Control method, control device, controller of cooking appliance and cooking appliance

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a control method and device of a cooking appliance, a controller and the cooking appliance. The present application aims to solve the technical problem that the water nozzle of the existing cooking appliance is easily blocked by the condensate after boiling the internal food. To this end, the control method of the cooking appliance provided by the present application comprises: obtaining the cooking state of the internal food of the cooking appliance; and when the cooking state of the internal food is boiling, controlling the water nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning at the later stage or after the end of the boiling state. The control method of the cooking appliance provided by the present application sprays water into the internal cooking appliance through the water nozzle at the later stage or after the end of the boiling state of the internal food, and washes the condensate blocked on the water nozzle by spraying water, thereby achieving the effect of self-cleaning, and reducing the phenomenon that the condensate after boiling is solidified for a long time to block the water nozzle.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of household appliances, in particular to a control method and device of a cooking appliance, a controller and the cooking appliance. BACKGROUND

[0002] The part provided in this part is only background information related to the present application, which is not necessarily prior art.

[0003] There are many low-sugar cooking appliances such as rice cookers on the market, most of which are boiled first and then steamed, that is, first boiled with boiling water (some have repeated flushing during the boiling stage, which can remove part of the reducing sugar and starch on the surface of the rice and other food materials), and then the rice and water are separated and steamed. This cooking method can increase the content of resistant starch in rice and other food materials, but when the food materials in the rice cooker are in the boiling stage, a large amount of foam containing starch and other solids will be generated during boiling, which is easy to adhere to the nozzle. In the late boiling or braising stage, the temperature is high, and the adhering matter will dry and deposit on the nozzle, which is easy to cause blockage. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least partially solve the technical problem that the existing cooking appliance is easy to be blocked by the condensate after boiling the internal food materials.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the first aspect of the present application provides a control method of a cooking appliance, the control method comprising: obtaining a cooking state of internal food materials of the cooking appliance; and when the cooking state of the internal food materials is a boiling state, controlling a water spraying nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning in a late stage and / or after the end of the boiling state.

[0006] The control method of the cooking appliance provided by the present application sprays water into the internal part of the cooking appliance through the water spraying nozzle in the late stage or after the end of the boiling state of the internal food materials, and washes the condensate blocked on the water spraying nozzle by spraying water, so as to achieve the effect of self-cleaning, thereby reducing the phenomenon that the condensate after boiling is blocked in the water spraying nozzle after long-term condensation.

[0007] In addition, the control method of the cooking appliance according to the present application can have the following additional technical features:

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present application, the control method further comprises: controlling the cooking appliance to enter a braising state after the end of the boiling state; and controlling the water spraying nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning in an early stage of the braising state.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes: controlling the cooking state of the cooking appliance after the boiling state ends, including a cooling and recuperation state; and controlling the spray nozzle to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance during the cooling and recuperation state.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention, after obtaining the cooking state of the food inside the cooking appliance, the method further includes: determining whether the food inside is in a critical overflow state if the cooking state of the food inside is boiling; and controlling the spray nozzle to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance if the food inside is in a critical overflow state.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the present invention, determining whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state after the internal ingredients are in a boiling state specifically includes: obtaining the height of the bubbles generated by the internal ingredients due to boiling; and determining that the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state when the bubble height reaches a predetermined height.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present invention, after controlling the spray nozzle to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance during the cooling and regeneration process, the method further includes: controlling the cooking appliance to enter the reheating state after the cooling and regeneration state ends; and controlling the cooking appliance to heat the food inside the appliance to a temperature above the preset temperature but below the boiling point temperature, wherein the preset temperature is lower than the boiling point temperature.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, if the cooking state of the internal ingredients is boiling, then after the water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance sprays water for self-cleaning in the later stage and / or after the boiling state, the method further includes: controlling the air cooling mechanism of the cooking appliance to blow the water spray nozzle and / or the air intake mechanism of the cooking appliance.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention also provides a control device for a cooking appliance, the control device being used to execute the control method for the cooking appliance of the first aspect of the present invention, the control device comprising: an acquisition module for acquiring the cooking state of the food inside the cooking appliance; and a control module for controlling the spray nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning during the later stage and / or after the boiling state, based on the cooking state of the food inside being a boiling state.

[0015] A third aspect of the present invention also provides a controller, the controller including a computer-readable storage medium and a control device for a cooking appliance according to the second aspect of the present invention, the computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when the control device for the cooking appliance executes the instructions, implement the control method for a cooking appliance according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0016] A fourth aspect of the present invention also provides a cooking appliance, comprising: a main body having a cooking cavity formed inside the main body; a cover assembly disposed on the main body and covering the cooking cavity, the cover assembly having a spray nozzle, a detection element, an air intake mechanism, and an air cooling mechanism; and a controller electrically connected to the detection element and the spray nozzle, for receiving the cooking state of the cooking cavity and controlling the operation of the spray nozzle according to the cooking state, the controller being a controller according to a third aspect of the present invention.

[0017] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the cooking appliance further includes a retractable water spray assembly, a spray nozzle is disposed on the retractable water spray assembly, and the controller drives the spray nozzle to a designated area for water spraying for cooling or bubble breaking through the retractable water spray assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of preferred embodiments. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the invention. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0019] Figure 1 This is an isometric view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a control method for a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the controller according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control device for a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating a control method for a cooking appliance according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a coordinate graph of cooking time versus cooking temperature for a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A magnified schematic diagram of part A of the cooking utensil shown;

[0027] Figure 9 for Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the retractable water spray assembly of the cooking appliance in its extended state.

[0028] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a flow guide tube according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a water spray nozzle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a cooking appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] The reference numerals in the attached figures are as follows:

[0033] 100. Cooking utensils; 101. Lid assembly; 102. Outer shell assembly; 103. Inner pot; 104. Steamer basket; 105. Lid assembly; 106. Air cooling mechanism; 107. Air intake mechanism; 108. Detection element; 109. Water pipe; 110. Fluid pipe;

[0034] 10. Flow guide pipe; 11. Flow divider;

[0035] 20. Spray nozzle; 21. Spray hole;

[0036] 30. Sleeve; 31. Extendable water pipe;

[0037] 40. Controller; 410. Computer-readable storage medium; 420. Control device; 421. Acquisition module; 422. Control module; 423. Judgment module. Detailed Implementation

[0038] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that although the present invention illustrates specific embodiments and technical effects of a cooking appliance control method using a rice cooker, the rice cooker is merely a preferred embodiment of the cooking appliance of the present invention and is not a limitation on the scope of protection of the cooking appliance of the present invention. For example, the cooking appliance of the present invention can also be a steam cooking device, etc., and such adjustments fall within the scope of protection of the cooking appliance of the present invention.

[0039] It should be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “described” as used herein may also mean including the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are inclusive and therefore indicate the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0040] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0041] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0042] For ease of description, spatial relative terms may be used in the text to describe the relationship of one element or feature relative to another element or feature, as shown in the figure. These relative terms include, for example, "above," "circumferential," "peripheral," "outer," "bottom," "back to back," "top," "inner," etc. Such spatial relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the mechanism in use or operation, in addition to those depicted in the figure. For example, if the mechanism in the figure is flipped, then an element described as "below other elements or features" or "below other elements or features" will subsequently be oriented as "above other elements or features" or "above other elements or features." Therefore, the example term "below" can include both upper and lower orientations. The mechanism may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or in other directions), and the spatial relative descriptors used in the text will be interpreted accordingly.

[0043] It should be noted that the "retrogradation" mentioned in this application refers to the retrogradation of starch in food caused by the cooling or refrigeration steps during the cooking process. Specifically, during the high-temperature cooking process, the food will generate a straight-chain starch-lipid complex. During the cooling and retrogradation process, the straight-chain starch in the food will form a double helix structure, which will then arrange into a hexagonal network structure with digestibility.

[0044] A comparison of the in vitro digestibility rates of fresh rice, frozen rice (frozen for 60 days), and reheated rice revealed the following order: fresh rice > reheated rice > frozen rice. This is presumably because the gelatinized starch in rice undergoes retrogradation after freezing, causing amylose to form a three-dimensional network structure. This network structure exhibits strong resistance to amylase hydrolysis. The study also found that although reheated rice is easier to digest than frozen rice, its digestibility rate is still significantly lower than that of fresh rice. This may be related to the irreversible recrystallization of amylose after retrogradation. Upon reheating, some of the retrograded resistant starch components cannot be restored to their state as in fresh rice. Cooling and retrogradation treatment effectively reduces the starch digestibility of rice.

[0045] In addition, the specific storage temperature and time during the cooling and retrogradation process can have a significant impact on the degree of retrogradation and digestibility of starch in rice. The retrogradation of rice starch is usually studied under isothermal storage conditions (-20, 4, 25 or 30°C) or temperature cycling between 4°C and 25°C (or 30°C).

[0046] like Figure 1 Hezhi Figure 4 As shown, the first aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a cooking appliance 100, the second aspect provides a control device 420 for a cooking appliance 100, the third aspect provides a controller 40 for a cooking appliance 100, and the fourth aspect provides a cooking appliance 100. To clearly describe the control method, control device 420, controller 40, and cooking appliance 100 provided by the present invention, the following will first describe in detail the cooking appliance 100 provided by the fourth aspect of the present invention. Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the cooking appliance 100 mainly includes a support frame composed of a lid assembly 101, an outer shell assembly 102, an inner pot 103, and a steamer basket 104. The cooking appliance 100 also includes a temperature control device, which includes a heating module, comprising a hot plate heating module with heating elements and an electromagnetic heating module, etc. The cooking appliance 100 also has functions such as water replenishment, sugar reduction, and cooling. The cooking appliance 100 is connected via a water tank, a power unit, and water pipes 109 (e.g.,...). Figure 10 As shown), the guide pipe 10 and the spray nozzle 20 achieve the purpose of spraying water onto the food on the steamer. The spray nozzle 20 is exposed to the outside of the cover assembly 101 and located inside the cooking cavity. The cover plate assembly 105 of the cover assembly 101 is also provided with structures such as the air cooling mechanism 106 and the air intake mechanism 107. The air pressure and temperature inside the cooking cavity are controlled by the air cooling mechanism 106 and the air intake mechanism 107.

[0047] The cooking appliance 100 also includes a controller 40 provided in the third aspect of the present invention. The controller 40 is used to control the working mode of the cooking appliance 100. The controller 40 includes a computer-readable storage medium 410 and a control device 420. The computer-readable storage medium 410 stores instructions. When the control device 420 executes the instructions, it can realize the control method of the cooking appliance 100 as in the first aspect of the present invention.

[0048] Specifically, during the operation of the cooking appliance 100, the controller 40 controls the cooking appliance 100 to first steam rice and other ingredients at high power, then simmer the rice at low power until the rice and other ingredients are cooked (80% or more, preferably 90% or more), and then cool down the rice and other ingredients to allow them to reheat. During the cooling process, the spray nozzle 20 sprays cold water or ice water to cool down the rice and other ingredients, thereby increasing the resistant starch content in the rice and other ingredients. Then, the water in the inner pot 103 is heated to reheat the rice and other ingredients. During the boiling stage, simmering stage, cooling and reheating stage, and reheating stage of the internal ingredients, the cooking appliance 100 controls the air pressure and temperature in the cooking cavity through the air cooling mechanism 106 and the air intake mechanism 107, thereby achieving the purpose of cooking the internal ingredients at an appropriate temperature under high pressure or negative pressure.

[0049] During the operation of the cooking appliance 100, boiling rice and other ingredients, as well as condensed foam, adhere to the spray nozzle 20. After the cooking stage, the rice and other ingredients and condensed foam adhering to the spray nozzle 20 will stick to the spray nozzle 20. In order to reduce the large amount of foam generated by the ingredients in the cooking appliance 100 during the boiling stage from adhering to the spray nozzle 20, the embodiments of this application propose to spray water into the interior of the cooking appliance 100 through the spray nozzle 20 after the boiling state of the ingredients inside is over. The spray water washes away the condensed foam adhering to the spray nozzle 20, thereby achieving a self-cleaning effect and reducing the phenomenon that boiling rice and other condensed foam clog the spray nozzle 20, causing the spray nozzle 20 to be unable to be used normally in the subsequent cooling and recuperation stage.

[0050] The instructions stored in the memory are described in detail below through a control method of a cooking appliance 100 according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, the first aspect of the present invention provides a control method for a cooking appliance 100, the control method comprising: S310, acquiring the cooking state of the food inside the cooking appliance 100; S320, if the cooking state of the food inside the cooking appliance 100 is a boiling state, then controlling the spray nozzle 20 of the cooking appliance 100 to spray water for self-cleaning in the later stage and / or after the boiling state.

[0052] In this embodiment, the control method of the cooking appliance 100 provided by the present invention sprays water into the interior of the cooking appliance 100 through the spray nozzle 20 after the boiling state of the food inside has ended. The sprayed water washes away the food residue and other condensation that clogs the spray nozzle 20, thereby achieving a self-cleaning effect and reducing the phenomenon of clogging the spray nozzle 20 after prolonged solidification of the boiled food residue and other condensation. Specifically, in this embodiment, the later stage and end of the boiling state are determined by the duration of the boiling state or the cooking temperature inside the cooking appliance 100. When the duration of the boiling state reaches a preset boiling time, or the temperature of the boiling state reaches a preset cooking temperature, the cooking appliance 100 determines that the boiling state is in its later stage or has ended, and then can control the spray nozzle 20 of the cooking appliance 100 to spray water for self-cleaning. The specific time of the later stage and end of the boiling state depends on the specific cooking scenario, and specific data will not be given here.

[0053] It should be noted that the above embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific time after the boiling state ends, because the specific time after the boiling state ends needs to be flexibly set according to the cooking state after the boiling state. For example, when the cooking state after the boiling state is the rice simmering state, the spray nozzle 20 needs to perform water spraying self-cleaning in the early stage of the rice simmering state, so as to reduce the phenomenon of rice and other condensed matter adhering to the spray nozzle 20 due to the temperature drop and sticking to the spray nozzle 20. Then, the end time of water spraying self-cleaning is determined according to the amount of rice adhering to the spray nozzle 20 or the water pressure in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10.

[0054] Specifically, the self-cleaning time is determined by the amount of rice adhering to the nozzle 20. The lid assembly 101 of the cooking appliance 100 is equipped with an infrared detection element or a pulse detection element. The cooking appliance 100 detects the rice and other condensed matter adhering to the nozzle 20 through the infrared detection element or the pulse detection element. When the boiling state ends and there is rice or other condensed matter adhering to the nozzle 20, the cooking appliance 100 controls the nozzle 20 to spray water to achieve the self-cleaning effect. The preset time period for the nozzle 20 to perform self-cleaning is set according to the amount of rice detected by the infrared detection element or the pulse detection element. Alternatively, when the infrared detection element or the pulse detection element detects that the rice or other condensed matter adhering to the nozzle 20 has been washed away, the cooking appliance 100 controls the nozzle 20 to stop self-cleaning.

[0055] The self-cleaning spray ends based on the water pressure in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10. A pressure sensor is installed in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10. The cooking appliance 100 uses the pressure sensor to detect the water pressure in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10 to determine whether the spray nozzle 20 is clogged. When rice or other condensed matter adheres to the spray nozzle 20 after boiling, the water pressure in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10 increases. The cooking appliance 100 controls the spray nozzle 20 to spray water to achieve the self-cleaning effect. When the rice or other condensed matter adhered to the spray nozzle 20 is washed away, the water pressure in the water pipe 109 and the guide pipe 10 returns to normal. The cooking appliance 100 then controls the spray nozzle 20 to stop spraying water for self-cleaning.

[0056] Furthermore, in order to improve the self-cleaning effect of the spray nozzle 20, embodiments of the present invention also propose to reasonably control the output power and the number of intermittent outputs of the power device. For example, if the rice or other condensed matter attached to the spray nozzle 20 has not been washed away within a preset time period, the controller 40 of the cooking appliance 100 controls the output power of the power device to increase and controls the spray nozzle 20 to spray water intermittently and multiple times, thereby achieving the purpose of washing away the rice or other condensed matter on the spray nozzle 20 by increasing water pressure and force.

[0057] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control method further includes: controlling the cooking appliance 100 to enter the rice-cooking state after the boiling state ends, then controlling the water spray nozzle 20 of the cooking appliance 100 to perform water spraying self-cleaning in the early stage of the rice-cooking state; or, if the cooking state of the cooking appliance 100 after the boiling state ends also includes a cooling and regeneration state, then optionally controlling the internal ingredients of the cooking appliance 100 to enter the cooling and regeneration state after the rice-cooking state ends, then controlling the water spray nozzle 20 to spray water onto the internal ingredients of the cooking appliance 100 during the cooling and regeneration state, and finally controlling the cooking appliance 100 to enter the reheating state after the cooling and regeneration state ends, and controlling the cooking appliance 100 to heat the internal ingredients to a temperature above the preset temperature but below the boiling point temperature, wherein the preset temperature is below the boiling point temperature.

[0058] In this embodiment, the control method for the cooking appliance 100 provided by the present invention is mainly used for cooking low-sugar rice. The working logic of cooking low-sugar rice is as follows: Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown: After washing the rice well, put it into a cooking appliance 100 such as a rice cooker, then select the low-sugar rice function, and the cooking appliance 100 starts to work. The detection system of the cooking appliance 100 detects the cooking state of the internal ingredients and continues to heat the internal ingredients to boiling, maintaining the boiling time t1 (5 - 20 minutes), preferably 7 - 12 minutes; the controller 40 controls the water spray nozzle 20 to spray water at least once to clean the attachments on the water spray nozzle 20; the cooking appliance 100 enters the rice simmering stage, heating with a low power W2 or stopping heating to maintain the temperature of the inner pot 103 at 80°C or above (it cannot boil vigorously to allow the rice soup to enter the rice, otherwise the rice will be mushy), maintaining the time t2 (3 - 15 minutes), preferably 3 - 8 minutes, which can fully gelatinize the rice core inside the rice but will not absorb too much water; the water spray system adds the medium cold water / ice water for cooling; it can also be adding cold water / frozen water first, and then using the air exchange system to replace the hot air in the inner pot 103 for cooling, cooling the rice to the temperature T1 (T1 < boiling temperature, further, 30°C < T1 < 80°C, still further, 40°C < T1 < 60°C), making the rice cool and regenerate, converting the starch in the rice grains into resistant starch, so as to achieve the low-sugar effect; entering the reheating stage, the temperature rising module reheats the rice temperature to above 80 degrees and below the boiling point, and finally cooks the required low-sugar rice and keeps it warm.

[0059] According to an embodiment of the present invention, after step S310, it further includes: judging whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state according to the cooking state of the internal ingredients being in a boiling state; controlling the water spray nozzle 20 to spray water into the interior of the cooking appliance 100 according to the internal ingredients being in a critical overflow state.

[0060] In this embodiment, by detecting whether the ingredients inside the cooking appliance 100 are in a critical overflow state, when the ingredients are in a critical overflow state, the water spray nozzle 20 is opened for watering. The water sprayed out by the water spray nozzle 20 can make the critical overflow state disappear, effectively reducing the phenomenon of liquid overflow in the cooking appliance 100 or reaching the water spray nozzle 20, enabling the cooking appliance 100 to continuously heat, improving the cooking quality, and using the method of spraying water by the water spray nozzle 20 for anti-overflow, reducing the water consumption in the anti-overflow process, and making the sprayed water not affect the cooking quality; when it is detected that the critical overflow state disappears or the power device such as a water pump is turned on for a preset time, the water spraying is stopped, which can further reduce the water consumption for anti-overflow.

[0061] According to an embodiment of the present invention, judging whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state after the cooking state of the internal ingredients is in a boiling state specifically includes: obtaining the height of the bubbles generated by the boiling of the internal ingredients in the cooking appliance 100; judging that the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state when the bubble height reaches a predetermined height.

[0062] In this embodiment, the preset height of the bubbles in this application embodiment is determined by the height of the overflow detection device. By detecting the height of the bubbles generated inside the cooking appliance 100 due to boiling, and opening the spray nozzle 20 to spray water according to the height of the bubbles, the water sprayed from the spray nozzle 20 can cause the bubbles to break and disappear, effectively reducing the overflow of liquid in the cooking appliance 100 to the spray nozzle 20, so that the cooking appliance 100 can continue to heat and make the food fully boil, thus improving the quality of cooking.

[0063] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 to Figure 9 As shown, the cooking appliance 100 also includes a retractable water spray assembly, which includes a retractable tube assembly, a drive device, and a water spray component. The retractable tube assembly includes multiple sleeves 30 that are slidably fitted together in sequence, and a retractable water pipe 31 is provided inside the retractable tube assembly. The drive device is connected to the retractable tube assembly and drives the multiple sleeves 30 to retract or extend relative to each other. The water spray component is disposed on the retractable tube assembly and communicates with the retractable water pipe 31. The retractable tube assembly drives the retractable water pipe 31 and the water spray component to move.

[0064] The retractable water spray assembly provided by this invention can move the water spray assembly above the internal food or air bubbles, thereby reducing the phenomenon of condensation of internal food or air bubbles adhering to the water spray nozzle 20. Furthermore, when the retractable water spray assembly is applied to the cooking appliance 100, the retractable water spray assembly can evenly spray water onto the rice inside the cooking appliance 100 by reasonably controlling the stroke of the water spray assembly, thereby achieving the purpose of cooling and refluxing the rice, and obtaining low-sugar rice with good taste and high resistant starch content.

[0065] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the specific type of the driving device. The driving device can be a linear drive motor, such as a wax motor, or a hydraulic drive device or a pneumatic drive device. The driving device drives multiple sleeves 30 to compress or extend relative to each other in a linear drive manner. The driving device of the present invention will be described below using a hydraulic drive device or a pneumatic drive device as a preferred embodiment.

[0066] like Figure 10 As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a receiving space is formed inside the telescopic tube assembly, and an elastic element connected to the telescopic tube assembly is provided in the receiving space. The driving device includes a fluid tube 110, which communicates with the receiving space and fills the receiving space with fluid.

[0067] In this embodiment, when the elastic element is in its natural or slightly stretched state, the multiple sleeves 30 are in a contracted state. That is, the multiple sleeves 30 retract to their shortest stroke position under the tension of the elastic element. At this time, the water spray assembly is at its highest spray position. When the fluid pipe 110 fills the receiving space with fluid (which can be liquid or gas), the fluid overcomes the tension of the elastic element and drives the multiple sleeves 30 to gradually extend to their longest stroke position. At this time, the water spray assembly is at its lowest spray position. Specifically, the elastic element can be a spring or a rubber pleated tube. The fluid pipe 110 and the elastic element cooperate to form a drive device similar to a hydraulic or pneumatic drive device, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the extension and retraction of the telescopic tube assembly.

[0068] Furthermore, when it is necessary to control the multiple sleeves 30 to return from the extended state to the compressed state, it is only necessary to draw back the fluid filled into the accommodating space through the fluid pipe 110. At this time, the multiple sleeves 30 in the extended state can return to the compressed state under the pulling force of the elastic element, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the position of the telescopic water pipe 31 and the water spray assembly. The telescopic water pipe 31 is folded in the accommodating space inside the telescopic pipe assembly in a spiral compression manner when the multiple sleeves 30 are in the compressed state. During the extension process of the multiple sleeves 30, the telescopic water pipe 31 gradually extends from the spiral compression state.

[0069] like Figure 13 As shown, according to an embodiment of the present invention, after step S320, the method further includes: controlling the air cooling mechanism 106 of the cooking appliance 100 to blow the water spray nozzle 20 and / or the air intake mechanism 107 of the cooking appliance 100.

[0070] In this embodiment, during the later stages of boiling in the cooking process, when a small amount of rice water reaches the lid assembly 101 or no rice water reaches the lid assembly 101, some rice water hangs on the surface of the spray nozzle 20 and the air intake mechanism 107. At this time, the cooking appliance 100 control program activates the air cooling mechanism 106 and the air intake mechanism 107 to blow or exhaust air onto the spray nozzle 20 and the air intake mechanism 107, causing the rice water hanging on the spray nozzle 20 and the air intake mechanism 107 to drip off. This keeps the spray nozzle 20 and the air intake mechanism 107 clean and prevents them from being blocked by the boiling rice water, increasing user comfort and reducing the hassle of cleaning. Specifically, this embodiment can be used with cooking appliances 100 with gas exchange, whether single-channel or multi-channel, thus reducing the risk of the spray nozzle 20 being blocked due to dried rice water.

[0071] like Figure 4As shown, the second aspect of the present invention also provides a control device 420 for a cooking appliance 100 corresponding to the first aspect of the present invention. The control device 420 is used to execute the control method of the cooking appliance 100 of the first aspect of the present invention. The control device 420 includes: an acquisition module 421, used to acquire the cooking state of the internal ingredients of the cooking appliance 100; and a control module 422, used to control the spray nozzle 20 of the cooking appliance 100 to spray water for self-cleaning in the later stage and / or after the boiling state, based on the cooking state of the internal ingredients being a boiling state.

[0072] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control module 422 is further configured to: control the cooking appliance 100 to enter the rice-cooking state after the boiling state ends, and control the water spray nozzle 20 of the cooking appliance 100 to perform water spraying self-cleaning in the early stage of the rice-cooking state.

[0073] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control module 422 is further configured to: control the cooking state of the cooking appliance 100 after the boiling state ends, including the cooling and recuperation state; and control the spray nozzle 20 to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance 100 during the cooling and recuperation state.

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control device 420 further includes a judgment module 423: used to determine whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state after the internal ingredients are in a boiling state; and to control the spray nozzle 20 to spray water onto the internal ingredients of the cooking appliance 100 if the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state.

[0075] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the acquisition module 421 is further configured to: acquire the height of bubbles generated by boiling inside the cooking appliance 100; the judgment module 423 is further configured to: determine that the inside food is in a critical overflow state when the bubble height reaches a predetermined height; wherein, the predetermined height is less than the edge height of the inner pot 103.

[0076] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control module 422 is further configured to: control the cooking appliance 100 to enter the reheating state after the cooling and regeneration state is completed; and control the cooking appliance 100 to heat the internal ingredients to a temperature above the preset temperature but below the boiling point temperature, wherein the preset temperature is less than the boiling point temperature.

[0077] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the control module 422 is further configured to: control the air-cooling mechanism 106 of the cooking appliance 100 to blow the water spray nozzle 20 and / or the air intake mechanism 107 of the cooking appliance 100.

[0078] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, a fourth aspect of the present invention also provides a cooking appliance 100, comprising: a main body having a cooking cavity formed inside the main body; a cover assembly disposed on the main body and covering the cooking cavity, the cover assembly being provided with a spray nozzle 20, a detection element 108, an air intake mechanism 107 and a cooling mechanism 106; and a controller 40 electrically connected to the detection element 108 and the spray nozzle 20, for receiving the cooking state of the cooking cavity and controlling the operation of the spray nozzle 20 according to the cooking state, the controller 40 being a controller 40 according to the third aspect of the present invention.

[0079] Furthermore, such as Figure 8 , Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, the water spray assembly includes a guide pipe 10 and a spray nozzle 20. The guide pipe 10 is equipped with a flow divider, which divides the guide pipe 10 into multiple flow channels. The spray nozzle 20 is connected to the guide pipe 10 and is provided with multiple spray holes 21 distributed circumferentially and corresponding to the multiple flow channels.

[0080] The water spray assembly provided by this invention can perform a first diversion through a diversion device inside the guide pipe 10, and then a second diversion through multiple spray holes 21 on the spray nozzle 20. The water spray assembly increases the spray pressure by diverting the spray, thereby achieving the purpose of washing away rice and other attached substances by increasing the spray pressure. Specifically, by setting a diversion device inside the guide pipe 10, when the water pump pressure reaches a certain value, the spray nozzle 20 of the water spray assembly can spray out a mist of water. Adding a diversion device is more cost-effective than setting additional booster pumps and other components, and it does not have to consider the aging problem of components. Moreover, this structural design has high safety performance, strong reliability, and can achieve the effect of increasing water pressure. The distance from the diversion device to the outlet of the spray nozzle 20 is designed to be less than or equal to 10mm, so that the diversion effect is better and the spraying effect is better.

[0081] Furthermore, by setting a diversion device inside the guide pipe 10, the inlet cross section of the pipe can be reduced locally, thereby diverting the water flow at normal speed into multiple rapid water flows, thereby increasing the water pressure inside the pipe, increasing the spray range of the water spray assembly, and achieving cost savings without having to worry too much about the aging of components.

[0082] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention do not limit the structure of the diversion device. Any structure that can achieve fluid diversion is within the protection scope of the present invention. For example, the diversion device can be a diversion valve or a diversion plate 11. When the diversion device is a diversion plate 11, the diversion plate 11 and the tube body of the guide pipe 10 are integrally formed.

[0083] It should be noted that the above embodiments and figures are described based on a rice cooker. However, the rice cooker is only a preferred embodiment of the cooking appliance 100 of the present invention and is not a limitation on the protection scope of the cooking appliance 100 of the present invention. For example, the cooking appliance 100 of the present invention can also be a microwave oven, a pressure cooker or a steam cooking device, and such adjustments fall within the protection scope of the cooking appliance 100 of the present invention.

[0084] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the embodiments of the present invention will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. This program is stored in a memory and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or control device 420 (such as a processor) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned memory includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0086] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a cooking utensil, characterized in that, The cooking appliance includes a main body and a cover assembly. The main body forms a cooking cavity inside. The cover assembly is disposed on the main body and covers the cooking cavity. The cover assembly is equipped with a spray nozzle, a detection element, an air intake mechanism, and a cooling mechanism. The cooking appliance sprays water onto the food through a water tank, a power unit, a water pipe, a guide pipe, and the spray nozzle. The spray nozzle is exposed outside the cover assembly and located inside the cooking cavity. The control method includes: Obtain the cooking status of the ingredients inside the cooking appliance; If the cooking state of the internal ingredients is boiling, then the water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance is controlled to spray water for self-cleaning in the later stage and / or after the boiling state. The control method further includes: The cooking appliance is controlled to enter the rice-simmering state after the boiling state ends; The water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance is controlled to spray water for self-cleaning during the early stage of the rice cooking process; The later stage and end of the boiling state are determined by the duration of the boiling state or the cooking temperature in the cooking appliance. When the duration of the boiling state reaches the preset boiling time, or the temperature of the boiling state reaches the preset cooking temperature, the cooking appliance determines that the boiling state is in the later stage or has ended, and then the water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance can be controlled to spray water for self-cleaning.

2. The control method for cooking appliances according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control method further includes: The cooking state of the cooking appliance after the boiling state ends includes a cooling and reheating state; The spray nozzle is controlled to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance during the cooling and regeneration process.

3. The control method for cooking appliances according to claim 1, characterized in that, After obtaining the cooking state of the ingredients inside the cooking appliance, the process further includes: If the cooking state of the internal ingredients is boiling, then it is determined whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state. Based on the fact that the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state, the spray nozzle is controlled to spray water onto the internal ingredients of the cooking appliance.

4. The control method for cooking appliances according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of determining whether the internal ingredients are in a critical overflow state after the cooking state of the internal ingredients is determined to be boiling specifically includes: The height of the bubbles generated by the boiling of the food inside the cooking appliance is obtained. When the bubble height reaches a predetermined height, it is determined that the internal food is in a critical overflow state.

5. The control method for cooking appliances according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method of controlling the spray nozzle to spray water onto the food inside the cooking appliance during the cooling and recovery process also includes: The cooking appliance is controlled to enter the reheating state after the cooling and regeneration state is completed; The cooking appliance is controlled to heat the internal ingredients to a temperature above the preset temperature but below the boiling point. The preset temperature is lower than the boiling point temperature.

6. The control method for cooking appliances according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning after the boiling state is determined to be boiling, based on the internal food ingredients being in a boiling state, further includes: The air-cooling mechanism of the cooking appliance is controlled to blow air through the spray nozzle and / or the air intake mechanism of the cooking appliance.

7. A control device for a cooking utensil, characterized in that, The control device is used to execute the control method for the cooking appliance according to claim 1, and the control device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire the cooking status of the ingredients inside the cooking appliance; The control module is used to control the water spray nozzle of the cooking appliance to spray water for self-cleaning during the later stage and / or after the boiling state, based on the cooking state of the internal ingredients being boiling.

8. A controller, characterized in that, The controller includes a computer-readable storage medium and a control device for the cooking appliance according to claim 7, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores instructions that, when executed by the control device for the cooking appliance, implement the control method for the cooking appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A cooking utensil, characterized in that, The cooking appliance includes: The main body, the interior of which forms a cooking cavity; A cover assembly is disposed on the main body and covers the cooking cavity. The cover assembly is provided with a water spray nozzle, a detection element, an air intake mechanism, and an air cooling mechanism. A controller, electrically connected to the detection element and the spray nozzle, is used to receive the cooking state of the cooking chamber and control the spray nozzle to operate according to the cooking state. The controller is the controller according to claim 7.

10. The cooking utensil according to claim 9, characterized in that, The cooking appliance also includes a retractable water spray assembly, with the spray nozzle disposed on the retractable water spray assembly. The controller drives the spray nozzle to a designated area via the retractable water spray assembly to spray water for cooling or bubble breaking.

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