JP7780946B2 - Cooking device, method and program for controlling cooking device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking device, a control method for a cooking device, and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional cooking appliance. The cooking appliance described in this document is equipped with a grill burner and a heating control unit that automatically ignites, extinguishes, and adjusts the heat of the grill burner according to a cooking menu. Hereinafter, the mode in which ignition, extinguishing, and heat adjustment are automatically performed according to a cooking menu may be referred to as "automatic cooking."

The cooking device described in Patent Document 1 has three automatic cooking modes (cooking modes): "grill," "non-fry," "warm," and "frozen food menu." When cooking with frozen food, the user can select the "frozen food menu" while the frozen food is placed in the grill to perform automatic cooking.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-209186

However, in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when cooking using frozen food, the user must determine for themselves that the food is frozen and select the "frozen food menu." Therefore, if the user mistakenly selects "heat," there is a risk that the food will be undercooked or overcooked.

The present invention aims to provide a cooking device, a control method for a cooking device, and a program that can automatically determine the frozen state of food and perform automatic cooking that corresponds to the frozen state.

A cooking appliance according to one aspect of the present invention includes a heating unit that heats an item placed on a mounting section, and a control unit that controls the heating unit. The control unit is configured to control the heating unit using detection results from a first temperature sensor that detects ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the item placed on the mounting section. The control unit controls the heating unit to heat in a first heating mode when the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold, and controls the heating unit to heat in a mode different from the first heating mode when the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is less than the threshold.

A cooking device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a heating unit that heats an item placed on a placement section, and a control unit that controls the heating unit. The control unit is configured to control the heating unit using the detection results of a first temperature sensor that detects ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the item placed on the placement section. The control unit determines that the item placed on the placement section is frozen when the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value.

One aspect of the present invention relates to a method for controlling a cooking appliance equipped with a heating unit that heats an item placed on a mounting section. The control method includes the steps of detecting ambient temperature using a first temperature sensor, detecting the temperature of the item placed on the mounting section using a second temperature sensor, and controlling the heating unit using the detection results from the first and second temperature sensors. The step of controlling the heating unit includes causing the heating unit to heat in a first heating mode when the difference between the detection values of the first and second temperature sensors is equal to or greater than a threshold, and causing the heating unit to heat in a mode different from the first heating mode when the difference between the detection values of the first and second temperature sensors is less than the threshold.

One aspect of the program according to the present invention causes one or more processors to execute the cooking device control method described above.

According to the above aspect of the present invention, the frozen state of food can be automatically determined and automatic cooking can be performed according to the frozen state.

1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a grill portion of the cooking device according to the embodiment. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the grill portion of the cooking device according to the embodiment, taken along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction. FIG. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a fuel gas of the cooking device according to the embodiment. 1 is a block diagram of a cooking device according to an embodiment. 10 is a graph showing the detection results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor when frozen food and room temperature food are heated using a heating cooker according to an embodiment, the graph showing the results when the ambient temperature is 20°C. 10 is a graph showing the detection results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor when frozen food and room temperature food are heated using a heating cooker according to an embodiment, the graph showing the results when the ambient temperature is 10°C. 10 is a flowchart for determining a frozen state in the cooking device according to the embodiment.

The cooking appliance according to this embodiment will be described in detail below. In this specification, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction perpendicular to the installation surface (in this embodiment, the top surface of the worktop) is defined as the "up-down direction." On a plane parallel to the installation surface, the direction from the cooking appliance toward the user (cooker) is defined as the "forward direction," and the opposite direction is defined as the "rear direction." In this embodiment, the installation surface is described as being a horizontal plane, but the installation surface is not necessarily limited to a horizontal plane.

<Embodiment>
A cooking appliance is a cooking device that cooks food using a resource such as gas or electricity. Examples of cooking appliances include a gas stove, an induction cooker (IH (Induction Heating) cooker), an electric stove, a grill cooker, an oven cooker, a microwave oven, and a rice cooker. In this embodiment, a gas stove 1 will be described as an example of a cooking appliance.

The gas stove 1 is a stove that uses gas as fuel. The gas stove 1 in this embodiment is a built-in stove in which the appliance body 3 is dropped into an opening formed in the worktop of a kitchen counter, but in the present invention, it may also be a tabletop stove that is used by placing it on an installation surface (e.g., a table, stove stand, etc.).

As shown in Figure 1, the gas stove 1 comprises a top plate 2 to which multiple trivets 23 and an exhaust port cover 22 are attached, a device body 3 having multiple burner sections 4 and a grill section 5, and a control section 9 (Figure 5).

(Top plate 2)
The top plate 2 is the topmost plate of the gas stove 1. The top plate 2 is formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape. The top plate 2 has a plurality of holes formed therein through which the upper ends of the burner units 4 pass, and the top plate 2 is attached to the housing 31 of the appliance main body 3 so as to rest on the upper end of the housing 31. The top plate 2 also has an exhaust port 21 formed therein. The exhaust port 21 is formed along the rear edge of the top plate 2 and allows exhaust from the grill unit 5 to escape. An exhaust port cover 22 is removably attached to the exhaust port 21.

(Device body 3)
The device body 3 constitutes the main body of the gas stove 1. The device body 3 includes a housing 31 and a plurality of devices 4, 5. As described above, the device body 3 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of burner units 4 and a grill unit 5 as the plurality of devices 4, 5.

(Housing 31)
The housing 31 is a box in the device main body 3 that houses the devices 4 and 5. The housing 31 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape and has an opening (not shown) on the top surface. As shown in FIG. 1 , the front surface of the housing 31 has an opening 311 for passing the grill door 52 of the grill unit 5, an opening 312 for passing the ignition/extinction switches 35 of each device 4 and 5, and an opening 313 for passing the lock lever. Each time the ignition/extinction switch 35 is pressed, it repeatedly issues an ignition command and an extinguishing command to the corresponding device 4 and 5. When the device 4 and 5 are ignited, the corresponding ignition/extinction switch 35 protrudes forward from the front surface of the housing 31. A user can adjust the heat of the corresponding device by rotating the ignition/extinction switch 35 around a rotation axis parallel to the front-to-rear direction.

The front of the housing 31 is provided with multiple operating units 32, 33 for setting automatic cooking. The gas stove 1 of this embodiment is equipped with the operating units 32, 33: a burner operating unit 32 for setting automatic cooking in the burner unit 4, and a grill operating unit 33 for setting automatic cooking in the grill unit 5. Attached to the lower half of the front panel is an operating body 34 that can be switched between a use position that protrudes forward from the front panel and a storage position where the front surface is flush with the front panel. Each operating unit 32, 33 is provided on the top surface of the operating body 34.

A rotation shaft 36 extending in the left-right direction is provided at the lower end of the operating body 34. The rotation shaft 36 is attached to the lower end of the housing 31. The operating body 34 can be switched between the use position and the storage position by rotating around the rotation shaft 36. Note that the switching of the operating body 34 between the use position and the storage position is not limited to rotational movement around the rotation shaft 36, but may also be translational movement along the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the operating units 32, 33 may be exposed at all times.

(Burner section 4)
The burner unit 4 heats an object to be heated placed on the trivet 23. The gas stove 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with a pair of large burners 41 spaced apart in the left-right direction, and a small burner 42 positioned between the pair of large burners 41 and behind the large burners 41, as the burner units 4. The large burner 41 and the small burner 42 are Bunsen burners that receive a supply of gas containing gas and perform premixed combustion, and heat an object to be heated placed on the trivet 23.

As used herein, the term "heated object" refers to an object that is to be heated. The heated object includes the food being cooked. The heated object may or may not include a cooking container. In other words, the burner unit 4 may heat the food being cooked directly, or may heat the food being cooked via the cooking container. In other words, in this specification, "heating the food being cooked" includes both direct heating and indirect heating of the food being cooked.

A heating container is a container used for cooking. Examples of heating containers include pots, frying pans, heat-resistant dishes, barbecue plates, grill plates, grill grates, and fish grills. A food item refers to the food material to be cooked.

(Grill section 5)
The grill unit 5 heats an object to be heated placed in the grill chamber 51. As shown in Fig. 2 , the grill unit 5 includes the grill chamber 51, a grill door 52, a support frame 53 having a pair of support rails 531, a placing section 54 on which the object to be cooked is placed, a heating section 55, a first temperature sensor 81, and a second temperature sensor 82.

(Grill compartment 51)
The grill chamber 51 is a box-shaped component used for grilling food inside. The grill chamber 51 has an opening on the front. As shown in FIG. 1 , the grill chamber 51 is disposed within the housing 31 so as to communicate with an opening in the center of the front of the housing 31 in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 2 , the grill chamber 51 includes an exhaust pipe 511 formed at its rear end. The exhaust pipe 511 communicates with the exhaust port 21 of the top plate 2. Exhaust gases generated within the grill chamber 51 and gases such as steam generated from the food being cooked are discharged through the exhaust pipe 511 and the exhaust port 21.

(Grill door 52)
The grill door 52 is a door that can open and close the opening at the front of the grill chamber 51. The grill door 52 is attached to a support frame 53 and can move in the front-rear direction.

(Support frame 53)
The support frame 53 supports the mounting portion 54. The support frame 53 moves between a first position where it protrudes from the grill chamber 51 and a second position where it fits within the grill chamber 51. In the second position, the support frame 53 positions the mounting portion 54 within the grill chamber 51. The support frame 53 includes a pair of support rails 531, a door mounting portion 535, and a container mounting portion 536.

The pair of support rails 531 each extend in the front-to-rear direction and are spaced apart in the left-to-right direction. The pair of support rails 531 are approximately parallel to each other. Each support rail 531 comprises a first rail 532 fixed to the grill chamber 51, a second rail 533 that is movable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the first rail 532, and a third rail 534 that is movable in the front-to-rear direction relative to the second rail 533. The second rail 533 is movably connected to the first rail 532 and also movably connected to the third rail 534. This allows each support rail 531 to extend and retract in the front-to-rear direction.

The door mounting portion 535 is the portion where the grill door 52 is attached. The door mounting portion 535 connects the front ends of the third rails 534. The door mounting portion 535 is formed in the shape of a plate that extends along a vertical plane.

The container mounting portion 536 is a portion that supports the mounting portion 54. The container mounting portion 536 supports the mounting portion 54 in a removable manner. The container mounting portion 536 is formed by bending a wire rod. The container mounting portion 536 is attached to the third rail 534 and moves together with the third rail 534.

(Placement section 54)
The mounting portion 54 is a portion on which the food to be cooked can be placed. Examples of the mounting portion 54 include a grill, a corrugated plate, a flat plate, a casserole container, and a frying pan. The mounting portion 54 according to this embodiment is a casserole container having a plate-shaped bottom. Examples of materials for the mounting portion 54 include heat-conductive metals such as iron, aluminum alloy, stainless steel, titanium, and enamel.

(Heating part 55)
The heating unit 55 heats the food placed on the placing unit 54. The heating unit 55 according to this embodiment is provided inside the grill chamber 51 and heats the placing unit 54 and the food housed inside the grill chamber 51. The heating unit 55 includes a lower burner 56 that heats the food from below and an upper burner 57 that heats the food from above.

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower burner 56 is provided in approximately the center of the bottom of the grill chamber 51 and is located below the mounting portion 54. As shown in FIG. 3, the lower burner 56 includes a cylindrical lower burner main body 561 and a lower mixing tube 562 that communicates with the interior of the lower burner main body 561. The lower mixing tube 562 is arranged along the bottom of the grill chamber 51. When fuel gas is supplied into the lower mixing tube 562, air is supplied to the lower mixing tube 562 along with the fuel gas. The gas in the lower mixing tube 562 is supplied into the lower burner main body 561. The lower burner main body 561 has multiple flame ports 563 arranged in a circular ring shape in a plan view. The lower burner main body 561 guides the gas supplied from the lower mixing tube 562 to the flame ports 563. This allows the lower burner 56 to perform premixed combustion.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper burner 57 is provided along the top plate of the grill chamber 51 and is positioned above the mounting portion 54. In this embodiment, the upper burner 57 is a radiant burner that produces a flat flame. As shown in FIG. 2, the upper burner 57 comprises a substantially rectangular upper burner main body 571 with multiple flame ports formed along its outer periphery, and an upper mixing tube 572 that communicates with the interior of the upper burner main body 571. When fuel gas is supplied into the upper mixing tube 572, air is supplied to the upper mixing tube 572 along with the fuel gas. The gas in the upper mixing tube 572 is supplied to the upper burner main body 571. The upper burner main body 571 guides the gas supplied from the upper mixing tube 572 to the flame ports. This allows the upper burner 57 to perform premixed combustion.

Figure 4 shows a circuit diagram of the fuel gas supplied from the gas supply source 61 to each burner 41, 42, 56, and 57. The gas supply source 61 is a source of high-pressure fuel gas, such as a city gas supply pipe or a liquefied petroleum gas (LP) cylinder. The gas stove 1 is connected to the gas supply source 61 via a main gas supply line 63. An electromagnetically operated main gas valve 62 is provided on the main gas supply line 63.

The gas stove 1 is equipped with a large-power burner branch path 64 connecting the main gas supply path 63 and the large burner 41, a small-power burner branch path 65 connecting the main gas supply path 63 and the small burner 42, and a grill burner branch path 66 connecting the main gas supply path 63 and the heating section 55 of the grill section 5. Each of the pair of large burner 41, small burner 42, upper burner 57, and lower burner 56 is equipped with an ignition plug 67.

A stove gas flow control valve 68 is provided in each of the large-heat burner branch passage 64 and the small-heat burner branch passage 65. The stove gas flow control valve 68 adjusts the flow rate of fuel gas to adjust the heating power of the burner unit 4. The stove gas flow control valve 68 includes a stepping motor and operates in response to a control signal from the control unit 9. As used herein, "heat power" refers to the amount of heat per unit time.

A governor 69 is provided in the grill burner branch passage 66. The governor 69 adjusts the pressure on the primary side to a set pressure and sends it to the secondary side. The grill section 5 is equipped with an upper burner supply passage 70 connecting the grill burner branch passage 66 and the upper burner 57, and a lower burner supply passage 71 connecting the grill burner branch passage 66 and the lower burner 56. An upper burner flow rate adjuster 72 is provided in the upper burner supply passage 70. A lower burner flow rate adjuster 73 is provided in the lower burner supply passage 71.

The upper burner flow rate adjuster 72 adjusts the flow rate of fuel gas to adjust the heat output of the upper burner 57. In this embodiment, the upper burner flow rate adjuster 72 is a flow control valve including a stepping motor, and operates in response to a control signal from the control unit 9. In this embodiment, the upper burner flow rate adjuster 72 switches the heat output of the upper burner 57 between three levels: "high," "low," and "off."

The upper burner flow rate adjustment unit 72 is not limited to a flow rate control valve, but may, for example, be equipped with a solenoid valve provided in the upper burner supply path 70 and a bypass path connecting the upper burner supply path 70 before and after the solenoid valve, and the flow rate of fuel gas may be adjusted by opening and closing the solenoid valve. Furthermore, instead of three-stage heat control, two stages or four or more stages may be possible, or heat control may be possible without stages.

The lower burner flow rate adjuster 73 adjusts the flow rate of fuel gas to adjust the heat output of the lower burner 56. The lower burner flow rate adjuster 73 in this embodiment is a flow control valve including a stepping motor, and operates in response to a control signal from the control unit 9. In this embodiment, the lower burner flow rate adjuster 73 switches the heat output of the lower burner 56 between three levels: "high," "low," and "off."

The lower burner flow rate adjustment unit 73 is not limited to a flow rate control valve, but may, as described above, be equipped with a solenoid valve provided in the lower burner supply path 71 and a bypass path connecting the lower burner supply path 71 before and after the solenoid valve, and the flow rate of fuel gas may be adjusted by opening and closing the solenoid valve. Furthermore, instead of three-stage heat power control, two stages or four or more stages may be possible, or heat power control may be possible without stages.

(First temperature sensor 81)
The first temperature sensor 81 is a temperature sensor that detects the ambient temperature. In this specification, the term "ambient temperature" refers to the temperature of the space in which the cooking appliance is installed (ambient temperature) and is the temperature of the air that is not easily affected by the heating unit 55. The term "air temperature that is not easily affected by the heating unit 55" refers to a temperature that varies within ±30°C two minutes after the heating unit 55 starts heating. For example, if the cooking appliance is installed indoors, the room temperature is the "ambient temperature." As shown in FIG. 3 , the first temperature sensor 81 according to this embodiment is provided on the back panel of the grill chamber 51 and detects the temperature of the air within the grill chamber 51. The temperature of the air within the grill chamber 51 can be considered the same as the temperature of the space in which the cooking appliance is installed and varies within ±30°C two minutes after the heating unit 55 starts heating. Therefore, in this embodiment, the temperature of the air within the grill chamber 51 is used as the ambient temperature.

As long as the first temperature sensor 81 can detect the ambient temperature, it is not limited to detecting the air temperature inside the grill chamber 51, but may also detect the temperature inside the housing 31 or directly detect the ambient temperature around the gas stove 1. The first temperature sensor 81 may also be provided on an item around the gas stove 1. Examples of surrounding items include a range hood, refrigerator, air conditioner, dishwasher, kitchen counter, etc.

Examples of the first temperature sensor 81 include a resistance temperature detector, thermocouple, thermistor temperature detector, radiation thermometer, and pressure thermometer. The electrical signal (sometimes referred to as the "sensor signal") output from the first temperature sensor 81 is input to the control unit 9. Because the first temperature sensor 81 in this embodiment can detect the temperature of the air inside the grill chamber 51, the sensor signal from the first temperature sensor 81 can also be used to perform safety control, such as stopping (extinguishing) combustion in the heating unit 55, if the exhaust air inside the grill chamber 51 rises to an excessively high temperature.

(Second temperature sensor 82)
The second temperature sensor 82 is a temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the food placed on the mounting portion 54. The second temperature sensor 82 may be a contact type or a non-contact type, as long as it can detect the temperature of the food placed on the mounting portion 54. Examples of the second temperature sensor 82 include a resistance temperature detector, a thermocouple, a thermistor temperature detector, a radiation thermometer, and a pressure thermometer. The second temperature sensor 82 may also be a thermography device that detects the temperature from an image acquired by a thermography camera. As such, the second temperature sensor 82 may be a detector that is pre-installed on the gas stove or a dedicated detector, and is not particularly limited. The electrical signal output from the second temperature sensor 82 (sometimes referred to as a "sensor signal") is input to the control unit 9.

As shown in FIG. 3, the second temperature sensor 82 according to this embodiment is disposed in the center of the lower burner body 561 of the lower burner 56. The second temperature sensor 82 according to this embodiment is a contact-type temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the mounting portion 54 by contacting the center of the mounting portion 54 from below. In this embodiment, the temperature of the mounting portion 54 detected by the second temperature sensor 82 is taken as the temperature of the food being cooked. It is preferable that the second temperature sensor 82 contact the center of the mounting portion 54, but it may also contact the edge of the mounting portion 54. Note that the second temperature sensor 82 may also detect the temperature of the food being cooked directly, without going through the mounting portion 54.

(Control unit 9)
The control unit 9 controls the operation of the gas stove 1. In response to the operation of the ignition/extinguishing switch 35 and the operation units 32 and 33, the control unit 9 controls the operation of, for example, the stove gas flow control valve 68, the upper burner flow rate adjuster 72, the lower burner flow rate adjuster 73, and various ignition plugs 67, and performs ignition, extinguishing, and flame power adjustment for the large burner 41, the small burner 42, the upper burner 57, and the lower burner 56. In addition, the control unit 9 can perform automatic cooking for the upper burner 57 and the lower burner 56 in response to the operation of the operation units 32 and 33.

"Automatic cooking" refers to the automatic control of ignition, extinguishing, and heat adjustment of the heating unit 55 according to the cooking menu and cooking mode. "Cooking menu" refers to the menu of dishes to be cooked, such as "toast," "grilled chicken thighs," "grilled in foil," "grilled whole fish," and "cooked rice." "Cooking mode" refers to the menu of cooking methods, such as "grill," "non-fry," and "warm."

The control unit 9 according to this embodiment can determine the storage state of the food. In this embodiment, the control unit 9 starts automatic cooking, starts heating, determines the storage state of the food, and then executes a heating mode according to the determination. However, in the present invention, the control unit 9 may also start automatic cooking, determine the storage state of the food before heating, and then start heating and execute a heating mode according to the determination. As used herein, the "storage state of the food" refers to either a refrigerated storage state (refrigerated state), a frozen storage state (frozen state), or a room temperature storage state (room temperature state).

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 9 includes a calculation unit 91, a threshold setting unit 92, a memory unit 93, a determination unit 94, and a heating control unit 95. The control unit 9 is primarily composed of a processor and memory as hardware. The functions of the control unit 9 are realized by the processor executing a program stored in the memory. The program may be pre-stored in the memory, provided via a telecommunications line, or stored on a non-transitory recording medium such as a memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive. The processor is composed of one or more electronic circuits, including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large-scale integrated circuit (LSI). The multiple electronic circuits may be integrated on a single chip, or distributed across multiple chips.

The calculation unit 91 calculates the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82. When an electrical signal is input from the first temperature sensor 81, the calculation unit 91 calculates the temperature value (detection value) of the ambient temperature based on the electrical signal. When an electrical signal is input from the second temperature sensor 82, the calculation unit 91 calculates the temperature value (detection value) of the food being cooked based on the electrical signal. The calculation unit 91 then calculates the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82.

For example, if the temperature value detected by the first temperature sensor 81 is 23°C and the temperature value detected by the second temperature sensor 82 is 13°C, the calculation unit 91 obtains "10°C" as the calculation result of the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82.

The threshold setting unit 92 sets a threshold value corresponding to the detected value from the first temperature sensor 81. The threshold setting unit 92 references a threshold value table stored in advance in the storage unit 93 to acquire the corresponding threshold value. The storage unit 93 stores a threshold value table in which threshold values are assigned to the temperature value of the first temperature sensor 81 (i.e., the ambient temperature). A first threshold value and a second threshold value are assigned to one ambient temperature. An example of the threshold value table is shown in Table 1.

The relationship between the first threshold and the ambient temperature and the relationship between the second threshold and the ambient temperature are both proportional. As an example, the corresponding relationship is shown for ambient temperatures between 10°C and 25°C, but for temperatures above 25°C, calculations can be made based on the proportional relationship.

If the detected value (i.e., ambient temperature) of the first temperature sensor 81 is, for example, "23°C," the threshold setting unit 92 obtains "9.5" as the first threshold and "5.2" as the second threshold from the memory unit 93 and sets these as the thresholds. In this embodiment, the thresholds are written to one decimal place, but they may be rounded up or down to the nearest integer.

The determination unit 94 compares the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 (hereinafter referred to as the "difference value") calculated by the calculation unit 91 with the threshold value acquired by the threshold setting unit 92. If the comparison result shows that the difference value is less than the second threshold value, the determination unit 94 determines that the storage state of the cooked food is "room temperature state." If the difference value is equal to or greater than the second threshold value and less than the first threshold value, the determination unit 94 determines that the storage state of the cooked food is "refrigerated state." If the difference value is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, the determination unit 94 determines that the storage state of the cooked food is "frozen state."

Figures 6 and 7 show graphs of the relationship between the time elapsed since heating began and the detected temperature. Using "frozen" dumplings and "room temperature" dumplings as the food to be cooked, the detected values of the first and second temperature sensors were measured according to the time elapsed since heating began. Figure 6 shows the measurement results when the room temperature was 20°C, and Figure 7 shows the measurement results when the room temperature was 10°C.

As can be seen from Figure 6, the first temperature sensor behaves almost identically in both the frozen state and the room temperature state, with the temperature change remaining within ±30°C of room temperature. Furthermore, the second temperature sensor maintains a constant relationship of room temperature temperature > frozen temperature, both from the start of heating through to the end of heating. Figure 7 also shows this same behavior. As can be seen from this, by using the difference value and threshold value after automatic cooking has been performed and heating has begun, it is possible to determine whether the food being cooked is in a frozen state or a room temperature state.

In Figures 6 and 7, the determination unit 94 shows temperature changes when the storage state of the cooked food is "room temperature" and "frozen." However, even when the cooked food is "refrigerated," it exhibits the same behavior at temperatures intermediate between "room temperature" and "frozen." Therefore, by using the first and second threshold values, it is possible to determine whether the food is in "room temperature," "refrigerated," or "frozen." As another example, it may be possible to determine whether the food is in a "frozen" state or another state. In this case, it is sufficient to simply compare the difference value with the "first threshold" as a threshold value.

The heating control unit 95 controls the heating unit 55 according to the determination result by the determination unit 94. When the determination unit 94 determines that the food is in a frozen state, the heating control unit 95 controls the heating unit 55 to execute a heating mode according to the frozen state (referred to as the "first heating mode").

In this embodiment, the first heating mode is a heating method in which the heat power and the heating time corresponding to the heat power are set so that frozen food can be cooked while thawing. In the first heating mode, for example, the heat power of the upper burner 57 is set to "low" and the temperature of the lower burner 56 is controlled to heat for a certain period of time. "Temperature control" here refers to control that compares the electrical signal from the second temperature sensor 82 with a target value and controls the heat power according to the deviation. After the certain period of time has passed, the upper burner 57 is extinguished and the temperature control of the lower burner 56 continues. This makes it possible to raise the temperature of the food while minimizing the temperature difference between the surface and interior of the food, allowing the food to be heated without burning.

When the determination unit 94 determines that the food is refrigerated, the heating control unit 95 controls the heating unit 55 to execute a heating mode corresponding to the refrigerated state (referred to as the "second heating mode").

In this embodiment, the second heating mode is a heating method in which the heat power and the heating time corresponding to the heat power are set to cook refrigerated food. In the second heating mode, for example, the heat power of the upper burner 57 is set to "high" and the temperature of the lower burner 56 is controlled to heat for a certain period of time. After the certain period of time has passed, the upper burner 57 is extinguished and the temperature control of the lower burner 56 continues. After another certain period of time has passed, the heat power of the upper burner 57 is set to "high" or "low" and the temperature control of the lower burner 56 continues. This allows the food to be heated without burning.

When the determination unit 94 determines that the food is at room temperature, the heating control unit 95 controls the heating unit 55 to execute a heating mode appropriate for room temperature conditions (referred to as the "third heating mode").

In this embodiment, the third heating mode is a heating method in which the heat power and the heating time corresponding to the heat power are set to cook food at room temperature. In the third heating mode, for example, the heat power of the upper burner 57 is set to "medium" and the temperature of the lower burner 56 is controlled to heat for a certain period of time. After the certain period of time has passed, the upper burner 57 is extinguished and the temperature control of the lower burner 56 continues. After another certain period of time has passed, the heat power of the upper burner 57 is set to "high" or "low" and the temperature control of the lower burner 56 continues. This allows the food to be heated without burning.

The first, second, and third heating modes described above are merely examples, and other heating methods may be used. Furthermore, the same heating method may be used in the second and third heating modes. In the first, second, and third heating modes, the heat level may be changed depending on the type of food being cooked.

(flowchart)
Next, an example of the operation of the gas stove 1 according to this embodiment will be described using a flowchart.

When the user places the food on the placement section 54 and operates the operation section (for example, pressing the "warm" button), the control section 9 performs automatic operation (ST1 to ST3).

Then, an electrical signal to start cooking is input to the control unit 9. When the electrical signal to start cooking is input, the control unit 9 starts heating both the upper burner 57 and the lower burner 56 at "high" heat, and after a certain time has passed, acquires the sensor signals from the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 (ST4). The control unit 9 does not acquire the sensor signals from the temperature sensors immediately after the electrical signal to start cooking is input, but rather acquires the sensor signals after a certain time has passed, so it can detect the temperature value after the heat of the food to be cooked has been sufficiently conducted to the mounting unit 54.

Here, 20 seconds is set as an example of the "fixed time," but a time between 15 and 60 seconds is preferable, and more preferably between 15 and 30 seconds. This "fixed time" is not particularly limited, as the appropriate time is determined by the material (thermal conductivity) and shape of the mounting portion 54. The "fixed time" may be changed depending on the cooking vessel.

The control unit 9 then acquires a threshold value corresponding to the temperature value of the second temperature sensor 82, compares the threshold value with the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82, and determines the preservation state of the food (ST5). The control unit 9 controls the heating unit 55 according to the determination result (ST6). The control unit 9 then extinguishes the combustion in the heating unit 55, and automatic cooking ends.

(effect)
As described above, in the heating cooker of this embodiment, the control unit 9 controls the heating unit 55 to heat in the first heating mode when the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and controls the heating unit 55 to heat in a mode different from the first heating mode when the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 is less than the threshold value.

This allows the heating mode to be automatically selected after determining the preservation state of the food from the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the food, preventing the user from making an incorrect selection regarding the preservation state of the food. However, if the second temperature sensor 82 alone were to be used to determine the preservation state of the food, it would be impossible to determine whether the low temperature was detected because the food was frozen, or whether the low temperature was detected as a result of the cold weather causing the temperature of the placement section 54, temperature sensor, etc. to drop, and this could result in an inaccurate determination of the preservation state. As a result, for example, a heating mode for a frozen food item would be executed for a refrigerated food item. However, in this embodiment, the determination is made using the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82, allowing the appropriate heating mode to be automatically executed.

In addition, the control unit 9 changes the threshold value depending on the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81, so it can determine the preservation state of the food regardless of the ambient temperature.

Furthermore, if the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 is equal to or greater than the second threshold but less than the first threshold, the control unit 9 controls the heating unit 55 to heat in the second heating mode, and if the difference is less than the second threshold, controls the heating unit 55 to heat in the third heating mode. This makes it possible to grasp not only the frozen state of the food, but also its refrigerated and room temperature states, and automatically select the appropriate heating mode accordingly.

In addition, the control unit 9 controls the heating unit 55 using the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 after a certain time has elapsed since the electrical signal to start cooking was input. This makes it possible to detect the temperature of the food being cooked on the placement unit 54 when the temperature is sufficiently conducted, thereby reducing false detections.

Furthermore, if the difference between the detection values of the first temperature sensor 81 and the second temperature sensor 82 is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the control unit 9 determines that the food placed on the placement unit 54 is frozen. This allows the storage state of the food to be determined from the difference between the ambient temperature and the temperature of the food, preventing the user from mistakenly operating the storage state of the food.

<Variations>

The above embodiment is merely one of many possible embodiments of the present invention. Various modifications to the embodiment are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the object of the present invention is achieved. The following are some examples of modifications to the embodiment. The modifications described below can be applied in appropriate combinations.

In the cooking device according to the above embodiment, the control unit 9 determines the storage state of the food and then executes a heating mode corresponding to the storage state of the food. However, for example, it is also possible to simply display the determined storage state of the food on the display unit without executing a heating mode.

In the cooking device according to the above embodiment, the control unit 9 determines the storage state of the food and then executes a heating mode corresponding to the storage state of the food. However, the control unit 9 may also be controlled to select a heating mode, such as the first heating mode, based on the difference between the detection value of the first temperature sensor 81 and the detection value of the second temperature sensor 82 minus a threshold value, without determining the storage state of the food.

The temperature value obtained by the first temperature sensor 81 may be, for example, temperature data obtained from the Japan Meteorological Agency, or temperature data obtained from a temperature element installed in a smartphone.

In the above embodiment, the second temperature sensor 82 is attached to the cooking appliance, but it may also be provided externally to the cooking appliance. In this case, the second temperature sensor 82 may be, for example, a thermography device attached to a range hood, a wall surface surrounding the cooking appliance, or the like.

The heating section 55 of the grill section 5 is not limited to the upper burner 57 and lower burner 56. For example, it may be equipped with side burners that heat the food from both the left and right sides. If the grill section 5 does not have a lower burner, the material of the mounting section 54 does not necessarily have to be highly thermally conductive. In this case, the mounting section 54 may be made of, for example, heat-resistant glass.

In the above embodiment, the cooking device of the present invention was described using the control of the grill unit 5 as an example, but it may also be applied to automatic cooking using the burner unit 4. In this case, a cooking container such as a pot corresponds to the placement unit 54, and the burners (large burner and/or small burner) correspond to the heating unit 55.

In this specification, expressions that include "approximately" such as "approximately parallel" or "approximately perpendicular" may be used. For example, "approximately parallel" means that the object is essentially "parallel," and does not necessarily mean that the object is strictly "parallel," but also includes an error of a few degrees. The same applies to other expressions that include "approximately."

In addition, in this specification, expressions such as "end" and "edge" are used that are distinguished by the presence or absence of "... part." For example, "end" means the end of an object, while "end" means a region with a certain range that includes the "end." Any point within a certain range that includes the edge is considered to be an "end." The same applies to other expressions that include "... part."

1. Gas stove (heating cooker)
54 Placement section 55 Heating section 81 First temperature sensor 82 Second temperature sensor 9 Control section

Claims (6)

a heating section for heating the food placed on the placement section;
a control unit that controls the heating unit;
Equipped with
The control unit
The heating unit is configured to be controllable using detection results from a first temperature sensor that detects an ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the food placed on the placement unit,
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the heating unit is controlled to heat in a first heating mode;
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is less than a threshold value, the heating unit is controlled to heat in a mode different from a first heating mode;
The threshold value is a first threshold value,
The control unit
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value and is less than the first threshold value, controlling the heating unit to heat in a second heating mode;
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is less than the second threshold value, the heating unit is controlled to heat in a third heating mode ;
The mounting portion has a plate-shaped bottom plate,
the second temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the food by detecting the temperature of the placement section,
The control unit controls the heating unit using the detection results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor after a certain time has elapsed since an electrical signal to start cooking is input and heating has started . the control unit changes the first threshold value and the second threshold value in accordance with a detection value of the first temperature sensor.
The cooking device according to claim 1 . Further provided with a grill section having a grill chamber,
The placement portion is accommodated in the grill chamber,
The first temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature inside the grill chamber as the ambient temperature.
The cooking device according to claim 1 or 2 . a heating section for heating the food placed on the placement section;
a control unit that controls the heating unit;
Equipped with
The control unit
The heating unit is controlled using the results of detection by a first temperature sensor that detects an ambient temperature and a second temperature sensor that detects the temperature of the food placed on the placement unit,
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the food placed on the food placement unit is determined to be in a frozen state, and the heating unit is controlled to heat the food in a first heating mode.
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value and is less than the first threshold value, the food placed on the food placement unit is determined to be in a refrigerated state, and the heating unit is controlled to heat the food in a second heating mode;
When the difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is less than the second threshold value, the food placed on the food placement unit is determined to be at room temperature, and the heating unit is controlled to heat the food in a third heating mode .
The mounting portion has a plate-shaped bottom plate,
the second temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the food by detecting the temperature of the placement section,
The control unit controls the heating unit using the detection results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor after a certain time has elapsed since an electrical signal to start cooking is input and heating has started . A control method for a cooking device having a heating unit that heats food placed on a placing unit, comprising:
detecting an ambient temperature with a first temperature sensor;
detecting the temperature of the food placed on the food placement section by a second temperature sensor;
controlling the heating unit using detection results from the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor;
Equipped with
The step of controlling the heating unit includes:
When a difference between a detected value of the first temperature sensor and a detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, the heating unit is caused to heat in a first heating mode;
when a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is equal to or greater than a second threshold value that is smaller than the first threshold value and is less than the first threshold value, causing the heating unit to heat in a second heating mode;
When a difference between the detected value of the first temperature sensor and the detected value of the second temperature sensor is less than the second threshold value, the heating unit is caused to heat in a third heating mode;
The mounting portion has a plate-shaped bottom plate,
the second temperature sensor is configured to detect the temperature of the food by detecting the temperature of the placement section,
A control method for a cooking appliance , comprising: inputting an electrical signal to start cooking; and controlling the heating unit using the detection results of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor after a certain time has elapsed since the start of heating . A program causing one or more processors to execute the method for controlling a cooking appliance according to claim 5 .