JPH0134582B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a heating cooker that automatically controls fermentation by detecting changes in the shape of foods that require fermentation based on changes in reflected light on the food surface. It is.

Conventionally, food materials that require fermentation, such as bread dough, that are stored in a heating chamber are kneaded with yeast and flour to promote fermentation, formed into the desired shape, and then heated in an electric oven or gas oven under the heating conditions necessary for fermentation. The suitability of these materials for fermentation has traditionally been determined by visual inspection or by experience in setting the time on a timer. However, in any case, the desired point of completion of fermentation differs depending on the amount, composition, shape, ambient temperature, etc. of the fermented material, so there is a drawback that the appropriate point of completion of fermentation must be constantly monitored.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and
A heating cooker having a reliable fermentation completion detection function is provided. That is, the present invention provides a light source that irradiates the fermented material with visible light in a heating chamber, detects the illuminance of the reflected light from the fermented material with an optical sensor, and compares the illuminance of the reflected light of the fermented material before fermentation with that of the fermented material. The system detects the reflected light illuminance after fermentation, which changes accordingly, and controls the heating source or instructs the end of fermentation when the reflected light illuminance reaches a preset value. .

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a heating cooker that is an embodiment of the present invention. Note that this embodiment is equipped with a high frequency heating function, the demand for which has been increasing recently.
In FIG. 1, 1 is a heating chamber made of metal, 2 is a mounting table on which the fermented material 3 is placed in the heating chamber 1, 4 is a door that opens and closes one side of the heating chamber 1; 5a and 5b are heating sources, such as electric heaters (hereinafter referred to as electric heaters) provided at the ceiling and bottom of the heating chamber 1, which have the role of low-temperature heating to raise the temperature in the heating chamber and promote fermentation. . 6 is a high frequency energy oscillation source that supplies high frequency energy into the heating chamber 1, and 7 is a waveguide that connects this high frequency oscillation source 6 and the heating chamber 1. Reference numeral 8 denotes a partition plate made of a high-frequency low-loss material, and is used to prevent food scraps and the like from entering into the waveguide 7 through the coupling hole between the waveguide 7 and the heating chamber 1. 9
is a light source (hereinafter referred to as a lamp) that irradiates the food 3 in the heating chamber 1 with visible light, and is attached by a support 10. This support 10 is a hood structure 10
a, so that the lamp light does not directly reach the light sensor provided adjacent to the lamp 9, and the lamp light is efficiently irradiated toward the fermented material 3. Reference numeral 11 denotes an optical sensor that detects the light from the lamp 9 reflected on the surface of the food 3, and is, for example, a silicon photocell, and is attached by a support 12. 13 is a light shielding plate provided so that the optical sensor 11 does not detect the light from the lamp 9. A glass plate 14 is made of transparent glass that is heat resistant and has low loss at high frequencies, and prevents products generated from the heated fermentation material from reaching the lamp 9 and the optical sensor 11. It is something. Reference numeral 15 denotes a fixture for holding the window glass 14 on the ceiling surface of the heating chamber. 16 and 17 have a large number of pores to prevent leakage of high frequency energy and to the extent that it does not interfere with the irradiation of light from the lamp 9 into the heating chamber 1 and the reception of reflected light from the food 3 by the optical sensor 11. This is a metal partition plate. 18 is a blower,
A part of the air supplied by this is transmitted to the optical sensor 11.
and a rear exhaust port 19 used for cooling the lamp 9.
is expelled from the vessel. The other part of the air supplied by the blower 18 is supplied as needed, ie to cool the high frequency energy oscillator source 6 when it is in operation. Then, the warmed air that cools the high frequency energy oscillation source 6 is supplied into the heating chamber 1 through the duct 20, and is discharged from the exhaust port 22 to the outside of the vessel along with the steam generated from the fermentation material 3. Ru. The opening 21 and the exhaust port 22 of the duct 20 are designed to prevent leakage of high frequency energy. A power supply 23 drives the electric heaters 5a and 5b, the high frequency energy oscillation source 6, the lamp 9 via the stabilized power supply 24, the optical sensor 11, and the blower 19.
25 is a control device that controls the power supply device based on the signal from the optical sensor 11. In addition, the broken line in the figure shows the progress of light, and the dashed line shows the flow of wind.

In the above configuration, the door 4 is now opened, the fermented material 3 is placed on the mounting table 2, and the door 4 is closed. Next, when the power supply device 23 is turned on to operate the electric heaters 5a and 5b, the lamp 9 lights up and the fermented material 3 is fed through the partition plate 16 and the glass plate 14.
is irradiated with visible light, and the blower 18 starts blowing air. At this time, the optical sensor 11 detects the reflected light from the surface of the fermented material through the glass plate 14 and the partition plate 17. As the heating time elapses, the electric heaters 5a and 5b in the heating chamber 1 cause the heating chamber atmospheric temperature to reach approximately 40°C, and the fermented material 3 ferments and expands, the reflected light illuminance detected by the optical sensor 11 increases. gradually increases as the distance between the two approaches.

When the increased reflected light illuminance reaches a preset value, the control device 25 sends a signal to the power supply device 23. Upon receiving this signal, the power supply device 23 stops driving the electric heaters 5a, 5b and the lamp 9, or issues an alarm. This means that fermentation of fermented material 3 has ended.

Although the above embodiment uses an electric heater as the fermentation heat source, the same effect can be achieved even if high frequency energy is used as the fermentation heat source. In this case, fermentation may be carried out by adjusting the oscillation output of the high frequency energy oscillation source 6 by appropriate means.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the operation of the control device 25 in FIG. 1. The illuminance of the reflected light detected by the optical sensor 11 is received as a photocurrent and sent to the current-voltage conversion amplifier 26 to change the voltage, and then to the storage circuit 27 and the fermentation control volume 2.
8, the comparator 29 checks the illuminance value at the initial stage of fermentation and the illuminance value at the end of fermentation, and sends the output signal to the relay 30 to stop heating or issue an alarm, thereby terminating the fermentation. .

As described above, according to the present invention, food fermentation, which conventionally relied on vision, can be optically detected and automatically controlled, eliminating the need for constant observation of fermentation. It is possible to process food in a constant fermentation state at all times, and there is no cooking failure, which is extremely advantageous economically.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned household heating cooking appliances, but can also be put to practical use in industrial fields such as bread making where large quantities are continuously fermented.

In addition, in this example, the optical sensor was explained as an illuminance detection element such as a silicon photocell.
In some cases, color detection is performed using a color sensor. In such a case, the color of the tray on which the fermented material is placed is made different from the color of the fermented material, and the color range occupied by the fermented material increases from moment to moment with respect to the color range occupied by the tray. Control becomes possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the cooking device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device shown in FIG. 1. 3...Fermented material, 5a, 5b...Heating source, 9...
...Light source, 11... Light sensor, 25... Control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A device that is equipped with a heating source for fermenting unfermented food materials placed in a heating chamber, a light source that irradiates the material with visible light, and a light sensor that detects reflected light from the material. sensor 11
When the reflected light detected by the fermentation material 3 reaches a specified change amount due to the change in shape due to fermentation, the heating source 5a,
A heating cooker characterized in that fermentation of fermented material 3 is controlled so as to stop heating by 5b.