JP2010194080A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker which addresses the problem that rice cookers using noncontact temperature sensors are more likely to allow foreign objects enter within a temperature measuring range than those using contact temperature sensors and which improves rice cooking performances. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker is provided with a foreign object detecting means 7c which detects foreign objects entered within the temperature measuring range of an infrared sensor 7a and an alarming means 17a for alarming a user and is composed in a way that it detects the foreign objects immediately after rice cooking starts or timer is set and alarms the user when there is any foreign object detected; hence rice can be cooked without much failure and the rice cooking capabilities can be improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that controls the cooking of rice by detecting the temperature of the pan using infrared rays emitted from the pan.

  In a rice cooker, it is essential to detect the temperature of the pan for rice cooking control, and as a conventional means, a contact type temperature sensor utilizing contact heat transfer from the pan, or a pan There has been proposed an infrared sensor that detects the temperature of the infrared rays received from the infrared rays.

In particular, those that use infrared sensors can detect temperature without contact, so they are not affected by the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the components compared to contact-type temperature sensors. It is possible to detect with high accuracy (for example, see Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-180215

  However, when an infrared sensor is employed in a rice cooker that allows the pan to be attached and detached, the infrared sensor may be exposed, and there is a possibility that foreign matter may be mixed into the light receiving side.

  For this reason, the progress of infrared rays from the pan is hindered by foreign substances, and there is a problem that the temperature detection accuracy by the infrared sensor is remarkably lowered and the rice cooking performance is impaired.

  The present invention solves the above-described conventional problems, and detects the pan temperature with an infrared sensor, and detects the foreign matter on the light receiving side of the infrared sensor with the foreign matter detection means and notifies the rice cooking. The purpose is to do.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, a rice cooker according to the present invention covers a rice cooker body in which a pan is removably stored, heating means for heating the pan, the rice cooker body, and the open side of the pan. According to the temperature information of the pan detected by the lid, the infrared sensor that detects the infrared rays emitted from the pan and measures the temperature, the infrared transmitting material disposed between the infrared sensor and the pan, and the infrared sensor Control means for controlling the heating amount of the heating means, foreign matter detection means arranged on the temperature measurement visual field side of the infrared sensor, and notification means that operates when the foreign matter detection means detects foreign matter. .

  Thus, when the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter in the temperature measurement range of the infrared sensor, the notification means informs the user and prompts the removal of the foreign matter, thereby maintaining the temperature measurement accuracy of the infrared sensor and improving the rice cooking performance. Can be provided.

  The rice cooker of this invention can improve rice cooking performance remarkably by keeping the temperature measurement precision of an infrared sensor high.

1st invention is the rice cooker main body which accommodated the pan so that entrance and exit was possible, the heating means which heats the pan,
The lid for covering the rice cooker body and the open side of the pan, the infrared sensor for detecting the temperature by detecting the infrared ray emitted from the pan, the infrared transmitting material disposed between the infrared sensor and the pan, and the infrared ray Control means for controlling the heating amount of the heating means according to the temperature information of the pan detected by the sensor, foreign matter detection means arranged on the temperature measurement visual field side of the infrared sensor, and the foreign matter detection means have detected foreign matter. And a notification means that operates at times.

  Thus, when the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter in the temperature measurement range of the infrared sensor, the notification means informs the user and prompts the removal of the foreign matter, thereby maintaining the temperature measurement accuracy of the infrared sensor and improving the rice cooking performance. Can be provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the foreign matter detection unit includes a light emitting unit that projects light on the pan and a light receiving unit that receives the reflected light from the pan. The presence or absence of foreign matter in the temperature measurement range can be detected, and a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance can be provided.

  According to a third invention, in the first invention, the foreign matter detection means comprises load detection means for detecting a load on the infrared transmitting material, thereby detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the temperature measurement range of the infrared sensor. It is possible to provide a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when the foreign matter detecting means detects the foreign matter when the user performs the rice cooking start operation, the notification means informs that there is a foreign matter. It is possible to provide a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance by detecting the presence or absence of a foreign substance in the temperature measurement range, notifying the user of “existing foreign substance” and removing the foreign substance by the user.

  According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the foreign matter detecting means detects the foreign matter when the user performs the rice cooking start operation, the notification means informs the content that prompts the removal of the foreign matter. It is possible to provide a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance by detecting the presence or absence of foreign matter in the temperature measurement range and informing the user to remove the foreign matter and removing the foreign matter by the user.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, when the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter, the notification means informs that there is a foreign matter after the completion of rice cooking. However, it is possible to avoid the phenomenon that rice cannot be obtained, and it is possible to know the reason why rice is bad by notification.

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

(Embodiment 1)
1 and 2, the rice cooker according to the present embodiment has a substantially bottomed rice cooker body in which a pot 2 made of a material containing a magnetic metal is detachably stored via a protective frame 1. 3, a lid 4 that covers the upper opening of the rice cooker body 3 so as to be openable and closable, and a substantially disk-like and magnetically attached to the inside of the lid 4 to seal the opening of the pan 2. It has an inner lid 5 made of a material containing body metal, and heating means 6 for induction heating (heating) the pan 2, the inner lid 5, and the like.

  The heating means 6 includes a pan bottom surface heating coil 6 a wound around the outer bottom wall portion of the protective frame 1, a pan side surface heating coil 6 b wound around the upper periphery, and an inner lid heating disposed above the inner lid 5. It consists of a coil 6c.

As shown in FIG. 2, the infrared sensor unit 7 has an infrared sensor 7 a installed in a clear portion provided in the center of the bottom wall of the protective frame 1, and transmits infrared rays between the temperature measuring object pan 2. A material 7b is arranged.

  The space between the protective frame 1 and the infrared transmitting material 7b is sealed through a sealing means 7d to protect the infrared sensor 7a from water and dirt.

  Here, although it is the foreign material detection means 7c, the means using an optical sensor and a force sensor can be considered.

  For example, in the case of foreign matter detection by an optical sensor, the light emitting means 8 that projects light on the pan 2 at a position that does not block the temperature measuring range 7e of the infrared sensor 7a, and the light reception that receives reflected light from the pan 2. Each means 9 is arranged and configured.

  When there is a foreign substance, so-called reflected light that is projected from the light emitting means 8 and reflected by the pan 2 is blocked in the middle, so that the amount of light reaching the light receiving means 9 is less than when there is no foreign substance. Thus, the presence or absence of foreign matter can be checked.

  In FIG. 2, the light receiving means 9 is separately provided. However, since the infrared sensor 7a is also a light receiving element, the infrared sensor 7a can also be used as a light receiving side for detecting foreign matter.

  The filter characteristic of the infrared transmitting material 7b is such that the infrared light that is emitted when the pan 2 is heated and the wavelength of the light of the light emitting means 8 are allowed to pass. In the configuration shown in the figure, disturbing light is shielded by the pan 2 and does not reach the infrared sensor 7a. Therefore, there is no need for a filter for preventing disturbing light on the rice cooker.

  Further, it is necessary to adjust the angles and mounting positions of the light emitting means 8 and the light receiving means 9, the intensity of light emission, the light emission spread angle, etc., so as to reliably detect the foreign matter entering the visual field of the infrared sensor 7a and eliminate the blind spot. is there.

  Furthermore, a change in the emissivity due to the influence of the surface condition such as dirt adhesion and scratches on the pan 2 can be detected with this configuration.

  The wavelength and intensity of the light emitted from the light emitting means 8 are not particularly defined as long as the light receiving means 9 can detect the light reception through the filter of the infrared transmitting material 7b.

  Next, an example of foreign matter detection by a force sensor is described, in which the presence or absence of foreign matter is detected by providing a load detection means that can detect the presence or absence of a load applied to the infrared transmitting material 7b.

  The infrared transmitting material 7b is configured to have a size that only includes the field of view of the infrared sensor 7a, thereby detecting the load of the foreign material on the infrared transmitting material 7b, thereby blocking the field of view of the infrared sensor 107a. Judge that you are doing.

  There are various load detecting means such as a strain gauge, a piezoelectric element, a light shielding element that shields light from the light emitting element with a shielding plate that is moved by the load, and a light receiving element that detects the amount of light.

  The infrared sensor unit 7 is more advantageous than the side of the pan where the water level fluctuates depending on the rice cooking capacity when the infrared sensor unit 7 is arranged at a position facing the substantially central portion on the outer bottom side of the pan 2.

  Since the infrared sensor 7a measures the temperature of the pan 2 in a non-contact manner as described above, it is possible to quickly and accurately detect the temperature without being influenced by the thermal conductivity and heat capacity of the temperature measuring member.

  In the rice cooker main body 3, a control means 10 for performing rice cooking operation by driving and controlling each part and each device is installed. The control means 10 performs drive control of each unit and each device in accordance with a user instruction performed using, for example, the input operation unit 11 provided on the lid 4.

  The control means 10 includes a heating means control means 10a for controlling the heating means 6, a pan temperature measurement control means 10b for measuring the pan temperature and the inner lid temperature by an infrared sensor 7a and an inner lid temperature sensor, an inner lid temperature measurement control means 10c, and the like. Composed.

  The lid 4 is provided with an inner lid temperature sensor 12 which is an example of a lid temperature detecting device, the inner lid heating coil 6c, the hinge shaft 13a, and the steam cylinder 14.

  The hinge shaft 13 a is an opening / closing shaft of the lid 4, and both ends of the hinge shaft 13 a are rotatably supported by the rice cooker body 3.

  The lid 4 is set to rotate in the opening direction by a rotation spring 13b provided in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 13a.

The inner lid 5 is provided with a steam port 5b (for example, 0.5 cm ² ) composed of a plurality of holes in order to discharge steam to the outside of the pan 2.

  A substantially annular inner lid packing 5 a that is in close contact with the pan 2 when the lid 4 is in the closed state is attached to the surface of the outer peripheral portion of the inner lid 5 on the pan 2 side. The inner lid packing 5a is made of an elastic body such as rubber.

  The steam cylinder 14 is detachably attached to the lid 4, and is configured such that the steam that has come out from the steam port 5 b of the inner lid 5 passes through the steam cylinder 14 and is discharged to the outside of the rice cooker.

  A magnet 15 is present inside the steam cylinder 14, and the magnet 15 is steamed when the lid 4 is opened or when the rice or starch in the rice melts into water during cooking and becomes high viscosity water. When passing through the inside of the cylinder 14, it is configured to be movable toward the hinge shaft 13a.

  A magnetic force sensor 16 is provided in the vicinity of the magnet 15 inside the lid 4 so as to detect whether or not the magnet 15 is in a predetermined position.

  The input operation unit 11 arranged on the outer surface of the lid 4 is equipped with operation buttons for displaying various information such as the menu and time of cooking rice, and executing start, cancellation, reservation and the like of cooking.

  By the operation of the operation button or the like, the rice cooking program built in the control means 10 is executed, and the heating means 6 is operated and stopped in accordance with the progress of the rice cooking program to carry out rice cooking.

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

  First, a predetermined rice and water are set in the pan 2, the input operation part 11 is operated, a rice cooking menu is selected, and the rice cooking process is started by pressing the rice cooking start button.

The rice cooking process is a soaking process in which the water is kept at a constant temperature and the rice absorbs water, the cooking process in which the pot 2 is heated at once by the heating means 10 and the internal water is brought to a boiling state, and the water in the pot 2 is almost all It consists of a steaming process that suppresses heating in the absence of rice, and rice is cooked by promoting gelatinization between these processes.

  The control means 10 optimally controls the heating means 10 according to the temperature of the pan 2 detected by the infrared sensor 7a, and cooks rice according to a predetermined rice cooking program.

  There are several courses in the rice cooking program depending on the type of rice.

  When the steaming process is finished, the rice cooking is finished, and the process automatically shifts to the heat retaining process, so that the temperature of the cooked rice does not decrease, and the user can always obtain hot rice.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation when foreign matter detection is performed before the rice cooking process is started in the present embodiment, and particularly describes only the part related to foreign matter detection.

  First, a user presses the rice cooking button for starting the rice cooking process arrange | positioned at the input operation part 11 by step S1. In step S2, foreign matter detection processing is started by the foreign matter detection means.

  As a result, if no foreign matter is detected in step S3, the rice cooking process is started in step S4.

  However, if it is detected in step S3 that there is a foreign object, in step S5, for example, using notification means 17 that notifies by means of appealing to the user's five senses such as sound, light, and character information arranged in the input operation unit 11 is used. Inform the user that there is a foreign object.

  At this time, it is better that the notification content actively promotes the removal of foreign matter.

  In step S6, if a predetermined trigger that can be assumed to have removed foreign matter is applied, for example, the lid is opened and then closed, the process returns to step S2 and foreign matter detection processing is performed again. The following processing is the same as described above.

  In step S6, when there is no trigger, the notification in step S5 is continued. However, in the case of a long time, active notifications such as sound and light that the user feels uncomfortable are performed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times. It is preferable to end and leave passive information such as character information.

  Thus, in the rice cooker of this Embodiment, compared with the rice cooker using the conventional contact-type temperature sensor, in the rice cooker using the non-contact-type temperature sensor in which a foreign material tends to enter between the pans 2, By detecting and informing, temperature accuracy deterioration at the time of cooking can be prevented.

  Also, compared to the conventional method of detecting foreign matter by detecting the sensor detection temperature does not reach the predetermined temperature by heating for a predetermined time in the rice cooking process, the rice cooker detects the presence of foreign matter immediately after the user presses the rice cooking button. Because it can be informed, it is less likely to fail cooking rice.

  Moreover, the failure at the time of reservation rice cooking can also be prevented by not only starting rice cooking but the foreign substance detection and alert | reporting by the same sequence also at the time of the reservation start for starting rice cooking after predetermined time.

  When rice cooking is started, the soaking process is first started. The control means 10 heats the pan 2 by the heating means 6.

  The temperature of the pan 2 is detected by the infrared sensor 7a and adjusted to a temperature at which rice gelatinization does not begin (less than about 60 ° C.) to promote water absorption of the rice.

  If rice is made the highest temperature in the range where gelatinization does not start and the temperature is continued for a certain period of time (for example, 30 minutes to 2 hours), the water absorption rate tends to be improved.

  On the other hand, since cooking rice is often required to cook delicious rice in as short a time as possible, the pan 2 is raised to a temperature at which gelatinization does not start in a short time.

  However, when a contact temperature sensor such as a conventional thermistor is used, the temperature followability deteriorates due to a large influence on the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the member, so when the sensor detects a temperature at which rice gelatinization does not start The actual temperature of the pan 2 may be raised further.

  As a result, gelatinization of the rice in contact with the pan 2 starts.

  In the present embodiment, by using the infrared sensor 7a, it is possible to quickly and accurately heat the rice to the temperature at which gelatinization does not start by eliminating the influence of the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the temperature measuring member.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, by performing non-contact temperature detection by the infrared sensor 7a, good temperature followability can be obtained regardless of the temperature rise and cooling of the pan 2. Therefore, even when the temperature of the pan 2 is maintained at a constant temperature (for example, 60 ° C.), it is immediately detected that the pan 2 has reached a constant temperature, the heating is stopped, and the temperature of the pan 2 is lowered below the constant temperature. Since this is immediately detected and heating is resumed, heating can be performed very closely and in a small amount, which enables heating of the pan 2 more uniformly, and the temperature of the food in the pan 102 is also higher. It can be made uniform.

  In the cooking process, water and heat are added to the rice to cause gelatinization. The control means 10 operates the heating means 6 to rapidly heat the pan 2 and bring the water therein to a boiling state.

  When the water in the pan 2 gradually disappears, the temperature continues to rise above 100 ° C from the heated part, and by detecting about 130 ° C, it is determined that there is no water and heating by the heating means 10 is stopped. To do.

  In this case as well, in this embodiment, the temperature followability is good, the temperature at which it is determined that water has run out (here, about 130 ° C.) can be accurately detected, and a temperature safety margin for preventing overheating. Can be set small, and the heating means 105 can be controlled to give more heat to the rice.

  In the steaming process, almost no water remains in the pan 2, and while the excess water adhering to the rice is evaporated, the inside is maintained at a high temperature (about 100 ° C.) to further gelatinize it. Make progress.

  At this time, the control means 10 operates the inner lid heating coil 6c while detecting the temperature of the upper space of the pan 2 with the inner lid temperature sensor 12, and continues to give heat to the rice, and the progress of gelatinization is continued. Promote.

  With the above configuration, the rice cooker according to the present embodiment is a foreign rice cooker using a non-contact temperature sensor, in which foreign substances are likely to enter between the pan and the rice cooker using the conventional contact temperature sensor. By detecting and informing, temperature accuracy deterioration at the time of cooking can be prevented.

Also, compared to the conventional method of detecting foreign matter by detecting the sensor detection temperature does not reach the predetermined temperature by heating for a predetermined time in the rice cooking process, the rice cooker detects the presence of foreign matter immediately after the user presses the rice cooking button. Therefore, it is possible to provide a rice cooker with improved rice cooking performance, such as less likely to fail rice cooking.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the second embodiment.

  Since the configuration of the rice cooker is the same as that described in the first embodiment, only the main points of the operation of the rice cooker in the present embodiment will be described below.

  First, when a user cooks rice, the rice cooking button for starting the rice cooking process arrange | positioned at the input operation part 11 by step S11 is pressed down.

  In step S12, the foreign matter detection process is started by the foreign matter detection means.

  As a result, if it is detected in step S13 that there is no foreign object, normal rice cooking is started in step S14.

  However, if it is detected in step S13 that there is a foreign object, in step S15, after cooking for a predetermined time without using the input of the infrared temperature sensor 7a, the abnormal rice is detected in step S16. By notifying the user of the fact by the notification means 17, it is possible to convince the user that the cooked rice is good.

  Thus, in this embodiment rice cooker, even if a foreign object is detected, by performing rice cooking without using temperature information, the user does not experience the pain that rice cannot be obtained after a certain time. At this time, since the temperature measurement accuracy is deteriorated due to the influence of foreign matter on the infrared sensor 7a, and the precise temperature control cannot be performed, it is considered that the rice is not good, but the user is notified by notifying the user after cooking rice. Can be convinced.

  As described above, the rice cooker according to the present invention heats foreign matter mixed between the temperature sensor and the pan as compared with the conventional method of detecting that the predetermined temperature is not reached by heating the pan for a predetermined time. Without providing the foreign matter detection means, it is possible to notify the user that there is a foreign matter immediately after pressing the rice cooking button, and it is possible to prevent a rice cooking failure in advance. This can be applied to cooking utensils that control heating by the output of other temperature sensors.

Sectional drawing of the rice cooker side surface which shows Embodiment 1 of this invention Cross section of the main part of the rice cooker Flow chart showing the operation of the rice cooker The flowchart which shows operation | movement of the rice cooker in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

2 Pan 3 Rice cooker body 4 Lid 6 Heating means 7 Infrared sensor 7b Infrared transmitting material 7c Foreign matter detecting means 8 Light emitting means 9 Light receiving means 10 Control means 17 Notification means

Claims (6)

A rice cooker main body in which a pan is stored freely, a heating means for heating the pan, a lid covering the rice cooker main body and the open side of the pan, and an infrared sensor for detecting the temperature of infrared rays emitted from the pan and measuring the temperature. An infrared transmitting material disposed between the infrared sensor and the pan, a control means for controlling a heating amount of the heating means according to temperature information of the pan detected by the infrared sensor, and the infrared sensor A rice cooker comprising a foreign matter detection means arranged on the temperature measurement visual field side and a notification means that operates when the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter detecting means comprises light emitting means for projecting light on the pan and light receiving means for receiving reflected light from the pan. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the foreign matter detection means comprises load detection means for detecting a load on the infrared transmitting material. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the user performs a rice cooking start operation and the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter, the notification means notifies the presence of the foreign matter. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the foreign substance detecting means detects a foreign substance when the user performs a rice cooking start operation, the notification means informs the content that prompts the removal of the foreign substance. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein when the foreign matter detection means detects a foreign matter, the notification means notifies that there is a foreign matter after the completion of rice cooking.

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