Heating cooker

Abstract

Provided is a heating cooker that suppresses non-uniformity of moisture inside a pot during heat preservation. A heating cooker according to the present disclosure is provided with: a pot for accommodating an object to be cooked including rice and water; a heating unit that heats the pan; a cover body covering the upper opening of the pot in an openable and closable manner; an air blowing part provided on the cover body; and a control unit that controls the heating unit and the air blowing unit and performs a heat preservation step for preserving heat of the object to be cooked. When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the heat preservation step, or when the temperature of the pot is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the heat preservation step, the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the pot, and performs heating control for generating steam by evaporating moisture in the bottom of the pot. The control part controls the air blowing part to blow cooling air into the pot, and the cooling air cools steam generated by the heating control.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a heating cooker having a rice cooking function. Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, as such a heating cooker, for example, a rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 is known. The rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 includes: a pot housed in a main body; a cover body that covers the opening of the pot in an openable and closable manner; a heating unit that heats the pot; and a pump that delivers air from the outside of the main body to the inside. The rice cooker has a function of keeping cooked rice warm at a keeping temperature suitable for suppressing the deterioration of the rice.

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-113987 Summary of the invention

[0006] The rice cooker described in Patent Document 1 still has room for improvement in terms of suppressing unevenness of moisture inside the pot being kept warm.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a heating cooker which suppresses unevenness of moisture inside a pot being kept warm.

[0008] The heating cooker disclosed in the present invention comprises: a pot which stores food to be cooked including rice and water; a heating unit which heats the pot; a cover which can be opened and closed to cover the upper opening of the pot; an air supply unit which is arranged on the cover; and a control unit which controls the heating unit and the air supply unit to perform a heat preservation process for keeping the food to be cooked warm; when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the heat preservation process or when the temperature of the pot is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the heat preservation process, the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the pot and performs heating control to evaporate water in the pot at the bottom of the pot to generate steam; the control unit controls the air supply unit to blow cooling air into the pot, and the cooling air cools the steam generated by the heating control.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a cooking device that suppresses unevenness in moisture inside a pot that is being kept warm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the heating cooker according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A sectional view of the heating cooker taken along line II-II.

[0012] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top view of an outer cover of a heating cooker.

[0013] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A bottom view of an outer cover of a heating cooker.

[0014] Figure 5 Yes means Figure 1 Graph showing an example of changes in the temperature of the bottom of a pot and the air volume of the air supply in the rice cooking step and the heat-keeping step of the heating cooker.

[0015] Description of Reference Numerals

[0016] 1: heating cooker; 2: main body; 3: pot; 31: bottom; 4: outer cover; 5: heating part; 51: bottom coil; 52: wall coil; 6: air supply part; 61: pump; 62: gas heating part; 63: first air supply pipe; 64: second air supply pipe; 7: control part; 100: food to be cooked. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] <Insights that form the basis of this disclosure>

[0018] The present inventors have conducted intensive studies to suppress unevenness of moisture inside a pot being kept warm, and as a result, have obtained the following findings.

[0019] In the existing heating cooker, the temperature in the pot is lowered from the temperature during cooking to the heat-keeping temperature, so that the steam in the pot condenses and produces water (water droplets). The water moves downward on the inner wall surface of the pot and between the cooked food (such as rice) and accumulates on the bottom of the pot. That is, inside the heat-keeping pot, the water is biased towards the lower part of the pot. As a result, the part of the rice adjacent to the bottom of the pot is exposed to the water accumulated on the bottom of the pot during the heat-keeping process, resulting in more water vapor. In addition, since the water moves downward in the pot, the part near the surface of the rice is easy to dry.

[0020] Therefore, the inventors found that the bottom of the pot is heated during the heat preservation, and the temperature of the bottom of the pot is controlled to be higher than the heat preservation temperature. Through this heating control, the water accumulated on the bottom of the pot evaporates and becomes steam, which moves to the space above the rice in the pot.

[0021] Furthermore, the inventors of the present invention have conceived of sending cooling air to cool the steam generated by the heating control into the pot. The cooling air cools the steam in the space above the rice and condenses it. The water generated by the condensation adheres to the surface of the rice.

[0022] This can suppress both the amount of moisture in the portion of the rice adjacent to the bottom of the pot and the drying of the rice near the surface. Based on this new finding, the present inventors have completed the following disclosure.

[0023] According to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating cooker is provided, which comprises: a pot for storing food to be cooked including rice and water; a heating unit for heating the pot; a cover that can be opened and closed to cover an upper opening of the pot; an air supply unit provided on the cover; and a control unit that controls the heating unit and the air supply unit to perform a keeping warm process for keeping the food to be cooked warm, wherein when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the keeping warm process or when the temperature of the pot is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the keeping warm process, the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the pot, performs heating control to evaporate water in the pot at the bottom of the pot to generate steam, and the control unit controls the air supply unit to blow cooling air into the pot, and the cooling air cools the steam generated by the heating control.

[0024] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the cooking device according to the first aspect, wherein the air supply unit sucks in external air and blows the external air into the pot as the cooling air.

[0025] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a heating cooker as described in the first or second aspect, wherein when the temperature of the bottom of the pot rises to a predetermined air supply start temperature after the heating control starts, the control unit controls the air supply unit to start supplying the cooling air.

[0026] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the cooking device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the control unit controls the air supply unit to start supplying the cooling air when a predetermined heating time has elapsed from the start of the heating control.

[0027] According to a fifth embodiment of the present disclosure, a heating cooker as described in any one of the first to fourth embodiments is provided, wherein the control unit controls the air supply unit in a manner that supplies air into the pot during a cooking process for cooking the food to be cooked, and the control unit controls the air supply unit in a manner that the air volume of the cooling air is smaller than the air volume of the air supplied during the cooking process.

[0028] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the cooking device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air volume of the cooling air decreases as the amount of the food to be cooked increases.

[0029] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided the cooking device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air volume of the cooling air increases as the amount of the food to be cooked increases.

[0030] Below, the embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in the following description, the state during normal use is assumed, and terms indicating specific directions or positions are used (for example, including the terms "up", "down", "right", and "left"), but the use of these terms is to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the technical scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the meaning of these terms. In addition, the following description is essentially just an example and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its application or its use. Furthermore, the drawings are schematic diagrams, and the ratios of various dimensions may not be consistent with the actual situation.

[0031] <Implementation Method>

[0032] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a heating cooker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described. Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the heating cooker according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A sectional view of the heating cooker along line II-II. Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A top view of an outer cover of a heating cooker. Figure 3 and the following Figure 4 In order to illustrate the internal structure of the outer cover 4, a part of the upper outer frame member 41 and a part of the lower outer frame member 42 are omitted.

[0033] The heating cooker 1 is a cooker having a rice cooking function. In this embodiment, a case where the heating cooker 1 is a pressure type rice cooker will be described.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the heating cooker 1 comprises: a main body 2 having a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape, in which a pot storage portion 21 is formed; and a pot 3 which is stored in the pot storage portion 21 and stores a cooking object 100 including rice and water. Figure 2 As shown, the pot 3 has a bottom 31, a peripheral wall 32 extending upward from the edge of the bottom 31, and a pot flange 33 protruding outward from the upper edge of the peripheral wall 32. The upper edge of the peripheral wall 32 defines an upper opening of the pot 3.

[0035] An outer cover 4 is mounted on the upper part of the main body 2, and the outer cover 4 can be opened and closed to cover the upper opening of the pot 3. The outer cover 4 is an example of a "cover body" in the present disclosure. A substantially disc-shaped inner cover that can seal the upper opening of the pot 3 can be mounted on the lower surface of the outer cover 4 (the surface covering the upper opening of the pot 3) in a detachable manner.

[0036] The pot storage portion 21 of the main body 2 includes: a cylindrical portion 211, which is arranged to leave a predetermined gap relative to the peripheral wall portion 32 of the stored pot 3; and a main body flange portion 212, which protrudes outward from the upper portion of the cylindrical portion 211. When the pot 3 is stored in the pot storage portion 21, the upper end of the cylindrical portion 211 supports the pot flange portion 33.

[0037] An opening is provided at the center of the bottom of the cylindrical portion 211. A temperature sensor 22 for measuring the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 accommodated in the pot accommodation portion 21 is arranged at the opening so as to be in contact with the bottom 31 of the pot 3 accommodated in the pot accommodation portion 21. The temperature of the pot 3 is substantially the same as the temperature of the object 100 accommodated in the pot 3. Therefore, by detecting the temperature of the pot 3 by the temperature sensor 22, the temperature of the object 100 can be detected.

[0038] The cylindrical portion 211 has an outer peripheral surface 211a on the opposite side of the surface facing the pot 3 stored in the pot storage portion 21. The heating portion 5 for heating the pot 3 is installed on the outer peripheral surface 211a. In the present embodiment, the heating portion 5 has a bottom coil 51 and a wall coil 52. The bottom coil 51 is arranged around the opening portion provided in the cylindrical portion 211 in a manner facing the bottom 31 of the pot 3 in the up and down direction. The wall coil 52 is arranged separately from the bottom coil 51 in a manner facing the peripheral wall portion 32 of the pot 3. The bottom coil 51 and the wall coil 52 perform induction heating on the pot 3 respectively. The bottom coil 51 mainly heats the bottom 31 of the pot 3, and the wall coil 52 mainly heats the peripheral wall portion 32 of the pot 3.

[0039] The outer cover 4 has an upper outer frame member 41 and a lower outer frame member 42 constituting the outer frame of the outer cover 4. A hinge (not shown) is provided at the rear of the outer cover 4 to connect the outer cover 4 to the main body flange 212. The outer cover 4 is opened and closed by rotating around the hinge.

[0040] A steam exhaust pipe 43 is provided inside the outer cover 4 to connect the inner space of the pot 3 with the outside of the heating cooker 1. Here, the inner space of the pot 3 refers to the space formed between the surface 100a of the food 100 stored in the pot 3 and the surface of the lower outer frame member 42 when the outer cover 4 is closed. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , a steam outlet 411 is formed on the upper outer shell member 41 as one end of the steam outlet pipe 43. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a steam inlet 421 is formed in the lower outer member 42 as the other end of the steam exhaust pipe 43. The steam exhaust pipe 43 is provided with a steam valve 431 capable of opening and closing the steam exhaust pipe 43.

[0041] like Figure 3 As shown, an air supply unit 6 is provided inside the outer cover 4 , and the air supply unit 6 supplies air to the inner space of the pot 3 when the outer cover 4 closes the upper opening of the pot 3 .

[0042] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A bottom view of an outer cover of a heating cooker. Figure 4 As shown, the air supply unit 6 includes a pump 61 that draws gas from the inner space of the outer cover 4 and a gas heating unit 62 that heats the gas. Here, the inner space of the outer cover 4 is connected to the outside of the heating cooker 1 through the gap between the upper outer frame member 41 and the lower outer frame member 42. Therefore, the pump 61 can draw external air from the inner space of the outer cover 4.

[0043] The pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62 are connected through the first air supply pipe 63. The external air sucked by the pump 61 is sent to the gas heating unit 62 through the first air supply pipe 63. The gas heating unit 62 includes: a pipe portion connected to the first air supply pipe 63 for external air to pass through; and a heating body arranged around the pipe portion. In the present embodiment, the heating body is a coil that induction heats the pipe portion and the external air passing through the pipe portion.

[0044] The outer cover 4 is provided with a second air supply pipe 64 whose one end is connected to the pipe portion of the gas heating portion 62. The other end of the second air supply pipe 64 is configured as an air supply port 422 formed in the lower outer shell member 42 (see Figure 3 ).

[0045] like Figure 2 As shown, a control unit 7 is mounted inside the main body 2. The control unit 7 includes a storage unit that stores a plurality of rice cooking programs for cooking a food 100 containing rice and water, and at least one heat preservation program for keeping the cooked food 100 warm. Here, the "rice cooking program" refers to the order of cooking rice in which the power-on time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, air volume of air supply, etc. are pre-determined in each process when the four main processes of the preheating process, the heating process, the boiling maintenance process, and the steaming process described later are sequentially performed. Each rice cooking program corresponds to any one of the plurality of rice cooking programs executed in the heating cooker 1. In addition, the "heat preservation program" refers to the order of keeping warm in which the power-on time, heating temperature, heating time, heating output, air volume of air supply, etc. are pre-determined in each process when the temperature maintenance process and the reheating process described later are performed.

[0046] The control unit 7 is electrically connected to the temperature sensor 22, the heating unit 5, the steam valve 431, the pump 61, and the gas heating unit 62. Here, "electrical connection" includes any of the following: current can be conducted between the plurality of components, the plurality of components are capacitively coupled, and the plurality of components are electromagnetically coupled. The control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5, the steam valve 431, the pump 61, and the gas heating unit 62 by means of the electrical connection based on the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 measured by the temperature sensor 22, and executes the rice cooking process of cooking the food 100 and the heat preservation process of keeping the cooked food 100 warm.

[0047] The operation of the cooking device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. Figure 5 Yes means Figure 1 Graph showing an example of changes in the temperature of the bottom of a pot and the air volume of the air supply in the rice cooking process and the heat-keeping process of the heating cooker.

[0048] First, the user places the pot 3 containing the food 100 including rice and water in the pot storage portion 21. Then, when the user instructs to start cooking through the operation portion (not shown) provided on the outer cover 4, the cooking process is started under the control of the control unit 7 ( Figure 5 The rice cooking process includes a preheating process, a temperature increasing process, a boiling maintaining process, and a steaming process, which are started together with the start of the rice cooking process.

[0049] The preheating process is a process of soaking the rice in water having a temperature lower than the gelatinization temperature so that the rice can be fully gelatinized to the center of the rice in the subsequent process. In the preheating process, the control unit 7 controls the firepower of the heating unit 5 based on the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 in order to maintain the temperature after the water in the pot 3 is raised to a temperature near the temperature at which the rice begins to gelatinize (for example, about 60°C). Thus, the water absorption of the rice is promoted. In the process after the preheating process, the control unit 7 controls the firepower of the heating unit 5 by, for example, repeatedly performing duty control of driving (ON) and stopping (OFF) the heating unit 5 at a certain time interval.

[0050] In addition, the control unit 7 controls the steam valve 431 to open the steam exhaust pipe 43 during the preheating process. When a predetermined time has passed since the start of the preheating process ( Figure 5 At time t1 in the figure, the process is transferred to the heating step.

[0051] The heating process is a process of heating the pot 3 with a strong fire to make the water in the pot 3 boil (about 100°C). In this heating process, the control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5 to quickly heat the pot 3 to make the water in the pot 3 boil. In addition, the control unit 7 controls the steam valve 431 to open the steam exhaust pipe 43 during the heating process. When the water in the pot 3 boils ( Figure 5 At the moment t2 in the process, it is transferred to the boiling maintenance process.

[0052] The boiling maintenance process is a process of maintaining the boiling state of the water in the pot 3 to gelatinize the starch of the rice and increase the gelatinization degree to about 50% to 80%. In the boiling maintenance process, the control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5 and the steam valve 431 in a manner to maintain the boiling state of the water in the pot 3.

[0053] More specifically, the control unit 7 controls the steam valve 431 to open and close the steam discharge pipe 43 in the boiling maintenance process, and the pressure in the pot 3 is maintained at a pressure exceeding the atmospheric pressure (for example, 1.2 atmospheres).

[0054] When most of the water in the pot 3 disappears due to boiling, the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 begins to rise to above the boiling point of water ( Figure 5 At this time, in order to further increase the pressure in the pot 3, the control unit 7 controls the steam valve 431 to close the steam exhaust pipe 43, and controls the air supply unit 6 to blow the heated external air into the pot 3.

[0055] More specifically, the control unit 7 drives both the pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62. In the present embodiment, the control unit 7 adjusts the suction amount of the pump 61 so as to overcome the pressure of the air in the pot 3 and send air into the pot 3. The pump 61 draws external air from the internal space of the outer cover 4 and supplies it to the gas heating unit 62 via the first air supply pipe 63. For example, the air volume of the air supply in the boiling maintenance process is 1.0 liter per minute. Here, the air volume refers to the volume of the gas delivered into the pot 3 per unit time (for example, 1 minute).

[0056] The outside air supplied to the gas heating unit 62 is heated while passing through the gas heating unit 62. The outside air heated by the gas heating unit 62 passes through the second air supply pipe 64 and is blown into the pot 3 via the air supply port 422 of the lower outer member 42. Figure 2 As shown by the middle arrow, the outside air blown by the air supply unit 6 is blown downward in the pot 3. For example, the temperature of the outside air blown in the boiling maintenance process is about 150° C. when passing through the air supply port 422. Since the outside air blown into the pot 3 is heated, the temperature drop of the pot 3 (that is, the temperature drop of the cooked object 100) caused by the air supply can be suppressed.

[0057] In this embodiment, the control unit 7 controls the bottom 31 of the pot 3 to be heated to a temperature higher than the boiling point of the water in the pot 3 (eg, 105° C.). Figure 5 At the t4 moment in the process), the steam valve 431 is controlled to open the steam exhaust pipe 43 to reduce the pressure in the pot 3. In addition, at the t4 moment, the control unit 7 stops driving the pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62 to stop the air supply.

[0058] When the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 reaches a predetermined temperature (for example, 130° C.) above the boiling point ( Figure 5 At the t5 moment in the process), or when a specified time has passed since the start of the boiling maintenance process, the process is transferred to the steaming process.

[0059] The steaming process is a process of utilizing residual heat to evaporate excess water and increase the gelatinization degree of rice to nearly 100%. When transferring from the boiling maintenance process to the steaming process, the control unit 7 stops the driving of the heating unit 5 or reduces the firepower of the heating unit 5. As a result, the temperature of the pot 3 decreases. The control unit 7 controls the air supply unit 6 to supply air into the pot 3 during the period when the temperature of the pot 3 decreases. More specifically, the control unit 7 controls the pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62 in the same manner as when supplying air in the boiling maintenance process. In the present embodiment, the air volume of the air supply in the steaming process is 1.0 liters per minute. The control unit 7 stops the driving of the pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62 when a specified time (for example, 15 seconds) has passed since the start of the air supply.

[0060] After the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 reaches a predetermined temperature (e.g., 100° C.), Figure 5 After the time t6 in the figure, the control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5 to maintain the specified temperature. When the specified time has passed after the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 reaches the specified temperature ( Figure 5 At the time t11 in the process, the steaming process is finished. That is, the rice cooking process is finished and the process of keeping warm is transferred to the process.

[0061] The heat-keeping process includes a temperature-maintaining process and a secondary reheating process following the rice cooking process.

[0062] In the temperature maintaining process, the control unit 7 stops driving the heating unit 5 or reduces the heat of the heating unit 5 until the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 drops to a heat-keeping temperature (e.g., 65° C.) suitable for keeping the food 100 warm. In addition, the control unit 7 controls the steam valve 431 to open the steam exhaust pipe 43. In addition, the steam exhaust pipe 43 is maintained in an open state in the heat-keeping process.

[0063] When the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 drops to the insulation temperature ( Figure 5 At time t12 in the figure, the control unit 7 adjusts the firepower of the heating unit 5 to maintain the temperature of the pot 3 at the insulation temperature.

[0064] In the heat preservation process, the water in the pot 3 as steam condenses as the temperature of the pot 3 decreases, and becomes liquid water. The water flows along the peripheral wall 32 of the pot 3 and the gaps between the food 100 (see Figure 2 ) moves downward in the pot 3. As a result, water accumulates on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 over time.

[0065] When the temperature maintenance step starts, that is, when a predetermined time (for example, 6 hours) has passed since the start of the heat preservation step ( Figure 5 At time t21 in the figure, the process shifts to the first reheating process. Here, each reheating process includes a heating control process and an air supply temperature adjustment process described below.

[0066] When a predetermined time has passed since the start of the heat preservation process, or when the temperature of the pot 3 is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the heat preservation process, the control unit 7 performs heating control. Here, the heating control refers to the following control: the control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5 to heat the pot 3 so that the water in the pot 3 located on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 evaporates to generate steam.

[0067] More specifically, the control unit 7 drives at least the bottom coil 51 of the bottom coil 51 and the wall coil 52 in the heating control process. By driving the bottom coil 51 closer to the bottom 31 of the pot 3, the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 can be rapidly increased compared to a structure in which only the wall coil 52 is driven. In addition, if the wall coil 52 is driven in addition to the bottom coil 51, the temperature increase of the bottom 31 can be promoted. In the case of driving both the bottom coil 51 and the wall coil 52, the heat of the bottom coil 51, which is more conducive to the temperature increase of the bottom 31, can be made stronger than the heat of the wall coil 52.

[0068] The heating control process starts after water accumulates on the bottom 31 of the pot 3. In the present embodiment, the heating control process in the first reheating process starts 6 hours after the start of the heat preservation process. The heating control is preferably performed until the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 becomes high so that the water accumulated on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 evaporates. In the present embodiment, the heating control is performed until the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 reaches 90°C. Thereby, the water accumulated on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 can be evaporated, and the water on the bottom 31 can be reduced more reliably. That is, the unevenness of the water inside the pot 3 in the heat preservation process can be suppressed.

[0069] In the heating control process, the control unit 7 controls the air supply unit 6 to blow cooling air into the pot 3 to cool the steam generated by the heating control. More specifically, the control unit 7 drives the pump 61, while maintaining the driving stop state of the gas heating unit 62. Therefore, the external air sent from the pump 61 to the gas heating unit 62 passes through the gas heating unit 62 without being heated, and is blown into the pot 3 from the air supply port 422 as cooling air. Therefore, the temperature of the cooling air blown from the air supply port 422 is substantially the same as the temperature of the external air around the heating cooker 1, and is lower than the temperature of the steam in the pot 3.

[0070] For example, the control unit 7 controls the pump 61 so that the air volume of the cooling air is smaller than the air volume of the air supply in the rice cooking process (in this embodiment, the boiling maintenance process and the steaming process). Figure 5 As shown, the air volume of cooling wind is 0.5 liter per minute, which is smaller than the air volume of air supply in the cooking process. For example, the air volume of cooling wind can be less than the maximum air volume of air supply in the cooking process, and can also be less than the minimum air volume in the cooking process.

[0071] In addition, the control unit 7 can control the air supply unit 6 to deliver cooling air of a volume corresponding to the amount of the food 100 stored in the pot 3. For example, the control unit 7 can control the air supply unit in such a way that the volume of cooling air decreases as the amount of the food 100 is larger, or can control the air supply unit in such a way that the volume of cooling air increases as the amount of the food 100 is larger. Here, as the amount of the food 100, for example, the amount of the food 100 (for example, the amount of rice) input by the user via the operation unit at the beginning of cooking can be used. In addition, as the amount of the food 100, the weight of the food 100 measured by the weight sensor provided in the pot storage unit 21 can be used.

[0072] The air supply of cooling air can be started simultaneously with the start of the heating control process, or after the start of the heating control process. In addition, the air supply of cooling air can be started during the heating control, or after the heating control is completed.

[0073] For example, when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to a predetermined air supply start temperature after the heating control starts, or when a predetermined heating time has passed since the heating control starts, the control unit 7 controls the air supply unit 6 to start supplying cooling air. In this embodiment, when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to 70° C., which is the air supply start temperature ( Figure 5 At the earlier of the time t22 in the figure and the time when 12 minutes, which is the heating time, has passed since the start of the heating control, the control unit 7 causes the air supply unit 6 to start supplying cooling air.

[0074] By blowing cooling air into the pot 3, the steam generated by evaporation of water accumulated on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 can be condensed and converted into water again in the pot 3. Thus, the amount of steam discharged to the outside of the cooking device 1 through the steam discharge pipe 43 can be reduced. That is, in the heat-keeping process, the amount of water in the pot 3 can be maintained, and unevenness of the water in the pot 3 can be suppressed.

[0075] By starting the cooling air supply after the heating control starts, the cooling air supply can be started in a state where steam is generated in the internal space of the pot 3. This makes it easier to cause condensation of steam based on the cooling air than in a structure where the cooling air supply starts at the same time as the heating control starts.

[0076] When the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to 90°C ( Figure 5 At time t23 in the figure, the process is transferred to the air supply temperature adjustment process.

[0077] In the air supply temperature adjustment process, similarly to the temperature maintenance process described above, the control unit 7 stops the driving of the heating unit 5 or reduces the heat of the heating unit 5 until the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 drops to a heat-keeping temperature (e.g., 65° C.) suitable for keeping the food 100 warm. In this embodiment, the control unit 7 does not stop the driving of the heating unit 5, but makes the heat of the heating unit 5 weaker than the heat in the heating control process. As a result, compared with the case where the heating unit 5 is stopped, the temperature of the pot 3 drops more slowly, and it is difficult to generate a difference between the temperature of the pot 3 and the temperature of the rice in the pot 3, so that the generation of condensation in the pot 3 can be suppressed.

[0078] When the air temperature adjustment process starts, the control unit 7 controls the air supply unit 6 to continue the cooling air supply in the heating control process. Therefore, the steam in the pot 3 is condensed by both the temperature reduction of the pot 3 and the cooling air supply.

[0079] When the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 drops to the insulation temperature ( Figure 5 At time t24 in the heat preservation process, the control unit 7 adjusts the firepower of the heating unit 5 to maintain the temperature of the pot 3 at the heat preservation temperature. In addition, the control unit 7 stops driving both the pump 61 and the gas heating unit 62 to stop the supply of cooling air. When a predetermined time (for example, 12 hours) has passed since the start of the heat preservation process ( Figure 5 At time t31 in the process, the heating control process is transferred to the second reheating process.

[0080] In the second reheating step, the control unit 7 controls the heating unit 5 and the air supply unit 6 in the same manner as in the first reheating step. That is, the control unit 7 drives the heating unit 5 to heat the pot 3 at the beginning of the heating control step, and when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to a predetermined temperature (for example, 90° C.) Figure 5 The control unit 7 stops the driving of the heating unit 5 or reduces the fire of the heating unit 5. In addition, the control unit 7 makes the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rise to a predetermined temperature (for example, 70°C) when the temperature rises to the predetermined temperature (for example, 70°C). Figure 5 The air supply unit 6 is controlled to start supplying cooling air at t32 in the figure. When the temperature drops to the insulation temperature ( Figure 5 Here, in this embodiment, the heat preservation temperature in the second air supply temperature adjustment process is 70° C., which is different from the heat preservation temperature in the temperature maintenance process and the first air supply temperature adjustment process.

[0081] The second air supply temperature adjustment process ends, for example, 96 hours after the start of the heat preservation process. Thus, the heat preservation process ends. When the heat preservation process ends, the control unit 7 stops the driving of the heating unit 5.

[0082] According to the heating cooker 1 of this embodiment, when a predetermined time has passed since the start of the heat-keeping process, the heating control is started. Through this heating control, the water accumulated on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 can be evaporated. In other words, in the pot 3, the water accumulated on the bottom 31 of the pot 3 can be moved as steam to the space above the rice (cooked object 100). As a result, the rice in the portion adjacent to the bottom 31 of the pot 3 is less likely to be exposed to water for a long time, so the amount of moisture in the rice in this portion is improved.

[0083] Furthermore, according to the heating cooker 1, cooling air for cooling the steam generated by the heating control is blown into the pot 3. As a result, the steam in the pot 3 can be cooled and condensed in the space above the rice. In other words, the amount of water lost as steam from the inside of the pot 3 to the outside of the heating cooker 1 can be reduced. Therefore, the drying of the rice near the surface 100a can be suppressed.

[0084] Therefore, the heating cooker 1 is provided in which the unevenness of the moisture inside the heat-retaining pot 3 is suppressed. Thus, both the amount of moisture in the rice adjacent to the bottom 31 of the pot 3 and the drying of the rice near the surface 100a are improved.

[0085] In addition, according to the heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment, the air supply unit 6 sucks in external air and supplies the external air as cooling air into the pot 3. For example, in a structure in which the air supply unit 6 supplies the air sucked from the pot 3 as cooling air, in order to make the temperature of the cooling air lower than the temperature of the steam in the pot 3, the air needs to be cooled before the air is supplied. In this case, a component for cooling the air needs to be provided.

[0086] On the other hand, according to the structure of this embodiment, since the outside air sucked by the air supply unit 6 is supplied as cooling air, a component for lowering the temperature of the cooling air is not required. Therefore, the number of steps and cost for manufacturing the heating cooker 1 can be suppressed.

[0087] At the start of heating control, the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 has not risen from the temperature in the heat-keeping process, and the steam generated by the heating control is small. Therefore, even if cooling air is sent at the start of heating control, the moisture of the rice attached to the portion near the surface 100a due to condensation of the steam is small. On the contrary, if cooling air is sent at the start of heating control, the pot 3 itself is cooled by the cooling air, which may hinder the heating of the pot 3 by the heating control.

[0088] On the other hand, according to the heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment, the cooling air is started to be blown when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to the air blow start temperature. Compared with the start of heating control, more steam is generated in the pot 3 at the moment when the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to the air blow start temperature. That is, in the heating cooker 1, the cooling air is started to be sent in a state where more steam is generated in the pot 3. Thus, the steam in the pot 3 can be cooled more reliably and condensed. In addition, compared with the structure in which the cooling air is started to be blown when the heating control is started, the cooling air can be suppressed from hindering the heating of the pot 3.

[0089] In addition, according to the heating cooker 1 of the present embodiment, the cooling air supply is started when the heating time has passed since the start of the heating control. Compared with the start of the heating control, more steam is generated in the pot 3 at the moment when the heating time has passed since the start of the heating control. That is, in the heating cooker 1, the cooling air supply is started in a state where more steam is generated in the pot 3. Thus, the steam in the pot 3 can be cooled more reliably and condensed. In addition, compared with the structure in which the cooling air supply is started at the start of the heating control, the cooling air can suppress the obstruction of the heating of the pot 3.

[0090] In addition, according to the heating cooker of the first embodiment, the air volume of the cooling air is smaller than the air volume of the air supply in the rice cooking process, so the steam in the pot is not easily pushed out of the pot 3 by the cooling air. That is, the amount of water lost to the outside of the pot 3 as steam can be reduced. In addition, since the air volume of the cooling air is small, it is difficult for the cooling air to be concentrated and contact only a part of the rice. Thus, the temperature drop and drying of the rice can be suppressed.

[0091] When the amount of rice stored in the pot 3 increases, the space above the rice in the pot 3 becomes smaller. Specifically, the dimension D1 in the vertical direction of the space (see Figure 2) That is, the distance between the surface of the lower outer frame member 42 and the surface 100a of the rice becomes smaller. Therefore, when the amount of cooling air is the same, the greater the amount of rice, the easier it is for the cooling air to directly contact the surface 100a of the rice. For example, the greater the amount of rice, the easier it is for the cooling air to be concentrated and contact a part of the surface 100a of the rice.

[0092] According to the heating cooker 1 of this embodiment, the larger the amount of rice, the smaller the amount of cooling air. Therefore, when the amount of rice is large, the cooling air is less likely to be concentrated and contact a part of the surface 100a of the rice, compared with a structure in which the amount of cooling air increases or is constant as the amount of rice increases. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a local temperature drop and drying of the rice.

[0093] Furthermore, when the amount of rice is large, that is, when the space is small, the steam in the pot 3 is less likely to be pushed out of the cooking device 1 by the cooling wind, compared with a structure in which the air volume of the cooling wind increases or is constant as the amount of rice increases. Thus, the amount of water lost from the inside of the pot 3 to the outside as steam can be reduced. Therefore, the drying of the rice can be suppressed.

[0094] The more the amount of rice stored in the pot 3 increases, the more water there is in the pot 3, and the more steam generated by heating control increases. On the other hand, the space above the rice in the pot 3, that is, the space where the steam generated by heating control stays, becomes smaller.

[0095] According to the heating cooker 1 of this embodiment, the larger the amount of rice, the larger the air volume of cooling air. Therefore, when the amount of rice is large, the steam can be more reliably condensed in the pot 3 compared with a structure in which the air volume of cooling air decreases or is constant as the amount of rice increases. In addition, the amount of water lost from the inside of the pot 3 to the outside as steam is reduced, so that the drying of the rice can be suppressed.

[0096] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented in various other ways. For example, in the above, the heating cooker 1 is a pressure cooker, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the heating cooker 1 can also be a non-pressure cooker, an automatic cooking pot with a cooking function, or a pressure cooking pot.

[0097] When the inner cover is mounted on the lower surface of the outer cover 4, a hole for passing the air blown out from the air outlet 422 can be provided at a position of the inner cover corresponding to the air outlet 422 of the outer cover 4. This can reduce the obstruction of air supply caused by the inner cover.

[0098] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the heating bodies of the heating units 5 and the gas heating unit 62 are coils for induction heating, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the heating bodies of the heating units 5 and the gas heating unit 62 may also be self-heating heaters that heat the object by heat conduction.

[0099] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, air is blown in order to increase the pressure in the pot 3 during the rice cooking process, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, air can be blown in the rice cooking process when the steam exhaust pipe 43 is opened. The external air blown in the rice cooking process may not be heated by the gas heating unit 62.

[0100] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the heating control process in the reheating process is started when a predetermined time (for example, 6 hours and 12 hours) has passed since the start of the heat preservation process, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, the heating control process may be started when the temperature of the pot 3 is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the heat preservation process. In this case, the temperature of the pot 3 may be the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 measured by the temperature sensor 22, or the temperature of the portion other than the bottom 31 of the pot 3. For example, the heating control process may be started when the temperature of the pot 3 is lower than 60°C after the start of the heat preservation process.

[0101] In the heating control step, only the wall coil 52 of the bottom coil 51 and the wall coil 52 may be driven.

[0102] In the heating control step, as long as the temperature of the outside air blown out from the air supply port 422 is lower than the temperature of the steam in the pot 3 , the gas heating unit 62 can heat the outside air supplied from the pump 61 .

[0103] In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, in the heating control process, the control unit 7 starts the cooling air supply at the earlier time of the time when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to the air supply start temperature and the time when the heating time has passed since the start of the heating control, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The control unit 7 may start the cooling air supply only at the time when the temperature of the bottom 31 of the pot 3 rises to the air supply start temperature and the time when the heating time has passed since the start of the heating control. In addition, the cooling air supply may be started at the same time as the start of the heating control.

[0104] By appropriately combining any of the various embodiments or variations described above, the effects possessed by each can be achieved. In addition, the embodiments can be combined with each other, the embodiments can be combined with each other, or the embodiments can be combined with the embodiments, and the features in different embodiments or embodiments can also be combined with each other.

[0105] The present disclosure is fully described in relation to the preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, but various variations and modifications are obvious to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that these variations and modifications are included therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure according to the attached technical solutions.

[0106] Possibility of Industrial Application

[0107] The heating cooker of the present disclosure can suppress unevenness of moisture inside a pot being kept warm, and thus can be used as a heating cooker for cooking food containing rice and water.

Claims

1. A heating cooker, wherein: The heating cooker comprises: A pot for storing food to be cooked including rice and water; A heating unit, which heats the pot; A lid body, which can be opened and closed freely to cover the upper opening of the pot; an air supply portion, which is disposed on the cover body; and a control unit that controls the heating unit and the air supply unit to perform a heat preservation step for keeping the food to be cooked warm, When a predetermined time has passed since the start of the heat-keeping process, or when the temperature of the pot is lower than a predetermined temperature after the start of the heat-keeping process, the control unit controls the heating unit to heat the pot, thereby performing heating control to evaporate water on the bottom of the pot to generate steam. The control unit controls the air supply unit to blow cooling air into the pot, and the cooling air cools the steam generated by the heating control.

2. The heating cooker according to claim 1, wherein: The air supply unit sucks in external air and blows the external air into the pot as the cooling air.

3. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit controls the air blowing unit to start blowing the cooling air when the temperature of the bottom of the pan rises to a predetermined air blowing start temperature after the heating control is started.

4. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit controls the air supply unit to start supplying the cooling air when a predetermined heating time has elapsed from the start of the heating control.

5. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit controls the air supply unit so as to supply air into the pot during a rice cooking process of cooking the food to be cooked. The control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air volume of the cooling air is smaller than the air volume of the air supply in the rice cooking step.

6. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air volume of the cooling air decreases as the amount of the food to be cooked increases.

7. The heating cooker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air volume of the cooling air increases as the amount of the food to be cooked increases.

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