JP2008272143A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker which can reduce the consumption current of the battery of a backup power source with a simple constitution as well as the consumption power of the display of a liquid crystal display device when an alternative current power is supplied. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker is equipped with a heating means 28, a liquid crystal display means 24, a control means 23 for controlling the heating means 28 and the liquid crystal display means 24, a key input means 27, a liquid crystal power circuit 25 for supplying electric power to the liquid crystal display means 24, a liquid crystal power circuit cutoff means 29 for cutting off the liquid crystal power circuit 25, and the backup power source 26 for supplying a direct current power to the liquid crystal power circuit 25 when the alternative current power is not supplied from a commercial power source 21. The control means 23 cuts off the liquid crystal power circuit 25 by the liquid crystal power source cutoff means 29 when the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displaying. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly, to a rice cooker that can save energy by reducing unnecessary power consumed by a liquid crystal display that displays information related to time, rice cooking, etc., and extend the product life. .

  A conventional rice cooker equipped with a liquid crystal display means is provided with a backup power supply battery that supplies power to the display means when the power outlet is not connected, and at least the liquid crystal display means displays after the assembly inspection of the rice cooker is completed. The battery life extension control mode for turning off the operation is executed to reduce the power consumption of the power supply battery (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-265316 (paragraphs 0057 to 0068, FIG. 4)

  Conventional rice cookers have continued to display information on time, rice cooking, and the like even in a process that does not require display on the liquid crystal display means. Further, since it is necessary to perform display even at the time of a power failure, a battery is used as a backup power source, and the liquid crystal display means is also displayed at the time of a power failure such as store display. For this reason, the battery has a problem that the life of the battery is shortened due to an increase in current consumption due to securing the product lifetime, an increase in the size of the liquid crystal display in recent years, an increase in display contents during a power failure, and the like.

  For this reason, when the capacity of the battery is increased, there is a problem that the cost increases and the size increases. Furthermore, most of the batteries of rice cookers in recent years are directly attached to the substrate, and there has been a problem in that, when replacing due to battery consumption, soldering work is involved, resulting in work technical fees and the like.

  When AC power is supplied from a commercial power supply, power is supplied from the liquid crystal power supply circuit of the liquid crystal display means. The liquid crystal power supply circuit is composed of a series of resistors for voltage division, and is conventionally connected between a DC power source that converts AC power into DC power and a ground, and has a plurality of different voltages required for the display of the liquid crystal display means. In order to generate a voltage, it has been necessary to always pass a current from the DC power supply to the ground via the liquid crystal power supply circuit. The power consumed by this current is a part of what is called standby power.

  For example, when the specification of the driving voltage of the liquid crystal display means is a 1/3 bias type and the driving signal to the liquid crystal display is applied as a three-step staircase waveform, the resistance values of the three resistors are all equal and from the DC power supply If the voltage of the supplied DC power is 3V, the voltages divided by resistance and input to the liquid crystal power input port of the control means are VL1 = 3V, VL2 = 2V, and VL3 = 1V. At this time, the circuit current flowing through the series circuit of the three resistors is about several μA to 100 μA, and active reduction is required also from the environmental protection measures for this standby power.

  When AC power is not supplied from the commercial power supply, DC power is supplied from the backup power supply battery to the liquid crystal power supply circuit and the control means.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and can reduce the current consumption of the battery of the backup power source with a simple configuration, extend the life of the battery, is inexpensive and highly reliable, and is a commercial power source. When AC power is supplied from the power source, wasteful power consumption that has been spent in processes that do not require display on the liquid crystal display can be reduced, energy consumption is reduced, and environmental conservation is considered. The purpose is to provide a cooker.

  The rice cooker according to the present invention includes an inner pot for storing cooked rice, a heating means for heating the inner pot, a liquid crystal display means for displaying information on time, rice cooking, etc., the heating means and the liquid crystal display means. Control means for controlling; key input means for sending instructions such as rice cooking start to the control means; a liquid crystal power supply circuit for supplying power to the liquid crystal display means; and a liquid crystal power supply circuit shutoff means for shutting off the liquid crystal power supply circuit; A backup power source for supplying DC power to the liquid crystal power circuit when no AC power is supplied from a commercial power source, and the control means shuts off the liquid crystal power circuit when the liquid crystal display means is not displayed. The liquid crystal power supply circuit is shut off by means.

  According to the present invention, the control means cuts off the liquid crystal power supply circuit by the liquid crystal power supply circuit cut-off means when the liquid crystal display means is not displayed, so that the current consumption of the battery as the backup power supply can be reduced with a simple configuration, Extends battery life and improves reliability at a low cost. When AC power is supplied from a commercial power supply, wasteful power consumption spent in processes that do not require display on a liquid crystal display is reduced. Can be reduced, energy consumption can be reduced, and environmental conservation can be achieved.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a rice cooker showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the rice cooker, and FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, the rice cooker is provided with a bottomed cylindrical inner pot 2 in the rice cooker body 1 having an outer surface made of a magnetic metal, having a flange portion at the top, and containing an object to be heated. The flange portion is suspended and supported by the upper frame 3 a of the protective frame 3. The protective frame 3 is a cylindrical protective frame that constitutes an opening for housing the inner pot 2, and is composed of a side heat radiating plate 5 with a body heater 4 affixed to the outer surface, and a coil base 7 that supports the induction coil 6 on the outer surface. The rice cooker main body 1 is fitted to the upper part of the rice cooker body 1. In addition, the planar induction coil 6 includes an induction coil 6 a disposed at a position facing the bottom corner portion of the inner pot 2 and an induction disposed at a position facing the bottom surface of the inner pot 2 of the coil base 7. It consists of a coil 6b. Also, a ferrite base 7a, a bottom plate 8, and a ferrite base 7a, which are disposed so as to protrude from the lower surface of the coil base 7, are provided, and a ferrite 9 is provided to prevent the outside from being magnetized. The bottom thermistor 11 is attached to the central part of the coil base 7 and is urged toward the inner pot 2 by the spring 10 to contact the inner pot 2 and indirectly detect the temperature of the object to be heated.

  The lid 12 disposed on the upper portion of the rice cooker body 1 is supported by a hinge portion 3b formed integrally with the protective frame 3 so that the upper portion of the rice cooker body 1 can be opened and closed via a shaft 13. A lid heat radiating plate 14 is attached to the lower part of the inner surface of the lid body 12, and a lid heater 15 is attached to the inner surface of the lid radiating plate 14. A lid heat insulating material 16 is disposed inside the lid body 12. A packing 18 is disposed around the inner lid 17 that is detachably attached to the lower surface of the lid 12, and when the lid 12 is closed, the packing 18 contacts the inner pan 2 to close the inner pan 2. The lid thermistor 19 is attached to the lid heat sink 14 and penetrates the inner lid 17 to detect the internal temperature of the inner pot 2. The control means 23 is constituted by a microcomputer, and controls the power of the induction coil 6, the trunk heater 4, the lid heater 15 and the like based on the temperature information of the bottom thermistor 11 and the lid thermistor 19 to cook rice and keep warm.

  In FIG. 2, the rice cooker controls display, rice cooking, and the like by receiving supply of the commercial power source 21, the DC power source 22 that converts AC power from the commercial power source 21 into DC power, and the DC power supplied from the DC power source 22. The control means 23, the liquid crystal display means 24 which is a liquid crystal display means for performing display according to the drive signal sent from the control means 23, and a series circuit of resistors R1, R2 and R3, are supplied with DC power from the DC power supply 22. The DC power is divided by resistance and input to the liquid crystal power supply input port of the control means 23 to generate a power supply for the liquid crystal display means 24. The liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is a backup power supply. When there is no supply of power, that is, in the event of a power failure, a backup power supply 26 that supplies DC power to the control means 23 and the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is provided.

Moreover, the key input means 27 which transmits the input command from the key switch arrange | positioned at the operation panel (not shown) to the control means 23, the induction | guidance | derivation which heats the inner pot which accommodated the rice and water which are heated things, and cooks rice A heating means 28 comprising a coil 6, a body heater 4 and a lid heater 15 is provided. The input command of the key input means 27 is, for example, a rice cooking start command using the “rice cooking” key, a menu setting command such as “cooking” or “rice porridge” using the “menu” key, and the like.
The liquid crystal display circuit includes a transistor TR connected between the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 and the ground. The liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is connected to or cut off from the VSS level according to a signal from the output port of the control means 23. Liquid crystal power supply circuit interruption means 29 for performing display and non-display on 24 and a power failure detection means 30 for detecting whether or not the commercial power supply 21 is connected and sending the detection result to the control means 23 are provided.

Next, operation | movement of the rice cooker of Embodiment 1 of this invention of such a structure is demonstrated using FIG. 2, FIG.
In FIG. 3, in step S1, the control means 23 determines whether or not the detection result of the power failure detection means 30 is a power failure. When it is determined in step S1 that there is no power failure (energization), in step S2, a high level voltage is applied from the output port of the control means 23 to the base of the transistor TR of the liquid crystal power circuit cutoff means 29, and the transistor TR is turned on. Then, the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is connected to the VSS level, and the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 becomes effective. In the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25, the driving signal of the liquid crystal display means 24 is a 1/3 bias type of a three-step staircase waveform, so the DC power supplied from the DC power supply 22 is divided by three resistors R1, R2, and R3. And input to the liquid crystal power input port of the control means constituted by the microcomputer.

At this time, if the resistance values of the three resistors R1, R2, and R3 are equal and the voltage of the DC power supplied from the DC power source 22 is 3V, the voltage is divided by the resistors R1, R2, and R3, and the liquid crystal power source of the control means 23 The voltages input to the input port are VL1 = 3V, VL2 = 2V, and VL3 = 1V. Then, the control means 23 receives the three-stage drive voltage that is resistance-divided by the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25, sends a drive signal to the liquid crystal display means 24, and displays information related to time, rice cooking, and the like.
Next, as a process at the time of energization such as rice cooking in step S3, the control unit 23 performs heating by the heating unit 28 including the induction coil 6, the body heater 4 and the lid heater 15 based on the input command of the key input unit 27. .

  When heating is performed by the heating means 28 and rice cooking is started, first, a preheating step is performed to heat rice and water that are to be heated to promote water absorption. Subsequently, the cooking process is performed based on the temperature information detected by the bottom thermistor 11 and the lid thermistor 19, the atmosphere inside the inner pot 2 reaches the boiling temperature, the moisture in the inner pot 2 disappears, and the inner pot 2 Continue heating until the temperature at the bottom of the plate rises. Next, it enters the unevenness process, the rice cooking process is completed after maintaining the high temperature, and the process proceeds to the heat retention process.

Next, it returns to step S1 again and it is judged whether it is a power failure. When it is determined in step S1 that there is a power failure, in step S4, a low level voltage is applied from the output port of the control means 23 to the base of the transistor TR, the transistor TR is turned off, and the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is shut off. When the liquid crystal power circuit 25 is shut off, the circuit current of the liquid crystal power circuit 25 does not flow.
In step S5, processing at the time of a power failure such as detection of a return from the power failure state is performed, and the process returns to step S1 to determine whether or not there is a power failure.

  As described above, the power supply detection means 30 for detecting a power failure of the commercial power supply 21 is provided, and the control means 23 hides the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 when the power supply detection means 30 determines that a power failure has occurred, Since the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is cut off by the liquid crystal power supply circuit cut-off means 29, it is possible to eliminate unnecessary current consumption that continues to flow through the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 in the event of a power failure. Can extend the lifespan.

  In the present embodiment, the liquid crystal power supply circuit cut-off means 29 is configured by controlling whether the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is connected to the VSS level or cut off. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is good also as a structure which controls whether 25 is connected to the DC power supply 22, or is interrupted | blocked.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 described in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted. The difference from FIG. 2 is that the transistor TR for switching the liquid crystal power supply circuit shut-off means 29 is in the output port of the control means 23 constituted by a microcomputer. It is to serve as well.

  Thus, since the control means 23 is constituted by a microcomputer and the liquid crystal power supply circuit shut-off means 29 also serves as an output port of the microcomputer, it is not necessary to provide other switching elements such as transistors and relays, and an inexpensive product is provided. be able to.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Since the rice cooker structure of this Embodiment 3 is the same as FIG. 2 or FIG. 4 demonstrated in Embodiment 1 and 2, description of a structure is abbreviate | omitted and operation | movement is demonstrated.

  In FIG. 5, in step S11, a predetermined time counting timer T (not shown) is reset for measuring a predetermined time. This predetermined time counting timer T is initialized by resetting, then starts timing, and continues counting until initialization by the next reset is performed. In step S12, it is determined whether there is an input from a key switch arranged on an operation panel (not shown). If it is determined that there is a key input, the liquid crystal power supply circuit shut-off means 29 is set in a connected state in step S13. Thus, the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 is enabled and the liquid crystal display means 24 is displayed by the drive signal from the control means 23. Then, it returns to step S11 and resets the timer T for predetermined time again.

  If it is determined in step S12 that there is no key input, it is determined in step S14 whether or not the predetermined time counting timer T reset in step S11 has passed a predetermined time. If the predetermined time has not elapsed, the process returns to step S12. If it is determined in step S14 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed (OFF) in step S15, and the connection of the liquid crystal power supply circuit cutoff means 29 is cut off.

  As described above, the control unit 23 hides the display of the liquid crystal display unit 24 after a predetermined time has elapsed after the input from the key input unit 27 is lost, and the liquid crystal power supply circuit shutoff unit 29 When the key switch operation such as time setting or rice cooking start command is operated, the liquid crystal display means 24 necessary for confirming the setting operation is displayed. When the display for confirming is no longer necessary, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed. Therefore, when the display is not necessary, the circuit current of the unnecessary liquid crystal power supply circuit 25 can be reduced. At this time, in the event of a power failure without the supply of AC power from the commercial power source 21, the life of the battery serving as the backup power source 26 will be extended, and when the AC power is supplied from the commercial power source 21, Wasteful power consumption can be reduced.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
FIG. 6 is a process diagram showing a temperature change in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a display example of the liquid crystal display means 24. Since the rice cooker structure of this Embodiment 4 is the same as FIG.1, FIG.2 or FIG.4 demonstrated in Embodiment 1 and 2, the display example and operation | movement of the liquid crystal display means 24 are demonstrated.

  In FIG. 6, the upper part is a curve showing the change in the detected temperature of the bottom thermistor 11, and the lower part is a chart showing the ON / OFF state of the display of the liquid crystal display means 24. Display is performed in the ON section, and is not displayed in the OFF section. This process drawing represents the process of cooking rice, and the rice cooking is started through a preheating process, followed by a cooking (cooking) process and an unevenness process.

  Rice cooking is started by housing the inner pot 2 containing rice and water inside the rice cooker body 1 and pressing a rice cooking key (not shown) arranged on an operation panel (not shown). When the preheating process is started and a predetermined time has elapsed (here, 10 minutes), it is considered that the display for confirming the setting operation is no longer necessary, and the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed. Then, the preheating process is terminated, and a cooking (rice cooking) process for maintaining the boiling in the inner pot 2 is performed. The water in the inner pot 2 is lost due to evaporation, and the detected temperature of the bottom thermistor 11 is rapidly increased. Finish the cooking (cooking rice) process and move to the uneven process. In the steps so far, the liquid crystal display means 24 has not been displayed, but the display for confirming the setting operation is not necessary, so that there is no inconvenience for the user in actual use.

  In the unevenness process, in order to display the number of minutes after the end of rice cooking (so-called rice cooking remaining time display), the liquid crystal display means 24 is displayed, and the remaining time until the rice cooking ends is counted down. And rice cooking is complete | finished when predetermined | prescribed uneven time passes.

  In FIG. 7, the display example in the upper stage (1) is a display example from the start of the preheating process to the elapse of a predetermined time, and the middle stage (2) is an example of display after the elapse of the predetermined time from the start of the preheating process. Will continue. The lower part (3) is a display example during the unevenness process. In the figure, the range enclosed by a square frame is the display range of the liquid crystal display means 24. On the outer left side of the display range, "Hurry" for shortening the rice cooking time, "white rice", "no-wash rice" The type of rice is displayed. On the right side of the exterior, the menu displays “normal”, “warming”, “soft”, “cooking”, “rice porridge”, and “rice” and “menu” placed on the operation panel (not shown). Each key is selected by pressing a key switch such as “”. The display of the selected setting is indicated by a triangular mark as shown in FIG.

  In the upper display example (1), the rice type setting is “white rice”, the menu setting is “normal”, and the current time is “8:00”. The display of the current time transitions to “8:01”, “8:02”,... Over a predetermined time (in this case, 10 minutes) during which the liquid crystal display means 24 is displayed. In the display example of the middle stage (2), the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed and is not displayed at all. In the display example of the lower part (3), “finished after 15 minutes” is displayed as the remaining time until the end of cooking, together with the display of the type of rice and menu settings. Along with the passage of time thereafter, the display of the remaining rice cooking time transitions to “finished after 14 minutes”, “finished after 13 minutes”, and so on.

  As described above, the control means 23 makes the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 non-display for a predetermined time in a predetermined process in each process such as rice cooking and heat insulation, and the liquid crystal power circuit shut-off means 29 Since the circuit 25 is shut off, it is possible to reduce wasteful power consumption that is consumed in a process that does not require display.

  In addition, the rice cooking process consists of preheating, cooking and unevenness processes. In the preheating process, the display of the liquid crystal display means is not displayed after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of preheating and the entire cooking process. Since the power supply circuit shut-off means 29 shuts off the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25, the display on the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed in a process that does not require a display for confirmation of the setting operation, and in a few minutes after the rice is cooked to the user. Since the liquid crystal display means 24 is displayed in the unevenness process where it is necessary to indicate whether or not to end, useless power consumption consumed in the process that does not require display without impairing the usability of the user. Can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed in the entire cooking process, but the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 may be hidden except for a predetermined time for each predetermined period.

Embodiment 5. FIG.
FIG. 8 is a process diagram showing a temperature change in the heat retaining process of the rice cooker according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a display example of the liquid crystal display means 24. Since the rice cooker structure of this Embodiment 5 is the same as FIG.1, FIG.2 or FIG.4 demonstrated in Embodiment 1 and 2, the display example and operation | movement of the liquid crystal display means 24 are demonstrated.

  In FIG. 8, the upper part is a curve showing the change in the detected temperature of the bottom thermistor 11, and the lower part is a chart showing the ON / OFF state of the display of the liquid crystal display means 24. Display is performed in the ON section, and is not displayed in the OFF section. This process diagram shows the process of the heat-retaining process after the end of rice cooking (after the end of the unevenness process). Continue to the process of maintaining.

  Rice cooking is started by storing the inner pot 2 containing rice and water inside the rice cooker body 1 and pressing a rice cooking key (not shown) arranged on the operation panel (not shown). After the cooking (cooking) process and the spotting process, the cooking is completed, and the process proceeds to the heat retaining process.

  When the heat retention process is started and a predetermined time elapses (30 minutes here), it is considered that the display for confirming the setting operation is not necessary, and the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed. Thereafter, when the heat retention elapsed time reaches 1 hour, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is resumed, and the heat retention elapsed time is displayed and notified. As for the display here, the same display will be continued until the heat retention elapsed time has further passed for 1 hour and becomes 2 hours. If the display notification is given only for a predetermined time at that time, there is no problem even if the display is not displayed until the next display content change, thereby reducing wasteful power consumption. Can do.

  Thereafter, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is restarted at intervals of 2 hours, 3 hours,..., And the heat retention elapsed time, and the heat retention elapsed time for a predetermined time (here, 10 minutes each). Display. This display is repeated until the heat retaining process is canceled.

  In FIG. 9, the display example in the uppermost stage (1) is a display example from the start of the heat insulation process to the elapse of a predetermined time, and the display example in the second stage (2) from the top is a display example after the elapse of the predetermined time from the start of the heat insulation process. And is continued from the start of the heat retention process to less than 1 hour. The third row (3) from the top is a display example after 1 hour has elapsed since the start of the heat retention step, and the fourth row (4) from the top is a display example after the passage of a predetermined time from the passage of 1 hour from the heat retention step. The lowermost row (5) is a display example after 2 hours have elapsed from the start of the heat retaining process. In the figure, the range enclosed by a square frame is the display range of the liquid crystal display means 24. On the outer left side of the display range, "Hurry" for shortening the rice cooking time, "white rice", "no-wash rice" The type of rice is displayed. On the right side of the exterior, the menu displays “normal”, “warming”, “soft”, “cooking”, “rice porridge”, and “rice” and “menu” placed on the operation panel (not shown). Each key is selected by pressing a key switch such as “”. The display of the selected setting is indicated by a triangular mark as shown in the figure.

  In the upper display example (1), the rice type setting is “white rice”, the menu setting is “normal”, and the heat retention elapsed time is less than 1 hour (“0 hour”). In the second display example (2) from the top, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed and is not displayed at all. In the display example in the third row (3) from the top, the display of the warming elapsed time is changed from “0 hour” to “1 hour” together with the continuation of the display of the type of rice and the menu setting. The display example in the fourth row (4) from the top is the same as the display example in the second row (2) from the top, and the display is not displayed, and is not displayed at all. The display example in the lowermost row (5) is the same as the display example in the third row (3) from the top, and the display of the heat retention elapsed time is changed from “1 hour” to “ 2 hours ".

  As described above, in the heat retaining step, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed after the elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the heat retention until the predetermined period from the start of the heat retention and for each predetermined period, and the liquid crystal power supply circuit Since the shut-off means 29 shuts off the liquid crystal power supply circuit 25, the display of the liquid crystal display means 24 is not displayed in a process in which a display for confirming the setting operation is not required, and the heat retention elapsed time is "1 hour" to the user. Since display notification is performed at the timing of changing to “2 hours”, it is possible to reduce wasteful power consumption consumed in a process that does not require display without impairing the user's convenience. . In particular, the heat retention process often takes a long time, and the ratio of wasteful power consumption due to display is high. However, according to the present embodiment, the first hour is 30 minutes, and then 10 of the hour. Since the display is only for minutes, the power consumption reduction rate can be increased.

  In the first to fifth embodiments, when the liquid crystal display means 24 is displayed, the power consumption may be further reduced as a blinking display.

It is sectional drawing of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the structure of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the structure of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is a flowchart showing operation | movement of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is process drawing showing the state of the liquid crystal display means in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is a figure showing the example of a display of the liquid crystal display means in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is process drawing showing the state of the liquid crystal display means in the heat retention process of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is a figure showing the example of a display of the liquid crystal display means in the heat retention process of the rice cooker which shows Embodiment 5 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  2 inner pot, 21 commercial power supply, 22 DC power supply, 23 control means, 24 liquid crystal display means, 25 liquid crystal power supply circuit, 26 backup power supply, 27 key input means, 28 heating means, 29 liquid crystal power supply circuit interruption means, 30 power failure detection means .

Claims (7)

An inner pot for storing the cooked rice, a heating means for heating the inner pot, a liquid crystal display means for displaying information related to time and rice cooking, a control means for controlling the heating means and the liquid crystal display means, and rice cooking start Key input means for sending a command to the control means, a liquid crystal power supply circuit for supplying power to the liquid crystal display means, a liquid crystal power supply circuit shutoff means for shutting down the liquid crystal power supply circuit, and supply of AC power from a commercial power supply A backup power supply for supplying DC power to the liquid crystal power supply circuit when there is not,
The rice cooker characterized in that the control means shuts off the liquid crystal power circuit by the liquid crystal power circuit shut-off means when the liquid crystal display means is not displayed. The control means comprises a microcomputer,
2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal power supply circuit shut-off means also serves as an output port of the microcomputer. Comprising a power failure detection means for detecting a power failure of the commercial power supply,
The said control means makes the display of the said liquid crystal display means non-display when it judges that it is a power failure by the output of the said power failure detection means, The said liquid crystal power supply circuit interruption | blocking means interrupts | blocks the said liquid crystal power supply circuit. Item 1 or claim 2.   The control means is configured to hide the display of the liquid crystal display means and shut off the liquid crystal power supply circuit by the liquid crystal power supply circuit shutoff means after a predetermined time has elapsed after the input of the key input means is lost. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.   The control means hides the display of the liquid crystal display means and shuts off the liquid crystal power supply circuit by the liquid crystal power supply circuit shutoff means in a predetermined process in each step such as rice cooking and heat insulation. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized by the above.   The rice cooking process consists of preheating, cooking and unevenness processes. In the preheating process, after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of preheating and the entire process of the cooking process is hidden from the display of the liquid crystal display means, 6. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein the liquid crystal power circuit is shut off by a liquid crystal power circuit shut-off means.   In the heat retaining step, after the elapse of a predetermined time from the start of the heat retention, the liquid crystal display means is not displayed for a predetermined period from the start of the heat retention and for each predetermined period, and the liquid crystal power supply circuit is shut off. 6. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein the liquid crystal power supply circuit is cut off by means.

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