JPH0498016A - Cooking heater - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To control the heating power in multiple steps, shorten the cooking time period and reduce the power consumption by a method wherein the power supplying time period in the initial mode is extended longer than that in the main mode for at least one among heating modes in which non-power supplying time period is set at a value other than zero. CONSTITUTION:A plug 1a is connected to a receptacle. In the case a heating power switch 72 is not turned on, a controller automatically selects 'STRONG' heating power mode, and a strong-heat cooking is carried out by a heater 6. In the case the heating power switch 72 is pressed once and turned on, the controller 41 automatically selects 'MEDIUM' heating power mode, and a medium-heat cooking is performed by the heater 6. In the case the heating power switch 72 is pressed twice and turned on, the controller 41 automatically chooses 'WEAK' heating power mode. In this case, an initial mode is performed first and a main mode follows. In the initial mode, an on-off switch 46a of a relay 46 is closed for 20 seconds and then opened for 10 seconds, and this on-off action is repeated twice. In the main mode, the on-off switch 46a is closed for 8 seconds and then opened for 22 seconds and this on-off action is repeated. Thus, as the heater 6 is intermittently energized, weak-heat cooking is carried out by the heater 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a cooking device such as a toaster oven that can adjust the heat power in multiple stages.

[Prior Art] For example, a heat power control structure conventionally proposed for a toaster oven or the like switches the wattage of a heater, for example, as shown in FIG. 12.

That is, a series circuit including a first switch 82, a heater 83, and a second switch 84 is connected to the power supply indicated by 81 in FIG.
5 are connected in parallel. The heater 83 is connected to another heater 86, a common terminal 87a of a changeover switch 87, and a first
A series circuit with the switching terminal 87b is connected in parallel.

The second switching terminal 87c of the changeover switch 87 is connected to the power supply 81.
It is connected to the. Note that one of the heaters 83 and 86 is disposed at the upper part of the heating chamber, and the other one is disposed at the lower part of the heating chamber.

In such a circuit configuration, the first switch 82, the second switch 84, the common terminal 87a and the first switching terminal 87b of the changeover switch 87 are turned on, respectively, and the common terminal 87a of the changeover switch 87 and the second changeover terminal are turned on. When the terminal 87c is turned off, the heaters 83' and 86 are energized in parallel, resulting in a "high fire" heating power mode.

Further, the second switch 84, the common terminal 87a and the first switching terminal 87b of the changeover switch 87 are turned on, respectively, and the first switch 82, the common terminal 87a and the second changeover terminal 87c of the changeover switch 87 are turned off, respectively. When this is done, the diode 85 is connected in series to the parallel circuit of the heaters 83 and 86, resulting in a "medium heat" heating power mode.

Further, when the common terminal 87a and the first switching terminal 87b of the changeover switch 87 are respectively turned off, and the first switch 82 and the common terminal 87a and the second changeover terminal 87c of the changeover switch 87 are turned on, respectively, the heater 83, 8
6 are connected in series and energized, resulting in a "low heat" firepower mode.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in order to control the thermal power, the conventional method requires the diode 85 and three switches 82°84.87 as described above, so the number of parts is large and the configuration is complicated. There was a problem. Moreover, in the past, cooking was performed according to the amount of electricity that was determined for each mode in any heat power mode, so the lower the heat power in the mode, the higher the temperature in the heating chamber would be to reach the set temperature range in the same mode. requires a lot of time. Therefore, there is a problem that the cooking time is long and the power consumption is also large.

An object of the present invention is to provide a heating cooker that can adjust the heat power in multiple stages with a simple configuration without using many parts, and can shorten cooking time and reduce power consumption. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, in the cooking device of the present invention, the heater provided in the heating chamber and the ratio of the energization time to the non-energization time to the heater are mutually equal to each other. a control device having at least a heating power mode control means in which a plurality of different heating power modes are set, and a timer means; a heating power selection means for selecting one of the plurality of heating power modes; and a relay that is operated by the control device during the cooking time and has an opening/closing switch inserted in the energizing circuit for the heater, and opens and closes the switch in the selected heating power mode. At least one of the thermal power modes described above is a thermal power mode in which the de-energization time is set to a time other than zero and the heater is intermittently energized, and this thermal power mode is a thermal power mode in which the heater is intermittently energized. It has an initial mode that is executed at the beginning and a main mode that is carried out subsequently, and the energization time in the initial mode is longer than the energization time in the main mode.

[Function] In the present invention, a cooking time is set in the timer means of the control device by operating the timer, and the cooking is completed when this cooking time elapses. Further, the thermal power selection means selects any one of the plurality of thermal power modes set in the thermal power mode control means of the control device by its operation.

Therefore, by operating the timer after operating the heating power selection means, heating cooking is performed for the set cooking time in the selected heating power mode. During this cooking, the relay operated by the control device opens and closes the opening/closing switch according to the selected heating power mode.

Thereby, the energizing time and the non-energizing time of the heaters connected in series with the opening/closing switch are controlled. For this reason, for example, if control is performed to ensure more electricity supply time within the above cooking time, it is possible to cook with strong heat, and more non-heating time can be ensured within the above cooking time. If the electricity supply time is secured, cooking can be done with low heat.

In this way, the heating power is controlled by controlling the amount of electricity supplied to the heater within a certain heating time (cooking time) while keeping the amount of heat generated by the heater itself constant, so the wattage of the heater There is no need to switch.

Furthermore, in a heat mode in which the non-energizing time is set to a time other than zero, cooking is performed with a weaker heat power than in a heat power mode in which the non-energizing time is set to zero; , after that, this mode is executed successively. Therefore, the temperature in the heating chamber can be increased during the energization time within a unit time compared to the energization time in this mode.

Embodiment] Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a toaster oven will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 11.

Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 10 is a case constituting the outer shell of the toaster oven, and an opening/closing door 3 is rotatably attached to a front panel 2 of this case 1. There is an opening/closing door 3 inside the case 1.
A heating chamber 4 is formed with a front opening that can be opened and closed at
The heating chamber 4 is provided with a grill 5 and heaters 6 located above and below the grill 5, respectively. These upper and lower heaters 6 are connected in parallel or in series. This heater 6 is connected to a commercial AC power source 7 (first
(see figure).

Inside the case 1, there is a timer storage chamber 8 separated from the heating chamber 4.
(See FIG. 3) is formed, and this storage chamber 8 is provided with a timer 9 for setting the energization time to the heater 6. This timer 9 has a frame 10, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Front side 1 of frame 10
A bracket 11 is attached to Oa, and this bracket 11 is screwed to the surface of the front panel 2.

An operating shaft 12 is rotatably supported on the upper part of the frame 10. The front end of the operating shaft 12 passes through the front panel 2,
A timer knob 40 is attached to the penetrating end.

The operating shaft 12 is artificially rotated together with the timer knob 40 in the timer winding direction and rewinding direction.

When the operating shaft 12 is rotated in the timer winding direction, a mainspring (not shown) is wound up in conjunction with this, and due to the return force of this mainspring, the operating shaft 12 is rotated in the timer rewinding direction (see FIG. 8). It is urged to rotate in the direction of arrow A).

As shown in FIG. 3, a large gear 13 is attached to the operating shaft 12 and rotates integrally therewith. The large gear 13 meshes with a small gear 14 that is pivotally supported on the frame 10.
An escape wheel 15 is coaxially fixed to one end surface of 4. A balance wheel 16 is arranged below the escape wheel 15. The balance 16 is connected to the frame 10 by a pivot 17 (Figs. 8 and 9).
(see figure), and the balance 16 has a pair of hooks that removably engage the teeth 18 of the escape wheel 15 at three points spaced apart in the circumferential direction. Claw portions 19a and 19b are provided.

A solenoid 21 for rotating the balance wheel 16 is attached to the lower rear surface 10b of the frame 10 via a bracket 20. The solenoid 21 is connected to a stabilized solenoid power supply 23 (see FIG. 1) that converts alternating current from the commercial AC power supply 7 into direct current and appropriately adjusts the voltage, and is excited by this power supply 23. iron core 24
It is designed to magnetize.

One end of a magnetic metal plate 25 is swingably locked to the bracket 20 so as to be spaced apart from and opposite to the iron core 24 .

The other end of the magnetic metal plate 25 is connected to the through hole 2 provided in the frame 10.
6 and extends toward the balance wheel 16 side, and a locking portion 27 provided at the other end thereof is hooked on a locking arm portion 31 of the balance wheel 16. The magnetic metal plate 25 is the tension spring 2
8, it is urged in a direction away from the iron core 24. This bias pushes up the locking portion 27 of the magnetic metal plate 25, and the balance wheel 16 is rotated counterclockwise as shown by arrow B in FIG.

Therefore, one of the engaging pawls 19a and 19b of the balance wheel 16, which is located on the rear side in the rotational direction of the escape wheel 15, engages the toothed portion 18, and due to the restoring force of the mainspring (not shown). The escape wheel 15 is prevented from rotating.

When the magnetic metal plate 25 is attracted to the iron core 24, the locking portion 27 of the magnetic metal plate 25 is pulled down as shown in FIG. Rotated in the rotational direction. Then, one of the latching claws 19a that was latched to the escape wheel 15 separates from the escape wheel 15, and the restriction on rotation of this escape wheel 15 is released, but conversely, the other latching claw 19a disengages from the escape wheel 15. The pawl portion 19b enters between the tooth portions 18 of the escape wheel 15. Therefore, when the escape wheel 15 rotates by a certain angle due to the release of the rotation restriction, the other tooth portion 18 engages with the latching claw portion 19b, and the rotation of the escape wheel 15 is prevented again. It has become.

That is, the escape wheel 15 rotates by one pitch of the toothed portion 18 each time the balance wheel 16 rotates once.
Since this rotation is transmitted to the operating shaft 12 via the small gear 14 and the large gear 13, the operating shaft 12 is intermittently rotated in response to the excitation of the solenoid 21. Therefore, in this embodiment, these large gear 13, small gear 14, and pinion 1
5, balance wheel 16, magnetic metal plate 25, and solenoid 2
1 constitutes a driving means 29 for driving the operating shaft 21.

On the front panel 2 of the case 1, there is a scale 30 located around the timer knob 40 that displays the cooking time in 1 minute increments up to 30 minutes. The cooking time can be set by combining the .

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a first plate cam 47 and a second plate cam 48 are fixed to the operating shaft 12. Cam surfaces 47a of these plate cams 4748.

At a position facing 48a, there is a timer switch, that is, a normally open enlarged switch 49 that switches the solenoid drive mode of the control device 41, which will be described later, and a normal switch 5.
0 is set. These switches 49, 50 are equipped with cam followers 49a, 5Qa that are in contact with cam surfaces 47a, 48a, and when the operating shaft 12 is rotated in the winding direction via the timer knob 40, the cam surfaces 47a, 48a are shaped The cam followers 49a and 50a are pushed up in accordance with the
Each switch 49,50 is adapted to be closed individually.

That is, in this embodiment, the indicator protrusion 4 of the timer knob 4o
When 0a is in the off position, both switches 49.5
0 are both open, and among these, the enlargement switch 49 closes when the index protrusion 40a is set for a short time period from 1 to 15 minutes, and the normal switch 50 closes when the index protrusion 40a is set for a long time period from 15 to 30 minutes. It closes when set on the obi. Therefore, the rotation angle of the operating shaft 12, that is, the set cooking time is detected by these switches 49 and 50, and the solenoid control means of the control device, which will be described later, sends operating pulses to the solenoid 21 at 30 second intervals. 1 drive mode or a second drive mode in which operating pulses are sent out at intervals of 1 minute.

When the cooking time is set to a short time period using such a drive mode, the drive speed of the driving means 29 is doubled compared to when the cooking time is set to a long time period. The interval of the scale 30 that displays the time zone is,
The interval L2 between the scales 30 in the long time period is enlarged to twice the interval L2.

The solenoid 21 of the timer 9 is controlled by a control device 41 consisting of a microcomputer. This control device 41 has at least a timer means 42, a solenoid control means 43, and a thermal power mode control means 44, as shown in FIG. This control device 41
is driven by a microcomputer power supply 36 that converts the alternating current from the commercial alternating current power supply 7 into direct current and adjusts the voltage appropriately.

A cooking time is set in the timer means 42 via the timer 9, and the set time is determined by counting the number of pulses obtained by an oscillation circuit 45 connected to the control device 41 using a counter. It is measured by doing.

A solenoid control means 43 is connected to the timer means 42 . This means 43 includes, for example, once every 30 seconds when the timer knob 40 is set to a short period of 15 minutes from the OFF state, and once every 30 minutes from 15 to 30 minutes. When adjusting to a long time zone, 1
Two solenoid drive modes, each of which sends an operating pulse to the solenoid 21 at a rate of once per minute, are programmed and set in advance. Therefore, when the solenoid control means 43 sets the timer knob 40 to the short time period, the energization interval to the solenoid 21, that is, the non-energization interval from one energization time to the next energization time, becomes 30 seconds.
On the other hand, if you set it to a long time zone, the de-energization interval will be 1 minute,
With these two solenoid drive modes, solenoid 2
Controls energization to 1.

A thermal power mode control means 44 is connected to the timer means 42 . This control means 44 operates in a plurality of thermal power modes in which the ratio of energization time to non-energization time per unit time (30 seconds) to the heater 6 is different from each other, such as a "high heat" thermal power mode;
A "medium heat" heat power mode and a "low heat" heat power mode are each set in advance.

The "high fire" thermal power mode is a setting in which the non-energizing time is zero and the energizing time is continuous. "Medium heat" firepower mode is
Both the energization time and the de-energization time are set to 15 seconds,
These settings are repeated alternately. ``The low heat j fire power mode has an initial mode that is executed at the beginning of the moto execution, and a main mode that is executed subsequent to the initial mode.

The initial mode is such that one cycle is energized for 20 seconds and de-energized for 10 seconds, and this cycle is repeated twice. In this mode, the energization time is 8 seconds, and
The de-energization time is set to 22 seconds, and these settings are repeated alternately.

A relay 46 is connected to this control device 41. The relay 46 is formed with a normally open open/close switch 46a as a relay contact, and this open/close switch 46
a is inserted into the current supply circuit for the heater 6.

This relay 46 is connected to the thermal power mode control means 44.
The opening/closing switch 46a is opened and closed according to the selected thermal power mode among the plurality of thermal power modes set in the above. Thereby, the energization time and non-energization time to the heater 6 are controlled.

A printed wiring board 71 is attached to the back side of the front panel 2, as shown in FIG. A fire power switch 72 as a fire power selection means is attached to this board 71, and light emitting elements 73 to 75 for displaying fire power are respectively attached, and each is exposed on the surface of the front panel 2. In this embodiment, the fire power switch 72 is formed of an automatic return type push button switch, and one of the plurality of fire power modes can be selected depending on the number of times the suppressing operation is performed. .

Each of the light emitting elements 73 to 75 is formed of a light emitting diode or the like, and the upper light emitting element 73 is used to display the "high heat" fire power mode, and the middle light emitting element 74 is used to display the "medium heat" fire power mode. , the lower light emitting element 75 is used to indicate the "low heat" firepower mode. All of the light emitting elements 73 to 75 are turned on in blinking and continuously by the control device 41.

Note that 38 in FIG. 1 is a buzzer that notifies the completion of cooking.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG.

When the plug 1a is connected to the outlet, the power is turned on, and the control device 41 executes step 1 and blinks only the light emitting element 73 for displaying the "high fire" thermal power mode to indicate that the power is turned on. Step 2 is executed to determine whether the thermal power switch 72 is on. If this determination is No, the control device 41 automatically selects the "high fire" thermal power mode, and proceeds to step 3 to determine whether or not the timer 9 has been operated. When the timer 9 is operated and the determination in step 3 becomes YES (established), in step 4 the contact point of the timer 9, that is, the switch 49.
It is determined whether at least one of the relays 50 is closed, and if the determination is established, step 5 is executed to energize the relay 46. As a result, the open/close switch 46
a is closed. Next, step 6 is executed, and only the light emitting element 73 for displaying the "high heat" power mode is lit continuously to indicate that cooking will be performed in the "high heat" power mode.

In step 7, which is subsequently executed, the control device 4
1 starts the timer operation by the timer means 42, and controls the relay 46 according to the "high fire" fire power mode by the fire power mode control means 44, and
Excitation of the solenoid 21 is controlled by the solenoid control means 43.

Therefore, in the case of this "high heat j fire power mode," the open/close switch 46a of the relay 46 is continuously maintained in a closed state, so that the heater 6 is continuously energized.
The heater 6 performs high heat cooking. Also,
The solenoid 21 is intermittently excited in response to operating pulses, and intermittently attracts the magnetic metal plate 25 to rotate the balance wheel 16. Therefore, each time the balance wheel 16 rotates, the escape wheel 15 rotates by one pitch of the teeth 18 due to the restoring force of the mainspring, and the operating shaft 12 is gradually rewound.

After this, in step 8, the indicator protrusion 4 of the timer knob 40 is
It is determined whether or not 0a has been rotated to the off position, that is, whether the timer contact (in the case of this embodiment, the enlargement switch 49) has been turned off. If this determination is established, the energization to the solenoid 21 is cut off, and then the next step 9 is executed to cut off the energization to the relay 46. therefore,
The open/close switch 46a is opened, the power to the heater 6 is cut off, and cooking is completed, and the buzzer 38 notifies this completion.
Alert by sounding. Note that after this cooking is completed, the process returns to step 1. As a result, only the light emitting element 73 is blinked again to indicate that the power is turned on.

If the determination in step 2 is YES, the process proceeds to step 11, where it is determined whether the thermal power switch 72 has been pressed once and turned on. If this judgment is established,
The control Wi' 41 automatically selects the "medium heat" thermal power mode, proceeds to step 12, and flashes only the light emitting element 74 for displaying the "medium heat" thermal power mode. Thereby, the selection of the "medium heat" firepower mode is displayed. After this, in step 13, it is determined whether or not the timer 9 has been operated.

When the timer 9 is operated and the determination in step 13 becomes YES (established), it is determined in step 14 whether at least one of the contacts of the timer 9, ie, the switches 49 and 50, is closed. If the determination is established, the process proceeds to step 15, where the relay 46 is energized and the open/close switch 46a is closed. Next, step 16 is executed, and only the light emitting element 74 for indicating the "medium heat" power mode is lit continuously to indicate that cooking will be performed in the "medium heat" power mode. Then, in step 17, which is executed following this, the control device 41 starts the timer operation by the timer means 42, and
The relay 46 is controlled according to the "medium heat" fire power mode by the fire power mode control means 44, and the excitation of the solenoid 21 is controlled by the solenoid control means 43.

Therefore, in the case of this "medium heat" thermal power mode, the open/close switch 46a of the relay 46 is opened and closed every 15 seconds, so that the heater 6 is energized intermittently every 15 seconds, and the heater 6 is used to heat the medium heat. is heated and cooked.

At the same time, the solenoid 21 is intermittently energized in the same way as in the "high fire" power mode, and the escape wheel 15 is energized via the magnetic metal plate 25, balance 16, escape wheel 15, and mainspring. The operating shaft 12 is gradually rewound by one pitch of the tooth portion 18. Then, after this step 8 and 9 above
The process returns to step 1 via .

If the determination in step 11 is No, the process proceeds to step 21, where it is determined whether the thermal power switch 72 has been pressed twice and turned on. If this judgment is established,
The control device 41 automatically selects the "low heat" heating power mode, proceeds to step 12, and dims and lights only the light emitting element 75 for displaying the "low heat" heating power mode. Thereby, the selection of "low heat" firepower mode is displayed. After this step 2
At step 3, it is determined whether or not the timer 9 has been operated.

When the timer 9 is operated and the determination in step 23 becomes YES (established), it is determined in step 24 whether at least one of the contacts of the timer 9, ie, the switches 49 and 50, is closed. If the determination is established, the process proceeds to step 25, where the relay 46 is energized and the open/close switch 46a is closed. Next, step 26 is executed, and only the light emitting element 75 for displaying the "low heat" power mode is continuously lit to indicate that cooking will be performed in the "low heat" power mode. In step 27, which is subsequently executed, the control device 41 starts the timer operation by the timer means 42, and
The relay 46 is controlled in accordance with the "low heat" fire power mode by the fire power mode control means 44, and the excitation of the solenoid 21 is controlled by the solenoid control means 43.

Therefore, in the case of this "low heat" fire power mode, after first implementing the initial mode, that is, after repeating the opening/closing operation of the open/close switch 46a of the relay 46 twice after opening it for 20 seconds and then opening it for 10 seconds, Subsequently, this mode, that is, the opening/closing operation in which the opening/closing switch 46a is closed for 8 seconds and then opened for 22 seconds is repeated. By intermittent energization of the heater 6, the heater 6 performs cooking over low heat.

In addition, at the same time as the intermittent energization of the heater 6 as described above, the solenoid 21 is intermittently energized in the same manner as in the "high heat" power mode, and the magnetic metal plate 25, balance wheel 16, escape wheel 15, and mainspring are The operation shaft 12 is gradually rewound by one pitch of the teeth 18 of the escape wheel 15 through the . and,
After this, the process returns to step 1 via steps 8 and 9 described above.

If the determination in step 21 is NO, the process proceeds to step 31, where it is determined whether the thermal power switch 72 has been pressed three times and turned on. If this determination is established, the control device 41 executes step 32 to turn off each of the light emitting elements 73 to 75. In this case, even though the control device 41 is actually energized, each of the light emitting elements 73 to 75 is turned off, making the toaster oven appear to be in a non-energized state. Further, if the judgment in step 31 is No,
Step 33 is executed to determine whether the heat switch 72 has been pressed four times and turned ON. If this determination is NO, the control device 41 executes step 32, and if the determination is YES, it determines that one selection cycle of the thermal power mode has been completed, returns to step 1, and turns on the power. The input state is indicated by dimming the lighting of the light emitting element 73 for displaying the "high fire" firepower mode.

As described above, by operating the relay 46 based on each thermal power mode of the thermal power mode control means 44 determined in the control device 41, the open/close switch 46a of the relay 46 connected in series with the heater 6 is opened and closed. By controlling the time when the heater 6 is energized and the time when it is not energized, the heating power of the heater 6 can be controlled to be "strong,""medium," or "weak."

In other words, while the amount of heat generated by the heater 6 itself remains constant,
The thermal power can be controlled by controlling the amount of electricity supplied to the heater 6 per unit time within the arbitrary heating time set by the timer 9 using the selected thermal power mode of the control device 41. There is no need to switch the wattage of the heater.

Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the need for diodes and many switches that were conventionally required for controlling the heat power, so that the food to be cooked can be cooked by selecting a plurality of levels of heat power with a simple configuration.

Moreover, in the "Low Fire" thermal power mode, the power supply is controlled in two stages: first, the power supply is increased at the initial stage of mode execution in the initial mode, and then the power supply is shifted to the main mode, which has a smaller power supply than the initial mode. In the initial mode, the temperature of the heating chamber 4 can be quickly raised to near the set temperature range in this "low heat" heating power mode, and then in this mode, it can be raised to the above set temperature range. Therefore, the temperature of the heating chamber 4 can be raised to the set temperature range in a short time from the start of energization.

This fact was clarified by a comparative test conducted by the applicant, the results of which are shown in FIG. Figure 11 shows the temperature characteristics when the heating chamber 4 is cold and the "low heat" heating power mode is implemented. The figure shows the temperature characteristics when only the thermal power mode described above is used. As is clear from FIG. 11, in the case of this example, the set temperature range (approximately 140℃ to 19℃
However, in the case of Comparative Example Y, it took 5 minutes and 30 seconds to reach the lower limit temperature of 0°C.

Therefore, cooking time is shortened and power consumption can be reduced accordingly. Incidentally, cooking gratin and pizza, which are generally cooked over low heat, usually requires about 122 minutes of cooking time, but when using the toaster oven of this example, the cooking time was about 9 minutes.

Although the above-mentioned embodiment is configured as described above, in the present invention, the timer 9 may have one drive mode, and may also be a mechanical timer or a digital timer.

Also, it is sufficient to have at least two firepower modes.

The thermal power mode in which the power is continuously energized may be omitted, and all the thermal power modes in which the power is intermittently energized may have an initial mode and a main mode. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to toaster ovens, but can of course be applied to ovens, ranges with heaters, and the like.

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the cooking device of the present invention, the amount of electricity supplied to the heater within a certain heating time is controlled by the control device in multiple stages while the amount of heat generated by the heater itself remains constant. This eliminates the need to switch the wattage of the heater during firepower control, and therefore, the firepower can be adjusted in multiple stages with a simple configuration without using many parts.

Moreover, the amount of electricity applied per unit time in at least one thermal power mode in which the non-energization time is set to a time other than zero is not always constant throughout the above-mentioned certain heating time, and the amount of electricity applied is large only at the initial stage of energization. The time it takes for the temperature of the heating chamber to reach the set temperature is short, so cooking time can be shortened and power consumption can also be reduced.

[Brief Description of the Drawings] Figures 1 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 1 being a block diagram, Figure 2 being a flowchart showing the control procedure for the thermal power mode, and Figure 3 being a timer control procedure. 4 is a cross-sectional view as seen from the arrow direction in Figure 3, Figure 5 is a front view of the operation panel of the toaster oven, and Figure 6 is a view taken from Vl-Vl in Figure 5.
7 is a front view showing the relationship between the timer knob and the scale, 8 and 9 are operation explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the drive mechanism, and 10 is a perspective view of the entire toaster oven. 11 are temperature characteristic diagrams showing changes in temperature rise in the heating chamber of the toaster oven. FIG. 12 is an electric circuit diagram showing the heat control structure of a conventional toaster oven. 4...Heating chamber, 6...Heater, 9...Timer 4
1... Control device, 42... Timer means, 44...
Firepower mode control means, 46... Relay 46a... Open/close switch, 72... Firepower switch (firepower selection means)
. Applicant's Representative Patent Attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A heater provided in a heating chamber, a heating power mode control means in which a plurality of heating power modes having different ratios of energized time and non-energized time to the heater are set, and a timer means are included. a control device that controls the cooking time; a heat power selection means that causes the plurality of heat power modes to be selected; a timer that causes the timer means to set a cooking time; and a timer that is operated by the control device within the cooking time; It has an opening/closing switch inserted in the energizing circuit for the heater, and a relay that opens and closes the switch in the selected thermal power mode, and at least one of the thermal power modes has a non-energizing time of zero. This is a thermal power mode that is set at a time other than 1. A heating cooker, characterized in that the energization time in the initial mode is longer than the energization time in the main mode.