JP2006149601A - Electric cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the convenience of a user by displaying various kinds of information relating to food by using an IC tag in which the various kinds of information relating to the food are stored. <P>SOLUTION: In an electric cooker comprising food housing containers 5A and 5B for housing the food and a warming base 6 provided with a heating means (electric heater 7) for heat-insulating the food housing containers 5A and 5B at a prescribed temperature, while the IC tags 1A and 1B provided with a storage means for storing the various kinds of information relating to the food are attached to the food housing containers 5A and 5B or the warming base 6, a transmission/reception unit 2 for transferring the various kinds of information to/from the IC tags 1A and 1B is disposed and display means 14A and 14B for displaying the various kinds of information received by the transmission/reception unit 2 are attached to the warming base 6. The user can confirm the needed one of the information by viewing the various kinds of information displayed at the display means 14A and 14B. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an electric cooker, and more particularly, to an electric cooker including a dish storage container for storing dishes and a heat insulating table provided with a heating means for keeping the dish storage container at a predetermined temperature. Is.

  Conventionally, for example, when serving food in a buffet style at a party venue in a hotel or restaurant, or in a hotel, etc., the food is stored in a food container such as a large plate or pan and provided to party attendees. In order to maintain the taste of the food stored in the food storage container for a long time, a heat-insulating table that keeps the food storage container warm is used (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-8-215072

  However, in the dish container or the heat insulating stand disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the type (namely, menu) of the stored dish is merely displayed on the menu panel, and various information on the dish (for example, , Information on the raw material, the origin of the raw material, the optimum heat insulation state of the dish, etc.) are not displayed.

  In the case of providing food at the above party venue, or providing food in a buffet style, it is assumed that an unspecified number of people will use it, and the use of children is not limited. In recent years, many children have food allergies, and it is difficult to distinguish cooking materials with allergies. In addition, with the growing gourmet orientation, knowing the origin of ingredients used in cooking is one way to increase the value of the food. Furthermore, it would be convenient if the heat insulation state of the food could be confirmed visually.

  In recent years, an IC tag (electronic tag) using an IC chip having a large information storage amount as a tag has been developed and put into practical use.

  This invention is made in view of said point, and aims at improving a user's convenience by displaying the various information regarding a dish using the IC tag which memorize | stored the various information regarding a dish. To do.

  In the present invention, as a first means for solving the above-described problems, an electric cooker including a dish storage container for storing a dish and a heat insulating table provided with a heating means for keeping the dish storage container at a predetermined temperature. In addition, an IC tag having storage means for storing various kinds of information relating to cooking is attached to the cooking container or the heat-insulating table, while the various types of information are exchanged between the IC tag and the heat-insulating table. And a display means for displaying various information received by the transmission / reception unit.

  By configuring as described above, various kinds of information relating to cooking (for example, information on raw materials, origin of raw materials, optimum heat insulation state of cooking, etc.) are stored in the storage means of the IC tag attached to the cooking container or the heat insulating stand. The various types of information are displayed on the display means via the transmission / reception unit. Therefore, the user can confirm necessary information among those pieces of information by visually recognizing various information displayed on the display means, and the convenience for the user is remarkably improved.

  In the invention of the present application, as a second means for solving the above-mentioned problem, in the electric cooker provided with the first means, the IC tag storage means includes an IC chip provided in the cooking material. It is also possible to store the obtained raw material information, and in such a case, the raw material information obtained from the IC chip provided on the cooking material is displayed on the display means via the IC tag and the transmission / reception unit. Thus, the displayed raw material information (for example, raw materials having allergenicity) can avoid food, and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In the present invention, as a third means for solving the above-mentioned problem, in the electric cooker provided with the above-mentioned first means, the IC tag storage means is inputted by an input operation during cooking. In this case, various information input by the input operation at the time of cooking the cooking (for example, information on the raw material, the place of origin of the raw material, the optimum heat insulation state of the cooking, etc.) ) Is displayed on the display means via the transmission / reception unit, and the user can confirm necessary information among the information by visually recognizing various information displayed on the display means. Convenience is significantly improved.

  In the present invention, as a fourth means for solving the above-mentioned problem, in the electric cooker provided with the first, second or third means, a member constituting the outline of the heat-retaining table is used as an electromagnetic wave. And the IC tag can be provided at a position below the erection part of the dish container to the heat insulating table, and the transmission / reception unit can be provided inside the heat insulating table. In such a configuration, even when a plurality of dish containers are arranged at a short distance, communication can be accurately performed because communication interference is eliminated, and between the IC tag and the transmission / reception unit. Even when signals are exchanged, safety can be improved because leakage of electromagnetic waves to the outside can be prevented by the shielding member.

  In the present invention, as a fifth means for solving the above-mentioned problem, in the electric cooker including the first, second, third or fourth means, the transmission / reception unit is connected to the IC tag. The function of setting the temperature control temperature by the heating means can be given based on the various information, and in such a case, the temperature control temperature by the heating means is automatically set based on the various information from the IC tag. Since it can be set, there is no need to set the temperature control temperature for each type of dish stored in the dish container, which is very convenient for the user.

  According to the first means of the present invention, in the electric cooker comprising a dish container for storing a dish and a heat insulating table provided with a heating means for keeping the dish container at a predetermined temperature, the dish container Alternatively, an IC tag having storage means for storing various types of information related to cooking is attached to the heat retaining table, while a transmission / reception unit for transferring the various information to and from the IC tag is disposed on the heat retaining table, Display means for displaying various information received by the transmission / reception unit is attached, and various information relating to cooking (for example, raw materials, origin of raw materials, cooking information, etc.) are stored in the storage means of the IC tag attached to the cooking container or the heat insulating table. Information, such as the optimum heat retention state) is stored, and the various information is displayed on the display means via the transmission / reception unit. By viewing the type information, will be able to see what you need of such information, there is an effect that convenience for the user is significantly improved.

  As in the second means of the present invention, in the electric cooker provided with the first means, the raw material information obtained from the IC chip provided in the cooking material is stored in the storage means of the IC tag. In such a configuration, the raw material information obtained from the IC chip provided on the cooking material is displayed on the display means via the IC tag and the transmission / reception unit. Cooking can be avoided by the raw material information (for example, allergenic raw materials), and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  As in the third means of the present invention, in the electric cooker provided with the first means, the storage means of the IC tag stores various information input by the input operation at the time of cooking the dish. If configured in this way, various information (for example, information on raw materials, the origin of raw materials, the optimum heat insulation state of the food, etc.) input by the input operation during cooking is displayed via the transmission / reception unit. By displaying the various information displayed on the display means, the user can confirm necessary information among the information, and the convenience for the user is remarkably improved.

  As in the fourth means of the present invention, in the electric cooker provided with the first, second or third means, the member constituting the outline of the heat insulating stand is constituted by a shielding member for shielding electromagnetic waves. In addition, the IC tag can be provided at a position below the erection part of the dish container to the heat insulating table, and the transmission / reception unit can be provided inside the heat insulating table. Even when the food container is placed at a short distance, communication interference can be eliminated, so accurate communication is possible, and signals are exchanged between the IC tag and the transmission / reception unit. Even if it exists, safety | security improves from the place which can prevent the leakage of electromagnetic waves outside by a shielding member.

  As in the fifth means of the present invention, in the electric cooker provided with the first, second, third or fourth means, the heating / reception unit is supplied with the heating based on various information from the IC tag. A function for setting the temperature control temperature by means can also be provided, and in such a configuration, the temperature control temperature by the heating means can be automatically set based on various information from the IC tag. This eliminates the need to set the temperature control temperature for each type of food stored in the container, which is extremely convenient for the user.

  Hereinafter, some preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 3 show an electric cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, this electric cooker includes dish storage containers 5A and 5B for storing dishes, and a heat insulating stand 6 having an electric heater 7 as a heating means for keeping the dish storage container 5 at a predetermined temperature. It is configured with.

  The dish container 5A has a deep pan shape suitable for storing liquid dishes such as soup, while the dish container 5B has a shallow pot shape suitable for storing solid dishes such as beef steak. It is said that. On the side surfaces of the cooking containers 5A and 5B, there are flanges 9A and 9B for respectively mounting the cooking containers 5A and 5B in engagement holes 8A and 8B formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating table 6. Each is formed.

  On the other hand, a member (that is, the main body case 10) that constitutes the outline of the heat insulating stand 6 is constituted by a shielding member (for example, metal) that shields electromagnetic waves. Support legs 11, 11,... (Only two are shown in FIG. 1) are formed. Further, a shallow dish-shaped bottom member 12 constituting the bottom portion of the main body case 10 is detachably supported on the inner surfaces of the support legs 11, 11. . Further, the electric heater 7 is mounted on the bottom member 12. Furthermore, the engagement holes 8A and 8B are formed on the upper surface of the heat insulating table 6. Reference numerals 14A and 14B denote menu display portions attached to the heat insulating stand 6 so as to correspond to the cooking containers 5A and 5B. The menu display portions 14A and 14B are display means in the scope of claims (ie, described later). The transmitting / receiving unit 2 that acts as display means for displaying various information received. Reference numeral 15 denotes a handle of the heat insulating stand 6, and 16A and 16B denote lids of the dish containers 5A and 5B.

  Then, IC tags 1A and 1B, which will be described later, are respectively attached to the bottoms of the dish containers 5A and 5B, while the bottom member 12 of the heat insulating table 6 is located between the IC tags 1A and 1B. A transmission / reception unit 2 for transmitting and receiving various types of information is provided. The IC tags 1A and 1B have storage means for storing various information related to cooking. The IC tags 1A and 1B are preferably provided at positions below the erection part to the heat insulating stand 6 in the cooking containers 5A and 5B. In this way, even when the plurality of dish containers 5A and 5B are arranged at a short distance, accurate communication is possible from the point where communication interference is eliminated, and the IC tags 1A and 1B and the transmission / reception unit Even when a signal is exchanged with 2, safety can be improved because the main body case 10 made of a shielding member can prevent leakage of electromagnetic waves to the outside.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 2, the IC tag unit U may be configured by attaching the IC tag 1 </ b> A (1 </ b> B) to the lower surface of the support base 18 having the magnet 17 attached to the upper surface. Reference numeral 19 denotes a cover that covers the IC tag 1A (1B). In this case, the dish container 5A (5B) needs to be made of a magnetic material (for example, an iron-based metal). In this way, since the IC tag unit U is attached by the magnet 17, it can be easily attached to and detached from the dish container 5A (5B).

  Next, the configuration of the IC tags 1A and 1B and the transmission / reception unit 2 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, since the IC tags 1A and 1B have the same structure, the IC tag 1 is used in the following description.

  The IC tag 1 is connected to a power supply circuit 1b, a radio frequency (RF) circuit (wireless transmission / reception circuit) 1c, a modulation circuit 1d, a demodulation circuit 1e, a CPU 1f, and an input / output to the CPU 1f, It has a memory 1a that stores various types of information relating to cooking (for example, information on raw materials, the origin of raw materials, the optimum heat-retaining state of cooking, etc.).

  The power supply circuit 1b incorporates a capacitor (not shown) that acts as a storage battery, and this capacitor forms a resonance circuit together with the coil-type first transmission / reception antenna 3. When the first transmitting / receiving antenna 3 receives a radio wave having a specific frequency (a radio wave having a frequency at which the above-described resonance circuit resonates), the capacitor is charged with electric power generated by the mutual induction action. Yes. The power supply circuit 1b rectifies and stabilizes the power from the capacitor and supplies it to the CPU 1f to activate the IC tag 1. The first transmitting / receiving antenna 3 includes, for example, a magnetic core member 3a formed by laminating a plurality of soft magnetic amorphous foils or a plurality of metal foils via an insulating layer made of a heat resistant resin or a heat resistant inorganic material. And a heat-resistant coated conductor 3b wound around the outer periphery of the magnetic core member 3a, and has high heat resistance.

  The memory 1a includes, for example, a ROM, a RAM, and an EEPROM, and is stored in the memory 1a in response to a read command by digital data communication of a transmission radio wave from the transmission / reception unit 2 described later under the control of the CPU 1f. Various types of information related to cooking are read, and necessary data can be written according to a write command from the transmission / reception unit 2 as necessary.

  The IC tag 1 and the first transmission / reception antenna 3 are packaged in a predetermined heat-resistant plastic case and set at an appropriate position of the product. For example, the plastic case is made of polyimide, epoxy, polyphenyl sulfone, or the like. It is made of a synthetic resin having high heat resistance such as id or phenol, and can be used even at a high temperature of 150 ° C. to 250 ° C., for example.

  As described above, the IC tag 1 configured with a memory for various information related to cooking, a wireless transmission function, and the like can be wirelessly transmitted to and received from the transmission / reception unit 2 disposed in the heat insulating table 6 correspondingly. It is configured.

  The transmission / reception unit 2 reads various types of information stored on the IC tag 1 side, transfers them to the microcomputer of the transmission / reception unit 2, inputs them, and writes necessary information in the memory 1a on the IC tag 1 side. The data processing circuit unit is configured to process the radio wave data received by the same coil-type second transmitting / receiving antenna 4 that interacts with the first transmitting / receiving antenna 3. The second transmission / reception antenna 4 transmits a predetermined radio wave to the first transmission / reception antenna 3 on the IC tag 1 side and receives a predetermined radio wave from the first transmission / reception antenna 3 on the IC tag 1 side. It is configured as follows. The data processing circuit unit is connected to the second transmission / reception antenna 4, and includes a power supply circuit 2a incorporating a battery, a radio frequency (RF) circuit (wireless transmission / reception circuit) 2b, a modulation circuit 2c, and a demodulation circuit. A circuit 2d, a CPU 2e, and a memory 2f that is connected to the CPU 2e so as to be able to input and output and store information (various information related to cooking) read from the memory 1a of the IC tag 1 are configured. .

  Reading various information related to the dish stored in the memory 1a in the IC tag 1 is binary from the second transmission / reception antenna 4 on the transmission / reception unit 2 side toward the first transmission / reception antenna 3 on the IC tag 1 side. This is done by transmitting the digitized digital data signal by radio waves of a specific frequency. This digital data signal is modulated by the modulation circuit 2 c, amplified by the RF circuit 2 b, and transmitted from the second transmitting / receiving antenna 4. The transmitted radio wave is received by the first transmitting / receiving antenna 3 on the IC tag 1 side, and electric power is charged in the storage capacitor of the power supply circuit 1b by the mutual induction action between the antenna coils at the time of reception. This charging power is supplied as operating power from the power supply circuit 1b to the CPU 1f, and activates the IC tag 1 to operate the RF circuit 1c.

  Then, the CPU 1f on the IC tag 1 side transmits, as data, various types of information related to the dish stored in the memory 1a based on the received signal (read command signal). The transmission of various information data relating to the dish is performed by modulating the binarized digital data signal by the modulation circuit 1d and then amplifying it by the RF circuit 1c and sending it from the first transmitting / receiving antenna 3. Done. The transmitted digital data is received by the second transmission / reception antenna 4 on the transmission / reception unit 2 side, processed by the data processing circuit unit, and transferred to the microcomputer on the transmission / reception unit 2 side. As a result of this signal transmission, “menu” or the like is displayed on the menu display portions 14A and 14B (see FIG. 1) that act as display means.

  An input device (input circuit) 2g is connected to the input gate of the CPU 2e on the transmission / reception unit 2 side, and necessary additional information from a predetermined external input means (for example, the reader Y) is input to the input device 2g. And is written into the memory 1a on the IC tag 1 side through the CPU 2e and the RF circuit 2b.

  Moreover, the example of a connection of the electrical element in the said electric cooker is shown by FIG. Here, the same reference numerals are assigned to the electrical elements already described.

  According to this, the electric power from the commercial AC power supply 20 is supplied to the microcomputer unit (hereinafter abbreviated as “microcomputer”) 23 through the temperature fuse 21 and the rectifier circuit 22 that are blown by detecting abnormal heating of the inner pot. It is supposed to be.

  The microcomputer 23 controls energization to the electric heater 7 via the heater drive circuit 24. This energization control is performed based on an output signal from the temperature sensor 25. An output signal from the IC tag 1 is input to the microcomputer 23 via the transmission / reception unit 2.

  By configuring as described above, various information relating to cooking (for example, information on raw materials, origin of raw materials, optimum heat-retention state of cooking, etc.) are stored in the storage means of the IC tags 1A, 1B attached to the cooking containers 5A, 5B. ) Is stored, and the various types of information are displayed on the menu display units 14A and 14B acting as display means via the transmission / reception unit 2. Therefore, the user can confirm necessary information among the information by visually recognizing various information displayed on the menu display portions 14A and 14B, and the convenience for the user is remarkably improved.

  By the way, in the storage means of the IC tags 1A and 1B, raw material information obtained from an IC chip provided in the cooking material can be stored. In such a case, the raw material information obtained from the IC chip provided in the cooking material is displayed on the menu display portions 14A and 14B via the IC tags 1A and 1B and the transmission / reception unit 2, and displayed. Cooking can be avoided by the raw material information (for example, allergenic raw materials), and the convenience for the user is further improved.

  In addition, the storage means of the IC tags 1A and 1B can store various types of information input through input operations during cooking. In such a case, various information (for example, information on the raw material, the origin of the raw material, the optimum heat-retaining state of the food, etc.) input by the input operation at the time of cooking the cooking are displayed on the menu display units 14A and 14B via the transmission / reception unit 2. The user can confirm necessary information among the displayed information by visually recognizing various displayed information, and the convenience of the user is remarkably improved.

  Further, the transmission / reception unit 2 may be provided with a function of setting a temperature control temperature by the electric heater 7 based on various information from the IC tags 1A and 1B. In such a case, since the temperature control temperature by the electric heater 7 can be automatically set based on various information from the IC tags 1A, 1B, the temperature is maintained for each type of food stored in the food containers 5A, 5B. There is no need to set the control temperature, which is very convenient for the user.

Second Embodiment FIG. 5 shows an electric cooker according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

  In this case, the electric cooker is composed of one dish-containing container 5 having a shallow pan shape and a heat-insulating table 6 on which the dish-containing container 5 is suspended. The heat-insulating base 6 is made of a material that allows electromagnetic waves to pass, and an IC tag 1 and a liquid crystal display device 26 that functions as a display means are attached to the side surface. The raw material information is stored in the storage means of the IC tag 1 by holding the IC chip 27 attached to the package M of cooking ingredients. In this case, the IC chip 27 attached to the package M is held over the IC tag 1, the raw material information is stored in the IC tag 1, and the raw material information is read out to the transmission / reception unit 2. From the read raw material information, foods with many cases (for example, five items of wheat, buckwheat, eggs, milk and peanuts) are extracted as causes of allergies and displayed on the liquid crystal display device 26. In this way, the raw material information obtained from the IC chip 27 provided on the cooking material is displayed on the liquid crystal display device 26 via the IC tags 1A and 1B and the transmission / reception unit 2, and the displayed raw material information is displayed. Cooking (for example, raw materials having allergenicity) can be avoided and the convenience for the user is further improved. Note that the IC tag 1 is covered with a cover member 28 when being taken out to a customer.

  Regarding the labeling of foods containing allergens, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is obliged to label five items: wheat, buckwheat, egg, milk and peanut. In the future, 19 items such as abalone, squid, how much, shrimp, orange, crab, kiwi fruit, beef, walnut, salmon, mackerel, soybean, chicken, pork, matsutake, peach, yam, apple, gelatin Labeling may be required. That is, since it is handled according to the above five items, it may be displayed on the liquid crystal display device 24.

  Further, in the raw material information, the information on the place of origin and the place of production (in some cases, the producer) or the traceability information in the case of beef or the like can be extracted and displayed on the liquid crystal display device 26. In addition, you may make it display the information of whether the genetically modified food is used.

  Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

Third Embodiment FIG. 6 shows a main part of an electric cooker according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
In this case, the rectangular parallelepiped IC tag unit U to which the IC tag 1 is attached is fitted and arranged in an open recess 30 formed at a corner of the handle member 29 of the dish container 5. The IC tag unit U is to be attached and detached by a cook in the kitchen in accordance with the type of dish stored in the dish container 5. If it does in this way, IC tag unit U can be attached to cooking container 5 so that it may not stand out.

  Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 7 shows various menu plates in an electric cooker according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 (a), 7 (b) and 7 (c), the menu plate 31A for consomme, the menu plate 31B for potage and the menu plate 31C for miso soup have a heat retention temperature suitable for the dish. IC tags 1A, 1B, and 1C that output a control signal for maintaining the temperature at (for example, 60 ° C., 50 ° C., and 62 to 75 ° C.) are attached. These menu plates 31 </ b> A, 31 </ b> B, and 31 </ b> C are attached corresponding to the dishes stored in the dish storage container 5. In this way, a single menu plate can be used for both heat retention control and guidance on the type of food, and there is no mistake in setting.

  Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said each embodiment, Of course, it can apply also to another electric cooker.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the electric cooker concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the attachment structure of the IC tag in the electric cooker concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a circuit block diagram of the IC tag and transmission / reception unit which are used for the electric cooker concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a connection circuit diagram of the electric element in the electric cooking device concerning a 1st embodiment of the invention in this application. It is the front view which excised part of the electric cooker concerning 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the electric cooker concerning 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The example of the menu plate used in the electric cooker concerning the 4th Embodiment of this invention is shown, (A) is for consomme, (B) is for potage, (C) is for miso soup .

Explanation of symbols

1 (1A, 1B) is an IC tag 1a is storage means (memory)
2 is a transmission / reception unit 5 (5A, 5B) is a cooking container 6 is a heat insulating table 7 is a heating means (electric heater)
14 (14A, 14B) is a display means (menu display section)
26 is a display means (liquid crystal display device)
27 is an IC chip M is a package U is an IC tag unit

Claims (5)

An electric cooker comprising a cooking container for storing food and a heat insulating table provided with a heating means for keeping the cooking container at a predetermined temperature, the cooking container or the heat insulating table being related to cooking While an IC tag having storage means for storing various information is attached, a transmission / reception unit for transmitting / receiving the various information to / from the IC tag is disposed on the heat insulating table, and various types of information received by the transmission / reception unit are provided. An electric cooker provided with display means for displaying information. 2. The electric cooker according to claim 1, wherein the storage means of the IC tag stores material information obtained from an IC chip provided in a cooking material. 2. The electric cooker according to claim 1, wherein the storage means of the IC tag stores various types of information input by an input operation during cooking. The member constituting the outer shell of the heat insulating stand is formed of a shielding member that shields electromagnetic waves, and the IC tag is provided at a position below the erection portion of the cooking container to the heat insulating stand, and the transmission / reception unit. The electric cooker according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 3, wherein the inside of the heat insulating stand is provided. 5. The transmission / reception unit is provided with a function of setting a temperature control temperature by the heating unit based on various information from the IC tag. Electric cooker.

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