JP2563763B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker capable of performing so-called timer rice cooking.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a rice cooker equipped with a rice-cooking control circuit composed of a microcomputer is designed to perform so-called timer-cooking by which the rice-cooking operation is completed after a desired time by utilizing a time-keeping function provided to the microcomputer. There is.

In the past, it has been a general practice to set a desired standby time by operating a standby time setting switch and start the rice cooking operation after the standby time has elapsed. However, in this configuration, the user first subtracts the time required for cooking rice from the desired time to cook rice to calculate the rice cooking start time, further subtracts the current time from the rice cooking start time to calculate the standby time, and then the standby time. Must be set to a microcomputer, so
It is quite troublesome.

Therefore, recently, if the user sets the present time and the desired time of cooking, the microcomputer calculates the necessary waiting time based on both times, and the rice cooking operation is started after the waiting time has elapsed. It is considered to let them do.

[0005]

However, the above configuration is troublesome when the cooked desired time is corrected after starting the timer operation, for example, by turning off the power and resetting the cooked desired time from the initial state. Various treatments were required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a convenient rice cooker capable of easily cooking and correcting a desired time even after the timer operation is started. Is.

[0007]

According to the rice cooker of the present invention, after the timer operation of the rice cooker is started, the timer operation is stopped when the cancel switch for stopping the timer operation is operated, and then the desired cooking time is set. When you operate the cook-up time setting switch, the desired cook-up time that was stored before the timer operation was canceled is stored again.
When the timer operation is started after this, the timer operation is restarted so that the re-stored cooked-up desired time is cooked up.

[0008]

According to the above means, when the cancel switch is operated after the timer operation is started, the timer operation is stopped. Next, when the desired cooking time is reset by the cooking time setting switch, the desired cooking time stored before the timer operation is stopped is rewritten to the reset desired cooking time. After that, when the timer operation is started, the timer operation is restarted so that the reset cooking time is finished at the desired time.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, in FIG. 1 showing the circuit configuration,
Reference numeral 1 is a microcomputer as a time measuring means, which has a time measuring function using, for example, an AC power supply frequency.

Reference numeral 2 is, for example, a 4-digit 7-segment type light-emitting diode, and the common cathode side of each digit is connected to the output terminals R0 to R3 of the microcomputer 1 via the inverter circuit 3, respectively. The seven anode sides of each are connected to the microcomputer 1 via the resistor 11.
Is connected to the output terminals P0 to P6 of the
2 are configured.

In this case, in the microcomputer 1, high-level scan pulses are output to the output terminals R0 to R3, and high-level scan pulses are also output to the output terminals P0 to P6. The diode 2 is dynamically lit.

Reference numerals 4 and 5 are a current time setting switch and a cooking time setting switch, both of which are self-resetting push switches and are connected to the output terminal R0 of the microcomputer 1 via a diode 6 of the polarity shown. It is connected between the input terminals K1 and K2. And
The input terminals K1 and K2 are always maintained at a low level by the pull-down resistor 7. Reference numerals 8 and 9 denote a start switch and a cancel switch, which are also self-resetting push switches, and which have a diode 1 with a polarity
Output terminal R of the microcomputer 1 via 0
It is connected between 1 and the input terminals K1 and K2.

When the current time setting switch 4 is pushed, a high level pulse is generated by the microcomputer 1.
The current time can be set in the microcomputer 1 according to the pressing time or the number of times of pressing, and the time is displayed on the light emitting diode 2. On the other hand, when the cook-up time setting switch 5 is pressed, a high-level pulse is input to the input terminal K2 of the microcomputer 1 and the desired cook-up time is also set according to the pressing time or the number of times of pressing.
And the time is displayed on the light emitting diode 2 instead of the current time.

When the present time and the desired cooking time are set in the microcomputer 1 and the start switch 8 is turned on (start operation) as described above, the microcomputer 1 follows the preset timer rice cooking program. The time difference between the desired cooking time and the current time is calculated, and the waiting time is calculated by subtracting the time required to complete the rice cooking operation from the time difference, and the timer rice operation that starts the rice cooking operation after the waiting time is executed. I am trying to do it. The rice cooking operation follows a well-known rice cooking program preset in the microcomputer 1.
This is performed by turning off the rice cooking heater (not shown) while detecting the temperature of the pan.

The microcomputer 1 shown in FIG.
And a time correction program as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3 is incorporated, which will be described in detail below. First, when the current time setting switch 4 and the cooking time setting switch 5 are respectively operated, the desired cooking time and the current time are set and displayed on the light emitting diode 2 as shown in a processing area A in FIG. Both times are stored.
Here, the current time is 22:00 and the desired cooking time is 6
The display mode of the light emitting diode 2 when it is set as 30 minutes is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

Next, when the start switch 8 is operated, it is determined in step a whether or not the start switch 8 has been input, and first, a subtraction process is executed to subtract the present time from the desired cooking time and calculate the time difference between them (step). b) Then, the time difference, that is, the remaining time until cooking is displayed on the light emitting diode 2 (step c, see FIG. 6), and the time counting operation is started (step d). The remaining time that decreases as the timekeeping progresses
Are sequentially displayed (see FIG. 7).

Therefore, the LED 2 displays the current time as shown in FIG. 4 and then the desired cooking time as shown in FIG. 5, or the current desired time after the desired cooking time is displayed. When the time is displayed and then the start switch 8 is turned on, the display state of the light emitting diode 2 becomes a display state of the remaining time different from the display of the desired cooking time or the current time until then.

In this way, after the microcomputer 1 starts the time counting operation by operating the start switch 8, it is attempted to cook the meal within a predetermined time of, for example, about 5 minutes and change the desired time to, for example, 5:30. To do so, the cancel switch 9 is operated. Then, step e
Since "YES" is displayed at, the remaining time counting operation is stopped, the stored desired cooking time is read, and the same time is displayed on the light emitting diode 2 (step f, see FIG. 8).

Therefore, when the cooked-up time setting switch 5 is operated, the result in step g is "YES".
The microcomputer 1 accepts the resetting of the desired time for cooking, the same time is corrected (step h, see FIG. 9), and this is stored again (step i). After this,
When the start switch 8 is operated again, the process returns to step a, and after the subtraction process, the remaining time until cooking is displayed again, and the time counting operation is restarted.

Further, in the case of correcting the current time, if the current time setting switch 4 is operated after the cancel switch 9 is operated, the result is "NO" in step g and "YES" in step j. The current time is read out and displayed on the light emitting diode 2 (step k),
The current time is corrected according to the pressing time or the number of times of pressing the current time setting switch 4 (step l), and the corrected current time is stored again (step m). After that, the process returns to step a again, the remaining time until cooking is calculated and displayed based on the current time corrected by the operation of the start switch 8 (see FIG. 10), and the time counting operation is restarted (see FIG. 11). ).

On the other hand, if the cancel switch 9 is not operated within a predetermined time of, for example, about 5 minutes from the start of the timekeeping operation based on the operation of the start switch 8, the result in step n is "YES", so it is stored. The present time and the desired cooking time are deleted (steps o and p), and the timekeeping operation is continued.

According to the present embodiment, when the timer operation is stopped after the timer operation is started, the time adjustment from the previously stored desired cooking time is performed by the cooking time setting switch 5, and a new cooking request is made. Since the time can be set, there is no need for the trouble of resetting from the initial state, the desired time for cooking is corrected easily, and usability is improved. In particular, if the user wants to change the desired cooking time after starting the timer operation by mistakenly starting the desired cooking time, the desired cooking time can be corrected very easily.

Further, the light emitting diode 2 of the display means 12
In addition, since the cooking time, the current time, and the remaining time until cooking are switched and displayed, the user can visually confirm a plurality of information, and the operability is excellent. Further, when the start switch 8 is operated, the display state of the light emitting diode 2 changes like the display of the desired cooking time or the current time remaining until the cooking time, which is displayed by the user. By visually recognizing the change in the display state, it is possible to confirm that the start operation for the timer rice cooking has been performed.

As described above, since a plurality of pieces of information such as the desired cooking time, the current time, and the remaining time until cooking are switched and displayed on the same light emitting diode 2, each dedicated light emitting diode ( It is possible to reduce the size and space of the light emitting diode 2 as compared with the case where a display device is provided.

In the above embodiment, considering that the time is generally adjusted within a short time after the time is set,
When the cancel switch 9 is not operated within 5 minutes after the start switch 8 is operated, the memories of both times are erased. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the memory can be retained for a longer time. Alternatively, the memory may be held until the rice cooking operation is started.

[0026]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the rice cooker of the present invention, even after the timer operation is started, the desired time for cooking rice can be adjusted by operating the cancel switch and the cooking time setting switch. Can be corrected, so the usability is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electric circuit diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the operation (No. 1)

FIG. 3 is a flowchart (part 2) for explaining the operation.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the operation unit showing a display state of the light emitting diode when the current time is set.

[Figure 5] Figure equivalent to Figure 4 when setting the desired time for cooking

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 when the start switch is operated.

FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing the progress of the timing operation.

[Figure 8] Figure equivalent to Figure 4 when canceling the desired cooking time

[Figure 9] Figure equivalent to Figure 4 when adjusting the desired cooking time

FIG. 10 is a view corresponding to FIG. 4 when the start switch is operated.

FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 showing the progress of the timing operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference numeral 5 is a cooking time setting switch, and 9 is a cancel switch.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. The timer operation is stopped when the cancel switch for stopping the timer operation is operated after the timer operation for the rice cooking is started, and the timer operation is stopped when the next cooking time setting switch for setting the desired cooking time is operated. The desired cooking time that was memorized before the cancellation was corrected and stored again, and if you start the timer operation after this, the timer operation will restart so that it will cook up at the re-stored desired cooking time. Rice cooker.