JP7699568B2 - heating cooker - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a cooking device that can accept input of heating condition settings from an external communication device.

Conventionally, cooking appliances that allow the setting conditions for cooking to be input from an external communication device are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2015-207398 A (page 8, FIG. 3)

The cooking device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a communication unit disposed in the air flow generated by driving an electric blower, and is disposed in the vicinity of an intake hole provided in a metal plate inside a housing made of a metal plate, making it possible to communicate smoothly without communication failures occurring even inside the metal housing.

However, the cooking device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an induction cooking device, and since the induction heating coil and the circuit board that supplies power to the induction heating coil reach high temperatures, they need to be cooled to maintain performance, and an air path is formed through which air flows, and air is introduced from outside using an electric blower for cooling.

In this type of configuration, if a structure such as a communication unit is placed in the air flow, it will hinder the air flow. For example, if it is placed on the air intake side, the amount of air intake will decrease, and if it is placed on the air output side, pressure loss will occur and the amount of air output will decrease.

In addition, to compensate for the reduced air intake and output, the electric blower must be operated at high speed, resulting in louder driving noise, or the introduction of an electric blower with a larger air output results in higher costs.

The cooking device disclosed herein aims to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a cooking device in which the communication unit does not impede the flow of air while ensuring communication with the outside.

The heating cooker of the present disclosure comprises a top plate on which the food to be cooked is placed, a main body having the top plate on its upper surface and an outer casing formed of a metal plate, a heating section for heating the food to be cooked located inside the main body below the top plate, a drive board for driving the heating section, a first cooling fan for blowing air to cool the heating section and the drive board, a first air path inside the main body through which the air blown by the first cooling fan passes, an operation section for setting the heating conditions of the heating section, a communication section for communicating with an external communication device capable of inputting and outputting information for setting the heating conditions of the heating section, and a control section for controlling the heating section, the first cooling fan, and the communication section, wherein the back panel that forms the outer casing of the main body is provided with a recess formed so as to be recessed from the surface of the back panel toward the inside of the main body, and the communication section is attached within the recess so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the back panel, and the communication section attached to the recess that protrudes from the back panel into the main body does not interfere with the first air path inside the main body.

According to the present disclosure, the communication unit is attached in a recess that is recessed from the surface of the back panel of the main body toward the inside of the main body so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the back panel, and therefore the communication unit is not surrounded by a metal plate, allowing for good communication, and providing a cooking appliance that does not get in the way when the cooking appliance is installed in kitchen furniture. In addition, the communication unit attached to the recess that protrudes from the back panel into the main body does not interfere with the air passage within the main body, so that the communication unit does not impede the flow of air for cooling within the main body due to its installation, and a cooking appliance that does not affect cooling performance can be provided.

1 is a schematic diagram showing a heating and cooking system according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating an example of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 1 is an external perspective view showing an example of kitchen furniture (system kitchen) in which a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is incorporated. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of incorporating a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure into kitchen furniture (system kitchen). FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure is incorporated into kitchen furniture (system kitchen). FIG. 1 is an external plan view showing a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from above; 2 is a schematic diagram showing a left display unit, a left heating power display unit, and a left operating unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a central operation unit of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a right display unit, a right heating power display unit, and a right operating unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing a control unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 is an external front view showing a heating cooker according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the front. FIG. 1 is an external side view showing a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the right side. FIG. 1 is an external rear view showing the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the rear. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a heating cooker according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from below and rear; FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure has a top plate removed, as viewed from above. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 5 taken along line AA as viewed from the right side. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 5 taken along line BB as viewed from the right side. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an air passage through which air flows inside the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an air passage through which air flows inside a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the front. FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a communication unit of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a recess in which the communication unit is housed, and related components, viewed from the right side. FIG. (a) is an exploded oblique view from diagonally below of the communication unit of the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, the recess in which the communication unit is housed, and related parts in a separated state; (b) is an oblique view showing the parts that make up the recess in which the communication unit of the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is housed. (a) An external oblique view of the communication unit of the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from diagonally below; (b) An exploded oblique view of the communication unit of the heating cooker according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, viewed from diagonally below. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operating procedure of a central operating section of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing another example of an operating procedure of the central operating unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG.

Below, an embodiment of a cooking device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment described below. Also, in the following drawings, including FIG. 1, the size relationships of the components may differ from the actual ones. Also, in the following description, terms indicating directions are used as appropriate to facilitate understanding, but these terms are for the purpose of explanation and do not limit the present disclosure. Examples of terms indicating directions include "up," "down," "right," "left," "front," and "rear (back)." Note that the cooking device includes a composite cooking device having multiple types of heating means.

Embodiment 1.
In the present embodiment 1, the "first heating means" HM1 is a heating source for heating an object to be heated on the top plate 2A described later. A representative example of the first heating means HM1 is an induction heating coil. A representative induction heating coil (IH coil) is one in which about 30 thin copper or aluminum wires of about 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm are bundled together, and the bundle is twisted and wound into a spiral shape. Another induction heating coil is one in which about 1000 to 1500 wires of about 0.05 mm are wound together. Another proposal is to configure the induction heating coil as a ring-shaped conductor made of a flat conductive material. All of these forms correspond to the "IH coil" that is the main part of the induction heating source 9.

In this embodiment 1, the "second heating means" HM2 refers to a heating source for heating an object to be heated housed inside the heating chamber 6 described below. The second heating means HM2 may be a steam generator that supplies high-temperature steam, such as superheated steam, i.e., a boiler. In this embodiment 1, a magnetron, which is a microwave oscillator, is used as the microwave heating source, but there is no restriction on the microwave oscillation principle or method, such as a microwave oscillator. In addition, the cooking device 1 may be equipped with multiple heating sources.

In this embodiment 1, the "third heating means" HM3 is called "third" to indicate the difference from the second heating means HM2, but does not imply superiority or inferiority. In this embodiment 1, a heat source using a radiant electric heat source, such as a sheath heater, mica heater, carbon heater, ceramic heater, infrared heater, or radiant heater, is used, but a heat source that generates heat in other forms or methods may also be used. The third heating means HM3 refers to one that can heat and cook in one heating chamber 6.

A configuration may be used in which multiple heating sources having different heating principles are used in combination, such as a heating source composed of an electric heater and a gas burner (burner). An induction heating source 9 may be used as a heating source for heating the heating chamber 6. The heating source may be a steam generator that supplies high-temperature steam, such as superheated steam, i.e., a boiler. The third heating means HM3 may be a heating source that heats the wall surface of the heating chamber 6 from the outside, or may be a heating source that is installed in the internal space of the heating chamber 6 and heats the atmosphere in the internal space. A heat-generating member that becomes hot by induction heating may be placed in the heating chamber 6, and the wall surface of the heating chamber 6 may be heated from the outside by this heat-generating member, or the air inside the heating chamber 6 may be heated.

(System configuration and main body configuration)
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a cooking system according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. The cooking system 1a includes a cooking device 1, an external communication device 200 such as a smart speaker capable of voice input having a function of wireless communication between the cooking device 1, and a control device 201. The control device 201 manages communication and information from the cloud server 300, and performs data conversion for notifying the cloud server 300 of the voice input from the user. The external communication device 200 also includes a voice input unit (not shown) for inputting the voice of the user and a voice output unit (not shown) for outputting the voice. The external communication device 200 is, for example, an information processing terminal device, and may be a smart speaker or a mobile terminal device such as a tablet terminal device with a communication function or a smartphone.

The recipe information providing server 301 provided in the cloud server 300 exchanges recipe information with the external communication device 200, and the external communication device 200 and the recipe information providing server 301 are connected by a network 202 such as an Internet line. Here, the recipe information providing server 301 includes a recipe providing site. The recipe providing site includes a recipe database 302. The recipe information providing server 301 and the cooking appliance 1 are connected by a network 203 such as an Internet line. A wireless router (not shown) may be interposed between the external communication device 200 and the cloud server 300. Similarly, a wireless router (not shown) may be interposed between the cooking appliance 1 and the cloud server 300. The recipe information providing server 301 also includes heating setting data for the cooking appliance 1, and records heating conditions that can be set from the external communication device 200 to the cooking appliance 1, as described later.

The cooking system 1a can transmit cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to a recipe created by a user on the external communication device 200 to the recipe information providing server 301, temporarily store it in the recipe database 302, and provide it to the cooking appliance 1. In other words, when the external communication device 200 is in a location far away from the house in which the cooking appliance 1 is installed, such as an outside location, the cooking condition data (not shown) of the external communication device 200 can be stored in the recipe information providing server 301, which is highly convenient.

The cooking appliance 1 downloads cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to a specific recipe stored in the recipe information providing server 301 via the network 203 between the cooking appliance 1 and the recipe information providing server 301.

As an initial setting, the user performs an operation to register identification information such as the model name of the cooking appliance 1. This registration allows the user to obtain cooking condition data (not shown) corresponding to the specifications of the cooking appliance 1, such as the heating capacity of each heating means HM1 to HM3, from the recipe information providing server 301. The cloud server 300 has a cloud control unit 303 that controls communications using the network 203 and manages access by the cooking appliance 1 and the external communication device 200 to the recipe information providing server 301.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an example of kitchen furniture (system kitchen) in which a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is incorporated; FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of incorporating a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure into kitchen furniture (system kitchen); FIG. 5 is an external perspective view showing a state in which a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is incorporated into kitchen furniture (system kitchen); FIG. 6 is an external plan view showing a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure as viewed from above; FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a left display unit, a left heating power display unit, and a left operation unit of a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a central operation unit of a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a right display unit, a right heating power display unit, and a right operation unit of a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a control unit of a cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure; FIG. 11 is a front view of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the front; FIG. 12 is a side view of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the right side; FIG. 13 is a rear view of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the rear; FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from the rear and below; FIG. 15 is a view of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure as viewed from above with the top plate removed; FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the right side taken along the cutting line A-A; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the right side taken along the cutting line B-B; FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the operation procedure of the central operation unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the operation procedure of the central operation unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Cooking device 1 is a built-in type IH cooking heater that is incorporated into kitchen furniture 500 (sometimes called a system kitchen) that has a cooking table (sometimes called a countertop) 500A on top as shown in FIG. 3, that is, kitchen furniture 500. Cooking device 1 has a main body 3 and a top plate 2 that is placed on top of main body 3.

The top plate 2 is exposed on the cooking table 500A that constitutes the top surface of the kitchen furniture 500. The top plate 2 is composed of, for example, a top plate 2A formed of a heat-resistant glass plate and a frame body 2B formed in a frame shape from metal attached to the periphery of the top plate 2A. As shown in FIG. 6, three heating ports are provided on the upper surface of the top plate 2A: a left heating port 2L, a central heating port 2M, and a right heating port 2R.

The left heating port 2L, the center heating port 2M, and the right heating port 2R indicate the area where a metal cooking container such as a pot or frying pan is placed. The metal cooking container is also referred to as the "heated object" in relation to the first heating means HM1. Guide marks (not shown) that serve as guides for placing the heated object are printed on the upper surface of the top plate 2A for the left heating port 2L, the center heating port 2M, and the right heating port 2R.

An exhaust port cover 5 is provided on the rear side of the top plate 2. The exhaust port cover 5 is made of a punched metal or lattice-shaped metal member with numerous small through holes, which allows ventilation throughout and reduces air resistance. Exhaust air released from inside the cooking device 1 passes through the exhaust port cover 5 and exits the cooking device 1. As will be explained later, the exhaust air released from inside the cooking device 1 is the cooling air that has cooled the parts inside the cooking device 1 that become hot.

As shown in FIG. 6, a left operation unit 15L, a central operation unit 15M, and a right operation unit 15R are provided on the front side of the top surface of the top plate 2 of the cooking appliance 1. These may be collectively referred to as the "operation unit" or "input operation unit", in which case the reference number 15 is used. On the rear side behind the left operation unit 15L, the central operation unit 15M, and the right operation unit 15R, a left heating power display unit 17L, a central display unit 16M, a right heating power display unit 17R, a left display unit 16L, and a right display unit 16R are provided.

The left display unit 16L, the center display unit 16M, and the right display unit 16R may be collectively referred to as the "display unit", in which case the reference number 16 is used. The center display unit 16M has a horizontally long LCD display screen. The left heat display unit 17L and the right heat display unit 17R display the heat level using light-emitting elements (such as LEDs) and do not have a display screen.

Also, adjacent to the right operation unit 15R, an operation button 20A for the main power switch 20 (see FIG. 10) is provided. The main power switch 20 turns the main power of the cooking appliance 1 ON or OFF. The button that is pressed to switch the power ON and OFF is the operation button 20A. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation button 20A is a capacitive touch button. When the main power of the cooking appliance 1 is OFF, the main power is turned ON by touching the operation button 20A for, for example, several seconds. When the main power of the cooking appliance 1 is ON, the main power is turned OFF by touching the operation button 20A for, for example, several seconds. Note that the operation button 20A is not limited to a capacitive touch button, and may be a mechanical operation button.

The central display unit 16M displays information and warnings about the entire cooking device 1, and is composed of a liquid crystal display. The display screen of the central display unit 16M displays the selection result of the induction heating means (first heating means) HM1, the microwave heating means (second heating means) HM2, or the radiant heat heating means (third heating means) HM3. In addition, the display screen of the central display unit 16M displays the operating status of each heating means, caution information for cooking with each heating means, or warning information. The central display unit 16M is a single liquid crystal display in terms of hardware, but has three display areas, a first display area 22 on the left, a second display area 23 in the center, and a third display area 24 on the right, as shown in FIG. 8, and different displays can be made in each display area.

The three display areas 22-24 may also work together as needed to form a single, large display area depending on the display situation, and may display a single purpose. The central operation unit 15M is used to input operations related mainly to cooking in the heating chamber 6 and cooking using the central heating port 4C.

As shown in FIG. 8, the central operation unit 15M has nine input buttons 151M, 152M, 153M, 154M, 155M, 156M, 157M, 158M, and 159M. The nine input buttons 151M to 159M are capacitive touch buttons. In addition, individual light-emitting units 21M are provided near each of the input buttons 151M to 159M. The input button 159M used for function setting is intended to allow the user to set various operations and displays of the entire cooking appliance 1 as desired.

When the input button 159M for setting a function is pressed, the cooking device control unit 40 described later switches to a "function mode" and displays a "function setting menu" (not shown) on the display screen of the central display unit 16M as follows. Note that these are only examples, and other setting items may be displayed, or fewer setting items may be displayed.
(1) Child lock setting (setting to disable operation of various input buttons).
(2) Setting the ventilation fan linkage mode.
(3) Cleaning guide setting (setting of automatic notification function for when to clean heating chamber 6 and exhaust port cover 5).
(4) Peak cut setting (select one of four maximum power consumption levels: 5700W, 5000W, 4800W, or 4000W).
(5) Audio guide audio settings.
(6) Audio guide volume settings.
(7) Settings to prevent food, cooking utensils, etc. from being forgotten to be removed from the heating chamber 6 (whether or not an alarm is required on the audio notification unit 50 and central display unit 16M).
(8) HEMS registration settings (settings related to the power usage limiting function of the home power control device).
Various settings as described above can be changed by operating the central operation unit 15M.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing the left display unit 16L, left heating power display unit 17L, and left operation unit 15L of the cooking device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 7, the left display unit 16L displays information related to cooking at the left heating port 4L, and is configured, for example, with a liquid crystal display. The left display unit 16L displays the set time for timer cooking for an object to be heated placed on the left heating port 4L, the elapsed time since the start of the heating operation at the left heating port 4L, or the remaining time until the timer set time ends, etc.

When preheat cooking is selected using the left heating port 4L, the left display unit 16L displays the automatically set default temperature, the current temperature, etc. The automatically set default temperature refers to the target temperature of the bottom surface of an object to be heated, such as a metal pan, when it is heated using the left heating port 4L. The default temperature can be changed by the user at will within a certain range.

The left heating power display unit 17L is composed of multiple LEDs, which are light-emitting elements arranged in a horizontal line, and displays the heating power of the left heating port 4L in multiple stages. The left heating power display unit 17L expresses the heating power by switching the lighting state of the multiple LEDs, for example, between on, off, or blinking, or by switching the lighting color. This allows the user to be notified of the heating power in an intuitive and easy-to-understand manner.

The left operation unit 15L is used to input operations related to cooking using the left heating port 4L. As shown in FIG. 7, the left operation unit 15L has five input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L. The input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L are touch switches that are capacitive touch sensors that can input information by utilizing the change in capacitance when the user lightly touches the buttons with a finger or the like.

Individual light-emitting units 21L are provided corresponding to the input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L. The individual light-emitting units 21L are composed of LEDs, which are multiple light-emitting elements, and emit light in response to the operation of the input buttons 151L, 152L, 153L, 154L, and 155L. Note that the two adjacent input buttons 154L and 155L share a single individual light-emitting unit 21L because they perform the same type of function, increasing and decreasing the flame power.

The input button 151L is a button that is pressed when selecting timer cooking for the left heating port 4L. Timer cooking is a cooking method in which the user sets the cooking time and the heating operation is performed only for the set time. The input button 152L is a button that is pressed when selecting a control menu to be implemented for the left heating port 4L. Each time the input button 152L is pressed, one of multiple control menus can be selected. The "control menu" referred to here is, for example, boiling water, stewing, and deep frying (automatic cooking). The operating time, heat, or operating pattern of the left heating port 4L differs for each control menu.

The control menu for using the left heating port 4L and the right heating port 4R by operating the left operation unit 15L or the right operation unit 15R without operating the central operation unit 15M is the control menu for the "single cooking mode" KM1, which uses induction heating only. The "single cooking mode" KM1 will be described later. The input button 153L is a button that is pressed to start or stop cooking in the left heating port 4L. That is, pressing the input button 153L drives the left IH coil 9L located below the left heating port 4L. If the input button 153L is pressed again while the left IH coil 9L is being driven, the drive of the left IH coil 9L is stopped and the induction heating operation is immediately stopped.

The input buttons 154L and 155L are buttons that are pressed when specifying the heat level for cooking with the left heating port 4L. Pressing the input button 154L on the left decreases the heat level by one level. Conversely, pressing the input button 155L on the right increases the heat level by one level. Note that there are nine levels of heat level for induction cooking with the left heating port 4L, ranging from the minimum rated heat level (heat level 1: 150 W) to the maximum rated heat level (heat level 9: 3200 W).

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a central operation unit 15M of a cooking appliance 1 according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 8, the central operation unit 15M of the input operation unit 15 is composed of individual light-emitting units 21M and a group of input buttons. The individual light-emitting units 21M emit light when the input function of each input button is enabled, and continue to emit light until the input function is disabled. In the central operation unit 15M, an input button 157M for setting functions is located adjacent to the left of the input button 153M.

In the present embodiment 1, the input mode in which the user controls the cooking appliance 1 by pressing with a fingertip or the like (including light contact) is called the "touch input mode" TM. For this reason, the various input buttons 151M-159M, 151R-155R, and 151L-155L described below may be called the "touch input mode selection unit" TMC. Note that not only touch input buttons that utilize capacitance changes, but also input buttons that use push-button type mechanical switches are a type of touch input mode selection unit TMC.

Figure 9 is a schematic diagram showing the right display unit 16R, right heating power display unit 17R, and right operation unit 15R of the cooking device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the right display unit 16R displays information related to cooking in the right heating port 4R, and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display.

The information related to cooking with the right heating port 4R displayed on the right display unit 16R is the same as the information related to cooking with the left heating port 4L. The right heating power display unit 17R is composed of multiple LEDs, which are light-emitting elements, and displays the heating power of the right heating port 4R in multiple stages. Like the left heating power display unit 17L, the right heating power display unit 17R indicates the heating power by switching the lighting state of the multiple LEDs, which are light-emitting elements, for example, between on, off, or blinking, or by switching the lighting color.

The right operation unit 15R is used to input operations related to cooking using the right heating port 4R. As shown in FIG. 9, the right operation unit 15R has five input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R. The input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R are capacitive touch buttons that can input information by utilizing the change in capacitance when the user lightly touches the buttons with a finger or the like. Individual light-emitting units 21R are provided corresponding to the input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R, respectively.

The individual light-emitting units 21R are LEDs, which are light-emitting elements, and in response to the operation of the input buttons 151R, 152R, 153R, 154R, and 155R, the individual light-emitting units 21R corresponding to the input buttons respectively emit light. However, the two adjacent input buttons 154R and 155R share a single individual light-emitting unit 21R because they perform the same type of function, increasing and decreasing the flame power.

The input button 151R is a button that is pressed when selecting timer cooking in the right heating port 4R. The input button 152R is a button that is pressed when selecting a control menu to be performed in the right heating port 4R. The input button 153R is a button that is pressed to start or stop cooking in the right heating port 4R. The input buttons 154R and 155R are buttons that are pressed when specifying the heat power during cooking in the right heating port 4R. Pressing the left input button 154R decreases the heat power by one step. Conversely, pressing the right input button 155R increases the heat power by one step. The heat power during induction cooking in the right heating port 4R has nine steps, from a rated minimum heat power (heat power level 1) of 150W to a rated maximum heat power (heat power level 9) of 3200W.

Figure 10 is a functional block diagram showing a control unit (40) of the cooking device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the cooking device 1 includes a cooking device control unit 40 that performs integrated control of the entire cooking device 1.

The cooking device control unit 40 is an electronic circuit board on which electronic components such as a control circuit that controls the operation of each part of the cooking device 1 are mounted, and is controlled by the operation display board 115 shown in FIG. 15. The cooking device control unit 40 controls the operation of the left IH coil 9L, the right IH coil 9R, and the center IH coil 9M based on the operation of the left operation unit 15L and the right operation unit 15R, and the temperature of the heated object (not shown) on the top plate 2A detected by the contact temperature sensor 30A and the non-contact temperature sensor 30B described later.

The cooking device control unit 40 also controls the following operations based on the operation of the central operation unit 15M, the temperature of the heated object on the top plate 2A detected by the contact temperature sensor 30A and the non-contact temperature sensor 30B, the detection result of the infrared sensor 30C that detects the temperature of the heated object placed in the heating chamber 6 in a non-contact manner, and the detection result of a temperature sensor (not shown) that detects the temperature inside the heating chamber 6. For example, the operation of the central IH coil 9M, the microwave oscillator 11, the upper radiant heat heating means 12A, and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B.

Furthermore, the cooking device control unit 40 controls the display of the left display unit 16L, the right display unit 16R, the left heating power display unit 17L, and the right heating power display unit 17R based on the operation of the left operation unit 15L and the right operation unit 15R. Then, the cooking device control unit 40 controls the display of the central display unit 16M based on the open signal from the open/close detection unit 10 and the operation of the left operation unit 15L, the right operation unit 15R, and the central operation unit 15M.

The cooking device control unit 40 has a storage device 41 that stores data such as various programs and parameters (not shown) used to control the cooking device 1, and data for the display screens displayed on the display units 16L, 16R, 16M, 17L, and 17R. The data for the various programs and parameters is collectively referred to as "control data." The data for the display screens displayed on the display units 16L, 16R, 16M, 17L, and 17R is collectively referred to as "display condition data."

The cooking device control unit 40 also activates the audio notification unit 50 as necessary to inform the user of the operating status of the cooking device 1 by audio. As mentioned above, the left operation unit 15L, the right operation unit 15R, and the central operation unit 15M may be referred to as the operation unit 15. The operation unit 15 has a button that transitions to a standby state in which the operation unit 15 accepts input of heating conditions from the external communication device 200, which will be described later.

In the first embodiment of the present disclosure, an example of the button that transitions to the standby state is the input buttons 153M and 154M shown in FIG. 8, which are menu buttons for selecting a menu, and transition to the standby state is initiated by the first operation of the input buttons 153M and 154M after the power is turned on.

The cooking device control unit 40 stores data in a fixed format, which is information such as various programs and parameters used for cooking control by the heating control unit 43, in the cooking condition data storage unit 42 of the storage device 41. This data is the cooking condition data mentioned above. The "cooking condition data" and "display condition data" can be obtained by the cooking device 1 for each individual cooking menu from an external communication device 200 such as a communication terminal.

The cooking condition data storage unit 42 stores "cooking condition data" and "display condition data." The cooking condition data storage unit 42 may constitute a section, i.e., an area, of the storage device 41, or may be configured as a separate hardware unit from the storage device 41.

The heating control unit 43 provides integrated control of the overall heating operation of the cooking appliance 1, and is mainly composed of a microcomputer. The data acquisition unit 53 acquires "cooking condition data" from the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 via the communication unit 51. The data acquisition unit 53 may also acquire "display condition data" from the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 via the communication unit 51. The communication unit 51 communicates wirelessly with the outside, and has the function of communicating wirelessly with the external communication device 200 or the cloud server 300 as shown in FIG. 1.

The power supply circuit 57 supplies constant voltage power to the cooking device control unit 40. The main power switch 20 is a main power switch inserted into the power supply circuit 57.

As shown in FIG. 8, menu buttons 153M and 154M have the function of descending and ascending the menu selection. Heat buttons 155M and 156M have the function of descending and ascending the heat selection. Furthermore, time buttons 157M and 158M have the function of descending and ascending the time selection.

As shown in FIG. 15, an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "left IH coil 9L") is provided below the left heating port 2L as a left induction heating means. Similarly, an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "right IH coil 9R") is provided below the right heating port 2R as a right induction heating means, and an induction heating coil (hereinafter referred to as "central IH coil 9M") is provided below the central heating port 2M as a central induction heating means.

The heating means including the left IH coil 9L, right IH coil 9R, and center IH coil 9M, and the first inverter board 112 and second inverter board 113 equipped with a drive circuit that is a high-frequency power supply circuit such as an inverter circuit that drives them, may be referred to as the induction heating source 9 or first heating means HM1. In the following description, the first heating means HM1 will be used unless there is a particular contradiction. The left IH coil 9L, right IH coil 9R, and center IH coil 9M are equipped with a temperature sensor group 30 (see Figure 10) consisting of multiple temperature sensors to detect the temperature of the top plate 2A or the heated object.

For example, a contact temperature sensor 30A (see FIG. 15) made up of a thermistor or the like, or a non-contact temperature sensor 30B (see FIG. 15) made up of an infrared sensor or the like constitutes one sensor in the temperature sensor group 30. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 15, an example is described in which the left IH coil 9L and the right IH coil 9R are equipped with two contact temperature sensors 30A and one non-contact temperature sensor 30B, and the center IH coil 9M is equipped with one contact temperature sensor 30A, but the configuration of the temperature sensor group 30 is not limited to this, and the combination and number can be set as appropriate.

The heating chamber 6 is provided inside the main body 1 below the left IH coil 9L, right IH coil 9R, and center IH coil 9M. The heating chamber 6 is surrounded by metal walls such as stainless steel, and is a space for heating the food and ingredients contained within the heating chamber 6 as the objects to be cooked. The objects to be cooked are placed in a heat-resistant plastic container and placed in the heating chamber 6, or on a porcelain or heat-resistant glass dish. In this case, the dish or container may be called the "heated container."

The front of the heating chamber 6 is provided with an opening for inserting and removing the food to be cooked. The opening at the front of the heating chamber 6 is covered by the heating chamber door 4, which can be opened and closed freely. The heating chamber door 4 is connected and supported to the main body 1 so as to be freely rotatable via a hinge (not shown) and an arm (not shown). The heating chamber door 4 is provided with a handle 4A for opening and closing, and when the handle 4A is pulled, the heating chamber door 4 opens forward to a horizontal position with its lower end as the fulcrum, i.e., the center of rotation. The heating chamber door 4 may be pulled forward integrally with a support member (not shown) that supports the heated container from below by a slide rail (not shown). The support member refers to a structure such as a tray or a grill.

The heating chamber door 4 is provided with an open/close detector 10 (see Figs. 10 and 18) for detecting whether the heating chamber door 4 is open or closed. As shown in Fig. 18, the open/close detector 10 is composed of, for example, a microswitch. Note that, as long as it can detect whether the heating chamber door 4 is open or closed, it is not limited to a microswitch and may be composed of an infrared sensor or the like.

A microwave oscillator 11 is provided at a position toward the rear of the heating chamber 6 on the side thereof, which uses microwaves to heat the food contained in the heating chamber 6. The microwave oscillator 11 is, for example, composed of a magnetron, and heats the food placed in the heating chamber 6 by radiating microwaves into the heating chamber 6. The heating means, which includes the microwave oscillator 11, the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator that is equipped with an inverter circuit for driving the microwave oscillator, and the power supply board 117 that supplies power to the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator, may be referred to as the second heating means HM2.

The heating chamber 6 is also provided with an upper radiant heat heating means 12A and a lower radiant heat heating means 12B that heat the food from above and below. The upper radiant heat heating means 12A is arranged on the outer or inner ceiling wall surface of the heating chamber 6, and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B is arranged on the inner or outer wall surface of the heating chamber 6, and both are mica heaters. Other types of radiant heat heating means, such as a sheath heater or a carbon heater, may be installed outside the heating chamber 6. Figures 16 and 17 show an example in which the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, which are mica heaters, are both installed in close contact with the outer wall surface of the heating chamber 6.

The power supply board 117 mentioned above also supplies power to the radiant heat heating means. The heating means including the upper radiant heat heating means 12A, the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, and the power supply board 117 may be referred to as the third heating means HM3. The upper radiant heat heating means 12a and the lower radiant heat heating means 12b may be collectively referred to as the "radiant heat heating means", in which case the reference number 12 is used.

Furthermore, the heating chamber 6 is provided with an infrared sensor 30C, which is a non-contact temperature sensor, to detect the temperature of the food inside the heating chamber 6 without contact. The temperature range detected by the infrared sensor 30C is set to, for example, -20°C to 100°C. This allows the degree of heating of the food to be detected accurately in real time, for example in 1°C increments. The infrared sensor 30C also constitutes one sensor in the group of temperature sensors 30 (see Figure 10).

The heating chamber 6 is also provided with a contact-type temperature sensor (not shown) which is an interior temperature sensor that detects the atmospheric temperature inside the heating chamber 6 or the wall temperature of the heating chamber 6. The contact-type temperature sensor detects temperature by capturing changes in electrical resistance, and therefore the upper limit of the temperature it can detect is approximately 250°C. The contact-type temperature sensor also constitutes one of the sensors in the temperature sensor group 30 (see FIG. 10).

When the top plate 2 is removed, as shown in FIG. 15, the operation switch boards 131A and 131B are arranged under the top plate 2A at positions corresponding to the left operation unit 15L, the central operation unit 15M, and the right operation unit 15R. The operation switch boards 131A and 131B have multiple electrodes 132 that detect changes in capacitance.

First, when the operation button 20A on the top plate 2A of the tabletop 2 is touched for a predetermined period of time, a change in capacitance is detected by the electrode 132 corresponding to the operation key on the operation switch board 131B under the top plate 2A, and the input of the operation key is input as a signal to the operation display control microcomputer 115D mounted on the operation display board 115 described later, and the cooking appliance 1 is powered on.

After that, when any of the keys on the left operation unit 15L, the central operation unit 15M, or the right operation unit 15R on the top plate 2A is touched, a change in capacitance is detected by the electrode 132 corresponding to the operation key on the operation switch board 131A or the operation switch board 131B under the top plate 2A, and the fact that the operation key has been pressed is input as a signal to an operation display control microcomputer (not shown) mounted on the operation display board 115 (described later), and the operation content is displayed on the central display device (main display device) 115M.

As shown in FIG. 15, the operation display board 115 is housed near the front of the main body case 101. The main body case 101 is configured in a U-shape with a left side panel 101A, a right side panel 101B, and a bottom panel 101C, all of which are made of metal.

The operation display board 115 is connected to the operation switch board 131A and the operation switch board 131B by an operation switch board connection line (not shown), such as a flat cable. The operation display board 115 is equipped with a left display device 115L, a central display device (main display device) 115M, and a right display device 115R, which correspond to the left display section 16L, the central display section (main display section) 16M, and the right display section 16R of the top plate 2A, respectively.

The left display device 115L, the center display device (main display device) 115M, and the right display device 115R are LCDs (Liquid Crystal Devices), and the center display device (main display device) 115M is a full-dot LCD because it needs to display a large amount of information.

The setting information and other information displayed on the left display device 115L, the central display device (main display device) 115M, and the right display device 115R can be seen by the user through the top plate 2A at the left display section 16L, the central display section (main display section) 16M, and the right display section 16R, which are transparent sections of the top plate 2A.

The main body case 101 houses various boards, specifically, as shown in FIG. 15, in addition to the operation display board 115 mentioned above, a power supply board 111, a first inverter board 112, a second inverter board 113, and a filter board 114. Note that the first inverter board 112 is not shown in FIG. 15 because it is housed below the left IH coil 9L, right IH coil 9R, and operation display board 115, but is shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 19.

The filter board 114 is equipped with a filter circuit (not shown) for removing noise from the commercial AC voltage of 200V input from an external power source. The power supply board 111 is equipped with a constant voltage circuit (not shown) for generating a constant voltage of 24V or less to be supplied to the operation display board 115 and the like. Note that, in the cooking device 1 of the present disclosure, the filter board 114 and the power supply board 111 are described as being configured separately, but they may be configured as one unit.

The second inverter board 113 is a drive control board equipped with a circuit for high-frequency driving the central IH coil 9M. Note that although the cooking device 1 of the present disclosure is described as having three heating ports, there may be two heating ports. In the case of two heating ports, the central IH coil 9M is eliminated, and therefore the second inverter board 113 for high-frequency driving of the central IH coil 9M is not required.

The first inverter board 112 is a drive control board that is equipped with a circuit for high-frequency driving the left IH coil 9L and right IH coil 9R that are arranged side by side in the left-right direction, a circuit generally called an inverter circuit.

Figure 23 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operating procedure of the central operating unit 15M of the cooking appliance 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 23 (a), when the power is ON, "Power is ON" is displayed on the central display unit 16M. At this time, "Power is ON" is displayed across all areas, from the first display area 22 to the third display area 24, without separating them, and one piece of information is displayed across all three areas or across two areas depending on the situation or content, providing a display that is easy for the user to understand.

Then, as shown in FIG. 23(b), when the menu button 153M (or 154) is pressed, the initial menu is selected and the device goes into standby mode, with the heating menu and setting ranges displayed on the central display section 16M.

When menu button 153M or 154M is pressed and, for example, "fillet" is selected, fillet and the corresponding setting range are displayed in central display section 16M as shown in FIG. 23(c). When heat button 155M or 156M is pressed and "medium-strong" is selected, fillet and medium-strong are displayed in central display section 16M as shown in FIG. 23(d). After that, when start button 151M is pressed, cooking begins.

Figure 24 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the operation procedure of the central operation unit 15M of the cooking device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 24(a), the device goes into standby mode as the initial menu selection, and the heating menu and setting range are displayed on the central display unit 16M. When the menu button 153M or 154M is pressed to select "manual range," the first display area 22 to the third display area 24 of the central display unit 16M are displayed with the corresponding setting range as shown in Figure 24(b).

When the heat button 155M or 156M is pressed to select "200W", "Microwave Manual" and "200W" are displayed in the first display area 22 and second display area 23 of the central display unit 16M as shown in FIG. 24(c). When the time button 157M or 158M is pressed to select "5 minutes 00 seconds", "Microwave Manual", "200W" and "5 minutes 00 seconds" are displayed in the first display area 22 to third display area 24 of the central display unit 16M as shown in FIG. 24(d). Then, when the start button 151M is pressed, cooking begins.

So far, we have explained an example in which cooking is started by manually inputting and setting heating conditions and the like from the input operation unit 15. However, when the power is turned on as shown in FIG. 23(a), pressing the menu button 153M (or 154) as described above will cause the cooking appliance to enter a standby state as the initial menu selection. This standby state means that the cooking appliance 1 is in a state in which it can receive input and be operated from an external communication device 200 such as a smart speaker or smartphone.

When an operation is performed to put the cooking appliance 1 into standby mode, information that the cooking appliance 1 has entered standby mode is sent from the cooking appliance control unit 40 of the cooking appliance 1 to the communication unit 51, and the information is then transmitted from the communication unit 51 to the cloud server (external communication device) 300 via the network 203.

When the cloud control unit 303 receives this information, it notifies the external communication device 200 via the network 202 that input and operation from the external communication device 200 is now possible. Note that, regarding the notification, if the external communication device 200 is equipped with a display means, the notification may be displayed on the display means, or if the external communication device 200 is equipped with a voice output means, the notification may be made by voice.

(Configuration of the internal air passage, configuration and layout of the communication unit)
FIG. 18 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an air passage through which air passes inside the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 19 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an air passage through which air passes inside the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the front. FIG. 20 is an exploded view showing a communication unit of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, a recess in which the communication unit is housed, and related parts in an exploded state, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 21(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the heating control device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure, as viewed from the right side. FIG. 21(b) is an exploded oblique view of the communication unit of the cooking device, the recess in which the communication unit is housed, and related parts when separated, as viewed from diagonally below; FIG. 21(b) is an oblique view showing the parts that make up the recess in which the communication unit of the cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure is housed; FIG. 22(a) is an external oblique view of the communication unit of the cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally below; and FIG. 22(b) is an exploded oblique view of the communication unit of the cooking device according to embodiment 1 of the present disclosure, as viewed from diagonally below, in a disassembled state.

The communication unit 51 receives input and operation information transmitted from the external communication device 200 to the cloud server (external communication device) 300 via the network 202 and the network 203 (see FIG. 1) from the cloud server (external communication device) 300 and transmits the information to the cooking device control unit 40 of the cooking device 1. As shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 14, and FIG. 20, the communication unit holding case 102C is attached to a hole (not shown) provided in the main body back panel 102 of the main body 3 via a metal communication unit holding case 102C. The communication unit holding case 102C constitutes the recess of the present invention.

To explain in more detail, the main body back panel 102, which is made of metal, has a vertical surface portion 102A and a sloped surface portion 102B that slopes from the lower end portion 102Aa of the vertical surface toward the front of the main body 3. By forming the sloped surface portion 102B on the main body back panel 102, it is possible to easily incorporate the cooking appliance 1 into the kitchen furniture (system kitchen) 500, as shown in FIG. 4.

The concave communication unit holding case (concave component of the present invention) 102C is attached with fixing screws 103 to the sloping surface 102B of the main body back panel 102 so that its concave portion, i.e., the concave portion, is embedded inside the main body 3. The communication unit 51 is placed inside the concave portion, and the protrusion 51Db shown in FIG. 20 is inserted into the protrusion receiving hole 102Cc provided in the communication unit holding case (concave component) 102C to provisionally determine the mounting position, and then the fixing screw 52 is screwed into the screw receiving hole 102cb to mount the communication unit 51.

When the communication unit 51 is housed in the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C, as shown in the enlarged view of part A in FIG. 17, the surface of the inclined portion 102B of the main body back plate 102 to the surface of the communication unit 51, more specifically, the surface of the first case 51C which is the surface side of the main body back plate 102 of the communication unit 51, is attached with a step of L1. L1 is assumed to be a step of about 1 mm to 3 mm, for example, but the step may be deeper than this.

In this way, the communication unit 51 is attached with a certain step L1 from the surface of the sloped portion 102B of the main body rear panel 102, so it does not protrude from the surface of the sloped portion 102B of the main body rear panel 102, and does not get in the way of installing the cooking appliance 1 in the kitchen furniture 500 as shown in Figure 4.

As shown in FIG. 22(b), the communication unit 51 is housed in a first case 51C made of resin and a second case 51D also made of resin, sandwiching the communication board 51A. By connecting the connector 51Ba of the connection line 51B to the connector 51Ac provided on the communication board 51A, the communication unit control unit (microcomputer) (not shown) mounted on the communication board 51A and the cooking device control unit 40 of the cooking device 1 can communicate with each other.

The communication board 51A is equipped with a display LED 51Aa that can check the communication status and setting status by emitting light. It is also equipped with a switch 51Ab that can perform communication tests and communication settings. Since the communication board 51A is surrounded by the first case 51C and the second case 51D when assembled as the communication unit 51, the first case 51C is provided with a window portion 51Ca that is a through hole for directly viewing the display LED 51Aa.

Similarly, since the communication board 51A is surrounded by the first case 51C and the second case 51D when assembled as the communication unit 51, the first case 51C is provided with a through hole 51Cb so that the switch 51Ab can be operated with a rod-shaped member (not shown). These window 51Ca and through hole 51Cb make it possible to check the communication status from the illumination status of the display LED 51Aa even when assembled as the communication unit 51, and to operate the switch 51Ab to perform communication tests and communication settings, improving convenience for users and service personnel.

As shown in Figures 12 to 19, the exterior of the main body 3 is made up of a left side panel 101A, a right side panel 101B, a bottom panel 101C, and a main body back panel 102, all of which are made of metal, except for the top surface where the top panel 2 is provided and the front surface where the heating chamber door 4 is provided. If the communication unit 51 for communicating with the outside is placed inside an area surrounded by metal plates, there is a high possibility that communication strength will decrease and communication problems will occur when communicating with the outside.

As a result, if one were to place it on the upper surface that is not surrounded by a metal plate, underneath the tabletop 2, there would be a high possibility of communication problems occurring due to the effects of noise during high frequency operation, because underneath the tabletop 2, as shown in Figures 15 and 19, there are induction heating sources 9 such as the left IH coil 9L, central IH coil 9M, and right IH coil 9R, as well as a first inverter board 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L, and a second inverter board 113 that supplies power to the central IH coil 9M and right IH coil 9R.

Also, as shown in FIG. 19, the inside of the main body 3 is divided into an upper space and a lower space by upper and lower main body partition plates 106, and the induction heating sources 9, such as the left IH coil 9L, the central IH coil 9M, and the right IH coil 9R, as well as the first inverter board 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L and the second inverter board 113 that supplies power to the central IH coil 9M and the right IH coil 9R, are located in the upper space.

The induction heating sources 9, such as the left IH coil 9L, the center IH coil 9M, and the right IH coil 9R, as well as the first inverter board 112 that supplies power to the left IH coil 9L and the second inverter board 113 that supplies power to the center IH coil 9M and the right IH coil 9R, become hot when in operation and therefore require cooling.

When the cooking device control unit 40 drives the cooling fan 121, which is the first cooling fan of the present disclosure and is provided in the upper space of the main body 3, for cooling, air G3 outside the main body is taken in through the outside air inlet 101Aa provided in the left side panel 101A, and is taken in by the cooling fan 121 through the air intake 106A provided in the upper and lower partition plates 106 of the main body, and after cooling the induction heating source 9 and the first inverter board 112 as air flow N3 inside the main body, it is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 101F shown in FIG. 15. The air path from the outside air inlet 101Aa to the exhaust port 101F is the first air path of the present disclosure.

As such, since the upper space has a first air passage, which is the route through which the cooling air flows, if the communication unit 51 is carelessly placed in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2, it may interfere with the air passage for the cooling air and impede the air flow, which may reduce the cooling capacity and cause a decrease in the heating performance of the induction heating source 9. Therefore, it is preferable not to place the communication unit 51 in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2.

As described above, an outside air inlet 101Aa is provided on the left side panel 101A of the main body 3, and the space near the left side panel 101A of the main body 3 is part of the first air passage of the present disclosure. Therefore, in order to avoid interfering with the air passage for cooling air and obstructing the air flow, it is preferable not to place the communication unit 51 in the space near the left side panel 101A of the main body 3.

Next, if you try to place it closer to the front where it is not surrounded by a metal plate, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, the heating chamber 6 has a heating chamber opening 6A on the front, which is closed by the heating chamber door 4. As mentioned above, the heating chamber 6 can also be heated by microwaves, but the microwave oscillation frequency is in the 2.45 GHz band, while the frequency used for communication with the outside is in the 2.5 GHz band, so the frequency bands are similar. Therefore, if you try to place it closer to the front, it will be closer to the heating chamber opening 6A, so there is a possibility that it will be affected by microwaves, and communication problems may occur if communication is performed while microwave heating is being performed. Therefore, it is preferable not to place the communication unit 51 close to the heating chamber opening 6A where microwave heating is performed.

As mentioned above, the heating chamber 6 can also be heated by microwaves, and is equipped with a microwave oscillator 11 that generates microwaves, and an inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator, which is equipped with an inverter circuit for driving the microwave oscillator, as shown in FIG. 18. When heating by microwaves is being performed, the microwave oscillator 11 and the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator become hot, and therefore both require cooling.

For this reason, a rear cooling fan 142, which is the third cooling fan of the present disclosure, is provided for cooling the microwave oscillator 11, and a front cooling fan 141, which is the second cooling fan of the present disclosure, is provided for cooling the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator.

When the cooking device control unit 40 drives the rear cooling fan 142 in synchronization with the driving of the microwave oscillator 11, air G2 outside the main body is taken in through the rear air intake 101Cb provided on the bottom panel 101C shown in Figures 14 and 18, and cools the microwave oscillator 11 as air flow N2 inside the main body, and the air flow N2 inside the main body that passes through the exhaust duct 62 is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust port 101D shown in Figures 15 and 18.

The air path from the rear air intake 101Cb through the exhaust duct 62 to the exhaust port 101D is the third air path of the present disclosure. This third air path is independent of the other air paths inside the cooking appliance 1 from the rear air intake 101Cb to the exhaust port 101D, and does not mix with the air taken into the main body by other cooling fans.

Similarly, when the cooking device control unit 40 drives the front cooling fan 141 in synchronization with the driving of the microwave oscillator 11, air G1 from outside the main body is taken in through the front air intake 101Ca provided on the bottom plate 101C shown in Figures 14, 18, and 19, and is sent to the communication part 60 after cooling the inverter board 116 for driving the microwave oscillator as air flow N1 inside the main body.

A portion of the airflow N1 inside the main body that is sent to the communication part 60 is used as N1a to cool the infrared sensor 30C that detects the temperature of the heated object (not shown) placed in the heating chamber 6 in a non-contact manner. The airflow N1 inside the main body that is sent to the communication part 60 is further sent to the exhaust duct 61, and the airflow N1 inside the main body that passes through the exhaust duct 61 is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust port 101E shown in FIG. 15.

The air path from the front intake port 101Ca through the communication section 60 and exhaust duct 61 to the exhaust port 101E is the second air path of the present disclosure. This second air path is independent of other air paths inside the cooking appliance 1 from the front intake port 101Ca to the exhaust port 101E, and does not mix with the air taken into the main body by other cooling fans.

As such, since the space near the right side panel 101B of the main body 3 is part of the second and third air passages of the present disclosure, it is preferable not to place the communication unit 51 in the space near the right side panel 101B of the main body 3 in order to avoid interfering with the air passage for cooling air and obstructing the air flow.

So far, we have explained that it is preferable not to place the communication unit 51 in the upper space of the main body 3 below the top plate 2, the space near the left side panel 101A of the main body 3, or the space near the right side panel 101B of the main body 3, which each have air passages, and that it is also preferable not to place the communication unit 51 near the heating chamber opening 6A where heating by microwaves is performed. However, as shown in Figures 16 and 17, there is a lower rear space 3a of the main body behind the heating chamber 6 in the main body 3, and no air passage is provided through which the cooling air flows as described above.

As a result, even if the communication unit 51 is placed in this lower rear space 3a of the main body, it does not interfere with the cooling air passage or impede the air flow, making it an ideal space for placing the communication unit 51. However, as described above, if it is placed in the internal space of the main body 3 surrounded by the main body back plate 102 made of metal, there is a high possibility that communication strength will decrease and communication problems will occur when communicating with the outside. Therefore, the communication unit 51 is attached via a concave communication unit holding case 102C to a hole (not shown) provided in the main body back plate 102 of the main body 3, as shown in Figures 13, 14, and 20.

In this way, the communication unit 51 is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C and is arranged in a space that is not an air passage, so it does not interfere with the air passage for cooling air inside the main body and does not impede the flow of air, so there is no impact such as a decrease in the cooling performance of parts inside the main body 3 that become hot.

In addition, the communication unit 51 itself is not enclosed by the main body back panel 102 made of metal, but is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C and exposed to the outside of the main body 3, so there is no reduction in communication strength or communication failure due to shielding by a metal plate.

Naturally, cooking in the heating chamber 6 is also performed using radiant heating means, specifically, upper radiant heat heating means 12A and lower radiant heat heating means 12B (see FIG. 16). An object to be heated (not shown) placed in the heating chamber 6 is heated by the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, generating oily smoke. As the temperature rises in the heating chamber 6 and the pressure inside the heating chamber 6 increases, the oily smoke is sent from an exhaust port (not shown) of the heating chamber 6 to an exhaust duct (not shown) connected to the heating chamber 6, and is exhausted to the outside from the exhaust port 101G shown in FIG. 15.

At this time, the heating chamber 6 itself becomes hot due to the radiant heat from the upper radiant heat heating means 12A and the lower radiant heat heating means 12B, but since the communication unit 51 is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C made of metal, a metal plate can be placed between the heating chamber 6, which becomes hot, and the communication unit 51 as a heat shield, which also has the effect of insulating the communication unit 51. However, since the lower rear space 3a of the main body has no air passage and no air flow as described above, it is possible that the effect of heat radiation from the heating chamber 6 cannot be alleviated by the communication unit holding case 102C alone, as shown in Figures 20 and 21(a), a heat insulating member 104 is provided on the outside of the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C (inside the main body 3).

The heat insulating member 104 is composed of a frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A that is wrapped around the outside of the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C (inside the main body 3) with the end 104Aa and end 104Ab butting together at the seam 104Ac, and a plate-shaped heat insulating material 104B that is attached to the frame-shaped heat insulating material 104A to cover it.

The recess of the communication unit holding case 102C is provided with a connection line passing hole 102Ca, which allows the connection line 51B shown in FIG. 21(a) to pass through, on the lower side in the vertical direction when attached to the main body rear panel 102. The frame-shaped insulation material 104A is wrapped so that the seam 104Ac overlaps the connection line passing hole 102Ca. The frame-shaped insulation material 104A is not joined, but is butted against the end 104Aa and the end 104Ab. By wrapping the seam 104Ac overlapping the connection line passing hole 102Ca, the connection line 51B coming out of the connection line passing hole 102Ca can be passed through the seam 104Ac between the end 104Aa and the end 104Ab, and the connection line can be easily passed through without the need for additional processing on the insulation material.

As mentioned above, the heating chamber 6 can also be heated by microwaves. When the cooking device control unit 40 drives the microwave oscillator 11 using the microwave oscillator driving inverter board 116, microwaves are oscillated in a waveguide 118 made of, for example, metal, as shown in Figures 16 to 18, travel through the waveguide 118, and are radiated into the heating chamber 6 from the rear side of the heating chamber 6.

Since microwaves are reflected by metal, a heating chamber back plate 66 made of, for example, heat-resistant glass is provided on the back of the heating chamber 6. The microwaves pass through the heating chamber back plate 66 and are radiated into the heating chamber 6. Since microwaves have a high tendency to travel in a straight line, the cooking device control unit 40 rotates the antenna rotation motor 143 while driving the microwave oscillator 11 to rotate the antenna 144 attached to the antenna rotation motor 143 so that the microwaves are radiated evenly throughout the heating chamber 6, thereby diffusing the microwaves and radiating them into the heating chamber 6.

As mentioned above, the microwaves travel through the waveguide 118 and are radiated into the heating chamber 6 from the rear side of the heating chamber 6. As shown in Figures 16 and 17, the waveguide 118 is provided on the rear side of the heating chamber 6, and the microwaves are radiated from the rear side of the heating chamber 6 toward the inside of the heating chamber 6, in other words, from the rear side of the heating chamber 6 toward the front side of the main body 3.

As shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the communication unit 51 is provided on the rear side of the main body 3, which is opposite the direction of microwave radiation. As shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the communication unit 51 is attached on the opposite side of the direction of microwave radiation, so the communication unit control unit (microcomputer) (not shown) mounted on the communication board 51A (see Fig. 22(b)) of the communication unit 51 and the connection line 51B (see Fig. 21(a)) that communicatively connects the cooking device control unit 40 of the cooking device 1 is not easily affected by noise caused by microwave radiation. Therefore, a stable communication state can be ensured and maintained even when the microwave oscillator 11 is driven.

As mentioned above, the communication unit holding case 102C is attached to the sloped portion 102B of the main body rear panel 102 with fixing screws 103 so that its concave portion, i.e., the recess, is embedded inside the main body 3. To explain further, as shown in FIG. 21, when the communication unit holding case 102C is attached to the main body rear panel 102, it has four corners on the side closest to the main body rear panel 102: upper outer corner 102Cd, lower outer corner 102Ce, right outer corner 102Cf, and left outer corner 102Cg. In addition, it has four corners on the back side of the recess: upper inner corner 102Ch, lower inner corner 102Ci, right inner corner 102Cj, and left inner corner 102Ck.

As shown in Figures 13, 14, 16, and 17, the communication unit holding case 102C is attached so that the upper outer corner 102Cd is positioned lower than the lower end 102Aa of the vertical surface 102A of the main body back panel 102. In the attached state, the upper inner corner 102Ch is positioned higher than the upper outer corner 102Cd, so the upper outer corner 102Cd is tilted downward.

If water or other liquid drips along the vertical surface 102A of the main body back panel 102 due to an unforeseen event, even if the water or other liquid flows along the sloped surface 102B, it will not flow to the upper inner corner 102Ch, but can be dripped off at the upper outer corner 102Cd.

The first case 51C, which is the front side of the main body back panel 102 of the communication unit 51, has a first case upper corner 51Cc. As shown in the enlarged view of part A in FIG. 17, the first case upper corner 51Cc protrudes outward most when the communication unit 51 is attached. The first case upper corner 51Cc protruding outward most of the communication unit 51 and the upper outer corner 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C are located closer to the outside by a length of L2 in the horizontal front-to-rear direction when attached. Therefore, liquid such as water dripping from the upper outer corner 102Cd will not get on the communication unit 51. Note that L2 is assumed to be a step of about 5 mm to 8 mm, for example, but it may be longer than this.

In this way, even if water or other liquid drips along the vertical surface 102A of the main body rear panel 102 due to an unforeseen event, the communication unit 51 will not receive the water or other liquid dripping from the upper outer corner 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C, and the communication board 51A will not get wet with the water or other liquid, causing a malfunction, so a stable communication state can be ensured and maintained.

As described above, the communication unit 51 of the cooking device according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is attached with a predetermined step L1 from the surface of the sloped portion 102B of the main body rear panel 102, so it does not protrude from the surface of the sloped portion 102B of the main body rear panel 102, and does not interfere with the work of installing the cooking device 1 in the kitchen furniture 500 as shown in FIG. 4.

In addition, the communication unit 51 is housed inside the recess of the communication unit holding case 102C and is arranged in a space that is not an air passage, so it does not interfere with the air passage for cooling air inside the main body and does not impede the flow of air, so there is no impact such as a decrease in the cooling performance of parts inside the main body 3 that become hot.

Furthermore, even if water or other liquid drips along the vertical surface 102A of the main body rear panel 102 due to an unforeseen event, the communication unit 51 will not receive the water or other liquid dripping from the upper outer corner 102Cd of the communication unit holding case 102C, and the communication board 51A will not get wet with the water or other liquid, causing a malfunction, so a stable communication state can be ensured and maintained.

D Depth dimension of the built-in opening, G1 Air outside the main body, G2 Air outside the main body, G3 Air outside the main body, HM1 First heating means (induction heating means), HM2 Second heating means (microwave heating means), HM3 Third heating means (radiant heat heating means), L1 Step, L2 Length, N1 Air flow inside the main body, N1a Air flow inside the main body, N2 Air flow inside the main body, N3 Air flow inside the main body, W Width dimension of the built-in opening, 1 Cooking device, 1a Cooking system, 2 Top plate, 2A Top plate, 2B Frame, 2L Left heating port, 2M Central heating port, 2R Right heating port, 3 Main body, 3a Rear space at the bottom of the main body, 4 Heating chamber door, 4A Handle, 5 Exhaust port cover, 6 Heating chamber, 6A Heating chamber opening, 9 Induction heating coil (induction heating source), 9L Left IH coil, 9M Center IH coil, 9R right IH coil, 10 open/close detection unit, 11 microwave transmission device (magnetron), 12 radiant heat heating means, 12A upper radiant heat heating means, 12B lower radiant heat heating means, 15 input operation unit, 15L left operation unit, 15M center operation unit, 15R right operation unit, 16 display unit, 16L left display unit, 16M center display unit, 16R right display unit, 17 heat power display unit, 17L left heat power display unit, 17R right heat power display unit, 20 main power switch, 20A operation button, 21M individual light-emitting unit, 21L individual light-emitting unit, 21R individual light-emitting unit, 22 first display area, 23 second display area, 24 third display area, 30 temperature sensor group, 30A contact temperature sensor, 30B non-contact temperature sensor, 30C Infrared sensor, 40 Cooking cooker control unit, 41 Storage device, 42 Cooking condition data storage unit, 43 Heating control unit, 50 Audio notification unit, 51 Communication unit, 51A Communication board, 51Aa Display LED, 51Ab Switch, 51Ac Connector, 51B Connection line, 51Ba Connector, 51Bb Electric wire, 51C First case, 51Ca Window, 51Cb Through hole, 51Cc First case upper corner, 51D Second case, 51Da Slit, 51Db Projection, 52 Fixing screw, 53 Data acquisition unit, 57 Power supply circuit, 60 Communication unit, 61 Exhaust duct, 62 Exhaust duct, 66 Heating chamber rear panel (glass panel), 101 Main body case, 101A Left side panel, 101Aa Outside air inlet, 101B Right side panel, 101C Bottom panel, 101Ca front intake port, 101Cb rear intake port, 101D exhaust port, 101E exhaust port, 101F exhaust port, 101G exhaust port, 102 main body rear panel, 102A vertical surface portion, 102Aa lower end of vertical surface, 102B inclined surface portion, 102C communication unit holding case (holding member having a recess of the present disclosure), 102Ca connection line passing hole, 102cb screw receiving hole, 102Cc protrusion receiving hole, 102Cd upper outer corner, 102Ce lower outer corner, 102Cf right outer corner, 102Cg left outer corner, 102Ch upper inner corner, 102Ci lower inner corner, 102Cj right inner corner, 102Ck left inner corner, 103 fixing screw, 104 Insulating member, 104A frame-shaped insulating material, 104Aa end, 104Ab end, 104Ac joint, 104B plate-shaped insulating material, 106 upper and lower main body partition plate, 106A air intake, 111 power supply board, 112 first inverter board, 113 second inverter board, 114 filter board, 115 operation display board, 115L left display device, 115M central display device (main display device), 115R right display device, 116 microwave oscillator driving inverter board, 117 power supply board (for driving microwave oscillator, for radiant heat heating means), 118 waveguide, 121 cooling fan (first cooling fan of the present disclosure), 131 operation switch board, 131A operation switch board, 131B operation switch board, 132 electrode, 141 front cooling fan (second cooling fan of the present disclosure), 142 Rear cooling fan (third cooling fan of the present disclosure), 143 Antenna rotation motor, 144 Antenna, 151L to 155L Input buttons, 151M Start button, 152M Cancel button, 153M Menu button, 154M Menu button, 155M Heat button, 156M Heat button, 157M Time button, 158M Time button, 159M Input button, 151R to 155R Input button, 200 External communication device (smart speaker, smartphone), 201 Control unit, 202 Network, 203 Network, 300 Cloud server (external communication device), 301 Recipe information providing server, 302 Recipe database, 303 Cloud control unit, 500 Kitchen furniture (system kitchen), 500A Cooking table (countertop), 500B Built-in opening, 500C Front opening, 500D Internal space, 500E Storage cabinet, 500F storage cabinet, 500G back panel, 500H bottom panel.

Claims (6)

A top plate on which the food to be cooked is placed,
a main body having the top plate on an upper surface thereof and an outer casing formed of a metal plate;
A heating unit that heats the food to be cooked and is provided inside the main body below the top plate;
A driving substrate for driving the heating unit;
a first cooling fan that blows air to cool the heating unit and the drive substrate;
a first air passage in the main body through which air blown by the first cooling fan passes;
An operation unit for setting heating conditions of the heating unit;
a communication unit that communicates with an external communication device that is capable of inputting and outputting information for setting heating conditions of the heating unit;
a control unit that controls the heating unit, the first cooling fan, and the communication unit;
Equipped with
a back plate constituting an outer periphery of the main body is provided with a recess formed so as to be recessed from a surface of the back plate toward an inside of the main body;
The communication unit is attached within the recess so as not to protrude outward from the surface of the rear panel, and the communication unit attached to the recess protruding from the rear panel into the main body does not interfere with the first air path within the main body. the rear panel has a vertical surface and an inclined surface inclined downward from a lower end of the vertical surface from the rear side of the main body to the front side of the main body,
The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the recess is provided on the inclined surface, and an upper end of the recess is disposed below the lower end of the vertical surface. The recess is provided in a holding member attached to the rear plate,
3. The cooking device according to claim 2, wherein the holding member has an upper outer corner portion that is located above the recess near the rear plate when the holding member is attached to the rear plate. the communication unit has an upper corner portion having an upper outer corner portion located upward near the rear panel when the communication unit is attached to the recess of the holding member,
The cooking device according to claim 3 , wherein the upper outer corner is located rearward of an upper corner of the communication unit when viewed in the front-rear horizontal direction. A heating chamber provided inside the main body and having an open front side in which an object to be heated can be cooked;
a heating chamber door for closing an opening of the heating chamber provided on the front side of the main body;
a microwave oscillator for supplying microwaves for cooking to the heating chamber;
a third cooling fan that blows air to cool the microwave oscillator;
a third air passage in the main body through which air passes after cooling the microwave oscillator device by the third cooling fan;
a microwave oscillator driving board for driving the microwave oscillator;
a second cooling fan that blows air to cool the microwave oscillator drive board;
a second air passage in the main body through which the air blown by the second cooling fan to cool the microwave oscillator drive board passes;
Further comprising:
The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the communication unit attached to the recess protruding from the rear panel into the main body does not interfere with the second air path and the third air path within the main body. a waveguide for supplying the microwaves generated by the microwave oscillator to the heating chamber;
The heating cooker according to claim 5, wherein the microwaves supplied from the waveguide to the heating chamber are emitted toward the heating chamber door provided on the front side of the main body, and the communication unit is attached on the side opposite the emission direction of the microwaves.

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