JPH0477564B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a rice cooker with a timer used in general households.

Conventional configuration and its problems In a conventional rice cooker with a timer, if there is no pot while the timer is operating, when the rice cooking operation starts after the set time has elapsed, the heater is prevented from being energized without the pot. Therefore, the timer operation would be stopped or the timer setting time would be cleared. With conventional timer-equipped rice cookers like this, the user must first grind the rice and place it in the pot before setting the timer, and the rice cooker cannot change the amount of water while the timer is running. This method had the disadvantage that it had to be carried out with the pot set.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The purpose of the present invention is to provide a timer-equipped rice cooker that can continue the timer operation even when there is no pot, in order to eliminate the drawbacks of the conventional timer-equipped rice cooker and provide convenience in use. There is a particular thing.

Structure of the Invention The rice cooker with a timer of the present invention includes a rice cooking means that performs a rice cooking operation, and a timer means that continues the timer operation when the timer is set by the timer setting means and operates the rice cooking means when the timer operation ends. a pot detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a pot; and a discriminating means that inputs signals from the timer means and the pot detection means and stops the rice cooking operation if it is determined that the rice cooking operation is in progress after the timer operation ends and there is no pot. If you set the timer using the timer setting means, you can always start the rice cooking operation when the timer operation ends, and once the rice cooking operation starts,
The rice cooking operation can be stopped only if there is no pot using the determination means, so even if the pot is taken out or put in while the timer is running, the timer does not need to be set again, and if there is no pot while the timer is running, the rice cooking operation can be stopped. The rice cooking operation can be stopped to ensure safety.

Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, numeral 1 is a timer means that continues the timer operation when the timer is set by the timer setting means, and this timer means 1 operates the rice cooking means 2 that performs the rice cooking operation when the timer operation ends. 3 is a pot detection means for detecting the presence or absence of a pot. Reference numeral 4 denotes a discriminating means for inputting signals from the timer means 1 and the pot detecting means 3, and this discriminating means 4 stops the rice cooking operation of the rice cooking means 2 if it determines that there is no pot while the rice is being cooked after the timer has finished operating. let

FIG. 2 shows a specific configuration including the peripheral portion of this embodiment. Reference numeral 5 denotes a pot, around which a heater 6, a temperature sensor 7, and a pot detection switch 8 are provided. Reference numeral 9 is a key switch for inputting the set time of the timer, 10 is a reference clock serving as a reference for timekeeping operation, and 11 is a display device for displaying the operation of the timer and the like. Reference numeral 12 denotes a microcomputer, which implements the functions of the timer means, rice cooking means, and discriminating means shown in FIG. 1 using a built-in program.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIG. In step 20, it is determined whether the timer is set by the key switch 9. If the timer is set, the reference clock 10 is counted in step 21, and the timer operation is continued in step 22 until the timer operation ends. continue. When the timer operation ends, the heater 6 is turned on in step 23.
The rice cooking operation is performed by the temperature sensor 7.
In step 24, the presence or absence of a pot is determined by the pot detection switch 8, and if there is no pot, the rice cooking operation is stopped. In step 25, it is determined whether the rice cooking operation is finished. The presence or absence of a pot is detected only during rice cooking in step 24.
The timer continues to work even if there is no pot while the timer is running.

Therefore, even if the pot is taken out, the timer operation will not be affected until the rice cooking operation starts, and the user can freely change the amount of water, wash the rice, etc.

Effects of the Invention As is clear from the above embodiments, the rice cooker with a timer of the present invention can always start the rice cooking operation at the end of the timer operation by setting the timer using the timer setting means. If the rice cooker is turned on, the rice cooking operation can be stopped only when there is no pot using the discriminating means.Therefore, there is no need to set the timer again even if the pot is taken out or put in while the timer is running. To provide a rice cooker with a timer that can reliably stop the rice cooking operation if there is no pot, has no operational restrictions, and is highly safe.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 and 2 are block diagrams showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a microcomputer program used in the embodiment. 1...Timer means, 2...Rice cooking means, 3...
Pot detection means, 4...discrimination means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooking means that performs a rice cooking operation, a timer means that continues the timer operation when the timer is set by the timer setting means and operates the rice cooking means when the timer operation ends, and a pot detection means that detects the presence or absence of a pot. Then, the signals from the timer means and the pot detection means are input, and during the rice cooking operation after the timer operation ends,
The rice cooker is equipped with a timer and includes a determination means that stops the rice cooking operation if it is determined that there is no pot.