JP7075200B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice cooker that cooks cooked rice into rice.

Conventionally, a rice cooker that cooks rice according to the brand of rice has been proposed. For example, in the electric rice cooker disclosed in Patent Document 1, a brand of rice is registered in advance, and the amount of heat (electric power) to be applied in the cooking process is set according to the brand of rice selected by the brand selection means. However, by controlling the rice cooking means with the control means based on the set amount of heat, the rice is cooked separately for each brand.

The rice cooker disclosed in Patent Document 2 allows the user to select a desired rice cooking program suitable for the quality of rice each year from a wireless communication terminal, and to cook rice in the latest sequence every year without having to replace the rice cooker. I have to.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2017-77352 JP-A-2015-66065

The physical characteristics of rice, such as taste and texture, differ depending on the brand of rice, and even if the brand is the same, the characteristics such as water content, hardness, and viscosity change depending on the production area, harvest time, rice polishing time, etc. .. Furthermore, the taste of rice hardness and texture in the cooked state varies widely depending on the age and the taste of each person. Therefore, the rice cooker is increasingly required to be able to set many rice cooking conditions, and in particular, it is necessary to meet the user's request to set more detailed rice cooking conditions according to his / her taste.

In the configurations disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the rice cooking conditions according to the brand and workmanship of the rice are fixed, and the rice cooking conditions cannot be finely changed to suit the user's preference. Furthermore, since the rice cooking conditions for separate cooking are fixed and need to be registered in the rice cooker in advance, considering the time and effort of selecting the rice cooking conditions for the user, there are at most 150 rice cooking conditions for the products to be put into practical use. The limit was to the extent.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is a recommended setting area extracted based on setting data shared with other users by connecting a rice cooker to a communication network such as an Internet network. Within the range, a rice cooker that can set rice cooking conditions according to the user's preference and can try the same rice cooking conditions as other users is provided.

In order to solve such a problem, the present invention includes a heating means for heating an object to be cooked, a control means for controlling the heating means, and a communication means capable of communicating with a router that relays a connection with a communication network. The control means controls the heating means according to rice cooking conditions based on the setting data stored in the server connected to the communication network, and the setting data is shared by other users using the same type of rice cooker. The configuration is set based on the setting data, and the rice cooking conditions can be set based on the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state, and at least the information on the rice cooking conditions and the cooked state are set. The storage means for storing the information of the cooking setting table showing the value of the setting of hardness and texture, and the cooking setting table are displayed on the setting screen displayed on the portable information terminal device capable of communicating with the router. Provided is a rice cooker further provided with an output means for outputting the information of the cooking setting table stored in the storage means to the communication means so that the information can be displayed .

The rice cooker extracts a setting area of frequently used rice cooking conditions from the shared setting data related to the rice brand specified by the user from the shared setting data, and the setting data is within the range of the setting area. It may be configured to be set.

The rice cooker may be configured so that the user can further set arbitrary rice cooking conditions within the range of the setting area.

The rice cooker has a configuration in which the rice cooking conditions can be set based on the setting of the rice cooking process in addition to the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state. In some cases, there is a predetermined correlation between the setting of the texture and the setting of the rice cooking process .

The user may be configured to be able to select the setting data recommended by a specific one of the other users .

The rice cooker outputs the information of the setting data that can be stored in the server by the output means to the communication means together with the information of the evaluation of the user, and the information of the setting data and the information of the evaluation of the user. May be configured to be uploaded to the communication network.

According to the rice cooker of the present invention, the rice cooker is connected to a communication network such as an Internet network, and the setting data and the evaluation are shared with other users, so that the rice cooking conditions are much larger than those in the past. From among them, you can set the rice brand and the rice cooking conditions that suit your taste, and you can try the latest rice cooking conditions proposed by famous cooks, for example.

It is a vertical sectional view of the rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Same as above, it is a block diagram which shows the structure of a rice cooker. Same as above, it is a conceptual diagram showing an example of using a rice cooker. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the selection screen of the rice cooking menu of the rice cooker displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal apparatus. It is a figure which shows the setting screen of the "recommended rice cooker by brand" menu displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal apparatus in the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the rice brand selection and the hardness and texture selection screen displayed on the display screen of a portable information terminal apparatus. Same as above, it is a figure which shows an example of the setting area for each brand of rice. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the condition setting screen of the rice cooking process displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal apparatus. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the display example of the display part of a rice cooker. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the screen of the instruction to press the rice cooker key of the rice cooker displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal apparatus. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the screen which displays the remaining time until the end of rice cooking displayed on the display screen of a portable information terminal apparatus. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the display example of the display part of a rice cooker. Same as above, it is a flowchart which shows the use example of a rice cooker. It is a figure which shows the evaluation including the comment about the setting condition recommended by another user displayed on the display screen of the portable information terminal device in the rice cooker which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention. Same as above, it is a figure which shows the setting data of another user A displayed on the display screen of a portable information terminal apparatus, and the setting change screen. Same as above, it is a flowchart which shows the use example of a rice cooker.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the rice cooker of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
The configuration of the entire rice cooker will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 1 is a bottomed main body, and 2 is a lid that opens and closes the upper surface opening of the main body 1 so that the main body 1 and the lid 2 form an outer shell of the rice cooker. A hinge 3 serving as a connecting portion with the main body 1 is provided at the rear portion of the lid 2. By pushing the hook button 4 provided on the upper surface of the front portion of the lid 2, the engagement between the lid 2 and the main body 1 is released, and the lid 2 automatically opens with the hinge 3 as the center of rotation.

A pot container 5 having a bottomed cylinder and made of a non-magnetic material or the like is formed on the main body 1. The pot container 5 is detachably provided with an inner pot 6 as a bottomed tubular pot for storing food such as rice and water. The inner pot 6 has a so-called round pot shape in which the side surface thereof is curved in an R shape and the central body portion has a wider area than the upper end opening. An annular flange portion 7 extending to the outer peripheral side is formed around the upper end of the inner pot 6. The flange portion 7 is placed on the upper surface of the pot container 5 when the inner pot 6 is housed in the pot container 5, and the inner pot 6 is formed with a gap between the pot container 5 and the inner pot 6. 6 is suspended from the pot accommodating body 5. Here, the inner pot 6 is configured by joining a heating element 9 made of a magnetic metal material such as ferritic stainless steel to the outer surface of a base material 8 whose main material is aluminum having good thermal conductivity.

Reference numeral 11 is a heating coil that electromagnetically induces and heats the heating element 9 of the inner pot 6. The heating coil 11 as a heating means is configured by spirally winding a litz wire, which is a conductor, facing the heating element 8 of the inner pot 6, and is a first coil arranged at the bottom of the outer surface of the pot accommodating body 5. It is composed of a portion 11A and a second coil portion 11B arranged on the lower side of the outer surface of the pot accommodating body 5. As a result, when a high-frequency current is supplied to the heating coil 11, the heating element 9 of the inner pot 6 generates heat due to the alternating magnetic field generated from the heating coil 11, and the food to be cooked in the inner pot 6 and thus the inner pot 6 during rice cooking and heat retention. Is heated.

An inner pot temperature sensor 12 as an inner pot temperature detecting means is arranged in the opening provided in the center of the bottom of the pot accommodating body 5 so as to elastically contact the bottom of the outer surface of the inner pot 6. The inner pot temperature sensor 12 detects the temperature of the inner pot 6, and is configured to mainly control the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot 6 by the heating coil 11.

On the upper surface of the lid 2, in addition to the hook button 4 as the lid opening operation body, the operation panel 17 as a panel including the display unit 15 and the operation unit 16, and the inside of the inner pot 6 as the cooked food is heated. A steam port 19 or the like for discharging the generated steam to the outside of the rice cooker is arranged. Further, on the lower side of the lid 2, an inner lid assembly 21 as a lower member of the lid 2 is arranged. Further, the inner lid assembly 21 is provided with an inner lid 22 made of a metal material having a disk shape having substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of the inner pot 6 and to seal between the inner pot 6 and the inner lid 22. A lid packing 23 as an elastic member provided on the entire outer circumference of the inner lid 22 and a pressure adjusting portion 24 for adjusting the internal pressure of the inner pot 6 are provided. When the lid 2 is closed, the ring-shaped lid packing 23 comes into contact with the upper surface of the flange portion 7 of the inner pot 6 to close the gap between the inner pot 6 and the inner lid 22, and the inner pot 6 is closed. Seal the steam generated from. Further, the steam port 19 and the pressure adjusting unit 24 communicate with each other inside the lid 2, and the steam generated in the inner pot 6 is discharged to the outside by these steam ports 19 and the pressure adjusting unit 24. A steam discharge mechanism is formed.

The pressure regulating unit 24 is provided with a pressure regulating valve 26 that opens and closes the steam passage 25 between the inside of the inner pot 6 and the steam port 19. The pressure regulating valve 26 has a ball shape and operates in conjunction with a solenoid 27 provided inside the lid 2. That is, the solenoid 27 opens the steam passage 25 when the steam in the inner pot 6 is discharged to the outside, and closes the steam passage 25 when the inside of the inner pot 6 is pressurized or depressurized. The pressure regulating valve 26 is rolled.

Reference numeral 28 is a depressurizing means provided for lowering the inside of the inner pot 6 to be lower than the normal atmospheric pressure with the lid 2 closed to the main body 1. The decompression means 28 has a tubular path (inside the lid 2) that communicates between the decompression pump 29 and the inside of the inner pot 6 in addition to the decompression pump 29 as a decompression drive source provided at the rear of the lid 2. (Not shown) and a solenoid valve 30 (see FIG. 3) that opens and closes the path. In the present embodiment, the two decompression pumps 29 are provided inside the lid 2, but the decompression pump 29 may be provided inside the main body 1, and the number thereof is not limited to two.

In the present embodiment, when the inner pot 6 is housed in the pot container 5 and the pressure reducing pump 29 is started from the state where the lid 2 is closed, the path is opened by the solenoid valve 30. The air inside the inner pot 6 is discharged to the outside of the main body 1 through the open path and the decompression pump 29, and the pressure inside the closed inner pot 6 drops. When the pressure inside the inner pot 6 drops by a certain value from the atmospheric pressure which is the normal pressure, the operation of the pressure reducing pump 29 is stopped, the path is blocked by the solenoid valve 30, and the inside of the inner pot 6 is closed. Keep under reduced pressure. Further, when the inside of the inner pot 6 is returned from the decompression state to the atmospheric pressure, the operation of the decompression pump 29 is stopped and the path is opened by the solenoid valve 30. That is, the depressurizing means 28 in the present embodiment also has a configuration as a pressure returning means 31 for returning the inside of the inner pot 6 from the depressurized state to the normal pressure.

As the heating means 10 for heating the inner pot 6, in addition to the heating coil 11 that mainly heats the bottom of the inner pot 6 from the lower side surface, the side heater 33 that mainly heats the upper side surface of the inner pot 6 Is arranged on the upper side of the outer surface of the pot accommodating body 5. Inside the lid 2, a lid heater 34 as a heating means 10 for heating the inner lid 22 and a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 35 for controlling the temperature of the inner lid 22 by the lid heater 34 are provided.

The 41 is a control means provided behind the inside of the main body 1 and configured by mounting a microcomputer (microcomputer) or the like on a substrate. The control means 41 includes a heat generating element 42 or the like for driving the heating coil 11.

The configuration of the rice cooker of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram shown in FIG.

The control system of the control means 41 will be described with reference to the figure. In the figure, the control means 41 controls the heating means 10. That is, the control means 41 receives each temperature detection signal from the inner pot temperature sensor 12 and the lid temperature sensor 35 and an operation signal from the operation unit 16 to heat the inner pot 6 during rice cooking and heat retention. The heating coil 11 and the side heater 33, and the lid heater 34 as the heating means 10 for heating the lid 2 are controlled. The control means 41 also controls the operations of the solenoid 27, the pressure reducing pump 29, and the solenoid valve 30 described above, and further controls the display of the display unit 15. In particular, the control means 41 of the present embodiment mainly controls the heating coil 11 based on the detection temperature of the inner pot temperature sensor 12 to control the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot 6, and is based on the detection temperature of the lid temperature sensor 35. The lid heater 34 is mainly controlled to control the temperature of the inner lid 22.

The control means 41 receives an instruction from the operation unit 16 to start cooking rice as a function in the control sequence of the program based on the rice cooking condition of the setting data stored in the storage means 44, and absorbs water from the rice charged into the inner pot 6. The cooking that promotes the cooking, the heating that raises the temperature of the cooked rice to boiling in a short time, the continuous boiling that keeps the cooked rice boiling, and the cooking that cooks the cooked rice into dry-up rice. The rice cooking control means 81 for controlling the heating of the food to be cooked inside the inner pot 6 is provided by sequentially executing each step of murashi that keeps the rice at a high temperature so as not to burn it. The control means 41 further includes a heat retention control means 82 that controls the rice inside the inner pot 6 to keep the rice at a predetermined heat retention temperature.

The rice cooking control means 81 of the present embodiment also serves as the depressurizing means 28 and the pressure returning means 31 so that the pressure inside the inner pot 6 repeats depressurization and normal pressure below normal pressure during the period of the dipping process. It has a function as a pressure control means for controlling the operation of the pressure reducing pump 29 and the on-off valve 30. Further, the heat retention control means 82 functions as a pressure reduction control means for controlling the operation of the pressure reducing pump 29 and the on-off valve 30 so that the inside of the inner pot 6 is maintained at a pressure lower than the normal pressure while the heat retention temperature is stable. It is equipped with.

In FIG. 2, the rice cooker includes a communication means 47 capable of communicating with a router 53 that relays a connection with a communication network 54 such as the Internet network shown in FIG. The portable information terminal device 52 of the user 51 and the router 53 may be connected by using a wireless protocol. The portable information terminal device 52, for example, transmits / receives a signal to / from a Wi-Fi (registered trademark) router 53 to upload and download information such as setting data to a communication network 54, or transmits information to a rice cooker 100. Can be done. Further, the portable information terminal device 52 displays a setting screen or the like described later, and the user 51 can perform an operation of setting rice cooking conditions or the like.

Reference numeral 55 is a server connected to the communication network 54 so that information can be uploaded and downloaded. The server 55 can download and store information such as setting data uploaded by the user 52 to the communication network 54 via the Wi-Fi router 53. Similarly, the setting data uploaded to the communication network 54 by a plurality of other users A, B, C, ... Using the same type of rice cooker as the rice cooker 100 is downloaded to the server 55. It is accumulated and shared setting data is formed.

Reference numeral 45 is an input means for inputting information such as rice cooking conditions from the communication means 47, and the input information is temporarily stored in the storage means 44. The 46 is an output means for outputting information such as rice cooking conditions stored in the storage means 44 to the communication means 47.

An example of a specific operation of the rice cooker 100 will be described.

An example of a display screen 71 when a tablet terminal is used as the portable information terminal device 52 and a method of setting rice cooking conditions using the display screen 71 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10.

FIG. 4 is a menu screen displayed on the display screen 71 of the portable information terminal device 52. 72 is "My discerning rice cooking" where you can set the rice cooking conditions arbitrarily, 73 is "Recommended rice cooking by brand" where you can set the rice cooking conditions for each brand of rice, and 74 is rice cooking based on the shared setting data of other users. It shows the menu of "Everyone's special rice cooking" where the conditions can be set. In the first embodiment, "recommended rice cooking by brand" will be described, and "everyone's particular rice cooking" will be described in the second embodiment.

Select "Recommended rice cooking by brand" 73 on the menu screen to move to the setting screen shown in FIG. On the setting screen, first select the rice brand 76. When the rice brand selection button 77 is pressed, for example, a brand selection list 85 as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed, and a brand of rice to be cooked is selected from this table. The stock selection list 85 may be downloaded via the communication network 54 and updated so that it is always up-to-date even when a new kind of stock appears.

In FIG. 5, by selecting "Koshihikari", the setting data set based on the shared setting data stored in the server 55 is displayed. The shared setting data is the setting data of other users A, B, C, ... Using the same type of rice cooker. In the present embodiment, the rice cooking condition based on the above setting data is based on the setting of the hardness (“favorite hardness” 78) and the texture (“favorite texture” 80) in the cooked state as an example. Is set. Reference numeral 61 denotes a cooked setting table showing the set values of the hardness and the texture in the cooked state, and the horizontal axis shows the hardness and the vertical axis shows the texture. Reference numeral 83 indicates the setting position of the cooked rice according to the selected rice cooking condition. In the present embodiment, the hardness becomes firmer from left to right, and the texture becomes more chewy as the rice goes up, and the texture goes down. The setting is such that the texture is crisp.

The setting data is set within the range of the setting area by extracting the setting area of the rice cooking condition frequently used by AI processing from the shared setting data related to the rice brand specified by the user 51 among the shared setting data. .. An example of the setting area is shown in FIG. For example, the Koshihikari setting area 62 is located near the center in terms of both hardness and texture, and the Yumepirika setting area 63 is located in the vicinity of the soft and chewy texture of Yumepirika, and is the setting area of Nanatsuboshi. 64 is extracted because it is hard and the texture is located in the vicinity of crispness. Returning to FIG. 5, by selecting the rice brand as "Koshihikari", the setting data is set within the setting area 62 of Koshihikari, so that the hardness of 79 is "normal" and the texture of 81 is also "normal". Is set.

The setting data that can be stored in the server 55 can be uploaded to the communication network 54. This upload is performed by outputting the information stored in the storage means 44 by the output means 45 and via the communication means 47. At this time, the evaluations of the user 51 and other users A, B, C, ... Can also be uploaded together. Further, when uploading, the age, family structure, etc. of each user 51, A, B, C, ... may be uploaded together. For these uploads, a button (not shown) such as "Propose setting" is provided on the setting screen displayed on the display screen 71 of the portable information terminal device 52, and the Wi-Fi router is pressed by pressing the button. It is executed by connecting to the communication network 54 via 53 and storing it in the server 55.

Within the range of the above setting area, the user 51 can further set arbitrary rice cooking conditions. For example, when the setting button 79 of "Favorite hardness" 78 is pressed, the display changes to "Soft", "Slightly soft", "Slightly hard", "Hard", etc., and the desired hardness is set. It is possible. The setting of the "favorite texture" 80 can also be changed by pressing the setting button 81. In conjunction with these setting changes, the setting position 83 of the cooking setting table 61 also moves within the above-mentioned Koshihikari setting area 62.

When the enter button 82 is pressed in FIG. 5, the setting screen of FIG. 8 is displayed. Here, the rice cooking conditions can be set based on the setting of the rice cooking process as needed. In the example of FIG. 8, the “heat power” 94 and the “time” 95 can be arbitrarily set in the “hitashi” process 91. Further, in the "heating" process 92 and the "murashi" process 93, the "heat power" 94, the "time" 95 and the "pressure" 96 can be arbitrarily set. In the "heat power" 94, the strength of heating by the heating means 10 can be set, and in the "time" 95, the length of the processing time of each process can be set. In the "pressure" 96, "yes" or "no" can be selected, and when "yes" is selected, each stroke is executed with the inside of the inner pot 6 made higher than the normal atmospheric pressure. In conjunction with these changes in the rice cooking process settings, the setting position 83 of the cooking setting table 61 also moves within the above-mentioned Koshihikari setting area 62.

A predetermined correlation can be established between the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state and the setting of the rice cooking process. Based on this correlation, the setting position 83 of the cooking setting table 61 also moves within the setting area 62 of Koshihikari, and specific rice cooking conditions are set. That is, by changing the setting of hardness and texture in the desired cooked state, the rice cooking process is appropriately changed based on the change, and conversely, by changing the setting of the rice cooking process, the cooked rice is in the cooked state. Since the setting of hardness and texture is changed appropriately, it is possible to surely and accurately achieve the target cooked rice. The correlation is, for example, the relationship between the strength and weakness of the heating power and time in the single stroke and the hardness and texture of the rice in the cooked state, the strength and weakness of the heating power time in the heating stroke, and the presence or absence of decompression and the cooking state. The relationship between the hardness and texture of the rice in the rice, the strength and length of the heating time in the unevenness process, the presence or absence of pressure, and the relationship between the hardness and texture of the cooked rice in the cooked state.

97 on the display screen 71 of FIG. 8 is a setting number of the setting data being set, and when the send button 98 to the rice cooker is pressed, the rice cooking condition based on the setting data is set to the rice cooker 100 via the Wi-Fi router 53. Will be sent to. As shown in FIG. 10, the display unit 15 of the rice cooker 100 displays the setting number of the setting data set by the portable information terminal device 52, and the setting data is definitely transmitted to the rice cooker 100. You can check.

After that, a message such as "Please press the rice cooker key of the rice cooker" is displayed on the send button 98 of the display screen 71 of the portable information terminal device 52. When the rice cooker key 101 of the rice cooker 100 is pressed, rice cooking is started, and as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the send button 98 of the display screen 71 of the portable information terminal device 52 and the display unit 15 of the rice cooker 100 The remaining time until the end of rice cooking is displayed in each.

The operation of the rice cooker 100 according to the first embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S11, a rice brand is selected by the portable information terminal device 52. In step S12, the setting data set based on the shared setting data for the selected rice brand is downloaded. If there is no problem with the downloaded setting data, the rice cooking conditions are transmitted to the rice cooker 100 in step S13 so that the rice is cooked under the rice cooking conditions based on the setting data. If necessary, in step S15, the rice cooking conditions and / or the evaluation comment are uploaded. The uploaded data is stored in the server 55 as shared setting data, and can be used for deriving the setting area according to each rice brand by AI processing.

If you want to change the rice cooking conditions from the downloaded setting data according to the preference of the user 51, after changing the rice cooking conditions within the range of the setting area set for each rice brand selected in step S14, In step S13, the rice cooking condition is transmitted to the rice cooker 100 so that the rice is cooked under the rice cooking condition based on the setting data. If necessary, in step S15, the rice cooking conditions and / or the evaluation comment are uploaded. The uploaded data is stored in the server 55 as shared setting data, and can be used for deriving the setting area according to each rice brand by AI processing.

The rice cooking condition and / or the upload of the evaluation comment may be enabled even after the rice cooking condition is transmitted to the rice cooker 100.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the rice cooker 100 has a heating means 10 for heating the object to be cooked, a control means 41 for controlling the heating means 10, and a router 53 for relaying the connection with the communication network 54. A communicable communication means 47 is provided, the control means is 41, and the heating means 10 is controlled by rice cooking conditions based on the setting data stored in the server 55 connected to the communication network 54, and the setting data is of the same type. The configuration is set based on the shared setting data of other users A, B, C, ... Using the rice cooker.

In this case, the rice cooker 100 is connected to a communication network 54 such as an Internet network, and the setting data and the evaluation are shared with other users A, B, C, ... You can set the rice cooking conditions that suit your rice brand and your taste from among many rice cooking conditions (for example, about 1,500 ways). In addition, by continuously updating the shared setting data, the quality and quantity of the data can be further enhanced.

The rice cooker 100 of the present embodiment extracts and sets frequently used rice cooking condition setting areas 62, 63, 64 from the shared setting data related to the rice brand designated by the user 51 from the shared setting data. In some cases, the setting data is set within the range of the areas 62, 63, and 64.

In this case, it is possible to easily try the rice cooking conditions suitable for each brand of rice.

The rice cooker 100 of the present embodiment may be configured so that the user 51 can further set arbitrary rice cooking conditions within the range of the setting areas 62, 63, and 64.

In this case, the user 51 can set the rice cooking conditions according to his / her taste from the rice cooking conditions suitable for each brand of rice.

The rice cooker 100 of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which the rice cooking conditions can be set based on the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state and / or the setting of the rice cooking process.

In this case, the user 51 can set the rice cooking conditions according to his / her favorite cooking.

The rice cooker 100 of the present embodiment may have a configuration in which there is a predetermined correlation between the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state and the setting of the rice cooking process.

In this case, it is possible to set a rice cooking process that surely and accurately realizes the desired hardness and texture in the cooked state. On the contrary, by changing the setting of the rice cooking process, the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state is appropriately changed, so that the target cooked rice can be surely and accurately realized.

The rice cooker 100 of the present embodiment may further include an output means 46 for uploading the setting data that can be stored in the server 55 to the communication network 54 together with the evaluation of the user.

In this case, the user 51 who can connect to the communication network 54 can set the rice cooking conditions more suitable for his / her taste by referring to the setting data, the evaluation thereof, and the comments.

(Embodiment 2)

In the second embodiment, among the menus displayed on the menu screen of the display screen 71 of the portable information terminal device 52 of FIG. 4, "everyone's particular rice cooking" 74 will be described.

When "Minna no Koseki Rice Cooking" 74 is selected on the menu screen, the screen moves to the shared setting data selection screen as shown in FIG. 14, for example. On the selection screen, other users A, B, C, ... Uploaded via the communication network 54, and the evaluation 106 including comments accumulated in the server 55 together with the recommended shared setting data of each user. , 107, 108 are displayed.

The user 51 can select the setting data that seems to suit his / her taste by referring to these evaluations 106, 107, and 108. For example, when the setting button in the comment field 106 of Mr. A is pressed in FIG. 14, the screen moves to the setting screen of Mr. A as shown in FIG. This setting screen is a setting screen having the same function as that of FIG. 8 described in the first embodiment, and the setting of the rice cooking process can be changed. Subsequent setting screens and their operations and functions are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and the setting and rice cooking are executed in the same flow as those shown in FIGS. 9 to 12.

The operation of the rice cooker 100 according to the second embodiment having the above configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

First, in step S21, favorite setting data is downloaded from the shared setting data stored in the server 55. If there is no problem with the downloaded setting data, the rice cooking conditions are transmitted to the rice cooker 100 in step S22 so that the rice is cooked under the rice cooking conditions based on the setting data. If necessary, in step S24, the rice cooking conditions and / or the evaluation comment are uploaded. The uploaded data is stored in the server 55 as shared setting data, and other users A, B, C, ... Can access the server 55 via the communication network 54 and download the data.

If you want to change the rice cooking conditions from the downloaded setting data according to the preference of the user 51, fine-tune the rice cooking conditions from the setting data selected in step S23, and step to cook rice with the changed rice cooking conditions. The rice cooking conditions are transmitted to the rice cooker 100 in S22. If necessary, in step S24, the rice cooking conditions and / or the evaluation comment are uploaded. The uploaded data is stored in the server 55 as shared setting data, and other users A, B, C, ... Can access the server 55 via the communication network 54 and download the data.

The rice cooking condition and / or the upload of the evaluation comment may be enabled even after the rice cooking condition is transmitted to the rice cooker 100.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the rice cooker 100 has a heating means 10 for heating the object to be cooked, a control means 41 for controlling the heating means 10, and a router 53 for relaying the connection with the communication network 54. A communicable communication means 47 is provided, the control means is 41, and the heating means 10 is controlled by rice cooking conditions based on the setting data stored in the server 55 connected to the communication network 54, and the setting data is of the same type. The configuration is set based on the shared setting data of other users A, B, C, ... Using the rice cooker, and in particular, the user 51 is the other user A, B, C, ... It is configured so that the recommended setting data can be selected.

In this case, for example, by uploading the latest setting data proposed by a famous cook or the like to the communication network 54, it becomes possible for a general household to try the rice cooking conditions based on the latest setting data.

In addition, the rice cooker 100 according to the second embodiment can have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and can exhibit the same effects as those of the first embodiment.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention can be modified in various ways. For example, the method of transmitting and receiving data between the rice cooker 100 and the portable information terminal device 41 is not limited to that via a Wi-Fi router. Further, as an option for the setting data, the rice cooking conditions may be set by selecting the rice production area, the harvest time, the rice polishing time, and the like in addition to the rice brand.

10 Heating means 41 Control means 46 Output means 47 Communication means 51 User 53 Router 54 Communication network 55 Server 62, 63, 64 Setting area 100 Rice cooker

Claims (6)

A heating means for heating the food to be cooked,
A control means for controlling the heating means and
It is equipped with a communication means that can communicate with a router that relays the connection with the communication network.
The control means controls the heating means according to rice cooking conditions based on the setting data stored in the server connected to the communication network, and the setting data is shared by other users using the same type of rice cooker. The configuration is set based on the setting data.
The rice cooking conditions are configured to be configurable based on the setting of hardness and texture in the cooked state.
A storage means for storing at least the information on the rice cooking conditions and the information on the cooking setting table showing the values of the hardness and texture settings in the cooked state.
The information of the rice cooker setting table stored in the storage means is transmitted so that the rice cooker setting table can be displayed on the setting screen displayed on the portable information terminal device capable of communicating with the router. A rice cooker characterized by being further equipped with an output means for outputting to the means . A configuration in which the setting area of frequently used rice cooking conditions is extracted from the shared setting data related to the rice brand specified by the user from the shared setting data, and the setting data is set within the range of the setting area. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is characterized by the fact that the rice cooker has been used. The rice cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rice cooker is configured so that the user can further set arbitrary rice cooking conditions within the range of the setting area. The rice cooking conditions can be set based on the setting of the rice cooking process in addition to the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state, and the setting of the hardness and texture in the cooked state and the rice cooking. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rice cooker has a predetermined correlation with the setting of the process . The rice cooker according to claim 1 , wherein the user can select the setting data recommended by a specific one of the other users . The output means outputs the information of the setting data that can be stored in the server to the communication means together with the information of the evaluation of the user, and the information of the setting data and the information of the evaluation of the user to the communication network. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is configured to be uploaded.

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