WO2018146872A1

WO2018146872A1 - Pressure-type rice cooker

Info

Publication number: WO2018146872A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/039215
Authority: WO
Inventors: 大矢　弘; 宏和山地; 裕輔中山; 慧中須; 知里塚原; 隆梛木
Original assignee: パナソニックＩｐマネジメント株式会社
Priority date: 2017-02-07
Filing date: 2017-10-31
Publication date: 2018-08-16
Also published as: CN110248577A; JP2018126267A

Abstract

This pressure-type rice cooker comprises: a pot; a lid provided with a steam discharge hole; a pressure detection unit; and a control unit. The lid includes: a pressure valve that moves between a blocked position at which the steam discharge hole is blocked and an open position at which the hole is open; and a pressure valve moving mechanism that causes the pressure valve to move. The control unit, in a boil maintaining step, controls the pressure valve moving mechanism, and when detection results are close to a target pressure value, the control unit causes the pressure valve to move at a slower speed than when such results are far from the target pressure value.

Description

Pressure cooker

This disclosure relates to a pressure rice cooker that cooks rice by pressurizing the pressure in the pan to atmospheric pressure or higher.

Conventionally, as this type of pressure-type rice cooker, for example, pressure-type rice cookers described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a pressure rice cooker including a pressure valve that opens and closes a steam discharge hole and a pressure valve moving mechanism that adjusts the pressure in the pan by moving the pressure valve. Patent Document 2 includes a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure in the pan, and is configured to switch on / off and a rotation direction of a stepping motor that moves the pressure valve according to a pressure value detected by the pressure detection unit. A pressure rice cooker is disclosed.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-202304 JP 2004-57556 A

However, in the pressure rice cooker of Patent Document 1, even if the pressure valve moving mechanism that moves the pressure valve is operated, it is not immediately reflected in the pressure in the pan. That is, the pressure in the pan did not change immediately. Therefore, some time lag may occur between the operation of the pressure valve and the pressure change in the pan. For this reason, there is still room for improvement in terms of adjusting the pressure in the pan more accurately.

Moreover, in the pressure-type rice cooker of patent document 2, when the pressure value which the pressure detection part detected is below a pressure lower limit value, a stepping motor is rotationally driven to a normal rotation direction, and a pressure valve is moved to the obstruction | occlusion direction. It is configured. Further, when the pressure value detected by the pressure detector is equal to or higher than the pressure upper limit value, the stepping motor is rotationally driven in the reverse direction, and the pressure valve is moved in the opening direction. Further, when the pressure value detected by the pressure detection unit is not less than the pressure lower limit value and not more than the pressure upper limit value, the stepping motor is turned off and the movement of the pressure valve is stopped.

According to this configuration, for example, once the pressure valve is closed, the pressure valve is moved in the opening direction only when the pressure value detected by the pressure detector changes from the pressure lower limit value to the pressure upper limit value. Also, once the pressure valve is opened, the pressure valve is moved in the closing direction only when the pressure value detected by the pressure detector changes from the upper pressure limit value to the lower pressure limit value. For this reason, there exists a subject that the fluctuation | variation of a pressure is large and it is difficult to stabilize to target pressure. Therefore, also in the pressure type rice cooker of patent document 2, there is still room for improvement in terms of adjusting the pressure in the pan more accurately.

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide a pressure cooker that can adjust the pressure in the pan more accurately.

In order to achieve this object, a pressure rice cooker according to the present disclosure includes:
A lid that is configured to open and close the opening of the pan, and is provided with a steam discharge hole for discharging the steam in the pan to the outside,
A pressure detector configured to detect pressure in the pan; and
In the boiling maintenance step for maintaining the boiling of the cooked product, a control unit configured to adjust the pressure in the pan to a target pressure value according to a detection result of the pressure detection unit, and
The lid includes a pressure valve that moves between a closed position that closes the vapor discharge hole and an open position that opens, and a pressure valve moving mechanism that moves the pressure valve,
In the boiling maintaining step, the control unit controls the pressure valve moving mechanism so that when the detection result is relatively close to the target pressure value, the pressure valve is more distant than when close to the target pressure value. Is moved at a slow speed.

</ RTI> According to the pressure rice cooker according to the present disclosure, the pressure in the pan can be adjusted more accurately.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pressure rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the pressure rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where parts on the upper outer member side of the outer lid are removed from the pressure rice cooker of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing some components of FIG. FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in temperature and pressure in the pan when an example of a rice cooking course is performed using the pressure rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit in the pressure adjustment mode and the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism. FIG. 8: is a graph which shows transition of the temperature and pressure in a pan when the other example of a rice cooking course is performed using the pressure type rice cooker of FIG. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit and the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism when shifting from the pressure increase mode to the pressure adjustment mode. FIG. 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit and the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism when shifting from the step-down mode to the pressure adjustment mode.

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, a pan for storing the cooked food,
A lid that is configured to open and close the opening of the pan, and is provided with a steam discharge hole for discharging the steam in the pan to the outside,
A pressure detector configured to detect pressure in the pan; and
In the boiling maintenance step for maintaining the boiling of the cooked product, a control unit configured to adjust the pressure in the pan to a target pressure value according to a detection result of the pressure detection unit, and
The lid includes a pressure valve that moves between a closed position that closes the vapor discharge hole and an open position that opens, and a pressure valve moving mechanism that moves the pressure valve,
In the boiling maintaining step, the control unit controls the pressure valve moving mechanism so that when the detection result is relatively close to the target pressure value, the pressure valve is more distant than when close to the target pressure value. There is provided a pressure rice cooker configured to move the rice at a slow speed.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, when the difference between the detection result and the target pressure value is greater than or equal to a threshold value in the boiling maintenance step, the control unit moves the pressure valve moving mechanism to the first speed. On the other hand, when the difference between the detection result and the target pressure value is smaller than the threshold, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at a second speed slower than the first speed. A pressure rice cooker according to the first aspect is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, a pressure upper limit value obtained by adding the threshold value to the target pressure value, and a pressure lower limit value obtained by subtracting the threshold value from the target pressure value are further set,
In the pressure regulation mode,
When the detection result is equal to or lower than the pressure lower limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the first speed so that the pressure valve moves to the closed position,
When the detection result is between the target pressure value and the pressure lower limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the second speed so that the pressure valve moves to the closed position,
When the detection result is between the target pressure value and the pressure upper limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the second speed so that the pressure valve moves to the open position,
In the second aspect, the pressure valve moving mechanism is configured to operate at the first speed so that the pressure valve moves to the open position when the detection result is equal to or greater than the pressure upper limit value. A pressure rice cooker is provided.

According to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit boosts the inside of the pan until the detection result rises from a value lower than the pressure lower limit value to the target pressure value in the boiling maintenance step. The pressure-type rice cooker according to the third aspect, which has a mode and is configured to shift from the pressure-up mode to the pressure-regulating mode when the detection result reaches the target pressure value in the pressure-up mode. Is provided.

According to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, in the boiling maintenance step, the control unit lowers the pressure in the pan until the detection result falls from a value higher than the pressure upper limit value to the target pressure value. The pressure according to the third or fourth aspect, which has a mode and is configured to shift from the step-down mode to the pressure adjustment mode when the detection result reaches the target pressure value in the step-down mode. A rice cooker is provided.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment.

(Embodiment)
1. Whole structure of rice cooker main body The pressure type rice cooker which concerns on embodiment of this indication is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pressure rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the pressure rice cooker of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pressure type rice cooker 100 which concerns on this embodiment is provided with the rice cooker main body 1, the pan 2, and the cover body. The lid of this embodiment has an outer lid 3 and an inner lid 4.

The shape of the rice cooker body 1 is a bottomed, generally cylindrical shape having a bottom portion and side portions. The rice cooker body 1 has an opening (hereinafter referred to as an upper opening) at the top. Inside the rice cooker body 1, a pot storage portion 1 a is formed.

The pan 2 is stored in the pan storage section 1a. The pan 2 has a bottom portion and a side portion. The pan 2 has an upper opening. A flange 2 a is formed around the opening of the pot 2. The flange portion 2a protrudes in the horizontal direction toward the outside. The pot 2 is filled with cooked items such as rice and water.

The outer lid 3 is disposed above the rice cooker body 1. The outer lid 3 is attached so as to open and close the upper opening of the rice cooker body 1. The outer lid 3 has a hollow structure. An inner lid 4 is detachably attached to the inner side of the outer lid 3 (the side covering the upper opening of the pan 2).

The inner lid 4 is configured to seal the upper opening of the pan 2. The shape of the inner lid 4 is a substantially disk shape. In the present embodiment, the outer lid 3 and the inner lid 4 constitute a lid that opens and closes the upper opening of the pan 2.

The detailed configuration will be described below. The pot storage part 1a of the rice cooker body 1 is composed of an upper frame 1b and a coil base 1c.

The upper frame 1b has a cylindrical portion 1ba and a flange portion 1bb. Cylindrical part 1ba is arrange | positioned so that a predetermined | prescribed clearance gap may be vacant with respect to the side wall of the accommodated pot 2. As shown in FIG. The upper end of the cylindrical portion 1ba supports a flange portion 2a provided around the upper opening of the pan 2. The flange portion 1bb protrudes outward from the upper portion of the tubular portion 1ba and is fitted to the inner peripheral portion of the upper opening portion of the rice cooker body 1.

The shape of the coil base 1c is a bottomed cylindrical shape having a bottom portion and a side portion, and is formed along the shape of the lower portion of the pan 2. The upper part of the coil base 1c is attached to the lower end part of the cylindrical part 1ba of the upper frame 1b. A pan bottom heating unit 5 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the coil base 1c. The pot bottom heating unit 5 is an example of a heating device that heats the pot 2 (induction heating). The pan bottom heating unit 5 is composed of a bottom heating coil 5a and a bottom outside heating coil 5b. The in-bottom heating coil 5a is disposed so as to face the periphery of the center of the bottom of the pan 2 via the coil base 1c. Outer bottom heating coil 5b is arranged to face the corner portion of the bottom of pan 2 via coil base 1c.

Furthermore, an opening is provided in the central portion of the bottom of the coil base 1c. A pan temperature sensor 6 is disposed in the opening. The pan temperature sensor 6 is an example of a pan temperature detection unit for measuring the temperature of the pan 2. The pan temperature sensor 6 is arrange | positioned so that it may contact | abut to the bottom part of the pan 2 accommodated in the pan accommodating part 1a. Since the temperature of the pot 2 is substantially the same as the temperature of the cooking object in the pot 2, the temperature of the cooking object in the pot 2 can be known by the pot temperature sensor 6 detecting the temperature of the pot 2.

The outer lid 3 includes an upper outer member 3a and a lower outer member 3b. The upper outer member 3 a and the lower outer member 3 b constitute an outer shell of the outer lid 3. The outer lid 3 includes a hinge shaft 3A. The hinge shaft 3A is an opening / closing shaft of the outer lid 3 parallel to the horizontal direction. Both end portions of the hinge shaft 3A are fixed to the upper frame 1b of the rice cooker body 1 so as to be rotatable. A torsion coil spring 7 is attached around the hinge shaft 3A. The torsion coil spring 7 elastically urges the outer lid 3 in a direction (opening direction) away from the upper opening of the pan 2 around the hinge shaft 3A.

A lid opening device 8 is provided inside the outer lid 3. The lid opening device 8 is engaged with a part of the rice cooker main body 1 to maintain a state where the outer lid 3 blocks the upper opening of the pan 2. On the other hand, the lid opening device 8 is when the lid button 81 (see FIG. 2) provided on the rice cooker body 1 or the outer lid 3 is pressed while the outer lid 3 closes the upper opening of the pan 2. Rotate in the direction of arrow A1 about the hook shaft 8A. Thereby, the engagement between the lid opening device 8 and a part of the rice cooker body 1 is released, and the outer lid 3 is separated from the upper opening of the pan 2 around the hinge shaft 3 </ b> A by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 7. Rotate to. Thereby, the outer lid 3 is in an “open state” in which the upper opening of the pan 2 is not blocked. For example, the outer lid 3 is configured to stop the rotation when rotated 90 degrees around the hinge shaft 3A from the position where the upper opening of the pan 2 is closed.

A recess 3d is provided on the upper surface of the upper outer member 3a and in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 3A. A steam cylinder 9 is detachably attached to the recess 3d. A steam escape hole 3da is provided at the bottom of the recess 3d so that excess steam in the pan 2 can be discharged toward the steam cylinder 9. A steam escape hole 9 a is provided on the upper wall of the steam cylinder 9 so that excess steam in the pan 2 can be discharged to the outside of the pressure rice cooker 100.

The inner lid 4 is provided with a steam discharge hole 4a for discharging the steam in the pan 2 and a steam discharge hole 4b for communicating the inside of the pan 2 and the lid body. The diameter of the steam discharge hole 4b is larger than the diameter of the steam discharge hole 4a, and is set to be twice or more the diameter of the steam discharge hole 4a, for example. The diameter of the steam discharge hole 4a is, for example, 4 mm, and the diameter of the steam discharge hole 4b is, for example, 10 mm.

Further, the inner lid 4 is provided with a pressure suppression valve 10 configured to open and close the steam discharge hole 4a and a pressure valve 11 configured to open and close the steam discharge hole 4b.

The pressure suppression valve 10 is a valve that suppresses the pressure in the pan 2 from rising to a predetermined value (for example, 1.2 atmospheres) higher than the atmospheric pressure. In the present embodiment, the pressure suppression valve 10 includes a ball. The ball closes the steam discharge hole 4a by its own weight. On the other hand, when the pressure in the pan 2 becomes larger than its own weight (for example, when 1.2 bar or more), the pressure suppression valve 10 is pushed by the pressure in the pan 2 and is separated from the steam discharge hole 4a. The steam discharge hole 4a is opened.

The pressure valve 11 is configured to move between a closed position and an open position by a pressure valve moving mechanism 12 described later. The closing position is a position for closing the steam discharge hole 4b. The open position is a position where the steam discharge hole 4b is opened. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the pressure valve 11 is in the closed position.

The outer lid 3 is provided with the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 as described above. The pressure valve moving mechanism 12 is configured to hold the pressure valve 11 in the closed position in the state shown in FIG. Thereby, the pressure in the pan 2 can be increased (for example, increased from 1.0 atm to 1.2 atm). Moreover, the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 presses the pressure valve 11 under the control of the control unit 14 to be described later at a predetermined timing when the pressure in the pan 2 becomes a predetermined value (for example, 1.2 atmospheres) or more. Then, under the control of the control unit 14, the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 is configured to move the pressure valve 11 from the closed position to the open position. Thereby, the pressure in the pan 2 can be reduced (for example, reduced from 1.2 atm to 1.0 atm). The specific configuration of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 is the same as, for example, Patent Document 1 and will be described later.

Also, the outer lid 3 is provided with a display operation unit 13. The display operation part 13 displays various information, such as a rice cooking course and rice cooking time. Moreover, the display operation part 13 receives selection of the specific rice cooking course from several rice cooking courses. The plurality of rice cooking courses are, for example, a white rice course, a brown rice course, and a white rice (softer) course, and are registered in the pressure rice cooker 100 in advance. The display operation unit 13 includes a liquid crystal display 13A and a plurality of buttons 13B. The liquid crystal display 13A displays various information such as a rice cooking course and a rice cooking time. The plurality of buttons 13 </ b> B accepts instructions for starting, canceling, and making a reservation for cooking, in addition to selecting a rice cooking course. The user can select a specific rice cooking course with a plurality of buttons 13B and instruct the start of rice cooking while referring to various information displayed on the liquid crystal display 13A.

In addition, a control unit 14 is mounted inside the rice cooker body 1. The control unit 14 includes a storage unit. The storage unit stores a plurality of rice cooking sequences for cooking rice. Here, the “rice cooking sequence” refers to a predetermined rice cooking procedure when the four steps of preheating, temperature rising, boiling maintenance, and steaming are performed in order. This procedure for cooking includes energization time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, and the like in each step. Each rice cooking sequence corresponds to one of a plurality of rice cooking courses. The control unit 14 controls the pan bottom heating unit 5 and the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 based on the rice cooking course received by the display operation unit 13 and the detected temperature of the pan temperature sensor 6, and executes the rice cooking course.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the pressure rice cooker 100 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state where parts on the upper outer member 3a side of the outer lid 3 are removed from the pressure rice cooker 100 of FIG. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing some components of FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the outer lid 3 has a built-in pressure sensor unit 21 that is an example of a pressure detection unit that detects the pressure in the pan 2. More specifically, the pressure sensor unit 21 is attached to the lower outline member 3 b of the outer lid 3. The pressure sensor unit 21 includes a pressure sensor composed of a piezoelectric element or the like. The pressure sensor unit 21 detects pressure and outputs a detection result (that is, a pressure value) to the control unit 14.

Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 3 c is provided in the lower outer member 3 b of the outer lid 3 at the attachment position of the pressure sensor unit 21. The inner lid 4 is provided with a through hole 4c. The through hole 4 c is provided at a position facing the through hole 3 c when the inner lid 4 is attached to the lower outer member 3 b of the outer lid 3. The pressure sensor unit 21 communicates with the inside of the pan 2 through the through hole 4c and the through hole 3c, and detects the pressure in the pan 2.

2. Configuration of Pressure Valve Moving Mechanism FIG. 1 shows the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 when the pressure valve 11 is in the closed position. The pressure valve moving mechanism 12 includes a spring 122, a lever 125, gears 126 and 127, and a motor.

The motor rotates the

gears

126 and 127 to drive the lever 125 in the left-right direction in FIG. The lower surface of the lever 125 has a horizontal surface 125a and an inclined surface 125b. The lower surface (horizontal surface 125 a and inclined surface 125 b) of the lever 125 is disposed so as to contact the spring 122. The lower surface of the spring 122 is in contact with the pressure valve 11.

In the state of FIG. 1, when the motor is driven and the lever 125 moves in parallel from right to left, the inclined surface 125b of the lever 125 pushes down the spring 122, and the pressure valve 11 moves to the open position. Conversely, when the lever 125 is translated from left to right while the pressure valve 11 is in the open position, the lever 125 is in the state shown in FIG. 1 and the pressure valve 11 moves to the closed position.

3. Operation Next, the operation of the pressure rice cooker 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a graph showing changes in temperature and pressure in the pan 2 when an example of a rice cooking course is performed using the pressure rice cooker 100 according to the present embodiment.

First, the user sets the pan 2 in which the food to be cooked including rice and water is placed in the pan storage portion 1a. Then, after a desired rice cooking course is selected from a plurality of rice cooking courses by the display operation unit 13 by the user, when the start of rice cooking is instructed, the selected rice cooking course is started under the control of the control unit 14. The When the rice cooking course is started, first, the preheating process is started.

The preheating step is a step of immersing the rice in water at a temperature lower than the gelatinization temperature so that the rice can be sufficiently gelatinized in the subsequent steps, and allowing the rice to absorb water in advance. In this preheating step, the control unit 14 raises the temperature of the water in the pot 2 to a temperature close to the temperature at which rice gelatinization begins (about 50 ° C.). Thereafter, the control unit 14 controls the pot heating operation of the pot bottom heating unit 5 based on the temperature detected by the pot temperature sensor 6 so as to maintain the temperature after the temperature increase. Further, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so that the pressure valve 11 is held at the closed position during the preheating process. If the time preset according to the selected rice cooking course passes from the start of a preheating process, it will transfer to a temperature rising process.

The temperature raising process is a process in which the pot 2 is heated at a stretch with high heat to bring the water in the pot 2 to a boiling state. In this temperature raising step, the control unit 14 controls the pan bottom heating unit 5 so as to rapidly heat the pan 2 and bring the water in the pan 2 to a boiling state. Further, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so that the pressure valve 11 is held at the closed position during the temperature raising process. When the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 6 reaches the boiling point of the water in the pan 2 (about 100 ° C.), the process proceeds to the boiling maintaining step.

The boiling maintaining step is a step of maintaining the boiling state of the water in the pan 2 to gelatinize the rice starch and raising the gelatinization degree to about 50% to 80%. In this boiling maintenance step, the control unit 14 controls the pan bottom heating unit 5 and the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so as to maintain the boiling state of the water in the pan 2.

In the initial stage of the boiling maintenance process, the control unit 14 operates in the boost mode. In the pressure increase mode, the control unit 14 continues to hold the pressure valve 11 at the closed position by the pressure valve moving mechanism 12, thereby increasing the pressure in the pan 2 (for example, increasing from 0 kPa to 20 kPa). By this pressure increase mode, the boiling point of the water in the pan 2 is increased (for example, about 105 ° C.).

Thereafter, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 to shift to a pressure adjustment mode in which the pressure in the pan 2 is adjusted to the target pressure. In this pressure regulation mode, the control unit 14 sets a target pressure value. In the pressure adjustment mode, the control unit 14 changes the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 based on whether or not the difference between the pressure value output from the pressure sensor unit 21 and the target pressure value is smaller than a threshold value. .

The operation speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 in the pressure adjustment mode will be described below. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 in the pressure adjustment mode and the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12. In the present embodiment, the control unit 14 sets the target pressure value PTEP, the pressure upper limit value PMAX, and the pressure lower limit value PMIN. In the present embodiment, a value obtained by adding a threshold value (for example, 1 kPa) to the target pressure value PTEP is set as a pressure upper limit value PMAX, and a value obtained by subtracting the threshold value (for example, 1 kPa) from the target pressure value PTEP is set as a pressure lower limit value PMIN. .

As shown in FIG. 7, in the pressure regulation mode, the control unit 14 moves the pressure valve so that the pressure valve 11 moves to the closed position when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is equal to or lower than the pressure lower limit value PMIN. The mechanism 12 is operated at a high speed which is the first speed. Further, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so that the pressure valve 11 moves to the closed position when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is between the target pressure value PTEP and the pressure lower limit value PMIN. It is operated at a low speed which is the second speed. The second speed is slower than the first speed. Further, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so that the pressure valve 11 moves to the open position when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is between the target pressure value PTEP and the pressure upper limit value PMAX. Operate at low speed. Furthermore, when the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is equal to or higher than the pressure upper limit value PMAX, the control unit 14 operates the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 at a high speed so that the pressure valve 11 moves to the open position. As described above, the control unit 14 controls the operation of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so that the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 converges so as to be closer to the target pressure value PTEP. Thereby, the pressure in the pan 2 can be adjusted more accurately.

In the boiling maintenance step, a large amount of steam is generated because water is continuously boiled. The steam passes through the steam discharge hole 4a, the steam discharge hole 4b, the steam escape holes 3da, 9a, and the like and is discharged to the outside of the pressure rice cooker 100. Thereby, when most of the water in the pot 2 runs out, the temperature of the bottom surface of the pot 2 rises above the boiling point of water. When the temperature detected by the pan temperature sensor 6 reaches a predetermined temperature not lower than the boiling point (for example, 130 ° C.), the steaming process is started.

The steaming process is a process of evaporating excess water using preheating and raising the degree of gelatinization of the rice to nearly 100%. During this steaming process, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 so as to move the pressure valve 11 from the closed position to the open position. Thereby, the inside of the pan 2 is depressurized to substantially atmospheric pressure. When a preset time has elapsed from the start of the steaming process, the control unit 14 ends the steaming process (that is, ends the rice cooking course).

4). Effects According to the pressure rice cooker 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 14 controls the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 in the boiling maintenance step, and when the detection result is close to the target pressure value, than when it is far. Is also configured to move the pressure valve 11 at a slow speed. Thereby, even if there is a time lag between the operation of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 for moving the pressure valve 11 and the change in the pressure in the pan 2, the pressure in the pan 2 is converged so as to approach the target pressure value PTEP sooner. be able to. Therefore, the pressure in the pan 2 can be adjusted with higher accuracy. Note that “when close” means when the target pressure value is relatively closer than when “distant”. Similarly, “when far” refers to a time far from the target pressure value than when “close”.

More specifically, the control unit 14 operates in the pressure regulation mode in the boiling maintenance process. In the pressure adjustment mode, the control unit 14 changes the operating speed of the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 based on whether or not the difference between the detection result (pressure value) of the pressure sensor unit 21 and the target pressure value PTEP is smaller than a threshold value. Let Thereby, the pressure in the pan 2 can be converged so as to approach the target pressure value PTEP earlier. Therefore, the pressure in the pan 2 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

Here, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 14 is moved to the pressure adjustment mode after the pressure increase mode until the boiling maintenance step is completed, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In the boiling maintenance process, the longer the time for maintaining the inside of the pan 2 at a high pressure, the greater the amount of heating that each rice grain receives, and the sweetness of the rice can be increased, while the stickiness of the rice increases excessively. There is a risk of stickiness. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8, the control part 14 may reduce target pressure value PTEP (for example, 10 kPa) in the middle of pressure regulation mode, and may transfer to pressure | voltage fall mode. In the step-down mode, the control unit 14 reduces the pressure in the pan 2 by continuously holding the pressure valve 11 in the open position by the pressure valve moving mechanism 12. Thereby, while increasing the sweetness of rice, the excessive stickiness of rice can be suppressed and a taste can be improved.

As shown in FIG. 9, the control unit 14 becomes the target pressure value PTEP in the pressure increasing mode in which the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is increased from a value lower than the pressure lower limit value PMIN to the target pressure value PTEP. It is preferable to control so as to shift to the pressure adjustment mode. Thereby, it can suppress that the pressure value which the pressure sensor unit 21 detects exceeds pressure upper limit PMAX, and can converge the pressure in the pan 2 so that it may approach target pressure value PTEP earlier. . Therefore, the pressure in the pan 2 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 14 becomes the target pressure value PTEP in the step-down mode in which the pressure value detected by the pressure sensor unit 21 is lowered from a value higher than the pressure upper limit value PMAX to the target pressure value PTEP. It is preferable to control so as to shift to the pressure adjustment mode. Thereby, it can suppress that the pressure value which the pressure sensor unit 21 detects exceeds the pressure lower limit PMIN, and it can be made to converge so that the pressure in the pan 2 may approach the target pressure value PTEP earlier. . Therefore, the pressure in the pan 2 can be adjusted with higher accuracy.

5). Other Embodiments In the present embodiment, an example in which the control unit 14 operates in at least one of the step-up mode and the step-down mode in addition to the pressure adjustment mode in the boiling maintenance process has been described. It is not limited. For example, the control unit 14 may operate in at least one mode of the pressure increase mode, the pressure adjustment mode, and the pressure decrease mode in another rice cooking course such as a steaming process.

In the present embodiment, the configuration of FIG. 1 is illustrated as the pressure valve moving mechanism 12. That is, the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 of this embodiment is configured to open and close the pressure valve 11 by moving in the horizontal direction. However, for example, the pressure valve moving mechanism 12 may be configured to move the pressure valve 11 between an open position and a closed position by rotating around an axis. In addition, the open position and the closed position of the pressure valve 11 of this embodiment are merely examples, and can be changed according to the location or configuration of the steam discharge hole 4b.

Although the present disclosure has been fully described in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, various variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of this disclosure as long as they do not depart from the scope of this disclosure according to the appended claims.

Since the pressure type rice cooker according to the present disclosure can adjust the pressure in the pan more accurately, for example, household and commercial pressure type rice cookers that are required to cook rice with less uneven cooking. Useful for.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker main body 1a Pan accommodating part 1b Upper frame 1ba Cylindrical part 1bb Flange part 1c Coil base 2 Pan 2a Flange part 3 Outer lid 3A Hinge shaft 3a Upper outer member 3b Lower outer member 3c Through hole 3d Recessed part 3da Steam escape hole 4

Inner lid

4a, 4b Steam exhaust hole 4c Through hole 5 Pan bottom heating unit (heating device)
5a Heating coil in the bottom 5b Heating coil outside the bottom 6 Pan temperature sensor 7 Torsion coil spring 8 Lid opening device 8A Hook shaft 9 Steam tube 9a Steam escape hole 10 Pressure suppression valve 11 Pressure valve 12 Pressure valve moving mechanism 13 Display operation part 13A Liquid crystal Display 13B Button 14 Control unit 21 Pressure sensor unit (pressure detection unit)
81 Opening button 100 Pressure rice cooker

Claims

A pot for storing the food,
A lid that is configured to open and close the opening of the pan, and is provided with a steam discharge hole for discharging the steam in the pan to the outside,
A pressure detector configured to detect pressure in the pan; and
In the boiling maintenance step for maintaining the boiling of the cooked product, a control unit configured to adjust the pressure in the pan to a target pressure value according to a detection result of the pressure detection unit, and
The lid includes a pressure valve that moves between a closed position that closes the vapor discharge hole and an open position that opens, and a pressure valve moving mechanism that moves the pressure valve,
In the boiling maintaining step, the control unit controls the pressure valve moving mechanism so that when the detection result is relatively close to the target pressure value, the pressure valve is more distant than when close to the target pressure value. A pressure rice cooker that is configured to move at a slow speed.
In the boiling maintaining step, when the difference between the detection result and the target pressure value is greater than or equal to a threshold value, the control unit operates the pressure valve moving mechanism at a first speed, while the detection result and the 2. The pressure according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure adjustment mode in which the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at a second speed that is lower than the first speed when a difference from a target pressure value is smaller than the threshold value. Type rice cooker.
The controller is
A pressure upper limit value obtained by adding the threshold value to the target pressure value, and a pressure lower limit value obtained by subtracting the threshold value from the target pressure value;
In the pressure regulation mode,
When the detection result is equal to or lower than the pressure lower limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the first speed so that the pressure valve moves to the closed position,
When the detection result is between the target pressure value and the pressure lower limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the second speed so that the pressure valve moves to the closed position,
When the detection result is between the target pressure value and the pressure upper limit value, the pressure valve moving mechanism is operated at the second speed so that the pressure valve moves to the open position,
The pressure valve moving mechanism is configured to operate at the first speed so that the pressure valve moves to the open position when the detection result is equal to or higher than the pressure upper limit value. Pressure rice cooker.
In the boiling maintaining step, the control unit has a boost mode in which the inside of the pan is boosted until the detection result rises from a value lower than the pressure lower limit value to the target pressure value. The pressure-type rice cooker of Claim 3 comprised so that it might transfer to the said pressure regulation mode from the said pressure | voltage rise mode when the said detection result became the said target pressure value.
The controller has a step-down mode in which the inside of the pan is stepped down until the detection result falls from the value higher than the pressure upper limit value to the target pressure value in the boiling maintenance step, 5. The pressure rice cooker according to claim 3, wherein when the detection result reaches the target pressure value, the pressure cooker is configured to shift from the step-down mode to the pressure adjustment mode.