TW201841579A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a rice cooker capable of avoiding a situation in which an IH conditioner cannot correctly perform a predetermined cooking operation even when a control signal for performing cooking control is not normally transmitted during a cooking operation. The rice cooker 1 of the present invention comprises: an electromagnetic conditioner 200 for performing electromagnetic induction heating; and a rice cooker unit 100 placed on the electromagnetic conditioner during cooking; and the electromagnetic conditioner 200 is configured to perform a cooking operation according to a control signal from the rice cooker unit 100, and stop the cooking operation when the control signal cannot be received for a predetermined period of time.

Description

   Rice cooker   

The present invention relates to a rice cooker.

In recent years, IH rice cookers have become popular worldwide. The so-called IH is induction heating. The IH rice cooker is a rice cooker that uses an IH coil provided at the bottom to generate electromagnetic waves, and uses the electromagnetic waves to heat a rice cooker to cook rice.

In addition, there is also known a rice cooker capable of cooking rice by mounting a rice cooker portion on an IH conditioner (electromagnetic conditioner) (Patent Document 1 described below).

The rice cooker disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured by mounting a separately provided rice cooker on an IH conditioner that can be used for various purposes, and heating the rice cooker-side rice cooker with an IH coil on the IH conditioner side. Cooking.

    (Prior technical literature)         (Patent Literature)    

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 6080472

In the rice cooker of Patent Document 1, if a control signal for controlling rice cooking, such as adjusting the cooking power of the rice cooker, is not normally transmitted during the rice cooking operation, the IH conditioner may not be able to correctly perform a predetermined rice cooking operation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker, which can prevent the IH conditioner from correctly performing a predetermined rice cooking operation even if a control signal for cooking rice control is not normally transmitted during the cooking operation.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rice cooker comprising: an electromagnetic conditioner that performs electromagnetic induction heating; and a rice cooker portion that is placed on the electromagnetic conditioner during cooking; : Performing the cooking operation according to the control signal from the rice cooker unit; when the control signal cannot be received for a predetermined time, the cooking operation is stopped.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rice cooker capable of preventing the IH conditioner from being unable to correctly perform a predetermined rice cooking operation even if a control signal for rice cooking control is not normally transmitted during the rice cooking operation.

1 (1a, 1b) ‧‧‧IH rice cooker (rice cooker)

11‧‧‧ Differential amplifier circuit

12‧‧‧A / D converter

13‧‧‧CPU

14‧‧‧RC smoothing circuit

100‧‧‧ Rice Cooker Department

100A‧‧‧ Cover

100B‧‧‧Cooker body

100C‧‧‧Bottom

101‧‧‧ Rice cooker operation section

102‧‧‧Measurement display department

111‧‧‧Magnet for detection

112, 213‧‧‧communication terminals

113‧‧‧Power receiving coil

121‧‧‧Inner pot (rice cooker)

122‧‧‧Interface substrate

123‧‧‧Measurement display substrate

124‧‧‧ cover buckle mechanism

126‧‧‧ rice cooker operation substrate

127‧‧‧Inner cover

128‧‧‧Steam cylinder

129‧‧‧ cover hinge

129a‧‧‧Shaft

131, 231‧‧‧Thermistor (temperature measurement department)

200‧‧‧IH conditioner (electromagnetic conditioner)

200A‧‧‧IH conditioner body

200B‧‧‧Top plate

201‧‧‧IH operation section (electromagnetic conditioner operation section)

201a‧‧‧Heating start button

201b‧‧‧ Fried start button

201c‧‧‧Add button

201d‧‧‧ weaken button

201e‧‧‧ Off button

211‧‧‧IH coil (heating coil)

212‧‧‧Power supply coil

214‧‧‧Reed Switch

221‧‧‧fan

223‧‧‧pedestal (weight detection foot)

223A‧‧‧Base member

223B‧‧‧Strain gauge

223C‧‧‧weight sensor stand

223D‧‧‧Rubber feet

223A to 223D‧‧‧weight detection feet

223E‧‧‧weight sensor cover

224‧‧‧IH operation substrate

224a‧‧‧weight sensor substrate

225‧‧‧Main board

226‧‧‧Magnetic plug

300‧‧‧ Means of communication

400a‧‧‧1st control unit (1st control means)

400b‧‧‧ 2nd control unit (2nd control means)

500‧‧‧ Rapid temperature change section

500a‧‧‧ 4th control unit (4th control means)

500b‧‧‧3rd control unit (3rd control means)

D1, D11‧‧‧ Display

B1‧‧‧Menu button

B2‧‧‧ Keep / Cancel button

B3‧‧‧m button

B4‧‧‧Cooking button

B11‧‧‧Measure button

D1a, D1b‧‧‧Control signal

Signals for D3, D3a to D3c‧‧‧Firepower Adjustment

E1 to E4‧‧‧ area

G‧‧‧ Center of Gravity

L1‧‧‧Bottom thermistor voltage

L2, L10, L21‧‧‧Ambient temperature

L3, L11, L22 ‧‧‧ Upper edge temperature of inner pot

L4, L12, L23‧‧‧‧bottom temperature

L1, L2‧‧‧ diagonal dotted line

MCU1 to MCU4‧‧‧Microcomputer

O‧‧‧ the center of the inner pot

P‧‧‧ the intersection of two diagonal dotted lines

Point of P1, P11‧‧‧Thermistor voltage 1.98V (65 ℃)

The point at which P2, P12‧‧‧ becomes thermistor voltage 1.7V (75 ℃)

S1 to S63, S71 to S76, S81 to S88, S91 to S102, S301 to S305, S401 to S407, S501, S503 to S505, S506, S507, S511 to S515, S600 to S607

SEL1 to SEL4 ‧‧‧ load cells

ST‧‧‧Inner pot temperature (Thermistor output)

T‧‧‧Time of timer

T, t1, t2, t10‧‧‧ transition time

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a rice cooker portion included in the IH rice cooker shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the rice cooker portion shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an IH conditioner included in the IH rice cooker shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a state where a top plate of the IH conditioner shown in Fig. 4 is removed.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the IH conditioner shown in Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of an IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of the IH rice cooker shown in Fig. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of a portion of the weight sensor shown in FIG. 7.

Fig. 10 is a schematic circuit configuration diagram of the IH rice cooker of the embodiment.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation portion provided in the IH rice cooker of the embodiment, (a) is a rice cooker operation portion, and (b) is a measurement display portion.

Fig. 12 is a screen transition diagram of the measurement display section shown in Fig. 11 (b).

Fig. 13 is a side view of the IH rice cooker of the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the IH rice cooker shown in FIG. 13.

Fig. 15 is a circuit configuration diagram of a weight sensor provided in the IH rice cooker of the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a circuit configuration diagram of a single load cell shown in FIG. 15.

Fig. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation example of the IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an overcooking prevention process performed by the IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of IH stop processing in the overcooking prevention processing.

Fig. 20 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an air-boiler detection process executed by the IH rice cooker of the first configuration example.

Fig. 21 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of IH stop processing in the air-boiler detection processing.

FIG. 22 is a graph showing a temperature curve of a 0.5-cup normal cooking state of the IH rice cooker of the first configuration example.

FIG. 23 is a graph showing a temperature curve and the like of the empty cooking state of the IH rice cooker of the first configuration example.

FIG. 24 is a partially enlarged graph such as the temperature curve in FIG. 23.

Fig. 25 is a graph showing a temperature curve and the like of an empty cooking rice (800W) state of the IH rice cooker of the first configuration example.

Fig. 26 is a graph showing an example of the optimal water amount with respect to the rice amount.

Fig. 27 is a chart showing an example of a table of weighting coefficients for optimum water amount when selecting disposable rice and white rice in the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

FIG. 28 is a chart showing an example of a table of weighting coefficients for selecting the optimum water amount for quick cooking and power saving in the IH cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 29 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a rice cooking process performed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

FIG. 30 is a flowchart subsequent to the processing routine of the metered cooking process executed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 31 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of w1, w2, and w3 calculation processing in the weighing cooking process of Fig. 30;

Fig. 32 is a flowchart subsequent to the processing routine of the metered cooking process executed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 33 is a flowchart subsequent to the processing procedure of the metered rice cooking process executed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 34 is a flowchart subsequent to the processing procedure of the metered cooking process executed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 35 is a flowchart subsequent to the processing routine of the metered cooking process executed by the IH rice cooker of the second configuration example.

Fig. 36 is a flowchart showing the zero-point adjustment operation of the weight sensor of the IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 37 is a flowchart showing a weight sensor control operation of the IH rice cooker according to the embodiment.

Fig. 38 is a flowchart showing the operation of the IH conditioner included in the IH rice cooker of the embodiment.

Next, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar element symbols.

In addition, the embodiments disclosed below exemplify devices, methods, and the like for embodying technical ideas, and the materials, shapes, structures, and arrangements of constituent parts are not limited to those disclosed below. The present invention can add various changes within the scope of the patent application.

[Example of overall configuration of IH rice cooker]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an IH rice cooker (electromagnetic rice cooker) 1 according to the embodiment. This IH rice cooker 1 is an IH thermal rice cooker that uses the IH cooking technology and uses wireless communication and power supply to separate the body and the IH part.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the IH rice cooker 1 is configured to be vertically separated into a rice cooker portion 100 and an IH conditioner (electromagnetic conditioner) 200. The appearance is an insulated rice cooker, but when the rice cooker portion 100 is removed, the operation portion of the IH conditioner 200 is exposed. The IH conditioner 200 side system can be used for IH conditioning alone, and the rice cooker unit 100 side system can be easily moved to a dining table as a rice bucket.

In addition, the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment has an automatic weighing function. In this way, it is possible to "inform the optimal amount of water" corresponding to the amount of rice cooked and the type of rice, and cook delicious rice every time, so that you can feel the characteristics of rice more.

In addition, the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment has a rice cooking function for distinguishing rice types. This makes it possible to cook delicious rice by controlling the power and the time of the rice cooking operation based on the temperature sensor information for the rice type and the rice cooking of each menu.

[Configuration example of rice cooker section]

Hereinafter, the structure of the rice cooker part 100 is demonstrated in detail.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rice cooker unit 100 included in the IH rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the rice cooker portion 100 includes a lid portion 100A, a rice cooker body 100B, and a bottom portion 100C. The top surface of the lid portion 100A is provided with a rice cooker operating portion 101 for operating the rice cooker portion 100. A meter display unit 102 is provided on the front of the rice cooker body 100B to display meters, water weight, and the like. The appearance of the rice cooker part 100 is a substantially cubic shape. In order to make it easy for the user to view the measurement display portion 102, it is preferable that the front of the rice cooker body 100B is slightly inclined.

The outer edge portion of the bottom 100C is configured to fit into the outer edge portion of the top surface of the IH conditioner 200. Specifically, the casing on the side of the rice cooker portion 100 and the casing on the side of the IH conditioner 200 are overlapped by about 8.5 mm. Since the installation area of the IH conditioner 200 is approximately the same as the installation area of the rice cooker unit 100, the upper and lower housing systems are just flush, the appearance is neat, and space saving can be achieved. As for the upper and lower fitting design, the outer edge portion of the top surface of the IH conditioner 200 and the outer edge portion of the bottom portion 100C can be sloped, and different curvature radii can be used to prevent the front and back from being mistaken.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the rice cooker unit 100 shown in Fig. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the cover hinge 129 provided on the rear side is used as a fulcrum, and the front side of the cover portion 100A is rotated in the vertical direction. A cover buckle mechanism 124 is provided at a position facing the front cover portion 100A and the rice cooker body 100B. An inner pot (cooker) 121 is accommodated from an upper opening of the rice cooker body 100B. A heat-insulating material, a protective frame, and the like are provided around the inner pot 121, and a thermistor 131 for measuring temperature is provided at the bottom of the inner pot 121. The steam generated in the inner pot 121 is discharged to the outside through a steam cylinder 128 provided in the inner lid 127. The side wall portion of the rice cooker body 100B is provided with a handle for carrying the rice cooker portion 100 in a rotatable manner.

A rice cooker operation substrate 126 that controls the rice cooker operation portion 101 is disposed near the rice cooker operation portion 101. A measurement display substrate 123 that controls display contents displayed on the measurement display unit 102 is disposed near the measurement display unit 102. An interface substrate 122 connected to a communication terminal 112, a power receiving coil, and the like is arranged below the measurement display substrate 123. The communication terminal 112 constitutes a communication means and is a terminal for wireless communication with the IH conditioner 200.

The power receiving coil is a coil for receiving power from the power supply coil on the IH conditioner 200 side by electromagnetic induction.

In addition, although the case where the thermistor 131 is provided in the bottom of the rice cooker part 100 is illustrated here, it is not limited to this. For example, the thermistor 131 may be provided on the side of the rice cooker portion 100 or may be provided on the inner cover 127.

[Configuration Example of IH Conditioner]

Hereinafter, the configuration of the IH conditioner 200 will be described in detail.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the IH conditioner 200 included in the IH rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the IH conditioner 200 is a desk-type electromagnetic conditioner used on a dining table or the like, and has a thin and slightly cubic shape in appearance. A top plate 200B made of crystallized glass or the like is disposed so that the upper opening of the IH conditioner body 200A is closed. An IH operation unit 201 is provided on the front side of the top surface of the IH conditioner 200. The IH operation unit 201 includes a power button, a temperature adjustment button, and the like. The top plate 200B and the IH operation unit 201 are disposed so as not to overlap each other in a plan view. The rear side of the IH conditioner 200 is provided with a socket for detachably mounting a power cord plug with a magnet.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a state where the top plate 200B of the IH conditioner 200 shown in Fig. 4 is removed. As shown in FIG. 5, when the top plate 200B on the IH conditioner body 200A is removed, the IH coil 211, the power supply coil 212, the communication terminal 213, and the reed switch 214 are exposed. The IH coil 211 is a heating coil for electromagnetically heating an object to be heated. The power supply coil 212 is a coil for supplying power to the power receiving coil on the side of the rice cooker unit 100 by electromagnetic induction. The communication terminal 213 is a terminal for wireless communication with the rice cooker unit 100. The reed switch 214 is a switch that operates when a magnet approaches. The functions of these members will be described later.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the IH conditioner 200 shown in FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 6, an IH coil 211 is arranged at the upper portion of the IH conditioner body 200A approximately at the center. The heat generated inside the IH conditioner body 200A is exhausted to the outside by the fan 221. An IH operation substrate 224 controlled by an input from the IH operation unit 201 is disposed on the front side of the upper portion of the IH conditioner body 200A. A main substrate 225 that performs IH heating control is disposed near the IH operation substrate 224. Four pedestal portions 223 protrude from the four corners of the bottom of the IH conditioner body 200A toward the outer surface. The pedestal portion 223 is capable of mounting a weight sensor in accordance with the mold.

[Configuration Example of Weight Sensor]

Hereinafter, the configuration of the weight sensor will be described in detail.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the bottom surface of the IH rice cooker 1 shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the weight sensor portion (pedestal portion 223) shown in Fig. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 9, strain gauges 223B are provided on the pedestal portions 223 at four corners, and weight measurement is performed. Specifically, a strain gauge 223B, a weight sensor stand 223C, and a rubber foot pad 223D are attached to the base member 223A, and are fixed with a weight sensor cover 223E. When the rice cooker unit 100 is mounted on the IH conditioner 200, the rubber foot pad 223D relatively moves the entire weight sensor base 223C upward to deform the strain gauge 223B. Thereby, the weight sensor substrate 224a (refer to FIG. 10) performs weight measurement based on the deformation of each strain gauge 223B.

[Example of a schematic circuit configuration of a rice cooker]

Fig. 10 is a schematic circuit configuration diagram of the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 10, an interface substrate 122 and a rice cooker operation substrate 126 connected to the interface substrate 122 are arranged on the side of the rice cooker portion 100 of the IH rice cooker 1.

The interface substrate 122 performs communication with the IH conditioner 200 side, and the rice cooker operation substrate 126 is used to operate the rice cooker unit and operate the IH conditioner 200 via the communication means 300.

Here, the interface substrate 122 is provided with a third control unit (third control means) 500b including a microcomputer MCU3 and controlling the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker unit 100.

In addition, the rice cooker operation substrate 126 is provided with a fourth control unit (fourth control means) 500a including a microcomputer MCU4 and controlling the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker unit 100.

In addition, a third control unit (third control means) 500b or a fourth control unit (fourth control means) 500a may be provided only in at least one of the interface substrate 122 and the rice cooker operation substrate 126.

The interface substrate 122 is connected to a measurement display substrate 123 including a liquid crystal display, a thermistor 131 for temperature detection, a communication terminal 112 constituting a part of the communication means 300 for wireless communication (infrared communication, etc.), and The power receiving coil 113 receives power supplied from the IH conditioner 200 side.

An IH operation substrate 224 and a main substrate (IH heating substrate) 225 connected to the IH operation substrate 224 are disposed on the IH conditioner 200 side.

Here, the IH operation substrate 224 is provided with a first control unit (first control means) 400a including a microcomputer MCU1 and controlling the IH conditioner 200 in accordance with a control signal.

In addition, the main substrate 225 is provided with a second control unit (second control means) 400b including a microcomputer MCU2 and controlling the IH conditioner 200 in accordance with a control signal.

The IH operation substrate 224 is connected to a weight sensor substrate 224a connected to the strain gauge 223B, a communication terminal 213 constituting a part of the communication means 300 that performs wireless communication (infrared communication, etc.), and a power supply to the cooker unit 100 The power supply coil 212 and a reed switch 214 that is turned on / off by a magnet 111 disposed on the rice cooker unit 100 side.

The main substrate 225 is connected to the IH coil 211, a magnetic AC-type plug 226 of AC100V, and a thermistor 231 for detecting temperature.

In addition, the IH operation substrate 224 also serves as a detection means for detecting a control signal received via the communication terminal 213.

Here, in the IH rice cooker 1 of this embodiment, control is performed in the following manner: When the detection means (IH operation substrate 224) does not detect a control signal for a predetermined time, the first control unit 400a (microcomputer MCU1) ) Or the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU2) stops the operation of the IH conditioner 200.

Thereby, even if the control signal for cooking control is not normally transmitted during the cooking operation, it is possible to prevent the IH conditioner from failing to perform the predetermined cooking operation correctly.

In addition, the first control unit 400a (microcomputer MCU1) or the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU2) can perform control in the following manner: when the detection means does not detect a control signal that adjusts the firepower (electricity) of the IH conditioner 200 To stop the operation of the IH conditioner 200.

Thereby, even if the control signal for cooking control is not normally transmitted during the cooking operation, it is possible to further reliably prevent the IH conditioner from failing to perform the predetermined cooking operation correctly.

In addition, the control may be performed for any of the first control unit 400a (microcomputer MCU1) and the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU2) in the following manner: when a control signal is received via a communication means (communication terminals 112, 213) The operation of the IH conditioner 200 is stopped when it is determined as a command to stop the IH conditioner 200 or it is determined as a signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the rice cooker unit 100.

Thereby, it is possible to avoid a situation in which an operation other than the operator's intention is performed by the stop command of the IH conditioner 200 and the detection of the abnormal signal of the rice cooker unit 100.

In addition, when a communication failure of the communication means 300 (communication terminals 112 and 213) is detected on the interface substrate 122 side, it may be transmitted from the microcomputer MCU3 (the third control unit 500b) of the interface substrate 122 to the IH of the IH conditioner 200. In order to transfer the operation substrate 224 from the IH operation substrate 224 to the main substrate 225, a cooking operation stop signal is transmitted, and based on this cooking operation stop signal, the microcomputer MCU2 (the second control unit 400b) provided in the main substrate 225 The control stops the operation of the IH conditioner 200.

In addition, when a communication failure of the communication means 300 (communication terminals 112, 213) is detected on the IH operation substrate 224 side, the microcomputer MCU1 (the first control unit 400a) of the IH operation substrate 224 may transmit a cooking operation stop signal to The main substrate 225 of the IH conditioner 200 stops the operation of the IH conditioner 200 under the control of the microcomputer MCU2 (the second control unit 400b) included in the main substrate 225 based on the cooking operation stop signal.

In addition, when a communication failure of the communication means 300 (communication terminals 112, 213) is detected on the main substrate 225 side, the microcomputer MCU2 (the second control unit 400b) of the main substrate 225 may stop the IH according to the cooking operation stop signal. The operation of the device 200 is stopped.

Thereby, regardless of the location where the communication failure occurs, even if the control signal for cooking control is not normally transmitted during the cooking operation, it is possible to reliably prevent the IH conditioner from failing to properly perform the predetermined cooking operation.

A detailed processing procedure and the like of the stop control will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 10, the main board 225 of the IH conditioner 200 is connected to a power line via a magnetic plug 226. When the rice cooker unit 100 is mounted on the IH conditioner 200, the detection magnet 111 on the rice cooker portion 100 side turns on the reed switch 214 on the IH conditioner 200 side.

In this state, the main substrate 225 of the IH conditioner 200 applies a drive signal to the power supply coil 212 via the IH operation substrate 224. Thereby, a power signal is generated by the power receiving coil 113 on the rice cooker section 100 by electromagnetic induction, and is applied to the measurement display substrate 123, the rice cooker operation substrate 126, and the like via the interface substrate 122. As a result, wireless communication such as infrared communication can be performed through the communication terminal 213 on the IH conditioner 200 side and the communication terminal 112 on the rice cooker portion 100 side.

When the rice cooker operation unit 101 (see FIG. 2) is operated in this state, an operation signal is transmitted from the rice cooker operation substrate 126 through the communication terminals 112 and 213 to the main substrate 225 on the IH conditioner 200 side. The main substrate 225 controls the start, stop, and the like of the current supply to the IH coil 211 and the current value of the high-frequency current flowing through the IH coil 211 based on the received operation signal. In this control, it is possible to use weight information of the cooking (rice, water, etc.) obtained from the weight sensor substrate 224a, temperature information of the inner pot 121 obtained from the thermistor 131, and the like. The weight information can also be displayed on the weighing display unit 102 via the weighing display substrate 123 on the rice cooker unit 100 side (see FIG. 2).

In addition, since the top surface of the IH conditioner 200 is exposed in a state where the rice cooker portion 100 is not mounted on the IH conditioner 200, the IH operation portion 201 (see FIG. 4) can be operated. When the IH operation section 201 is operated, an operation signal is transmitted from the IH operation substrate 224 to the main substrate 225. That is, when the rice cooker unit 100 is removed from the IH conditioner 200, the operation portion 201 of the IH conditioner 200 is exposed. Therefore, the IH conditioner 200 side can be used solely for IH conditioner.

[Configuration Example of Operation Unit]

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram of an operation portion provided in the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment.

Specifically, FIG. 11 (a) shows a rice cooker operating section 101 provided on the top surface of the rice cooker section 100. The rice cooker operation unit 101 includes various buttons such as a menu button B1, a warm / cancel button B2, a rice button B3, and a rice cooker button B4 in addition to the display portion D1. The display unit D1 is a display device that displays the setting status of the IH rice cooker 1 and the like. The menu button B1 is a button for selecting a cooking method and the like. Insulation / cancel button B2 is a button to indicate insulation and cancel insulation. The rice type button B3 is a button for selecting a rice type. By pressing the rice button B3, you can select Koshihikari ( ), Akita Komachi ( ), Ziami ( 姫), dream beauty ( ),love at first sight( ), Sunlight ( ) And other rice. The cooking button B4 is a button for instructing cooking.

In addition, FIG. 11 (b) shows a measurement display section 102 provided in front of the rice cooker section 100. The measurement display section 102 includes a measurement button B11 in addition to the display section D11. The display section D11 is a display device for displaying a measurement value and the like. The measurement button B11 is a button for instructing the use of the measurement mode and the like.

[Outline of measurement operation example]

An outline of a measurement operation example is described below.

First, the user selects a menu, soft hardness, and rice type in the rice cooker operating section 101, opens the lid portion 100A of the rice cooker section 100, and puts rice in the inner pot 121. Next, press the measurement button B11 of the measurement display section 102 (indicate the weight of the rice by display), take out the inner pot 121 and wash the rice, then place the inner pot 121 in the rice cooker section 100, and then pour water into the inner pot 121 (prompts water by display and sound). Here, in order to let the user recognize the use of the measurement mode, it is designed to press the measurement button B11, but the measurement mode may be automatically performed to open the lid 100A. Finally, the lid part 100A of the rice cooker part 100 is lifted, and the rice cooker button B4 of the rice cooker operation part 101 is pressed, and rice cooking is started.

[Details of measurement operation example]

Fig. 12 is a screen transition diagram of the measurement display unit 102 shown in Fig. 11 (b).

First, when a user puts rice into the inner pot 121 in the weighing mode, the user measures the weight of the rice. Here, when the weight of the meter is below a predetermined range, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the display section D11 displays "Put the meter in and press the metering button", etc. (the metering button B11 blinks). In addition, before entering the weighing mode, the zero point adjustment is performed in a state where the inner pot 121 is mounted on the rice cooker body 100B, which will be described in detail later. On the other hand, when the weight of the meter is larger than the allowable weight, as shown in Fig. 12 (b), an error is displayed on the display portion D11 (the measurement button B11 is turned off).

Next, when the user presses the measurement button B11, the weight of the meter is determined, and the water measurement mode is entered. However, if the measured weight of the meter is outside the specification weight range, it will not enter the water measurement mode and stop in the meter measurement mode. If there is no problem, as shown in FIG. 12 (c), “(after washing rice,) pouring water” is displayed on the display portion D11. At this time, the display portion D11 displays the required amount of water.

Next, the rice is washed (this step is not necessary if it is a disposable rice). When water is continuously poured into a measuring cup (not shown), the weight of the water is measured, as shown in Figure 12 (d). When the water is poured, the required water amount displayed on the display portion D11 is continuously reduced. Once the water weight reaches the optimal range, a single beep sound will be issued, and if it exceeds the optimal range, a double beep sound will be issued. In the optimal value range, as shown in Fig. 12 (e), "0" is displayed on the display portion D11; if it exceeds the optimal value range, as shown in Fig. 12 (f), it is displayed on the display portion D11 "Reduce water", etc.

Finally, when the lid portion 100A is lifted up, the measurement display is turned off. In this state, pressing the rice cooking button B4 (or pressing the rice cooking button B4 after setting a reservation) starts cooking rice.

[Arrangement relationship of weight detection foot relative to center of gravity position of rice cooker]

In order to cook delicious rice with a rice cooker, it is extremely important to add an optimal amount of water to the number of cups (weight) of the rice. Therefore, the weight sensor must use a sensor with high detection accuracy (specifically, a sensor with gram-level accuracy).

In fact, when it is necessary to accurately adjust the amount of water in a rice cooker, if the lid is repeatedly measured again and again, it is time-consuming and tedious. In this case, it is preferable to perform weight measurement with the lid closed.

The IH rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment is configured to be able to perform high-precision weight measurement at the gram level even in the state of the lid.

Here, if a weight detection foot can be used for weight measurement, it is extremely ideal in terms of cost and design. However, for example, when there is unevenness on the placement surface and the weight detection foot is just in its position, the weight detection foot may be suspended on the placement surface and the weight measurement cannot be performed.

In addition, if there are at least three feet, the stability of the body can be basically obtained. However, in the case of three feet, the stability of the rice cooker body is poor, especially in the left-right direction, when the cover is opened and the cover is open. In addition, when one of the feet is used as a weight detection foot, the same faults as described above may occur, so more than two weight detection feet are required.

In order to eliminate the above instability factors, use more than four feet. By using four feet, compared to three feet, it is possible to suppress the shaking / instability of the front, back, left, and right, especially the left and right directions. In addition, if four of them are used as weight detection feet (especially, there are at least two weight detection feet on the hinge side), it can absorb the vibration / instability when the cover is open, and even if a certain weight detection With the feet off the placement surface, it is still possible to use the remaining weight detection feet to fill in the weight measurement. Thereby, high-precision weight measurement of the gram level can be achieved with the lid open.

(Example of weight measurement configuration)

Fig. 13 is a side view of the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment. When the latch of the lid latch mechanism 124 (see FIG. 3) is released, the front side of the lid portion 100A rotates upward with the rotation axis 129 a of the lid hinge 129 as a fulcrum, and is stationary at a slightly vertical state. The center of gravity of the IH rice cooker 1 with the lid portion 100A opened is G.

Fig. 14 is a bottom view of the IH rice cooker 1 shown in Fig. 13. This example illustrates a case where four pedestal portions 223 are provided at four corners of the bottom of the IH rice cooker 1. A weight sensor is mounted on each of the four pedestal portions 223. In the following description, the base portion 223 is referred to as a weight detection leg 223. In addition, when the four weight detection feet 223 are to be distinguished, they are called weight detection feet 223A, 223B, 223C, 223D.

As shown in FIG. 14, the two weight detection feet 223C and 223D are located on the cover hinge 129 side with respect to the center of gravity G, and are located at both ends with respect to the direction of the rotation shaft 129a. On the other hand, the two weight detecting feet 223A and 223B are located on the opposite side of the cover hinge 129 with respect to the center of gravity G, and on both ends with respect to the direction of the rotation shaft 129a. Let the two diagonal dotted lines of the quadrangle formed by the weight detection feet 223A to 223D be L1 and L2, and the intersection of the two diagonal dotted lines L1 and L2 be P. At this time, the center of gravity G is preferably located closer to the lid hinge 129 than the intersection point P of the two diagonal dotted lines L1 and L2.

Specifically, an area of a triangle formed by the intersection point P and the weight detection legs 223A and 223B is referred to as an "area E1". When the center of gravity G exists inside the area E1, it is susceptible to the vibration caused by the offset of the meter, pouring water, etc., and it is easy to shake in the front-back direction.

In addition, an area of a triangle formed by the intersection point P and the weight detection legs 223B and 223C is referred to as an "area E2". When the center of gravity G exists inside the area E2, when the lid portion 100A is opened, the lid portion 100A is liable to shake in the left-right direction while the lid portion 100A is open.

In addition, an area of a triangle formed by the intersection point P and the weight detection feet 223D and 223A is referred to as an "area E4". When the center of gravity G exists inside the area E4, it is similarly easy to shake in the left-right direction when the cover portion 100A is opened when the cover portion 100A is opened.

Finally, the area of the triangle formed by the intersection point P and the weight detection feet 223C and 223D is set to "area E3". When the center of gravity G exists on the inner side of the area E3, the center of gravity G is located closer to the lid hinge 129 than the intersection point P of the two diagonal dotted lines L1 and L2.

For this reason, each component is arrange | positioned so that the center of gravity G may fall in the area | region E3. Here, the inner pot 121, the IH coil 211, and the like, which are heavy objects, are arranged behind the partial IH rice cooker 1. Thereby, the center of gravity G of the IH rice cooker 1 with the lid part 100A in the open state can be arrange | positioned just below the center O of the inner pan 121 (refer FIG. 13). Here, the center O of the inner pot 121 refers to the volume center (space center) of the inner pot 121.

In addition, the case of having four weight detecting feet 223 is exemplified here, but the case of having more than five weight detecting feet 223 is the same, as long as the center of gravity G exists at the vertex containing two weight detecting feet on the hinge side The inside of the triangular area is sufficient. The so-called two weight detection feet on the hinge side refer to the weight detection feet located on the cover hinge 129 side with respect to the center of gravity G and on both ends with respect to the direction of the rotation axis 129a. At this time, the center of gravity G is also positioned closer to the lid hinge 129 side than the intersection of the diagonal dotted lines, so it is not easy to shake in the front-back direction and to shake in the left-right direction.

(Example of weight measurement operation)

When the operation of the IH rice cooker 1 is started, the zero point adjustment of the weight sensor is performed with the lid portion 100A opened. In addition, after the zero-crossing adjustment is performed, the weight of the cooking material accommodated in the inner pot 121 is measured with the lid portion 100A open. Of course, the zero point adjustment of the weight sensor may be performed with the lid portion 100A folded up, and the weight of the cooking material stored in the inner pot 121 may be measured. However, the above-mentioned processes are performed in a state in which the lid portion 100A is open, which takes less time and is easier to operate.

That is, the user adjusts the amount of water in the inner pot 121 placed in the rice cooker unit 100 while looking at the measurement display unit 102 (see FIG. 2) provided in front of the rice cooker unit 100. For example, when pouring too much water into the inner pot 121, while looking at the measurement display portion 102, the water is decanted from the inner pot 121 until it reaches an appropriate amount of water. Even in the state where the lid portion 100A is open, it is extremely important to be able to measure the weight stably by eliminating shake in the front-rear direction and left-right direction.

(Example of weight sensor circuit configuration)

Next, a configuration example of the weight sensor circuit will be described. In the above description, the average weight of the sensor values of the weight sensors in the four corners is used to calculate the weight of the cooking material, but it is not limited thereto. That is, the weight of the cooking material can also be calculated by the total of the sensor values of the weight sensors in the four corners.

FIG. 15 is a circuit configuration diagram of a weight sensor included in the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment, and FIG. 16 is a circuit configuration diagram of a single load cell shown in FIG. 15.

As shown in FIG. 15, this weight sensor includes load cells SEL1 to SEL4, a differential amplifier circuit 11, an A / D converter (12bit) 12, a CPU 13, and an RC smoothing circuit 14. The load cells SEL1 to SEL4 are single load cells as shown in FIG. 16 and four are connected in series. It is a small voltage signal that outputs the sum of four single load cells.

First, a basic circuit operation will be described. The bridge wiring from the load cells SEL1 to SEL4 outputs a small voltage signal (analog small signal) corresponding to the applied weight (deformation). The tiny voltage signal is amplified by a differential amplifier circuit 11, and the amplified analog voltage signal is converted into a digital signal by an A / D converter 12. Through an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit; integrated circuit bus) ) Communication, passing its overlapping data to the CPU 13.

Next, the compensation adjustment (microcomputer control) performed by the CPU 13 will be described. The necessary range of the weight measurement is "the state in which the empty inner pot 121 is mounted (about 5 kg)" to "the state in which the inner pot 121 is filled with 3 cups of rice and water (about 6 kg)". Therefore, when the strain gauge is mounted on the weight detection foot 223, the weight detection foot 223 must measure 0g to 6kg, so that the measurement accuracy in the range of 5kg to 6kg is low. In addition, the vicinity of the 0V output of the differential amplifier circuit 11 is affected by noise and the like, and the measurement accuracy is low.

In order to improve the above-mentioned problem, the CPU 13 outputs a PWM signal in a state where the empty inner pan 121 (approximately 5 kg) is installed so that the output voltage of the differential amplifier circuit 11 is in a range of 1V to 1.5V. During factory inspection, all adjustments are made individually. In addition, when "3 cups of rice and water are placed in the inner pot 121 (about 6 kg)", the CPU 13 adjusts the differential amplifier circuit 11 so that the output voltage of the differential amplifier circuit 11 is about Vcc-1V. Gain. Thereby, it is possible to ensure a measurement accuracy in a necessary measurement range (5 kg to 6 kg), and to realize a weight sensor that is not easily affected by noise and the like.

As described above, the IH rice cooker 1 according to the embodiment includes: a main body accommodating the inner pot 121 in a detachable manner; a lid portion 100A that can be opened and closed on the main body; A cover hinge 129 of the rotating shaft 129a; and four or more feet provided on the bottom surface of the body. At least four feet are weight detecting feet 223 for detecting weight. The four weight detection feet 223 are two hinge side weight detection feet of the IH rice cooker 1 with the lid portion 100A open at the hinge side 129 of the lid and at both ends with respect to the rotation axis 129a. 223C, 223D, and weight detection feet 223A, 223B located on opposite sides of the cover hinge 129 and on opposite sides of the two hinges at both ends with respect to the direction of the rotation shaft 129a. The center of gravity G of the IH rice cooker 1 with the lid 100A open is opposite to two diagonal dotted lines formed by two hinge-side weight detection feet 223C and 223D and two hinge-side weight detection feet 223A and 223B. The intersection point P of L1 and L2 is located on the side of the lid hinge 129. The weight is measured using four weight detection feet 223 with the lid portion 100A open. Thereby, the two weight detection feet 223 exist on the side of the cover hinge 129, and the center of gravity G is located closer to the side of the cover hinge 129 than the intersection point P of the two diagonal dotted lines L1 and L2. Measure the weight steadily.

In addition, the center of gravity G of the IH rice cooker 1 in a state where the lid portion 100A is open may be disposed directly below the center of the inner pot 121. Thereby, the center of gravity G is arrange | positioned in the center part of the inner pot 121, and is hardly affected by the vibration caused by the offset of rice, pouring water, etc.

In addition, when the operation of the IH rice cooker 1 is started, the zero point adjustment of the weight sensor may be performed with the lid portion 100A open. With this, it is possible to absorb the change over time of the weight sensor with the lid portion 100A open, and maintain accurate weight measurement.

In addition, the weight of the cooking material accommodated in the inner pot 121 may be measured with the lid 100A open after the zero-crossing adjustment is performed. Thereby, the amount of water can be accurately adjusted with the lid portion 100A open, so there is no need to repeatedly press the lid portion 100A and perform weight measurement again, and the operation is simple.

In addition, the IH rice cooker 1 of the upper and lower separation type is described as an example. However, the above-mentioned positional relationship of the weight detection foot with respect to the center of gravity of the rice cooker can also be applied to a general rice cooker that is not vertically separated The device can also be applied to a microcomputer-based rice cooker.

[Cooking action example]

An operation example of the IH rice cooker 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.

Here, FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing an operation example of the IH rice cooker 1 of this embodiment, and FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of an overcooking prevention process performed by the IH rice cooker 1 of the embodiment. Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing a subroutine of IH stop processing in the overcooking prevention processing.

First, an operation example of the IH rice cooker 1 will be described with reference to the explanatory diagram of FIG. 17. The configuration of the IH rice cooker 1 is the same as the configuration example shown in FIG.

Here, the control signals D1a and D1b are transmitted / received between the rice cooker unit 100 side and the IH conditioner 200 side via communication terminals 112 and 213 as communication means.

That is, a signal (data) D1b including a cooking start signal, a cooking operation stop signal, a firepower adjustment signal, and the like is transmitted from the rice cooker unit 100 side to the IH conditioner 200 side.

In addition, a signal (data) D1a including weight sensor information, error information of the IH conditioner 200, and the like is transmitted from the IH conditioner 200 side to the rice cooker unit 100 side.

The example shown in FIG. 17 assumes that the signal line A1 between the interface substrate 122 on the rice cooker section 100 side and the rice cooker operation substrate 126 is disconnected.

As a result, the signal D21 indicating the temperature of the inner pot detected by the thermistor 131 was originally transmitted to the side of the rice cooker operation substrate 126 via the signal line A1, but the signal D2 went to the rice cooker due to the disconnection of the signal line A1 Transmission on the processor operation substrate 126 side is interrupted.

Here, if it is in a normal state, according to the signal D2 indicating the temperature of the inner pot, the thermal power adjustment signals D3 (D3a to D3c) are transmitted from the cooker operation substrate 126 to the main substrate 225 via the communication means 300, and the thermal power of the IH coil 211 is adjusted. Perform the best cooking.

However, if the signal line A1 is disconnected, the signal D2 indicating the temperature of the inner pot is not transmitted to the side of the rice cooker operation substrate 126, so the rice cooker operation substrate 126 cannot obtain the temperature of the inner pot, which becomes a signal for normal firepower adjustment. D3 cannot output.

Therefore, due to the inability to properly adjust the thermal power of the IH coil 211, inconveniences such as over-cooking of the rice may occur.

In view of this, in the IH rice cooker 1 of this embodiment, the control is performed in the following manner: under the control of any one of the first control unit 400a and the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU1, MCU2), When the control signal cannot be received within a predetermined time, the operation of the IH conditioner 200 is stopped.

This makes it possible to prevent rice from being overcooked, etc., even if the control signal for cooking control is not normally transmitted during the cooking operation.

In addition, it may be configured to control the IH conditioner 200 when the control signal for adjusting the firepower is not detected by the control of any of the first control unit 400a and the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU1, MCU2). The motion stops.

Thereby, in the cooking operation, even if the control signal for cooking control is not normally transmitted, it is possible to further reliably avoid over-cooking of rice and the like.

In addition, the control of the first control unit 400a and the second control unit 400b (microcomputer MCU1, MCU2) can also be controlled in the following manner: When the control signal received via the communication means 300 (communication terminals 112, 213) is determined as When the IH conditioner 200 is instructed to stop, or when it is determined that a signal indicating that an abnormality has occurred in the rice cooker unit 100, the operation of the IH conditioner 200 is stopped.

Thereby, it is possible to prevent the rice from being overcooked by the stop command of the IH conditioner 200 and the detection of the abnormal signal of the rice cooker unit 100.

In addition, a UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter) included in the rice cooker operation substrate 126 and the interface substrate 122 is a device for converting data in a serial transmission method and data in a parallel transmission method to each other.

In addition, the SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) included in the IH operation substrate 224 and the main substrate 225 is a serial bus that connects the IH operation substrate 224 and the main substrate 225 to each other.

In addition, each of the substrates 122, 126, 224, and 225 is equipped with a ROM storing a predetermined program. In addition, the microcomputers MCU1 to MCU4 execute predetermined programs stored in the ROM to implement various controls.

Next, a processing procedure of the overcooking prevention processing executed by the IH rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 18.

In the overcooking prevention process, it is determined in step S301 whether the control signal is a thermal power adjustment signal.

Next, if the determination result is "No", the process proceeds to step S303, and it is determined whether it is within a predetermined time. When the determination result is "Yes", the process returns to step S301. When the determination result is "No", that is, when it is determined to exceed a predetermined time, the process proceeds to the IH stop processing subroutine of step S304.

When it is determined as YES in step S301, the timer is reset to 0 in step S302, and then the process returns to step S301.

In the IH stop processing subroutine (refer to FIG. 19), the system returns to the main processing of FIG. 18 after sending a rice cooking operation stop signal.

Here, more specifically, for example, when a communication failure between the rice cooker operation substrate 126 and the interface substrate 122 (caused by a disconnection of a signal line, a poor soldering, etc.) is detected on the interface substrate 122 side, the interface can be detected from the interface. The sequence of the microcomputer MCU3 (the third control unit 500b) of the substrate 122 is transmitted to the IH operation substrate 224 of the IH conditioner 200, and then transmitted from the IH operation substrate 224 to the main substrate 225. The cooking operation stop signal is transmitted, and the cooking operation stops according to this sequence. The signal controls the operation of the IH conditioner 200 under the control of the microcomputer MCU2 (the second control unit 400b) provided in the main substrate 225.

In addition, when the communication failure of the communication means 300 (communication terminals 112, 213) is detected on the IH operation substrate 224 side, the microcomputer MCU1 (the first control unit 400a) of the IH operation substrate 224 may transmit a cooking operation stop signal to the IH. The main substrate 225 of the conditioner 200 stops the operation of the IH conditioner 200 under the control of the microcomputer MCU2 (second control unit 400b) provided in the main substrate 225 based on the rice cooking operation stop signal.

In addition, when a communication failure between the IH operation substrate 224 and the main substrate 225 is detected on the main substrate 225 side, the microcomputer MCU2 (the second control unit 400b) of the main substrate 225 stops the IH conditioner 200 based on the cooking operation stop signal. The motion stops.

This makes it possible to reliably avoid over-cooking of the rice, etc., regardless of the location where the communication failure occurs.

The above-mentioned overcooking prevention processing is not limited to the microcomputer MCU3 (third control unit 500a), and the same processing can be performed even on the microcomputer MCU1 (first control unit 400a) and MCU2 (second control unit 400b).

[About IH Rice Cooker of the First Configuration Example]

In addition, when cooking rice using an IH rice cooker, it is conceivable that rice cooking is performed in a state in which the rice cooker 121 does not put rice due to misidentification by an operator or the like.

At this time, the IH rice cooker is in an air-burning state, so the operation of the IH conditioner 200 must be automatically stopped to prevent the air-burning.

In view of this, an IH rice cooker 1a configured as a first configuration example capable of preventing empty burning will be described with reference to FIGS. 20 to 25.

The hardware configuration of the IH rice cooker 1a is the same as that of the IH rice cooker 1 of the present embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of the air burn detection processing executed by the IH rice cooker 1a of the first configuration example, and FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the IH stop processing subroutine in the air burn detection processing.

The air-boiler detection processing executed by the IH rice cooker 1a of the first configuration example is to detect the air-boiler by using the temperature rise of the air-boiled state to be sharper than the temperature rise of the normal rice-cooked state in which rice cooker 121 has rice. Processing for stopping the operation with the IH conditioner 200.

Here, an example of the temperature increase range will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 to 25.

Fig. 22 is a graph showing a temperature curve of a normal cooking state of 0.5 cups using the IH rice cooker 1a of the first configuration example, and Fig. 23 is a diagram showing empty cooking rice using the IH rice cooker 1a of the first configuration example Fig. 24 is a diagram of a state temperature curve and the like. Fig. 24 is a partially enlarged diagram of the temperature curve of Fig. 23 and the like. Fig. 25 shows an empty cooking rice (800W) state using the IH rice cooker 1a of the first configuration example. Graphs of temperature curves, etc.

In Figure 22, curve L1 represents the voltage of the thermistor (bottom thermistor) 131 disposed at the bottom of the inner pot, curve L2 represents the ambient temperature, curve L3 represents the upper edge temperature of the inner pot, and curve L4 is Indicates the bottom temperature.

In Figs. 23 and 24, curve L1 indicates the voltage of the thermistor (bottom thermistor) 131 disposed at the bottom of the inner pot, curve L10 indicates the ambient temperature, and curve L11 indicates the inner pot. Edge temperature, curve L12 represents the bottom temperature of the pot.

In addition, in Fig. 25, curve L20 represents the voltage of the thermistor (bottom thermistor) 131 disposed at the bottom of the inner pot, curve L21 represents the ambient temperature, and curve L22 is the upper edge temperature of the inner pot. L23 is the temperature at the bottom of the pot.

Here, regarding the graphs in FIG. 22 of the normal cooking state and FIG. 23 of the empty cooking state, it can be seen from the comparison of the bottom temperature curve L4 and L12 that the change in the bottom temperature curve L12 of the empty cooking state is rapid.

Here, as shown in FIG. 24, the rapid temperature change part 500 of FIG. 23 is enlarged, and the voltage of the pot thermistor 131 and the change state of the pot bottom temperature corresponding to the voltage are measured based on a plurality of experimental data. Research.

The results of the study suggest that when the transition time T from the point P11 of the thermistor voltage 1.98V (65 ° C) to the point P12 of the thermistor voltage 1.7V (75 ° C) is less than 30 seconds, High probability.

For example, in the cases of FIGS. 23 and 24, the transition time t1 from the point P11 of the thermistor voltage of 1.98V (65 ° C) to the point P12 of the thermistor voltage of 1.7V (75 ° C) is about 20 Since it is less than 30 seconds, it is determined to be an empty cooking rice.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 25, in the case of cooking at 800W, the transition time t2 from the point P21 of the thermistor voltage of 1.98V (65 ° C) to the point P22 of the thermistor voltage of 1.7V (75 ° C) is about It was 15 seconds and less than 30 seconds, so it was judged to be empty cooking.

On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 22, the transition time t10 from the point P1 at which the thermistor voltage is 1.98V (65 ° C) to the point P2 at which the thermistor voltage is 1.7V (75 ° C) is about 50 seconds, and Since it was 30 seconds or more, it was determined that it was not empty cooking rice.

Based on the above-mentioned research results, the processing program (program) of the air-blow detection processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 20 is considered.

Here, with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 20, the processing routine of the air-boiler detection process performed by the IH rice cooker 1a of a 1st structural example is demonstrated.

When this process is started, it is determined in step S401 whether or not "ST (temperature of the inner pot (thermistor output)) ≧ 65 ° C".

Next, when the determination result is "No", the standby is maintained, and when the determination result is "Yes", the process proceeds to step S402 to reset the timer time T to 0.

Next, it is determined in step S403 whether ST> 75 ° C. If the determination result is "NO", the process proceeds to step S404.

In step S404, the time T of the timer is incremented by "1 second", and then the process returns to step S403.

When it is determined as YES in step S403, the process proceeds to step S405, and it is determined whether T <30 seconds.

When the determination result is "No", the process returns to step S401. When the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S406, and the processing is terminated after the IH stop processing subroutine is executed.

As shown in FIG. 21, in the IH stop processing subroutine, the main processing is returned after a stop signal for cooking operation is transmitted.

Here, more specifically, for example, when the microcomputer MCU1 of the rice cooker operation substrate 126 included in the IH rice cooker 1a detects an empty cooking state, the cooking operation stop signal is transmitted from the microcomputer MCU1 to the main substrate via the communication means 300 225.

Then, based on the rice cooking operation stop signal, the operation of the IH conditioner 200 is stopped by the control of the microcomputer MCU4 provided in the main substrate 225.

Thereby, empty cooking of the IH rice cooker 1a can be prevented reliably.

[About IH Rice Cooker of the Second Configuration Example]

In addition, in order to use the IH rice cooker to cook rice that is delicious, it is extremely important to determine the optimal amount of water according to the characteristics of the rice.

However, in the conventional IH rice cooker, the amount of water is determined only based on the weight of the metered rice.

That is, for example, as shown in the graph in FIG. 26, 0.5 cups (80g) of rice are set to 100cc of water, 1 cup (160g) of rice is set to 200cc of water, and 2 cups (320g) of rice are set. 400cc of water, 3 cups (480g) of rice is set to 600cc of water and so on.

As described above, the amount of water determined based on the weight of the rice differs from the optimal amount of water corresponding to the cooking menu (eg, assorted rice, porridge, etc.) and rice types set by the user.

Therefore, it is sometimes difficult to fully extract the original deliciousness of the rice to be cooked by the amount of water determined by the conventional technique.

In view of this, referring to Figures 27 to 38, for the second configuration example of calculating the optimal amount of water, not only information about the weight of the measured rice, but also information such as cooking menus and rice types can be taken into consideration. IH rice cooker 1b is demonstrated.

The hardware configuration of the IH rice cooker 1b is the same as that of the IH rice cooker 1 of the present embodiment.

The IH rice cooker 1b of the second configuration example calculates the optimal water quantity Q using the following formula.

Q = q × w1 × w2 × w3

In the formula, q is the normal amount of water for the weight of the rice to be cooked (equivalent to the amount of water measured by conventional methods), and w1 is used for rice when the menu of cooking rice is "disposable rice" or "white rice". A weighting coefficient for adjusting the amount of water. W2 is a weighting coefficient for adjusting the amount of water when the rice menu is "new rice", and w3 is used for adjusting the amount of rice when the rice menu is "quick cooking" and "power saving". Water weighting factor.

FIG. 27 shows an example of a table TB1 in which the weighting coefficient w1 is described. In the case of rice type A in Table TB1, 3 cups (w1 = a times), 2 cups (w1 = b times), 1 cup (w1 = c times), and 0.5 cups (w1 = d times) are set.

In the case of rice seed B, 3 cups (w1 = e times), 2 cups (w1 = a times), 1 cup (w1 = f times), and 0.5 cups (w1 = g times) are set.

In the case of rice seed C, three cups (w1 = e times), two cups (w1 = e times), one cup (w1 = f times), and 0.5 cups (w1 = g times) are set.

Here, a to g are predetermined integers or decimals.

FIG. 28 shows an example of a table TB3 in which the weighting coefficient w3 is described. In Table TB3, in the case of "quick cook" (cooking menu "4" or "8"), set to 3 cups (w3 = a times), 2 cups (w3 = b times), 1 cup (w3 = c times ), 0.5 cup (w3 = d times).

In the case of "Power Saving" (Cooking Menu "3" or "7"), set to 3 cups (w3 = e times), 2 cups (w3 = f times), 1 cup (w3 = b times), 0.5 cup (w3 = f times).

Where a to f are predetermined integers or decimals.

In addition, although the illustration of the table TB2 regarding the weighting factor w2 is omitted, the weighting factor w2 is preferably set to the same degree as the weighting factor w1.

(About measuring cooking action)

Next, with reference to the flowcharts in Figs. 29 to 38, processing procedures such as the rice cooking process performed by the IH rice cooker 1b of the second configuration example will be described.

First, when the rice cooker section 100 of the IH rice cooker 1b is not placed on the IH conditioner 200, the rice cooker operation section 101 only displays the clock, and the measurement display section 102 remains off (S1 → S2 → S3 → S2). When the rice cooker unit 100 is placed on the IH conditioner 200, the menu display and the like of the rice cooker operation unit 101 are activated, but the measurement display unit 102 remains off (S2 → S4). At this time, the previous information about the menu, rice type, and soft hardness is maintained (S5).

Next, when the user presses the menu button B1, the menu selection is switched (S6 → S7 → S6). For example, (1) disposable rice → (2) disposable rice, new rice → (3) disposable rice, power saving → (4) disposable rice, quick cooking → (5) white rice → (6) white rice, new rice → (7) White rice, power saving → (8) white rice, quick cooking → (9) assorted rice → (10) porridge → (11) brown rice → (12) stew / steam → (1) disposable rice → ...

Next, when the user presses the rice type button B3, if the menu is not white rice or disposable rice, the rice type selection remains off (S8 → S9 → S10 → S8). On the other hand, if the selection menu is white rice or disposable rice, the rice type selection system is switched (S8 → S9 → S11 → S8). For example, (0) Others → (1) Koshihikari → (2) Akita Komachi → (3) Ziyami → (4) Dream Beauty → (5) Love at first sight → (6) Sunlight → (0) Other → The order of ... is switched.

Next, when the user presses the soft hardness button, if the menu is non-white rice or disposable rice, the soft hardness selection remains off (S12 → S13 → S14 → S12). On the other hand, if the selection menu is white rice or disposable rice, the soft hardness selection system is switched (S12 → S13 → S15 → S12). For example, switching is performed in the order of (1) standard → (2) hard → (3) soft → (1) standard →...

Here, with reference to steps S501 to S515 and the like, processing procedures such as calculation processing of the optimal water amount will be described.

In step S501, the variable M is substituted into the number (Mn) of the cooking menu currently set, and then it proceeds to step S6.

When it is determined in step S6 whether the "menu" button has been pressed or not, in step S503, the value of M substituted in step S501 is set to the menu number m, and then the process proceeds to step S506.

When it is determined as YES in step S6, the process proceeds to step S504, and it is determined whether or not M = 12.

When the determination result is "YES", the M value is reset to 0 in step S505, and then the process proceeds to step S7.

When the determination result is "No", the process also proceeds to step S7, and the value of M is incremented by "1", and then the process proceeds to step S7, and the menu display is sequentially switched as shown in the right table in FIG. 29.

On the other hand, in step S506, the rice seed number (Bn) currently set in the variable B is substituted, and then the process proceeds to step S8.

In step S8, it is determined whether or not the "rice type" button has been pressed. If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S9, and it is determined whether the selection menu is "white rice" or "no-wash rice".

If the determination result is "No", the process proceeds to step S10, the rice selection is kept off, and the process returns to step S8.

If the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S511, and it is determined whether or not it is B = 6. When the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S513, the B value is reset to 0, and the process proceeds to step S11. When the determination result is "No", the process proceeds to step S512, and the value of B is incremented by "1" and the process proceeds to step S11.

In step S11, as shown in the right table in FIG. 30, the rice seeds are sequentially switched.

On the other hand, if it is determined as NO in step S8, the process proceeds to step S514, the value of B in step S507 is set to b, and then the process proceeds to step S515.

In step S515, a subroutine for calculating weighting coefficients w1, w2, and w3 is executed.

Here, a processing procedure of a subroutine for calculating the weighting coefficients w1, w2, and w3 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG. 31.

First, in step S600, it is determined whether the cooking menu number "m" is "1" or "5", that is, whether it is "free-washing rice" or "white rice".

When the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S601. According to the table TB1 illustrated in FIG. 27, the weighting coefficient corresponding to the b value (the value corresponding to the set rice type) is substituted at w1, and then the process proceeds to step S602. .

In step S602, the weighting coefficients w2 and w3 are substituted into "1", and then the main processing of FIG. 30 is returned.

When it is determined as NO in step S600, the process proceeds to step S603. In step S603, it is determined whether the cooking menu number "m" is "2" or "6", that is, whether it is "free-washing rice, new rice" or "white rice, new rice".

When the determination result is "YES", the process proceeds to step S604, and according to the table TB2 (not shown), a weighting coefficient corresponding to the b value (a value corresponding to the set rice type) is substituted at w2, and then the process proceeds to step S605.

In step S605, weighting coefficients w1 and w3 are substituted into "1", and then the main processing of FIG. 30 is returned.

If it is determined as NO in step S603, the process proceeds to step S606.

In step S606, a weighting coefficient corresponding to the value of m is substituted in w3 according to the table TB3 illustrated in FIG. 28, and then the process proceeds to step S607.

In step S607, the weighting coefficients w1 and w2 are substituted into "1", and then the main processing of FIG. 30 is returned.

With the above-mentioned processing, it is possible to calculate an optimal water quantity Q for various cooking meals using a calculation formula of Q = q × w1 × w2 × w3.

Thereby, it is possible to determine the optimal amount of water in accordance with the characteristics of the rice, etc., and to cook rice that fully extracts the deliciousness of the rice.

Next, a processing procedure performed in accordance with a flowchart such as that in FIG. 32 will be described.

When the lid 100A is open, the weight is more than the proper weight of the inner pot and the heat preservation is "off", the metering display is activated (S16 → S18 → S20 → S24). The proper weight of the inner pot refers to a weight obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the inner pot weight.

On the other hand, when the lid portion 100A is not opened, the weight is not more than the proper weight of the inner pot or the heat preservation is not "off", the state is maintained (S16 → S17, S18 → S19, S20 → S21). However, when the hold / cancel button B2 is pressed, the metering display is activated (S21 → S22 → S24). When the lid portion 100A is closed (S23: YES), the process returns to step S16.

Next, when the meter display is left idle for more than 10 minutes, as long as the meter button B11 is not pressed, the meter display is turned off (S25 → S26 → S27 → S26). Even if it has not been idle for more than 10 minutes, when the heat preservation / cancel button B2 is pressed, as long as the metering button B11 is not pressed, the metering display is turned off from the viewpoint of power saving (S25 → S28 → S29 → S30 → S29).

On the other hand, when the rice is not left idle for more than 10 minutes and the warm / cancel button B2 is not pressed, when the weight of the rice is below the upper limit of the permitted rice weight of the cooking menu, "Put the rice in and press the metering button", etc. (S25 → S28 → S31 → S33). If the weight of the rice is not below the upper limit of the allowable rice weight of the cooking menu, an error is displayed (S25 → S28 → S31 → S32). In this process, the idle time is set to 10 minutes, but it is not limited to this.

Next, when the weight of the rice is within the allowable rice weight of the cooking menu, the display of "put in the rice and press the metering button" is maintained, and the metering button B11 is blinked (S34 → S35). Thereby, when the user presses the metering button B11, if the weight of the meter is within the range of the allowable meter weight, the weight of the meter is memorized, and the optimal amount of water corresponding to the weight of the meter is displayed. Specifically, the metering mode "○○ cc pouring (decreasing) water" and the like are displayed (S36 → S37 → S38). In addition, the allowable rice weight "○ cup to ○ cup" is determined according to each cooking menu.

Here, when the menu is "disposable rice", "○○ cc pour water" and the like are displayed (S39 → S40). On the other hand, when the menu is other than "no-wash rice", "○○ cc washing rice and pouring water" is displayed (S39 → S41).

Next, when the weight of water (+ meters) is not within the optimal water volume range without pressing the cancel button, a "beep, beep" sound is emitted, and the cooking button B4 and the reservation button are turned off (S42 → S43 → S44) (→ S43). On the other hand, when the weight of water (+ meters) is within the optimal water volume range, a "beep" sound will be emitted, and the cooking button B4 and the reservation button will flash. If the lid 100A is closed, the metering mode will be canceled and displayed. "Clock Mode: 00:00" and so on (S42 → S43 → S45 → S46 → S47). In addition, the optimal water amount range "optimal water amount ± ○%" is determined based on a combination of the cooking menu, rice type, and softness setting. In addition, when the optimum water amount range is reached, it is preferable to urge the lid portion 100A to be lifted by a display, a sound, or the like.

Next, when the user presses the reservation button, he enters the reservation mode, displays "00: 00", etc., and lights up "Reservation 1" and displays the previous registration time (S48 → S49 → S50). Here, when the user presses the hour / minute button without pressing the cancel button or the reservation button, the registration time of the reservation 1 is updated (S51 → S52 → S58 → S59). On the other hand, when the user presses the reservation button without pressing the cancel button, "Reservation 2" is lit to display the previous registration time. When the user presses the hour / minute button without pressing the reservation button , The registration time of the reservation 2 is updated (S51 → S52 → S53 → S54 → S56 → S57). In addition, when the user presses the reservation button in step S54, the reservation mode is cancelled, and "clock mode: 00:00" is displayed (S54 → S55).

Finally, when the user presses the rice cooking button B4, if the lid portion 100A has been lifted, the rice cooking is started with the selected rice cooking menu and rice stroke (S60 → S61 → S62). Then, it waits until the cooking is completed (S63), and returns to step S16.

[Example of Zero Adjustment of Weight Sensor]

Fig. 36 is a flowchart showing the zero adjustment operation of the weight sensor.

First, when the lid portion 100A is not opened, its state is maintained (S71 → S72).

On the other hand, with the lid portion 100A open, when the user presses the metering button B11 for a long time, if the weight falls within the proper range of the inner pot weight, the zero point adjustment is started and the meter measuring mode is entered (S71 → S73). (→ S74 → S75 → S76). The proper range of the inner pot weight "Inner pot weight ± ○%" is determined based on the inner pot weight.

[Example of weight sensor control operation]

Figure 37 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the weight sensor.

First, the sensor values of the four-point weight sensor (strain gage) are measured, and the values at a certain time are averaged according to the following formula (S81 → S82).

Sensor output average (voltage) = average (sensor output ALL (voltage))

Next, the output voltage is converted into a load (weight) according to the following formula (S83). Strain gauge constants are determined based on physical confirmation and experiments.

Measured value [g] = (Sensor output average (voltage)) / (strain gauge constant [voltage / N]) / g (gravitational acceleration [m / s ^ 2])

Next, the measured weight is calculated according to the following formula (S84).

Measured weight [g] = Measured value [g] -Zero weight [g]

At this time, in the meter measurement mode, the weight of the meter is recorded in the unit of g (S85 → S86).

On the other hand, in the case of the water measurement mode, the weight of water is output in cc units according to the following formula (S87 → S88).

Output value [cc] = (Required water amount [cc] calculated from recorded rice weight, rice type, etc.)-((Meter weight [g])-(recorded rice weight [g] ))

[Example of IH conditioning operation]

FIG. 38 is a flowchart showing the operation of the IH conditioner 200.

First, when the rice cooker unit 100 is placed on the IH conditioner 200, the display of the IH operation unit 201 is turned off (S91 → S92 → S93 → S92). In addition, even if the rice cooker section 100 is not placed on the IH conditioner 200, the display of the IH operation section 201 is turned off before the user presses the button 201a or 201b of "heating start" or "frying start" (S94 (→ S95 → S92).

Then, when the user presses the button 201a or 201b of the "heating start" or "frying start", the heating is started with the lowest firepower (S94 → S96). The reason to start heating with the lowest firepower is to prevent unconscious temperature rise and ensure safety. In addition, when the user presses the button 201c of "Enhancement", the firepower is correspondingly increased (S97 → S98), and when the button 201d of the "Weakness" is pressed, the firepower is correspondingly reduced (S99 → S100). Finally, when the user presses the "off" button 201e, the power is cut off (S101 → S102).

[About the variety and taste of rice]

The relationship between the variety of rice and the texture will be described below.

The "Koshihikari rice", "Nikko", and "Akita Komachi" varieties belong to the category that is more flexible in food texture and the hardness and hardness of rice. In addition, "Dream Beauty", "Mr. Mori's Bear (Mori ) "," Love at First Sight ", and" Yami Rice "belong to the categories that are more elastic in food texture and softer in hardness. In addition, "Seven Stars ( ) "," Shengpu ( ) "," Go forward ( ") Belong to the category which is refreshing in taste and the hardness of rice is hard. In addition, "笹 锦 ( ") Belongs to the category of refreshing taste and softer hardness of rice.

As described above, since the texture and physical properties vary depending on the type of rice, the main substrate 225 of the IH conditioner 200 is the rice type corresponding to the rice selected by the rice type button B3 of the rice cooker operating section 101, and is calculated in the cooking The amount of heat (electricity) supplied during the work is based on the calculated heat to control the IH coil 211 and the like. Thereby, it is possible to accurately perform cooking for each rice type.

As described above, according to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a rice cooker in which the IH conditioner cannot properly perform a predetermined rice cooker operation even if a control signal for rice cooker control is not normally transmitted during the rice cooker operation of the rice cooker. .

[Other embodiments]

As described above, the embodiments have been described, but some of the discussions and drawings disclosed above are only examples, and it should not be understood that the present invention is limited to the above disclosures. Those skilled in the art can understand various alternative embodiments, embodiments, and operating technologies from the above disclosure.

As described above, the present invention includes various embodiments and the like not described in this specification. For example, although the case where the weight sensor is provided on the IH conditioner 200 side has been exemplified, the weight sensor can be provided on the rice cooker portion 100 side. In addition, as for the weight sensor, in addition to a strain gauge, a pressure sensor, other types of load cells, and the like can be used.

    [Industrial availability]    

The rice cooker of the present invention can be applied to an IH rice cooker of a vertical type and the like.

Claims (9)

    A rice cooker is provided with: an electromagnetic conditioner for electromagnetic induction heating; and a rice cooker part which is placed on the electromagnetic conditioner during cooking; the electromagnetic conditioner is configured to: according to the control from the rice cooker part The signal performs the cooking operation; when the control signal cannot be received for a predetermined time, the foregoing cooking operation is stopped.         The rice cooker according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electromagnetic conditioner is provided with: a communication terminal that is a part of a communication means for receiving the control signal from the rice cooker section; and the first control means or The second control means controls the electromagnetic conditioner corresponding to the control signal; the first control means or the second control means is configured to: when the control signal cannot be received for the predetermined time, the electromagnetic conditioner The aforementioned cooking action is stopped.         The rice cooker according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the electromagnetic conditioner is configured to: when a control signal for cooking rice fire power adjustment that adjusts the fire power of the rice cooking operation cannot be received, make the electromagnetic cooker The cooking action stops.         The rice cooker according to item 2 or 3 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the first control means or the second control means is configured to stop the cooking operation of the electromagnetic conditioner when it is received via the communication means. When the rice cooker operation stop signal is received, or when an abnormality occurrence signal indicating that an abnormality occurs in the rice cooker unit is received, the rice cooker operation of the electromagnetic conditioner is stopped.         The rice cooker according to item 2 or item 3 of the scope of patent application, wherein the communication by the aforementioned communication means is wireless communication.         The rice cooker according to item 2 or 3 of the patent application scope, wherein the electromagnetic conditioner is provided with a main substrate for controlling an IH coil capable of adjusting fire power, and the electromagnetic conditioner is operated and connected to the rice cooker. The IH operation substrate for communication between the units; the first control means or the second control means is provided in at least one of the main substrate and the IH operation substrate.         The rice cooker according to item 2 or 3 of the scope of patent application, wherein the rice cooker unit includes an interface substrate for performing communication with the electromagnetic conditioner, and the rice cooker unit is operated through the rice cooker unit. The communication means operates a rice cooker operation substrate of the electromagnetic conditioner; at least one of the interface substrate and the rice cooker operation substrate is provided with a third control means or a fourth control means that controls the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker unit.         The rice cooker according to item 7 of the scope of patent application, wherein the rice cooker unit is configured to: when a communication failure between the interface board and the rice cooker operation board is detected on the interface board side, the The third control means of the interface substrate transmits a rice cooking operation stop signal via the communication means, and the main substrate stops the rice cooking operation of the electromagnetic conditioner based on the rice cooking operation stop signal.         The rice cooker according to item 7 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the electromagnetic conditioner is configured to: the communication between the rice cooker unit and the electromagnetic conditioner detected by the communication means on the IH operation substrate side In the case of failure, a rice cooking operation stop signal is transmitted from the first control means provided on the IH operation substrate to the main substrate, and the main substrate stops the rice cooking operation of the electromagnetic conditioner based on the rice cooking operation stop signal.