JPS60225518A - Display apparatus of rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Technical Field) The present invention relates, in particular, to a display device that displays the progress of a rice cooking operation.

(Prior Art) Generally, a rice cooker is provided with a preheating/rice cooking indicator lamp, a double cooking/uncooked rice indicator lamp, and a heat retention indicator lamp, and each lamp indicates each operation. In particular, the period from the start of rice cooking to the end of rice cooking is divided into two periods: preheating and rice cooking, and the two periods can be distinguished by lighting or blinking of the preheating/rice cooking indicator lamp, so that the rice is completely cooked. This made it easier to guess the period.

However, it takes about 40 minutes from the start of cooking until the rice is cooked.
It takes a relatively long time (about 1 minute), and it is difficult to accurately and easily guess when the rice is finished cooking just by dividing this time into two sections and displaying the sections. The display used was limited to displaying two sections.

(Purpose) The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and by using the segments of the numerical display element that displays time to display sections, the period from the start of rice cooking to the end of rice cooking can be subdivided and displayed. By making it possible to clearly grasp the progress of the rice cooking operation, it is possible to accurately and easily estimate when the rice is cooked.

(Example) Examples of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below.

First, FIG. 1 shows a schematic structure of the rice cooker of the present invention.

In the figure, 1 is the main body of the rice cooker, 2 is an outer pot, 3 is a hot plate type rice cooker heater installed at the inner bottom of the outer pot 2, and 4 is a rice cooker that can be moved in and out of the outer pot 2 and stores cooking items such as rice and water. Inner pot, 5 is outer pot 2
6 is a thermosensor such as a thermistor that is in contact with the center of the outer bottom of the inner pot 4 and detects temperature changes of the food to be cooked; 7 is a thermosensor that is provided on the outer surface of the outer pot 2 to detect temperature changes of the food to be cooked. Thermal reed switch for thermal insulation that detects temperature changes, 8
9 is an operation panel provided on the outer surface of the rice cooker main body 1, and 9 is a control board built into the operation panel 8. Although not shown in the drawings, it goes without saying that an inner lid for opening and closing the opening of the inner pot 4 and an outer lid for covering the outside of the inner pot 4 are provided as is well known in the art.

The operation panel 8 has a numerical display element 1 as shown in the second figure.
1.11', colon 121 Time display section 10 having an hour display lamp 13 and minute display lamp 14, and an operation display section having a preheating/cooking display lamp 16, a double cooking/uncooked display lamp 17, and a heat retention display lamp 18. 15, a burnt setting display section having a burnt concentration display lamp 19.20,
Various control keys such as a timer start key 21, a burnt adjustment key 22, a heat retention key 23, a cancel key 24, a time set key 25, and a minute set key 26 are arranged.

Next, FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram in which the present invention is implemented by a microcomputer, in which the rice cooking heater 3 is connected to an AC power source 281C through the contacts of the rice cooking relay 27, and the heat retention heater 5, A series circuit consisting of the contacts of the heat-retaining thermal reed switch 7 and the heat-retaining relay 29 is connected in parallel.

The rice cooking relay 27 and the heat-retaining relay 29 are controlled to be turned on and off by a microcomputer, which will be described later, and control the power supply to the rice-cooking heater 3 and the heat-retaining heater 5 to perform rice cooking or heat-retaining operation.

Both relays 27 and 29 are provided with a control board 9tIC,
This board 9FC is used for other microcomputers,
The above-mentioned numeric display element, display lamp (light emitting diode), various control keys, etc. are provided. Incidentally, the power for the control section as described above is obtained from an AC power source via a transformer 30.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the entire control circuit. In FIG. 4, 31 is a microcomputer, mainly a central processing unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) 32, an electronic timer 33,
It is composed of a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as R'OM) 34, an arbitrary access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) 35, and an interface (input/output signal processing circuit) 36. The ROM 34C stores a control program for the CPU 82, and the RAM 35 is used as a data memory for the CPU 32.

The CPU 32 reads the status of each part on the input side via the interface 86, and also reads the control program from the ROM 84 to control processes such as preheating, capacity determination, cooking, double cooking/uncooking, and keeping warm. The heating unit necessary to execute the process is controlled via the interface 36, and the process transition is performed by the electronic timer 33 in cooperation with the CPU 32.

Incidentally, the electronic timer 33 counts a predetermined time according to instructions from the CPU 32 and outputs a signal after the predetermined time.

In the above configuration, the control will be explained in detail below.

First, FIG. 5 is a main flowchart of the rice cooker of the present invention, in which the steps of primary heating, secondary preheating, capacity determination, cooking, double cooking/uniformity, and heat retention are sequentially executed from the start of rice cooking. Except for the cooking process and the warming process (each other process is executed for a predetermined time (constant)).Also, the cooking process ends by detecting the temperature of the food, but this will be explained in detail later. By adopting a control method that controls the rice, it becomes approximately constant. Fig. 6 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the time elapsed from the start of rice cooking to keeping it warm and the temperature change of the thermosensor 6. Below, the control of each process is I will explain about it.

〇 -Next, when the second preheating process rice cooking/timer start key 21 is turned on, the CPU
By storing this in the storage means A in 32 and reading out the control program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to the stored contents, the flowchart of the primary heat process shown in FIG. 7 and subsequently shown in FIG. Control as shown in the flowchart of the secondary preheating process.

In the primary heat process, rice cooking/timer start key 2
1 turns ON, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is set to the predetermined temperature J, and the contact of the rice cooking relay 27 is turned ON.
Then, the rice cooking heater 3 is started to be energized, and the food to be cooked is preheated for a certain period of time T. The temperature setting of the thermosensor 6 and the determination as to whether the set temperature has been reached are performed as follows. The temperature detected by the thermosensor 6 is converted into a digital signal by digital-to-analog conversion and converted into a digital signal.
u3? The digital signal is compared with the set temperature stored in the RO 134 to determine whether it matches or does not match.

Electricity is supplied to the rice cooking heater 3 by a sensor that detects the temperature of the food being cooked.
This process continues until the temperature of the sensor 6 reaches a predetermined temperature t1. However, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 does not reach the predetermined temperature even after T1 time has elapsed,
As time T1 elapses, the process moves to the next stage of secondary preheating process.

Conversely, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the predetermined temperature t1 within the time T1, the remaining time is reduced to about 10 seconds (
For example, 15 seconds) ON-MAX, several seconds (for example, 5 seconds) OF
By switching to F-Fix intermittent control, control is performed to maintain the predetermined temperature 11 as much as possible. This intermittent control will be explained.

Now, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the predetermined temperature 1 due to continuous power supply to the rice cooker heater 3 and the power supply to the rice cooker heater 3 is stopped, the temperature determination means B in the CPU 32 will stop the power supply to the rice cooker heater 3. When 5 seconds have passed since then, it is determined whether or not the temperature of the thermosensor 6 is higher than a predetermined temperature t1. If it is higher, the power supply to the rice cooking heater 3 is continued to be stopped, and when the temperature has fallen below the temperature t1, the power supply to the rice cooking heater 3 is stopped. Restart electricity. Conversely, the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the predetermined temperature t1.
If the temperature is lower than that, the power supply to the rice cooker heater 3 is restarted, and when the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the predetermined temperature t, Ic, the power supply to the rice cooker heater 3 is stopped again, and after 5 seconds have elapsed since the power supply is stopped, the power supply to the rice cooker heater 3 is restarted. Perform the temperature determination in step 6. Even if the rice cooker heater 3RC is energized continuously for 15 seconds, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 does not reach the predetermined temperature t, the energization to the rice cooker 3 is stopped after 15 seconds have elapsed, and the previous thermostat is turned off after 5 seconds have elapsed. The temperature of the sensor 6 is determined, and if necessary, the rice cooking heater 3 is energized.

As described above, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the predetermined temperature [1] within the TI time, the ON-MAX for 15 seconds
, performs intermittent control of 0FF-Fix for 5 seconds,
An example of the control state is shown in FIG. Note that the above-mentioned time of 15 seconds or 5 seconds is not particularly limited, and may be determined at any time depending on the size of the rice cooker, the size and structure of the rice cooking heater, etc.

Therefore, this -Tsujiko heat process is aimed at correcting the temperature of the food to be cooked with respect to the water temperature and air temperature at the beginning of rice cooking, and it also applies when the water temperature at the start of rice cooking is low or the air temperature is low. This is to ensure that the temperature rise of the food to be cooked can keep up with the control mode described later.

The reason why the intermittent control of 15 seconds ON-MAX and 5 seconds 0FI-Fix was adopted will be explained in detail in the next stage of the secondary preheating process.

In the secondary preheating step, the predetermined temperature Wt t is
The temperature of the cooked food that has been raised to + is further increased to temperature t2 over a certain period of time T2, and the above-mentioned 15 seconds ON-MAX, 5 seconds OFF-
While executing the intermittent control method of Fix, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased by, for example, 2° C. every time a certain period of time, for example, 52 seconds has elapsed.

Now, when the -second heating process is completed and the process proceeds to the secondary preheating process, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is set to (t++2°C), and the temperature interval time T8 is set to 52 seconds. Secondary preheating of the food to be cooked is started by controlling power supply to the rice cooking heater 3 using an intermittent control method of ON-MAX for seconds and OFF-Fix for 5 seconds. Then, every time 52 seconds elapse, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased by 2 degrees Celsius, and eventually a certain period of time T2 starts from the start of secondary preheating.
When the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the t2 temperature and the flag area C of the RAM 35 is designated, the process moves to the next capacity determination process.

Such a secondary preheating process promotes water absorption of rice,
The purpose is to make the temperature of the cooked food constant and uniform when proceeding to the next stage of capacity determination step, regardless of the rice cooking capacity, so that the capacity can be determined accurately. Therefore, it is desirable to set the t2 temperature to about 60°C, and it is desirable to set the T2 time to about 8 to 10 minutes.

Here, we will discuss the reason why we adopted the continuous control method of 15 seconds ON-MAX and 5 seconds 0FF-Fix. If the rice cooker heater 31C is energized continuously for too long, the overshoot of the thermosensor temperature after the energization to the rice cooker heater 3 is stopped becomes too large as shown in Fig. 10(a), making it difficult to control rationally. Can not(
As it turns out, by incorporating the intermittent control method, the 10th
As shown in Figure (b), the overshoot can be suppressed to a small level, and thereby the temperature of the thermosensor 6 will not deviate much from the set temperature, and good control can be performed. In addition, each time the rice cooking heater 3 is de-energized, it remains de-energized for at least a certain period of time (5 seconds), so during this time, the temperature of the food to be cooked becomes uniform, especially the temperature of the parts near and far from the rice-cooking heater 8. The temperature difference can be reduced significantly compared to the case where the rice cooking heater 3 is continuously energized. Furthermore, there is originally a slight time lag in the temperature rise between the thermosensor 6 and the food being cooked due to differences in heat capacity, etc., and there is also a temperature difference, so the time lag is absorbed during the energization stop period in the intermittent control as described above. However, since the two temperatures become closer and the difference between them becomes smaller, better control with higher accuracy is executed.

The preheating control means for executing the primary and secondary preheating steps as described above is the rice cooking/timer start control key 21.
, a storage means A in the CPU 32, a temperature determination means B, control program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to the contents stored in the storage means A, a thermosensor 6, a rice cooking relay 27, and the like.

0 Capacity judgment process When moving from the secondary preheating process to the capacity judgment process, RAM3
Based on the designation of the flag area C of No.
Control is performed as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG.

In this capacity determination step, the temperature of the cooked food that has risen to temperature t2 is raised to temperature t8 over a certain period of time T4. In addition to executing the intermittent control method of 5 seconds OFF Fix, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased by, for example, 2 degrees Celsius every time a certain period of time, for example, 40 seconds has passed, as shown in Figure 12, and the rice cooking heater 3 is The energization time is stored in the rice cooking capacity determination data storage area in the RAM 35 and integrated.

Now, proceeding to the capacity determination step, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is set to (t2 + 2°C), the temperature interval time T5 is set to 40 seconds, ON-MAX is set for 15 seconds,
Execute the intermittent control method of 0FF-Fix for 5 seconds. During this time, if the temperature of the thermosensor 6 is lower than the set temperature, the rice cooking heater 3 is energized for a maximum of 15 seconds to heat and raise the temperature of the food, while adding up the energization time to the rice cooking heater 3. In this way, every time 40 seconds elapse, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased by 2 degrees Celsius, and the energization time to the rice cooking heater 3 is accumulated, and eventually T4 hours have passed since the start of the capacity determination process. When the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches (8 temperature) and the RAM85E flag area is specified, the rice cooking capacity is determined based on the cumulative energization time of the rice cooking heater 3.In addition, in the capacity determination step FIG. 13 illustrates the timing of energizing the rice cooking heater with respect to changes in setting and measured temperatures.

In the capacity determination step, the t3 temperature is not particularly limited, but is preferably determined within the range of 85°C to 90°C. That is, in the structure of the rice cooker as shown in the first diagram, from t2 (around 60℃) to t3 (85 to 90℃
) is the temperature range in which the rice cooking heater energization time changes the most with respect to the size of the rice cooking capacity, and is the most preferable period for collecting the rice cooking capacity determination data.

Next, determination of rice cooking capacity will be explained. The rice cooking capacity is determined by reading out the rice cooking capacity determination program stored in the ROM 84 in advance based on the designation of the flag area, calculating the rice cooking capacity as shown in the flowchart shown in Fig. 14, and starting the next stage of cooking. Determine the heating sequence during the raising process. This heating sequence is a heating power adjustment, and specifically, a so-called duty control is adopted, which is a method of adjusting the time during which the rice cooking heater 3 is energized within a certain period (for example, 64 seconds). The heating duty for the next cooking process determined as a result of the capacity determination is determined by applying a heater voltage suitable for the rice cooking capacity, but in order to completely gelatinize the rice, the rice should be kept at 90℃ or above for 20 minutes or more. The conditions are that the rice should be kept at a constant temperature, that boiling over should be avoided, and that the cooking time should be constant.

In addition, the rice cooking capacity is determined by taking into consideration the accumulated time of energizing the rice heater, the power supply voltage when the rice heater is energized, and whether the rice is cooked by a timer or by instant cooking, thereby making the determination more accurate. That is, as can be seen from the experimental data shown in FIG. 15, even when the cumulative rice cooking heater energization time is the same, the rice cooking capacity determination result varies greatly depending on the level of the power supply voltage and whether or not timer rice cooking is used. For example, when the cumulative time is 240 seconds, the rice cooking capacity determination value varies over a range of 3 to 8 cups.

For this reason, it is possible to perform accurate capacity determination by performing program processing based on the above three conditions, and the mechanism is shown in the flowchart of FIG. 14. The above-mentioned timer rice cooking will be explained in detail in a later section, but in the case of timer rice cooking, the rice is immersed in water from the time the time is set until the rice cooking starts, and it has absorbed some water when the rice cooking starts. Compared to instant-cooked rice, the amount of water absorbed by rice is different, and this causes a difference in the cumulative energization time of the rice-cooking heater even if the rice-cooking capacity is the same.As a result, when determining the rice-cooking capacity, whether it is timer-cooked rice or instant-cooked rice is included as a condition. By doing this, the amount of water absorbed by rice is corrected.

In FIG. 14, the rice cooking capacity is determined at the end of the capacity determination process. First, by reading out the timer rice cooking determination contents temporarily stored in the RAM 35, it is determined whether the rice cooking currently being executed is timer rice cooking or instant rice cooking. still,
In the RAM 85E, the time setting means E reads whether or not the time has been set using the timer set key before operating the rice cooking/timer start key, and temporarily stores the information in advance.

After this determination is completed, the value of the current power supply voltage is compared with the value stored in the ROM 84 to determine whether the power supply voltage is in the low voltage, standard voltage, or high voltage range. After that, the rice cooking capacity is determined as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 16 based on the rice cooking heater energization cumulative time. The rice cooking capacity is divided into 6 categories depending on timer rice cooking and instant rice cooking, and the state of the power supply voltage for each rice cooking, and each category is further divided into 10 stages according to the specific time width of the rice cooking heater energization time. The heating duty is set for each capacity as described below, and the programmed contents are stored in advance in the ROM 34. After determining the power supply voltage, the rice cooking heater temporarily stored in the RAM 85 is activated. While reading the cumulative energization time TR,
By reading the rice cooking capacity determination program in the ROM 34, the rice cooking capacity is determined as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. , T.R.
Determine the rice cooking capacity when the relationship of
When specified, the process moves to the next stage of cooking.

As described above, in the capacity determination process, the set temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased by 2 degrees Celsius every 15 hours, and the temperature is turned on for 15 seconds.
By executing the intermittent control method of MAX, 5 seconds 0FF-Fix, the temperature of the food to be cooked is raised from t2 temperature to t3 temperature over 14 hours, the time during which electricity is applied to the rice cooking heater 3 is accumulated, and this Based on the cumulative energization time, the rice cooking capacity is determined in consideration of the state of the power supply voltage and whether the rice is cooked on a timer or immediately, and the heating duty in the cooking process is determined.

As can be seen from Figure 14, the number of determinations for rice cooking capacity is 60 types in 6 categories and 10 stages, all with different heating duties, and these heating duties are as follows:
■It is based on the formula.

The above formula 0 is a formula that calculates the heating power until boiling, and the formula 0 is a formula that calculates the heating power after boiling. Here, by keeping the cooking time (■+■) constant, the heating power (■10■) can be determined from the formula 00. Then, a heater of a size that has a margin for the maximum value of the heating power (■ + ■) determined in this way is adopted as a rice cooking heater, and by controlling the duty of this heater, the heating power suitable for each capacity is adjusted. create.

In this duty control, the time T6 for energizing the rice cooking heater 3 within a certain period is determined by the following equation (0) (see FIG. 17). 'Although the duty control cycle is 64 seconds, this is due to the rice cooking relay 27.
This value is set in consideration of the lifespan of , and is not particularly limited to this value.

0 Cooking process When moving to the cooking process, the heating program contents corresponding to the heating duty determined in the previous capacity determination process are stored in ROM3 based on the designation in flag area F of RAM85.
By reading from 4, the rice cooking heater 3 is duty-controlled to raise the temperature of the food to the cooking humidity t4 (approximately 124°C), and when the humidity exceeds t4, the thermosensor 6V? - is detected and the process is ended, and the flag area G of the RAM 35 is designated to proceed to the next double-cooking/uncoating process (see the flowchart in FIG. 18).

This cooking process differs from the previous steps in that it ends when the thermosensor 6 detects that the temperature reaches t, so it includes an element of temporal instability, but the rice cooking capacity By determining the heating duty suitable for this and controlling the duty of the rice-cooking heater in the relevant process based on this, the time T required for the rice-cooking process has extremely small fluctuations and remains almost constant. It will be the time when

〇 Double-cooking/uneven process In the double-cooking/uneven process, the burn setting contents temporarily stored in the RAM 85 are read based on the designation of the flag area G of the RAM 85, and the contents of the ROM 84 corresponding to the setting contents are read out. By reading out the contents of the control program, control is performed as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19, and after a certain period of time T8 (for example, 12 minutes), the flag area H of the ERAM 35 is designated and the process is moved to the warming process.

First, to adjust or set the darkening, press the darkening adjustment key 22 to select "Standard" → "Light" → "Standard" → "Dark" → "
It can be set repeatedly in the following order: "Standard" → "Light" → ..., and the burnt surface determination means (■) counts the number of times the key 22 is pressed, and sets the number of burnt settings (setting contents) to R.
Remember when it is 85cm AM. Then, when moving to the Mihara cooking and shading process, the burn setting contents are read out from the RAM 35, and the control program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to these contents are read out, thereby controlling as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. 19. Each figure in Fig. 20 shows the relationship between the temperature change of the thermosensor and the energization state of the rice cooking heater in the same process, where (a) shows the "Light" setting and (b) shows the "Standard" setting. (C) shows the time when "dark" is set.

If it is currently set to "Light", the temperature of the thermosensor 6 will be detected to be less than the t4 temperature (124℃) and the time will start. Electricity is applied for a period of time (5 seconds) to burn the food, that is, rice, and then electricity to the rice cooking heater 3 is stopped.

When set to "Standard", it detects that the temperature of the thermosensor 6 has become less than the t4 temperature and starts counting the time, and when one minute has passed, the rice cooking heater 3 is energized and the temperature of the thermosensor 6 is increased. The food to be cooked is heated until the temperature reaches t4, and when the temperature reaches 1t4, electricity to the rice cooking heater 3 is stopped and the rice cooking heater 3 is kept in a stopped state from then on.

If it is set to "Dark", the rice cooking heater 3Vc will be energized one minute after the temperature of the thermosensor 6 falls below the t4 temperature to raise it again to the t4 temperature, similar to the above "Standard". However, once again, the temperature of the thermosensor 6 is counted for 1 minute from when it becomes less than 4 temperature, and after 1 minute, the rice cooking heater 3 is energized until the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches t4 temperature again. Heat the food and then turn off the electricity.

Therefore, the Mihara-cooking and shading process ends after 18 hours have passed from the start, and the flag area H of RAMg 5
is specified and moves on to the heat retention process.

This Mihara-cooking/smoothing process finishes the rice by draining the cooked rice and adjusting the charring, and by completing this process, the rice is sufficiently smoothed and the rice is ready to eat. .

Incidentally, the burn setting can be made arbitrarily before moving to the Mihara cooking/murashi process, and subsequent setting operations will be invalid.As described above, the rice cooking control means is configured by the preheating control means and each flag in the RAM 35. areas, program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to each area, electronic timer 33 ROM 84 and RAM
35, the capacity of the food to be cooked is determined based on the signal from the thermosensor 6, and the rice cooking is started by controlling the electricity supply to the rice cooking heater 3 based on the determination result ( - The rice cooking device is configured to complete the rice cooking in a substantially constant cooking time from the start of second rice heating, and to finish the rice after a certain uneven time after the rice cooking is completed.

0 Warmth Retention Process When the heat retention process is entered, the heat retention relay 29 is turned on, and this ON state continues until the cancel key 24 is pressed. Control in the heat retention process is performed by a heat retention thermal reed switch 7 that detects changes in the temperature of the food, and as shown in FIG.
N, 0 FFIC controls the power supply to the rice cooking heater 3 and the warming heater 5 to keep the rice, which is the food to be cooked, warm.

The temperature setting of the thermal reed switch 7 is set to a temperature suitable for keeping rice warm, for example, 70°C.

Next, one means of the rice finishing timer will be explained. This timer means is for executing the timer rice cooking, and is configured to arbitrarily set a finishing time and start cooking rice by the rice cooking control means a fixed time before the end of the set time.

The rice finishing timer means includes a time setting means E in the CPU 32, a rice cooking start determination means including the program contents specified by the flag, a display control means including the program contents specified by the flag, a time setting program contents in the ROM 34, It is composed of an electronic timer 33, a RAM 35, a time display section 10, a rice cooking/timer start key 21, an hour set key 25, a minute set key 26, etc. I will explain later.

When the power is turned on now, each part of the microcomputer 31 starts up, the flag area J of the RAM 85 is specified,
By reading out the program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to this, the number display element I is displayed in the time display section 10.
I, 11' displays "88" and flashes colon 12,
This indicates that the power has been turned on and that there has been a power outage.

In the cancel mode, only the colon 12 lights up. Cancellation key 24
is valid in all modes after the power is turned on, and when the cancel key 24 is turned on, it is stored in the storage means in the CPU 32 and the corresponding program in the ROM and 134 is read out, thereby stopping each part. state, and only the colon 12 is lit.

Next, time setting is performed by pressing the hour set key 25 and minute set key 26 in the power-on mode or cancel mode, and the time setting means E reads the input states of both set keys 25 and 26, and ROM
By reading the contents of the time setting program and the contents of the display program from 34, the process is carried out as shown in the flowchart E of FIGS. 22 and 23.

Now, when the time set key 25 is pressed, the colon 12 and the hour display lamp 13 are lit, and while the set key 25 is pressed, the time data is counted up by one hour at a constant cycle, and the numerical display is displayed. Element 11. 1 from IIJC
．． ．． Display the numbers as 2.3..., 12
Time setting is performed using a time limit. Next, when the minute set key 26 is pressed, the minute display lamp 14 lights up and the display on the hour display section 10 is switched to minute display, and the set key 26 is pressed.
While 6 is pressed, the minute data is counted up in 10 minute increments at a constant cycle, and the number display element 11. 1 from IIJC
0.20.30... and so on, and finally, by pressing the rice cooking/timer start key 21, the hours and minutes are set, the colon 12 blinks, and the timer is put into operation. The time display section 10 is normally in a time display state, and switches to minute display only when the minute set key is pressed.

If the key is not operated for a certain period of time (for example, 4 seconds) before pressing the rice cooking/timer start key 21, the display switches to timer start standby mode (for example, hours and minutes are displayed alternately). If the process continues for a certain period of time (for example, 3 minutes), the mode is switched to the cancel mode.

In the timer actual operation state, the display control is performed by counting down the time data from the set time and reading out the contents of the display program, as shown in the flowchart shown in FIG. That is, as the time progresses, the time display by the numerical display element counts down in hour units to display the remaining time until the time for the rice to be finished, and when the remaining time is within the hour, the numerical display element counts down. The time display switches to the Co (abbreviation for COOK) display, and this Co display continues until the cooking process is completed. Then, when the time until the end of the set time reaches 10 hours (time shorter than 1 hour) lc, this is determined and the rice cooking control means starts cooking, while the CQ display and the colon 12 are displayed on the time display section 10. Operation display section 1
At step 5, the preheating/rice cooking indicator lamp I6 blinks to indicate that the rice cooking operation has started and that the rice cooking process has started.
Such a display continues until the secondary preheating process is completed. Then, when TI + T2 hours have passed from the start of rice cooking and the process moves to the capacity determination process, the Co display and the preheating/cooking indicator lamp 16 are switched from blinking to continuous lighting, and the capacity determination process and the subsequent cooking process are started. is running.

Then, at the same time that the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches 14 temperature and the cooking process shifts to the Mihara cooking/mixing process, the Mihara cooking/mixing display lamp 17 is turned on, and the Co display in the time display section 10 is changed to the minute display. , the execution time T8 of the Mihara cooking and shading process, that is, 12 minutes, will be displayed, and from then on, it will count down in 1 minute increments, and the remaining time until the rice is finished will be displayed. This coincides with the end of the cooking and shading process. When moving to the heat retention step, the heat retention display lamp 18 is lit, the hour display lamp 13 is lit, the time display is switched to the time display, the time data is counted up, and the elapsed heat retention time is displayed from the time display section 1'OVc. Count up by the hour.

Here, the above T. To explain about time, this T. The time is determined based on the total time of T1, T2, T4, T7, and T8. In making this decision, T, ・T2・T4
・There is no problem as each time of T8 is a fixed time, but 17 hours includes unstable elements as explained in the previous cooking process, so it is necessary to consider how much of the 17 hours to expect. .

However, as explained earlier, although there is some variation in 17 hours, it is a substantially constant time, so it was determined based on experimental data and T, including each time of T, T2T4T8. If you decide on the time, there will be a difference between 16 hours and the time actually required from the start of cooking to the end of the rice, but the difference is T. From the perspective of the entire time, it can be kept extremely small.

Also, in the time display section IO, from the C8 display to the Mihara cooking
The time from the start of the unevenness process to the switching to minute display is calculated to be 48 minutes, but in reality it does not necessarily match because the unstable time T7 is included. However, the time zone including T7 is C8 display, and the time is displayed, and the time difference is extremely small. Furthermore, the end of the Mihara cooking and murashi process coincides with the 0 display, so the user's reliability is high. It is possible to almost accurately obtain the most ripe rice at the desired set time without damaging the rice.

In addition, if the rice is not cooked even after one hour has passed from the start of cooking (when the temperature of the thermosensor 6 does not reach the t4 temperature), rEEJ is displayed on the numerical display element 11, 11', and the rice goes into error mode. . At this time, power supply to the rice cooking heater 3 is also stopped.

In addition, when 25 hours or more have passed since the start of heat preservation, the time display in the time display section 10tlC disappears and the heat preservation indicator lamp 1 is turned off.
Only 8 lights up.

Here, rice cooking using a rice finishing timer means, ie, timer rice cooking, will be briefly explained with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5.

If you want to finish 4 cups of rice after 12 hours under standard voltage and brown it to the standard degree, first wash the 4 cups of rice, place it in the inner pot 4, and add water accurately to the specified water level. After filling, the inner pot 4 is placed inside the outer pot 2 and the lid is closed. Next, insert the power plug into the outlet and turn on the power.
By pressing the time set key 25, the time is set to 12 hours, and by subsequently pressing the rice cooking/timer start key 21, the timer is put into effect.

Then, as time passes, the remaining time appears on the time display section 10.
The time is displayed in hour increments, and when 11 hours have passed and the remaining time is less than 1 month, the time display section 10 [CQ
is displayed, indicating that the rice cooking has entered the standby state.

Furthermore, when time passes and the remaining time reaches 16 hours,
Rice cooking starts and the primary heating process is executed, and after T1 time has elapsed, the process moves to the secondary preheating process, and after 12 hours have elapsed, the process moves to the capacity determination process. In this capacity determination step, while increasing the set temperature by 2°C at every fixed time T5, the rice cooking heater 3 is The energizing time is accumulated, and this accumulated time is collected as rice cooking capacity determination data. Then, when 14 hours have passed, the rice cooking capacity is determined based on the power supply voltage, timer rice cooking/immediate rice cooking, and the rice cooking heater's cumulative energization time, the corresponding heating duty is determined, and the next stage of cooking is started. Move on to the process. In addition, in the case of this rice cooking example, (2
-4), and the heating duty corresponding to the region (2-'4) is selected.

When moving to the cooking step, the rice is cooked by heating at the previously determined heating duty.

Then, when the temperature of the thermosensor 6 reaches the t4 temperature and the rice is cooked, the Mihara cooking and shading process starts, and at the same time, 18 hours, that is, 12 minutes is displayed on the time display section IO.

In addition, before starting the Mihara cooking and shading process, set the degree of scorch to "standard" by operating the scorch adjustment key 22 (.

In the Mihara cooking/uniforming process, by controlling the rice cooking heater 8 as shown in FIG. At the same time, the process ends and the process moves to the heat retention process. At this time, approximately 12 hours have passed since the rice cooking/timer start key 21 was pressed, and the rice is sufficiently uniform and ready to eat.

The operation and display in the case of timer rice cooking have been explained above, but in the case of instant rice cooking, the following display format is used so that the progress from the start of rice cooking to the completion of rice can be accurately and easily grasped. It has become.

In the case of instant cooking, the period from the start of cooking until the rice is cooked is divided into multiple sections.For example, in this embodiment, each process of primary child heat, secondary child heat, capacity determination, and cooking is one period, and a total of 4 Divided into two sections, each section has a numeric display element 11.1
Segment 1' is selected and set as appropriate. For example, the 25th
In the figure, the segment) St of the numerical display element 11 is set for displaying primary heat, the segment S2 is set for displaying secondary preheating, and the segment S8 of the numerical display element 11' is set for displaying capacity judgment. S4 is set for cooking display, and the display form thereof will be explained with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27.

Now, to start cooking rice immediately, the rice cooking/timer start key 21
When turned ON, this is stored in the storage means A in the CPU 32, and the control program contents and display program contents in the ROM 34 corresponding to the stored contents are read out. The display is controlled as shown in the flowchart shown in the figure.

In FIG. 26, when the rice cooking/timer start key 21 is turned on, the segment Sl flashes to indicate that the primary heating step (section) is being executed, and at the same time, the timer starts counting.

When the timer counter value Ta exceeds T1 time (-the execution time of the secondary heating process), the segment S1 is switched to the lighting state and the segment 52 is blinked to indicate that the process has proceeded to the secondary preheating process. At this time, the timer counter restarts after being reset and starts counting from zero. Next, the timer counter value Ta is T2
When the time (execution time of the secondary preheating process) is exceeded, both segments 51 and S2 are turned on and segment S3 is blinking to indicate that the process has proceeded to the capacity determination process, and the timer count Ta is the same as before. Restart after resetting to a. Then, when the timer counter value Ta exceeds 14 hours (the execution time of the capacity determination step), segment S1. S2 and S3 are turned on and segment S4 is blinked to indicate that the cooking process has proceeded, and the timer counter Ta is reset and then restarted. After that, the temperature t of the thermosensor 6 becomes the cooking temperature [
When the temperature exceeds 4 (the end temperature of the cooking process), the numerical display elements 11 and 11' display the time "12" minutes, and from then on, the time is displayed in the same way as when cooking rice with a timer, and the Mihara cooking/murashi process is started. and display the heat retention process.

In this way, the progress from the start of rice cooking to the completion of rice can be clearly understood by lighting and blinking of segments 1-5L, S2, S3, and S4, making it possible to accurately and easily estimate the cooking completion time, and to prepare side dishes. This is extremely convenient for preparing for such matters.

In addition, if you divide the period from the start of rice cooking until the rice is finished cooking into more sections and display the sections instead of focusing on process transitions, you can more accurately know the progress of the rice cooking operation. . In addition, the present invention provides the following features when cooking rice with a timer:
Although this does not particularly preclude the adoption of a display format similar to that used for instant rice cooking, in the case of timer rice cooking, the user is often away from the user himself, such as when going out or going to bed, so it is not very meaningful.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of the invention.

(Effects) As described above (according to the present invention, by using the segments of the number display element that displays time, it is possible to subdivide and display the period from the start of rice cooking to the completion of rice cooking, and the rice cooking operation The progress of cooking can be clearly grasped and the timing of completion of cooking can be accurately estimated for each station, which is extremely convenient when preparing side dishes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the schematic structure of a rice cooker that implements the heater control method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a front view of the operation panel section of the above, Fig. 3 is a circuit diagram of the heater as above, and Fig. 4 is the control of the same as above. A block diagram of the entire circuit, Figure 5 is the main flowchart of the same as above, Figure 6 is a curve diagram showing the relationship between the time elapsed from the start of rice cooking to keeping it warm and the temperature change of the thermosensor, and Figures 7 and 8 are the same as above. - A flowchart of the next and secondary preheating steps, Fig. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the intermittent control state of the rice cooking heater as above, and Fig. 10 (,) (b) is a diagram for comparing continuous energization and intermittent energization of the rice cooking heater. Explanatory diagram, FIG. 11 is a judgment data collection flowchart in the same capacity judgment process, the
Figure 2 is a diagram showing changes in the set temperature in the capacity determination step as described above, and Figure 13 is a diagram showing the energization timing to the rice cooking heater with respect to the set and measured temperature in the capacity determination step as described above.
FIG. 14 is a rice cooking capacity determination flowchart in the same capacity determination process as above, FIG. 15 is experimental data showing the relationship between rice cooking-heater energization cumulative time and rice cooking capacity in the same as above capacity determination process, and FIG. 16 is a rice cooking capacity determination flowchart in the same as above. Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the control state of the rice cooking heater in the above-mentioned cooking process, Fig. 18 is a flowchart of the above-mentioned cooking process, Fig. 19 is a flowchart of the above-mentioned Mihara cooking/mixing process, Fig. 20 (,) 21 to (C) are diagrams showing the relationship between the temperature change of the thermosensor and the energization to the rice cooking heater in the Mihara cooking/mixing process as above, and FIG. 2
Figure 2 is a display flowchart as above, Figure 23 is a timer setting flowchart as above, Figure 24 is a time display flowchart as above, Figure 25 is an enlarged view of the time display section as above, Figure 26
The figure is a flowchart for starting rice cooking as above, and Figures 27(a) to (
d) is an explanatory diagram of display contents same as above. 10.: Time display section, 11.11': Numerical display element, 5
l-84: Segment. Agent Patent Attorney Aihiko Fuku (2 others) Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 9 Figure 1o Figure 15 Head Figure 2 Figure δ

Claims (1)

[Claims] l. A time display section having a numerical display element and displaying the time set by a timer, the remaining time, or the elapsed time for keeping warm, from the start of cooking until the rice is cooked. display control that divides the space into a plurality of sections, selects and sets the segments of the numerical display element for each section as appropriate, and displays sections by sequentially blinking segments corresponding to the section in progress as the rice cooking operation progresses; A display device for a rice cooker, characterized in that a means is provided. 2. The display device for a rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the display control means lights up a segment corresponding to the end section, blinks a segment corresponding to the ongoing section, and turns off the other segments.