JP2000237052A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To cook rice in an optimum rice cooking finish state by providing an operation panel capable of minutely setting various conditions such as time or quantity in rice washing and cooking processes or the like and optionally deciding the rice finish state. SOLUTION: Relating to this rice cooker, automatic rice cooking is enabled from washing to steaming and, moreover, minute and favorite setting is enabled to realize a rice cooking state in accordance with taste. That is, in an initial state, the screen of a 'menu 1' is displayed on a touch panel, 'automatic rice cooking' is selected in the case of a normality, a 'confirmation button' is depressed when the screen is changed-over into the confirmation one and, then, automatic rice cooking under a standard condition is executed by depressing a 'rice cooking start'. When a 'next' button of the 'menu 1' is depressed, the screen of the 'menu 2' is displayed, favorite rice cooking for automatic cooking by a condition corresponding to taste is executed in the case of selecting 'minute setting' in the screen of the 'menu 2'.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker that can automatically cook rice in accordance with a user's preference.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a rice cooker for automatically weighing, washing rice, adjusting water addition, and cooking rice, and has been used in restaurants and the like for business use.

In such a rice cooker, a rice hopper, a rice washer, and a rice cooker are disposed in a machine frame, and an operation panel is provided in the machine frame.

When the rice cooker is set using the operation panel and the start switch is turned on, a predetermined amount of rice is supplied from the rice hopper to the rice washer, and after a predetermined number of times of rice washing, the rice is transferred to the rice cooker, and a predetermined amount of water is supplied. Is supplied, heated for a predetermined time, and then steamed for a predetermined time, so that the rice cooking process can be automatically performed.

In such a conventional rice cooker, the cooked state of rice can be generally selected from “soft”, “normal”, and “hard” using the operation panel.

[0006]

However, in the above-described conventional configuration, the cooked rice can only be selected in three stages, so that it is necessary to take care of not only the hardness of the rice but also the subtle texture such as stickiness and sweetness. Not suitable for stores. Therefore, an automatic rice cooker capable of performing fine-tuned setting according to taste has been desired.

[0007] In addition, the state of cooked rice varies depending on the varieties, and also varies depending on whether it is new rice, old rice, or blended rice. Fine adjustment is necessary according to the above, but there has been no such fine adjustment conventionally.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker capable of solving the above-mentioned problems.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation panel capable of setting various conditions of time and amount in a rice washing process, a rice cooking process, and the like in detail. In addition, the cooked state can be arbitrarily determined.

According to the present invention, a rice hopper, a rice washer, and a rice cooker are arranged in order from the upper part to the lower part in the machine frame, and polished rice is weighed from the rice hopper by operating an operation panel. A rice cooker capable of automatically performing a process of transferring rice to a rice washing machine, transferring rice to a rice cooker after rice washing, and cooking rice, wherein the operation panel enables at least three levels of water addition and heat adjustment to be selected. In each stage, more detailed conditions can be set.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A rice cooker according to the present invention has an operation panel capable of setting various conditions of time and amount in a rice washing process, a rice cooking process, and the like in detail, so that a cooked state can be arbitrarily determined. Things.

That is, from the upper part to the lower part in the machine frame, a rice hopper, a rice washer, and a rice cooker are arranged in this order, an operation panel is provided on the machine frame, and rice is weighed from the rice hopper by operating the operation panel. Transfer the rice to the rice washer, and after the rice washing, transfer the rice to the rice cooker so that the rice cooking process can be automatically performed, and the operation panel enables at least three levels of water control and heat control to be selected. More detailed conditions can be set at each stage.

For example, in the case of rice washing, by setting the rice washing time, the number of times of sharpening, and the rinsing time in detail, it is possible to correct the cooked state which varies depending on the type and condition of the rice, or to set the cooked state according to the taste. be able to.

[0014] Even if the water is adjusted, the softness of the rice can be adjusted to the liking by making it possible to finely set the amount of water.

[0015] Furthermore, in the case of adjustment of the heat, the heating power and heating time can be adjusted in the pre-cooking stage, and further, in the cooking stage, the temperature, output, time, etc. can be set finely in the first half and the second half thereof. By doing so, it becomes possible to automatically cook delicious rice according to taste.

[0016] Therefore, in a restaurant or the like, an optimum cooked state can be obtained in which the hardness, stickiness, and sweetness of the rice match the taste.

Further, since the condition which is considered to be the most delicious according to the variety and condition of the rice used can be selected and set, a delicious rice can be provided at any time.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a rice cooker A according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker A includes a machine casing 1.
Rice cooker 2 is arranged at the lower part of the
Further, a rice hopper 4 is disposed above the rice hopper 4. In addition,
H is an IH heating inverter provided at the bottom of the machine frame 1, and H1 is an inverter cooling fan.

A measuring device 5 is attached to the bottom of the rice polishing hopper 4 so that a predetermined amount of rice R can be dropped into the rice washing device 3.

For example, an operation touch panel 6 as an operation panel is provided on a front panel 10 of the machine casing 1. If automatic rice cooking is selected by the touch panel 6, a predetermined amount of rice is automatically measured. Then, the rice is stored in the rice washing machine 3 and operates as rice washing → cooking according to the set conditions.

As shown in FIG. 3, a water supply pipe 30 connected to a water source (not shown) is connected to the rice washer 3 in communication therewith. A flow path switching valve V composed of an electromagnetic valve is attached in the middle of the water supply pipe 30, and the downstream side of the flow path switching valve V is branched into a main flow path 31a and a sub flow path 31b provided with an orifice 32. The flow path can be selected, and the selected flow paths 31a and 31b are joined again to the water supply pipe 30 to supply water into the rice washing machine 3. Reference numeral 33 denotes a drain pipe, which drains water after washing the rice out of the system according to the siphon principle.

S is a control unit for controlling the operation of the rice cooker A according to the present embodiment, which is housed and disposed above the machine casing 1 (see FIG. 2). Then, it is electrically connected to the touch panel 6, and outputs a switching signal of the flow path switching valve V and an operation signal to other devices such as the measuring device 5 according to the input condition from the touch panel 6.

Numeral 34 denotes a rice discharge port provided at the lower part of the rice washing machine 3, and a valve body 35 communicating with the water supply pipe 30 and supplying water to the rice washing machine 3 is attached to the rice discharge port 34 so as to be movable up and down. The discharge port 34 can be opened and closed freely. Reference numeral 36 denotes a water supply port provided in the valve body 35, and communicates with the water supply pipe 30.

Further, an ultrasonic sensor 7 for monitoring a rise in the water level in the rice washer 3 is provided substantially at the center of the upper portion of the rice washer 3. The ultrasonic sensor 7 supplies water at a relatively large flow rate from the main flow path 31a to near the set water level, and then gradually supplies water from the sub flow path 31b until the set water level is reached. .

Therefore, it is possible to supply an accurate amount of water even if the pressure or flow rate of the water sent from the water source fluctuates with a simple configuration.

That is, after the rice washing, the touch panel 6
Since it is necessary to supply water accurately in an amount commensurate with the rice-cooking conditions input in step 1 and it is desirable that water can be supplied in a short time, water is supplied from the main flow path 31a at the beginning of water supply, and the flow determined immediately before the set water level is set. At a stretch, water is supplied to the switching water level, then the flow path of the flow switching valve V is switched, and the water is gradually supplied to the set water level while monitoring the water level with the ultrasonic sensor 7 in the sub flow path 31b having a reduced flow rate. ing. Since the water is supplied gradually from the lower part of the rice washing machine 3, there is almost no waving of the water surface, and the ultrasonic sensor 7 can surely detect the water level.

When the water is supplied to the predetermined water level, the valve 35 of the rice washing machine 3 descends, and the water and the rice R fall into the rice cooker 2 and are stored therein. The freely attached lid 20 is automatically opened (see FIG. 2).

In the rice cooker 2, the rice is cooked after being cooked for a predetermined time, and the rice is cooked. In this embodiment, when the rice cooking is completed, the motor M provided at the lower portion of the rice cooker 2 is driven to tilt the rice cooker 2 forward through the rice cooker tilting link M1. It is easy to take out.

Further, in the present rice cooker A, as shown in FIG. 4, a steam temperature sensor 8 for detecting the steam temperature in the rice cooker 2 is provided, and the steam temperature sensor 8 detects the steam temperature. After recognizing that the inside of the rice cooker 2 has boiled,
The heating time until cooking is finished is set.

Further, a temperature sensor 9 for detecting the temperature of the bottom of the rice cooker is provided at the bottom of the rice cooker 2, and the temperature sensor 8 detects the steam temperature to detect that the inside of the rice cooker 2 has boiled. After the recognition, the target value of the pot bottom temperature is set, and the heating is controlled so that the pot bottom temperature sensor 9 heats until the target temperature is detected. Reference numeral 90 denotes an electric signal line connecting the temperature sensor 9 for the bottom of the pot and the control unit S.

More specifically, such control will be described. The temperature of the steam is detected by the steam temperature sensor 8, and the control unit S recognizes that the inside of the rice cooker 2 has been boiled. A bottom target temperature is set, and heating is performed until either the scheduled heating time elapses or the target temperature of the bottom of the kettle is detected, or one of the conditions is satisfied.

By providing the steam temperature sensor 8 as described above, a portion where rice starch is precipitated and heat transfer is reduced occurs inside the rice cooker 2, or
Even when so-called mixed rice is cooked, even when oil or seasonings are added, even if the heat transfer is still poor, it is possible to reliably detect that the inside of the rice cooker 2 has boiled. Therefore, based on the boiling state, it is possible to realize the optimal cooking by heating until the temperature reaches the heating time or the bottom temperature, which is empirically known to be the best cooking.

As shown in FIG. 4, the steam temperature sensor 8 is disposed in a steam discharge hole 21 provided substantially at the center of the lid 20 of the rice cooker 2.

In this embodiment, a substantially L-shaped sensor mounting pipe 22 is attached to the steam discharge hole 21 and the sensor is disposed inside the pipe 22 so that the tip of the sensor faces.
And an electric signal line 23. In addition, electric signal line
Reference numeral 23 denotes a wire which is installed on the upper portion of the lid 20 and is wired so as to pass through a bar 25 pivotally connected to an arm 24 for opening and closing the lid 20, so that it is not visible from the outside.

In addition, since the steam discharge port 21 is provided, unnecessary moisture can be blown off at the time of steaming, so that the cooked food becomes good.

The lid 20 of the rice cooker 2 is formed with a flange portion 20a whose peripheral edge is folded upward to improve the strength of the lid 20 and to increase the inner upper edge of the rice cooker body 26. To prevent spills.

The steam exhaust port 21 does not necessarily need to be provided at the center position of the lid 20, but may be provided at a position slightly offset from the center of the rice cooker 2, as shown in FIG.

Here, a case where rice is actually cooked by the rice cooker A according to the present embodiment will be described.

The rice cooker A can automatically cook rice from washing rice to steaming, and the user only needs to select automatic rice cooking on the touch panel 6 shown in FIG. 1 (FIG. 6).

The rice cooking apparatus A according to the present invention is further characterized in that detailed preference settings can be made so that a rice cooking state according to the preference can be realized.

That is, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), in the initial state, the screen of "Menu 1" is displayed on the touch panel 6, and normally "automatic rice cooking" is selected and the confirmation screen is displayed. "Confirmation button" when switched to
Press and then press the "rice cook start switch" to perform automatic rice cooker under standard conditions.
When the "Next" button is pressed, a "Menu 2" screen is displayed as shown in FIG.
If you select "Detailed Settings" on the screen, you can perform your favorite rice cooking, which automatically cooks rice according to your preference. Hereinafter, the detailed settings for performing the desired rice cooking will be described.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when "Detailed setting" is selected, a screen for selecting the contents of the detailed setting is displayed (FIG. 7B).

(A) Set the water level in detail Select "water level" on the screen (FIG. 7 (b)).
Specify the amount of rice R. For example, if there are three squares, the button is pressed (FIG. 7C). Then, the cooker is selected from “soft”, “normal”, and “hard” according to his / her preference. If necessary, the amount of water can be further fine-tuned in the selected by the increase / decrease button ( FIG.
(D)). When the setting is completed, the user presses "Return" to return to the "Menu 2" screen. If necessary, "detailed setting" is selected again from the "menu 2" screen, and detailed settings for other items can be made from the contents of the detailed setting.

(B) Detailed setting of heating and heating For example, when "heating and heating" is selected (FIG. 8A), rice cooking can be divided into a plurality of stages and individually adjusted. , "Pre-cooking adjustment""Cooking adjustment 1"
"Cooking adjustment 2" or "steaming adjustment" is selected. Then, when "Pre-cooking adjustment" is selected (FIG. 8B), the screen changes to a pre-cooking adjustment screen (FIG. 8B).
(C)) Here, the "pre-cooking temperature", "pre-cooking output", and "pre-cooking time" are respectively changed from the basic settings stored in advance by the "increase / decrease switch". When the user presses "Return", the screen returns to the "white rice adjustment" screen again, and other "cooking adjustment 1", "cooking adjustment 2", and "steaming adjustment" can be newly set.

When "Cooking adjustment 1" is selected (FIG. 9
(A)), the screen changes to the adjustment screen for cooking 1 (FIG. 9)
(B)) Here, "1 temperature for cooking", "1 output for cooking", and "1 hour for cooking" are respectively changed from the basic settings stored in advance by the "increase / decrease switch". Here, if "return" is pressed, the screen returns to the "white rice adjustment" screen again, and "cooking adjustment 2" and "steaming adjustment" can be newly set.

When "Cooking adjustment 2" is selected (FIG. 10)
(A)), the screen changes to the adjustment screen for cooking 2 (FIG. 10).
(B)) Here, "2 temperature of cooking", "2 output of cooking", and "2 hours of cooking" are respectively changed from the basic settings stored in advance by the "increase / decrease switch". If the user presses "return" here, the screen returns to the "white rice adjustment" screen again, and "steaming adjustment" can be newly set.

When "steaming adjustment" is selected (FIG. 11)
(A)), the screen changes to a steamed cooking adjustment screen (FIG. 11).
(B)) where "steaming temperature" and "steaming cooked output"
Is changed from the basic setting stored in advance by the “increase / decrease switch”.

When "Return" is pressed here, the screen returns to the "Menu 2" screen, and other detailed settings are made as necessary. If not necessary, the user may press the “Back” button displayed on the screen to return to the “Menu 1” screen and select “Automatic rice cooking”.

(C) Setting the rice washing adjustment in detail Next, if it is desired to set “rice washing adjustment” in detail, a screen for selecting “detailed setting” and selecting the contents of the detailed setting is displayed (FIG. 11). (C)) If "Rice washing adjustment" is selected, a screen for designating the amount of rice is first displayed as shown in FIG.
When "Sho" is selected, the screen shifts to a screen where "Rice washing time", "Number of sharpenings", and "Rinse time" can be set (FIG. 11D).

Here, the basic settings stored in advance are appropriately changed to the contents according to the user's preference by the "increase / decrease switch".

During the setting operation, "return" is always displayed on each screen, so that it is possible to return to the previous screen at any time, and finally to the "menu 1" screen.

In addition to the above, on the screen of "Menu 1", selection of "reserved rice" for setting a rice cooking start time, "only rice cooking" to start directly from rice cooking, "rice washing only" for only rice washing, or On the "menu 2" screen, in addition to the "detailed settings" described above, it is possible to select the content related to maintenance, the content for troubleshooting, and the like.

As described above, in the rice cooker A according to the present embodiment, the steam temperature sensor 8 for detecting the steam temperature in the rice cooker 2 is provided so that the accurate temperature can be detected. 6, it is possible to arbitrarily select and set more detailed rice cooking conditions, and cooked rice cooked according to taste can be obtained at any time.

In the present embodiment, the worktable 11 on which the container B for transferring the rice from the rice cooker 2 after the rice cooking is completed is disposed in the machine frame 1 so as to be freely stored and pulled out.

That is, as shown in FIG.
Is supported by a hook frame 27, a rice cooker tilting link M1 is connected to the hook frame 27, and the hook frame 27 is further
It is rotatably mounted on a shuttle frame 28 which is arranged so as to be stored and pulled out.

Then, horizontal rails 12 are provided on both lower sides of the machine frame 1.
(See FIG. 2), and the hook machine frame 28 is arranged so as to be able to be pulled out via the horizontal rail 12.
A pull-up rail 13 that is inclined obliquely upward is provided on both lower side surfaces of the work table 11, and the workbench 11 is attached to the pull-up rail 13 so that it can be stored and pulled out.

As shown in FIG. 13, the work table 11 includes left and right frames 11a, 11a which slide on the pull-up rail 13, and a beam 11b which connects the left and right frames 11a, 11a. .
In FIG. 13, reference numeral 14 denotes a horizontal support rod for supporting the work table 11 when it is horizontally lowered.

As described above, the work table 11 is stored in the machine frame 1.
The drawer can be freely pulled out, so there is no need for a separate table to place the container B for transferring cooked rice, and there is no need to store such a table. Can be.

[0061]

As described above, the present invention is implemented in the above-described embodiment, and has the following effects.

An operation panel capable of setting various conditions of time and amount in the rice washing process, the rice cooking process and the like in detail can be provided, so that the cooked state can be arbitrarily determined, so that rice can be cooked in an optimal cooked state. It is possible to select and set conditions that are considered to be the most delicious according to the type of rice used, old rice, new rice, blended rice, and the like.

A rice hopper, a rice washer, and a rice cooker are arranged in this order from the upper part to the lower part in the machine frame, and an operation panel is provided on the machine frame. It is configured to be able to automatically perform the process of transferring rice to a rice cooker, transferring rice to a rice cooker after rice washing, and cooking rice. At least three levels of water control and heat control can be selected by the operation panel. Since it was possible to set more detailed conditions in the case of water control, by making it possible to set the amount of water finely, it is possible to match the softness of rice to taste, and if it is adjustment of fire control, By adjusting the heating power and heating time in the pre-cooking stage, and furthermore, in the cooking stage, the temperature, output, time, etc. can be set finely in the first half and the second half,
It becomes possible to automatically cook delicious rice according to the taste and the condition of the rice to be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an automatic rice cooker according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the rice cooking device.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of a rice washer of the rice cooker.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a rice cooker of the rice cooker.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing another embodiment of the rice cooker.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a touch panel.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram of the touch panel.

FIG. 8 is an operation explanatory diagram of the touch panel.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the touch panel.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the touch panel.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the touch panel.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a shuttle frame.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a work table.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A rice cooker 1 machine frame 2 rice cooker 3 rice washer 4 rice hopper 5 weigher 6 operation touch panel

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker comprising an operation panel capable of setting various conditions of time and amount in a rice washing step, a rice cooking step and the like in detail, so that a cooked state can be arbitrarily determined. 2. A rice milling hopper, a rice washer, and a rice cooker are arranged in this order from the upper part to the lower part in the machine frame, and rice is weighed from the rice polishing hopper by an operation of an operation panel and transferred to the rice washer.
A rice cooker capable of automatically performing a process of transferring rice to a rice cooker after rice washing and cooking rice, wherein at least water control and heat control are performed by the operation panel.
A rice cooker characterized in that it can be selected in stages and further detailed conditions can be set in each stage.