JPH07106181B2 - rice cooker - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial field of application) The present invention relates to a rice cooker capable of setting a plurality of rising times or rice cooking operation start times.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, a rice cooker has been provided which is capable of performing so-called timer rice cooking that can complete the rice cooking operation at the set time. It's a lot of work to do. Therefore, in recent years, especially for rice cookers that use a microcomputer, considering that the start time of meals is generally constant every day, some cooked times that have been set once are stored in a memory and a timer is set. When cooking rice, it is considered that one of the stored times is validated to avoid the trouble of setting the time one by one. Specifically, for example, three cooking areas corresponding to breakfast, lunch, and dinner are stored in three memory areas of the microcomputer, and any one of these times is stored every time the timer rice is cooked. It was read and validated based on the switch operation.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned configuration, although it is relieved from the trouble of setting the time every time, on the other hand, forget about which memory area stores the desired cooking time. In that case, it is necessary to check the stored time by operating the memory switch etc. until the desired cooked time is read out, and in the end it is impossible to improve the usability sufficiently. There was a problem.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and therefore, it is not necessary to set the time each time the timer rice is cooked, and a plurality of times for the timer rice are stored. Even if it is done, there is a need to provide a rice cooker that can automatically set an appropriate time without reading and checking the time one by one and improving the usability sufficiently.

[Configuration of Invention] (Means for Solving Problems) In the rice cooker of the present invention, the clock means measures the current time, and a plurality of times for timer rice cooking are stored in the storage means. Any one of a plurality of times corresponding to the current time stored in the storage means based on the current time at the time of preparation for rice cooking, in which any one of the above is enabled and the rice cooking operation is completed or started at that time. Is characterized in that it is provided with a selection means for selectively activating.

(Function) For example, it is common for households to prepare rice for breakfast every day after dinner on the previous day, and prepare rice for dinner after breakfast on that day. The present invention has been made paying attention to the fact that there is a correlation between the meal time and the time zone for preparing rice for cooking in this way, and among the plurality of times stored in the storage means. The timer rice is cooked by selectively enabling the one corresponding to the current time when preparing rice.

(Embodiment) A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows an operation panel of the rice cooker according to this embodiment. The liquid crystal type display panel 1 provided here is drawn with all characters etc. illuminated.
As shown in the figure, each digit is composed of 7-segment type 4
It has first and second time display portions 2, 3 on the top and bottom. “Am”, “Pm”, and “current time” are provided above the first time display unit 2, and “From”, which is lit when setting a preparation time region to be described later, is provided on the left. A display of "To" is provided. On the other hand, above the second time display unit 3, there is provided a display of "cooking time" which is lit when setting the cooking time, and "Am", "Pm", "Memory 1" are displayed on the left side. , "Memory 2" and "Memory 3" are provided.

Next, the operation switch group provided below the display panel 1 will be described together with the functional configuration of this embodiment. In the present embodiment, various functions described below are achieved by software set in a microcomputer provided in a control circuit (not shown). Reference numeral 4 denotes a rice cooking start switch. When this switch is turned on, a rice cooking operation is completed immediately by heating a rice cooking heater (not shown) in a predetermined pattern based on a signal from the control circuit. Reference numeral 5 denotes a current time setting switch, which can be set to the microcomputer by turning on the time digit setting switch 6 and the minute digit setting switch 7 as appropriate. The microcomputer performs a timekeeping operation based on the set time to constantly measure the present time, and displays it on the first time display section 2 of the display panel 1. That is, the microcomputer also functions as a clock means. Reference numeral 8 is a memory switch, and after turning on the memory switch, the time digit setting switch 6 and the minute digit setting switch 7 are appropriately turned on to set a maximum of three cooking times in a storage area provided in the microcomputer. You can That is, the microcomputer also functions as a storage unit that stores the cooked time. The set cooking time can be sequentially displayed on the second time display section 3 of the display panel 1 according to the number of times the memory switch 8 is turned on by turning on the memory switch 8. Further, at the same time as setting the cooking time, the preparation time region corresponding to each time at one time can be stored in the microcomputer by using the hour digit and minute digit setting switches 6 and 7. The significance of this preparation time region should become clear from the explanation of the operation described later. Reference numeral 9 is a preparation completion switch forming a part of the selection means. This is turned on by the user when rice preparation is completed by accommodating a desired amount of rice and water in an inner pot (not shown) of the rice cooker and closing the lid. Operated. Reference numeral 10 is a cancel switch, which is operated when the above-mentioned setting operations are erroneous and invalidates the previous setting operations.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described. For example, normally, prepare rice for breakfast between 6 pm and 9 pm the day before, and prepare rice for dinner between 6 am and 10 am on the day of use at home. Shall be done. First, the user sets "7 am" as the cooked time for breakfast in the memory 1 of the microcomputer.
"Hour" and the corresponding first preparation time area is set to "6 pm to 9 pm", and "6 pm" is set in the memory 2 as the cooking time for dinner. In the second preparation time area corresponding to this, "6 am to 6 am
Set 10 o'clock. Further, in the remaining memory 3, for example, “0:00 pm (12:00 pm)” is set as the cooking time for lunch on a holiday, and “9:01 pm” is set in the corresponding third preparation time area. ~ 5: 59 am "is set.
The relationship between these preparation time areas and the cooking time is as shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that the user now prepares rice for breakfast and operates the preparation completion switch 9. Then, the microcomputer grasps the time when the ready switch 9 is operated based on the clock function, and selectively activates one of the three cooking times stored in each memory based on the time. To do. That is, the microcomputer also functions as a selection unit that validates any one of the plurality of times stored in the storage unit based on the time when the preparation completion switch 9 is operated. Here, in this household, it is assumed that rice preparation for breakfast is normally performed between 6 pm and 9 pm, so when rice preparation is completed and the preparation completion switch 9 is operated. Belongs to the first preparation time region. Therefore, the microcomputer validates the contents of the memory 1 corresponding to the first preparation time region, the timer rice cooking is executed based on this, and the rice cooking operation is completed at 7:00 am. If the preparation completion switch 9 is operated, for example, at 9 am at the time of preparing rice for dinner, the operation time belongs to the second preparation time area as shown in FIG. The contents are validated, and the timer rice cooking is executed based on this, and the rice cooking operation is completed at 6:00 pm Further, if the preparation completion switch 9 is operated at midnight after preparation for cooking rice, in this case, since the operation time point belongs to the third preparation time region, the contents of the memory 3 corresponding to the third preparation time region are valid. The rice cooking operation is completed at midnight.

As described above, in this embodiment, the preparation time regions are associated with the respective cooking times, and the rice cooking operation is completed at the cooking time corresponding to the preparation time region to which the time when the preparation completion switch 9 is operated belongs. Therefore, it is not necessary to set the cooking time every time even if you cook the rice with the timer, and you can automatically enable the appropriate one of the set cooking times. You can cook at that time, so you do not have to select the memory contents one by one. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to memorize in each of the three memories the cooking time that is desired, and the user does not have to remember which cooking time the desired cooking time is set. You can Although the cooked time and the preparation time region are set as shown in FIG. 2 in the above embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and meal times at each home and preparation for cooking rice therefor. It can be set as desired according to the relationship with the time zone in which

3 and 4 show a second embodiment of the present invention,
The same parts are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted. The difference from the first embodiment is that the preparation time region corresponding to each cooking time is not set by the user, but is set uniformly according to the set cooking time. That is, in this case, the microcomputer is provided with two memories for storing the cooking time. For example, the first preparation time area corresponding to the cooking time set in the memory 1 is set in the memory 2. It is set uniformly from 1 hour and 30 minutes before the prepared cooking time to 1 hour and 30 minutes before the prepared cooking time set in the memory 1.
The second preparation time region corresponding to the cooked-up time set in the memory 2 is set similarly to this. In addition, the above 1
The meaning of 30 minutes is to allow for the time required to complete and complete the rice cooking operation. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the memory 1 is set to 7:00 am and the memory 2 is set to 6:00 pm, the first preparation time area corresponding to the memory 1 is the afternoon. Four
The time from 30:30 to 5:30 am, and the second preparation time area corresponding to memory 2 is from 5:30 am to 4:30 pm. Also in this embodiment, it is the same as the first embodiment in that the time-based rice cooking is performed based on the time when the preparation completion switch 9 is operated, that is, the cooking time corresponding to the preparation time region to which the time point belongs is validated. Therefore, the cooking time, which is the shortest time after the preparation completion switch 9 is operated, is validated, and the rice cooking operation is completed at that time. Therefore, also in this embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

In addition, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example is shown in which the cooked time is set and the rice cooking operation is completed at that time, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the rice cooking operation start time is set. It is also possible to apply to the one that performs the timer rice cooking that starts the rice cooking operation at that time. Besides, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be carried out without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Advantages of the Invention] As described above, the present invention focuses on the fact that there is a correlation between the meal time and the time zone for preparing rice for that purpose, and a plurality of meals are prepared according to the current time of the rice preparing time. Since it is possible to selectively activate either the time to cook rice or the time to start rice cooking operation, it is not necessary to set the time every time the rice is cooked by timer. Even if the user does not select any one of them, the appropriate one is validated, and the usability can be further improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a front view of an operation panel, FIG. 2 is a view showing a relationship between a preparation time region and a cooking time, FIG. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, showing a second embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, 1 is a display panel, and 9 is a preparation completion switch (selection means).

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A clock means for counting the current time, and a storage means for storing a plurality of times when the rice is cooked up or a rice cooking operation start time, and any one of the plurality of times stored in the storage means. In the one which is activated and the rice cooking operation is completed or started at that time, one of a plurality of times stored in the storage means corresponding to the current time is selected based on the current time when preparing rice. A rice cooker characterized by being provided with a selection means for enabling it.