JP7580959B2 - Cooking equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to cooking appliances such as stoves and grills, and more specifically to cooking appliances that can be operated by voice.

Among the cooking appliances used to cook foods such as meat and fish, there are some that are designed to be operated by voice.

As one such cooking device, Patent Document 1 discloses a sound signal-controlled stove in which the operation of the heater is controlled by a sound signal.

The sound signal controlled stove in Patent Document 1 is a sound signal controlled stove equipped with a heater and a control unit that receives an external signal and controls the operation of the heater, in which a sound signal control unit is attached to the control unit, and the sound signal control unit stores at least one control sound signal corresponding to a specified operation of the heater, and is also provided with a sound signal input section, a sound signal recognition section that recognizes the sound signal input via the sound signal input section, and a sound signal comparison section that compares the recognized sound signal with the stored control sound signal, and is configured so that when the sound signal recognized by the sound signal recognition section matches the stored sound signal through comparison in the sound signal comparison section, the control unit controls the operation of the heater in response to that sound signal.

The sound signal controlled stove in Patent Document 1 is said to have the advantage that it is not necessary to manually operate the control unit, and that the specified operation of the heater can be controlled even when the cook (user) has both hands full or is in a remote location.

JP 2001-263669 A

However, in the case of the sound signal controlled stove of Patent Document 1, in order to adjust the heat strength to the intended strength during the cooking process, the user needs to give specific instructions for the heat strength by voice.
For example, it may be necessary to repeatedly recite voice instructions such as (1) "Right burner heat 9" ⇒ "Right burner heat 7" ⇒ "Right burner heat 8" etc., or (2) "Turn up the heat" ⇒ "Turn up the heat" ⇒ "Turn down the heat" ⇒ "Turn down the heat" etc. This is not only cumbersome, but in some cases the heat may be stronger than expected, resulting in cooking failure or the risk of burns.

The present invention aims to solve the above problems by providing a cooking device that allows the user to adjust the heat by voice control, is highly convenient, and provides a sense of security regarding voice control.

In order to achieve the above object, the heating cooker of the present invention comprises:
A heating means for heating the food to be heated;
A manual operation means for manually adjusting the heat of the heating means;
and a control means for controlling the heat of the heating means so that the heat is the heat specified by the voice when the heat of the heating means is specified by the voice,
The control means is configured to execute heat power control of the heating means in accordance with the voice instructions, with the maximum heat power among multiple types of heat power used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more being the heat power manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means.

Another heating cooker of the present invention is
A heating means for heating the food to be heated;
A manual operation means for manually adjusting the heat of the heating means;
and a control means for controlling the heat of the heating means so that the heat is the heat specified by the voice when the heat of the heating means is specified by the voice,
The control means
(a) a first heat control for controlling the heat of the heating means, the first heat control being set to a maximum heat among a plurality of heats that have been used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more and that are manually adjusted by a user using the manual operation means;
(b) a second heating power control for performing a stepwise heating power control by switching the heating power of the heating means to a predetermined heating power step among a plurality of heating power steps that are predetermined within a range between a minimum step and a maximum step;
When the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the first heating power control, the first heating power control is executed to set the heating power of the heating means to the heating power instructed by the voice,
When the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the second heat control, the device is configured to execute the second heat control such that the heat of the heating means is set to the heat level instructed by the voice, even if the heat level instructed by the voice exceeds the maximum heat level manually adjusted by the user through the manual operation means.

The control means is configured to execute automatic cooking control for automatically performing cooking by the heating means,
It is preferable that, during execution of the automatic cooking control, even if the voice instruction is given, the heating power control in accordance with the voice instruction is not executed.

It is also preferable that the control means is provided with a notification means for notifying the user that heat power control of the heating means has been carried out in accordance with the voice instruction.

The heating means may be provided in a plurality of units,
When the voice instruction is an instruction for a specific heating means among the plurality of heating means, heat power control is executed for the specific heating means.
It is preferable that, when the voice instruction is not an instruction for a specific heating means, the heating power control of all heating means that are currently being controlled is executed.

The heating means may be provided in a plurality of units,
When the voice instruction is an instruction for a specific heating means among the plurality of heating means, if the specific heating means is not executing the automatic cooking control, execute heat power control for the specific heating means;
It is preferable that when the voice instruction is not an instruction for a specific heating means, the power control is executed for all heating means under heating control, except for the heating means under automatic cooking control.

The cooking device of the present invention is configured as described above, and the control means controls the heating power of the heating means according to voice instructions, with the maximum heating power of the multiple types of heating powers that have been used continuously for a predetermined time or more being the heating power manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means as the upper limit, so that when the heating power is increased by voice operation, the heating power of the heating means does not become a heating power higher than the heating power that the user expects during cooking, thereby providing safety and a sense of security with respect to voice operation. As a result, it is possible to provide a cooking device that can be operated by voice, is highly convenient, and is highly reliable with respect to voice operation, and since the maximum heating power of the multiple types of heating powers that have been manually set by the manual operation means and used continuously for a predetermined time or more is set as the maximum heating power, even if the heating power of the heating means is temporarily adjusted to a heating power that is too high during manual operation, such a high heating power will not be set to the maximum heating power, making it possible to provide a cooking device that is more convenient and safer.

Another heating cooker of the present invention is configured as described above, and the control means is configured to be able to execute (a) a first heating power control for controlling the heating power of the heating means with the maximum heating power among a plurality of types of heating power that have been used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more, which is manually adjusted by the user through the manual operation means, as an upper limit, and (b) a second heating power control for switching the heating power of the heating means to a predetermined heating power step among a plurality of heating power steps that are preset in a range between a minimum step and a maximum step, thereby executing a stepwise heating power control, and when the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the first heating power control, In this case, a first heat power control is executed in which the heat power of the heating means is set to the heat power specified by voice, and if the voice instruction is an instruction to execute a second heat power control, a second heat power control is executed in which the heat power of the heating means is set to the heat power level specified by voice, even if the heat power level specified by voice exceeds the maximum heat power manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means.Therefore, if the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the second heat power control, it is possible to increase the heat power of the heating means to more than the maximum heat power adjusted by manual operation. Therefore, when necessary, cooking can be performed with even greater heat without being restricted by the maximum heat adjusted by manual operation, making it possible to provide a more convenient heating cooker.Furthermore, since the greatest heat among multiple types of heat that are manually set by the manual operation means and used continuously for a specified period of time or more becomes the maximum heat, even if the heat of the heating means is temporarily adjusted to a heat that is too high during manual operation, such an excessively high heat will not be set to the maximum heat, making it possible to provide a more convenient and safe heating cooker.

If the voice instruction to execute the second heat control is received, cooking will be performed at a higher heat than the maximum heat adjusted by manual operation. However, strict limits are placed on the heat of the cooking device for fire and safety reasons, and the heat will not exceed these limits, so no problems will arise from fire and safety reasons.

The control means is configured to execute automatic cooking control that automatically performs cooking using the heating means, and is configured not to execute heat control according to voice instructions even if voice instructions are given during execution of the automatic cooking control. Therefore, voice-operated heat adjustment is not performed during automatic cooking, and cooking is reliably performed using the automatic cooking method, making it possible to provide a more convenient heating cooker that does not cause cooking errors.

In addition, if the control means is configured to include a notification means for notifying the user that heat control of the heating means has been performed in accordance with a voice command, the user can be sure that the voice command has been accepted and that heat adjustment has been performed, making it possible to provide a more convenient heating cooker.

In addition, if the cooking device is provided with multiple heating means and is configured so that if a voice command is directed to a specific heating means among the multiple heating means, heat control is performed for that specific heating means, and if the command is not directed to a specific heating means, heat control is performed for all heating means that are under heating control, it becomes possible to control the heat of multiple heating means simultaneously by voice as necessary, making it possible to provide a highly convenient cooking device.

Specifically, for example, if you need to temporarily leave the cooking appliance due to a visitor or phone call, you can turn off all heating means with a single command or adjust the heat to the specified level, improving convenience.

In addition, if the device is configured to have multiple heating means and the voice instruction is for a specific heating means among the multiple heating means, and if the specific heating means is not executing automatic cooking control, then heat control is performed for the specific heating means, and if the voice instruction is not for a specific heating means, then heat control is performed for all heating means under heating control, except for the heating means under automatic cooking control. This allows the heating means under automatic cooking control to continue automatic cooking, while voice control of heat can be performed for the other heating means, making it possible to realize a more convenient heating cooker.

1 is a diagram showing the external configuration of a cooking device (gas stove) according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a manual operation means (burner operation unit) of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the burner operation unit is not in use, and (b) shows a state in which the burner operation unit is protruded and ready for use. 1 is a diagram showing a table of the relationship between the heating power of a cooking device and the display mode of a combustion indicator lamp (heat amount display means) according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a plurality of heating means of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a cooking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The features of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the embodiments of the present invention.
[Embodiment 1]
In this embodiment 1, the cooking appliance will be described by taking as an example a so-called built-in type gas stove with a grill, which is inserted from above into a stove mounting port formed in a kitchen counter and assembled thereto.

<Basic configuration of cooking appliance (gas stove) according to embodiment 1>
As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the gas stove of embodiment 1 is equipped with three stove burners 1 (three burners: a standard burner 1a, a high-power burner 1b, and a small burner 1c) as heating means for heating the food to be heated (usually a cooking vessel in which the food to be heated is contained).

The gas stove in the first embodiment also has a grill section 4 on which food to be cooked, such as fish, is placed, and a grill burner 2 (see Figure 2) is disposed within the grill section 4.

The standard burner 1 (1a) is also provided with a temperature sensor (pot bottom temperature sensor) 9 that contacts the cooking vessel to detect its temperature. It is also possible to configure the high-power burner 1b and small burner 1c to be similarly equipped with temperature sensors.

On the front side of the gas stove are the burner operation parts 21 (standard burner operation part 21a, high-power burner operation part 21b, small burner operation part 21c) for manually igniting and extinguishing the stove burner 1 and the grill burner 2 provided in the grill section 4, as well as adjusting the flame power, and a grill burner operation part 22 (Figure 1) for manually igniting and extinguishing the grill burner 2 and adjusting the flame power, etc.

The above-mentioned burner operation units 21 (standard burner operation unit 21a, high-power burner operation unit 21b, and small burner operation unit 21c) are configured to function as manual operation means for manually adjusting the heat of each stove burner (heating means) 1 in the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the stove burners 1 (standard burner 1a, high-power burner 1b, small burner 1c) is provided with a spark plug 7 as an ignition device that performs the ignition operation and a thermocouple 8 for detecting the ignition state, and each of the grill burners 2 (upper burner 2a, lower burners 2b, 2c) is also provided with a spark plug 7 as an ignition device that performs the ignition operation and a thermocouple 8 for detecting the ignition state.

The configuration for supplying gas to the stove burner 1 and the grill burner 2 is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 2, a main gas solenoid valve 12 (which functions as a main gas shut-off valve that is maintained in an open state when either the stove burner 1 or the grill burner 2 is used, and is maintained in a closed state when neither is used) is provided in a main gas supply passage (main gas piping) 11, and the main gas supply passage 11 branches into a standard burner branch passage 13a, a high-power burner branch passage 13b, a small burner branch passage 13c, and a grill burner branch passage 13d.

Each of these branch paths is provided with a flow control valve (a gas amount adjustment valve driven by a stepping motor) 3 that adjusts the amount of gas to adjust the amount of heat of each burner, and a position sensor 19 that detects its opening position.

The front side of the gas stove is equipped with a power switch 24 and a power lamp 25 that indicates when the power switch 24 is turned on.

In addition, five combustion indicator lamps L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 are provided near the periphery of the burner operating section 21 (standard burner operating section 21a, high-power burner operating section 21b, and small burner operating section 21c) as a heat display means 23 for displaying the amount of heat (see FIG. 3). In the gas stove of this embodiment, LEDs are used as the combustion indicator lamps (heat amount display means).

In addition, this gas stove is configured so that the flame power of the stove burner 1 is adjusted based on commands from the burner operation unit 21 described above.

The gas stove (heating cooker) according to the first embodiment also includes a control means (operation control means) 50 (Fig. 2) that controls the combustion of the stove burner 1, and this control means is configured to execute combustion control that starts the combustion of the stove burner 1 based on a combustion start command and stops the combustion of the stove burner 1 based on a combustion stop command.

<Characteristic configuration>
As described above, the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1 comprises a heating means (burner) 1, a manual operation means (burner operation section) 21 (Figures 1, 2, and 3), a flame power display means 23 (Figure 3) consisting of combustion indicator lamps L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, etc., and a control means (operation control means) (Figure 2) 50 that controls the combustion of the burner 1.

In addition, the gas stove (heating cooker) according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to be able to display the heat level from heat level 1 (low heat) to heat level 9 (high heat) by turning on, blinking, or turning off the combustion indicator lamps (heat amount display means) L1, L2, L3, L4, and L5 in the manner shown in FIG. 4.

It also has a sound-collecting microphone (Fig. 2) 51 for picking up voice instructions, a speaker (notification means) 52 (Fig. 2) for notifying the user when voice instructions for heating are given, etc.

In the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1, the control means 50 is configured to be able to execute heat control of the heating means (burner) 1 in accordance with voice instructions, with the maximum heat level among the heat levels manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 as the upper limit.
The gas stove (heating cooker) according to the first embodiment is provided with a sound collecting microphone (FIG. 2) 51 for reliably recognizing voice instructions when they are given.

The gas stove (heating cooker) according to the first embodiment is configured so that the greatest heating power among the multiple heating powers that are manually set by the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 and used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more becomes the maximum heating power described above.

The control means 50 is also configured to execute automatic cooking control that automatically performs cooking using the heating means (cooktop burner) 1, and is configured not to execute heat control according to voice instructions even if voice instructions are given during execution of the automatic cooking control.

The gas stove (heating cooker) according to the first embodiment also includes a speaker 52 (Fig. 2) that is a notification means for notifying the user that the control means 50 has performed flame power control of the heating means (stove burner) 1 in accordance with a voice command.

Furthermore, the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1 is equipped with multiple heating means (burners) 1, and when the voice instruction is for a specific heating means among the multiple heating means (burners) 1, the stove is configured to execute heat control for the specific heating means (burners) 1 so that the heat is the one specified by voice, and when the instruction is not for a specific heating means (burners) 1, the stove is configured to execute heat control for all heating means (burners) 1 under heating control so that the heat is the one specified by voice.

Next, referring to the flowchart in FIG. 5, we will explain the operation of the main parts of the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1 when performing automatic cooking.

In step S1, the user operates the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 to perform an ignition operation, and in step S2, an ignition operation is performed on the heating means (burner) 1. Specifically, the flow control valve (gas amount adjustment valve) 3, which also functions as a shutoff valve, opens to a degree that provides a predetermined flame power (ignition flame power), and the igniter turns ON, causing a discharge from the ignition plug 7 to ignite the heating means (burner) 1.

Then, in step S3, ignition of the heating means (burner) 1 is confirmed. That is, when the electromotive force value V of the thermocouple 8 for detecting ignition is equal to or greater than the electromotive force value Vs for ignition judgment, ignition of the heating means (burner) 1 is confirmed.

If ignition of the heating means (cooktop burner) 1 is not confirmed in step S3, the process proceeds to step S11, the flow control valve (gas volume adjustment valve) 3 is closed, the igniter is turned OFF, an error message is displayed in step S12, and cooking ends.

When ignition of the heating means (stove burner) 1 is confirmed in step S3, the heat (ignition heat) at that time is stored as the maximum heat (step S4).

Next, in step S5, it is determined whether or not an automatic cooking command has been issued, and if an automatic cooking command has been issued, automatic cooking control is executed in step S6.

Then, in step S7, it is confirmed whether there is a voice instruction (heat instruction) regarding the heat of the heating means (cooktop burner) 1, and if there is a voice instruction, in step S8, a notice is issued that the voice instruction is not to be accepted. This is because if a voice instruction is accepted while automatic cooking control is being executed, it will not be possible to continue appropriate automatic cooking.

Next, in step S9, it is determined whether or not an instruction to end automatic cooking has been given, and if an instruction to end automatic cooking has been given, the process returns to step S5.

If there is no voice command to change the heat level in step S7 above, proceed to step S9.

If there is no command to end automatic cooking in step S9, the process proceeds to step S10, where it is determined whether or not the fire has been turned off. If no fire has been turned off, the process returns to step S6.

If an extinguishing operation is performed in step S10, the process proceeds to step S21, where the extinguishing operation is performed and cooking ends.

If there is no command for automatic cooking in step S5, the process proceeds to step S13, where the opening of the flow control valve (gas amount adjustment valve) 3 is adjusted so that the heat is adjusted by the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21, and cooking begins with the heat adjusted by the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21.

In step S14, it is determined whether the specified fire power adjusted by the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 has continued for 5 seconds or more. If it is determined in step S14 that the specified fire power has continued for 5 seconds or more, the maximum fire power is updated in step S15, and the specified fire power that has continued for 5 seconds or more is stored as the maximum fire power.

Then, in step S16, it is determined whether or not a voice command has been issued for the heating means (cooktop burner 1). If a voice command has been issued, in step S17, a notification is issued that a voice command for heating has been received. In step S18, the heating power is adjusted according to the voice command, and in step S19, a notification is issued that the heating power adjustment has been completed. This notification is issued by sound from the notification means (speaker) 52.

If it is not determined in step S14 that the specified heat level has continued for 5 seconds or more, proceed to step S16.

Then, in step S20, it is determined whether or not a fire-extinguishing operation has been performed. If a fire-extinguishing operation has been performed, the fire-extinguishing operation is executed in step S21, thereby ending cooking. If a fire-extinguishing operation has not been performed in step S20, the process returns to step S5.

If no voice instruction is given in step S16, proceed to step S20.

The cooking device (gas stove) according to this first embodiment is configured as described above, and the control means 50 controls the heat of the heating means (burner) 1 according to voice instructions, with the maximum heat manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 as the upper limit. Therefore, when the heat is increased by voice operation, the heat of the heating means (burner) 1 will not exceed the heat expected by the user during cooking, improving the sense of security regarding voice operation. As a result, it is possible to realize a gas stove (cooking device) that can be operated by voice, is highly convenient, and has high reliability in response to voice operation.

In addition, the largest of the multiple types of heating power that are manually set by the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 and used continuously for a specified period of time or more becomes the maximum heating power. Therefore, even if the heating power of the heating means is temporarily adjusted to a heating power that is too high during manual operation, such a high heating power will not be set to the maximum heating power, making it possible to provide a gas stove (heating cooker) that is more reliable in terms of voice operation.

The control means 50 is configured to execute automatic cooking control that automatically performs heating and cooking using the heating means (cooker burner) 1, and is configured not to execute heat control according to voice instructions even if voice instructions are given while the automatic cooking control is being executed. Therefore, voice-controlled adjustment of heat is not executed during automatic cooking, and cooking can be performed reliably using automatic cooking, providing a gas stove (heating cooker) that does not cause cooking errors.

In addition, the control means 50 is equipped with a speaker (notification means) 52 for notifying the user that heat control of the heating means (burner) 1 has been performed in accordance with voice instructions, so that the user can be sure that voice operation has been accepted and that heat adjustment has been performed, making it possible to provide a more convenient heating cooker.

Next, a method for controlling the heat of the heating means (burner) 1 when using the multiple heating means (burner) 1 provided in the gas stove of this embodiment 1, i.e., the standard burner 1a, the high-power burner 1b, and the small burner 1c, will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 6.

When cooking starts and a voice command to control the heat is given in step S101, step S102 determines whether a specific heating means 1 is specified among the multiple heating means 1, i.e., the standard burner 1a, the high-heat burner 1b, and the small burner 1c. There is no restriction on the number of specific heating means 1 that can be specified.

If a specific heating means 1 (either the standard burner 1a, the high-power burner 1b, or the small burner 1c) is specified in step S102, it is determined in step S103 whether automatic cooking control is being performed for the specified heating means 1.

If automatic cooking control is being executed, in step S104, a notification is issued to the effect that voice instructions on heat power will not be accepted for the heating means 1 for which automatic cooking control is being executed.

If it is determined in step S103 that automatic cooking control is not being performed for the specified heating means 1, a response notification is given in step S114 to the effect that a heat instruction is being accepted, and in step S115, heat adjustment is performed for the specified heating means 1.

Then, in step S105, it is determined whether or not the fire has been turned off, and if so, the fire is turned off in step S106, ending cooking.

If no fire extinguishing operation is performed in step S105, the process returns to step S101.

If no voice instruction is given in step S101, proceed to step S104.

If a specific heating means 1 (either the standard burner 1a, the high-power burner 1b, or the small burner 1c) is not specified in step S102, it is determined in step S107 whether a heating means 1 that is executing automatic cooking control is included.

If it is determined in step S107 that the heating means 1 (either the standard burner 1a, the high-power burner 1b, or the small burner 1c) that is performing automatic cooking control is included, then in step S108, a notification is issued that voice instructions on the heating power will not be accepted for the heating means 1 (either the standard burner 1a, the high-power burner 1b, or the small burner 1c) that is performing automatic cooking control.

On the other hand, for heating means 1 for which automatic cooking control is not being executed (heating means 1 subject to manual cooking control), a notification is given in step S109 that a voice instruction on heat has been received, and then in step S110 the heat is adjusted according to the voice instruction.

If in step S107 there is no heating means 1 performing automatic cooking control, in step S112, a voice notification is issued for all heating means 1 (standard burner 1a, high-power burner 1b, and small burner 1c) that a power instruction has been received.

Then, in step S113, the heat power of all heating means 1 (standard burner 1a, high heat burner 1b, and small burner 1c) is adjusted, and the process proceeds to step S111.

Then, in step S111, a notification is given that the heat adjustment has been completed, and the process proceeds to step S105.

As explained using the flowchart in Figure 6, if multiple heating means 1 (standard burner 1a, high-power burner 1b, and small burner 1c) are provided and if a voice command is for a specific heating means among the multiple heating means 1, heat control is performed for that specific heating means, and if the command is not for a specific heating means, heat control is performed for all heating means under heating control, it is possible to simultaneously control the heat of multiple heating means 1 by voice as necessary, making it possible to provide a highly convenient heating cooker.

Specifically, for example, when it is necessary to temporarily leave the cooking appliance due to a visitor or a phone call, it becomes possible to turn off all heating means 1 with a single command or adjust the heat to the specified level, thereby improving convenience.
On the other hand, as the heating means performing the automatic cooking control does not accept voice instructions, the automatic cooking control is performed reliably, there is no risk of automatic cooking failure, and the reliability of the automatic cooking control can be ensured.

[Embodiment 2]
Next, a gas stove (heating cooker) according to a second aspect of the present invention (Embodiment 2) will be described.

The gas stove (heating cooker) of the second embodiment has a basic configuration similar to that of the gas stove (heating cooker) of the first embodiment described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

The following will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. The reference numerals used to describe each part below are the same as those used in Figures 1 to 4 to describe the gas stove (heating cooker) of the first embodiment.

In the gas stove (heating cooker) of this embodiment 2, the control means 50 is configured to be able to execute (a) a first heat control (the same control as the heat control in the gas stove (heating cooker) of the above embodiment 1) that controls the heat of the heating means (burner burner) 1 with the maximum heat manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 as the upper limit, and (b) a second heat control (heat control specific to the gas stove (heating cooker) according to the second invention of the present application) that switches the heat of the heating means (burner burner) 1 to a predetermined heat stage among multiple heat stages predetermined in the range between the minimum stage and the maximum stage to perform stepwise heat control.

That is, the gas stove (heating cooker) of this embodiment 2 is configured to perform stepwise fire control (second fire control) by switching the firepower of the stove burner (heating means) 1 to a predetermined firepower level among a plurality of firepower levels (9 firepower levels) that are predefined in the range of firepower 1 (minimum level) and firepower 9 (maximum level) as shown in FIG. 4. For example, by giving the voice command "firepower 5," the firepower of the stove burner (heating means) 1 is adjusted to firepower 5, which is the level of firepower.

If the voice instruction is to execute the first heat control, the first heat control is executed, which sets the heat of the heating means to the heat instructed by voice, and if the voice instruction is to execute the second heat control, the second heat control is executed, which sets the heat of the heating means (cooktop burner) 1 to the heat level instructed by voice, even if the heat level instructed by voice exceeds the maximum heat level manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means.

Next, the operation of the main parts of the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 2 during automatic cooking will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7.

In the flowchart of FIG. 7, steps S201, S202, and S203 between steps S17 and S19 are steps specific to the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 2.

Note that the steps other than step S201, step S202, and step S203 in the flowchart of FIG. 7 are similar to the steps in the case of the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1 shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

In the gas stove (heating cooker) according to the second embodiment, in step S16, if a voice instruction to perform a first heat control (more specifically, a voice instruction to perform a first heat control in which the heat of the heating means (stove burner) 1 is set to the voice-instructed heat, with the maximum heat manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means (burner operation unit) 21 as the upper limit) or a voice instruction to perform a second heat control (more specifically, a voice instruction to perform a second heat control in which the heat is switched to a predetermined heat step among a plurality of heat steps predetermined in the range between the minimum step and the maximum step, and stepwise heat control is performed) is received, the process proceeds to step S201.

If in step S201 the voice instruction is a voice instruction to perform the second heat control (for example, "Set the heat level of the right burner to 9"), in step S202, the above-mentioned second heat control is executed, in which the heat level of the heating means (burner burner) 1 is set to the heat level instructed by voice.

In step S202 of executing the second heat control, when executing the second heat control in which the heat of the heating means (burner) 1 is set to the heat level specified by voice, the second heat control is executed in which the heat of the heating means (burner) 1 is set to the heat level specified by voice even if the heat level specified by voice exceeds the maximum heat level manually adjusted by the user using the manual operation means.

When the second heat control is executed in step S202, a notification is issued in step S19 to the effect that the heat adjustment (second heat control) of the heating means (stove burner) 1 has been completed. This notification is issued by sound from the notification means (speaker) 52.

In addition, if the voice instruction in step S201 is a voice instruction for performing the first heat control (for example, "Turn down the heat of the left burner" or "Maximize the heat of the left burner"), the first heat control (heat control in which the heat of the heating means is set to the heat instructed by voice, with the manually adjusted maximum heat as the upper limit) is executed in step 203.

When the first heat control is executed in step S203, a notification is made in step S19 that the heat adjustment (first heat control) of the heating means (stove burner) 1 has been completed. This notification is made by sound from the notification means (speaker) 52.

As described above, the other steps are the same as those in the case of the gas stove (heating cooker) of embodiment 1.

The gas stove (heating cooker) of the second embodiment is configured as described above, and the control means 50 is configured to increase the heat of the heating means (stove burner) 1 to a value greater than the maximum heat adjusted by manual operation when the voice instruction for heat is an instruction to execute the second heat control.

As a result, it becomes possible to cook with even greater heat when necessary, without being restricted by the maximum heat that is manually adjusted, making it possible to provide a more convenient cooking device.

According to the gas stove (heating cooker) of the second embodiment, if the voice instruction for heat power is an instruction to execute the second heat power control, cooking will be performed at a heat power that exceeds the maximum heat power adjusted by manual operation. However, the heat power of the heating cooker is strictly limited for fire prevention and safety reasons, and the heat power will not exceed this limit, so no problems will arise from the standpoint of fire prevention and safety.

In the above embodiment, a built-in type gas stove is used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the gas stove shown in the present embodiment, and can also be applied to a table stove.

In the above embodiment, only the stove burner is used as the heating means, but instead, the grill burner may also be used as one of the heating means, and the heat output may be controlled by the control means to be the heat output specified by voice.

In addition, in the above embodiment, a gas stove with a grill was described, but the invention can also be applied to a single-purpose gas stove without a grill.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment in any other respects, and there are no particular restrictions on the wording of the fire power instructions or the number of fire power stages, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

1. Stove burner (heating means)
1a Standard burner 1b High-power burner 1c Small burner 2 Grill burner 2a Upper burner 2b, 2c Lower burner 3 Flow control valve (gas amount adjustment valve)
4 Grill section 7 Spark plug 8 Thermocouple 9 Temperature sensor (pot bottom sensor)
11 Main gas supply line (main gas piping)
12 Main gas solenoid valve 13a Branch path for standard burner 13b Branch path for high heat burner 13c Branch path for small burner 13d Branch path for grill burner 19 Position sensor 21 Manual operation means (burner operation unit)
21a Standard burner operation section 21b High-power burner operation section 21c Small burner operation section 22 Grill burner operation section 23 Combustion indicator lamp, heat power indicator 24 Power switch 25 Power lamp 50 Control means 51 Sound collecting microphone 52 Speaker (alert means)
L1 to L5 Combustion indicator lamps (heat quantity indicator means)

Claims (6)

A heating means for heating the food to be heated;
A manual operation means for manually adjusting the heat of the heating means;
and a control means for controlling the heat of the heating means so that the heat is the heat specified by the voice when the heat of the heating means is specified by the voice,
The control means is configured to execute heat power control of the heating means in accordance with the voice instruction, with the heat power manually adjusted by a user through the manual operation means set to the maximum heat power among a plurality of types of heat power used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more as an upper limit. A heating means for heating the food to be heated;
A manual operation means for manually adjusting the heat of the heating means;
and a control means for controlling the heat of the heating means so that the heat is the heat specified by the voice when the heat of the heating means is specified by the voice,
The control means
(a) a first heat control for controlling the heat of the heating means, the first heat control being set to a maximum heat among a plurality of heats that have been used continuously for a predetermined period of time or more and that are manually adjusted by a user using the manual operation means;
(b) a second heating power control for performing a stepwise heating power control by switching the heating power of the heating means to a predetermined heating power step among a plurality of heating power steps that are predetermined within a range between a minimum step and a maximum step;
When the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the first heating power control, the first heating power control is executed to set the heating power of the heating means to the heating power instructed by the voice,
a heating cooker configured to execute the second heat control so that the heat of the heating means is set to the heat level instructed by the voice when the voice instruction is an instruction to execute the second heat control, even if the heat level instructed by the voice exceeds the maximum heat level manually adjusted by a user using the manual operation means.

The control means is configured to execute automatic cooking control for automatically performing cooking by the heating means,
The heating cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 2 , characterized in that, during execution of the automatic cooking control, even if the voice instruction is given, the heating power control according to the voice instruction is not executed. 4. The cooking device according to claim 1, further comprising a notification means for notifying that the control means has executed heat power control of the heating means in accordance with the voice instruction. The heating means is provided in a plurality of units,
When the voice instruction is an instruction for a specific heating means among the plurality of heating means, heat power control is executed for the specific heating means.
The cooking device according to any one of claims 1, 2 and 4, characterized in that, when the voice instruction is not an instruction for a specific heating means, heat power control is executed for all heating means that are being controlled. The heating means is provided in a plurality of units,
When the voice instruction is an instruction for a specific heating means among the plurality of heating means, if the specific heating means is not executing the automatic cooking control, execute heat power control for the specific heating means;
The cooking device according to claim 3, characterized in that, when the voice instruction is not an instruction for a specific heating means, the cooking device is configured to execute heat power control for all heating means under heating control, except for the heating means under automatic cooking control.

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