JP4015907B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a rice cooker that includes a heating unit that heats a container and controls the heating unit to perform various operations such as rice cooking and heat insulation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
This type of conventional rice cooker cooks rice by heating a container containing rice and water to be cooked with heating means (such as an induction heating coil or a resistance wire heater) provided at the bottom of the main body, The container is heated by heat-retaining heating means (induction heating coil, resistance wire heater, etc.) provided on the side or lid of the main body of the vessel, and the cooked cooked rice is kept at a predetermined temperature. . In recent years, in order to prevent yellowing of cooked rice during heat insulation, rice cookers having a low temperature heat retention (temperature about 60 ° C.) function that keeps the temperature lower than normal heat retention (temperature about 70 ° C.) have also been developed (for example, (See Patent Document 1.)
[0003]
On the other hand, in recent years, non-washed rice that can cook cooked rice without washing has been attracting attention. Wash-free rice can be easily cooked with (1) water by simply adding water. (2) There is no difference in taste depending on how it is to be cooked. It is considered to be more advantageous than ordinary white rice in that it can save water bills because it does not require (4). And the rice cooker which provided the rice cooking course only for non-washing rice is also developed (for example, refer to patent documents 2).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-164067 (pages 3 to 5, FIG. 2)
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2002-142981 A (pages 4 to 6, FIG. 10)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, even if you set up a non-washed rice-only course and cook your own non-washed rice, for example, when cooking non-washed rice in a reserved rice cooking course, if the waiting time until the start of rice cooking is long, a rotting odor will occur The inventor has found that this can occur. If the rice is cooked in this state, the odor will become even stronger. This phenomenon is the same when the rice is cooked in the washing-only rice course and then kept at a low temperature for a long time. If such a phenomenon occurs, it will greatly affect the taste of cooked rice.
[0006]
Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a rice cooker that can prevent rotting odor of cooked rice after cooking, and cook rice without deteriorating the taste, even when cooking unwashed rice on a dedicated course. To do.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above problems, the rice cooker of the present invention is:
A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the detection temperature from the temperature detection means to perform each operation such as normal white rice cooking, washing-free rice cooking, timer reserved cooking, etc.
The control means is such that when the washing-free rice course selection means is operated during rice cooking and the timer reserved rice selection means is operated, the normal white rice course selection means is operated and the timer reserved rice selection means is operated as a timer. The structure which shortens the reservation possible time, controls the said heating means, and performs timer reservation rice cooking operation | movement was employ | adopted.
[0008]
In the rice cooker, when washing rice with timer washing in the washing-free rice course, because the reservation time is short, it can shift to rice cooking operation without causing rot odor even while waiting for reservation, so compared with normal rice rice cooking Rice can be cooked without deteriorating the taste.
[0009]
Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the rice cooker of this invention is the following.
A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected from the temperature detection means, and performing operations such as normal white rice cooking, non-washed rice cooking, normal heat retention and low temperature heat retention,
When the menu at the time of rice cooking or warming is a non-washed rice menu, the control means can also be configured to control the heating means to execute a non-washed rice cooking operation and thereafter prohibit the transition to low temperature warming.
[0010]
In the above rice cooker, when washing rice is cooked in the washing-only rice course, it does not shift to low temperature heat insulation, so it does not generate rot odor during heat insulation, and it keeps warm without deterioration of taste compared to normal rice rice cooking Can do.
[0011]
Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the rice cooker of this invention is the following.
A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected from the temperature detection means, and performing normal white rice cooking, non-washed rice cooking, timer reserved rice cooking, normal warming and low temperature warming, etc.
The control means is configured such that when the rice cooking or warming menu is a non-washed rice menu and a timer reservation for a predetermined time or more is set by operating the timer reserved rice selection means, the transition to the low temperature warming is prohibited. Can be adopted.
[0012]
In the rice cooker, when a timer reservation is made for a long time so that the odor of rot is expected, heat retention by low temperature insulation is prohibited to prevent rot of the cooked rice, and otherwise heat insulation by low temperature heat insulation is possible. Can prevent yellowing of cooked rice.
[0013]
Moreover, in order to solve the said subject, the rice cooker of this invention is the following.
A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected from the temperature detection means, and performing operations such as normal white rice cooking, non-washed rice cooking, normal heat retention and low temperature heat retention,
In the control means, when the rice cooking or warming menu is a non-washed rice menu, and when the normal warming is instructed to move to a low temperature heat treatment process by operating the warming selection means, the white rice rice cooking course selection means is selected. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that shifts from the low temperature heat treatment to the normal heat treatment in a shorter time than the case.
[0014]
In the rice cooker, it is possible to prevent the rot of the cooked rice from occurring while preventing yellowing of the cooked rice after washing the rice without washing.
[0015]
Further, in any of the above rice cookers, a display means for displaying an operation state is provided, and the control means displays different indications between the predetermined time and after the predetermined time when the unwashed rice course selecting means is operated. It is preferable to control the display means so as to allow the user to easily confirm that it is a long-time heat-retaining state in which a decaying odor is likely to occur.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 shows a rice cooker 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The rice cooker 1 includes a rice cooker 2, a rice cooker body 4 that accommodates the rice cooker 2, and a lid 9 that is rotatably attached to the rice cooker body 4.
[0018]
The rice cooker 2 is coated, bonded, or the like with a ferromagnetic material that is electromagnetically heated by an eddy current generated when a high-frequency current is applied to the induction heating coil 7 on the outer surface of a pot base material made of aluminum or the like having high thermal conductivity. Is given.
[0019]
The rice cooker body 4 includes a protective frame 6 made of a non-conductive material that accommodates the rice cooker 2 inside a body 5 having a bottomed cylindrical shape. Between the body 5 and the protective frame 6, the control board 33 on which the induction heating coil 7, the rice cooker temperature sensor 8, and the microcomputer 34 are mounted is a known configuration.
[0020]
The lid 9 closes the opening portions of the rice cooker 2 and the rice cooker body 4 so that they can be opened, and a heat radiating plate 10, a lid heater 11 and an inner lid 12 are disposed on the rice cooker 2 side. . The lid body 9 has a known configuration in which a lid temperature sensor 13 is disposed.
[0021]
An operation panel 14 shown in FIG. 2 is disposed on the front surface of the rice cooker body 4. The operation panel 14 is provided with a switch operation unit 3 for inputting rice cooking conditions around a liquid crystal display type display panel 15 disposed in the center.
[0022]
The display panel 15 is of a segment display type that is displayed by a driver built in the microcomputer 34 to be described later, and includes display units 16 to 23 that indicate a setting state or the like by a user operating the switch operation unit 3. Yes. The display panel 15 of the present embodiment has units such as a time display unit for 24 hours, a numerical display unit 16 for indicating the heat retention elapsed time, a time display unit 17 for indicating units such as the heat retention time, and a remaining rice cooking time. A minute display unit 18 is provided. In addition, on both sides of these are “white rice”, “normal”, “soft”, “hard”, “rapid”, “rice cooked”, “rice cooked”, “sushishi” A menu display section 19 for “Okayu”, “Okowawa”, “Food rice”, “Brown rice”, and “Cleaning” is provided. Further, two sets of reservation setting display portions 20A and 20B and morning, noon, and evening marks 21a, 21b, and 21c that indicate stored time zones are provided below the numerical value display portion 16, respectively. Furthermore, above the numerical value display section 16, there are provided a no-wash rice display section 22 indicating that no-wash rice is selected, and a reheating display section 23 indicating that re-heating is being performed.
[0023]
The switch operation unit 3 includes a switch operation unit 24, a reservation 1 switch operation unit 25, a reservation 2 switch operation unit 26, a menu switch operation unit 27, a △ switch operation unit 28, and a ▽ switch operation. The operation part 30 of the part 29, the rice cooking switch, the operation part 31 of a heat retention switch, and the operation part 32 of the non-washing rice selection switch are provided. Further, an LED (not shown) is disposed on the back of each of the operation units 24 to 32 so that the operation units 24 to 32 can be lit or blinked.
[0024]
Here, the set-off switch 24 is in a standby state in which all operations including the rice cooking function and the reservation function are completed. The reservation 1 switch 25 directly shifts to the reservation 1 setting state of the reservation function. The reservation 2 switch 26 directly shifts to the reservation 2 setting state of the reservation function. The menu switch 27 selects a desired rice cooking menu or reserved rice cooking menu. The Δ switch 28 increases the current time and reservation time in units of 10 minutes. The ▽ switch 29 decreases the current time and the reservation time in units of 10 minutes. The rice cooking switch 30 is for executing the reheating function while executing the heat retaining function while confirming and executing the rice cooking setting including the reserved rice cooking function. The heat retention switch 31 is executed by sequentially changing to either the heat retention function or the night heat retention function. The washing-free rice selection switch 32 sets whether the rice to be cooked is washing-free rice or not. In addition, it is possible to prepare the same rice as in white rice even without washing by combining the washing-free rice selection switch 32 and “normal”, “kakame”, “soft rice”, etc. in the menu display unit 19.
[0025]
The microcomputer 34 mounted on the control board 33 performs rice cooking control by sequentially executing a preheating process, a temperature raising process, a boiling maintenance process, and a chopping process including a twice cooking process according to a stored program, The induction heating coil 7 is controlled according to the inputs [from the temperature sensors 8, 13 and the like, as in the conventional case. And in this embodiment, the program which performs predetermined reservation control and heat retention control at the time of washing-free rice cooking selection mentioned in full detail later is also provided.
[0026]
Next, the specific rice cooking operation | movement by the microcomputer 34 of the rice cooker 1 is demonstrated. The user sets the rice cooking pot 2 in the main body 4 in a state where a desired amount of rice and water is put in the rice cooking pot 2 and operates the operation unit 3 of the switch.
[0027]
And the microcomputer 34 which detected operation of the operation part 3 of a switch first determines whether it is a setting of reservation rice cooking in step S1, and when it is not reservation rice cooking setting, as shown in FIG. It progresses to step S8, it is judged whether the rice cooking switch 30 was turned on, and when turned on, it progresses to step S12 and a predetermined pre-heat treatment is started. If not turned on, the process returns to step S1. Moreover, when it is reservation rice cooking setting, it progresses to step S2.
[0028]
In step S2, after setting the rice cooking start time obtained by subtracting the rice cooking time from the cooking time set by the user, in step S3, the display of the current reservation menu is lit on the display panel 15, and in step S4, the rice cooking switch 30 is turned on. Is turned on, the process proceeds to S5 if turned on, and the process returns to step S1 if not turned on.
[0029]
In step S5, it is determined whether or not the current reservation menu is wash-free rice. If it is wash-free rice, the process proceeds to step S6. Otherwise, the process proceeds to step S7. In addition, the non-washed rice here includes all cooking menus similar to white rice such as “no-wash rice normal”, “no-wash rice kama”, “no-wash rice soft rice” (the same applies hereinafter).
[0030]
In step S6, it is determined whether or not the reservation time (rice cooking start time-current time) is 12 hours or more. If it is 12 hours or more, the process proceeds to step S9, an error is notified, and a break-in process is performed. If it is less than 12 hours, the process proceeds to step S7.
[0031]
In step S7, it is determined whether or not the rice cooking start time set in step S2 has been reached. If the rice cooking start time has not been reached, the process proceeds to step S10. If the rice cooking start time has been reached, the process proceeds to step S12 and the predetermined time is reached. Start pre-heat treatment.
[0032]
In step S10, it is determined whether or not the operation unit 27 of the menu switch has been operated. If it has been operated, the process proceeds to step S11, a predetermined reservation menu change process is executed to change the reservation menu, and the process returns to step S3. . On the other hand, if not operated, the process returns to step S7.
[0033]
When the pre-heat treatment is finished, as shown in FIG. 4, after supplying 100% electric power (full power) to the induction heating coil 7 in step S13, in step S14, the temperature rise of the rice cooker 2 is increased. Determine the rice cooking capacity.
[0034]
And in step S15, it maintains until the inside of the rice cooking pan 2 boils, and when the inside of the rice cooking pan 2 boils, at step S16, the electric power control of the induction heating coil 7 is performed so that the inside of the rice cooking pan 2 maintains the boiling state.
[0035]
Then, it waits, maintaining a boiling state until it detects the dry-up in the rice cooking pot 2 by step S17, and if a dry-up is detected, a cooking process will be performed by step S18.
[0036]
When the cooking is completed, a well-known unevenness process is executed in step S19, and then in step S20, the induction heating coil 7 is energized again by about 10 to 20% and cooked twice, and the process proceeds to a heat retaining process. In this heat retention process, the cooked rice is maintained at about 73 ° C., and when the operation unit 31 of the heat retention switch is operated, the process shifts to a night heat retention process, and the cooked rice is heated at about 60 ° C. for a predetermined time (8 hours to 24 hours). ) It is designed to keep warm. Further, during the heat insulation process, the heat insulation elapsed time is lit and displayed on the display panel 15.
[0037]
As described above, in the above-described process, when the current reservation menu is washed-free rice, the reservation rice process for a long time is not performed (particularly, the process from step S4 to step S9 is applicable). It can shift to rice cooking operation without generating, and can cook rice without deterioration in taste compared with normal rice cooking.
[0038]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0039]
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a heat retention switching process during the heat retaining process of the rice cooker 1 according to the second embodiment. In the heat retention switching process, it is determined whether or not the operation unit 31 of the good night heat retention switch is operated in step S101 during the normal heat retention process (heats the cooked rice at 73 ° C.), and if it is operated, the process proceeds to step S102.
[0040]
In step S102, it is determined whether or not the current menu setting is washing-free rice. If washing is not washed, the process proceeds to step S103, an error is notified, and the process proceeds to step S104 to continue normal heat insulation processing. If the menu setting is other than non-washed rice, the process proceeds to step S105, and the process proceeds to a predetermined night warming (hereinafter referred to as low temperature warming) (about 60 ° C.) process. In addition, after performing this low temperature heat retention process for predetermined time (8 to 24 hours), it transfers to a normal heat retention process automatically.
[0041]
In this case, when the rice is cooked with the non-washed rice menu, the low temperature heat treatment is prohibited, so that the taste can be kept warm without deterioration.
[0042]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0043]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a heat retention switching process during the heat retaining process of the rice cooker 1 according to the third embodiment. In the heat retention switching process, it is determined whether or not the operation unit 31 of the heat retention switch has been operated in step S201 during a normal heat retention process (heats the cooked rice at 73 ° C.), and if it has been operated, the process proceeds to step S202.
[0044]
In step S202, it is determined whether or not the current menu setting is washing-free rice. If it is washing-free rice, the process proceeds to step S203. If the menu setting is other than washing-free rice, the process proceeds to step S206 and proceeds to a predetermined low temperature insulation ( (About 60 ° C.) In addition, after performing low temperature heat retention processing for predetermined time (8 to 24 hours), it transfers to normal heat retention processing automatically.
[0045]
In step S203, it is determined whether or not washing rice is cooked by the reserved rice cooking operation. If so, the process proceeds to step S204, and if not, the process proceeds to step S206.
[0046]
In step S204, it is determined whether or not the reservation time (= cooking start time−current time at the time of reservation) is 6 hours or more. If the reservation time is 6 hours or more, the process proceeds to step S205 to notify an error and perform a normal heat treatment process. Continue and if less than 6 hours, proceed to step S206.
[0047]
In this case, when washing rice without washing with a reserved rice cooking operation for a long time, the transition to low temperature insulation is prohibited. Can be kept warm.
[0048]
Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.
[0049]
FIG. 7: is a flowchart which shows the low temperature heat retention selection process in the normal heat retention process of the rice cooker 1 which concerns on 4th Embodiment, or in a surrogate state. In the low temperature insulation selection process, it is determined whether or not the operation unit 31 of the insulation switch is operated in step S301, and if it is operated, the process proceeds to step S302.
[0050]
In step S302, it is determined whether or not the current menu setting is washing-free rice. If the washing is not washed, the process proceeds to a low-temperature heat retention process for 24 hours. If the rice has not been washed, the process proceeds to step S303, and the process proceeds to a low temperature heat treatment for 8 hours. If the rice is not washed, the process proceeds to step S304, and the process proceeds to a low temperature heat insulation process for 24 hours. In addition, after performing a low temperature heat treatment, it transfers to a normal heat treatment automatically.
[0051]
In this case, in the case of the menu setting for washing-free rice, the low temperature heat treatment is completed in a short time and the process is shifted to the normal heat treatment, so that the taste can be prevented from being deteriorated and the heat can be kept.
[0052]
In addition, in the rice cooker 1 of each said embodiment, the heat retention elapsed time display process in the normal heat retention process of the rice cooker 1 as shown to the flowchart of FIG. 8 is employable. That is, in the heat retention elapsed time display process, first, in step S401, it is determined whether or not the current menu setting is wash-free rice. If it is wash-free rice, the process proceeds to step S402. If not washed, the process proceeds to step S404. The numerical display unit 16 of the display panel 15 displays the heat retention elapsed time with lighting, and then returns.
[0053]
In step S402, it is determined whether the warming elapsed time counted by the warming timer is less than 24 hours. If it is less than 24 hours, the process proceeds to step S404, and if it is 24 hours or more, the process proceeds to step S403. The temperature display elapsed time is flashed on the numerical display 16 and the process returns.
[0054]
In this case, when the non-washed rice menu is selected, if the heat is kept warm for a long time, the heat retention elapsed time blinks, so that the user is deteriorating the taste of the cooked rice by keeping the heat for a long time. This can be easily confirmed, and as a result, the user can be encouraged to eat before the taste deteriorates. In the present embodiment, the distinction is made by lighting / flashing of the heat retention elapsed time. However, when the heat retention elapsed time becomes 24 hours or more, an alarm sound may be generated to warn.
[0055]
In addition, the rice cooker of this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
[0056]
For example, in the second embodiment to the fourth embodiment, it is determined whether or not the current menu setting is a washing-free rice menu. However, it is stored which menu is selected at the time of cooking rice or reservation setting. You may judge whether it was a no-wash rice menu. Of course, the above-described embodiments can be appropriately combined. For example, a combination of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the third embodiment, or the fourth embodiment is possible.
[0057]
【The invention's effect】
As is clear from the above description, in the rice cooker of the present invention, when washing rice without washing, it is prohibited to shift to reserved rice for a long time or low temperature heat treatment, or by shifting to different low temperature heat treatment, Unwashed rice, which easily deteriorates compared to ordinary white rice cooked rice, can be cooked properly and kept warm. Moreover, the heat control of wash-free rice can be appropriately performed by restricting the transition to the low temperature heat treatment by combining the wash-free rice selection and the reservation time. Furthermore, when washing-free rice is selected, the display content is switched depending on the heat retention elapsed time, so that it is possible to appropriately prompt the user to eat the washing-free rice.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a rice cooker according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing an operation panel of the rice cooker.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing control by a microcomputer of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart continued from FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing control by a microcomputer of the rice cooker according to the second embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing control by a microcomputer of the rice cooker according to the third embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing control by a microcomputer of the rice cooker according to the fourth embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing heat retention elapsed time display control by the microcomputer of the rice cooker according to each embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Rice cooker, 2 ... Rice cooker, 3 ... Operation part of switch, 4 ... Rice cooker main body, 7 ... Induction heating coil (heating means), 8 ... Temperature sensor for rice cooker, 9 ... Cover, 14 ... Operation panel 15 ... display panel, 16-21, 23 ... display unit, 22 ... washless rice display unit, 25 ... reserved 1 switch operation unit (timer reserved rice selection means), 26 ... reserved 2 switch operation unit (timer reserved rice cooker) Selection means), 27 ... menu switch operation part (white rice rice selection means), 31 ... heat retention switch operation part, 32 ... no-wash rice selection switch operation part (no-wash rice course selection means), 33 ... control board, 34 ... Microcomputer (control means).

Claims (5)

A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the detection temperature from the temperature detection means to perform each operation such as normal white rice cooking, washing-free rice cooking, timer reserved cooking, etc.
The control means is such that when the washing-free rice course selection means is operated during rice cooking and the timer reserved rice selection means is operated, the normal white rice course selection means is operated and the timer reserved rice selection means is operated as a timer. A rice cooker characterized in that the reservation possible time is shortened and the heating means is controlled to perform a timer reservation rice cooking operation. Before SL control means, the menu at the cooking time or heat insulation is pre-washed rice menu, and prohibiting the transition to the low-temperature heat retention when a predetermined time or more timer reservation is set by the operation of the timer reservation cooking selection means The rice cooker according to claim 1 . A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected from the temperature detection means, and performing operations such as normal white rice cooking, non-washed rice cooking, normal heat retention and low temperature heat retention,
The control means is characterized in that when the menu at the time of rice cooking or warming is a non-washed rice menu, the heating means is controlled to execute the washing-free rice cooking operation, and thereafter the transition to low temperature warming is prohibited. rice cooker. A container for storing cooked rice,
Heating means for heating the container;
Temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container;
Control means for controlling the heating means based on the temperature detected from the temperature detection means, and performing operations such as normal white rice cooking, non-washed rice cooking, normal heat retention and low temperature heat retention,
In the control means, when the rice cooking or warming menu is a non-washed rice menu, and when the normal warming is instructed to move to a low temperature heat treatment process by operating the warming selection means, the white rice rice cooking course selection means is selected. A rice cooker that shifts from a low temperature heat treatment to a normal heat treatment in a shorter time than the case. Provide a display means for displaying the operating state of the rice cooker,
5. The control means according to claim 1, wherein when the washing-free rice course selecting means is operated, the control means controls the display means so as to perform different display until a predetermined time and after the predetermined time during the heat retention. Or the rice cooker according to item 1.

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