JP7724230B2 - heating cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a heating cooker.

Conventionally, cooking appliances have been known that allow the user to know the condition inside the heating chamber.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a cooking appliance that uses a camera to photograph food placed inside a heating chamber.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-200008

However, with the above-mentioned conventional technology, heating begins when the user inputs a command to start heating, even if there is no food inside the heating chamber. In other words, with conventional cooking appliances, there is a possibility that heating may begin under no load. In this case, operating under no load places a strain on the heating element of the cooking appliance, such as the magnetron, resulting in a problem of shortening the appliance's lifespan.

One aspect of the present invention aims to reduce the possibility of heating starting under no load.

In order to solve the above problems, a heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a heating chamber, a heating unit that heats food placed in the heating chamber, a heating control unit that controls the heating operation of the heating unit, a sensor that irradiates measurement light within the heating chamber and receives the reflected light reflected within the heating chamber, a determination unit that determines whether the food is present in the heating chamber based on the intensity of the reflected light received by the sensor, and a reading device that reads an information code provided on the food, wherein a detection area that is the area onto which the measurement light is irradiated and that indicates the location of the food is displayed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber, and when the determination unit determines that the food is not present in the detection area of the heating chamber, the heating control unit does not start the heating operation of the heating unit and controls the heating operation of the heating unit according to the reading result by the reading device, and the reading device is located outside and at the top front of the heating chamber, reads the information code below, and is positioned so that the reading area, which is the area that can be read by the reading device, is located at least inside the heating chamber .

One aspect of the present invention reduces the possibility of heating starting without load.

1 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 1 of the present embodiment with a front door that can be freely opened and closed closed, as viewed from diagonally above the front. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 with a front door open, as viewed obliquely from above the front. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flat plate of a heating chamber. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of food sensors and sensor detection areas in the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit included in the cooking appliance. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of operations of the cooking device. 10 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to a second embodiment, with a front door that can be freely opened and closed and that is provided on the main body of the cooking device closed, as viewed obliquely from above the front. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 7 with a front door open, as viewed from diagonally below on the right. FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a reading area of a reading device. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a flat plate of a heating chamber. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit included in the cooking appliance. 11 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to a third embodiment, with a front door that can be freely opened and closed and that is provided on the main body of the cooking device closed, as viewed obliquely from above the front. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit included in the cooking appliance.

[Embodiment 1]
An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device 1 of this embodiment with a freely openable front door 12 closed, as viewed from diagonally above the front. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device 1 shown in Fig. 1 with the front door 12 open, as viewed from diagonally above the front.

(Overview of Cooking Device 1)
1 to 3, cooking appliance 1 is, for example, a microwave oven, and has an operation panel 11 at the top of the front surface, and a front door 12 below operation panel 11. Front door 12 opens and closes heating chamber 13 located behind front door 12, and covers a front opening 13B of heating chamber 13 when closed. In this embodiment, front door 12 is of a side-opening type that rotates around the left end as viewed from the front, and has a handle 14 near the right end, which is the end opposite to the rotation center.

As shown in Figure 2, the heating chamber 13 is provided with a food sensor 31 on the side surface 13A of the chamber interior. The food sensor 31 detects whether food is placed on the flat plate 13C provided on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13. In other words, it detects the presence or absence of food in the heating chamber 13. Details of the food sensor 31 and food detection will be described later.

The operation panel 11 is provided on the front surface of the control frame 15. The operation panel 11 is provided so that the front surface of the operation panel 11 is approximately flush with the front surface of the front door 12 in the front-to-rear direction of the cooking appliance 1.

A control board (not shown) is provided inside the control frame 15 to control the judgment result notification unit 24 of the operation panel 11 or accept user operations on input keys, etc.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the flat plate 13C of the heating chamber 13. Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the food sensor 31 and the sensor detection area (detection region) 32 in the cooking appliance 1 shown in Figure 1. The food sensor 31 is an infrared sensor that emits measurement light having a predetermined wavelength, for example, infrared light. The food sensor 31 is, for example, a reflective photosensor. It directs measurement light from a light-emitting element within the reflective photosensor toward the object (food 40), receives the light reflected from the object with a light-receiving element, and outputs a signal corresponding to the intensity of the received reflected light to the determination unit 21B. Here, as shown by reference numeral 1041 in Figure 4, the range of light emitted by the light-emitting element of the food sensor 31 is the sensor detection area 32. The sensor detection area 32 also indicates the location of the food 40. As shown in Figure 3, the sensor detection area 32 is displayed approximately in the center of the flat plate 13C.

Multiple food sensors 31 may be provided. In this case, as shown by reference numeral 1042 in Figure 4, the sensor detection area 32 becomes wider, making it easier to detect food 40 inside the refrigerator. It is also preferable that the entire flat plate 13C be a color that absorbs measurement light. Specifically, the above-mentioned area is preferably black, for example. On the other hand, it is preferable that the outer periphery of the sensor detection area 32 be displayed in a color that is brighter than the color of the entire flat plate 13C, i.e., a light color (for example, white).

Flat plate 13C does not necessarily have to be black, but may be any color (dark color) that suppresses reflection of infrared light emitted from food sensor 31. Furthermore, flat plate 13C does not have to be a uniform color; for example, it may have a pattern printed on it to make dirt less noticeable. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the area of flat plate 13C that is irradiated with measurement light from food sensor 31 needs to be black, and the entire surface of flat plate 13C does not have to be black.

Furthermore, the outer periphery of the sensor detection area 32 does not necessarily have to be white; it may be printed on the flat plate 13C in a color (e.g., cream, beige, etc.) that allows the user to easily see the sensor detection area 32. Furthermore, when the sensor detection area 32 is provided on the flat plate 13C, it is preferable that the surface facing the side where the food sensor 31 is provided also be a color that at least absorbs the measurement light (e.g., black) or a color that reduces reflection of the measurement light (a dark color).

If the walls inside the heating chamber are white, infrared light will reflect off the walls, making false detection more likely. In contrast, in the cooking appliance 1, the flat plate 13C onto which infrared light is irradiated by the food sensor 31 is black. Black or near-black colors tend to absorb infrared light. Therefore, the flat plate 13C of the cooking appliance 1 reduces the possibility of infrared light being reflected by anything other than the food 40. This reduces the possibility of false detection in the cooking appliance 1.

(Control unit 21)
Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 21 provided in the cooking appliance 1. The control device includes the control unit 21 that controls the operation of the cooking appliance 1. The control unit 21 is made up of, for example, a microcomputer, and has a CPU, ROM, and RAM.

As shown in Figures 1 and 5, the control unit 21 is connected to the operation panel 11, the front door open/close detection unit 22, the heating operation unit (heating unit) 23, the judgment result notification unit 24, and the memory (storage unit) 52. The front door open/close detection unit 22 consists of, for example, a switch that turns on when the front door 12 is closed, and detects whether the front door 12 is open or closed.

The heating operation unit 23 is an operation unit that heats the food placed in the heating chamber 13, and is, for example, a microwave output device or a heater. The judgment result notification unit 24 is a buzzer, sound generating unit, or display unit, and is controlled by the control unit 21 to notify the user of, for example, the judgment result made by the judgment unit 21B.

The control unit 21 can communicate with the server 51, for example, using an internet line. Heating information corresponding to various types of food is registered on the server 51. The control unit 21 acquires heating information corresponding to the type of food from the server 51, which is acquired by the reading device 16 reading the information code, and controls the heating operation unit 23 so that the food is heated in accordance with the acquired heating information. Note that the heating information corresponding to the type of food may be stored in the cooking appliance 1 itself. In this case, the cooking appliance 1 does not need to communicate with the server 51.

The control unit 21 includes a sensor control unit 21A that controls the food sensor 31 in accordance with the detection results of the front door opening/closing detection unit 22, a judgment unit 21B that determines whether or not food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, and a heating control unit 21C that controls the heating operation unit 23 based on the judgment results of the judgment unit 21B.

For example, when the front door open/close detection unit 22 is turned on, i.e., when the front door 12 is closed, the sensor control unit 21A controls the food sensor 31 to emit measurement light of a predetermined wavelength. The sensor control unit 21A may cause the food sensor 31 to emit measurement light for a predetermined period of time, and then stop emitting the measurement light.

The determination unit 21B determines whether or not food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13 based on the signal (light reception signal) from the food sensor 31. Specifically, the determination unit 21B makes the determination as follows: First, if food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the food sensor 31 receives the measurement light reflected by the food 40, and inputs a signal corresponding to the received light intensity of the reflected light to the determination unit 21B. In this case, the determination unit 21B determines that food is present in the heating chamber 13.

On the other hand, if there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the measurement light is absorbed inside the heating chamber 13 and is not reflected, and the food sensor 31 does not receive the reflected light, or even if it receives the reflected light, the intensity of the received reflected light will be lower than when food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13. In this case, the food sensor 31 does not input a received light signal to the judgment unit 21B, or inputs a signal indicating a reflected light intensity lower than a predetermined reference value. In this case, the judgment unit 21B judges that there is no food in the heating chamber 13. The judgment unit 21B inputs the judgment result to the heating control unit 21C.

The above determination by the determination unit 21B may be made constantly, may be made only while the front door 12 is open, or may be made until a predetermined time has elapsed since the front door 12 was closed. If the cooking appliance 1 is configured to start heating when the user inputs an instruction to start, the timing of the above determination may be when the input is made.

When the front door 12 is closed, the heating control unit 21C starts heating control under preset conditions. Alternatively, when the front door 12 is closed and an instruction to start heating control is input from the operation panel 11, the heating control unit 21C controls the heating operation unit 23 according to the settings input from the operation panel 11 and starts heating control. Here, if the determination result of the determination unit 21B indicates that food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the heating control unit 21C starts heating the food 40. On the other hand, if the determination result of the determination unit 21B indicates that food 40 is not present in the heating chamber 13, the heating control unit 21C does not start heating operation by the heating operation unit 23.

(Operation of cooking appliance 1)
Fig. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the flow of operation of the cooking device 1. In the above configuration, the operation of the cooking device 1 will be explained below with reference to Fig. 6. Here, a case where food 40 (e.g., a box lunch) is heated by the cooking device 1 will be explained.

First, when the user opens the front door 12, the front door detection unit 22 is turned off. Next, the user places food 40 inside the heating chamber 13 by following the guidance display 20 on the operation panel 11. Then, when the user closes the front door 12, the front door detection unit 22 is turned on (S1). When the front door detection unit 22 is turned on (YES in S1), the sensor control unit 21A controls the food sensor 31 to begin emitting measurement light (S2). At this point, the food 40 to be heated is placed in a predetermined position inside the heating chamber 13. That is, as shown by reference numeral 1041 in FIG. 4 , the food 40 is placed in the sensor detection area 32 of the food sensor 31 inside the heating chamber 13. At this time, the food sensor 31 receives light reflected from the food 40 and inputs a signal corresponding to the intensity of the reflected light to the determination unit 21B. Based on the signal obtained from the food sensor 31, the determination unit 21B determines whether food 40 has been placed inside the heating chamber 13 (S3). If food 40 is placed in heating chamber 13 (YES in S3), determination unit 21B inputs the determination result to heating control unit 21C. When heating control unit 21C obtains the determination result indicating that food 40 is placed in heating chamber 13, it controls heating operation unit 23 in a preset manner to start the heating operation (S4).

When the heating of the food 40 is completed in this manner (S5), the control unit 21 controls the notification unit (not shown) to notify the user. This notification prompts the user to remove the food 40 from the heating chamber 13. By removing the food 40 from the heating chamber 13, the food 40 disappears from the sensor detection area 32 within the heating chamber 13, and the signal output by the food sensor 31 to the determination unit 21B disappears or becomes the reference value. This causes the determination unit 21B to determine that the food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13 (NO in S6). Based on the determination result of the determination unit 21B (food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13), the heating control unit 21C does not cause the heating operation unit 23 to start the heating operation (S7). In this case, the heating operation unit 23 will not perform the heating operation when there is no food 40 placed in the heating chamber 13. In other words, the heating operation is not performed under no load, which prevents deterioration of the cooking appliance 1.

Furthermore, if the determination unit 21B determines that food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13 (NO in S3), the control unit 21 notifies the user of the determination result via the determination result notification unit 24 (S8). In this case, the operation of the determination result notification unit 24 is, for example, to emit an intermittent beep sound, such as "beep, beep, beep," to emit a voice message saying "food is not placed in the heating chamber," or both.

When the determination result notification unit 24 notifies the user that food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13, the user opens the front door 12. When the front door 12 opens (YES in S9), the sensor control unit 21A controls the food sensor 31 to stop emitting the measurement light (S10). The user then moves the food 40 again so that it is within the sensor detection area 32, and closes the front door 12. This returns the process to step S1. The determination unit 21B then makes another determination. As a result, when the determination unit 21B determines that food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13, the operation is as described above.

[Embodiment 2]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

7 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 1A of embodiment 2, with the openable front door 12 provided on the main body closed, as viewed from diagonally above the front. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 1A of FIG. 7, with the front door 12 open, as viewed from diagonally below right. As shown in FIG. 7, cooking appliance 1A includes, in addition to the components of cooking appliance 1, a reading device 16 and a reading result notification unit 26 provided at the upper front of the heating chamber 13. Unlike cooking appliance 1, cooking appliance 1A does not include a sensor control unit 21A or a determination result notification unit 24. The reading device 16 reads the code attached to food 40 and inputs the reading result to the heating control unit 21C. The heating control unit 21C controls heating according to the reading result obtained from the reading device 16. The reading result notification unit 26 notifies the user of the reading result of the information code by the reading device 16 by voice or the like.

(Reader 16)
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the reading area 19 of the reader 16. As shown in FIG. 9, the control frame 15 is provided so as to protrude forward of the cooking appliance 1A. The reader 16 is attached to the underside of a reader board (circuit board) 17 and is provided at the bottom inside the control frame 15. The reader board 17 includes a drive circuit for the reader 16. That is, the reader 16 is installed outside the heating chamber 13 and above the front opening 13B of the heating chamber 13, with the reading area 19 located below the installation position. If the reader 16 were installed inside the heating chamber 13, heat would accelerate deterioration. However, as described above, the reader 16 is installed below the control frame 15, i.e., outside the heating chamber 13, and therefore deterioration due to heat is suppressed.

The reading device 16 is, for example, a QR code reader capable of reading QR codes (registered trademark), and is configured to read information codes (for example, QR codes) attached to the food to be heated in the cooking appliance 1A or to the food container.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reading device 16 has a reading area 19 below the reading device 16. The reading area 19 of the reading device 16 is indicated, for example, by red light so that the user can visually identify the reading area 19. As an example, the cooking appliance 1A is equipped with a reading area illumination unit 25, and the red light indicating the reading area 19 is emitted by the reading area illumination unit 25. For example, a red LED is used as the reading area illumination unit 25. Note that the light indicating the reading area 19 is not limited to red, and may be other light visible to the user, such as a laser. Furthermore, the number of red LEDs may be one or more.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing the flat plate 13D of the heating chamber 13. In the flat plate 13D of the cooking appliance 1A, it is preferable that at least the reading area 19 and its surrounding area be a light color (e.g., white). If the entire flat plate 13D is a dark color (e.g., black), the illumination by the reading area illumination unit 25 may be difficult for the user to see. By making the reading area 19 and its surrounding area a light color, the user can more easily recognize the reading area 19.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, it is preferable that the reading area 19 (the area illuminated by the reading area illumination unit 25) is displayed on the flat plate 13C. By not only illuminating the reading area 19 by the reading area illumination unit 25 but also displaying it, the user can more easily see the reading area 19, similar to the sensor detection area 32.

7 and 8, the reading device 16 is located in the center of the width (left-right) of the front opening 13B of the heating chamber 13, more specifically, on the outside and upper front of the heating chamber 13, and is capable of reading information codes located below the reading device 16. If the front door 12 of the cooking appliance 1A is a side-opening door, the reading device 16 is preferably located so that the reading area 19 is located on the opposite side of the side on which the hinge of the front door 12 is located. For example, if the hinge of the front door 12 is on the left side as viewed from the front, the user is likely to place food from the right side. In this case, by positioning the reading device 16 so that the reading device 25 is located on the right side, the QR code of the food 40 can easily pass through the reading area 19, allowing for accurate reading.

It is also preferable that the reading device 16 is installed so that the reading area 19 is located at least inside the heating chamber 13. If the reading device 16 is installed facing approximately downward, the reading area 19 will reach the outside of the heating chamber 13. In this case, illumination from the reading area illumination unit 25 may be irradiated onto the outside of the heating chamber 13, leading to the possibility of false detection and a poor aesthetic appearance. Here, by facing the reading device 16 inside the heating chamber 13, the reading area 19 is located only within the heating chamber 13. This reduces the possibility of false detection, etc. Note that a portion of the reading area 19 may be located outside the heating chamber 13. In other words, the reading area 19 may be located across both the inside and outside of the heating chamber 13.

(Control unit 21D)
Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing the configuration of control unit 21D included in cooking appliance 1A. As shown in Fig. 11, cooking appliance 1A includes control unit 21D, which in turn includes reading control unit 21E. Reading control unit 21E operates reading device 16 and reading area illumination unit 25 when front door open/close detection unit 22 detects that front door 12 is open.

(Information Code)
The information code is used to heat-cook food. For example, the information code includes information indicating the type of food and information indicating the cooking conditions (heating information) for the indicated type of food. The heating information is information necessary for cooking, including the heating time and high-frequency output wattage of the cooking device 1A. Specifically, the information code includes information indicating the type of food, for example, whether the food 40 is a bento (or further the type of bento) or whether it is a rice ball (or further the type of rice ball), as well as heating information including the heating time and high-frequency output wattage corresponding to the indicated food. This information code is affixed to the food or its container, for example, by printing or labeling. Note that, since the information code is used to heat-cook a specified food, it may include only information identifying the food, and the heating information for the specified food may be obtained from an external server 51 (FIG. 8). Alternatively, the information code may include only the heating information for the food.

The information code may be, for example, a two-dimensional code (QR code) or a one-dimensional barcode. The information code is not limited to barcodes, etc., as long as it can indicate the type of food.

(Operation of cooking appliance 1A)
The operation of the cooking device 1A having the above configuration will be described below, with a case where food 40 is heated by the cooking device 1A being described.

First, the user checks the guidance display 20 on the operation panel 11 (for example, "Open the door and hold the information code over the red light"). The user then opens the front door 12 in accordance with this guidance display 20. When the front door open/close detection unit 22 detects that the front door 12 is open, the reading control unit 21E operates the reading device 16 and the reading area illumination unit 25.

Next, the user follows the guidance display 20 on the operation panel 11 and moves the food 40 so that the information code is in the reading area 19 of the reading device 16 (so that the red light hits the information code).

This operation causes the reading device 16 to read the information code attached to the food 40. If the reading device 16 successfully reads the information code, the control unit 21D causes the reading result notification unit 26 to notify the user of the reading result. In this case, the reading result notification unit 26 may, for example, emit a continuous "beep" sound, or emit a voice message saying "The information code has been successfully read," or both.

When the control unit 21D successfully reads the information code, it communicates with the server 51 and obtains heating information from the server 51 corresponding to the type of food indicated by the information code. When the user is notified by the read result notification unit 26 that the information code has been successfully read, the user places the food 40 inside the heating chamber 13 and then closes the front door 12. When the user closes the front door 12, the heating control unit 21C controls the heating operation unit 23 in accordance with the obtained heating information to heat the food 40 in the heating chamber 13.

On the other hand, if the reading device 16 fails to read the information code, the control unit 21D notifies the user of the reading result via the reading result notification unit 26. In this case, the operation of the reading result notification unit 26 is, for example, to emit an intermittent sound such as "beep, beep, beep," to emit a voice message saying "reading of the information code has failed," or both.

When the user is notified by the reading result notification unit 26 that the information code has not been read, the user moves the food 40 again so that the information code is in the reading area 19 of the reading device 16 (so that the red light hits the information code). As a result, if the information code is successfully read, the operation is as described above.

When the heating of food 40 is completed in this manner, the user is notified and removes food 40 from heating chamber 13. When food 40 is removed from heating chamber 13, judgment unit 21B of control unit 21D determines that food 40 is not placed in heating chamber 13. Based on the judgment result of judgment unit 21B (food 40 is not placed in heating chamber 13), heating control unit 21C does not initiate a heating operation by heating operation unit 23. As a result, heating operation by heating operation unit 23 is not performed when food 40 is not placed in heating chamber 13. In other words, heating operation is not performed in an unloaded state.

Furthermore, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 21B (food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13), the reading control unit 21D may stop the reading operation of the information code by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. As a result, for example, while the food 40 is being removed, the reading device 16 will not read the information code of the food 40, and heating control will not be performed by the heating control unit 21C. Also, when the judgment unit 21B judges that the food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 21D may cancel the information code read by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. In this case, heating control will not be performed by the heating control unit 21C.

[Embodiment 3]
Other embodiments of the present invention will be described below. For ease of explanation, the same reference numerals will be used to designate components having the same functions as those described in the above embodiment, and the description thereof will not be repeated.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 1B of embodiment 2, viewed from diagonally above the front, with the openable/closable front door 12 provided on the main body closed. Figure 13 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 21F provided in the cooking appliance 1B.

As shown in Figures 12 and 13, cooking appliance 1B may have all the configurations of cooking appliance 1 and cooking appliance 1A. Judgment unit 21B judges whether food 40 is placed in heating chamber 13 and whether the information code has been read by reading device 16 based on a signal from food sensor 31. In cooking appliance 1B, if judgment unit 21B determines that food 40 is placed in heating chamber 13 and that the information code has been read by reading device 16, it inputs the judgment result to heating control unit 21C. If heating control unit 21C obtains the above judgment result, it controls heating operation unit 23 to start the heating operation.

[Software implementation example]
The control blocks of the cooking appliances 1, 1A and 1B (particularly the control units 21, 21D and 21F) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the cooking appliances 1, 1A, and 1B each include a computer that executes instructions from a program, which is software that realizes each function. This computer includes, for example, at least one processor (control device) and at least one computer-readable recording medium storing the program. The object of the present invention is achieved when the processor in the computer reads and executes the program from the recording medium. The processor may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium may be a "non-transitory tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, or programmable logic circuit. The cooking appliance may also include a RAM (Random Access Memory) for expanding the program. The program may also be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium capable of transmitting the program (such as a communications network or broadcast waves). One aspect of the present invention may also be realized when the program is embodied in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
The heating cooker 1 according to aspect 1 of the present invention comprises a heating chamber 13, a heating unit (heating operation unit 23) that heats food 40 placed in the heating chamber, a heating control unit 21C that controls the heating operation of the heating unit, a sensor (food sensor 31) that irradiates measurement light within the heating chamber and receives the reflected light reflected within the heating chamber, and a judgment unit 21B that judges whether or not the food is present in the heating chamber based on the intensity of the reflected light received by the sensor, and a detection area (sensor detection area 32) that is the area onto which the measurement light is irradiated and that indicates the position where the food is placed is displayed on the bottom surface (flat plate 13C) of the heating chamber, and the heating control unit does not start the heating operation of the heating unit if the judgment unit judges that the food is not present in the detection area of the heating chamber.

With the above configuration, if food 40 is not present (placed) in the heating chamber 13, heating control will not be initiated in the cooking appliance 1. In other words, no-load operation will not occur if food 40 is not present in the heating chamber 13. Furthermore, since the sensor detection area 32, which is the area irradiated with measurement light and indicates the placement value of food 40, is displayed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13, the user can easily place food 40 in the appropriate position in the heating chamber simply by checking the sensor detection area 32.

In the heating cooker according to aspect 2 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 1, the measurement light may be infrared light.

The above configuration allows food 40 in the heating chamber 13 to be detected accurately.

A heating cooker according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be the same as that according to aspect 1 or 2 above, in which the bottom surface of the heating chamber is a color that absorbs at least the measurement light.

With the above configuration, the measurement light is absorbed at the bottom of the heating chamber, and reflection of the measurement light by objects other than the food 40 is suppressed, thereby reducing the possibility of false detection.

In the heating cooker of aspect 4 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 3, the outer periphery of the detection area (sensor detection area 32) may be a light color.

According to the above configuration, the outer periphery of the detection area (sensor detection area 32) is a light color, so the user can easily recognize the sensor detection area 32 inside the heating chamber 13 and can therefore appropriately place the food 40 in the sensor detection area 32.

A cooking device according to aspect 5 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, wherein the sensor may be provided on the interior side of the heating chamber.

With the above configuration, the sensor is less susceptible to the effects of steam caused by heating control than if the sensor were installed on the top surface of the heating chamber.

A cooking device according to aspect 6 of the present invention may be such that, in the above-mentioned aspect 5, inside the heating chamber, the surface opposite the surface on which the sensor is provided is a color that absorbs at least the measurement light.

With the above configuration, the light emitted by the sensor can be absorbed by the opposing surface, thereby reducing the reflected light from the surface opposite the surface on which the sensor is installed, thereby reducing false detections by the sensor.

A heating cooker according to aspect 7 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 6 above, wherein the detection area may be approximately the center of the bottom surface of the heating chamber.

With the above configuration, food is more likely to be placed near the center, reducing the possibility of uneven heating.

A cooking device according to aspect 8 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 7 above, further comprising a reader for reading an information code provided on the food,

The heating control unit may control the heating operation of the heating unit according to the reading result by the reading device.

The above configuration allows heating control to be performed according to the type of food.

A heating cooker according to aspect 9 of the present invention is the same as aspect 8 above, except that the reading device is provided on the outside of the heating chamber and at the top front, and may read the information code below.

With the above configuration, the reading device is installed outside the heating chamber, reducing the possibility of the reading device being deteriorated by heat.

A heating cooker according to aspect 10 of the present invention may be configured in the above-mentioned aspects 8 or 9 such that the reading device is arranged so that a reading area, which is an area that can be read by the reading device, is located inside the heating chamber.

The above configuration reduces the possibility of the reading area reaching outside the heating chamber.

The cooking device according to aspect 11 of the present invention may be any one of aspects 8 to 10 above, further comprising a reading area illumination unit that illuminates a reading area, which is an area that can be read by the reading device.

According to the above configuration, the reading area 19 is illuminated by the reading area illumination unit 25, making it easier for the user to see.

In the heating cooker of aspect 12 of the present invention, in the above-mentioned aspect 10, it is preferable that the reading area is displayed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber.

According to the above configuration, similar to the sensor detection area 32, the reading area 19 is not only illuminated by the reading area illumination unit 25 but is also displayed, making it easier for the user to see the reading area 19.

A cooking appliance according to aspect 13 of the present invention may be any one of aspects 8 to 12 above, which is provided with a side-opening door, and the reading device may be arranged so that the reading area, which is the area that can be read by the reading device, is located on the opposite side of the side on which the hinge of the door is located.

With the above configuration, the area through which food is likely to pass becomes the reading area, allowing the information code to be read with high accuracy.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be created by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

1, 1A, 1B Cooking device 12 Front door 13 Heating chamber 13C, 13D Flat plate (bottom of heating chamber)
16 Reading device 19 Reading area 21A Sensor control unit 21B Determination unit 21C Heating control unit 22 Front door opening/closing detection unit 23 Heating operation unit (heating unit)
25 Reading area illumination unit 31 Food sensor (sensor)
32 Sensor detection area (detection region)
40 Food

Claims (8)

A heating chamber and
a heating unit that heats food placed in the heating chamber;
a heating control unit that controls a heating operation of the heating unit;
a sensor that irradiates measurement light within the heating chamber and receives reflected light reflected within the heating chamber;
a determination unit that determines whether the food is present in the heating chamber based on the intensity of the reflected light received by the sensor;
a reader for reading an information code provided on the food product ;
a detection area, which is an area onto which the measurement light is irradiated and which indicates the placement position of the food, is displayed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber;
The heating control unit
When the determination unit determines that the food is not present in the detection area of the heating chamber, the heating unit does not start the heating operation,
controlling a heating operation by the heating unit according to a reading result by the reading device;
The reader is
The heating chamber is provided on the upper front surface of the heating chamber, and the information code below is read.
A cooking appliance in which a reading area that can be read by the reading device is positioned at least inside the heating chamber . the detection area is a dark color that absorbs at least the measurement light,
The reading area is displayed on the bottom surface of the heating chamber at a position different from the detection area,
The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the reading area is a light color . The cooking device of claim 1, wherein the measurement light is infrared light. The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is provided on an inner side surface of the heating chamber. The cooking device according to claim 4 , wherein a surface in the heating chamber opposite to the surface on which the sensor is provided has a color that absorbs at least the measurement light. The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the detection area is located at a substantially central portion of a bottom surface of the heating chamber. The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , further comprising a read area illuminating unit that illuminates a read area that is an area that can be read by the reader. Equipped with a side-opening door,
The cooking appliance according to claim 1 , wherein the reading device is provided so that a reading area that is an area that can be read by the reading device is located on an opposite side to a side on which a hinge of the door is located.