JPH0429370B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (A) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more particularly to measures against power outage during timer operation of a rice cooker equipped with a timer.

(b) Conventional technology Conventional rice cookers with timers can be broadly divided into two types. One is a mechanical timer operated by a motor and the other is an electronic timer operated by a timer circuit.

However, with conventional mechanical timers, the timer stops running during a power outage, so the rice cooking start time is delayed by the time the power goes out, which can cause problems such as rice not being cooked at the scheduled time.

On the other hand, with conventional electronic timers, the circuit that memorizes the fact that a rice cooking instruction has been issued is reset due to a power outage, which may cause problems such as not starting rice cooking forever.

(c) Object of the invention The object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that does not delay the start of rice cooking even if there is a temporary power outage during the timer time.

(d) Structure of the Invention The rice cooker of the present invention includes a rice cooker main body, a rice cooking heater and a warming heater installed in the main body, a rice cooking instruction means that outputs a rice cooking signal when operated by the user, and a rice cooking instruction means configured by the user. a timer means for outputting a rice cooking permission signal after a certain period of time; a rice cooking end detection means for detecting the completion of cooking of the rice and outputting a rice cooking end signal; and starting energizing the rice cooking heater based on the rice cooking signal and the rice cooking permission signal. The rice cooker further comprises a control means for stopping energization to the rice cooking heater and starting energization to the warming heater based on the rice cooking end signal, further comprising: and a rice cooking storage means which is reset in response to the rice cooking end signal but not reset due to a power outage, a power outage detection means which outputs a power outage detection signal in a state where the power is restored after a power outage, and the rice cooking storage means. The rice cooker is characterized by comprising a power failure compensation control means that starts energizing the rice cooking heater regardless of the state of the rice cooking permission signal when the power failure detection signal is output.

The rice cooking storage means and the power failure detection means can be configured using a self-holding relay, a nonvolatile memory, or the like.

(E) Embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the rice cooker of the present invention. 12 is the rice cooker itself. 1 is a heater for cooking rice,
2 is a heat sensitive body, 3 is a rice cooking switch, 4 is a rice cooking lever, and 8 is a heater for keeping warm.

When the rice cooking lever 4 is pushed down, the heat sensitive element 2 is set and the rice cooking switch 3 is turned on. This ON corresponds to the rice cooking signal. Then rice cooking lever 4
and the rice cooking switch 3 constitute a rice cooking instruction means.
When the rice is cooked, the heat sensitive element 2 is reset by heat, the rice cooking lever 4 is returned to its original position, and the rice cooking switch 3 is turned off. This turning off corresponds to the rice cooking end signal. Therefore, the heat sensitive body 2, the rice cooking switch 3, and the rice cooking lever 4 constitute a rice cooking end detection means. The rice cooking switch 3 is turned on when the user presses down the rice cooking lever 4, and turned off when the heat sensitive element 2 detects the completion of cooking, and does not change its state even if there is a power outage. Therefore, the rice cooking switch 3 constitutes a rice cooking storage means.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the rice cooker. 1 is the rice cooking heater, and 3 is the rice cooking switch.

5 is a microcomputer, CPU5a,
It basically consists of RAM 5b, ROM 5c, and interface 5d. 6 is a contact of the rice cooking relay, 7 is a coil of the rice cooking relay, 8 is a heat-retaining heater, 9 is a timer setting operation section, 10 is a DC power source, and 11 is a commercial AC power source.

A timer counter CN is set in the RAM 5b of the microcomputer 5, and timer setting time data input from the timer setting operation section 9 is stored therein.

When the rice cooking switch 3 is turned on, the microcomputer 5 sets the timer counter (CN) to 0.
When the timer counter (CN) is 0 and the rice cooking switch 3 is turned on, the rice cooking relay coil 7 is energized, its contact 6 is closed, and the rice cooking heater 1 is energized. and start cooking. Furthermore, when the rice cooking switch 3 is turned off by the operation of the heat sensitive element 2, electricity is supplied to the series circuit of the rice cooking heater 1 and the warming heater 8, and the cooked rice is kept warm by generating weak heat.

Now, if there is a power outage while the time is being counted, when the power is restored, the microcomputer 5
sets the timer counter (CN) to 0 during initialization processing. Next, the microcomputer 5
The state of the rice cooking switch 3 is read, but the rice cooking switch 3 remains on. As described above, since the microcomputer 5 starts cooking rice when the timer counter (CN) is 0 and the rice cooking switch 3 is on, cooking will start immediately after recovery.

After all, even if there is a power outage during the timer setting time,
If the power is restored from the power outage before the scheduled time, rice cooking can be started without being late for the scheduled time.

Note that since recovery from a power outage is detected when the timer counter (CN) outputs 0, the timer counter (CN) constitutes a power outage detection means.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the operation of the rice cooker.

(f) Effects of the Invention According to the rice cooker of the present invention, even if there is a temporary power outage during the timer time, rice cooking will start immediately after restoration, so the start of rice cooking will not be delayed beyond the scheduled time. .

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of one embodiment of the rice cooker of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the rice cooker shown in FIG. 1, and FIG.
The figure is an operation flowchart of the rice cooker shown in FIG. 1. 1... Rice cooking heater, 2... Heat sensitive body, 3... Rice cooking switch, 4... Rice cooking lever, 5... Microcomputer, 8... Heat retention heater, 9... Timer setting operation section, 12... Rice cooker Body.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker main body, a rice cooking heater and a warming heater installed in the main body, a rice cooking instruction means that outputs a rice cooking signal when operated by the user, and a rice cooking permission signal that outputs a rice cooking permission signal after a time set by the user. a timer means for outputting an output; a rice-cooking end detection means for detecting the completion of cooking of the rice and outputting a rice-cooking end signal; and a rice-cooking end detecting means for starting energizing the rice-cooking heater based on the rice-cooking signal and the rice-cooking permission signal, and outputting the rice-cooking end signal. The rice cooker is equipped with a control means for stopping energization to the rice cooking heater and starting energization to the heat-retaining heater based on the rice cooking instruction means, the rice cooking end signal being set in response to the operation of the rice cooking instruction means. A rice cooking storage means which is reset in response to a power outage but not reset due to a power outage, a power outage detection means which outputs a power outage detection signal when the power is restored after a power outage, and the rice cooking storage means are set and the power outage detection signal is 1. A rice cooker comprising power failure compensation control means for starting energizing the rice cooking heater regardless of the state of the rice cooking permission signal when the rice cooking permission signal is output.