JP2008259728A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow users to comfortably and surely execute a setting operation by executing no voice information in a situation where a user requires no voice information but executing the voice information only in a required situation in a rice cooker having a voice information function. <P>SOLUTION: A heating means 2 heats a pot 1 in which cooked objects such as rice and water are put, setting input means 3 selects a cooking menu to be used from a plurality of cooking menus and starts the cooking, voice information means 6 executes the voice information on a setting procedure by the setting input means 3, and control means 8 controls the heating means 2, display means 5, the voice information means 6 or the like. On the content of voice information which is input by the setting input means 3 within a period from starting the voice information by the voice information means 6 till a prescribed time, the control means 8 is configured to prolong a time from a time when receiving the input by the setting input means 3 till starting the voice information from the next time. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker having a voice notification function.

  In recent years, rice cookers have various functions in order to cook rice in an optimal state according to user preferences. In such a rice cooker, various conditions such as the heating temperature and the heating time are controlled so that the rice is in an optimally cooked state. The types of rice cooked in a rice cooker include white rice, non-washed rice, and brown rice, and there are various brands in each rice. With respect to these various types of rice, conditions such as heating temperature and heating time are different in the rice cooker, and the user needs to set the rice cooker according to the rice to be cooked. In addition, recent rice cookers have a function of separately cooking cooked rice, sashimi, rice crackers, etc., a reservation rice cooking function of cooking rice at a time set in advance by the user, and the like.

  As the rice cooker becomes more multifunctional as described above, the number of operation switches for setting how to cook rice cookers also increases, and the content displayed on the display section also increases, making the setting operation complicated. As a result, there is a problem that the risk of the user making a mistake in setting increases. In the multi-function rice cooker as described above, if the setting is incorrect, it becomes a big problem such as the rice being cooked differently from the cooked state desired by the user or the rice not being cooked at the time desired by the user. .

  Therefore, a conventional rice cooker has been proposed that guides the setting procedure such as how to cook or the operating state of the rice cooker by voice so that the user can perform complicated setting operations without mistakes (for example, , See Patent Document 1).

In addition, a plurality of voice notification patterns (a pattern for voice notification of only the rice cooker operation state, a pattern for voice notification of only the setting procedure such as how to cook, and a voice notification of both the rice cooker operation state and the cooking procedure setting procedure) The pattern which can select the voice alert pattern which a user desires from the pattern which does not carry out voice alert for both, etc. is proposed (for example, refer patent document 2).
JP 2006-212199 A JP 2006-345970 A

  However, in the above-described conventional rice cooker, since the voice notification is performed even when the voice notification that already knows the setting procedure is unnecessary, the user feels bothered, or to avoid this bothersomeness. If the voice notification pattern is switched so that voice notification is not performed frequently, voice notification will not be performed even when voice notification is necessary, such as when setting is not performed so much, and there is a problem that usability deteriorates. It was.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, so that voice notification is not performed in a situation where the user does not need voice notification, and voice notification is performed only in a necessary situation, so that the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably. The purpose is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a pot for putting cooked food such as rice or water inside the rice cooker body, heating the pot with heating means, and using it from a plurality of cooking menus with input setting means. The cooking pattern of the pan by the heating means corresponding to the cooking menu that can be selected by the setting input means is stored in the storage means, and various information such as the setting status by the setting input means is stored. It is configured to display on the display means, perform voice notification of the setting procedure by the setting input means by the voice notification means, and control the heating means, display means, voice notification means, etc. by the control means. The voice notification content that was input by the setting input means between the start of the voice notification by the user and the predetermined time will be received from the next time by the setting input means. Only to those configured to increase the time until the start of the voice notification from.

  As a result, even if there is no special setting, in the situation where the voice notification is already necessary so that the setting procedure is already known, the voice notification is not performed from the next time and the voice notification is performed only in the situation where the voice notification is necessary. Therefore, the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably.

  Since the rice cooker of the present invention does not perform voice notification in a situation where the user does not need voice notification, and performs voice notification only in a necessary situation, the user can perform a setting operation comfortably and reliably.

  1st invention is the inside of a rice cooker main body, the pot which puts cooked foods, such as rice, and water, the heating means which heats the said pan, and the cooking menu used from a some cooking menu, or cooking A setting input means for starting cooking, a storage means for storing a heating pattern of the pan by the heating means corresponding to a cooking menu selectable by the setting input means, and various information such as a setting status by the setting input means Control means for controlling the display means, the voice notification means for performing voice notification of the setting procedure by the setting input means, the time measuring means for timing the time, the heating means, the display means, the voice notification means, etc. And the control means is adapted to control the voice notification content input by the setting input means between a voice notification start by the voice notification means and a predetermined time. Is configured to increase the time from the next time the input from the setting input means is accepted until the voice notification is started, and the setting procedure is already known without special setting. In such a situation where the voice notification is not required, since the voice notification is not performed from the next time and the voice notification is performed only in the situation where the voice notification is necessary, the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably.

  In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the control unit is configured to perform the above-described voice notification contents that have not been input by the setting input unit between the start of the voice notification by the voice notification unit and a predetermined time. The time from when the input by the setting input means is received until the voice notification is started is shortened. In a situation where the voice notification is necessary, the voice notification of the next setting procedure is performed more quickly after the next time. Therefore, the setting operation can be performed comfortably and surely without feeling the stress of having to wait until the voice notification of the next setting procedure is performed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, there is provided voice notification timing initialization means for initializing time until voice notification is started, and the control means is input by the voice notification timing initialization means. Is received, the time from when the input by the setting input means is received until the voice notification means starts the voice notification is returned to the initial setting time, and when the user is changed due to the transfer of goods, etc. Further, it is possible to prevent deterioration in usability due to the remaining voice notification timing tailored to the previous user (for example, voice notification is not easily performed even though the setting procedure is not known).

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

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the pan 1 is housed inside a rice cooker body (not shown), and a cooked product such as rice and water are placed inside and heated by the heating means 2. The temperature of the pan 1 is detected by the pan temperature detecting means 101 and sent to the control means 8 constituted by a microcomputer. The time measuring means 9 measures the elapsed time in each cooking process (for example, water absorption process) during cooking and each heat retaining process (for example, high temperature temperature adjusting process) during heat retention, and transmits the measured time to the control means 8. The storage means 4 stores the heating pattern of the pan 1 by the heating means 2 corresponding to each cooking menu that can be selected by the setting input means 3. The display means 5 presents various types of information to the user. The display means 5 is composed of an LCD. For example, when the user performs a cooking menu change operation using the setting input means 3, the control means 8 is currently selected on the display means 5. Change the cooking menu.

  The user determines the cooking menu using the setting input means 3 while looking at the cooking menu selection information displayed on the display means 5, and starts cooking. When cooking is started, the control unit 8 selects the heating pattern of the pan 1 corresponding to the cooking menu selected by the setting input unit 3 from the storage unit 4, and the information and the pan temperature detection unit 101 detect the information. Cooking is performed by controlling the heating means 2 based on the temperature of the pot 1 and the elapsed time of each cooking process timed by the timekeeping means 9.

  The voice notification means 6 is a guide for various setting procedures by the setting input means 3 and notifies the user of the setting status by voice. The voice notification means 6 comprises a voice IC, peripheral circuits and speakers (both not shown).

  The control unit 8 controls the heating unit 2, the display unit 5, the voice notification unit 6, and the like, and performs voice notification by sending control data corresponding to each voice notification content to the voice notification unit 6. The time measuring means 9 starts counting after initializing the measurement time at the start of voice notification, and then measures the time until the input by the setting input means 3 occurs.

  Here, the control means 8 is the voice notification content that has been input by the setting input means 3 between the voice notification start by the voice notification means 6 and a predetermined time (for example, the voice notification timing change determination time (Tc)). Is configured to extend the time from the next time the input from the setting input means 3 is accepted until the voice notification is started. The voice notification timing initialization means 7 will be described later.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation during the setting operation of the rice cooker in the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, first, in step S1, the control means 8 determines whether or not the setting input means 3 is input by the user. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S2. If there is no input, the control means 8 returns to step S1, and again. The presence or absence of input from the setting input means 3 is determined. In step S2, the control means 8 compares the elapsed time (T1-Td) from the start of the previous voice notification with the voice notification timing change determination time (Tc) corresponding to the previous voice notification content, and T1-Td ≦ Tc. If there is (the next setting operation has been performed from the start of the previous voice notification to the voice notification timing change determination time), the process proceeds to step S3, and if T1-Td> Tc, the process proceeds to step S4. In the present embodiment, Tc is a time sufficient for grasping the content of the voice notification (for example, in the case of the voice notification content “Please select a menu with the triangle button”, the part “With triangle button” Time to play).

  In step S3, the control means 8 changes the voice notification start waiting time corresponding to the sound being reproduced to a value larger than the current value (for example, changes from 1 second to 3 seconds), and proceeds to step S4. However, the changed value does not exceed the upper limit (Tdmax). As a result, from the next time, the time until the voice notification is started after the input by the setting input means 3 is accepted, the next setting operation can be performed before the voice notification is started. Therefore, unnecessary voice notification is not performed.

  Next, in step S4, the control means 8 transmits to the voice notification means 6 a command to reproduce the reception notification sound for notifying that the input from the setting input means 3 has been received, and the process proceeds to step S5. The means 8 transmits a command for ensuring a silence period corresponding to the sound start waiting time Td corresponding to the sound content to be reproduced to the sound notification means 6, and proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the control means 8 transmits a command for reproducing the sound of the next setting procedure to the sound notification means 6, and the process proceeds to step S7. By the operation from step S4 to step S6, the voice notification unit 6 plays a voice notification of the next setting procedure after reproducing the reception notification sound and after a silent period of Td.

  Next, in step S7, the control means 8 initializes the elapsed time T1 from the transmission of the voice notification command to 0, and then starts counting T1 by the time measuring means 9, and proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the control unit 8 sets the voice notification timing change determination time corresponding to the voice transmitted to the voice notification unit 6 in step S6 to Tc, and proceeds to step S9. In step S9, the control unit 8 performs step S6. The voice notification start waiting time corresponding to the voice transmitted to the voice notification unit 6 is set to Td, and the process proceeds to step S10. In step S10, the control means 8 controls the display means 5 to update the display contents, and proceeds to step S11. In step S11, the control means 8 determines whether or not the input received in step S1 is a rice cooking start input. If the input is a rice cooking start input, the process proceeds to step S12 to start the rice cooking operation and end the setting operation process. On the other hand, when it is not rice cooking start input, it returns to step S1 and continues setting operation processing.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 8 performs the next and subsequent voice notification contents that have been input by the setting input unit 3 between the start of the voice notification by the voice notification unit 6 and a predetermined time. By configuring so that the time from when the input by the setting input means 3 is received until the voice notification is started, the voice notification that the setting procedure is already known can be performed without performing special settings. In an unnecessary situation, the voice notification is not performed from the next time, and the voice notification is performed only in a situation where the voice notification is necessary, so that the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 8 has been described with a configuration in which the control unit 8 instructs the voice notification unit 6 to provide a predetermined silent period before the start of voice notification. The voice notification means 6 may be instructed to start voice notification after the waiting time until the voice notification starts.

  In the present embodiment, the change in the waiting time until the start of voice notification has been described based on a single determination result, but the change is made based on a plurality of determination results. Also good.

(Embodiment 2)
The control means 8 shown in FIG. 1 is about the contents of the voice notification that has not been input by the setting input means between a voice notification start by the voice notification means 6 and a predetermined time (for example, a voice notification timing change determination time (Tc)). From the next time, the time until the voice notification is started after the input by the setting input means 3 is received is shortened. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The operation from step S1 to step S12 is the same as the operation in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In FIG. 3, if T1-Td> Tc in step S2 (the next setting operation has not been performed between the start of the immediately preceding voice notification and the voice notification timing change determination time), the process proceeds to step S21. The control unit 8 changes the voice notification start waiting time (Td) corresponding to the last reproduced voice to a value smaller than the current value (for example, changed from 3 seconds to 2 seconds), and proceeds to step S4. However, the value after change shall not fall below the lower limit (Tdmin).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 8 receives an input from the setting input unit between a voice notification start by the voice notification unit 6 and a predetermined time (voice notification timing change determination time (Tc)). For the contents of the voice notification that has not been received, the time from when the input by the setting input means 3 is accepted until the start of the voice notification is shortened in the next time, and in the situation where the voice notification is necessary, Since the voice notification of the next setting procedure is quickly performed, the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably without feeling the stress of having to wait until the voice notification of the next setting procedure is performed.

  In addition, in this Embodiment, although the structure which performs the change of the waiting time until audio | voice alert | report start based on the determination result of 1 time was demonstrated, it comprised so that a change might be performed based on the determination result of multiple times. Also good.

(Embodiment 3)
As shown in FIG. 1, the voice notification timing initialization means 7 initializes the time until the voice notification of each voice is started. When receiving the input from the voice notification timing initialization unit 7, the control unit 8 returns the time from the reception of the input from the setting input unit 3 to the start of the voice notification by the voice notification unit 6 to the initial set time. Yes. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. The operation from step S1 to step S12 is the same as the operation in the first embodiment, and a description thereof will be omitted.

  In FIG. 4, in step S31, the control means 8 checks whether or not there is an input by the voice notification timing initialization means 7. If there is an input, the process proceeds to step S32. If there is no input, the process proceeds to step S1. In step S32, the control means 8 returns the time until the voice notification set for each voice is started to the initial setting state, and proceeds to step S1.

  As described above, the present embodiment includes the voice notification timing initialization unit 7 that initializes the time until the voice notification is started, and the control unit 8 receives the input from the voice notification timing initialization unit 7. When the user is changed due to product transfer or the like by returning the time from the reception of the input by the setting input unit 3 to the start of the voice notification by the voice notification unit 6 to the initial setting time, It is possible to prevent deterioration in usability due to the remaining voice notification timing for the previous user (for example, voice notification is not easily performed even though the setting procedure is unknown).

  As described above, the rice cooker according to the present invention does not perform the voice notification from the next time and does not perform the voice notification in the situation where the voice notification that the setting procedure is already known is unnecessary without performing the special setting. However, it is useful as a rice cooker having a voice notification function because the voice notification is performed only in a necessary situation and the setting operation can be performed comfortably and reliably.

The block diagram of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation at the time of setting operation of the rice cooker The flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of setting operation of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of this invention. The flowchart which shows the operation | movement at the time of setting operation of the rice cooker in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pan 2 Heating means 3 Setting input means 4 Storage means 5 Display means 6 Audio | voice alerting means 8 Control means 9 Timekeeping means

Claims (3)

A pot for storing cooked items such as rice and water stored inside the rice cooker body, a heating means for heating the pot, and a setting input means for selecting a cooking menu to be used from a plurality of cooking menus and starting cooking Storage means for storing the cooking pattern of the pan by the heating means corresponding to the cooking menu selectable by the setting input means, and display means for displaying various information such as the setting status by the setting input means, Voice notification means for performing voice notification such as a setting procedure by the setting input means, timing means for timing time, control means for controlling the heating means, the display means, the voice notification means, etc. The control means, for the voice notification content that has been input by the setting input means between the voice notification start by the voice notification means and a predetermined time, Configuration the rice cooker so as to lengthen the time until the start of voice notification after receiving an input by the setting input unit. The control means starts the voice notification after receiving the input by the setting input means from the next time for the voice notification contents that are not input by the setting input means between the voice notification start by the voice notification means and a predetermined time. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the time until the cooking is shortened. Voice notification timing initialization means for initializing time until voice notification is started, and when the control means receives input by the voice notification timing initialization means, the voice notification means after receiving input by the setting input means The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the time until the voice notification is started is returned to the initial set time.

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