Cooker with heating control system

• US 4,492,336 A
• Filed: 03/09/1983
• Issued: 01/08/1985
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/1982
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mori, Keiichi, Takata, Manabu, Inoue, Shojiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Wayner, William E.
• Application Number:
  US06/473,437
• Time in Patent Office: 671 Days
• Field of Search: 236/20 A, 126/39 G, 99/328, 99/329 R, 219/450, 374/107
• US Class Current: 236/20.00A
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 36/32 Time-controlled igniting mechanisms or alarm devices
• CPC Class Codes: F24C 7/087 of electric circuits regulating heat
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 23/1917 using digital means

Abstract

A high performance automatic temperature control system enables fries and Japanese tempura to be prepared in optimum condition.

The temperature of the outer bottom surface of a container being heated is measured by a temperature sensor a given time later. A temperature rise gradient of the temperature sensor established at a given time in the initial stage of heating is used as a temperature correction value peculiar to the container, while a temperature rise gradient of the temperature sensor established after a certain temperature has been reached is used as a temperature correction value for the amount of food being cooked. The former and latter temperature correction values are converted into preset temperature values and serve as operating temperatures for the temperature sensor.

When the temperature sensor reaches the operating temperature, the heating rate is controlled to hold the operating temperature. Thus, the system performs automatic temperature control irrespective of the kind of the material, wall thickness and size of the container, by means of the temperature rise gradients of the temperature sensor so as to ensure that the preset temperature and the temperature of the food are equal.

Claims

1. A cooking temperature control system comprising:

a means for heating food to be cooked, a temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature of a temperature sensor in contact with the bottom of a pan, a temperature presetting section that can be preset as desired, a temperature correcting section for correcting a preset temperature by a pan kind detecting section attached to said temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature rise gradient of the pan bottom, and a heat quantity control section for delivering a control signal to a heating control means for controlling the heating rate of said heating means, wherein the temperature signal from said temperature detecting section and the temperature corrected by said temperature correcting section are compared with each other in a comparing section which is operatively connected to said heat quantity control section, and wherein the heat quantity control section increases or decreases the amount of heat generated by said heating means and controlled by said heating control means or stops it so as to maintain the temperature of the food at a constant value.

2. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to calculate the correction temperature as a function of the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom established at a given time immediately after ignition.

3. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section has a correcting section based on the heating start temperature.

4. A cooking temperature control system, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section corrects a predetermined temperature if the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom at a given time is above or below comparison values calculated as a function of the heating start temperature.

5. A cooking temperature control system, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section corrects a predetermined temperature if the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom at a given time is above or below comparison values calculated as a function of the heating start temperature.

6. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the comparing section compares temperature signals from the temperature sensor detected at given time intervals by the temperature detecting section with the correction temperature in the temperature correcting section.

7. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 1, wherein if the sum of the temperature corrected by the pan kind detecting section or cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section, and the preset temperature in the temperature setting section is above a predetermined upper limit temperature, it is controlled by said upper limit temperature.

8. A cooking temperature control system comprising:

a means for heating food being cooked, a temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature of said food through a temperature sensor in contact with the bottom of a pan, a temperature presetting section that can be preset as desired, a temperature correcting section for correcting a preset temperature by a cooking amount detecting section attached to said temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature rise gradient of the food by the temperature of the bottom of a pan, and a heat quantity control section for delivering a control signal to a heating control means for controlling the heating rate of said heating means, wherein the temperature signal from said temperature detecting section and the temperature corrected by said temperature correcting section are compared with each other in a comparing section which is operatively connected to said heat quantity control section, and wherein the heat quantity control section increases or decreases the amount of heat generated by said heating means and controlled by said heating control means or stops it so as to maintain the temperature of the food at a constant value.

9. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to calculate the correction temperature as a function of the gradient esablished at a given time after the temperature rise of the pan bottom has been stabilized in conformity with the amount of cooking.

10. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to be heated by the means which heats the food, and measurement is made after the temperature sensor has detected the measurement start temperature.

11. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 9, including a control section which, if the temperature to be corrected in the cooking amout detecting section of the gradient detecting section is above or below predetermined values, controls the correction temperature to said predetermined value.

12. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 8, wherein the comprising section compares temperature signals from the temperature sensor detected at given time intervals by the temperature detecting section with the correction temperature in the temperature correcting section.

13. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 8, wherein if the sum of the temperature corrected by the pan kind detecting section or cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section, and the preset temperature in the temperature setting section is above a predetermined upper limit temperature, it is controlled by said upper limit temperature.

14. A cooking temperature control system comprising:

a means for heating food being cooked, a temperature detecting station for detecting the temperature of a temperature sensor in contact with the bottom of a pan, a temperature presetting section that can be preset as desired, a temperature correcting section having a gradient detecting section attached to said temperature detecting section for detecting the temperature rise gradient of the pan bottom, said temperature correcting section being adapted to cooperate with a pan kind detecting section and a cooking amount detecting section included in the gradient detecting section so as to correct the preset temperature, and a heating control means for controlling the heating rate of said heating means, wherein the temperature signal from said temperature detecting section and the temperature correcting section are compared with each other by a comparing section which is operatively connected to said heat quantity control section, and wherein the heat quantity control section increases or decreases the amount of heat generated by said heating means or stops it so as to maintain the temperature of the food at a constant value.

15. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 14, wherein if the sum of the temperature corrected by the pan kind detecting section or cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section, and the preset temperature in the temperature setting section is above a predetermined upper limit temperature, it is controlled by said upper limit temperature.

16. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to calculate the correction temperature as a function of the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom established at a given time immediately after ignition.

17. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section has a correcting section based on the heating start temperature.

18. A cooking temperature control system, as set forth in claim 17, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section corrects a predetermined temperature if the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom at a given time is above or below comparison values calculated as a function of the heating start temperature.

19. A cooking temperature control system, as set forth in claim 16, wherein the pan kind detecting section of the gradient detecting section corrects a predetermined temperature if the gradient of temperature rise of the pan bottom at a given time is above or below comparison values calculated as a function of the heating start temperature.

20. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to calculate the correction temperature as a function of the gradient established at a given time after the temperature rise of the pan bottom has been stabilized in conformity with the amount of cooking.

21. A cooking temperature system as set forth in claim 20, wherein the cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section is arranged to be heated by the means which heats the food, and measurement is made after the temperature sensor has detected the measurement start temperature.

22. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 20, including a control section which, if the temperature to be corrected in the cooking amount detecting section of the gradient detecting section is above or below predetermined values, controls the correction temperature to said predetermined value.

23. A cooking temperature control system as set forth in claim 14, wherein the comparing section compares temperature signals from the temperature sensor detected at given time intervals by the temperature detecting section with the correction temperature in the temperature correcting section.