JP2007143894A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker capable of preventing the heating operation from being erroneously stopped or from being erroneously started when the rice cooker is cleaned. <P>SOLUTION: The surface of a boiling-start button 91 and a stop button 94 is located in the rear of the outer surface 1A of a body 1. Accordingly, the stop button 94 is not easily touched by a hand, etc. when the outside of the body 1 is cleaned during the heating operation such as rice boiling and heat-insulating, so that such malfunction as erroneous stopping of the heating operation can be reduced. Also, the boiling-start button 91 is not easily touched by a hand, etc. while the outside of the body 1 is cleaned when the rice cooker is in the off-state in which the rice-boiling or heat-insulating is not executed, so that malfunction such as erroneous starting of the heating operation can be reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker in which rice cooking is accidentally stopped during rice cooking or the operation is not erroneously started during cleaning.

  In general, this type of rice cooker is such that an inner pot corresponding to a container can be stored in the main body, and the inner pot is heated by heating means such as a heater or an induction heating (IH) coil to cook rice. 1 and so on. In this patent document 1, the cover body which covers the opening part of an inner hook is provided in the upper part of the main body.

  On the other hand, rice cookers in which a main body is formed by an upper frame made of a synthetic resin that constitutes an upper surface and an upper side surface and an outer frame made of a metal member that constitutes the side surface have become mainstream in recent years. The main purpose of this is to improve the cleaning property and the appearance quality by making the side surface of the main body a metal part.

  The rice cooker is provided with a control means for controlling the heating means. This is because, when cooking rice is started, the process of infiltrating water into the rice, the process of boiling, the process of cooking, and the process of unevenness are shifted in order under conditions of temperature and time. This control means is operated by an instruction from the operation means, and as the operation means, a heating control selection operation comprising a start operation section for instructing start of driving of the heating means and a stop operation section for instructing stop of driving of the heating means. Department. Such a heating control selection operation unit directly operates the heating means.

  In addition, rice cookers that have not only rice cooking but also heat retention and reservation functions have rice cooking heating means and heat insulation heating means as heating means, control the rice heating means and heat insulation heating means during cooking, and automatically after cooking In addition to the heating control means that shifts to the heat insulation process, a heat retention control means and a reservation control means are provided as control means.

  The heating control means here starts the process of rice cooking, the process of infiltrating water into the rice, the process of boiling, the process of cooking, and the process of performing unevenness, in order of conditions such as temperature and time, It is provided in order to automatically shift to the warming process after cooking rice. In addition, when the place where rice is cooked is different from the place where meals are taken, the thermal insulation control means once unplugs the power plug of the rice cooker from the outlet, carries the rice cooker to the table, and then plugs the power plug into the outlet again. When performing the heat insulation process, the rice cooker heating means and / or the heat insulation heating means are controlled. Furthermore, the reservation control means completes rice cooking at the set time (for example, 6:30 pm) and then automatically shifts to the heat insulation process or when the set time (for example, 4 hours) has elapsed, the rice cooking is completed. Then, the rice cooking heating means and the heat retaining heating means are controlled so as to perform reserved rice cooking that automatically shifts to the heat retaining process.

  Such heating control means, heat retention control means, and reservation control means are also operated by an instruction from the operation means. The operation means includes a rice cooking start unit for instructing operation start of the heating control means, a heat retention start unit for instructing operation start of the heat retention control means, a reservation unit for instructing operation start of the reservation control means, a heating control means, A stop unit for instructing to stop the operation of the heat retention control unit and the reservation control unit, and a clock unit for setting the set time or set time and the current time are provided. Among them, the rice cooking start part, the heat insulation start part, the reservation part, and the stop part directly operate the heating means.

  In addition, the heating control means stores heating patterns corresponding to a plurality of courses. When a desired course is selected from a plurality of courses by a selection unit further provided as an operating means, heating in the selected courses is performed. According to the pattern, the rice cooking heating means and the heat retaining heating means are controlled at the time of cooking rice. Since the selection part in this case selects the heating pattern according to a some course, it will operate a heating means indirectly.

  The operation means is composed of various printed sheets and parts integrally molded with this sheet and synthetic resin material, and the operation part touched by the finger is inflated so that it can be easily understood during operation. It was common to leave. Therefore, when the sheet and the synthetic resin material are integrally formed, the heating control selection operation unit is only the sheet. In this way, when the sheet is integrally molded with the synthetic resin material, the synthetic resin material shrinks due to the temperature difference before and after molding, but the sheet does not shrink, so the sheet is pushed by this shrinkage difference, and the operation unit is inflated. Can.

The operation portion is formed to be slightly convex with respect to the appearance surface of the main body. The reason is that there is a possibility that the above-mentioned sheet may be cut if the operation portion is excessively expanded.
JP 2000-70129 A

  However, the structure of the conventional rice cooker described above has the following problems.

  Put a proper amount of water and rice in the inner pot and operate the starter or rice cooker to start cooking. The time until rice cooking is completed depends on the amount of rice cooked, and before this rice cooking is completed, the user can do various things such as making a side dish at the time of meal, cleaning the rice cooker itself, etc. Yes.

  When cleaning the rice cooker, it is mainly an operation of applying water and wiping the soiled part with a squeezed towel. Since the operation part is a part that is always touched when cooking rice and is one of the most dirty parts, the operation part is frequently cleaned. At this time, since the operation part is formed so as to be slightly convex from the appearance surface of the main body, the stop operation part may be unexpectedly operated and rice cooking may be stopped halfway.

  Similarly, when cleaning is performed after setting reserved rice cooking, if the stop portion is unexpectedly operated, the reservation setting may be canceled.

  As described above, in order to eliminate the problem of stopping rice cooking and reserved rice cooking halfway through cleaning, cleaning is often not performed during rice cooking, but the rice cooker is often cleaned when it is turned off. However, if the start part or the rice cooking start part is pushed unexpectedly in this case, the rice cooking heating means or the heat retaining heating means may operate without being recognized by the user. The same applies to the case where the reservation section is pushed.

  Furthermore, the rice cooker is often left unplugged without performing cooking, reservation cooking, or heat insulation. In this case, if the selection unit is pushed unexpectedly when cleaning is performed, the next rice cooking is performed without noticing the change of the course, and the cooking may not be completed on the desired course.

  In view of the above problems, it is a common object of the present invention to prevent a malfunction related to a heating means during cleaning or the like.

  More specifically, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a rice cooker that suppresses the heating operation from being erroneously stopped or the heating operation from being erroneously started during cleaning.

  The second object of the present invention is to prevent rice cooking and heat retention from being stopped by mistake or to cancel the reservation setting by mistake, and to start cooking or heat retention by mistake during cleaning, etc. It is providing the rice cooker which suppressed setting being performed accidentally.

  The third object of the present invention is to prevent rice cooking and heat retention from being stopped by mistake or to cancel the reservation setting by mistake, and to start cooking or heat retention by mistake during cleaning, etc. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker in which settings are made by mistake or courses are prevented from being selected by mistake.

  In the rice cooker in Claim 1 of this invention, since the surface of the start part and the stop part is located in the back rather than the external appearance surface of a main body, the external appearance of the main body was cleaned during heating operation, such as rice cooking and heat retention, for example. In such a case, it is difficult to touch the stop portion with a hand or the like, and the problem that the heating operation stops erroneously can be reduced. In addition, even when the exterior of the main body is cleaned in a cut state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it is difficult to touch the start portion with a hand and the like, and the malfunction that the heating operation starts erroneously can be reduced.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 2 and claim 3 of the present invention, for example, the rice cooking start part, the heat retention start part, the reservation part, and the surface of the stop part are located behind the outer surface of the main body or the like. If you clean the exterior of the main unit during cooking or warming operation or setting reserved rice, it will be difficult to touch the stop, etc. Accidental release can be reduced. Also, even when the exterior of the main body is cleaned when cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it becomes difficult to touch the rice cooking start part, heat insulation starting part, reservation part etc., and rice cooking and heat insulation start incorrectly Or a problem that the setting of reserved rice cooking is mistakenly performed can be reduced. Furthermore, since a desired course can be selected from a plurality of courses by the selection unit, the desired course can be operated, and the selected course can be confirmed by the display means.

  In the rice cooker according to claim 4 and claim 5 of the present invention, for example, the rice cooking start part, the reservation part, the stop part, and the surface of the selection part are located behind the outer surface of the main body or the like. When the exterior of the main body is cleaned during operation of warming or warming or setting of reserved rice cooking, it becomes difficult to touch the stop, etc., and rice cooking or warming stops accidentally, or the setting of reserved rice cooking is incorrect Can be reduced. In addition, even when the exterior of the main body is cleaned when cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it is difficult to touch the rice cooking start part and the reservation part, etc., and rice cooking starts incorrectly, or reserved rice cooking is set Incorrectly performed defects can be reduced. In addition, the selection unit can be configured to select an instruction to start the operation of the heat retention control means, etc., but this selection unit also becomes difficult to touch, and the heat retention starts incorrectly, or the course is selected incorrectly. It is possible to reduce the next cooking rice as it is. Furthermore, not only the selection of a desired course by the selection unit, but also when the rice cooker is moved to a table or the like, the heat retaining operation can be easily started, and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

  According to the rice cooker in claim 1 of the present invention, it is possible to provide a rice cooker in which the heating operation is stopped by mistake or the heating operation is prevented from being erroneously started at the time of cleaning or the like.

  According to the rice cooker according to claim 2 and claim 3 of the present invention, rice cooking and heat retention are prevented from being stopped by mistake, and reservation settings are prevented from being canceled by mistake, and operation of rice cooking and heat insulation at the time of cleaning, etc. Can be started inadvertently or reservation setting can be prevented from being erroneously set. Moreover, the rice cooking operation | movement in a desired course is attained, and the selected course can be confirmed with a display means.

  According to the rice cooker in claim 4 and claim 5 of the present invention, rice cooking and heat retention are prevented from being erroneously stopped, and reservation settings are prevented from being erroneously canceled, and rice cooking and heat retaining operations are performed during cleaning and the like. Can be prevented from starting accidentally, making a reservation setting incorrectly, or selecting a course incorrectly. Moreover, even when the rice cooker is moved to the dining table or the like, the heat retaining operation can be easily started by the selection unit, and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a rice cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, based on FIG. 1, the whole structure of the rice cooker common to each Example is demonstrated. In the same figure, 1 is a main body which becomes the outline of a rice cooker, and this main body 1 is formed by a substantially cylindrical outer frame 2 and a bottom plate 3 provided so as to cover the lower surface opening of the outer frame 2. . On the upper side of the main body 1, a lid, that is, a lid body 5 is rotatably supported by a hinge shaft 4 that is a hinge located at a rear portion thereof. Further, the main body includes a substantially cylindrical pot housing portion 6 formed by hanging integrally from the upper inner peripheral portion of the outer frame 2 and an inner frame 8 provided so as to cover the lower surface opening of the pot housing portion 6. A bottomed cylindrical pot container 9 is formed in 1. In addition, the pot accommodating part 6 which makes the side part of the pot accommodating body 9 consists of synthetic resins, such as PP (polypropylene) integrated with the outer frame 2. As shown in FIG. Moreover, the inner frame 8 which makes the bottom part of the pan | casing container 9 is formed with synthetic resins, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

  You may comprise the main body external appearance of a rice cooker in the outer frame which integrated the upper part and the side part, ie, the outer frame 2, and the baseplate 3 which covers the bottom part of the outer frame 2. As shown in FIG. Further, the main body appearance is configured by an upper frame that covers the upper part and a bottom side frame that integrates the side part and the bottom part, or an upper frame that covers the upper part, a side frame that covers the side part, and a bottom plate that covers the bottom part. You may comprise by. At that time, the outer frame, the bottom plate, the top frame, and the bottom side frame are all formed of a synthetic resin such as PP, but the side frame may be formed of a synthetic resin such as PP or a metal plate such as stainless steel. May be formed.

  In the pot housing 9, a bottomed cylindrical pot 11 for storing an object to be cooked such as rice or water is detachably accommodated. This pan 11 is a pan body 12 mainly made of aluminum with good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 13 composed of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel joined from the lower side to the bottom of the outer surface of the pan body 12. It consists of. The reason why the heating element 13 is not provided from the center to the top of the side surface of the pan 11 is to reduce the weight of the pan 11. Further, it is not necessary to provide a magnetic metal in order to reduce the weight. An annular flange portion 14 is formed around the upper end of the pan 11 so as to extend to the outer periphery thereof.

  The inner frame 8 is positioned to face the heating element 13 of the pan 11, but the bottom part of the pot 11, particularly the bottom part, is electromagnetically placed on the lower side and bottom part of the outer surface of the inner frame 8 facing the heating element 13. A heating coil 16 is provided as a heating means for induction heating. The heating coil 16 is spirally wound around and fixed to the outer surface of the inner frame 8 while facing the heating element 13 on the outer surface of the pan 11. When a high frequency current is supplied to the heating coil 16 from an inverter circuit of the control means 71 described later, an eddy current is generated in the heating element 13 in the magnetic field by the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 16. Then, the eddy current is converted into Joule heat, so that the heating element 13 generates heat, and the cooked rice such as water and rice in the pan 11 and the pan 11 is heated. Further, a ferrite core 17 is provided so as to cover the heating coil 16 from below.

  As the heating means, in addition to the heating coil 16, a sheathed heater alone or a sheathed heater embedded in a metal material such as aluminum may be employed.

  At the center of the bottom of the inner frame 8, a pan temperature sensor 21 serving as a pan bottom temperature detecting means that elastically contacts the bottom outer surface of the pan 11 and detects the outer surface temperature of the pan 11 is supported by a sensor holder 22. It has been. The pan temperature sensor 21 is preferably composed of a negative characteristic thermistor, and mainly controls the heating temperature at the bottom of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16.

  At the upper end of the pot housing 9, a cord heater 26 as a pot side heating means for heating the upper part of the pot 11, particularly the flange part 14, is located below the flange part 14 of the pot 11 and is circular. It is arranged in a ring. The cord heater 26 is composed of an electric heater, and is held on a heater ring 27 as a heat dissipation suppressing member mounted so as to be placed on the upper end of the pot housing 9 and covers the cord heater 26 from above. In this manner, the metal plate 29 is used which is attached to the heater ring 27 and has both a heat-dissipating part and a fixing bracket made of, for example, an aluminum plate, which is excellent in thermal conductivity. The metal plate 29 is located opposite to the gap 30 between the main body 1 and the lid 5. Then, the lower surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is placed on the upper surface of the metal plate 29, so that the pan 11 is accommodated in the pan accommodating body 9 in a suspended state. Therefore, there is almost no gap between the pan 11 and the upper end of the pan housing 9 in which the pan 11 is housed. Moreover, the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 has an outer shape that is equal to or greater than the size of the cord heater 26, so that the cord heater 26 is covered with the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 from above. . However, although not shown, for example, by bending the cord heater 26 downward at the left and right side portions of the pan container 9, the flange portion 14 and the cord heater 26 are brought into non-contact with each other. A gap is partially formed between them, and the flange portion 14 can be used as a handle portion when the pan 11 is attached and detached in this gap. The partial gap also has an action of discharging steam when cooking rice with water attached to the outer surface of the pan 11.

  A hinge portion 32 is provided behind the outer frame 2. The hinge portion 32 is provided with hinge holes 33 on the left and right sides, and a hinge spring 34 formed of a torsion coil spring or the like is accommodated in the hinge portion 32 of the outer frame 2.

  The lid 5 includes an outer lid 46 made of, for example, plastic that forms an upper shell of the lid 5, a heat radiating plate 47 as a lid lower surface material that forms a lower surface that is the inner surface of the lid 5, and the outer lid 46 and the heat radiating plate 47. And an outer lid cover 48 as a lid base material that forms a skeleton of the lid body 5. An inner lid 51 that directly covers the upper opening of the pan 11 is detachably mounted on the lower surface, which is the inner surface of the lid 5, with a predetermined gap formed between the lower surface and the lower surface. The heat radiating plate 47 and the inner lid 51 are both made of metal, and are made of, for example, a metal material anodized with stainless steel or aluminum. A packing base 52 is fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the inner lid 51, and a lid packing 53 is fixed by being sandwiched between the packing base 52 and the inner lid 51. The lid packing 53 is formed in an annular shape by an elastic member such as silicone rubber or fluororubber, and abuts against the upper surface of the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 to close the gap between the pan 11 and the inner lid 51. The steam generated from 11 is sealed. The contact portion of the lid packing 53 with the pan 11 faces the cord heater 26 with the flange portion 14 in between.

  In this way, the inner lid set (inner lid body) composed of the inner lid 51, the packing base 52 and the lid packing 53 is detachably provided to the outer lid cover 48, so that the inner lid set can be washed independently for each rice cooking. And

  On the rear side of the outer cover 48, another hinge hole (not shown) is provided so as to face the hinge hole 33 provided in the hinge portion 32 of the outer frame 2, and the hinge shaft 4 is attached to the outside. By communicating with the hinge hole 33 of the frame 2 and the hinge hole of the outer lid cover 48, the main body 1 is pivotally supported with respect to the lid body 5 so as to be freely opened and closed. One end of the hinge spring 34 is hooked on the outer lid cover 48, and the elastic force of the hinge spring 34 urges the lid 5 in the opening direction with the hinge shaft 4 as a fulcrum.

  Further, a hook 43 provided on the upper side of the front portion of the outer frame 2 is detachably engaged with a clamp 42 as a lid engaging portion provided at the front portion of the lid body 5, so that the hinge spring 41 is engaged. The lid 5 is held in a closed state against this force. A compression spring (not shown) that biases the hook 43 in a direction to engage with the clamp 42 is provided on the back side of the hook 43 that also serves as an opening / closing button.

  Inside the lid 5, a lid heater 56 as a lid heating means is provided on the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 47. The lid heater 56 may be an electric heating heater such as a cord heater or a heating coil by electromagnetic induction heating. Further, the heat radiating plate 47 is provided with a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 57 as lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lid 5, particularly the inner lid 51. The lid temperature sensor 57 performs temperature management of the inner lid 51 that is mainly heated by the lid heater 56. A steam port 61 for releasing steam generated in the pan 11 to the outside is detachably attached to the rear upper surface of the lid 5. Further, an opening hole for passage of steam is formed at a position below the steam port 61 in the heat radiating plate 47 and the inner lid 51, and a steam port packing 62 is provided at the lower end of the steam port 61. It has been.

  Further, an operation panel 63 is provided at the front portion of the outer lid 46. An operation substrate 65 is disposed in a substrate storage chamber 64 formed in the lid 5 below the operation panel 63. On the operation substrate 65, time and a selected rice cooking course are displayed. An LCD 66 for displaying, an LED 67 for displaying the current process, an automatic return (momentary) type switch 68 for starting rice cooking or selecting a rice cooking course, and the like are mounted. The operation panel 63 displays button names and the like, and also prevents dust and water from adhering to the display unit which is an electronic component. The operation panel 63 may be provided on the front side of the main body 1.

  Reference numeral 71 denotes a control means provided on the rear side inside the main body 1. The control means 71 includes a heating element (not shown) for driving the heating coil 16 serving as a heating means provided on the substrate. The element that drives the heating coil 16 is heated along with the oscillation of the heating coil 16, but has a use condition temperature that guarantees the operating state, and therefore needs to be used at a certain temperature or lower. For this purpose, the element that drives the heating coil 16 is thermally connected to a fin-like radiator 72 made of a material having good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum, and emits from a cooling fan 73 that is a cooling means. The element is driven within the operating condition temperature by applying the wind to the radiator 72 to remove the heat.

  The cooling fan 73 is disposed below or on the side of the radiator 72 attached to the control means 71. Further, a hole 74 is formed in the bottom or side portion of the main body 1 for discharging the air that has been heated from the radiator 72 attached to the control means 71 and has been warmed to the outside of the main body 1. Are provided. The control means 71 is accommodated inside the product, that is, in the main body 1, but may be arranged at any position on the outer periphery of the pan 11. Moreover, the hole 74 provided in the bottom part or the side part of the main body 1 may be arranged at any position. However, in recent years, there is a demand for miniaturization of products, and the control means 71, cooling fan 73, and hole 74 for discharging warm air are arranged at approximately opposite positions across the pan 11. Is preferred.

  Next, the control system will be described with reference to FIG. In the same figure, 71 is the above-mentioned control means, which receives each temperature information from the pan temperature sensor 21 and the lid temperature sensor 57, and a heating coil 16 that heats the bottom of the pan 11 during cooking and keeping warm. The cord heater 26 for heating the side portion of the pan 11 and the lid heater 56 for heating the lid 5 are respectively controlled. The heating coil 16, the code heater 26, and the lid heater 56 correspond to the heating means 76 that heats the pan 11 and thus the cooking object in the pan 11.

  In particular, the control means 71 of this embodiment mainly controls the temperature of the bottom of the pan 11 by controlling the heating coil 16 based on the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 21, and mainly controls the temperature based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 57. The lid heater 56 is controlled to control the temperature of the heat radiating plate 47 and thus the inner lid 51. As a function on the control sequence of the program stored in its own storage means (not shown), the control means 71 controls the heating means 76 to cook the food to be cooked in the pan 11 and automatically starts cooking from this rice cooking. The rice cooking control means 82 as the heating control means for shifting to the heat insulation automatically, the heat control means 83 for controlling the heating means 76 to keep the rice in the pan 11 at a predetermined temperature, and the rice cooking at the set time The rice cooking control means 82 and the reservation control means 84 for controlling the heat insulation control means 83 are respectively provided so as to complete and automatically shift to the heat insulation.

  Reference numeral 85 denotes a heating coil driving means that incorporates a high-frequency inverter circuit that receives a control signal from the control means 71 and supplies a predetermined high-frequency current to the heating coil 16. Separately from this, the output side of the control means 71 receives a control signal from the control means 71, and a lid heater driving means 86 for driving the lid heater 56 so as to heat the heat radiating plate 47 and the inner lid 51. The code heater driving means 87 for driving the code heater 26 in response to the control signal from the control means 71 and the display means 88 including the LCD 66 and the LED 67 are driven in a desired display form in response to the control signal from the control means 71. Display driving means 89 are provided. At the time of cooking by the rice cooking control means 82 and at the time of heat insulation by the heat insulation control means 83, the heating to the bottom of the pan 11 by the heating coil 16 and the code heater 26 are detected by detecting each temperature from the pan temperature sensor 21 and the lid temperature sensor 57. Heating to the side surface of the pan 11 by heating and heating to the lid body 5 by the lid heater 56 are performed. In addition, after the rice cooking by the rice cooking control means 82 is finished and the cooked food in the pan 11 is cooked as rice, it automatically shifts to heat insulation by the heat insulation control means 83, and the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 21 is reached. Based on this, by adjusting the heating of the pan 11 by the heating coil 11 and the cord heater 26, the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature (about 70 ° C. to 76 ° C.).

  In particular, supplementary explanation about the heating by the cord heater 26, until the temperature of the rice is lowered from about 100 ° C. to about 73 ° C. after the rice cooking, and when the temperature is stable at about 73 ° C., the code heater 26 is heated, Heat is radiated from the metal plate 29 into the space 30 between the lid 5 and the main body 1 to suppress cooling due to the intrusion of outside air from the gap 30 and the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 is heated. In addition, the cord heater 26 also heats the flange portion 14 of the pan 11 during the period when the rice is reheated during heat insulation, so that moisture generated by heating the rice is prevented from condensing on the upper part of the inner surface of the pan 11. ing.

  Next, the effect | action is demonstrated about the said structure. When rice and water that are to be cooked are put into the pan 11 and rice cooking by the rice control means 82 is started, the heating coil 16 and the code heater 26 are used based on the temperature detection of the bottom of the pan 11 by the pan temperature sensor 21. The bottom part and side part of the pan 11 are each heated, and the water temperature in the pan 11 is maintained for 15 to 20 minutes at 45 to 60 ° C. After that, the pan 11 is heated strongly by the heating coil 16 to boil the cooking object. When the temperature of the bottom and side surfaces of the pan 11 becomes 90 ° C or higher during this boiling heating, and the temperature of the lid 5 stabilizes at 90 ° C or higher, it is assumed that the inside of the pan 11 has boiled and is heated more than before. Transition to boiling continuous heating with reduced amount. It should be noted that the fact that the temperature of the lid 5 is stable at 90 ° C. or higher is detected by the temperature increase rate of the detected temperature from the lid temperature sensor 57. In this boiling detection, the pan temperature sensor 21 and the lid temperature sensor 57 can confirm that both the bottom of the pan 11 and the lid 5 have reached 90 ° C. or more, and the inside of the pan 11 has completely boiled. Can be detected accurately.

  If any of the bottom of the pan 11, the side surface of the pan 11, or the lid 5 reaches a detection temperature that is not normally 120 ° C. or higher, the control means 71 determines that there is some abnormality and cooks the rice. The amount of heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to the unevenness described later, or the heat is kept to prevent abnormal heating. Conversely, either the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 5 has reached 90 ° C. or more and a predetermined time (for example, 5 minutes) has passed, but any of the bottom of the pan 11 or the lid 5 other than that. When the temperature is lower than 90 ° C, the pan temperature sensor 21 or the lid temperature sensor 57 in the low temperature state determines that the temperature detection accuracy has deteriorated for some reason (dirt, tilt, poor contact, etc.). Similarly, the amount of heating in rice cooking heating is reduced so that all operations are stopped, or the operation is shifted to unevenness, or the heat is kept, and this is dealt with.

  When shifting to continuation of boiling, the rice cooking control means 82 starts lid heating by the lid heater 56. The lid heating here is managed by the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 57 so that the temperature of the inner lid 51 becomes 100 to 110 ° C. And if the bottom part of the pan 11 raises predetermined temperature, cooking will be detected and it will transfer to unevenness. During unevenness, the lid heater 56 is cut off by temperature control based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 57 to prevent dew condensation on the inner lid 51, and the temperature is high enough that the rice does not burn (98-100 ° C). The temperature of the bottom part of the pan 11 or the side part of the pan 11 is controlled so as to be held. The unevenness is continued for a predetermined time (15 to 20 minutes), and when the unevenness is completed, the operation shifts to heat retention by the heat retention control means 83.

  When the temperature is kept warm, the heating coil 16 heats the bottom and the lower side of the pan 11, slightly higher than the temperature of the rice accommodated in the pan 11, the lid heater 56 heats the lower surface of the lid 5, and The temperature of the side of the pan 11 is controlled by the code heater 26 so that the rice does not dry and a large amount of dew does not adhere. The temperature of the rice in the pan 11 is maintained at 70 to 76 ° C. Even when the temperature is kept, the pan temperature sensor 21 and the lid temperature sensor 57 are abnormally high or abnormally low. Detects abnormalities and prevents this abnormal heating.

  Next, the characteristic part of a present Example is demonstrated based on FIGS. In the rice cooker of the embodiment shown in each of these drawings, an operation board 65 is provided inside the main body 1, and an operation panel 63 is provided on the front surface of the main body 1 so as to face the operation board 65. The operation panel 63 here may be an adhesive material applied to the sheet to adhere the main body 1 or may be a part in which the sheet and the synthetic resin material are integrally molded. In any case, various printings are performed on the surface side of the sheet.

  Further, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the rice cooking button 91 corresponding to the start unit for instructing the start of driving of the heating unit 76 and the rice cooking start unit for instructing the operation start of the rice cooking control unit 82, A heat retention button 92 corresponding to a heat retention start unit instructing operation start of the control means 83, a reservation button 93 corresponding to a reservation unit instructing operation start of the reservation control means 84, and instructing to stop driving the heating means 76, As a result, a cut button 94 corresponding to a stop unit for instructing to stop the operation of the rice cooking control unit 82, the heat retention control unit 83, or the reservation control unit 84 is provided on the operation panel 68 as the first operation unit 95. Among these, the rice cooking button 91 and the off button 94 may be configured as one button without being configured separately. In this case, when the button is pushed in the cut state, rice cooking starts, and when the button is pushed during rice cooking, heat retention, or reservation setting, the state shifts to the cut state.

  In addition, the operation panel 68 is provided with a clock setting button 96, an hour button 97, and a minute button 98 as a clock unit for setting a time such as a set time and a current time. These buttons 96 to 98 are configured as a second operation unit 99. The clock adjusting button 96, once operated, shifts the control means 71 to a mode in which the set time and current time of the reservation displayed on the LCD 66 via the display driving means 89 can be adjusted. When the hour button 97 or minute button 98 is operated in this state, the hour or minute of the set time or the current time is changed, and when the clock adjustment button 96 is operated again, the changed hour or minute is controlled as the set time or current time. Registered in the means 71. The control means 71 counts the current time with a built-in timer means (not shown). In addition, when the reservation button 93 is pressed in the off state, rice cooking is completed when the current time reaches the set time, and the reservation control means 84 controls to automatically shift to heat insulation.

  Note that the time adjustment unit here may use the clock adjustment button 96 together with other buttons, for example, and may eliminate the clock adjustment button 96. In addition, in the case of the reservation control means 84 that controls to complete the cooking when the set time elapses and automatically shifts to heat insulation, the reservation control means 84 can change the set time for completing the rice cooking. Therefore, for example, a forward button or a return button for advancing or returning the set time may be employed as the time adjustment unit. In this case, if the forward button is operated, the set time is increased, and if the return button is operated, the set time is decreased.

  The first operation unit 95 and the second operation unit 99 are provided to face the plurality of switches 68 provided on the operation board 65 and to press the switches 68 individually. , 99 has no sheet of synthetic resin, only a sheet. In addition, the second operation portion 99 that is not involved in the operation of the heating means 76 is formed in a shape that bulges outward with respect to the appearance surface of the main body 1. This is because when the sheet is integrally molded with the synthetic resin material, the synthetic resin material shrinks due to the temperature difference before and after molding, but the sheet does not shrink, so that the sheet is pushed and expanded by the shrinkage difference. It can be formed in such a shape.

  On the other hand, the first operation unit 95 involved in the operation of the heating means 74 is configured to be located inward (inward) with respect to the external surface 1A of the main body 1 as shown in FIGS. In the example shown in FIG. 5, in order to prevent the first operating portion 95 from being unexpectedly pushed more reliably, the first operating portion 95 itself is inflated inside the main body 1 and the surface side is recessed. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first operation is performed so that the reference surface 95 </ b> A of the first operation unit 95 is positioned inside the external surface 1 </ b> A of the main body 1 and does not protrude from the external surface 1 </ b> A of the main body 1. The portion 95 itself is inflated to the outside of the main body 1. In this way, when the first operation unit 95 is touched, it is possible to easily understand where the center portion is located by bulging outward.

  As described above, in this embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the main body 1 that accommodates the pot 11 as a container, the heating means 76 for heating the pot 11, the control means 71 for controlling the heating means 76, and the control means 71 The first operation unit 95 is provided as an operation means for operating the cooking device. The first operation unit 95 instructs the rice cooking button 91 as a start unit for instructing the drive start of the heating means 76 and the drive stop of the heating means 76. In the rice cooker having the off button 94 as a stop portion to be operated, the surface of the rice cooker button 91 and the off button 94 is provided so as to be located behind the external surface 1A of the main body 1 which is the outer surface of the rice cooker. .

  In this case, since the surfaces of the rice cooking button 91 and the off button 94 are located behind the external surface 1A of the main body 1, for example, when the external appearance of the main body 1 is cleaned during a heating operation such as rice cooking or heat insulation, It becomes difficult to touch the stop-off button 94 with a hand or the like, and the trouble that the heating operation stops accidentally can be reduced. Moreover, even when the exterior of the main body 1 is cleaned in a cut-off state where rice cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it is difficult to touch the rice cooking button 91 with a hand or the like, and a problem that the heating operation starts erroneously can be reduced.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, instead of the heat retention button 92 in the first embodiment, the menu button 101 is used as a selection unit for selecting a desired menu from a plurality of menus (rice cooking course) executed by the rice cooking control means 82. Is provided. The menu button 101, together with the rice cooking button 91, the reservation button 93, and the off button 94 described above, serves as the first operation unit 95 involved in the operation of the heating means 74 as shown in FIGS. It arrange | positions so that it may be located in the back with respect to 1A of external appearance surfaces.

  The control means 71 in the second embodiment stores, for example, a heating pattern corresponding to each menu such as a non-washed rice menu, a brown rice menu, and a rice porridge menu in addition to the standard white rice menu. Each time a dynamic operation is performed, one of the menus is sequentially selected, and the selected menu is displayed on the LED 67 which is the display means 88. Then, when the rice cooking button 91 is pushed and operated in a state where the desired menu is selected by the menu button 101, the heating pattern of the desired menu is called by the control means 71, and the rice cooking control means 82 uses the heating pattern. Heating by the cooked rice or the heat control means 83 is performed.

  The menu button 101 here can select not only the menu selection but also the instruction to start the operation of the heat retention control means 83. That is, when the place where rice is cooked is different from the place where meals are served, unplug the rice cooker's power plug (not shown) from the outlet, carry the rice cooker to the table, and plug the power plug into the outlet again. In this case, if the instruction for starting the heat insulation is selected with the menu button 101, the heat insulation process can be easily executed.

  Thus, in 2nd Example shown in FIG. 4, the main body 1 which accommodates the pan 11, the heating means 76 which heats this pan 11, and the heating means 76 are controlled, and it is made to transfer to heat insulation from rice cooking automatically. Rice cooking control means 82 as a heating control means, heat insulation control means 83 for controlling the heating means 76 to perform heat insulation, and reservation control for controlling so that rice cooking is completed at the set time and automatically shifts to heat insulation. The rice cooker provided with the means 84 and the 1st operation part 95 which is an operation means, and the 2nd operation part 99 is provided with the display means 88 which displays setting time, the present time, etc., The said operation means is the rice cooking Rice cooking button 91 as a rice cooking start unit for instructing operation start of control means 82, reservation button 93 as a reservation unit for instructing operation start of reservation control means 84, rice cooking control means 82, heat retention control means 83, reservation control The off button 94 as a stop unit for instructing the operation stop of the means 84, A desired course is selected from a plurality of menus, that is, courses executed by the rice cooking control means 82, and a clock setting button 96, an hour button 97 and a minute button 98 as a clock section for setting a time such as a set time and a current time. The menu button 101 as a selection unit is included, and the surface of the rice cooking button 91, the reservation button 93, the off button 94, and the menu button 101 constituting the first operation unit 95 in the operation means is the outer surface of the rice cooker. The menu button 101 is configured to be able to select an operation start instruction such as the heat retention control means 83, for example.

  In this case, since the surfaces of the rice cooking button 91, the reservation button 93, the off button 94, and the menu button 101 are located behind the external surface 1A of the main body 1, the cooking rice or warming operation or the reservation rice cooking During the setting, when the appearance of the main body 1 is cleaned, it becomes difficult to touch the off button 94 with hands, etc., and it is possible to reduce the accidental stoppage of rice cooking and heat retention or the canceling of the reserved rice cooking setting. In addition, even when the exterior of the main unit 1 is cleaned when cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it becomes difficult to touch the rice cooking button 91 and the reservation button 93, etc. It is possible to reduce inconveniences caused by mistakes.

  In addition, the menu button 101 is configured so that an instruction to start the operation of the heat retention control means 83 can also be selected. However, the menu button 101 is also difficult to touch with a hand, and the heat retention starts accidentally. It is possible to reduce the next cooking rice while the menu) is selected by mistake. Furthermore, not only the desired course can be selected by the menu button 101, but also when the rice cooker is moved to the table or the like, the heat retaining operation can be easily started, and an easy-to-use rice cooker can be provided.

  In addition, such a function effect is configured such that when the set time elapses, rice cooking is completed and the reservation control means 94 controls to automatically shift to heat retention. Is displayed on the display means 88. In order to enable the clock section to set the set time and the current time, for example, in addition to the clock setting button 96, a configuration including a forward button and a return button is similarly used. it can.

  In the second embodiment in FIG. 4, the heat retention button 92 shown in FIG. 3 may be provided independently as the first operation unit 95. In this case, the menu button 101 has a function of simply selecting a desired course from a plurality of courses. In the operation means, at least the surface of the rice cooking button 91, the heat retaining button 92, the reservation button 93, and the off button 94 are positioned behind the external surface 1A of the main body 1 and selected by the menu button 101. The course is configured to be displayed by the display means 88, for example, the LED 67.

  If it does in this way, since each surface of the rice cooking button 91, the heat retention button 92, the reservation button 93, and the off button 94 is located behind the external surface 1A of the main body 1, the operation of rice cooking and heat insulation is performed. If the exterior of the main body 1 is cleaned during the setting of the reserved rice, or during the setting of the cooked rice, it becomes difficult to touch the off button 94, etc., and the cooking or heat retention stops accidentally, or the setting of the reserved cooking is canceled accidentally Can be reduced. In addition, even if the exterior of the main body 1 is cleaned when cooking or heat insulation is not performed, it becomes difficult to touch the rice cooking button 91, the heat insulation button 92, and the reservation button 93, etc. It is possible to reduce inconveniences such as starting or setting of reserved rice cooking. Furthermore, since a desired menu can be selected from a plurality of menus (courses) using the menu button 101, a rice cooking operation can be performed using the desired menu, and the selected menu can be confirmed on the display means 88.

  In addition, such a function effect is also configured such that the rice cooking is completed when the set time elapses, and the reservation control means 94 controls to automatically shift to heat retention. Is displayed on the display means 88. In order to enable the clock section to set the set time and the current time, for example, in addition to the clock setting button 96, a configuration including a forward button and a return button is similarly used. it can.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said Example, It can change in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention. The menu (course) shown in the embodiments is merely an example, and other menus may be combined.

It is the whole rice cooker longitudinal cross-sectional view common to each Example of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an electrical structure same as the above. It is a perspective view of the rice cooker in 1st Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of the principal part same as the above. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the structure of a 1st operation part and its periphery in common with each Example. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of another example which shows the structure of a 1st operation part and its periphery in common with each Example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body
11 Pot (container)
71 Control means
76 Heating means
82 Rice cooking control means (heating control means)
83 Thermal insulation control means
84 Reservation control means
88 Display means
91 Cooking rice button (starting part, cooking rice starting part)
92 Insulation button (Insulation start part)
93 Reservation button (Reservation part)
94 Off button (stop)
95 1st operation part (operation means)
96 Clock setting button (clock part)
97 hour button (clock part)
98 minutes button (clock part)
99 Second operation part (operation means)
101 Menu button (selection part)

Claims (5)

A main body that accommodates the container, a heating unit that heats the container, a control unit that controls the heating unit, and an operation unit that operates.
In the rice cooker having a start unit for instructing driving start and a stop unit,
The surface of the said start part and the said stop part is located in the back rather than an outer surface, The rice cooker characterized by the above-mentioned. A main body for storing the container, a heating means for heating the container, a heating control means for controlling and automatically shifting from rice cooking to heat insulation, a heat insulation control means for controlling and executing heat insulation, and rice cooking at a set time Is completed, in the rice cooker equipped with the reservation control means for controlling to automatically shift to heat insulation, and the operation means,
Display means for displaying,
The operation means includes a rice cooking start unit that instructs operation start of the heating control unit, a heat retention start unit that instructs operation start of the heat retention control unit, a reservation unit that instructs operation start of the reservation control unit, and A heating control unit, a heat retention control unit, a stop unit for instructing to stop the operation of the reservation control unit, a clock unit for setting time, and a selection unit for selecting a desired course from a plurality of courses to be executed,
Among the operation means, the rice cooking start part, the heat retention start part, the reservation part, and the surface of the stop part are located behind the outer surface,
The rice cooker is characterized in that the course selected by the selection unit is displayed on the display means. A main body for storing the container, a heating means for heating the container, a heating control means for controlling and automatically shifting from rice cooking to heat insulation, a heat insulation control means for controlling and executing heat insulation, and a set time has elapsed Then, in the rice cooker equipped with the reservation control means for controlling the rice cooking to be completed and automatically shifting to heat insulation, and the operation means,
Display means for displaying,
The operation means includes a rice cooking start unit that instructs operation start of the heating control unit, a heat retention start unit that instructs operation start of the heat retention control unit, a reservation unit that instructs operation start of the reservation control unit, and A heating control unit, a heat retention control unit, a stop unit for instructing to stop the operation of the reservation control unit, a clock unit for setting time, and a selection unit for selecting a desired course from a plurality of courses to be executed,
Among the operation means, the rice cooking start part, the heat retention start part, the reservation part, and the surface of the stop part are located behind the outer surface,
The rice cooker is characterized in that the course selected by the selection unit is displayed on the display means. A main body for storing the container, a heating means for heating the container, a heating control means for controlling and automatically shifting from rice cooking to heat retention, a heat retention control means for controlling and executing heat retention, and rice cooking at a set time Is completed, in the rice cooker equipped with the reservation control means for controlling to automatically shift to heat insulation, and the operation means,
Display means for displaying,
The operation means includes a rice cooking start unit for instructing an operation start of the heating control means, a reservation unit for instructing an operation start of the reservation control means, operations of the heating control means, the heat retention control means, and the reservation control means. A stop unit for instructing a stop, a clock unit for setting time, and a selection unit for selecting a desired course from a plurality of courses to be executed,
Among the operation means, the rice cooking start part, the reservation part, the stop part, and the surface of the selection part are located behind the outer surface,
The said selection part was set as the structure which can also select the instruction | indication of operation | movement start, The rice cooker characterized by the above-mentioned. A main body for storing the container, a heating means for heating the container, a heating control means for controlling and automatically shifting from rice cooking to heat insulation, a heat insulation control means for controlling and executing heat insulation, and a set time has elapsed Then, in the rice cooker equipped with the reservation control means for controlling the rice cooking to be completed and automatically shifting to heat insulation, and the operation means,
Display means for displaying,
The operation means includes a rice cooking start unit for instructing an operation start of the heating control means, a reservation unit for instructing an operation start of the reservation control means, operations of the heating control means, the heat retention control means, and the reservation control means. A stop unit for instructing a stop, a clock unit for setting time, and a selection unit for selecting a desired course from a plurality of courses to be executed,
Among the operation means, the rice cooking start part, the reservation part, the stop part, and the surface of the selection part are located behind the outer surface,
The said selection part was set as the structure which can also select the instruction | indication of operation | movement start, The rice cooker characterized by the above-mentioned.

Images