KR101982781B1 - Output control device of electric range for controlling the heating cycle according to the cooking time - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device for controlling an output of an electric range comprises: an input part for receiving an input for setting a heating step from a user; a heating part for applying heat to an object to be heated; a sensor part for measuring a temperature of the heat applied to the object to be heated; and a control part for controlling a duty such that an output of the heating part repeats an ON state and an OFF state in accordance with a predetermined period when a requested heating step is less than or equal to a reference value, and controlling the duty of the heating part such that the temperature measured by the sensor part is maintained at an appropriate temperature corresponding to the heating step. The control part controls the duty of the heating part on the basis of a firmware programmed into an assembly language.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an output control device of an electric range for controlling a heating period according to a cooking time,

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an output control apparatus of an electric range for controlling a heat generation period according to the time required for cooking. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for controlling the period of discontinuous output of an electric range using assembly-based firmware.

Generally, an electric range means a device for heating a cooking appliance by electricity. Such an electric range is attracting attention as a substitute for a gas range because of heat conductivity, volume, environmental pollution, safety, and the like. The electric range can be divided into highlights in which the top plate is heated according to the heating method, induction heating using the hot plate and magnetic field, and the like. Recently, a hybrid type electric range that supports both highlights and induction functions is also emerging.

Such an electric range controls the average heat output level in a manner that alternately operates between an ON state and an OFF state when driven at a low level. However, conventionally, the ON / OFF cycle can not be reduced below a certain value. Accordingly, the low temperature cooking using the electric range has a great difference in the cooking using the gas range and the result thereof.

[Related Patent Literature]

Patent Document 10-2016-0028909 (Induction Device and Temperature Control Method)

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and it is intended to solve the problem caused by a temperature deviation of a cooked food by increasing the speed of switching between ON and OFF states in a low-stage firepower.

An apparatus for controlling an output of an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an input unit for receiving an input for setting a heating step from a user, a heating unit for applying heat to the heating target, The controller controls the duty so that the output of the heating unit repeats an ON state and an OFF state according to a predetermined period when the requested heat generation step is equal to or lower than a reference value. The temperature measured by the sensor unit corresponds to an appropriate temperature corresponding to the heating step The control unit controls the duty of the heat generating unit based on the firmware programmed into the assembly.

According to the present invention, it is possible to increase the speed at which the ON / OFF repetition function of the output performed at a low temperature is performed, thereby preventing the cooking failure due to the temperature deviation in the cooking process.

Also, since the present invention performs an instantaneous change in the output power level with respect to the abnormal temperature, the deviation of the heat generation temperature can be reduced and the stable heating function can be performed.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart showing a sequence of an output control operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A to 4C are diagrams showing operation differences according to duty information in an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A and 5B are graphs showing a temperature holding method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail.

It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprises", "having", and the like are intended to specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

In this specification, an electric range can be understood as a concept including a highlight, a hot plate, an induction, and a hybrid (induction). The highlight and the hot plate are driven by a top plate heating method, and the induction means an electric range supporting a heating method by magnetic induction. Hybrid (Induction) can mean an electric range equipped with both induction and high ride.

Hereinafter, a configuration of an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1, an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention may include an input unit 110, a display unit 120, a sensor unit 130, a communication unit 140, a storage unit 150, a drive control unit 160, a heater 170, and a controller 180 .

The input unit 110 generates input data according to a user's operation. That is, the user selects a heating element to be used among a plurality of heating elements (e.g., a firebox) through the input unit 110, sets a heating step of the selected heating element (for example, may be set to one to ten steps) Setting, and so on.

In addition, the input unit 110 may select a specific automatic cooking according to a user's operation. Accordingly, the control unit 180 can generate a control signal corresponding to the cooking time and the output power corresponding to the selected cooking function through the input unit 110.

Also, according to various embodiments, the input unit 110 may receive information such as a timer, information on the type of cooking utensil placed on the crater of the electric range, and the like.

 The input unit 110 may be implemented as input means such as a button, a dial, and a touchpad.

The display unit 120 may display an operation state of the electric range. Here, the operation state includes the operation state of each heating element, the temperature of the heating element in operation, the operation time of the heating element in operation, the operation remaining time of the heating element in operation, the residual heat information, etc. can do.

The display unit 120 may be implemented as a display unit such as a 7-segment LCD and a liquid crystal display (LCD).

The sensor unit 130 may include a temperature sensor. The sensor unit 130 may be provided at a position adjacent to the high-speed switching device or the working coil in which a large amount of heat is generated according to the embodiment of the present invention. When the temperature sensor is installed at a position adjacent to the high-speed switching device, it can be installed in a heat sink that dissipates heat of the working coil.

According to various embodiments, the sensor unit 130 may include a weight detection sensor capable of measuring the weight applied to the upper plate. Accordingly, when the user selects a specific menu to perform the automatic cooking function, the sensor unit 130 can support the automatic checking of the quantity information. For example, when the sensor unit 130 transmits the measured weight to the controller 180, the controller 180 determines whether the amount corresponding to the weight is 2 or 3, It is possible to control the timer to be set by the cooking time.

The communication unit 140 may perform communication functions such as NFC, RFID, ZigBee, Bluetooth or WiFi for wireless communication with an external device. The external device may be a smart phone, an external server (eg, an external server providing cooking information for an electric range), a smart outlet, or a smart refrigerator. According to various embodiments, the communication unit 140 can receive information related to the automatic cooking function through an external device. The information related to the automatic cooking function may be information on the heating temperature automatically and the time to be heated to a specific heating temperature as the cooking menu and the cooking amount are selected. In addition, the information related to the automatic cooking function may include information related to a change amount and change in the heating temperature (including at least two or more heating steps, duration information corresponding to each heating step, and change order information of the heating step) . For example, the automatic cooking information for one cooked egg can be set as follows: (1) 10 minutes to 2 steps, (2) 5 minutes to 3 steps, and (3) 2 minutes to 8 steps.

The communication unit 140 can receive the automatic cooking information and the control unit 180 can perform an output control function based on the automatic cooking information received through the communication unit 140. [ The automatic cooking information received through the communication unit 140 may be stored in the storage unit 150 according to various embodiments.

The communication unit 140 may receive information on the cooking time of each menu in cooperation with the user smartphone according to various embodiments and may transmit the information to the controller 180 or the storage unit 150. [

The storage unit 130 may store a plurality of information for controlling the operation of the electric range. For example, the storage unit 130 stores a reference value for determining an overcurrent, an output power level for each heating stage (e.g., a power level of one stage is 200 W, a power level of two stages is 300 W, (E.g., duty ratio, power output time and power output interruption time, one cycle value, etc.), an appropriate temperature for each heating stage, and the like.

 In this case, the duty information may include duty ratio (ON time / (ON + OFF) time), output period, output time, and output stop time. The power level may mean the power of the output power. The heat generation step may be set to 10 or less steps so as to be easy for the user to recognize. If the heating step is 5, the corresponding power level may be 500W. And 500W power can be obtained by repeating ON and OFF of output of 1000W intensity at the same time ratio. Hereinafter, when the actual output power level is 1000 W or the power level of 500 W is determined to be output by the duty setting, the value corresponding to 500 W will be referred to as an average output.

Also, the storage unit 150 may store various measured electrical values and measured temperature values. Also, the storage unit 130 may store a duty change value, various default values, error code information, or a warning message phrase for decreasing the amount of output, decreasing the output and decreasing the output (decreasing the average output) Can be stored.

 The driving controller 160 may include a plurality of switching elements. The switching elements may determine power supply or dissipation. In addition, the drive controller 160 may include a plurality of power controllers for controlling power supplied to the heater 170 according to a user's temperature setting (output setting). The power controllers may be implemented as inverters. The plurality of power controllers are located between the corresponding switching elements and the heating elements, respectively, and can control the supply power according to a preset output among the maximum available power to be supplied to the corresponding heating elements.

The heating unit 170 includes a plurality of heating elements that generate heat using power supplied through the driving control unit 160. A heating element is an induction heater (a heater using an induction current generated by a magnetic field as a heat source, an electric current is generated in the metal by electromagnetic induction when a metal is placed on the heater and the metal is heated by a joule heat) a heater, a ceramic heater, a plate heater, and the like.

Each heating element (culvert) may have the same maximum output or different maximum output. The size of the crater can vary depending on the maximum output of a number of heating elements.

The control unit 180 may control the output unit to output the output value corresponding to the requested step when the temperature of the electric range is requested through the input unit 110. Also, when the specific heating step requested by the user corresponds to a step lower than a preset reference value (e.g., step 7), the controller 180 controls the ON / OFF repetitive output according to the duty information setting and the set duty information have. At this time, the controller 180 can fix the ON / OFF repetition output period so that the cycle does not exceed a predetermined value (e.g., 1/60 second).

The controller 180 may control ON / OFF repetitive output of the heat generator 170 according to firmware programmed in an assembly language belonging to a low-level language other than a high-level language such as C language according to an embodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, the control unit 180 controls ON / OFF of the heating unit 170 at a significantly shorter period than the conventional period (for example, 3 seconds or more) (the control unit 180 controls the driving control unit 160 Can be controlled).

More specifically, the ON / OFF repetitive output of the electric range can usually be controlled by software programmed using a high-level language such as C language or Java. A conventional method using a high-level language is characterized in that a command written in a high-level language is finally subjected to a conversion process (compilation) in order to finally apply the command to the driving control unit 160 (which may mean a switching element or a heating controller). On the other hand, when ON / OFF output control is performed through a program (firmware) manufactured in an assembly language, there is no need to perform a compiling process for translating a high-level language (for example, C language) into a low-level language The command can be applied at a high speed.

The reason why a command written in a lower level language can be applied at a higher speed than a program written in a high-level language is not limited to the necessity of the above compilation. In a program written in a high-level language, operations for controlling a machine (for example, a switching device) and hardware operations are not matched in a 1: 1 manner, and unnecessary information is processed in the application process. For this reason, the control method based on a program written in a high-level language has a relatively slow response speed as compared with the 1: 1 matching method. On the other hand, firmware written in a low-level language (assembly language) has an intermediate nature between hardware and software, and it can control ON / OFF repetition output at a relatively high speed because it transmits a 1: 1 matching command with hardware operation .

According to various embodiments, the controller 180 can operate the control function of the firmware only when the ON / OFF repetitive output function of the heat generator is controlled.

Although not shown in the drawing, the electric range may include a speaker for outputting a warning message and information on a setting change value by voice, a microphone for receiving a user's voice command for output value manipulation, A weight sensor, a timer, and the like for determining whether or not a heating object is present.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a controller 180 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the control unit 170 includes a heating condition determination unit 181, an output information setting unit 182, a continuous output control unit 183, and a discontinuous output control unit 184 .

The heating condition determining unit 181 can determine whether the temperature measured by the sensor unit 130 (e.g., temperature sensor) and the reference temperature corresponding to the set heating period are equal to or greater than a predetermined value. The heating state determination unit 181 may determine that the output control request state is an output control request state when it is determined that an error has occurred by a predetermined value or more.

The output information setting unit 182 may determine an operation based on a result of determining whether the output state is requested by the heat generation state determination unit. The output information setting unit 182 can change at least one output related setting information when it is determined that the output adjustment request state is set. The output-related setting information may include duty information (duty ratio, duty cycle, etc.), an initial value of the output power level, a possible range of the power level, and the like.

The heating state determination unit 181 may determine the output adjustment request state by various methods. Particularly, the heating condition determiner 181 may request the output information setting unit 182 to control the output power level or the duty information based on the predicted temperature after a predetermined time instead of the current temperature.

For example, the heating condition determining unit 181 may determine the temperature rising rate based on the temperature measured by the sensor unit, the power level corresponding to the selected heating stage, and the reference temperature. The temperature prediction can be performed after a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds). At this time, the heating condition determining unit 181 can determine the time point at which the error between the predicted temperature and the reference temperature (the reference temperature corresponding to the selected heating step) becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

When the heating state determination unit 181 determines the necessity of controlling the temperature at a future time (for example, three seconds later) through the temperature prediction, the output information setting unit 182 determines that the error between the predicted temperature and the reference temperature It is possible to determine a time point at which the changed output related information is to be applied based on the information about the time point at which the value becomes equal to or greater than the set value. For example, assuming that the temperature at the specific point in time (point A) is predicted to be 73 degrees, the output information setting unit 182 should control the temperature at point A to be lowered by 3 degrees to maintain the temperature at 70 degrees, The power level can be controlled to be reduced by 100 W, or the duty ratio (ratio of output time to cycle) can be reduced by 10%. The point in time at which the changed output related information is applied (A point) - (10 seconds) in the above supposition situation can be considered.

 Also, the heating condition determiner 181 can determine whether the output adjustment request status is based on various items. The heating condition determining unit 181 outputs an output based on an evaluation item including a current temperature measured by the sensor unit, a predicted temperature increase based on a currently output power level, a remaining time set in the timer, It is possible to judge whether or not it is an adjustment request state. Also, the heating condition determiner 181 may determine whether the automatic cooking function is selected, and determine whether the output adjustment request status and the time at which the error between the predicted temperature and the reference temperature is greater than a predetermined value. When the automatic cooking function is selected, the heating condition determining unit 181 obtains information on the cooking time and the heating period corresponding to the selected cooking type, and determines the temperature rising rate and the temperature after a predetermined time based on the obtained information And it is possible to determine the time when the error between the predicted temperature and the reference temperature becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

The output information setting unit 182 can select an item of the output related setting information to be changed depending on whether the requested heating step is equal to or higher than a reference value. For example, when the requested heat generation step is lower than the reference value (for example, if the 6th step of the heat generation step set from the first step to the 10th step is the reference, the first to sixth steps may be judged as the heat generation step below the reference value) The power level of the output power, the duration of the output at the set power level, and the duration of the output interruption. This will include the time to sustain the output interruption because the heat generation function will be performed through the ON / OFF repetitive output method in the heating step below the reference value.

The output information setting unit 182 may include an initial value of the output power level, a control range of the power level, and a time at which the output is maintained at the set power level, as a change item when the requested heat generation step is equal to or higher than the reference value.

The control unit 180 may include a continuous output control unit 183 and a discontinuous output control unit 184. The continuous output control unit 183 outputs an output based on the output related information set by the output information setting unit 182 when the requested heat generation step is equal to or greater than a reference value Can be controlled. At this time, the continuous output section 184 can control the drive control section 160 to keep the ON state continuously without repeating ON / OFF.

The discontinuous output control unit 184 may operate when the heating stage of the reference value director is set. The discontinuous output control unit 184 can control the ON / OFF repetitive output of the driving control unit 160. According to various embodiments, the discontinuous output controller 184 may control the switching elements of the drive controller 160 by assembly-based firmware.

3 is a flowchart showing a sequence of an output control operation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 180 according to the embodiment of the present invention may perform operation 310 to determine whether or not a heating step of less than a preset reference value is requested. If the controller 180 determines that the requested heating step is not the heating step that is lower than the preset reference value, the controller 180 may control to perform the operation 320 of continuously outputting the power corresponding to the heating step. In this case, the operation 320 may be performed by the continuous output control unit 183.

On the other hand, when the requested heat generation step is a heat generation step equal to or lower than a preset reference value, the controller 180 may perform the operation 315 for selecting the duty information and the output power level for each heat generation step. Then, the controller 180 may perform the operation 325 for outputting the selected power level according to the selected duty information. Concretely, the 315 operation and the 3225 operation may be performed by the discontinuous output control unit 184.

Further, according to various embodiments, the electric range of the present invention may be estimated based on the remaining time of the timer, the coefficient of the type of the cooking tool (e.g., stainless steel, steel plate, etc.), the current temperature measured by the sensor, Duty information and output power level can be changed based on the increase temperature.

4A to 4C are diagrams showing operation differences according to duty information in an electric range according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A is a graph showing a continuous output operation. The operation of continuously outputting a specific power level without the OFF state as shown in FIG. 4A can be performed when a heating step of a predetermined reference value or more is set. According to FIG. 4A, 1000W is continuously output, so that heat corresponding to 1000W output is generated.

Figures 4B and 4C show graphs of discontinuous output operation. Figure 4b is an example of a discrete output in a conventional manner, and Figure 4c illustrates an example of a discrete output in accordance with the present invention. 4B shows a state in which the ON / OFF control of the output is performed at a period corresponding to the sum of 410 and 415, and FIG. 4C shows a state in which the ON / OFF of the output is controlled at a period corresponding to the sum of 420 and 425 It means. 4B and 4C, the average power can be measured equally to 500W, assuming that the output power level is 1000W and has the same duty ratio. However, even if the duty ratio is the same in actual cooking situation, the speed at which the ON / OFF is performed, that is, the periodic size, has a great influence on the cooking result, and the difference may become noticeable as the cooking process is shortened. For example, assuming that 410 and 415 are respectively 10 seconds and 420 and 425 are 0.1 second, the duty ratio is the same in FIG. 4B and FIG. 4C, but the cooking result (taste and shape, etc.) Lt; / RTI > Especially, in case of egg jjim which should be cooked for a relatively short period of time relatively short, if the output is turned off 10 seconds after turning on the output for 10 seconds, the average output power may cause the contents to fall into the pot even if the average output power is low.

5A and 5B are graphs showing a temperature holding method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A is a graph showing the temperature change of the discontinuous output operation according to the conventional method. In the case of performing the discontinuous output operation according to the conventional method, since it can not perform an immediate response (e.g., change in the output power level) in response to the current temperature due to a relatively long cycle, It is difficult to maintain.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, according to the output operation according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the period is short and the coping is instantaneously responded to the present temperature, the temperature transmitted to the heating target can be maintained constant do.

In the electric range, there is a set temperature corresponding to the heating stage set by the user, and a control function (PID control) for maintaining the set temperature can be performed. The temperature control can be performed based on the temperature measured by a temperature sensor (which may be installed under the top plate in the case of an induction, and the heating temperature can be determined by measuring the bottom temperature of the cooking vessel). That is, even in a heating step of a predetermined reference value or more that performs continuous output, an appropriate temperature corresponding to each heating step (for example, the 7th step may be set to 160 degrees, the 8th step to 180 degrees, and the 10th step to 200 degrees) The temperature control function can be performed in such a manner as to reduce the power level output to the heater. In this process, the period of temperature sensing and output power changing operation for temperature control can also be adjusted. For example, according to various embodiments of the present invention, when the controller determines that a menu having a short total cooking time is cooked, it is possible to reduce the output power changing period for temperature control. In addition, the present invention can perform a temperature control function for maintaining an appropriate temperature corresponding to each heating stage through various setting changes.

Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above examples, those skilled in the art will be able to make adaptations, changes and modifications to these examples without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, in order to achieve the intended effect of the present invention, all the functional blocks shown in the drawings are separately included or all the steps shown in the drawings are not necessarily followed in the order shown, It can be in the range.

110: input unit
120:
130:
140:
150:
160:
170:
180:
181:
182: Output information setting section
183: Continuous output control section
184: Discrete output control unit

Claims (1)

An output control device for an electric range,
An input unit for receiving an input for setting a heating step from a user;
A heating unit for applying heat to the heating target;
A sensor unit for measuring the temperature of the heat applied to the heating target; And
Wherein the control unit controls the duty so that the output of the heat generating unit repeats the ON state and the OFF state according to a predetermined period when the requested heating step is equal to or less than a preset reference value, A control unit for controlling the duty of the heating unit to maintain the temperature; Lt; / RTI >
The sensor unit includes:
A weight detection sensor capable of measuring a weight applied to an upper plate of the electric range; Further comprising:
Wherein,
A heating condition determining unit for determining that the output control is requested when the temperature measured by the sensor unit and the reference temperature corresponding to the set heating temperature are equal to or greater than a predetermined value; And
An output information setting unit for changing at least one output-related setting information according to the determination as the adjustment requesting state by the heating condition determining unit; Lt; / RTI >
The heat-generating-
Wherein the automatic cooking information acquisition unit acquires automatic cooking information including information on a heating step corresponding to a selected cooking type when the automatic cooking function is selected, receives the measured weight from the weight sensing sensor, Determining the quantity information corresponding to the delivered weight, setting the cooking time and the heating temperature for each heating stage corresponding to the cooking quantity in comparison with the automatic cooking information, and comparing the temperature measured by the sensor unit, A temperature rise rate is determined based on information on a coefficient for each type of cooking utensil corresponding to the heating object, a power level corresponding to the heating stage, and a reference temperature, predicts a temperature after a predetermined time, A time point at which the error becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value is judged,
The output-
Determining a time to apply the changed output related information based on information on a time point at which the error between the predicted temperature and the reference temperature becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value,
Selecting an item to be changed according to whether the requested heating step is higher than or equal to the reference value,
When the requested heat generation step is equal to or lower than the reference value, the output power level, the duration of the output at the set power level, and the duration of the output interruption,
An initial value of the output power level, a control range of the power level, and a time at which the output is maintained at the set power level when the requested heating step is higher than the reference value,
Wherein,
A duty ratio for controlling the duty of the heat generating unit is determined and a duty cycle of the heat generating unit is controlled by determining a cycle in which the output of the heat generating unit repeats the ON state and the OFF state based on the duty ratio, The control unit controls the duty of the heating unit based on the temperature of the heating unit so that the temperature of the heating unit can be instantaneously changed when the temperature measured by the sensor unit is changed to maintain the proper temperature and obtain information on the total cooking time, Wherein the control unit decreases the period.

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