JP2019075323A - Radio frequency heating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a high-frequency heating device capable of suppressing discharge of a heated object in accordance with a change in state of the heated object during heating. A high-frequency heating apparatus includes an electrode plate (upper electrode 1a, lower electrode 1b), a high-frequency power source (voltage applying unit 20) that supplies high-frequency power to the electrode plate, and a height of an object to be heated (for example, 8). , A height detector 13 for detecting the height from the lower electrode 1b) and a position changing mechanism (movable part 7) for changing the position of the electrode plate. The height detection unit 13 detects the height of the object to be heated 8 during the heating of the object to be heated 8. The position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate in accordance with the change in the height of the heated object 8 detected by the height detector 13, and the size of the gap between the electrode plate and the heated object 8. Change the height. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a high frequency heating apparatus that applies a high frequency electric field to an object to be heated such as food to perform heat treatment, thawing processing, and the like.

  The high frequency heating device applies a high frequency high voltage between two electrodes, and performs dielectric heating with a material to be defrosted (a material to be heated) being a dielectric interposed therebetween. In such a high frequency heating apparatus, it is desirable to make the gap between the electrode and the material to be thawed as small as possible so that the material to be thawed can be efficiently heated in a short time.

  However, if the gap between the electrode and the extract is too small, a high voltage may be applied between the electrode and the extract to cause discharge. Burns occur in the discharged parts, making it difficult to use as a food.

  In order to solve such problems, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that high frequency is not generated substantially by forming an air gap between the electrode and the thawing material by pressing the electrode against the thawing material. A heating method for applying a voltage is disclosed.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a high-frequency thawing device which does not bring the upper electrode plate into contact with the to-be-extracted material by moving the electrode plate to a position separated by a fixed distance from the to-be-extracted material It is disclosed.

JP 2004-275141 A JP-A-8-167472

  Fish such as tuna caught in the ocean are frozen and stored immediately after catching to keep fresh. Since the frozen tuna is frozen without undergoing a post-mortem process called shrinkage, shrinkage may occur with thawing.

  When this contraction occurs, the tuna is deformed. When thawing is performed with a high frequency heating device, a portion where the distance between the electrode and the food becomes narrow may be generated due to the deformation, which may cause discharge. Burns will occur at the discharged points, making them unusable as sashimi.

  At the time of thawing of such a to-be-thawed material such as tuna, the discharge of the to-be-thawed material can be suppressed to a certain extent by using the techniques disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 described above. However, as in the heating method described in Patent Document 1, pressing the electrode against the material to be thawed may damage the food texture in the case of a soft food such as sashimi, and pressing the food causes the sashimi to be pressed. Drips may be promoted.

  Further, the high frequency thawing device disclosed in Patent Document 2 does not take into consideration the deformation of the food (the material to be thawed) and the change in height during thawing. Therefore, if the height of the food increases during thawing, the gap between the electrode and the food decreases, which may cause discharge. In addition, conversely, if the height of the food becomes low during thawing, the reflected power becomes large and the food can not be thawed efficiently.

  Therefore, the present invention provides a high frequency heating apparatus capable of appropriately suppressing the discharge of the object to be heated according to the change in the state of the object to be heated during heating.

  A high frequency heating apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes an electrode plate, a high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the electrode plate, a height detection unit for detecting a height of an object to be heated, and positions of the electrode plate. And a position change mechanism for changing. In this high-frequency heating device, the height detection unit detects the height of the object while the object is being heated. Further, the position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate in accordance with a change in the height of the object to be heated during heating detected by the height detector, and the electrode plate and the object to be heated are Vary the size of the gap between them.

  In the high-frequency heating device according to one aspect of the present invention, the object to be heated is a frozen object, and a state identification unit for identifying a thawing state of the object to be heated; The information processing apparatus may further include a storage unit that stores information on the position of the electrode plate in association with the thawed state of the object to be heated. Then, the position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate according to the thawing state of the object to be heated identified by the state identification unit, and the size of the gap between the electrode plate and the object to be heated May vary.

  A high frequency heating apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention includes an electrode plate, a high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the electrode plate, a height detection unit for detecting the height of an object to be heated, and And a control unit that controls start and stop of operation. In this high frequency heating apparatus, the control unit determines whether to stop the operation based on the detection result of the height of the height detection unit during heating of the object to be heated.

  The high-frequency heating apparatus according to the other aspect of the present invention further includes a display unit inquiring whether or not to stop the operation of the apparatus when the control unit determines that the operation of the apparatus should be stopped. May be

  The above-mentioned high frequency heating apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention may further include a position changing mechanism for changing the position of the electrode plate. And the said position change mechanism changes the position of the said electrode plate according to the change of the said to-be-heated material under heating which the said height detection part detected, and the said electrode plate and the to-be-heated material The size of the gap between them may be changed.

  As described above, according to the high-frequency heating device according to one aspect of the present invention, the discharge of the object to be heated can be appropriately suppressed according to the change in the state of the object to be heated during heating. Moreover, according to the high frequency heating apparatus concerning 1 aspect of this invention, control of heating can be performed appropriately according to the state change of the to-be-heated material in heating.

  Moreover, according to the high-frequency heating device according to another aspect of the present invention, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discharge of the object to be heated by detecting a change in the state of the object to be heated during heating.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the high frequency heating apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the circuit structure in the high frequency heating apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the table preserve | saved in the memory of the high frequency heating apparatus concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the high frequency heating apparatus concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the internal structure of the high frequency heating apparatus concerning 3rd Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed description about them will not be repeated.

First Embodiment
(Schematic configuration of high frequency heating device)
In the present embodiment, a high frequency heating apparatus 100 which is an example of the present invention will be described as an example. First, a schematic configuration of the high-frequency heating device 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows an internal configuration of the high frequency heating device 100. As shown in FIG.

  The high frequency heating apparatus 100 of the present embodiment applies a high frequency electric field to a to-be-defrosted material (a to-be-heated material) 8 such as food to mainly perform a thawing process and the like of the to-be-thawed material. In particular, the high-frequency heating device 100 of the present embodiment is used to heat the to-be-thawed product 8 in a frozen state, and to thaw or heat the to-be-thawed product 8. The high frequency heating apparatus 100 includes a heating chamber (thawing chamber) 9. The heating chamber 9 is formed of a metal case.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the upper electrode 1a, the lower electrode 1b, the movable portion 7, the top plate 10, the bottom plate 11, the radiant heat sensor 21, the detecting portion (height detecting portion) 13, etc. inside the heating chamber 9. Is equipped. The upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b are arranged to be parallel to each other. The upper electrode 1a, the lower electrode 1b, the top plate 10, and the bottom plate 11 are all flat. The bottom plate 11 is disposed above the lower electrode 1 b and in close contact with the lower electrode 1 b. The top plate 10 is disposed below the upper electrode 1a and is in close contact with the upper electrode 1a. The upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10, and the lower electrode 1 b and the bottom plate 11 constitute an electrode plate of the high frequency heating device 100.

  The upper electrode 1 a is bonded and fixed to the upper surface of the top plate 10, whereby the upper electrode 1 a is connected to the movable portion 7.

  The bottom plate 11 is fixed to the side wall of the heating chamber 9. The lower electrode 1 b is adhered and fixed to the lower surface of the bottom plate 11. Thus, in the present embodiment, the positions of the bottom plate 11 and the lower electrode 1 b are fixed in the heating chamber 9.

  The upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b are connected to the voltage application unit 20 (specifically, the matching circuit 3) through a wire. Thus, a high frequency electric field is applied between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b.

  When heating or thawing the to-be-thawed object 8 using the high-frequency heating device 100, the to-be-extracted material 8 is placed on the bottom plate 11. Then, a high frequency electric field is applied between the upper electrode 1 a and the lower electrode 1 b to perform the dielectric heating and thawing due to the dielectric loss of the material to be defrosted 8.

  The movable portion 7 is connected to the control circuit 6 by a wire, and can move the upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10 in the vertical direction. Thereby, the position of the upper electrode 1a can be changed according to the size of the to-be-extracted material 8 at the time of heat treatment. That is, the distance between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b can be changed. As described above, the movable portion 7 functions as a position change mechanism (also referred to as a height change mechanism) that changes the position (height) of the electrode plate (in the present embodiment, the upper electrode 1a).

  When the size of the to-be-extracted material 8 is relatively small, the upper electrode 1a can be positioned below so that the to-be-extracted material 8 and the upper electrode 1a are close, and the to-be-extracted material 8 can be efficiently It can be heated. On the other hand, in the case where the size of the material to be defrosted 8 is relatively large, the upper electrode 1a can be positioned above so that the material to be defrosted 8 and the upper electrode 1a do not contact. Thereby, a comparatively large to-be-thawed thing 8 can also be heated efficiently.

  The radiation heat sensor 21 is disposed in the heating chamber 9. Specifically, the radiation heat sensor 21 is disposed in the vicinity of the place on the bottom plate 11 where the object to be defrosted 8 is placed, and outside the installation area of the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b. The radiant heat sensor 21 detects the surface temperature of the material to be defrosted 8. The radiation heat sensor 21 is connected to the control circuit 6 in the voltage application unit 20. The detection result of the radiation heat sensor 21 is transmitted to the control circuit 6. In the present embodiment, the radiation heat sensor 21 can identify the thawed state (heated state) of the material to be thawed 8. That is, the radiation heat sensor 21 functions as a state identification unit that identifies the heating state of the object to be heated.

  The detection unit 13 is disposed in the heating chamber 9. Specifically, the detection unit 13 is disposed in the vicinity of the upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10. The detection unit 13 includes, for example, an infrared sensor, an image sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a displacement sensor, an image reading device, and the like. The detection unit 13 detects the height of the object to be thawed 8 (that is, the position of the upper surface of the object to be thawed 8). The detection unit 13 can also detect the heights of the upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10. The detection unit 13 is connected to the control circuit 6 through a wire.

  With this configuration, the control circuit 6 transmits height information (for example, height from the lower electrode 1b) of the object to be defrosted 8 detected by the detection unit 13 and positional information of the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10 Be done. The control circuit 6 calculates the size of the gap between the electrode plate (in the present embodiment, the upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10) and the object 8 from the transmitted information.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a control circuit 6, a memory 5, a voltage application unit 20 and the like are provided outside the heating chamber 9.

  The control circuit 6 is connected to the movable unit 7, the detection unit 13, the radiation heat sensor 21, the memory 5, the voltage application unit 20 (that is, the high frequency power supply 2 and the matching circuit 3) and the like via wiring. The control circuit 6 can efficiently heat the object to be defrosted 8 by controlling the output of the high frequency power supply 2 and the impedance of the matching circuit 3.

  The memory (storage unit) 5 includes a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). The memory 5 stores an operation program and setting data of the high frequency heating device 100. The memory 5 is connected to the control circuit 6 and temporarily stores the calculation result by the control circuit 6. Further, in the present embodiment, the memory 5 stores information on the position of the electrode plate when heating the object 8 in association with the state of extraction of the object 8 to be extracted.

(Configuration of voltage application unit)
Subsequently, the configuration of the voltage application unit 20 for applying a voltage to each electrode in the heating chamber 9 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a circuit configuration between each of the electrodes 1 a and 1 b and the high frequency power supply 2.

  The voltage application unit 20 applies a high frequency voltage between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b. The voltage application unit 20 includes a high frequency power supply 2 and a matching circuit 3 as main components.

  The high frequency power supply 2 transmits a voltage signal in a frequency band from HF to VHF. The voltage signal emitted from the high frequency power source 2 is amplified to a desired power by an amplifier (not shown). The amplified voltage signal is sent to the matching circuit 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the matching circuit 3 includes variable capacitors (variable reactance elements) 3a and 3b, a coil 3c, and the like. Thereby, the matching circuit 3 cancels out the reactance of the capacitor formed by the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b. Further, the matching circuit 3 can match the input impedance to the matching circuit 3 with the output impedance to the amplifier by adjusting the values of the variable capacitors 3a and 3b. Thereby, a high frequency electric field can be efficiently applied to the article 8 to be defrosted.

  A coil 12 is disposed between the variable capacitor 3 b of the matching circuit 3 and the upper electrode 1 a. The coil 12 functions as an inductor for impedance matching in the circuit of the high-frequency heating device 100 together with the matching circuit 3.

  The voltage signal subjected to impedance matching in the matching circuit 3 is supplied to a capacitor formed by the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b. Thereby, a high frequency electric field is generated between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b. And the to-be-extracted thing 8 mounted between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b is dielectrically heated.

(About position control of the electrode plate based on the height of the material to be thawed)
Subsequently, a method of controlling the distance between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b (that is, the height of the upper electrode 1a) will be described.

  At the start of thawing, the control circuit 6 grasps the height of the food (the to-be-thawed object 8) from the detection information of the detection unit 13, moves the upper electrode 1a up and down, and starts thawing. At this time, the control circuit 6 determines the position of the upper electrode 1a so as to secure the gap (size of the air gap) between the upper electrode 1a and the object 8 to a degree that discharge does not occur.

  During thawing, the control circuit 6 controls the high frequency power supply 2 and the matching circuit 3 so as to optimize the thawing efficiency, and monitors the change in the height of the object to be thawed 8 based on the detection information from the detection unit 13 Do. The monitoring by the detection unit 13 may be always performed or may be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  When a change in the height of the material to be defrosted 8 is detected during thawing, the control circuit 6 ensures that the size of the gap between the upper electrode 1a and the material to be thawed 8 is such that discharge does not occur. By moving 1 a up and down, it is possible to suppress the discharge occurring between the upper electrode 1 a and the material to be thawed 8.

  In order for the control circuit 6 to perform such control, for example, the memory 5 has a threshold L (size of the air gap) of the distance L (the size of the air gap) between the electrode plate (the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10) and the object 8 A lower limit Lmin) may be stored. The lower limit value Lmin can be appropriately set in consideration of the possibility of the discharge of the material to be defrosted 8.

  The control circuit 6 calculates the distance L from the height information of the object to be decompressed 8 transmitted from the detection unit 13 and the position information of the electrode plate. Then, the control circuit 6 compares the calculated distance L with the distance threshold Lmin stored in the memory 5. Then, when the calculated distance L is less than the threshold Lmin, the movable portion 7 is controlled to move the electrode plate upward.

  In addition, when the height of the to-be-extracted thing 8 is not constant, it is preferable that the detection part 13 detects the height of the highest position of the to-be-extracted thing 8. Then, the control circuit 6 secures the gap between the upper electrode 1a and the to-be-extracted material 8 on the basis of the highest position of the to-be-extracted material 8 transmitted from the detection unit 13 to such an extent that discharge does not occur. 7 is controlled to move the upper electrode 1a up and down. Thereby, discharge of the thing 8 to be defrosted can be suppressed more appropriately.

  Furthermore, in the high-frequency heating device 100 according to the present embodiment, the temperature of the to-be-extracted material 8 is monitored by detecting means capable of detecting the state of the to-be-extracted material 8 such as the radiant heat sensor 21 during the thawing process. Determine the thawing state at any time or over time.

  The thawing state represents the degree of thawing of the thawing material 8 from the start of the heating of the thawing material 8 in the high-frequency heating device 100 to the end of the heating. The degree of thawing is determined by measuring the surface temperature of the material to be thawed 8 by the radiation heat sensor 21 during the thawing process. That is, the radiation heat sensor 21 measures the surface temperature of the thawing material 8 as needed or with time during the thawing process of the thawing material 8. Information on the measured temperature of the object to be defrosted 8 obtained by the radiation heat sensor 21 is transmitted to the control circuit 6 in real time. The control circuit 6 determines the degree of thawing of the object to be thawed 8 based on the transmitted information on the measured temperature.

  For example, the thawed state of the thawed material 8 during the thawing process is three thawed states: thawed state 1 (first state), thawed state 2 (second state), and thawed state 3 (third state) are categorized.

  The thawing state 1 indicates that the material to be thawed 8 is in the process of thawing and the temperature is rising. The thawing state 2 indicates that the material to be thawed 8 is in the subtropics and the temperature rise almost stops. The thawed state 3 indicates that the thawed product 8 is after thawing, and the temperature is rising (that is, almost all the thawed material 8 is thawed).

  The thawing state of the material to be thawed 8 can be identified in real time, for example, by the radiation heat sensor 21.

  Also, as described above, the control circuit 6 of the high frequency heating device 100 is connected to the memory 5. In the memory 5, each thawing state of the to-be-extracted object 8 is associated with the distance L (size of the air gap) between the electrode plate (the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10) and the to-be-extracted object 8 A table 51 is stored (see FIG. 3).

  The control circuit 6 refers to the table 51 to select the distance L corresponding to the detected thawing state while detecting the thawing state of the object 8 in real time. Then, the movable portion 7 is controlled to change the position of the upper electrode 1a such that the distance L between the electrode plate (the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10) and the object to be defrosted 8 is obtained.

  In the present embodiment, the magnitude relationship between the set distances 1L, 2L, and 3L in the respective decompression states 1 · 2 · 3 is 1L <2L <3L (or 1L ≦ 2L <3L). By setting the distance L between the electrode plate (upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10) in each thawing state and the to-be-thawed object 8 in such a magnitude relationship, when thawing does not proceed (for example, the thawing state 1) ), The distance L can be narrowed, and efficient thawing processing can be performed. On the other hand, when the thawing has advanced significantly (for example, in the thawing state 3), the distance L can be increased to reduce the temperature unevenness inside the material to be thawed 8. This improves the thawing quality.

  At this time, if the control circuit 6 determines that the distance between the electrode plate and the to-be-extracted object 8 is narrow at a selected distance with reference to the table 51, the electrode plate and the to-be-extracted object 8 The movable portion 7 is controlled so as to make the distance between them and the distance larger than the selected set distance.

  For example, when the thawing state of the object 8 is the thawing state 1 at the start of thawing, first, the control circuit 6 controls the movable portion 7 so as to be the set distance 1L to position the upper electrode 1a. decide. In the course of the subsequent thawing process, the detection unit 13 detects a change in the height of the object to be thawed 8. Then, in the process of thawing, the material to be thawed 8 is deformed, and when the height of the material to be thawed 8 is partially increased, there is a possibility that discharge occurs in that portion.

  Therefore, for example, the control circuit 6 calculates the distance L from the height information of the object to be defrosted 8 periodically transmitted from the detection unit 13 and the position information of the electrode plate, and the calculated distance L falls below the threshold Lmin. In this case, the movable portion 7 can be controlled to move the electrode plate upward.

(Summary of the first embodiment)
As described above, the high frequency heating device 100 according to the present embodiment mainly includes the electrode plate (upper electrode 1 a, lower electrode 1 b), and the high frequency power supply 2 (voltage application unit 20) that supplies high frequency power to the electrode plate. A height detection unit (detection unit 13) for detecting the height of the object 8 to be thawed and a position change mechanism (movable unit 7) for changing the position of the electrode plate are provided. The detection unit 13 detects, for example, the height of the object to be defrosted 8 from the lower electrode 1 b. In addition, by providing the movable portion 7, the distance between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b can be changed.

  In the high-frequency heating device 100 according to the present embodiment, the detection unit 13 detects the height of the to-be-extracted material 8 during the thawing process of the to-be-extracted material 8. Then, the control circuit 6 changes the position of the electrode plate (upper electrode 1 a) in accordance with the change in the height of the to-be-extracted material 8 during the thawing process detected by the detection unit 13. Vary the size of the gap between

  According to the above configuration, by changing the position of the electrode plate in accordance with the change in the state of the to-be-extracted material 8 during the thawing process, the discharge of the to-be-extracted material 8 is suppressed, and Control of heating can be performed according to the state change.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the high-frequency heating device 100 further include a state identification unit (the radiant heat sensor 21 and the control circuit 6) that identifies the thawing state of the to-be-extracted object 8. In addition, the high-frequency heating device 100 stores a memory (memory 5) that stores information related to the position of the electrode plate (upper electrode 1a) when heating the to-be-extracted object 8 in association with the to-be-extracted state of the to-be-extracted object 8. It is preferable to have further. This is realized, for example, in a form such as a table 51 (see FIG. 3).

  Then, the position change mechanism (movable part 7) changes the position of the electrode plate (upper electrode 1a) in accordance with the thawing state of the object 8 to be defrosted identified by the state identification part (radiation heat sensor 21 and control circuit 6). It is preferable to change the size of the gap between the electrode plate and the material to be defrosted.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately control the heating in accordance with the change in the state of the material to be thawed 8 during the thawing process. Therefore, if thawing processing of the thing 8 to be defrosted using high frequency heating device 100, quality of a thing to be defrosted after processing can be made better.

  In the present embodiment, the upper electrode 1a is connected to the movable portion 7, and the height of the upper electrode 1a can be changed. However, in another aspect of the present invention, the lower electrode 1b is connected to the movable portion 7, and the height of the lower electrode 1b can be changed.

Second Embodiment
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the presence or absence of the movable portion 7 and the display portion 214, and in the method of attaching the upper electrode plate and the top plate. The other configuration is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. So, below, it demonstrates focusing on a different point from 1st Embodiment.

  The high frequency heating apparatus 200 of the present embodiment applies a high frequency electric field to the to-be-defrosted material 8 such as food to mainly perform the thawing process and the like of the to-be-thawed material. The high frequency heating device 200 includes a heating chamber (thawing chamber) 9.

  As shown in FIG. 4, inside the heating chamber 9, an upper electrode 201a, a lower electrode 1b, a top plate 210, a bottom plate 11, a detection unit 13 and the like are provided. The same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to the lower electrode 1 b, the bottom plate 11, and the detection unit 13. In the high frequency heating device 200, the movable portion 7 and the radiation heat sensor 21 are not provided.

  In the first embodiment, the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10 are connected to the movable portion 7, and are configured to be movable in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the upper electrode 201 a and the top plate 210 are fixed in the heating chamber 9. Specifically, the top plate 210 is fixed to the side wall of the heating chamber 9. Then, the upper electrode 1 a is adhered and fixed to the upper surface of the top surface plate 210.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a control circuit (control unit) 6, a memory 5, a voltage application unit 20, a display unit 214, and the like are provided outside the heating chamber 9. The configuration similar to that of the first embodiment can be applied to the control circuit 6, the memory 5, and the voltage application unit 20. However, the control method of the voltage application unit 20 in the control circuit 6 is different from that of the first embodiment.

  The display unit 214 is connected to the control circuit 6. The display unit 214 can display various information such as the operation state of the high-frequency heating device 200 and the inquiry information to the user according to the command from the control circuit 6. The display unit 214 is configured of, for example, a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, an LED, or the like.

  The control method of the thawing process in the high frequency heating apparatus 200 according to the present embodiment will be described below.

  At the start of thawing, the control circuit 6 grasps the height of the food (the to-be-thawed object 8) from the detection information of the detection unit 13, and the gap between the upper electrode 1a and the to-be-thawed object 8 is secured to such an extent that no discharge occurs. Determine if it is. Then, when it is determined that the gap is secured, the control circuit 6 starts thawing.

  During thawing, the control circuit 6 controls the high frequency power supply 2 and the matching circuit 3 so as to optimize the thawing efficiency, and monitors the change in the height of the object to be thawed 8 based on the detection information from the detection unit 13 Do. The monitoring by the detection unit 13 may be always performed or may be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  Here, in the case where the height of the object 8 to be defrosted changes, that is, in the direction in which the distance between the object 8 and the upper electrode 201a and the top plate 210 narrows, the control circuit 6 operates as a high frequency power supply. 2 is stopped to end the thawing operation. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the discharge between the upper electrode 201a and the to-be-extracted thing 8 can be suppressed.

  In addition, when the height of the to-be-extracted thing 8 is not constant, it is preferable that the detection part 13 detects the height of the highest position of the to-be-extracted thing 8. Then, the control circuit 6 calculates the distance between the upper electrode 201 a and the top plate 210 and the object 8 based on the highest position of the object 8 sent from the detection unit 13. Thereby, discharge of the thing 8 to be defrosted can be suppressed more appropriately.

  The flow of specific processing in the control circuit 6 is as follows.

  During the thawing process of the to-be-extracted object 8, the detection unit 13 detects the height of the to-be-extracted object 8 and transmits detection information to the control circuit 6. The control circuit 6 calculates the distance L between the electrode plate (the upper electrode 1 a and the top plate 10) and the object to be defrosted 8 from the transmitted detection information. Then, the control circuit 6 compares the calculated distance L with the distance threshold Lmin stored in the memory 5. The threshold Lmin can be set as appropriate in consideration of the possibility of the discharge of the material to be defrosted 8 as in the first embodiment.

  Then, when the calculated distance L is less than the threshold Lmin, the control circuit 6 determines that the operation of the device should be stopped. When the determination is made in this manner, the control circuit 6 can stop the operation of the high frequency power supply 2, for example.

  At this time, in order to notify the user of the reason for completing the thawing process, the control circuit 6 causes the display unit 214 to display the fact that the thawing has been completed, the required time for thawing until the thawing end time, and the reason for the thawing completion. It is also good.

  When the calculated distance L is equal to or larger than the threshold Lmin, the control circuit 6 determines that the operation of the device should not be stopped. When determined in this manner, the control circuit 6 continues the operation of the high frequency power supply 2, for example.

(Summary of the second embodiment)
As described above, the high frequency heating device 200 according to the present embodiment mainly includes the electrode plate (upper electrode 1 a, lower electrode 1 b), and the high frequency power supply 2 (voltage application unit 20) that supplies high frequency power to the electrode plate. A height detection unit (detection unit 13) for detecting the height of the object 8 to be defrosted and a control unit (control circuit 6) for controlling the start and stop of the operation of the high frequency heating device are provided. The detection unit 13 detects, for example, the height of the object to be defrosted 8 from the lower electrode 1 b. The control circuit 6 controls, for example, on / off of the high frequency power supply 2.

  In the high-frequency heating device 200 according to the present embodiment, whether the control circuit 6 should stop the operation based on the detection result of the height of the to-be-extracted object 8 by the detection unit 13 during the thawing processing of the to-be-extracted object 8 (Ie, whether to continue or end the decompression process) is determined.

  When the control circuit 6 determines that the operation should be stopped, the operation of the high frequency power supply 2 can be stopped to end the thawing process.

  According to the above configuration, it is possible to control the operation of the high frequency power supply 2 so that the discharge does not occur between the upper electrode 1 a and the to-be-extracted material 8 according to the change of the height of the to-be-extracted material 8. Therefore, it is possible to detect the change in the state of the material to be thawed during the thawing process and to appropriately suppress the discharge of the material to be thawed 8.

  Further, the high frequency heating device 200 according to the present embodiment includes the display unit 214. Thus, for example, when the decompression is completed, the user can be notified of the reason for the completion of the decompression by displaying on the display unit 214 the completion of the decompression, the reason for the completion of the decompression, and the like.

Third Embodiment
Subsequently, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the third embodiment, the presence or absence of the display unit 214 and the operation unit 315 is different from that of the first embodiment. The other configuration is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. So, below, it demonstrates focusing on a different point from 1st Embodiment.

  The high frequency heating apparatus 300 of the present embodiment applies a high frequency electric field to the to-be-defrosted material 8 such as food to mainly perform the thawing process and the like of the to-be-thawed material. The high frequency heating device 200 includes a heating chamber (thawing chamber) 9.

  As shown in FIG. 5, inside the heating chamber 9, an upper electrode 1a, a lower electrode 1b, a movable portion 7, a top plate 10, a bottom plate 11, a radiant heat sensor 21, a detection unit 13 and the like are provided. The same configuration as that of the first embodiment can be applied to these configurations.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a control circuit (control unit) 6, a memory 5, a voltage application unit 20, a display unit 214, an operation unit 315 and the like are provided outside the heating chamber 9. The configuration similar to that of the first embodiment can be applied to the control circuit 6, the memory 5, and the voltage application unit 20. However, the control method of the voltage application unit 20 in the control circuit 6 is different from that of the first embodiment. In addition, the same configuration as that of the second embodiment can be applied to the display unit 214.

  The operation unit 315 is connected to the control circuit 6. The operation unit 315 is realized by, for example, a touch sensor or the like mounted in the display unit 214. The user can perform an input operation on the high-frequency heating device 300 from the operation unit 315. By using the operation unit 315 as a touch sensor system, the user can perform an input operation along the display content of the display unit 214.

  A control method of the thawing process in the high-frequency heating device 300 according to the present embodiment will be described below.

  At the start of thawing, the control circuit 6 grasps the height of the food (the to-be-thawed object 8) from the detection information of the detection unit 13, moves the upper electrode 1a up and down, and starts thawing. At this time, the control circuit 6 determines the position of the upper electrode 1 a so as to secure the gap between the upper electrode 1 a and the object 8 to the extent that discharge does not occur.

  During thawing, the control circuit 6 controls the high frequency power supply 2 and the matching circuit 3 so as to optimize the thawing efficiency, and changes in the height of the object to be thawed 8 based on the detection information from the detection unit 13 Monitor. The monitoring by the detection unit 13 may be always performed or may be performed at predetermined time intervals.

  Here, in the case where the height of the object to be defrosted 8 changes in the direction of increasing, ie, the direction in which the distance between the upper electrode 1a and the top plate 10 and the object to be defrosted narrows, Determine that driving should be stopped.

  When the determination is made in this manner, the control circuit 6 causes the display unit 214 to display the content for inquiring of the user whether or not to end the decompression operation. The user can select whether to end the thawing operation according to the content displayed on the display unit 214.

  The selection as to whether to end the thawing operation can be made from the operation unit 315. The user operates the operation unit 315 to end or continue the decompression. The operation result of the operation unit 315 is transmitted to the control circuit 6. The control circuit 6 determines whether to end the thawing operation or to continue the thawing operation based on the transmitted operation result to stop the high frequency power supply 2.

  Here, when the thawing operation is continued, the movable portion 7 is controlled to secure the size of the gap between the upper electrode 1a and the to-be-thawed object 8 to such an extent that the discharge does not occur, move. Thereby, the discharge which generate | occur | produces between the upper electrode 1a and the thing 8 to be defrosted can be suppressed.

  As a control method of the movable portion 7, the same method as that of the first embodiment can be used. In addition, the radiant heat sensor 21 is provided in the high frequency heating apparatus 300 concerning this embodiment. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, during the thawing process, the temperature of the to-be-thawed object 8 is monitored by the detecting means such as the radiant heat sensor 21 and the thawing state of the to-be-thawed object 8 is determined as needed It is also good. Then, the position of the electrode plate may be changed according to the thawing state of the object to be defrosted 8 detected by the radiation heat sensor 21 to change the size of the gap between the electrode plate and the object to be thawed 8.

(Summary of the third embodiment)
As described above, the high-frequency heating device 300 according to the present embodiment mainly includes the electrode plate (upper electrode 1a and lower electrode 1b), the voltage application unit 20 that supplies high-frequency power to the electrode plate, and the height detection unit ( A detection unit 13), a position change mechanism (movable unit 7), and a control unit (control circuit 6) that controls start and stop of operation of the apparatus. The detection unit 13 detects, for example, the height of the object to be defrosted 8 from the lower electrode 1 b. In addition, by providing the movable portion 7, the distance between the upper electrode 1a and the lower electrode 1b can be changed. The control circuit 6 controls, for example, on / off of the high frequency power supply 2.

  According to the above configuration, the high frequency power supply 2 is stopped to terminate the thawing operation so that the discharge does not occur between the upper electrode 1a and the thawing object 8 according to the change in the height of the thawing object 8 can do. In addition to this, the distance between the upper electrode 1 a and the lower electrode 1 b can be changed by the movable portion 7. Therefore, when the thawing operation is continued, the position of the upper electrode 1a can be appropriately controlled so that the discharge does not occur between the upper electrode 1a and the to-be-extracted material 8.

  Therefore, according to the high frequency heating apparatus 300 concerning this embodiment, thawing | decompression quality can be improved more, suppressing generation | occurrence | production of the discharge between the upper electrode 1a and the thing 8 to be defrosted appropriately.

  In addition, the high-frequency heating device 300 according to the present embodiment further includes a display unit 214 inquiring whether or not to stop the operation of the device when the control circuit 6 determines that the operation of the device should be stopped. Is preferred. This allows the user to select whether to end or continue the extraction.

  In addition, when the user inquires the user whether to stop the operation of the apparatus, if the user selects the continuation of the operation, the control circuit 6 causes the operation of the high frequency power supply 2 to be continued. At this time, the position changing mechanism (movable portion 7) changes the position of the electrode plate (upper electrode 1a) according to the change in the height of the object 8 to be thawed during the thawing process detected by the detecting portion 13 It is also possible to change the size of the air gap between and the object to be heated. Thereby, the thawing process can be further continued while suppressing the discharge that occurs between the upper electrode 1a and the to-be-thawed product 8.

  It should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative and non-restrictive in every respect. The scope of the present invention is indicated not by the above description but by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims. Further, configurations obtained by combining the configurations of the different embodiments described in the present specification with one another are also included in the scope of the present invention.

1a: Upper electrode (electrode plate)
1b: Lower electrode (electrode plate)
2: High frequency power supply 3: Matching circuit 5: Memory 6: Control circuit (control unit, status identification unit)
7: Movable part (position change mechanism)
8: Defrosted material (heated material)
13: Detection unit (height detection unit)
20: voltage application unit 21: radiation heat sensor (state identification unit)
100: high frequency heating device 200: high frequency heating device 201a: upper electrode (electrode plate)
214: Display unit 300: High frequency heating device 315: Operation unit

Claims (5)

Electrode plate,
A high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the electrode plate;
A height detection unit that detects the height of the object to be heated;
And a position changing mechanism for changing the position of the electrode plate,
The height detection unit detects the height of the heating target during heating of the heating target;
The position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate in accordance with a change in the height of the object to be heated during heating detected by the height detector, and the position changing mechanism is disposed between the electrode plate and the object to be heated. Vary the size of the air gap,
High frequency heating device. The article to be heated is a frozen article,
A state identification unit for identifying a thawing state of the object to be heated;
The information processing apparatus further comprises a storage unit that stores information related to the position of the electrode plate when heating the object to be heated, in association with the thawed state of the object to be heated.
The position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate according to the thawing state of the object to be heated identified by the state identification unit, and determines the size of the gap between the electrode plate and the object to be heated. Change,
The high frequency heating device according to claim 1. Electrode plate,
A high frequency power supply for supplying high frequency power to the electrode plate;
A height detection unit that detects the height of the object to be heated;
A control unit that controls start and stop of operation of the device;
The control unit determines whether to stop the operation based on the detection result of the height of the height detection unit during heating of the object to be heated.
High frequency heating device.   The high frequency heating device according to claim 3, further comprising a display unit inquiring whether or not to stop the operation of the device when the control unit determines that the operation of the device should be stopped. It further comprises a position change mechanism for changing the position of the electrode plate,
The position changing mechanism changes the position of the electrode plate in accordance with a change in the height of the object to be heated during heating detected by the height detector, and the position changing mechanism is disposed between the electrode plate and the object to be heated. Vary the size of the air gap,
The high frequency heating device according to claim 3 or 4.

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