Abstract: There is provided a heating/cooking equipment capable of accurately determining boiling over. The heating/cooking equipment includes: a top plate (104) connected to a reference potential; a heating unit (105) configured to heat an object to be heated placed on the top plate; an electrode (106) arranged under the top plate; a capacitance detecting unit (107) configured to detect the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode; a boiling over detecting unit (108) configured to detect whether or not a material to be cooked in the object to be heated has boiled over on the top plate, based on a value of the electrostatic capacitance detected by the capacitance detecting unit; and a control unit (109) configured to control the heating operation of the heating unit based on a boiling over detection result from the boiling over detecting unit.

Abstract: An induction heating device according to the present invention includes an infrared ray sensor for detecting infrared rays radiated from a cooking container through a top plate, a light emitting device which is placed near the infrared ray sensor and emits light to the back surface of the top plate, and a heating control unit which controls a high-frequency current through a heating coil for controlling the heating of the cooking container. When the heating control unit has stopped the heating of the cooking container, and a predetermined time elapses at the heating-stopped state, the light emitting device is controlled to stop the light emission therefrom. This can improve durability of the light emitting device, which enables maintaining a function of clearly indicating a position at which the cooking container should be placed and a function of detecting failures in the infrared ray sensor, which are roles of the light emitting device.

Abstract: An induction-heating cooker includes an infrared sensor for detecting infrared rays emitted from a cooking container, a scorching detecting portion for outputting, when a temperature of the cooking container increases from a first set temperature and exceeds a second set temperature, scorching detection information based on infrared detection information of the infrared sensor in a heating mode in which a power can be set, and a loading detecting portion for detecting addition of a load such as, for example, a material to be cooked based on a change of the infrared detection information. Even if the scorching detecting portion outputs the scorching detection information before a cooking time measured from the start of a heating operation reaches a first set time, a controller continues the heating operation. If the loading detecting portion detects that the load has been added, the measured cooking time is cleared and measurement thereof is restarted.

Abstract: A rear surface of an operating region disposed forwardly of a top plate and colored is coated with conductor detecting units, each slotted to define a command display and a frame display therein and having a light shielding property, and associated conductor connectors, while a light shielding film having an insulating property is formed around them. A planar light emitting member is arranged below the conductor detecting units so as to confront them so that each of the conductor detecting units can be recognized as an operating button when the planar light emitting member emits light, but when the light emitting member is blacked out, such operating button can be made hard for the user to look at, thereby increasing the operability and the design feature of the outer appearance of a cooking appliance.

Abstract: A cooking device, that prevents erroneous operations which are not intended by a user, includes a top plate on an upper surface of a main body, a heating section to perform induction-heating of a bottom surface of an object to be heated that is placed on the upper portion of the main body, a control unit to control heating output of a heating coil, one or more operation switches at the top plate, a light source to illuminate the operation switch, and a connection terminal to electrically connect the operation switch to the control unit. The operation switch includes a conductive detection section to detect that a user touches the conductive detection section based on capacitance change, and a conductive connection section contacted with the connection terminal. The connection section is formed to be directly connected to a portion of an outer edge of the detection section.

Abstract: The disclosed induction heating cooking device includes a boiling-over detection portion which is adapted to reduce heating output from an inverter to a pre-set value if the amount of change of a capacitance detected by a capacitance detection portion from a reference value (Vo) is equal to or more than an output reduction threshold value (?V2), and further is adapted to stop heating, if the amount of change is equal to or more than an output stop threshold value (?V3). In this case, the output stop threshold value is provided for each of the plurality of the electrodes, which can absorb impedance variations in the plurality of the electrodes formed through pattern printing using conductive films, thereby uniformizing their sensitivity to boiling over in any directions.

Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a highly-reliable induction heating cooker capable of considerably reducing erroneous detection of boiling over of a cooking container generated at the time of cooking.

Abstract: An induction cooker includes a top plate (1) for placing an object to be heated thereon, a heating mode selection key (8) for allowing the user to select one control mode for heating the object to be heated between a manual heating mode in which the heat output is set by the user by using an output adjusting key (9) and at least another control mode in which the heat output is controlled automatically, and a heating off/on key (7) for starting to heat the object to be heated. In the standby mode, the controller starts heating only when the user operates the heating mode selection key (8) to change the mode to the cooking menu selection mode before operating the heating off/on key (7). When a predetermined time has elapsed in the cooking menu selection mode without a change in a selected control mode, the mode is changed to the standby mode.

Abstract: An induction heating cooker includes a scorching detection portion adapted to output scorching detection information, when the temperature of a cooking container comes to be equal to or higher than a second set temperature, based on infrared-ray detection information (A) from an infrared sensor for detecting infrared rays from the cooking container, in a heating mode which enables setting the output. A control portion is adapted to perform heating-output suppression operations for preventing the progress of scorching, when the scorching detection portion outputs scorching detection information. Further, the control portion is adapted to prohibit such heating-output suppression operations and to continue heating operations, even if the scorching detection portion outputs scorching detection information, until the measured cooking time period after start of heating operations reaches a first set elapsed time period (T1).

Abstract: In order to provide an induction heating cooker capable of preventing a phenomenon that a drive circuit is stopped or a high-frequency current is reduced because boiling over is erroneously determined due to a fluctuation in electrostatic capacitance during cooking, the induction heating cooker includes an inverter for supplying a current to a heating coil, a control portion for driving the inverter, an electrostatic capacitance detecting portion for measuring electrostatic capacitance of a plurality of electrodes, and a boiling over detecting portion.

Abstract: A cooking device includes, on its upper surface, an operation unit and a display unit. The operation unit includes a mode selection key for selecting one of a plurality of control modes, output increasing/decreasing keys for increasing and decreasing a set output and a set temperature, and time increasing/decreasing keys for increasing and decreasing heating. The mode selection key is separated from the time increasing/decreasing keys on the opposite side of the output increasing/decreasing keys. The display unit includes a numerical value display section for displaying a numerical value of a set value in the selected control mode, an output display section for displaying the set value for heating output, and a mode display section for displaying a cooking mode selected by using the mode selection key. The numerical value display section is separated from the mode display section on the opposite side of the output display section.

Abstract: Disclosed is an induction cooking device that is not likely to be affected by induction heating and wherein boiling-over can be detected. An induction cooking device has: a top plate on which a cooking container is placed; a heating coil that generates an induction magnetic field for heating the cooking container; a heating control unit that controls the heating power of the cooking container by controlling the high-frequency current supplied to the heating coil; electrodes disposed in a lower surface of the top plate; and an electrostatic capacity detector that detects changes in electrostatic capacity occurring in the electrodes when articles to be cooked contact with the top plate. When the electrostatic capacity detector senses changes in the electrostatic capacity of the electrodes, the heating control unit decreases or stops the heating power of the cooking container, and the electrodes are disposed outside of the outer circumference the heating coil.

Abstract: There is provided a heating/cooking equipment capable of accurately determining boiling over. The heating/cooking equipment includes: a top plate (104) connected to a reference potential; a heating unit (105) configured to heat an object to be heated placed on the top plate; an electrode (106) arranged under the top plate; a capacitance detecting unit (107) configured to detect the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode; a boiling over detecting unit (108) configured to detect whether or not a material to be cooked in the object to be heated has boiled over on the top plate, based on a value of the electrostatic capacitance detected by the capacitance detecting unit; and a control unit (109) configured to control the heating operation of the heating unit based on a boiling over detection result from the boiling over detecting unit.

Abstract: An induction heating device according to the present invention includes an infrared ray sensor for detecting infrared rays radiated from a cooking container through a top plate, a light emitting device which is placed near the infrared ray sensor and emits light to the back surface of the top plate, and a heating control unit which controls a high-frequency current through a heating coil for controlling the heating of the cooking container. When the heating control unit has stopped the heating of the cooking container, and a predetermined time elapses at the heating-stopped state, the light emitting device is controlled to stop the light emission therefrom. This can improve durability of the light emitting device, which enables maintaining a function of clearly indicating a position at which the cooking container should be placed and a function of detecting failures in the infrared ray sensor, which are roles of the light emitting device.

Abstract: An induction cooker includes a top plate (1) for placing an object to be heated thereon, a heating mode selection key (8) for allowing the user to select one control mode for heating the object to be heated between a manual heating mode in which the heat output is set by the user by using an output adjusting key (9) and at least another control mode in which the heat output is controlled automatically, and a heating off/on key (7) for starting to heat the object to be heated. In the standby mode, the controller starts heating only when the user operates the heating mode selection key (8) to change the mode to the cooking menu selection mode before operating the heating off/on key (7). When a predetermined time has elapsed in the cooking menu selection mode without a change in a selected control mode, the mode is changed to the standby mode.

Abstract: A rear surface of an operating region 47 disposed forwardly of a top plate 43 and colored is coated with conductor detecting units 49a to 51a, each slotted to define a command display 49c to 51c and a frame display 49b to 51b therein and having a light shielding property, and associated conductor connectors 55 to 57, while a light shielding film having an insulating property is formed around them. A planar light emitting member 60 is arranged below the conductor detecting units 49a to 51a so as to confront them so that each of the conductor detecting units can be recognized as an operating button when the planar light emitting member 60 emits light, but when the light emitting member 60 is blacked out, such operating button can be made hard for the user to look at, thereby increasing the operability and the design feature of the outer appearance of a cooking appliance.

Abstract: A cooking device capable of preventing erroneous operations which are not intended by a user is provided. The cooking device includes a top plate provided on an upper surface of a main body, a heating section operable to perform induction-heating a bottom surface of an object to be heated that is placed on the upper portion of the main body, a control unit operable to control a heating output of a heating coil, one or more operation switches (32a) provided at the top plate, a light source (17) operable to illuminate the operation switch, and a connection terminal operable to electrically connect the operation switch to the control unit. The operation switch (32a) include a conductive detection section (18) operable to detect that a user touches the conductive detection section based on capacitance change, and a conductive connection section (16) that is contacted with the connection terminal, and the connection section is formed to be directly connected to a portion of an outer edge of the detection section.

Abstract: A cooking device that is easy to use in terms of key operation is provided. A cooking device includes an operation unit (7a, 8a) and a display unit (7b, 8b) provided on an upper surface of the cooking device. The operation unit (7a, 8a) includes a mode selection key (21) for selecting any one of a plurality of control modes, output increasing/decreasing keys (22, 23) for increasing and decreasing a set output and a set temperature, and time increasing/decreasing keys (24, 25) for increasing and decreasing time for heating according to a timer. The mode selection key (21) is separated from the time increasing/decreasing keys (24, 25) on the opposite side of the output increasing/decreasing keys (22, 23).

Abstract: In order to heat and warm only the amount of water required in immediate future and to reduce a power consumption by avoiding warming of unnecessary water, a main body provided with a water storage container and a water heating container can be attached and detached and a water heating amount or a water warming amount to be heated at one time is reduced and divided, thus, power consumption during warming is reduced. Furthermore, since the water storage container is provided independently, water supply can be carried out conveniently regardless of the state of the water-heating container. Water supply to the water-heating container is carried out automatically using a water amount sensor, hence no operation by a user is required.

Abstract: In order to heat and warm only the amount of water required in immediate future and to reduce a power consumption by avoiding warming of unnecessary water, a main body provided with a water storage container and a water heating container can be attached and detached and a water heating amount or a water warming amount to be heated at one time is reduced and divided, thus, power consumption during warming is reduced. Furthermore, since the water storage container is provided independently, water supply can be carried out conveniently regardless of the state of the water-heating container. Water supply to the water-heating container is carried out automatically using a water amount sensor, hence no operation by a user is required.