JP6808053B2 - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker including a rice cooker and a cooker. The rice cooker is used by placing the rice cooker on the cooker when cooking rice, and the rice cooker is removed from the cooker except when cooking rice. Regarding possible, separate electric rice cookers.

Conventionally, an electric rice cooker in which a rice cooker equipped with an inner pot is placed on a tabletop induction heating cooker and the rice is cooked by an induction heating source has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). This electric rice cooker is a vertically separated type rice cooker, and when the rice cooking unit is removed, the induction heating cooker can be used for various purposes.

JP-A-2017-079207

In the rice cooker described in Patent Document 1, both the rice cooker unit and the induction heating cooker are provided with communication means such as infrared communication. When the rice cooking unit is heated by the induction heating cooker, various information is transmitted between the rice cooking unit and the induction heating cooker by infrared communication via a communication means. However, if a problem occurs in this communication means, the contents operated by the user on the rice cooking unit side may not be accurately transmitted to the induction heating cooker, and rice cooking may not be performed. In addition, the temperature information of the inner pot of the rice cooking unit at the time of cooking rice is not transmitted to the induction heating cooker, and there is a possibility that the induction heating cooker cannot perform appropriate heating power adjustment.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to improve the reliability of a separate electric rice cooker.

The electric rice cooker according to the present invention is an electric rice cooker including an induction cooker and a rice cooker that is detachably mounted on the induction cooker and has an inner pot for cooking rice to be cooked. The induction cooker has a heating coil for inductively heating the inner pot, a first control means, and a first communication means for transmitting and receiving control information, and the rice cooker is a rice cooking condition for the rice cooker. It has an input operation means for inputting, a second communication means for transmitting and receiving control information, and a second control means, and the rice cooking unit and the induction heating cooking via the first communication means and the second communication means. Control information is transmitted and received to and from the rice cooker, and the first control means or the second control means has a function of determining whether or not communication is possible between the first communication means and the second communication means, and is pseudo. Control information is transmitted, and based on the status of a reply to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined whether or not communication is possible between the first communication means and the second communication means, and the induction heating is performed. The rice cooker has a first communication window through which infrared rays are transmitted, the rice cooker has a second communication window through which infrared rays are transmitted, and the first communication means and the second communication means are the first communication. It is configured to transmit and receive control information by infrared communication through the window and the second communication window, and the first control means and the second control means transmit the pseudo control information and the pseudo control. Infrared light between the first communication means and the second communication means generated in the first communication window and the second communication window based on the reception level of the infrared rays returned in response to the transmission of information. It determines the degree of communication failure .

According to the present invention, whether or not communication between the first communication means and the second communication means is possible is checked. Therefore, in the separate electric rice cooker, when the first communication means and the second communication means cannot communicate with each other, it is possible to prevent the rice cooker from failing to cook rice when the first communication means and the second communication means cannot communicate with each other, and the reliability is improved. Further, by encouraging maintenance of the first communication window and the second communication window according to the number of times the rice is cooked, it is possible to maintain a good communication state of infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means, which is reliable. Improves sex.

It is a perspective view which shows typically the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is a block diagram of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the inspection process of the electric rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of determination of the communication failure which concerns on Embodiment 7 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure of the communication possibility determination which concerns on Embodiment 8 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication possibility judgment and the processing procedure of rice cooking which concerns on Embodiment 9 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication possibility judgment and the processing procedure of rice cooking which concerns on Embodiment 10 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication possibility judgment and the processing procedure of rice cooking which concerns on Embodiment 11 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the temperature curve of the special control mode which concerns on Embodiment 11 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication possibility judgment and the processing procedure of rice cooking which concerns on Embodiment 12 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the communication possibility judgment and the processing procedure of rice cooking which concerns on Embodiment 13 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the control pattern of the temperature curve and the drive current in the special control mode which concerns on Embodiment 14 of this invention. It is a graph which shows the control pattern of the temperature curve and the drive current in the special control mode which concerns on the modification of Embodiment 14 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the processing procedure for maintaining the infrared communication in a good state which concerns on Embodiment 15 of this invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the electric rice cooker of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In addition, the size and shape of each component in the drawings are shown in an easy-to-understand manner for the sake of explanation, and may differ from the actual size and shape.

Embodiment 1.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an electric rice cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The electric rice cooker 1 includes a rice cooking unit 10 and an induction heating cooker 20. In FIG. 1, the solid double-headed arrow indicates the left-right direction of the electric rice cooker 1, that is, the left-right direction of the rice cooker unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20. The R direction is the right direction of the rice cooking unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20, and the L direction is the left direction of the rice cooking unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20. Further, in FIG. 1, the broken double arrows indicate the front-back direction of the electric rice cooker 1, that is, the front-back direction of the rice cooker unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20. The BA direction is the rear direction of the rice cooking unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20, and the FR direction is the front direction of the rice cooking unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20.

In the induction heating cooker 20, the rice cooking unit 10 is detachably mounted, and for example, the electric rice cooker 1 is configured to have a substantially L shape when viewed from the side. The rice cooking unit 10 has a square-shaped main body 11 and a lid 12 connected to the main body 11 by a hinge portion (not shown). Legs 13 are provided at each of the four corners of the bottom surface of the main body 11. The top plate 21 forming the upper surface of the induction heating cooker 20 is made of heat-resistant glass or the like. At each of the four corners of the top plate 21, receiving portions (not shown) corresponding to the legs 13 of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10 are formed. The rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the top plate 21 by inserting the leg portion 13 into the receiving portion of the top plate 21. Since the leg portion 13 and the receiving portion of the top plate 21 are fitted, the rice cooking unit 10 does not separate from the top plate 21 even if an external force is applied to the rice cooking unit 10 in the left-right direction or the front direction. Further, the rice cooking unit 10 is not fixed to the top plate 21 by connecting means such as screws. Therefore, when the user lifts the rice cooking unit 10, the rice cooking unit 10 can be easily removed from the upper surface of the induction heating cooker 20.

With the rice cooking unit 10 removed, induction cooking can be performed by the induction heating cooker 20 alone. A band-shaped first input operating means 22 is provided on the front portion of the upper surface of the induction heating cooker 20. The first input operating means 22 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction is along the left-right direction. Various pressing type input buttons and keys (not shown), a display means 23, and a notification means 40 are arranged in the first input operation means 22. The user can input various conditions in induction cooking such as heating power, cooking menu, and cooking time through various input buttons and keys. The various input conditions are displayed on the display means 23. In addition, various information is notified to the user by voice or buzzer sound via the notification means 40. When the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the upper surface of the induction heating cooker 20, as shown in FIG. 1, the first input operating means 22 is covered by the rice cooking unit 10 from above.

On the upper surface of the induction heating cooker 20, a convex protrusion 24 extending in the left-right direction is formed behind the first input operating means 22. The protrusion 24 has a length that covers the entire width of the upper surface of the induction cooker 20. The protrusion 24 is made of a heat-resistant and elastic material such as silicon rubber, and is fixed to the upper surface of the top plate 21 which constitutes the upper surface of the induction cooking cooker 20.

A lid open / close button 14 is provided on the front surface of the lid 12 of the rice cooking unit 10. When the lid open / close button 14 is pressed with the lid 12 closed, the lid 12 rotates upward via the hinge portion described above.

A second input operating means 15 is provided on the upper surface of the lid 12 of the rice cooking unit 10. Various keys (not shown) and display means 16 for cooking rice are arranged in the second input operation means 15. The display means 16 has an LCD display. The various keys are keys for inputting the rice cooking conditions of the rice to be cooked. The various keys include a rice seed key, a hardness key, a menu key, a heat retention key, a rice cooking key, a reservation key, a time key, and the like. The rice type key is a key for setting the type of rice to be cooked. The hardness key is a key for setting the hardness of cooked cooked rice. The menu key is a key for setting a rice cooking menu such as risotto, rice porridge, and cooking. The heat retention key is a key for switching the end and start of the heat retention operation. The rice cooking key is a key for instructing the start of rice cooking. The reservation key is a key for setting a rice cooking reservation. The time key is a key for setting a time such as a current time and a reserved time. The contents set by these various keys are displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16. The second input operating means 15 is the input operating means of the present invention.

A weighing operation display unit 17 is provided on the front surface of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10. The weighing operation display unit 17 has a display panel 17A, an operation key 17B, and an operation key 17C. The operation key 17B is a key for starting the measurement of the weight of rice to be put into the inner pot (not shown) of the main body 11. The operation key 17C is a key for canceling the measurement result of the weight of rice. The measurement result of the weight of rice is displayed on the display panel 17A.

In the top plate 21 of the induction heating cooker 20, a communication window 25 for transmitting infrared rays is provided on the opposite side of the first input operating means 22 with the protrusion 24 interposed therebetween, that is, on the rear side of the induction heating cooker 20. There is. With the rice cooking unit 10 placed on the top plate 21 of the induction heating cooker 20, a communication window 18 for transmitting infrared rays is formed at a position facing the communication window 25 on the bottom surface of the rice cooking unit 10. Control information is transmitted and received by infrared communication between the induction heating cooker 20 and the rice cooking unit 10 via the communication window 25 and the communication window 18. The communication window 25 is also referred to as a first communication window. The communication window 18 is also referred to as a second communication window.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the electric rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The induction heating cooker 20 includes a first input operation means 22, a display means 23, a heating coil 26, a main control means 27, an infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and a notification means 40. The main control means 27 controls the induction cooking device 20 as a whole, and has a microcomputer provided with a CPU, a storage unit, an I / O port, and the like. The heating coil 26 is for inducing heating the object to be heated placed on the top plate 21. When an instruction to start heating is input from the first input operating means 22 to the main control means 27, the main control means 27 outputs a drive signal to the heating coil 26. For example, when the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20, the heating coil 26 heats the inner pot housed inside the rice cooking unit 10 by induction heating, and the rice and the rice stored in the inner pot Cook rice to be cooked such as water.

The rice cooking unit 10 includes a second input operating means 15, a display means 16, a heat retaining heater 19, a temperature detecting means 31, a control means 30, and an infrared transmitting / receiving unit 32. The control means 30 controls the rice cooking unit 10 as a whole, and has a microcomputer including a CPU, a storage unit, an I / O port, and the like. The heat retaining heater 19 is a heating means for heating the inner pot housed inside the rice cooking unit 10. For example, when the heat retaining key of the second input operating means 15 is operated, the control means 30 generates a control signal for driving the heat retaining heater 19 and outputs the control signal to the heat retaining heater 19. The temperature detecting means 31 is, for example, a thermistor, which detects the temperature of the bottom surface of the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 and outputs it to the control means 30.

The main control means 27 is also referred to as a first control means, the control means 30 is also referred to as a second control means, the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is also referred to as a first communication means, and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is also referred to as a second communication means.

By performing infrared communication through the communication window 25 and the communication window 18 described above between the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 of the induction cooker 20 and the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 of the rice cooking unit 10, the induction cooker 20 and the cooker 20 Control information is transmitted to and from the rice cooking unit 10. In the rice cooking unit 10, the control information generated by the control means 30 is transmitted to the induction heating cooker 20 by infrared communication via the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. The control information received by the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 from the induction heating cooker 20 by infrared communication is processed by the control means 30. In the induction heating cooker 20, the control information generated by the main control means 27 is transmitted to the rice cooking unit 10 by infrared communication via the infrared transmission / reception unit 28. The control information received by the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 from the rice cooking unit 10 by infrared communication is processed by the main control means 27. The infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 each include an infrared LED that emits infrared rays and a phototransistor that receives infrared rays emitted by the infrared LED.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 3 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S10, it is checked whether or not power is supplied to the rice cooking unit 10. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking unit 10 is supplied with power, the process proceeds to step S11. When power is not supplied to the rice cooking unit 10, the process of step S10 is repeated. In step S11, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction heating cooker 20. Here, the pseudo control information is not the control information for controlling the heating operation of the induction heating cooker 20, but whether or not the information can be transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 by infrared rays. This is confirmation information for confirming.

When the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction heating cooker 20 receives the control information from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10, the main control means 27 determines whether or not the control information is pseudo control information. When the received control information is determined to be pseudo control information, the main control means 27 generates pseudo control information to be transmitted to the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 and outputs the pseudo control information to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28. That is, when the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction heating cooker 20 receives pseudo control information from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10, the induction heating cooker 20 receives a pseudo control information for reply via the infrared transmission / reception unit 28. The control information is returned to the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 of the rice cooking unit 10. Here, the pseudo control information for reply is not the control information for controlling the heating operation of the rice cooking unit 10, but the fact that the pseudo control information is received from the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 for cooking rice. This is confirmation information for returning to the unit 10 side.

Next, in step S12, it is checked whether or not there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information. If there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, the process proceeds to step S13. When there is a reply from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28, it can be determined that the communication window 18 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the communication window 25 of the induction heating cooker 20 is not dirty or cracked, and the infrared communication is normally performed. .. Therefore, in step S13, it is determined that infrared communication is possible, and the process proceeds to step S15.

On the other hand, if there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, the process proceeds to step S14. If there is no reply from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28, it can be determined that the communication window 18 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the communication window 25 of the induction heating cooker 20 is dirty or cracked, and the infrared communication is not performed normally. Therefore, in step S14, it is determined that infrared communication is not possible, and the process proceeds to step S15.

In step S15, the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is notified. When it is determined in step S13 that infrared communication is possible, information indicating communication is possible is displayed on the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10. If it is determined in step S14 that infrared communication is not possible, information indicating that communication is not possible is displayed on the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10.

In the first embodiment, the supply of power to the rice cooking unit 10 is used as a trigger for determining whether infrared communication is possible or not. According to the first embodiment, it is determined whether or not infrared communication is possible between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 based on the status of the reply to the transmission of the pseudo control information, and the result is notified. To. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the desired rice cooking is not performed even though the user instructs the rice cooking operation via the second input operation means 15. That is, it is prevented that the user operates the second input operating means 15 of the rice cooking unit 10 without knowing that the infrared communication is not possible.

Embodiment 2.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 4 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S20, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking key of the second input operating means 15 of the rice cooking unit 10 has been operated. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking key has been operated, the process proceeds to step S21. The processing of steps S21 to S25 is the same as the processing of steps S11 to S15 of FIG. That is, in step S21, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and in step S22, the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 responds to the transmission of the pseudo control information. It is checked if there is any. When there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S23 that infrared communication is possible. If there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S24 that infrared communication is not possible. In step S25, the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10 notifies the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

According to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, it is possible to avoid a situation in which the desired rice cooking is not performed even though the user instructs the rice cooking operation via the second input operation means 15. be able to. In the second embodiment, the operation of the rice cooking key is used as a trigger for determining whether or not infrared communication is possible, and the process of determining whether or not infrared communication is possible is directly linked to the act of the user trying to cook rice. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively prevent the user from executing the rice cooking without knowing that the infrared communication is not possible.

Embodiment 3.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 5 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 when the rice cooking reservation is set while the rice cooking unit 10 is mounted on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S30, the reserved rice cooking is set. The reservation rice cooking setting is set by operating the reservation key and the time key of the second input operation means 15. Next, in step S31, when the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15 is operated and the reserved rice cooking setting is confirmed, the rice cooking unit 10 shifts to the reserved standby mode. After shifting to the reservation standby mode, the process proceeds to step S32. The processing of steps S32 to S36 is the same as the processing of steps S11 to S15 of FIG. That is, in step S32, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and in step S33, the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 responds to the transmission of the pseudo control information. It is checked if there is any. When there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S34 that infrared communication is possible. If there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S35 that infrared communication is not possible. In step S36, the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10 notifies the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

In the third embodiment, the execution of the transition process to the reservation standby mode is used as a trigger for determining whether or not infrared communication is possible. According to the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the desired rice cooking is not performed even though the user instructs the rice cooking operation via the second input operating means 15. It is possible to avoid such a situation. Further, in the third embodiment, the reserved rice is set without noticing that the communication between the rice cooking unit 10 and the induction heating cooker 20 is impossible, and the rice is cooked after the reserved time has passed. It is possible to prevent the situation where you notice that you have failed.

Embodiment 4.
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the electric rice cooker according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 6, the same components as those in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description of these components will be omitted. In the fourth embodiment, the rice cooking unit 10 includes the placement detection means 33, and the induction heating cooker 20 includes the placement detection means 29. The mounting detection means 29 is a protrusion (not shown) provided on the top plate 21 of the induction heating cooker 20, and the mounting detection means 33 is the protrusion of the top plate 21 of the induction heating cooker 20. It is a limit switch that operates by turning on the contacts when they come into contact with each other.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 when the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S40, the detection state of the mounting detection means 33 is checked. When it is confirmed that the limit switch of the mounting detection means 33 is on and the rice cooking unit 10 is mounted on the induction heating cooker 20, the process proceeds to step S41. If the limit switch of the mounting detection means 33 is off and the rice cooking unit 10 is not mounted on the induction cooker 20, the process of step S40 is repeated. The processing of steps S41 to S45 is the same as the processing of steps S11 to S15 of FIG. That is, in step S41, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and in step S42, the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 responds to the transmission of the pseudo control information. It is checked if there is any. When there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S43 that infrared communication is possible. If there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S44 that infrared communication is not possible. In step S45, the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10 notifies the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

In the fourth embodiment, the placement of the rice cooking unit 10 on the induction heating cooker 20 is used as a trigger for determining whether infrared communication is possible or not. According to the fourth embodiment, as in the first to third embodiments, the desired rice cooking is not performed even though the user instructs the rice cooking operation via the second input operation means 15. It can be avoided. In particular, in the fourth embodiment, when the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20, it is determined whether or not infrared communication is possible. Therefore, it is possible to notify the user more quickly whether or not infrared communication is possible.

In the fourth embodiment, the mounting detection means 33 is a limit switch that operates by turning on the contacts when the protrusions of the mounting detection means 29 come into contact with each other, but the present invention is not limited to this.
The mounting detecting means 29 may be a magnet provided on the top plate 21 of the induction heating cooker 20, and the mounting detecting means 33 may be a reed switch or a Hall element for detecting the magnetic force of the magnet.

In the fourth embodiment, the placement detection means 29 and the placement detection means 33 are used to detect that the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be determined that the rice is mounted because the power is supplied from the induction heating cooker 20 to the rice cooking unit 10 by the non-contact power feeding coil.

In the fourth embodiment, the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 determines whether or not communication is possible based on the detection result of the placement detection means 33, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the placement detection means 33 is a protrusion provided on the bottom surface of the rice cooking unit 10, and the placement detection means 29 is brought into contact with the protrusion provided on the bottom surface of the rice cooking unit 10 to turn on the contact and operate. It is a limit switch. Then, based on the detection result of the placement detection means 29, the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 may determine whether or not the rice cooking unit 10 is mounted. When the main control means 27 determines that the rice cooking unit 10 is mounted on the induction heating cooker 20, the main control means 27 sends pseudo control information to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10. Send it. The control means 30 determines whether or not the control information received by the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is pseudo control information. When the received control information is determined to be pseudo control information, the control means 30 generates pseudo control information to be transmitted to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction cooker 20 and outputs the pseudo control information to the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. .. That is, when the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 receives the pseudo control information from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 of the induction heating cooker 20, the rice cooker 10 receives the pseudo control for reply via the infrared transmitter / receiver 32. The information is returned to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction heating cooker 20. In this case as well, the mounting detecting means 33 may be a magnet provided on the bottom surface of the rice cooking unit 10, and the mounting detecting means 29 may be a reed switch or a Hall element that detects the magnetic force of the magnet.

Embodiment 5.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 8 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S50, it is checked whether or not the power is turned on to the induction cooker 20. Whether or not the power is turned on is determined based on whether or not the power is supplied from the commercial power source or the state of the main power source of the induction heating cooker 20. When it is confirmed that the power is turned on to the induction heating cooker 20, the process proceeds to step S51. When the power is not turned on to the induction heating cooker 20, the process of step S50 is repeated.

In step S51, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 of the induction heating cooker 20 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10. Next, in step S52, it is checked whether or not there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the transmission of the pseudo control information. If there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, the process proceeds to step S53. When there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32, it can be determined that the communication window 18 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the communication window 25 of the induction heating cooker 20 is not dirty or cracked, and the infrared communication is normally performed. Therefore, in step S53, it is determined that infrared communication is possible, and the process proceeds to step S55.

On the other hand, if there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, the process proceeds to step S54. If there is no reply from the infrared transmitter / receiver 32, it can be determined that the communication window 18 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the communication window 25 of the induction heating cooker 20 is dirty or cracked, and the infrared communication is not performed normally. Therefore, in step S54, it is determined that infrared communication is not possible, and the process proceeds to step S55.

In step S55, the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is notified. If it is determined in step S53 that infrared communication is possible, information indicating that communication is possible is displayed. If it is determined in step S54 that infrared communication is not possible, information indicating that communication is not possible is displayed.

In the fifth embodiment, the supply of power to the induction cooking cooker 20 is used as a trigger for determining whether infrared communication is possible or not. According to the fifth embodiment, as in the first to fourth embodiments, the desired rice cooking is not performed even though the user instructs the rice cooking operation via the second input operation means 15. It can be avoided.

Embodiment 6.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of the inspection process of the electric rice cooker according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 9 is executed for performance inspection in the inspection step of checking the quality in the manufacturing process of the electric rice cooker 1. After shifting to the test mode of the inspection process in step S60, it is checked in step S61 whether or not the current process is a communication availability check process. If the current process is a communication availability check process, the process proceeds to step S62. The processes in steps S62 to S66 are processes executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10, and are the same as the processes in steps S11 to S15 in FIG. That is, in step S62, pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and in step S63, the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 responds to the transmission of the pseudo control information. It is checked if there is any. When there is a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S64 that infrared communication is possible. If there is no reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the transmission of the pseudo control information, it is determined in step S65 that infrared communication is impossible. In step S66, the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10 notifies the possibility of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

The processes of steps S62 to S66 are also executed by the main control means 27 of the induction cooking device 20. In this case, the notification process in step S66 when it is determined in step S65 that communication is not possible is performed by a sounding means such as a buzzer.

On the other hand, if it is confirmed in step S61 that the current process is not the communication availability check process, the process proceeds to step S67 and the operation check process is started. Here, the operation check step is a step of checking the operation of the basic functions of the rice cooking unit 10. Subsequent processes from steps S68 to S72 are executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20. In step S68, it is checked whether the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15 is operated. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking key is operated, the process proceeds to step S69. In step S69, the rice cooking process is executed in the rice cooking unit 10 without operating the heating coil 26 which is the heating means of the induction heating cooker 20. Here, in the rice cooking process in which the heating means does not operate, display processing, notification processing, etc. for confirming the operation of the display means 16 and the notification means 40 of the rice cooking unit 10 are performed. Next, the process proceeds to step S66, and the execution result of the rice cooking process is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 shown in FIG. 1 and notified.

When it is confirmed in step S68 that the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15 is not operated, the process proceeds to step S70. In step S70, it is checked whether the heat retaining key of the second input operating means 15 is operated. When it is confirmed that the heat retention key is operated, the process proceeds to step S71. In step S71, the process of the heat retaining step is executed in the rice cooking unit 10 without operating the heat retaining heater 19 which is the heating means of the rice cooking unit 10. Here, in the heat retaining step in which the heating means does not operate, display processing, notification processing, etc. for confirming the operation of the display means 16 and the notification means 40 of the rice cooking unit 10 are performed. Next, the process proceeds to step S66, and the execution result of the heat retention process is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 shown in FIG. 1 and notified.

When it is confirmed in step S70 that the heat retaining key of the second input operating means 15 is not operated, the process proceeds to step S72. The case where the process proceeds to step S72 is a case where neither the rice cooking key nor the heat retaining key is operated. Therefore, in step S72, processing other than rice cooking and heat retention, for example, processing in the cancel mode, is executed without operating the heat retention heater 19 of the rice cooking unit 10 and the heating coil 26 of the induction heating cooker 20. Next, the process proceeds to step S66, and the result of the process executed in step S72 is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 shown in FIG. 1 and notified.

In step S66, a buzzer (not shown) is operated, and the buzzer sounds to notify the result of the rice cooking process in step S69, the result of the heat retention process in step S71, and the result of the execution process such as the cancel mode in step S72. May be good.

According to the sixth embodiment, the possibility of infrared communication is checked in the inspection process of the manufacturing process of the electric rice cooker 1. Therefore, the electric rice cooker 1 can be shipped without any trouble in infrared communication, and the reliability is improved.

Further, in the sixth embodiment, the communication feasibility check is performed in the test mode, and an operation check step is provided for each key input of the second input operation means 15 without operating the heating means such as the heating coil. It is possible to check the operation of the LCD display and buzzer sound. Therefore, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the inspection process in the manufacturing process while ensuring the safety.

The test mode provided for the performance inspection of the sixth embodiment is not limited to the inspection process of the manufacturing process of the electric rice cooker 1, and is also used when repairing the electric rice cooker 1. it can.

Embodiment 7.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining a communication failure according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 10 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 or the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in the inspection step shown in FIG. First, a case where it is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction cooking device 20 will be described. The process shown in FIG. 10 is executed when a reply is received from the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 after the pseudo control information is transmitted from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 of the induction heating cooker 20 to the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 of the rice cooking unit 10. Will be done.

In step S80, the communication availability check step is executed. In the communication availability check step, the same processing as in steps S40 to S42 of FIG. 7 or steps S50 to S52 of FIG. 8 is executed. That is, a pseudo control signal is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 32, and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 receives a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. When the reply is received from the infrared transmitter / receiver 32, the process proceeds to step S81, and the reception level X of the signal returned from the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 is measured. In the seventh embodiment, the reception level X is the light receiving level of the phototransistor of the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 that has received the infrared rays emitted by the infrared LED of the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. Next, in step S82, it is checked whether the reception level X is equal to or higher than the first threshold value RA. When it is confirmed that the reception level X is equal to or higher than the first threshold value RA, the process proceeds to step S83, and the reception level X is determined to be large, and then in step S84, the degree of infrared communication failure is determined to be small.

If it is confirmed in step S82 that the reception level X is less than the first threshold value RA, the process proceeds to step S85, and it is checked whether or not the reception level X is equal to or higher than the second threshold value RB. The second threshold RB is smaller than the first threshold RA. When it is confirmed that the reception level X is equal to or higher than the second threshold value RB, the process proceeds to step S86, the reception level X is determined to be medium, and then, in step S87, the degree of infrared communication failure is determined to be medium.

If it is confirmed in step S85 that the reception level X is less than the second threshold value RB, the process proceeds to step S88, the reception level X is determined to be small, and then in step S89, the degree of infrared communication failure is determined to be large. Will be done.

Next, a case where the process shown in FIG. 10 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 will be described. In step S80, the communication availability check step is executed. In the communication availability check step, the same processing as in steps S10 to S12 of FIG. 3, steps S20 to S22 of FIG. 4, or steps S30 to S33 of FIG. 5 is executed. That is, a pseudo control signal is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and a process of receiving a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is executed. When the reply is received from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28, the process proceeds to step S81, and the reception level X of the signal returned from the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 is measured. In this case, the reception level X is the light receiving level of the phototransistor of the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 that has received the infrared rays emitted by the infrared LED of the infrared transmission / reception unit 28. The processing of steps S82 to S89 is as described above.

In the seventh embodiment, the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is ranked by determining the magnitude of the reception level X. Therefore, it is possible to more appropriately perform the subsequent processing in the inspection process as compared with the case of simply determining the possibility of infrared communication.

Embodiment 8.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for determining whether or not communication is possible according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 11 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 or the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20.

A case where the rice cooking unit 10 is executed by the control means 30 will be described. In this case, it is premised that the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 executes the same processing as in the seventh embodiment and determines the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. It becomes. In step S90, it is checked whether or not the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is large. When it is confirmed that the degree of failure of infrared communication is large, the process proceeds to step S91, and it is determined that infrared communication is impossible. Next, the process proceeds to step S92, and a message indicating that communication is not possible is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 of the second input operation means 15 to notify the user.

If it is confirmed in step S90 that the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 and the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 is not large, the process proceeds to step S93, and it is checked whether or not the degree of failure of infrared communication is medium. To. When it is confirmed that the degree of failure of the infrared communication is medium, the process proceeds to step S94, and it is determined that the infrared communication is at a possible level. Then, the process proceeds to step S95. In this case, infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is possible, but there is a possibility that the communication window 18 or the communication window 25 has begun to become dirty or scratched. Therefore, in step S95, a message prompting maintenance of the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 of the second input operation means 15 and notified to the user. For example, the character string "Please clean the communication window." Is displayed on the LCD display.

If it is confirmed in step S93 that the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 and the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 is not medium, the process proceeds to step S96. When proceeding to step S96, it is determined that the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is small. Therefore, in step S96, it is determined that infrared communication is possible. In this case, the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 are not dirty or scratched, and it can be determined that the infrared communication is performed without any problem. Therefore, the processes corresponding to steps S92 and S95 are not executed.

When the processing of FIG. 11 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction cooking cooker 20, the notification processing of steps S92 and S95 is executed by voice via the notification means 40.

According to the eighth embodiment, the communication level is determined according to the degree of failure of the ranked infrared communication, and the warning message is notified according to the communication level. Since the user who has confirmed the warning message can clean the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 before executing the rice cooking, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a problem in rice cooking.

Embodiment 9.
FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a communication possibility determination and rice cooking processing procedure according to the ninth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 12 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. In step S100, the communication availability check step is executed. In the communication availability check step, the same processing as in steps S10 to S12 of FIG. 3, steps S20 to S22 of FIG. 4, or steps S30 to S33 of FIG. 5 is executed. That is, a pseudo control signal is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, and a process of receiving a reply from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is executed. When the reply is received from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28, the process proceeds to step S101, and the reception level X of the signal returned from the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 is measured. In this case, the reception level X is the light receiving level of the phototransistor of the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 that has received the infrared rays emitted by the infrared LED of the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

Next, in step S102, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15 has been operated. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking key has been operated, the process proceeds to step S103. If the rice cooking key is not operated, the process of step S102 is repeated. In step S103, it is checked whether or not the reception level X is a level at which infrared communication is possible at the present time, but communication is not possible during the next rice cooking. When the reception level X is smaller than the above-mentioned first threshold value RA and larger than the second threshold value RB, it is determined that communication is disabled during the next rice cooking. If it is determined that the reception level X is a level at which communication is not possible during the next rice cooking, the process proceeds to step S104. When the reception level X is a level at which communication becomes impossible during the next rice cooking, the communication window 18 or the communication window 25 is already dirty or cracked, and when rice cooking is repeated, the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 and the infrared rays There is a possibility that the communication with the transmission / reception unit 28 will be seriously disturbed. Therefore, in step S104, rice cooking is prohibited, and the rice cooking key is operated by the user, but the rice cooking is not executed. That is, the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 does not generate control information instructing the driving of the heating coil 26.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S103 that the reception level X is not a level at which communication is not possible during the next rice cooking, the process proceeds to step S105. If the reception level X is not a level at which communication is not possible during the next rice cooking, rice cooking can be repeated with good communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 28. Therefore, in step S105, rice cooking is executed in response to the operation of the rice cooking key by the user. That is, the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 generates control information instructing the driving of the heating coil 26, and the control information is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28.

In the ninth embodiment, it is determined whether or not the infrared communication is possible, not only at the current communicable level, but also at the level at which the next rice cooking can be completed. Therefore, in the next rice cooking, the normal rice cooking control can be completed, and the rice cooking desired by the user can be executed.

Embodiment 10.
FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a communication possibility determination and rice cooking processing procedure according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 13 is executed by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. Since the processing of steps S110 to S113 is the same as the processing of steps S100 to S113 of FIG. 12, the description thereof will be omitted.

If it is determined in step S113 that the reception level X is a level at which communication is disabled during the next rice cooking, the process proceeds to step S114. As described above, when the reception level X is a level at which communication becomes impossible during the next rice cooking, the communication between the infrared transmitter / receiver 32 and the infrared transmitter / receiver 28 becomes seriously impaired while the rice is cooked repeatedly. There is a possibility of becoming. However, it is feasible only for this rice cooking. Therefore, in step S114, a message indicating whether or not to start the rice cooking operation in that state while warning that the infrared communication reception level X is small and communication may not be possible is displayed by the display means. It is displayed on 16 LCD displays.

In step S115, it is checked whether or not there is an operation start instruction. In the tenth embodiment, when the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15 is operated again, it is determined that the operation start instruction has been given. When it is confirmed that the operation start instruction has been given in step S115, the process proceeds to step S116. In step S116, rice cooking is executed. That is, a control signal instructing the driving of the heating coil 26 is output from the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 to the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20.

If it is confirmed in step S115 that there is no operation start instruction, the process proceeds to step S117. Rice cooking is prohibited in step S117. That is, the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 does not generate control information instructing the driving of the heating coil 26.

According to the tenth embodiment, even if the reception level X of infrared communication is a level at which communication becomes impossible in the middle of the next rice cooking, the user is prompted to make a judgment and the user wishes to cook rice. , Makes it possible to cook rice. Therefore, it is easy to use when the user wants to cook rice as soon as possible.

Embodiment 11.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a rice cooking processing procedure according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 14 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 with the rice cooking unit 10 mounted on the induction heating cooker 20. In the eleventh embodiment, it is premised that the rice cooking key of the second input operating means 15 is operated by the user to execute the rice cooking. Further, the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 executes the same processing as in the seventh embodiment, and determines the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. Is a prerequisite.

In step S120, it is checked whether or not the degree of failure of infrared communication is large. When it is confirmed that the degree of failure of infrared communication is large, the process proceeds to step S121. In step S121, it is determined that the infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is impossible because the degree of failure is large. When it is determined that the infrared communication is impossible, the data of the temperature rise of the inner pot of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10 cannot be transmitted to the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 by infrared communication. Therefore, in step S122, a message to the effect that rice is cooked in the special control mode is notified to the user by voice via the notification means 40. Specifically, for example, the voice "Communication is not possible. Start cooking rice in the special control mode." Is played. Next, in step S123, rice cooking is executed in the special control mode.

The special control mode is a mode in which rice is cooked without being based on the data of the temperature rise of the inner pot of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10. In the special control mode, rice is cooked with average heat for a predetermined time. FIG. 15 is a graph showing a temperature curve of the special control mode according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. The vertical axis is the rice temperature, and the horizontal axis is the time. The main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 drives the heating coil 26 according to predetermined rice cooking time information to control the heating. Here, as a preheating step, heating control at a predetermined energization rate is performed during the process time T1, and then as a boiling step, heating control is performed at a energization rate larger than the predetermined energization rate during the process time T2. When the process time T2 elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as a spotting step, heating control is performed under a predetermined energization control during the step time T3. This is the so-called double cooking process.

When it is confirmed in step S120 that the degree of failure of infrared communication is not large, the process proceeds to step S124, and it is checked whether or not the degree of failure of infrared communication is medium. When it is confirmed that the degree of infrared communication failure is medium, the process proceeds to step S125. Since the degree of failure is medium, in step S125, it is determined that the infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is at a possible level. Then, the process proceeds to step S126. When it is judged that the degree of obstacle to infrared communication is medium and it is judged that infrared communication is possible, it is more preferable to check the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 for dirt, etc., but infrared communication is possible even as it is. It is in a state. Therefore, in step S126, rice cooking is executed in the normal control mode. Here, the normal control mode is a mode in which rice is cooked based on the temperature rise of the inner pot of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10. Data regarding the temperature rise of the inner pot of the main body 11 of the rice cooking unit 10 is transmitted from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 under the control of the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10. The main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 controls the drive of the heating coil 26 based on the received data, and adjusts the heating power.

When it is confirmed in step S124 that the degree of failure is not medium, the process proceeds to step S127. In step S127, it is determined that the infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is at a possible level because the degree of failure is neither large nor medium. Then, the process proceeds to step S128, and rice cooking is executed in the above-mentioned normal control mode.

According to the eleventh embodiment, it is provided with a special control mode for controlling rice cooking without being based on temperature information, that is, information on the temperature rise of the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10. Therefore, it is convenient for users who want to cook rice at the expense of the deliciousness of the cooked rice.

Embodiment 12.
FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a rice cooking processing procedure according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 16 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 with the rice cooking unit 10 mounted on the induction heating cooker 20. In the twelfth embodiment, it is premised that the rice cooking key of the second input operating means 15 is operated by the user to execute the rice cooking. Further, the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 executes the same processing as in the seventh embodiment, and determines the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32. Is a prerequisite. The processes of steps S130 to S131, the processes of steps S136 to S138, and the processes of steps S139 to S140 are the same as the processes of steps S120 to S121 of FIG. 14, the processes of steps S124 to S126, and the processes of steps S127 to S128. Is. Therefore, the description of these processes will be omitted. In the twelfth embodiment, if it is determined in step S131 that the infrared communication is impossible, the process proceeds to step S132. In step S132, a message confirming whether to execute the rice cooking in the above-mentioned special control mode is notified by voice via the notification means 40. Next, in step S133, it is checked whether or not there is an operation start instruction.

Since it is determined that the communication is not possible at this point, it is not due to the operation of the rice cooking key of the second input operation means 15, but due to other means. For example, the rice cooking unit 10 is lifted from the induction heating cooker 20 during a predetermined time, and various input buttons and key input operations of the first input operation means 22 are performed. After that, it is determined that the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20 during a predetermined time separately determined from the above-mentioned predetermined time. In such a case, it is processed when there is an operation start instruction.

When it is confirmed that the operation start instruction has been given in step S133, the process proceeds to step S134. In step S134, rice cooking is executed in the special control mode as in step S123 of FIG. If it is confirmed in step S133 that the operation start is not instructed, the process proceeds to step S135. In step S135, the execution of rice cooking is prohibited. That is, the control signal instructing the drive is not output from the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 to the heating coil 26.

According to the twelfth embodiment, the same effect as that of the eleventh embodiment is obtained, and the user is requested for permission to cook rice in the special control mode only when the permission is given. In this way, since the control is executed according to the user's request, more detailed usability can be provided.

Embodiment 13.
FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a communication possibility determination and rice cooking processing procedure according to the thirteenth embodiment of the present invention. The process shown in FIG. 17 is executed by the main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 continuously after the start of the rice cooking operation in a state where the rice cooking unit 10 is placed on the induction heating cooker 20. When rice cooking is started by inputting the rice cooking key of the second input operating means 15 of the rice cooking unit 10 of the electric rice cooker 1 in step S150, the process proceeds to step S151. The processing of steps S151 to S155 is the same as the processing of steps S80 to S84 of FIG. The processing of steps S159 to S161 is the same as the processing of steps S85 to S87 of FIG. The processing of steps S163 to S164 is the same as the processing of steps S88 to S89 of FIG. Therefore, the description of these processes will be omitted.

If it is determined in step S155 that the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is small, it is determined in step S156 that the infrared communication is at a possible level. Next, in step S157, rice cooking is executed in the above-mentioned normal control mode. In step S158, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking is completed. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking is completed, the process ends. If the rice cooking is not completed, the process returns to step S151, and the communication availability check step determines whether communication is possible or not.

If it is confirmed in step S161 that the degree of failure of infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is medium, it is determined in step S162 that the infrared communication is at a possible level. Then, the process proceeds to step S157, and rice cooking is executed in the normal control mode. Subsequent processing is as described above.

If it is confirmed in step S164 that the degree of failure of the infrared communication between the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 and the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 is large, the process proceeds to step S165, and it is determined that the infrared communication is impossible. In step S166, rice cooking is executed in the above-mentioned special control mode. Next, in step S167, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking is completed. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking is completed, the process proceeds to step S168. If the rice cooking is not completed, the process of step S167 is repeated.

In step S168, a message indicating that the rice has been cooked in the special control mode, that communication is not possible, and that the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 need to be cleaned is notified via the notification means 40. For example, the voice "I cooked rice in the special control mode. Communication is not possible. Please clean the communication window." Is played.

Even if it is notified that the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 need to be cleaned during rice cooking when the communication level is not possible, the user forgets that cleaning is necessary when the rice cooking is completed. there is a possibility. However, according to the thirteenth embodiment, when the communication impossibility level is determined, the above-mentioned message including the content prompting the maintenance of the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 is sent at the timing of the completion of rice cooking in the special control mode. Be notified. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from forgetting to take care of the communication window 18 and the communication window 25, which is more convenient for the user.

Embodiment 14.
FIG. 18 is a graph showing a control pattern of a temperature curve and a drive current in the special control mode according to the fourteenth embodiment of the present invention. In the graph shown in FIG. 18, the horizontal axis is the time, the upper half showing the temperature curve is the rice temperature on the vertical axis, and the lower half showing the drive current is the heating coil 26 of the rice cooking unit 10 on the vertical axis. The drive current of is taken. In the special control mode, the capacity of rice to be cooked, that is, the amount of cooked rice is set at the start of rice cooking. The main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 drives the heating coil 26 according to predetermined time information based on the amount of cooked rice to control the heating. In the 14th embodiment, as the preheating step, the mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the main control means 27 during the process time T1 is that when the amount of cooked rice is small, the amount of cooked rice is The same applies to both cases and cases where the amount of cooked rice is large. In the following description, the total time of the on-time and the off-time of the drive current in the process time, that is, the ratio of the on-time to the cycle may be referred to as the energization rate. The mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 in the boiling step and the unevenness step is the same as that in the preheating step. During the boiling step and the unevenness step, the mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 is that the amount of cooked rice is small, the amount of cooked rice is in progress, and the amount of cooked rice It is set in the same way in all cases of many cases. For the setting of rice cooking amount information, for example, the mode of "rice cooking amount setting" is selected by the menu key, and then, according to the input of the hour key, "0.5 go", "1 go", "1.5 go", and so on. Are selected sequentially.

When the amount of rice cooked is small, as the boiling step, heating is controlled during the process time T2a by changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 suitable for the boiling step when the amount of cooked rice is small. When the process time T2a elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as the unevenness step, heating control is performed during the process time T3a by energization control suitable for the unevenness step when the amount of cooked rice is small. This is the so-called double cooking process.

When the amount of rice is being cooked, as a boiling step, heating control is performed during the process time T2b, which is longer than the process time T2a when the amount of cooked rice is small. The mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 in the process time T2b is the same as that in the case of a small amount of cooked rice. When the process time T2b elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as the unevenness step, heating control is performed by energization control suitable for the unevenness step when the amount of rice is being cooked during the process time T3b shorter than the process time T3a when the amount of cooked rice is small.

When the amount of cooked rice is large, heating is controlled as a boiling step during the process time T2c longer than the process time T2b during the rice cooking amount. The mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 in the process time T2c is the same as in the case where the amount of cooked rice is small and the amount of cooked rice is being cooked. When the process time T2c elapses, the water content in the inner pot disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as the unevenness step, heating control is performed by energization control suitable for the case where the amount of cooked rice is large during the process time T3c shorter than the process time T3b during the amount of cooked rice.

In the 14th embodiment, the mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 in the boiling step is the same regardless of whether the amount of cooked rice is small, the amount of cooked rice is medium, or the amount of cooked rice is large. In other words, since the heating power of the boiling process is set to be constant, there is a difference in the time to dry up. Therefore, the process times T2a, T2b, and T2c, which are time information for each cooked rice amount, are set in advance.

In the 14th embodiment, the total time of the boiling step process time T2a and the mura step process time T3a, the total time of the boiling step process time T2b and the mura step process time T3b, and the boiling step process time T2c The total time of the process time T3c of the Tomurashi process is the same. However, it is not limited to this. The process time of the unevenness process may be set to be constant regardless of the amount of cooked rice.

If rice is cooked with a constant process time and heating control with a constant energization rate regardless of the amount of cooked rice, the remaining amount of water in the inner pot will differ, so accurate dry-up cannot be captured. However, in the 14th embodiment, the process time of the boiling step is determined based on the amount of cooked rice. Therefore, it is possible to cook delicious rice in the range from the maximum amount to the minimum amount of the rice cooking capacity of the electric rice cooker 1 regardless of the temperature information of the inner pot of the rice cooker unit 10.

FIG. 19 is a graph showing a control pattern of a temperature curve and a drive current in a special control mode according to a modification of the 14th embodiment of the present invention. In the graph shown in FIG. 19, the horizontal axis is the time, the upper half showing the temperature curve is the rice temperature on the vertical axis, and the lower half showing the drive current is the heating coil 26 of the rice cooking unit 10 on the vertical axis. The drive current of is taken. The control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 controls the heating of the heating coil 26 according to a predetermined time information. In the preheating step, during the process time T1, the mode of change of the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 is that the amount of cooked rice is small, the amount of cooked rice is being cooked, and the amount of cooked rice is cooked. The same applies to all cases of large quantities. In the boiling step following the preheating step, the heating power is set based on the rice cooking amount information set at the start of rice cooking, that is, the total number of rice. In the unevenness step, the mode of changing the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 is the same as in the preheating step. In the murashi step, during the process time T3, the mode of change of the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 controlled by the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 is that the amount of rice cooked is small, the amount of rice is being cooked, and The same applies to any case where the amount of cooked rice is large.

When the amount of cooked rice is small, the process time of the boiling process is T2, and during the process time T2, the energization rate of the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 decreases with the passage of time. When the process time T2 elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as a spotting step, the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 is controlled in the manner shown in FIG. 19 during the step time T3. This is the so-called double cooking process.

When the amount of rice is being cooked, the process time of the boiling process is T2, which is the same as when the amount of rice is cooked small, and during the process time T2, the energization rate of the drive current control pattern of the heating coil 26 becomes smaller with the passage of time. .. Compared to the case where the amount of cooked rice is small, the degree of decrease in the energization rate of the control pattern during the amount of cooked rice is small. When the process time T2 elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as the unevenness step, the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 is controlled in the same manner as in the case of the small amount of rice cooked during the same process time T3 as in the case of the small amount of cooked rice. This is the so-called double cooking process.

In the case of a large amount of cooked rice, the process time of the boiling step is T2 as in the case of a small amount of cooked rice and a small amount of cooked rice. When the amount of cooked rice is large, the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 in the boiling step is constant. When the process time T2 elapses, the water content in the inner pot of the rice cooking unit 10 disappears, and the pot bottom temperature rises sharply to reach the dry-up temperature. After that, as the unevenness step, the control pattern of the drive current of the heating coil 26 is controlled in the same manner as in the case of the small amount of rice cooked and the amount of cooked rice during the same process time T3 as in the case of the small amount of cooked rice and the amount of cooked rice. Will be done. This is the so-called double cooking process. As described above, in the boiling step, the heating coil 26 is driven at an energization rate determined according to the amount of cooked rice, which is the capacity of the cooked rice.

In this modification, the process time T2 of the boiling process and the process time T3 of the unevenness process are set to be the same regardless of the amount of cooked rice. Generally, it is said that heating at 98 ° C. or higher for 20 minutes or longer is a condition for gelatinizing rice. According to this modification, a constant gelatinization temperature and gelatinization time can be secured regardless of the amount of cooked rice, which is a more ideal control for gelatinizing rice.

Embodiment 15.
FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for maintaining the infrared communication according to the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention in a good state. In step S200, the variable N indicating the number of times the rice is cooked is set to 0 and initialized. Next, in step S201, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking key of the second input operating means 15 of the rice cooking unit 10 has been operated. When it is confirmed that the rice cooking key has been operated, the process proceeds to step S202. If the rice cooking key is not operated, the process of step S201 is repeated.

In step S202, control information instructing the driving of the heating coil 26 of the induction heating cooker 20 is sent from the infrared transmission / reception unit 32 to the infrared transmission / reception unit 28 based on the control means 30 of the rice cooking unit 10 by infrared communication to cook rice. Is started. Next, in step S203, the value of the variable N is incremented by 1 by the control means 30, and the number of times the rice is cooked is counted. The main control means 27 of the induction heating cooker 20 may count the number of times the rice is cooked.

In step S204, it is checked whether or not the rice cooking is completed. When the completion of rice cooking is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S205. If the rice cooking is not completed, the process of step S204 is repeated. In step S205, it is checked whether or not the value of the variable N indicating the number of times the rice is cooked exceeds the threshold value y. Repeated use of the electric rice cooker 1 is likely to cause stains and scratches on the communication window 18 or the communication window 25. Therefore, the threshold value y is set to the number of times the rice is cooked immediately before the dirt and scratches on the communication window 18 or the communication window 25 reach the communication impossible level of infrared communication. When it is confirmed that the value of the variable N indicating the number of times the rice is cooked does not exceed the threshold value y, the process returns to step S201 and the above process is repeated.

When it is confirmed in step S205 that the value of the variable N indicating the number of times the rice is cooked exceeds the threshold value y, the process proceeds to step S206. In step S206, a warning message is displayed on the LCD display of the display means 16 of the rice cooking unit 10 to notify that the number of times of cooking rice has exceeded the threshold value y and to urge the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 to be cleaned. .. For example, the character string "The specified number of times of cooking rice has been exceeded. Please clean the communication window." Is displayed on the LCD display. After that, the process ends.

According to the fifteenth embodiment, infrared communication is performed through the communication window 18 and the communication window 25 with a configuration simpler than a configuration in which pseudo control information is transmitted to determine whether or not control information can be transmitted by infrared communication. It can be maintained in a possible state.

1 electric rice cooker, 10 rice cooking unit, 11 main body, 12 lid, 13 legs, 14 lid open / close button, 15 second input operation means, 16 display means, 17 weighing operation display, 17A display panel, 17B operation key, 17C operation key, 18 communication window, 19 heat insulation heater, 20 induction cooker, 21 top plate, 22 first input operation means, 23 display means, 24 protrusions, 25 communication window, 26 heating coil, 27 main control means, 28 Infrared transmitter / receiver, 29 Mount detection means, 30 Control means, 31 Temperature detection means, 32 Infrared transmitter / receiver, 33 Mount detection means, 40 Notification means, N variable, RA 1st threshold, RB 2nd threshold, T1 process Time, T2 process time, T2a process time, T2b process time, T2c process time, T3 process time, T3a process time, T3b process time, T3c process time, X reception level, y threshold.

Claims (11)

An electric rice cooker including an induction cooker and a rice cooker that is detachably mounted on the induction cooker and has an inner pot for cooking rice to be cooked.
The induction heating cooker has a heating coil for inductively heating the inner pot, a first control means, and a first communication means for transmitting and receiving control information.
The rice cooking unit has an input operation means for inputting rice cooking conditions for the cooked rice, a second communication means for transmitting and receiving control information, and a second control means.
Control information is transmitted and received between the rice cooking unit and the induction heating cooker via the first communication means and the second communication means.
The first control means or the second control means has a function of determining whether or not communication is possible between the first communication means and the second communication means , transmits pseudo control information, and performs the pseudo control information. Based on the status of the reply to the transmission of the control information, it is determined whether or not communication is possible between the first communication means and the second communication means.
The induction heating cooker has a first communication window through which infrared rays are transmitted.
The rice cooking unit has a second communication window through which infrared rays are transmitted.
The first communication means and the second communication means are configured to transmit and receive control information by infrared communication via the first communication window and the second communication window.
The first control means and the second control means transmit the pseudo control information, and based on the infrared reception level returned in response to the transmission of the pseudo control information, the first communication window. And an electric rice cooker for determining the degree of failure of infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means occurring in the second communication window . Infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means whose reception level is the degree of failure is not impossible, but a failure of infrared communication occurs in the first communication window and the second communication window. when a level that is determined to be, the first control means and said second control means according to claim 1 for notifying a message that prompts the maintenance of the first communication window and the second communication window Electric rice cooker. In the second control means, the reception level is not impossible for infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means at the present time, but the reception level reaches the communication impossible level during the next rice cooking. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , which does not start the current rice cooking operation when it is determined. In the second control means, the reception level is not impossible for infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means at the present time, but the reception level reaches the communication impossible level during the next rice cooking. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 , which displays a message confirming whether or not to execute the current rice cooking operation, and executes the rice cooking operation when instructed to perform the rice cooking operation. When the reception level is determined that infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means is impossible, the first control means does not base on the temperature information of the inner pot. electric cooker according to claim 1 to perform cooking in a special control mode for driving the heating coil. The electric rice cooker according to claim 5 , wherein the first control means notifies that the rice is cooked in the special control mode before the rice is cooked in the special control mode. When the reception level is determined that infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means is impossible, the first control means does not base on the temperature information of the inner pot. A message confirming whether or not to execute rice cooking in the special control mode for driving the heating coil is notified, and when the instruction for the rice cooking operation in the special control mode is given, the rice cooking operation is executed in the special control mode. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1 . The first control means continuously determines the degree of failure after the start of the rice cooking operation, and when it is determined that infrared communication between the first communication means and the second communication means is impossible, the first control means said. electric cooker according to claim 1 to perform cooking in a special control mode for driving the heating coil is not based on the temperature information of the inner hook. The electric rice cooker according to claim 8 , wherein the first control means notifies that the rice has been cooked in the special control mode when the rice cooking in the special control mode is completed. The electricity according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein the first control means drives the heating coil in the special control mode according to time information determined according to the capacity of the cooked rice. rice cooker. The electric rice cooker according to any one of claims 5 to 8 , wherein the first control means drives the heating coil at an energization rate determined according to the capacity of the cooked rice in the special control mode. vessel.

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