JP3239349B2 - Insulated pot - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an insulated pot that reduces deterioration of the condition of the rice to be kept warm and prevents the risk of spoilage due to long-time keeping.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a rice cooker that also serves as a heating pot, after cooking rice by boiling, the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature. Conventionally, as described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-1214, for example, a heat retaining method of switching the temperature of rice between a low temperature of 45 to 55 ° C. and a high temperature of 70 to 75 ° C. has been known. ing. The reason why the rice is kept at a low temperature is to prevent deterioration of the warming state, and the reason why the temperature is switched to a high temperature is to prevent the risk of putrefaction of the rice.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-9425 and
As described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No.-125532, etc., by keeping the temperature after cooking rice at a low temperature of 55 to 65 ° C., the amino-carbonyl reaction, that is, the browning reaction of sugar and amino acid due to heat, is suppressed, The generation of unpleasant odors due to the thermal decomposition of varieties is prevented to prevent deterioration of the heat retention state, and from the end of rice cooking, 6
After about 10 hours, if the temperature rises to 67-78 ° C and the rot grows continuously due to the low temperature, the spoilage of the rot will prevent the rice from spoiling before the rice rots. Heating pots have been proposed and commercialized.

[0004] By the way, spoilage bacteria that spoil rice include:
Bacillus subtils (Bacillus subtilis),
Bacillus Coagulans, Bacillus Stearothe
rmophilus), Bacillus Cereus
It is known that there are. These spoilage bacteria are 42
It germinates quickly at ~ 55 ° C and grows well. Bacillus stearothermophilus grows at 65 ° C. And
When spoilage bacteria grow to 10 ⁷ to ⁸ per g of rice, the rice spoils. In addition, these spoilage bacteria spores without dying at the above-mentioned temperature or more, and die only when heated at 140 ° C. or more for about 1 hour. Therefore, putrefactive bacteria, such as rice cooking 1
Even if it is heated to about 00 to 110 ° C., it does not die, and then increases as the temperature becomes lower. However, it is not completely killed by cooking rice, but in Bacillus subtilis, it is known that heating at 100 ° C for 18 minutes reduces the number of viable bacteria to about 1/10. Damaged bacteria that have suffered may not be recovered immediately, and it is considered that heating and cooking rice will reduce the number of viable bacteria and control rot. Also, even at a temperature of less than 60 ° C., such as 42 to 55 ° C., where putrefactive bacteria are likely to proliferate, there is little danger of decay for about 8 to 10 hours. In the method of keeping the temperature at a low temperature for 8 to 10 hours and then keeping the temperature at a high temperature, rice cooking may be heated before the temperature is kept, and it is considered that the effect of preventing the putrefaction of the rice and improving the temperature keeping state is high.

[0005] However, in actual use, in the following cases, the time for keeping the temperature at a low temperature becomes long, and there is a possibility that the rice will be putrefied. First, there is a case where the method of stopping the heat retention by means of an operation stopping means such as a switch during the heat retention and repeating the resumption of the low-temperature heat retention is repeated. In this case, the low-temperature heat retention can be performed any number of hours. Secondly, a power outage occurs due to a long-term power outage during heat insulation, or the power plug is unplugged from a commercial AC power outlet.
In some cases, low temperature insulation was used after the power was restored. Thirdly, the heat retention operation was stopped by removing the container from the kettle body for some reason during the heat retention, and thereafter, the container was stored again in the kettle body, and the low temperature heat retention was used from the state where there was no heat retention for a long time. There are cases. In these cases, in the above-mentioned conventional heat-insulating kettle, time measurement is newly started when the heat-retaining operation is restarted, so that high-temperature heat-retention is not performed.

[0006]

As described above, in the above-described conventional heat retaining pot, when the heat retaining operation is stopped by the stopping means during the heat retaining, when a power failure occurs, or during the heat retaining, the container is removed from the pot main body. When the heat retention is restarted afterwards, for example, when it is removed, only the low temperature heat retention lasts for a long time, and there is a possibility that the rice will rot.

[0007] The present invention is intended to solve such a problem and improves the heat insulation state by switching between low-temperature heat insulation and high-temperature heat insulation. It is an object of the present invention to provide an insulated pot capable of preventing rot of rice.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, there is provided an insulated rice cooker for cooking rice by boiling, a method for maintaining the rice at a predetermined temperature, and a method for maintaining the temperature. Insulation means that can be switched to low or high temperature, insulation temperature selection means, timer means for counting the elapsed time after cooking by the rice cooking means, and after the elapsed time counted by the timer means exceeds a predetermined time Comprises a low-temperature heat-preventing means for disabling setting to a low temperature by the heat-retaining temperature selecting means, and the time-measuring means performs a time-measuring operation not only during the heat-insulating operation but also while the heat-insulating operation is stopped. .

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, a warming pot according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises: a rice cooking means for cooking rice by boiling;
Insulation means for keeping the rice at a predetermined temperature and switching this insulation temperature to a low or high temperature, and a timekeeping means for counting an elapsed time after cooking by the rice cooking means,
After the elapsed time measured by the time keeping means exceeds a predetermined time, the temperature keeping means comprises a heat keeping temperature automatic switching means for automatically setting the temperature of the heat keeping means to a high temperature. The timer operation is performed even while the heat retaining operation is stopped.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the heat retaining kettle of the first or second aspect of the present invention, further comprising a stopping means for stopping the heat retaining operation, wherein the timer means keeps the temperature keeping operation stopped by the stopping means. The clocking operation is performed continuously.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the insulated pot of the first or second aspect of the present invention, the time keeping means includes a power failure compensating means for enabling the time keeping means to perform a time keeping operation even after a power failure occurs. Is to continue the timekeeping operation even while the heat insulation operation is stopped due to a power failure.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the insulated kettle according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, further comprising a container for accommodating rice and detachably housed in the kettle main body, wherein the timing means includes: The timekeeping operation is performed continuously while the device is disconnected from the device.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the rice cooker cooks the rice by boiling the rice, and then keeps the rice at a predetermined temperature. The warming means can switch the warming temperature to a low temperature or a high temperature, and the switching can be performed by the warming temperature selecting means. In addition, the timer measures the elapsed time after the cooking of rice, but after the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the low-temperature heat-preventing means disables setting of the low-temperature heat-preserving temperature selecting means to low temperature, and only the high-temperature heat preservation can be performed. become. Moreover, the timer means performs the timer operation not only during the heat-retention operation but also during the time when the heat-retention operation is stopped. Will be kept at a high temperature to prevent the rot of rice.

[0014] In the insulated rice cooker according to the second aspect of the present invention, the rice is cooked by performing boiling heating by the rice cooker, and then the rice is kept at a predetermined temperature by the heat retainer. The warming means can switch the warming temperature to a low temperature or a high temperature. The timer measures the elapsed time after the cooking of the rice. After the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, the automatic heat-retention temperature switching means automatically sets the temperature of the heat-retention means to a high temperature. Moreover, the timer means performs the timer operation not only during the heat-retention operation but also during the time when the heat-retention operation is stopped. Will be kept at a high temperature to prevent the rot of rice.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the heat retaining operation is stopped by the stopping means and then restarted, the time keeping means continues the time keeping operation even while the heat retaining operation is stopped. As a result, after a predetermined time has elapsed after the rice cooking, high-temperature heat retention is performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the timer can be operated by the power failure compensating means even when a power failure occurs during the heat retention, and the time keeping operation is continued even during the suspension of the heat retention due to the power failure. Therefore, after a lapse of a predetermined time after cooking rice,
High temperature insulation will be performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the container is removed from the main body of the heating pot during the heat retention, and then the container is again stored in the main body of the heating pot, the timing means continues the timing operation even while the container is removed. As a result, after a lapse of a predetermined time after the cooking of rice, high-temperature heat retention is performed.

[0018]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the insulated pot of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 3 which is an overall sectional view showing the structure, reference numeral 1 denotes a pot main body, which is a bottomed cylindrical inner frame 2 having an open upper surface and an outer shell of the pot main body 1 provided with the inner frame 2 therein. And an outer frame 3 to be formed. The inner frame 2 is made of plastic such as FR-PET resin and has a shape substantially similar to the outer shape of the pan 4 which is a container which is removably accommodated in the inner frame 2. The pot 4 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape mainly made of an aluminum material and having an open upper surface, and stores rice.
The pan 4 has a flange 5 formed at the upper end thereof.
Is supported by being placed on the upper end surface of the inner frame 2.
A first space 6 is formed between the pan 4 and the pot 4 accommodated therein. Also, on the outer surface of the pan 4,
A heating layer 7 made of a magnetic metal material for heating the pan 4 is provided.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a coil base.
Is made of plastic mainly composed of FR-PET resin or the like, and is formed in a shape similar to the peripheral shape from the bottom of the inner frame 2 to the lower part of the outer periphery. And the coil base 11
Coil base mounting portion vertically suspended from the upper surface of the outer frame 3
Mounted on the lower side of 12. Also, the coil base 11
Is located outside the lower part of the inner frame 2, and a second space 13 is formed between the inner space 2 and the inner space 2. An induction coil 14 is mounted on the lower surface of the coil base 11 at a predetermined distance from the heating layer 7 of the pan 4 and heats the heating layer 7 by electromagnetic induction. This induction coil 14
Is spirally wound concentrically with the center of the coil base 11, and the coil base 11, the second space 1
3. It faces the bottom and the lower side of the pan 4 with the inner frame 2 and the first space 6 interposed therebetween. The farite core base 15 that covers the induction coil 14 from outside is a coil base 11
Attached to. This Farite Core Base 15
Is made of plastic mainly composed of FR-PET resin or the like. A plurality of ferrite cores 16 are provided outside the farite core base 15 in a direction perpendicular to the winding direction of the induction coil 14. This ferrite core 16
Is obtained by sintering a material having high magnetic permeability using iron oxide as a main raw material. Further, a magnetic shield 17 made of an aluminum material and preventing leakage of magnetic flux is provided facing the outer surface of the induction coil 14.

A body heater 21 comprising a cord heater or the like, which is a heating means for keeping the inner frame 2 warm, is provided above the outer surface of the inner frame 2. A temperature fuse 22 is provided below the inner frame 2. Further, a pot sensor 23 provided with a heat-sensitive portion composed of a negative characteristic thermistor for detecting the outer surface temperature of the pot 4 is provided above and below the center of the coil base 11 so as to be vertically movable. The pan sensor 23 is urged upward by a spring 24 as an elastic member, penetrates the bottom of the inner frame 2 and projects upward, and comes into contact with the bottom surface of the pan 4.
A switch lever 25 fixed to the pan sensor 23 penetrates through the coil base 11 and protrudes downward.

A control board is provided at a lower portion in the shuttle main body 1.
26 are provided. The control board 26 includes a control circuit including a control microcomputer to be described later. The control board 26 is also provided with a pan switch 28 having an opening / closing member 27 operated by the switch lever 25 and detecting the presence or absence of the pan 4. That is, when the pot 4 is not stored in the inner frame 2, the switch lever 25, which is pushed by the spring 24 and rises together with the pan sensor 23, lifts the opening / closing member 27. 4, the pan sensor 23 and the switch lever 25 are pushed down, and the switch 27 is also lowered. Thereby, the presence or absence of the pan 4 is detected.

On the other hand, a space 31 is formed between the inner frame 2 and the outer frame 3 at the rear portion in the shuttle main body 1, and a heating control board 32 is disposed in the space 31. The heating control board 32 includes an inverter circuit for supplying a predetermined high-frequency current to the induction coil 14, and a switching element 33 such as an IGBT element that is a driving device for turning off / off the high-frequency current to the induction coil 14.
And a heating control circuit for controlling the temperature. The switching element 33 is provided below the heating control board 32 as a heat-generating component that generates heat when the induction coil 14 is driven, and is thermally coupled to a radiator 34 via an insulating sheet having excellent heat conductivity. ing. Furthermore, on the upper rear part of the outer frame 3,
An exhaust port 35 is provided above the heating control board 32, and an intake port 36 is provided below the heating control board 32 at a lower rear portion and a bottom portion of the outer frame 3. Further, a power cord 37 is provided at the bottom front side of the outer frame 3.
Is provided. Although not shown, a power plug that is detachably connected to an outlet of a commercial AC power supply is provided at a distal end of the power cord 37.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a lid that covers the upper opening of the pot 4 so that it can be opened and closed. The lid 41 is attached to the outer lid 42 made of, for example, a polypropylene resin, an outer lid cover 43 provided along the lower outer periphery of the outer lid 42, and forming a space below the outer lid 42. And a radiating plate 44 made of an aluminum member. Further, an inner lid 45 for closing the upper opening of the pan 4 is detachably provided below the radiating plate 44 via an inner lid retainer 46. . 47 is the outer lid cover 43
And a heat sink 44 between which an annular lid packing is held. When the lid 41 is closed, the lower end of the lid packing 47 comes into close contact with the flange portion 5 of the pan 4. A clamp button 48 is provided on the front side of the lid 41, and by pressing this clamp button 48, the lid 41 can be opened around a hinge 49 provided on the rear side of the lid 41 as a center of rotation. . On the other hand, on the upper surface of the heat sink 44 forming the lower surface of the lid 41,
As a lid heating means for heating the radiator plate 44 during cooking and keeping the temperature, a lid heater 51 such as a cord heater is provided. On the upper surface of the heat radiating plate 44, a lid sensor 52 composed of a negative temperature coefficient thermistor is provided as a lid temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the heat radiating plate 44. The lid heater 51 forms a parallel circuit with the body heater 21 of the inner frame 2. Reference numeral 53 denotes a steam port for discharging steam from the pan 4 to the outside, and reference numeral 54 denotes an operation panel which is a display operation unit provided on an upper portion of the outer lid 42.

As shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel 54 has LED indicators 61, 62, 63, which are stroke display lamps, and L
CD display 64 and operation switches 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70,
There are 71. The LED display 61 is lit during the timer operation during the timer rice cooking, the LED display 62 is lit during the rice cooking, and the LED display 63 is lit during the heat retention. Also, LCD
In addition to the time display, the display 64 is lit or turned off as appropriate, such as “AM”, “PM”, “reserved”, “low”, “high”,
It has a display of “elapsed time”. In addition, for convenience of explanation, the drawings are shown in an all-lit state. The display of "reservation" lights up in the case of timer rice cooking, the display of "low temperature" lights up when keeping low temperature, the display of "high temperature" lights up when keeping high temperature,
The display of "elapsed time" lights up after cooking rice. At the same time, after the rice cooking is completed, the time display changes from the display of the time to the display of the elapsed time after the rice cooking. Further, the operation switch 65 is pressed to set the time for the rice cooking by the timer, the operation switch 66 is pressed to start the rice cooking operation, and the operation switch 67 is pressed to start the warming operation. An operation switch (off switch) 68 serving as a stopping means is to be pressed to stop the rice cooking operation or the heat retention operation, and the operation switches 69 and 70 are to be pressed by the user for setting the time for the timer rice cooking. The operation switch 71, which is a means for selecting the temperature to be kept warm, is pressed to switch the temperature to be kept warm. That is, this operation switch
Each time the button 71 is pressed, the setting of the heat retention temperature is alternately switched between high and low.

Next, the circuit configuration will be described with reference to FIG. In the figure, 81 is a microcomputer,
As is well known, in addition to the control device 82 and the arithmetic device 83 which constitute a microprocessor, a time counting device 84 and an RO
A storage device 85 including an M and a RAM is provided.
An input device 86 composed of an A / D converter is connected to the input side of the microcomputer 81. The pan sensor 23, the lid sensor 52, and the pan switch 28 are connected via the input device 86.
At the same time, the operation switches 65,..., 71 and the power failure detection circuit 87 are connected. On the other hand, an output device 91 is connected to the output side of the microcomputer 81, and through the output device 91, induction heating means 92 for electromagnetically heating the pan 4 is provided.
And a heater driving means 93 having switch means such as a triac for simultaneously turning on and off the body heater 21 and the lid heater 51 are connected. The output device 91 has, besides these, the LED displays 61, 62, 63 and the LCD display 64.
Are connected, and a buzzer driving means 97 for controlling sounding of a buzzer 96 for notifying the end of rice cooking is connected. Microcomputer
81 is the operation signal of the operation switches 65, ..., 71 and the pan sensor
Temperature data from 23 and lid sensor 52 and pan switch 28
And the like, as input information, and in addition to this input information, time information from a timer 84, etc., according to a control sequence previously set in the storage device 85, the induction heating means 92, the lid heater 51, and the body. Heater 21, L
It controls display means including the ED displays 61, 62, 63 and the LCD display 64 and notification means including the buzzer 96.

Reference numeral 98 denotes a power failure compensating means connected to the output device 91. The power failure compensating means 98 is composed of a lithium battery or the like, operates the microcomputer 81 via the microcomputer driving circuit 99 at the time of the power failure, It holds the contents stored in the storage device 85 and the operation of the timer device 84.

The induction heating means 92 includes a high-frequency current generator 101 for supplying a predetermined high-frequency current based on an output signal from the microcomputer 81, and a power supply to the induction coil 14 while varying the high-frequency current value. And an output adjustment circuit 102 for controlling the output. When the high-frequency current is supplied to the induction coil 14, an alternating magnetic field is generated in the induction coil 14, and an eddy current is generated in the heating layer 7 of the pot 4 in the magnetic field, and this eddy current is converted into Joule heat. By the conversion, the heat generating layer 7 generates heat and heats the pan 4.

Next, based on the block diagram of FIG. 1, the configuration of functions relating to the control of the heat retaining operation in the microcomputer 81 will be described. The rice cooking means 111 includes the induction heating means 92, and cooks rice according to a predetermined process including boiling heating. The heat retaining means 112 includes the induction heating means 92, and keeps the rice in the pan 4 at a predetermined temperature after the rice cooking by the rice cooking means 111 is completed. This warming temperature can be switched to a low or high temperature. Timing means
113 is constituted by the timing device 84 and the storage device 85,
The timer measures the elapsed time from the end of the rice cooking operation by the rice cooking means 111. The timer operation is performed not only during the warming operation but also while the warming operation is stopped. That is,
The time keeping means 113 continues the time keeping operation while the heat keeping operation is stopped by the stopping means composed of the operation switch 68.
, The timekeeping operation is continued, and the timekeeping operation is continued even while the pan 4 is removed from the shuttle main body 1. When the pan switch 28 detects that the pan 4 has been removed, the heat insulation means
112 stops the warming operation. In addition, low-temperature insulation prohibiting means 11
Reference numeral 4 designates that after the elapsed time measured by the timer 113 exceeds a predetermined time, it is impossible to set the temperature to a low temperature by the heat retaining temperature selecting means composed of the operation switch 71.
After the elapsed time measured by the time keeping means 113 exceeds the predetermined time, the heat keeping temperature automatic switching means 115 is provided.
It automatically raises the temperature setting of 112.

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. After the pot 4 containing rice and water is stored in the inner frame 2 of the kettle body 1, when the operation switch 66 is pressed, the rice cooking operation starts (step S1 in FIG. 5). Operation switches 65, 69,
When the timer rice setting is performed using 70, rice cooking is automatically started at a predetermined time. In the rice cooking operation,
Heating is performed in a predetermined pattern based on the temperatures detected by the pan sensor 23 and the lid sensor 52. That is, the cooking process of maintaining the water temperature at about 50 ° C. (Steps S2 and S2)
3), a boiling heating process (Steps S4 and S5) in which water is boiled by strong heating to gelatinize rice, and a boiling detection process (Step S4) in which the lid sensor 52 detects boiling during the boiling heating process.
6, S7), the boiling continuous heating process (steps S8, S
9) During the boiling continuous heating process, the temperature at the bottom of the pan 4 is about 11
Detection of cooking when the temperature reaches 5 ° C (Step S
(9, S10), the unevenness step (steps S10, S11) for completely promoting gelatinization while maintaining a high temperature of 98 ° C. or more, and cook rice.

If a power failure occurs during the rice cooking process described above, the power failure processing routine during rice cooking shown in FIG. 6 (step S2)
1, S22 and S23) are executed. That is, if no power failure occurs, the rice cooking operation continues without any state change, but if a power failure occurs, the rice cooking operation stops (step
S22). Thereafter, when the power supply is restored, if the power failure occurs between the tanashi cooking process and the boiling continuous heating process, the rice cooking operation is resumed as shown in FIG. If so, the rice cooking operation is ended as shown in FIG. 6B (step S12).

After the rice cooking is completed (step S12), the temperature is automatically maintained, but the user can select a desired heat retaining course by pressing the operation switch 71 before the rice cooking. The warming course includes a low-temperature warming and a high-temperature warming, and after rice cooking, a warming operation according to the set warming course starts. Also,
When the low-temperature heat retention is set, the display of “low temperature” is lit on the LCD display 64, and when the high-temperature heat retention is set, the “high temperature” display is lit. The selected heat retention course is stored in the storage device 85 of the microcomputer 81.
Once the heat retention course is selected, the heat retention operation according to the set heat retention course is started after each rice cooking without re-selection. The storage of the heat retention course is performed at the start of the rice cooking operation after the selection by the operation switch 71 as the heat retention temperature selection means. It is also possible to change the heat retention temperature during the heat retention, and by pressing the operation switch 71, it is possible to switch to the low temperature heat retention during the high temperature heat retention. In addition, when the heat retention temperature is switched during the heat retention, the heat retention course is not stored. Therefore, when the heat retention temperature is changed during the heat retention, when the heat retention operation is stopped by pressing the operation switch 68 thereafter, the heat retention course stored as described above is preferentially set.
It is also displayed on the display 64. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform the operation of selecting the always-used heat retention temperature before each rice cooking. In addition, after the rice is cooked, the warming operation is automatically started with the desired warming course, so there is no need to reset the warming course after the rice is cooked. Since it returns, there is no need to reset the heat insulation course.

Heating at the time of keeping the temperature is performed by electromagnetically heating the pot 4 containing the rice so that the temperature detected by the pot sensor 23 becomes a predetermined temperature. In addition, while the temperature is detected by the lid sensor 52, the heating by the lid heater 51 and the body heater 21 is performed to such an extent that dew does not form on the lower surface of the lid 41. Here, the heating of the pan 4 by the electromagnetic induction heating is performed by an operation in which the heating amount is set to about 500 W and the energization for 1 second and the power cutoff for 10 seconds are repeated, and the temperature detected by the pan sensor 23 is higher than a predetermined temperature. Then, temperature control is performed by omitting energization for one second.

As shown in FIG. 7, after the rice cooking is completed, whether or not the temperature is to be maintained, the timer 113 starts counting the time elapsed from the end of the rice cooking (step S31). After the rice is cooked as described above, according to the selected heat retention course (step S32), if the low temperature heat retention course has been selected, the temperature of the rice in the pan 4 is maintained at a low temperature of 60 to 66 ° C. If the high-temperature keeping course is selected, high-temperature keeping is performed to keep the temperature of the rice at a high temperature of 70 to 76 ° C. (step S35).
Even when the low-temperature keeping course is selected, the automatic switching from the low-temperature keeping to the high-temperature keeping takes place eight hours after the end of the rice cooking (steps S34, S33, S35). As described above, when eight hours have passed since the end of rice cooking and the high temperature was maintained, even if the operation switch 71 was operated, it was not possible to switch from the high temperature to the low temperature, and only the high temperature was maintained.

If a power failure occurs during the warming operation, the power failure processing routine during the warming shown in FIGS. 8 and 11 (steps S41, S42, S43, S44, S71, S72, S73).
, S74) are executed. That is, when a power failure occurs, the heat retaining operation is stopped (steps S41 and S42). Thereafter, when the power is restored, if the temperature detected by the pan sensor 23 during the power failure is lower than 25 ° C., the heat retaining operation is performed. Is restarted (steps S43, S44). On the other hand, if the temperature drop is 25 ° C. or more, the heat-retention operation is not restarted, but is turned off (step
S71). During the power failure by the power failure compensating means 98, the time keeping by the time keeping means 113 is continuously performed, and when the warming operation is restarted,
If eight hours have already passed since the end of rice cooking, the low-temperature insulation is stopped, and the high-temperature insulation is resumed (steps S33 and S3).
Five ). In addition, after the heat retention operation resumes, even if it becomes low temperature heat retention,
When eight hours have passed since the end of rice cooking including the power outage period, the temperature is switched from low-temperature insulation to high-temperature insulation.

If the pan 4 is removed from the kettle body 1 during the heat retaining operation, the pan removal processing routine shown in FIGS. 9 and 11 (steps S51, S52, S53, S54, S71).
, S72, S73, S74) are executed. That is, pan 4
When the pot switch 23 detects that the pot 4 has come off, the heat retaining operation is stopped (steps S51 and S52). If the drop in the temperature detected by the pan sensor 23 is less than 25 ° C,
The warming operation is restarted (steps S53 and S54). On the other hand, if the temperature drop is equal to or higher than 25 ° C., the heat retaining operation is not restarted, but turned off (step S71). While the pan 4 is removed, the time keeping by the time keeping means 113 is continued, and when the warming operation is resumed, if eight hours have already passed since the end of cooking rice, the low temperature warming is stopped and the high temperature warming is stopped. To restart the heat retention (steps S33, S35). Further, even after the warming operation is resumed, even if the temperature is kept at a low temperature, after 8 hours from the end of the rice cooking including the period during which the pot 4 has been removed, the temperature is switched from the low-temperature keeping to the high-temperature keeping.

Further, when the operation switch 68 serving as the stopping means is pressed during the warming operation, the off switch processing routine shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 (steps S61 and S6).
2, S71, S72, S73, S74) are executed. That is, when the operation switch 68 is pressed, the heat retaining operation is stopped (steps S61 and S62), and turned off (step S71).
). When the operation switch 67 for starting the heat retention is pressed during this off state, the heat retention operation is restarted at the low temperature or the high temperature according to the selected heat retention temperature (steps S72 and S73).
The time keeping by the time keeping means 113 is continued even while the warming operation is stopped by the operation switch 68 being pressed. Then, even when the low-temperature heat retention is selected and the heat retention operation is resumed, when the heat retention operation is resumed, if eight hours have already passed since the end of the rice cooking, the introduction to the low-temperature heat retention course is prohibited, and the forcible operation is forcibly performed. Resume warming with high temperature warming (step S33
, S35). Also, even if the temperature is kept low after the warming operation is resumed, the temperature is switched from the low-temperature warming to the high-temperature warming after 8 hours from the end of the rice cooking including the period during which the warming was stopped.

In the above-mentioned heat-retention power failure processing routine and the pan removal processing routine, the operation switch for starting heat retention is turned off when the temperature is lowered by 25 ° C. or more during the heat retention stop period. When the button 67 is pressed, the warming operation is restarted, and the processing at that time is the same as the above-mentioned off switch processing routine. Further, when the rice cooker's operation switch 66 is pressed during the cut-off state, the rice cooker operation starts (steps S74 and S1). This is the next cooked rice.

During the heat retention operation, the power failure, the removal of the pan 4
If there is no operation of the operation switch 68 as the stopping means, the warming operation continues without changing the state.

On the LCD display 64 of the operation panel 54, the elapsed time from the end of rice cooking is displayed during the warming operation. On the other hand, the current time is displayed when the heat retention operation is stopped and turned off due to a power failure, removal of the pan 4 or the operation of the operation switch 68, but when the operation switch 67 for starting the heat retention is pressed to resume the heat retention operation. Then, the display changes to the display of the elapsed time from the end of rice cooking. This elapsed time includes the suspension period of the heat retaining operation. In particular, when the user selects low-temperature heat retention and attempts to resume the heat-retention operation, when eight hours have already passed since the end of rice cooking, and the introduction to the low-temperature heat retention course was prohibited, the elapsed time was not counted. The display allows the user to know the reason for the prohibition. At the same time, the buzzer 96 informs the prohibition sound.

As described above, low-temperature heat insulation can be used only within 8 hours after the completion of rice cooking, and after 8 hours or more, it cannot be used unless rice is cooked again.

According to the configuration of the above embodiment, the use of low-temperature heat insulation can suppress browning (yellowing) and bad odor during heat insulation, and can improve deterioration of the heat insulation state. Further, even when the low-temperature insulation is performed, the rice is automatically heated to a high temperature after eight hours, which is a predetermined safety time before decay, so that the rot of rice can be prevented even when the insulation is performed for a long time. Moreover, the safety time is measured not from the start of the heat retention but from the end of the rice cooking, and is performed not only during the low-temperature heat-retention operation but also during the suspension of the heat-retention operation. After that, even if it is used again to keep the low temperature, the low temperature or the non-thermal state does not continue beyond the above safety time, and in accordance with various daily usage, rice rot Can be prevented. further,
Since such temperature control of heat retention is performed automatically, there is no trouble for the user, and the usability is good.

More specifically, if the operation of pressing the operation switch 68 as the stopping means during the heat insulation is stopped to stop the heat insulation operation, and then the low temperature heat insulation is restarted, if the rice cooking is completed within eight hours. You can use the low-temperature insulation repeatedly, but if 8 hours have passed since the end of the rice cooking, the low-temperature insulation is prohibited. In the case of rice that has been placed for a long period of time, low-temperature insulation cannot be used and high-temperature insulation is required, so that the rice can be prevented from spoiling.

Also, there is a long-term power failure during the heat retention,
Alternatively, a power outage was caused by, for example, unplugging the power plug from the outlet, and then when the power was restored, the temperature of the pan 4 was greatly reduced and turned off, and then the low temperature heat was resumed. In the case, if it is within 8 hours after the rice cooking, low temperature insulation can be used repeatedly even if there is a power outage in the middle, but if 8 hours have passed after rice cooking, low temperature insulation is prohibited In the case of rice that has been kept warm for a long time under conditions where it tends to rot, the temperature of the rice will be low. Can be prevented. In addition, if there is a power failure during the low-temperature warming, and then the power is restored, if the temperature drop of the pan 4 is small, the low-temperature warming is automatically restarted. If the time exceeds 8 hours, the temperature is automatically switched to the high-temperature keeping, so that the low-temperature state becomes long after the restart of the keeping of the temperature, and it is possible to prevent the rice from spoiling.

Further, during the heat insulation, the pot 4
Is removed from the kettle body 1 and the low temperature heat is kept from the state without heating for a long time, the low temperature heat can be used repeatedly within 8 hours after the rice is cooked, but the rice cook is finished If 8 hours have passed since then, low-temperature heat insulation is prohibited, so use low-temperature heat insulation if rice is kept for a long time under conditions where heat insulation is stopped and the temperature becomes low and perishable. And the rice is kept at a high temperature, so that the rice can be prevented from being spoiled. If the temperature drop of the pan 4 during the period when the pan 4 was removed is small,
After the pot 4 returns, the low temperature heat is automatically restarted.
If the elapsed time from the end of rice cooking, including the period during which the rice was removed, exceeds 8 hours, the temperature is automatically switched to the high-temperature insulation, and then the low-temperature insulation is resumed, and the low-temperature insulation becomes longer. Problems can be prevented.

When the operation switch 68 is pressed to stop the warming operation, the stored warming course is set preferentially regardless of whether the warming was performed at a high temperature or a low temperature, and is displayed on the LCD display 64. Is done. Therefore,
It is no longer necessary to select a warming temperature that is always used before every rice cooking. In addition, since the heat retention is automatically started with a favorite heat retention course after cooking rice, there is no need to reset the heat retention course after cooking rice. Further, even if the heat retention temperature is changed after the heat retention is started, the temperature automatically returns to the regular heat retention course, so that there is no need to reset the heat retention course and the usability is good.

When the low-temperature warming operation is stopped by pressing the operation switch 68, the low-temperature warming operation is stopped by a power failure, or the low-temperature warming operation is stopped by removing the pot 4, these stopping times are set. The low-temperature heat insulation for more than 8 hours is prohibited, including the above, so that the low-temperature heat insulation can be performed again after the rice cooking and heating are performed again. In other words, when using the low-temperature heat insulation, rice heating is always performed within 8 hours before that, so that a certain degree of sterilization is performed and the low-temperature heat insulation is performed from a state in which the number of spoilage bacteria is reduced. Will be. Therefore, putrefaction of rice caused by long-term use at low temperature can be more reliably prevented.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example,
In the above embodiment, the heating means for cooking rice is an induction coil, but the heating means for cooking rice may be an electric heater.
Further, the predetermined safety time for switching to the high-temperature keeping after the rice cooking is not limited to the eight hours in the above embodiment.

[0048]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in order to improve the heat retaining state, in the heat retaining pot in which the heat retaining temperature can be switched between a low temperature and a high temperature, the elapsed time after the rice cooked by the timer is measured. After the time has passed, there is a low-temperature heat-retaining prohibition means that disables setting to low temperature by the heat-retention temperature selection means, and the time-measuring means performs the time-measuring operation not only during the heat-holding operation but also while the heat-retaining operation is stopped. Even in the case where the heat-retention operation is interrupted halfway, the low-temperature heat-retention time does not become too long, so that the rice can be prevented from spoiling.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in order to improve the heat retaining state, in the heat retaining pot in which the heat retaining temperature can be switched between a low temperature and a high temperature, the elapsed time after the rice cooked by the timer is set to a predetermined time. After the temperature exceeds the threshold value, the unit is equipped with an automatic heat-retention temperature switching unit that automatically sets the heat retention temperature to a high temperature.The time-keeping means performs the time-keeping operation not only during the heat-retention operation but also while the heat-retention operation is stopped. Even if there is a stop on the way, after a predetermined time elapses after cooking rice,
By always keeping the temperature high, it is possible to prevent rice from spoiling.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the time keeping means continues the time keeping operation even while the heat keeping operation is stopped by the stopping means. Therefore, the heat keeping operation is stopped by the stopping means and then the heat keeping operation is restarted. Even in this case, the heat is kept at a high temperature after a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the cooking of the rice, so that the rot of the rice can be prevented.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power failure compensating means for enabling the timekeeping means to perform a timekeeping operation even after a power failure has occurred, and the timekeeping means keeps the timekeeping operation even during the suspension of the heat retaining operation due to the power failure. Since it is performed continuously, even if a power outage occurs during the heat retention, the high temperature heat retention is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the rice cooking, and therefore, the rot of the rice can be prevented.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the time keeping means continues the time keeping operation even while the container is detached from the kettle main body. Even when stored in the main body, the heat is kept at a high temperature after a lapse of a predetermined time after the rice is cooked, so that the rot of the rice can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a heat retaining pot according to the present invention, showing a configuration of a function relating to control of a heat retaining operation.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the same.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the entire heat retaining pot.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the operation panel.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the rice cooking operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of a power failure during cooking of rice.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the same, showing a warming operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation at the time of a power failure during heat retention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the same operation when the pan during heat retention is removed.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the same operation when the warming-off switch is pressed.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the same, showing an operation at the time of returning from stopping the heat retaining operation.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Pot body 4 Pot (container) 68 Operation switch (stop means) 71 Operation switch (insulation temperature selection means) 98 Power failure compensation means 111 Rice cooking means 112 Insulation means 113 Clocking means 114 Low temperature insulation inhibition means 115 Automatic insulation temperature switching means

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rice cooking means for cooking rice by boiling heating;
Insulation means for keeping the rice at a predetermined temperature and switching the insulation temperature between a low temperature and a high temperature, an insulation temperature selection means, a timer means for measuring an elapsed time after cooking by the rice cooking means, and a timer means After the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined time, a low-temperature heat-preventing means that disables setting to a low temperature by the heat-retaining temperature selecting means is provided. Insulation cooker characterized in that it keeps time even while it is stopped. 2. Rice cooking means for cooking rice by boiling and heating,
Insulation means for keeping the rice at a predetermined temperature and switching this insulation temperature to a low or high temperature, and a timekeeping means for counting an elapsed time after cooking by the rice cooking means,
After the elapsed time measured by the time keeping means exceeds a predetermined time, the temperature keeping means comprises a heat keeping temperature automatic switching means for automatically setting the temperature of the heat keeping means to a high temperature. A heat-insulating kettle characterized in that a timer operation is performed even while the heat-insulating operation is stopped. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a stop unit for stopping the heat keeping operation, wherein the time keeping unit continues the time keeping operation even while the heat keeping operation is stopped by the stop unit. Insulation pot as described. 4. A power failure compensating means for enabling the time-measuring means to perform a time-measuring operation even after a power failure has occurred, wherein the time-measuring means continues the time-measuring operation even during a stoppage of a heat-retaining operation due to a power failure. The heat insulation pot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: 5. A container for accommodating rice and detachably accommodated in the pot body, wherein the timing means continuously performs a timing operation while the container is removed from the pot body. The heat insulation pot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: