JP2008055078A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker carrying out heating from above, which is usually not enough for heating rice and water in a pot and prevents drying of the upper part, improving the taste by reducing the dry-up of rice in the upper layer in the pot, which is caused by the rise in temperature of a lid heater board even if water is not supplied to the lid heater board, or the water stored in the board is spent, and neither deforms nor fails by the temperature increase of its lid, a lid heating means and the like on heating. <P>SOLUTION: On the basis of the information from a water existence-detecting means 44, which is obtained by detecting the presence of water in a lid heater board 29, rice cooking programs for the case where water is present and the case where no water is present are prepared. Therefore, even if water is not supplied to the lid heater board 29 or all the water stored on the lid heater board 29 is spent, the dry-up of the rice in the upper layer in the pot 22 by the temperature increase of a lid heater board 29 is reduced. Therefore, the taste is improved and a lid 23, a lid heating means 34 and the like are prevented from being deformed or failed by the temperature rise on heating. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that uses steam at the boiling point of water to improve the taste.

  In general rice cookers for home use, the pan heating means placed at the bottom of the pan to heat the rice and water in the pan is the main, and the heating means in the lid is the rice in the pan above the water. As a result of the space, auxiliary heating results. Therefore, the upper layer rice in the pan was insufficient in heating amount, and the rice and water in the pan could not be heated uniformly.

  Furthermore, in rice cooking, water is almost lost and fluidity of rice is lost. In the steaming process, which is the final process of rice cooking, it is delicious to continue heating until then and complete the gelatinization of rice starch. Although it is indispensable to cook rice, in this process, if the heating is continued, the rice near the bottom of the pot will be burnt, so the heating is often weakened.

  As a means for preventing insufficient gelatinization due to weakening of heating and improving the taste, rice cookers have been proposed in which water is stored in advance in the lid and steam is generated from the water to promote heating of the upper part. Yes.

  FIG. 11 shows the configuration of Patent Document 1. In FIG. 11, the rice cooker 1 has a bottomed cylindrical pot storage portion for storing the pot 2 in a detachable manner. A pan heating coil for inductively heating the pan 2 as a pan heating means 3 is provided at the bottom of the pan storage portion. Reference numeral 4 denotes a bottom temperature sensor configured to come into contact with the bottom surface of the pan 2. A pan side heating means 5 is provided with a pan side heating coil for induction heating the side surface of the pan 2. The control means 6 controls the operation of the rice cooker 1.

  In addition, a lid 7 that is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft (not shown) provided at the hinge portion at the rear of the rice cooker 1 and opens and closes the upper portion of the pan 2 is provided. The lid 7 is provided with a lid heating plate 8, and a lid heating coil for inductively heating the lid heating plate 8 is provided as the lid heating means 9. The lid heating plate 8 has a lid heating plate steam port 11, a lid steam port 12 is provided on the top surface of the lid 7, and the inside of the pan 2 communicates with the outside of the machine and is at atmospheric pressure. The steam opening packing 13 is sandwiched between the lid heating plate 8 and the lid 7, and the pan packing 14 is sandwiched between the lid heating plate 8 and the flange portion on the outer periphery of the upper edge of the pan 2 when the lid 7 is closed. ing.

  Further, on the lid heating plate 8, water is stored and the steam generator 10 that generates steam by being supplied with heat from the lid heating plate 8 by heating the lid heating means 9 includes the lid heating plate 8 and the lid heating plate 8. 7. A water supply container 15 that stores water that generates steam and a water supply container lid 16 that opens and closes the upper portion of the water supply container 15 are disposed above the lid heating plate 8, particularly the steam generator 10.

Further, the steam generated in the steam generating section 10 moves on the surface of the lid heating plate 8 to the steam inlet 10b through the space area surrounded by the steam packing 10a and is put into the pot 2. The entire lid heating plate 8 is maintained at a predetermined high temperature. In particular, the steam temperature is maintained at 100 ° C. by generating a high-temperature steam at a portion where the steam passes, and high-temperature steam of 100 ° C. or higher is generated. Can do.
JP 2005-160917 A

  However, in the rice cooker having the above-described conventional configuration, there is no water stored in the lid heating plate unless the user mistakenly puts water in the water supply container, and if sufficient water is not supplied, it is not in the middle of cooking rice. Therefore, when the temperature of the lid heating plate rises, the water in the upper layer of the pot evaporates and dries, and conversely, the taste may be reduced. In addition, there is a problem that the lid, the lid heating means, etc. may be deformed or broken due to a temperature rise.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and even when water is not supplied to the lid heating plate or water stored in the lid heating plate during cooking is lost, the temperature inside the lid heating plate increases. An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that improves the taste by reducing the drying of the upper layer of rice and prevents the lid and lid heating means from being heated and deformed or broken by heating.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and includes a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid covering the opening of the pan, a lid heating plate for heating the inside of the pan from above, and the lid Lid heating means for heating the heating plate, a steam generating unit for storing water in the lid heating plate and generating this water into steam, a steam heating unit for heating the generated steam, and temperature detection of the lid heating plate A heating plate temperature detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of water stored in the lid heating plate, and the presence or absence of water stored in the lid heating plate. On the basis of the information detected, each rice cooking program is provided when there is water and when there is no water.

  The rice cooker of the present invention is a rice cooker that performs heating from above, which is insufficient in heating the rice in the pot, and water, and prevents the drying of the upper side. Even when there is no water stored in the heating plate, the taste of the pan is improved by reducing the drying of the upper layer rice in the pan due to the temperature rise of the lid heating plate, and the temperature of the lid and lid heating means rises due to heating. Thus, the rice cooker is provided with a higher reliability without any deformation or failure.

  The first invention is a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid covering the opening of the pan, a lid heating plate for heating the inside of the pan from above, and a lid for heating the lid heating plate A heating means, a steam generator for storing water in the lid heating plate and generating this water into steam, a steam heating unit for heating the generated steam, and the lid heating plate for detecting the temperature of the lid heating plate A lid heating plate temperature detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of water stored in the lid heating plate, wherein the water presence / absence detecting means determines whether water is stored in the lid heating plate. Based on the detected information, when there is water and when there is no water By providing each rice cooking program, when there is no water stored in the lid heating plate during rice cooking, it is suitable for when there is no water By operating the rice cooking program, by the temperature rise of the lid heating plate Reducing the dried inner layer of rice, improves the taste, lid and lid heating means can provide a rice cooker that lost to deformation or failure increased temperature by heating.

  In the second invention, in particular, since the water presence / absence detection means of the first invention is constituted by the temperature detection means, not only the presence / absence of water stored in the lid heating plate but also the stored water is detected. Temperature can be detected. Therefore, the water stored in the lid heating plate can be kept in a raised state until just before 100 ° C. where the water is boiled, and steam can be introduced at the timing when the steam is introduced into the pan. Can be provided.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in particular, when there is no water when the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit within a predetermined time in a predetermined step exceeds a predetermined temperature, the water presence / absence detection unit of the second invention By making the determination, it is possible to provide a more reliable rice cooker that can detect the presence or absence of water with higher accuracy according to the temperature of the lid heating plate.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the water presence / absence detection unit of the second aspect of the invention is determined to have no water when the temperature detected by the temperature detection unit at the end of cooking is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. When there is no water, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of water without heating the lid heating plate by the lid heating means, further reducing the drying of the upper layer rice in the pan due to the temperature rise of the lid heating plate, improving the taste In addition, the temperature of the lid and the lid heating means can be further prevented from being deformed or broken due to heating, and there is no water even when the temperature detecting means detects a low temperature due to an abnormality. In such a case, the rice cooker program is operated, and the lid and the lid heating means are not heated and deformed or broken by heating, and a more reliable rice cooker can be provided.

  In the fifth invention, in particular, any one of the first to fourth inventions is provided with a means for displaying information on the presence / absence of water detected by the water presence / absence detection means, whereby water is supplied to the user. That it is not, and urged not to cook rice without water being supplied in the next and subsequent rice cooking, improving the taste, reducing the excessive temperature rise of the lid and lid heating means, highly reliable A rice cooker can be provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the present embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In order to simplify the drawing, lead wires for electrical connection, water supply paths, and the like are omitted.

  In FIG. 1, 21 is a main body of the rice cooker, and is equipped with a detachable pan 22. Furthermore, the lid | cover 23 which covers the upper surface of the pan 22 is installed so that opening and closing is possible. Reference numeral 24 denotes a pot heating means for heating the pot 22 and a pot temperature detecting means 25 for detecting the temperature of the pot 22 inside the main body 21.

  A water supply tank 27 for storing water that becomes steam is detachably attached to the lid 23, and a pump 28 is connected to the water supply tank 27, and the water constitutes the lower surface of the lid 23 and is located on the upper surface of the pan 22 and is attached and detached. This is supplied to a stainless-steel lid heating plate 29 that is freely provided. The lid heating plate 29 is provided with a concave steam generator 30 for storing water. Reference numeral 32 denotes a steam outlet for supplying water vapor into the pot 22 when water is heated and is provided at a position diagonal to the steam generating unit 30.

  Reference numeral 33 denotes a lid cover provided on the lower surface of the lid 23 and facing the lid heating plate 29. Reference numeral 34 denotes a center substantially above the center of the lid heating plate 29 provided in the lid cover 33. It is a cover heating means which consists of a cover coil which has. The lid heating means 34 also forms a concave shape in accordance with the concave shape of the steam generating portion 30 of the lid heating plate 29.

  Reference numeral 37 denotes a circuit board. A microcomputer (not shown) is mounted on the circuit board 37. The microcomputer controls the pan heating means 24 and the lid heating means 34 by software.

  42 is a packing provided on the outer periphery of the lid cover 33, and the steam heating unit 43 is constituted by the lid heating plate 29, the lid cover 33, and the packing 42.

  Reference numeral 44 denotes water presence / absence detection means for detecting the presence / absence of water stored in the steam generation section 30 of the lid heating plate 29.

  About the rice cooker comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  First, the rice which cooks rice and the water corresponding to the amount of the rice are put in the pan 22, and the main body 21 is decorated in a predetermined state. Further, a predetermined amount of water is placed in the water supply tank 27 and set in the main body 21. When the user operates a rice cooking start switch (not shown), the pump 28 is driven into the water supply tank 27 according to a predetermined program. While storing water in the steam generation part 30, a rice cooking process is implemented. The rice cooking process proceeds in each process of soaking, cooking, and steaming. The water stored in the steam generating section 30 is heat-exchanged by the steam generating section 30 of the lid heating plate 29 by the latent heat of steam generated during rice cooking, and is brought into a boiling state in the latter half of the cooking process.

  When entering the steaming step, the lid heating plate 29 is heated by the lid heating means 34, and a part of the water in the boiling state immediately evaporates and gives off steam. While this steam passes through the steam heating part 43, it is heated by the lid heating plate 29 and becomes superheated steam of 100 ° C. or more, and is discharged into the pot 22 from the steam outlet 32.

  Here, the water put in the pan at the start of cooking rice is absorbed and evaporated by the rice and almost disappears. However, a lot of moisture tends to remain at the bottom of the pot 22. In order to remove the excess moisture and promote the gelatinization of the rice, the pot 22 is also heated in the steaming process. However, since there is little moisture, when it heats from the bottom of the pan 22, the rice near the surface to which the pan 22 is heated burns. Further, the rice on the upper surface of the pot 22 is easily dried because moisture is actively evaporated. Therefore, by heating with steam from the upper surface also in the steaming step, it is possible to prevent a local temperature rise in the heating of the entire pan and drying of the rice in the upper surface and the vicinity thereof.

  The steam released into the pan 22 is heated to high temperature steam by the lid heating plate 29 maintained at a high temperature by the lid heating means 34 and heats the rice and water in the pan 22, so that the fineness according to the rice cooking process is obtained. The steam generation control more suitable for cooking rice can be performed, and delicious rice can be cooked.

  The water presence / absence detecting means 44 detects the presence / absence of water in the steam generating unit 30 by utilizing refraction in which light changes depending on the presence / absence of water.

  When the user puts less than a predetermined amount of water into the water supply tank and operates the rice cooking start switch, the water stored in the steam generating unit 30 is boiled by the lid heating means 34, and the water is exhausted in the middle of the process. Similarly, when the user forgets to put water in the water supply tank by the water presence / absence detection means 44, the water presence / absence detection means 44 detects that there is no water, and operates a rice cooking program suitable for the case where there is no water.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the water presence / absence detection means 44 detects that there is no water in the steam generation unit 30, the lid heating plate 29 is operated by operating a rice cooking program suitable for the case where there is no water. The drying of rice in the upper layer in the pan 22 due to the temperature rise of the pot 22 is reduced, the taste is improved, and the lid cover 33 adjacent to the lid heating plate 29 and the lid coil which is the lid heating means 34 are suppressed from excessive temperature rise, The fear of deformation or failure can be prevented.

(Embodiment 2)
2-5 is sectional drawing of the rice cooker in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, the partial perspective view of a lid | cover heating plate, sectional drawing of a temperature detection means, and the top view of a lid | cover heating means. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and only differences are described.

  2 and 3, the steam generation unit 30 is divided into two by a convex portion 31. Further, the steam generating unit 30 is provided with an inclination of 5 ° so that the water is always stored in a predetermined position even when the rice cooker is placed at an inclined position and the amount of water is reduced.

  An auxiliary heating means 34A composed of an induction coil is connected in series to the lid heating means 34, and is provided at a position for heating the convex portion 31.

  35 is a ferrite provided on the lid heating means 34 and at the position of the steam generating unit 30 at the projection position. An aluminum lid reflector 36 is disposed on the lid heating means 34 and the ferrite 35.

  Reference numeral 38 denotes a temperature detecting means attached to the lid cover 33. In FIG. 4, the temperature detection means 38 includes a lid thermistor 39 whose resistance value varies depending on the temperature, and a thermistor insulator 39 </ b> B penetrating through two thermistor lead wires 39 </ b> A protruding from the rear of the lid thermistor 39. And is welded. An insulating tube 39C is provided on the outer periphery of the thermistor lead wire 39A to prevent a short circuit between the thermistor lead wires 39A. A lid thermistor 39 is held on the outer periphery of the lid thermistor 39 and is housed in a contact 40 made of bottomed cylindrical aluminum or stainless steel. The tip of the lid thermistor 39 is in contact with the bottom surface of the contact 40 via a 41 insulating film made of a resin film such as a polyimide film. A resin holder 42 is provided on the outside of the side surface of the thermistor 39 to stabilize the posture of the thermistor 39 and increase the creepage distance between the contact 40 and the thermistor lead wire 39A to prevent static electricity from entering the contact 40 from a human or the like. The contact 40 is provided at a position where the cover heating plate 29 comes into contact with the convex portion 31 of the lid heating plate 29 and the central portion of the auxiliary heating means 34A when the lid heating plate 29 is attached to the lid 23, and the temperature of the convex portion 31 of the lid heating plate 29 is adjusted. To detect.

  About the rice cooker comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  When the user prepares a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank 27, sets it in the rice cooker, and the user operates the rice cooking start switch, the pump 28 is driven according to a predetermined program as in the first embodiment. Water stored in the feed water tank 27 is stored in the steam generation unit 30 and a rice cooking process is performed. The rice cooking process proceeds in each process of water immersion, cooking, and steaming, and a water presence / absence detection process is provided at the initial stage of the steaming process. The water stored in the steam generating section 30 is heat-exchanged by the steam generating section 30 of the lid heating plate 29 by the latent heat of steam generated during rice cooking, and is brought into a boiling state in the latter half of the cooking process.

  When the steaming process is started, a water presence / absence detection process is first performed. When it is determined that there is water, the lid heating plate 29 is heated by the lid heating means 34, and a part of the boiling water immediately evaporates to give steam. . While this steam passes through the steam heating part 43, it is heated by the lid heating plate 29 and becomes superheated steam of 100 ° C. or more, and is discharged into the pot 22 from the steam outlet 32.

  Thereby, removing the residual moisture at the bottom of the pot 22 and promoting the gelatinization of the rice while preventing the local temperature rise of the heating of the entire pot 22 and drying of the rice in the upper surface and the vicinity thereof. Yes, you can cook delicious rice.

  When the steam generating unit 30 has water, the convex portion 31 that bisects the steam generating portion is also located in the vicinity of the water, so that the temperature of the convex portion 31 is substantially the same as the temperature of the water. The temperature of the water can be detected by the temperature detecting means 38 in contact therewith. Therefore, the water stored in the steam generating unit 30 by the temperature detecting means 38 so that the temperature of the water in the steam generating unit 30 becomes an appropriate temperature (for example, 96 ° C.) immediately before the steam is introduced into the pot 22. By controlling the temperature, superheated steam can be introduced into the pan 22 at a predetermined and accurate timing during cooking.

  For the water presence / absence detection step, steps as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are provided. In FIG. 6, θ is the temperature detected by the pan temperature detecting means, A is the temperature detected by the lid thermistor 39 which is the temperature detecting means 34 when water is present, B-2 is the temperature detected by the lid thermistor 39 when there is no water, a Indicates a rice cooking program when there is water, and b-2 indicates a rice cooking program when there is no water. First, when the steaming process is started, the lid heating plate 29 is heated by the lid heating means 34 after the time count is started. When the user puts a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank, the amount of heat applied to the steam generating unit 30 is used as the heat of vaporization of water, so the temperature of the steam generating unit 30 is 100 ° C., which is the boiling point of water. It is near, and the temperature of a convex part is also 100 degreeC vicinity similarly. Moreover, since the vapor | steam evaporated from the water in a boiling state is satisfy | filled in the space of the steam generation part 30, the detection temperature of the lid | cover thermistor 39 through the contact 40 is 100 degreeC vicinity. On the other hand, when the user puts less than a predetermined amount of water in the water supply tank, if the heating of the lid heating plate 29 is continued by the lid heating means 34, the water stored in the steam generator 30 boils, If there is no water in the middle of the process, or if the user forgets to put water in the water supply tank, there is no water in the steam generating part 30 of the lid heating plate 29, so if the lid heating plate 29 is continuously heated by the lid heating means 34 The steam generating part 30 rises to a temperature exceeding 100 ° C., which is the boiling point of water, and the convex part 31 also rises to a temperature exceeding 100 ° C. at the same time. Therefore, if the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 detects a predetermined temperature T2 (for example, 110 ° C.) within a predetermined time t2 (for example, 80 seconds), it is assumed that there is no water and the predetermined temperature T2 is detected within the predetermined time t2. Otherwise, if there is water, the presence or absence of water can be detected and each rice cooking program suitable for the presence or absence of water can be operated.

  As described above, by determining the presence or absence of water in the steam generation part by increasing the lid thermistor detection temperature in time, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of water with high accuracy according to the temperature of the lid heating plate, Reliability can be improved.

  When heating by the lid heating means 34, the auxiliary heating means 34A is also heated at the same time, so that the contact portion of the convex portion 31 with the contact 40 is also quickly heated, and the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 rises quickly and early. Thus, it is possible to determine that there is no water in the cover, and it is possible to suppress an excessive increase in the temperature of the cover coil, which is the cover cover 33 and the cover heating means 34, at an earlier stage, thereby preventing the possibility of deformation or failure.

  Further, the predetermined time t2 and the predetermined temperature T2 in the water presence / absence detection step may be different temperatures and times from the above example, or may be varied to different optimal temperatures and times depending on the rice cooking course and the water temperature.

  In the water presence / absence detection step, the lid heating plate 29 is intermittently heated by the lid heating means 34 to reduce the heating amount of the lid heating plate 29, so that the steam generating unit 30 has no water. An excessive rise in temperature of the lid heating plate 29 can be reduced, and an excessive rise in temperature of the lid cover 33 adjacent to 29 and the lid coil that is the lid heating means 34 is suppressed to prevent the possibility of deformation or failure. can do. Even if the lid heating plate 29 is not heated intermittently, the same effect can be obtained even if the total heating amount is reduced by reducing the heating amount per unit time.

  In addition, you may perform a water presence-and-absence detection process by a process as shown in FIG. 8, FIG. In FIG. 8, B-1 shows the detected temperature of the lid thermistor 39 when there is no water, and b-1 shows the rice cooking program when there is no water. Other reference numerals are the same as those in FIG. The water presence / absence detection process shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 detects the presence / absence of water based on the detection temperature of the lid thermistor 39 as the temperature detection means 38 at the start of the steaming process. When water is present in the steam generation unit 30 at the start of the steaming process, the temperature of the convex portion 31 is about 100 ° C., which is substantially the same as the temperature of boiling water. Further, since the water is in a boiling state, the water evaporates in a small amount, and the steam is generated in the space of the steam generating unit 30. Therefore, the temperature of the space of the steam generating unit 30 is also approximately 100 ° C., and the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 is also approximately 100 ° C. On the other hand, when there is no water in the steam generating part 30, the temperature of the convex part is around 100 ° C., whereas the temperature of the space of the steam generating part 30 around the contact 40 is the pot 22, the lid heating Since it is a substantially closed space surrounded by the plate 29, the lid cover 33, and the packing 42, the steam generated during the cooking of the rice hardly enters and is around 80 ° C. Accordingly, since the amount of heat received from the convex portion 31 is dissipated through the contact 40 to the space of the steam generating portion 30 around the contact due to the temperature difference between the convex portion 31 and the steam generating portion 30 around the contact, the lid thermistor The temperature of 39 is around 85 ° C. Therefore, after the cooking process is completed, the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 at the start of the steaming process is compared with a predetermined temperature T1 (for example, 90 ° C.), and if the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 is higher than the predetermined temperature T1, Assuming that there is no water when the temperature of the lid thermistor 39 is lower than the predetermined temperature T1, each rice cooking program suitable for the presence or absence of water can be operated.

  As described above, the rice cooking program suitable for the case where there is no water without heating the lid heating plate 29 by the lid heating means 34 by determining the presence or absence of water based on the temperature detected by the lid thermistor at the start of the steaming process. By operating the lid heating plate 29, the temperature of the lid heating plate 29 is further increased to further reduce the drying of the rice in the upper layer of the pan 22, improving the taste, and the lid cover 33 adjacent to the lid heating plate 29 and the lid heating means 34. The excessive temperature rise of the coil can be further suppressed, and the risk of deformation or failure can be prevented. In addition, even when foreign matter exists between the convex portion 31 and the contact 40 and the detection temperature of the lid thermistor 39 is lower than that without foreign matter, such as when the detection temperature by the temperature detection means is abnormally low, It can be determined that there is no water, and the reliability can be improved even in an abnormality.

  The predetermined temperature T1 may be a temperature different from the above example, or may be varied to an optimum different temperature depending on the rice cooking course and the water temperature.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the notification unit 50 includes an LCD 51. The LCD 51 also has a function of displaying information related to rice cooking such as the remaining rice cooking time. When it is detected that there is no water in the middle of cooking rice, the LCD 51 turns on the indication “water tank shortage” to notify that the user has not supplied a predetermined amount of water to the water tank 27 before cooking. In the next and subsequent cooking, it is possible to prompt the user to put a predetermined amount of water into the water supply tank 27 in advance. Thereby, the opportunity not to put a predetermined amount of water into the water supply tank 27 before cooking rice can be reduced.

  Note that the notification means 50 may be displayed using other words, pictures, or the like, and it is sufficient that the shortage of water can be notified by other means such as sound, voice, light, or other methods such as blinking. Moreover, the alerting | reporting means 50 may be provided independently separately from the display means of the information regarding rice cooking, and may be integrated with some display means.

  In addition, in the water presence / absence detection process in the middle of cooking rice, when the notification that there is no water is performed after cooking is completed, the user notices the display of “water tank shortage” during cooking, opens the lid 23 to try to supply water, It may be possible to reduce the steam in the pot 22 from leaking out of the rice cooker body 21. In addition, if it is determined that there is no water during cooking, when cooking with the rice cooking program when there is no water, steam will not be generated even if the user supplies water during cooking, so the user is wasting water during cooking Can be reduced.

  As described above, the rice cooker according to the present invention promotes gelatinization of rice starch without drying the rice while maintaining the installation of the equipment, and obtains a delicious rice, and is deformed due to the temperature rise inside the lid. It can be applied to commercial rice cookers and other thermal equipment.

Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Partial perspective view of the lid heating plate in the rice cooker Sectional view of temperature detection means in the rice cooker Top view of lid heating means in the rice cooker Process chart showing the water presence / absence detection process in the rice cooker The flowchart which shows the water presence or absence detection process in the rice cooker Process chart showing another example of water presence / absence detection process in the rice cooker The flowchart which shows another example of the water presence or absence detection process in the rice cooker The figure which shows the plane part of the display part in the rice cooker Cross section of conventional rice cooker

Explanation of symbols

22 Pan 23 Lid 24 Pan heating means 29 Lid heating plate 30 Steam generating part 34 Lid heating means 38 Temperature detecting means 43 Steam heating part 44 Water presence / absence detecting means 50 Notification means

Claims (5)

A pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid covering the opening of the pan, a lid heating plate for heating the inside of the pan from above, a lid heating means for heating the lid heating plate, and the lid A steam generator for storing water in the heating plate and generating the water into steam; a steam heating unit for heating the generated steam; and a water presence / absence detecting means for detecting the presence / absence of water stored in the lid heating plate; And a rice cooker provided with a rice cooking program when there is water and when there is no water, based on the information that the water presence / absence detection means detects the presence / absence of water stored in the lid heating plate. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the water presence / absence detection means is constituted by a temperature detection means. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein it is determined that there is no water when the temperature detected by the temperature detection means exceeds a predetermined temperature within a predetermined time in a predetermined process. The rice cooker of Claim 2 which judges that there is no water when the temperature detected by the said temperature detection means is below predetermined temperature at the end of cooking. The rice cooker of any one of Claims 1-4 provided with the alerting | reporting means when there exists water and when there is no water.