JP5881448B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker having weight detection means for measuring the weight of a cooked item such as rice or water held in an inner pot.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a rice cooker that has a plurality of weight detection means (weight measurement means) and performs rice cooking control based on the results measured by these weight detection means (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Such a plurality of weight detection means are configured to be capable of transmitting a signal to be output according to the detected measurement amount to the control means serving as the weight calculation means by being individually connected to a connection port formed in the control means. Has been.

JP-A-5-184454 (FIG. 2)

  However, in the configuration described in the cited document 1, a connection port is required for the control unit corresponding to each weight detection unit. That is, there is a problem in that the control means serving as the weight calculation means requires a plurality of connection ports depending on the number of weight detection means.

  This invention solves the said subject, and it aims at providing the rice cooker which is comprised by the number of connection ports of the weight means formed in a control means to the minimum, and is a simpler circuit structure.

In order to solve the above problems is the rice cooker, the inner pot and, a heating means for heating the inner bowl, a plurality of weight detecting means for detecting the weight of food to be held in the in the pot When a power supply means for supplying power to said weight detecting means, the control means is provided with a port for receiving the output signals from said weight detecting means, said power supply means is controlled by said control means, for a plurality of said weight detecting means, supply power, one of said weight detecting means at a predetermined timing, the control means, the line to output said power supply means for supplying power to the weight detecting means In the latter half of the period, the weight of the cooked food is calculated based on signals output from the plurality of weight detection means.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the circuit relevant to the weight detection means provided in a rice cooker main body can be made into a simple structure.

Side view of rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 The perspective view which shows the state which open | released the cover which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. Side sectional view of the position passing through the left and right center when viewed from the front of the rice cooker according to Embodiment 1. The figure which shows the operation means and display means of the rice cooker which concern on Embodiment 1. FIG. Bottom view of rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 XX sectional view of FIG. Enlarged view of the weight detection means of FIG. The graph which showed the relationship between the voltage output from the weight detection means which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the load added to a weight detection means Block diagram including control means according to the first embodiment Timing chart of output from control means to power supply means according to embodiment 1, and timing chart of weight calculation Block diagram including control means according to Embodiment 2

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
1 to 10 are drawings according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a rice cooker. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a lid is opened. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of a position passing through the center of the left and right when viewed from the front of the rice cooker. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation unit and a display unit of the rice cooker. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the rice cooker. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the weight detection means of FIG. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between the voltage output from the weight detection means and the load applied to the weight detection means. FIG. 9 is a block diagram including control means. FIG. 10 is a timing chart of the output from the control means to each power supply means.

In FIG. 1 thru | or FIG. 3, the rice cooker 1 has the main body 3, the cover body 4 which covers the upper direction of this main body 3, and the inner pot 2 hold | maintained at the opening 3a formed in the main body 3. In FIG. The inner pot 2 is for holding the cooked food inside, and is made of a magnetic material such as SUS430.
Moreover, the lid body 4 is pivotally supported by the main body 3 by a hinge 4a so as to open and close the upper portion of the inner pot 2. Furthermore, a heating coil that is a heating means 5 for electromagnetic induction heating of the inner pot 2 is provided at a position facing the inner pot 2 of the main body 3, and a control means 6 is provided at the rear of the main body 3. .
This control means 6 controls the various electronic components which comprise the rice cooker 1 mentioned later.

A temperature detecting means 9 is provided at the bottom of the opening 3a. The temperature detecting means 9 is composed of a thermistor or the like, and detects the temperature of the bottom surface of the inner pot by pressing the bottom surface of the inner pot 2 from below with a compression spring or the like, and outputs a detection signal.
This temperature detection means 9 is electrically connected to the control means 6 described later, and outputs a predetermined signal according to the detected temperature.

The temperature detection means 9 detects the temperature of the bottom surface of the inner pot in order to control the energization of the heating means 5 during rice cooking, and the temperature of the bottom surface of the inner pot stored in advance in the control means 6 as described later when keeping warm. Using the correlation table with the temperature of the cooked rice, the temperature of the cooked rice is estimated from the detected temperature of the bottom of the inner pot.
The temperature detection means 9 may directly detect the temperature of the upper surface of the cooked rice in the inner pot 2 using an infrared sensor provided on the lower surface of the lid 4 so as to face the inner pot 2.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, a display unit 12 made of a liquid crystal display or the like is provided on the upper surface of the lid 4. The display unit 12 is electrically connected to a control unit 6 to be described later, and displays various information of the rice cooker 1 and input information from the operation unit 11 based on a signal output from the control unit 6.
Next, the operation unit 11 includes a switch that outputs an operation signal to the control unit 6 when pressed by the user, and a plurality of various switches are arranged on the upper surface of the lid body 4.

Here, the operation means 11 starts the rice cooking operation or confirms the reservation, the “cooking key 11a”, the “heat keeping key 11b” that starts the mode for keeping the cooked cooked rice at a predetermined temperature, “Menu key 11c” for selecting various cooking menus such as ordinary rice, rice crackers and cooked rice, “rice key 11d” for selecting and inputting the type of rice to be cooked such as white rice and brown rice, and rice cooker “Voice Navigation Key 11e” for notifying the state of 1 and the next necessary operation by voice, adjusting the volume for notification, turning on / off the voice mode, “Reservation Key 11f” for setting the reserved rice cooking function, “Off / Cancel key 11g” for canceling or cutting various input operations and modes, “Dining key 11h” for shifting to a mode in which the user can adjust the cooked state of cooked rice, and various modes To switch up, down, left and right of movement and numbers to display the cursor and the mark to be displayed on the display screen to be used at the time and "cross key 11i", with the like.
In the present embodiment, the cross key 11i has up, down, left, and right input keys, and a plurality of forms can be realized for input using these keys. The form mentioned here refers to the movement of the cursor and mark up and down, left and right, and switching of numbers to be displayed.

Here, the cross key 11i may be provided at any one of the upper, lower, left and right positions of the display unit 12.
This is because the moving direction of the cursor or mark shown on the display screen operated by the cross key 11i is up, down, left, and right, and the cross key 11i is arranged at a position orthogonal to this movement. The user can easily recognize and operate the cursor or mark and the cross key 11i.

In the present embodiment, the cross key 11i is positioned on the right side of the display unit 12. However, when a right-handed person operates with a dominant hand, the operating hand does not cover the display unit 12. Furthermore, this is because the positional relationship between the cross key 11i and the display unit 12 is configured.
In addition, if the cross key 11i is arranged directly below the display unit 12, it can be configured so that the operating hand does not easily cover the display unit 12 even if the left and right dominant user operates the cross key 11i.

Next, referring to FIGS. 5 to 7, a plurality of legs 20, 30, and 40 that support the main body when the rice cooker 1 is placed at an installation position such as a shelf are provided at the lower portion of the main body 3. .
The leg portions are three fixed leg portions 20 fixedly provided on the front side of the rice cooker 1 and a first movable leg portion provided on the rear side of the rice cooker 1 so as to be movable with respect to the main body 3. 30 and a second movable leg 40.

Next, the movable leg portions 30 and 40 will be described. Here, only the first movable leg portion 30 will be described, but the second movable leg portion 40 has the same configuration.
The first movable leg 30 includes a leg 31 that supports the rice cooker 1 when the rice cooker 1 is placed at an installation position, a mounting plate 32 that is fixedly attached to the main body 3, and a mounting plate 32 and a leg. 31 and a lever 34 fixedly attached to the leg 31.
The leg 31 is substantially cup-shaped, and is formed on the lower surface of the main body 3 with the cup opening 31 a facing upward with the spring 33 interposed between the lower surface of the mounting plate 32 and the leg 31. It is arrange | positioned at the made opening 3b so that it can protrude and retract.

The lever 34 has an attachment side 34a that is fixed to the leg 31 at one end side, passes through an opening 32a formed in the attachment plate 32, and an open side 34b that is the other end side above the attachment plate 32. It is bent so as to be substantially parallel to the mounting plate 32.
The opening 32 a is configured so that the lever 34 does not hinder the vertical movement of the mounting plate 32 with respect to the lever 34.
A first weight detection means 50 that is fixed to the mounting plate 32 and serves as a weight sensor is provided at a position between the upper surface of the mounting plate 32 and the lower member of the open side 34b of the lever 34. Yes.
Here, a strain gauge or the like is used as the first weight detection means 50, and a predetermined voltage is output according to the load received by the weight detection means from the lever 34 (the output voltage increases as the received load increases). .

7 and 8, the rice cooker 1 configured as described above is in the following state when placed in the installation position. In addition, the horizontal axis | shaft of the graph shown in FIG. 8 is the quantity of the foodstuffs hold | maintained inside the rice cooker 1, and a vertical axis | shaft is the output voltage from a 1st weight detection means.
First, a state where the food is not held in the inner pot will be described (FIG. 8: state A).
Since the spring 33 is interposed between the attachment plate 32 and the leg 31 fixedly attached to the lower part of the main body 3 in the state where the rice cooker 1 is in the installation position, the leg 31 has the spring 33 attached thereto. The rice cooker 1 is supported.

In this state, the rice cooker 1 is biased upward by the elastic force of the spring 33, and the first weight detection means 50 provided on the mounting plate 32 is pressed against the open end 34 b of the lever 34 by the force F <b> 1. (Force F1 = spring restoring force−weight of the rice cooker 1).
In this state, since the force for contracting the spring is only the weight of the rice cooker 1, the load applied to the first weight detection means 50 by the restoring force of the spring is the largest, so the output voltage is large.

Next, a state in which the conditioned material is held in the inner pot will be described. (Figure 8: State B)
By putting the food into the rice cooker 1, the force with which the mounting plate 32 pushes down the spring 33 becomes stronger. Therefore, the force F2 that the first weight detection means 50 is pushed up by the restoring force of the spring and is pressed against the open end 34b of the lever 34 is weaker than F1 (force F2 = restoring force of the spring− (weight of the rice cooker 1). + Weight of cooked food)).
In this state, since the force for contracting the spring is the sum of the weights of the rice cooker 1 and the cooked product, the load applied to the first weight detection means 50 is smaller than the state A, and the output voltage is also smaller than the state A. Become.
Thus, in the case of the structure of this embodiment, the load applied to the weight detection means becomes smaller as the amount of the cooked food held in the rice cooker 1 is larger. Accordingly, the output voltage output from the weight detection means also decreases as the amount of cooked food increases.

As mentioned above, the load concerning a weight detection means changes with the difference in the weight of the cooking thing hold | maintained inside the rice cooker 1. FIG. The control means 6 can grasp the weight of the food by calculating the weight based on the output voltage output from the weight detection means at this time.
In the present embodiment, a plurality of weight detection means are used to detect the weight of the food with higher accuracy.

  The first movable leg 30 and the first weight detection unit have been described above. However, the second movable leg 40 has the same configuration as the first movable leg 30, and thus the description thereof is omitted. . The weight sensor provided corresponding to the second movable leg 40 is the second weight detection means 60.

Next, each part connected to the control means 6 will be described with reference to FIG.
The control means 6 includes an inverter circuit (not shown) for supplying a high frequency current of several tens of kilohertz to the heating means 5, a microcomputer 6a having a RAM or ROM serving as a storage unit, an analog signal input from an external device, and a digital signal. It has an A / D converter (not shown) for converting it into a signal, and an A / D converter port 6b for connecting signal lines 72 from the respective weight detection means 50, 60 to this A / D converter.
Further, the microcomputer 6a is held in the rice cooker 1 based on a signal output from each of the weight detection means 50, 60 and input to the A / D converter via the A / D converter port 6b and digitally converted. It has a function of weight calculation means 6c for calculating the weight of the cooked food.

In addition, the microcomputer 6a has a correlation table of the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot, the temperature of the cooked rice, and the weight of the cooked food, a rice cooking sequence that is a combination of the inner pot temperature and the cooking time corresponding to each menu, and a heat retention corresponding to the heat retention mode A temperature sequence is stored in advance.
The control means 6 receives a detection signal output from the temperature detection means 9, a time measurement signal output from the time measurement means 10 constituted by a timer, and an operation signal output from the operation means 11.

Then, the control means 6 energizes the heating means 5 in accordance with the rice cooking sequence and the heat-retaining temperature sequence in consideration of the weight of the food calculated by the measurement based on the detection signal of the temperature detection means 9 and the timing signal of the timing means 10. Control.
The control unit 6 outputs a predetermined signal based on inputs from the operation unit 11 and various detection units and a predetermined sequence, and controls each electronic component such as a display unit 12 and a sound notification unit 7 that emits sound, which will be described later. Control.

Next, the main body 3 is provided with the first weight detection means 50 and the second weight detection means 60 as described above. A strain gauge or the like is used as these weight detection means, and a predetermined voltage is output as an analog signal according to the load received according to the amount of cooked food held inside the rice cooker 1.
In the present embodiment, the first weight detection means 50 and the second weight detection means 60 are provided corresponding to different movable legs, respectively, and detect the load received at each position, and the plurality of these The weight of the cooked food is calculated based on the detected value.

Further, the first weight detection means 50 is connected to the first power supply means 51, and the second weight detection means 60 is connected to the second power supply means 61, so that each weight detection means is connected to the power supply. It is comprised so that supply can be received.
The first power supply means 51 and the second power supply means 61 are connected to the control means 6, and the control means 6 controls the power supply to the respective weight detection means 51 and 61. .

Next, from the first weight detection means 50, a first signal line 52 that is a signal line of an analog signal of an output voltage that is output in accordance with a received load is derived. Similarly, from the second weight detection means 60, a second signal line 62 serving as a signal line for an analog signal of an output voltage output in accordance with the received load is derived.
The first signal line 52 and the second signal line 62 are electrically connected at the connection position P in the middle to become one signal line 72 and connected to the A / D converter port 6 b of the control means 6. Thus, the signal output from each weight detection means can be input to the control means 6.

Next, the timing of output from the microcomputer 6a to each power supply means will be described with reference to FIG. In each timing chart, the time advances as it advances to the right.
The timing chart 1 shows the output from the microcomputer 6a to the first power supply means 51. The timing chart 2 shows the output from the microcomputer 6a to the second power supply means 61. The timing chart 3 shows the timing of weight calculation in the weight calculation means 6c. In addition, points A to F in the figure are points provided for the purpose of explanation.

The operation of each part in each period connecting time A to time E will be described.
(A to B period)
When the weight detection of the food is started by the control means 6, first, an output is sent from the microcomputer 6a to the first power supply means 51 for a predetermined period from the time A to the time B (AB period: 200 ms, for example). (ON).
During this period, power is supplied from the first power supply means 51 to the first weight detection means 50, and an analog signal of an output voltage corresponding to the load acting on the first weight detection means 50 is output. This signal is input to the A / D converter via the port.
Here, while the output to the first power supply means 51 is being performed, the output from the microcomputer 6a is not performed to the second power supply means 61 (OFF). That is, since no power is supplied to the second weight detection means 60, there is no output from the second weight detection means 60.
Then, in the second half of the period when the output is being performed to the first power supply means 51, the weight calculation is executed in the weight calculation means 6c (ON). Since the signal input to the A / D converter during this period is only the signal output from the first power supply means 51, the weight calculation means 6c is only the weight detected by the first weight detection means 50. Can be calculated.

(B to C period)
Next, during the period from the time point B to the time point C when the output from the microcomputer 6a to the first power supply means 51 is stopped (BC period: for example, 50 ms), the microcomputer 6a outputs to any of the power supply means 51 and 61. Not performed (OFF).
That is, the period from the time point B to the time point C is a period in which the output from any of the weight detection means 50 and 60 is stopped.

(C to D period)
Next, when reaching time point C, a predetermined period from time point C to time point D (CD period: 200 ms, for example), the microcomputer 6a outputs to the second power supply means 61 (ON).
During this period, power is supplied from the second power supply means 61 to the second weight detection means 60, and an analog signal of an output voltage corresponding to the load acting on the second weight detection means 60 is output. This signal is input to the A / D converter via the port.
Here, while the output to the second power supply means 61 is being performed, the output from the microcomputer 6a is not performed to the first power supply means 51 (OFF). That is, since no power is supplied to the first weight detection means 50, there is no output from the first weight detection means 50.
Then, in the second half of the period during which the output to the second power supply means 61 is being performed, the weight calculation is executed in the weight calculation means 6c (ON). Since the signal input to the A / D converter during this period is only the signal output from the second power supply means 61, the weight calculation means 6c only has the weight detected by the second weight detection means 60. Can be calculated.

(D ~ E period)
Next, during the period from the time point D to the time point E when the output from the microcomputer 6a to the second power supply means 61 is stopped (DE period: 50 ms, for example), the microcomputer 6a outputs to any of the power supply means 51 and 61. Not performed (OFF).
That is, the period from the time point D to the time point E is a period in which the output from any of the weight detection means 50 and 60 is stopped.
As described above, when the weight is detected a plurality of times, the operation from time A to time E is repeatedly performed after time E. In this case, the weight is calculated by averaging the weight detection results.

In this way, the control means 6 controls the power supply means to supply power to any one of the weight detection means at a predetermined timing with respect to the plurality of weight detection means, and only one weight detection means operates. Control to do.
That is, since a plurality of weight detection means do not operate simultaneously, signals output from different weight detection means are not simultaneously input to the control means.
Therefore, it is not necessary to provide an A / D converter port dedicated to each weight detection means corresponding to each weight detection means.
In other words, even in the rice cooker having a plurality of weight detection means as in the present embodiment, the signal lines derived from each are connected to form one signal line, which is provided in the control means. It is possible to connect to one A / D converter port.
As a result, the required number of A / D converter ports can be minimized, and a simpler circuit configuration can be achieved.

Further, when the control means 6 controls the power supply means and switches the weight detection means for supplying power, a period during which power is not supplied to any weight detection means is provided for a predetermined period.
By controlling in this way, it is possible to prevent a plurality of weight detection units from receiving power supply at the same time and to operate at the same time, thereby preventing errors and improving the accuracy of weight detection.

Further, the control unit 6 calculates the weight in the second half of the period when the output is performed to the power supply unit.
This is because the power supplied from the power supply means to the weight detection means tends to be more stable in the latter half of the period during which the power supply means is outputting power. Tend to stabilize.
In other words, more accurate weight detection can be performed by executing weight calculation targeting a signal stably output from the weight detection means.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, Embodiment 2 will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about the structure similar to Embodiment 1, and description is abbreviate | omitted.
First, from the first weight detection means 50, a first signal line 52 which is a signal line of an analog signal of an output voltage output according to the received load is derived. Similarly, from the second weight detection means 60, a second signal line 62 serving as a signal line for an analog signal of an output voltage output in accordance with the received load is derived.

The first signal line 52 and the second signal line 62 are electrically connected at the connection position P in the middle to become one signal line 72 and connected to the A / D converter port 6 b of the control means 6. Thus, the signal output from each weight detection means can be input to the control means 6.
A first rectifying element (diode) 80 is provided between the connection position P of the first signal line 52 and the first weight detection means 50. Similarly, a second rectifying element (diode) 90 is provided between the connection position P of the second signal line 62 and the second weight detection means 60.

By configuring as described above, for example, when calculating the weight based on the output voltage from the first weight detection means 50, the second rectifying element is provided between the connection position P and the second weight detection means 60. Since 90 is provided, the output voltage from the first weight detection means 50 does not escape from the connection position P to the second weight detection means 60 side.
That is, the output voltage from the first weight detection means 50 can be input to the microcomputer without changing at the connection position P. Therefore, the output voltage from the first weight detection means 50 can be input to the microcomputer with high accuracy, and weight calculation with high accuracy can be performed.

Similarly, when calculating the weight based on the output voltage from the second weight detection means 60, the first rectifying element 80 is provided between the connection position P and the first weight detection means 50. Therefore, the output voltage from the second weight detection means 60 does not escape from the connection position P to the first weight detection means 50 side.
That is, the output voltage from the second weight detection means 60 can be input to the microcomputer without changing at the connection position P. Therefore, the output voltage from the second weight detection means 60 can be input to the microcomputer with high accuracy, and weight calculation with high accuracy can be performed.

  As described above, in each embodiment, the weight detection means is configured to be interposed between the main body and the leg portion so as to detect the weight of the entire main body. By providing the detection means, the weight of the inner pot and the food in the inner pot may be directly measured.

1 rice cooker, 2 inner pot, 3 main body, 4 lid, 5 heating means, 6 control means,
6a microcomputer, 6b A / D converter port, 6c weight calculation means,
7 voice notification means, 9 temperature detection means, 10 timing means, 11 operation means, 12 display section,
30, 40 movable legs, 31 legs, 32 mounting plates, 33 springs, 34 levers,
50 first weight detection means, 51 first power supply means, 52 first signal line,
60 first weight detection means, 61 first power supply means, 62 first signal line,
72 signal lines, 80 first rectifying element, 90 second rectifying element,

Claims (4)

An inner pot; heating means for heating the inner pot; a plurality of weight detection means for detecting the weight of the food held in the inner pot; and a power supply means for supplying power to the weight detection means And a control means having a port for inputting a signal output from the weight detection means,
The power supply means is controlled by the control means, and supplies power to the plurality of weight detection means one by one at a predetermined timing.
The control means determines the weight of the cooked food based on signals output from the plurality of weight detection means in the latter half of the period when the power supply means outputs power to supply power to the weight detection means. A rice cooker characterized by calculating.   2. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein when the weight detection unit that controls the power supply unit to supply power is switched, a period during which no power is supplied to any of the weight detection units is provided. The described rice cooker. A signal line for outputting the signal is derived from each of the weight detection means,
2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the signal lines led out from the respective weight detection means are connected, become one signal line from the connection position, and are connected to the port.   The rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein the signal line is provided with a diode between the connection position and the weight detection means.

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