JP2004275478A - Electric rice cooker with bread baking mode - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric rice cooker provided with an appropriate control mode for easily baking bread. <P>SOLUTION: The electric rice cooker is provided with an inner pot detection circuit for detecting whether or not an inner pot is set, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inner pot, a control means for controlling the energizing of the heating means of the inner pot according to the detection temperature of the temperature sensor, and an operation part including a key for selecting a rice cooking mode or a bread baking mode and a key for starting the execution of the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode. The control means ends a heat insulation process and executes an inner pot detection processing of returning to a standby state when there is no more inner pot detection signal of the inner pot detection circuit in the heat insulation process in the rice cooking mode, and does not execute the inner pot detection processing until predetermined time elapses in a bread heat insulation process in the bread baking mode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker having a bread fermentation mode and a bread baking mode for fermenting bread dough, and more particularly to a control method in the bread baking mode.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Patent Literature 1 discloses a cooker that can be used as a rice cooker that can be fermented after bread is kneaded from ingredients and can be baked. This cooker includes a heating chamber heated by a heater, a container detachably mounted inside the heating chamber, and a fan for circulating hot air inside the heating chamber. The container is used for kneading and fermenting bread dough, and also becomes a baking mold. Furthermore, by putting a rice cooker lid on the container, a rice cooker can be obtained.
[0003]
This conventional cooker automatically executes the steps of kneading dough from materials, fermenting, and baking, like a home automatic bread baker. The baking of the bread uniformly heats the container by hot air circulation type heating. Also, in cooking rice, unlike a normal electric rice cooker in which an inner pot is directly heated by a heater, the container and the rice cooker are uniformly heated by hot air circulation heating.
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 2719802 [0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The above-mentioned conventional cooker is excellent and convenient in that it has the functions of a rice cooker and a pan bakeware in one unit, but compared to a normal electric rice cooker because it performs hot air circulation type heating. The structure is complicated and large. Furthermore, a structure for protecting the electronic components constituting the internal control circuit from hot air is also required. Therefore, such a cooker is considerably more expensive than a conventional electric rice cooker or an electric bread baker.
[0006]
On the other hand, the inventors repeated experiments in which the dough was fermented and baked using a normal electric rice cooker that heats the inner pot with an electric heater or electromagnetic induction heating (IH). As a result, it has been found that by adding a relatively simple control mode, the dough can be easily fermented and baked.
[0007]
The present invention has been made based on the above experimental results, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electric rice cooker having an appropriate control mode for easily performing baking of bread.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A first configuration of an electric rice cooker with a bread baking mode according to the present invention includes: an inner rice cooker detection circuit for detecting whether an inner rice cooker is set; a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the inner rice cooker; Control means for controlling energization of the heating means of the inner pot according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, selecting means for selecting a rice cooking mode or a bread baking mode, and starting means for starting execution of the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode. An operation unit, wherein the control unit executes an inner pot detection process for terminating the heat retaining step and returning to a standby state when the inner pot detection signal of the inner pot detection circuit is lost in the heat retaining step in the rice cooking mode. In addition, the inner pot detection process is not performed in the bread keeping process in the bread baking mode.
[0009]
According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide an electric rice cooker having an appropriate control mode (bread baking mode) for easily performing bread baking. In the warming step in the rice cooking mode, an inner pot detecting process is performed to end the warming step and return to a standby state when the inner pot detecting signal of the inner pot detecting circuit is lost. Does not execute the hook detection process. This makes it possible to take out the inner pot in the bread warming step, check the degree of baking, and turn over the bread to perform additional heating with a simple operation.
[0010]
In a preferred embodiment, in the bread keeping mode in the bread baking mode, the control unit does not execute the inner pot detection process until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the keeping process. In other words, the inner pot detection processing is not performed indefinitely, but the inner pot detection processing is performed when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the warming step. Thereby, when additional heating is not performed, for example, if the inner pot is taken out and left as it is without pressing the cancel key, it is possible to automatically return to the standby state as the predetermined time elapses.
[0011]
A second configuration of the electric rice cooker with the baking mode according to the present invention includes a temperature sensor for detecting a temperature of the inner pot, and a control for controlling energization of heating means of the inner pot according to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor. Means, and an operation unit including a selection means for selecting a rice cooking mode or a bread baking mode and a start means for starting execution of the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode, wherein the control means detects the start of the rice cooking mode. If the temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, an initial temperature check process is executed to wait for cooling of the inner pot without energizing the heating means, and the initial temperature is set at the start of the baking mode or the start of reheating. It is characterized in that the energization control of the heating means is immediately performed without executing the check processing.
[0012]
According to such a configuration, it is possible to provide an electric rice cooker having an appropriate control mode (bread baking mode) for easily performing bread baking. At the start of the bread baking mode, since the energization control of the heating means is immediately performed without executing the initial temperature check processing, additional heating is performed even if the inner pot is in a high temperature state immediately after the completion of the bread baking process. Can be performed continuously.
[0013]
In a preferred embodiment, the control means starts the additional overheating by the operation of the start means in a bread warming step started with the end of the bread baking mode, and immediately executes the initial temperature check processing without performing the initial temperature check processing. The energization control of the heating means is performed.
[0014]
In another preferred embodiment, the control means receives a setting input of an additional heating time and a start of execution of the additional heating in the bread keeping process started at the end of the bread baking mode. According to such a configuration, in the bread warming process, additional heating can be performed by a minimum necessary key operation.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0016]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electric rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side. This electric rice cooker has a bread fermentation mode for fermenting bread dough and a bread baking mode for baking bread. In this electric rice cooker, a synthetic resin case main body 11, a metal inner pot 12 detachably mounted in the internal space thereof, and a rear portion of the case main body 11 (FIG. 1, a lid member 14 pivotally supported by a shaft 13 is provided. An inner lid 15 for sealing the upper opening of the inner pot 12 is provided inside the lid member 14.
[0017]
The inner pot 12 is made of a magnetic metal such as a stainless steel plate or a metal containing a magnetic substance. Near the bottom of the inner pot 12, an IH coil (corresponding to a heating means) 16 for heating the inner pot 12 by induction heating (IH) is provided. When the IH coil 16 is driven by the alternating current, the magnetic flux of the alternating magnetic field generated by the IH coil 16 causes the inner shuttle 12 to generate an eddy current. The inner pot 12 generates heat by the eddy current and its own electric resistance.
[0018]
Further, a side heater 18 for keeping heat is provided in a ring shape on the side of the holding member 17 of the inner pot 12. Further, an upper heater 19 for heating the inner lid 15 of the lid member 14 by heat conduction to prevent dew condensation is provided in a ring shape. A temperature sensor 20 for detecting the temperature of the inner pot 12 is provided at the center of the bottom of the inner pot 12.
[0019]
An operation panel 21 including an operation unit and a display unit is provided on an upper part of a front surface (left side in FIG. 1) of the electric rice cooker, and a first control board 22a is provided inside the operation panel 21. Further, a second control board 22b is provided in a space below the first control board 22a. A microprocessor, a temperature detection circuit, a buzzer, a power supply circuit, and the like are mounted on these control boards 22 (22a + 22b). Further, an electric fan 23 for mainly cooling the control boards 22a and 22b is provided. As will be described later, the electric fan 23 also functions as an electric fan that performs forced cooling when the inner pot temperature is high at the start of the bread fermentation mode.
[0020]
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the electric rice cooker including a control board. As shown in this figure, a microcomputer (MPU) 29 as a control means and its power supply / reset circuit 25 are provided. The detection signal of the temperature sensor 20 is input to the microcomputer 29 via the temperature detection circuit 26. Further, signals of the operation unit 27 including various pushbutton switches (keys) described later are input to the microcomputer 29. Further, an inner hook detecting circuit 28 is provided, and a detection signal thereof is input to the microcomputer 29. The inner hook detection circuit 28 is a circuit for detecting the presence or absence of the inner hook 12 which is an electromagnetic induction load from a feedback voltage of the IH drive circuit 24 described below.
[0021]
The drive of the above-mentioned IH coil 16 is controlled by a microcomputer 29 via an IH drive circuit 24. The IH drive circuit 24 is configured using a switching element such as an IGBT, a diode, a resonance capacitor, and the like, and supplies a predetermined high-frequency current to the IH coil 16. The side heater 18 and the upper heater 19 are on / off controlled by a microcomputer 29 via a heater drive circuit 30. The electric fan 23 is controlled by the microcomputer 29 via the fan drive circuit 33.
[0022]
In addition, a buzzer 31 is provided for notification of the completion of cooking, key operation sound, and the like, and this is also controlled by the microcomputer 29. The buzzer 31 also functions as a notification unit for notifying the user when the detected temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature in the bread fermentation mode described later. The display unit 32 provided on the operation panel 21 is constituted by a liquid crystal display, and the display content is set by the microcomputer 29.
[0023]
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation panel of the electric rice cooker. The operation panel 21 includes an operation unit 27 and a display unit 32. The operation unit 27 includes a rice cook key 37, a reservation key 38, a menu key 39, an hour / minute key 40, a fermentation / bake key 41, a cancel key 42, and a heat retention key 43. When the cooker key 37 is pressed, the cooker starts, and the cooker indicator (LED) 37a turns on. The rice cooking key 37 is also pressed when starting the bread fermentation mode and the bread baking mode. That is, the rice cooking key 37 corresponds to a start unit for starting execution of each cooking mode.
[0024]
The reservation key 38 is used for setting rice cooking reservation. When the reservation key 38 is pressed, the cooking time (reservation time) can be set using the time display section (7-segment display section) 45 and the hour / minute key 40 of the display section 32. Thereafter, when the cooker key 37 is pressed, the reservation time is stored in the built-in memory of the microcomputer 29, and the reservation indicator (LED) 38a is turned on. At this time, the completion of the reservation setting is notified by the sound of the buzzer 31. The microcomputer 29 starts rice cooking from a time before the reserved time by a time required for the rice cooking, and controls the rice to be cooked approximately at the reserved time. In the reservation setting, two different times can be set, and the display unit 32 distinguishes between the reservation 1 and the reservation 2 indicators.
[0025]
The menu key 39 is used for setting a rice cooking menu. When the menu key 39 is pressed, the status display lit at the upper side of the display unit 32 changes to white rice, fast-cooked rice, porridge, brown rice in that order, and the lit menu is selected. If the menu key 39 is not pressed, white rice is set as a default.
[0026]
In addition to a menu key 39 for selecting a rice cooking menu, a fermentation / bake key 41 for selecting a bread fermentation mode or a bread baking mode is provided. Each time this key is pressed, the upper side of the display unit 32 is displayed. Then, the status display of "bread fermentation" or "baking" is alternately lit, and the lit mode is set. Note that the setting of the rice cooking menu by the menu key 39 and the setting of the bread fermentation mode or the bread baking mode by the fermentation / bake key 41 are exclusive, and only one of the menus or the mode is selected. , Its status display lights up. That is, the menu key 39 and the fermentation / bake key 41 correspond to selection means for selecting the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode (or the bread fermentation mode). In the illustrated display example, the bread baking mode is selected, and the status display of “bread baking” is lit.
[0027]
The hour / minute key 40 is used for the above-mentioned rice cooking time reservation setting and current time setting.
By pressing the hour and minute keys, the upper two digits (hour) or the lower two digits (minute) of the time display section 45 are incremented. The hour / minute key 40 is also used for setting a cooking time (heating time) in the bread fermentation mode and the bread baking mode.
[0028]
The cancel key 42 is used for canceling reservation setting, heat retention, and the like. The heat keeping key 43 is used to start keeping the rice warm. Normally, the warming process is automatically started when the rice cooking process is completed, but when the warming is canceled by the cancel key 42 or when the power plug is detached, if the warming key 43 is pressed, the warming starts again. . During the heat retention, the heat retention indicator (LED) 43a is turned on.
[0029]
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of rice cooking control of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a state in which the temperature of the inner pot changes in the rice cooking control of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. The inner pot temperature is a temperature detected by the microcomputer 29 based on the detection signal of the temperature sensor 20 described above. This rice cooking control is an example of rice cooking of white rice. As described above, “white rice” is set using the menu key 39 from the operation unit 27, and execution of the rice cooking mode is started with the rice cooking key 37 (step # 101).
[0030]
In the next step # 102, an initial temperature check process is executed. That is, in the rice cooking control, when the inner pot temperature (detection temperature) immediately after the start is higher than 60 ° C., the energization of the IH coil 16 or the like as the heating means is not performed, and the inner pot temperature becomes 60 ° C. or less. wait.
[0031]
In the water absorption step (step 45 in FIG. 5) in step # 103, the IH coil 16 is driven so as to raise the inner pot temperature to the water absorption temperature (for example, 50 ° C.) at a stretch, and then maintain the inner pot temperature at the water absorption temperature. On / off control of the IH coil 16 is performed. During this time, water absorption of rice is promoted.
[0032]
In the temperature raising / boiling step (steps 46 and 47 in FIG. 5) of the subsequent step # 104, the IH coil 16 is energized with a predetermined electric power, whereby the temperature of the inner pot is rapidly increased. In the initial stage of the temperature raising step 46, the temperature rise per unit time (ΔT / Δt) is measured, and the amount of cooked rice (total number) is determined based on the measurement result.
[0033]
Eventually, the water (hot water) in the inner pot 12 boils, and the process proceeds to a boiling step 47 in which rice is cooked (boiled) in the boiling water. During the boiling step 47, the water evaporates gradually, and the temperature in the inner pot is maintained at approximately 100 ° C. As the hot water in the inner pot 12 evaporates and disappears, the process proceeds to the cooking step.
[0034]
In the cooking step (# 48 in FIG. 5) of step # 105, when the inner pot temperature reaches a predetermined cooking temperature (for example, 130 ° C.), the power supplied to the IH coil 16 is reduced, and the process proceeds to the spotting step. .
[0035]
In the spotting step (step 49 in FIG. 5) of step # 106, the spotting temperature (107 ° C.) is maintained for about 10 minutes. With this, the rice is cooked and the rice cooking control is completed. Thereafter, the process automatically shifts to the heat retaining step.
[0036]
In the heat retaining step (50 and 51 in FIG. 5) of step # 107, first, it is waited for the temperature of the inner pot to be lowered to the heat retaining temperature (for example, about 70 ° C.) by natural cooling. Thereafter, while energizing the side heater 18 and the upper heater 19 with a predetermined duty factor, a temperature adjustment for maintaining the inner pot temperature at the heat retaining temperature by on / off control of the IH coil 16 is performed.
[0037]
In the heat retaining step, low-temperature heat retaining may be performed first, and heat retaining control may be performed to gradually increase the heat retaining temperature over time. For example, in the cooling stage 50, wait for the temperature of the inner pot to drop to around 65 ° C. First, keep the low temperature at about 65 ° C., and after a few hours, raise the keeping temperature to about 68 ° C., and keep the medium temperature warm. After a period of time, the temperature is raised to about 72 ° C. to perform high-temperature heat retention. By doing so, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the rice when the heat is kept for a short time, and to suppress rot when the heat is kept for a long time.
[0038]
In the above three-stage heat insulation, when shifting from low-temperature insulation to medium-temperature insulation, and when shifting from medium-temperature insulation to high-temperature insulation, the IH is set so that the inner pot temperature temporarily becomes 100 ° C. or higher for a very short time. The coil 16 may be controlled. As a result, propagation of putrefactive bacteria can be suppressed.
[0039]
When the heat retention time exceeds a predetermined time (for example, 20 hours), the buzzer 31 is sounded a predetermined number of times in order to notify the user of the possibility of decay.
[0040]
Further, in the warming step, when the detection signal of the inner kettle detecting circuit 28 disappears, the microcomputer 29 ends the warming step and returns to a standby state (a state of waiting for a signal input from the operation unit 27). When the user opens the lid member 14 and removes the inner pot 12 without pressing the cancel key 42, such a state occurs, so that the warming process is terminated and the standby state is set, similarly to the case where the cancel key 42 is pressed. Return to the state.
[0041]
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the bread fermentation mode of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, in step # 201, when the bread fermentation mode is selected using the fermentation / bake key 41 from the operation unit 27, a standard fermentation time (heating time) of 40 minutes is displayed on the display unit 32 (time display unit 45) by default. Is done.
[0042]
If the amount of material is higher or lower than the standard amount, the hour / minute key 40 can be used to increase or decrease the default displayed fermentation time. In this case, pressing one of the hour / minute keys 40 (for example, the hour key) increases the fermentation time, and pressing the other (for example, the minute key) shortens the fermentation time. Thereafter, when the cooked rice key 37 is pressed, the displayed fermentation time is set in the fermentation timer, and the execution of the bread fermentation mode is started.
[0043]
In the next step # 202, an initial temperature check process is executed. The initial temperature check in the bread fermentation mode differs from the initial temperature check in the rice cooking control described with reference to FIG. 4 in the following points.
[0044]
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a comparison between an initial temperature check in rice cooking control and an initial temperature check in the bread fermentation mode. In the initial temperature check in the rice cooking control of FIG. 7A, the detected temperature T is checked in step # 301, and if the detected temperature T is higher than 60 ° C. (first set temperature) (Yes in step # 302), heating is performed. The power supply to the IH coil 16 and the like is turned off (step # 303), and the process waits until the detected temperature becomes 60 ° C. or lower.
[0045]
In the initial temperature check in the bread fermentation mode of FIG. 7B, the detected temperature T is checked in step # 351, and the detected temperature T is higher than 45 ° C. (the second set temperature lower than the first set temperature of 60 ° C.) ( In Step # 352, "Yes", the energization of the IH coil 16 and the like as the heating means is turned off (Step # 353). Further, in the case of the first time (Yes in step # 354), error notification is performed (step # 355). Thereafter, it waits until the detected temperature becomes 45 ° C. or less. The error notification is performed by sounding the buzzer 31 a predetermined number of times. Also, once an error notification is made, a flag is set, and the process will skip step # 355 from the next time.
[0046]
The reason why the second set temperature (45 ° C.) which is the criterion in the initial temperature check in the bread fermentation mode is lower than the first set temperature (60 ° C.) which is the criterion in the initial temperature check in the rice cooking control is as follows. is there.
[0047]
In the rice cooking control, if the initial water temperature is too high (above about 60 ° C.), the gelatinization phenomenon of rice occurs in the water absorption step, and therefore the initial temperature check is performed for the purpose of preventing it. In the bread fermentation mode, the yeast is activated by maintaining the temperature of the dough at about 35 to 40 ° C., and the dough expands. If the initial temperature is too high (greater than about 45 ° C.), the fermentation will be excessive, resulting in coarse bread or a loss of yeast activity. To prevent this, an initial temperature check is performed. The first set temperature of 60 ° C. and the second set temperature of 45 ° C. are merely examples.
[0048]
In the bread fermentation mode, when the detected temperature (inner pot temperature) is higher than the second set temperature (45 ° C.), the user is notified not to put bread dough in the inner pot (error notification is performed by the buzzer 31). ). However, when the detected temperature is higher than the second set temperature (45 ° C.), only one of the processing of turning off the power supply to the IH coil 16 and the like and waiting for the cooling of the inner pot and the processing of notifying an error by the buzzer 31 are performed. May be executed.
[0049]
Further, the electric fan 23 may be operated while the energization of the IH coil 16 and the like is turned off and the internal kettle 12 is cooled. The electric fan 23 is mainly for cooling the control boards 22a and 22b, but also has the effect of accelerating the cooling of the inner pot 12. If the temperature (detection temperature) of the inner pot 12 becomes equal to or lower than the second set temperature, the buzzer 31 may notify that the dough may be put in the inner pot. Further, the cooling time may be set by a timer. In this case, when the timer (cooling time) expires, the process shifts to execution of bread fermentation.
[0050]
Returning to the flowchart of FIG. 6, when the above-described initial temperature check processing is completed, the fermentation timer is started in the next step # 203. In the following step # 204, it is checked whether or not the detected temperature T is higher than the fermentation temperature (for example, 37 ° C.). If the detected temperature T is equal to or lower than the fermentation temperature, the IH coil 16 is turned on with a duty factor of 5/16 in step # 205, and the side heater 18 is turned on with a duty factor of 4/16. The output by the phase control of the IH coil 16 is, for example, 70%. When the detected temperature T is higher than the fermentation temperature (Yes in step # 204), both the IH coil 16 and the side heater 18 are turned off in step # 206. In any case, in the following step # 207, the upper heater 19 is turned on with a duty factor of 4/16.
[0051]
In the next step # 208, it is checked whether or not the fermentation timer has expired, and the processing from step # 204 to step # 208 is repeated until the fermentation timer ends. Thereby, the inner pot temperature is maintained at the fermentation temperature for the fermentation time set in the fermentation timer. Along with the end of the fermentation timer, the end of the bread fermentation is notified in step # 209, and the process proceeds to the bread warming process.
[0052]
In the bread warming process, the IH coil 16, the side heater 18, and the upper heater 19 are turned off, unlike the warming process in the rice cooking control. The user merely flashes the heat retention indicator 43a to urge the user to start the baking process.
[0053]
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the bread baking mode of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, in step # 401, when the bread baking mode is selected using the fermentation / baking key 41 from the operation unit 27, the standard baking time (heating time) of 40 minutes is displayed on the display unit 32 (time display unit 45). Displayed by default.
[0054]
If the amount of material is higher or lower than the standard amount, the hour / minute key 40 can be used to increase or decrease the default displayed baking time. In this case, pressing one of the hour / minute keys 40 (for example, the hour key) increases the baking time, and pressing the other (for example, the minute key) shortens the baking time. Thereafter, when the rice cooker key 37 is pressed, the displayed baking time is set in the baking timer, and the execution of the baking mode is started.
[0055]
In the next step # 402, a baking timer is started. In the subsequent step # 403, it is checked whether or not the detected temperature T is higher than the baking temperature (for example, 120 ° C.). If the detected temperature T is equal to or lower than the baking temperature, in step # 404, the IH coil 16 is turned on with a duty factor of 10/16, and the side heater 18 is turned on with a duty factor of 6/16. The output by the phase control of the IH coil 16 is, for example, 80%. When the detected temperature T is higher than the baking temperature (Yes in step # 403), both the IH coil 16 and the side heater 18 are turned off in step # 405. In any case, in the following step # 406, the upper heater 19 is turned on with a duty factor of 6/16.
[0056]
In the next step # 407, it is checked whether or not the baking timer has expired, and the processing from step # 403 to step # 407 is repeated until the timer ends. Thus, the inner pot temperature is maintained at the baking temperature for the baking time set in the baking timer. Along with the end of the baking timer, the end of the baking is notified in step # 408, and the process proceeds to the bread keeping process.
[0057]
As described above, in the bread warming process, unlike the warming process in rice cooking control, the warming indicator 43a blinks, and the IH coil 16, the side heater 18, and the upper heater 19 are turned off. Further, the processing when the detection signal of the inner pot detection circuit 28 described above disappears is also different from the warming step in the rice cooking control as follows.
[0058]
In other words, in the warming process in the rice cooking control, when the detection signal of the inner kettle detecting circuit 28 disappears, the warming process ends and returns to the standby state. ignore. This is for convenience in the case where the inner pot 12 is taken out, the degree of baking is checked, the bread is turned over, and additional heating is performed.
[0059]
Such confirmation of the degree of baking and additional heating are usually necessary when baking bread with this electric rice cooker. Therefore, even if the detection signal of the inner pot detection circuit 28 is lost in the bread warming process, additional heating can be performed with a few key operations without returning to the standby state. When additional heating is performed, heating is started immediately even if the detected temperature (initial temperature) of the inner pot 12 is high. That is, the above-described initial temperature check performed in the rice cooking control or the bread fermentation mode is not performed in the additional heating process.
[0060]
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control in the bread warming step and the additional heating step of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. First, it is checked in step # 501 whether a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) has elapsed, and if it has elapsed, an inner hook detection process is performed in step # 502. That is, when the detection signal of the inner hook detecting circuit 28 disappears, the pan warming process is completed and the process returns to the standby state. As described above, in the bread warming step, the inner pot 12 needs to be taken out to check the degree of baking, and the pan has to be turned upside down to perform additional heating, so that the inner pot detection processing is not performed. However, in this example, the inner hook detection processing is not performed indefinitely, but the inner hook detection processing is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed.
[0061]
However, there may be no limitation on the time during which the inner pot detection processing is not performed in the bread warming process. Alternatively, for example, when the inner pot detection process in rice cooking control is performed every 10 minutes, the first time that the inner pot detection signal has disappeared is ignored, and the bread heat keeping step is performed only when the inner pot detection signal is continuously output twice. The process may end and return to the standby state. Also in this case, the inner hook detection process is not performed for substantially 20 minutes.
[0062]
Further, a sensor for detecting the open / closed state of the lid member 14 is provided, and after a predetermined time (for example, 20 minutes) has elapsed after detecting that the lid member 14 has been opened based on the detection signal, an inner pot detection process is performed. You may do so. Alternatively, the inner pot detection processing may be performed after the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 20 becomes lower than a predetermined temperature.
[0063]
In the next step # 503, it is checked whether or not the hour / minute key 40 has been pressed, and if it has been pressed, the process proceeds to step # 507. If not pressed, the heat keeping indicator 43a is blinked in the next step # 504, and the IH coil 16, the side heater 18 and the upper heater 19 are all turned off in a step # 505.
[0064]
In the subsequent step # 506, it is checked whether or not the cancel key 42 has been pressed. If the cancel key 42 has been pressed, the pan warming process is terminated and the process shifts to a standby state. If the cancel key 42 has not been pressed, the process returns to step # 501 to repeat the process of the pan warming process.
[0065]
If the hour / minute key 40 is depressed in step # 503, an additional heating time is set in step # 507. In other words, when the heat keeping indicator 43a is blinking in the bread keeping process, the inner pot 12 is taken out, the degree of baking is checked, the bread is turned over, and the hour / minute key 40 is pressed to set the additional heating time. I do. Then, the additional heating step can be started by pressing the rice cooking key 37 which is the starting means.
[0066]
That is, it is checked whether or not the rice cooker key 37 has been pressed in the next step # 508. If the button has not been pressed, the process proceeds to the above-described step # 505. If the rice cooker key 37 has been pressed, an additional heating timer is started in the following step # 509, and it is checked in step # 510 whether the detected temperature T is higher than the baking temperature (for example, 120 ° C.).
[0067]
If the detected temperature T is equal to or lower than the baking temperature, in step # 511, the IH coil 16 is turned on with a duty factor of 10/16, and the side heater 18 is turned on with a duty factor of 6/16. The output by the phase control of the IH coil 16 is, for example, 80%. If the detected temperature T is higher than the baking temperature (Yes in step # 510), both the IH coil 16 and the side heater 18 are turned off in step # 512. In any case, in the following step # 513, the upper heater 19 is turned on with a duty factor of 6/16.
[0068]
In the next step # 514, it is checked whether or not the additional heating timer has expired, and the processes from step # 510 to step # 514 are repeated until the timer ends. Thereby, the inner pot temperature is maintained at the baking temperature for the additional heating time set in the additional heating timer. Along with the end of the additional heating timer, the end of the additional heating is notified in step # 515, and the process proceeds to the pan warming step.
[0069]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described with some modifications, but the present invention can be implemented in various forms other than these embodiments and the modifications.
[0070]
The present invention is not limited to an electric rice cooker (so-called IH jar) that performs rice cooking control using an induction heating type heating means (IH coil), and an electric rice cooker (so-called microcomputer jar) that performs rice cooking control using an electric heater. Can also be applied.
[0071]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an electric rice cooker having an appropriate control mode (bread baking mode) for easily baking bread. In the warming step in the rice cooking mode, an inner pot detecting process is performed to end the warming step and return to a standby state when the inner pot detecting signal of the inner pot detecting circuit is lost. Does not execute the hook detection process. This makes it possible to take out the inner pot in the bread warming step, check the degree of baking, and turn over the bread to perform additional heating with a simple operation.
[0072]
In addition, at the start of the bread baking mode, since the energization control of the heating means is immediately performed without executing the initial temperature check processing, even if the inner pot immediately after the completion of the bread baking process is in a high temperature state, it is added. Heating can be performed continuously.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an electric rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a side.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an electric circuit of the electric rice cooker including a control board.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an operation panel of the electric rice cooker.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of rice cooking control of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating a state in which an inner pot temperature changes in rice cooking control of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in the bread fermentation mode of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a comparison between an initial temperature check in rice cooking control and an initial temperature check in the bread fermentation mode.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of control in a bread baking mode of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of control in a bread warming step and an additional heating step of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
12 Inner pot 16 IH coil (heating means)
18 Side heater 19 Upper heater 20 Temperature sensor 27 Operation unit 28 Inner pot detection circuit 29 Microcomputer (control means)
37 Cooking rice key (starting means)
39 Menu key (selection means)
41 Fermentation and baking key (selection means)

Claims (5)

An inner kettle detection circuit for detecting whether or not the inner kettle is set, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inner kettle, and energizing the heating means of the inner kettle according to the detected temperature of the temperature sensor. Control means for controlling, comprising an operation unit including a selection means for selecting the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode, and a start means for starting execution of the rice cooking mode or the bread baking mode,
The control means performs an inner pot detection process for terminating the heat retaining step and returning to a standby state when the inner pot detection signal of the inner pot detection circuit is lost in the heat retaining step in the rice cooking mode, and An electric rice cooker with a bread baking mode, wherein the inner pot detection processing is not performed in the heat retaining step in the baking mode. 2. The electric rice cooker with a bread baking mode according to claim 1, wherein the control unit does not execute the inner pot detection process in the bread baking mode in the bread baking mode until a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the heating process. 3. A temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the inner pot, a control means for controlling the energization of the heating means of the inner pot according to the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, a selecting means for selecting a rice cooking mode or a baking mode, and a rice cooking mode Or an operation unit including a start unit for starting execution of the bread baking mode,
At the start of the rice cooking mode, if the detected temperature is higher than a predetermined temperature, the control unit performs an initial temperature check process of not energizing the heating unit and waiting for cooling of the inner pot, and performing the baking of the bread. An electric rice cooker with a baking mode, wherein the energization control of the heating means is performed immediately without executing the initial temperature check processing at the start of a mode or at the start of reheating. The control means controls the energization of the heating means immediately without performing the initial temperature check processing when the additional overheating is started by the operation of the start means in the bread warming step started with the end of the bread baking mode. The electric rice cooker with the baking mode according to claim 3, wherein 5. The bread baking mode according to claim 3, wherein the control unit receives a setting input of an additional heating time and a start of the execution of the additional heating in a bread keeping process started with the end of the bread baking mode. 6. Electric rice cooker with.

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