JP6303831B2 - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

  The invention of this application relates to an electric rice cooker that has an energy saving mode and includes a human sensor, and saves power consumption by maintaining the energy saving mode when the user is not in a predetermined corresponding area. More specifically, the present invention relates to a configuration of an electric rice cooker that automatically cancels the energy saving mode by detecting the presence of a user by means of a coterie sensor.

  In recent electric rice cookers, in addition to ordinary white rice rice cooking, for example, brown rice and miscellaneous rice cooking, rice cooking functions such as rice cooking, rice bran, rice crackers, etc. Even those with functions such as adjustment, finishing level adjustment, voice guide, cooking, and washing the inner pot are provided.

  In such an electric rice cooker equipped with many functions, the number of operation switches in the operation panel part for performing operation settings of these functions is also large, and a display panel part for displaying information necessary for those operations Is also large (see, for example, the configuration of an electric rice cooker disclosed in Patent Document 1).

  In the case of an electric rice cooker having such a configuration, of course, when an AC power source is connected to the power supply circuit and is in an operation standby state waiting for its operation setting, various microcomputers and various operations on the operation board side operation board are possible. Since it is necessary to maintain the switch circuit in the activated state and to maintain the display panel drive circuit such as the liquid crystal on the display panel side in the driven state, there is a problem that power is considerably consumed when the standby time is extended. is there.

  In order to solve such problems, recently, a real-time clock function (RTC function) has been added to the microcomputer control unit, and if a necessary operation setting action is not performed for a predetermined time or longer, it is automatically It has been proposed to reduce power consumption by shifting to an energy saving mode in which the power supply of peripheral circuits is saved (or turned off). And in the case of an electric rice cooker adopting such an energy saving mode, to return to the normal standby state where the operation setting can be made from the energy saving mode, press the dedicated energy saving mode release switch, or any operation setting Generally, this is done by pressing a switch.

JP 2013-244107 A

  Certainly, when the dedicated operation switch or any one of the operation setting switches is pressed to cancel the energy saving mode, it is possible to return to the normal standby state in which the operation setting can be reliably performed. However, in that case, at least one extra switch operation is necessary in the sense that the switch must be turned on, and in the case of a dedicated operation switch, some users forget to press it and the operation setting is There is a fault that is likely to cause misunderstanding that it is not possible and product trouble.

  Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, for example, a human sensor that detects the presence of the user is provided so that the presence of the user can be detected, and at least when the user is not near the electric rice cooker, The cover's operation unit and display unit are automatically set to the energy-saving state to reduce power consumption as much as possible. On the other hand, if the presence of a user is detected, the previous energy-saving state is automatically canceled. Thus, it has been studied to enable a desired operation and display.

  However, when such a configuration is adopted, the energy saving mode is canceled whenever the presence sensor detects the presence of the user, and the operation switch of the operation unit can be operated. The switch can be operated even when the lid is opened or closed when the operation is not supposed to be performed. When the lid is opened or closed, the user's finger may touch the operation switch to turn on the switch.

  In particular, a touch panel type switch structure has recently become widespread, and when such a switch structure is adopted, the problem becomes more prominent.

  The invention of this application was made in order to solve such a problem. In addition to the human sensor, the lid opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing state of the lid body is provided to control the energy saving mode. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electric rice cooker that does not cause the above-described erroneous operation by performing not only the detection result of the human sensor but also the relationship with the opening and closing of the lid.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured with the following problem solving means.

(1) Means for Solving the Problems of the Invention of Claim 1 An electric rice cooker according to the present invention comprises an inner pot, a rice cooker main body for detachably storing the inner pot, and the inner pot in the rice cooker main body. a bobbin case heating means for heating, provided to be opened and closed on the top of the cooker body, a lid body having an operation unit and a display unit, a human sensor for detecting the presence of a user with respect to the upper Symbol rice cooker body, the upper A lid opening / closing sensor for detecting opening and closing of the lid, and an energy saving mode for reducing power consumption by controlling the operation unit and the display unit to an energy saving state in which operation and display are impossible. based on the detection result of the opening and closing sensor, an electric rice cooker made so as to perform control of the ministry saving mode, when the cover opening and closing sensor detects the opening of the lid, rather than the detection result of the human sensor Detection result of the lid open / close sensor And the operation unit and the display unit are controlled to the energy saving mode .

  When there is no user regardless of the operating status of the rice cooker with the presence sensor, if the operation unit and display unit of the lid are set to the energy saving state and the power consumption is reduced, the standby state Regardless of whether it is in a non-standby state or other rice cooker operating state, if at least the user is not near the electric rice cooker, set the lid operation unit and display unit to energy saving mode as much as possible Power consumption can be reduced.

  Therefore, compared with the energy saving mode control in which the mode is shifted to the energy saving mode only in the standby state where no operation key is operated for a predetermined time or more, the energy saving performance is greatly improved.

  However, when such a configuration is adopted, when the presence sensor detects the presence of the user, the energy-saving mode is always canceled, display on the display unit is started, and operation switches on the operation unit can be operated. Therefore, switch operation is possible even when opening and closing the lid, which is not expected to actually operate the switch. When the lid is opened or closed, the user's finger touches the switch to turn it on. May occur. In particular, a touch panel type switch structure has recently become widespread, and when such a switch structure is adopted, the problem becomes more prominent.

    Therefore, according to the present invention, a lid opening / closing sensor for detecting that the lid is opened is provided separately from the human sensor as described above, and at least when the lid opening / closing sensor detects the opening of the lid, Even if the presence sensor detects the presence of the user, the detection result of the lid open / close sensor is given priority over the detection result of the presence sensor, and the operation unit and display unit are put into an energy-saving mode where display and operation are disabled. Configured to control.

  Therefore, even if the human sensor detects the presence of the user, cancels the energy-saving state of the operation unit and the display unit, and enables the display and operation of the display unit, the lid open / close sensor If it is detected that the body has been opened, priority is given to controlling the energy saving mode to the non-released state so that the display and operation of the display cannot be performed. Operation setting by operation is prevented from occurring.

(2) Problem solving means of the invention of claim 2 The problem solving means of the invention is the structure of the problem solving means of the invention of claim 1 above, wherein the lid opening / closing sensor is composed of a tilted object moving type inclination sensor, If the sensor detects the open or closed state of the lid, at a predetermined time, is characterized in that the operating unit and a display unit and to control the energy-saving mode or a non-energy-saving mode.

When a light shielding object moving type inclination sensor is employed as the lid opening / closing sensor, it takes a predetermined time until the light shielding object moved when the lid is opened or closed. Therefore, if the sensor output at the time of opening and closing the lid is read as it is, it causes malfunction and control.

Therefore, even if the tilt sensor detects the open state or the closed state of the lid, the operation unit and the display unit are controlled to the energy saving mode or the non-energy saving mode after a predetermined time, and malfunctions and erroneous control are performed. To prevent.

(3) The problem-solving means of the invention of claim 3 The electric rice cooker of the present invention is the structure of the problem-solving means of the invention of claim 1 or 2 described above, within a predetermined time immediately after the power source is energized. The operation unit and the display unit are controlled to a non-energy saving mode in which the operation and display can be performed.

When power is supplied to the power circuit of the electric rice cooker, such as when a power plug is inserted into a power outlet, at least when the user is near the rice cooker body and is about to use the rice cooker, Within a predetermined time, the operation unit and the display unit are controlled to a non-energy saving mode in which the operation and display can be performed, and the operation setting is enabled.

  As a result of the above, according to the invention of this application, since the presence of the user can be detected by the human sensor, when the user disappears, it automatically shifts to the energy saving mode and can realize the energy saving function. Compared with energy saving performance is greatly improved. Conversely, when it is necessary to cancel the energy-saving mode, the user can move to the electric rice cooker and the energy-saving state is automatically canceled and display and operation settings can be made without requiring any switch operation. Because it becomes very convenient.

  Moreover, in the case of the invention of this application, a lid opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing state of the lid is provided separately from the occupant sensor, so that the lid that does not substantially require operation and display is opened. In some cases, even if the human sensor detects the presence of the user, it is possible to prevent the operation and display from being performed, so that unnecessary operations and display can be avoided and erroneous operations can be prevented.

It is a top view which shows the structure of the rice cooker main body upper part of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of invention of this application in the energy-saving mode setting state (state in which operation of the operation panel part, a display, illumination, etc. are impossible). . It is a top view which shows the structure of the rice cooker main body upper part of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of invention of this application in the energy-saving mode cancellation | release state (state in which operation of an operation panel, a display, illumination, etc. are possible). It is sectional drawing in the AA line cutting | disconnection part of FIG. 1 which shows the structure inside the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of invention of this application. It is an expanded sectional view of the left half part (front part except a cover) of Drawing 3 which shows the composition inside the rice cooker main part of the electric rice cooker concerning the embodiment of the invention of this application. It is sectional drawing in the BB line cutting | disconnection part of FIG. 1 which shows the installation state of the human sensor (infrared sensor) in the cover body part of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of invention of this application. It is sectional drawing for description of the fundamental structure which shows the characteristic of the installation state of the human sensitive sensor (infrared sensor) in the said cover body part of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Upper and lower sides showing configurations of shoulder members, shoulder heater frames, shoulder heater covers, sliding seal packings, and metal plates in the rice cooker body shoulder of the rice cooker body of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the invention of this application It is a disassembled perspective view. The outer pot of the rice cooker body of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the invention of this application, the second protective frame unit (upper), the first protective frame unit (lower), the magnetic shielding plate, the first and second It is an up-and-down exploded perspective view showing composition of each part of a work coil, a ferrite core, and a coil stand. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the human sensitive sensor part of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the external appearance structure of the inclination sensor of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this application invention, and the installation state to the microcomputer board (battery board part) in a rice cooker main body. It is a circuit diagram which shows the internal structure of the inclination sensor of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of invention of this application. It is a block diagram which shows the relationship between the human sensitive sensor and inclination sensor of the rice cooker main body of the electric rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the control function of a microcomputer control unit. It is a flowchart which shows the content and the characteristic of energy saving mode control using the infrared sensor and inclination sensor of the electric rice cooker which concern on embodiment of invention of this application.

  Embodiments for carrying out the invention of this application will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS.

(Configuration of the electric rice cooker main body according to the embodiment))
First, FIG. 1 to FIG. 12 show the configuration of a rice cooker main body part of an electric rice cooker according to an embodiment of the invention of this application and the main part thereof.
In the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the invention of this application, as a structural feature, the operation switch portion of the operation panel is configured by a touch panel, and the operation switch portion is illuminated by an LED from below. It has a human detection sensor that detects the presence of the user and an energy saving mode, and at least the user can operate it regardless of whether it is in standby mode, non-standby mode, or other rice cooker operating status. If it is not within the specified corresponding area, etc., it is possible by controlling to the energy saving mode and turning off the operation function and lighting function of the operation switch in addition to the display function and lighting function of the liquid crystal panel. It is configured to reduce power consumption as much as possible.

  In such a case, erroneous operation of the operation switch portion when the lid is opened and closed can be avoided.

<About the structure of the electric rice cooker body>
The rice cooker body in the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the invention of this application has a bottomed cylindrical shape made of a ceramic material containing rice and water, as shown in FIGS. An inner pot 3 (for example, a ceramic inner pot such as an earthen pot), a bottomed cylindrical outer pot 6 made of the same ceramic material covering the bottom 3a to the side 3c of the inner pot 3, and a bottom side A protective frame (inner case) 4 having an inner hook storage groove 5 in which the inner hook 3 is arbitrarily stored and set via the outer hook 6 and the protective frame 4 are accommodated. A main body case 1 having a protective frame housing space to be held, and a lid body 2 provided on the rear end side of the opening 5a of the inner hook housing groove 5 of the main body case 1 and opening and closing the opening 5a. ing.

  The main body case 1 is composed of a synthetic resin side-side cylindrical outer case 1a and a synthetic resin bottom-side dish-shaped bottom case 1b. A synthetic resin, which will be described later, is placed inside the upper end of the outer case 1a. A shoulder member 8 made of resin is provided, and the protective frame 4 forming the inner hook housing groove 5 is connected and supported via the shoulder member 8. An edge 84 having an inverted U-shaped outer peripheral side cross section of the shoulder member 8 is engaged with the entire circumferential direction so as to be engaged with the engaging edge 10 having a bowl-shaped cross section on the upper end side of the outer case 1a. Yes.

  The protective frame 4 is composed of two upper and lower housing members, each of which is a synthetic resin molded first and second separate protective frame unit (lower unit) 4A and second protective frame unit (upper unit) 4B. The second protective frame unit 4B constituting the upper housing is laminated on the upper part of the first protective frame unit 4A constituting the lower housing, and is integrally formed.

  First, the first protective frame unit 4A constituting the lower housing includes a bottom portion 41a formed of a flat circular surface having a predetermined radius, and a predetermined height upward while gradually increasing the diameter from the outer periphery of the bottom portion 41a. A bent portion 41b extending in the direction of the curved portion 41b, a stepped portion 41c having a curved cross section formed on the upper edge of the bent portion 41b in a radially outward direction, and rising substantially vertically from the outer peripheral portion of the stepped portion 41c. The support wall 41d is formed with a cylindrical wall having a predetermined height. And this 1st protection frame unit 4A part is supported by the lower side coil stand 9 which mentions the bottom part 41a and the curved part 41b part later.

  Next, the second protective frame unit 4B constituting the upper housing is centered on a cylindrical wall 42b having a U-shaped cross section that is open outward in the radial direction, with a lower end on the lower side. A mounting portion 42a on the support wall 41d of the first protective frame unit 4A is provided, and a hook-like engagement step portion 42d that is enlarged outward in the predetermined radial direction is provided on the upper end side thereof. . An upper portion (substantially upper half portion) partitioned by the rib 42c on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical wall 42b of the second protective frame unit 42B is an installation surface (coiled surface) of a third work coil C3 described later. And a third work coil C3 wound in two layers inside and outside is installed on the work coil installation surface.

  It should be noted that the installation surface of the third work coil C3 is not the entire vertical width of the cylindrical wall 42b, but, for example, the upper half portion, so that the lower first protective frame unit 4A is even a little. This is because the distance to the second work coil C2 on the side is enlarged to avoid mutual induced interference.

  The first and second protective frame units 4A and 4B are stacked and integrated vertically as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, so that the protective frame 4 formed as a whole with a bottomed cylindrical body structure can be obtained. On the bottom upper surface side (the upper surface side of the bottom portion 41a and the curved portion 41b of the first protective frame unit 4A), the bottom portion 6a and the curved portion 6b of the outer pot 6 made of the ceramic material are partially disposed in the radial direction. The upper portion of the ceramic outer pot 6 is pasted with a predetermined heat-insulating air layer maintained on a portion having a predetermined thickness and an adhesive portion (not shown) and without adhesive. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first and second induction heating elements G1 and G2 made of silver paste or silver spray are provided on each of a circular flat bottom 3a and a curved portion 3b on the rounded surface. The same circular bottom 3a of the inner pot 3 and its Flexure 3b on the rounded surface of the outer periphery is adapted to be accommodated while maintaining a predetermined clearance S.

  Then, in the same storage state, for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the upper end of the side portion 6 c extends long up to the upper portion of the side portion 3 c of the inner hook 3. The outer hook 6 sufficiently covers the bottom 3 a of the inner hook 3 to the vicinity of the side 3 c.

  By the way, the outer hook 6 of this embodiment has a bowl-like structure as a whole, and the center of the flat circular bottom 6a corresponds to the center sensor fitting hole 10a at the center of the first protective frame unit 4A. A sensor part insertion hole 6e of the center sensor is provided, and the sensor part at the upper part of the center sensor CS fitted in the center sensor insertion hole 10a is inserted in a loosely fitting state so that it can be moved up and down. On the radially outer peripheral side, a hill for fitting high pedestal support members 61, 61,... Made of a heat-resistant elastic member such as silicon rubber for supporting the high pedestal 3e of the inner hook 3 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction. Portion supporting member fitting holes 6f, 6f... Are provided. Further, from a heat-resistant elastic member such as silicon rubber that supports the outer periphery of the bent portion 3b of the inner hook 3 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction at a portion near the outer periphery of the bent portion 6b at the upper outer peripheral side. Centering support member fitting holes 6g, 6g,... For fitting the centering support members 62, 62,.

  In each of the fitting holes 6f, 6f, 6g, 6g,..., High base support members 61, 61,..., Centering support members 62,. .. Are respectively fitted and fixed to support the bottom portion 3a and the bent portion 3b of the inner hook 3, but the hill portion supporting members 61, 61,... Are provided on the lower first protective frame unit 4A. Are supported in a stable fixed state between the pocket portions P, P,... And the upper portion 3e portion of the outer periphery of the bottom portion 3a of the inner hook 3 is placed in a state where it abuts downward from above, as will be described later. When the protective frame 4 and the outer hook 6 that are elastically supported so as to be movable up and down via the floating support mechanism are lowered according to the weight of the inner hook 3, the outer peripheral side flange portion F of the opening 3d of the inner hook 3 is moved. On the inner edge 82 portion of the shoulder member 8 to be described later The inner hook 3 is hooked uniformly over the entire circumferential direction through the heat-resistant support member, and the protective frame 4 side first and second work coils C1, C2 and the first The second induction heat generating portions G1 and G2 are opposed to each other through an appropriate positional gap and through an appropriate induction gap, and an appropriate predetermined gap (heat storage / convection space) is formed between the outer induction heat sink 6 and the outer pot 6. ) Supported with S maintained.

  At the same time, the opposing position and the corresponding distance between the third induction heat generating portion G3 on the inner peripheral surface of the side portion 6c of the outer hook 6 and the side portion 6c portion of the inner hook 3 that are induction-heated by the third work coil C3. Is also maintained at an appropriate design position and design distance.

  On the other hand, the centering support members 62, 62,... On the outer peripheral side of the bent portion not only support the inner hook 3 in the protective frame 4 in an appropriate positional relationship via the outer hook 6 after being stored, The outer periphery of the bent portion 3b of the inner hook 3 stored at the time is guided in the entire periphery so as to be stored in an accurate positional relationship, and the centering function is properly performed.

  Further, the protruding dimensions of the hill support members 61, 61... And the centering support members 62, 62... To the inner side of the outer hook 6 are such that the inner hook 3 is properly fitted in the protective frame 4 as described above. 3 and 4 that are stored and set in a positional relationship, the dimensions are set so as to form an appropriate gap S between the outer peripheral surface of the inner hook 3 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer hook 6.

  As a result, in the storage state of the inner hook 3 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom portion 3a and the bent portion 3b of the inner hook 3 are heated by the heat generated by the first and second induction heating portions G1 and G2. The side portion 3c where the temperature is locally high and the heat at the same time is gradually conducted from the bottom portion 3a and the bent portion 3b side to the upper side portion 3c through the inside of the wall, and no induction heating portion is provided. The temperature on the side also increases gradually.

  Further, in the above configuration, in addition to this, the ceramic outer hook 6 is also provided inside the protective frame 4 in which the inner hook 3 is accommodated, and the first and second induction heating portions G1 and G2 are connected to each other. The outer periphery of the inner pot 3 is covered with the outer pot 6 made of ceramic, so that the bottom 3a of the inner pot 3 and the induction heating parts G1 and G2 of the bent part 3b and the vicinity of the induction heating parts G1 and G2 are outward. The heat radiated to the outer pot 6 is cut off by the outer pot 6 made of the same ceramic, and the radiant heat radiated outward from the induction heating section G1 of the bottom 3a of the inner pot 3, the induction heating section G2 of the bent section 3b, and the vicinity thereof. Heats the inner hook 3 itself in such a way as to envelop the outer periphery of the inner pot 3, and the same heat is stored in the opposing surface portion between the outer hook 6 and the inner hook 3 and the gap S between them. The hot air heated in the state is Bottom 3a of the inner hook 3 through S, increases from the outer peripheral surface side of the curved portion 3b on the outer peripheral surface of the side portion 3c, the whole of the inner hook 3 the outer peripheral surface heating, so heated.

  As a result, the inner hook 3 reaches a relatively high temperature from the bottom 3a and the bent portion 3b side to the entire side portion 3c, and effectively stores the amount of heat. Therefore, the amount of heat generated in the first and second induction heat generating portions G1 and G2 can be used effectively.

  Furthermore, in the case of the configuration of this embodiment, in that case, a third induction heat generating portion G3 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the side portion of the outer hook 6 and corresponds to the third induction heat generating portion G3. A third work coil C3, which is electromagnetic induction means for inductively generating heat from the third induction heat generating part G3, is provided on the outer periphery of the side wall of the protective frame 4, and the side part 6c of the outer hook 6 is Heating is performed from the inner peripheral surface side.

  Accordingly, the ceramic outer hook 6 not only simply covers the outer periphery of the bottom 3a side of the inner hook 3 so as not to release heat, but also heats itself to a high temperature. Radiation heat from the hook 6 actively heats the inner inner pot 3 at a close distance with a slight gap S, and the inner pot 3 is not only on the bottom side but also on the side that has been underheated conventionally. The whole including 3c is effectively heated and heated. In this case, since the distance between the third work coil C3 and the third induction heating part G3 is short, the induction efficiency of the third induction heating part by the third work coil C3 is high, and noise is hardly generated.

  Moreover, the heating of the side portion 3c portion of the inner hook 3 is different from the case where the induction heating portion is directly provided in the side portion 3c portion of the inner hook 3, for example, and is heated at a predetermined distance from the outer pot 6 side. Since the inner hook 3 is heated by the radiant heat from the entire side portion 6c of the outer pot 6, the heating state becomes uniform, and the side portion of the inner pot 3 is heated. There is no possibility of causing scorching due to local heating as in the case of heating by directly providing an induction heating part in 3c and the like.

  In addition, in the case of this embodiment, the side portion 6c of the outer hook 6 is highly extended to the vicinity of the upper portion of the side portion 3c of the inner hook 3, and is located on the inner peripheral surface of the side portion 6c extended to be high. The third induction heat generating part G3 is provided, and a third work coil C3 for inductively generating heat by the third induction heat generating part G3 is provided on the outer periphery of the side wall of the protective frame 4 corresponding to the third induction heat generating part G3. Is provided.

  Therefore, in the ceramic outer hook 6, the inner peripheral surface of the side portion 6c extended to a position corresponding to the upper portion of the side portion 3c of the inner hook 3 is efficiently heated to become a high temperature. The upper portion of the side portion 3c of the inner pot 3 which has been underheated is also effectively heated, and the entire inner pot 3 including the side portion 3c and the upper portion thereof is effectively heated and heated. Thus, the space portion of the upper part of the rice in the inner pot 3 is maintained at a high temperature state (near 120 ° C.) similar to the case of rice cake.

  In this case, the upper position of the side portion 3c of the inner pot 3 where the side portion 6c of the outer pot 6 where the third induction heat generating portion G3 is provided is determined, for example, from the rated rice cooking capacity of the electric rice cooker. It corresponds to the upper position vicinity (position above the position of the water at the time of water absorption) of the rice after completion of cooking. When doing so, it is possible to appropriately apply a sufficient and sufficient amount of heat similar to the case of rice cake to the cooked rice and its upper space position after completion of cooking determined from the rated rice cooking capacity of the electric rice cooker. Thus, it becomes possible to cook more delicious rice without causing uneven cooking without causing burning.

<About floating support structure of protective frame>
As described above, the protective frame 4 in this embodiment is configured by vertically integrating the first and second protective frame units 4A and 4B. The first protective frame unit 4a includes, for example, It is floatingly supported on the above-mentioned bottom case 1b via a floating support mechanism provided with a coil spring, and can be raised and lowered within a predetermined vertical dimension range.

  On the other hand, the second protective frame unit 4B is also raised and lowered in the same manner as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 mounted on the upper portion of the first protective frame unit 4A. As a result, the bowl-shaped outer hook 6 housed and installed in the bottomed cylindrical protective frame 4 composed of the first and second protective frame units 4A and 4B is also used for the first and second protective frame units. It moves up and down with 4A and 4B in the same manner (see arrows in FIG. 3).

  Therefore, when the inner pot 3 containing water and rice is stored on the outer pot 6 via the high platform support members 61, 61,... And the centering support members 62, 62,. According to the weight, the protective frame 4 and the outer hook 6 are lowered together with the inner hook 3 by a predetermined dimension, and the lower surface of the flange portion F at the outer end of the opening 3d of the inner hook 3 is connected to the opening 5a of the inner hook housing groove 5. The heat-resistant support member part on the inner peripheral edge part 82 of the shoulder member 8 is formed and supported in a state of being suspended from the part.

  As a result, in the case of this embodiment, the inner hook 3 provided with the first and second induction heat generating parts G1 and G2 on the bottom side is the first provided with the first and second work coils C1 and C2. The third work coil C3 and the third induction heating part G3 of the second protection frame unit 4B provided with the first and second work coils C1 and C2 and the third work coil C3 of the protection frame unit 4A The third induction heat generating part G3 of the outer pot 6 provided is set at an appropriate position and dimensional relationship.

  At this time, the hill support members 61, 61... And the centering support members 62, 62... Set an appropriate gap S between the outer hook 6 and the inner hook 3, and the centering support members 62, 62. ·· fulfills the centering function of the inner hook 3 during storage as described above.

<About the seal structure of the clearance for lifting>
By the way, when the protective frame 4 and the outer pot 6 are made floating with respect to the rice cooker body as described above, and the lifting space D is formed between the shoulder member 8 and the upper end 6d of the side portion 6c of the outer pot 6, There is a risk that heat between the inner hook 3 and the outer hook 6 escapes from the ascending / descending space D to the outside, water on the outer periphery of the inner hook 3 may invade, and the inner pot housing groove 5 does not look good. There are problems such as.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, they are assembled on the inner peripheral edge side of the metal plate 32, 32 for reinforcing the shoulder heater frame 31 and the shoulder heater cover 30 with respect to the shoulder member 8 described above on the upper side of the lifting space D. Thereafter, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the shoulder member 8 and the outer hook 6 are extended by a predetermined dimension on the inner peripheral surface side (opening inner peripheral surface side) of the upper end 6d of the side portion 6c of the lower outer hook 6. A skirt-like sliding packing 35 is attached to seal the elevating space D between the upper portion 6d and the side portion 6c in the inner and outer directions over the entire circumferential direction, and above the protective frame 4 and the outer hook 6. When the shoulder member 8, the shoulder heater frame 31, the shoulder heater cover 31, the sliding packing 35, and the metal plates 32, 32 are overlapped and connected and integrated, the skirt portion of the sliding packing 35 (for sealing) Edge) 35b is the side of the outer hook 6 It is adapted to slidably inscribed with the inner circumferential surface of the c of the upper end 6d.

The packing 35 is provided with a fixing portion 35a fixed between the metal plates 32 and 32 and the shoulder heater cover 30 on the upper side of the skirt portion 35b. The fixing portion 35a is used to fix the packing 35. It is attached as shown in FIG.
Yes.

<Installation of shoulder heater at shoulder>
As described above, the opening 5a of the inner pot storage groove 5 in the rice cooker main body of this embodiment has the shoulder member 8 fitted and fixed to the inner peripheral edge of the upper end 1c of the main body outer case 1a, and the shoulder. It consists of a shoulder heater cover 30 and a shoulder heater frame 31 that are connected and fixed from the lower side through metal plates 32 and 32 and a packing 35 inside the inner peripheral portion of the member 8. The cross-sectionally U-shaped structure is opened to the outside in the radial direction, and a shoulder heater H made of, for example, a code heater is provided on the entire outer circumferential surface. When the shoulder heater H generates heat, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a thick heat keep inward in the radial direction at the opening 3 d of the corresponding inner hook 3 in the storage state in the inner hook storage groove 5. The lower part of the part HK is efficiently heated to prevent the occurrence of dew in the part, thereby preventing the occurrence of white blurring of rice.

<About the configuration of the coil stand>
On the other hand, on the lower side of the protective frame 4 configured as described above (the lower side of the first protective frame unit 4A), a synthetic resin dish-shaped coil base 9 that supports the bottom of the protective frame 4 is provided. Is provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the coil base 9 is located on the upper surface side in the circumferential direction 4, and the first and second work coils C <b> 1 on the outer peripheral surface side of the first protective frame unit 4 </ b> A. , Ferrite core housing grooves 9a, 9a,... Extending in the radial direction corresponding to C2 are provided, and the first and second ferrite core housing grooves 9a, 9a,. .. Are accommodated for the work coils C1, C2. The first and second work coils C1, C2 are supported in four directions by the upper surfaces of the ferrite core housing grooves 9a, 9a,. Then, the first protective frame unit 4A and the coil base 9 are connected and fixed to each other using a connecting portion on the outer peripheral side.

  Further, on the outer peripheral side of the lower part of the coil base 9, four leg portions 9b, 9b,... Are provided downward corresponding to the positions of the ferrite core housing grooves 9a, 9a,. The leg portions 9b, 9b,... Are supported by floating support mechanisms 63, 63,... Provided on the bottom case 1b. A center sensor body fitting opening 9c is provided at the center of the coil base 9 so as to be concentric with the center sensor fitting hole 10a on the first protective frame unit 4A side. -The center sensor CS composed of an inner pan temperature detection sensor such as a thermistor is moved upward from below in a state that it can be moved up and down through the sensor body fitting port 9c and is always upwardly biased by a coil spring. It is installed so as to face.

<About the configuration of the lid>
On the other hand, the lid body 2 that covers the opening 5a of the inner pot storage groove 5 of the rice cooker body has a nameplate 20 that constitutes an upper outer peripheral surface thereof as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 5, for example. A top surface made of a synthetic resin having a support surface portion of the nameplate 20 and a concave portion 21a for installing a microcomputer board or the like on the upper surface side front portion and constituting the central housing portion of the lid body 2 including the peripheral wall portion 21b. A rubber plate 21, a lower plate 22 made of the same synthetic resin provided on the inner side (lower side) of the upper plate 21, and a recess 22 b portion on the lower surface of the outer peripheral side of the central portion of the main body 22 a of the lower plate 22 are made of rubber. A metal heat radiating plate 23 having a lid heater (not shown) fitted and fixed from below via a first packing 25, and provided below the heat radiating plate 23, and a synthetic resin on the outer peripheral edge thereof The gold | metal | money with which the rubber-made 2nd packing 14 was attached through the frame member 27 which can be attached or detached It formed from manufacturing of the inner cover 24.

  As described above, the outer packing 14 portion of the inner cover 24 is detachably fitted and attached to the inner cover fitting recess 22b provided on the outer peripheral side of the central portion of the lower plate 22 from the lower side. . Further, the outer peripheral side edge 22c portion of the lower plate 22 is engaged with the lower end side inner peripheral surface portion of the peripheral wall 21c portion of the upper plate 21 having a predetermined vertical width.

  By the way, in order to increase the pressure resistance strength, the outer peripheral side portion of the rear end portion of the main body portion 22a of the lower plate 22 serving as the center is locked to the connecting piece on the hinge unit 11 side via a connecting piece, a screw or the like. At the same time, on the upper surface of the main body portion 22a of the lower plate 22, a metal reinforcing plate having a predetermined thickness, a predetermined structure, and a large number of reinforcing ribs are provided across the left and right and front and rear. The whole is formed into a high-strength structure.

  That is, the lower plate 22 has an intermediate portion of the outer periphery on the rear end side of the main body portion 22a bent upward and houses the above-described hinge unit 11 on the inner side, and on the outer end side thereof. The descending portion covers the hinge unit 11.

  And the rear-end side outer periphery of the main-body part 22a of these lower plates 22 is made into the bracket for attachment, The said lid body 2 has the rear-end side via the hinge unit 11 with respect to the shoulder member 8 of the said rice cooker main body upper part. A locking and unlocking mechanism 13 that engages with a predetermined position of the lid body 2 to open and close the lid body 2 in the vertical direction is provided on the open end side (front end side). Is provided.

  Furthermore, the upper surface portion outer periphery 21b forming the nameplate support surface portion of the upper plate 21 is, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a curved surface whose outer diameter is gradually enlarged from the upper side to the lower side, and its lower end The side is connected and integrated with the upper end side of the peripheral wall portion 21c described above via a nameplate fitting groove (U-shaped groove). The nameplate 20 forming the transparent window 60c corresponding to the operation panel 60 surface and the liquid crystal panel 60A as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is formed into a shape corresponding to the support surface shape of each part of the upper plate 21. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the nameplate fitting grooves on the outer periphery of the upper plate 21 are used to be integrated in a substantially flush state. Further, a transparent synthetic resin transparent sheet 80 is attached to the upper surface of the nameplate 20.

  As will be described later, the nameplate 20 is provided in a downwardly inclined state in which the height gradually decreases from the rear end side steam unit 51 portion toward the front end side, and constitutes a support surface portion of the nameplate. The support surface structure of the upper plate 21 is also a downward inclined surface structure corresponding to the front end side.

<Configuration of pressure adjustment mechanism in lid part>
In this embodiment, it shows about the case where it applies to a pressure type electric rice cooker as an example, and in the approximate center part of the above-mentioned lid 2, only steam is escaped to the outside while recovering the viscous component, and in the rice cooking process Accordingly, a pressure adjusting unit 26A for adjusting the pressure in the inner hook 3 in a plurality of stages is provided.

  The pressure adjusting unit 26A is configured by, for example, steam escape passages 50, 50a to 50c that are detoured from the inner pot 3 toward the outside, and pressure adjusting mechanisms provided in the steam escape passages 50, 50a to 50c (this A plurality of pressure regulating units 26A are actually provided, but in the case of this embodiment, since it is not an essential configuration, the details thereof are omitted).

<About the configuration of the operation panel and display panel on the top of the lid>
Reference numeral 60 in FIG. 1 denotes an operation panel. The operation panel 60 includes a substrate having a predetermined depth and a liquid crystal panel storage box on the back side of the panel portion, and includes a microcomputer as a rice cooking and heat retention control means. The microcomputer substrate 60B and the liquid crystal panel 60A are fitted and accommodated in the opening of the upper plate 21 and the recessed groove portion of the upper plate 21.

  The central portion has a transparent window 60C corresponding to the display surface of the liquid crystal panel 60A. Around the transparent window 60C, a rice cooking reservation switch SW1, a rice cooking switch SW2, a heat retention switch SW8, and a cancel switch are provided. SW3, menu switches SW5 (return), SW6 (recommend), hot spring selection switch SW4, voice guide SW7, voice guide SW7, clock and timer selection menu Various operation keys of the time / minute setting switch SW9 are provided.

  The rice cooking reservation switch SW1, the rice cooking switch SW2, the heat retention switch SW8, the cancel switch SW3, the menu switch SW5 (return), SW6 (sume), the fire selection switch SW4, the voice guide SW7, the clock and the timer time for the timer rice cooking The various operation keys of the minute setting switch SW9 are operation keys (operation switches) having a touch panel structure. Although not shown below each of these operation keys, the operation keys are arranged as necessary as shown in FIG. A display LED is provided for clear display (Figure 1 shows energy-saving mode).

  In the case of this embodiment, as described below, the microcomputer board 60B is provided with a human sensor 90 made up of, for example, an infrared sensor for detecting that a user is in a predetermined corresponding area such as an operation corresponding position. Regardless of the standby state, non-standby state, and other rice cooker operating states, if at least the user is not in the predetermined corresponding area such as the operation corresponding position, the energy saving mode is controlled and the LCD panel display In addition to the function and the lighting function, the operation function and the lighting function of the operation switch are turned off to reduce power consumption as much as possible. As a result, in the energy saving state, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the upper surface of the lid 2 of the electric rice cooker body is in a “smoked state”, except for the light receiving concave portion 80a of the human sensor 90 described below. You can't see anything.

  Of course, in this case, for example, it is free to perform necessary displays such as “cooking rice” and “warming”.

<About the structure and installation structure of the human sensor on the lid>
In the case of this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6, a human sensor MS including the infrared sensor is provided at the front portion of the lid 2. The human sensor MS has an electrical configuration as shown in FIG. 9, for example. The user can check the operation setting or the operation setting state, the rice cooking state, the heat retaining state, the clock display confirmation, etc. It is comprised so that it may function as a person detection sensor which detects having approached the front position of the main body more than the predetermined distance.

  That is, the human sensor MS includes a light receiving unit 90a and a light receiving circuit unit (sensor body) 90b, and selects infrared rays incident through the light receiving lens (Fresnel lens) 91 of the light receiving unit 90a by passing through an infrared filter 92. A comparator circuit after amplifying a voltage signal collected by the infrared pyroelectric element 93 in the light receiving circuit section 90b and output from the infrared pyroelectric element 93 to a predetermined voltage level via an amplifier circuit (output voltage amplification circuit) 96. Enter in 97.

  The pyroelectric element 93 is composed of, for example, a pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a, which are arranged side by side. By the pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a, the incident infrared light source is respectively received. The user's movement is detected based on a change in the difference between the detection distances, and it is determined whether or not the user is present. The pyroelectric element 93 outputs a signal having a voltage level corresponding to a change in the difference between the detection distances.

  In the comparator circuit 97, for example, facing the operation panel unit 60 at the top of the electric rice cooker body, the front side position when the user performs an operation and the front side for confirming the display of the liquid crystal panel 60A through the transparent window 60c Depending on the position (distance between the user (light source) and the light receiving unit 90a (pyroelectric element) at the standing position)), depending on the amount of infrared light incident on each pyroelectric element 93a, 93a from the user (light source) A voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage values is set as a reference voltage for comparison. Accordingly, if the output voltage from the amplifier circuit 96 input to the comparator circuit 97 becomes equal to or higher than such a reference voltage, the comparator circuit 97 detects the presence of the user (H signal). Is output.

  The human detection signal (H or L Vout signal) from the comparator 97 is input to the microcomputer control unit 100 on the microcomputer board 60B side, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, and the user confirms the operation setting and the operation setting state. It is determined whether or not the rice cooker is in the front position of the main body of the electric rice cooker for some reason, such as confirmation of the cooked rice state, the heat insulation state, and the clock display.

  When it is determined that the user is at the same position, the microcomputer control unit 100 controls the operation board circuit control means 111 for controlling the supply state of power to the operation board circuit, and the LED drive means 114 for operating switch illumination. Is activated, power is supplied to the operation board circuit of the operation panel unit 60 in the non-energized state (energy saving mode), and the operation setting, cancellation, change, etc. of the rice cooking or heat retaining function by the operation of the various operation switches SW1 to SW9 And the operation switches SW1 to SW9 can be displayed by illumination, and the liquid crystal panel drive control means 112 is operated to turn on the backlight of the liquid crystal panel 60A that has been turned off when there is no user. At the same time, when there is no user, information on the liquid crystal panel 60A in the non-display state is displayed. As a result, the operation panel 60 portion on the upper surface of the lid 2 that has been in the smoked state as shown in FIG. 1 is clearly displayed as shown in FIG. If it is determined that there is no user, the control is reversed.

  Thereby, the user operates each operation switch SW1 to SW9 of the operation panel 60 while viewing the display information of the liquid crystal panel 60A that is brightly lit and displayed through the transparent window 60c, and appropriate operation settings for rice cooking or heat insulation function. Can be canceled, changed. Moreover, confirmation of the operation setting state in the rice cooking standby state at the time of timer reservation, the rice cooking state during rice cooking, the heat insulation state during heat insulation, a clock display, etc. can also be confirmed. In addition, the code | symbol 115 in FIG. 12 is heating output control means, such as a work coil.

  Moreover, each of them is automatically realized simply by the user approaching the electric rice cooker body, and does not require any manual operation such as an ON operation of the operation key, which is very convenient.

  In addition, in the case of such a configuration, it is not limited to just a standby state as in the prior art. In short, when the user is not near the electric rice cooker and there is no need for operation and display, most of the time including the clock display is included. Since it is possible to save or stop the supply of power to the power consuming part, the energy saving effect is extremely high.

  In the configuration of the light receiving circuit unit 90b in FIG. 9, reference numeral 95 denotes a stabilized power supply circuit for driving the circuit, and reference numeral 94 denotes a one-chip IC incorporating various electronic devices.

By the way, in this case, the reference voltage of the comparator circuit 97 depends on the detection sensitivity of the human sensor MS itself as described above, and the user approaches the electric rice cooker body, and is applied to the operation panel 60 surface of the upper surface portion. Since it is set to correspond to the amount of infrared rays emitted from the user's human body with reference to the normal operation position that can be operated properly, the infrared rays are detected from other positions. The quantity can be drained as a disturbance. Therefore, as long as the amount of infrared rays actually input is determined based on the infrared detection amount corresponding to the user's body temperature at the original operation setting position as a reference value, the approach of the user is properly detected, However, the above-mentioned countermeasure can be taken almost accurately. However, the steam unit 51 for pressure regulation is provided at the upper center (slightly rearward) of the lid 2 as described above. Steam openings 51a, 51a are opened in the. And from this steam port 51a, 51a, the high temperature steam V blows off at the time of rice cooking (boiling maintenance process). Therefore, even if the light receiving surface of the light receiving portion 90a of the infrared sensor MS is at a position lower than the upper surface of the lid body 2 (the upper surface of the upper plate 20), the upper surface of the lid body 2 (the upper surface of the upper plate 20). ) Is flat from the rear end side of the steam unit 51 to the front end 20b side as shown in FIG. 6, the light receiving angle θ1 of the light receiving portion 90a of the infrared sensor MS is widened to the rear side. The infrared rays of the vapor V from 51a and 51a are detected, and there is a problem that proper user detection cannot be performed (occurrence of erroneous detection). As a result, the high energy saving effect described above is hindered.

  Therefore, in the configuration of this embodiment, first, the height of the front side portion 20a of the nameplate 20 constituting the upper surface portion of the lid 2 is gradually lowered from the steam unit 51 toward the front end 20b. (See the configuration of FIG. 6), and the nameplate 20 that is the downward inclined surface has a large inclination angle near the front end portion side (next to the timer reservation switch SW1). 2), a circular first light receiving opening 20c is formed, and the light receiving portion described above is positioned at a coaxial portion on the microcomputer board 60B provided in the microcomputer board installation space 28 on the lower side. A human sensor MS including 90a and a light receiving circuit unit 90b is provided. On the microcomputer board 60B, a board cover 29 is provided except for a portion corresponding to the liquid crystal panel 60A so as to cover predetermined electronic components on the microcomputer board 60B. A portion corresponding to the same shape as the light receiving portion 90a of the human sensor MS on the microcomputer board cover 29 side and the first light receiving opening 20c on the nameplate 20 side has a circular second light receiving opening (first 29a) (a slightly larger diameter than the light receiving opening 20c).

  And by these structures, the concave groove part of the predetermined depth for the said human sensor MS installation as shown in FIG. 5 is formed, and the said human sensor MS is installed in the form accommodated in the said concave groove part. Therefore, only the external infrared light incident on the light receiving portion 90a through the first and second light receiving openings 20c and 29a is accurately detected.

  In addition, in this case, the front side portion 20a of the nameplate 20 with respect to the unit 51 is inclined downward from the front side of the steam unit 51 to the front end 20b side at the predetermined lowering angle θ2 as described above. Accordingly, the first light receiving opening 20c opened at the inclined surface portion of the nameplate 20 has a circular opening surface corresponding to the descending inclination angle θ2, for example, as shown in FIG. The light reception detection angle θ1 in the front-rear direction shown in FIG. 6 is also obtained by inclining the light reception center axis by θ2 obliquely downward from the vertical direction toward the front side.

  As a result, it is possible to detect infrared rays caused by the steam V blown from the steam ports 51a and 51a of the steam unit 51 on the rear end side of the nameplate 20 (more specifically, the rear end side horizontal surface portion of the upper plate 21). This eliminates the need for accurate user detection.

  Moreover, in the case of this embodiment, as is apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2, the human sensor MS is separated from the steam unit 51 by a large distance in the direction of the front end of the rice cooker body, and the nameplate 20 The left and right sides of the steam unit 51 are located near the rear end side and provided with steam ports 51a, 51a. It is installed offset so as not to correspond in the direction. Therefore, in combination with the above-described operation, erroneous detection is less likely to occur.

  Further, in the case of this embodiment, in the above case, a transparent waterproof sheet 80 having a predetermined thickness is stuck on the upper surface of the name plate 20, and the waterproof sheet 80 is the first of the name plate 20. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the light receiving opening 20c is formed in a concave lens shape to form an infrared condensing concave lens 80a.

  Therefore, a relatively wide range of infrared rays can be incident on the inside of the groove having the light receiving portion 90a.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the human sensor MS described above, as shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, for example, the battery body 60 </ b> C portion of the microcomputer board 60 </ b> B in the lid 2 has the lid 2. A tilt sensor (lid open / close sensor) IS is provided for detecting the opening / closing of the touch panel, and the touch panel portion is prevented from being erroneously operated when the user opens / closes the lid 2 using the detection signal of the tilt sensor IS. I am doing so.

  As described above, if the operation switch portion of the operation panel 60 on the upper surface side of the lid 2 has a touch panel structure (touch switch structure), the operation key can be turned on only by lightly touching with a fingertip. Is significantly easier.

  However, on the other hand, it is possible that the user's finger touches the operation key unintentionally during the opening / closing operation of the lid 2 that does not originally operate the operation switch. In this case, since the user is in the detection corresponding area of the human sensor MS in any case, the human sensor MS detects the presence of the user, cancels the energy saving mode, and the operation switches SW1 to SW9 are operated. It is possible to perform illumination display by LED, and the liquid crystal panel 60B is also illuminated and driven. As a result, an erroneous operation of the operation switch occurs.

  Therefore, in the embodiment of the invention of this application, even if the opening / closing state of the lid body 2 is detected by the tilt sensor IS and the presence sensor MS detects the presence of the user at least in the lid open state, the operation switch The operation key input is impossible, and such erroneous operation input is prevented.

  As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, for example, the inclination sensor IS is smaller in a predetermined dimension in a state where the external shape is shifted by 90 degrees in a square-shaped solid packaging 99 having a predetermined thickness. A square-shaped light-shielding object moving space 99a is provided, and first, a light-shielding object 99b made of a cylindrical body having a short shaft length and a predetermined diameter is slidably mounted in the light-shielding object moving space 99a.

  The shading object 99b freely moves in the shading object moving space 99a in accordance with the inclination of the packaging 99 in the four directions of front, rear, left, and right. For example, as shown in FIG. It stops at the corner positions (positions lowered due to the inclined state) a to d of the shader moving space 99a corresponding to the above.

  On the other hand, outside these three corner positions a, b, and d (inside the packaging 99), for example, an infrared light emitting diode D is provided in the a portion and a phototransistor T1, d is provided in the b portion. A phototransistor T2 is disposed in the portion, and a Vcc power source is connected to the anode side and the collector side thereof, and a current limiting resistor R and load resistors R1 and R2 are connected to the ground side.

  Therefore, in the case of the same configuration, for example, when the light shield 99b is in the a position, the phototransistors T1 and T2 are both shielded and the output is OFF, OFF, and then in the b position, the phototransistor T1 is OFF. When the phototransistor T2 is ON, the phototransistors T1 and T2 are both ON when in the c position, and when the phototransistor T2 is in the d position, the phototransistor T1 is ON and the phototransistor T2 is OFF. Therefore, it is possible to determine the inclination state in the four directions of front, rear, left and right by the combination of ON and OFF of the outputs V1, V2 of the phototransistors T1, T2.

  If the packaging 99 is installed in a state where the light emitting diode D comes up when the lid body 2 is opened in the state of FIG. When the phototransistors T1 and T2 at (inclination angle 5 degrees) are both OFF, the lid 2 is closed, and when both the phototransistors T2 and T1 where the light shield 99b is at the position c are ON, the lid 2 is open. Become.

  The outputs V1 and V2 of the two phototransistors T1 and T2 indicating the open / closed state of the lid 2 are input to the microcomputer control unit 100 together with the output Vout of the human sensor MS as shown in FIG. The energy-saving mode and energy-saving mode of the operation unit and display unit are controlled.

<Energy saving mode control using human sensor and tilt sensor>
Next, the flowchart of FIG. 13 shows the contents of the energy-saving mode and non-energy-saving mode control using the human sensor MS and the inclination sensor IS of the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  That is, in this control, control is started by connecting an AC power source to the power circuit of the electric rice cooker, first the human sensor MS and the tilt sensor IS are activated (steps S1, S2), and the operation key illumination LED Display control, display control of the liquid crystal panel 60B, and operation key input control are started (step S3). As a result, after the power is turned on, the energy saving mode is not set first but the operation and display states are set.

  By the way, as described above, the human sensor MS requires a predetermined time (rise time / 10 to 30 seconds) from when the power is turned on until a proper detection characteristic is obtained. Therefore, the detection signal (Vout signal in FIG. 9) of the human sensor MS is input, and it is determined whether or not the predetermined time has elapsed until it is determined that the user is in the predetermined detection corresponding area ( Step S4).

  As a result, the process proceeds to the determination operation of the human sensor detection input value only when it is determined as YES (elapse of a predetermined time) (step S5). When the determination of the human sensor detection input value in step S5 determines that the user is in the detection corresponding area of the human sensor, the lid based on the detection input value of the tilt sensor IS is subsequently determined. The process proceeds to the closed state determination process 2 (step S6), and it is determined whether or not the lid 2 is closed properly.

  Here, assuming that the lid 2 is properly closed now, if it is determined as YES, the operation unit and the display unit can be operated and the display control can be performed immediately. There are two ways, the case where the lid 2 is not opened and the state immediately after it is closed from the opened state. In the latter case, the operation switch is operated incorrectly when the lid 2 is closed. First, in step S9, if the lid 2 is currently closed but the predetermined operation key is in the ON state, is the operation key ON from the open state of the lid 2? It is determined whether or not, and after confirming that it is not, the energy saving mode is canceled, and the operation key input reading operation in step S10 is performed.

  On the other hand, the lid 2 is currently closed, but it has just been closed from the open state, and the operation switch is in the ON operation state, which is continued from the lid open state. In this case, the process proceeds to step S11, and it is determined whether or not the user's finger is released from the current operation key and the operation switch is turned off. Until this determination is YES, the energy-saving mode in which the operation unit and the display unit cannot be displayed is maintained.

  On the other hand, when the determination in step S11 is YES, and the ON state of the operation switch so far is reset, the energy saving mode is canceled and the process proceeds to step S10 to enable operation of the operation unit and display of the display unit. The necessary operation switch operation input is read, and the normal processing operation of step S12 is executed.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S6 that the lid 2 is opened (NO: not in a closed state), while maintaining the energy-saving mode in which operation of the operation unit and display of the display unit are impossible, Proceed to the normal processing operation in step S12.

  Furthermore, if it is determined in step S5 above that the user is not in the detection corresponding area of the human sensor MS and the determination is NO, then the process moves to step S7, where the user is absent. Is determined to have continued for a predetermined time or more, and if it is determined that the absence of the user has continued for a predetermined time or longer, the process proceeds to step S8, where the operation and display of the operation unit described above are performed. The display of the unit is disabled (power OFF), and the “energy saving mode” for saving power consumption is controlled, and the standby state waiting for necessary operations is continued (return control).

  On the other hand, if the determination is NO in step S7 where at least the user is not in the predetermined detection-corresponding area for a predetermined time or longer, the presence of the user is detected by the human sensor MS (step S5). In the same manner as in the case where the closed state of the lid 2 is detected by the tilt sensor IS (YES in step S6), the process proceeds to step S9, and the lid 2 is closed and enters. Is when the user operates the lid 2 from the open state to the closed state, and whether or not the operation key that is currently in the ON operation state has been pressed from the open state of the lid 2 Proceed to judgment operation.

  In this determination, if the current operation switch is in the ON operation state, and it is continued from the lid open state, the process proceeds to step S11, and the operation key is now used to indicate the user's finger. It is determined whether or not the operation switch is turned off. Until this determination is YES, the energy saving mode in which the operation of the operation unit and the display of the display unit cannot be performed is maintained.

  On the other hand, if the determination in step S11 is YES, and the ON state of the operation switch so far is completely reset, the energy saving mode is canceled and the process proceeds to step S10 to allow operation of the operation unit and display of the display unit. The necessary operation switch operation input is read, and the normal processing operation in step S12 is executed.

  As a result, according to the above configuration, when it is determined that the lid 2 is closed based on the detection result of the inclination sensor IS, the user is present based on the detection result of the human sensor MS. In this case, operation of the operation unit and display of the display unit are possible, and proper operation and setting are possible.

  On the other hand, at least when the inclination sensor IS detects the opening of the lid 2, even if the human sensor MS detects the presence of the user, the above-described operation is performed with priority given to the detection result of the inclination sensor IS. Control to the energy saving mode that cannot be operated on the display and display on the display, so that operation and setting cannot be performed.

  Further, when viewed only from the detection result of the inclination sensor IS, even if the lid 2 is currently closed, the presence of the user is detected by the human sensor MS in the opened state of the lid 2 before that, and the lid 2 If the operation key is turned on in the open state 2, even if the tilt sensor IS determines that the lid 2 is closed, the operation key is temporarily turned off. Otherwise, the energy saving mode is canceled so that the operation unit and the display unit cannot be displayed.

  As a result, it is possible to reliably solve the problem in the case where the above-described human sensor is provided.

  Further, the infrared sensor constituting the human sensor MS as described above has a problem that the concave lens portion 80a provided in the light receiving opening 20c portion of the nameplate 20 portion of the lid 2 is discolored or dirty. As a result, there is a problem that the detection function is lowered. Therefore, as a countermeasure in such a case, for example, the return from the energy saving mode to the standby state may be performed by the output of the tilt sensor IS indicating the opening / closing operation of the lid 2. By doing so, even when the concave lens portion 80a is dirty and the detection accuracy of the human sensor MS is lowered to a predetermined level or less, it is possible to reliably return to the operable standby state.

  In the case of the electric rice cooker as described above, the operation unit and the display unit can be operated and displayed within a predetermined time immediately after the power is supplied to the power circuit of the electric rice cooker (at the start of the control). It is preferable to control to the energy saving mode.

  When power is supplied to the power circuit of the electric rice cooker, such as when a power plug is inserted into a power outlet, even if there is no proper output from the presence sensor MS, at least the user is near the rice cooker body. It seems that it is time to use the rice cooker from now on. Therefore, within a predetermined time thereafter, the operation unit and the display unit are controlled to the non-energy saving mode (standby mode) in which the operation unit and the display unit can be operated and displayed regardless of the output of the human sensor MS and the tilt sensor IS, and the operation setting is possible You can also

  In this case, as described above, the convenience is further improved as compared with the case where the standby state is controlled only for a short time necessary for the start-up of the human sensor MS.

  Further, in the above configuration, the lid opening / closing sensor is constituted by the shade sensor moving type inclination sensor IS. Therefore, when the tilt sensor IS detects the open state or the closed state of the lid body 2, the operation unit and the display unit are controlled to be in the energy saving mode or the non-energy saving mode after a predetermined time.

  In the case where the above-described light shielding object movement type inclination sensor IS is used as the lid opening / closing sensor (see the configuration in FIG. 11), the light shielding object 99b that has moved when the lid body 2 is opened or closed is stationary. Takes a certain amount of time. Therefore, if the sensor output at the time of opening / closing the lid 2 is read as it is, it causes malfunction and control due to the output signal in the chattering state.

  Therefore, even if the tilt sensor IS detects the open state or the closed state of the lid 2, it is not immediately controlled using the detection signal, but is operated after the detection signal is stabilized after a predetermined time. The display and the display are controlled in the energy-saving mode or non-energy-saving mode to prevent malfunction and control.

  However, when such a configuration is adopted, although the predetermined waiting time is short, it is impossible to operate and set the predetermined time after the lid is closed, and the user may feel uncomfortable. Therefore, since it is clear that the user exists at least when the lid is opened from the opened state, the user is present at least from the output of the inclination sensor IS regardless of the output of the human sensor MS. As long as it can be determined that the lid has been closed, a configuration is also adopted as necessary so that operation of the operation unit and display of the display unit can be performed within a predetermined period of time so as to eliminate the uncomfortable feeling.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to avoid erroneous control due to instability of the detection signal of the human sensor MS when the lid is closed.

<The main structure and effect of the electric rice cooker by embodiment of invention of this application>
As described above, the electric rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention includes an inner pot, a rice cooker main body that stores the inner pot in a removable manner, and the inner pot in the rice cooker main body. An electric rice cooker comprising an inner pot heating means for heating and a lid having an operation part and a display part, which is provided on the upper part of the rice cooker body, and has an operation part and a display part. It has an energy saving mode for controlling the energy saving state to reduce power consumption, a human sensor for detecting the presence of the user with respect to the rice cooker body, and a lid opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing of the lid body. The energy-saving mode is controlled based on the detection result. In particular, when the lid opening / closing sensor detects the opening of the lid, the detection result of the lid opening / closing sensor is greater than the detection result of the human sensor. Priority , So that the operating and display the operating section and the display section are controlled into energy-saving mode is impossible.

  As already mentioned, it is equipped with a human sensor, and at least when there is no user regardless of the operating state of the rice cooker, set the operation unit and display unit of the lid to an energy saving state to reduce power consumption If you do, regardless of whether it is in the standby state, non-standby state, or other rice cooker operating state, at least if the user is not in the predetermined corresponding area, the lid operation unit and display unit will be in an energy saving state The power consumption can be reduced as much as possible.

  However, when such a configuration is adopted, when the presence sensor detects the presence of the user, the energy-saving mode is always canceled, display on the display unit is started, and operation switches on the operation unit can be operated. Therefore, it is possible to operate the switch even when opening and closing the lid, which is not expected to actually operate the switch. Therefore, when opening or closing the lid, the user's finger touches the operation switch and the switch is turned on. There is a risk of misoperation. In particular, a touch panel type switch structure has recently become widespread, and when such a switch structure is adopted, the problem becomes more prominent.

  Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, a lid opening / closing sensor for detecting that the lid is opened is provided separately from the human sensor as described above, and at least the lid opening / closing sensor detects the opening of the lid. Even if the presence sensor detects the presence of the user, the detection result of the lid opening / closing sensor has priority over the detection result of the presence sensor, and the operation unit and the display unit cannot be displayed and operated. The energy-saving mode is controlled.

  Therefore, even if the human sensor detects the presence of the user, cancels the energy saving state of the operation unit and the display unit, and enables the display and operation of the display unit, the lid opening / closing sensor If it is detected that the body has been opened, the above-mentioned energy saving mode is controlled to the non-released state in priority to that, so that the display part and the operation part cannot be operated. Operation setting by switch operation is prevented.

  As a result, according to the embodiment of the invention of this application, since the presence of the user can be detected by the human sensor, it automatically shifts to the energy saving mode when the user disappears, and the energy saving function can be realized. Therefore, energy saving performance is greatly improved compared to the conventional case. Conversely, when it is necessary to cancel the energy-saving mode, the user can move to the electric rice cooker and the energy-saving state is automatically canceled and display and operation settings can be made without requiring any switch operation. Because it becomes very convenient.

  Moreover, in the case of the invention of this application, a lid opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing state of the lid is provided separately from the occupant sensor, so that the lid that does not substantially require operation and display is opened. In some cases, even if the human sensor detects the presence of the user, it is possible to prevent the operation and display from being performed, so that unnecessary operations and display can be avoided and erroneous operations can be prevented.

(Other embodiments)
First, in the above description of the embodiment, the case where the invention of this application is applied to an electromagnetic induction type electric rice cooker including a ceramic inner pot and a ceramic outer pot has been described. As is apparent from the content of the essential technical idea, the invention is never applied only to the electric rice cooker having the specific configuration as described above. For example, the ceramic inner pot having no outer pot is used. Electric rice cookers of various configurations, such as electric rice cookers, non-ceramic metal pots, non-ceramic non-metal pots, non-electromagnetic induction heaters Even if applied, the above-described beneficial effects can be obtained in exactly the same manner.

  In the above embodiment, as an example of the human sensor MS that detects the presence of the user, an infrared ray emitted from the user's body according to the user's body temperature is incident on the light receiving unit, and the user at a predetermined position A pyroelectric infrared sensor is used to detect the presence of an infrared ray, but it has an infrared light emitting part and an infrared light receiving part, for example, and the infrared light received from the infrared light emitting part and reflected by the user's body is received by the infrared light receiving part. It can also be constituted by a reflected light receiving type infrared sensor. It is also possible to employ an image detection type human detection means using a solid-state image sensor.

  Further, as the lid opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing of the lid, various tilt sensors other than the combination of the light emitting diode, the pair of phototransistors, and the movable light blocking material can be employed. In view of detecting the opening and closing of the lid, the sensor is not necessarily limited to the tilt sensor. For example, a proximity sensor or a limit switch combining a light emitting element and a light receiving element can be used.

  Furthermore, in the case of the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a transparent waterproof sheet 80 having a predetermined thickness is pasted on the upper surface of the name plate 20. The first light receiving opening 20c is formed into a concave lens shape to form an infrared condensing concave lens 80a. As a result, a relatively wide range of infrared rays is efficiently incident into the concave groove where the light receiving portion 90a of the human sensor 90 is located.

  However, a synthetic resin made of PET is generally used for the nameplate 20, and the resin has a property that it hardly transmits infrared rays. Therefore, as it is, it is not always sufficient to increase the detection sensitivity of the human sensor MS. Therefore, the thickness of the concave lens 80a portion is made thinner than the other portions, and the light receiving lens 91 of the light receiving portion 90a has In particular, a convex lens having high sensitivity is adopted, and a combination thereof is configured so that detection sensitivity is as high as possible.

  In addition, as described above, the human sensor MS includes the infrared pyroelectric element 93 in which the pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a are arranged in parallel, and is incident by the pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a. The distance to the light source of infrared light is detected, and the movement of the user is detected based on the change in the difference between the detection distances to determine whether or not the user is present.

  Therefore, when the pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a are arranged in parallel in the front direction with respect to the user, a difference in detection distances detected by the two pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a hardly occurs, and the detection sensitivity is increased. It is difficult to improve effectively.

  Therefore, more preferably, the pair of pyroelectric elements 93a and 93a are arranged side by side so as to be inclined with respect to the user.

  1 is a rice cooker body case, 1a is an outer case, 1b is a bottom case, 2 is a lid, 3 is an inner pot, 3a is a bottom part, 3b is a bent part, 3c is a side part, 3d is an opening part, and 4 is a protective frame 4A is the first protective frame unit, 4B is the second protective frame unit, 5 is the inner hook storage groove, 6 is the outer pot made of ceramic, 6a is the bottom, 6b is the bent portion, 6c is the side portion, and 6d is Side upper end, 7 is a magnetic shielding plate, 8 is a shoulder member, 9 is a coil base, 90 is a groove, 90a is a light receiving unit, 90b is a light receiving circuit unit, 100 is a microcomputer control unit, 111 is an operation board circuit control means, 112 is a liquid crystal panel drive control means, 114 is an LED drive means, 115 is a heating output control means such as a work coil, C1 is a first work coil, C2 is a second work coil, C3 is a third work coil, and G1 is The first induction heating part, G2 is the second induction heating part, G3 is Induction heating unit of 3, MS is a human sensor, IS is the slope sensor.

Claims (3)

An inner pot, a rice cooker main body for detachably storing the inner pot, an inner pot heating means for heating the inner pot inside the rice cooker main body, and an upper portion of the rice cooker main body that can be opened and closed. a lid having an operation unit and a display unit, a human sensor for detecting the presence of a user with respect to the upper Symbol cooker body, the cover opening and closing sensor that detects the opening and closing of the upper Kifutatai, the operation unit and a display unit operation and display is controlled to energy saving state incapable have energy saving mode that reduces power consumption, based on the detection result of the motion sensor and the cover opening and closing sensor, becomes possible to perform the control of the ministry saving mode electric When the lid open / close sensor detects the opening of the lid, the detection result of the lid open / close sensor is prioritized over the detection result of the human sensor, and the operation unit and the display unit are energy-saving. Control mode Electric rice cookers, characterized in that the the like. When the lid open / close sensor is composed of a shade sensor moving type tilt sensor, and the tilt sensor detects the open or closed state of the lid, the operation unit and display unit are set in the energy saving mode or non- energy saving mode after a predetermined time. electric cooker according to claim 1 Symbol mounting is characterized in that so as to control the. Within a predetermined time immediately after energized power to the power supply circuit, electric rice according to claim 1, wherein it has to manipulate, and display an operation unit and a display unit for controlling the non-energy saving mode capable vessel.

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