JPH06217876A - rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] A rice cooker that detects the temperature of the pan and controls the heating means to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence, regardless of the quality of rice to be cooked, the amount of rice cooked, etc. To be able to cook rice. [Structure] A pot containing rice and water is heated by a heating means, the temperature of the pot is detected by a first temperature detecting means, and the output of the first temperature detecting means is input to a control means to turn the heating means on. Control to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence. The control means controls the temperature of the pan to a constant temperature after the temperature detected by the first temperature detection means reaches a predetermined temperature in the cooking process in the rice cooking sequence.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker which detects the temperature of a pot and controls heating means to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, needs for diversification and sophistication of consumers' tastes have become strong, and rice cookers controlled by a microcomputer have become popular in order to cook more delicious rice.

Conventionally, the rice cooking sequence of this type of rice cooker has generally been as shown in FIG. The rice cooking sequence will be described below.

As shown in the figure, first, as a preparation for cooking rice, the rice is kept at a constant temperature .theta.1 and immersed in water for a fixed time T1 to absorb water. Next, enter the cooking process and heat to boiling with full power. At this time, the amount of cooked rice in the pan is determined. After that, the heating output is adjusted according to the amount of cooked rice to maintain boiling. When the water in the pan decreases in the boiling maintaining process, the temperature of the pan gradually increases, and when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature θ2 (for example, 130 ° C.), the cooking process ends. Finally, the rice is made to absorb water evenly for a certain period of time T2, and steaming is performed to gelatinize the starch structure, and the steaming process is repeated for a certain period of time with a heating output such that the rice on the bottom of the pan does not burn, and the cooking process is completed. Was doing.

[0005]

In such a conventional rice cooker, the time of the steaming process is constant regardless of the quality of rice to be cooked, the amount of rice cooked, etc., so that the gelatinization and swelling of the starch structure is caused. However, there is a problem that delicious rice cannot be obtained in this case.

The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and it is a first object of the present invention to make it possible to always cook delicious rice regardless of the quality of rice to be cooked, the amount of rice cooked, and the like.

A second object of the present invention is to improve the temperature control accuracy in the cooking process so that delicious rice is always obtained without burning of rice.

[0008]

In order to achieve the first object, the present invention provides a pan for putting rice and water, a heating means for heating the pan, and a first means for detecting the temperature of the pan. Of temperature detection means and control means for inputting the output of the first temperature detection means to control the heating means to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence, wherein the control means is a cooking process in the rice cooking sequence. In the above, the first problem solving means is that the temperature of the pot is controlled to a constant temperature after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means reaches a predetermined temperature.

In order to achieve the second object,
In addition to the above first problem solving means, a second temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lid portion is provided, and the control means outputs the output of the first temperature detecting means and the output of the second temperature detecting means. The amount of cooked rice is determined by the above, and in the cooking process in the cooked rice sequence, after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the pan is controlled to a constant temperature by the heating output according to the amount of cooked rice. This is the second means for solving the problem.

[0010]

According to the first means for solving the above problems, the present invention provides:
After the temperature of the pan reaches a predetermined temperature by the first temperature detecting means and the boiling maintaining process is completed, the temperature of the pan is controlled to a constant temperature, whereby water absorption of rice and gelatinization and swelling of the starch structure are caused during this period. Is carried out and coupled with the steaming process, delicious rice is always obtained.

When controlling the temperature of the pot after the boiling maintaining process by the second means for solving the problem, by controlling the heating output of the heating means according to the amount of cooked rice, there is no temperature overshoot. , The temperature control accuracy can be improved,
You can always get delicious rice without burning rice.

[0012]

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

As shown in the figure, the pot 1 contains rice and water,
It is heated by the heating means 2. The heating means 2 may be a heater or an induction heating coil driven by an inverter circuit. First temperature detecting means 3
Is for detecting the temperature of the bottom of the pot 1, and the second temperature detecting means 4 is for detecting the temperature of the lid. The control means 5 inputs the output of the first temperature detection means 3 and the output of the second temperature detection means 4 and the rice cooked amount determination means 6 for determining the amount of rice and water in the pan 1, that is, the cooked rice amount. The cooking output determining means 7 for determining the heating output of the heating means 2 based on the output of the rice cooking amount determining means 6, and the output of the heating output determining means 7 and the output of the first temperature detecting means 3 are input to cook rice. It is configured with the rice cooking control means 8 which controls the heating means 2 based on the sequence, and the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 3 becomes a predetermined temperature (for example, 125 ° C.) in the cooking process during the rice cooking sequence. After reaching the temperature, the temperature of the pot 1 is controlled to a constant temperature (for example, 120 ° C.), and the steaming process is started when a predetermined time (for example, 2 minutes and 24 seconds) has elapsed.

The first temperature detecting means 3 is composed of a temperature resistance element for converting the amount of change in temperature into a resistance value so as to move up and down, and is arranged in contact with the bottom of the pot 1. .
The second temperature detecting means 4 detects the temperature of the lid portion, and is attached to the lid 10 provided on the upper surface of the main body 9 that houses the pot 1. The control means 5 is incorporated in the circuit board 11 and attached to the side surface of the main body 9.

The operation of the above structure will be described with reference to FIG. 3. First, the temperature of the precooking process is controlled at the temperature θ1 for a certain period of time T1 and then the heating output of the heating means 2 is set to full power and the pot 1 is heated. Heat until the water in it boils. At this time, the amount of cooked rice is determined by the time from when the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 3 reaches a predetermined temperature until when the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 4 reaches a predetermined temperature. When the water in the pan 1 boils, the heating output of the heating means 2 is reduced to a value according to the amount of cooked rice to maintain boiling. When the water in the pan 1 decreases in the boiling maintenance process, the temperature of the pan 1 gradually rises, and when it reaches a predetermined temperature θ3 (125 ° C), the high temperature maintenance process for controlling the temperature to a constant temperature θ4 (120 ° C) is performed for a certain time. (For example, 2 minutes and 24 seconds), and the final steaming process is started. Since the steaming process is the same as the conventional example, the description is omitted.

Next, this operation will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 4. In step 21, rice cooking is started,
In step 22, the temperature is controlled at the temperature θ1 to perform precooking for a certain time. Next, enter the cooking process, step 2
In step 3, the heating output of the heating means 2 is set to full power, and in step 24, it is judged whether or not the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 3 has reached a predetermined temperature.
5, the time measurement is started by a timer (not shown). Then, in step 26, it is determined whether or not the temperature detected by the second temperature detecting means 4 has reached the predetermined temperature, and when it reaches the predetermined temperature, the process proceeds to step 27 and the time measurement is ended.
Then, the process proceeds to step 28, and after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 3 reaches a predetermined temperature, the second temperature detecting means 4 is reached.
The amount of rice cooked in the pan 1 is determined by the time until the detected temperature reaches the predetermined temperature, the heating output according to the amount of rice cooked is determined in step 29, and the heating output is reduced from the full power to the determined heating output to maintain boiling. Enter the process. Then, in step 30, the detected temperature of the first temperature detecting means 3 is the predetermined temperature θ3 (125
When the temperature of the pan 1 is reached, the temperature of the pot 1 is controlled to a constant temperature (120 ° C.), and when a certain time (2 minutes and 24 seconds) has elapsed in step 32, the steaming process of step 33 is entered, and this steaming process is performed. When is finished, the rice cooking is finished.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the first temperature detecting means 3 is used in the cooking process in the rice cooking sequence.
Since the temperature of the pot 1 is controlled to be a constant temperature for a certain time after the detection temperature of the pot reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the pot 1 is brought to the predetermined temperature by the first temperature detecting means 4. After the temperature reaches the end of the boiling maintenance process, water absorption of the rice and gelatinization and swelling of the starch structure are sufficiently performed in the high temperature maintenance process, and delicious rice is always obtained.

In the above embodiment, the control means 5 inputs the output of the first temperature detecting means 3 and the output of the second temperature detecting means 4 and inputs the amount of rice and water in the pan 1, that is, the rice cooked. Rice cooking amount determination means 6 for determining the amount, heating output determination means 7 for determining the heating output of the heating means 2 based on the output of this rice cooking amount determination means 6, the output of this heating output determination means 7 and the first temperature detection. Although it is configured with the rice-cooking control means 8 which inputs the output of the means 3 and controls the heating means 2 based on the rice-cooking sequence, the rice-cooking amount may not be determined.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. The control means 5 shown in FIG. 1 controls the temperature of the pan 1 with a heating output according to the amount of cooked rice after the temperature detected by the first temperature detection means 3 reaches a predetermined temperature in the cooking process in the cooked rice sequence. The temperature is controlled to be constant. The other structure is the same as that of the above embodiment.

The operation of the above structure will be described with reference to FIG. 5. Steps 21 to 30 are the same as those in the above embodiment. In step 30, the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means 3 is the predetermined temperature θ3 ( When the temperature reaches 125 ° C., the process proceeds to step 35, where the heating output of the heating means 2 is reduced to a heating output according to the amount of cooked rice in the pan 1 to control the temperature of the pan 1 to a constant temperature (120 ° C.). And step 32
When a certain time (2 minutes and 24 seconds) has elapsed, the steaming process of step 33 is entered, and the rice cooking is completed when the steaming process is completed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the first temperature detecting means 3 is used in the cooking process in the rice cooking sequence.
Since the temperature of the pan 1 is controlled to a constant temperature by the heating output according to the amount of cooked rice after the detection temperature of has reached a predetermined temperature, when controlling the temperature of the pan after the boiling maintaining process is completed, By controlling the heating output of the heating means according to the amount of cooked rice, there is no temperature overshoot, the temperature control accuracy can be improved, and rice burns etc. do not occur, and delicious rice is always obtained.

[0022]

As is apparent from the above embodiments, according to the present invention, a pot for putting rice and water, a heating means for heating the pot, and a first temperature detection for detecting the temperature of the pot. Means and control means for inputting the output of the first temperature detecting means to control the heating means to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence, wherein the control means includes: in the cooking process in the rice cooking sequence, Since the temperature of the pot is controlled to a constant temperature after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the pot is controlled to a predetermined temperature after the boiling maintaining process is completed. As a result, during this period, water absorption of the rice and gelatinization and swelling of the starch structure are performed, and in combination with the steaming process, delicious rice is always obtained. Also,
After the boiling maintaining process is completed, by inserting a process for controlling the temperature of the pan to a constant temperature, the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means at the end of the boiling maintaining process can be lowered, and the burning of rice can be eliminated. .

Further, the second temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lid portion is provided, and the control means determines the amount of cooked rice based on the output of the first temperature detecting means and the output of the second temperature detecting means. In the cooking process during the rice cooking sequence, after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the pan is controlled to a constant temperature with a heating output according to the amount of rice cooked. When controlling the temperature of the pan after the completion of the boiling maintenance process, by controlling the heating output of the heating means according to the amount of cooked rice, there is no temperature overshoot, etc., temperature control accuracy can be improved, and rice burns etc. It does not occur and you can always get delicious rice.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Figure 2] Vertical sectional view of the rice cooker

[Figure 3] Operation time chart of the rice cooker when cooking rice

[Fig. 4] Operation flowchart of the rice cooker

FIG. 5 is an operation flowchart of a rice cooker according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 6] Operation time chart of the conventional rice cooker when cooking rice

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 pan 2 heating means 3 first temperature detecting means 5 control means

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A pot for putting rice and water, a heating means for heating the pot, a first temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the pot, and an input of the output of the first temperature detecting means. And a control unit for controlling the heating unit to cook rice in a predetermined rice cooking sequence, the control unit having a temperature detected by the first temperature detection unit in a cooking step in the rice cooking sequence. After that, a rice cooker in which the temperature of the pan is controlled to a constant temperature. 2. A second temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the lid portion is provided, and the control means determines the amount of cooked rice based on the output of the first temperature detecting means and the output of the second temperature detecting means. ,
In the cooking process during the rice cooking sequence, after the temperature detected by the first temperature detecting means reaches a predetermined temperature, the temperature of the pan is controlled to a constant temperature with a heating output according to the amount of rice cooked. The listed rice cooker.