JP2005218653A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker allowing a user to accurately adjusting the water level with a simple operation for boiling rice deliciously. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker comprises a body whose top is open, a pot detachably stored inside the body, a lid for covering the body to be opened/closed, a heating means for heating the pot, a weight detecting means for detecting the total weight of the pot and a cooked object put in the pot, an input means for inputting a rice quantity determination command from a user, a control part for calculating the quantity of rice in the pot based on the output signal of the weight detecting means at first timing when the rice quantity determination command is inputted by the input means, calculating an optimum water quantity corresponding to the quantity of rice in the pot based on the calculated quantity of rice, calculating the quantity of water in the pot based on the output signal of the weight detecting means inputted after the first timing and the quantity of rice and starting the boiling of rice at second timing, and a water quantity display part for displaying the quantity of water in the pot together with the optimum water quantity. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker.

  One of the conditions for cooking delicious rice with a rice cooker is to accurately measure the amount of rice and the amount of water. In general, the rice cooker user first measures the desired amount of rice with a measuring cup in the measuring cup, puts it in a pan, and after washing the rice, the water corresponding to the amount of rice is prepared based on the scale inside the pan. Put in. Conventional rice cookers can cook rice with a standard hardness when the amount of rice and the amount of water are accurate. However, since there are variations in the amount of rice and the amount of water weighed by the user, there was variation in the hardness of the rice during cooking. If the amount of rice weighed is less than desired or the amount of water is greater than the standard, the rice has become softer than the standard. If the amount of rice weighed is greater than desired or the amount of water is less than the standard, the rice has become harder than the standard.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-146215 discloses a conventional rice cooker. The conventional rice cooker includes an operation panel, a buzzer, and weight measuring means for measuring the weight so that the amount of rice and the amount of water corresponding to the desired amount of rice set by the user (the amount of rice set) can be accurately measured. It is a thing. On the operation panel, a cup number setting key, a weight key, a clear key, and a number display unit are arranged. The user prepares rice by the conventional rice cooker according to the following procedure. The user turns on the cup number setting key, and turns off the cup number setting key when the desired amount of rice cooking (number of cups) is displayed on the number display section. Store the empty inner pot in a predetermined position of the rice cooker and turn on the weight key. The weighing mode starts, and the weight (g) of the inner pot is displayed on the numeric display. Next, the clear key is turned ON, and the display of the numeric display unit is reset to 0 g. In this state, put rice in the inner pot. The amount of rice is adjusted so that the amount of rice (weight) matches the weight of rice corresponding to the set amount of cooked rice and the buzzer for proper notification sounds. Next, when the clear key is turned ON again, the display of the numeric display unit is reset to 0 g and the water weight measurement state is set. When water is supplied to the inner pot, the weight of the water is displayed on the numeric display. Adjust the water so that the weight of water matches the weight of water corresponding to the set amount of cooked rice and the buzzer for proper notification sounds. The user can accurately measure the weight of rice and water based on the buzzer sound.
JP-A-61-146215

In the conventional rice cooker, the setting of the rice cooking amount, the weighing of rice, and the start and end of the water weighing operations are all performed by the user's key operation. The user is forced to perform complicated key operations, and has to operate the three keys four times in total in order to start cooking rice. The conventional rice cooker is not convenient for the user.
In the conventional rice cooker, the user has to perform a complicated key operation at an appropriate timing in addition to normal rice cooking preparation work (put rice in a pan, wash the rice, and add water). Therefore, the conventional rice cooker tends to cause a user's operation mistake, and rice and water are not accurately measured in some cases. For example, if the user washed the rice before the measurement of the rice, the amount of rice could not be accurately measured because the rice sucked water.
The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide a rice cooker that allows a user to accurately add and subtract water with a simple operation and cook delicious rice.

  In order to solve the above conventional problems, the present invention has the following configuration. The invention according to claim 1 is a main body having an open top surface, a pan that is detachably accommodated in the main body, a lid that covers the main body so as to be opened and closed, a heating means that heats the pan, and the pan And weight detection means for detecting the total weight of the weight of the food put in the pan, input means for inputting a rice amount determination command from a user, and the input means input the rice amount determination command The amount of rice in the pan is calculated based on the output signal of the weight detection means at the timing of 1, the optimal amount of water corresponding to the amount of rice in the pan is calculated based on this, and after the first timing A controller that calculates the amount of water in the pan based on the input output signal of the weight detection means and the amount of rice, and starts cooking at a predetermined second timing after the first timing, and the pan The amount of water in the table is combined with the optimum amount of water. And, or a water amount display section for displaying a relative value for the optimum amount of water of water in said pot, a rice cooker, characterized in that it comprises a.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has an effect that a user can realize a rice cooker that can accurately add and subtract water with a simple operation and can cook delicious rice. The user can typically cook the optimal or user-preferred rice according to the amount of rice with two key input operations.
As input means, for example, a “rice metering switch” and a “rice cooking switch” are provided in the rice cooker. The “first timing” is, for example, when the user presses the “rice metering switch”. The rice cooker of the present invention automatically calculates the amount of rice at the first timing. The “second timing” is, for example, when the user presses the “rice cooking switch”. “Optimum amount of water” is the amount of water required to cook rice with a standard texture (eg, firmness) and / or physical properties (eg, stickiness or elasticity) from rice that the user puts in the pan, or The amount of water in a predetermined range required for cooking from soft rice to hard rice (or from sticky rice to weak rice, from elastic rice to low elasticity rice) eaten by general users . “Calculating and displaying the amount of water” typically means calculating and displaying the amount of water alone. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and includes calculating and displaying the total amount of water and rice. This is because it is substantially the same as calculating and displaying the amount of water. The rice cooker of the present invention stores a correspondence table or function between the amount of rice and the optimum amount of water in advance.

  The user puts a desired amount of rice into the pan, presses the “rice metering switch”, adjusts the amount of water while checking the amount of water displayed on the water amount display (for example, display with a lamp), and presses the “rice cooking switch”. You can add water accurately and start cooking rice. According to the rice cooker of the present invention, the user can accurately adjust water, so that delicious rice can always be cooked. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the user-friendly rice cooker which does not force a user complicated operation is realizable.

The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the control unit does not start rice cooking when the amount of water in the pan is outside a predetermined range determined based on the amount of rice. It is.
For example, the rice cooker of the present invention does not start cooking in a water amount setting that cannot be eaten very much. Since rice cooking is not started when there is no water in the pan, the rice cooker can be prevented from becoming hot.

The invention according to claim 3 is the rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the control unit determines the amount of water in the pan at the second timing.
In the present invention, the amount of rice is determined at the first timing, and the amount of water used for cooking rice is determined at the second timing. The second timing of rice cooking start (for example, when the user closes the lid or presses the “rice cooking switch”) also serves as the water amount determination timing, so that the user needs to input the water amount determination command separately to the input means. Disappears. The present invention further realizes a rice cooker that is easy for the user to operate.

The invention according to claim 4 further includes lid opening / closing detection means for detecting the opening / closing state of the lid,
The control unit determines the amount of water in the pan at a timing when the lid opening / closing detection means detects that the lid has changed from an open state to a closed state. This is a rice cooker.
After the lid is closed, rice or water cannot be poured into the pan, so the amount of water used for rice and rice cooking is determined when the lid is closed. In the rice cooker of the present invention that automatically determines the amount of water when the lid is closed, it is not necessary for the user to separately input a water amount determination command to the input means. The present invention further realizes a rice cooker that is easy for the user to operate.

In the invention according to claim 5, when the input means starts the rice cooking after inputting the rice quantity determination command from the user, the control unit cooks rice according to the detected rice quantity, and the input means When starting rice cooking without inputting the rice amount determination command from the user, the control unit starts rice cooking with standard specifications corresponding to the combined weight of rice weight and water weight, The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The rice cooker of the present invention can always cook delicious rice. However, for example, if the user has washed the rice before measuring the amount of rice, the rice sucks water and cannot accurately measure the amount of rice. In such a case, in the rice cooker of the present invention, the user starts cooking without inputting a rice amount determination command. Thereby, although it is not optimal, rice can be cooked with the same degree of cooking as a conventional rice cooker.

  Preferably, except for whether or not the user inputs a rice amount determination command, the user's operation procedure corresponds to a mode in which rice is cooked according to the amount of rice and the amount of water, and a combined weight of rice and water. The mode is the same as that for cooking rice according to standard specifications. For example, when the user inputs a rice amount determination command to the rice cooker and then inputs a rice cooking start command, the rice cooker performs rice cooking according to the amount of rice. When a user inputs a rice cooking start command without inputting a rice amount determination command to the rice cooker, the rice cooker performs rice cooking according to a standard specification corresponding to the combined weight of the rice weight and the water weight.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit energizes the weight detection means only at a predetermined timing. is there. This realizes a rice cooker that consumes less power.

The invention according to claim 7 further includes a lid opening / closing detection means for detecting an opening / closing state of the lid,
The control unit starts the operation of the weight detection means when the signal from the lid opening / closing detection means is a signal in a state where the lid is open, and from the second timing or the state where the lid is open. The operation of the weight detection means is terminated at the timing when the lid opening / closing detection means detects that the state has been changed to a closed state, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. It is a rice cooker.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the control unit starts the operation of the weight detection unit when the signal from the lid opening / closing detection unit is a signal in a state where the lid is open, and the second timing Or the operation of the said weight detection means is complete | finished at the timing which the said cover opening / closing detection means detected that the said cover changed from the open state to the closed state, The rice cooking of Claim 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. It is a vessel.
In general, a user of a rice cooker opens a lid before cooking rice, puts rice in a pan, puts the pan in a storage unit, closes the lid, and gives an instruction to start cooking (second timing). The rice cooker of the present invention automatically starts the operation of the weight detection means when the lid that may change the amount of rice and water is open, and the user has completed the setting of the amount of rice and water The operation of the weight detection means can be automatically terminated at the second timing. This realizes a rice cooker that consumes less power.

The invention according to claim 9 is that the optimum water amount has a lower limit value and an upper limit value, and the water amount display unit displays the amount of water in the pan when the amount of water in the pan is included in the range of the optimum water amount. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rice cooker displays at least three levels.
Conventional rice cookers did not have a display on the texture and / or physical properties of the cooked rice. The texture (eg, hardness) and / or physical properties (eg, stickiness or elasticity) of rice are mainly determined by the amount of rice and the amount of water in the pan. A user of a conventional rice cooker has increased or decreased water in advance from a standard amount of water in order to cook rice having a desired hardness, for example. In general, such water adjustment is performed based on the user's experience with reference to the scale in the pan, so it is not always possible to cook rice with the desired hardness. In the rice cooker of the present invention, the amount of water in the pan put by the user is large in the range of the optimal amount of water necessary to cook the rice in the pan (cooked rice that is soft, sticky and strong) , Standard (standard hardness, stickiness and elasticity rice can be cooked) or less (hard, less sticky and less elastic rice can be cooked). Therefore, the user can easily perform water adjustment for cooking rice having a favorite texture and / or physical properties while confirming the display of the water amount display unit.

In the invention according to claim 10, the optimal water amount has a lower limit value and an upper limit value, and the water amount display unit is configured such that when the amount of water in the pan is included in the range of the optimal water amount, n (n is The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein a display means of two or more positive integers) is used to display m stages (m is an integer and n <m). is there.
For example, in the amount of water between the amounts of water for which two adjacent display means are individually displayed, the water amount display unit lights or blinks the two adjacent display means together. For example, when each is lit alone, the amount of water is large (soft, sticky and strong rice can be cooked), standard (standard hardness, sticky and elastic rice can be cooked), or low (hard and sticky) 1st, 2nd and 3rd LED (n = 3) which displays the rice which can cook weak and small elasticity is provided. In the present invention, by turning on or blinking the first LED and the second LED at the same time, the amount of water is slightly large (slightly soft, slightly sticky and slightly elastic rice can be cooked). indicate. By illuminating or blinking the second LED and the third LED at the same time, it is displayed that the amount of water is slightly small (slightly firm, slightly sticky and slightly elastic rice can be cooked).

The invention according to claim 11 is characterized in that the water amount display unit displays the amount of water in the pan together with a display representing the texture and / or physical properties of rice when cooked. It is a rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 1-10.
“Rice texture” is, for example, the hardness of rice, and “physical properties of rice” is, for example, the stickiness or elasticity of rice. For example, no matter how many grams or liters the amount of water is displayed, many users cannot understand whether the amount of water is large or small. By displaying the amount of water in combination with one or more of the firmness, stickiness and elasticity of cooked rice that the user has become accustomed to in daily life, the user can easily and easily realize the desired amount of water. Weighing is convenient.

  The invention described in claim 12 further includes an operation guidance display unit that prompts the user to input water at the first timing and instructs the user to start cooking rice when the amount of water in the pan is within the range of the optimum amount of water. It is a rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 8-11 characterized by having. The user can accurately add water and start cooking without mistakes in the operation procedure. An easy-to-use and convenient rice cooker for the user is realized.

  The invention according to claim 13 further comprises a rice amount display part for displaying the amount of rice in the pan, wherein the rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 12 is used. is there. Since the amount of rice in the pan is displayed, it is convenient for the user.

  The invention according to claim 14 is characterized in that the control unit displays a warning when the user commands the start of rice cooking when the amount of water in the pan is outside a predetermined range determined based on the amount of rice. It is a rice cooker as described in any one of Claims 1-4. When the user makes a mistake in the amount of water, the user can be alerted. For example, a predetermined LED (visible light emitting diode) blinks or a warning sound is emitted by a buzzer.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention has an advantageous effect that it is possible to realize a rice cooker that allows a user to accurately add and subtract water with a simple operation and cook delicious rice.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments that specifically show the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1
The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS.
First, the structure of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 is demonstrated using FIG.1 and FIG.2. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. A sectional view is shown in the broken part. In order to simplify the drawing, lead wires and the like for electrical connection are omitted. The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 is a rice cooker in which the user can accurately adjust the amount of water according to the hardness of favorite rice.

  In FIG. 1, 10 is a body (main body) of a rice cooker. The body 10 is provided with a lid 20 that covers the upper surface thereof so as to be freely opened and closed. The housing portion 30 of the body 10 includes an upper frame 32 and a lower coil base 31. The storage unit 30 detachably stores the magnetic pot 12. A heating coil 13 that induction-heats the pan 12 is disposed at a portion of the coil base 31 that faces the bottom of the pan 12. Reference numeral 14 denotes a circuit board. A microcomputer (not shown) is mounted on the circuit board 14. The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 induction-heats the pan 12 and heats the food 19 in the pan 12. The cooked food 19 is rice before cooking, a mixture of rice and water, cooked rice, or the like. The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 has a power cord (not shown), and is in a “power ON” state when commercial power is supplied from the power cord.

Each detection means provided in the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 is demonstrated.
Reference numeral 15 denotes a temperature detection means that is disposed at the bottom of the coil base 31 and detects the temperature of the pan 12. When the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30, the temperature detection unit 15 comes into contact with the center of the bottom of the pan 12 and detects the temperature of the pan 12.
Reference numeral 16 denotes a pan detection means for detecting whether or not the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30. The pan detection means 16 is composed of a micro switch rigidly connected to the body 10. When the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30, the protrusion provided on the bottom of the temperature detection unit 15 presses the micro switch, and the pan detection unit 16 outputs an ON signal.
Reference numeral 21 denotes a lid opening / closing detection means for detecting opening / closing of the lid 20. The lid opening / closing detection means 21 is provided on the body 10 and is constituted by a micro switch. When the lid 20 is opened, the hinge portion of the lid 20 presses the micro switch, and the lid open / close detection means 21 outputs an ON signal.
The pan detection means 16 and the lid open / close detection means 21 are always in operation when the rice cooker is turned on, and output an ON signal or an OFF signal.

Reference numeral 40 denotes weight detection means for detecting the weight of the pan 12. The weight detection means 40 includes the support portion 17 and the load cell 18. The load cell 18 is a robust type load cell (load converter), and is rigidly connected to the body 10. A resistance wire strain gauge (not shown) is attached to the load cell 18. The resistance change of the strain gauge when the load cell 18 is distorted is taken out as an electrical signal by the bridge circuit. The support portion 17 has a shape in which three protrusions are provided on a thin plate. The thin plate is screwed to one end of the load cell 18. The protrusion of the support portion 17 passes through three holes provided in the bottom of the coil base 31. When the pan 12 is not stored in the storage unit 30, the load cell 18 detects the weight of the support unit 17. When the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30, the bottom of the pan 12 comes into contact with the tip of the protrusion of the support unit 17, and the load cell 18 is distorted. When the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30, the load cell 18 detects the total weight of the support unit 17, the pan 12, and the food 19 in the pan 12. The resistance wire strain gauge attached to the load cell 18 is energized (operates) only when an operation command is received from the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 (described later). The output of the resistance wire strain gauge stabilizes in about 0.5 seconds after energization. The weight detection means 40 accurately measures the weight of the pan 12 and the object to be heated (cooked item 19) through the support portion 17 that supports the bottom surface of the pan at three points.
Electrical signals from the temperature detection means 15, the pan detection means 16, the lid opening / closing detection means 21 and the weight detection means 40 are input to the circuit board 14, respectively.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation / display unit of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. An operation / display unit 50 is provided on the front surface of the main body 10 of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 (not shown in FIG. 1). In the operation / display unit 50, a key input means 51, a water amount display unit 52, and a liquid crystal display panel 53 are arranged. As the key input means 51, switches 51a to 51h are arranged. 51a is a rice weighing switch, 51b is a heat retention switch, 51c is a reservation switch for timer reservation, 51d is a course switch for selecting a rice cooking course, 51e is a rice cooking switch, 51f is a cancel / off switch, 51g and 51h are These are an hour switch and a minute switch for adjusting the reservation time (hour and minute).

  The water amount display unit 52 includes five lamps 52 a to 52 e arranged on the back surface of the operation / display unit 50. The hardness of rice depends on the amount of rice and water. In accordance with a predetermined procedure (described later), the user puts rice into the pan 12 and then puts water. The rice cooker according to the first embodiment measures the amount of water that the user has put in the pan 12, and corresponds to the amount of rice and the lamp 52a to 52e of the water amount display unit 52 according to the hardness of the rice corresponding to the amount of water. Turn on or blink. The characters “Kai” on the upper left of the lamp 52a, “Standard” on the upper side of the lamp 52c, and “Softer” on the upper right of the lamp 52e are displayed. Water can be added to cook hard rice. In addition, the detail of the water amount display method in the water amount display part 52 is mentioned later.

  On the liquid crystal display panel 43, an operation guidance display unit 54 and a rice amount display unit 55 are arranged. The operation guidance display unit 54 is a display unit for displaying an operation to be performed next by the user or a current state. The operation guidance display unit 54 is provided with a “water adjustment” display unit 54 a and a “press rice cooking” display unit 54 b. The operation to be performed next by the user is indicated by displaying the background portion of the characters (characters “watering” or “cooking”) on the display units 54a and 54b in black. The rice amount display unit 55 displays the measurement result of the amount of rice (the number of cups) that the user has put in the pan 12.

  The display example of FIG. 2 is a display in a state where the measurement of rice and water has been completed. The amount of rice “2.3 cups” is displayed on the rice amount display portion 55. The background of the characters “cooking rice” in the “press rice cooking” display portion 54b is displayed in black, prompting the user to press the rice cooking switch 51e.

  Next, the structure of the control means of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 is demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a control system of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The control system of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment includes an operation / display unit 50, a weight detection unit 40, a pan detection unit 16, a temperature detection unit 15, a lid open / close detection unit 21, a control unit 300, a heating coil drive unit 311 and a heating unit. The coil 13, the pan 12, and the lid 20 are included. The control means 300 has a microcomputer (not shown) mounted on the circuit board 14. The heating coil driving means 311 is mounted on the circuit board 14.

  The control means 300 (microcomputer) is operated by software through an operation command input by the user via the operation / display unit 50, each detection means (weight detection means 40, pan detection means 16, lid open / close detection means 21 and temperature detection means. Based on each signal input from 15), the heating coil driving means 311 is controlled, the operation / display unit 50 is displayed, and the load cell 18 is turned on / off. The heating coil driving unit 311 drives the heating coil 13 according to the control of the control unit 300. The heating amount of the heating coil 13 is controlled by the energization rate and / or the energizing amount of the heating coil 13.

The control means 300 includes a weight calculation unit 301, a load cell ON / OFF control unit 302, a rice amount storage unit 303, an optimal water amount storage unit 304, a water amount display control unit 306, a heating control unit 307, and a heating program storage unit 308.
The weight calculation unit 301 is in a predetermined state (when there is no pan 12, when an empty pan 12 is stored, when a maximum amount of rice and a pan 12 containing water are stored). The output signal data (S1, S2, S3) of the load cell 18 is stored. When the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell 18 is S, the weight W of the food 19 in the pan 12 is
W = Wmax × (S−S2) / (S3−S2) (1)
It becomes. However, Wmax is the maximum weight of the food 19 and is a known amount (the weight of the pan 12 containing the maximum amount of rice and water (the food 19)), and the output signal data S3 of the load cell 18 Corresponding value). The weight calculation unit 301 calculates the weight W of the cooked item 19 using Expression (1).

The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 turns ON / OFF the power supply to the load cell 18 when a predetermined condition (described later) is satisfied.
The rice amount storage unit 303 stores the measurement result (the number of cups or the weight) of the amount of rice that the user has put in the pan 12.
The optimum water amount storage unit 304 stores an optimum water amount table 305. The optimal water amount table 305 includes the amount of each rice (for example, 1 cup, 2 cups, 3 cups, 4 cups and 5 cups) and the hardness of the cooked rice (for example, “warming”, “standard” and “soft” This is a data table of the amount (weight) of water required for “ Table 1 is the optimum water amount table 305 in the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the optimum water amount table 305 includes three levels of rice (1 cup, 3 cups, and 3 cups) and five levels of rice hardness (for example, “Kame”, “Kake and Standard”). , “Standard”, “Standard”, “Intermediate between standard and soft”, and “Soft”.

The water amount display control unit 306 reads the optimum water amount table 305 (Table 1), and lights or blinks among the lamps 53a to 53e of the water amount display unit 53 based on the amount of rice and the amount of water that the user has put in the pan 12. Select the lamp to be turned on or blink. When the amount of rice is not in the optimum water amount table 305 (for example, 2.3), the value in the optimum water amount table 305 is interpolated.
In the first embodiment, the amount of water is displayed in seven levels by lighting or blinking of the lamps 52a to 52e. Table 2 shows the amount of water and the display states of the lamps 53a to 53e when the amount of rice is three. In Table 2, “×” indicates that the light is extinguished, “Δ” indicates blinking, and “◯” indicates light.

  In the amount of rice put in the pan 12 by the user, the lamp 52c is lit for the amount of water for cooking “standard” hard rice, the lamp 52a is lit for the amount of water for cooking “hard” rice, and “soft” The lamp 52e lights up with the amount of water for cooking rice. The lamp 52b is lit for the amount of water for cooking rice with a hardness between “Kai” and “Standard”, and the lamp 52d is lit for the amount of water for cooking rice with a hardness between “Standard” and “Soft”. When the amount of water is less than the amount of water for cooking “kame” rice (including the case where water is not in the pan 12), the lamp 52a blinks. When the amount of water is larger than the amount of water for cooking “soft rice”, the lamp 52e blinks.

  The heating program storage unit 308 stores a heating program (rice cooking process and heat retaining process) of the food 19. The heating control unit 307 reads the heating program and controls the heating coil driving unit 311 based on the temperature of the pan 12 detected by the temperature detecting unit 15.

Operation | movement of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated using a user's operation procedure using FIG.4 and FIG.5.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a user's operation procedure and display state transition of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation procedure 400 in the user's rice cooking preparation work is shown on the left side of FIG. 4, and the display state 450 of the operation / display unit 50 is shown on the right side. First, the user turns on the rice cooker (step 401) and opens the lid 20 (step 402). Next, the user puts an amount of rice to be cooked into the pan 12, stores the pan 12 in the storage unit 30 (step 403), and proceeds to step 404.

  The user proceeds from step 404 to step 405 and presses the rice metering switch 51a when adding or subtracting water according to the taste of rice hardness. The rice weighing switch 51a has a function of determining the amount of rice to be cooked. The rice weighing switch 51a is turned on (step 451), and the amount of rice is displayed on the rice amount display portion 55 as the number of cups (step 452). Further, the background of the “water adjustment” display portion 54a of the operation guidance display portion 54 is displayed in black (step 453). The user confirms the amount of rice (step 406), and confirms that the next procedure is “watering”.

In step 407, the user cleans the rice as necessary and puts water into the pan 12. The amount of water is determined by the amount of rice determined in step 405 and the hardness of the user's favorite rice. Lamps 52a to 52e corresponding to the amount of rice and the amount of water in the pan 12 are turned on or blinking in the water amount display section 52 (step 454).
The user adds or subtracts water while checking the display on the water amount display unit 52 (step 407). It is judged whether or not the rice with the desired hardness is the amount of water to be cooked (step 408), and the water is repeatedly adjusted until the amount of water reaches an appropriate amount. For example, when it is desired to cook “soft rice” rice, the water is adjusted so that the lamp 52e is lit.

  After determining the amount of water, the user closes the lid 20 (step 409). When the amount of water is within the range of the amount of water for cooking rice with a hardness between “Kame” and “Soft rice” (any one of the lamps 52a to 52e is lit), the operation guidance display unit 54 The background of the characters “cooking rice” on the “press rice cooking” display portion 54b is displayed in black (step 455a). The user can confirm that the next procedure is an operation of the rice cooking switch 51e. On the other hand, when the amount of water is outside the range of the amount of water for cooking rice with a hardness between “warming” and “soft rice” (either the lamp 52a or the lamp 52e blinks), the operation guidance display The “water adjustment” display part 54a of the part 54 blinks (step 455b). The user confirms that water adjustment should be performed again.

In step 410, the user performs water addition / reduction as necessary (for example, when the “water addition / reduction” display unit 54 a is blinking) and closes the lid 20. After the end of water addition, the user presses the rice cooking switch 51e (step 411) to finish the rice cooking preparation work. In addition, when the amount of water is less than the amount of water for cooking “Kamata” rice or more than the amount of water for cooking “soft rice”, rice cooking is not started even if the user operates the rice cooking switch 51e. That is, in step 408 or step 410, the user needs to increase or decrease the amount of water to an amount larger than the amount of water for cooking “hard” rice and less than the amount of water for cooking “soft rice”.
When the user presses the rice cooking switch 51e, the rice cooking switch 51e is turned on, the rice weighing switch 51a is turned off (step 457), and the background of the “press rice cooking” display portion 54b and the black and white of the characters are reversed.

When the user does not perform water adjustment according to the hardness of the favorite rice, the process proceeds from step 404 to step 410 to perform water adjustment (for example, a conventional method with reference to a scale (not shown) inside the pan 12). The lid 20 is closed. When the user does not measure rice (does not operate the rice weighing switch 51a), when the lid 20 is closed in step 410, the “cooking” button on the “push rice” display portion 54a of the operation guidance display portion 54 regardless of the amount of water. Is displayed in black (step 455a). The user can confirm that the next procedure is an operation of the rice cooking switch 51e. The user presses the rice cooking switch 51e (step 411) and ends the rice cooking preparation work. The subsequent display transition of the operation / display unit 50 is the same as when the user measures rice (steps 456 to 458).
After step 458, the rice cooker performs a rice cooking process (cooking rice).

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart at the start of rice cooking of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In step 501, the rice cooker is turned on. When the rice cooker is turned on, the lid open / close detection means 21 starts operation and outputs a signal as to whether the lid 20 is open to the control means 300. In step 502, the control means 300 determines whether or not the lid 20 is open. When the lid 20 is opened from the closed state or when the lid 20 is opened, the process proceeds to step 503. When the lid 20 transitions from the closed state to the opened state, or when the lid 20 is already open, the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18 (step 503). The load cell 18 outputs the output signal S to the weight calculation unit 301. In step 504, the control means 300 determines whether or not the lid 20 is closed from the open state. If the lid 20 remains open, go to step 505. In step 505, the control means 300 determines whether or not the rice weighing switch 51a has been pressed. If it is not pressed, the process returns to step 504. If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step 506. The control means 300 lights the rice weighing switch 51a (step 506).

  The weight calculation unit 301 calculates the weight W of the cooked food 19 in the pan 12 from the output signal S of the load cell 18 immediately before the rice weighing switch 51a is pressed, using Equation (1) (step 507). In step 508, the control unit 300 stores the weight W calculated by the weight calculation unit 301 in step 507 in the rice amount storage unit 303 as the weight (g) of rice. In step 509, the control means 300 divides the weight of rice by 150 g, calculates the number of rice cups (one cup is 150 g, one match), and displays it on the rice amount display unit 55. In step 510, the control unit 300 sets the background of the “water adjustment” display portion 54a to black. In step 511, the control unit 300 reads the optimum water amount table 305 (for example, Table 1), and obtains a correspondence table between the amount of water and the hardness of rice corresponding to the weight of rice stored in the rice amount storage unit 303. Read. When the corresponding amount of rice is not in the optimum water amount table 305 (for example, in the case of 2.3), the value in the optimum water amount table 305 is interpolated.

  The control means 300 determines that the output signal of the load cell 18 after calculating the weight of rice in step 507 is the total weight of the rice and water in the pan 12. In step 512, the control means 300 calculates the weight W of the cooked food 19 in the pan 12 from the output signal of the load cell 18 according to equation (1), and the weight of rice stored in the rice amount storage unit 303 is calculated from W. Subtract and calculate the weight of the water in the pan 12. In step 513, the water amount display control unit 306 instructs a lamp corresponding to the measured weight of the light among the lamps 52a to 52e of the water amount display unit 52 to turn on or blink. In step 514, the control unit 300 determines whether the lid 20 is closed based on the signal from the lid opening / closing detection unit 21. If the lid remains open, the process returns to step 512 and repeats the calculation of the weight of the water (step 512) and display (step 513). If the lid 20 is closed, the process proceeds to step 515.

In step 515, the control means 300 determines that the weight of water immediately before the lid 20 is closed is the amount of water used for cooking rice, and the amount of water is within a predetermined range (the weight of rice stored in step 508 is Between the lower limit of the amount of water for cooking “rice” and the upper limit of the amount of water for cooking “soft rice”. If the weight of the water is outside the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step 517, the “water addition / reduction” display portion 54 a blinks, prompts the user to redo / add water, and the process returns to step 512. When the weight of the water is within the predetermined range, the process proceeds to step 516, and the background of the characters “cooking rice” on the “press rice cooking” display portion 54b is made black. At the same time, the characters on the “water addition / reduction” display portion 54a are made black. In step 518, the control means 300 determines whether or not the rice cooking switch 51 e has been pressed. When the rice cooking switch 51e is pressed, the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 stops energizing the load cell 18 (step 519). The control means 300 turns on the rice cooking switch 51e (step 520), turns the character of the “press rice cooking” display portion 54b black (step 521), and turns off the rice weighing switch 51a (step 522). When the rice cooking switch 51e is operated, the heating control unit 307 reads the heating program from the heating program storage unit 308 and executes the rice cooking process (step 523).
When the lid 20 is closed in step 504, the process proceeds to step 516 (the weight calculation unit 301 does not calculate the weight of rice and water).

  When the user presses the rice weighing switch 51a and the weight calculation unit 301 measures rice and water, the heating control unit 307 performs heating control based on the weight of the rice and the temperature of the pan 12 from the temperature detection means 15. Do. When the weight calculation unit 301 does not measure rice and water, the heating control unit 307 performs heating control based on the temperature of the pan 12 from the temperature detection means 15.

As described above, according to the rice cooker of the first embodiment, the user can easily add or subtract water for cooking rice having a desired hardness by simply pressing the rice weighing switch 51a once. The user's rice preparation work in the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 is the user's rice preparation work in a conventional rice cooker that does not have the weight detection means 40 (rice is put in a pan, washed as needed, It is almost the same as Do). Therefore, the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 hardly causes the user's rice and water measurement errors. When cooking rice with the conventional rice cooker, the user needs to accurately measure not only the amount of water but also the amount of rice according to the preset amount of rice after setting the amount of rice in advance. there were. In the rice cooker of Embodiment 1, the user does not need to accurately weigh rice and put it in the pan 12. The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 measures the amount of rice that the user has put in the pan 12, displays an appropriate amount of water according to the amount of rice, and prompts the user to add or subtract water.
In a conventional rice cooker that does not include the weight detection means 40, the user needs to adjust the amount of water based on the scale and experience inside the pan 12 in order to cook rice with a desired hardness. Therefore, it was difficult to cook rice with the desired hardness each time. According to the rice cooker of the first embodiment, the user can accurately adjust water while confirming the water amount display unit 52, so that the user can always cook rice with a desired hardness.

The rice cooker according to the first embodiment does not energize the load cell 18 for a predetermined time (until the rice cooker switch 51e is pressed after the lid 20 is opened), and does not waste power. Further, it is possible to prevent the load cell 18 from being heated and the weight detection accuracy from being lowered. In addition, electricity supply may be started to the load cell 18 when the rice measurement switch 51a is pushed, and electricity supply may be complete | finished when the rice cooking switch 51e is pushed. The amount of rice may be calculated from the output signal of the load cell 18 immediately after the rice weighing switch 51a is pushed. In this case, the lid opening / closing detection means 21 is unnecessary. The energization of the load cell 18 may be started when the lid 12 is opened, and the energization may be terminated when the lid 12 is closed.
The rice cooker of Embodiment 1 does not cook rice when the amount of water is not appropriate for the measured amount of rice. Therefore, the temperature rise of the rice cooker due to a small amount of water or no water can be prevented.

The user may turn on the power after opening the lid 20 in the rice cooking preparation work (FIG. 4) (step 401 and step 402 are interchanged).
In step 507, the weight of the rice was calculated from the output signal of the load cell 18 immediately before the rice weighing switch 51a was pushed. Instead, an average value of the output signal of the load cell 18 within a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) immediately before or after the rice weighing switch 51a is pressed may be used.
In step 517, the user is prompted to redo the water by flashing the “watering” display unit 54 a, but other methods may be used. For example, a buzzer may be attached to the circuit board 14 to sound the buzzer.
In addition, the structure of the temperature detection means 15, the pan detection means 16, the lid | cover opening / closing detection means 21, and the weight detection means 40 is not restricted to what was shown in Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2. FIG. For example, only the piezoelectric element, the capacitance detection element, and the spring may be used as the weight detection means 40. The weight detected by the weight detection means 40 when the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30 includes at least the weight of the pan 12 (if the cook 19 is present, the pan 12 and the cook 19). good.

The rice cooker according to the first embodiment is configured such that the amount of water between the lower limit value of the amount of water necessary for cooking "Kamata" rice and the upper limit value of the amount of water required for cooking "soft rice" rice Although the display unit 52 displays five levels, it may be displayed in at least three levels. However, it is desirable that the texture of the rice to be cooked does not change within the range of the amount of water displayed in one stage.
In the rice cooker according to the first embodiment, the optimum water amount storage unit 304 stores a correspondence table between the amount of water corresponding to the weight of rice and the hardness of rice (optimum water amount table 305). You may remember.
The water amount display part 52 displayed the water amount and the hardness of the rice in correspondence with each other. It may replace with this and you may display corresponding to the food texture and / or physical property of other rice which are related to the amount of water. For example, the amount of water and stickiness of rice (strong when the amount of water is high, weak when the amount of water is low) or the amount of water and the elasticity of rice (large when the amount of water is large and small when the amount of water is small) are displayed in correspondence. May be. You may display combining these displays.

  If the user does not press the rice weighing switch 51a and the weight calculation unit 301 does not measure rice and water, the total weight of rice and water from the output signal S immediately before the load cell 18 is turned off in step 519. The total weight and the heating control unit 307 may be configured to perform heating control (rice cooking) according to standard specifications based on the temperature of the pan 12 from the temperature detection means 15.

<< Embodiment 2 >>
The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 is obtained by replacing the operation / display unit 50 of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 with an operation / display unit 60. The configuration, operation, and user operation procedure of the rice cooker of the second embodiment are the same as those of the rice cooker of the first embodiment (FIG. 1, FIG. 3 to FIG. 5), but the operation / display unit 50 is replaced with the operation / display unit 60. Since it is the same as that, a description thereof will be omitted.

  The points different from the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 are demonstrated using FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an operation / display unit of the rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The operation / display unit 60 is obtained by replacing the water amount display unit 52 of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment with a water amount display unit 62. The water amount display unit 62 includes three lamps 62a, 62c, and 62e. The rice cooker according to the second embodiment measures the amount of water that the user puts in the pan 12, and the corresponding lamp among the lamps 62a, 62c, and 62e of the water amount display unit 62 according to the hardness of the rice corresponding to the amount of water. Turn on or blink. The characters “Kai” on the upper left of the lamp 62 a, “Standard” on the lamp 62 c, and “Soft” on the upper right of the lamp 62 e are displayed. Water can be added to cook hard rice.

  In the second embodiment, the amount of water is displayed in seven levels by lighting or blinking of the three lamps 62a, 62c, 62e. Table 3 shows the amount of water and the display status of the lamps 62a, 62c, and 62e when the amount of rice is three. In Table 3, “x” indicates light off, “Δ” indicates blinking, and “◯” indicates lighting.

  In the amount of rice that the user puts into the pan 12, the lamp 62c is lit when the amount of water is used to cook standard hard rice, and the lamp 62a is lit when the amount of water is used to cook "hard" rice. The lamp 62e lights up with the amount of water to be cooked. The lamps 62a and 62c blink in the amount of water that cooks rice with a hardness between “Kai” and “Standard”, but the lamp 62c in the amount of water that cooks rice with a hardness between “Standard” and “Soft”. And 62e are lit. When the amount of water is less than the amount of water for cooking “Kake” rice (including the case where water is not in the pan 12), the lamp 62a blinks. When the amount of water is larger than the amount of water for cooking “soft rice” rice, the lamp 62e blinks.

  The rice cooker of Embodiment 2 has the same effect as the rice cooker of Embodiment 1. Furthermore, the amount of water can be displayed step by step with fewer display means (lamps) than the rice cooker of the first embodiment. The rice cooker according to the second embodiment can be realized at a lower cost than the rice cooker according to the first embodiment.

  The rice cooker of the present invention is useful as a rice cooker for home use or business use.

Side view in which rice cookers of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of the present invention are partially cut away The figure which shows the operation and the display part of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure of the control system of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of this invention. Explanatory drawing which shows the user's operation procedure and transition of a display state of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart at the time of the rice cooking start of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 of this invention The figure which shows the operation and the display part of the rice cooker of Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 Body
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Pan 13 Heating coil 14 Circuit board 15 Temperature detection means 16 Pan detection means 17 Support part 18 Load cell 19 Cooked food 20 Lid 21 Lid opening / closing detection means 30 Storage part 31 Coil base 32 Upper frame 40 Weight detection means 50, 60 Operation and display Part 51 Key input means 51a Rice metering switch 51b Heat retention switch 51c Reservation switch 51d Course switch 51e Rice cooking switch 51f Cancel / off switch 51g Hour switch 51h Minute switch 52, 62 Water amount display part 52a-52e, 62a, 62c, 62e Lamp 53 Liquid crystal Display Panel 54 Operation Guidance Display Unit 54a “Water Control” Display Unit 54b “Press Rice Cook” Display Unit 55 Rice Quantity Display Unit 300 Control Unit 301 Weight Calculation Unit 302 Load Cell ON / OFF Control Unit 303 Rice Quantity Storage Unit 304 Optimal Water Quantity Storage Part 05 optimum water amount table 306 water display control unit 307 the heating control unit 308 heating program storage unit 311 the heating coil drive means

Claims (14)

A main body with an open top;
A pan that is detachably stored in the main body;
A lid that covers the main body so as to be freely opened and closed;
Heating means for heating the pan;
A weight detection means for detecting the total weight of the pan and the weight of the food put in the pan;
Input means for inputting a rice quantity determination command from the user;
The amount of rice in the pan is calculated based on the output signal of the weight detection unit at the first timing when the input means inputs the rice amount determination command, and based on this, the amount of rice in the pan is handled. An optimal amount of water is calculated, the amount of water in the pan is calculated based on the output signal of the weight detection means input after the first timing and the amount of rice, and a predetermined second after the first timing. A control unit that starts cooking at the timing of
The amount of water in the pan is displayed together with the optimum amount of water, or a water amount display unit for displaying a relative value of the amount of water in the pan with respect to the optimum amount of water,
The rice cooker characterized by having. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the controller does not start cooking when the amount of water in the pan is outside a predetermined range determined based on the amount of rice. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the controller determines the amount of water in the pan at the second timing. A lid open / close detecting means for detecting an open / closed state of the lid;
The control unit determines the amount of water in the pan at a timing when the lid opening / closing detection means detects that the lid has changed from an open state to a closed state. Rice cooker. When the input means starts the rice cooking after inputting the rice amount determination command from the user, the control unit performs rice cooking according to the detected rice amount,
If the input means starts cooking rice without inputting the rice amount determination command from the user, the control unit starts cooking with standard specifications corresponding to the combined weight of rice weight and water weight,
The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rice cooker is characterized. The said control part supplies with electricity to the said weight detection means only in predetermined timing, The rice cooker in any one of Claims 1-4 characterized by the above-mentioned. A lid open / close detecting means for detecting an open / closed state of the lid;
The control unit starts the operation of the weight detection means when the signal from the lid opening / closing detection means is a signal in a state where the lid is open, and from the second timing or the state where the lid is open. The operation of the weight detection means is terminated at the timing when the lid opening / closing detection means detects that the state has been changed to a closed state, according to any one of claims 1 to 3. rice cooker. The control unit starts the operation of the weight detection means when the signal from the lid opening / closing detection means is a signal in a state where the lid is open, and from the second timing or the state where the lid is open. 5. The rice cooker according to claim 4, wherein the operation of the weight detection unit is terminated at a timing when the lid opening / closing detection unit detects that the state has been changed to a closed state. The optimum water amount has a lower limit value and an upper limit value, and the water amount display unit displays the amount of water in the pan at least in three stages when the amount of water in the pan is included in the range of the optimum water amount. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The optimum water amount has a lower limit value and an upper limit value, and the water amount display unit displays n (n is a positive integer of 2 or more) display means when the amount of water in the pan is included in the range of the optimum water amount. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein m stages (m is an integer and n <m) are displayed. The said water amount display part displays together with the display showing the food texture and / or physical property of rice when the amount of water in the said pan is cooked, The one of Claims 1-10 characterized by the above-mentioned. The rice cooker according to claim. The apparatus further comprises an operation guidance display unit that prompts the user to input water at the first timing and instructs the user to start cooking when the amount of water in the pan is within the range of the optimum amount of water. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 8 to 11. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a rice amount display unit for displaying the amount of rice in the pan. The control unit displays a warning when the user instructs the start of rice cooking when the amount of water in the pan is outside a predetermined range determined based on the amount of rice. The rice cooker according to any claim.

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