Microwave oven with automatic cooking mode selecting function
First Claim
1. A microwave oven comprising:
- a) a heating chamber;
b) a plurality of cooking utensils detachably disposed in the heating chamber selectively in accordance with cooking contents, the cooking utensils including at least an upper top plate and a lower top plate disposed up and down in the heating chamber respectively and a food holder placed on the upper top plate;
c) a plurality of heat sources for heating food placed on or contained in at least one of the cooking utensils, the heat sources including a magnetron, an oven heater and a grill heater;
d) cooking utensil detecting means for detecting the cooking utensil disposed in the heating chamber;
e) cooking mode selecting means connected to the cooking utensil detecting means for selecting one of a plurality of cooking modes in accordance with a result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means, the cooking mode selecting means selecting a microwave cooking mode when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that neither the upper nor the lower top plate is present in the heating chamber, the cooking mode selecting means selecting a heater cooking mode when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that either the upper or the lower top plate is present in the heating chamber, the cooking mode selecting means further selecting either an oven mode or a grill mode on the basis of presence or absence of the food holder on the upper top plate when the heater cooking mode is selected; and
f) control means connected to the cooking mode selecting means for controlling any one of the magnetron, the oven heater and the grill heater in accordance with the cooking mode selected by the cooking mode selecting means on the basis of a cooking program according to the selected cooking mode.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A microwave oven includes a heating chamber, a plurality of cooking utensils detachably disposed in the heating chamber selectively in accordance with the cooking contents, a plurality of heat sources heating food placed on or contained in the cooking utensil and including a magnetron, an oven heater and a grill heater, optical sensors determining the cooking utensil disposed in the heating chamber, and a microcomputer. The cooking utensils include a glass dish, thawing gridiron, pot, upper and lower top plates, one-legged top plate, and gridiron. A microwave cooking mode is selected when the determination of the optical sensors indicates that neither upper nor lower top plate is present in the heating chamber. A heater cooking mode is selected when either upper or top plate is present. When the heater cooking mode is selected on the basis of presence of the upper top plate, either an oven mode or a grill mode is selected depending upon presence or absence of the gridiron. One of the heat sources in accordance with the selected cooking mode is controlled on the basis of a cooking program of the selected cooking mode by the microcomputer.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A microwave oven comprising:
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a) a heating chamber; b) a plurality of cooking utensils detachably disposed in the heating chamber selectively in accordance with cooking contents, the cooking utensils including at least an upper top plate and a lower top plate disposed up and down in the heating chamber respectively and a food holder placed on the upper top plate; c) a plurality of heat sources for heating food placed on or contained in at least one of the cooking utensils, the heat sources including a magnetron, an oven heater and a grill heater; d) cooking utensil detecting means for detecting the cooking utensil disposed in the heating chamber; e) cooking mode selecting means connected to the cooking utensil detecting means for selecting one of a plurality of cooking modes in accordance with a result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means, the cooking mode selecting means selecting a microwave cooking mode when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that neither the upper nor the lower top plate is present in the heating chamber, the cooking mode selecting means selecting a heater cooking mode when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that either the upper or the lower top plate is present in the heating chamber, the cooking mode selecting means further selecting either an oven mode or a grill mode on the basis of presence or absence of the food holder on the upper top plate when the heater cooking mode is selected; and f) control means connected to the cooking mode selecting means for controlling any one of the magnetron, the oven heater and the grill heater in accordance with the cooking mode selected by the cooking mode selecting means on the basis of a cooking program according to the selected cooking mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A microwave oven comprising:
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a) a heating chamber; b) a magnetron and a heater each heating food accommodated in the heating chamber; c) a plurality of heat cooking utensils detachably disposed in the heating chamber, the cooking utensils including top plates used in the heating by the heater and a plurality of microwave cooking utensils used in the heating by the magnetron selectively in accordance with cooking contents; d) cooking utensil detecting means for detecting the cooking utensil disposed in the heating chamber; e) cooking mode selecting means connected to the cooking utensil detecting means for selecting a heater cooking mode when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that the top plate is present in the heating, chamber, and for selecting any one of a warming mode, a thawing mode and a pot-used cooking mode in accordance with the result of detection of the microwave cooking utensil by the cooking utensil detecting means when the result of detection by the cooking utensil detecting means indicates that one of the microwave cooking utensils is present in the heating chamber; and f) control means connected to the cooking mode selecting means for controlling either the magnetron or the heater in accordance with the cooking mode selected by the cooking mode selecting means on the basis of a cooking program according to the selected cooking mode. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
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Specification