KR101113540B1 - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

The cooking machine of the present invention is provided with a main body having an opening on the upper surface, a pot which is detachably housed in the main body, a cover for freely opening and closing the opening of the main body, heating means for heating the pot, and a main body, A weight detecting means for detecting a total weight with the cooking object placed in the pot, and a rewritable nonvolatile memory, the nonvolatile memory having at least a first weight detecting means in a state where the pot is not stored in the main body; Storage based on the output signal, a storage unit for storing the second output signal of the weight detection means in the state where the pot is stored in the main body as a weight calculation parameter, and an output signal of the weight detection means input at the first timing The weight calculation parameter stored in the unit is updated, and the weight of the food is based on the output signal and the weight calculation parameter of the weight detection means input at the second timing. Calculating a, and has a control unit for controlling the whole constant and / or the distribution amount of the heating means according to the weight of the food.

Description

Cooked rice {RICE COOKER}

The present invention relates to a cooking device.

Recently, a cooker using electromagnetic induction heating is spreading in the market. A cooker using electromagnetic induction heating (induction heating cooker) has an induction heating coil on the outside of the bottom of the pot, and heats the pot itself by using a magnetic force generated from the induction heating coil. You can cook delicious rice that is softly inflated.

On the other hand, in order to improve the taste of rice, the rice cooker which determines the quantity (cooking amount) of rice and water in a pot, and controls the heating amount according to the cooking amount has spread.

In the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-10910, a cooking machine of the prior art example 1 is disclosed. The cooking device of the conventional example 1 is heated with a strong fire power (for example, 1300 W) when the cooking amount is large (for example, 4 rice or more and a note: 180 cm ^{3 in} one bowl), and weak when the cooking amount is small. Heat to thermal power (eg 600 W). As a method of determining the cooking amount, a method of determining the cooking amount from the temperature rise rate of the pot when heated to a predetermined heat amount (for example, when it is boiled after being absorbed into the rice at a predetermined temperature) and before the user cooks There is a method of inputting the cooking amount using the selection button of the cooking machine. In addition, the above-mentioned cooking apparatus of the conventional example 1 controls the warming power in accordance with the amount of the warming heat input by the user when warming the rice.

However, when the cooking apparatus of the conventional example 1 determines the cooking quantity from the temperature rise rate of the pot at the time of heating, fire control is impossible until the temperature reaches a predetermined value and the cooking quantity is determined. Thus, for example, when the cooking amount is small, there is a problem that the water boils before the absorption is sufficiently performed, and the rice remains hard and the rice becomes hard. In addition, when the user inputs the cooking / heating amount, the cooking / heating order is complicated for the user.

Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 1-27724 discloses a cooking machine of the prior art example 2. The cooking apparatus of the conventional example 2 detects the weight of the cooking pot (gross weight of the cooking pot, water and rice) by the weight detecting means at the same time as the cooking start, and determines the cooking amount, and controls the amount of electricity (heating power) of the heater at the cooking. do. Therefore, it is possible to control fire power suitable for the amount of cooking with the start of cooking.

However, in general, the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detection means tend to vary from product to product. Therefore, in order to accurately calculate the weight of the workpiece from the output signal of the weight detecting means with high precision, mechanical and electrical adjustment is performed to bring the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detecting means into a predetermined range after assembling the cooker. I needed to. The cooking machine of the prior art example 2 was not suitable for mass production and expensive, since it requires the process of adjusting the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detection means mechanically and electrically in the manufacturing process. Moreover, since the weight detection means is comprised by mechanical elements, such as a spring, detection accuracy falls with the change with time, room temperature, etc. The cooking machine of the prior art example 2 has a problem that when the detection accuracy of the weight detection means falls, the cooking amount is erroneously determined and delicious rice cannot be cooked.

In addition, the cooking apparatus of the conventional example 2 has a bottom lid inserted into the main body, the bottom frame and the bottom frame, and when the pot is stored in the main body, it is attached to the bottom frame and the bottom lid in proportion to the total weight of the pot and the main body. The distance between the electrodes is changed. The cooking apparatus of the prior art example 2 detects a cooking quantity by detecting a change in capacitance generated between electrodes as a change in the oscillation state. The rice cooker of the prior art 2 had the problem that the size of the whole rice cooker with respect to a pan was large, and carrying and installation property was bad. In addition, there was a problem that the assembly number is bad due to the large number of parts.

In addition, when the weight detection means of the same type as the cooking machine of the conventional example 2 is to be attached to the induction heating cooking machine, the following problems arise. In an induction heating cooking machine, when cooking, the pot itself is heated to a high temperature to condense water in the pot, and the rice is heated by heat conduction by the convection. Therefore, in order not to cause a difference in cooking rice and water in the pan by uniformly heating, the positional relationship between the pan and the induction heating coil is fixed to an optimal state, and a predetermined state, Strong convection needs to be caused in the pan. For this reason, many induction heating coils had a complicated three-dimensional shape. On the other hand, an accommodating portion (consisting of upper and lower coil bases) incorporating induction heating coils is usually produced from a resin in consideration of moldability and mass productivity. The pot becomes hot when cooked. Since the heat resistance of the resin is not so high, generally the induction heating machine has a structure in which the flange-shaped portion of the top opening of the pot which protrudes outward is horizontally placed on the upper end of the housing, and has a gap between the pan and the storage. It is. Therefore, it was not possible to attach the weight detecting means of the same type as the conventional cooking machine to the induction heating cooking machine.

In the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 1-297011, a cooking machine of the prior art example 3 is disclosed. The cooking apparatus of the conventional example 3 memorize | stores the output of the weight detection means (weight sensor) when a pot (an inner pot) is not accommodated in a main body as a zero point of a weight detection means. The zero point is corrected each time the user takes out the pan from the body for cooking. The pot and the pot are stored by subtracting the value of the zero point stored in the storage unit immediately before the pot containing the cooked item is stored in the main body from the output of the weight detection means when the pot containing the cooked item is stored in the main body. The total weight of the workpiece is detected. And the weight of a to-be-cooked object is computed by subtracting the weight of a pan from the gross weight.

However, in general, since the weight of the pot varies from product to product due to the unbalance of the plate thickness, etc., the unbalance of the weight of the pot was included as an error in the weight of the workpiece to be prepared by the conventional cooking apparatus of Example 3. In addition, although the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detection means differ from product to product as described above, the cooking apparatus of the conventional example 3 assumes that the output sensitivity is a constant value in all products. Therefore, the cooking machine of the prior art example 3 may not be able to calculate the weight of a to-be-processed object correctly.

In the Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hei 1-297012, a cooking machine of the prior art example 4 is disclosed. The cooking apparatus of the conventional example 4 judges that there is no pot in the main body when the output of the weight detecting means is within a predetermined range, and determines the output of the weight detecting means when the pot is not stored in the main body. As a memory. However, in the cooking apparatus of the prior art 4, it is necessary to always operate the weight detection means in order to detect the presence or absence of a pot, and consumed extra power.

On the other hand, in general, the higher the rate at which the starch, which is the main component of rice, is increased, the more sweeter the food is and the better the digestive absorption. For this reason, in the boiling holding process, the pressure cooker which raises the boiling point of water, raises the boiling point of water, and promotes hydrolysis of rice, and improves alpha degree, is spreading. However, the pressure cooker tends to be different in alpha degree due to a change in the amount of water added (ratio of rice and water). That is, there existed a subject that the taste tends to be different compared with the case where no pressure is applied by the imbalance of the addition and the decrease of water.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-10910 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 1-27724 Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Pyeongseong 1-2-297011 Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Pyeongseong 1-2-297012

The present invention aims to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooker capable of appropriately controlling the thermal power according to the amount of the cooked product by accurately estimating the amount of the cooked product in the pot before the start of heating. An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker that automatically corrects a decrease in detection accuracy of a weight detecting means. It is an object of the present invention to provide a compact, lightweight and inexpensive rice cooker suitable for mass production, without requiring a process of mechanically and electrically adjusting the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detecting means at the time of manufacture. An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker with low power consumption. An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure cooker in which the degree of α conversion of rice does not differ depending on the handling conditions such as the amount of water to be added.

In addition, in a cooker using electromagnetic induction heating (induction heating cooker), it is necessary to keep the distance between the induction heating coil and the pot constant. An object of the present invention is to provide an induction heating cooking machine that exhibits excellent cooking performance while maintaining a constant distance between an induction heating coil and a pot.

In order to achieve the said objective, this invention has the following structures.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a rice cooker includes a main body having an opening on an upper surface thereof, a pot housed in a detachable manner within the main body, a cover for freely opening and closing the opening of the main body, and heating means for heating the pot. And a weight detecting means provided in the main body to detect the total weight of the pot and the workpiece placed in the pot, and a nonvolatile memory that can be rewritten. The nonvolatile memory includes at least the pot. A memory for storing the first output signal of the weight detecting means in a state not stored in the main body and the second output signal of the weight detecting means in a state of storing the pot in the main body as a parameter for weight calculation; And the weight calculation parameter stored in the storage unit on the basis of the output signal of the weight detection means input at the first timing. And calculates the weight of the workpiece based on the output signal of the weight detection means and the weight calculation parameter inputted at a second timing that is different from the first timing, and according to the weight of the workpiece. It has a control part which controls the electricity supply rate and / or electricity supply amount to the said heating means.

The rice cooker of this invention can be manufactured only by inserting the simple process which put the parameter for weight calculation into a memory part in a manufacturing process. The cooking machine of the present invention can be mass-produced at low cost and has high gravimetric accuracy because it does not require a step of mechanically and electrically adjusting the output level and output sensitivity of the weight detecting means. In addition, the cooking machine of the present invention has stable gravimetric accuracy, which is difficult to change with time, and is less likely to be affected by the environment such as ambient temperature.

The "weight calculation parameter" is a parameter indicating the relationship between the output signal of the weight detection means and the load. In "the state which stored pot in the body," a pot may be empty and may be put in the additional pot of the weight already known.

The cooking machine of the present invention stores, as a weight calculation parameter, not only the first output signal in a state where the pot is not stored in the main body but also the second output signal in a state where the pot is stored in the main body. Even if the output sensitivity of the weight detection means and the weight of the pot are irregular for each product, the weight of the workpiece can be calculated accurately. Since the weight (cooking amount) of the cooked food (rice and water) in a pot can be calculated before starting cooking, it is possible to control the cooking power from the start of cooking and to cook delicious rice.

In the above-mentioned table according to one aspect of the invention, the weight calculation parameter is at least the first output signal and the empty state or the pot including the first load in the state in which the main body is accommodated. The second output signal of the weight detecting means and the third output signal of the weight detecting means in the state where the pot and the second load are accommodated in the main body may be included.

In general, the weight of the pot, the output level of the weight detecting means, and the output sensitivity vary from product to product. In the typical manufacturing process of the cooking machine of the present invention, the second output signal and the third output signal are stored in the storage device of each cooking machine without the troublesome adjustment of the sensitivity of the weight detecting means (or only a very simple checking and adjusting operation). Can be remembered. Thereby, the coefficient according to the characteristic of each rice cooker of the formula (typically primary formula) which calculates the weight of a to-be-heated thing can be calculated. Therefore, even if various characteristics of each cooker are irregular, the weight of the heated object can be calculated accurately.

As a parameter for calculating the weight of the rice cooker of the present invention, preferably, the pot is not in the storage unit, the empty pot is stored in the storage unit, and the weight corresponding to the maximum amount of the workpiece is put in the pot. It is preferable to store the output signal of the weight detection means in the storage unit.

The 2nd output signal of the weight detection means in the state which accommodated the pot in a main body is a value required in order to calculate the weight of a to-be-processed object. However, the measured value is also a value including unpredictable conditions, such as some residue sticking to a pan or a spatula in a pan. Therefore, it is not suitable as a measured value for correction. On the contrary, the first output signal of the weight detection means in a state where the pot is not stored in the main body is suitable as a measurement value for correction because almost no unpredictable condition is included.

Therefore, according to the cooking machine of the present invention, the zero point correction value is calculated based on the first output signal, and the second output signal and the third output signal are corrected by the zero point correction value. The cooking machine which calculates the weight of water can be implement | achieved.

In the cooking apparatus of the present invention according to the above aspect, the nonvolatile memory that can be rewritten is a state in which the pot containing at least empty or the first load containing the first load is stored in the main body instead of the storage unit and the control unit. A storage unit for storing the first output signal of the weight detection means, the second output signal of the weight detection means in the state where the pot and the second load are accommodated in the main body, and the weight; A control unit for calculating a weight of the workpiece based on an output signal of the detection means and the parameter for calculating the weight, and for controlling a current carrying ratio and / or a current carrying amount to the heating means according to the weight of the workpiece. You may comprise.

The cooker according to the present invention includes a first output signal in a state in which an empty pot (or a pot including a first load) is stored in an accommodating part, and a pot and a second load (preferably the maximum amount of cooking that the cooker can cook). The second output signal in a state in which the load corresponding to the weight of water is stored in the storage unit is different from the first load. Thereby, even if the weight of a pot, the output level of a weight detection means, and an output sensitivity are irregular for every product, the weight of a to-be-processed object can be calculated correctly. The cooking machine of the present invention can calculate the weight (cooking amount) of the cooked foods (rice and water) in the pot before the start of cooking. Can be built. The cooking machine of the present invention can be manufactured by simply inserting a simple step of writing the weight calculation parameters into the storage unit in the manufacturing process. In addition, since the cooking apparatus of the present invention does not require a process for mechanically and electrically adjusting the output level and the output sensitivity of the weight detecting means, it can be mass-produced at low cost and has high gravimetric accuracy.

In the cooking machine according to one aspect of the invention, there is further provided a pot detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the pot in the main body, wherein the control unit has a state in which the signal from the pot detecting means is the pot in the main body. When the signal is switched from the signal to the signal in the absent state, the weight detecting means is operated for a predetermined time to calculate a zero point correction value that is a difference between the output signal of the weight detecting means and the first output signal at that time. The weight calculation parameter may be configured to be corrected based on the zero point correction value.

The cooking machine of the present invention automatically performs zero point correction of the weight detection means whenever the user takes out the pan from the housing. In general, a user of a cooker takes out a pan from a storage unit before cooking, puts a cooked object into the pan, returns the pot to the storage unit, and closes the lid. Therefore, the parameter for weight calculation is updated automatically just before the cooking (zero point correction is performed). Preferably, the zero point correction value is added (or subtracted) to each weight calculation parameter to be corrected.

In the cooking apparatus according to the above aspect, the control unit may further be configured to energize the weight detecting means only at a predetermined timing.

Thereby, the cooking machine which calculates the weight of a to-be-processed object with low power consumption effectively and stably and with high precision can be implement | achieved.

In the cooking apparatus of the present invention according to the above aspect, the apparatus further includes a cover opening / closing detecting means for detecting an open / closed state of the cover, wherein the control unit is further configured to provide a signal from the cover opening / closing detecting means. When switching from the signal to the signal in the state where the lid is closed, the operation of the weight detecting means may be terminated and the weight of the cooked object may be calculated from the output signal before the operation of the weight detecting means ends.

The cooking machine of the present invention can automatically calculate the amount of the workpiece from the output signal of the weight detecting means immediately before the lid is closed. For example, the cooking amount or the warming amount can be automatically calculated when starting cooking or keeping warm. The weight of the workpiece can be calculated without forcing a user to perform a special operation, and heating control according to the weight can be performed.

In the cooking apparatus of the present invention according to the above aspect, the apparatus further includes cover opening and closing detecting means for detecting the open / closed state of the cover, and the control unit further includes a signal from the cover opening and closing detecting means. When the cover is switched to a signal in the open state, the operation of the weight detecting means is started, and then the signal from the cover opening / closing detecting means is in a state in which the cover is closed from the signal in the open state. When switching to the signal, the operation of the weight detection means may be terminated and the weight of the workpiece may be calculated from the output signal before the operation of the weight detection means ends.

The cooking machine of this invention calculates the weight of a to-be-processed object from when a cover is opened and until a cover is closed for the first time after that. For example, the amount of warming is calculated from when the user opens the cover to hold the rice, until the user closes the cover with the rice. Therefore, proper heat retention control can be performed by using the heat retention amount immediately before closing the lid. No more power is supplied to the weight detecting means than necessary, and unnecessary power is not consumed.

In the cooking apparatus of the present invention according to the above aspect, the apparatus further includes a cover opening / closing detecting means for detecting the opening / closing state of the cover, wherein the control unit is a state in which the signal from the pot detecting means is the pan in the main body. Operation of the weight detecting means at least at any time when the signal from the pot detecting means is switched from the signal of the state in which the pot is not in the main body to the signal of the state when the signal is changed from the signal of the absence state to the signal of the absence state. When the signal from the cover opening / closing detecting means is first switched from a signal in the state in which the cover is open to a signal in the state in which the cover is closed, the operation of the weight detecting means is terminated at the same time, Configured to calculate the weight of the workpiece from the output signal before the operation of the weight detection means ends. It is also good.

The cooking machine of this invention calculates the weight of a to-be-cooked object from the time of taking out a pot or storing a pot, and until a cover is closed for the first time after that. For example, the weight is detected from the time when the user takes out the pot to return rice and water to the pot and returns the pot to the dishwasher, until the lid is closed to start cooking. As a result, the weight detecting means is not energized more than necessary and no wasteful power is consumed.

In the cooking apparatus of the invention according to the above aspect, when the magnitude of the output signal of the weight detecting means is not a normal value, the cooking may be performed according to the user's input or in a certain order.

The size of the output signal of the weight detecting means may be irregular or abnormal or larger than a predetermined limit value, for example, because the chuck is installed in a place where there is heavy shaking. In such a case, the cooker of the present invention estimates the weight of the cooked product from the cooked amount input by the user or the speed of temperature rise of the pot when heating, and thus cooks the rice even if it is not an optimal condition. have.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a rice cooker includes a main body having an upper surface opened, a pot that is detachably stored in a storage unit of the main body, a cover that opens and closes the storage unit freely, and an induction heating unit that inductively heats the pan. Means, and a weight detecting element attached directly or indirectly to the receiving portion, and a detector attached directly or indirectly to the weight detecting element, the detector being in contact with a substantially central portion of the outer bottom of the pot, the detector Weight detection means for detecting the total weight of the pot and the workpiece to be put in the pot by the weight detecting element, and calculating the weight of the workpiece based on an output signal of the weight detection means, And a control unit for controlling a current carrying ratio and / or a current carrying amount to the induction heating means according to the weight of water.

The cooking apparatus of the present invention calculates the weight of the workpiece before starting heating cooking, and performs the thermal power control (control of the current carrying ratio and / or the current carrying amount to the induction heating means) according to the weight. Regardless, you can cook delicious rice. Since the cooking apparatus of the present invention constitutes the weight detecting means with a small number of parts, it is possible to realize a compact, lightweight and inexpensive cooking apparatus. In addition, since the cooking apparatus of the present invention detects the weight at approximately the center of the outer bottom of the pan, even if the position of the pan accommodated in the housing is shifted, the error of the weight measurement value is small.

The induction heating means for induction heating the pot is typically an induction heating coil attached to the bottom of the receiving portion (the portion opposite the outer bottom of the pot). Induction heating coils are windings centered just below the center of the bottom of the pan.

In the cooking machine of the present invention, the weight detecting means measures the weight of the pot by supporting it at approximately the center of the outer bottom thereof. Therefore, the weight detecting means can be attached without interfering with the induction heating coil. The pot, which is supported at approximately the center of the bottom of the pot by the detector, is disposed in the storage unit in a stable state without the tilt between the pot and the induction heating coil being kept constant. Therefore, the induction heating coil can heat the pot appropriately and stably, and can exhibit excellent cooking performance.

In addition, "the gross weight of the pot and the to-be-cooked material put in a pot" means the gross weight of the thing containing at least a pot and the to-be-cooked material put into the pan.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there may be further provided a fitting means configured to seal the opening of the pot, and a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the pot to a predetermined pressure.

In the case of the pressure type cooker, when the pressure is applied to the pot, the weight detecting means for supporting the pot at approximately the center of the bottom of the pot puts a load on the pressure increase portion, and the weight detecting means may be broken.

According to the present invention, even in the pressure type cooking machine, the weight detecting means includes a fitting means configured to seal the opening of the pot and a pressure adjusting means for adjusting the pressure inside the pot to a predetermined pressure. Can be prevented from being applied, and the weight detection means can be prevented from being broken. Therefore, even in the pressure type cooking machine, since the weight detection means is provided and the appropriate water mass can be always informed, the optimum water mass can be adjusted, and the difference in α degree of rice can be eliminated.

In the cooking apparatus according to another aspect, the insulating member connected to the weight detecting element and the detector may be provided between the weight detecting element and the detector.

According to the present invention, since the insulating member can prevent static electricity from invading the weak circuit, it is possible to provide a safe cooking machine with a simple configuration. The insulating member is not heated by the leakage magnetic flux of the induction heating coil.

In the cooking apparatus of the said invention by the said other viewpoint, the pot detection means which detects whether the said pot is accommodated in the said accommodating part may be further provided in the substantially center part of the outer bottom part of the said pot.

According to the present invention, in a compact, lightweight, and inexpensive configuration, it is possible to measure the gross weight between the pot and the workpiece placed in the pot and to detect the presence or absence of the pot at approximately the center of the outer bottom of the pot. have.

According to another aspect of the invention, the detector may have a cylindrical shape, and a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the pan may be provided therein.

According to the present invention, in a compact, lightweight, and inexpensive configuration, either the detection of the temperature of the pan and the measurement of the total weight of the pan and the food to be put in the pan (or the detection of the presence or absence of the pan) are both pots. This can be done at approximately the center of the outer bottom of the. Even if the position of the pan accommodated in the storage unit is shifted, the error of the detection temperature and the weight measurement value is small. In addition, there is no fear of misdetecting the presence of the pot.

In the above-mentioned table according to another aspect of the invention, the temperature detecting means may be configured such that a force is applied upward by the elastic body so that its upper surface protrudes above the upper surface of the detecting body.

According to the present invention, excessive stress is not applied to the temperature detection means by the elastic body (for example, a spring) and the detection body. By the elastic body, the temperature detecting means reliably contacts the bottom surface of the pan and accurately detects the temperature. The weight detecting means can accurately detect the total weight between the pan and the workpiece placed in the pan through the detector.

In the cooking machine of the present invention according to the other aspect, the weight detecting means further includes the pot, the dish put in the pot, and the total weight of the pot and the dish put in the pot. You may comprise so that a gross weight with the said temperature detection means may be detected.

For example, when a spring is installed between the temperature detecting means and the weight detecting means, or when a lead wire is connected to transmit the detected temperature information, a method of connecting the lead wire by a change over time or by rotating the lead wire. There is a possibility that the weight detection accuracy decreases.

According to the present invention, since the weight of the temperature detecting means together with the pot and the preparations put in the pot can be estimated as the total weight, even if there is an imbalance such as a spring constant or a method of connecting the lead wire by turns, the weight detection accuracy does not decrease. .

In the above-mentioned table according to another aspect, the weight detecting element may be a load cell or a piezoelectric element.

In the cooking machine of the present invention, since the distance between the pan and the induction heating coil does not change with the weight of the heated object, the induction heating coil can stably heat the pan without being affected by the weight of the non-heated material. These devices have high reliability and can accurately measure weight because no eddy current flows due to the leakage magnetic flux of the induction heating coil and the temperature does not rise.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a guide roller mounting portion for holding a guide roller in contact with a side surface of the pan and a bearing portion for supporting the guide roller in an axially rotatable direction. At least three may be provided in the upper part.

In the cooking machine of the present invention, since the guide roller in contact with the pan rotates only in the vertical direction, the pan is stored smoothly. In the cooking machine of the present invention, since the pan is supported by the guide roller not only from the detector but also from the side, the posture of the pan is more stable, and the weight detection accuracy is improved. In the cooking machine of the present invention, since the distance between the induction heating means and the pot is kept constant, the induction heating means can heat the pot appropriately and stably, and can exhibit excellent cooking performance. In addition, since the pan does not move in the circumferential direction, the pan does not rotate when the user puts rice from the pan.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is further provided a guide roller in contact with the side surface of the pot, and a guide roller capable of supporting the guide roller in an axially rotatable direction and displaceable in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the pan. You may have the spring member provided with a bearing part, and the at least 3 guide roller attachment parts provided in the upper part of the said accommodating part so that a displacement is possible for the said spring member.

In the cooking machine of the present invention, since the guide roller in contact with the pan rotates only in the vertical direction and displaces in the direction orthogonal to the side surface of the pan, even if there is an imbalance in the size of the pan, the pan can be stored smoothly. Since the pan of the present invention is supported by the guide roller not only from the detection body but also from the side, the posture of the pan is more stable, and the weight detection accuracy can be improved. In addition, since the distance between the induction heating means and the pot is kept constant, the cooker of the present invention can heat the pot appropriately and stably, and can exhibit excellent cooking performance.

In the above-mentioned table according to another aspect, the guide roller further includes a rubber pot rotating prevention mechanism having a groove having a V-shaped cross section parallel to the rotational direction of the guide roller. good.

According to the cooking machine of the present invention, the pot rotation preventing mechanism is in contact with the pot while opening the pot. Therefore, the pan does not rotate when the user puts rice from the pan.

 The cooker of the present invention exhibits an advantageous effect of providing a cooker capable of appropriately controlling firepower according to the amount of cooked food by accurately estimating the amount of cooked food in the pot before the start of heating. The cooking machine of the present invention has an advantageous effect that it can provide a cooking machine that automatically corrects a decrease in the detection accuracy of the weight detecting means. The cooking machine of the present invention does not require a step of mechanically and electrically adjusting the output level and the output sensitivity of the weight detecting means at the time of manufacture, and can provide a small, light and cheap cooking machine suitable for mass production. It has a favorable effect. The cooking machine of the present invention exhibits an advantageous effect that it is possible to provide a cooking machine with low power consumption. The cooker of the present invention exhibits an advantageous effect that a pressure cooker which does not differ in α degree of rice depending on handling conditions such as the amount of water to be added can be provided. In addition, the cooking machine of the present invention exhibits an advantageous effect that it is possible to provide an induction heating cooking machine exhibiting excellent cooking performance while keeping the distance between the induction heating coil and the pot constant.

1 is a side view in which a part of the cooking machine of Example 1 of the present invention is cut out.
FIG. 2 is a view showing an operation unit of the cooking machine of FIG. 1.
3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the cooking machine of FIG.
4 is a diagram showing the relationship between the magnitude of the load into the load cell and the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell in the cooking device of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for updating a weight calculation parameter of the rice cooker of FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a weighing method when starting cooking of the cooking machine of FIG. 1.
FIG. 7A is the temperature of the pot bottom (solid line) and the center of the cooked object (dashed line) in the step of absorbing rice into the rice when cooking with one cooker in FIG. 1.
FIG.7 (b) is the temperature of the pot bottom (solid line) and the center of a cooked object (broken line) in the process of making it absorb into the rice at the time of 5 rice cooking with the rice cooker of FIG.
Fig. 7 (c) is a rice cooker of the prior art that determines the cooking amount in the step of cooking rice, and the temperature of the bottom of the pot (solid line) and the center of the cooked object (dashed line) in the step of absorbing the rice at the time of cooking of one go; to be.
Fig. 7 (d) is a rice cooker of the prior art that determines the cooking amount in the step of cooking rice, and the temperature of the bottom of the pot (solid line) and the center of the cooked object (dashed line) in the step of absorbing the rice at the time of cooking 5 go; to be.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a weighing method when the warming device of FIG. 1 is kept warm.
9 is a side view in which a part of the cooking machine of Examples 2 to 4 of the present invention is cut out.
FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the rice cooker of FIG. 9. FIG.
FIG.11 (a) is the temperature of the pot bottom (solid line) and the center of a cooked object (broken line) in the process of making it absorb into rice at the time of one rice cooking with the rice cooker of FIG.
FIG. 11 (b) is the temperature of the bottom of the pot (solid line) and the center of the workpiece (dashed line) in the step of absorbing the rice into five rice in the cooking apparatus of FIG. 9.
Fig. 11 (c) is a rice cooker of the prior art for determining the cooking amount in the step of cooking rice, and the temperature of the bottom of the pot (solid line) and the center of the cooked object (dashed line) in the step of absorbing the rice at the time of cooking of one go; to be.
Fig. 11 (d) is a rice cooker of the conventional example in which the cooking amount is determined in the cooking process, and the temperature of the pot bottom (solid line) and the center of the cooked object (dashed line) in the step of absorbing the rice at the time of cooking 5 go; to be.
12 is a plan view of the cooking apparatus of Example 3 and Example 4 of the present invention.
Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the rice cooker of the third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 (a) is a sectional view of an essential part that passes through a shaft when a pan is stored in a housing of the cooking machine of FIG.
FIG. 14 (b) is a sectional view of an essential part passing through a shaft when the pan is not stored in the housing of the cooking machine of FIG.
15 is an exploded perspective view of an essential part of the cooking machine of Example 4 of the present invention.
FIG. 16 (a) is a side view of the guide roller stand when the pan is not stored in the housing of the cooking machine of FIG.
FIG. 16 (b) is a side view of the guide roller stand when the pan is stored in the housing of the cooking machine of FIG.
Fig. 17 is a side view of a part of the cooking machine of the fifth embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of the rice cooker of FIG. 17. FIG.
Some or all of the drawings are drawn by schematic representation for the purpose of illustration and should not necessarily be descriptive of the actual relative sizes and positions of the elements indicated therein.

The novel features of the invention must not be particularly set forth in the appended claims, but the present invention, together with other objects and features, is to be understood from the following detailed description, which is understood with the accompanying drawings. It will be better understood and appreciated.

Example

Hereinafter, Example 1 thru | or Example 4 which is preferable embodiment of the rice cooker of this invention are demonstrated.

(Example 1)

The cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS.

First, the structure of the cooking apparatus of Example 1 is demonstrated using FIG. 1 and FIG. 1 is a side view in which a part of the cooking machine of Example 1 of the present invention is cut out. A cross section is shown at the break. In order to simplify the drawings, lead wires and the like for electrical connection are omitted.

In Fig. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a box-shaped body (main body) of the cooking machine. In the body 10, the lid 20 covering the upper surface thereof is freely opened and closed. The storage part 30 of the body 10 is comprised from the upper frame 32 of the upper part, and the coil base (coil support body) 31 of the lower part. The pot 12 is formed of magnetic bodies such as stainless steel and iron. The storage part 30 accommodates the pot 12 of a magnetic body so that attachment or detachment is possible. The heating coil 13 which induction-heats the pan 12 is arrange | positioned in the part which opposes the bottom part of the pan 12 of the coil base 31. As shown in FIG. The circuit board 14 is provided between the body 10 and the housing part 30. Although not shown, the circuit board 14 is equipped with a microcomputer, an input circuit, an output circuit, and a replaceable nonvolatile memory (for example, a flash memory).

The cooking apparatus of Example 1 heat-cooks the to-be-cooked object 19 in the pan 12 by induction heating of the pan 12 by the method mentioned later. The dishes 19 are rice before cooking and water or cooked rice. The rice cooker of the first embodiment has a power cord (not shown), and is in a state of "power on" when commercial power is supplied from the power cord.

Each detection means provided in the rice cooker of Example 1 is demonstrated.

In the bottom part of the coil base 31, the temperature detection means 15 which detects the temperature of the pan 12 is provided. The temperature detecting means 15 is pushed up by a spring, and when the pan 12 is accommodated in the housing part 30, the temperature detecting unit 15 contacts the central portion of the bottom of the pan 12 to detect the temperature of the pan 12. .

At the bottom of the body 10, a pan detecting means 16 for detecting whether or not the pan 12 is stored in the housing 30 is provided. The pot detecting means 16 is composed of a micro switch that is rigidly connected to the body 10. When the pot 12 is accommodated in the housing portion 30, since the protrusion provided on the bottom of the temperature detecting means 15 pushes down the micro switch, the pot detecting means 16 outputs an ON signal.

The cover opening and closing detecting means 21 for detecting the opening and closing of the cover 20 is provided in the body 10. The lid open / close detection means 21 is comprised with a micro switch. Since the hinge part of the cover 20 pushes down the micro switch when the cover 20 is closed, the cover opening / closing detecting means 21 outputs an ON signal.

The pot detecting means 16 and the cover opening / closing detecting means 21 are always operating in the state where the power of the cooker is turned on, respectively, and outputs either an ON signal or an OFF signal.

The weight detection means 40 is a weight detection means for detecting the weight of the pan 12. The weight detection means 40 is comprised from the support part 17 and the load cell 18. As shown in FIG.

The load cell 18 is a global load cell (load converter) and is rigidly connected to the body 10. A resistance wire distortion gauge (not shown) is attached to the load cell 18. The load cell 18 can pick up the resistance change of the resistance wire distortion gauge generated in proportion to the load as an electric signal in the bridge circuit.

The support part 17 has the shape which formed three protrusion part in the thin plate. The support 17 (thin plate) is screwed to one end of the load cell 18. The projection part of the support part 17 penetrates three holes formed in the bottom part of the coil base 31, respectively.

When the pan 12 is not accommodated in the housing 30, the load cell 18 detects the weight of the support 17. When the pan 12 is accommodated in the housing 30, since the protrusion tip of the support 17 contacts the bottom of the pan 12, the load cell 18 is distorted, and the support 17 and the pan 12 ) And the total weight of the workpiece 19 in the pot 12 is detected. The resistance wire distortion gauge attached to the load cell 18 is energized (operates) only when an operation command is received from the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 described later. The output of the resistance wire distortion gauge is stabilized at about 0.5 seconds after energization. The weight detection means 40 measures the weight of a pan and a to-be-heated object accurately through the support part 17 which supports the bottom surface of a pan three points.

Electrical signals from the temperature detecting means 15, the pot detecting means 16, the lid opening and closing detecting means 21, and the weight detecting means 40 are input to the circuit board 14, respectively.

2 is a view showing an operation unit of the cooking machine of the first embodiment of the present invention. The operation part 50 is provided in the front surface of the main body 10 of the cooking machine of Example 1 (not shown in FIG. 1).

The operation unit 50 has a display unit 58 and key input means 59. As the key input means 59, a cooking switch 51, a warming switch 52, a cancellation switch 53, a reservation switch 54 for making a timer reservation, and a time for matching the reservation time (hours and minutes) ( The measurement switch 57 for manually operating the switch 55, the minute switch 56, and the weight detection means 40 (load cell 18) is provided. The user can input a command by operating each switch. The display unit 58 displays a situation of cooking rice and the like.

Next, the structure of the control means of the rice cooker of Example 1 is demonstrated using FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control system of the cooking machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

The control system of the cooking machine of the first embodiment includes the operation unit 50, the weight detecting means 40, the pot detecting means 16, the cover opening and closing detecting means 21, the temperature detecting means 15, the control means 300, The heating coil drive means 311, the heating coil 13, the memory | storage part 320, the pan 12, and the cover 20 are provided.

The storage unit 320 is composed of a replaceable nonvolatile memory mounted on the circuit board 14 and stores a weight calculation parameter 321 for calculating the weight of the workpiece 19. The control means 300 has a microcomputer mounted on the circuit board 14. The heating coil drive means 311 is mounted on the circuit board 14.

The control means 300 (microcomputer) is an operation command input by the user through the operation unit 50 by software stored in the storage means, each detecting means (weight detecting means 40, pot detecting means 16, Control of the heating coil drive means 311 based on each signal input from the cover opening / closing detecting means 21 and the temperature detecting means 15 and the weight calculation parameter 321 read out from the storage unit 320. The display on the display unit 58, the ON / OFF control of the load cell 18, and the rewriting of the storage unit 320 are performed.

The heating coil drive means 311 drives the heating coil 13 under the control of the control means 300. The heating amount of the heating coil 13 is controlled by the electricity supply rate and / or the electricity supply amount of the heating coil 13.

The control means 300 includes a weight calculation unit 301, a load cell ON / 0FF control unit 302, a zero jumbo compensation unit 303, a heating control unit 304, and a heating program storage unit 305. The weight calculation unit 301 is based on the output signal of the load cell 18 and the weight calculation parameter 321 read out from the storage unit 320 to determine the weight of the workpiece 19 in the pot 12. The amount of cooked rice or the amount of heat retained). The load cell ON / OFF control part 302 turns ON / OFF the electricity supply to the load cell 18, when the measurement switch 57 is operated and the predetermined conditions mentioned later are satisfied. The zero jumbo stage 303 rewrites the weight calculation parameter 321 based on the output signal of the load cell 18 under predetermined conditions (described later). The heating program storage unit 305 stores a heating program (picking process and warming process) according to the weight of the workpiece 19. The heating control part 304 is based on the weight of the to-be-processed object 19 which the weight calculation part 301 calculated, and the temperature of the pan 12 which the temperature detection means 15 detected, The heating program according to the weight of the < RTI ID = 0.0 >

4-8, the operation | movement of the cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention comprised as mentioned above is demonstrated.

[Movement of cooking machine before shipment from factory]

After assembling the rice cooker of Example 1 of this invention at a factory, the operation before shipment is demonstrated.

After assembling, turn on the power (supply commercial power to the cooker). In the state where the pan 12 is removed from the housing 30 (the state in which only the support 17 is loaded in the load cell 18), the measurement switch 57 and the cooking switch 51 of the operation unit 50 are simultaneously pressed. . The magnitude of the load applied to the load cell 18 at this time is set to W1. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18. The zero point compensator 303 inputs the output signal of the load cell 18 (the output signal of the bridge circuit based on the resistance change of the resistance wire distortion gauge). After a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) has elapsed, the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18. The zero jumbo preservation unit 303 writes the magnitude S1 of the output signal of the load cell 18 when the energization to the load cell 18 is completed, into the storage unit 320. Hereinafter, the output signal of the load cell 18 in which the pot 12 was taken out from the accommodating part 30 is called "zero point measurement value." The zero point measurement value takes various values depending on the production imbalance of the pot 12 and the cooking machine weight.

Next, in the state where the empty pot 12 is accommodated in the storage part 30 (the state in which the support part 17 and the empty pot 12 are loaded in the load cell 18), the measurement switch 57 of the operation part 50 is carried out. ) And the thermal insulation switch (52) at the same time. The magnitude of the load applied to the load cell 18 at this time is set to W2. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18. The zero jumbo stage 303 inputs the output signal of the load cell 18. After a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) has elapsed, the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18. The zero jumbo stage 303 writes the magnitude S2 of the output signal of the load cell 18 at the end of energization to the load cell 18 into the storage unit 320.

Next, in the pot 12, a weight corresponding to the maximum weight of the cooked product 19 (for example, the total weight of 5 rice and water for boiling 5 rice) is placed, and the pot 12 is stored in water. In the state accommodated in the payment part 30 (the support part 17, the empty pot 12, and the additional loading in the load cell 18), the measurement switch 57 and the reservation switch 54 of the operation part 50 are simultaneously made. Press The magnitude of the load on the load cell 18 at this time is set to W3. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18. The zero jumbo stage 303 inputs the output signal of the load cell 18. After a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) has elapsed, the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18. The zero jumbo preservation unit 303 writes the magnitude S3 of the output signal of the load cell 18 to the storage unit 320 when the energization of the load cell 18 is terminated.

By the above operation, the memory 320 outputs the signal S1 of the load cell 18 for three states (the loads are W1, W2, W3) as the weight calculation parameter 321 before being shipped from the factory. , S2, S3) are written.

4 is a diagram showing a relationship between the magnitude of the load on the load cell and the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell. The magnitude of the output signal of the load cell 18 can be represented by the first function of the load on the load cell 18. In FIG. 4, 401 is a straight line which shows the relationship between the magnitude | size of the load to the load cell 18, and the magnitude | size of the output signal of the load cell 18 obtained before shipping the cooking machine of Example 1. FIG. When the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell 18 is S, the weight W of the workpiece 19 in the pan 12 is

W = Wmax × (S-S2) / (S3-S2) ‥‥ (1)

Becomes However, Wmax is the maximum weight (= W3-W2) of the to-be-processed object 19, and is a quantity already known. Usually, although the weight (= W2-W1) of the pan 12 differs from product to product, since Formula (1) does not include the weight of the pan 12, the weight of the to-be-processed object 19 is correctly measured. Can be calculated.

Also, in general, the output level and output sensitivity of the load cell 18 are different for each product (cooker). For this reason, conventionally, in order to accurately calculate the weight of the workpiece from the output signal of the load cell 18, after assembling the cooking machine, the mechanical and electrical power for bringing the output level and output sensitivity of the load cell 18 into a predetermined range is obtained. The adjustment process was necessary.

In contrast, the cooking apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured by simply inserting a simple step of writing the weight calculation parameter 321 into the storage unit 320 in the manufacturing process. Therefore, the calculation precision of the weight of a to-be-processed object is high, it is suitable for mass production, and it can manufacture at low cost.

In addition, since the rice cooker of the first embodiment of the present invention writes the weight calculation parameter 321 into the storage unit 320 which is a nonvolatile memory, the formula (1) is obtained from the output signal S of the load cell 18. Only the weight of the workpiece 19 can be calculated. Therefore, before shipping, it is not necessary to perform a circuit adjustment to collect the zero point measurement values within a predetermined range.

Since S2-S1 becomes the weight of the pan 12, the weight imbalance of the pan 12 is recorded, and the measurement precision improves.

[Movement of cooking machine when we took pot out of storing department]

The operation | movement at the time of taking out the pan of the cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention from a storage part is demonstrated. Since the weight detection means 40 is comprised by a mechanical element, detection accuracy falls with the change with time, room temperature, the inclination of the installation place of a rice cooker, and the like. That is, the weight calculation parameter 321 changes. The cooking apparatus of Example 1 of this invention updates the weight calculation parameter 321, when the pot 12 is removed from the accommodating part 30. FIG. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for updating a weight calculation parameter of the cooking machine of Example 1 of the present invention.

The cooker is turned on (step 501). When the power of the cooker is turned on, the pot detecting means 16 starts to output a signal to the control means 300 whether or not the pot 12 is present in the housing 30. The zero jumbo stage 303 judges whether the pot 12 has changed from the state in the storage portion 30 to the non-existence state (whether the pot 12 has been taken out of the storage portion 30) ( Step 502). When the pan 12 is taken out from the storage unit 30, the zero jumbo preservation unit 303 transmits a current transfer command to the load cell 18 to the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18 (step 503). The zero jumbo correction unit 303 inputs the output signal ST0 of the load cell 18 (step 504). When the output signal of the load cell 18 is stabilized after a predetermined time (about a few seconds), the zero-jumbo compensation unit 303 transmits an energization termination command to the load cell 18 to the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18 (step 505).

In the zero-jumbo compensation unit 303, the magnitude ST0 of the output signal of the latest load cell 18 is stored. This ST0 is the latest zero point measurement value. The output signal of the load cell 18 fluctuates according to the change with time, room temperature, the installation situation of a rice cooker, etc. Therefore, ST0 generally does not coincide with the output signal S1 of the load cell 18 when there is no pan 12 in the storage unit 30 measured when shipped from the factory (zero point drifts).

The zero point compensator 303 calculates the zero point correction value SE (= ST0-S1) (step 506). The zero point compensator 303 reads the weight calculation parameters 321 (S1, S2, and S3), adds the zero point correction values SE to respective values, and makes ST1, ST2, and ST3 (step 507). ).

In FIG. 4, 402 is a straight line showing the relationship between the magnitude of the load on the load cell 18 and the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell 18 obtained in step 506. The straight line 402 is a straight line in which the straight line 401 at the time of shipment from the factory is moved by SE in the longitudinal axis direction.

The zero judging unit 303 updates the weight calculation parameters S1, S2, and S30 of the storage unit 320 with ST1, ST2, and ST3, respectively (step 508).

The cooking apparatus of Example 1 of this invention updates the weight calculation parameter 321 every time the pot 12 is taken out from the accommodating part 30 (zero point correction).

Since the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention does not energize the load cell 18 for a predetermined time (between steps 503 to 505), it does not consume power unnecessarily.

In the cooking apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention, the zero point correction value SE is calculated from the output signal of the load cell 18 after a predetermined time has elapsed since the pan 12 was taken out (step 506). Instead, the zero point correction value SE is calculated using the output signal within a predetermined time (for example, on average) after the pot 12 is taken out and the output signal of the load cell 18 is stabilized. You may.

[Movement of cooker when we cook rice]

The operation | movement at the time of cooking rice of Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated. 6 is a flowchart of a weighing method when starting to cook rice in a cooker of Example 1 of the present invention.

The cooker is turned on (step 601). When the power of the cooker is turned on, the pot detecting means 16 and the cover opening / closing detecting means 21 start operation. The pot detecting means 16 outputs a signal to the control means 300 whether or not the pot 12 is present in the housing portion 30. The weight calculation unit 301 determines whether the pot 12 has changed from a state in which the pan 12 is not in the storage unit 30 (whether the pot 12 is stored in the storage unit 30) ( Step 602). When the pan 12 is accommodated in the storage unit 30, the weight calculation unit 301 transmits a current transfer command to the load cell 18 to the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18 (step 603). The weight calculation unit 301 inputs the output signal Sc of the load cell 18 (step 604). The weight calculation unit 301 determines whether the lid 20 is closed from the open state from the signal of the lid open / close detection means 21 (step 605). When detecting that the lid 20 is closed, the weight calculation unit 301 transmits an energization end instruction to the load cell 18 to the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18 (step 606).

At this point in time, the weight calculation unit 301 stores the magnitude Sc of the output signal of the latest load cell 18. The weight calculation part 301 calculates the weight (amount of food) Wc of the to-be-processed object 19 in the pan 12 using Sc in Formula (1) (step 607). The heating control unit 304 determines whether the cooking switch 51 (included in the key input means 59) has been operated (step 608). When the cooking switch 51 is operated, the heating control unit 304 reads the heating program corresponding to the weight Wc of the workpiece 19 from the heating program storage unit 305, and executes the cooking process ( Step 609).

In general, a user of a cooking machine removes the pan 12 from the housing 30 before cooking, puts the cooked product 19 into the pan 12, and puts the pan 12 into the housing 30. The cover 20 is closed. Therefore, immediately before the rice is cooked, the weight calculation parameter 321 is automatically updated by the method described in [Operation of the rice cooker] (flow chart in FIG. 5) (zero point correction is performed).

Since the cooking apparatus of Example 1 of the present invention automatically calculates the cooking quantity Wc before making rice using the updated weight calculation parameter 321, the estimated precision of the cooking quantity Wc is high. . Moreover, the user does not need to perform a special operation for the zero point correction and the cut amount calculation.

Before starting cooking, the weight detecting means 40 performs the cooking process (the cooking process of the cooking machine of the first embodiment of the present invention) of the method of determining the cooking amount, and the temperature detecting means in the cooking like the conventional example 1 ( The difference of the cooking process in the method of determining a cooking quantity is demonstrated by the temperature rising speed of 15).

The cooking process is largely classified into absorption of rice in time, cooking rice, maintaining boiling, keeping warm of cooked rice, and steaming. In the step of absorbing rice, the rice and water in the pot are heated and absorbed into the rice until the temperature of the pot 12 reaches a temperature suitable for absorption of the rice (50 ° C). Next, in the cooking step, the pan 12 is heated to a predetermined amount of heat until the temperature of the pan 12 reaches a predetermined value (100 ° C.). In the conventional example, the cooking quantity was determined by the temperature rising speed at this time. In the boiling holding step, the water in the pan 12 is removed and the rice and water are heated until the temperature of the pan 12 reaches a predetermined value exceeding 100 ° C. Finally, in the steaming process, the heating (heating of the cooked rice) and the stopping of the heating are repeated a plurality of times during a predetermined time.

The process of making it absorb into rice is demonstrated using FIG. 7 (a)-(d). Fig. 7 (a) shows a pot bottom (solid line) in the step of absorbing rice in the same manner as when the rice is cooked in a cooker of the first embodiment of the present invention. The temperature of the center of the workpiece (dashed line) is shown. Fig. 7 (c) is one pot cooker with the conventional cooking machine for determining the cooked amount in the rice cooking process, and Fig. 7 (d) is similarly a pot in the step of absorbing the rice when five cookers are cooked. The temperature of the bottom (solid line) and the core part (broken line) in the workpiece is shown. The temperature of the bottom of the pot is detected by the temperature detecting means 15.

The cooking apparatus of the conventional example for determining the cooking amount in the step of cooking rice, as shown in Fig. 7 (c) and (d), regardless of the number of the workpiece 19, the temperature detecting means 15 is Heating is performed until the detected temperature reaches a temperature suitable for absorption (50 ° C). Thereafter, the temperature of the pot 12 is maintained at 50 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta and is absorbed into the rice. However, when the cooking amount is large (Fig. 7 (d)), it takes time until the temperature of the entire workpiece 19 reaches 50 ° C, so that the absorption time is insufficient. Therefore, the seam will remain in the rice.

The cooking apparatus of Example 1 of this invention is detected by the temperature at the time of absorption (temperature detection means 15) according to the quantity of the to-be-processed object 19, as shown to FIG. 7 (a) and (b). Change the temperature at which it For example, when the cooking quantity is one sum, heating is performed until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 15 reaches 50 ° C. Then, the temperature of the pot 12 is maintained at 50 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta to absorb rice (FIG. 7A). For example, when the cooking quantity is five sums, heating is performed until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 15 reaches 60 ° C. Then, the temperature of the pot 12 is maintained at 60 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta to absorb rice (FIG. 7B). Since the temperature of the center part of the to-be-processed object 19 rises later than outer temperature and it becomes about 50 degreeC, rice can fully absorb.

Next, the process of making rice is demonstrated.

The cooking apparatus of the conventional example which determines the cooking quantity in the cooking process, regardless of the large or small amount of the cooked material 19, the pot 12 at a predetermined fire power (current conduction rate and / or electricity supply amount of the heating coil 13). ) Is heated to a predetermined temperature (100 ° C). Therefore, when the cooking amount is small, it boils too quickly and only the surface of the rice becomes sticky, and the seam may become rice.

The cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention changes the thermal power (the electricity supply rate and / or the electricity supply amount of the heating coil 13) in the rice cooking process according to the cooking quantity. In other words, regardless of the amount of cooked food, the control is carried out so that the heating power is weaker as the cooked food quantity is smaller so that the required time of the cooking process becomes constant.

The cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention accurately calculates the cooked amount before starting the heating and controls the heating power according to the cooked amount, so that it is always possible to cook delicious rice regardless of the cooked amount. In addition, it is good also as a control method of changing the time which absorbs rice instead of the temperature at the time of absorbing rice according to a cooking quantity.

Since the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention does not energize the load cell 18 for a predetermined time (between steps 603 to 606), it does not consume power unnecessarily.

Moreover, in the cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention, when the pan 12 was accommodated in the accommodating part 30 (step 602), it was set as the control method which starts energization to the load cell 18. As shown in FIG. Instead of this, it is also possible to use a control method for starting the energization of the load cell 18 when the pot 12 is taken out from the housing portion 30.

In the cooking apparatus of the first embodiment of the present invention, the weight Wc of the workpiece 19 is calculated (step 607) from the output signal Sc of the load cell 18 immediately before the lid 20 is closed. It was set as the control method. Instead, the control for calculating the weight Wc of the workpiece 19 using the output signal of the load cell 18 (for example, by calculating an average value) within a predetermined time before the lid 20 is closed. You may use it as a method. If the value of the weight Wc within the predetermined time changes beyond the predetermined limit value, it is determined that disturbance is applied to the measurement, and the measurement value is not employed, and the cooking is performed by the same method as the cooking machine of the conventional example. Determine the quantity.

[Movement of cooking machine at the time of thermal insulation]

The operation | movement at the time of warming of the rice cooker of Example 1 of this invention is demonstrated. 8 is a flowchart of a weighing method when the warming machine of Example 1 of the present invention is kept warm.

After completion of the cooking process, the cooking apparatus of Example 1 of the present invention keeps the rice warm. During warming, the lid opening / closing detecting means 21 outputs a signal to the control means 300 whether the lid 20 is open or closed. The weight calculation unit 301 determines whether the lid 20 has changed from the closed state to the open state (step 801). When the cover 20 is opened (for example, when the user opens the cover 20 to hold rice), the weight calculation unit 301 energizes the load cell 18 to the load cell ON / OFF control unit 302. Send the command. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 starts energizing the load cell 18 (step 802). The weight calculation unit 301 inputs the output signal Sh of the load cell 18 (step 803). The weight calculation unit 301 reads the weight calculation parameter 321 and calculates the heat retention amount Wh from the output signal Sh of the load cell 18 (step 804). The weight calculation unit 301 determines whether the lid 20 is closed from the open state from the signal of the lid open / close detection means 21 (step 805). When the lid 20 is detected to be closed (for example, when the user stops storing rice and closes the lid 20), the weight calculation unit 301 is connected to the load cell ON / OFF controller 302 to load cell ( 18) Power supply end command to 18) is transmitted. The load cell ON / OFF control unit 302 ends the energization of the load cell 18 (step 806). The control unit 300 determines whether the thermal switch 52 has been operated (step 807). When the thermal insulation switch 52 is operated, the heating control part 304 reads out the heating program corresponding to the thermal insulation amount Wh from the heating program memory part 305, and performs a thermal insulation process (step 808).

In the heat retaining step, the cooking device of the first embodiment of the present invention controls the temperature of the pan 12 detected by the temperature detecting means 15 at 60 ° C., and controls the low temperature heating to prevent rice from melting. The high temperature heating control to sterilize the rice by controlling is repeated for a predetermined time. The less the amount of heat Wh to keep warm, the shorter the time for high temperature heating control is made, and the excessive heating of the rice is prevented. Therefore, regardless of the amount of heat retaining, the heat retaining the food taste of the rice can be maintained. In addition, in order to calculate the heat retention amount Wh, the user does not need to perform a special operation at all.

Since the rice cooker of the first embodiment of the present invention does not energize the load cell 18 for a predetermined time (between steps 802 and 806), it does not consume power unnecessarily.

Moreover, in the cooking machine of Example 1 of this invention, although the heat retention amount Wh computed just before the lid | cover 20 was closed as a control method used for heating control as a heat retention amount, it replaced with this cover ( The control method used for heating control may be used by using the value of the amount of heat insulation (Wh) within a predetermined time before 20) is closed (for example, by calculating an average value). If the value of the warmth amount Wh within the predetermined time changes beyond the predetermined limit value, it is determined that disturbance is added to the measurement, and the measured value is not adopted.

In addition, the structure of the temperature detection means 15, the pot detection means 16, the cover opening-closing detection means 21, and the weight detection means 40 is not limited to what was shown in Example 1 of this invention. For example, only the piezoelectric element, the capacitance detecting element, and the spring may be used as the weight detecting means 40. The cooking apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a weight detected by the weight detecting means 40 when the pan 12 is housed in the housing 30, and at least the pan 12 (the workpiece 19) If it exists, the weight of the pan 12 and the to-be-processed object 19 should just be included.

In addition, in the cooking apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the output signal of the load cell 18 with respect to the loads W1, W2, and W3 already known as the weight calculation parameter 321 is stored in the storage unit 320. S1, S2, S3) are stored. Instead of this, it may be configured to store (S1, S2) or (S1, S3). That is, at least two data including the zero point measured value S1 may be stored. In addition to the output signal S1 of the load cell 18 in a state in which the pan 12 is not stored in the storage unit 30, an output signal S2 in a state in which the pan 12 is stored in the storage unit 30. (Or S3) is also stored in the storage unit 320, so that the weight of the workpiece 19 can be accurately calculated even if the output sensitivity of the weight detecting means 40 and the weight of the pan 12 are irregular for each product. . The storage unit 320 may be configured to store the output signals S2 and S3 of the load cell 18 with respect to the loads W2 and W3 already known as the weight calculation parameters 321. The output signal S2 in the state which accommodated the empty pot 12 or the pot 12 containing the 1st load in the accommodating part 30, and the pot 12 and the 2nd load (preferably a rice cooker) The load corresponding to the maximum possible weight of the workpiece, the second load having a value different from the first load, is stored in the storage unit 320 with the output signal S3 stored in the housing unit 30. . Thereby, even if the weight of the pan 12, the output level and the output sensitivity of the weight detection means 40 are irregular for every product, the weight of the to-be-processed object 19 can be calculated correctly.

If the user puts the empty pot 12 into the storage part 30 and operates the measurement switch 57 and the thermal switch 52 simultaneously, S2 which is one of the weight calculation parameters 321 can be updated. In addition, the calculation accuracy of the amount of cooked rice can be improved.

In FIG. 6, the control means 300 is a weight detection means when the signal from the pot detection means 16 is switched to the signal of the state in which the pot 12 is from the signal of the state in which the pot 12 is not in the main body 10. In FIG. When the operation of 40 is started, and the signal from the lid opening / closing detecting means 21 is first switched from the signal of the state in which the lid 20 is open to the signal of the state closed, then the weight detecting means The operation of 40 was terminated and the weight of the workpiece was calculated from the output signal before the operation of the weight detecting means 40 was terminated. On the other hand, the control means 300, when the signal from the pot detection means 16 is switched from the signal of the state in which the pot 12 is in the main body 10 to the signal of the absence state, the weight detection means ( The operation of 40), and when the signal from the cover opening / closing detecting means 21 is first switched from the signal of the state in which the cover 20 is open to the signal of the closed state, the weight detecting means 40 At the same time, the weight of the workpiece may be calculated from the output signal before the operation of the weight detecting means 40 ends. Alternatively, the control means 300 switches the signal from the pot detecting means 16 to a signal in a state in which the pot 12 is not in the main body 10 and from the signal in the state where the pot 12 is not present. The operation of the weight detecting means 40 may be started at both times when switching from the signal in the main body 10 to the signal in the absent state.

Example 2

9-11, the cooking machine of Example 2 of this invention is demonstrated.

9 is a side view in which a part of the cooking machine of the second embodiment of the present invention is cut out. The cross section is shown in the fractured part. For the sake of brevity, lead wires and the like for electrical connection are omitted.

In FIG. 9, 10a is a box-shaped body (main body) of a rice cooker. In the body 10a, the lid 20a covering the upper surface thereof is freely opened and closed. The storage part 30a of the body 10a is comprised from the upper upper frame 32a and the lower coil base (coil support body) 31a. The pot 12a is formed of magnetic bodies such as stainless steel and iron. The pan 12a has the flange 121 which protruded outward in the opening part of the upper end, and it attaches and detaches to the accommodating part 30a by mounting the flange 121 in the state which floated in the upper end part of the upper frame 32a. It is stored possibly. When the pan 12a is accommodated, the pan 12a has a gap between the pans 12a. An induction heating coil 13a for induction heating the pot 12a is disposed at a portion of the coil base 31a opposite the bottom portion of the pot 12a. The induction heating coil 13a is composed of an outer coil disposed outside the bottom of the coil base 31a and an inner coil disposed inside the bottom. Each induction heating coil is a coil having a center approximately underneath the center of the bottom of the pan 12a. The circuit board 14a is provided between the body 10a and the housing portion 30a. A microcomputer (not shown) is mounted on the circuit board 14a. The microcomputer controls the current for generating the alternating magnetic field in the induction heating coil 13a by software stored in the storage means.

The cooking apparatus of Example 2 induction-heats the pan 12a, and heat-cooks the to-be-cooked object 19a in the pan 12a. The to-be-cooked object 19 is rice before cooking rice, water, or cooked rice. The base 22 is fixed to the bottom of the coil base 31a with a gap. The base 22 has a weight detecting means 40a for detecting the weight of the pot 12a, a pot detecting means 16a for detecting the presence or absence of the pot 12a, and a temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the pot 12a. 45 is installed.

The structure of each detection means is demonstrated using FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of main parts of the rice cooker of Example 2. FIG.

The weight detection means 40a is comprised from the load cell 41, the sensor stand (insulating member) 42, and the butt cylinder (detector) 43. As shown in FIG. The load cell 41 is a universal load transducer (weight detection element). The load cell 41 has a screw hole 411 at one end and a screw hole 412 at the other end. The base plate 22 is attached with a thin plate 211 having a screw hole 212. One end of the load cell 41 is fixed to the base 22 with screws through a screw hole 212 and a screw hole 411. The other end of the load cell 41 has a gap with respect to the base 22. A resistance wire distortion easy 413 is attached to the load cell 41. The load cell 41 can pick up the resistance change of the resistance wire distortion gauge 413 generated in proportion to the load as an electric signal in the bridge circuit. Reference numeral 42 is a sensor stand made of resin. The load cell 41 is fitted into the recess 421 of the sensor stand 42. The sensor stage 42 is fixed to the end of the load cell 41 with screws through a screw hole 422 and a screw hole 412. Reference numeral 43 is a butt holder (detector) formed of aluminum having a thickness of 2 mm. The butt cylinder 43 has two protruding portions 431 facing each other. The butt cylinder 43 is fixed to the sensor stand 42 by passing the protrusion 431 through the butt fixing hole 423 of the sensor stand 42 and bending. The butt cylinder 43 has the flange 432 which protruded inward at the upper end part. An induction heating coil 13a is disposed outside the bottom surface of the coil base 31a. The butt cylinder 43 is passed through one through hole provided in the center of the bottom of the coil base 31a (the center of the induction heating coil 13a, where no induction heating coil 13a is disposed). . The upper end part of the butt cylinder 43 is higher than the inner bottom part of the coil base 31a (FIG. 9). The weight detecting means 40a supports and measures the weight of the pan 12a only at approximately the center of the outer bottom portion thereof. Therefore, the weight detecting means 40a can be attached without interfering with the induction heating coil 13a. Since the pot 12a is supported at the center of the bottom and stably arranged in the housing portion 30a, the induction heating coil 13a can heat the pot 12a appropriately and stably.

The temperature detecting means 45 has two blade edges 451 facing the flange 432 and is inserted from below the butt cylinder 43. The outer diameter of the blade 451 is approximately equal to the inner diameter of the butt cylinder 43, and the temperature detecting means 45 does not fall upward from the butt cylinder 43. In addition, a spring 44 is inserted between the butt cylinder 43 and the temperature detection means 45. The spring 44 contacts the lower surface of the blade 451 and the sensor stand 42 to apply a force to the temperature detecting means 45 so that the temperature detecting means 45 is in close contact with the pan 12a. The electric signal corresponding to the temperature of the pan 12a detected by the temperature detecting means 45 is input to the circuit board 14a through the lead wire 46 and the connector 47. The lead wire 46 is drawn out from the groove 424 of the sensor stand 42.

When the pan 12a is not present in the storage portion 30a, the upper surface of the blade 451 of the temperature detecting means 45 is in contact with the lower surface of the flange 432 of the butt tube 43. The upper surface of the temperature detecting means 45 is at a position higher than the upper surface of the flange 432. When the pan 12a is accommodated in the storage unit 30a, the bottom of the pan 12a is first brought into contact with the temperature detecting unit 45, and finally in contact with the temperature detecting unit 45. It contacts the cylinder 43 (FIG. 9). Therefore, since the butt cylinder 43 supports the center part of the pan 12a, the pan 12a does not incline. The load cell 41 detects and outputs the total weight of the pan 12a, the to-be-processed object 19a, the sensor stand 42, the spring 44, the temperature detection means 45, and the butt cylinder 43. As shown in FIG. The temperature detecting means 45 sinks into the butt tube 43 by the spring 44, and the upper surface thereof contacts the bottom of the pan 12 at the same height as the upper surface of the flange 432. The temperature detecting means 45 does not apply excessive force and contacts the bottom of the pan 12a at an appropriate pressure defined by the spring 44.

The pot detecting means 16a is comprised by the micro switch fixed to the base 22 (FIG. 9). When the pan 12a is accommodated in the housing 30a, the bottom of the sensor stand 42 contacts the micro switch, and the pan detecting means 16a outputs an ON signal. The operating stroke of the microswitch is larger than the displacement of the sensor stage 42 carrying the pan 12a. Therefore, even when the pan 12a is loaded on the sensor stand 42 and the microswitch is operated, the weight of the pan 12a supported by the microswitch is very small, which affects the measured value of the weight detecting means 40a. Do not give. In addition, the microswitch may be configured to be driven by an actuator (for example, a plate of phosphor bronze having spring property) so that the microswitch does not support the weight of the pot 12a or more.

The temperature detection means 45, the pot detection means 16a, and the weight detection means 40a (electric signals from the load cell 41 are respectively input to the circuit board 14a.) The micro-mount mounted on the circuit board 14a. The load cell in a predetermined state (when there is no pot 12a, when the empty pot 12a is stored, when the pot 12a containing the maximum amount of rice and water is stored) in advance. The output signal data Sa1, Sa2, Sa3 of 41 is stored in. When the magnitude of the output signal of the load cell 41 is Sa, the weight Wa of the workpiece 19a in the pan 12a is ,

Wa = Wamax × (Sa-Sa2) / (Sa3-Sa2) ‥‥ (2)

Becomes However, Wamax is the maximum weight of the to-be-processed object 19a, and the quantity of rice and water (the pot 12a in which the to-be-processed object 19a was put, the sensor stand 42, the spring) of the quantity already known {maximum amount of cooked rice (44), the total weight of the temperature detecting means 45 and the butt cylinder 43, which is a value corresponding to the output signal data Sa3 of the load cell 41. The microcomputer is prepared from equation (2). The weight of the water 19a is calculated to estimate the cooking amount.

The operation in the cooking process of the cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described focusing on the difference from the operation of the conventional cooker in which the cooking amount is determined by the temperature rising speed of the temperature detecting means 45 during cooking. .

The cooking process is largely classified into absorption of rice in time, cooking rice, maintaining boiling, keeping warm of cooked rice, and steaming. In the step of absorbing rice, the rice and water in the pot are heated so that the temperature of the pot 12 is a temperature (50 ° C.) suitable for absorption of the rice. Next, in the cooking step, the pan 12 is heated to a predetermined amount of heat until the temperature of the pan 12 reaches a predetermined value (100 ° C.). In a conventional rice cooker, the amount of rice cooked is determined by the temperature rise rate at this time. In the boiling holding step, the water in the pan 12 is removed and the rice and water are heated until the temperature of the pan 12 reaches a predetermined value exceeding 100 ° C. Finally, in the steaming process, the heating (heating of cooked rice) and stopping of heating are repeated several times for a predetermined time depending on the cooking amount.

The process of making it absorb into rice is demonstrated using FIG.11 (a)-(d). Fig. 11 (a) shows a pot bottom (solid line) in the step of absorbing rice when the cooker mixes one meal with the cooker of the second embodiment of the present invention, and similarly, when the cooked foods for five meals are collected. The temperature of the center of the workpiece (broken line) is shown. Fig. 11 (c) is a one-cooked rice cooker with a conventional cooking machine for determining the cooked amount in the step of cooking rice, and Fig. 11 (d) is similarly a pot in the step of absorbing the rice when five cooked rice is cooked. The temperature of the bottom (solid line) and the center of the workpiece (dashed line) is shown. The temperature of the bottom of the pot is detected by the temperature detecting means 45.

The cooking apparatus of the conventional example for determining the cooking amount in the cooking process is performed when the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 45 becomes a temperature (50 ° C) suitable for absorption, regardless of the number of the cooked products 19. Heat until Thereafter, the temperature of the pot 12a is maintained at 50 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta to absorb rice. However, when the amount of cooking is large (FIG. 11 (d)), since it takes time until the temperature of the whole to-be-cooked object 19a becomes 50 degreeC, the absorption time at an appropriate temperature is insufficient. Therefore, the seam will remain in the rice.

The cooking apparatus of Example 2 of this invention changes the temperature at the time of absorption (temperature detected by the temperature detection means 45) according to the quantity of the to-be-processed object 19. FIG. For example, when the cooking quantity is one sum, heating is performed until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 45 reaches 50 ° C. Then, the temperature of the pot 12 is maintained at 50 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta to absorb rice (FIG. 11A). For example, when the cooking quantity is five sums, heating is performed until the temperature detected by the temperature detecting means 45 reaches 60 ° C. Then, the temperature of the pan 12 is maintained at 60 ° C. for a predetermined time Ta to absorb rice. Since the temperature of the center part of the to-be-processed object 19 rises later than outer temperature and it becomes about 50 degreeC, rice can fully absorb.

Next, the process of making rice is demonstrated.

The cooking apparatus of the conventional example which determines the cooking quantity in the rice-making process, regardless of the number of cooking objects 19a, the pot (with the current carrying rate and / or the electricity supply amount of the induction heating coil 13a) of a pot ( 12a) is heated to a predetermined temperature (100 ° C). Therefore, when the cooking amount is small, it boils too quickly and only the surface of the rice becomes sticky, and the rice which left seam can be made.

The cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention changes the thermal power (current conduction rate and / or current supply amount of the induction heating coil 13a) in the step of cooking rice according to the cooking amount. That is, the control is carried out to weaken the thermal power as the cooking time is small, so that the required time of the rice making process is constant regardless of the cooking amount being large or small.

The cooking apparatus of Example 2 of this invention calculates the cooking quantity correctly before starting heating, and performs fire control according to the cooking quantity. Therefore, it is always possible to cook delicious rice regardless of the cooking amount. In addition, it may be a control method of changing the time to be absorbed into the rice instead of the temperature at the time of being absorbed into the rice depending on the cooking amount.

Since the rice cooker of Example 2 of this invention was set as the structure which installs the resin sensor stand 42 between the butt container 43 and the load cell 41, the pot 12a, the butt container 43, and Static electricity generated by friction between the temperature detection means 45 does not enter the weak circuit. In addition, in Example 2, although the sensor stand 42 was made of resin, it should just be a material with insulation.

According to the present invention, a small number of parts of the weight detecting means 40, small size, light weight, and low cost can be realized.

In addition, in the cooking apparatus of the second embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Fig. 9, when the butt 48 is provided between the base 22 and the body 10a, the strength against the impact of the body 10a is increased. I can raise it. The shape of the butt cylinder 43 is not limited to what is shown in FIG. 10, What is necessary is just a shape which contacts the bottom part of the pan 12a when the pan 12a is accommodated in the accommodating part 30a. The temperature detection means 45 may be provided outside the butt cylinder 43 (for example, at the circumferential edge of the bottom of the pan 12a). In addition, the load cell (weight detection element) 41 can be variously changed as long as it exhibits its function. For example, a capacitance detecting element, a spring degree, or the like can be used. More preferably, when a load cell made of aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or a piezoelectric element is used, the amount of displacement due to the weight of the pan 12a is very small (by the weight of the heated object, the pan 12a and the induction heating coil 13a). It is preferable that the distance of the?) Does not change.

In the cooking apparatus of Example 2 of this invention, when the pan 12a is accommodated in the accommodating part 30a, the weight which the load cell (weight detection element) 41 detects is at least the pan 12a {pot 12a If the to-be-processed object 19a exists in (), what is necessary is just to include the weight of the pot 12a and the to-be-processed object 19a}.

In the cooking apparatus of Example 2 of this invention, when the pot 12a is accommodated in the accommodating part 30a, since there is a gap between the pot 12a and the accommodating part 30a, in the pot 12a, Heat is hardly transmitted to the storage portion 30a. Therefore, the accommodating part 30a (coil base 31a and upper frame 32a) can be manufactured at low cost by resin molding.

The rice cooker of Example 2 of this invention is arrange | positioned preferably from the temperature detection means 45, the actuator of the load cell 41, the pot detection means 16a (or its actuator) from the vicinity of the center of the rice cooker in order from the top. do. In this case, the temperature detecting means 45 directly contacts the central portion of the bottom of the pan 12a and can detect the temperature with high accuracy. The load cell 41 (or the sensor stand 42 which is an actuator thereof) includes a pot 12a, a temperature detecting means 45, and a holding structure of the temperature detecting means 45 (spring 44 in Embodiment 2). And the detector 43}. The weight detecting element 41 can detect the weight of the pan 12a and the workpiece 19a with high accuracy. The pot detection means 16a can detect the presence or absence of a pot based on the displacement of the sensor stand 42.

The rice cooker of Example 2 of this invention uses the sensor stand 42 (actuator of the load cell 41 fulfills a role | part) as shown in FIG. 9, and has a load cell (weight detection element) of the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. (41) is slightly shifted from the center of the bottom of the pot, and the pot detecting means (micro switch) 16a is disposed under the sensor stand 42, and the load cell (weight detecting element) 41 and the pot are placed. The detection means (microswitch) 16a was disposed side by side on the base 22. Thereby, the attachment structure of the load cell (weight detection element) 41 and the pot detection means (micro switch) 16a can be simplified, and the height of the whole cooking machine can be suppressed.

According to the cooking machine of the second embodiment of the present invention, the small, light, and inexpensive configuration measures the total weight of the pot 12a and the workpiece 19 accommodated in the pot 12a, and the pot 12a. The detection of the presence or absence of all can be made at approximately the center of the outer bottom of the pot 12a.

Example 3

The cooking machine of Example 3 of this invention is demonstrated using FIGS. The rice cooker of Example 3 replaces the whisk 32a of the rice cooker of Example 2 with the weft 61, and adds the guide roller 70 to the upper end opening part of the weft 61. FIG. Except for the configuration of the upper end opening of the whittle 61, since it is the same as the cooking machine (FIGS. 9-11) of Example 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. 12 is a plan view of the cooking machine of the third embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 13 is an exploded perspective view of the main part of the rice cooker of the third embodiment of the present invention.

The wicker 61 attaches three guide roller attaching portions 63 evenly disposed in the upper opening. In the bearing portion 62 of the guide roller attachment portion 63, the guide roller 70 can rotate in the vertical direction (with the shaft 73 held horizontally) as the rotation axis via the shaft (shaft portion) 73. (FIG. 13). The guide cap attaching portion 63 is fitted with the hook portion 65 formed of a heat resistant resin by the hook portion 65. The guide roller 70 is formed of a resin having sliding property, and rotates with respect to the shaft 73. Reference numeral 71 denotes a pot rubber rotation preventing mechanism made of silicone rubber provided to surround the outer circumference of the guide roller 70. The pot rotation preventing mechanism 71 has a groove portion 72 having a V-shaped cross section parallel to the rotation direction of the guide roller 70. The V-shaped groove portion 72 is opened inward.

Fig. 14 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a main part passing through a shaft when the pan is stored in the storage unit of the cooking machine of the third embodiment of the present invention. Is the main section through the shaft.

When the pot 12a is stored in the housing portion 30a, three pot rotation preventing mechanisms 71 are opened to contact the pot 12a (Fig. 14 (a)). Since the guide roller 70 rotates only in the up-down direction, the pan 12a is stored smoothly.

The induction heating cooker heats the pot 12a to a high temperature. In the induction heating cooking machine, a gap is formed between the pan 12a and the housing 30a so that the temperature of the housing 30a does not rise above a predetermined temperature. Since the temperature is kept below predetermined temperature, the housing | casing part 30a can be shape | molded with light and cheap resin. Usually, the pan 12a has a flange 121, and the position of the pan 12a is stabilized by placing the flange 121 of the pan 12a on the upper periphery of the accommodating part 30a.

The cooking apparatus of the third embodiment of the present invention regulates the position of the pot 12a by the three pot rotation preventing mechanisms 71 to stabilize the posture in the horizontal direction, and thus the detector 43 of the weight detecting means 40a. It is the structure which supports the total weight of the pot 12a. That is, since the flange 121 does not support the weight of the pan 12a, the weight detection means 40a can detect the weight of the pan 12a with high precision. In addition, since the distance between the induction heating coil 13a and the pan 12a can be kept constant, the induction heating coil 13a can heat the pan 12a appropriately and stably.

Therefore, the cooking machine of Example 3 of this invention can exhibit the outstanding cooking performance. In addition, when the user puts the rice from the pan 12, the pan 12 does not rotate.

Moreover, what is necessary is just to provide at least three guide rollers 70 in the upper end opening part of the upper mold 61. As shown in FIG.

Example 4

Using FIG. 15, FIG. 16 (a) and (b), the cooking machine of Example 4 of this invention is demonstrated. The cooking machine of Example 4 has a structure in which the guide roller 70 is supported by the guide roller attachment part 63 of the weft 61 axially. The cooking apparatus of the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which the guide roller 70 is supported axially by the guide roller stand (spring member) 80 held by the guide roller attachment portion 63 (the bearing portion of the wicker 61) 62) is not used}. Since the other structure is the same as that of the cooking machine (FIGS. 9-14) of Example 3, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. 15 is an exploded perspective view of an essential part of the cooking machine of Example 4 of the present invention. FIG. 16 (a) is a side view of the guide roller stand when the pan is not stored in the housing of the cooking machine of the fourth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 (b) is the guide when the pan is stored in the housing It is a side view of a roller stand.

The guide roller stand 80 is a spring member formed of resin having elasticity. The guide roller stand 80 is sandwiched between the whittle cap 64 and the weft 61 and supports the guide roller stand fixing portion 81 and the guide roller 70 to be fixed to the shaft so as to be rotatable. Bearing portion (82). The shaft 73 is fitted to the bearing 82.

When storing the pot 12a in the housing portion 30a, the three pot rotation preventing mechanisms 71 are opened to contact the pot 12a, and at the same time, the guide roller stand 80 elastically deforms and the pot 12a is opened. It is pushed out in the direction of (Fig. 16 (b)). Since the guide roller 70 rotates up and down, the pan 12a is accommodated smoothly.

In the cooking apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, even if the size of the pan 12a is different in the manufacturing process, the guide roller stand 80 is elastically deformed, and the guide roller 70 is adapted to the unevenness of the pan 12a. Since it displaces, the pan 12a can be accommodated smoothly. Since the pot 12a is regulated in the horizontal direction by the three pot rotation preventing mechanisms 71 and the posture is stabilized, the weight detecting means 40a can detect the weight of the pot 12a with high accuracy. Can be. Moreover, since the distance between the induction heating coil 13a and the pot 12a is kept constant, the induction heating coil 13a can heat the pot 12a appropriately and stably. Therefore, the cooking machine of Example 4 of this invention can exhibit the outstanding cooking performance. In addition, when the user puts the rice from the pan 12, the pan 12 does not rotate.

Moreover, what is necessary is just to provide at least three guide rollers 70 and the guide roller stand 80 to the upper end opening part of the whittle 61. As shown in FIG.

Example 5

The cooking machine of Example 5 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 17, FIG. The cooker of Example 5 is a pressure cooker which produces favorable cooking conditions by adjusting the inside of a pot to high pressure. The cooking apparatus of Example 5 has the pot 12b and the lid 20b instead of the pot 12a and the cover 20a of the cooking apparatus of Example 2, and it is packing 91 more than the cooking apparatus of Example 2 ), An inner cover 92, an intermediate cover 93, a pressure regulating valve 94 and a handle 95. Since the other structure is the same as that of the cooking machine (FIGS. 9-10) of Example 2, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted. Fig. 17 is a side view of a part of the cooking machine of the fifth embodiment of the present invention; 18 is an exploded perspective view of principal parts of a rice cooker according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

The pot 12b is formed of magnetic bodies such as stainless steel and iron. The pan 12b is provided with the flange 121b which protruded outward at the upper end opening part. The flange 121b is provided with the some recessed part 121c and the convex part 121d, as shown in FIG. The pan 12b is accommodated in the storage part 30a so that attachment and detachment are possible by mounting the flange 121b in the state which floated in the upper end part of the whistle 32a. The pot 12b has a space | interval with the accommodating part 30a at the time of accommodating.

The packing 91 is formed of a resilient material such as rubber or the like. When the cover 20b is closed, the packing 91 has the outer peripheral part 91a contacting the flange 121b, and it bends and the outer peripheral part of the flange 121b and the inner cover 92 more than a predetermined pressure. It is comprised in close contact with 92a. Thereby, the packing 91 maintains the watertightness in the pan 12b at the time of a cooking process, and fulfills the function of the sealing which pressure does not escape.

As shown in FIG. 18, the inner cover 92 is equipped with the steam container 92b which keeps the inside of the pot 12b and the outside of the cooking machine in the position which shifted from the center.

As shown in FIG. 18, the intermediate | middle cover 93 is equipped with the shaft 93a in the center part, and is the recessed part 121c or convex part of the pan 12b in the lower part of the outer peripheral part 93b. The number of hooks 93c corresponding to 121d is provided. At the distal end of the shaft 93a, a D cut portion 931a is provided. At one end of the hook 93c, a rotation prevention mechanism 931c is provided. The intermediate cover 93 has an outer circumferential portion 91a of the packing 91 and an outer circumferential portion of the inner cover 92 at a gap 932c between the outer circumferential portion 93b and the rotation preventing mechanism 931c. 92a). In addition, an opening 93d is provided in the intermediate cover 93 so that the steam container 92b can pass therethrough.

The lid 20b is freely attached to the body 10a so as to cover the upper surface of the body 10a. The cover 20b includes a hole 201b (not shown) so that the steam tank 92a can penetrate therethrough and the shaft 93a of the intermediate cover 93 can rotate freely. Formed.

The pressure regulating valve 94 is attached to the tip portion of the steam cylinder 92a that passes through the opening 93d of the intermediate lid 93 and the hole 202b of the lid 20b. The pressure regulating valve 94 discharges the steam in the pot 12b which has moved through the steam tank 92a to the outside of the cooker when the pressure in the pan 12b reaches a predetermined pressure during the cooking process. As a result, the pressure in the pan 12b is adjusted to a predetermined pressure.

The handle 95 has a hole or a recess (not shown) corresponding to the D cut portion 931a of the shaft 93a at its central portion. The handle 95 is a hole or a recess, and fits the hole 202b with the D cut portion 931a of the shaft 93a through which the rotation freely passes. That is, by rotating the handle 95, the intermediate cover 93 is also configured to rotate together. On the other hand, in the above, although the example which cut D the edge part of the shaft 93a was mentioned as an example, for example, it is a gear shape or a polygonal column shape, Even if it is the structure which forms and fits the hole 95 or recessed part corresponding to it in the handle 95, good.

In the cooking apparatus of Embodiment 5, although the fitting means was comprised by the flange 121b, the packing 91, the inner cover 92, and the intermediate cover 93 of the pan 12b, this invention is not limited to this. Do not. The fitting means may be configured to seal the opening of the pan 12b. For example, the inner cover 92 may be configured to also function as the packing 91.

In addition, in the cooking apparatus of Embodiment 5, although the pressure adjusting means was comprised by the pressure regulating valve 94, this invention is not limited to this. The pressure adjusting means may be configured to adjust the pressure in the pan 12b. For example, when a pressure detecting means is separately provided and the pressure detecting means detects that the inside of the pan 12b reaches a predetermined pressure, the induction heating means is controlled to adjust the pressure in the pan 12b. You may comprise.

In the cooking machine of Embodiment 5 comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement at the time of a cooking process is demonstrated. First, the pot 12b into which the to-be-cooked object 19a was put is put in the accommodating part 30a, and the cover 20b is closed. At this time, the hook 93b of the intermediate cover 93 penetrates the recess 121c of the flange 121b. In this state, the handle 95 is rotated so that the hook 93c of the intermediate cover 93 is the convex portion 121d of the pan 12b, the outer circumferential portion 91a of the packing 91 and the inner cover 92. Sliding operation while maintaining the outer peripheral portion (92a) of the). Then, the intermediate cover 93 is rotated (rotate clockwise in the example of FIG. 18) until the convex portion 121d of the pan 12b contacts the anti-rotation mechanism 931c of the intermediate cover 93. .

Accordingly, the convex portion 121d of the pan 12b, the outer peripheral portion 91a of the packing 91 and the outer peripheral portion 92a of the inner cover 92 are securely sandwiched between the hooks 93c. Fit. A cooking process is performed in this state.

When the cooking process starts, the pressure in the pan 12b rises because the inside of the pan 12b is sealed. When the inside of the pan 12b is at a predetermined pressure, the pressure regulating valve 94 moves through the steam tank 92b to release the vapor in the pan 12b, etc., to maintain the predetermined pressure.

When the cooking process is finished and the lid 20b is opened, the handle (until the lid 12d of the pan 12b is in contact with the surface opposite to the above of the rotation preventing mechanism 931c of the intermediate lid 93). 95 and the middle lid 93 are rotated in the opposite direction to the above, and then the lid 20b is opened (rotated counterclockwise in the example of FIG. 18).

The cooking machine of the fifth embodiment of the present invention configured as described above seals the opening of the pan 12b by fitting the intermediate cover 93 to the pan 12b by fitting the packing 91 and the inner cover 92. Doing. In addition, the pressure regulating valve 94 adjusts the pressure in the pan 12b to a predetermined pressure. Thereby, the load cell 41 can be prevented from breaking, without applying the pressure improvement component in the cooking process to the weight detection means 40a. Therefore, since the weight detecting means 40a can always inform the proper water mass, it can adjust to the optimum water mass, and can eliminate the difference of the alpha degree of rice. That is, the taste can be kept constant.

While the invention has been described in some detail with respect to preferred forms, the present disclosure of this preferred form is capable of modification in detail of construction, and changes in the combination or order of individual elements deviate from the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. It can be realized without.

10 ... body, 12 ... pot,
13 heating coil, 14 circuit board,
15 means for temperature detection, 16 means for pot detection,
17 support, 18 load cell,
19 ...
21 means for detecting the opening and closing of the cover, 30 ...
40 weight detection means, 50 control panel,
300 control means, 320 memory.

Claims (9)

The main body 10 having an opening on the upper surface,
Pot 12 is detachably accommodated in the main body,
A cover 20 for opening and closing the opening of the main body freely;
Heating means for heating the pot;
A weight detection means (40) installed in the main body to detect a total weight of the pot and the workpiece 19 put in the pot;
Has a non-writable nonvolatile memory,
The nonvolatile memory includes at least a first output signal of the weight detection means in a state where the pot is not stored in the main body and a second output signal of the weight detection means in the state where the pot is accommodated in the main body. A storage unit 320 to be stored as the weight calculation parameter 321,
The weight detection parameter inputted at the second timing, which is a timing different from the first timing, is updated based on the output signal of the weight detection means input at the first timing. A cooking machine having a control unit 300 which calculates the weight of the workpiece based on the output signal of the means and the parameter for calculating the weight, and controls the current carrying ratio or the amount of power to the heating means according to the weight of the workpiece. .
The second output of the weight detection means according to claim 1, wherein the weight calculation parameter is at least the first output signal and the pot which is empty or contains the first load including the first load in the main body. And a third output signal of the weight detecting means in a state where the signal and the pot and the second load are accommodated in the main body. The nonvolatile memory according to claim 1, wherein the rewritable nonvolatile memory is used instead of the storage unit and the control unit.
The first output signal of the weight detecting means in a state in which the pan including at least empty or the first load is accommodated in the main body, and the weight detecting means in the state in which the pan and the second load are accommodated in the main body. A storage unit for storing the second output signal of as a parameter for weight calculation;
And a control unit that calculates the weight of the workpiece based on the output signal of the weight detection means and the parameter for calculating the weight, and controls the current carrying ratio or the amount of current to the heating means in accordance with the weight of the workpiece. Cooker characterized by. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a pot detecting means (16) for detecting the presence or absence of the pot in the main body,
When the signal from the pot detecting means is switched from a signal of the state in which the pot is in the main body to a signal of no state, the controller operates the weight detecting means for a predetermined time to output the weight detecting means at that time. And a zero point correction value, which is a difference value between the signal and the first output signal, and corrects the weight calculation parameter based on the zero point correction value. The cooking machine according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the control unit energizes the weight detecting means only at a predetermined timing. The method according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a cover opening and closing detecting means (21) for detecting the opening and closing state of the cover,
The control unit terminates the operation of the weight detecting means when the signal from the cover opening / closing detecting means is switched from a signal of the state in which the cover is open to a signal of the closing state of the cover, and at the same time, And a weight of the cooked object is calculated from the output signal before the end of the operation. The method according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a cover opening and closing detecting means (21) for detecting the opening and closing state of the cover,
The control unit, when the signal from the cover opening and closing detection means is switched from a signal in the state that the cover is closed to a signal in the open state, the operation of the weight detection means to start, and then the cover opening and closing When the signal from the detection means is switched from a signal in which the cover is open to a signal in a state in which the cover is closed, the operation of the weight detection means is terminated, and the output signal from the output signal before the end of the operation of the weight detection means is A cooker, characterized by calculating the weight of the workpiece. According to claim 1 or claim 3, further comprising a cover opening and closing detecting means 21 for detecting the opening and closing state of the cover and the pot detecting means 16 for detecting the presence or absence of the pot in the main body,
The control unit is configured to convert a signal from the pot detecting means into a signal in a state where the pot is in the main body and a signal in a state in which the pot is not in the main body. Starts the operation of the weight detecting means at least at any time when switching to a signal in a state where the cover is in a state where the cover is opened from the signal in which the And switching to the signal in the closed state to terminate the operation of the weight detection means and to calculate the weight of the workpiece from the output signal before the operation of the weight detection means ends. The cooker according to claim 1 or 3, wherein when the magnitude of the output signal of the weight detecting means is not a normal value, cooking is performed according to a user's instruction or in a certain order.

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