JP2010035858A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker for cooking delicious rice by sterilizing an object to be cooked inside a pot before cooking rice and then cooking the rice. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker includes: a pot which has an opening and into which the object to be cooked is to be supplied; a rice cooker body 2 housing the pot; a freely openable and closable lid body 11 for covering the opening of the pot and the rice cooker body; heating means for heating and cooking the object to be cooked inside the pot; a controller for controlling the heating means and executing a series of rice cooking steps, and menu setting means for setting a rice cooking menu. By selecting the rice cooking menu in the rice cooking menu setting means, a series of rice cooking steps such as a water absorbing step, a start heating step, a boiling maintaining step and a steam step are successively executed. The lid body 11 is provided with sterilization means 14L for emitting sterilization light, and the controller, when a prescribed rice cooking menu is selected in the rice cooking menu selection means, makes the sterilization means emit the light in the water absorbing step to execute the sterilization treatment of the object to be cooked inside the pot and then executes the following rice cooking steps. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to a rice cooker that sterilizes a rice to be cooked before or during a water absorption step.

  Electric rice cookers are now one of the indispensable appliances in ordinary households, and various types of rice cookers have been developed and commercialized so far. A recent rice cooker is equipped with a microcomputer, and with this computer, a water absorption step of absorbing a predetermined amount of water into the rice to be cooked, a rising heating step of heating up the cooked rice to be boiled until boiling, A boiling maintaining process for maintaining the cooked rice in a boiling state and a cooking process such as a steaming process for steaming the cooked food for a predetermined time are performed, and a heat retaining process for maintaining the temperature at a predetermined temperature after the completion of the cooking process is also performed. ing.

  This kind of rice cooker can cook delicious rice for each of various rice cooking menus by performing the above rice cooking process. For this purpose, the invention is devised under individual rice cooking conditions in a water absorption process, a start-up heating process, a boiling maintenance process, a steaming process, and the like. For example, in the water absorption step, water is absorbed into the rice grains over a predetermined time at a predetermined water temperature. However, if the amount of water absorbed by the rice grains, that is, the water content is lower than the predetermined value, the cooked rice is hard, non-sticky, and has a core. Therefore, it has been devised so that the moisture content of rice increases to a predetermined value.

  The rice cooker disclosed in the following Patent Document 1 is provided with a cooling means for cooling the inner pot, and in the water absorption step before the start of rice cooking, by cooling the inner pot with this cooling means, water is added to the rice at a low temperature. It is designed to absorb water. Moreover, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 2 is provided with a steam generation means to increase the water absorption speed. This rice cooker supplies steam from the steam generating means to the pot in the water absorption process where the rice absorbs water, that is, the water immersion process, and raises the temperature of the initial rice cooking temperature to a temperature at which gelatinization does not occur. Thus, the water absorption speed is increased by increasing the rise time of the water temperature. Furthermore, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 3 provides a preliminary | backup water immersion process before a normal water immersion process, and raises a moisture content. This preliminary submersion process uses steam generating means for generating steam heated to 100 ° C. or higher, and before the normal submersion process is started, this heated steam is supplied into the pan to increase the moisture content, After this preliminary water immersion is completed, the process is shifted to a normal water immersion process. Furthermore, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 4 is provided with a steam treatment step of absorbing water by raising the pressure in the pan above atmospheric pressure before the normal water immersion step.

In addition, it is devised so that discoloration (yellowing) of rice does not occur even in the heat retaining process. For example, the rice cooker disclosed in the following Patent Document 5 is provided with an oxygen removing means for removing oxygen in the pot and a cooling mechanism for cooling the rice cooking pot, and the control means is configured to remove exhaust gas and remove oxygen in the pot after the rice cooking process is completed. After the process is executed, the rice is cooled by cooling means to prevent yellowing and crunchiness of the rice. Moreover, the rice cooker disclosed by the following patent document 6 provided the sterilization means which emits light or gas, such as an ultraviolet-ray or ozone, and sterilized rice by this sterilization means in the heat retention process, and prevented corruption. is there.
JP 2004-208741 A (paragraphs [0020] to [0022], FIG. 1) JP 2003-144308 A (paragraphs [0021] to [0023], FIG. 1) JP 2005-168546 A (paragraphs [0025] to [0033], FIG. 2) JP 2007-151648 A (paragraphs [0041] to [0046], FIG. 1) JP 2002-253422 A (paragraphs [0031] to [0033], FIG. 1) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-266851 (paragraph [0045], FIG. 1)

  According to the rice cooker disclosed by the said patent documents 1-4, each has an intrinsic | native structure, A moisture content rises by these structures and can cook delicious rice. However, these rice cookers require a steam generating means as a new configuration, and a special preliminary water immersion process or steam treatment process in addition to the normal water immersion (water absorption) process is required. And control becomes complicated. Moreover, according to the rice cooker disclosed by the said patent documents 5 and 6, yellowing of rice during a heat retention, a crunchiness, or decay can be prevented.

  While considering the rice cooking conditions and heat retention conditions proposed by the rice cookers of Patent Documents 1 to 6 above, the present inventors have further studied rice cooking conditions and the like from various viewpoints. Process and rice to be cooked before this water absorption process, that is, rice grains or rice to be cooked comprising this rice grain and water are sterilized by sterilization treatment, and then to the heating process, boiling maintenance process and steaming process I tried to cook rice after shifting. As a result, the cooked rice was found to be delicious and particularly sweet compared to those that were not sterilized. It was also found that when cooking with a timer reservation, etc., if sterilized, it will be cooked as well.

  The relationship between this bactericidal treatment and delicious cooking, especially sweetness, is not clear, but if the cooked rice is left in the pot for a long time during the water absorption process or before this process, certain bacteria (bacteria) in the pot Is proliferated and it is presumed that the sweet component is crushed by the growth of this bacterium. To support this, it is known that washed rice that has been washed with water is temporarily stored in a refrigerator and then cooked and then delicious and particularly sweet. The storage in the refrigerator is presumed that the washed rice is cooled to a low temperature and the bacterial growth is suppressed, but the bacterial sterilization of the present invention is considered to suppress the bacterial growth due to this low temperature. In addition, when this sterilization process is reserved for cooking with a timer, especially when the outdoor temperature in summer is high, bacteria etc. are likely to be generated in the cooked rice in the pan. It is understood that delicious rice can be cooked without spoiling the cooked rice by suppressing the generation of bacteria, etc., and further, yellowing and decay can be prevented if it is performed in the heat insulation process after the rice cooking process is completed. It was.

  Then, this invention was made | formed based on such a background, and the objective of this invention can cook rice after sterilizing the to-be-cooked thing in a pan before cooking rice, and can cook delicious rice. The purpose is to provide a rice cooker.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that can cook rice without being spoiled even if the cooked food is left in the pan for several hours before cooking.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that can prevent yellowing and the like by sterilizing rice during heat insulation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a rice cooker according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a pan in which an opening is provided and a rice to be cooked is placed therein, a rice cooker body in which the pan is accommodated, and the pan. And an openable / closable lid that covers the opening of the rice cooker body, a heating means for cooking the cooked food in the pan, a control device for controlling the heating means to perform a series of rice cooking steps, and rice cooking A menu setting means for setting a menu, and the control device is configured to absorb the water in the cooked rice, a rising heating process in which the cooked rice is heated up to a boil, and bring the cooked rice into a boiling state. A rice cooker that has a rice cooking program that executes a series of rice cooking processes such as a boiling maintenance process to maintain and a steaming process to steam the cooked rice, and sequentially executes these rice cooking processes by selecting a rice cooking menu of the rice cooking menu setting means In the lid A sterilizing unit that emits sterilizing light is provided, and the control device causes the sterilizing unit to emit light in the water absorption step when a predetermined rice cooking menu is selected by the rice cooking menu setting unit, and the covered food in the pan After performing the sterilization process of the cooked rice, the subsequent rice cooking process is performed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the rice cooker according to the first aspect, the control device causes the sterilizing means to emit light during the timer reservation period when the timer reserved rice is selected by the rice cooking menu setting means. It is characterized by that.

  Invention of Claim 3 is the rice cooker of Claim 1, The said control apparatus has a heat retention process, It is made to transfer to the said heat retention process after the said rice cooking process is complete | finished, and the said disinfection in this heat retention process The means is caused to emit light.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the rice cooker according to the first aspect, the sterilizing means uses a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as “LED”) that emits sterilizing light, and one to a plurality of the LEDs are covered with the lid. It is characterized by having been arranged in.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the rice cooker according to the first aspect, the control device is opened by causing the sterilizing means to emit light when the opening of the rice cooker body is closed by the lid. It is characterized by being extinguished when it is on.

  The invention of claim 6 provides the rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein either one of the rice cooker body or the lid body is provided with a switch means for detecting an open / closed state of the lid body, The sterilization unit emits light when the switch unit detects the closed state of the lid, and the sterilization unit is quenched when the open state is detected.

  The invention of claim 7 is the rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the rice cooker body or the lid is provided with a notification means, and the control device causes the sterilization means to emit light. When the sterilization means is emitting light, the notification means informs that the sterilization means is emitting light.

  The present invention can produce the following effects by providing the above configuration. According to the invention of claim 1, since the rice to be cooked in the pan is sterilized in the water absorption process, and then the subsequent rice cooking process is performed to cook the rice, the cooked rice is compared with the rice that is not sterilized. It can be cooked with especially sweet rice. This deliciousness is almost the same as the method of cooking rice that has been done so far, for example, storing the washed rice in a temporary refrigerator and then cooling it at a low temperature. It becomes possible. Therefore, according to this invention, it is possible to cook rice deliciously just by turning on the sterilization lamp of the sterilization means, etc., so temporarily store the washed rice in the refrigerator as in the conventional method, After this storage, it can be done easily without taking the trouble of transferring it to the pan. In addition, when the pan is empty, the inside of the pan can be sterilized, and a cooking tool or the like can be put into the pan for easy sterilization, so that it can be used as a simple sterilizer. Furthermore, by operating this sterilizing means in the heat retaining step, it is possible to prevent the rice from being yellowed or spoiled.

  According to the invention of claim 2, when cooking with a timer reservation, especially when the outdoor temperature in summer is high, bacteria and the like are likely to be generated in the cooked rice in the pan. By making it emit light, generation of bacteria and the like can be suppressed, and delicious rice can be cooked without rotting the cooked rice.

  According to invention of Claim 3, since a sterilization means is light-emitted at a heat retention process, rice can be heat-retained in the state which improved the sterilization capability. As a result, it is possible to keep the heat at a low temperature and prevent the rice from drying and yellowing. That is, in the prior art, in order to prevent rot and the like, the temperature is kept at a temperature of 73 ° C. or higher, and drying (yellowing) is likely to occur below this temperature. However, since, for example, a plurality of LEDs are used as the sterilizing means, and the LEDs are turned on, the sterilizing ability can be improved, so that the heat can be kept at a lower temperature and yellowing can be suppressed. It becomes possible.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the LED is small, one or more LEDs can be efficiently arranged in a narrow portion of the lid. By using a plurality of LEDs, the sterilizing ability can be further improved. Moreover, since the power consumption of the LED is small, it can be sterilized with low power consumption.

  According to the invention of claim 5, the control device causes the sterilizing means to emit light when the opening of the rice cooker body is closed by the lid, and extinguishes the light when the opening is opened, and the sterilizing means is opened when the lid is opened. Since the light is extinguished, the light from the sterilizing means does not enter the human eye.

  According to the invention of claim 6, by providing the switch means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid, the output of the switch means is input to the control means, whereby the light emission / extinction control of the sterilization means can be simplified.

  According to the invention of claim 7, since the notification means notifies that the sterilization means emits light, that is, sterilization is in progress, it can be known that the sterilization is in progress and prevents the lid from being opened during the sterilization process. it can.

  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 identify the present invention as this rice cooker. Other embodiments included in are equally applicable.

  With reference to FIGS. 1-6, the structure of the rice cooker which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. 1 is a front view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view in which the lid of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 is opened and the inner lid is removed so that the back side of the outer lid can be seen. 3 is a plan view of the outer lid with the decorative cover removed from the rice cooker of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inner lid, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice cooker of FIG. 1, and FIG. It is an expanded sectional view of an opening mechanism.

  As shown mainly in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5, the rice cooker 1 includes a pot 10 into which a rice to be cooked containing rice and water is placed, an opening in which the pot 10 is accommodated above, and the pot 10 inside. And a rice cooker body (hereinafter simply referred to as “main body”) 2 having a bottom heater 5 and a side heater 6 for heating the cooked rice, and an opening of the main body 2 supported by one side of the main body 2. And a lid body 11 having a lock mechanism 19 that locks the cover in a closed state. The main body 2 includes a display operation unit 8 that performs operations such as selection of a rice cooking menu, start of rice cooking, timer reservation, and heat retention, and a bottom heater 5, a side heater 6 and a lid according to a rice cooking start signal from the display operation unit 8 A heating device comprising a body heater H (see FIG. 6) and a control device 9 for controlling the pressure valve opening mechanism 15 are provided. The main body 2 is provided with a handle 2A (see FIG. 1). Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lid 11 is provided with sterilizing means for emitting sterilizing light, for example, one or a plurality of LEDs 14L.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the control device 9 has storage means for heating the cooked rice in the pan 10 to a predetermined temperature and, as shown in FIG. Water absorption step I for absorbing water, rising heating step II for heating and heating the absorbed rice to be boiled, boiling maintaining step III for maintaining the rice to be boiled, cooking rice after the boiling maintaining step III A steaming process IV for steaming an object, a rice cooking process and a heat retaining program for sequentially executing a heat retaining process V for keeping the cooked rice cooked after the steaming process at a predetermined temperature are stored. Among these rice cooking processes, in the start-up heating process II and the boiling maintenance process III, the cooking process is performed by increasing the pressure in the pan to atmospheric pressure or higher, for example, about 1.1 to 2.2 atmospheres. Yes.

  When the timer is reserved, the controller 9 starts the water absorption process I after the set time has elapsed.

Controller 9, when a predetermined cooking menu is selected in cooking menu setting means (display operation unit 8), the water absorption step I, or if it is the timer reservation from the water process I previous step I ₀ LED14L Is made to emit light, and the sterilization process of the cooked rice in the pan 10 is executed, and then the subsequent rice cooking process is executed. Hereinafter, each structure of this rice cooker is explained in full detail.

2 and 5, the main body 2 includes a bottomed box-type outer case 3 and an inner case 4 that is accommodated in the outer case 3 and in which the pot 10 is accommodated. A gap is formed between the inner case 4 and the inner case 4, and a control circuit board or the like (not shown) constituting the control device 9 is disposed in the gap. Inner casing 4 has an opening 4 ₁ thereabove (see FIG. 2), bottom heater 5 on its bottom 4a, the side heater 6 to the side 4b are respectively mounted. As the bottom heater 5, an electromagnetic induction coil wound in a donut shape is used. As the side heater 6, a heater in which a heating wire is covered with a heat-resistant member is used. The bottom 4a is provided with a pan bottom temperature sensor 7 composed of a thermistor for detecting the pan bottom temperature.

The main body 2 is provided with a frame cover FC (see FIG. 2) at the periphery of the opening, and a locking portion 20 (see FIG. 3) that is engaged with the lock mechanism 19 of the lid 11 is provided on the frame cover FC. Yes. As shown in FIG. 5, the latching portion 20 is provided with a lid switch SW that detects that the lid 11 is closed, although the latching claw 20 a of the lock mechanism 19 is latched. Yes. The lid switch SW is provided on the main body side, but may be provided on the lid 11 side. The lid body switch SW detects the open / closed state of the lid body 11, and the control device 9 turns on the LED 14L when the lid body 11 is closed and turns it off when the lid body 11 is opened. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 2 is provided with a display panel 8 a that displays various rice cooking menus on the front surface 2 a and a display operation unit 8 that includes operation buttons for selecting the rice cooking menu. The display operation unit 8 is also a rice cooking menu setting unit that can select a predetermined menu from various rice cooking menus displayed on the display panel 8a. The display operation unit 8, LED lighting key 8 ₅ for lighting the LED is provided. In addition, “sterilization” is displayed on the display panel 8a. This display is a notification means for notifying that the sterilization is in progress, for example, when the lid switch SW is turned on.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pan 10 is a relatively deep bottom container into which a predetermined amount of rice to be cooked made of rice and water is put, and is made of, for example, a clad material of aluminum and stainless steel.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lid 11 includes an inner lid 12 that closes the opening of the pan 10, an outer lid 14 that is positioned above the inner lid 12 and closes the opening of the main body 2, The decorative cover body 22 covers the outside of the outer lid 14. The inner lid 12 is detachably attached to the outer lid 14.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5, one end of the outer lid 14 is pivotally supported on one end of the main body 2 by a pivot 17, and the other end of the outer lid 14 is locked to the other end of the main body 2. It is locked by the mechanism 19. The outer cap 14 is provided with a storage cap 23 for temporarily storing a rice bowl. Hereinafter, members constituting the outer lid 14 will be described.

  The outer lid 14 has a locking mechanism 19 at one end of the surface thereof, a pressure valve opening mechanism 15 at a position adjacent to the locking mechanism 19 and the outer lid 14 at the other end to support the opening operation and the opening state. A spring pivot mechanism 16 (see FIG. 3) is provided. Further, between the pressure valve opening mechanism 15 and the spring pivot support mechanism 16, a mounting hole 18 for mounting the storage cap 23 is provided. The locking mechanism 19 includes a locking portion 20 provided with a locking claw 20a (see FIG. 2) that is locked to a locking piece of the main body 2, and a release button 21 that releases the locking claw 20a. It has been. As shown in FIG. 3, the spring pivot mechanism 16 is configured by a mechanism in which a spring body 17 s that biases the outer lid 14 in the opening direction is attached to a pivot 17 that is pivotally supported by the frame 14 a.

Pressure valve opening mechanism 15, as shown in FIG. 6, a cylinder 15a in which the electromagnetic coil is wound, and a plunger 15b moving the metal balls 13 ₀ by sliding in the cylinder 15a by the excitation of an electromagnetic coil The spring 15 is attached to the tip of the plunger 15b and the operating rod 15b '. The spring body Sp is an extension coil spring. The operating rod 15b ′ is supported by a sealing member 15c having elasticity.

As shown in FIG. 5, the reservoir cap 23 (also referred to as a storage tank) includes a discharge cylinder 23a that discharges steam discharged through the pressure valve 13, and an empty chamber 23b that stores the flavor component. When, and a vapor outlet 23c to release the steam to the outside, the bottom of the air chamber 23b, the return valve V ₂ is provided if Ne Contact returning the pooled Oneba the pot 10. When the steam is ejected from the pressure valve 13, the rice cake that is an umami component is led out from the pot 10 together with the steam through the pressure valve 13, and enters the empty chamber 23 b of the rice bowl storage cap 23. Stored. Then, this empty room Oneba that has been stored in the 23b, if Ne you to be a predetermined amount return valve V ₂ is returned to the pot 10 in the open. In this case storage cap 23, the discharge cylinder 23 a of the case storage cap 23 is press-fitted and fixed into the mounting hole 18 of the outer lid 14.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the outer lid 14 is provided with one or more LEDs 14 </ b> L that emit germicidal light on the back surface thereof, that is, the surface facing the inner lid 12. As the LED 14L, an LED that emits ultraviolet light having a sterilization wavelength, for example, 360 to 400 nm is used. The LED 14L is, for example, one in which an LED chip is covered with a transparent member and a photocatalyst made of a titanium dioxide thin film is provided thereon. These LED14L, the pressure valve 13 provided in the inner lid 12 is disposed around the hollows 13 _G is inserted. Further, the outer lid 14 has a reflecting surface processed so that the lid surface provided with the LED 14L reflects light. These LEDs 14 </ b> L are electrically connected to the control device 9, and lighting control is performed by the control device 9.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the inner lid 12 has a pressure valve 13 at the top thereof, and allows the steam in the pan 10 to escape to the outside when the pressure in the pan 10 rises to an abnormal pressure of a predetermined value or more. such as a safety valve V ₁ is provided. Further, around the inner lid 12, attachment portions 12 a and 12 b that are attached to the outer lid 14 are provided. Further, the inner lid 12 has a plurality of window holes 12L formed at locations corresponding to the plurality of LEDs 14L provided on the outer lid 14. These window holes 12L are closed with a light transmissive member. Thereby, the bactericidal light from each LED14L which was turned on is irradiated in the pot 10 through the window hole 12L. The inner lid 12 may be formed of a light transmissive member without providing the window hole 12L. The inner lid 12 has an inner lid packing 12 </ b> B that is in contact with the opening of the pot 10 and sealed on the outer periphery thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pressure valve 13 includes a valve seat 13a in which a valve hole 13 ₁ having a predetermined diameter is formed, and a metal mounted on the valve seat 13a so as to close the valve hole 13 _1. The ball 13 ₀ is composed of a ball 13 ₀ and a cover 13 b that restricts the movement of the metal ball 13 ₀ and holds it on the valve seat 13 a. The metal ball 13 ₀ has a predetermined weight, and the valve hole 13 ₁ is closed by its own weight. A steam temperature sensor S for measuring the temperature of steam ejected from the valve hole 13 ₁ is attached to the upper part of the pressure valve 13.

The pressure valve 13 is controlled to be opened by a pressure valve opening mechanism 15 provided in the outer lid 14. That is, at the time of non-cooking or warming, the plunger 15b protrudes by pushing the spring body Sp and pushes the metal ball 13 ₀ to open the valve hole 13 ₁ . At the time of pressurizing rice cooking, the electromagnetic coil is excited based on a command from the control device 9 (see FIG. 7), and the plunger 15b enters the cylinder 15a against the extension force of the spring body Sp as shown in FIG. Thus, the pushing force that has been pushing the metal ball 13 ₀ with the operating rod 15b ′ until now is lost, and the metal ball 13 ₀ moves sideways due to the inclination of the valve seat 13a, and the metal ball 13 _0. the valve hole 13 ₁ is closed by its own weight. Further, in this closed state, when excitation to the electromagnetic coil is stopped, the plunger 15b protrudes again by the extension force of the spring body Sp to push the metal ball 13 ₀ to open the valve hole 13 ₁ .

  Next, the configuration of the control device 9 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a control block diagram constituting the control device.

  The control device 9 is set with a CPU for performing various arithmetic processes, a storage means including a ROM and a RAM for storing various data, a rice cooking menu detection circuit for detecting a selected rice cooking menu, and an opening / closing time of the pressure valve 13. A valve opening / closing timer, a counter for counting the number of times the pressure valve 13 is opened / closed, a heating control circuit for controlling the heating temperature and heating time in the pan 10, and a display panel control circuit for controlling the display screen displayed on the display panel 8a The pressure valve opening mechanism 15 is driven to control the opening / closing timing of the pressure valve 13, and the drive circuit for the pressure valve opening mechanism 15 and the LED control circuit for lighting the LED 14L are provided.

  The storage means stores rice cooking programs corresponding to various rice cooking menus. This rice cooking program is a water absorption process I, a rising heating process II, a boiling maintenance process III, a steaming process IV, and a heat retention process V after the completion of these rice cooking processes.

Various commands are input to the control device 9 from the menu key 8 ₁ , start key 8 ₂ , reservation key 8 ₃ , heat retention key 8 ₄ , LED lighting key 8 _5, etc. Similarly, detection values and the like are input from the pan bottom temperature sensor 7, the steam temperature sensor S, the lid switch SW, and the like. The control device 9 is connected to the bottom heater 5, the side heater 6, the lid heater H, the LED 14L, the display panel 8a, the pressure valve opening mechanism 15, and the like.

  With reference to FIG. 8, a rice cooking process and a heat retention process are demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a chart showing temperature changes in the pan, pressure valve control, heater control and the like in the rice cooking process and the heat retaining process.

When a predetermined menu is selected from the rice cooking menu displayed on the display panel 8a and the display operation unit 8 is operated, the control device 9 causes the bottom heater 5, the side heater 6 and the pressure according to the selected rice cooking program. Control the valve opening mechanism 15 to heat the cooked rice in the pan 10 to a predetermined temperature, and to absorb a predetermined amount of moisture into the cooked rice over a predetermined temperature A1 and time t ₁ , Start-up heating process II that heats up the heated cooked rice until it boils, boiling maintenance process III that maintains this cooked rice in a boiling state, and steaming process IV that steams the cooked rice after this boiling maintenance process III Execute.

Among these rice cooking processes, in the water absorption process I, the LED 14L is turned on, and the food to be cooked is allowed to absorb water at a predetermined water absorption temperature A1 (for example, 60 ° C.) for a predetermined time (for example, 10 to 15 minutes). Lighting of the LED14L the operation or lid 11 of the LED lighting key 8 ₅ is performed in timing is closed. Moreover, at the time of timer reservation, LED14L is lighted at the timing when the to-be-cooked food is accommodated in the pan 10, the time is set, and the lid 11 is closed. By the lighting of this LED 14L, the cooked rice in the pan 10 is sterilized. When cooking with a timer, especially when the outside temperature is high in summer, bacteria and the like are likely to be generated in the cooked rice in the pan 10, but this sterilization treatment suppresses the generation of bacteria and the like. It can prevent corruption of cooked rice. When this water absorption time elapses, the control device 9 stops the lighting of the LED 14L and shifts to the start-up heating process II.

In the start-up heating step II, the heating means is fully heated (full power heating) so that the inside of the pan 10 is brought into a boiling state in a short time, and the controller 9 excites the electromagnetic valve of the pressure valve opening mechanism 15. The rod is pulled back against the extension force of the spring body Sp, and the valve hole 13 ₁ is closed by the weight of the metal ball 13 ₀ . That is, the metal ball 13 ₀ rolls on the valve hole 13 ₁ due to its own weight and closes the valve hole 13 ₁ to be in a closed state. When the pressure in the pan 10 rises and the steam temperature sensor S detects a steam temperature, for example, 85 ° C., the pan 10 assumes that the predetermined temperature A2 and pressure, for example, A2 is 105 ° C., 1.2 atm. Shift to boiling maintenance step III. And in this boiling maintenance process III, the pressure valve 13 is forcibly opened once or a plurality of times, and the pressure in the boiling pan 10 is lowered at a stroke so as to be close to the atmospheric pressure. The opening of the pressure valve 13 causes a bumping phenomenon in the pan 10, and the rice is vigorously stirred. Further, when the pressure valve 13 is opened, the umami component generated in the pan 10 is temporarily stored in the storage cap 23 through the pressure valve 13. The rice balls stored in the storage cap 23 are returned to the inside of the pan 10 by opening the rice ball return valve V ₂ when a predetermined amount is reached.

  In the second half of the boiling maintenance process III, the water in the cooked rice disappears, so the temperature in the pan 10 rapidly rises to A3 in FIG. This rising temperature is detected by the pan bottom temperature sensor 7, and the process proceeds to the next steaming step IV. In this steaming step IV, the cooked rice is steamed for a predetermined time at a predetermined temperature, and the rice cooking step is completed.

  In this rice cooking process, in the case of the water absorption process I or timer reservation, the cooked rice is sterilized from the time of reservation and cooked, so the cooked rice is delicious compared to those that are not sterilized, especially sweet You can cook some rice. This deliciousness is almost the same as the traditional method of cooking rice, for example, storing the washed rice in a temporary refrigerator and cooling it at a low temperature, and cooking rice with particularly sweet rice is possible. Become. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it becomes possible to cook rice deliciously just by turning on the sterilizing lamp of the sterilizing means, so the washed rice is temporarily stored in the refrigerator as in the conventional method. After this storage, it can be easily done without taking the trouble of moving it into the pan. In addition, when the pan is empty, the inside of the pan can be sterilized, and a cooking tool or the like can be put into the pan for easy sterilization, so that it can be used as a simple sterilizer. In addition, when cooking with a timer reservation, especially when the outside temperature is high in summer, bacteria etc. are likely to be generated in the cooked rice in the pan, but bacteria etc. It is possible to cook delicious rice without rotting the cooked rice.

  When the steaming process IV is completed, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process V in response to a command from the display operation unit 8 or automatically. In this heat retaining step V, the inside of the pan 10 is kept warm by the control device 9 for a predetermined time and at a predetermined warming temperature. In this time zone, the control device 9 intermittently controls on / off of the bottom heater 5, the side heater 6, and the lid heater H, respectively, and the temperature is controlled at a predetermined temperature. By this heat retention control, the condensation that adheres to the inner wall 10a of the pan 10 is reduced, and the heat is maintained at an optimum temperature. This time zone is set, for example, every two hours. During this heat retention step, the LED 14L is lit for a predetermined time based on a command from the control device 9. The LED 14L is turned on only when the lid 11 is closed, and is turned off when the lid 11 is opened. This lighting control is performed by a detection signal of the lid switch SW. According to this rice cooker 1, the rice is not easily spoiled by sterilization treatment even if it is kept at a low temperature for a long time, and high-quality rice can be provided for a long time.

  In addition, the temperature increase / decrease in the time zone for every predetermined time in the heat retention process V of FIG. 8 is used for determination of the amount of rice in the pan 10.

  As mentioned above, although the pressure type rice cooker of one Embodiment of this invention was demonstrated, this invention is not limited to this pressure type rice cooker, It can apply also to a normal non-pressure type rice cooker. . In a non-pressure type rice cooker, since a pressure valve and a storage cap are unnecessary, a plurality of LEDs are arranged with a predetermined regularity.

  FIG. 9 is a plan view of a lid for a rice cooker according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the lid for the rice cooker of FIG. For example, the lids 11A and 11B are formed in a circular or elliptical shape, and the LEDs 14L are arranged at a predetermined interval on a plurality of radiations from the central part of the circular or elliptical shape (see FIG. 9) or the center. The LEDs 14L are arranged at predetermined intervals on a concentric circle line with the part as a base point (see FIG. 10). By these arrangement | sequences, the sterilization adapted to the state of the to-be-sterilized object can be performed by these arrangement | sequences in the pan 10. FIG. That is, sterilization light can be irradiated to every corner of the article to be sterilized for sterilization.

  Moreover, although the rice cooker of this embodiment demonstrated with the rice cooker with an inner cover, you may make it the structure which excluded this inner cover, and may provide LED for sterilization. The technology of the present invention is not limited to this pressure-type rice cooker, but can also be used for a rice cooker that cooks rice at normal pressure. Further, the sterilizing means may be other than LED, such as a mercury lamp.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a state where the lid of the rice cooker of FIG. 1 is opened and the inner lid is removed. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the outer lid with the decorative cover removed from the rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the inner lid. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice cooker of FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the pressure valve opening mechanism of FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the control circuit. FIG. 8 is a chart showing temperature changes in the pan, pressure valve control, heater control and the like in the rice cooking process and the heat retaining process. FIG. 9 is a plan view of a lid of a rice cooker according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a modification of the lid body of the rice cooker of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

1 .... Rice cooker 2 .... Rice cooker body 3 .... Outer case 4 .... Inner case 5 .... Bottom heater 6, 6. Side heater, 7 .... Pan bottom temperature sensor, 8 .... Display operation unit , 9 ... controller, 10 ... pan, 11, 11A, 11B ... lid, 12 ... inner lid, 12L ... window hole, 13 ... pressure valve, 13 ₀ ... metal balls, 14 · · Outer lid, 14L ··· Light emitting diode, ··· Pressure valve opening mechanism, ··· Spring pivot support mechanism, ··· Mounting hole, ··· Locking mechanism, 20a · · Locking claw, ··· Release button , 23 ・ ・ Oneba Storage Cap 、 Sp ・ ・ Spring Body

Claims (7)

A pan having an opening into which the rice to be cooked is placed; a rice cooker body in which the pan is accommodated; an openable / closable lid that covers the opening of the pan and the rice cooker body; and a pan in the pan A heating means for cooking the cooked rice, a control device for controlling the heating means to perform a series of rice cooking steps, and a menu setting means for setting the rice cooking menu,
The control device includes a water absorption step for absorbing water in the cooked rice, a rising heating step for heating up the cooked rice until boiling, a boiling maintaining step for maintaining the cooked rice in a boiling state, and steaming the cooked rice In a rice cooker that has a rice cooking program that executes a series of rice cooking processes such as a steaming process, and sequentially executes these rice cooking processes by selecting a rice cooking menu of the rice cooking menu setting means,
A sterilizing unit that emits sterilizing light is provided on the lid, and the control device causes the sterilizing unit to emit light in the water absorption step when a predetermined rice cooking menu is selected by the rice cooking menu setting unit, The rice cooker characterized by performing the subsequent rice cooking process after performing the sterilization treatment of the cooked rice in the pan.   The said control apparatus makes the said sterilization means light-emit during the timer reservation period, when the timer reservation rice cooking is selected by the said rice cooking menu setting means, The rice cooker of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned.   The said control apparatus has a heat retention process, and after the said rice cooking process is complete | finished, it transfers to the said heat retention process, and makes the said sterilization means light-emit in this heat retention process, The rice cooker of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. . The sterilizing means uses a light emitting diode (hereinafter referred to as “LED”) that emits sterilizing light,
The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein one or a plurality of the LEDs are arranged on the lid.   The said control apparatus makes the said sterilization means light-emit when the opening of the said rice cooker main body is closed with the said cover body, and makes it light-extinguish when it is opened, The rice cooking of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. vessel.   Either one of the rice cooker main body or the lid body is provided with a switch means for detecting the open / closed state of the lid body, and the control device detects the closed state of the lid body when the switch means detects the closed state of the lid body. 6. The rice cooker according to claim 5, wherein the sterilizing means is caused to emit light and the sterilizing means is quenched when an opened state is detected.   At least one of the rice cooker body or the lid is provided with a notification means, and when the control device is causing the sterilization means to emit light, the notification means indicates that the sterilization means is emitting light. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is notified.

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