JPH0810152A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent rice gruel from turning to paste by forbidding the operation of a reheating heat reservation in a cooker at least with the gruel in the selection of course when a reheating heat-reserving operation indicating means is operated during the execution of an ordinary heat-reserving operation. CONSTITUTION:When a heat-reserving operation is executed, a heat-reserving heater circuit 7 is energized continuously to heat a container and after the detection temperature reaches a specified value, the heat-reserving heater 7 (7a, 7b) is controlled to cut energization so that the temperature is maintained at a specified value. When a reheating heat-reversing switch 21 is operated during the ordinary heat-reserving operation, a reheating heat-reserving operation is executed and after a fixed time passes, a shift is made to the ordinary heat- reserving operation. The control means 30 thus arranged is provided with a validity judging function of the reheating heat-reserving switch 21. It is judged that the ordinary heat reservation is proceeding and then, that the operation is in a rice cooking course. When the cooking is determined to be in the gruel stage, the reheating heat reservation is forbidden as the execution thereof may turn the gruel worse to paste.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker having a heating means for heating a container and controlling the heating means to carry out various operations such as rice cooking and normal heat retention.

[0002]

In the conventional rice cooker of this type, after a rice containing a rice to be cooked and water is heated by a rice cooker provided at the inner bottom portion of the main body of the rice cooker,
The container is configured to be heated by a heat-retaining heater provided on the inner portion and the lid of the bowl body to keep the cooked rice at a predetermined temperature. The temperature of the cooked rice is set to about 70 ° C by JIS.

By the way, in terms of taste, the best rice temperature is about 100 ° C. immediately after cooking, so when the rice is loosened in a container with rice scoops, the rice temperature will be about 80-90 ° C. The temperature of the rice becomes about 70-75 ℃ when it is served in a bowl. Therefore, the temperature of delicious rice is about 70 ~
It is about 75 ℃. However, in the case of a normal rice cooker, the temperature is controlled to maintain the rice temperature at about 70 ° C, so when the rice is loosened with a rice scoop, it is about 55-60 ° C. It is reduced to a certain degree and delicious rice cannot be obtained.

In order to deal with such a problem, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-99925 discloses that if the lid is closed after being kept warm, the container is reheated to a temperature higher than the warm keeping temperature for a predetermined time. There is disclosed a rice cooker capable of executing the reheating and heat retaining operation described above.

In the above-mentioned prior art, there is no problem in reheating rice cooked in the white rice cooking course during heat retention, but if a reheating and heat retaining operation is performed by selecting, for example, a porridge course other than the white rice cooking course, the container will be heated. If the porridge in the inside deteriorates into a paste due to heating, or if a reheating and heat retaining operation is performed by selecting a cooking course, problems such as strong charring occur.

In view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a rice cooker capable of eliminating the troubles when the reheating and heat retaining operation is performed outside the white rice cooking course.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a container for containing cooked rice, heating means for heating the container, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container, and detection from the temperature detecting means. Control means for controlling the heating means on the basis of temperature to execute operations such as rice cooking and normal heat retention, and when the reheat heat retention operation instruction means is operated during execution of the normal heat retention operation, the control is performed. Means for controlling the heating means to heat the rice to a predetermined temperature higher than the heat retaining temperature during the normal heat retaining operation, the rice cooker performing the reheat retaining operation, wherein the reheating heat retaining operation instructing means during the normal heat retaining operation. When the selection of the course when is operated is at least rice porridge, the control means is configured not to execute the reheating heat retention operation.

According to this structure, even if the reheating heat retention operation instructing means is operated when at least the porridge course other than the white rice cooking course is selected, the reheat insulation operation is not performed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the problem that the porridge is deteriorated into a paste by the reheating and heat retaining operation.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 16, 1 is a container body having an inner case 2 and an outer case 3, 4 is a lid, and 5 is an inner case 2.
A container housed inside, 6 is a rice cooking heater as a heating means provided at the bottom of the inner case 2, 7A is a heat retaining cylinder heater as a heating means provided on the side surface of the inner case 2, and 7B is an inner surface of the lid 4. Insulating lid heater as a heating means, 8 is a container 5
A temperature sensor 9 for detecting the temperature of the container 5 inside, which is a cup-shaped heat-sensitive portion provided so as to be elastically pressed against the outer bottom of the container.
Is provided. Reference numeral 10 denotes an electronic circuit unit that controls inputs of the rice cooking heater 6, the warming drum heater 7A, and the warming lid heater 7B based on the temperature detection information from the temperature sensor 9 and the like, and is provided on the side portion of the outer case 3.

3 to 11 show a display portion provided on the lid 4.
11 and the operation unit 12, the display unit 11 has a display unit 13 composed of an LCD, and the display unit 13 includes a time display unit 14 for the current time and a cooked-up unit composed of a 4-digit 7-segment LCD. The time display section 15 that displays the time of day and the time to eat such as the reheat heat retention completion time, and white rice cooked plump (standard), white rice cooked crispy (hard), cooked / brown rice cooked, porridge cooked in order. A course display section 17 for displaying a rice cooking menu or a plurality of types of courses with different heating conditions together with a surrounding frame 16 is provided. Also display
11 is a mode display section 18, 18A, 18 comprising 5 LEDs
It has B, 18C and 19, 18 is for timer, 18A is for quick cooking, 18B is for cooking rice, 18C is for normal heat retention, 19 is for reheat heat retention, and the mode being processed is displayed. To do.
The operation unit 12 is provided with a plurality of operation switches, which are the current time switch 20 provided on the left side of the display unit 13.
And a reheat insulation switch 21 as a reheat insulation operation instruction means provided on the right side of the display section 13 located below the mode display section 19 for reheat insulation, and provided at the bottom of the display section 13. Menu for selecting course and fire selection switch 22
And timer switch barrel forward switch 23 and back switch 24, timer rice cooker switch 25, rice cooker switch
26 and a cancel switch 27 for cancellation.

When the reheat heat retention switch 21 is not operated, the normal heat retention according to the first heat retention heating pattern is set, and when the switch 21 is pressed, the reheat heat retention according to the second heat retention heating pattern is set. Pressing 21 again sets normal heat retention. Each time you press the menu / heat adjustment switch 22, each course is preset from white rice fluffy to white rice fluffy, rice cooked / brown rice porridge, rice porridge, white rice fluffy Is surrounded by a box 16. In this case, when the switch 27 is operated or when the power is restored after a power failure, the standard heating pattern is automatically set to the fluffy rice cooked rice. The time to eat or the current time is adjusted by pressing the forward switch 23 or the backward switch 24. After pressing the current time switch 20, press the switches 23 and 24 to adjust the current time, and then press the current time switch 20 again to display the current time. The time is set. In addition, the time display section 15 displays the cooking time of the previously cooked timer rice, and after pressing the switches 23 and 24 to change the cooking time, the timer rice switch 25 is pressed to set the cooking time and the timer rice cooking. Will start. Also, every time the rice cooking switch 26 is pressed, rice cooking, rapid cooking, and heat retention are set in sequence. Further, the mode display portion 18C is lit during the normal heat retention, and the mode display portion 18C and the mode display portion 19 are lit during the reheat heat retention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration.
A, which constitutes the temperature detecting means 29 together with the temperature sensor 9,
The D converter outputs a signal according to the detected temperature. 30
Is a control means composed of a microcomputer which constitutes the electronic circuit unit 10. As is well known, this is a CPU 31, a timing circuit 32, a memory 33, a backup circuit 34, an input circuit 3
5, has an output circuit 36, etc., and a backup circuit 34
A battery 37 is connected to. The control means 30 has a plurality of types of programs, and a first heat retention and heating pattern for heat retention control of the rice temperature to a predetermined temperature, for example, 70 ° C., based on the selection signal of the reheat heat retention operation instruction means 21 which is the reheat heat retention operation instruction means,
A heat retention control means for selectively setting a second heat retention heating pattern for controlling the rice temperature to a heat retention temperature higher than a predetermined temperature, for example, 90 ° C., and controlling the input of the heat retention heater circuit 7 according to the set heat retention heating pattern. have. Further, the control means 30 drives and controls the rice cooking heater 6 and the warming heater circuit 7 which are heating means via the drive circuit 38 in accordance with the switch signal of the operation section 12 and the detected temperature of the container 5, and the drive circuit 39 causes the display section to display. 11 drive control is performed.

FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the power source section and the heater driving section, 40 is a commercial power source, and a rice cooking heater 6, a parallel circuit of the heat insulation heaters 7A and 7B, and a triac 41 are connected in series between both terminals of the commercial power source. It is connected to the. Heat insulation heater 7A, 7B
A normally open relay switch 42A forming a relay 42 is connected in parallel to the series circuit of the triac 41. 43
Is a power supply transformer, and a predetermined power supply voltage is supplied to the microcomputer as the control means 30 through the power supply transformer 43 and the constant voltage circuit 44. The control means 30 inputs a temperature signal of the container 5 from a thermistor which is a temperature sensor 9, and inputs a rice cooking start signal from a container detection switch 45 which detects that the container 5 is set in the inner case 2. Further, the control means 30 is an exciting coil for the relay 42 via the relay drive circuit 46.
42B is excited and the TRIAC 41 is driven through the TRIAC drive circuit 47, the TRIAC 41 is opened during rice cooking, the relay 42 is closed, the container 5 is heated by the rice heating heater 6, and the relay 42 is opened during heat retention. The container 5 is heated by the warming heater circuit 7 formed of a series circuit of the rice cooking heater 6 and the parallel circuit of the warming heaters 7A and 7B.

Next, the operation of the above structure will be described.
First, referring to FIGS. 3 to 11, FIG.
It shows a state in which all the display portions 13 made of D are lit, and when the power plug is inserted into the outlet from this state, the display state shown in FIG. 4 is obtained. Here, the time display unit 14 displays the current time "12:00", and the time display unit 15 displays the cooking time "8:00" set by the previous timer rice cooking.
Is displayed, all the courses are displayed on the course display portion 17, and the surrounding frame 16 is lit around the white rice cooked fluff to indicate that this white rice cooked fluffy course is set. If it is not necessary to change the cooked rice contents in this state, the cooked rice can be started by simply pressing the cooked rice switch 26. If the off switch 27 is pressed during the rice cooking and heat retention operations, the display returns to that shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows the rice cooking switch 26 from the display state of FIG.
This is a display during rice cooking operation when is pressed, and the course display
Only the set white rice fluffy is displayed in 17 surrounded by the surrounding frame 16, the mode display portion 18B for cooking rice is turned on, and the other course display contents and the display of the ready time are turned off. In addition, when the timer rice cooking switch 25 is pressed, the timer and rice mode display parts 18, 18B are lit up and remain lit at 8:00 o'clock, and at a certain time, for example, 60 minutes before the eating time. Cooking starts. Then, when it is “8:00” around the time of eating, rice cooking is completed and a buzzer or the like notifies.

FIG. 6 shows a display in the state where the normal heat retaining operation is being executed according to the first heat retaining / heating pattern after the rice is cooked, and the mode indicator 18C for the heat retaining is turned on.
When the reheat heat retention switch 21 is pressed to perform the reheat heat retention operation according to the second heat retention heating pattern, the reheat heat retention mode display portion 19 lights up together with the heat retention mode display portion 18C as shown in FIG. However, the time to eat is displayed as "1:30 minutes after" 90 minutes after the current time, and is sequentially subtracted with the passage of time to display the remaining time. After that, when the reheat heat retention operation is completed, the normal heat retention operation according to the first heat retention heating pattern is shifted to, and as shown in FIG. 8, the reheat heat retention mode display section 19 and the display of the time of eating are turned off.

9 to 11 show the display state of the timer heat retention. First, when the forward switch 23 or the return switch 24 is pressed during the normal heat retention operation in which the mode display section 18C for the heat retention is lit, FIG. 9 is displayed. As shown, the eating time of "3:30" 90 minutes after "2:00" of the current time is displayed, and then the switches 23 and 24 are operated to set the eating time of "6:" as shown in FIG. After changing to "00" and turning off the switches 23 and 24, "6:
"00" is displayed in a blinking state, and when the reheat insulation switch 21 is then pressed, the eating time is turned on and the mode display 18 for the timer is turned on to start the timer operation. 90 minutes before the time to eat, the reheat heat retention operation starts and the display shifts to the display in Fig. 7, and "1:30 minutes later" indicating 90 minutes after the time to eat is displayed and reheated. Mode display for heat insulation 19
Lights up. When the reheat heat retention operation is completed, the normal heat retention operation is performed and the display of FIG. 8 is displayed.

Next, the graphs of FIGS. 14 and 15 and FIG.
2, the heat retention control will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. First, the case where the operations of rice cooking and heat retention are performed in series will be described (see FIGS. 14 and 12).

When the rice cooking switch 26 is turned on, the rice cooking operation is started (see FIG. 5). For example, 10 for the rice cooking heater 6
Power is turned on at 00W input, and after the boiling is detected, the power is cut off and controlled, and when the detected temperature T reaches the cooked temperature (120 ° C), the rice cooker heater 6 is cut off and a 15-minute spotting process is executed to complete the cooked rice. Then, the operation proceeds to the normal heat retention operation according to the first heat retention heating pattern (see FIG. 6) (step 1). This is because the heat retention heater circuit 7 is turned off until the detection temperature T drops to 70 ° C., and when the detection temperature T becomes 70 ° C. or less, the heat retention heater circuit 7 is energized with, for example, 65 W input, and then the heat retention heater circuit 7 On the other hand, the temperature of the container 5 is maintained at 70 ° C. by controlling the ON / OFF of T ≧ 70 ° C. and ON when T <70 ° C. When the reheat heat retention switch 21 is turned on during this normal heat retention operation (step 2), the reheat heat retention effective condition of step 3 to step 7 is judged, and when this is satisfied, the constant time by the second heat retention heating pattern is maintained. For example, a 90-minute reheat heat retention operation is started (see FIG. 7) (step 8). This is because the container 5 is re-heated by continuously energizing the warming heater circuit 7 with 65 W input, and the power is cut off when the detected temperature T reaches 90 ° C., and when the temperature T ≧ 90 ° C. is turned off to the warming heater circuit 7, When T <90 ° C., ON / OFF control is performed to maintain the temperature of the container 5 at 90 ° C. (step 9). After a certain time (90 minutes) (Step 1
0), shift to normal heat retention operation (see FIG. 8) (step 1
1).

Further, as shown in the flow chart of FIG. 13, the timer switch is turned on during the normal warming operation (step 1).
When N operation is performed (step 2), the time 90 minutes after is displayed as the ready-to-eat time as shown in FIG. 9 (step 3), and when the reheating heat insulation switch 21 is turned on (step 4),
The validity judgment of Step 5 to Step 9 is performed, and if this condition is satisfied, it is judged whether or not the eating time is within 90 minutes from the current time (Step 10), and the timer operation (Step 11) determines the eating time. When 90 minutes ago, the reheating heat retention operation is started (step 12), and thereafter, the same operations as steps 9 to 11 in FIG. 12 are executed by steps 13 to 15.

Next, a case where only the heat retaining operation is executed will be described (see FIG. 15). The rice cooker switch 26 is operated three times to execute the normal heat retention operation (see FIG. 6). This is to heat the container 5 by continuously energizing the warming heater circuit 7 with 65W input, and after the detected temperature T reaches 70 ° C, the warming heater circuit 7 is controlled to be cut off to bring the temperature of the container 5 to 70 ° C. maintain. When the reheat heat retention switch 21 is operated during this normal heat retention operation, the reheat heat retention operation similar to that in FIG. 13 is executed for a fixed time, and after a lapse of the fixed time, the normal heat retention operation is performed. Also, FIG. 14 and FIG.
When the detected temperature T does not reach 90 ° C. during the reheating heat retention operation in No. 5, the normal heat retention operation starts after a certain time (90 minutes) has elapsed (see the broken line graphs in FIGS. 14 and 15).

Further, the control means 30 has a function of judging the validity of the reheat insulation switch 21. Step 3 of FIG. 12, FIG.
In step 5 of 3, it is judged whether the temperature is normally maintained. This is because if the reheat heat retention operation is not normally performed, the rice will be too cold and the heat retention time will increase.
This is prevented because the heat retention is very different from the heat retention temperature specified in. Also, step 4 of FIG. 12 and FIG.
In step 6 of, it is determined whether the course is a white rice cooking course. This is because if the rice is cooked with rice or cooked rice other than white rice and then reheated and warmed, the porridge will deteriorate into a paste and the cooked rice will become strongly charred. Further, in step 5 of FIG. 12 and step 7 of FIG. 13, it is determined whether the detected temperature T is 45 ° C. or higher. This is because if the reheat heat retention is performed when the rice temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature, the reheat heat retention time will be longer and the rice temperature will not reach the appropriate temperature (90 ° C) even after a certain time (90 minutes). Prevent. In step 6 of FIG. 12 and step 8 of FIG. 13, it is determined whether the normal heat retention time has passed a predetermined time (12 hours). This is to prevent yellowing of rice when it is kept warm for a long time and further yellowing by reheating. Also in FIG.
It is determined whether or not the reheating heat retention operation performed during the heat retention operation is the first time in step 7 of FIG. This is because the reheating with heating twice or more causes yellowing due to the reaction between sugar and amino acid and odor due to thermal deterioration of fatty acids contained in rice such as linoleic acid and oleic acid, and therefore prevents this. Further, the control means 30 always determines whether or not the normal heat retention operation is being performed when the reheat heat retention switch 21 is pressed. If the normal heat retention is not being performed, it is invalidated as in step 12 of FIG. 12 and step 16 of FIG. To do. If the above valid conditions are not satisfied, this is notified by a buzzer or the like.

As described above, in the above embodiment, FIG.
As is clear from Step 4 of FIG. 6 and Step 6 of FIG. 13, the reheating heat retention switch 21 is activated during the normal heat retention operation.
If at least porridge is selected when is operated, the control means 30 is configured not to execute the reheating and heat retaining operation, so reheating is performed when a porridge course other than the white rice cooking course is selected. Even if the heat retention switch 21 is operated, the reheating heat retention operation is not performed. Therefore,
By the reheating heat retention operation, it is possible to avoid the deterioration of the porridge into a pasty state, for example, and it is possible to eliminate problems when the reheat heat insulation operation is performed outside the course of polishing rice.

Further, by operating the reheat heat retention switch 21 which is the reheat heat retention operation instruction means, the first heat retention heating pattern for controlling the input of the heat retention heater circuit 7 so as to maintain the container temperature at 70 ° C. Since the second warming heating pattern that controls the input of the warming heater circuit 7 so as to maintain it at 90 ° C can be selectively executed, the warming temperature can be set according to taste, and the temperature is kept close to freshly cooked. You can get rice. In addition, the first and second heating patterns can be obtained by a program of a microcomputer, which is economical.

Further, since the reheat heat retention operation can be selected only during execution of the normal heat retention operation, the container 5
There is no concern that the rice inside will be reheated from the cold state,
Further, it is possible to prevent a long time from reaching the temperature (90 ° C.) close to that of freshly cooked food, and to prevent the temperature from deviating from the heat retention temperature specified by JIS. Also, the mode display section 18C for heat retention lights up during normal heat retention operation, and the mode display section for reheat heat retention during reheat heat retention operation.
Since 19 lights up together with the mode display section 18C for heat retention, it is possible to determine the heat retention operation of both, and if it is desired to stop this during reheat heat retention, the reheat heat retention switch 21
It is possible to prevent the off switch 27 from being accidentally pressed because the normal heat retention operation is performed only by pressing again. In addition, since the normal heat retention operation is performed after the reheat heat retention is executed, it is possible to always obtain a rice temperature higher than the normal heat retention temperature and yellowing.
Generation of odor can be suppressed.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, a temperature higher than the normal heat retention temperature may be appropriately selected as the reheat heat retention temperature. Further, as shown in FIG. 18, the reheating heat retention switch 21 may be shared with the rice cooking switch 26, and the mode display unit 19 for reheating heat retention may be shared with the mode display unit 18B for rice cooking.

[0028]

The present invention has a container for containing cooked food,
Heating means for heating the container, temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container, and controlling the heating means on the basis of the detected temperature from the temperature detecting means to execute operations such as rice cooking and normal heat retention. When the reheat heat retention operation instruction means is operated during execution of the normal heat retention operation, the control means controls the heating means to control the heating means to a predetermined temperature higher than the heat retention temperature during the normal heat retention operation. In a rice cooker that performs a reheat heat retention operation of heating up to, if the course selection is at least porridge when the reheat heat retention operation instruction means is operated during execution of the normal heat retention operation, the control means causes the reheat heat retention operation to be performed. It is configured so that the operation is not executed, and it is possible to eliminate the trouble when the reheating and heat retaining operation is performed in a course other than the white rice cooking course.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a power supply section and a heater driving section of the above.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a display unit and an operation unit in a state where all of the display units in the same are turned on.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing the display unit and the operation unit in the same state where the power plug is inserted into an outlet.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the display unit and the operation unit during the above rice cooking operation.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing the display unit and the operation unit in the state where the normal heat retention operation is being executed.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing the display unit and the operation unit in the state where the reheating heat retention operation is being executed.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing the display unit and the operation unit at the time of completion of the reheating heat retention operation.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a display unit and an operation unit when the timer is kept warm.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a display section and an operating section when the timer is kept warm.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a display section and an operation section when the timer is kept warm.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the same heat retention operation.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the same heat retention operation.

FIG. 14 is a graph showing a control for sequentially performing rice cooking, normal heat retention, and reheat heat retention in the same as above.

FIG. 15 is a graph showing a control for performing a series of normal heat retention and reheat heat retention in the same as above.

FIG. 16 is an overall sectional view of the same rice cooker.

FIG. 17 is an overall perspective view of the same rice cooker.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing another embodiment of the display unit and the operation unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Container 6 Rice Cooking Heater (Heating Means) 7A Insulating Body Heater (Heating Means) 7B Insulating Lid Heater (Heating Means) 21 Reheating Insulation Switch (Reheating Insulation Operation Instructing Means) 29 Temperature Detection Means 30 Control Means

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A container for containing cooked rice, a heating means for heating the container, a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the container, and the heating means based on the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means. And a control means for controlling and performing each operation such as rice cooking and normal heat retention. When the reheat heat retention operation instruction means is operated during the normal heat retention operation, the control means controls the heating means. In a rice cooker that performs a reheat heat retention operation that heats the cooked rice to a predetermined temperature higher than the heat retention temperature during the normal heat retention operation, a course selection when the reheat heat retention operation instruction means is operated during the normal heat retention operation. The rice cooker is characterized in that the control means does not execute the reheating and heat retaining operation in the case of at least porridge.