JPH0551B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Technical Field> The present invention relates to a rice cooker, and more specifically, to a rice cooker having a digital timer that can set the time until the start of rice cooking operation.

<Prior art> Conventionally, even when there is no operator near the rice cooker, such as early in the morning or when going out, rice is cooked according to the time of getting up or returning home. In order to do this, rice cookers equipped with a timer that can set the rice cooking start time are provided.

The timer mentioned above is generally a dial type, and depending on the rotation angle, the timer can vary from 12 hours to 12 hours.
Alternatively, it is possible to set a predetermined time within a settable time range, such as 15 hours.

However, with the above timer, the rotation angle per hour is small, so it is almost impossible to set the time accurately in 10 minute increments, for example, and it is necessary to set the time in 30 minute increments at most. It has the disadvantage that it can only be done.

In order to solve this inconvenience, it may be possible to simply replace the dial-type timer with a digital timer, but digital timers usually have a
Since it is a timer and it immediately reaches 0 hours after 24 hours, if you accidentally let the operation duration go too long, it will reach 0 hours and you will have to set the time again. , Overall, there is an inconvenience that it takes a long time to set the time.

<Purpose> This invention was made in view of the above problems, and provides a digital timer that makes it easy to see the set time, does not allow the set time to exceed the upper limit value, and can clearly notify when the set time has reached the upper limit value. The purpose is to provide a rice cooker with an attached rice cooker.

<Configuration> In order to achieve the above object, the rice cooker with a digital timer of the present invention has an operating means for increasing or decreasing the set time by the digital timer, and also regulates the upper limit value of the set time by the digital timer. The present invention is characterized in that it has a regulating means, and when the set time by the digital timer reaches an upper limit regulated by the regulating means, the set time itself blinks.

<Examples> Hereinafter, examples will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings showing examples.

In Fig. 4, which shows a partially cutaway side view of the rice cooker, 1 is the rice cooker main body, 2 is the inner pot, and 3 is the rice cooker body.
is an inner pot storage container that accommodates the inner pot 2; 4 is a rice cooking heater; 5 is a heat-sensitive element in contact with the lower surface of the inner pot 2; 6 is a control unit mainly composed of a microcomputer; 7 is a rice cooker switch. In addition, as shown in FIG.
A keep warm switch 9 is provided above the quick cook switch 8, a timer set switch 10 and a timer time display 11 are provided above the keep warm switch 9, and a keep warm status indicator 12 and a rice cooking status indicator 13 are provided at the top. , and timer operation status indicator 14
is provided. The mounting structure of the seesaw type timer set switch 10 and the digital display type timer time display 11 is as shown in FIG. A band-shaped recessed step 16 is formed at the position, through holes 16a are formed at both ends of the recessed step 16, and an engaging portion 16b is formed at the lower surface of the outer end of each through hole 16a. Then, the timer time indicator 1 is placed at a predetermined position in the recessed step 16.
1, a window hole 16d for accommodating the lever 10a of the timer set switch 10, and a receiving portion 16e for supporting the shaft 10b of the lever 10a. Display plate 1
Reference numeral 7 designates a plate material which forms a window hole having the same shape as the window holes 16c and 16d and is bent along the outer surface of the recessed stepped portion 16, and is appropriately marked with symbols. Further, the protective plate 18 is arranged along the outer surface of the display plate 17 and along the casing 15.
It is a transparent plate formed to be flush with the outer surface of the transparent plate, and has engaging claws 18a formed at both ends thereof, passing through the through hole 16a and engaging with the engaging portion 16b. The deformation of the engaging claw 18a is regulated by the control unit 6 to ensure the engagement when the control unit 6 is housed, thereby reliably preventing the protection plate 18 from being removed from the outside. I can do it. However, as shown in FIG. 7, an engaging portion 16b is formed on the lower surface of the inner end of the through hole 16a to protect the engaging claw 18a that passes through the through hole 16a and engages with the engaging portion 16b. They can also be attached to both ends of the plate 18, and since no force can be applied from the outside in the direction of disengaging the engagement, it is possible to reliably prevent the protection plate 18 from coming off.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a rice cooker with a digital timer, in which the output signal of a 1-chip microcomputer 61 is applied to the heater control section 62, as well as to each liquid crystal segment constituting the timer time display 11, and further to the LEDs, etc. The voltage is applied to the heat retention status indicator 12, the rice cooking status indicator 13, and the timer operation status indicator 14, which are comprised of the following. In addition, the temperature sensing element 5
, the rice cooking switch 7 signal, the quick cooking switch 8 signal, the warming switch 9 signal, and the timer set switch 10 signal (increase switch signal and decrease switch signal) are applied to the one-chip microcomputer 61. Further, a rice cooking heater 4 and a side heating element 64 are connected in series between both terminals of the commercial AC power supply 63, and both terminals of the commercial AC power supply 63 and a connection point between the rice cooking heater 4 and the side heating element 64 are connected to the heater control section. 62, and the commercial AC power supply 63,
One end of the lid heater 65 is connected to the terminal on the side of the rice cooking heater 4, and the other end of the lid heater 65 is connected to the heater control section 62.

With the above configuration, by operating the rice cooking switch 7 or the quick cooking switch 8, it is possible to perform the normal rice cooking operation or the quick cooking operation that omits the water absorption process, and by operating the rice cooking switch 7 or the quick cooking switch 8. By operating it, a heat retention process can be performed.

Next, the operation of the main parts of the rice cooker with digital timer configured as above will be explained using the programs shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the step, timer set switch 10
It is determined whether or not is ON, and if it is ON, it is determined in step whether or not the first predetermined time T1 has elapsed. That is, it is determined whether or not the timer set switch 10 has been ON for a predetermined time T1 or more.
Then, if the predetermined time T1 has not elapsed, the determination and processing in steps and subsequent steps are performed again. On the other hand, if the timer set switch 10 is ON for the predetermined time T1 or more, in step it is determined whether the timer set switch 10 is ON, the increase switch side or the decrease switch side. If the increase switch side is ON, the time display on the timer display 11 is increased by 10 minutes in step, and after waiting until the second predetermined time T2 has elapsed in step, the set time reaches the upper limit T3 in step. Determine whether it has been reached or not, and on the other hand,
If the decrease switch side is ON, the display time on the timer time display 11 is decreased by 10 minutes in step, and the second predetermined time is set in step.
After waiting until T2 has elapsed, it is determined in step whether the set time has reached the lower limit value 0 or not. Next, in the above step, the upper limit value is
T3, if it is determined that the lower limit value 0 has not been reached, it is determined again in step whether or not the timer set switch 10 is ON, and if it is ON, the determination and processing from the above step are repeated. . If it is determined in the above step that the lower limit value 0 has been reached, a timer switch (not shown) is activated to start the rice cooking operation in the step. On the other hand, if it is determined in the step that the set time has reached the upper limit T3, the display of the set time (upper limit) T3 itself is blinked in the step, and the increase switch side of the timer set switch 10 is turned ON again in the step. If it is ON, the process of the step is repeated. In other words, this routine:
Even if the increase switch is turned on, since the set time is the upper limit value, the upper limit value is regulated so as not to increase any further, and the set time itself, which is the upper limit value, continues to blink. On the other hand, if it is OFF, a reset switch (not shown) is turned ON in the step.
Determine whether or not. Further, the determination in the above step is also performed when it is determined in the above step that the timer set switch 10 is OFF.

In the above steps, the reset switch
If it is determined that it is ON, the rice cooking operation is started in step, but if it is determined that it is OFF, it is determined in step whether or not the rice cooking switch 7 is ON or not, and if the timer set switch 10 is Determine whether it is ON or not. and,
If it is determined that both are OFF, the following determinations are made and the rice cooking switch 7 is turned off.
If it is determined that the timer set switch 10 is ON, a subroutine for performing a timekeeping operation is executed in the step. Determine which side is ON, the switch side. and,
If the increase switch side is ON, the time displayed by the timer time display 11 is increased by 10 minutes in step, and on the other hand, if the decrease switch side is ON, the time displayed by the timer time display 11 is decreased by 10 minutes in step. Thereafter, a voice notification is performed by driving the notification means (not shown) in the step, and the determination and processing at the step and subsequent steps are performed again. However, the above times T1, T2,
For example, T3 may be set to 1 second, 0.1 second, or 15.00 hours.

In summary, to set the timer,
It is necessary to operate the timer set switch 10 for a predetermined time T1 or more, and it is possible to prevent the timer from being set due to an erroneous operation.Moreover, when setting the timer for a long time, it is only necessary to continue operating the timer set switch 10. , convenient.
Even if you continue to operate the timer set switch 10, after the set time reaches the upper limit T3, the display time itself will blink to give a visual notification, and the set time will remain as it is. It's convenient.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a subroutine for performing a timekeeping operation. In step 1, the colon at the lower right of the display on the timer time display 11 blinks, and the switch . . . It is determined whether the cooking switch 8 and the heat retention switch 9 are ON. And the timer switch is OFF
and rice cooker switch 7 or quick cooker switch 8
is ON, the rice cooking operation is performed in the step, and the timer switch is OFF,
When the heat retention switch 9 is ON, the heat retention operation is performed in step. On the other hand, if the timer switch is ON, the display on the timer time display 11 is blinked in step, the timer waits until the timer setting is completed in step, and the rice cooker waits until the rice cooker switch 7 or fast-cooker switch 8 is turned ON in step , At the step, the time display part by the timer time display 11 is lit continuously, and the colon at the lower right corner is blinked, the count starts at the step, and the timer time is displayed at the step. The display time by the device 11 is decreased by one minute, and in step it is determined whether the display time has become zero. If the display time has not become 0, the determination and processing in the steps below are repeated, and if the display time has become 0, the rice cooking operation in the above step is performed.

In summary, while the timekeeping operation is being performed, the colon at the bottom right flashes periodically, which is convenient because it can reliably notify that the timekeeping operation is being performed.

<Effects> As described above, the present invention has an operating means for increasing or decreasing the set time using a digital timer, and also has a regulating means for regulating the upper limit of the set time for the digital timer. When reaching the upper limit regulated by the regulating means, the set time itself is displayed blinking, so that by simply continuing to operate the operating means, the upper limit can be reliably set as the set time. This has the unique effect that it is easy to confirm that the set time has reached the upper limit because the set time display itself flashes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a block diagram of a rice cooker with digital timer, Figures 2 and 3 are flowcharts, and Figure 4 is a flowchart.
The figure is a partially cutaway side view of the rice cooker, Figure 5 is an enlarged front view showing the switch mounting part, Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the main parts of the same, and Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the main parts showing another embodiment. Surface diagram. 2... Inner pot, 4... Rice cooking heater, 5... Heat sensitive element, 10... Timer set switch, 11... Timer time display.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker having a digital timer for setting the time until the start of rice cooking operation, which has an operating means to increase or decrease the time set by the digital timer, and a regulating means to regulate the upper limit of the time set by the digital timer. A rice cooker with a digital timer, characterized in that when the time set by the digital timer reaches an upper limit regulated by the regulating means, the set time itself is displayed blinking.