JP7797256B2 - Pressure cooker and pressure cooker control devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pressure cooker that pressure cooks food and a pressure cooker control device.

Patent Document 1 discloses a silencer for a cooker and a pressure cooking device that attenuates the sound of steam. The silencer for a cooker comprises an opening that surrounds the space around the cooker's steam port, a tubular section that rises from the opening, and a sound-absorbing structure that is attached to the inside of the tubular section and prevents at least the steam ejected from the cooker's steam port from rising directly upward. The opening can surround the space around the cooker's steam port, and when in use, the base section, which has an opening at its lower end, can be positioned to cover the cooker's steam port, thereby attenuating the sound of steam.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-325232

However, the pressure cooking device in Patent Document 1 has the problem of requiring a separate cooker silencer to cover the cooker's steam vent.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a pressure cooker and pressure cooker control device that has a simple configuration and can reduce or eliminate the steam noise emitted when cooking food.

The pressure cooker according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration:
A pressure cooker for cooking food contained in a pressure cooker having a pressure valve,
A heating unit that heats the pressure cooker;
A temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the pressure cooker;
a control unit that controls the amount of heat output by the heating unit,
The heating unit is
Burner and
a gas pipe for circulating fuel gas to be supplied to the burner;
a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel gas,
The gas pipe is
a main pipe communicating with the gas supply port ;
two sub-pipes branching from the main pipe and having different flow path cross-sectional areas;
The two sub-pipes include a first pipe and a second pipe having a flow path cross-sectional area that is at least twice that of the first pipe,
The valves include a first valve provided in the first pipe and a second valve provided in the second pipe,
When controlling the amount of heat until the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit reaches a target temperature for pressure-cooking the food, the control unit controls the amount of heat to be a first heating amount by opening the first valve and the second valve until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and when the predetermined temperature is reached, controls the amount of heat to be a second heating amount smaller than the first heating amount by closing the second valve .

According to the above-described characteristic configuration, when controlling the amount of heat until the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit reaches a target temperature for pressure-cooking the food, the heating unit is controlled to heat at a first amount of heat until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and once the predetermined temperature is reached, the heating unit is controlled to heat at a second amount of heat smaller than the first amount of heat, until the detected temperature reaches the target temperature. This reduces the overshoot of the temperature detected after the target temperature is reached (the degree to which the target temperature is exceeded) compared to when the heating unit is controlled to heat at the first amount of heat until the target temperature is reached, and reduces or eliminates the steam noise emitted during cooking of the food.
Furthermore, by controlling the amount of heat, the sound of steam emitted when cooking food can be reduced or eliminated, allowing the pressure cooker to have a simple structure.

Furthermore, since the amount of heat is controlled by controlling the valve that adjusts the flow rate of the fuel gas, the sound of steam emitted when cooking food can be reduced or eliminated with a simple configuration.

Furthermore, by closing one of the two valves, the heating amount is changed from the first heating amount to the second heating amount, so the pressure cooker can have a simple structure.

Further characteristic features of the pressure cooker according to the present invention are:
The predetermined temperature and the target temperature are lower than the design temperature at which the pressure valve of the pressure cooker operates.

According to the above characteristic configuration, the temperature detected after reaching the target temperature is less likely to exceed the design temperature at which the pressure valve operates, and the steam noise emitted when cooking the food can be more effectively reduced or eliminated.

The pressure cooker control device according to the present invention has the following features:
A pressure cooker control device that controls a pressure cooker that cooks food contained in a pressure cooker having a pressure valve,
The pressure cooker includes a heating unit for heating the pressure cooker,
Burner and
a gas pipe for circulating fuel gas to be supplied to the burner;
a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel gas,
The gas pipe is
a main pipe communicating with the gas supply port;
two sub-pipes branching from the main pipe and having different flow path cross-sectional areas;
The two sub-pipes include a first pipe and a second pipe having a flow path cross-sectional area that is at least twice that of the first pipe,
The valves include a first valve provided in the first pipe and a second valve provided in the second pipe,
an input unit into which temperature information of the pressure cooker is input;
a storage unit for storing information indicating a target temperature for pressure cooking the food contained in the pressure cooker and a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature;
a control unit that controls the amount of heat output by the pressure cooker;
When controlling the heating amount until the temperature input to the input unit reaches the target temperature, the control unit controls the heating amount to a first heating amount by opening the first valve and the second valve until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and controls the heating amount to a second heating amount smaller than the first heating amount by closing the second valve once the predetermined temperature is reached.

According to the above-described characteristic configuration, when controlling the heating amount until the temperature input to the input unit reaches a target temperature for pressure-cooking the food, the heating unit is controlled to heat at a first heating amount until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and once the predetermined temperature is reached, the heating unit is controlled to heat at a second heating amount smaller than the first heating amount, thereby heating the input temperature until it reaches the target temperature. This makes it possible to reduce overshoot of the input temperature after the target temperature is reached (to reduce the degree to which the target temperature is exceeded), and to reduce or eliminate the steam noise emitted when the food is cooked, compared to when the heating unit is controlled to heat at the first heating amount until the target temperature is reached.
Furthermore, by controlling the amount of heat, the sound of steam emitted when cooking food can be reduced or eliminated, allowing the pressure cooker to have a simple structure.
Furthermore, since the amount of heat is controlled by controlling the valve that adjusts the flow rate of the fuel gas, the sound of steam emitted when cooking food can be reduced or eliminated with a simple configuration.
Furthermore, by closing one of the two valves, the heating amount is changed from the first heating amount to the second heating amount, so the pressure cooker can have a simple structure.

1 is a front view showing a pressure cooker according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of the pressure cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a heating unit according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a gas supply unit according to the embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a cooking control process performed by the control device according to the embodiment. 4 is a timing chart showing the control of the pressure cooker according to the embodiment and a diagram showing the temperature change of the bottom surface of the pot body. FIG.

A pressure cooker and control device (an example of a pressure cooker control device) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the pressure cooker 1 comprises a pressure cooker 10 in which the food to be cooked is stored, a heating unit 20 that heats the pressure cooker 10, a temperature detection sensor 30 (an example of a temperature detection unit) that detects the temperature of the pressure cooker 10, a control unit 40 that controls the amount of heat output by the pressure cooker 10, a support unit 50 that supports the pressure cooker 10, the heating unit 20, the temperature detection sensor 30, and the control unit 40, and an operation unit 60 that accepts operations on the pressure cooker 1.

The pressure cooker 10 has a pot 11 in which the food to be cooked is placed and a lid 12 that covers the pot 11.

The pot 11 has a circular shape in plan view and includes a cylindrical pot body 111 with one open end, and two pot handles 112 attached to the sides of the pot body 111.

The pot body 111 has a double structure and includes an inner pot 111a located inside the pot body 111 and an outer pot 111b located outside the inner pot 111a at a distance from the inner pot 111a. The inner pot 111a is open on one side and has a storage space S1 in which the food to be cooked is stored. A combustion chamber S2 is formed between the inner pot 111a and the outer pot 111b to heat the storage space S1.

The bottom of the inner pot 111a has a measurement part 111c that comes into contact with the temperature detection sensor 30 (described below) to measure the temperature of the inner pot 111a. The measurement part 111c protrudes outside the inner pot 111a.

Two pot handles 112 are provided on the inner pot 111a. More specifically, the two pot handles 112 are provided on opposite sides of the inner pot 111a.

The outer pot 111b includes multiple ribs 111d for supporting the inner pot 111a. The inner pot 111a is removable from the outer pot 111b, and the inner pot 111a is supported by the outer pot 111b (multiple ribs 111d) by placing the flange 111e of the inner pot 111a on the multiple ribs 111d. This forms the combustion chamber S2.

Multiple ribs 111d are spaced apart circumferentially at the upper end of the outer pot 111b, and combustion exhaust gases generated by the burner 21 (described below) in the combustion chamber S2 are discharged to the outside through gaps between the multiple ribs 111d.

The lid 12 includes a lid body 121 that is circular in plan view and has approximately the same dimensions as the pot body 111, and two lid handles 122 attached to the sides of the lid body 121. Each of the two lid handles 122 is secured to the opposing pot handle 112 in the vertical direction with a sealing device (not shown), and the lid 12 is set on the pot 11 (inner pot 111a). When the lid 12 is set on the pot 11, covering the opening of the pot body 111, the storage space S1 is sealed from the outside space and the combustion chamber S2.

The lid body 121 has a pressure valve 12a that adjusts the pressure in the storage space S1, which is sealed when the lid 12 is placed on the pot 11. The pressure valve 12a is located, for example, in the center, on the surface (top surface) of the lid body 121 opposite the pot body 111.

The heating unit 20 includes a burner 21, a gas supply unit 22 that distributes fuel gas to the burner 21, an ignition cock 23 that controls the heat output of the burner 21, and a heat shield 24 that blocks radiant heat from the flame, etc. The heating unit 20 also includes an ignition device, an overheating prevention circuit, and a safety device (not shown). As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom of the outer pot 111b is formed with a hole 111h that can be inserted to expose the burner 21 inside the combustion chamber S2. The burner 21 is positioned inside the combustion chamber S2 via the hole 111h, facing the bottom of the inner pot 111a.

As shown in Figure 3, the burner 21 includes multiple flame holes 21a from which flames are emitted. The pressure cooker 10 is heated by the flames emitted from the flame holes 21a.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the gas supply unit 22 includes a fuel gas supply port 221 to which fuel gas is supplied from the outside, a main pipe 222 that communicates with the fuel gas supply port 221, multiple sub-pipes 223 that branch off from the main pipe 222, a junction pipe 224 where the multiple sub-pipes 223 join together, and multiple valves 226 provided on each of the multiple sub-pipes 223. Note that the main pipe 222 and the multiple sub-pipes 223 are examples of gas pipes.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upstream end of the main pipe 222 in the fuel gas flow direction D is connected to the fuel gas supply port 221, and fuel gas supplied from the fuel gas supply port 221 flows through the main pipe 222. The downstream end of the main pipe 222 is connected to multiple sub-pipes 223.

The upstream end of each of the multiple sub-pipes 223 in the flow direction D is connected to the main pipe 222, and fuel gas supplied from the main pipe 222 flows through the sub-pipes 223. The downstream end of each of the multiple sub-pipes 223 is connected to the junction pipe 224.

The sub-pipe 223 includes a first pipe 223a and a second pipe 223b. The first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b have different flow path cross-sectional areas, and the flow rates of the fuel gas flowing through the first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b are different from each other.

Fuel gas flows through the first pipe 223a at a lower flow rate than the second pipe 223b. In this embodiment, the ratio of the flow path cross-sectional areas of the first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b is 1:3, and fuel gas flows through the first pipe 223a at a flow rate that is one-quarter of the fuel gas flow rate when the burner 21 is at maximum heat output (hereinafter referred to as the maximum flow rate). Fuel gas flows through the second pipe 223b at a flow rate that is three-quarters of the maximum flow rate.

The upstream end of the junction pipe 224 in the fuel gas flow direction D is connected to the first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b, and the downstream end is connected to the burner 21. The junction pipe 224 supplies the fuel gas supplied from at least one of the first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b to the burner 21.

In this embodiment, the multiple valves 226 include two valves 226 that adjust the flow rate of fuel gas flowing through each of the multiple sub-pipes 223. The valves 226 are, for example, solenoid valves.

The two valves 226 include a first valve 226a and a second valve 226b. The first valve 226a is provided on the first pipe 223a. The first valve 226a controls the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate that is one-fourth of the maximum flow rate. In more detail, when the first valve 226a is opened, the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate that is one-fourth of the maximum flow rate begins, and when the first valve 226a is closed, the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate that is one-fourth of the maximum flow rate stops.

The second valve 226b is provided on the second pipe 223b. The second valve 226b controls the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate of three-quarters of the maximum flow rate. In particular, when the second valve 226b is opened, the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate of three-quarters of the maximum flow rate begins, and when the second valve 226b is closed, the flow of fuel gas at a flow rate of three-quarters of the maximum flow rate stops.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the ignition cock 23 ignites the burner 21 and adjusts the heat output. For example, by pressing the ignition cock 23, an ignition device (not shown) is activated, igniting the burner 21. Furthermore, by rotating the ignition cock 23, the open/closed states of the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b are controlled. As a result, the amount of fuel gas supplied to the burner 21 is adjusted, and the heat output of the burner 21 is controlled. In other words, the amount of heat output by the burner 21 is controlled.

The temperature detection sensor 30 is located in the center of the burner 21 inserted into a hole 111h formed in the bottom of the outer pot 111b in the combustion chamber S2, and is configured to detect the temperature by coming into contact with the measured part 111c of the inner pot 111a placed on the outer pot 111b. The temperature detection sensor 30 outputs temperature information indicating the temperature of the measured part 111c of the inner pot 111a to the control device 40. The temperature detection sensor 30 is, for example, a thermistor. Hereinafter, the temperature of the measured part 111c will be simply referred to as the temperature of the inner pot 111a.

When the internal pressure in storage space S1 of pressure cooker 10 exceeds the design pressure, pressure valve 12a of lid 12 opens, spraying steam from storage space S1 to the outside and maintaining a constant pressure in storage space S1. When pressure valve 12a opens and sprays steam from storage space S1 to the outside, a steam sound is generated. In this embodiment, pressure valve 12a of pressure cooker 10 causes the internal pressure in storage space S1 to exceed the design pressure when the temperature measured by temperature detection sensor 30 exceeds 120°C. In other words, there is a correlation between the temperature detected by temperature detection sensor 30 and the internal pressure in storage space S1, and when the detected temperature reaches 120°C, the internal pressure is considered to have reached the design pressure.

The control device 40 controls the operation of the pressure cooker 1. The control device 40 includes a cooking timer 41 for measuring the cooking time for pressure-cooking the food, a steaming timer 42 for measuring the time for steaming the food, a control unit 43 for controlling the operation of each part of the pressure cooker 1, a memory unit 44 for storing various information, and an input/output unit 45 (an example of an input unit) for inputting and outputting various information.

Temperature information is input to the input/output unit 45 from the temperature detection sensor 30. Operation information is also input to the input/output unit 45 from the operation unit 60, which will be described later.

The storage unit 44 is composed of, for example, at least one of RAM (Random Access Memory), flash memory, HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive). Information indicating the predetermined temperature, target temperature, and design temperature is pre-stored in the storage unit 44.

The control unit 43 is composed of software with a central processing unit (CPU) and memory at its core. Alternatively, the control unit 43 is composed of a combination of hardware and software.

The control unit 43 acquires temperature information input to the input/output unit 45. When controlling the amount of heat output by the burner 21 until the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the target temperature for cooking the food under pressure (hereinafter referred to as pressure cooking), the control unit 43 controls the amount of heat output by the burner 21 to be a first amount of heat until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and once the predetermined temperature is reached, controls the amount of heat output by the burner 21 to be a second amount of heat smaller than the first amount of heat, thereby heating until the detected temperature reaches the target temperature. The first and second amounts of heat are set in advance according to the volume of the pressure cooker 10, the predetermined temperature, the target temperature, the design temperature, etc.

In this embodiment, the target temperature is the temperature at which the food is pressure-cooked, and is set in advance by operating the setting unit 63. The target temperature is set depending on the type of pressure cooking and the volume of the pressure cooker 10, etc. In this embodiment, the target temperature is, for example, 110°C. The target temperature is set to a temperature lower than the temperature (for example, 120°C) at which the internal pressure of the storage space S1 exceeds the pre-designed design pressure of the pressure cooker 1.

In this embodiment, the predetermined temperature is a temperature lower than the target temperature, and is the temperature at which the burner 21 begins to control (reduce) the amount of heat output while the temperature of the inner pot 111a is rising to the target temperature. The predetermined temperature is a value based on experimental results that take into account the volume and design temperature of the pressure cooker 10, and is set in advance by operating the setting unit 63 of the operation unit 60, which will be described later. In this embodiment, the predetermined temperature is, for example, 90°C.

In this embodiment, the control unit 43 controls the amount of heat output by the heating unit 20 by controlling the open/close state of at least one of the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b.

More specifically, when the control unit 43 starts heating by the heating unit 20, it opens the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b, transitioning them to an open state. The control unit 43 maintains the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b in an open state and causes the burner 21 to burn at the first heating amount from the time the heating unit 20 starts heating until it acquires the first temperature information (information indicating that the predetermined temperature has been reached) from the temperature detection sensor 30, i.e., until the temperature detection sensor 30 detects that the temperature of the inner pot 111a has reached the predetermined temperature.

Until the control unit 43 acquires the second temperature information (information indicating that the target temperature has been reached) from the temperature detection sensor 30, i.e., when the temperature detection sensor 30 detects that the temperature of the inner pot 111a has reached a predetermined temperature, it closes the second valve 226b to transition to a closed state while keeping the first valve 226a open, and causes the burner 21 to burn at the second heating amount.

When the control unit 43 acquires the second temperature information, i.e., when it detects that the temperature of the inner pot 111a has reached the target temperature, it closes the first valve 226a and transitions it to a closed state while keeping the second valve 226b closed.

The control unit 43 then controls the open/close state of the first valve 226a so that the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 maintains the target temperature. Specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 becomes a specified temperature (e.g., 3°C) lower than the target temperature, only the first valve 226a opens to cause the burner 21 to burn at the second heating amount, and when the target temperature is reached, the first valve 226a closes to stop the combustion of the burner 21, thereby performing temperature control operation to maintain the target temperature. When the time measured by the cooking timer 41 reaches a preset time (hereinafter referred to as the set cooking time) while the target temperature is maintained, the control unit 43 closes the first valve 226a to transition to a closed state.

As described above, the target temperature is lower than the design temperature at which the internal pressure exceeds the design pressure, and the predetermined temperature is lower than the design temperature. Therefore, compared to when the burner 21 is controlled to heat at the first heating amount until the target temperature is reached, the overshoot of the temperature input after the target temperature is reached can be reduced (the degree to which the target temperature is exceeded is reduced), reducing or eliminating the internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10 from exceeding the design pressure, and reducing or eliminating the occurrence of evaporation noise caused by the pressure valve 12a of the pressure cooker 10 opening.

The support section 50 comprises a support base 51 on which the pressure cooker 10 is placed, and multiple support posts 52 extending vertically from the support base 51. In this embodiment, the outer pot 111b is configured to be integrated with the support base 51 when placed on top of the support base 51, and the inner pot 111a is configured to be removable from the outer pot 111b. In this case, a drip receiver for collecting juices spurting out from the pressure cooker 10 is included in the bottom of the outer pot 111b at a location other than the portion where the hole 111h is formed, and on the top of the support base 51. The outer pot 111b may also be configured as a separate unit from the support base 51 and removable from the support base 51.

The operation unit 60 accepts operations performed by the user on the pressure cooker 1 and outputs information indicating the operation. The operation unit 60 has a power switch 61 that can switch the power supplied to the pressure cooker 1 on and off, an operation switch 62 that can switch between starting and stopping pressure cooking using the pressure cooker 1, and a setting unit 63 that accepts settings such as the target temperature, cooking time, and steaming time. The setting unit 63 is composed of multiple buttons, touch sensors, etc.

Next, with reference to Figures 1 to 5, the cooking control process by the pressure cooker 1 performed by the control unit 43 will be described. The cooking control process by the pressure cooker 1 is initiated, for example, when an instruction to start the cooking control process is given while the pressure cooker 1 is powered on. The cooking control process is initiated, for example, by operating the operation unit 60, but the cooking control process may also be initiated by pressing and rotating the ignition cock 23 described above.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 43 starts heating by the burner 21 by opening the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b and transitioning them from a closed state to an open state (step S101).

Next, the control unit 43 waits until the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches a predetermined temperature (Step S103; No). When the predetermined temperature is reached (Step S103; Yes), the control unit 43 transitions the second valve 226b from an open state to a closed state, thereby reducing the amount of heat output by the burner 21 from the first amount of heat to the second amount of heat (Step S105).

Next, the control unit 43 waits until the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the target temperature (Step S107; No).

When the target temperature is reached (Step S107: Yes), the control unit 43 starts timing by the cooking timer 41 (Step S109) and waits until the time measured by the cooking timer 41 reaches the set cooking time (Step S111: No). Note that while the cooking timer 41 is timing, the control unit 43 controls the open/close state of the first valve 226a so that the target temperature is maintained.

When the time measured by the cooking timer 41 reaches the set cooking time (step S111: Yes), the control unit 43 starts timing by the steaming timer 42 (step S113) and waits until the time measured by the steaming timer 42 reaches the set steaming time (step S115: No).

When the time measured by the steaming timer 42 reaches the set steaming time (step S115; Yes), the control unit 43 notifies the user that cooking is complete by sounding a buzzer for a predetermined period of time (step S117), and then ends the cooking control process.

Next, the control of the pressure cooker 1 by the control unit 43 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that Figure 6 is a timing chart for when the predetermined temperature is 90°C, the target temperature is 110°C, and the design temperature is 120°C.

As shown in Figure 6, when the gas cock (not shown) transitions from a closed state to an open state and the power switch 61 described with reference to Figure 1 transitions from an OFF state to an ON state, power is supplied to the pressure cooker 1 and the overheat protection circuit is activated. The overheat protection circuit operates while the power switch 61 is in the ON state, i.e., until the power switch 61 transitions to the OFF state.

Next, when the ignition cock 23 is pushed and rotated, the ignition device is activated, and the pilot light and safety device (thermocouple) are activated. The ignition device stops when the ignition cock 23 is no longer operated. The pilot light and safety device (thermocouple) remain active until the ignition cock 23 is rotated and transitions to the closed state.

Next, when the operation switch 62 transitions from the OFF state to the ON state and the cooking control process begins, the first valve 226a (SVS) and the second valve 226b (SVL) transition from the closed state to the open state, and heating by the burner 21 begins.

When heating by the burner 21 begins, the temperature of the inner pot 111a begins to rise, as shown in the lower graph of Figure 6.

When the temperature of the inner pot 111a rises and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the predetermined temperature of 90°C, the control unit 43 transitions the second valve 226b (SVL) from an open state to a closed state while keeping the first valve 226a (SVS) open. This reduces the amount of heat output by the burner 21. More specifically, the amount of heat output by the burner 21 is changed from the first amount of heat to the second amount of heat. The second amount of heat is one-fourth the first amount of heat.

The pressure cooker 10 is then heated by the burner 21 at the second heating level (one-quarter of the heating level), causing the temperature of the inner pot 111a to rise more slowly than before reaching the predetermined temperature.

When the temperature of the inner pot 111a continues to rise and the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the target temperature of 110°C, the control unit 43 transitions the first valve 226a (SVS) from an open state to a closed state, stopping heating by the burner 21 and starting timing by the cooking timer 41. The control unit 43 maintains the temperature of the inner pot 111a at the target temperature of 110°C while timing is being performed by the cooking timer 41. Specifically, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 drops by 3°C or more below the target temperature of 110°C, the control unit 43 transitions the first valve 226a from a closed state to an open state, causing heating by the burner 21 to resume. On the other hand, when the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the target temperature of 110°C after heating has resumed, the control unit 43 transitions the first valve 226a from an open state to a closed state, causing heating by the burner 21 to cease.

When the time measured by the cooking timer 41 reaches the set cooking time, the control unit 43 ends the time measurement by the cooking timer 41, transitions the first valve 226a from an open state to a closed state, stops heating by the burner 21, and starts the time measurement by the steaming timer 42.

When the time measured by the steaming timer 42 reaches the set steaming time, the control unit 43 ends the time measurement by the steaming timer 42, sounds a buzzer for a predetermined time to notify the user that cooking is complete, and ends the cooking control process. After that, the ignition cock 23 transitions from an open state to a closed state, and the power switch 61 transitions from an ON state to an OFF state.

As described above, when controlling the amount of heat generated by the burner 21 until the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches the target temperature for pressure-cooking the food, the control unit 43 controls the amount of heat generated by the burner 21 to be the first amount of heat until the temperature detected by the temperature detection sensor 30 reaches a predetermined temperature, and then controls the amount of heat generated by the burner 21 to be the second amount of heat once the predetermined temperature is reached. This reduces or eliminates the occurrence of evaporation noise caused by the pressure valve 12a of the pressure cooker 10 opening. As a result, the fear or discomfort felt by users of the pressure cooker 10 due to the evaporation noise can be reduced or eliminated. Furthermore, because the amount of heat output by the burner 21 can be reduced or eliminated by controlling the amount of heat output by the burner 21, the pressure cooker 1 can be simplified in configuration.

Furthermore, the specified temperature and target temperature are lower than the design temperature at which the internal pressure of the pressure cooker 10 exceeds the design pressure. Therefore, evaporation noise can be more effectively reduced or eliminated.

In addition, by closing the second valve 226b, the control unit 43 changes the amount of heat output by the burner 21 from the first amount of heat to the second amount of heat, allowing the pressure cooker 1 to have a simple configuration.

Other Embodiments
(1) In the above embodiment, the amount of heat output by the burner 21 was controlled by opening and closing the two valves 226 to control the flow rate of the fuel gas flowing through two pipes (the first pipe 223a and the second pipe 223b) with different flow path cross sections. However, the method for controlling the amount of heat output by the burner 21 is not particularly limited. For example, the main pipe 222 may be provided with a main valve capable of adjusting the flow rate, and the control unit 43 may control the amount of heat by controlling the open/close state of the main valve. In this case, the first valve 226a and the second valve 226b can be omitted.

(2) In the above embodiment, the second heating amount was one-fourth of the first heating amount. However, the second heating amount may be smaller than the first heating amount as long as it is a heating amount that can reduce the overshoot of the temperature detected after the target temperature is reached (reduce the degree to which the target temperature is exceeded), and may be, for example, one-third of the first heating amount.

(3) In the above embodiment, the burner 21 was used as an example of a member for heating the pressure cooker 10, but the heating member is not limited to this and may also be an electric heater.

(4) In the above embodiment, the pot 11 and the lid 12 were circular in plan view, but the shapes of the pot 11 and the lid 12 can be modified in various ways, and may be, for example, elliptical in plan view.

(5) In the above embodiment, the measurement part 111c, where the temperature of the inner pot 111a is measured by the temperature detection sensor 30, is located in the center of the bottom surface of the inner pot 111a. However, the location of the measurement part 111c is not limited to the bottom surface of the inner pot 111a, as long as it is a location where the temperature of the inner pot 111a can be detected. In this case, the predetermined temperature and target temperature may be corrected depending on the location where the temperature detection sensor 30 detects the temperature. Furthermore, although a contact-type temperature sensor was used as the temperature detection sensor 30 in the above embodiment, a non-contact temperature sensor (a temperature sensor using infrared rays) may also be used.

The configurations disclosed in the above embodiments (including other embodiments, the same applies below) can be applied in combination with configurations disclosed in other embodiments, provided that no contradictions arise. Furthermore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. They can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the purpose of the present invention.

1: Pressure cooker 10: Pressure cooker 11: Pot 12a: Pressure valve 20: Heating unit 21: Burner 30: Temperature sensor 40: Control device 43: Control unit 44: Memory unit 45: Input/output unit 222: Main piping 223: Sub-piping 226: Valve

Claims (3)

A pressure cooker for cooking food contained in a pressure cooker having a pressure valve,
A heating unit that heats the pressure cooker;
A temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the pressure cooker;
a control unit that controls the amount of heat output by the heating unit,
The heating unit is
Burner and
a gas pipe for circulating fuel gas to be supplied to the burner;
a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel gas,
The gas pipe is
a main pipe communicating with the gas supply port ;
two sub-pipes branching from the main pipe and having different flow path cross-sectional areas;
The two sub-pipes include a first pipe and a second pipe having a flow path cross-sectional area that is at least twice that of the first pipe,
The valves include a first valve provided in the first pipe and a second valve provided in the second pipe,
When controlling the amount of heat until the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit reaches a target temperature for pressure-cooking the food, the control unit controls the amount of heat to be a first heating amount by opening the first valve and the second valve until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and when the predetermined temperature is reached, controls the amount of heat to be a second heating amount smaller than the first heating amount by closing the second valve . The pressure cooker of claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature and the target temperature are lower than the design temperature at which the pressure valve of the pressure cooker operates. A pressure cooker control device that controls a pressure cooker that cooks food contained in a pressure cooker having a pressure valve,
The pressure cooker includes a heating unit for heating the pressure cooker,
Burner and
a gas pipe for circulating fuel gas to be supplied to the burner;
a valve for adjusting the flow rate of the fuel gas,
The gas pipe is
a main pipe communicating with the gas supply port;
two sub-pipes branching from the main pipe and having different flow path cross-sectional areas;
The two sub-pipes include a first pipe and a second pipe having a flow path cross-sectional area that is at least twice that of the first pipe,
The valves include a first valve provided in the first pipe and a second valve provided in the second pipe,
an input unit into which temperature information of the pressure cooker is input;
a storage unit for storing information indicating a target temperature for pressure cooking the food contained in the pressure cooker and a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature;
a control unit that controls the amount of heat output by the pressure cooker;
When controlling the amount of heating until the temperature input to the input unit reaches the target temperature, the control unit controls the amount of heating to a first amount of heating by opening the first valve and the second valve until a predetermined temperature lower than the target temperature is reached, and when the predetermined temperature is reached, controls the amount of heating to a second amount of heating smaller than the first amount of heating by closing the second valve .