JP4577133B2 - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker having a control function in an energy saving mode and a normal mode.

  With recent microcomputer-controlled electric rice cookers, rice is cooked with high heating output with high heating efficiency, and when cooking is completed, the process automatically proceeds to the heat retention process, and the user presses the cancel switch or the heat retention set time has elapsed. In the meantime, the heating amount of the heat-retaining heating means such as a heat-retaining heater is appropriately controlled while detecting the temperature of the rice so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined heat-retaining temperature set in advance. (See Patent Document 1).

JP 2000-14541 A (Specifications, page 1-10, FIG. 1-11)

  As mentioned above, in the case of the conventional electric rice cooker, the heating efficiency at the time of rice cooking is high, therefore, rice is cooked quickly and deliciously, and there is a great merit in that the heat retaining performance is also good.

  However, on the other hand, there is a disadvantage that power consumption is large and energy saving performance is inferior.

  Therefore, for example, in addition to the normal control mode that emphasizes rice cooking performance, an energy-saving mode (save mode) in which the power-saving amount is set to a predetermined value is provided by the manufacturer in advance, and when the energy-saving mode is selected, the water absorption process Even if it is not omitted, the water absorption time and water absorption temperature are made smaller than in the normal mode, and the unevenness process is omitted or the unevenness time is shortened, so that rice cooking control excellent in energy saving is performed. It is considered to do so.

  However, in such a configuration, if the temperature or room temperature of the water to be used is too low, such as in winter, if the rice is cooked in the energy-saving mode as it is, the water absorption time and the water absorption temperature will be insufficient, resulting in a good rice There is a problem that cooking is not possible.

  On the other hand, even when the normal mode is selected, if the temperature or room temperature of the water used is sufficiently high, it is wasteful to increase the water absorption time or the water absorption temperature.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such circumstances, and properly uses the energy saving mode or the normal mode appropriately according to the above-mentioned rice cooking conditions (water temperature / room temperature, etc.) and corrects the control level. By this, it aims at providing the electric rice cooker excellent in both rice cooking performance and energy-saving performance.

The inventions of claims 1 and 2 of the present application have been made for the purpose of solving the above-described problems, respectively, and are configured to include the following problem solving means.

(1) Invention of Claim 1 In this invention, it is equipped with the rice cooking heating control means and the heat retention heating control means, and after the rice cooking process by a rice cooking heating control means is complete | finished, it is made to transfer to the heat retention process by a heat retention heating control means a rice cooker, a cooking control mode, as compared with the normal mode and the normal mode with selectable two control modes of the energy efficiency is high energy-saving mode, after the cooking control in the energy saving mode is started even in cooking control in the energy saving mode, when it is difficult to achieve a good cooking predetermined cooking conditions Ru is detected, control in the energy saving mode so as to allow good cooking correspondingly It is characterized by the fact that energy saving performance and rice cooking performance are both achieved by automatically correcting the level .

According to such a configuration, even if the control is started in the energy saving mode, the rice cooking control in the energy saving mode as described above detects a predetermined rice cooking condition that makes it difficult to realize good rice cooking. The control level in the energy saving mode is automatically corrected so that good rice cooking can be performed correspondingly.

Therefore, depending on the rice cooking conditions at that time, the rice cooking control in the energy saving mode can improve the rice cooking performance within the necessary and sufficient range even when it is difficult to realize good rice cooking , and the energy saving performance and rice cooking appropriately. It is possible to achieve both performance.

(2) Invention of Claim 2 In this invention, it is provided with the rice cooking heating control means and the heat retention heating control means, and after the rice cooking process by the rice cooking heating control means is completed, the electricity is configured to shift to the heat retention process by the heat retention heating control means. a rice cooker, a cooking control mode includes a normal mode and two control modes of the selectable with the normal energy saving mode high energy-saving performance compared to mode, after the cooking control in the normal mode is started However, in the rice cooking control in the normal mode, when a predetermined rice cooking condition that makes it difficult to realize effective energy saving performance is detected, in the normal mode, effective energy saving rice cooking can be performed correspondingly. It is characterized in that both the rice cooking performance and the energy saving performance are achieved by automatically correcting the control level .

According to such a configuration, even if control is started in the normal mode, in the rice cooking control in the normal mode, when a predetermined rice cooking condition in which effective energy saving performance is difficult to be realized is detected, it is handled. By automatically correcting the control level in the normal mode so as to enable effective energy-saving rice cooking, it is possible to automatically perform control with better energy saving performance than the control in the normal mode.

Therefore, according to the rice cooking conditions at that time , energy saving performance can be improved in a necessary and sufficient range, and both rice cooking performance and energy saving performance can be achieved.

As a result of the above, according to the present invention, it is possible to cook appropriate rice with appropriate energy saving performance or good rice cooking performance suitable for the rice cooking conditions at that time, such as initial water temperature and room temperature, energy saving performance and delicious rice Coexistence with cooking performance can be achieved.

<First Embodiment>
FIGS. 1 to 3 respectively show the entire rice cooker body of the microcomputer-type electric rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention having an energy saving control function and the configuration of the main part.

(Overview of the whole)
First, as the electric rice cooker in the best embodiment 1 of the present invention, for example, an inner pot (rice cooker) 3 made of a magnetic metal plate capable of electromagnetic induction is adopted, while the inner pot 3 is cooked. As a heating means, a central portion side and a side of the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner pot 3 so as to wrap substantially the entire side wall portion 3b from the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner pot 3 through an inner case 4 made of synthetic resin. Two sets of work coils C1 and C2 corresponding to the entire circumference of the two places on the side portion side are provided, and as a heating means for keeping the inner pot 3 warm, it corresponds to the entire circumference of the side wall 3b of the inner pot 3 A heat retaining heater H1 is provided. Then, by appropriately driving and controlling them by the microcomputer control unit 32, an appropriate rice cooking function and a heat retaining function can be realized.

  On the other hand, timer settings for each of these functions, selection of rice cooking and heat retention menus, operation settings such as heating amount, heating pattern, heat retention temperature, heat retention time corresponding to each of these menus are performed on the front side of the electric rice cooker body A This is performed by the user via various input switch groups 22a to 22i provided on the panel unit 20, and the work coils C1 and C2 and the heat retaining heater H1 are finally controlled according to the set contents. .

  Further, in the central portion of the operation panel unit 20, a liquid crystal display unit 21 for displaying each menu of rice cooking and heat retention, a set heat retention temperature, a set heat retention time, a current time, a remaining time until completion of rice cooking, and other necessary items. Is provided.

  And in the electric rice cooker, the above-mentioned rice cooking or heat retention control is provided with two rice cooking or heat retention control modes of a normal mode that emphasizes heating performance and an energy saving mode that emphasizes energy saving performance different from the normal mode. In the normal mode, heating control is performed with heating output, heating pattern, and heating time exceeding the predetermined value determined by the manufacturer on the condition that the initial water temperature and room temperature are below the predetermined value. In the case of mode, heating is performed with a high energy-saving heating output, heating pattern, and heating time set (or set by the user) in advance on the condition that the initial water temperature and room temperature are above the predetermined values. Control is to be performed.

  The selection of the energy saving and normal modes is set to either the energy saving mode or the normal mode by pressing an energy saving / normal selection switch 22i described later, for example.

  However, in the case of the present embodiment, just because either the energy saving mode or the normal mode is selected and set, all the subsequent rice cooking processes are simply performed with the basic heating output and heating time in the mode. At least in the water absorption process and the uneven process, as described below, the heating output and the heating time are finely variably controlled (corrected) according to the rice cooking conditions at that time, for example, “initial water temperature” or “room temperature”. ).

  That is, when the temperature of the water used or the room temperature is low below a predetermined value, such as in winter, when cooking in the energy saving mode as it is, the water absorption time and the water absorption temperature are insufficient and the rice is cooked well. I can't.

  On the other hand, even when the normal mode is selected, when the temperature of the water used or the room temperature is high, it is wasteful to raise the water absorption time or the water absorption temperature.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to appropriately switch between the energy saving mode and the normal mode, or to correct the respective control levels according to such conditions during cooking (initial water temperature / room temperature, etc.). By doing so, both rice cooking performance and energy saving performance are achieved.

(Configuration of the rice cooker body)
The rice cooker main body A of the electric rice cooker has, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, an inner pot made of a magnetic metal plate such as a stainless steel plate capable of self-heating by an eddy current induced therein (rice cooker or heat insulation container). ) 3, a synthetic resin bottomed cylindrical inner case (protective frame) 4 formed so that the inner pot 3 can be arbitrarily set, and a bottomed bottom that is an outer casing for holding the inner case 4 It comprises a cylindrical outer case 1 and a lid unit (lid) 2 that can be opened and closed at the top of a rice cooker body A formed by integrating the outer case 1 and the inner case 4. Yes.

  A coil base 7a is provided below the bottom wall portion (bottom portion) 4a of the inner case 4, and the upper portion thereof is provided with a ferrite core 7b through a central portion of the bottom wall portion (bottom portion) 3a of the inner pot 3. And two sets of work coils C1 and C2 in which litz wires are concentrically wound in correspondence with the respective positions of the side part and the side part from the center part of the bottom wall part 3a of the inner pot 3 respectively. It is provided so as to wrap substantially the whole, thereby inducing an eddy current in substantially the entire inner pot 3 when energized, thereby heating the whole substantially uniformly. The work coils C1 and C2 are connected to each other in series, for example (therefore, simply shown as the work coil C in the following description of operation and the control circuit diagram of FIG. 3).

  For example, as shown in the control circuit diagram of FIG. 3, one end thereof is connected to a power supply line via a rectifier circuit 35 and a smoothing circuit 36, and the other end is connected to a collector of an IGBT (power transistor) 37, respectively.

  Further, the side wall portion 4b of the inner case 4 is provided with a heat retaining heater H1 that functions as a heating means at the time of heat retention, so that the entire inner pot 3 is effectively and uniformly heated at the time of heat retention. Yes.

  Further, on the front surface side of the inner case 4, for example, the IGBT 37 and the heat-insulating heater drive for driving and controlling the work coils C1 and C2, the heat-insulating heater H1, and the shoulder heater H2, which will be described later, as shown in FIG. A control circuit board 9 including a circuit 33, a shoulder heater drive circuit 45, a rectifier circuit 35 including a diode bridge for power supply voltage rectification, a smoothing circuit 36, a microcomputer control unit 32 and the like is provided upright in the vertical direction. .

  Under the control circuit board 9, for example, a heat sink 19 for radiating heat is provided in contact with the IGBT 37, and a cooling fan 17 is provided under the lower side. The cooling fan 17 causes the air sucked from the air suction grille 49a formed at the bottom of the outer case 1 to flow to the outer periphery of the inner case 4 via the heat sink 19 and the control board 9 to cool the necessary heat generating part. Do.

  On the other hand, the heat sink 19 is provided with a heat sink sensor 19a for detecting the rising temperature of the heat sink 19, and the drive circuit 16 (see FIG. 3) of the cooling fan 17 has a predetermined temperature detected by the heat sink sensor 19a. When it exceeds the set value, it operates to drive the cooling fan 17 (detailed control will be described later).

  As a result, the power consumption is reduced as much as possible as compared to the case where the cooling fan 17 is always driven in both the normal mode and the energy saving mode.

  The outer case 1 includes, for example, a vertical cover member 1a formed of a synthetic resin material, a synthetic resin shoulder member 11 coupled to an upper end portion of the cover member 1a, and the cover member 1a. And a bottom member 1b made of a synthetic resin integrated with the lower end portion of the inner casing 4 and having a heat insulation and ventilation space portion with a predetermined width between the bottom wall portion 4a of the inner case 4 as a whole. It is comprised by the cylindrical body.

  Above the front surface of the outer case 1, for example, a substantially half-moon shaped operation panel 20 as shown in FIG. 2 is provided. On the operation panel 20, the liquid crystal display 21 having a sufficiently large display area, the rice cooking switch 22a, the timer reservation switch 22b, the cancel switch 22c, the heat retention switch 22d, the reheating switch 22e, the menu selection switch 22f, Various input switches such as a switch 22g, a minute switch 22h, and an energy saving normal selection switch 22i which is a energy saving normal energy mode selection means are provided. An operation board 5 a and a microcomputer board 5 b are provided on the back side of the operation panel unit 20. A shoulder heater H <b> 2 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the shoulder member 11.

  Further, a center sensor storage space that is concentrically penetrated in the vertical direction is formed in the central portion of the coil base 7a on the lower side of the inner case 4, and can be moved up and down in the center sensor storage space. The center sensor CS including the inner pot temperature detection sensor S and the inner pot detection switch LS shown in FIG. 2 is provided in a state that is always upwardly biased by the coil spring.

  On the other hand, reference numeral 2 denotes a lid unit. The lid unit 2 includes an outer cover 12 made of synthetic resin that constitutes an outer peripheral surface thereof, an inner cover 13 provided inside the outer cover 12, and the inner cover 13. And a metal heat dissipating plate 16 provided via a steam pipe 15a. Further, a packing 14 corresponding to the opening edge 3c of the inner pot 3 is provided inside the outer peripheral edge 16c of the heat radiating plate 16, while the outer end of the outer peripheral edge 16c is the upper surface of the shoulder heater H2 described above. It is made to contact the part. Reference numeral 15 denotes a steam cap.

  The lid unit 2 is rotatably attached to the shoulder member 11 on the upper part of the outer case 1 via a hinge mechanism, and is engaged with a predetermined position of the lid unit 2 on its open end side. Thus, a lock mechanism 18 that opens and closes the lid unit 2 in the vertical direction is provided.

  Therefore, in this configuration, at the time of rice cooking, the inner pot 3 generates heat substantially uniformly from the bottom wall portion 3a to the side wall portion 3b side by eddy current generated by driving the two sets of work coils C1 and C2. For example, even in a water absorption process in which rice rice soaked in water in the inner pot 3 acts as a heat insulating part, the upper side of the inner pot 3 is heated evenly to enable substantially uniform water absorption performance. When the amount of cooked rice is large, the entire inner pot 3 is heated almost uniformly and cooked efficiently without uneven heating. In addition, it is possible to prevent local heat concentration on the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner pot 3 in the state where moisture after the boiling process is lost, thereby preventing the occurrence of scorching.

  Next, at the time of heat retention, the heat retaining heater H1 provided corresponding to the side wall portion 3b of the inner pot 3 and the shoulder heater H2 provided on the opening edge portion 3c are driven from the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner pot 3. The entire side wall portion 3b and the upper portion are uniformly heated with an appropriate heating amount, and heat insulation without heating unevenness is realized.

  On the other hand, the microcomputer control unit 32 of the control circuit board 9 is provided with desired recognition means for judging the user's instruction contents inputted through the input switches 22a to 22i. Depending on the user's instructions, the desired rice cooking or heat retaining function, the desired rice cooking or heat retaining menu, a predetermined heating pattern corresponding to the rice cooking or heat retaining menu is set, the rice cooking heating control means or the heat retaining heating control means Is operated appropriately to perform desired rice cooking or heat insulation.

  Therefore, the user can use the above input switches 22a-22i to cook rice or keep warm, timer reservation, reservation time setting, white rice or brown rice, early cooking, rice porridge, sushi, rice cooking, normal mode or energy saving mode, etc. If the selection setting contents of various rice cooking or heat retention functions are input, the corresponding function contents are automatically set and input to the setting unit such as the rice cooking and heat insulation heating pattern via the recognition means in the microcomputer control unit 32, Corresponding rice cooking or thermal insulation heating control is appropriately performed with a desired control pattern (normal / energy saving).

(Configuration of the rice cooker body side control circuit)
Next, FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the control circuit portion centering on the microcomputer control unit 32 that performs the rice cooking and heat retention control (normal / energy saving) on the rice cooker body A side configured as described above, and other controls.

  In the figure, reference numeral 32 denotes a rice cooker heating control means and a heat retention heating control means, an inner pot temperature determination means, an inner pot detection means, a buzzer notification means, etc. This is a control unit (CPU), and the microcomputer control unit 32 is mainly composed of a microcomputer. For example, the temperature detection circuit section of the inner pot 3, the work coil drive control circuit section, the detection circuit section of the inner pot 3, the oscillation circuit section , A reset circuit unit, a drive control circuit unit such as a heat retaining heater and a shoulder heater, a buzzer notification unit, a power supply circuit unit, and the like.

  And first, the temperature detection circuit 43 and the pot detection circuit 44 provided corresponding to the inner pot temperature detection sensor S, the inner pot detection switch LS of the bottom wall 3a side center sensor CS part of the inner pot 3 include, for example, A temperature detection signal of the bottom wall portion 3a of the inner pot 3 by the inner pot temperature detection sensor S and a pot detection signal by the inner pot detection switch LS are input.

  The work coil drive control circuit unit is formed by, for example, a pulse width modulation circuit 41, a synchronization trigger circuit 40, an IGBT drive circuit 42, an IGBT 37, and a resonance capacitor 38. Then, by controlling the pulse width modulation circuit 41 by the work coil drive control circuit section of the microcomputer control unit 32, for example, the output value and the output value of the work coil C (C1, C2) according to the rice cooking process. By appropriately changing the ON duty ratio (for example, n seconds / 16 seconds) in each, the heating temperature and heating pattern of the inner pot 3 in each step of the rice cooking process are appropriately variably controlled in consideration of the amount of rice cooking, and uniform Appropriate output control is realized to realize the boiled rice without any water absorption and uneven heating.

  Further, by controlling the heat retaining heater drive circuit 33 and the shoulder heater drive circuit 34 by the heat retaining heater drive control circuit section and the shoulder heater drive control circuit section of the microcomputer control unit 32, respectively, for example, the heat retaining according to the heat retaining or rice cooking process. By appropriately changing the output values of the heater H1 and the shoulder heater H2 and the ON duty ratio (for example, n seconds / 16 seconds) at the same output values, the heating temperature and heating of the inner pot 3 in each step of the heat retention or rice cooking process Appropriate output control for appropriately variably controlling the pattern in consideration of the actual amount of cooked rice is performed.

  Reference numerals 22a to 22i denote the above-described various input switch sections. When necessary ones of the switches are appropriately operated, the user's instruction content is recognized by the recognition means on the microcomputer control unit 32 side, and the recognition is performed. A desired rice cooking or heat insulation heating pattern is set according to the contents, and the rice cooking heating control means or the heat insulation heating control means is appropriately operated to perform desired rice cooking or heat insulation (normal / energy saving).

  Therefore, the user can use the same input switches 22a to 22i to cook rice or keep warm, timer reservation, reservation time setting, white rice or brown rice, early cooking, rice porridge, cauldron or soft rice, sushi, rice cooking, etc. If the selection setting contents of various rice cooking or heat retention functions such as the normal mode or the energy saving mode are input, the corresponding function contents are automatically transmitted to the rice cooking or heat insulation heating pattern setting unit via the above-described recognition means of the microcomputer control unit 32. Therefore, the corresponding set rice is input, and the corresponding cooked rice or warming and heating control is appropriately performed.

  2 and 3, reference numeral 23 a is a rice cooking display lamp, 23 b is a heat retention display lamp, 23 c is a reservation display lamp, 23 d is an energy saving display lamp, and reference numeral 39 in FIG. 3 is a flywheel diode of the IGBT 37, Reference numeral 35 denotes a power supply side rectifier circuit having a built-in diode bridge for driving the work coil inserted between the household AC power supply 30, and reference numeral 36 denotes a smoothing circuit.

  Reference numeral 17 denotes the above-described cooling fan, 16 denotes a drive circuit for the cooling fan 17, 19a denotes a heat sink sensor, and 21 denotes a liquid crystal display unit. In the case of this embodiment, the liquid crystal display unit 21 displays necessary items such as a desired menu and time corresponding to the ON operation of the input switches 22a to 22i. Is going to be made.

  In the control circuit of FIG. 3, the constant voltage power supply circuit to the microcomputer control unit 32 side is omitted in order to avoid complexity.

(Cooking rice to heat control)
(1) Normal Mode First, the flowchart of FIG. 4 shows a basic rice cooking to heat retention control flow (main routine) in the normal mode of the first preferred embodiment.

  That is, in the rice cooking to heat retention control flow, when the rice cooker switch 22a on the rice cooker main body side is first pressed, the above-described work coil C is turned on to start rice cooking, and the control operation is started.

  First, in step S1, the timer operation of the water absorption timer is started to enter the water absorption process.

  Then, when water absorption time passes, it will progress to the temperature rising process of step S2, will heat the inner pot 3 with the full power output of the said work coil C, and will raise rice rice rapidly. Then, it progresses to step S3, determines the amount of rice cooking in the middle of a temperature rising process, sets the subsequent electric energy required for the amount of rice cooking corresponding to the determination result, and maintains the boiling process of step S4 (Cooking process) is performed.

  Then, after the boiling maintaining process (cooking process) in step S4, the process proceeds to the cooking detection determination in step S5, and the temperature of the inner pot 3 detected by the temperature detection sensor S is equal to or lower than the cooking detection temperature. If it is YES (below), boiling maintenance (cooking) is continued, but if it is NO (higher), it is determined that cooking is complete, and step Proceed to the unevenness process of S6.

  And if the unevenness process is complete | finished (uneven time passes), rice cooking will be completed by it and it will transfer to the heat retention process of step S7 after that.

(2) Energy Saving Mode Next, the flowchart of FIG. 5 shows a basic rice cooking to heat retention control flow (main routine) in the energy saving mode of the first preferred embodiment.

  That is, in the rice cooking to heat retention control flow, when the rice cooker switch 22a on the rice cooker main body side is first pressed, the above-described work coil C is turned on to start rice cooking, and the control operation is started.

  First, in step S1, the water absorption process is omitted, and the process proceeds from the beginning to the temperature raising process. The inner pot 3 is heated with an energy saving output smaller than the full power by a predetermined amount to raise the temperature of the cooked rice. Then, it progresses to step S2, determines the amount of rice cooking in the middle of a temperature rising process, and sets the subsequent electric energy required for the amount of rice cooking corresponding to the determination result, and the boiling maintenance process of step S3 (Cooking process) is performed.

  Then, after the boiling maintaining process (cooking process) in step S3, the process proceeds to the cooking detection determination in step S4, and the temperature of the inner pot 3 detected by the temperature detection sensor S is equal to or lower than the cooking detection temperature. If it is YES (below), boiling maintenance (cooking) is continued, but if it is NO (higher), it is judged that cooking is complete, and unevenness The process is omitted, and the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S5.

  Thus, in this Embodiment, the two basic control modes of the energy saving mode with high energy saving and the normal mode with high rice cooking performance are provided as the rice cooking control mode.

  However, as mentioned above, if the temperature or room temperature of the water used is lower than the specified value, cooking in the energy-saving mode as it is will result in insufficient water absorption time and water absorption temperature, and good rice cooking. Cannot raise.

  On the other hand, even when the normal mode is selected, when the water temperature or room temperature used is sufficiently higher than the predetermined value, it is wasteful to increase the water absorption time or water absorption temperature. is there.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, switching from the energy saving mode to the normal mode (transition to the water absorption process) or the energy saving mode and the normal mode appropriately according to such cooking conditions (initial water temperature / room temperature, etc.) The control level (water absorption time / water absorption temperature) can be corrected in both directions of + − (long / short / high / low), and by these methods, both rice cooking performance and energy saving performance are achieved.

  Various control modes in the present embodiment performed from these viewpoints will be described in detail below.

(Transition from energy saving mode to normal mode and return control to energy saving mode)
When the above energy-saving mode is selected and the water absorption process is omitted (or the water absorption time is shortened or the water absorption temperature is lowered), for example, when the temperature or room temperature of the water used is too low, such as in winter. If the rice is cooked in the energy saving mode as it is, there is a problem that good rice cannot be cooked.

  Therefore, in this control, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 6 or FIG. 10, for example, when the initial water temperature or room temperature is lower than a predetermined reference value, the water absorption control in the normal mode in which the water absorption time or the water absorption temperature is high. By switching to, rice cooking performance is ensured.

(1) When the initial water temperature is used as a parameter (refer to the flowchart in FIG. 6)
That is, in the control, first, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the currently set rice cooking control mode is the energy saving mode. As a result, when it is NO normal mode (non-energy-saving mode), it progresses to step S2, performs rice cooking control in the said normal mode (refer the time chart of FIG. 7), and transfers to a heat retention process.

  On the other hand, in the case of the energy saving mode of YES, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined from the output of the inner pot temperature detection sensor S whether or not the initial water temperature is equal to or lower than a predetermined reference value α. As a result, when the initial water temperature of NO is higher than the reference value α, the process proceeds to step S6 as it is, and the original energy saving mode (see the time chart of FIG. 9) in which the water absorption process and the unevenness process are omitted is executed.

  On the other hand, if the initial water temperature of YES is a low water temperature that is equal to or less than the predetermined reference value α, the process proceeds to step S4, and the process proceeds to the water absorption process as in the normal mode to execute the water absorption process. When the passage of time is determined and the water absorption process ends, the process proceeds to step S6, and then returns to the control in the energy-saving mode that has been set in advance (the unevenness process is omitted) to cook rice with high energy-saving performance. Execute (see time chart of FIG. 8).

(2) When room temperature is used as a parameter (see the flowchart in FIG. 10)
That is, in the control, first, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the currently set rice cooking control mode is the energy saving mode. As a result, when it is NO normal mode (non-energy-saving mode), it progresses to step S2, performs rice cooking control in the said normal mode (refer the time chart of FIG. 7), and transfers to a heat retention process.

  On the other hand, in the case of YES in the energy saving mode, the process proceeds to step S3, and it is determined whether or not the room temperature is equal to or less than a predetermined reference value α from the output of the predetermined room temperature sensor. As a result, when the actual room temperature of NO is higher than the reference value α, the process proceeds to step S6 as it is, and the original energy saving mode (see the time chart of FIG. 9) in which the water absorption process and the unevenness process are omitted is executed. .

  On the other hand, if the room temperature of YES is a low room temperature that is equal to or less than the predetermined reference value α, the process proceeds to step S4, and the water absorption process is performed in the same manner as in the normal mode. When the water absorption process is finished and the water absorption process is finished, the process proceeds to step S6, and the process returns to the control in the energy-saving mode that has been set in advance (the uneven process is omitted) to perform rice cooking with high energy-saving performance. (Refer to the time chart in FIG. 8).

(Extension control of water absorption time in energy saving mode at low water temperature)
As described above, in the energy saving mode, a method is basically adopted in which the water absorption step is omitted, and the transition to the water absorption step is made as an exception only when the initial water temperature or room temperature is lower than a predetermined reference value.

  However, in addition to such a method, for example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 12, a water absorption process having an extremely short water absorption time (for example, 2 minutes) is provided even in the energy saving mode, and the initial water temperature (or room temperature) is predetermined. A method of increasing the water absorption time at a predetermined level every time the temperature becomes lower than the reference temperature is also conceivable.

  According to such a method, it is possible to appropriately correct the control level (water absorption time) of the energy saving mode according to the conditions (water temperature / room temperature, etc.) at the time of rice cooking, and an electric rice cooker excellent in both rice cooking performance and energy saving performance. Can be provided.

  The flowchart of FIG. 11 is configured from such a viewpoint.

  That is, in the control, first, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the currently set rice cooking control mode is the energy saving mode.

  As a result, in the normal mode of NO, the process proceeds to step S2 to step S5, and after each process of water absorption, temperature increase, cooking, and unevenness is performed, the process proceeds to the heat retention process of step S6.

  On the other hand, in the case of YES in the energy saving mode, first, in step S7, the temperature of the water in the inner pot 3, that is, the initial water temperature is detected.

  And then, in each of steps S8, S12, S15, S18, and S21, the detected initial water temperature is 20 ° C or higher, 15-20 ° C, 10-15 ° C, 5-10 ° C, 5 ° C or lower. It is sequentially determined which level of the stage it is.

  As a result, when the initial water temperature is a high temperature of 20 ° C. or higher, the process proceeds to step S9 and the water absorption control is performed by setting the shortest water absorption time of 2 minutes. Then, after the temperature raising process in step S10 and the cooking process in step S11, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S6 without unevenness.

  In the case of 15 to 20 ° C., the basic shortest water absorption time of 2 minutes is extended in step S13 for another 2 minutes, and water absorption control of water absorption time of 4 minutes is performed in step S14.

  Then, after the temperature raising process in step S10 and the cooking process in step S11, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S6 without unevenness.

  In the case of 10 to 15 ° C., the shortest water absorption time of 2 minutes, which is the basic in Step S10, is further extended for 4 minutes, and water absorption control is performed in Step S17 for 6 minutes of water absorption time.

  Then, after the temperature raising process in step S10 and the cooking process in step S11, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S6 without unevenness.

  Further, in the case of 5 to 10 ° C., the shortest water absorption time of 2 minutes, which is the basic in the step S19, is further extended for 6 minutes, and the water absorption control of the water absorption time of 8 minutes is performed in the step S20.

  Then, after the temperature raising process in step S10 and the cooking process in step S11, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S6 without unevenness.

  In the case of 5 ° C. or less, the shortest water absorption time of 2 minutes, which is the basic above, is extended by 8 minutes in Step S22, and water absorption control is performed in Step S23 for 10 minutes.

  Then, after the temperature raising process in step S10 and the cooking process in step S11, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S6 without unevenness.

  According to such a method, it is possible to appropriately correct the control level (water absorption time) of the energy saving mode according to the conditions (water temperature / room temperature, etc.) at the time of rice cooking, and an electric rice cooker excellent in both rice cooking performance and energy saving performance. Can be provided.

(Reduction control of water absorption time in normal mode at high water temperature)
In the energy saving mode at the time of the low water temperature, a water absorption process with an extremely short water absorption time (for example, 2 minutes) is provided even in the energy saving mode, and each time the initial water temperature (or room temperature) becomes lower than a predetermined reference temperature based on this. A method was adopted in which the decrease in rice cooking performance was compensated for by increasing the water absorption time at a predetermined stage.

  On the other hand, even when the normal mode is selected, for example, when the temperature of the water used or the room temperature is higher than the predetermined temperature, the water absorption time or the water absorption temperature is intentionally increased at the original fixed value of the normal mode. That leads to waste of power.

  Therefore, in this control mode, for example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 14, according to the height of the initial water temperature, when the initial water temperature is high, by shortening the water absorption time than when it is low, even in the normal mode, We are trying to save energy as much as possible.

  That is, in the control, first, in step S1, it is determined whether or not the currently set rice cooking control mode is the normal mode.

  As a result, in the NO energy saving mode, the process proceeds to step S2 and step S3, and after performing the temperature raising and cooking processes, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process in step S4 as it is.

  On the other hand, in the normal mode of YES, first, in step S5, the temperature of the water in the inner pot 3, that is, the initial water temperature is detected.

  Subsequently, in each of steps S6, S11, S14, S17, and S20, the detected initial water temperature is 25 ° C. or lower, 25 to 30 ° C., 30 to 35 ° C., 35 to 40 ° C., or 5 ° C. or higher. It is sequentially determined which level of the stage it is.

  As a result, if the temperature is lower than 25 ° C., the process proceeds to step S7 where the longest water absorption time is set to 12 minutes and the water absorption control is performed. And after that, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process of step S4 through the temperature raising process of step S4, the cooking process of step S9, and the unevenness process of step S10.

  Further, in the case of 25 to 30 ° C., the longest water absorption time of 12 minutes, which is the basic in the step S11, is further cut for 2 minutes, and the water absorption control of the water absorption time of 10 minutes is performed in the step S13. And after that, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process of step S4 through the temperature raising process of step S8, the cooking process of step S9, and the unevenness process of step S10.

  Further, in the case of 30 to 35 ° C., the longest water absorption time of 12 minutes, which is the basic in the step S15, is cut short for 6 minutes, and the water absorption control of the water absorption time of 6 minutes is performed in the step S19.

  And after that, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process of step S4 through the temperature raising process of step S8, the cooking process of step S9, and the unevenness process of step S10.

  When the temperature is 40 ° C. or less, the longest water absorption time of 12 minutes, which is the basic above, is cut short for 8 minutes in Step S21, and water absorption control is performed for 4 minutes in Step S22.

  And after that, the process proceeds to the heat retaining process of step S4 through the temperature raising process of step S8, the cooking process of step S9, and the unevenness process of step S10.

  According to such a configuration, as the initial water temperature is higher, the water absorption time can be shortened, so that sufficient energy saving performance can be improved even in the normal mode.

(Insufficient heating control in energy saving mode)
When rice is cooked in the energy-saving mode as described above, the power consumption can be effectively reduced, but sometimes the rice is cooked poorly due to insufficient power.

  Therefore, in this control, as a countermeasure against this, for example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 15, the power consumption amounts in both the temperature rising and cooking processes are integrated, and the integrated amount is determined to be a combined number in the temperature rising process. It is determined whether the amount is less than the amount of rice cooked. Transition.

  As a similar measure, for example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 16, the power consumption amount in both the temperature rising and cooking processes is integrated, and the integrated amount is the combined number determined in the temperature rising process. It is determined whether or not the amount is small, and when the amount is small, after the cooking is detected, in particular, the process is shifted to the “cooking” process, and after reheating, the process is shifted to the heat retaining process.

  If it does in this way, the heating amount corresponding to the amount of rice cooking will be ensured, and the rice cooking defect can be avoided as much as possible.

(Control of cooling fan linked to energy saving mode)
In general, since the rice is cooked at full power in the normal mode, the amount of power consumption is large, and the heat generation amount of the heat generating part such as the IGBT 37 is large. Therefore, while the normal cooling fan 17 is continuously driven from the start of rice cooking, the cooling fan 17 is driven as much as possible by driving the cooling fan 17 for the first time when the temperature detected by the heat sink sensor 19a rises above a predetermined value in the energy saving mode. Power consumption is reduced.

  In this control mode, room temperature is also added to the parameter, and the following control is performed depending on whether the setting mode at that time is the energy saving mode or the normal mode.

  That is, first, when the setting mode is the energy saving mode, when the room temperature is equal to or higher than a certain temperature α, for example, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 17, the mode is changed to the normal mode (S1 → S2 → S3 → S5) While the cooling fan 17 is continuously operated, when the room temperature is lower than α, the cooling fan is not driven until the temperature of the heat sink sensor 19a becomes equal to or higher than the predetermined value α, and energy is saved as much as possible (S1 → S2). → S3 → S4 → S6).

  Next, when the setting mode is the normal mode, if the room temperature is equal to or lower than a certain temperature α, the mode is shifted to the energy saving mode (S1 → S2 → S3 → S4) as shown in the flowchart of FIG. To save energy as much as possible. Thereafter, the cooling fan 17 is continuously operated only after the heat sink sensor 19a detects a temperature equal to or higher than a predetermined value (S5 → S6).

  As a result, in any case, as long as the room temperature is low or the temperature of the heat sink 19 is low, the fan is not driven, so that energy saving is improved accordingly.

<Best Embodiment 2>
Next, FIG.19 and FIG.20 has shown the structure of the rice cooker main body and main part of the electric rice cooker which concerns on the best Embodiment 2 of this invention.

  As already described, in the present invention, an energy saving mode is provided together with the normal mode, and various energy saving measures are taken for control from the viewpoint of improving energy saving performance.

  However, more effective energy saving measures must be taken for the rice cooker body to which the control system is applied.

  The present embodiment is made from such a viewpoint, and a groove for fitting the side heat insulating member 53 is provided in the upper end 4b portion of the inner case 4 of the rice cooker body, and the groove and the inner edge portion of the shoulder member 11 are provided. A side heat insulating member 53 having a vacuum double wall structure is sandwiched between a tip 52a on the inner peripheral side of 52.

  For this reason, even if it is in the case of rice cooking or heat retention, the heat retention property and heat insulation of the inner pot 3 outer periphery become high, and it contributes to the improvement of energy-saving performance.

  For example, as shown in detail in FIG. 20, the side heat insulating member 53 is formed by forming a vacuum heat insulating space 53e between two inner and outer metal plates 53a and 53b and joining and integrating the upper and lower ends 53c and 53d. It is comprised as a cylinder.

  On the inner peripheral surface side, rib grooves (vertical grooves) 54, 54,... Having a predetermined depth are provided from the upper end side to the lower end side at regular intervals in the circumferential direction.

  On the other hand, the joint edge portion having a predetermined width on the upper end 53c side of the same-side heat insulating member 53 is bent horizontally outward in the radial direction, and on the upper surface side, the downstream cooling air outlet of the cooling air supply passage 51a of the cooling air supply duct 51 is provided. 51b is opened. The cooling air outlet 51b includes a bowl-shaped tip 52a of the inner edge member 52 of the shoulder member 11 (specifically, an opening opened on the lower end side thereof) and an upper edge 53c side joining edge of the side heat insulating member 53. The cooling air introduction path 55 to the inner pot 3 side is formed between them, and the cooling air (see the arrow in FIG. 20) introduced through the cooling air introduction path 55 is the plurality of rib grooves 54. , 54... Are smoothly supplied evenly to the outer peripheral surface of the inner pot 3.

  The lower side of the cooling air supply duct 51 has a funnel shape with a larger opening area on the lower side, and a second cooling fan 50 is provided below the opening area.

  The second cooling fan 50 includes air sucked from an air suction grille 49b provided in the cover member 1a portion of the outer case 1, a cooling air supply passage 51a in the cooling air supply duct 51, a cooling air outlet 51b, and a shoulder. The rib 11 is efficiently supplied to the rib grooves 54, 54... Through the inner edge 52 side cooling air introduction passage 55 of the member 11.

  Thereby, the transition from the uneven process in the normal mode to the heat retaining process and the transition from the cooking detection in the energy saving mode to the heat retaining process are smoothly performed in a short time.

  Moreover, the said rib groove 54,54 ... which forms the cooling wind guide channel | path to the outer peripheral surface of the inner pot 3 functions also as a reinforcement rib, and prevents the deformation | transformation of the side heat insulation member 53. FIG.

<Third Embodiment>
When the side heat insulating member 53 is used as in the above-described best embodiment 2, the heat retaining property of the inner pot 3 and the heat insulating property with the outside are increased, and the energy saving function is improved.

  And as above-mentioned, it can be utilized also as a cooling wind guide to the inner pot 3 side.

  On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 21, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, the intruding water that enters from the front end 52a side of the inner edge portion 52 of the shoulder member 11 is inserted into the rib grooves 54, 54. It is used as a discharge guide to the inner pot 3 side.

  That is, as in the above-described embodiments of the present invention, the shoulder heater H2 is attached to the upper portion of the inner peripheral side tip 52a of the inner edge portion 52 of the shoulder member 11 via the shoulder ring (annular shoulder heater attachment member) 56. In the case of the structure, the claw member 56b provided on the lower surface side of the shoulder ring 56 is fitted and fixed in a forcible fitting hole formed on the mounting surface of the tip 52a. A heat dissipation opening 56 a is formed on the shoulder heater installation surface of the shoulder ring 56.

  Therefore, dew condensation water or the like entering from the outer peripheral edge 16c of the lid-side heat radiating plate 16 flows down through the opening 56a or the forcibly fitting hole, and the work coils C1, C2 from the outside of the inner case 4 as they are. There is a risk of intruding into other parts.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upper edge 53c side joint edge of the side heat insulating member 53 described above is raised upward to form a vertical wall structure as shown in the figure, while receiving intrusion water at the same portion, while the inner pot 3 It flows into the rib grooves 54, 54... Through the water introduction opening 55 (corresponding to the above-described cooling air introduction passage) (see arrow).

  As a result, the intrusion water is reliably collected in the inner case 4.

<Fourth Embodiment>
When the side heat insulating member 53 is used as in the above-described best embodiments 2 and 3, the heat retaining property of the inner pot 3 and the heat insulating property with the outside are increased, and the energy saving function is improved.

  And it can be utilized also as a cooling wind guide or water guide to the inner pot 3 side.

  In the present embodiment, in addition to these components, in order to further improve the heat insulation performance and heat insulation performance, for example, as shown in FIG. 22, the outer periphery of the heat insulation heater H1 installed on the side wall portion of the inner case 4 is The covering heat insulating plate (heat reflecting plate) 57 is provided continuously from the lower side of the side heat insulating member 53 in a skirt shape.

  As a mounting method, a small diameter portion 57a having a predetermined width on the upper end side is integrated by spot welding to the lower portion of the side heat insulating member 53, and the lower sleeve portion 57b is arranged corresponding to the outer periphery of the heat retaining heater H1. .

  According to such a configuration, the heat of the heat retaining heater H1 acts effectively on the inner pan 3 side without escaping to the outside especially during the heat retaining. Moreover, since it functions as a radiation fin conversely at the time of cooling, it is convenient.

<Fifth Embodiment>
As described above, when the side heat insulating member 53 is provided on the outer periphery of the inner pot 3 or the heat insulating plate 57 is provided on the outer periphery of the heat retaining heater H1, the heat insulating property and heat retaining property of the inner pot 3 are effectively improved.

  The same idea can be applied to the work coil installation part.

  For example, FIG. 23 shows an electric rice cooker that employs a side work coil C3 in place of the above-described heat retaining heater H1, and a second inner case 4c is further provided on the upper end 4b of the side wall of the first inner case 4. A side work coil C <b> 3 is wound around the outer peripheral side via a heat insulating space 60. Further, a heat shield plate 62 having a magnetic shield function is disposed on the outer periphery thereof. The heat shield plate 62 is formed with air holes for cooling the work coil.

  According to such a configuration, the heat insulation performance of the work coil installation portion is improved by the heat insulation space 60. And since the work coil C3 exists in the outer peripheral side of the heat insulation space 60, cooling of the work coil C3 at the time of rice cooking etc. is easy.

<Sixth Embodiment>
In the configuration of the best embodiment 5, the side work coil C3 is installed through the heat insulating space 60 of the second inner case 4c. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 24, the side work coil C3 is installed through a sheet-like heat insulating material 61 such as a silicon sheet instead of the heat insulating space 60. It is characterized by.

  In the electromagnetic induction heating, a high frequency current is applied to the work coil, and the inner pot is heated by heat generated by the electromagnetic induction action. Therefore, the work coil itself cannot avoid self-heating.

  And the wire used for the work coil has a temperature upper limit corresponding to the material. Moreover, the upper limit of the temperature according to the material is also provided on the law.

  Under such circumstances, an electromagnetic induction heating type electric rice cooker is generally provided with a cooling fan, and during the cooking, the IH circuit is cooled and the work coil is simultaneously cooled. Therefore, power consumption is inevitably increased.

  However, recently, improvement of the energy saving performance of the electric rice cooker has become a problem.

  Therefore, the above-described work coil can be sufficiently cooled at the time of rice cooking, and conversely, a rice cooker structure having a high heat insulation effect at the time of heat insulation is required.

  Therefore, as described above, if the sheet-like heat insulating material 61 having permeability is provided between the work coil C3 and the second inner case 4d, the work coil C3 can be easily cooled during cooking, On the contrary, the heat insulation effect can be increased during the heat insulation.

(Modification)
In the above description, only the case of the side work coil C3 has been described.

  However, there is a greater demand for the bottom side work coils C1 and C2 that cooling can be sufficiently performed during rice cooking, and conversely, the heat insulation effect is desired to be increased during heat insulation.

  In general, the shape of the work coils C1 and C2 on the bottom side of the inner pan is bowl-shaped. Accordingly, it is necessary for the heat insulating material to have the same shape in order to effectively insulate.

  However, if the heat insulating material has a bowl shape (hemispherical shape), the cost becomes expensive.

  Therefore, also in the case of the bottom portion, when the sheet-like (planar) heat insulating material shape as shown in FIG. 24 is set and set on the bottom side work coils C1 and C2, the entire work coils C1 and C2 are covered. Appropriate shape.

  According to such a structure, the whole bottom part of the inner pot 3 can be covered at low cost, and the heat insulation effect can be exhibited effectively.

<Seventh Embodiment>
As has been consistently described in each of the above embodiments, recent electric rice cookers are required to have high energy saving performance.

  In the present embodiment, the structure of the lid unit 2 side heat radiating plate 16 is improved to meet the demand.

  That is, in the electric rice cooker A shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 19, the heat radiating plate 16 having a structure as shown in FIG. 25, for example, is used.

  The heat radiating plate 16 is centered on a dish-shaped heat radiating plate main body 16a whose upper surface is open, and an outer peripheral edge portion 16c having a recess 16f for fitting the packing 14 and a contact portion 16d to the shoulder heater H2 on its outer periphery. Is provided. Further, a convex rib 16e for fixing packing is provided on the side surface of the dish-shaped heat sink main body 16a, and a plurality of steam vent holes 16b, 16b,... Are provided on the bottom wall surface of the main body 16a. ing.

  Therefore, in the case of the heat radiating plate 16 having such a configuration, the steam B in the inner pot 3 goes out directly to the upper steam pipe 15a side through the steam vent holes 16b, 16b. Moreover, the heat insulation effect in the part is low.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 26, the same dish-shaped heat insulating cover 70 opened in the opposite direction is fitted and fixed in the concave portion of the dish-shaped heat sink main body 16 a, and between them, A heat insulating space 71 having a predetermined interval is formed, and a plurality of steam vent holes 70b, 70b,... On the heat insulating cover 70 side are different from the steam vent holes 16b, 16b,. By changing the position, the steam B goes out to the steam pipe 15a side while largely detouring.

  The heat insulating cover 70 is made of a heat resistant synthetic resin material such as polypropylene and has a predetermined plate thickness. On the outer surface of the heat insulating cover 70, there are provided convex ribs 70d that fit into the inner recesses of the ribs 16e on the side surface of the heat sink main body 16a, and are fixed by fitting them together. Yes.

  According to such a configuration, the heat insulating performance of the heat radiating plate 16 portion is greatly improved, and the energy saving performance is further improved.

  In addition, the amount of dew condensation generated in the heat radiating plate 16 is greatly reduced, and the vapor discharge path is lengthened, so that the overflow prevention performance is improved.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a front view of the operation panel part of the electric rice cooker. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the control circuit part of the electric rice cooker. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the basic rice cooking-heat retention control of the normal mode by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the basic rice cooking-heat retention control of the energy saving mode by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker. It is a flowchart which shows the transfer control from the energy saving mode which makes the parameter the initial water temperature by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker, and return control to an energy saving mode. It is a time chart which shows the rice cooking-heat retention control process of normal mode. It is a time chart which shows the rice cooking-heat retention control process of the control mode which returns to energy-saving mode again after transfering from energy-saving mode to normal mode. It is a time chart which shows the rice cooking-heat retention control process of energy saving mode. It is a flowchart which shows the transfer control from the energy saving mode which uses room temperature as a parameter by the microcomputer control unit of the same electric rice cooker, and return control to an energy saving mode. It is a flowchart which shows extension control of the water absorption time in the energy saving mode at the time of the low water temperature by the microcomputer control unit of the same electric rice cooker. It is a time chart which shows the cooked rice-heat retention control process of the control. It is a flowchart which shows shortening control of the water absorption time in the normal mode at the time of the high water temperature by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker. It is a time chart which shows the cooked rice-heat retention control process of the control. It is a time chart which shows the rice cooking-heat-retaining control process of the energy saving mode which added the uneven process as a countermeasure against heating shortage. It is a time chart which shows the cooking-heat-retaining control process of the energy saving mode which added the additional cooking process as a countermeasure against heating shortage. It is a flowchart which shows control of the cooling fan linked with the energy saving mode by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker. It is a flowchart which shows control of the cooling fan linked with the normal mode by the microcomputer control unit of the electric rice cooker. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the electric rice cooker. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 4 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 5 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the principal part of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 6 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the heat sink of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on the best embodiments 1-6 of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of the heat sink of the electric rice cooker main body which concerns on best Embodiment 7 of this invention.

  A is a rice cooker body, C1 to C3, C are work coils, H1 is a heat retaining heater, H2 is a shoulder heater, 1 is an outer case, 2 is a lid unit, 3 is an inner pan, 16 is a heat sink, 17 is a cooling fan, Reference numeral 19 denotes a heat sink, 19a denotes a heat sink sensor, 22i denotes an energy saving / normal selection switch, 23d denotes an energy saving display lamp, 30 denotes an AC power source, 32 denotes a microcomputer control unit, and 50 denotes a second cooling fan.

Claims (2)

An electric rice cooker equipped with a rice cooking heating control means and a heat insulation heating control means, and after the rice cooking process by the rice cooking heating control means is finished, moves to a heat insulation process by the heat insulation heating control means, and is a normal mode as a rice cooking control mode. and comprising a selectable two control modes of energy-saving performance and high energy-saving mode as compared with the normal mode, even after the cooking control in the energy saving mode is started, in cooking control in the energy saving mode is and achieve good cooking hard predetermined cooking conditions Ru is detected, by automatically modifying the control level in the energy saving mode so as to allow good cooking correspondingly, the energy efficiency An electric rice cooker characterized in that the rice cooking performance is balanced . An electric rice cooker equipped with a rice cooking heating control means and a heat insulation heating control means, and after the rice cooking process by the rice cooking heating control means is finished, moves to a heat insulation process by the heat insulation heating control means, and is a normal mode as a rice cooking control mode. and comprising a selectable two control modes of energy-saving performance and high energy-saving mode as compared with the normal mode, even after the cooking control in the normal mode is started, in cooking control in the normal mode When a predetermined rice cooking condition that makes it difficult to achieve effective energy-saving performance is detected, the rice cooker automatically corrects the control level in the normal mode so that effective energy-saving rice cooking is possible correspondingly. An electric rice cooker characterized by achieving both performance and energy-saving performance .

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