JP3444292B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a variable sound structure of a rice cooker in which the number of times that the cooked rice is cooked when cooking rice is cooked is reduced or the volume is lowered. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Rice cookers are generally equipped with a timer rice cooker function that specifies a cooked rice time in addition to a normal rice cooker function that does not specify a cooked rice time. And in these normal rice cooker and timer rice cooker, when the rice cooked by the function is completed, the speaker or buzzer built into the rice cooker body generates a sound or buzzer sound,
We are informed of the completion of cooking. And the notification sound,
There are various things such as announcing that the rice has been cooked by voice, making a buzzer sound several times from the buzzer, or mixing the voice and the buzzer sound.

However, the conventional notification sound, whether it is a notification of the completion of cooking by voice, a buzzer sounding several times from the buzzer, or a mixture of the sound and the buzzer sound, is used for normal rice cooking and cooking. There was no distinction between the notification sound in the timer cooked rice, whether it was the sound, the buzzer sound, or a mixture of the sound and the buzzer sound, which had the same tone.

However, in the case of timer cooked rice, the cooked-up notification is not so meaningful, such as when the user originally sets the cooked time and goes out, and the timer cooked rice has its cooked time before going to bed. It is often set and used in the early morning, and in such a use form, there is something annoying that the alarm sound makes people drowsy.

Originally, normal rice is often noisy when the user is busy moving around, such as when preparing meals, and the notification sound in normal rice and timer rice is the same as in the past. If it belongs to
To make the alarm sound too loud means to make the alarm sound at the time of rice cooked by the timer too large, and the volume was inevitably limited.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that solves the above problems by changing the timer rice cooker notification so as to be quieter than the normal rice cooker.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration.

In the invention according to claim 1, a rice cooker main body having an inner pan removable, a lid part which is openably and closably attached to the rice cooker main body, and an operation part for setting a timer rice cooker. In a rice cooker equipped with a notification means for notifying the completion of cooking, the notification of timer cooking is quieter than that of normal cooking.

With these configurations, even if the notification means is voice, buzzer sound, or a mixture of voice and buzzer sound, in the timer cooked rice set so that the cooked time is early in the morning, the drowsiness is awakened. In addition, when the rice is normally cooked, the notification is increased rather than normal so that the user can be surely notified when the rice is cooked.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect of the invention, a configuration is provided in which the notification is variable depending on the time when the timer is set. With such a configuration, there is a case where it is desired to know the cooked time even with the timer cooked rice. However, in such a case, by setting the notification to the same size as the normal cooked rice, the cooked cooked time can be improved. In the case of the timer rice cooked so that the user can be surely notified and the cooked time is set to be early in the morning, as in the invention according to claim 1, by quieting the notification, the timer rice can be used properly as needed. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configurations of the first and second aspects of the present invention, the brightness in the vicinity of the rice cooker is detected and the notification is varied depending on the brightness. With such a configuration, since the notification is automatically made silent only when the timer cooked rice is set so that the cooked time is still dark in the early morning, the timer cooked rice can be set without hesitation.

According to the inventions of claims 4 and 5, in addition to the configurations of the inventions of claims 1 to 3, the notification is varied depending on the menu for cooking rice, and the notification is always issued when the menu is porridge. With such a configuration, even if the cooked time is set so that the cooked time is set in the early morning, the convenience can be increased because it can be changed by the menu of cooked rice, especially in the porridge mode where the menu is cooked and eaten as soon as possible. , The size of the notification is the same as that of normal rice, so that the user can be surely notified of the cooking time.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a rice cooker to which a speaker or a buzzer, which is a notification means of the present invention, is attached, and FIG. 2 shows a seat plate for closing the speaker hole shown in FIG. The perspective views shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 are flow charts showing different modes of notification. As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker 1 includes a rice cooker body 2 and a lid unit 3. The rice cooker main body 2 has a bottomed cylindrical inner case 5 made of synthetic resin in which the inner pot 4 can be arbitrarily set, and a bottomed cylindrical cylindrical case made of synthetic resin which is an exterior housing for holding the inner case 5. It is formed from an outer case 6, and the two cases 5 and 6 are firmly joined by means such as force fitting which is not shown.

On the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 5, a bottom coil 7 and a side coil 8 made of a work coil are attached to the bottom and lower side surfaces thereof, respectively. Current control is performed. In addition, 9 is a heater for heat retention provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the inner case 5, which is energized by the control device during heat retention.

The coils 7 and 8 are connected to the coil base 10.
A through hole penetrating in the up-down direction is provided in the center of the coil base 10 while being arranged above, and the reed switch for detecting the set state of the inner pot 4 and the inner pot 4 are provided in the through hole. A center sensor 11 having a thermistor for detecting the temperature therein is provided. The center sensor 11 has a built-in spring, and when the inner pot 4 is not set, the tip portion of the center sensor 11 projects above the bottom of the inner case 5, and when the inner pot 4 is set, the inner pot 4 is set. It forms a safety device that is pushed down to the operating state while being in contact with the outer surface of the bottom portion of the container, but does not operate unless the inner pan 4 is set.

In the rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 1, the left side of the figure is the front side, and the right side is the rear side. On the front side thereof, there are operation parts for setting timer rice, such as operation switches and a display part. An operation panel 28 having an open button, a button 30 for opening the lid, etc. are provided, and a hinge mechanism 24, which will be described later, for opening and closing the lid unit 3 is attached to the rear side thereof, and the whole thereof has a substantially elliptical shape in a plan view.

The inner pot 4 is composed of the work coil 7,
8 is formed of an iron-based metal such as stainless steel that is capable of self-heating due to an eddy current induced inside, and its shape is substantially the same as the inner case 5 in cross section. By setting it in the inner case 5, the center sensor 11 is turned on, the coils 7 and 8 are energized, and the inner pot 4 is heated by the Joule heat caused by the eddy current and the rice etc. Evenly heat the contents of
Cook efficiently. The upper end portion of the inner pot 4 is formed with a narrowed portion 4a over the entire circumference thereof, and by reducing the diameter of the top portion thereof, the heat radiation loss, which is the escape of heat to the upper portion, is reduced.

On the upper part of the outer case 6, there is disposed a synthetic resin cylindrical shoulder member 6a constituting a shoulder portion, and the shoulder member 6a is provided at a plurality of lower peripheral portions thereof. The locking piece is inserted into a locking hole provided on the outer peripheral upper portion of the outer case 6, and the both are forcibly fitted to each other by a known fixing means to firmly connect them. In addition, 6c shows the fixed part.

Next, the lid unit 3 will be described. The lid unit 3 has an outer cover 12 and an inner cover 13 made of synthetic resin, which are connected by heat welding or the like, and a heat insulating material 14 is provided in the inner space thereof. It is inserted to prevent the escape of heat. Various types of heat insulating means can be considered, and for example, a structure in which the outer cover 12 and the inner cover 13 form a vacuum heat insulating structure may be used. A pressure adjusting unit 16 is arranged in the center of the pressure adjusting unit 16. The pressure adjusting unit 16 has a ball valve 17 inside, and when the steam pressure in the inner pot 4 becomes a predetermined value or more, steam is introduced through the side steam port 20 and the central steam port 21 provided in the flat plate. As a result, the ball valve 17 is pushed up, and excess steam is discharged to the outside by obtaining the ball valve 17, the steam outlet 22 of the pressure adjusting unit and the discharge port 23 provided in the pressure adjusting cap 18. still,
A pressure adjusting cap 18 is detachably attached to the upper portion of the pressure adjusting unit 16, and the entire upper surface of the lid unit 3 has the same curved surface, and the entire lid constitutes a lid.

A hinge mechanism 24 is provided at the rear end of the lid unit 3 to detachably connect the lid unit 3 when the lid is opened. The hinge mechanism 24 is formed by an arm cover 25 made of synthetic resin, and the shoulder member 6a is formed.
The hinge shaft 27 supported by the protruding portion 6b formed on the shaft is rotatable. In the arm cover 25,
First spring 26a for opening the lid unit 3
And a second spring 26 that prevents the lid unit 3 from opening.
b is provided, and when the button 30 for opening the lid is pushed, the lid unit 3 is suddenly opened by the action of the first spring 26a, and when the opening degree reaches a certain value, the second spring 26b is opened. Since it acts so as to hold down the opening, the subsequent opening is performed slowly. When the lid unit 3 is opened, the lid unit 3 can be removed from the arm cover 25 by pulling the lid unit 3 upward so as to disengage the engaging portion between the lid unit 3 and the arm cover 25. By removing the lid unit 3, the lid can be washed entirely.

Further, in the lower part of the pressure adjusting unit 16,
The heat sink 15 made of metal is attached by caulking the rivets 19, and the heat sink 15 is provided with a recessed fitting portion 15a having an inverted U-shaped cross section at its outer peripheral tip end, and the inner surface thereof. At the time of closing the lid, a seal packing 29 for contacting the top of the narrowed portion 4a of the inner pot 4 and sealing the inside is fitted to the side surface of the concave fitting portion 15a.

The pressure adjusting unit 16 is configured such that the pressure adjusting cap 18 is removed and the upper portion of the pressure adjusting cap 18 is pressed with a finger, or the heat radiating plate 15 integrally attached to the lower portion of the pressure adjusting unit 16 by a rivet 19 is moved downward. It can be separated from the lid unit 3 by pulling it down, etc., and each can be washed as a whole.

Reference numeral 31 is a buzzer as an informing means for informing the user that the rice has been cooked and the like, and is a resin plate 32 for mounting a control board provided under the operation panel 28 on the front side of the rice cooker body 2. It is fixed by screws or the like (not shown). Further, reference numeral 33 is also a speaker as an informing means, which is used to inform the cooked rice by voice, and is directly attached to the rear bottom wall 2a of the rice cooker main body 2. A plurality of holes 36 for transmitting sound to the outside are provided at a mounting position of the bottom wall 2a of the speaker 33, and the sound is emitted to the outside through the holes 36. Although both the buzzer 31 and the speaker 33 may be provided as the notification means, either one of them may be provided. In the case where the speaker 33 is not provided among the two notification means, the audio hole 36 of the speaker 33 is provided.
Since the sheet remains open, the sheet insertion piece opening 35 for closing the hole 36 by a sheet described later is provided.
An outer peripheral wall 34 having is provided.

Next, the notification of the present invention will be described. 3 to 6 show various modes of notification. FIG. 3 shows a flow of a mode in which the number of times of notification by the buzzer at the time of rice cooking is smaller than that at the time of normal rice cooking, and the notification sound is made quiet, and FIG. 4 shows that the notification by the buzzer at the time of rice cooking by the timer is not performed. FIG. 5 shows a flow of a mode in which the notification sound is made quiet by making the notification volume of the speaker during timer rice cooking lower than that in normal rice cooking, and FIG. Reference numeral 6 shows a flow of a mode in which the notification sound volume by the speaker at the time of rice cooking by the timer is set to be quieter by making the content of the voice less than that at the time of normal rice cooking. The term "quiet notification" used in the present invention is as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6,
That is, it includes all things such as making no sound, reducing the number of notifications, reducing the content by voice, etc. The point is that if the notification is quieter than normal rice cooking Anything is fine.

At the time of cooking rice, rice and water corresponding to the amount of rice are put in an inner pot to set electricity, but first, in step S1, a water absorption step for allowing the rice to absorb sufficient water is performed. Be seen. When this water absorption step is completed, a sum number determination for determining the amount of rice for determining the subsequent rice cooking time and the like is performed in step S2. When this summation determination is completed, a cooking process for cooking rice is performed in step S3.

Next, when the cooking process is completed, a purging process for cleaning the rice is performed in step S4. When the cooking process is completed, the buzzer or voice is used to inform the user of the completion of the cooking process. However, in the case of FIG. 3, it is determined in step S5 whether the rice currently being cooked is the timer rice,
In the case of affirmative determination, the process proceeds to step S6, the number of times of notification by the buzzer serving as the notification means is set to three, which is less than that for normal rice cooking, and the buzzer is sounded three times in step S8. Do it quietly.

If a negative determination is made in step S5 that the rice being cooked is not the timer rice, the process proceeds to step S7, and the number of times of notification by the buzzer, which is the notification means, is set to ring 8 times that of normal rice, In step S8, the buzzer is sounded eight times to strongly inform the user of the completion of cooking, and the warming process of step 9 is performed according to the setting.

FIG. 4 shows a flow of a mode in which the notification sound is made quiet by not issuing a notification by the buzzer at the time of rice cooking by the timer. That is, at the time of cooking rice, rice and water corresponding to the amount of rice are put in an inner pot to set electricity, but first, in step S1, a water absorption step for allowing the rice to absorb sufficient water is performed. . When this water absorption step is completed, a sum number determination for determining the amount of rice for determining the subsequent rice cooking time and the like is performed in step S2. When this summation determination is completed, a cooking process for cooking rice is performed in step S3.

Next, when the cooking process is completed, a mumming process for moistening the rice is carried out in step S4, and when the cooking process is completed, the buzzer or voice is used to inform the user of the completion of the cooking process. However, in the case of FIG. 4, it is determined in step S5 whether the rice currently being cooked is the timer rice,
In the case of affirmative determination, the process proceeds to step S6, and the buzzer, which is the informing means, is set so as not to be informed, and the buzzer is not sounded in step S8.

In the case of a negative determination that the rice being cooked at step S5 is not the rice cooked by the timer, the process proceeds to step S7, where the number of times of notification by the buzzer, which is the notification means, is set to ring 8 times that of normal rice, In step S8, the buzzer is sounded eight times to strongly inform the user of the completion of cooking, and the warming process of step 9 is performed according to the setting.

FIG. 5 shows a flow of a mode in which the notification sound volume by the speaker at the time of rice cooking by the timer is made smaller than that at the time of normal rice cooking and the notification sound is made quiet. That is, at the time of cooking rice, rice and water corresponding to the amount of rice are put in an inner pot to set electricity, but first, in step S1, a water absorption step for allowing the rice to absorb sufficient water is performed. . When this water absorption step is completed, a sum number determination for determining the amount of rice for determining the subsequent rice cooking time and the like is performed in step S2. When this summation determination is completed, a cooking process for cooking rice is performed in step S3.

Next, when the cooking process is completed, a purging process for cleaning the rice is performed in step S4, and when the cooking process is completed, a buzzer or voice is used to inform the user of the completion of the cooking process. However, in the case of FIG. 5, it is determined in step S5 whether the rice currently being cooked is timer rice,
In the case of affirmative determination, the process proceeds to step S6, and the volume is set so that the volume of the speaker, which is the notification means, is reduced, and in step S8, the volume of the speaker is reduced to notify.

In the case of a negative determination that the rice being cooked at step S5 is not the rice cooked by the timer, the process proceeds to step S7, and the alarm volume by the speaker, which is the alarm means, is set to be the same as that of the normal rice. Then, in step S8, the notification volume by the speaker is notified in a size similar to that of the normal rice cooker, the cooked rice is strongly notified to the user, and the warming process of step 9 is performed according to the setting.

FIG. 6 shows a flow of a mode in which the notification volume by the speaker at the time of rice cooking by the timer is quieter by making the content of the voice less than that at the normal rice cooking. In other words, in the example, in the case of timer rice cooking, an example of silently informing as a whole by omitting a part of the voice "Please loosen well" that is informed when cooking rice normally is shown. Shows an example in which the content of the sound "I cooked it. Please loosen it well." That is normally reported when cooking rice is changed to a shorter content such as "Reservation time." In the case of "Timer rice cooking", an example of abolishing the sound "I cooked. Please loosen well." In the above, in the case of timer cooked rice, the buzzer saying "Pee pee. Cooked. Please loosen well." That was informed at the time of rice cooked as "Cooked." As well as abolish the sound, shows an example in which quieter notified as a whole by omitting a part of speech. A volume change mode for changing the volume may be provided.

By the way, there are various times for cooked rice to be reserved with timer cooked rice as timer cooked rice. For example, in the case of timer cooked rice that sets cooked meal at dinner, the notification is the same as that of normal cooked rice. However, in some cases, there is no problem, and in such a case, a stronger notification is preferred, so the notification means of the present invention is to make the notification quiet only when the cooked time of the timer rice is early morning. It is also an embodiment of the present application that the notification is varied according to the time of the timer set such that the above is applied to the timer rice cooking at other times and the notification is similar to the normal rice cooking.

In addition, even in the case of timer cooking, when the surroundings are bright, people often wake up. Therefore, the notification is made in the same manner as the normal cooking, and it is quieter than the normal notification only when the surroundings are still dark. Such notification is also an embodiment of the present application. In this case, an optical sensor is provided on the circuit, and when the surroundings are dark, the circuit is turned on to give a quiet notification. still,
It is also possible to provide a sensor for detecting the human body, determine whether or not there is a person in the vicinity within a predetermined time, and turn on the circuit when there is no person to give a quiet notification. In this case, when there is a person in the surroundings, a normal notification is given, and when there is no person in the surroundings, a quiet notification is given.

Further, even in the case of the timer cooked rice set so that the cooked time is early in the morning, in the porridge mode in which the cooked rice menu is cooked and eaten immediately after the cooked rice is cooked, the notification of the cooked rice remains unknown to the user. Since the porridge becomes cold and pasty and becomes uncomfortable, the size of the notification should be the same as that of normal rice, and the notification should be changed according to the menu that is set so that the user can be surely notified of the time when the rice is cooked. You can also

Furthermore, it is possible to provide a plurality of reservation modes such as reservation 1 and reservation 2, and to change the notification depending on the early or late time of the reservation among the plurality of reservation modes.

Note that the microcomputer makes a judgment and automatically executes the content of the notification when the rice is cooked by the timer in each of the above-described embodiments, but some people think that the function is unnecessary. In some cases, you may want to cancel that function even if you set it for that function. In such a case, you can provide a dedicated cancel switch to handle it. However, providing a dedicated cancel switch is costly and visually complicated, so for example,
If the heat retention switch is pressed and held when the timer is set, that setting is canceled, and the cancellation switch can also be used as another switch so that the cooking notification can be performed with the same notification as for normal rice cooking. When manually set, the contents are stored in the microcomputer, and thereafter, the setting is continued.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker body 2
It has been described above that there is a speaker 33 attached to the speaker to notify the user by sound, but the speaker 33 is attached to the top of the lid unit 3 of the rice cooker 1 due to the structure of the rice cooker 1. In many cases, it is provided on the rear side, which is the opposite side to the section, and at the corners of the bottom portion thereof. In that case, the sound from the speaker 33 is emitted to the outside on the bottom wall 2a on which the speaker 33 is installed. A large number of holes 36 are drilled for transmission.

However, there is a case where the speaker 33 is not used due to cost and the like. In this case, if the bottom wall 2a having no speaker hole 36 is used, there is no problem, but the speaker is also costly. Even when 33 is not used, there is no choice but to use the bottom wall 2a having many holes 36 for the speaker.

However, when the speaker 33 is not used, the use of the bottom wall 2a having a large number of holes 36 for the speaker means that the inside and outside of the rice cooker body 2 communicate with each other through the bottom wall 2a. The fact that the inside and outside of the rice cooker body 2 communicate with each other through the bottom wall 2a means that the inner pot 4 for cooking rice is exposed to cold air, which cools the inner pot 4 and causes white blur of the rice. become. Therefore, the sheet is attached with a double-sided tape, but the work of attaching the double-sided tape has a problem that it takes time and cost.

Therefore, the present invention employs the means shown in FIG. That is, in the case where the bottom wall 2a of the rice cooker main body 2 is provided with a plurality of speaker holes 36 penetrating inside and outside thereof, on the outer periphery including all the speaker holes 36 inside, In addition, a ring-shaped outer peripheral wall 34 is provided on the outer side surface of the bottom wall 2a, and a sheet insertion piece opening 35 is provided at a position where the outer peripheral wall 34 faces each other.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2, a circular resin sheet 37 having a size including all the speaker holes 36 inside is prepared. The sheet insertion pieces 38, 38 are respectively provided at the opposite positions of the sheet 37.
The sheet 37 is inserted into the outer peripheral wall 34 to close the plurality of speaker holes 36. When mounting the sheet 37, the sheet 37 is bent slightly.
By fitting the sheet insertion piece 38 provided on the seat 37 into the sheet insertion piece opening 35 provided on the outer peripheral wall 34,
The fitting is performed. By adopting such means, the seat 37 can be attached easily and at low cost.

The invention of the present application is not limited to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and it goes without saying that the design can be appropriately changed without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0046]

According to the invention of claim 1, the timer cooked rice is made quieter than the normal cooked rice to inform the cooked rice of the cooked rice so that the cooked rice is cooked early in the morning. Even if you set it, you will not be awakened, so you can set the timer rice with confidence. In addition, since the notification can be made larger during normal rice cooking and the user can be surely notified of the completion of cooking, convenience is enhanced.

The invention according to claim 2 changes the notification according to the time when the timer is set.
In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the notification can be made quiet only in the timer cooked rice set so that the cooked time is in the early morning, and the cooked timer is not necessary and can be used as necessary. Therefore, the convenience is further enhanced.

According to the invention of claim 3, by detecting the brightness in the vicinity of the rice cooker and varying the notification according to the brightness, in addition to the effects of the invention of claims 1 and 2, the cooking time is still dark in the early morning. Since the notification is automatically made silent only when the rice cooked with the timer is set, the timer rice can be set without hesitation and its utility value can be increased.

The invention according to claims 4 and 5 is characterized in that the notification can be changed by the menu for cooking rice.
In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, even in the case of timer cooked rice set so that the cooked time is early in the morning, the menu of cooked rice is eaten immediately after cooked.For example, in the porridge mode etc., the notification is similar to normal cooked rice. With this, the user can be surely notified of the cooking time, and the utility value thereof can be further enhanced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall cross-sectional view of a rice cooker to which a speaker or a buzzer, which is a notification means of the present invention, is attached.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a seat plate for closing a hole for a speaker.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing notification of normal rice cooking and timer rice cooking according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is another flowchart showing the notification of normal rice cooking and timer rice cooking according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is still another flowchart showing the notification of normal rice cooking and timer rice cooking according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is still another flowchart showing the notification of normal rice cooking and timer rice cooking according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... rice cooker 2 ... rice cooker body 3 ... Lid unit 4 ... Inner pot 5 ... inner case 6 ... outer case 7 ... coil 8 ... side coil 10 ... Coil stand 11 ... Center sensor 12 ... Outer cover 13 ... Inner cover 14 ... Insulating material 15 ... Radiating plate 16 ... Pressure regulating unit 17 ... Ball valve 20 ... Side steam port 21 ... Central steam port 22 ... Vapor port of pressure control unit 23 ... Discharge port 24 ... Hinge mechanism 25 ... Arm cover 27 ... Hinge shaft 28 ... Operation panel 29 ... Seal packing 30 ... Button for opening the lid 31 ... Buzzer 32 ... Resin plate 33 ... Speaker 34 ... Outer peripheral wall 35 ... Opening for sheet insertion piece 36 ... Hole 37 ... Sheet 38 ... Sheet insertion piece

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --Continued from the front page (56) References JP-A-5-49532 (JP, A) JP-A-54-65579 (JP, A) JP-A-61-92634 (JP, A) Actual development Sho-62- 61619 (JP, U) Actual development Sho 63-99294 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 27/00 109 A47J 36/32

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rice cooker body in which an inner pot is detachable, a lid part which is openably and closably attached to the rice cooker body, an operation part for setting a timer rice cooker, and a notification for notifying the cooked rice. In the rice cooker provided with means, the rice cooker is quieter than the normal rice cooker, and the notification of the rice cooker is quieter. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the notification is variable depending on the time when the timer is set. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the brightness near the rice cooker is detected, and the notification is varied depending on the brightness. 4. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the notification is variable according to the rice cooking menu. 5. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the menu is rice porridge, it is always notified.