JP2009000185A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker capable of cooking rice as desired to be matched with the change of rice quality due to the transition of seasons. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker includes a pot 7 to which an object to be cooked is to be fed, a rice cooker body 2 having an opening for housing the pot and a heating means for heating the object to be cooked inside the pot, a storage means storing various kinds of rice cooking menus, a display panel for displaying the various kinds of rice cooking menus, an operation means for selecting the rice cooking menu and changing various kinds of setting or the like, and a controller for executing a prescribed rice cooking process. In the storage means, rice cooking conditions for each of four seasons corresponding to the four seasons and user's preferences of tastes in the finish of the cooking of the object to be cooked are sectioned into plural and the rice cooking conditions whose levels are divided for the respective sections are stored. When a four-season cooking menu is selected by a selection means, the controller 24 executes the rice cooking process by calculating the rice cooking condition of the level according to a particular rice cooking condition set by the operation means on the basis of the four-season rice cooking conditions set by the operation means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker provided with a rice cooking menu that allows a user to cook rice according to the seasons.

  At present, electric rice cookers have become a necessity in general households, and various types of rice cookers have been developed. In recent rice cookers, a microcomputer is incorporated, various rice cooking menus are stored in a storage means, and a user can select a menu according to his / her preference. A variety of rice cooking menus have been developed. These rice cooking menus are usually a series of processes such as a water absorption process for absorbing water into rice, a rising heating process for heating at full power, a boiling maintenance process for maintaining the boiling state, and a steaming process for steaming the cooked rice. It is supposed to cook rice.

  However, the quality of rice has changed due to changes in the seasons. The quality of rice is different for new rice harvested at the beginning of the year, rice from harvest until the next year, and even older rice. Therefore, when these different rice qualities are cooked in the same rice cooking process, the cooked rice may not be cooked deliciously because its hardness, scent, etc. vary depending on the rice quality. On the other hand, the user's preference is diversified, and there is a need for a rice cooker that can cook rice according to the user's preference such as the hardness, stickiness, and sweetness of rice. Thus, various types of rice cookers have been developed to solve such problems.

For example, the rice cooker disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 stores a rice cooking sequence corresponding to the rice quality in the storage means in advance, so that the user can select the rice cooking sequence corresponding to the rice to be cooked. is there. This rice cooking sequence is a basic rice cooking sequence, a rice cooking sequence for cooking new rice, and a rice cooking sequence for cooking old rice. In addition, since the rice quality of the harvested rice changes depending on the transition of the four seasons, a rice cooker in which the water absorption time of the water absorption process is changed before and after the summer is disclosed in Patent Document 2 below. Has been. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 discloses a rice cooker that can cook rice by setting the hardness of the rice to be soft, slightly soft, normal, slightly hard, or hard. Furthermore, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 4 can cook rice with sweetness. Furthermore, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 5 can cook rice according to a user's individual preference. Specifically, in the rice cooker equipped with operation control means for controlling the rice cooking heating operation according to the heating conditions for each process of water absorption, temperature rise, cooking and steaming, heating condition change switch and heating for each process A heating condition changing means that allows the user to change the heating condition from the standard heating condition set in advance to the heating condition according to the operation of the heating condition change switch, allowing the user to set rice cooking that suits individual preferences. It is.
JP-A-6-1333849 (FIG. 3, paragraphs [0015] to [0020]) Japanese Patent No. 2914224 (FIG. 10, paragraphs [0063] to [0063]) Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-102183 (FIG. 2a, Claims (Claim 1)) JP 2004-344570 A (FIG. 6, paragraphs [0041] to [0044]) JP 2001-87130 A (FIG. 1, FIG. 4, paragraphs [0042] to [0046])

  According to the rice cooker disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, it is possible to cook rice by selecting a rice-cooking sequence corresponding to rice quality such as new rice and old rice. According to the rice cooker disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, Since the water absorption time is changed before and after summer, the rice corresponding to each category can be cooked. Moreover, according to the rice cooker disclosed by the said patent document 3, the hardness of rice can be adjusted and cooked separately, and according to the rice cooker disclosed by the said patent document 4, it cooks sweet rice. be able to. Furthermore, according to the rice cooker of the said patent document 5, when the heating conditions in each rice cooking process are made into the standard heating conditions, even if it is not satisfied with this standard cooking state, the user himself / herself sets the heating conditions in each process. By appropriately changing, it is possible to find and cook the heating conditions that match the user's preference.

  Therefore, the rice cooked by these rice cookers can give satisfaction to most users.

  However, in recent years, users have demanded more deliciousness, and the deliciousness has been diversified into various things. In addition, the quality of the harvested rice changes depending on the season. Generally, new rice is soft and sticky, and summer rice is hard and crunchy, so it can be made into similar rice throughout the year. It's getting harder. Furthermore, not only the adjustment of the hardness, but also other tastes such as sweetness, stickiness, umami, fragrance, elasticity, gloss, etc. are required.

  Therefore, the present invention solves such problems of the prior art and can meet recent user demands, and the object of the present invention is to match the change in rice quality due to seasonal changes. In addition, rice cookers that can be selected for their sweetness, stickiness, and hardness for each season are provided. There is.

  In order to achieve the above object, a rice cooker according to claim 1 of the present application is a heating means for heating a pot into which a rice to be cooked is put, an opening in which the pot is accommodated, and a rice to be cooked in the pot. A rice cooker main body, storage means for storing various rice cooking menus, a display panel for displaying various rice cooking menus, operation means for selecting the rice cooking menu, changing various settings, and the like, and executing a predetermined rice cooking process A water absorption step for controlling the heating means according to the rice cooking menu to absorb a predetermined amount of water in the cooked rice in the pan, and the absorbed water cover. A rice cooking process including a rising heating process for heating the cooked rice until it is boiled, a boiling maintaining process for maintaining the cooked rice in a boiling state, and a steaming process for steaming the cooked food after the boiling maintaining process. In rice cooker to perform The storage means stores in advance the four-season rice cooking conditions corresponding to the four seasons and the user's taste preferences in the cooking of the cooked rice in a plurality of categories, and the discerning rice cooking conditions leveled for each division, When the four-season cooking menu is selected, the control device, based on the four-season rice cooking conditions set by the operation means, according to the sticking rice cooking conditions set by the operation means, The condition is calculated and the rice cooking step is executed.

  The invention of claim 2 is the rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the four-season rice cooking conditions are such that the water absorption temperature in the water absorption process is high in spring and summer and low in autumn, and the water absorption time is low in winter. Based on the above, the spring and summer are long and the autumn is short, and the boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance step is set small in spring and summer and high in autumn in winter.

  The invention of claim 3 is the rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the control device divides the taste preference of the user at the time of cooking the cooked rice into a plurality of stages, and the divided taste preferences are divided into a plurality of stages. Display means for displaying on the display panel a sticky rice menu screen that can be input in divided levels, and condition calculation for calculating rice cooking conditions in the rice cooking process according to the category and level set by the operation means on the sticky rice menu screen And means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the rice cooker according to the third aspect, the control device sets at least a water absorption temperature / time in the water absorption step and a boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance step to a predetermined value for each level. Set, calculate the water absorption temperature / time and boiling maintenance power by the condition calculation means based on the values corresponding to the respective taste preference levels, and execute the rice cooking step with these calculated values. It is characterized by that.

  The invention of claim 5 of the present application is the rice cooker according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the plurality of taste preferences are sweetness, stickiness and hardness of the cooked rice, and these sweetness, stickiness and The hardness is divided into at least three levels or more.

  The rice cooker according to claim 6 is a rice cooker body having a pan into which the cooked rice is charged, an opening in which the pan is accommodated, and a heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan, and the lid. A pressure valve for adjusting the internal pressure in the pan, a pressure valve opening mechanism for controlling the pressure valve, storage means for storing various rice cooking menus, a display panel for displaying various rice cooking menus, and the rice cooking Operation means for selecting a menu, changing various settings, and the like, and a control device for executing a predetermined rice cooking process, and controlling the heating means according to the rice cooking menu by the control device to control the inside of the pan A water absorption step for absorbing a predetermined amount of water into the cooked rice, a rising heating step for heating and heating the absorbed cooked rice until boiling, and a boiling maintaining step for maintaining the cooked rice in a boiling state And the cooked rice after the boiling maintenance step In the rice cooker that performs the rice cooking process including the steaming process, the storage means preliminarily classifies the four seasons of rice cooking conditions corresponding to the four seasons and the taste preference of the user in cooking the cooked rice into a plurality of categories. The discretionary rice cooking conditions classified for each level are stored, and when the four-season cooking menu is selected by the operation means, the control device is based on the four-season rice cooking conditions set by the operation means. According to the sticking rice cooking conditions set by the operating means, the level of rice cooking conditions is calculated and the rice cooking step is executed.

  The invention of claim 7 is the rice cooker according to claim 6, wherein the four-season rice cooking conditions are such that the water absorption temperature in the water absorption process is high in spring and summer and low in autumn, and the water absorption time is low in winter. Based on the above, the spring and summer are long and the autumn is short, and the boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance step is set small in spring and summer and high in autumn in winter.

  The invention of claim 8 is the rice cooker according to claim 6, wherein the control device divides the taste preference of the user at the time of cooking the cooked rice into a plurality of stages, and the divided taste preferences are divided into a plurality of stages. Display means for displaying on the display panel a sticky rice menu screen that can be input in divided levels, and condition calculation for calculating rice cooking conditions in the rice cooking process according to the category and level set by the operation means on the sticky rice menu screen And means.

  The invention of claim 9 is the rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein the control device sets at least the water absorption temperature and time in the water absorption process and the boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance process to predetermined values for each level. Set, calculate the water absorption temperature / time and boiling maintenance power by the condition calculation means based on the values corresponding to the respective taste preference levels, and execute the rice cooking step with these calculated values. It is characterized by that.

  The invention of claim 10 is the rice cooker according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the plurality of taste preferences are the sweetness, stickiness and hardness of the cooked rice, and these sweetness, stickiness and hardness. Is divided into at least three levels.

  By providing the above configuration, the present invention has the following excellent effects. That is, according to the first and second aspects of the invention, the rice can be cooked according to the seasons. That is, the quality of the harvested rice changes due to the change of season, generally, new rice is soft and sticky, and summer rice tends to be hard and crunchy. In line with seasonal changes in rice quality, new rice can be made harder and less sticky, and summer can be made softer and more sticky, and at the same time you can cook your favorite rice every season.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to easily set a desired category and level on the display panel from the display screen.

  According to invention of Claim 4, the control of the hardness thru | or sweetness employ | adopted by the prior art is each cooked so that it may become predetermined | prescribed hardness or sweetness, respectively. It is not possible to grasp in what state it is cooked other than sweetness or sweetness, and since it is not divided into levels other than hardness, it can not respond to the user preference requesting delicious rice, but the conditions for discerning rice cooking of this invention are Depending on the set taste preference level, the water absorption temperature / time and boiling maintenance power for each taste preference is calculated and cooked based on this calculated value. Is possible.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the user can cook rice by setting his / her favorite taste preferences in a plurality of levels. More than 3 levels of each of these sweetness, stickiness and hardness, for example, sweetness, sweet, normal, sweetness modest, stickiness, stickiness, normal, light, and further, hardness, firmness, normal, softness, etc. You can cook your favorite rice.

  According to the invention of Claims 6-10, in a pressure type rice cooker, there can exist an effect similar to what was shown in the invention of Claims 1-5.

  Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiment shown below exemplifies a rice cooker for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and is not intended to specify the present invention for this rice cooker. Other embodiments within the scope are equally applicable.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-4, the structure of the rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 1 is a front view of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in which the outer case of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 is omitted, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the pressure valve opening mechanism of FIG. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view, FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the display portion of FIG. 1, FIG. 4B is a sticking rice menu screen, and FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the control device.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the rice cooker 1 has a pan 7 into which the rice to be cooked is put, an opening in which the pan 7 is accommodated above, and an inner portion in which the pan 7 is heated to prepare the rice to be cooked. A rice cooker main body (hereinafter referred to as a main body) 2 having heating means 5 for heating, and a lid body 10 having a locking mechanism pivotally supported on one side of the main body 2 to cover the opening and lock in a closed state; A pressure valve 13 that is attached to the lid 10 and adjusts the internal pressure in the pan 7, a pressure valve opening mechanism 18 that controls the pressure valve, a display operation unit 25 that displays and selects various rice cooking menus, And a control device 24 for controlling the heating means 5 and the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 according to the selected rice cooking menu.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 2 includes a bottomed box-shaped outer case 3 and an inner case 4 that is accommodated in the outer case 3 and in which the pan 7 is accommodated. A gap is formed between the inner case 4 and a control circuit board (not shown) constituting the control device 24. The inner case 4 is provided with a heating means 5 at the bottom 4a and side 4b, and a pan bottom temperature sensor 6 comprising a thermistor for detecting the pan bottom temperature at the bottom 4a. As the heating means 5, an electromagnetic induction coil wound in a donut shape is used. As shown in FIG. 2, the pan 7 is a relatively deep bottom container into which a predetermined amount of cooked rice made of water and rice is put, and is made of a clad material of aluminum and stainless steel.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lid 10 includes an inner lid 11 that closes the opening of the pan 7, an outer lid 12 that closes the entire opening of the main body 2, and the like. One end of the lid 10 is pivotally supported by one end of the main body 2, and the other end is locked to the other end of the main body by a locking mechanism. A pressure valve 13 and a pressure valve opening mechanism 18 for opening the pressure valve 13 are provided on the upper portion of the inner lid 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure valve 13 includes a valve seat 15 in which a valve hole 14 having a predetermined diameter is formed, and a metal ball 16 placed on the valve seat 15 so as to close the valve hole 14. The cover 16 is configured to restrict the movement of the ball 16 and hold the ball 16 on the valve seat 15 (see FIG. 3).

  The pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is attached to a cylinder 19a around which an electromagnetic coil is wound, a plunger 19b that slides in the cylinder 19a by excitation of the electromagnetic coil to move the ball 16, and a tip of the plunger. It consists of a spring and an operating rod 20.

  The pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is controlled by the control device 24. That is, when the electromagnetic coil is excited based on a command from the control device 24, the plunger 19b jumps out of the cylinder 19a and collides with the ball 16, and pushes the ball 16 in the lateral direction. By this extrusion, the ball 16 is moved from above the valve hole 14 to forcibly open the valve hole 14. Further, in this open state, when the excitation to the electromagnetic coil is stopped, the plunger 19b is pulled back into the cylinder 19a by a spring force, and this retraction eliminates the force that the plunger 19b pushes the ball 16 in the lateral direction. 16 returns onto the valve hole 14, and the valve hole 14 is closed by the ball 16.

  The outer lid 12 is provided with a steam port 21 that communicates the space between the inner lid 11 and the outer lid 12 and the atmosphere. The inner lid 11 is provided with a safety valve 22 for releasing the steam in the pan to the outside through the steam port 21 when the pressure in the pan rises to an abnormal pressure equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure. In addition, a steam temperature sensor 23 (see FIG. 3) is attached to the inner lid 7.

  Various types of rice cooking menus are displayed on the front wall of the main body 2, and a display operation unit 25 including a plurality of operation buttons for setting a predetermined menu or the like from the displayed menus is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the display operation unit 25 includes a display panel 8 on which various rice cooking selection menus and times are displayed, and a plurality of operation buttons on the left and right and below the display panel 8. Yes. The operation buttons described here are a rice cooking start button 3a for operating the rice cooker, a reservation button 3b for making a rice cooking reservation, a cut button 3c for canceling the setting of rice cooking, a rice selection button 3d for selecting rice, and a rice cooking menu. A menu button 3e, a course button 3f for selecting a course, and a cross shift key 9 for selecting and determining a menu displayed on the display panel 8 are provided.

  These operation buttons are buttons or keys constituting a push button type switch, and each switch (not shown) is operated by pressing the button or key. Of these operation buttons 3a to 3f, the menu button 3e is used to display various rice cooking menus on the display panel 8. When this button is pressed, the menu button 3e is usually soft, porridge, porridge, sushi, curry, cooking. A menu for cooking rice such as rice cakes and rice cakes is displayed. The rice selection button 3d is used to select the type of rice, for example, one of white rice, non-washed rice, brown rice, germinated brown rice, and the like. Furthermore, the course button 3f is used to select umami warming, good night warming, cleaning, and the like. The cross-shift key 9 is used to select a predetermined menu from various menus displayed on the display panel 8. The displayed rice cooking menu, for example, normal, sautéed, soft, porridge, sushi, curry, Selection is performed by moving the cursor (blinking display) up and down and left and right by operating the cross shift key 9 from cooking, mochi-mochi, seasonal cooking (spring, summer, autumn, winter) and the like. Spring, summer, autumn, and winter displayed on the display panel 8 indicate changes in the four seasons. For example, a screen shown in FIG. 4A is displayed on the display panel 8. As shown in FIG. 4B, the display panel 8 displays the sweetness, stickiness, and hardness for which preference setting is performed, and each level can be set.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 24 includes hardware including a circuit board on which a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like are mounted, and includes a rice cooking / start button 3a, a menu selection button 3e, a rice cooking reservation button 3b, and a cancel / heat retention. The button 3c, the pan bottom temperature sensor 6, the cross shift key 9, the steam sensor 23, etc. are connected to each other, and signals from these buttons and sensors are input to the CPU. Further, various timers for measuring a predetermined time, ROM, and RAM are connected to the CPU. Further, a heater (IH coil) 5, a pressure valve opening mechanism (solenoid) 19a ', a display panel 8, and the like are connected to the output unit (driver). The ROM stores various rice cooking menus and programs for executing the menus.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 6, the outline of the rice cooking process common to each rice cooking menu is demonstrated. In addition, FIG. 6 is explanatory drawing which showed the temperature in the pan in the rice cooking process, and the opening / closing putter of the pressure valve.

  The common rice cooking process includes a water absorption process I in which a predetermined amount of water is absorbed by rice at a predetermined water absorption temperature and time, a rising heating process II in which the cooked rice is heated to a boiling temperature after the water absorption, and a predetermined heating process II. It has a boiling maintenance process III for maintaining the boiling state for a predetermined time with boiling maintenance power, and a follow-up cooking process IV for steaming cooked rice for a predetermined time after the completion of the boiling maintenance.

  Among these rice cooking processes I to IV, the opening control of the pressure valve 13 is performed in the boiling maintenance process III and the additional cooking process IV. The opening control of the pressure valve 13 in the boiling maintenance process III is performed by three opening / closing patterns A and B depending on the number of times the pressure valve 13 is opened and closed and the length of the closing time after the inside of the pan 7 reaches the boiling temperature in the start-up heating process II. , C. The opening / closing pattern A is opened and closed a predetermined number of times, for example, 4 to 6 times, for example, in units of 2 to 6 seconds after the start-up heating process II, and then the pressure valve 13 is closed and this closed state is continued until after cooking The valve closing time is the longest. In the open / close pattern B, the pressure valve 13 is closed after opening and closing 4 to 8 times in units of 2 to 6 seconds, and the temperature is kept at the maximum value, that is, the temperature at which the rice is cut out, with no moisture in the pan. Pattern. Further, the opening / closing pattern C is a pattern in which opening and closing is performed four times in units of 2 to 6 seconds, and thereafter the pressure valve 31 is opened, and the valve closing time is the shortest. Moreover, each opening-and-closing pattern A, B, and C closes a pressure valve also in the latter half of the additional cooking process IV. These open / close patterns A to C are mainly set for sweetness, stickiness, and hardness control in the rice cooking menu. The opening / closing pattern control is performed by operating the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 by the control device 24.

  Various rice cooking menus are cooked by this rice cooking process. However, because the quality of rice changes with the transition of the four seasons, rice is not cooked to your favorite rice when cooked by the conventional rice cooking process.

Therefore, explain the changes in rice quality due to the transition of the four seasons and the properties of rice when rice with different rice quality is cooked in the conventional rice cooking process. The quality of rice changes in winter rice, spring rice, and summer rice after cooking, and when rice in these changed seasons is cooked, its properties, such as hardness, softness, adhesiveness, adhesiveness, chewing, etc. depending on the seasons Properties, elasticity, balance, cohesion and sustainability will be different. FIG. 7 is a graph showing a part of the properties when the rice quality changes according to the four seasons and the rice of the changed four seasons is cooked.
(I) Hardness: Looking at this hardness in that degree, as shown in the A1 graph of FIG. 7 (a), the rice cooked with fresh rice in October is the lowest, and then the winter, spring and summer It will rise gradually toward the highest point, and will reach the highest value around September of the following year. Therefore, when this new rice is cooked in a normal rice cooking process, it becomes soft and watery.
(Ii) Stickiness; Stickiness is the highest in rice in February in winter as shown in the B1 graph of FIG. New seasons continued, and other seasons are lower than these seasons. Accordingly, the winter season and new rice are highly sticky. In addition to the hardness and adhesiveness, the inventor has also verified adhesion, chewability, elasticity, balance, cohesiveness, sustainability, and the like. .
(Iii) Flexibility: Taking this flexibility as a biting response, rice in February in winter is the most flexible, and in spring, summer and autumn, the flexibility is lower than in winter. Accordingly, rice in the winter season is the most flexible and chewy, and rice in other seasons is less flexible than that in the winter season.
(Iv) Adhesive strength: Taking this adhesive strength as the degree of adhesive property, rice in February is the highest in winter, and then gradually declines. New rice in October is not high, and rice in November is the lowest. Become. Therefore, the rice around February in winter has the highest adhesion, and the rice in other seasons has a lower adhesion than that in winter.
(V) Chewability: If this chewability is grasped by the degree of “koshi”, rice in the winter season is the highest, the rice in the eleventh season is the lowest, and the rice in other seasons is between these ing. Therefore, winter rice has the highest chewability and is strong. Conversely, rice around November is the weakest.
(Vi) Balance degree: If this balance degree is grasped by the degree of stickiness with respect to hardness, rice in fresh rice and around February in winter is high, followed by rice in other seasons. Therefore, the degree of balance between new rice and winter rice is high, and the stickiness to hardness is balanced. Rice in other seasons is less balanced than new rice and winter.
(Vii) Elasticity: If we consider this elasticity as the degree of elasticity of rice, or the degree of force to return to its original shape, rice in February is the highest in winter and new rice in October is in the process of. Rice at the time is the lowest value. Therefore, winter rice and new rice are highly elastic and elastic, and the rice around November is the least elastic.
(Viii) Cohesiveness: When this cohesiveness is grasped with a sense closer to that when chewing with teeth, the new rice in October and the rice in February in winter are the highest, and the rice in November and June is low. Therefore, new rice and winter rice become cohesive, that is, a feeling closer to chewing with teeth.
(Ix) Sustainability: Taking this persistence as the degree of persistence, the rice from October to February is higher than that of other seasons, and the rice at around 6 is lower. Therefore, the rice from October to February is persistent, that is, sticky.

  In this way, the properties of rice after harvest change depending on the change of season, so when cooked in the conventional rice cooking process, its hardness, softness, adhesion, stickiness, chewing property, elasticity, balance It doesn't make your favorite cooking because of its degree of cohesion and durability. Therefore, cooking rice with different rice quality, for example, new rice, becomes soft and sticky rice, while cooking rice in summer makes it hard and crunchy, which may not match the taste of the user . On the other hand, rice around February in the winter season has higher hardness, adhesion, stickiness, chewability, elasticity, balance, cohesiveness, and sustainability, so it can be cooked deliciously compared to other seasons. Therefore, in this seasonal cooking, for example, new rice is hardened by suppressing its stickiness, while it is sticky and soft in summer, so that it is finished in the same rice throughout the year. For example, the hardness shown in (i) has the characteristics of the A2 graph in FIG. 7A, and the adhesiveness shown in (ii) has the characteristics of the B2 graph in FIG. 7B.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 8-10, the condition setting of the rice cooking process of season cooking is demonstrated. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams showing the pan bottom temperature and the opening and closing of the valve in the rice cooking process in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and FIG. 10 is a table summarizing the setting values of the rice cooking conditions for each season.

  The four seasons are divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter, and conditions for each rice cooking process are set. In the spring season, as shown in FIG. 8A, the water absorption temperature X in the water absorption process is set to X1 (for example, 60 ° C.), the water absorption time TK is set to TK1 (16 minutes), and the boiling maintenance power K is set to K1 (93%). The rice is cooked based on this set value. Similarly, in the summer, as shown in FIG. 8B, the water absorption temperature X is set to X2 (60 ° C.), the water absorption time TK is set to TK1 (20 minutes), and the boiling maintenance power K is set to K2 (85%). In the autumn season, as shown in FIG. 9A, the water absorption temperature X is set to X3 (53 ° C.), the water absorption time TK is set to TK3 (8 minutes), and the boiling maintenance power K is set to K3 (110%). In winter, as shown in FIG. 9B, the water absorption temperature X is set to X4 (58 ° C.), the water absorption time TK is set to TK4 (12 minutes), and the boiling maintenance power K is set to K4 (100%). And in these setting conditions, each setting value in spring, summer, autumn and winter is set to the following relationship. In the spring, summer, autumn and winter, the water absorption temperature X is X3 <X4 <X1 = X2, the water absorption time TK is TK3 <TK4 <TK1 <TK2, and the boiling maintenance power K is K2 <K1 <K4 <K3. Is set. By setting these conditions, the winter season is used as a reference. For example, new rice can be cooked to the same rice throughout the year with less stickiness and firmer, while in summer it is sticky and soft.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 11, the condition setting of the special rice cooking will be described. 11 (a) is an explanatory diagram for explaining preference categories and levels, FIG. 11 (b) is a diagram showing combinations of sweetness, stickiness, and hardness levels, and FIG. 12 is sweetness, stickiness, hardness, and water absorption. It is explanatory drawing explaining relationships, such as temperature, water absorption temperature, and boiling maintenance electric power.

  When the discerning rice cooking menu is selected, the display panel 8 displays a screen on which sweetness, stickiness, and hardness can be input in three stages. FIG.4 (b) has shown this sticking rice cooking menu screen. The screen of FIG.4 (b) sets sweet rice, stickiness, and hardness by marking an asterisk to the numbers 1-3 of the stage level, and sets favorite rice cooking. Using this screen, sweetness, stickiness, and hardness are set for each sweetness, stickiness, and hardness by left / right and up / down operations using the cross-shift key 9. This setting is set, for example, with two star marks for sweetness, one star mark for stickiness, and three star marks for hardness. This star mark is made by pressing the left / right direction key of the cross shift key. Moreover, the change of sweetness, stickiness, and hardness is changed by pressing the up-down direction key of this key. Each star has two sweetnesses, one stickiness, and three hardnesses, and a rice cooking pattern “213” to be described later is set by the number of these star marks. According to this display panel 8, the level of sweetness, stickiness and hardness can be set very easily.

  This discerning rice cooker classifies the taste preferences of the user into a plurality of levels, and further classifies the classified taste preferences into a plurality of levels so that the user can select a predetermined one from these categories and levels when cooking rice. ing. As shown in FIG. 11A, the taste preference of the user is divided into three types of rice sweetness, stickiness, and hardness, and each of these divisions is subdivided into three levels. Among these, the sweetness is divided into three levels: level 3 sweet, level 2 normal, and level 1 moderate sweetness. These levels are determined by the glucose and sucrose values (mg / 100 g of dried rice) of the cooked rice. A liquid chromatograph is used for this measurement. The stickiness is divided into three levels: level 3 stickiness, level 2 normal, and level 1 quick. This level division is determined by the value of adhesiveness (N · mm). A rheometer is used for this measurement. Further, the hardness is divided into three levels: level 3 hard, level 2 normal, and level 1 soft. This level division is determined by the value of hardness (N). A rheometer is also used for this measurement. The sweetness, stickiness, and hardness divided into these three levels are selected and combined when cooking carefully. FIG. 11B shows this combination pattern.

  When this sweetness, stickiness, and hardness are divided into three levels and combined, they can be represented by a regular tetragonal cube as shown in FIG. That is, in FIG. 11B, in the three-dimensional coordinate axes X, Y, and Z, the X-axis is sweet, the Y-axis is firm, the Z-axis is sticky, and the X, Y, and Z-axes are reduced to 1 to 3. Plotted by level. And the three-digit number in this figure represents a combination of sweetness, hardness, and stickiness. Of these three-digit numbers, the third digit is sticky, the second digit is sweet, and the first digit is hardness. Yes. For example, a three-digit number “113” is stickiness level 1, sweetness level 1 and hardness level 3, and the rice cooked by this cooking pattern “113” has less sweetness and stickiness and is hard rice, so-called hard rice. It becomes light rice. The reverse is the pattern of numbers “331”.

  Therefore, when the taste preference is divided into three categories of sweetness, stickiness and hardness, and each is further divided into three levels, the total of these combinations is 27, and rice can be cooked in these 27 rice cooking patterns. Combined with cooking in four seasons, 108 ways of cooking can be made in 27 (street) x 4 (four seasons). Therefore, combining seasonal cooking and discerning cooking, the selection of seasonal cooking, new rice is hardened by suppressing the stickiness, while summer rice is sticky and softly cooked. The rice can be cooked by setting the sweetness, stickiness and hardness corresponding to.

  The 27 types of cooking are performed by setting the water absorption temperature and water absorption time in the rice cooking process, the boiling maintenance power, the control of the number of opening and closing of the valve, the cutting temperature at the time of additional cooking, and the like to predetermined values.

  Hereinafter, the relationship between the water absorption temperature, the boiling maintenance power, the water absorption time, and the like, and the sweetness, stickiness, and hardness control will be mainly described with reference to FIG. In the above “seasonal cooking”, the water absorption temperature is “X”, the water absorption time is “TK”, and the boiling maintenance power is “K”. The description will be made using the symbols “T”, water absorption time “H”, and boiling maintenance power “P”.

In FIG. 12, the water absorption temperature T (° C.) is the water absorption temperature in the water absorption process, and the temperatures a _{1 to} a ₃ are set for the sweetness levels 1 to 3, respectively. The weight w _a is associated with the hardness. With respect to these temperatures a _{1 to} a ₃ , the level a temperature a ₁ is low and the level 3 temperature a ₅ is high, based on the level 2 (normal) temperature a ₂ . Temperature a ₂ level 2 (usually) is set to a water temperature X1~X4 of cooked seasons. Thus, for example, when the spring in a cooked seasons is Good cooking is selected, X1 is set in the water temperature a _2-level 2, in the same way, summer, autumn and winter, water temperature X2, X3 and X4 is set respectively. In other words, the water temperature a ₂ in the sweet setting, each of the water temperature corresponding to the four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter) is X1~X4.

Further, for the stickiness levels 1 to 3, the respective water absorption temperatures b _{1 to} b ₃ are set, and these values are given a weight w _{b in} relation to other sweetness and hardness. These temperatures b _{1 to} b ₃ are set so that level 1 is high and level 3 is low based on level 2 (usually). Then, four seasons water temperature b ₂ of level 2 (spring, summer, autumn and winter) each of the water temperature in response to the is set to X1~X4.

Further, for the hardness levels 1 to 3, the respective water absorption temperatures c _{1 to} c ₃ are set, and these values are given a weight w _{c in} relation to other sweetness and stickiness. These water absorption temperatures c _{1 to} c ₃ are high on level 1 and low on level 3 with reference to level 2 (usually). Shiki water temperature c ₂ Level 2 (spring, summer, autumn and winter) each water temperature in response to is set to X1 to X4. The sum of these sweetness weights w _a, stickiness weights w _b, and hardness weights w _c is 100%, the relationship is as _{w b> w c> w a} . From this relationship, the water absorption temperature contributes most to stickiness, and the degree of contribution is in the order of hardness and sweetness, and the water absorption rate of the rice changes depending on the water absorption temperature, and as a result, the stickiness at the time of cooking is controlled. Will be.

The opening / closing V of the valve indicates the opening / closing pattern of the pressure valve in the boiling maintaining step, and the opening / closing patterns A to C (FIG. 6) are respectively applied to the respective levels 1 to 3 of sweetness, stickiness, and hardness. These values are assigned weights w ₁ , w ₂ , and w ₃ , respectively. The total value of the sweetness weight w ₁ , stickiness weight w ₂ , and hardness weight w ₃ is 100%, and the relationship between them is w ₃ > w ₂ > w ₁ . From this relationship, in the opening and closing of the valve, the difference in the opening and closing pattern, that is, the length of the valve closing time contributes most to the hardness, and the degree of contribution is in the order of stickiness and sweetness.

Boiling maintaining power P is a power supplied to heat maintain the cooking of the pot boiling in the boiling maintain step, for the sweetness level 1-3, respectively power d ₁ to d ₃ These values are weighted w _d in relation to other stickiness and hardness. These electric powers d _{1 to} d ₃ are set so that level 1 is high and level 3 is low based on level 2 (usually). Shiki boiling maintain power d ₂ Level 2 (spring, summer, autumn and winter) each water temperature in response to is set to K 1 to K 4. Similarly, stickiness and hardness levels 1 to 3 are also set to e _{1 to} e ₃ and f _{1 to} f ₃ , respectively, and e ₂ and f ₂ of level ₂ are in four seasons (spring, summer, autumn and winter). Correspondingly, the respective water absorption temperatures are set to K1 to K4. The sum of the sweetness weights w _d, stickiness weight w _e, and hardness weights w _f is 100%, these relationships are as _{w d> w f> w e} . From this relationship, boiling maintenance power contributes most to sweetness, and the degree of contribution is in the order of hardness and stickiness. Therefore, when the boiling maintenance power is changed, the time during which the cooked rice is boiling changes, and the degree of sweetness can be controlled by the length of the boiling time. That is, when the boiling time is lengthened, the sweetness increases, and when it is shortened, the sweetness decreases.

Water time H is sweetness, for each level 1-3 stickiness and hardness, respectively time _{n 1 ~n 3, o 1 ~o} 3, p 1 ~p 3 is set, these times, Based on level 2 (usually), level 1 is short and level 3 is long. These values are given weights w _n , w _o and w _p . The total value of the sweetness weight w _n , stickiness weight w _o , and hardness weight w _p is 100%, and the relationship between them is w _p > w _n > w _o . From this relationship, the water absorption time contributes most to the hardness, and the contribution is in the order of sweetness and stickiness. Further, the temperature n _2, o _2, p ₂ level 2 (normal) TK1～TK4 of cooked seasons are set. Therefore, the hardness can be controlled by the length of the water absorption time. That is, when the water absorption time is lengthened, it becomes soft, and when it is shortened, it becomes hard.

Cutting temperature CT is the rice cutting temperature which cuts boiling maintenance power in the state where water in the pan is depleted and heated in the rice cooking process, and each level of sweetness, stickiness and hardness is 1 to 3 On the other hand, cutting temperatures g _{1 to} g ₃ , h _{1 to} h ₃ , and i _{1 to} i ₃ are set, and level 1 is low and level 3 is high with reference to level 2 (usually). The total value of the sweetness weight w _g , stickiness weight w _h , and hardness weight w _i is 100%, and the relationship between them is w _g > w _h > w _i . From this relationship, the cutting temperature contributes most to sweetness, and the degree of contribution is in the order of hardness and stickiness. Therefore, this cutting temperature is effective as a factor for controlling sweetness. The cutting temperature can be controlled by changing the temperature. As a result, if the cutting temperature is high, the scent is abundant and fragrant, and if the cutting temperature is low, the scent decreases.

Add cooked CO is a time reheating in steaming process (see FIG. 6), sweetened, relative stickiness and hardness each level 1-3, reheating time _{j 1 ~j 3, k 1 ~k} 3 , M _{1 to} m ₃ are set, with reference to level 2 (usually), level 1 is low and level 3 is high. The total value of the sweetness weight w _j , stickiness weight w _k , and hardness weight w _m is 100%, and the relationship between them is w _j > w _m > w _k . From this relationship, the additional cooking time contributes most to sweetness, and the degree of contribution is in the order of hardness and stickiness. Therefore, this additional cooking time is effective as a factor controlling sweetness.

The control of sweetness, stickiness and hardness is performed by setting the water absorption temperature, boiling maintenance power, water absorption temperature and the like to predetermined values for each of the levels 1 to 3, and based on these values below. Some examples of rice cooking patterns will be described. For example, when the rice cooking pattern “113” is selected, in order to execute this rice cooking pattern, the control device calculates the water absorption temperature T ₁₁₃ , boiling maintenance power P ₁₁₃ , water absorption time H ₁₁₃ , and the like of this pattern as follows: Respectively. That is,
Water absorption temperature T ₁₁₃ = a ₁ × w _a + b ₁ × w _b + c ₃ × w _c (formula 1)
Boiling maintaining power _{P 113 = d 1 × w d} + e 1 × w e + f 3 × w f ···· ( Equation 2)
Valve opening / closing V ₁₁₃ = C x w ₁ + C x w ₂ + C x w ₃ ··· (Equation 3)
Switching temperature _{CT 113 = g 1 × w g} + h 1 × w h + i 3 × w i ···· ( Equation 4)
Additional cooking CO ₁₁₃ = j ₁ xw _j + k ₁ xw _k + m ₃ xw _m (formula 5)
Water absorption time H ₁₁₃ = n ₁ × w _n + o ₁ × w _o + p ₁ × w _p (formula 6)
Are calculated respectively. From this calculation result, rice cooking of the rice cooking pattern “113” is performed based on the water absorption temperature T ₁₁₃ , the boiling maintenance power P ₁₁₃ , the water absorption time H ₁₁₃ , and the like. By this cooking rice pattern “113”, the cooked rice has less sweetness and stickiness and becomes hard rice, so-called hard and light.

When another rice cooking pattern “331” is selected, the control device calculates the water absorption temperature T ₃₃₁ , the boiling maintenance power P ₃₃₁ , the water absorption time H _{331, and the} like. Wherein in this case is similar to the above (Formula 1) to (6), for example, water temperature T _{331 is, a 3 × w a + b} 3 × w b + c 1 × w c, boiling maintain power P ₃₃₁ is _{d 3 × w d + e 3} × w e + f 1 × w f, water time H ₃₃₁ is a _{j 3 × w j + k 3} × w k + m 1 × w m, the opening and closing V ₃₁₁ of the valve in the same manner, switching Temperature CT ₃₁₁ and additional cooking CO ₃₃₁ are calculated. And based on this calculation result, rice cooking of the rice cooking pattern "331" is performed.

  Next, with reference to FIGS. 13-17, the rice cooking process of the discerning rice menu in four seasons is demonstrated.

  First, at the start of cooking rice, the pan 7 into which a predetermined amount of water and white rice has been charged by the user is accommodated in the inner case 4, and the lid 10 is closed (S101). Next, a rice cooking menu is selected by the display operation unit 25 (S102). Here, when the four-season cooking menu is selected (Yes in S103), the process proceeds to S104, and the four-season cooking setting processing is performed. In addition, when a four-season cooking menu is not selected (it is No at S103), it transfers to another rice cooking process and cooks rice. About this other rice cooking process, since it is not directly related to this invention, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the setting process for cooking in four seasons shown in S <b> 104 first refers to the calendar in the control device 24 (S <b> 201) and recognizes which of the four seasons the current calendar corresponds to. The four season setting screen is displayed with the four season display based on the default display (S202). When this display screen is displayed, if the start button 3a is pressed without making any change (Yes in S203), the four-season cooking conditions are determined reflecting the four-season settings based on the current calendar (S204). . If the start button 3a is not pressed (No in S203) and the left / right direction key of the cross-shift key 9 is pressed (Yes in S205), the four season setting is selected / changed (S206). When the start button 3a is pressed (Yes in S207), the four season cooking conditions are confirmed reflecting the selected / changed four season settings (S208). By determining these four-season cooking conditions, the water absorption temperature, water absorption time, boiling maintenance power, etc. in the rice cooking process are set. This set value is selected from the table shown in FIG.

  Next, a commitment setting process is performed based on the four season cooking conditions determined by the above-described process (S105). In this preference setting process, as shown in FIG. 17, first, a preference setting screen is displayed on the display panel 8 as a default display (S301). In addition, as a default display of this sticking setting screen, for example, three parameters of stickiness, sweetness, and hardness are displayed as level 2. Here, when the rice cooking start button 3a is pressed (Yes in S302), the control device 24 recognizes that cooking is performed with the setting value displayed as the default display, and the above-described (Expression 1) corresponding to this particular setting value. ) To (Formula 6) are calculated by the condition calculation means (not shown) to determine the sticking rice cooking conditions, start cooking (S303), and complete the sticking setting process.

  When the preference setting screen is displayed (S301), if any of the cross shift keys 9 is pressed without pressing the start button 3a (No in S302), the preference setting value is changed. Specifically, when the up / down direction key of the cross-shift key 9 is pressed (Yes in S304), the selection operation of each parameter of sweetness, stickiness, and hardness can be performed (S305), and the left / right direction key is pressed. (Yes in S306), the level of the parameter selected by the up / down direction key can be changed (S307). When the change of the sticking setting value is completed, the rice cooking start button 3a is pressed (S309), and the control device 24 recognizes that the rice cooking is performed with the selected setting value by pressing the start button 3a. Then, the numerical values corresponding to the (Expression 1) to (Expression 6) corresponding to the discretionary setting value are calculated by the condition calculating means (not shown), the discriminating rice cooking conditions are determined, and the rice cooking is started (S309). Complete the preference setting process.

  On the control device 24 side, it is more convenient to store the preference setting value selected / changed in S303 to S308 in a storage device (not shown) so that it can be displayed as a default in the next preference setting processing. Is preferable.

When this sticking setting process is completed, the control device 24 starts the rice cooking process. When the rice cooking process is started, a high frequency current is applied to the heating means 5 attached to the outer bottom wall and the outer wall of the inner case 4, an eddy current is generated in the pan 7, the pan is heated, and the cooked rice is cooked. The heating of the object is started (S106). Next, the control device 24 operates the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 to move the ball 16 to forcibly open the pressure valve 13 (S107), and the water absorption process I is executed (S108). When the water absorption process I is started, a water absorption timer (not shown) starts measuring the water absorption time ST1 (S109), and then the pan bottom temperature sensor 6 measures the pan bottom temperature SK1 (S110). The measurement of the pan bottom temperature SK1 is performed until a predetermined temperature is reached. This temperature is determined using the formula shown in the above (Formula 1) with reference to the sticky setting value set when the sticky setting process is performed. Calculated. When it is confirmed that the pan bottom temperature SK1 has reached the water absorption temperature X (X = T ₁₁₁ , T ₁₁₂ ... T ₃₃₃ ) (Yes in S 111), the heating amount of the heating means 5 is controlled by the control device 24, and the cooked rice is changed. While maintaining the predetermined temperature (S112), the water absorption time ST1 is continuously measured. This water absorption step I is performed for a preset water absorption time ST1, specifically, a water absorption time TK (TK = H ₁₁₁ , H ₁₁₂ ... H ₃₃₃ ) calculated using the equation shown in (Equation 6).

  When the set water absorption time TK elapses (Yes in S113), the process proceeds to the start-up heating process II (S114). In the start-up heating step II, the heating means 5 is fully heated (full power heating) so that it becomes a boiling state in a short time, and the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is operated by the control device 24 to pull back the plunger 19a. Then, the pressure valve 14 is closed by the ball 16. That is, the ball 16 rolls on the valve hole 14 by its own weight, closes the valve hole 14, and closes the pressure valve 14 (S115). In this state, the pressure in the pan 7 is increased until the pressure rises to a pressure at which the ball 16 can be pushed up through the valve hole 14. Therefore, the pressure in the pan at this time can be determined as appropriate by setting the weight of the ball 16 and the size of the valve hole 14.

  In the start-up heating process II, the steam temperature SK2 is measured by the steam temperature sensor 23 (S116). When the steam temperature SK2 reaches the predetermined temperature Y (Yes in S117), the temperature of the cooked rice becomes a temperature causing a boiling phenomenon, and the start-up heating process II is completed. The pressure in the pan at this time is controlled by the pressure valve 13 and becomes a predetermined pressure equal to or higher than atmospheric pressure, for example, about 1.2 atm. Then, the boiling maintenance process III is started (S118).

When the process proceeds to the boiling maintenance step III, as shown in FIG. 14, the pressure in the pan 7 becomes a predetermined pressure equal to or higher than the atmospheric pressure, that is, about 1.2 atmospheres, and the cooked rice is saturated corresponding to the pressurized pressure. Boils at temperature. The electric power supplied at this time is boiling maintenance electric power P (P = P ₁₁₁ , P ₁₁₂ ... P ₃₃₃ ) calculated using the equation shown in (Equation 3). The boiling maintenance power P varies the boiling time.

  In addition, when the boiling maintenance process III is started, the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is immediately operated by the control device 24 to move the ball 16 to forcibly open the pressure valve 13 (S119). During this opening operation, heating of the heating means 5 is stopped (S120), and the forced opening operation of the pressure valve 13 is continued for a predetermined time, for example, 4 seconds (S121). By this forced opening operation, the pressure in the pressurized state in the pan 7 is reduced to near atmospheric pressure.

  Thus, in the boiling maintenance process III, when the pressure in the pan 7 is reduced from the pressurized boiling pressure (about 1.2 atm) to near atmospheric pressure at once, the inside of the pan 7 becomes a severe bumping state. In this bumping state, bubbles are generated in the pan, and the cooked rice is stirred by the bubbles. As a result, the cooked rice is heated uniformly and cooked.

  The predetermined time for forcibly opening the pressure valve 13 is set to such a time that the pressure in the pan 7 returns to substantially atmospheric pressure (ie, about 4 seconds) by the first forcible opening operation of the pressure valve 13. Yes. By setting the time for forcibly opening the pressure valve 13 in this way, the maximum agitation energy can be obtained. When the pressure valve 13 is forcibly opened for the predetermined time (4 seconds), the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is operated to close the pressure valve again (S122), and the pressure valve 13 is heated again for a predetermined time, for example, 28 seconds. (S123, S124). In addition, this heating time (28 seconds) is time required for the pressure in the pan 7 to recover to the aforementioned predetermined pressure (about 1.2 atmospheres). This time is obtained experimentally in advance.

The forced opening of the pressure valve 13 by the pressure valve opening mechanism is repeated a plurality of times. At this time, when the valve opening / closing V (V = V ₁₁₁ , V ₁₁₂ ... V ₃₃₃ ) calculated using the equation shown in (Equation 2) is the valve opening / closing pattern B due to the preference setting (Yes in S125). Then, it is detected whether or not the pressure valve has been opened and closed six times (S127), and if the pressure valve opening and closing operation has not been performed six times, the process returns to S119 described above. The process proceeds to S130 and subsequent steps with the closed state. Further, when the valve opening / closing V is not the valve opening / closing pattern B, it is detected whether or not the pressure valve opening / closing has been performed four times (S126). Returning to S119, if already performed, it is determined whether or not the valve opening / closing V is the valve opening / closing pattern C (S128). If it is not the valve opening / closing pattern C by this determination, that is, if it is the valve opening / closing pattern A, the process proceeds to the processing after S130 with the pressure valve 13 being closed, and if it is the valve opening / closing pattern C, the pressure valve 13 is turned on. After the open state (S129), the process proceeds to S130 and subsequent steps. In addition, if time passes in this boiling maintenance process III, the amount of residual water in the pan 7 will reduce, a pressure fluctuation range will become small, and a bumping phenomenon will become weak. For this reason, forcibly opening the pressure valve 13 is effective when concentrated in the initial stage of the boiling maintenance process III.

When the operation of opening the pressure valve 13 a plurality of times is finished, the forced opening of the pressure valve 13 by the pressure valve opening mechanism 18 is stopped. And the heating by the heating means 5 is continued (S130), and the pan bottom temperature SK3 is measured (S131). When the pan bottom temperature SK3 reaches a predetermined temperature, specifically, the cutting temperature Z (Z = CT ₁₁₁ , CT ₁₁₂ ... CT ₃₃₃ ) calculated by the equation shown in (Equation 4) (Yes in S132), the inside of the pan 7 is reached. Since it is determined that the forced dry-up has been completed, the heating action by the heating means 5 is stopped (S133).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 15, the steaming step IV is started, first, the steaming step 1 is started, and the steaming time ST2 is started (S134). When the predetermined steaming time ST2 elapses for a predetermined time, for example, 4 minutes (S135), it is detected whether or not the valve opening / closing V calculated using the equation shown in (Equation 2) is the opening / closing pattern C (S136). In the case of the valve opening / closing pattern C, the pressure valve 13 is already in an open state, so the process proceeds to the additional cooking process, and if it is not the valve opening / closing pattern C, that is, if it is the valve opening / closing pattern A or B, the pressure valve 13 is turned on. After making it into an open state (S137), it transfers to the additional cooking process. If it enters into this additional cooking process, while reheating with the heating means 5, the water adhering to the surface of rice will be evaporated, and the additional cooking (reheating) time ST3 will be measured (S138). Then, when a predetermined additional cooking time ST3, specifically, additional cooking (time) CO (CO = CO ₁₁₁ , CO ₁₁₂ ... CO ₃₃₃ ) calculated by the equation shown in (Equation 5) has elapsed (Yes in S139), heating is performed. The heating operation by the means 5 is stopped, the process proceeds to the steaming step 2, and the steaming time ST4 is counted (S140). Then, when the steaming time ST4 elapses for a predetermined time, for example, 5 minutes (S141), rice cooking is finished (S142), the process is shifted to the heat retaining process (S143), and the series of rice cooking processes is finished.

  In this embodiment, the taste preference is divided into sweetness, stickiness, and hardness, and each is further divided into three levels. However, the taste preference may be further subdivided and further subdivided. Furthermore, other taste preferences, for example, taste preferences such as aroma, umami, elasticity, and gloss, may be subdivided and subdivided. Moreover, although the pressure in a pan was adjusted with the pressure valve and this pressure valve opening mechanism, you may comprise by the pressure type which does not provide such a mechanism.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in which the outer case and the like of the rice cooker in FIG. 1 are omitted. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the pressure valve opening mechanism of FIG. 2 in an enlarged manner. FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the display portion of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing a special rice cooking menu screen. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the control device. Drawing 6 is a figure showing the rice cooking process of the rice cooker concerning the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a graph showing a part of the properties when the rice quality changes according to the four seasons and the rice of the changed four seasons is cooked. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing pan bottom temperature and valve opening / closing in the rice cooking process in spring and summer. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing pan bottom temperature and valve opening / closing in the rice cooking process in autumn and winter. FIG. 10 is a diagram summarizing the set values of the rice cooking conditions for each season. FIG. 11A is an explanatory diagram for explaining preference categories and levels, and FIG. 11B is a diagram showing combinations of sweetness, stickiness, and hardness levels. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between sweetness, stickiness and hardness, water absorption temperature, water absorption time, boiling maintenance power, and the like. FIG. 13: is a flowchart which shows the rice cooking process of the rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 14: is a flowchart which shows the rice cooking process of the rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 15: is a flowchart which shows the rice cooking process of the rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a change process step of the four season setting process. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the change process of the commitment setting process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker 2 Main body 3 External case 3a Front wall 4 Internal case 5 Heating means 6 Pan bottom temperature sensor 7 Pan 10 Lid body 11 Inner lid 12 Outer lid 13 Pressure valve 14 Valve hole 15 Valve seat 16 Ball 17 Cover 18 Pressure valve release mechanism 19a Cylinder 19b Plunger 20 Actuation rod 21 Steam port 22 Safety valve 24 Control device 25 Display operation unit

Claims (10)

  A rice cooker body having a pan into which the cooked rice is put, an opening in which the pan is accommodated, and a heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan, a storage means for storing various cooked menus, and various cooked menus Display panel, operation means for selecting the rice cooking menu, changing various settings, and the like, and a control device for executing a predetermined rice cooking process, and according to the rice cooking menu by the control device, A water absorption process for controlling the heating means to absorb a predetermined amount of water in the cooked rice in the pan, a rising heating process for heating and heating the absorbed cooked rice until boiling, and the cooked rice In the rice cooker that performs a rice cooking process including a boiling maintenance process for maintaining the rice in a boiling state, and a steaming process for steaming the cooked rice after the boiling maintenance process, the storage means has four season rice cooking conditions corresponding to the four seasons in advance. And cooking When the seasoning menu is selected by the operation means, the control device is configured to store the discerning rice cooking conditions that are divided into a plurality of user taste preferences in cooking the food and leveled for each division. Based on the four seasons rice cooking conditions set by the operation means, according to the discerning rice cooking conditions set by the operation means, the rice cooking conditions of the level are calculated and the rice cooking process is executed. vessel.   The four-season rice cooking conditions are as follows: the water absorption temperature in the water absorption process is high in spring and summer, and low in autumn, the water absorption time is long in spring and summer, short in autumn, and boiled. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the boiling maintenance power in the maintenance step is set to be small in spring and summer and high in autumn based on winter.   The control device classifies the user's taste preferences when cooking the cooked rice into a plurality of items, and displays a discretionary rice menu screen on which the classified taste preferences can be input in a plurality of levels on the display panel. It has a display means and the condition calculation means which calculates the rice cooking conditions in the said rice cooking process according to the division and level which were set by the said operation means in the said sticking rice cooking menu screen. The described rice cooker.   The control device sets at least a water absorption temperature and time in the water absorption process and a boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance process to predetermined values for each level, and corresponds to each set taste preference level. 4. The rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein a water absorption temperature / time and a boiling maintenance electric power are respectively calculated by the condition calculation means based on the values, and the rice cooking step is executed based on the calculated values.   The taste preference divided into a plurality is the sweetness, stickiness, and hardness of the cooked rice, and these sweetness, stickiness, and hardness are divided into at least three levels or more. 4. The rice cooker according to 4.   A pan into which the cooked rice is charged, an opening in which the pan is accommodated, and a rice cooker body having heating means for heating the cooked rice in the pan, and the internal pressure in the pan mounted on the lid. Pressure valve to be adjusted, pressure valve opening mechanism for controlling the pressure valve, storage means for storing various rice cooking menus, display panel for displaying various rice cooking menus, selection of the rice cooking menu, change of various settings, etc. An operation means for performing and a control device for executing a predetermined rice cooking process, and the control device controls the heating means according to the rice cooking menu to provide a predetermined amount of moisture to the cooked rice in the pan. A water absorption step for absorbing water, a rising heating step for heating and heating the absorbed rice to be boiled, a boiling maintenance step for maintaining the cooked rice in a boiling state, and a rice to be cooked after the boiling maintenance step Steaming process, including In the rice cooker that performs the rice process, the storage means includes a four-season rice cooking condition corresponding to the four seasons and a user's taste preference in the cooking of the cooked rice in advance and divided into levels for each division And when the four-season cooking menu is selected by the operation means, the control device, based on the four-season rice cooking conditions set by the operation means, the sticking set by the operation means. According to rice cooking conditions, the said rice cooking process is performed by calculating the rice cooking conditions of this level, The rice cooker characterized by the above-mentioned.   The four-season rice cooking conditions are as follows: the water absorption temperature in the water absorption process is high in spring and summer, and low in autumn, the water absorption time is long in spring and summer, short in autumn, and boiled. The cooker according to claim 6, wherein the boiling maintenance power in the maintenance step is set small in spring and summer and high in autumn based on winter.   The control device classifies the user's taste preferences when cooking the cooked rice into a plurality of items, and displays a discretionary rice menu screen on which the classified taste preferences can be input in a plurality of levels on the display panel. It has a display means and the condition calculation means which calculates the rice cooking conditions in the said rice cooking process according to the division and level which were set by the said operation means in the said sticking rice cooking menu screen. The described rice cooker.   The control device sets at least a water absorption temperature and time in the water absorption process and a boiling maintenance power in the boiling maintenance process to predetermined values for each level, and corresponds to each set taste preference level. 9. The rice cooker according to claim 8, wherein a water absorption temperature / time and a boiling maintenance power are respectively calculated by the condition calculation means based on the values, and the rice cooking step is executed based on the calculated values.   The taste preference divided into a plurality is sweetness, stickiness, and hardness of the cooked rice, and these sweetness, stickiness, and hardness are divided into at least three levels or more. 9. The rice cooker according to 9.

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