63 can select a low-temperature cooking mode, in which the object to be heated is heated at a temperature of about 100°C or lower than 100°C, as one of the automatic cooking modes. Therefore, the cooking mode selection unit 63 also functions as a low-temperature cooking instruction means for instructing the low-temperature cooking mode. When the low-temperature cooking mode is instructed by a signal from the cooking mode selection unit 63, the controller 6 executes low-temperature cooking control. In the low-temperature cooking control, the flow rate adjustment valve 32 controls the amount of fuel gas supplied Qg to the first burner unit ₂₁ and the fan 4 controls the supply of air based on the temperature T of the object to be heated detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 5. The low-temperature cooking control will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 4.

In the low-temperature cooking control, first, in STEP 1, the second burner solenoid valve 33 is closed, fuel gas is supplied only to the first burner _2.1 , and only the first burner _2.1 is burned, and in STEP 2, the flow rate control valve 32 is controlled so that the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner _2.1 is a predetermined amount. Next, in STEP 3, it is determined whether the temperature T of the object to be heated detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 5 is less than the lower threshold YTL of the temperature control for low-temperature cooking. If T<YTL, the fan 4 is stopped in STEP 4, that is, the supply of air by the fan 4 is stopped, and then, in STEP 5, it is determined whether the temperature T of the object to be heated exceeds the upper threshold YTH of the temperature control for low-temperature cooking. If T≦YTH, the process returns to STEP 4 and is repeated. When T>YTH, the process proceeds to STEP 6, where the fan 4 is driven, that is, the supply of air by the fan 4 is started, and the process returns to STEP 3. Then, the fan 4 continues to be driven until T<YTL.

In the low-temperature cooking control, in order to achieve a single combustion state, when the fan 4 is driven, air is ejected from the fan 4 through the second flame port 23 ₂ above the combustion flame formed in the first flame port 23 _1. This air can reduce the amount of heat transferred from the combustion flame to the object to be heated. Therefore, even if the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit 2 ₁ is maintained at a predetermined amount, the temperature T of the object to be heated can be lowered so that T≦YTH, and low-temperature cooking can be performed. Therefore, it is not necessary to repeatedly turn on and off the first burner unit 2 ₁ during low-temperature cooking, and it is possible to suppress the user from feeling uncomfortable. Furthermore, low-temperature cooking can be performed without changing the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit 2 ₁ , and the durability of the flow rate control valve 32 can be improved.

During low-temperature cooking control, the fan 4 may be driven at all times, and in STEP 4, the amount of air supplied by the fan 4 may be reduced by decreasing the fan rotation speed, and in STEP 6, the amount of air supplied by the fan 4 may be increased by increasing the fan rotation speed. It is also possible to switch to a simultaneous combustion state when T<YTL until T>YTH. However, this tends to result in a large overshoot of the temperature T of the heated object relative to the upper threshold value YTH. For this reason, it is desirable to maintain the single combustion state during low-temperature cooking control as in this embodiment.

Next, another embodiment of low-temperature cooking control will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In this embodiment, first, in STEP 101, the second burner solenoid valve 33 is closed, and fuel gas is supplied _only to the first burner section 21, resulting in a single combustion state in which only the first burner section ₂₁ is burned. Next, in STEP 102, it is determined whether the temperature T of the heated object detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 5 is less than the lower threshold value YTL. If T<YTL, the process proceeds to STEP 103, where the flow rate control valve 32 is controlled so that the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner section ₂₁ becomes a predetermined first set amount, and in STEP 104, the fan 4 is stopped.

Next, the process proceeds to STEP 105, where it is determined whether the temperature T of the object to be heated exceeds the upper threshold value YTH. If T≦YTH, the process returns to STEP 103 and is repeated. If T>YTH, the process proceeds to STEP 106, where the flow rate control valve 32 is controlled so that the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit ₂₁ becomes a second set amount that is less than the first set amount, and the fan 4 is driven in STEP 107, and the process returns to STEP 102. Then, until T<YTL, the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit ₂₁ is maintained at the second set amount and the fan 4 continues to be driven.

According to this, when T>YTH and the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit ₂₁ is reduced to the second set amount to suppress heating of the object to be heated, the amount of heat transferred to the object to be heated can be effectively reduced by the air from the fan 4. Therefore, the state of T≦YTH is reached early, and the accuracy of low-temperature cooking can be improved.

Furthermore, during low-temperature cooking control, fan 4 may be driven at all times, and in STEP 104 above, the amount of air supplied by fan 4 may be reduced by decreasing the fan rotation speed, and in STEP 107 above, the amount of air supplied by fan 4 may be increased by increasing the fan rotation speed.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, a heated object information acquisition means for acquiring predetermined information other than the temperature of the heated object may be provided, and in the low-temperature cooking control, the flow rate adjustment valve 32 controls the fuel gas supply amount Qg to the first burner unit ₂₁ and the fan 4 controls the supply of air based on the information acquired by the heated object information acquisition means in addition to the temperature T of the heated object detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 5. More specifically, a camera, a distance measurement sensor, and a weight sensor are provided as the heated object information acquisition means, and the camera and the distance measurement sensor detect the shape (size, thickness, etc.) of the cooking container as the heated object, and the weight sensor detects the weight of the cooking container. Furthermore, the change gradient of the detected temperature of the pan bottom temperature sensor 5 over a certain time period from ignition is acquired, and the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the cooking container are estimated based on the change gradient of the shape, weight, and temperature of the cooking container. Based on the thermal conductivity and heat capacity, the temperatures YTL and YTH are changed or the number of stages of the fan speed is changed so as to cancel the difference between the temperature detected by the pot bottom temperature sensor 5 and the temperature of the contents. For example, in a cooking vessel with a large heat capacity and poor responsiveness, the air supply is switched between a state in which the amount of air supply is maximized and a state in which the air supply is stopped.

In the above embodiment, the stove burner 2 is provided with the second burner ₂₂ in addition to the first burner ₂₁ , and can be switched between a single combustion state in which only the first burner ₂₁ is burned and a simultaneous combustion state in which both the first and second burner ₂₁ and ₂₂ are burned. However, it is also possible to use a stove burner that does not provide the second burner ₂₂ and that ejects only the air sent by the fan 4 from an opening (corresponding to the second burner ₂₄₂ in the above embodiment) located above _{the first} flame port 241. However, if the stove burner 2 provided with the first and second burner ₂₁ and ₂₂ is used as in the above embodiment, the simultaneous combustion state can be used to increase the amount of heat of the heated object and increase the turndown ratio. This is advantageous in that it widens the range of cooking that can be performed.

In the above embodiment, a flow rate control valve 32 as a gas amount control means is provided in the common gas supply passage ₃ , but a gas amount control means for controlling the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section ₂₁ may be provided in the first burner gas supply passage ₃₁ , and a gas amount control means for controlling the amount of fuel gas supplied to the second burner section 22 may be provided in the second burner gas supply passage _32. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the pot bottom temperature sensor 5 is used as the temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of the heated object by contacting the object, but it is also possible to use a sensor that detects the temperature of the heated object without contact.

2... stove burner, 2 ₁ ... first burner section, 2 ₂ ... second burner section, 22... burner head, 23 ₁ ... first flame nozzle, 23 ₂ ... second flame nozzle (opening), 24 ₁ ... first mixing tube, 24 ₂ ... second mixing tube, 32... flow rate control valve (gas amount control means), 33... solenoid valve for second burner (switching means), 4... fan (air supply means), 5... pot bottom temperature sensor (temperature detection means), 6... controller (control means), 63... cooking mode selection section (low temperature cooking instruction means).

Claims (3)

A gas stove comprising a stove burner having an annular burner head, a temperature detection means for detecting the temperature of a heated object placed above the stove burner, a gas amount adjustment means for adjusting the amount of fuel gas supplied to the stove burner, and a control means,
The stove burner is provided with a first burner section having a number of first flame ports formed on the outer peripheral surface of a burner head and a first mixing tube connected to the upstream side of the first flame ports, and fuel gas is supplied to the first burner section from a gas amount adjusting means,
A number of openings are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the burner head and positioned above the first flame port,
The gas stove includes an air supply means for supplying air to these openings, and a low-temperature cooking instruction means for instructing a low-temperature cooking mode.
The control means is configured to execute low-temperature cooking control when a low-temperature cooking mode is instructed by the low-temperature cooking instructing means, and in the low-temperature cooking control, based on the temperature of the heated object detected by the temperature detection means , the control means switches the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section between a predetermined first set amount and a predetermined second set amount which is less than the first set amount, and when the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is set to the first set amount, the amount of air supplied by the air supply means is reduced or the air supply is stopped, and when the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section is set to the second set amount, the amount of air supplied by the air supply means is increased or the air supply is resumed . The gas stove described in claim 1, characterized in that it is equipped with a heated object information acquisition means for acquiring information on the shape of the heated object, the weight of the heated object, and the gradient of change in temperature of the heated object detected by the temperature detection means over a specified period of time, and in the low-temperature cooking control, the gas amount adjustment means controls the amount of fuel gas supplied to the first burner section and the air supply means controls the air supply based on the information acquired by the heated object information acquisition means in addition to the temperature of the heated object detected by the temperature detection means. The stove burner is equipped with, in addition to the first burner section, a second burner section having a second flame port consisting of the opening of the burner head and a second mixing tube connected to the upstream side of the second flame port, the second burner section being configured as a forced air supply burner in which air from the air supply means is supplied to the second mixing tube as primary air, and further equipped with a switching means for switching between a single combustion state in which fuel gas is supplied only to the first burner section and only the first burner section is burned, and a simultaneous combustion state in which fuel gas is also supplied to the second burner section and both the first and second burner sections are burned, and the gas stove described in claim 1 or 2 is characterized in that during the low-temperature cooking control, the switching means switches to the single combustion state.

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