Control Method for Cooking Appliance and Cooking Appliance

Abstract

The present invention discloses a control method for a cooking appliance and the cooking appliance. The cooking appliance has a soaking function. The cooking appliance includes an inner pot and a temperature detection device, and the temperature detection device is used to detect the bottom temperature of the inner pot in real time. The control method includes: receiving externally input soaking cooking information, wherein the soaking cooking information includes rice type information and soaking duration Y; determining a preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice type information according to the magnitude relationship between the rice type reference soaking duration Y0 determined by the rice type information and the soaking duration Y; after receiving a command to start executing the soaking function, using the preset soaking temperature T as the reference for heating the bottom of the inner pot to execute the soaking program until the soaking duration Y countdown ends, and entering a predetermined cooking program. Thus, a suitable preset soaking temperature T can be selected according to the rice type information, so that the soaking program is more suitable for the rice type to be cooked, making it absorb water more fully and ultimately having a better cooking taste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cooking appliances, and particularly to a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance. Background Art

[0002] Cooking appliances are one of the commonly used electrical appliances in household kitchens. Generally, a user first puts appropriate ingredients and water into a cooking appliance, and then selects the desired cooking function. Thus, after pressing the start button, the cooking appliance starts to execute a cooking program until the cooking is completed.

[0003] However, if an existing cooking appliance wants to use the ordinary rice cooking function to cook bean rice (a mixture of rice and beans), since the soaking stage in the ordinary rice cooking function is relatively short and the beans are not fully soaked, it may eventually occur that the rice is cooked while the beans are not cooked; moreover, for different ingredients, the required soaking duration and soaking temperature are also different. Therefore, how to cook ingredients with good taste is an urgent problem for us to solve.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance to at least partially solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention section, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description section. The Summary of the Invention section of the present invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a cooking appliance, the cooking appliance having a soaking function, the cooking appliance including an inner pot and a temperature detection device for real-time detecting the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot;

[0007] The control method includes:

[0008] Receiving externally input soaking cooking information, wherein the soaking cooking information includes rice type information and a soaking duration Y; determining a preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice type information according to the magnitude relationship between a reference soaking duration Y 0 determined by the rice type information and the soaking duration Y;

[0009] After receiving a command to start executing the soaking function, heating the bottom of the inner pot with the preset soaking temperature T as a reference to execute a soaking program until the countdown of the soaking duration Y ends, and entering a predetermined cooking program.

[0010] The control method for a cooking appliance provided by the present invention can be used for a cooking appliance with a soaking function, which can determine a suitable preset soaking temperature T according to the soaking duration Y and the rice type information, so that the ingredients to be cooked can be fully and reasonably soaked, avoiding the ingredients from cracking and breaking due to absorbing too much water, or avoiding affecting the cooking effect due to insufficient water absorption duration.

[0011] Preferably, determining the preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice type information according to the rice type reference soaking duration Y determined by the rice type information 0 and the magnitude relationship between the soaking duration Y includes:

[0012] If the soaking duration Y is greater than the rice type reference soaking duration Y 0 , select the preset soaking temperature T within the first soaking temperature range W1;

[0013] If the soaking duration Y is less than the rice type reference soaking duration Y 0 , select the preset soaking temperature T within the second soaking temperature range W2;

[0014] Wherein, the maximum endpoint value of the first soaking temperature range W1 is less than or equal to the minimum endpoint value of the second soaking temperature range W2.

[0015] Thus, a suitable preset soaking temperature T can be determined according to the rice type information and the soaking duration Y. It can be understood that when the soaking duration Y does not reach the reference soaking duration Y corresponding to the rice type 0 , the preset soaking temperature T is set higher to make the soaking sufficient; on the contrary, when the soaking duration Y exceeds the reference soaking duration Y corresponding to the rice type 0 , the preset soaking temperature T is set lower to avoid over-soaking and breaking or scattering.

[0016] Preferably, it further includes:

[0017] Adjust the water absorption duration X in the water absorption stage of the predetermined cooking program according to the soaking duration Y, and after the soaking program is executed, execute the adjusted predetermined cooking program.

[0018] Thus, the entire cooking process of the cooking appliance can be reasonably optimized, saving time and achieving a good cooking effect.

[0019] Preferably, the reduction amount Z of the water absorption duration X is determined according to formula (1):

[0020] Z = Y / 10 + 2 (1), where Y is the soaking duration.

[0021] Thus, the water absorption duration in a preset cooking program can be accurately adjusted.

[0022] Preferably, the soaking program includes a soaking and water absorption stage, and the soaking and water absorption stage includes:

[0023] Heating the inner pot until the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot reaches a preset water absorption temperature T0, then stopping heating and maintaining the first heating stop duration K1, where the preset water absorption temperature T0 = the preset soaking temperature T + the first preset adjustment value M1.

[0024] Thus, based on the preset soaking temperature T, the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot reaches a suitable preset water absorption temperature T0, achieving a good water absorption effect.

[0025] Preferably, the soaking program further includes a first soaking stage after the soaking and water absorption stage, and the first soaking stage includes:

[0026] Heating the inner pot in a cycle with a first soaking duty ratio A:B, so that the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is between a first preset temperature T1 and a second preset temperature T2, and maintaining the first preset soaking duration Y1.

[0027] Wherein, the first preset temperature T1 = the preset soaking temperature T + the second preset adjustment value M2, the second preset temperature T2 = the preset soaking temperature T + the third preset adjustment value M3, and the first preset adjustment value M1 is greater than the second preset adjustment value M2 and the third preset adjustment value M3.

[0028] Thus, the ingredients to be cooked can be fully soaked within a suitable temperature range, achieving a good water absorption effect.

[0029] Preferably, the soaking program further includes a second soaking stage after the first soaking stage, and the second soaking stage includes:

[0030] Heating the inner pot in a cycle with a second soaking duty ratio C:D, so that the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is between a third preset temperature T3 and a fourth preset temperature T4 until the soaking duration Y counts down to zero.

[0031] Wherein, the third preset temperature T3 = the preset soaking temperature T, and the fourth preset temperature T4 = the preset soaking temperature T - the fourth preset adjustment value M4.

[0032] Thus, the ingredients to be cooked can be fully soaked within a suitable temperature range lower than that in the first soaking stage, achieving a good water absorption effect.

[0033] According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a cooking appliance having a soaking function, and the cooking appliance includes:

[0034] An inner pot for containing the ingredients to be soaked;

[0035] A temperature detection device for detecting the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot in real time; and

[0036] A control device, which is signal-connected to the temperature detection device; wherein, the control device is configured to control the cooking appliance to execute the steps of the control method for the cooking appliance provided in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0037] The cooking appliance provided by the present invention can be used for a cooking appliance with a soaking function, which can determine a suitable preset soaking temperature T according to the soaking duration Y and the type information of rice, so that the ingredients to be cooked can be fully and reasonably soaked, avoiding the ingredients from cracking and crumbling due to absorbing too much water, or avoiding affecting the cooking effect due to insufficient water absorption duration. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] The following drawings of the present invention are used as part of the present invention to understand the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings and their descriptions are used to explain the principles of the present invention.

[0039] In the drawings:

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of a control method for a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0042] In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, some well-known technical features are not described to avoid confusion with the embodiments of the present invention.

[0043] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of the described features, wholes, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0044] Now, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited only to the embodiments set forth herein. It should be understood that these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present invention is thorough and complete, and the concept of these exemplary embodiments is fully conveyed to those of ordinary skill in the art. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements, and thus their description will be omitted.

[0045] The present invention provides a control method for a cooking appliance and a cooking appliance. The cooking appliance of the present invention can be a rice cooker, an electric pressure cooker, etc.

[0046] First, reference will be made to Figure 1 Describe the cooking appliance according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1 shown, the cooking appliance 100 may include a pot body 110 and a lid body 120. The pot body 110 may have an inner pot receiving portion in a cylindrical shape (or other shape). The inner pot 111 can be freely placed into or taken out from the inner pot receiving portion to facilitate the cleaning of the inner pot 111. The inner pot 111 is usually made of a metal material and has a circular opening on the upper surface. The inner pot 111 can be configured as a rotating body formed by a pot wall with an upper opening and an inner cavity. The capacity of the inner pot 111 is usually below 6L. For example, the capacity of the inner pot 111 can be 2L or 4L, etc.

[0047] The lid body 120 can be pivotally connected to the pot body 110 through a pivot shaft for covering the pot body 110. When the lid body 120 covers the pot body 110, a cooking space is formed between the lid body 120 and the inner pot 111.

[0048] The cooking appliance 100 further includes a control device for implementing the cooking control of the cooking appliance 100. For example, the control device can be a micro control unit (MCU). The cooking appliance 100 may further include a heating device (not shown) for heating the inner pot 111, and the heating device is electrically connected to the control device.

[0049] In addition, the cooking appliance 100 further includes a temperature detection device, such as a top temperature detection device disposed in the lid 120 and / or a bottom temperature detection device disposed below the inner pot accommodating portion. The bottom temperature detection device and the top temperature detection device may be thermistors. Both the bottom temperature detection device and the top temperature detection device are connected to the control device of the cooking appliance 100 to feed back the sensed temperature signal to the control device after sensing the temperature of the inner pot 111, so that the control device can achieve more precise control of the cooking process based on the temperature signal. Among them, when the inner pot 111 is placed in the inner pot accommodating portion of the pot body 110, the bottom temperature detection device can sense the temperature of the bottom wall of the inner pot 111. For example, the bottom temperature detection device can be in direct or indirect contact with the bottom wall.

[0050] In addition, the pot body may further include a power board, and a display board (also referred to as a panel) may be provided on the pot body. Among them, the power board can be used to supply power to the control device, the display board, etc.

[0051] It should be noted that although some structures of the cooking appliance are schematically described at this time, these enumerations are only exemplary and cannot be used as a structural limitation of the cooking appliance of the present invention.

[0052] The present invention also provides a control method for a cooking appliance. The control method for a cooking appliance provided in the embodiments of the present invention can be used for the above-mentioned cooking appliance. This control method can be used to cook ingredients such as rice. Of course, in other embodiments, other similar ingredients can also be cooked. The following will use brown rice as an ingredient to further illustrate this control method. Figure 2 To further illustrate this control method.

[0053] The cooking appliance of the present invention has a soaking function. When the user needs to use the soaking function for cooking, it can be achieved through this control method. Specifically, the control method of the present invention includes:

[0054] Receiving externally input soaking cooking information, where the soaking cooking information includes rice type information and soaking duration Y;

[0055] Exemplarily, when the user needs to cook, the ingredients and water can be put into the cooking space of the cooking appliance at the same time, and the corresponding soaking cooking information can be input on the cooking appliance. Specifically, the soaking cooking information may include rice type information and soaking duration Y. Among them, the rice type information is the type of the ingredients put in, such as Northeast rice, fragrant rice, Simaomiao rice, millet, mung beans, multi-grain rice or brown rice, etc. The soaking duration Y is selected by the user through the operation panel. For example, when the user sets the soaking duration Y to 180 minutes (min), the user can start the soaking function of the cooking appliance and enter the predetermined cooking program after 180 min, such as the porridge cooking mode, the rice cooking mode, etc. It can be understood that the cooking appliance can not only receive the soaking cooking information manually input by the user, but also receive the soaking cooking information through the cloud server or other devices capable of transmitting signals.

[0056] According to the rice type reference soaking duration Y determined by the rice type information 0 Determine the preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice type information according to the size relationship with the soaking duration Y;

[0057] It should be noted here that the rice type information and the rice type reference soaking duration Y 0 There is a corresponding relationship, and this corresponding relationship can be pre-stored in the storage module of the control chip waiting to be called. For example, it can be set that the reference soaking duration Y of brown rice 0 Is 4 hours, and the reference soaking duration Y of rice 0 Is 2 hours, and the reference soaking duration Y of mung beans 0 Is 3 hours, etc. The reference soaking duration Y here 0 Can be understood as the best soaking duration matching this rice type.

[0058] Specifically, if the soaking duration Y is greater than the rice type reference soaking duration Y 0 , the preset soaking temperature T can be selected in the first soaking temperature range W1;

[0059] If the soaking duration Y is less than the rice type reference soaking duration Y 0 , the preset soaking temperature T can be selected in the second soaking temperature range W2;

[0060] Among them, the maximum endpoint value of the first soaking temperature range W1 is less than or equal to the minimum endpoint value of the second soaking temperature range W2.

[0061] Thus, when the soaking duration Y does not reach the reference soaking duration Y corresponding to this rice type 0 , the preset soaking temperature T is set higher so that the soaking is sufficient; conversely, the soaking duration Y exceeds the reference soaking duration Y corresponding to this rice type 0When the time is up, the preset soaking temperature T is set lower to avoid over - soaking and breaking or splitting.

[0062] The following gives corresponding examples for easy understanding. If the known soaking duration Y input by the user is 180 min and the food ingredient to be cooked is brown rice, the reference soaking duration Y corresponding to brown rice can be determined 0 to be 240 min. The first soaking temperature range W1 can be set as 30℃ - 50℃, and the second soaking temperature range W2 can be set as 50℃ - 70℃. Therefore, since the soaking duration Y = 180 min is less than the reference soaking duration Y 0 = 240 min, the preset soaking temperature T is selected within 30℃ - 50℃. For example, the preset soaking temperature T = 40℃.

[0063] After determining the preset soaking temperature T, after receiving the command to start executing the soaking function, the inner pot bottom is heated based on this preset soaking temperature T to execute the soaking program until the soaking duration Y countdown ends, and then enter the predetermined cooking program.

[0064] The method may further include:

[0065] Adjust the water absorption duration X in the water absorption stage of the predetermined cooking program according to the soaking duration Y, and after the soaking program is executed, execute the adjusted predetermined cooking program.

[0066] It can be understood that the predetermined cooking program generally includes a water absorption stage, a heating - to - boiling stage, and a heat - preservation stage. Among them, rice can further absorb water in the medium - temperature water absorption stage, and then comes the heating - to - boiling stage, where the cooking appliance rapidly heats the rice in the cooking space to execute the cooking function, and finally is the heat - preservation stage, which keeps the rice warm after the heating ends.

[0067] After obtaining the soaking duration Y, the reduction amount Z of the water absorption duration X can be determined according to formula (1):

[0068] Z = Y / 10 + 2 (1), where Y is the soaking duration.

[0069] For example, if the soaking duration Y = 180 min, the reduction amount Z of the water absorption duration X in the predetermined cooking program is Z = 180 / 10 + 2 = 20 min. That is to say, when the soaking duration is set to 180 min, the water absorption duration X in the predetermined cooking program is reduced by 20 min.

[0070] Next, return to the description of the process of the soaking program. After determining the preset soaking temperature T, the heating device can be controlled to heat the inner pot at full power.

[0071] The soaking program may include a soaking and water absorption stage, and the soaking and water absorption stage includes:

[0072] Heat the inner pot until the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot reaches the preset water absorption temperature T0, then stop heating and continue for the first stop heating duration K1, where the preset water absorption temperature T0 = preset soaking temperature T + first preset adjustment value M1. In one example, if the preset soaking temperature T = 40°C and the first preset adjustment value M1 can be set to 15°C, then the preset water absorption temperature T0 = T + M1 = 40°C + 15°C = 55°C. It can be understood that the first preset adjustment value M1 can be set according to actual needs, generally making the preset water absorption temperature T0 between 50°C and 70°C. Exemplarily, the range of the first stop heating duration K1 can be set to: 1min ≤ K1 ≤ 5min.

[0073] The soaking program may further include a first soaking stage after the soaking and water absorption stage, and the first soaking stage includes:

[0074] Heat the inner pot in a cycle with the first soaking duty ratio A:B, so that the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is between the first preset temperature T1 and the second preset temperature T2, and continue for the first preset soaking duration Y1.

[0075] Wherein, the first preset temperature T1 = preset soaking temperature T + second preset adjustment value M2, the second preset temperature T2 = preset soaking temperature T + third preset adjustment value M3, and the first preset adjustment value M1 is greater than the second preset adjustment value M2 and the third preset adjustment value M3.

[0076] It should be noted that the first soaking duty ratio can be set to 1:3, that is to say, for example, in a single cycle period of 30s, heat the inner pot for 10s and stop for 20s, so that the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is maintained between the first preset temperature T1 and the second preset temperature T2. Among them, the heating duration of the inner pot can be selected between 5s and 10s, and the stop heating duration can be selected between 15s and 25s. The second preset adjustment value M2 can be 5°C, and the third preset adjustment value M3 can be set to 2°C. That is to say, if the preset soaking temperature T = 40°C, then the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is maintained between 45°C and 42°C. It can be understood that each preset adjustment value and the first soaking duty ratio can be specifically adjusted according to actual needs. Exemplarily, the first preset soaking duration Y1 can satisfy: 5min ≤ Y1 ≤ 10min.

[0077] The soaking program may further include a second soaking stage after the first soaking stage, and the second soaking stage includes:

[0078] Heat the inner pot in a cycle with the second soaking duty ratio C:D, so that the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is between the third preset temperature T3 and the fourth preset temperature T4 until the soaking duration Y counts down to zero.

[0079] Among them, the third preset temperature T3 = the preset soaking temperature T, and the fourth preset temperature T4 = the preset soaking temperature T - the fourth preset adjustment value M4.

[0080] In one example, the fourth preset adjustment value M4 can be set to 3°C. If the preset soaking temperature T = 40°C, then the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot is maintained between 40°C and 37°C. The second duty ratio can be set to 1:3. For example, in a 30s cycle, the inner pot is heated for 10s and the heating is stopped for 20s. Among them, the duration of heating the inner pot can be selected between 5s and 10s, and the duration of stopping heating can be selected between 15s and 25s. It can be understood that each preset adjustment value and the second soaking duty ratio can be specifically adjusted according to actual needs.

[0081] The processes described in all the above preferred embodiments are only examples. Unless adverse effects occur, various processing operations can be performed in an order different from the above processes. The step order of the above processes can also be increased, combined or deleted according to actual needs.

[0082] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a cooking appliance as described in the above embodiment. Specifically, the cooking appliance includes a cooking space, a temperature detection device, and a control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the cooking appliance to execute the control method according to the above embodiment.

[0083] The present invention has been described through the above embodiments. However, it should be understood that the above embodiments are only for the purpose of exemplification and illustration, and are not intended to limit the present invention within the scope of the described embodiments. In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and more variations and modifications can be made according to the teachings of the present invention, and these variations and modifications all fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalent scope.

Claims

1. A control method for a cooking appliance, characterized in that, the cooking appliance has a soaking function, the cooking appliance includes an inner pot and a temperature detection device, and the temperature detection device is used to detect the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot in real time; the control method includes: receiving externally input soaking cooking information, wherein the soaking cooking information includes rice type information and soaking duration Y; Based on the reference soaking duration Y of the rice variety determined by the rice variety category information 0 Determine the preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice variety category information according to the magnitude relationship with the soaking duration Y; after receiving the command to start executing the soaking function, using the preset soaking temperature T as the benchmark for heating the bottom of the inner pot to execute the soaking program until the countdown of the soaking duration Y ends, and entering the predetermined cooking program, Soaking duration Y of rice seeds determined according to the rice variety information 0 Determining the preset soaking temperature T corresponding to the rice variety information according to the magnitude relationship with the soaking duration Y includes: If the soaking duration Y is greater than the reference soaking duration Y of the rice seeds 0 , select the preset soaking temperature T within the first soaking temperature range W1; If the soaking duration Y is less than the reference soaking duration Y of the rice seeds 0 , select the preset soaking temperature T within the second soaking temperature range W2; wherein, the maximum endpoint value of the first soaking temperature range W1 is less than or equal to the minimum endpoint value of the second soaking temperature range W2.

2. The control method for a cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, further comprising: adjusting the water absorption duration X in the water absorption stage of the predetermined cooking program according to the soaking duration Y, and after the soaking program is executed, executing the adjusted predetermined cooking program.

3. The control method for a cooking appliance according to claim 2, characterized in that, the reduction amount Z of the water absorption duration X is determined according to formula (1): Z = Y / 10 + 2 (1), where Y is the soaking duration.

4. The control method for a cooking appliance according to claim 1, characterized in that, the soaking program includes a soaking and water absorption stage, and the soaking and water absorption stage includes: heating the inner pot to stop heating after the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot reaches the preset water absorption temperature T0, and continuing for the first heating stop duration K1, where the preset water absorption temperature T0 = the preset soaking temperature T + the first preset adjustment value M1.

5. The control method for a cooking appliance according to claim 4, characterized in that, the soaking program further includes a first soaking stage after the soaking and water absorption stage, and the first soaking stage includes: heating the inner pot in a cycle with a first soaking duty ratio A:B, so that the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot is between the first preset temperature T1 and the second preset temperature T2, and continuing for the first preset soaking duration Y1, wherein, the first preset temperature T1 = the preset soaking temperature T + the second preset adjustment value M2, the second preset temperature T2 = the preset soaking temperature T + the third preset adjustment value M3, and the first preset adjustment value M1 is greater than the second preset adjustment value M2 and the third preset adjustment value M3.

6. The control method for a cooking appliance according to claim 5, characterized in that, the soaking program further includes a second soaking stage after the first soaking stage, and the second soaking stage includes: heating the inner pot in a cycle with a second soaking duty ratio C:D, so that the temperature of the bottom of the inner pot is between the third preset temperature T3 and the fourth preset temperature T4 until the countdown of the soaking duration Y ends, wherein, the third preset temperature T3 = the preset soaking temperature T, and the fourth preset temperature T4 = the preset soaking temperature T - the fourth preset adjustment value M4.

7. A cooking appliance, characterized in that, The cooking appliance has a soaking function, and the cooking appliance includes: An inner pot for containing the ingredients to be soaked; A temperature detection device for detecting the temperature at the bottom of the inner pot in real time; and A control device, which is signal-connected to the temperature detection device; Wherein, the control device is configured to control the cooking appliance to execute the steps of the control method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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