JP7527932B2 - Cooking equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooking device that heats food placed inside a heating chamber.

Conventionally, convenience stores, for example, offer a service in which food items such as boxed lunches are heated in a cooking device such as a microwave oven and handed over to customers.

The appropriate heating temperature and heating time for heating food vary depending on the type of food. In the cooking devices shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a barcode indicating the type of food, which is written on the food container, is read by a reading device, and the food is heated according to the heating information (heating temperature and heating time) according to the type of food.

Specifically, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, a barcode scanner is connected to the microwave oven, and the user manually operates the barcode scanner to read the barcode written on the food container, thereby obtaining heating information according to the type of food.

In addition, in the configuration described in Patent Document 2, a barcode marked on a food container is held up to a first barcode reader provided on one side of the front of the cooking appliance to read the barcode, thereby obtaining heating information according to the type of food. Alternatively, food stored in a container is placed inside the heating chamber of the cooking appliance, and a second barcode reader provided on the top wall of the heating chamber reads the barcode marked on the food container to obtain heating information according to the type of food.

JP 2006-64362 A Utility Model Registration No. 3076649

Incidentally, neither Patent Document 1 nor Patent Document 2 describes the timing at which the barcode scanner or the first or second barcode reading device reads the barcode. However, if these reading devices are always in a state where they can read barcodes, there is a risk that the barcode on the food container may be read by mistake when the heated food is removed from inside the heating chamber. In this case, if the front door is closed after the food is removed from the heating chamber, there is a risk that heating will be performed without any food being present in the heating chamber. In other words, no-load operation puts a strain on the heating section of the cooking appliance, such as the magnetron, resulting in a problem of shortening the life of the appliance.

One aspect of the present invention aims to prevent no-load operation.

In order to solve the above problems, a heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a heating chamber having a door, an opening/closing detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the door, a light-emitting element that irradiates light into the heating chamber, a light-receiving element that receives the light irradiated from the light-emitting element, a judgment unit that judges whether or not a heated object is placed in the heating chamber based on a light-receiving signal of the light-receiving element, a heating unit that heats the heated object placed in the heating chamber, and a heating control unit that controls the heating of the heating unit to heat the heated object, on the condition that the judgment unit judges that the heated object is placed in the heating chamber and the opening/closing detection unit detects that the door is closed, and is characterized in that the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element are provided on the same side of the heating chamber, and the optical axis of the light-emitting element intersects the surface of the heating chamber on which the heated object is placed.

According to one aspect of the present invention, no-load operation can be prevented.

1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present invention with a front door closed, viewed obliquely from above and on the front side. FIG. FIG. 2 is a front view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 with a front door open. 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 with a front door open, as viewed from diagonally below on the right. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a control frame showing an installation state of a reading device provided in the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a reading area of the reading device shown in FIG. 4 . FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of an information code. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the detection sensor shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the top side of the heating chamber. 2 is a diagram showing reflection of light emitted from a light-emitting element of the detection sensor shown in FIG. 1; 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement of food sensors and detection areas in the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a control device provided in the cooking appliance shown in FIG. 1 . 4 is a flowchart showing a flow of control for reading an information code in the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 11 is a front view of a cooking device according to a second embodiment of the present invention with a front door open. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing reflection of light emitted from the interior light shown in FIG. 12 .

[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 according to the present embodiment with a freely openable front door 12 provided on the main body of the cooking device 1 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 below the front. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cooking device 1 shown in Fig. 1 with the front door 12 open, as viewed from diagonally below the right.

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

As shown in FIG. 2, the heating chamber 13 is formed by a bottom surface on the side where the heated object is placed, a top surface 13d facing the bottom surface, and a side surface 13a connecting the bottom surface and the top surface 13d. A detection sensor 31 is provided on the side surface 13a inside the chamber. The detection sensor 31 detects whether or not the heated object (food) is placed on the flat plate 13c provided on the bottom surface inside the heating chamber 13. In other words, the detection sensor 31 detects the presence or absence of the heated object (food) on the flat plate 13c inside the heating chamber 13. Details of the detection sensor 31 and the detection of the heated object (food) will be described later. Note that, instead of the flat plate 13c, for example, a turntable may be provided on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13, and the heated object may be placed on the turntable.

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 substantially flush with the front surface of the front door 12 in the front-rear direction of the cooking appliance 1.

Inside the control frame 15, there is a control board (not shown) that controls the display unit 30 of the operation panel 11 and accepts user operations on the input keys, etc.

(Reading device 16)
Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the control frame 15, showing the installation state of the reader 16. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the reading area 19 of the reader 16.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control frame 15 is provided so as to protrude forward from the cooking appliance 1. 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 is equipped with a drive circuit for the reader 16. That is, the reader 16 is installed outside the heating chamber 13, above the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13, and is installed so as to have a reading area 19 below the installation position.

The reading device 16 is, for example, a barcode reader, and is configured to read an information code (for example, a barcode) attached to the food to be heated in the cooking device 1 or to the food container.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reading device 16 has a reading area 19 below the reading device 16, and the control frame 15 has a transparent reading window 18 in the lower wall portion facing 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 understand the reading area 19. This red light is emitted by the reading area illumination unit 21 (see FIG. 10). For example, a red LED is used as the reading area illumination unit 21. 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. Also, the number of red LEDs may be one or more.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the reading device 16 is provided in the center of the width (left-right) of the front opening 13b of the heating chamber 13.

(Information Code)
FIG. 6A is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code consisting of a two-dimensional code (QR code (registered trademark)), and FIG. 6B is an explanatory diagram showing an example of an information code consisting of a one-dimensional barcode.

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 conditions for heat-cooking the indicated type of food (heating information). The heating information is information necessary for heat-cooking, and includes the heating time in the heat cooker 1 and the wattage of the high-frequency output. Specifically, the information code includes information indicating the type of food, for example, that the food is a bento (or further the type of bento) or that the food is a rice ball (or further the type of rice ball), and heating information including the heating time and the wattage of the high-frequency output according to the indicated food. This information code is attached to the food or the food container, for example, by printing or sticker. Note that the information code is used to heat-cook a specified food, so it may include only information specifying the food, and the heating information for the specified food may be obtained from an external server 51 (FIG. 10). The information code may also include only the heating information for the food.

The information code may be, for example, a two-dimensional code as shown in FIG. 6(a) or a one-dimensional barcode as shown in FIG. 6(b). The information code may be anything that can indicate the type of food, and is not limited to barcodes, etc.

(Detection of the presence or absence of an object to be heated in the heating chamber 13)
Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the detection sensor shown in Fig. 1 as seen from the top side of the heating chamber. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing reflection of light irradiated from the light emitting element 33 of the detection sensor 31 shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the arrangement and detection area of the detection sensor 31 in the heating cooker 1 shown in Fig. 1.

The detection sensor 31 is, for example, a reflective photosensor. As shown in FIG. 7, the detection sensor 31 has a light-emitting element 33 that irradiates light into the heating chamber 13, and a light-receiving element 34 that receives the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33. The presence or absence of food is detected by directing the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33 to the object to be heated (food) and receiving the light reflected from the food.

A sensor optical path 35 (first optical path) and a sensor optical path 36 (second optical path) each having an inner wall are provided in front of the light-emitting element 33 and the light-receiving element 34. The sensor optical path 35 is an optical path that guides the light irradiated by the light-emitting element 33 into the heating chamber 13. The sensor optical path 36 is an optical path that guides the light from inside the heating chamber 13 to the light-receiving element 34. The inner walls of the sensor optical paths 35 and 36 may be white or have a plated mirror surface. In this way, by providing the sensor optical paths 35 and 36 with white or plated mirror inner walls, it is possible to reduce the decrease in sensitivity of the light-receiving element 34 due to attenuation of the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33.

In the first embodiment, the light-emitting element 33 and the light-receiving element 34 are provided on the same side of the heating chamber 13. As shown by reference numeral 1071 in FIG. 8, the light-emitting element 33 is provided facing the flat plate 13c. In other words, the light-emitting element 33 is provided so that its optical axis intersects with the flat plate 13c on which the food 40 is placed. The optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 is also provided so that it intersects with the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13. By having the optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 intersect with the flat plate 13c, the intensity of the light received by the light-receiving element 34 when no food is present can be appropriately adjusted.

As shown by reference numeral 1081 in FIG. 9, the range of light emitted from the light-emitting element 33 of the detection sensor 31 is the sensor detection area 32. The sensor detection area 32 is located slightly to the right of the center of the flat plate 13c of the heating chamber 13 in the drawing.

The light-emitting element 33 is provided on the side 13a of the heating chamber 13, closer to the flat plate 13c (lower) than the top surface 13d. In other words, the light-emitting element 33 is provided at a position that is low in height from the flat plate 13c. By providing the light-emitting element 33 at a position that is low in height from the flat plate 13c, food can be detected even if the food is thin.

As shown by reference numeral 1071 in FIG. 8, when no food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13, the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33 hits the flat plate 13c of the heating chamber 13 and is reflected from the flat plate 13c to the side surface 13a of the heating chamber 13 facing the light-emitting element 33. In other words, the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33 is not reflected toward the portion where the light-receiving element 34 is provided. Because the light-receiving element 34 does not receive the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33, the light receiving intensity of the light-receiving element 34 becomes low.

As shown by reference numeral 1072 in FIG. 8, when food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 33 hits the food 40. The light that hits the food 40 is reflected toward the light-receiving element 34. When the light-receiving element 34 receives the reflected light, the light receiving intensity of the light-receiving element 34 increases.

The light receiving element 34 receives the reflected light from the sensor detection area 32 and sends a signal representing the received light (light receiving signal) to the control unit 22 (FIG. 10) of the cooking device 1. The control unit 22 determines whether or not food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13 based on the received light receiving signal. Details of determining whether or not food 40 is present will be described later.

As described above, in order to detect the presence or absence of food 40, which is an object to be heated, placed in the heating chamber 13, it is necessary to adjust the position and size of the sensor detection area 32. In this embodiment, as shown by reference numeral 1082 in FIG. 9, an example is shown in which three detection sensors 31 are arranged in the depth direction of the heating chamber 13. The three detection sensors 31 have the same height from the flat plate 13c. In this way, the sensor detection area 32, which is an area for detecting the presence or absence of food 40 placed on the flat plate 13c of the heating chamber 13, is formed using three detection sensors 31 having the same height from the flat plate 13c. Therefore, by adjusting the number of detection sensors 31 and the height from the flat plate 13c according to the size of the heating chamber 13, it is possible to form a sensor detection area 32 according to the size of the heating chamber 13. In this way, the number of detection sensors 31, the installation height, etc. are not particularly limited as long as the sensor detection area 32 of the desired size can be formed.

The angle of the optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 relative to the flat plate 13c can be changed as appropriate according to the size of the heating chamber 13, the range of light emitted by the light-emitting element 33, or the position of the light-receiving element 34. In this way, by tilting the optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 relative to the flat plate 13c, the light receiving intensity of the light-receiving element 34 when no food is present can be reduced, and therefore a difference can be created in the light receiving intensity of the light-receiving element 34 depending on whether food is present or not.

As shown in FIG. 7, the surface of the light receiving element 34 that receives the light from the light emitting element 33 is the light receiving surface 34a, and the line extending vertically from the light receiving surface 34a is the imaginary line A. The imaginary line A of the light receiving element 34 may be arranged so as to intersect with the flat plate 13c. In other words, the light receiving element 34 is arranged at an angle with respect to the flat plate 13c. By arranging the imaginary line A of the light receiving element 34 so as to intersect with the flat plate 13c, it is possible to adjust the intensity of the light reflected from the side surface 13a of the heating chamber 13 facing the light emitting element 33 and received by the light receiving element 34. In other words, it is possible to appropriately adjust the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 when there is no food 40. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent no-load operation.

The detection sensor 31 is not limited to a reflective photosensor, and may be replaced with, for example, three near-infrared LEDs and three phototransistors (receiving wavelength 900 nm). Therefore, the detection sensor 31 may have any configuration as long as it has a light-emitting element 33 and is capable of detecting the presence or absence of a heated object in the heating chamber 13.

(Control device)
Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control device provided in the cooking appliance 1. The control device includes a control unit 22 that controls the operation of the cooking appliance 1. The control unit 22 is formed of, for example, a microcomputer, and has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 22 is connected to the operation panel 11, the heating operation unit 23, the reading device 16, the reading area illumination unit 21, the reading result notification unit 24, the front door opening/closing detection unit (opening/closing detection unit) 25, and the memory (storage unit) 52. The front door opening/closing detection unit 25 is, for example, a switch that is turned 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 reading result notification unit 24 is a buzzer or a sound generating unit, and is controlled by the control unit 22 to notify the user of the success or failure of the reading of the information code by the reading device 16.

The control unit 22 can communicate with the server 51, for example, using an internet line. Heating information corresponding to various types of food is registered in the server 51. The control unit 22 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 according to the acquired heating information. Note that the heating information corresponding to the type of food may be stored in the heating cooker 1 itself. In this case, the heating cooker 1 does not need to communicate with the server 51.

The control unit 22 further includes a judgment unit 22a that judges whether food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, a heating control unit 22b that controls the heating operation of the heating operation unit 23 based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22a, and a reading control unit 22c that controls the reading operation of the reading device 16 based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22a.

The determination unit 22a determines whether or not food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13 based on a signal (light receiving signal) from the light receiving element 34 of the detection sensor 31. Specifically, the presence or absence of food 40 is determined as follows. That is, if food 40 is not placed in the sensor detection area 32, the light emitted by the light emitting element 33 of the detection sensor 31 is reflected by the flat plate 13c of the sensor detection area 32, and the reflected light is not received by the light receiving element 34. On the other hand, if food 40 is placed in the sensor detection area 32, the light emitted by the light emitting element 33 of the detection sensor 31 is reflected by the food 40 in front of the flat plate 13c of the sensor detection area 32, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving element 34. Here, the light receiving intensity of the detection sensor 31 when food 40 is not placed in the heating chamber 13 is set as a reference value, and if the light receiving intensity is higher than the reference value, it is determined that food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13.

The heating control unit 22b permits the heating operation unit 23 to perform a heating operation on the condition that the determination unit 22a determines that there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13 and the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 is closed. On the other hand, if the result indicates that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the heating control unit 22b does not permit the heating operation unit 23 to perform a heating operation even if the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 is closed.

(Control when the determination unit 22a determines that there is no object to be heated)
If the determination result of the determination unit 22a indicates that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c stops the reading operation of the information code by the reader 16 for a predetermined time, or cancels the information code read by the reader 16 for a predetermined time. The information code read by the reader 16 includes heating information necessary for cooking. The heating information refers to the heating time and the wattage of the high-frequency output in the cooking appliance 1.

The predetermined time at which the reading operation of the reading device 16 for the information code is stopped and the predetermined time at which the information code read by the reading device 16 is cancelled may be set arbitrarily, and may be set at least to the time from when the food 40 is completely removed from the heating chamber 13 until it passes the reading position of the reading device 16. Setting the predetermined time in this manner makes it possible to further reduce the possibility that the information code will be read again by the reading device 16 when the food is removed from the heating chamber 13 after heating has been completed.

It is preferable that the predetermined time period starts after the determination unit 22a transitions from a state in which it has determined that there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13 to a state in which it has determined that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13. In this case, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is stopped after there is no food 40 left in the heating chamber 13, so even if food 40 removed from the heating chamber 13 passes the reading position of the reading device 16, there is almost no risk that the information code of the food 40 will be read.

(Control when the determination unit 22a determines that an object to be heated is present)
If the judgment unit 22a determines that food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c stops the reading operation by the reading device 16 or cancels the information code read by the reading device 16.

As a result, for example, if the detection sensor 31 malfunctions and determines that food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13 even though there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the reading device 16 will not read the information code, or if it does read it, it will cancel the reading, thereby preventing no-load operation.

The completion of the predetermined time may be, for example, the time when the front door 12 is detected to be closed by the front door opening/closing detection unit 25. Specifically, after the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 is open and the determination unit 22a determines that there is no food 40 in the heating chamber 13, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is stopped after a predetermined time, or after the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 is closed, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is released. In this case, since the front door 12 needs to be opened in order to remove the food 40 that has been cooked from the heating chamber 13, the food 40 is removed from the heating chamber 13 with the front door 12 open. At this time, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is started to be stopped. Then, after the predetermined time has elapsed or after the front door 12 is closed, the reading operation by the reading device 16 is released. This allows the information code of the food 40 to be read by the reading device 16 the next time the front door 12 is opened and the food 40 is to be placed in the heating chamber 13 for cooking.

The memory 52 stores the heating information contained in the information code read by the reader 16. As a result, for food whose information code has been read once, the heating information is registered in the memory 52 of the cooking device 1, eliminating the need to obtain the heating information each time the information code is read from outside the cooking device 1.

(Operation of Cooking Appliance 1)
In the above configuration, the operation of the cooking device 1 will be described below. Here, a case will be described in which food 40 is a lunch box with an information code attached to the top surface of the container, and this lunch box is heated by the cooking device 1.

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 the guidance display 20. When the front door open/close detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 is open, the control unit 22 operates the reading device 16 and the reading area illumination unit 21.

Next, the user follows the guidance display 20 on the operation panel 11 and moves the lunch box 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).

Through this operation, the reading device 16 reads the information code attached to the lunch box. When the reading device 16 successfully reads the information code, the control unit 22 causes the reading result notification unit 24 to notify the user of the reading result. In this case, the operation of the reading result notification unit 24 is, for example, to emit a continuous "beep" sound, to emit a voice saying "The information code has been successfully read", or both.

When the user is notified by the read result notification unit 24 that the information code has been successfully read, the user places the lunch inside the heating chamber 13, closes the front door 12, and presses the start button on the operation panel 11. In this state, the lunch to be heated is placed at a predetermined position inside the heating chamber 13. That is, as shown by reference numeral 1081 in FIG. 9, the lunch (food 40) is placed in the sensor detection area 32 of the detection sensor 31 inside the heating chamber 13. At this time, the judgment unit 22a judges that the lunch is placed inside the heating chamber 13. When the user closes the front door 12, the front door opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the front door 12 has been closed. Based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22a and the detection result of the front door opening/closing detection unit 25, heating control by the heating control unit 22b, i.e., heating operation by the heating operation unit 23, is permitted.

When the control unit 22 successfully reads the information code, it communicates with the server 51 and obtains from the server 51 heating information corresponding to the type of food indicated by the information code. After that, when the user closes the front door 12 and presses the start button on the operation panel 11, the control unit 22 heats the lunch box in the heating chamber 13 according to the obtained heating information.

Then, when the user closes the front door 12, operates the heating change button 11a on the operation panel 11, and presses the start button, the control unit 22 heats the lunch boxes in the heating chamber 13 according to the acquired heating information as the start button is pressed.

On the other hand, if the reading device 16 fails to read the information code, the control unit 22 notifies the user of the reading result via the reading result notification unit 24. In this case, the operation of the reading result notification unit 24 is, for example, to emit an intermittent sound such as "beep, beep, beep," to emit a voice saying "reading of the information code has failed," or both.

When the user is notified by the reading result notification unit 24 that the reading of the information code has failed, the user moves the lunch box 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 reading of the information code is successful, the operation is as described above.

When the heating of the lunch box is completed in this manner, the user is notified and removes the lunch box from the heating chamber 13. By removing the lunch box from the heating chamber 13, the lunch box disappears from the sensor detection area 32 in the heating chamber 13, and the signal received by the light receiving element 34 of the detection sensor 31 becomes a reference value, so the judgment unit 22a of the control unit 22 judges that the lunch box is not in the heating chamber 13. Based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22a (the lunch box is not placed in the heating chamber 13), the heating control unit 22b does not allow the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23. As a result, even if the front door is closed when no lunch box is placed in the heating chamber 13, the heating operation by the heating operation unit 23 will not be performed. In other words, the heating operation will not be performed in an unloaded state.

Furthermore, based on the judgment result of the judgment unit 22a (the lunch box is not placed in the heating chamber 13), the reading control unit 22c stops the reading operation of the information code by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time. As a result, for example, while the lunch box is being removed, the reading device 16 does not read the information code of the lunch box, so heating control is not performed by the heating control unit 22b. Also, when the judgment unit 22a judges that the lunch box is not placed in the heating chamber 13, the reading control unit 22c cancels the information code read by the reading device 16 for a predetermined time, so in this case too, heating control is not performed by the heating control unit 22b.

(Information code reading control)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the flow of control for reading an information code in the cooking appliance 1.

First, the control unit 22 determines whether cooking has ended (step S11). Specifically, the control unit 22 determines whether cooking has ended based on whether control of the heating operation unit 23 by the heating control unit 22b of the control unit 22 has been completed.

Next, if the control unit 22 determines in step S11 that cooking has finished (YES), it determines whether or not there is food 40 in the heating chamber 13 (step S12). Specifically, the determination unit 22a of the control unit 22 determines whether or not there is food 40 based on a signal from the detection sensor 31.

Next, if the control unit 22 determines in step S12 that there is no food (YES), it stops the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 (step S13). Specifically, the reading control unit 23c of the control unit 22 stops the reading of the information code by the reading device 16.

Next, the control unit 22 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed (step S14). Specifically, the reading control unit 22c of the control unit 22 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed. In other words, the reading control unit 22 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed with the reading of the information code by the reading device 16 stopped. Here, if the reading control unit 22c determines that the predetermined time has elapsed (YES), it releases the stop of reading of the information code by the reading device 16 (step S15).

In the above process, an example is described in which the reading of the information code by the reader 16 is stopped for a predetermined period of time when there is no food, but it is also possible to cancel the information code read by the reader 16 for a predetermined period of time when there is no food.

(effect)
According to the cooking device 1 having the above-mentioned configuration, the light emitting element 33 of the detection sensor 31 is arranged so that the optical axis intersects with the flat plate 13c on which the food 40 is placed. This makes it possible to reduce the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 when the food 40 is not present in the heating chamber 13, thereby making it possible to provide a difference in the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 depending on whether the food 40 is present or not. This makes it possible to more reliably determine whether the food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13.

As a result, when there is no object to be heated inside the heating chamber 13, i.e. when the heating chamber is in no-load operation, the magnetron is not burdened and the problem of shortening the equipment's lifespan does not occur.

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

This embodiment 2 differs from embodiment 1 in that, instead of providing a light-emitting element in the detection sensor, the interior light 39 that illuminates the inside of the heating chamber 13 is used as the light-emitting element.

Figure 12 is a front view of the cooking device 2 of the second embodiment with the front door open. Figure 13 is a diagram showing the reflection of light emitted from the interior light 39 shown in Figure 12.

As shown in FIG. 12, an interior light 39 is provided on the side of the heating chamber 13. A light receiving element 34 of the detection sensor 31a is provided on the side opposite to the side on which the interior light 39 is provided. In the second embodiment, the interior light 39 serves as a light emitting element of the detection sensor.

As shown by reference numeral 1091 in FIG. 13, the interior light 39 is provided on the upper side of the side of the heating chamber 13. In other words, the interior light 39 is provided at a position that is high above the flat plate 13c. The light receiving element 34 of the detection sensor 31a is provided below the interior light 39 in the heating chamber 13. In other words, the light receiving element 34 is provided at a position that is lower above the flat plate 13c than the interior light 39.

As shown by reference numeral 1091 in FIG. 13, the interior light 39 is arranged so that its optical axis intersects with the flat plate 13c. When no food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13, the light emitted from the interior light 39 is directed toward the light receiving element 34. Since the light receiving element 34 receives the light emitted from the interior light 39, the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 increases.

As shown by reference numeral 1092 in FIG. 13, when food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13, the light emitted from the interior light 39 hits the food 40. The light that hits the food 40 is reflected toward a portion where the light receiving element 34 is not provided. Because the light receiving element 34 does not receive the light emitted from the interior light 39, the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 becomes low.

In the second embodiment, the determination unit 22a uses the light receiving intensity of the detection sensor 31a when no food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13 as a reference value, and determines that food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13 if the light receiving intensity is lower than the reference value.

In the above embodiment, a cooking device that reads an information code consisting of a QR code (registered trademark) or a one-dimensional barcode has been described, but the present application is not limited to this. The present invention can also be applied to cooking devices that do not have the function of reading information codes. In addition, the object to be heated is not limited to food, and may be anything that can be heated by a cooking device.

In the above embodiment, the light-emitting element is described as having an optical axis that intersects with the flat plate 13c on which the object to be heated is placed, but it is sufficient that the optical axis of the light-emitting element is arranged to intersect with the surface on which the object to be heated is placed. For example, if a turntable is provided on the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13, the optical axis of the light-emitting element is arranged to intersect with the surface of the turntable on which the object to be heated is placed.

[Software implementation example]
The control blocks of the control unit 22 (particularly the judgment unit 22a, the heating control unit 22b, and the reading control unit 22c) may be realized by a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit (IC chip) or the like, or may be realized by software.

In the latter case, the control unit 22 includes a computer that executes the instructions of 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 that stores the program. The object of the present invention is achieved by having the processor read the program from the recording medium and execute it in the computer. The processor can be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The recording medium can be a "non-transient tangible medium," such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), tape, disk, card, semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit, etc. The computer can also include a RAM (Random Access Memory) that expands the program. The program can be supplied to the computer via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves) that can transmit the program. One aspect of the present invention can also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

〔summary〕
The heating cooker 1 according to aspect 1 of the present invention includes a heating chamber 13 having a door 12, an opening/closing detection unit 25 that detects the opening and closing of the door 12, a light-emitting element 33 that irradiates light into the heating chamber 13, a light-receiving element 34 that receives the light irradiated from the light-emitting element 33, a judgment unit 22a that judges whether or not food (heated object) 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13 in accordance with the light-receiving signal of the light-receiving element 34, a heating unit 23 that heats the food 40 placed in the heating chamber 13, and a heating control unit 22b that controls the heating of the heating unit 23 to heat the food 40 on the condition that the judgment unit 22a judges that food 40 is placed in the heating chamber 13 and the opening/closing detection unit 25 detects that the door 12 has been closed, and the optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 is configured to intersect with the surface of the heating chamber 13 on which the food 40 is placed.

The above configuration allows the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element 34 to be appropriately adjusted when food 40 is not present. This makes it possible to more reliably determine whether food 40 is present in the heating chamber 13, and prevents no-load operation.

The cooking device 1 according to aspect 2 of the present invention is configured in the above-mentioned aspect 1 such that the optical axis of the light-emitting element 33 intersects with the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13.

The cooking device 1 according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be configured in the above-mentioned aspect 1 or 2 such that the imaginary line A extending vertically from the light receiving surface 34a of the light receiving element 34 intersects with the bottom surface of the heating chamber 13.

The above configuration allows the light receiving intensity of the light receiving element 34 to be appropriately adjusted when no food 40 is present. This makes it possible to more reliably prevent no-load operation.

The cooking device 1 according to aspect 4 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 1 to 3 above, such that the heating chamber 13 has a bottom surface, an upper surface 13d facing the bottom surface, and a side surface 13a connecting the bottom surface and the upper surface 13d, and the light-emitting element 33 is provided on the side surface 13a closer to the bottom surface than the upper surface 13d.

The above configuration allows food to be detected even if the food is thin.

The cooking device 1 according to aspect 5 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, with a plurality of light-emitting elements 33.

The above configuration allows the detection area of the sensor detection area 32 to be expanded, making it possible to more reliably detect the presence or absence of food 40 in the heating chamber 13.

The cooking device 1 according to aspect 6 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 5 above, has a first optical path (sensor optical path 35) arranged in front of the light-emitting element 33, has an inner wall, and guides the light emitted by the light-emitting element 33 into the heating chamber 13, and a second optical path (sensor optical path 36) arranged in front of the light-receiving element 34, has an inner wall, and guides the light from inside the heating chamber 13 to the light-receiving element, and the inner walls of the first optical path (sensor optical path 35) and the second optical path (sensor optical path 36) may be white or mirror-finished.

With the above configuration, the light emitted from the light-emitting element 33 can be received by the light-receiving element 34 without being attenuated.

The cooking device 2 according to aspect 7 of the present invention may be configured in any one of aspects 1 to 3 above, such that the heating chamber 13 has a bottom surface, an upper surface 13d facing the bottom surface, and a side surface 13a connecting the bottom surface and the upper surface 13d, an interior light 39 is provided on the side surface 13a of the heating chamber 13, and the light-emitting element 33 is the interior light 39.

With the above configuration, the interior light 39 can be used instead of the light-emitting element, reducing the number of parts.

The cooking device 1, 2 according to aspect 8 of the present invention may further include a reading device 16 that reads an information code indicating at least the type of food in any of aspects 1 to 7 above, and the heating control unit 22b may be configured to control the heating of the heating unit 23 under heating conditions according to the information code of the food 40 read by the reading device 16.

The above configuration makes it possible to prevent no-load operation caused by accidentally reading the information code when removing the heated food 40 from the heating chamber 13.

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

1 Cooking device 11 Operation panel 11a Heating change button 12 Front door (door)
13 Heating chamber 13a Side 13b Front opening 13c Flat plate 13d Top 14 Handle 15 Control frame 16 Reading device 17 Device board 19 Reading area 20 Guidance display 21 Area illumination unit 22 Control unit 22a Determination unit 22b Heating control unit 22c Reading control unit 23 Heating operation unit (heating unit)
24 Result notification unit 25 Front door opening/closing detection unit (opening/closing detection unit)
30 Display unit (notification unit)
31, 31a Detection sensor 32 Sensor detection area 33 Light emitting element 34 Light receiving element 35, 36 Sensor light path 39 Interior light 40 Food (heated object)
51 Server 52 Memory

Claims (7)

A heating cabinet with a door;
an opening/closing detection unit that detects whether the door is opened or closed;
A light emitting element that irradiates light into the heating chamber;
a light receiving element that receives light irradiated from the light emitting element;
A determination unit that determines whether or not an object to be heated is placed in the heating chamber according to a light receiving signal of the light receiving element;
A heating unit that heats the object to be heated placed in the heating chamber;
A heating control unit controls the heating unit to heat the object to be heated on the condition that the determination unit determines that the object to be heated is placed in the heating chamber and the opening/closing detection unit detects that the door is closed;
Including,
The light emitting element and the light receiving element are provided on the same side surface of the heating chamber,
A cooking device characterized in that an optical axis of the light-emitting element intersects with a surface of the heating chamber on which the object to be heated is placed. The cooking device according to claim 1, characterized in that the optical axis of the light-emitting element intersects with the bottom surface of the heating chamber. The cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an imaginary line extending vertically from the light receiving surface of the light receiving element intersects with a surface of the heating chamber on which the object to be heated is placed. The heating chamber includes:
A bottom surface, a top surface opposite to the bottom surface, and a side surface connecting the bottom surface and the top surface,
The cooking device according to claim 1 , wherein the light emitting element is provided on the side surface closer to the bottom surface than to the top surface. The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a plurality of the light-emitting elements are provided. A first optical path is arranged in front of the light-emitting element, has an inner wall, and guides light emitted by the light-emitting element into the heating chamber;
A second optical path is arranged in front of the light receiving element, has an inner wall, and guides light from inside the heating chamber to the light receiving element.
6. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein inner walls of the first optical path and the second optical path are white or have a mirror surface. Further comprising a reader for reading an information code indicating at least the type of food;
The heating control unit is
7. The cooking device according to claim 1, wherein the heating of the heating section is controlled under heating conditions corresponding to the information code of the object to be heated read by the reading device.

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