JPH04319311A - Heat insulating rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a heat insulating rice cooker capable of displaying a plurality of heat insulating time bands by less heat insulation indicator. CONSTITUTION:An indicator for displaying heat insulating operation is formed from a polychromatically illuminous light emitting body, and this light emitting body is formed from a two-color light emitting LED 27 to display heat insulating time bands by three colors, or the light emitting body is formed from a two- color light emitting body 27 of red and green to display the initial time band by green and the heat insulating time band of 12 hours or more by red. Thus, the elapsed time of heat insulating can be judged at a glance by the coloring of one heat insulating indicator without increasing the number of heat insulating indicators.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a jar rice cooker.
More specifically, a light emitting diode (Light Emitting Diode...hereinafter L) is provided on the surface of the main body.
The present invention relates to a display means for displaying a heat-retaining operation, etc., using the ED.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of the main part of a conventional jar rice cooker, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view of a portion thereof. In the figure,
Reference numeral 1 denotes a case body, and 20 denotes an operation section provided on the side surface of the case body 1. 21 is an operation sheet in the operation unit 20, 21a is a plurality of small round display windows, and 21b is a square display window. 22 is a printed circuit board, and 23 and 24 are monochromatic LEDs and a liquid crystal display mounted on the printed circuit board 22. The LED 23 faces each display window 21a, and the display 2
4 corresponds to the display window 21b, and the lighting state is displayed through the through hole 1a provided in the case body 1. 25 is an operation key for setting a rice cooking menu, and 26 is a rice cooking start key for starting rice cooking.

In such a conventional jar rice cooker, the rice cooking menu is set by operating the operation keys 25 of the operation section 20. When the rice cooking start key 26 is pressed, the LED 23 is energized, the display window 21a for "rice cooking" lights up, and the pot is heated by a rice cooking heater (not shown) to start cooking the rice. When the rice is cooked, the "keep warm" display window 21a lights up, and the cooked rice is kept warm in the keep warm process. Also,
When the rice is kept warm for a certain period of time after cooking, the display window 21a is switched to a "long time keeping warm" display window 21a to display its operating status.

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the conventional jar rice cooker as described above, there are two heat retention indicators 2 on the operation section 20.
3, it can be used for normal “warm” after cooking and for long periods of time.
In addition to this, conventional jar rice cookers also have a blinking display for "keep warm" instead of "keep warm" for a long time, or a display on the LCD. A method of displaying the heat retention time numerically using the display 24 has also been used.

[0005] Generally, in this type of jar rice cooker, the heat-retaining heater is automatically energized after rice is cooked, so that the "tasty rice" immediately after cooking can be maintained for a certain period of time. However, if the cooked rice is kept warm for a long time, the rice stored in the pot loses moisture and deteriorates due to the elapse of time after cooking and the heating during keeping warm, resulting in a significant drop in quality. For this reason, keeping warm for more than 12 hours is usually
It is recommended that you avoid it. On the other hand, the above-mentioned limit time for maintaining the quality of cooked rice is 1.
It is expected that it would be convenient to divide the period within two hours into several time periods depending on the quality and display them step by step.

[0006] As mentioned above, if a conventional jar rice cooker is configured to display the warming period in stages, the number of LED indicators 23 will be considerably large, which naturally results in a large operating section. . Furthermore, when the number of display devices 23 increases, the displayed content becomes unclear, which may lead to misreading. Furthermore, the blinking display may be mistaken for a malfunction, and the numerical time display on the liquid crystal display is difficult to read and there is a risk of misreading. Furthermore, misreading or misreading the label can result in food being kept warm for more than 12 hours and resulting in poor quality rice being eaten.

[0007] This invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and provides a jar rice cooker equipped with a display that can display a plurality of warming time periods with a small number of heat-keeping indicators. It is intended to provide.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In the jar rice cooker according to the present invention, the indicator for displaying the warming operation is composed of a light-emitting body that emits light in multiple colors, and the heat-keeping time period of the warming operation is indicated by the light-emitting body in different colors. It is displayed separately. In addition, the light emitting body can be configured with two-color LEDs to display the heat retention time period in three different colors, or it can be configured with two-color LEDs, red and green, to indicate the initial time zone. It is displayed in green, and the period of heat retention for 12 hours or more is displayed in red. Furthermore, a light reflecting means is provided on the inner surface of the light path leading to the display window of the display device using LEDs.

[0009]

[Operation] When rice cooking starts, a monochromatic light emitting L for "rice cooking" is displayed.
ED lights up to display the "cooking" status. As the rice cooks, the water in the pot boils and the water disappears, and the temperature rises rapidly. When the rice cooking end temperature is reached, the electricity to the rice cooking heater is stopped and the rice is cooked. When the rice is cooked,
The heater for keeping warm is automatically energized and starts keeping warm, and at the same time, a timer starts and starts measuring the keeping time. During the first heat retention time period, the two-color LED for "warm retention" lights up in green, and when a predetermined time has elapsed, the two-color LED changes color to notify that the heat retention has moved to the next time zone. Subsequently, when entering the next time period, the display changes to a different color, and the keep-warm time period is displayed in different colors.

0010

[Embodiment] Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the configuration of an embodiment of this invention, and Fig. 2
3 is an enlarged view of the main part thereof, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is the case body, 2 is the outer pot,
Reference numeral 3 is a body heater provided in the body of the outer pot 2, 4 is a rice cooking heater, 5 is a temperature sensor, and 6 is an inner pot.The inner pot 6 is removably placed inside the case body 1. 7 is a lid, 8 is a handle of the lid 7, 9 is a push button, and the lid 7 is opened by rotating around a hinge 10 by operating the push button 9. 11 is a plug connected to the cord reel.

20 is an operation sheet 21 and a printed circuit board 22
The operation section has a configuration similar to that shown in FIG.
Touch keys such as 5 and display windows 21a, 21b, etc. are provided, and while looking at the display on the display window 21a such as "porridge",
The rice cooking menu and the like are set by operating the operation keys 25. Moreover, the printed circuit board 22 faces the operation sheet 21,
LED 23, display 24, etc. are mounted, and display 2
Reference numeral 4 displays the current time, the time when the timer is set, etc. on a liquid crystal display through a through hole (not shown) in a display window 21b provided on the operation sheet 21.

In particular, in the embodiment of the present invention, the display for "keep warm for a long time" shown in FIG. 8 is omitted, and the display window 2 for "keep warm" is omitted.
An LED 27 as shown in FIG. 4 is provided opposite to 1a, and the LED 27 includes two light emitting elements Eg and E.
It is configured as a two-color light-emitting type that converts electric current into green and red visible light. The LED 27 has three leg terminals t1 to t3, and is connected to a microcomputer 3 to be described later.
It is designed to be controlled by the output signal of No. 6. Leg terminals t1 and t2 are input terminals, and t3 is a common terminal.

30 is a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of rice cooking based on the output of the temperature sensor 5; 31 is a rice cooking heater control means for controlling energization of the rice cooking heater 4; and 32 is a rice cooking means. The rice cooking means 32 drives the rice cooking heater control means 31 to cook rice when a signal is input from the rice cooking start key 26. 33 is a heat retaining means for controlling the temperature based on the output of the temperature detecting means 30; 34 is a body heater control means for controlling the body heater 3 based on the output of the heat retaining means 33; 35 is a heat retaining means 3
This is a heat retention timer that measures the heat retention time based on the signal input from the heat retention timer 35, and the LED 27 is controlled by the output of the heat retention timer 35. 36 is a microcomputer (hereinafter abbreviated as microcomputer), which includes a temperature detection means 30, a rice cooking means 32, a heat retention means 33, a heat retention timer 35, and the like.

A control circuit for the two-color LED 27 is shown in FIG. Vcc in FIG. 5 is the drive power supply, Tr1,
Tr2 is a transistor, and r1 to r5 are resistors. When the microcomputer 36 outputs an output signal A or B, the transistors Tr1 and Tr2 are turned on, and the red light emitting element Er or the green light emitting element Eg emits light. Furthermore, when output signals A and B are output simultaneously, both transistors Tr1 and Tr
2 is turned on and “red” and “green” are mixed to create “orange”
Colors are now displayed.

Next, the operation of the jar rice cooker of the present invention will be explained. First, set the inner pot 6 containing polished rice and an amount of water corresponding to the amount of rice in the case body 1, rotate the hinge 10 to the case body 1, cover the lid 7, and plug the plug 11. Connect to a drawer outlet. Next, each operation key 25 of the operation unit 20 is operated to set the rice cooking menu, etc., and the rice cooking start key 26 is pressed. Rice cooking start key 2
When 6 is pressed, the rice cooking means 32 of the microcomputer 36 operates,
The rice cooking heater 4 is energized via the rice cooking heater control means 31.

Rice cooking begins by heating the inner pot 6 by the rice cooking heater 4, and the temperature of the water inside rises to generate steam. As the rice cooks and the temperature reaches 100 degrees Celsius, the water boils and the temperature becomes constant, and as the water disappears, the temperature rises. When the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 5 reaches the rice cooking end temperature, the power supply to the rice cooking heater 4 is automatically stopped, the rice is cooked in the inner pot 6, and at the same time the steaming process starts.

[0018] Here, when the steaming process of, for example, 15 minutes is completed, the temperature of the inner pot 6 decreases as the lid 7 is opened and closed during serving, and the rice temperature reaches a predetermined temperature, for example, 70°C or less, the heat retaining means is turned off. It can be switched to 33 heat retention operation. From then on,
The shell heater control means 34 is driven by the output of the temperature detection means 30, and the rice temperature is kept almost constant by turning on and off the shell heater 3.

On the other hand, when switching to the above-mentioned heat retention operation,
The LED 27 lights up to indicate the heat retention state, and at the same time, the heat retention timer 35 operates to measure the elapsed time from the start of the heat retention. The LED 27 changes color to display a time zone depending on the quality of the rice, based on the heat retention time measured by the heat retention timer 35.

For example, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 6, when the timer counts within 6 hours, which corresponds to 1/2 of 12 hours, when there is little change in the quality of rice, signal B is output from the microcomputer 36. The transistor Tr2 becomes conductive, and the green light emitting element Eg in the LED 27 emits light.
It lights up in "green" color. Also, during the next 6 to 12 hours, the two transistors Tr1 are turned on by the output signals A and B.
Tr2 is turned on, the light emitting elements Eg and Er emit light, and an "orange" color is displayed. Further, for 12 hours or more, the signal A lights up in "red". In this way, the display window 2 displays a “green” color that suggests freshness during the initial period of heat retention.
1a, and the overtime period in which quality is likely to deteriorate is displayed in red, which is extremely convenient for determining quality.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the present invention. Depending on the shape of the case body 1, the design conditions of the printed circuit board 22 on which electronic components are mounted, etc., the printed circuit board 22
may be mounted away from the display window 21a. In such a case, the embodiment of FIG. 7 is applied. In the figure, reference numeral 12 denotes a reflective tube 12 that is press-fitted into the through hole 1a and is provided on the inner surface of the holding pipe 1b that enhances the light emitting effect of the LED, and is made of a square or circular shiny material such as aluminum foil. . Then, LED27 (or LED2
3) lights up in "green" or "red" color, the reflected light reflected by the reflector tube 12 illuminates the display window 21a together with the direct light,
Emphasize display status.

[0022] In the above-mentioned embodiment, a case was explained in which the heat preservation operation was displayed on the display of the operating section 20 provided on the side surface of the case body 1, but the present invention can also be applied to the display provided on the lid. may be applied. Also, for 12 hours after cooking,
The explanation has been given of a case where each hour is displayed in "green" and "orange" and 12 hours or more is displayed in "red", but the number of time zones at each stage, display color, etc. are not limited to the examples. .

[0023]

Effects of the Invention As described above, in the present invention, the indicator for displaying the warming operation is composed of a luminous body that emits light in multiple colors, and this luminous body is composed of two-color LEDs, so that the temperature keeping operation can be performed in three different time periods. The display was made by color, or it was configured with two-color LEDs of red and green, so that the initial time period was displayed in green and the time period of 12 hours or more of heat retention was displayed in red. Therefore, the elapsed time for keeping warm can be identified at a glance by color-coding one keep-warm display without increasing the number of keep-warm displays. In addition, since the display is conspicuous and attracts attention, there is no chance of accidentally eating rice that has deteriorated and is no longer delicious.

In addition, since a light reflecting means is provided on the inner surface of the light path leading to the display window of the display device using LEDs, the display condition is emphasized and the light path is relatively long. Display status can be determined even in bright places.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a control circuit for a two-color emitting type LED.

FIG. 6 is a time chart of an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of main parts of a conventional jar rice cooker.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of FIG. 8;

[Explanation of symbols]

1　Case body 1a Through hole 1b Holding pipe 3 Trunk heater 4 Rice cooking heater 5 Temperature sensor 6 Inner pot 12 Reflector tube 20 Operation section 21 Operation sheet 21a, 21b Display window 22 Printed circuit board 23 Monochromatic LED 26　Rice cooking start key 27 Two-color LED 30 Temperature detection means 32. Rice cooking means 33 Heat retention means 34 Trunk heater control means 35 Heat retention timer 36 Microcomputer

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A main body that houses a pot and is covered with a lid whose upper part opens and closes, a heating means provided inside the main body and having a heat retention function for keeping the pot warm, and a heating means provided on the surface of the main body for cooking rice. A jar rice cooker comprising an operating means for setting an operation, a display means including a display provided on the surface of the main body and displaying a heat-retaining operation of the heat-retaining function, and a control section having a timer function and controlling a rice-cooking operation, etc. In the jar, the indicator for displaying the warming operation is composed of a luminous body that emits light in multiple colors, and the luminous body is configured to display the warming time period of the warming operation by color. rice cooker. 2. The rice cooker in a jar according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting body is composed of a two-color LED to display the heat retention time period in three colors. [Claim 3] The LED emits two colors of red and green.
3. The jar rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the rice cooker is configured with an ED, and is configured to display an initial time period in green and a time period for keeping warm for 12 hours or more in red. 4. A main body that houses a pot and is covered with a lid whose upper part opens and closes, a heating means provided inside the main body and having a heat retention function for keeping the pot warm, and a heating means provided on the surface of the main body for cooking rice. A jar rice cooker comprising an operation means for setting an operation, and a display means including a display using an LED provided on the surface of the main body and displaying a heat-retaining operation of the heat-retaining function, the display using the LED. A jar rice cooker characterized in that a light reflecting means is provided in a light path leading to a display window.