Abstract: A microwave oven comprises a high frequency generator which is formed by a magnetron 5, a high-voltage transformer 6 and a high-voltage capacitor 7, and a cooling device 8 for cooling these components. The heating power of the high frequency generator is reinforced as compared with the cooling power of the cooling device, and there is such a possibility that the magnetron and the like are subjected to abnormal temperature rise if the high frequency generator is continuously driven at the maximum high frequency output. Therefore, if the user sets a heating time for quick heating at the maximum high frequency output in excess of a prescribed maximum allowable heating time of five minutes, driving of the magnetron is inhibited. If quick heating is repetitively performed, the prescribed maximum allowable heating time is corrected in time relation with preceding heating.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a fluorescent display tube controls selectively light emission of a plurality of display segments (7a to 7g) provided in a fluorescent display tube (1) so that desired data may be displayed. This apparatus is for example combined with a microwave oven, so as to display the cooking time or the remaining cooking time required for control of the microwave oven or to display the present time of day or other data. Among the display segments (7a to 7g), at least the display segments emitting light relatively less frequently are forced to emit light with predetermined timing, for example, each time cooking operation is ended, whereby irregularities in the frequency for light emission among the display segments (7a to 7g) can be avoided. As a result, no difference is caused in the display brightness in the respective display segments (7a to 7g) and accordingly, clearly visible display can be made.

Abstract: In a microwave oven in which microwave heating is controlled by the output value of a temperature sensor, a microcomputer is provided to control the microwave heating in such a manner that the microwave heating is continued until the output value of the temperature sensor exceeds a first temperature, and once the output value exceeds the first temperature, the microwave heating is stopped for several periods of time and the output value of the temperature sensor is detected for avoiding the bad effect of noise due to the microwave oscillation.

Abstract: A microwave oven with a microprocessor and a read only memory for storing a plurality of cooking programs corresponding to a plurality of recipes. The cooking program corresponding to each recipe comprises data concerning a heating energy intensity and a cooking time period as determined for a unit quantity of a material to be cooked. The microwave oven is adapted for the entry of data representing the actual quantity of a material to be cooked relative to said unit quantity, and the microprocessor is adapted such that the cooking time period of a selected cooking program is modified as a function of said quantity data, whereby a modified cooking time period is set. A magnetron oscillator is controlled based on the heating energy intensity read out from the selected cooking program and the modified cooking time period prepared by means of the microprocessor, whereby a heat cooking operation best suited for the actual quantity of the material to be cooked is automatically performed.

Abstract: An electric cooking oven for use a normal cooking mode and defrost mode is provided which comprises a detector for detecting a temperature of a food body during cooking thereof, the detector comprising a thermistor which detachably attached to the food body to sense the temperature thereof. A circuit is provided for compensating the gradient of the output characteristics of the temperature detector to increase the gradient of the output characteristic curve of the resistance of the thermistor as a function of temperature in when the thermistor is operating in a temperature range in which it has a low accuracy of temperature sensing.

Abstract: An infrared radiation detector is provided for receiving an infrared radiation emitted from a material being cooked placed in a cooking chamber in a microwave oven. The microwave oven is provided with a keyboard, a digital display and a microcomputer, such that when a temperature operation mode is set by entry from the keyboard the set temperature data is stored in a memory. In the temperature operation mode, the temperature of the material being cooked is detected in terms of a voltage associated with the output from the infrared radiation detector and a magnetron of the microwave oven is energized until the above described detected voltage becomes equal to the set temperature data and the magnetron is deenergized when both coincide with each other. In the temperature operation mode the temperature of the material being cooked is displayed by the digital display.

Abstract: A microwave oven including a keyboard, a microwave generating circuit, and a microprocessor for controlling the same. The keyboard has function keys for setting cooking conditions, numeral keys, and a memory key for commanding storage and retrieval of cooking information from a random access memory. The microprocessor is responsive to an operation of the memory key to transfer cooking information set by the function keys and numeral keys, from a buffer memory to a particular storing stage of the random access memory, according to the setting of a number of flag bits in the buffer memory. New cooking information is then transferred to the buffer memory from the next storing stage of the random access memory, and the flag bits are reset to indicate which storing stage corresponds to this information.

Abstract: An infrared radiation detector is provided for receiving an infrared radiation emitted from a material being cooked placed in a cooking chamber in a microwave oven. The microwave oven is provided with a keyboard, a digital display and a microcomputer, such that when a temperature operation mode is set by entry from the keyboard the set temperature data is stored in a memory. In the temperature operation mode, the temperature of the material being cooked is detected in terms of a voltage associated with the output from the infrared radiation detector and a magnetron of the microwave oven is energized until the above described detected voltage becomes equal to the set temperature data and the magnetron is deenergized when both coincide with each other. In the temperature operation mode the temperature of the material being cooked is displayed by the digital display.

Abstract: A microwave oven comprises two microprocessors. One microprocessor is responsive to entry of the data from a keyboard to control an external storage and to provide the data concerning a cooking condition to the other microprocessor. The other microprocessor is responsive to the data obtained from one microprocessor to make a display thereof and to control generation of the high frequency energy based on the data concerning a cooking condition included in the above described data. Transfer of the data from one microprocessor to the other microprocessor is made responsive to coincidence of individual synchronizing signals of the respective microprocessors or is made responsive to interruption to one microprocessor from the other microprocessor.