Rice cooking system

Abstract

To provide a rice cooking system that can set water quality information on a rice cooker from outside equipment capable of communicating with the rice cooker, and can use renewed up-to-data water quality information.SOLUTION: A rice cooking system 100 includes a rice cooker 1 and an information terminal 6 capable of communicating with the rice cooker 1. The rice cooker 1 includes rice cooking control means 61 for controlling rice cooking according to water hardness in the rice cooking of rice S to be cooked containing water. The information terminal 6 is configured to communicate with the rice cooker 1 through a server 5 and set water hardness. Thereby, the water hardness of rice cooking course information can be set by the communication from the information terminal 6, which is outside equipment, to the rice cooker 1. Furthermore, the rice cooking control means 61 can control rice cooking using up-to-data information on the water hardness by causing the information terminal 6 to transmit the up-to-data information on the water hardness to the rice cooker 1.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice cooking system equipped with a rice cooker capable of cooking rice based on information on water quality as a characteristic of the water contained in the food to be cooked. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, the applicant of the present application has proposed a rice cooker capable of cooking rice based on water quality information contained in the food being cooked, in which when water quality information is selected by a selection means, rice cooking control is performed based on the selected water quality information, and has already patented this (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7064043 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, water quality information is stored in the storage means of the rice cooker, and rice cooking control of the food to be cooked is performed based on this water quality information. However, since this rice cooker is not designed to communicate with external devices, there is a problem that the water quality information for rice cooking control cannot be set outside the rice cooker itself. In addition, water quality tests of tap water, well water, etc. are generally performed periodically, so water quality information such as water hardness is updated from time to time. However, the rice cooker in Patent Document 1 cannot communicate with external devices, and the water quality information stored in the storage means of the rice cooker is not updated to the latest information, so there is a risk that rice cooking control of the food to be cooked cannot be performed based on the actual water quality information.

[0005] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a rice cooking system that allows water quality information of the rice cooker to be set from an external device that can communicate with the rice cooker and that can use the latest updated water quality information. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The rice cooking system of the present invention comprises a rice cooker and an information terminal capable of communicating with the rice cooker, wherein the rice cooker has a control means for controlling the cooking of rice in accordance with water quality information when cooking an item containing water, and the information terminal is capable of communicating with the rice cooker and setting the water quality information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, water quality information can be set by transmitting it from an external information terminal to the rice cooker. Also, by transmitting the latest water quality information to the rice cooker from the information terminal, rice cooking can be controlled using the latest water quality information. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of a rice cooking system in one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the rice cooker. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a top view of the LCD displaying the top screen. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying a water hardness selection screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying a water hardness numerical value input screen. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying a region division selection screen according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying a prefecture selection screen. [Figure 10] 13 is a table showing the relationship between the energization time and duty ratio of the vacuum pump of the pressure reducing means in the soaking process and the water hardness. [Figure 11]FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the information terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying the rice cooker top screen. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is a top view of the display unit displaying the application setting screen. [Figure 16] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying the water hardness selection screen for the application. [Figure 17] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying the water hardness value selection screen for the application. [Figure 18] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying a region division selection screen for an application according to the first embodiment; [Figure 19] FIG. 13 is a top view of the display means displaying the prefecture selection screen for the application. [Figure 20] FIG. 13A is a top view of the LCD displaying the rice cooking information receiving screen, and FIG. 13B is a top view of the LCD displaying the top screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the rice cooking system of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that common parts are designated by common reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0010] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of a rice cooking system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the diagram, reference numeral 1 denotes a rice cooker capable of cooking food S, and reference numeral 2 denotes a wireless LAN router serving as an access point that serves as a wireless terminal, with the rice cooker 1 being wirelessly connected to the wireless LAN router 2. The wireless LAN router 2 functions as a means for accessing a network 3, and is configured to exchange various types of information and data with the rice cooker 1 via the wireless LAN router 2.

[0011] Reference numeral 6 denotes an information terminal having display and communication functions, and 7 denotes an access point serving as a wireless terminal, where the information terminal 6 is composed of smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and tablet terminals 6-3 individually owned by each user who uses the rice cooker 1, and each is wirelessly connected to the access point 7. The access point 7 functions as a means for accessing the network 3, and various information and data are exchanged between the smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and tablet terminals 6-3 constituting the information terminal 6 and the server 5 on the cloud 4 connected to the network 3 via the access point 7. The wireless LAN router 2 and the access point 7 may be the same thing.

[0012] The rice cooking system 100 of this embodiment can be said to be a system in which a rice cooker 1 and n information terminals 6 are connected to a management server 5 via a network 3 (n is a natural number). The server 5 stores and holds information about all rice cooking courses available for the rice cooker 1. The rice cooking course information stored in the server 5 includes all information necessary for a user to use the rice cooker 1 to cook rice according to that course. The server 5 will be explained in more detail later.

[0013] In Fig. 1, three information terminals, namely, smartphones 6-1 and 6-2 and a tablet terminal 6-3, are connected to a server 5 connected to a rice cooker 1 via a network 3. Currently, each household user who uses the rice cooker 1 owns one information terminal 6, so n information terminals 6 assigned to n users are connected to the rice cooker 1 (i.e., a one-to-many relationship). This allows each information terminal 6 to receive recipe information for menus that can be cooked with the rice cooker 1 via the network 3.

[0014] Next, the structure of rice cooker 1 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Reference numeral 11 denotes a main body, which is generally rectangular with a front and rear, left and right sides facing each other when viewed from above, and has an open top. Reference numeral 12 denotes a lid that freely opens and closes and covers the top opening of main body 11, which, like main body 11, is generally rectangular with a front and rear, left and right sides facing each other when viewed from above, and has a generally flat top. Main body 11 has a pot housing section 13 with an open top, and when lid 12 is opened, a bottomed pot 14 serving as a container for holding water and rice, which is the food S to be cooked, is detachably housed in pot housing section 13. Pot housing section 13 is constructed by combining a bowl-shaped resin inner frame 15 and the like, and the whole is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape.

[0015] Pot 14 has main material 17 made of aluminum with good thermal conductivity, and heating element 18 made of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel joined to the outer surface of main material 17 from the lower side to the bottom. In addition, on the outer surface of inner frame 15 facing the lower side to the bottom of pot 14, heating coil 21 is provided as heating means for electromagnetic induction heating of heating element 18 of pot 14. When high-frequency current is supplied to heating coil 21, heating element 18 of pot 14 is heated by the alternating magnetic field generated by heating coil 21, and the food to be cooked in pot 14 is heated during cooking and keeping warm. In addition, pot sensor 22 as pot temperature detection means is disposed in the center of the bottom of inner frame 15 so as to come into elastic contact with the outer bottom of pot 14.

[0016] A hinge 23 is provided at the rear of the lid 12, which is a connecting portion with the main body 11. A lid operating body 24 is provided in an exposed state on the front upper surface of the lid 12, and when the lid operating body 24 is pressed, the engagement between the main body 11 and the lid 12 is released, and a hinge spring (not shown) provided at the upper rear of the main body 11 opens the lid 12 with a hinge shaft 23-1 of the hinge 23 as the rotation center.

[0017] A steam vent 25 is provided on the rear upper surface of the lid 12 to exhaust steam generated from the food S in the pot 14 to the outside of the rice cooker 1. In addition to the steam vent 25 and the lid operation unit 24, the upper surface of the lid 12 is provided with a display means 28 consisting of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) 26 as a screen display unit and an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display unit 27 as a status display unit for displaying various information related to rice cooking, and an operation means 29 consisting of a touch sensor and provided above the LCD 26 for starting rice cooking and selecting the time and cooking course. A control PC (Printed Circuit) board 31 equipped with a display and operation control means 56 (see FIG. 3) for controlling the operation and display is provided on the lower surfaces of the display means 28 and the operation means 29.

[0018] The LED display unit 27 displays the actual state of the rice cooker 1. In this embodiment, the LED display unit for "reservation" lights up when a reservation is set, the process LED display unit for "keep warm" lights up when the rice cooker is in the keep warm state, the process LED display unit for "pressure" lights up when the inside of the pot 14 is pressurized from when pressure begins to be applied inside the pot 14 during cooking until the food S is cooked, and the process LED display unit with a fan-shaped Wi-Fi mark lights up when information can be transmitted and received by the transmitting and receiving means 59 described later. Therefore, even when the backlight of the LCD 26 is dimmed, the user can understand the current state of the rice cooker at a glance by checking the LED display unit 27. The LCD 26 will be described in detail later.

[0019] The operation means 29, which is composed of a touch sensor, is configured such that a plurality of components, each of which is connected by pattern wiring between a transparent electrode portion made of a conductive polymer and a contact portion connected to the control PC board 31, are arranged as touch keys, and by performing a touch operation on any of a plurality of button display portions displayed on the LCD 26, the touch key arranged above the button display portion and corresponding to that button display portion is touched and this button display portion is selected.

[0020] An inner lid assembly 33 is disposed below the lid 12 as a lower member of the lid 12. The inner lid assembly 33 is made of a metal material having a disk shape with approximately the same diameter as the upper opening of the pot 14, and includes an inner lid 34 that covers the upper opening of the pot 14, a lid packing 35 as an elastic member provided around the entire outer circumference of the inner lid 34 to seal between the inner lid 34 and the pot 14, and a pressure adjusting part 36 that adjusts the internal pressure of the pot 14. The annular lid packing 35 abuts against the upper surface, which is the opening of the pot 14, when the lid 12 is closed as shown in Figure 3, to close the gap between the pot 14 and the inner lid 34 and seal in the steam generated from the pot 14.

[0021] Lid opening / closing detection means 37 is provided inside lid 12 near hinge 23 to detect whether lid 12 is opened or closed. Lid opening / closing detection means 37 may be of any detection type, such as optical, mechanical, or magnetic, as long as it can output a detection signal corresponding to the opening or closing of lid 12. Lid 12 is also provided inside with a lid heater 41 as lid heating means for heating inner lid 34, and a thermistor-type lid temperature sensor 42 for controlling the temperature of inner lid 34 by lid heater 41. Inside lid 12, a steam exhaust path 43 is formed that connects steam port 25 and pressure adjustment section 36 as a path for releasing steam generated in pot 14 to the outside.

[0022] Pressure adjustment section 36 is provided with pressure adjustment valve 44 that opens and closes steam exhaust path 43 between the inside of pot 14 and steam port 25. Pressure adjustment valve 44 is ball-shaped and works in conjunction with solenoid 45 provided inside lid 12. When steam in pot 14 is to be released to the outside, steam exhaust path 43 is opened, and when the inside of pot 14 is to be pressurized or depressurized, solenoid 45 rotates pressure adjustment valve 44 to close steam exhaust path 43. When pressurizing, high-frequency current is passed through heating coil 21 to heat food S in pot 14, causing food S to boil and generate steam. When this steam fills pot 14 and the internal pressure of pot 14 reaches a predetermined value, pressure adjustment valve 44 opens steam exhaust path 43 against its own weight, thereby maintaining the pressure in pot 14 at or above atmospheric pressure.

[0023] Reference numeral 48 denotes a pressure reducing means for lowering the pressure inside pot 14 below normal atmospheric pressure with lid 12 closed on main body 11. With pot 14 housed in pot housing 3 and lid 12 closed, pressure reducing means 48 operates pressure reducing pump 49, which serves as the operating source of pressure reducing means 48, in a state in which solenoid 45 is energized and pressure regulating valve 44 closes steam exhaust path 43, thereby reducing the internal pressure of sealed pot 14. When the pressure inside pot 14 drops below atmospheric pressure by a certain value, operation of pressure reducing pump 49 is stopped to maintain the inside of pot 14 in a reduced pressure state. Furthermore, when the inside of pot 14 is to be returned from the reduced pressure state to the same pressure as the outside air, operation of pressure reducing pump 49 is stopped and a path (not shown) that communicates between pressure reducing pump 49 and the inside of pot 14 is opened. In other words, pressure reducing means 48 also serves as a pressure return means for returning the inside of pot 14 from the reduced pressure state to the same pressure as the outside air. In addition, the pressure inside pot 14 may be returned from a reduced pressure state to the same pressure as the outside air by using solenoid 45 to rotate pressure regulating valve 44 and open steam exhaust path 43, in which case pressure regulating unit 36 ​​functions as a pressure return means.

[0024] Additionally, a unitized heating board assembly 52 including heating control means 51 is disposed inside main body 11. Heating control means 51 is configured to include a microcomputer equipped with a control IC 53 and memory means 58 (see FIG. 4) in combination with display / operation control means 56 to electrically control each part of rice cooker 1, and here receives temperature detection signals from pot sensor 22 and lid temperature sensor 42, and a signal from display / operation control means 56 which receives an operation signal from operation means 29, to control heating coil 21 which heats pot 14 during cooking and keeping warm, and lid heater 41 which heats inner lid 34, respectively, and also controls the operation of solenoid 45 and pressure reducing pump 49. In particular, heating control means 51 is configured to mainly control heating coil 21 based on the detected temperature of pot sensor 22 to control the temperature of the bottom of pot 14, and mainly control lid heater 41 based on the detected temperature of lid temperature sensor 42 to control the temperature of inner lid 34 which faces the food to be cooked.

[0025] Next, the main control system of the rice cooker 1 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. In the figure, the heating control means 51 equipped in the main body 11 includes a control IC 53 constituting a microcomputer, storage means 54 such as a readable and writable memory for storing various information and data, and a timer means (not shown), and receives temperature detection signals from the pot sensor 22 and the lid temperature sensor 42, a detection signal from the lid opening / closing detection means 37, and a control signal from the display / operation control means 56 described below to control the heating coil 21 that heats the pot 14 during cooking and keeping warm and the lid heater 41 that heats the inner lid 34, respectively, and also controls the operation of the solenoid 45 that operates the pressure regulating valve 44 mentioned above and the pressure reducing pump 49 of the pressure reducing means 48.

[0026] The heating control means 51 has rice cooking control means 61 and warming control means 62 in the control IC 53 as functions in the control sequence of the program read from the storage means 54. The rice cooking control means 61, upon receiving an instruction to start rice cooking from the operation means 29, sequentially executes a soaking cooking process to promote water absorption by the rice put into the pot 14, a boiling heating process to raise the temperature of the food to boil in a short time, a boiling continuing process to keep the food to boil, and a soaking process to keep the rice at a high temperature but not so high that it burns, thereby controlling rice cooking by heating the food S in the pot 14 at a desired pressure. The warming control means 62 controls the rice as the food S in the pot 14 to be kept at a predetermined warming temperature.

[0027] On the other hand, the display / operation control means 56 includes a control IC 57, a memory means 58, a timing means (not shown), and the like that constitute a microcomputer, and receives operation signals from the operation means 29, control signals from the heating control means 51, and information received by the transmission / reception means 59 to control the display operation of the display means 28, transmit control signals to the heating control means 51, and transmit information to the server 5 and the information terminal 6.

[0028] The transmission / reception means 59 is composed of a communication module and the like, and enables transmission and reception of information with the server 5 on the cloud 4 and the information terminal 6 owned by the user via the wired or wireless network 3. Therefore, the transmission / reception means 59 has a function as a communication means capable of transmitting and receiving information.

[0029] The display / operation control means 56 includes a display control means 63 and a condition setting means 64 in the control IC 57 as functions in the control sequence of the program stored in the storage means 58. The display control means 63 generates various control signals based on operation signals from the operation means 29, and also controls the display operation of the display means 28. The condition setting means 64 cooperates with the display control means 63 to enable selection and setting of conditions selectable by the operation means 29, for example, selection and setting of a desired rice cooking course from among a plurality of rice cooking courses having settings for rice type, cooking method, hardness, and water hardness.

[0030] In the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment, the rice cooking course corresponding to the rice cooking settings of each rice setting, cooking method setting, and hardness setting, and the water hardness setting are stored in the storage means 58, and the rice cooking settings of the stored rice cooking course, the rice cooking settings, the hardness setting, and especially the water hardness setting are selectably displayed on the display means 28, and the rice cooking course is selected and set by making these settings. Then, when the rice cooking course setting is transmitted from the display / operation control means 56 to the heating control means 51, the rice cooking control means 61 of the heating control means 51 controls the heating of the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 and the solenoid 45 and the pressure reduction pump 49, that is, controls the rice cooking, for each rice cooking setting of the rice cooking course and especially for each water hardness setting, and therefore, by performing appropriate rice cooking, the deliciousness of the cooked rice can be further enhanced.

[0031] FIG. 5 shows a top view of the display means 28, and the upper side of each drawing will be described as "upper", the lower side as "lower", the left side as "left", and the right side as "right". Also, the front side of each drawing will be described as "front", and the back side as "back". In FIG. 5, the LCD 26 displays the top screen G1. When the user inserts the power plug provided in the main body 11 into a household outlet, the necessary power is supplied to each part of the rice cooker 1. At this time, the display control means 63 causes the LCD 26 to display the layout of the top screen G1 as shown in FIG. 4 as the usual initial screen to be displayed on the LCD 26 after a predetermined time has elapsed or when a predetermined start-up display screen is displayed.

[0032] The top screen G1 will be described with reference to FIG. 5. At the top, a menu key display area A1 is formed in which four button displays B1 to B7 are displayed side by side. Here, the button display B1 for "Rice" includes a text display D1 for "Rice" and a text display D2 for "▼". The button display B3 for "How to Cook" includes a text display D3 for "How to Cook" and a text display D4 for "▼". The button display B5 for "Hardness Adjustment" includes a text display D5 for "Hardness Adjustment" and a text display D6 for "▼". The button display B7 for "Water Hardness" includes a text display D7 for "Water Hardness" and a text display D8 for "▼".

[0033] In addition, under the menu key display area A1, a rice cooking information display area A2 is formed in which four setting indicators D11 to D14 are displayed side by side. Here, the "Rice" setting indicator D11 displays information about the set rice, and is arranged behind the "Rice" button indicator B1, and in FIG. 4, "White rice, random brand" is displayed. The "Cooking method" setting indicator D12 displays information about the set cooking method, and is arranged behind the "Cooking method" button indicator B3, and in FIG. 4, "Kamado Master" is displayed. The "Hardness adjustment" setting indicator D13 displays information about the set hardness adjustment, and is arranged behind the "Hardness adjustment" button indicator B5, and in FIG. 4, "Recommended" is displayed. The "Water hardness" setting indicator D14 displays information about the set water hardness, and is arranged behind the "Water hardness" button indicator B7, and in FIG. 4, "40 to 60" is displayed.

[0034] Below the rice cooking information display area A2, a text display D15 reading "cooking time", which suggests that the numbers displayed on the clock display D16 represent the cooking time, is displayed along with the time required for cooking, the remaining time until the actual cooking is completed, and the predicted cooking time which is the time when cooking will be completed. In Figure 4, a clock display D16 showing "approximately 38 minutes", the required cooking time calculated from the settings of the rice cooking information display area A2, and a button display B17 including a text display D17 reading "start cooking" are displayed side by side.

[0035] Also, at the bottom of the top screen G1, a setting button display B18 including a text display D18 reminiscent of a gear diagram, a button display B19 including a text display D19 saying "Keep Warm", a button display B20 including a text display D20 saying "Reserve", a time display D21 showing the current time, and a button display B22 including a text display D22 saying "Off" are displayed side by side.

[0036] The "OFF" button display B22 is operated when stopping cooking or keeping rice warm. When the "OFF" button display B22 is touched, the display control means 63 receives an operation signal from the operation means 29 arranged above the "OFF" button display B22 and transmits it to the heating control means 51. The rice cooking control means 61 then controls the cooking information display area A2 to stop heating the food in the pot 14 and the scheduled cooking and switch it to the off state, and the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display the top screen G1 with the settings from the most recent time rice was cooked, i.e., the settings stored in the memory means 58.

[0037] The "Start cooking" button display B17 is operated when starting cooking rice. When the "Start cooking" button display B17 is touched, the condition setting means 64 stores the rice settings, cooking method settings, hardness settings, and water hardness settings currently displayed in the rice cooking information display area A2 in the memory means 58 as the settings for this rice cooking course, and the rice cooking control means 61 controls the start of cooking for the food to be cooked in the main body 11 with the settings for the current rice cooking course stored in the memory means 58.

[0038] The "keep warm" button display B19 is operated when keeping the food warm, and when the "keep warm" button display B19 is touched, the keep warm control means 62 sends an appropriate control signal to the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 so as to start keeping warm and reheating the food inside the main body 11.

[0039] The "Rice" button display B1 is operated to select the type and brand of rice to be cooked, and when the "Rice" button display B1 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display a rice selection screen (not shown), and when a type and brand of rice is selected on this rice selection screen, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to return to the top screen G1 and display the selected type and brand of rice on the text display D11.

[0040] The "cooking method" button display B3 is operated to select the type of cooking method for the food to be cooked. When the "cooking method" button display B3 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display a cooking method selection screen (not shown). When a cooking method for the food to be cooked is selected on this cooking method selection screen, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to return to the top screen G1 and display the selected cooking method for the food to be cooked on the text display D12.

[0041] The "hardness adjustment" button display B5 is operated to select the type of texture of the rice to be cooked. When the "hardness adjustment" button display B5 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display a hardness selection screen (not shown), and when a rice texture is selected on this cooking method selection screen, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to return to the top screen G1 and display the selected rice texture on the text display D13.

[0042] The "Water Hardness" button display B7 is operated to select the water hardness for the food to be cooked, and when the "Water Hardness" button display B7 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display the water hardness selection screen G2 as shown in Figure 6.

[0043] The setting button display B18 is operated to set up the rice cooker, and when the setting button display B18 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display a setting screen (not shown).

[0044] The "Reservation" button display B20 is operated when booking rice cooking. When the "Reservation" button display B20 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display a reservation setting screen (not shown). A reservation is set on this reservation setting screen. When the reservation cooking is started, the rice cooking control means 61 starts cooking so that the food in the main body 11 is cooked at the set reservation time, and the keep-warm control means 62 is controlled to start keeping the food warm.

[0045] Next, the features of the operation of the rice cooker 1 configured as above will be described in detail, particularly with regard to the water hardness selection screen G2, the water hardness numerical value input screen G3, and the prefecture selection screen G4. In this embodiment, the display means 28 displays water hardness by category on the water hardness selection screen G2, the water hardness numerical value input screen G3, and the prefecture selection screen G4, and the water hardness can be selected by operation means 29 from the water hardness selection screen G2, the water hardness numerical value input screen G3, and the prefecture selection screen G4.

[0046] 6 shows the water hardness selection screen G2 which is displayed when the button display B7 of "Water Hardness" is touched on the top screen G1. Referring to the figure, the water hardness selection screen G2 is described. In the upper part of the screen, a water hardness screen display area A3 is formed, which displays a tab display B31 including a text display D31 of "Water Hardness Selection" and a tab display B32 including a text display D32 of "Numerical Input" side by side. The selection display S1 is displayed on the outer periphery of the currently selected tab display, for example, the tab display B31 of "Water Hardness Selection" in the case of FIG. 6. In addition, a text display D33 of "Please select water hardness" is arranged below the water hardness screen display area A3.

[0047] Below the text indicator D33, cursor indicators C1 to C5 are displayed in a straight line, and in front of these cursor indicators C1 to C5, text indicators D35 to D40 are displayed side by side, and behind the cursor indicators C1 to C5, a water hardness selection display area A4 is formed in which a text indicator D41 of "mg / L" is displayed, reminding the user that the numerical values ​​of the text indicators D35 to D40 are numerical values ​​of water hardness. Also, the currently selected cursor indicator, for example, the cursor indicator C1 of "0 to 20" in the case of Fig. 5, is displayed lit, and the other cursor indicators C2, C3, C4, and C5 are displayed unlit. Here, a text display D35 of "0" and a text display D36 of "20" are arranged on the left and right ends of the cursor display C11 of "0 to 20". Similarly, a text display D36 of "20" and a text display D37 of "40" are arranged on the left and right ends of the cursor display C12 of "20 to 40". Similarly, a text display D36 of "20" and a text display D37 of "40" are arranged on the left and right ends of the cursor display C13 of "40 to 60". A text display D37 with "60" and a text display D38 with "60" are arranged to the left and right of the cursor display C14 with "60-80", a text display D38 with "60" and a text display D39 with "80" are arranged to the left and right of the cursor display C15 with "80-100", and a text display D39 with "80" and a text display D40 with "100" are arranged to the left and right of the cursor display C15 with "80-100".

[0048] The storage means 58 stores a water hardness range setting, such as "40-60," and a water hardness value setting, such as "20," which will be described later, separately. When the top screen G1 is switched to the water hardness selection screen G2, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the cursor indicators C1-C5 of the water hardness range stored in the storage means 58 are turned on and displayed. For example, the storage means 58 stores a water hardness range setting of "40-60" and a water hardness value setting of "20 mg / L." When the top screen G1 is switched to the water hardness selection screen G2 while "20 mg / L" is displayed in the "water hardness" setting indicator D14, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the cursor indicator C3 of "40-60" is turned on and displayed.

[0049] Also, below the water hardness selection display area A4, a button display section B43 including a text display section D43 reading "<" and a button display section B44 including a text display section D44 reading ">" are arranged side by side. At the bottom of the water hardness selection screen G2, a button display section B45 including a text display section D45 reading "Back", a button display section B46 including a text display section D46 reading "Decision", a button display section B47 including a text display section D47 reading "Average of each prefecture", and a button display section B48 including a text display section D48 reading "Cancel" are arranged side by side.

[0050] The "Water Hardness Selection" tab display B31 and the "Numerical Input" tab display B32 indicate whether the water hardness selection screen G2 or the water hardness numerical input screen G3 is currently being displayed on the LCD 26. When the "Water Hardness Selection" tab display B31 is selected and the water hardness selection screen G2 is being displayed on the LCD 26, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the background of the "Water Hardness Selection" tab display B31 is substantially the same color as the background color, the "Water Hardness Selection" text display section D31 is displayed in white, the selection display section S1 is displayed around the outer periphery of the "Water Hardness Selection" tab display B31, and the "Numerical Input" tab display B32 is displayed in a lighter color, i.e., a so-called grayed-out display. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 7, when the tab display B32 for "Numerical input" is selected and the water hardness numerical input screen G3 is displayed on the LCD 26, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the tab display B31 for "Water hardness selection" is displayed in a grayed-out state, the background of the tab display B32 for "Numerical input" is substantially the same color as the background color, the text display portion D31 for "Numerical input" is displayed in white, and the selection display portion S1 is displayed around the outer periphery of the tab display B32 for "Numerical input".

[0051] The cursor displays C1 to C5 indicate the water hardness setting for the food to be cooked, with the water hardness increasing as one moves to the right cursor display, and the rice cooking course is set based on the water hardness displayed in this cursor display. In the water hardness selection screen G2 of this embodiment, the water hardness is selected by moving the illuminated cursor displays C1 to C5 left and right, and the illuminated cursor displays C1 to C5 are moved using the "<" button display B43 and ">" button display B44.

[0052] The "Confirm" button display unit B46 is operated to confirm the selection of water hardness, and for example, when the "Confirm" button display unit B46 is touched while the above-mentioned "20-40" cursor display unit C12 is lit, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to return to the top screen G1 and change the display of the "Water hardness" setting display unit D14 to the setting of the water hardness selection screen G2 at the time the "Confirm" button display unit B46 was operated, for example, to "20-40."

[0053] The "average for each prefecture" button display section B47 is operated to select the average value for the prefectures when selecting water hardness, and when the "average for each prefecture" button display section B47 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to display the regional division selection screen G5.

[0054] The "Back" button display section B47 is operated to discard the settings on the current screen, for example the water hardness selection screen G2, and return to the previous screen, for example the top screen G1. When the "Back" button display section B47 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to discard the settings currently displayed on the LCD 26, return to the previous screen, for example the top screen G1, and display the settings that were displayed on the previous screen.

[0055] The "Cancel" button display section B48 is operated when discarding the settings on the current screen, for example the water hardness selection screen G2, and returning to the top screen G1. When the "Cancel" button display section B48 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to discard the settings currently displayed on the LCD 26, return to the top screen G1, and display the settings that were displayed on the most recent top screen G1.

[0056] 7 shows the water hardness numeric value input screen G3 which is displayed when the "Numeric value input" tab display B32 is touched on the water hardness selection screen G2. Referring to the figure, the water hardness numeric value input screen G3 is described. A water hardness screen display area A3 is formed at the top of the screen, and below the water hardness screen display area A3, a text display D58 saying "Can be set from 0 to 120" is displayed, and a picker display B59 including a text display D59 showing the set 10-digit number as a display unit for rotatably displaying the set water hardness, a picker display B60 including a text display D60 showing the set one-digit number, and a text display D61 saying "mg / L" which reminds the user that the numbers displayed on the text displays D59 and D60 are water hardness are displayed side by side. In addition, an up key display section B62 including an icon display D62 evoking an increase in the tens digits displayed in the text display section D59 is arranged above the picker display section B59, an up key display section B63 including an icon display D63 evoking an increase in the units digits displayed in the text display section D60 is arranged above the picker display section B60, and a down key display section B64 including an icon display D64 evoking a decrease in the tens digits displayed in the text display section D59 is arranged below the picker display section B59, and a down key display section B65 including an icon display D65 evoking a decrease in the units digits displayed in the text display section D60 is arranged below the picker display section B60. These display sections D58 to D65 and display sections B59 to B65 are arranged and displayed as described above to form a water hardness numerical value input display area A3.

[0057] As described above, the storage means 58 stores the setting of the range of water hardness and the setting of the numerical value of water hardness separately, and when the screen is changed from the water hardness selection screen G2 to the water hardness numerical value input screen G3, the storage means 58 stores the range of water hardness numerical values ​​displayed on the water hardness selection screen G2 immediately before the change, and the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the numerical values ​​of water hardness stored in the storage means 58 are displayed on the picker display sections B59 and B60. On the other hand, when the screen is changed from the water hardness numerical value input screen G3 to the water hardness selection screen G2, the storage means 58 stores the numerical value of water hardness displayed on the water hardness numerical value input screen G3 immediately before the change, and the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the cursor indicators C1 to C5 of the numerical range of water hardness stored in the storage means 58 are lit and displayed. Therefore, even if you move to the water hardness numerical input screen G3 or the water hardness selection screen G2 while setting the water hardness on the water hardness selection screen G2 or the water hardness numerical input screen G3, the information on the previous water hardness setting can be displayed the next time you move to the water hardness selection screen G2 or the water hardness numerical input screen G3.

[0058] The picker display sections B59, B60 display the water hardness setting for the food to be cooked, and by changing the display on the picker display sections B59, B60 by touching the up key display sections B62, B63 or the down key display sections B64, B65, the rice cooking course is set according to the water hardness displayed on the picker display sections B59, B60. For example, when the down key display section B64 is touched once in the state shown in Fig. 7, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to decrease by 1 the number "5" in the text display section D59 displayed on the picker display section B59, so that the number "4" is displayed on the text display section D59. Then, for example, when the "OK" button display B46 is touched while the above-mentioned picker display sections B59, B90 are displaying "40," the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to return to the top screen G1 and change the display of the "water hardness" setting display D14 to the setting of the water hardness numerical value input screen G3 at the time of operation of the "OK" button display B46, for example, to "40 mg / L." Note that the display control means 63 may control the display means 28 so that, when a slide operation is performed by touching the touch panel 8 with a finger on these picker display sections B59, B60 and then sliding the finger therefrom, the number on the picker display section is scrolled and displayed in the direction of the slide operation.

[0059] 8 shows the region division selection screen G5 to which the screen is switched when the button display B47 for "average for each prefecture" is touched on the water hardness selection screen G2. Referring to the figure, the region division selection screen G5 is described. At the top of the screen, a setting / guide screen display area A5 is formed, in which a tab display B71 including a text display D71 for "settings" and a tab display B72 including a text display D72 for "guide" are displayed side by side. In addition, below the setting / guide screen display area A5, a region division selection display area A6 is formed, in which six button display areas B73 to B78 are displayed side by side.

[0060] Here, the button display section B73 for "Hokkaido Tohoku" includes a text display section D73 that reads "Hokkaido Tohoku", the button display section B74 for "Kanto Koshin" includes a text display section D74 that reads "Kanto Koshin", the button display section B75 for "Hokuriku Tokai" includes a text display section D75 that reads "Hokuriku Tokai", the button display section B76 for "Kinki" includes a text display section D76 that reads "Kinki", the button display section B77 for "Chugoku Shikoku" includes a text display section D77 that reads "Chugoku Shikoku", and the button display section B78 for "Kyushu Okinawa" includes a text display section D78 that reads "Kyushu Okinawa".

[0061] Further, at the bottom of the region division selection screen G5, a "Back" button display section B45 and a "Cancel" button display section B48 are arranged side by side.

[0062] The "Settings" tab display B71 and the "Guide" tab display B72 indicate whether the settings screen or the guide selection screen is currently displayed on the LCD 25. Since the regional division selection screen G5 can also be selected from the guide selection screen, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 so that the "Settings" tab display B71 is displayed in a grayed-out state and the "Guide" tab display B72 is displayed in approximately the same color as the background color, as if the guide selection screen G9 was displayed on the LCD 25.

[0063] The button display sections B73 to B78 in the regional division selection display area A6 are operated to select the regional division in which the prefecture is located when selecting the prefecture for water hardness, and when any of the button display sections B73 to B78 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the display means 28 to transition to the prefecture selection screen G6 corresponding to the selected button display section.

[0064] FIG. 10 shows a prefecture selection screen G6 as a third category to which the screen is transitioned when, for example, the button display section B75 of "Hokuriku Tokai" is touched on the regional division selection screen G5. Referring to FIG. 10, the prefecture selection screen G6 is explained. At the top of the screen, a text display section D81 is arranged, which reads "Average hardness of tap water in each prefecture (mg / L)". Behind the text display section D81 is formed a prefecture selection display area A7 in which eight button display sections B82 to B89 are arranged front to back and left to right. At the rear of the prefecture selection screen G6, a "Back" button display section B45 and a "Cancel" button display section B48 are arranged left to right.

[0065] The button display sections B82 to B89 in the prefecture selection screen G6 are operated to select water hardness from the average hardness of tap water in the prefecture, and in this embodiment, the number of button display sections B82 to B89 and the display of text displays D82 to D89 contained in the button display sections B82 to B89 correspond to the regional division selected in the regional division selection display area A6. Therefore, prefecture selection screen G6 has six screens corresponding to button display sections B73 to B78. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, in prefecture selection screen G6 which is transitioned to when button display section B75 for "Hokuriku Tokai" is touched, display control means 63 controls display means 28 so that eight button display sections B82 to B89 are displayed and text displays D82 to D89 respectively show "Niigata 33.0", "Toyama 29.5", "Ishikawa 46.5", "Fukui 38.4", "Shizuoka 53.6", "Gifu 38.6", "Aichi 24.1", and "Mie 44.5".

[0066] Here, when any of the button display sections B82 to B89, for example the button display section B82 of "Niigata 33.0", is touched, the range of the average hardness of tap water in the selected prefecture, for example Niigata prefecture is 33.0 mg / L, so "20 to 40" is stored in the storage means 58, and the display control means 63 returns to the top screen G1 and controls the display means 28 to change the display of the "water hardness" setting display section D14 to the display of the cursor display sections C1 to C5 of the range of the average hardness of tap water in the selected prefecture, for example Niigata prefecture is displayed as "20 to 40". Therefore, even if the user does not know the information on the hardness of the tap water used for cooking rice, the user can select the water hardness by selecting the region or prefecture of the tap water to be used, which improves convenience.

[0067] Next, the operation of the rice cooker 1 configured as above in the rice cooking process will be described with reference to Figure 10. In this embodiment, in order to properly and easily select the cooking method according to the water hardness of the food S to be cooked, the water hardness is selected and set, and the internal pressure of the pot 14 is adjusted by changing the energization time and duty ratio of the pressure reduction pump 49 of the pressure reduction means 48 in the soaking cooking process, so that an appropriate cooking method pattern can be set for each water hardness.

[0068] Specifically, when the "Start cooking" button display section B17 on the top screen G1 is touched after setting the rice cooking course, the condition setting means 64 stores the rice settings, cooking method settings, hardness settings, and water hardness settings currently displayed in the rice cooking information display area A2 in the memory means 58 as the settings for this rice cooking course, and the rice cooking control means 61 performs each of the rice cooking operations of the soaking cooking process, boiling heating process, continued boiling process, and steaming process on the food to be cooked in the pot 14 in the main body 1 in accordance with the heating pattern of the current rice cooking course settings stored in the memory means 58. In this embodiment, pressure reduction is mainly performed in the soaking cooking process during the rice cooking process.

[0069] During the soaking process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the operation of the solenoid 45 and the pressure reducing means 48 so that the pressure inside the pot 14 is reduced below atmospheric pressure. Specifically, when the soaking process starts, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 so that the pressure regulator valve 44 closes the steam exhaust path 43. In this state, the rice cooking control means 61 opens the path of the pressure reducing means 48 and operates the pressure reducing pump 49 continuously to perform a vacuum extraction by removing the air inside the sealed pot 14 with the pressure reducing pump 49. After that, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reducing means 48 based on the settings in the tables shown in Figures 10(A) and (B) so that the pressure inside the pot 14 is maintained at a reduced pressure below a certain value. In this way, the inside of the pot 14 is kept at a reduced pressure throughout the entire period of the soaking process.

[0070] FIG. 10 is a table showing the relationship between the energization time and duty ratio of the pressure reduction pump 49 of the pressure reduction means 48 in the soaking cooking process and the water hardness. As the water hardness of the food to be cooked increases and the amount of impurities contained in the water increases, the water absorption rate of the rice of the food to be cooked S decreases due to the difference in osmotic pressure, and particles of calcium and magnesium block the fine holes in the rice of the food to be cooked S, preventing water from penetrating into the rice, and there is a risk that the rice will not be gelatinized to the core. For this reason, in the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment, the internal pressure of the pot 14 is adjusted by changing the energization time and duty ratio of the pressure reduction pump 49, and the pressure reduction is performed according to the water hardness of the food to be cooked S, so that the cooked rice will be gelatinized to the core even if the water hardness is high.

[0071] Specifically, when rice cooking is started when the water hardness is set on the water hardness selection screen G2 or the prefecture selection screen G6, and the "water hardness" setting display D14 on the top screen G1 displays a range of water hardness, such as "40-60" as shown in FIG. 4, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reduction means 48 to operate the pressure reduction pump 49 with a power supply time and duty ratio corresponding to the water hardness setting of the received information, based on the settings in the table shown in FIG. 10(A). For example, when "40-60" is displayed on the "water hardness" setting display D14 as shown in FIG. 4, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reduction means 48 to operate the pressure reduction pump 49 with a power supply time Ts of "T3" and a duty ratio of the pressure reduction pump 49 at "maximum".

[0072] In addition, when rice cooking is started when the water hardness is set on the water hardness numerical input screen G3 and a water hardness numerical value, for example, "30 mg / L", is displayed on the "Water Hardness" setting display D14 on the top screen G1, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reduction means 48 to operate the pressure reduction pump 49 with a power supply time and duty ratio corresponding to the water hardness setting of the received information, based on the settings in the table shown in Figure 10 (B).For example, if "30 mg / L" is displayed on the "Water Hardness" setting display D14, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reduction means 48 to operate the pressure reduction pump 49 with a power supply time Ts of "T2" and a duty ratio of "large". 10(B), the power supply time Ts is set to be proportionally longer as the water hardness value increases, for example, when the water hardness value is 10 mg / L, the power supply time Ts is set to be T1, and when the water hardness value is 30 mg / L, the power supply time Ts is set to be T2. After that, when the pre-set time of the soaking cooking process is completed, the process moves to the next boiling heating process, and the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 and the controlled pressure reduction means 48 to return the inside of the pot 14 from the reduced pressure state to the same pressure as the outside air.

[0073] Furthermore, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the heating of the pot 14 by turning on and off the heating coil 21 based on the temperature of the bottom of the pot 14 detected by the pot sensor 22, thereby promoting the absorption of water by the rice. The set temperature maintained at this time is preferably 40 to 60°C. After that, when the predetermined time for the soaking cooking process has elapsed, the soaking process ends and the process moves to the next boiling heating process.

[0074] When the process moves to the boiling heating process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the heating coil 21 to be continuously energized, so that the rice cooking object S in the pot 14 is heated more strongly than in the soaking cooking process, and the temperature of the rice cooking object S is raised to the boiling temperature in a short time. Here, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the path of the pressure reducing means 28 to be blocked in order to maintain the inside of the pot 14 in a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure after the soaking cooking process. Therefore, even after the process moves from the soaking cooking process to the boiling heating process, the pressure inside the pot 14 gradually increases due to heating to the pot 14 and slow leakage, but the reduced pressure state can be maintained for a while without operating the pressure reducing pump 49. In this way, the rice cooking object S in the pot 14 is maintained in a reduced pressure state even in the heating process after the soaking cooking process, so that the water boils at a temperature of 100°C or less during the heating process. Therefore, by boiling the food item S under reduced pressure at 60℃ to 100℃, which is the gelatinization temperature of rice, the bubbles created by the boiling process make the rice dance, eliminating uneven heating.In addition, by placing the food item S under reduced pressure, the rice can absorb water all the way to the core in a short period of time.

[0075] Next, the rice cooking control means 61 takes in the temperature detection signal from the pot sensor 22, and when the detected temperature at the bottom of the pot 14 reaches the predetermined temperature of 100°C, it determines that the food S inside the pot 14 has boiled under reduced pressure, closes the path of the pressure reducing means 28, does not operate the pressure reducing pump 49, and temporarily de-energizes the solenoid 45 to retract the pressure regulating valve 44. As a result, the steam exhaust path 43 is in an open state in which the inside and outside of the pot 14 are not sealed but are connected, and the inside of the pot 14 immediately returns to normal pressure, the same as the outside air. After that, the rice cooking control means 61 switches the solenoid 45 to an energized state in a short time and seals the inside of the pot 14 again, and the food S inside the pot 14 continues to be strongly heated, so the inside of the pot 14 is pressurized. At this time, the pressure P is preferably within 1.2 atmospheres.

[0076] In this way, when the rice cooking control means 61 determines that the food S inside the pot 14 has boiled under reduced pressure during the boiling heating process, it instantly switches the inside of the pot 14 from a reduced pressure state to a pressurized state higher than atmospheric pressure, and controls the operation of the solenoid 45 and, in turn, the pressure adjustment valve 44 constituting the pressure adjustment unit 36 ​​to temporarily open the steam exhaust path 43 in order to apply a pressure shock to the food S. In this way, by boiling the food S at 105°C (at 1.2 atmospheres), which is the optimum gelatinization temperature for rice in a pressurized state, it is possible to ensure a balance between the hardness and stickiness of the rice and to gelatinize the rice all at once, all the way to the core.

[0077] After that, when the rice cooking control means 61 detects that the pot temperature is above a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C, from the temperature detection signal from the pot sensor 22, and also detects that the lid temperature t2 is above a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C, from the temperature detection signal from the lid temperature sensor 42, it starts control of boiling detection to detect boiling of the food to be cooked under pressure. The rice cooking control means 61 continues to control the heating coil 21 to be continuously energized to strongly heat the food S to be cooked inside the pot 14, while calculating the slope of the detected temperature, that is, how much the detected temperature of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 42 rise in a predetermined time. Specifically, when the rice cooking control means 61 calculates that the rise in the pot temperature, which is the temperature of the bottom of the pot 14, from the detected temperature of the pot sensor 22 has become equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature rise rate, for example, 3°C or less in 120 seconds, it determines that boiling due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the pot temperature has been detected. In addition, when the rice cooking control means 61 calculates from the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 that the rise in the lid temperature, which is the temperature of the inner lid 8, has fallen below a predetermined temperature rise rate, for example, below 1°C in 60 seconds, it determines that boiling due to a change in the rate of temperature rise of the lid temperature has been detected.

[0078] At this time, the rice cooking control means 61 continues from the boiling heating step by controlling the solenoid 45 so as to pressurize the inside of the pot 14 at the pressure set for the food S, so that the boiling of the food S can continue in this pressurized state. When the rice cooking control means 61 detects boiling due to a change in the rate of temperature rise of the pot temperature and also detects boiling due to a change in the rate of temperature rise of the lid temperature, it moves to the next boiling continuation step.

[0079] When the process moves to the continuing boiling step, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the energization of the heating coil 21 so that the pot temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example 98°C or higher, based on the temperature detected by the pot sensor 22, and controls the lid heater 41 to be continuously energized so that the lid temperature is maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example 98°C or higher, based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42, thereby continuing the boiling state of the food to be cooked S. Furthermore, when the process moves to the continuing boiling step, the rice cooking control means 61 periodically controls the energization of the solenoid 45 and periodically opens and closes the steam exhaust path 43 with the pressure regulating valve 44 in order to repeatedly change the pressure inside the pot 14 between normal pressure and a pressure P higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0080] When the water inside pot 14 runs out during the continuing boiling step and the rice cooking control means 61 calculates from the temperature detected by pot sensor 22 that the temperature rise at the bottom of pot 14 exceeds a predetermined temperature rise rate, such as 0.5°C or more in 10 seconds, it determines that it has detected a change in the rate of temperature rise of the pot temperature. Furthermore, when the temperature detected by pot sensor 22 reaches a predetermined dry-up temperature, the rice cooking control means 61 determines that it has detected that the food S to be cooked inside pot 14 is done. When the rice cooking control means 61 detects a change in the rate of temperature rise of the pot temperature or that the food S to be cooked is done, the continuing boiling step ends and the rice cooking control means 61 moves to the next steaming step.

[0081] During the steaming process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the temperature by turning on and off the lid heater 41 according to the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42, preventing dew from forming on the inner lid 34, and controls the temperature at the bottom of the pot 14 by continuing to control the heating coil 21 on and off for the set steaming process time so that the rice inside the pot 14 is kept at a high temperature so that it does not burn. At this time, the rice cooking control means 61 is configured to control the solenoid 45 so that the inside of the pot 14 is pressurized with pressure P, continuing from the continuing boiling process. When the steaming process is completed, the process proceeds to the keeping-warm process by the keeping-warm control means 62.

[0082] The main configuration of rice cooker 1 has been described above, but this is merely one example, and the configuration may include, for example, a pressure sensor capable of detecting the pressure inside pot 14, or the configuration may omit pressure reducing means 48, for example.

[0083] FIG. 11 shows the external configuration of a smartphone 6-1, which is a representative example of the information terminal 6. In the figure, the smartphone 6-1 mainly comprises a display means 71 capable of displaying a screen, a push-type operation button 72, and a communication module 73. A touch panel 74 is provided on the surface of the display means 71, and the operation button 72 and the touch panel 74 constitute an operation means 75 that enables operation from the smartphone 6-1. The communication module 73, which is a terminal communication means, is mounted inside the main body of the smartphone 6-1 as a transmitting / receiving unit that enables wireless communication with the access point 7. The smartphone 6-1 also comprises communication means such as a microphone and a speaker, and photographing means such as a camera, but these are not shown here.

[0084] Fig. 12 shows the main electrical configuration of the smartphone 6-1. In the figure, 77 is a terminal control means configured by a microcomputer, and as is well known, this terminal control means 77 is equipped with a CPU as a calculation processing means, a storage means 80 such as a readable and writable memory that stores various information and data, a timer as a timekeeping means, an input / output device, etc. An operation means 75 and a communication module 73 are electrically connected to the input port of the terminal control means 77, and a display means 71 and a communication module 73 are electrically connected to the output port of the terminal control means 77.

[0085] The terminal control means 77 has a function of receiving an operation signal from the operation means 29, and outputting a display control signal to the display means 71 at a predetermined timing based on the time measured by the time measuring means, based on the information captured from the communication module 73. This function is realized by starting a program such as an application recorded in the storage means 80 as a storage medium, and in this embodiment in particular, the terminal control means 77 is provided with a program that causes the terminal control means 77 to mainly function as a communication control unit 78 and a display control unit 79.

[0086] The communication control unit 78 mainly controls operations related to the communication module 73, and by operating the communication module 73 as necessary, has the function of sending various information and data from the terminal control means 77 to the server 5 via the network 3, and conversely, importing various information and data from the server 5 to the terminal control means 77 via the network 3.

[0087] The display control unit 79 mainly controls operations related to the display of the display means 71, and has a function of switching and displaying various screens on the display means 71. In particular, in this embodiment, when information on rice cooking settings such as the history of rice cooking settings, and in particular information on water hardness, is received from the server 5 via the communication module 73, the display control unit 79 is configured to reflect the information on the rice cooking settings, and in particular the information on water hardness, on the screen displayed by the display means 71.

[0088] Fig. 13 shows the main electrical configuration of the server 5, which is an example of an information processing device. In the figure, 81 is a server control means composed of a microcomputer, and as is well known, this server control means 81 is equipped with a CPU as a calculation processing means, a memory as a storage means, a timer as a timekeeping means, an input / output device, etc. An operation means 82 that enables an operation from the administrator of the recipe provision management system 100 and a communication module 83 that enables connection to the network 3 are electrically connected to an input port of the server control means 77, and the communication module 83 and a display means 84 that can display on a screen are electrically connected to an output port of the server control means 81. The communication module 83, which is the server communication means, is mounted on the server 5 as a transmitting / receiving unit that enables communication with the rice cooker 1 and the information terminal 6 via the network 3.

[0089] The server control means 81 is configured to mainly function as an appliance information registration unit 86, a rice cooking course information registration unit 87, a rice cooking course information provision unit 88, a rice cooking setting information provision unit 89, and a water hardness information provision unit 90 by reading the programs stored in the memory as a storage medium. In addition to these programs, the memory built into the server control means 81 is provided with an appliance information storage unit 92 that stores appliance information associating the information terminal 6 held by the user with the rice cooker 1 used by the user, an all-rice cooking course information storage unit 93 that stores and saves rice cooking course information regarding the rice cooker 1 that can be connected to the server 5, a rice cooking setting information storage unit 94 that stores rice cooking settings other than water hardness in the settings of the rice cooking course transmitted from the rice cooker 1, and a water hardness information storage unit 95 that stores information regarding water hardness, such as the water hardness settings in the settings of the rice cooking course transmitted from the rice cooker 1 and the average hardness of tap water in each prefecture. The rice cooking course information referred to here includes all display information for displaying information related to the rice cooking course on the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and rice cooking information such as the rice cooking control conditions required to cook the food S to be cooked in the rice cooker 1 that can cook the food S using that rice cooking course.

[0090] When first identification information for identifying the information terminal 6 or the user and second identification information for identifying the rice cooker 1 used by the user are input from the information terminal 6 held by the user, the device information registration unit 86 associates the first identification information with the second identification information and stores and registers the device information in the device information storage unit 92. Specifically, for example, when a user who owns the smartphone 6-1 shown in FIG. 1 uses the rice cooker 1 as one information terminal 6 accessed by the server 5 via the network 3, when device information in which the unique first identification information input from the smartphone 6-1 to identify the user and the smartphone 6-1 is associated with the unique second identification information input from the smartphone 6-1 to identify the rice cooker 1 is transmitted from the smartphone 6-1 to the server 5, the device information registration unit 86 stores and registers this device information in the device information storage unit 92 of the server 5.

[0091] The rice cooking course information registration unit 87, in response to an operation input from the operation means 82 by the administrator, additionally stores and registers new rice cooking course information that has not been stored and registered in the all rice cooking course information storage unit 93 in the all rice cooking course information storage unit 93, or partially changes the information of the rice cooking course stored and registered in the all rice cooking course information storage unit 93 and overwrites and updates the information in the all rice cooking course information storage unit 93. Specifically, when the administrator operates the operation means 82 to register new rice cooking course information, the administrator inputs display information for displaying the characteristics of the rice cooking course, including the rice setting, the cooking method setting, the hardness setting, and the water hardness setting, on the LCD 26 of the rice cooker 1 or the display means 71 of the information terminal 6, and rice cooking heating information, including information on rice cooking control required to cook rice with the rice cooker 1 capable of cooking rice, and the like, and the rice cooking course information registration unit 87 stores and registers such rice cooking course information in the all rice cooking course information storage unit 93.

[0092] The rice cooking course information providing unit 88 extracts and transmits one or more pieces of rice cooking course information from all the rice cooking course information stored in the total rice cooking course information storage unit 93 to the rice cooker 1 that can access the server 5 via the network 3. Therefore, the rice cooker 1 can extract and store even a rice cooking course that is not stored in the storage means 58 from the total rice cooking course information storage unit 93 of the server 5. In the present embodiment, when the user operates the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1 in the above example to transmit the selected rice cooking history information or the selected, individually registered rice cooking setting information to the server 5 via the network 3, the rice cooking course information providing unit 88 of the server 5 is configured to compare the received rice cooking history information or the individually registered rice cooking setting with all the rice cooking course information stored in the total rice cooking course information storage unit 93, extract the corresponding rice cooking course information, and transmit it to the rice cooker 1.

[0093] The rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 stores the rice cooking settings other than water hardness in the rice cooking course settings transmitted from the rice cooker 1 that can access the server 5 via the network 3 in the rice cooking setting information storage unit 94, and also transmits the same to the information terminal 6. The rice cooker 1 also receives information about the rice cooker 1, such as information about the current state of the rice cooker 1, and transmits the information to the information terminal 6. Specifically, for example, when the rice cooker 1 completes cooking rice and transitions to a warming process, and the current rice cooking course information stored in the storage means 58 of the rice cooker 1 is transmitted to the server 5 by the transmitting / receiving means 59, the rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 stores the rice cooking settings in the transmitted rice cooking course information in the rice cooking setting information storage unit 94 as the history of the rice cooking settings in the current rice cooking course. Thereafter, when a request to display the history of rice cooking settings for the rice cooker 1 that has already been registered by the device information registration unit 86 is sent via the network 3 to the server 5 by the user operating the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1, the rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 of the server 5 sends information on the rice cooking history stored in the rice cooking setting information storage unit 94 of the server 5 to the smartphone 6-1. In response to this, the display control unit 79 of the smartphone 6-1 can appropriately display the history of rice cooking settings for the rice cooker 1 on the display means 71.

[0094] The water hardness information providing unit 90, in response to an operation input from the operating means 82 by the administrator, updates and stores the water hardness information, such as the average hardness of tap water in each prefecture, stored in the water hardness information storage unit 95, to the latest information, and stores the water hardness setting in the rice cooking course setting transmitted from the rice cooker 1 that can access the server 5 via the network 3 in the water hardness information storage unit 95, and also transmits the water hardness setting to the information terminal 6. Therefore, the water hardness information providing unit 90 is configured to be able to transmit the latest information on the average hardness of tap water in each prefecture and the water hardness information transmitted from the rice cooker 1 to each information terminal 6, such as the smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and the tablet terminal 6-3. With this configuration, the smartphones 6-1, 6-2 and the tablet terminal 6-3 display the latest information on the average hardness of tap water in each prefecture and the current water hardness setting information of the rice cooker 1 on the respective display means 71 of the respective information terminals 6.

[0095] Next, the operation of the rice cooking system 100 configured as above will be described in detail.

[0096] FIG. 14 shows a rice cooker top screen G7 that is displayed by selecting “Rice Cooker” on the top screen (not shown) displayed on the display means 71 when the application is launched by operating the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1.

[0097] When a user operates the operation means 75 of the smartphone 6-1 to start an application, the communication control unit 78 transmits device information to the server 5 via the network 3 using the communication module 73. The device information transmitted at this time may include the rice cooking settings individually registered and stored in the storage means 80. When the server 5 receives this device information, it compares it with the device information registered in the device information storage unit 92, and controls the communication module 83 to transmit information about the matched device to the smartphone 6-1. The information transmitted at this time may include the past rice cooking settings of the rice cooker 1 stored in the rice cooking setting information storage unit 94 and the individually registered rice cooking settings stored in the water hardness information storage unit 95. The rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 of the server 5 transmits a request signal for status information of the rice cooker 1 to the rice cooker 1, which is the matched device. When the display / operation control means 56 of the rice cooker 1 receives this request signal for status information, it transmits the current status information of the rice cooker 1, such as "stopped," "reserved," "cooking rice," or "keep warm," to the server 5 using the transmission / reception means 59. The rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 may be configured to determine that the status of the rice cooker 1 is "offline" if it does not receive the current status information of the rice cooker 1 within a predetermined time. When the rice cooking setting information providing unit 89 receives the current status information of the rice cooker 1, it controls the communication module 83 to transmit the current status information of the rice cooker 1 together with information on the matched device to the smartphone 6-1.

[0098] The application is started when the smartphone 6-1 receives the information about the matched device and the current status information of the rice cooker 1. Then, when, for example, a button display body (not shown) of "Rice Cooker" is selected on the top screen after the application is started, the display control unit 79 of the smartphone 6-1 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to the rice cooker top screen G7.

[0099] First, referring to Figure 14, the rice cooker top screen G7 is explained. At the top of the screen, a back button display B101 including a text display element D101 indicating "<", which is reminiscent of returning to the previous screen, a text display element D102 indicating "Rice Cooker", a settings button display element B103 including a text display element D103 indicating a gear image and a text display element D104 indicating "Settings", and a support button display element B105 including a text display element D105 indicating a speech bubble image and a text display element D106 indicating "Support", are displayed side by side. In addition, below the back button display B101, the text display D102 of "Rice Cooker", the setting button display B103 and the support button display B105, a text display 107 of a diagram of a rice cooker, which suggests that the display of the status display D108 is the status of the rice cooker 1, and a status display D108 displaying the current status of the rice cooker 1 are displayed side by side. Here, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to reflect the current status information of the rice cooker 1 from the server 5 in the status display D108, and to display, for example, "Stopped", "Reservation in progress", "Cooking", "Keeping warm", "Offline", etc. At the bottom of the rice cooker top screen G7, a button display B109 including a text display D109 of "Course introduction" and a button display B110 including a text display D110 of "Favorites Cooking History" are displayed side by side.

[0100] The back button display B101 is operated to discard the settings on the current screen, for example the rice cooking history screen G2 or the favorites screen G3, and return to the previous screen. When the back button display B101 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to discard the settings currently displayed on the display means 71 and return to the previous screen, for example the top screen in the case of FIG. 14.

[0101] The setting button display section B103 is operated to set notifications and water hardness. When the setting button display section B103 is touched, the communication control section 78 transmits a request signal for water hardness information to the server 5. When the server 5 receives the request signal for water hardness information, the water hardness information providing section 90 transmits a request signal for water hardness information of the rice cooker 1 to the rice cooker 1. When the display / operation control section 56 of the rice cooker 1 receives the request signal for water hardness information, it transmits the current water hardness setting information stored in the storage section 58 to the server 5 using the transmission / reception section 59. When the water hardness information providing section 90 receives the current water hardness setting information, it controls the communication module 83 to transmit the current water hardness setting information to the smartphone 6-1. After that, when the smartphone 6-1 receives the water hardness setting information, the display control section 79 controls the display section 71 to switch the display to the application setting screen G8. When the setting button display unit B103 is touched while the status display unit D108 is displaying "Offline", the communication control unit 78 may not send a request signal for water hardness information to the server 5, and the display control unit 79 may control the display means 71 to switch the display to the application setting screen G8 and display the water hardness display unit D116 (described later) as "-- mg / L".

[0102] The support button display section B105 is operated to perform operations related to support, such as checking instructions on how to operate the device and sending questions and requests to the manufacturer. When the support button display section B105 is touched, the display control section 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to a support screen (not shown).

[0103] The "course introduction" button display section B109 is operated to select rice cooking setting information that can be implemented by the rice cooker 1, and when the "course introduction" button display section B109 is touched, the communication control section 78 sends a request signal for rice cooking setting information to the server 5, and when the server 5 receives this request signal for rice cooking setting information, the rice cooking setting information providing section 89 controls the communication module 83 to send the rice cooking setting information of the rice cooking courses that can be implemented by the rice cooker 1 to the smartphone 6-1. Thereafter, when the smartphone 6-1 receives the rice cooking setting information of the rice cooking courses that can be implemented by the rice cooker 1, the display control section 79 switches the display to a rice cooking setting selection screen (not shown) and controls the display means 71 to display rice cooking setting information that reflects the rice cooking setting information of the rice cooking courses that can be implemented by the rice cooker 1. When rice cooking setting information is selected on the rice cooking setting selection screen, the communication control unit 78 of the smartphone 6-1 controls the communication module 73 to send the selected rice cooking setting information to the server 5, and then the rice cooking course information of the rice cooking setting information is sent to the rice cooker 1.

[0104] The "Favorites Cooking History" button display section B110 is operated to select rice cooking setting information previously used in the rice cooker 1 or rice cooking setting information that has been individually registered from among the previously used rice cooking setting information. When the "Favorites Cooking History" button display section B110 is touched, the communication control section 78 sends a request signal for rice cooking setting information to the server 5, and when the server 5 receives this request signal for rice cooking setting information, the rice cooking setting information providing section 89 controls the communication module 83 to send rice cooking history information, which is the rice cooking settings of the rice cooking course performed in the rice cooker 1, to the smartphone 6-1. After that, when the smartphone 6-1 receives the rice cooking history information, the display control section 79 switches the display to a rice cooking history selection screen (not shown) or a favorites selection screen (not shown), and controls the display means 71 to display rice cooking setting information reflecting the rice cooking history information or rice cooking setting information individually registered in favorites. When cooking setting information is selected on the cooking history selection screen or the favorites selection screen, the communication control unit 78 controls the communication module 73 to send the selected cooking setting information to the server 5, and then the cooking course information of the cooking setting information is sent to the rice cooker 1.

[0105] 15 shows the application setting screen G8 to which the screen is switched when the setting button display B103 is touched on the rice cooker top screen G7. Referring to the figure, the water hardness selection screen G2 is explained. At the top of the screen, a back button display B101, a text display D112 of "Settings", and a support button display B105 are displayed side by side. Below the back button display B101, the text display D112 of "Settings", and the support button display B105, a notification setting selection area A11 is formed in which a text display D112 of "Notification Settings" and a forward button display B114 including a text display D114 of ">", which suggests that the screen should proceed to the next screen, are displayed side by side. Below the notification setting selection area A11 is formed a notification setting selection area A12 which displays, side by side, a text display D115 reading "Water Hardness Setting", a water hardness display D116 displaying the current water hardness setting of the rice cooker 1, and a forward button display B117 including a text display D117 reading ">".

[0106] The forward button display B114 in the notification setting selection area A11 is operated to make settings regarding application notifications, and when the forward button display B114 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to an application notification setting screen (not shown).

[0107] The forward button display B117 in the notification setting selection area A12 is operated to set the water hardness of the rice cooker 1, and when the forward button display B117 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to the water hardness selection screen G9 for the application. When the water hardness display D116 displays "---- mg / L", the state of the rice cooker 1 is "offline", so the display control unit 79 may be configured not to switch the display to the water hardness selection screen G9 for the application even if the forward button display B117 is touched.

[0108] 16 shows the application water hardness selection screen G9 to which the screen is switched when the button display B117 is touched on the application setting screen G8. Referring to the figure, the application water hardness selection screen G9 will be described. In the upper part of the screen, a back button display B101, a text display D121 of "Water Hardness Setting", and a support button display B105 are displayed side by side. In addition, below the back button display B101, the text display D121 of "Water Hardness Setting", and the support button display B105, an application water hardness screen display area A13 is formed in which a tab display B122 including a text display D122 of "Numerical Input" and a tab display B123 including a text display D123 of "Prefecture" are displayed side by side. Below the application water hardness screen display area A13, a text display D125 saying "About water hardness" and a water hardness explanation button display B126 including a text display D126 saying "i" are displayed side by side.

[0109] In addition, below the text display D125 "About water hardness" and the water hardness explanation button display B126, a text display D126 "Current water hardness", which suggests that the numerical value on the water hardness display D116 is the current water hardness setting of the rice cooker 1, and a water hardness numerical value setting button display B116 which includes the water hardness display D116 are displayed side by side, and below these displays, a text display D127 is displayed which reads "Water hardness can be set up to a maximum of 120 mg / L. Setting the water hardness range is a main unit function only."

[0110] The tab display B122 of "Numerical value input" and the tab display B123 of "Prefecture" indicate whether the application water hardness selection screen G9 or the application region division selection screen G11 is currently displayed on the display means 71. The currently selected tab display, for example, the tab display B31 of "Numerical value input" in the case of Fig. 16, is displayed in color, and the tab display B123 of "Prefecture" that is not selected is displayed in a lighter color, that is, grayed out. In addition, by touching the tab display B122 of "Numerical value input", the display of the display means 71 is switched to the application water hardness selection screen G9, and by touching the tab display B123 of "Prefecture", the display of the display means 71 is switched to the application region division selection screen G11. Therefore, the application water hardness screen display area A13 has a function as a screen change means for changing between the application water hardness selection screen G9 and the application region division selection screen G11.

[0111] The water hardness explanation button display B126 is operated to display an explanation regarding water hardness, and when the water hardness explanation button display B126 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to a water hardness explanation screen (not shown).

[0112] The water hardness value setting button display B116 is operated to directly select a value and set the water hardness. When the water hardness value setting button display B116 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to the water hardness value selection screen G10 for the app.

[0113] 17 shows the water hardness value selection screen G10 for applications, which is displayed when the water hardness value setting button display B116 is touched on the water hardness selection screen G9 for applications. The water hardness value selection screen G10 will be described with reference to the drawing. A water hardness value selection pop-up display PU1 that allows the user to select a water hardness value is displayed, and the rest of the screen other than the water hardness value selection pop-up display PU1 is grayed out.

[0114] The water hardness value selection popup display PU1 displays, side by side at the top, a text display D131 saying "Change water hardness" and a button display B132 including a text display D132 saying "x". Also, below the text display D131 saying "Change water hardness" and the button display B132 saying "x", a text display D133 saying "Please select water hardness. It can be set up to 120 mg / L". Below the text display D133, a drum display area A14 including the numbers "0" and "1" and suggesting the setting of a 100-digit number, a drum display area A15 including the numbers "0" to "9" and suggesting the setting of a 10-digit number, and a drum display area A16 including the numbers "0" to "9" and suggesting the setting of a single-digit number are displayed side by side, and a cursor display C11 is formed linearly across the drum display areas A14 to A16 to suggest to the user that the number at the position of the cursor display C11 is the number selected in the drum display areas A14 to A16.

[0115] At the bottom of the water hardness value selection popup display PU1, a button display B134 including a text display D134 saying "Cancel" and a button display B135 including a text display D135 saying "Send" are displayed side by side.

[0116] The "x" button display B132 is operated to discard the settings on the current screen, for example, the water hardness numerical selection screen G10 for an app, and return to the previous screen, the water hardness selection screen G9 for an app. When the "x" button display B132 is touched, the display control unit 79 of the smartphone 6-1 controls the display means 71 to discard the settings currently displayed on the display means 71 and return to the water hardness selection screen G9 for an app.

[0117] The drum display areas A14 to A16 are operated to select water hardness, and when the drum display areas A14 to A16 are flicked or swiped up or down, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to change the numbers so that they rotate in the direction of the flick or swipe. By configuring in this way, the water hardness numerical value input screen G3 of the rice cooker 1 can be used in a simplified manner on the information terminal 6. In this embodiment, the drum display areas A14 to A16 are displayed so that the numbers are small on the lower side and larger as they go up, so that when they are flicked or swiped upward, the display changes so that the numbers become smaller, but this is just one example. In this embodiment, the bottom number "0" cannot be rotated and the top number, for example, the drum display areas A15 and A16 cannot be rotated and the top number, for example, the drum display areas A15 and A16 cannot be rotated and the drum display area A14 cannot be rotated and displayed above "9", but this is just one example. In this embodiment, the system is configured such that a numerical value above the maximum value "120" cannot be selected, and a numerical value below the minimum value "0" cannot be selected, but this is just one example.

[0118] The “Cancel” button display B134 is operated to discard the settings on the current screen and return to the previous screen. For example, when the “Cancel” button display B134 in FIG. 17 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to discard the settings currently displayed on the display means 71 and return to the previous screen, the water hardness selection screen G9 for app.

[0119] The "Send" button display B135 is operated when sending the number in the drum display area A14-A16 at the position of the cursor display C11 to the rice cooker 1 as the water hardness setting. When the "Send" button display B135 is touched, the communication control unit 78 controls the communication module 73 to send the number in the drum display area A14-A16 at the position of the cursor display C11 displayed on the display means 71, for example, "50" in the case of Figure 17, to the server 5 as information on the selected water hardness value.

[0120] 18 shows the application region division selection screen G11 to which the screen transitions when the "Prefecture" tab display B123 is touched on the application water hardness selection screen G9. Referring to the figure, the application water hardness selection screen G9 will be described. At the top of the screen, a back button display B101, a text display D121 of "Water Hardness Setting", and a support button display B105 are displayed side by side, and below these displays, an application water hardness screen display area A13 is formed. Below the application water hardness screen display area A13, a text display D125 of "About Water Hardness" and a water hardness explanation button display B126 including a text display D126 of "i" are displayed side by side.

[0121] Below the text display D125 of "About water hardness" and the water hardness explanation button display B126, an application region division selection display area A27 is formed in which six region display areas A21 to A26 are displayed vertically. Here, the region display area A21 of "Hokkaido and Tohoku" is formed by displaying a text display D142 of "Hokkaido and Tohoku" and a forward button display B143 including a text display D143 of ">" side by side. The region display area A22 of "Kanto and Koshinetsu" is formed by displaying a text display D144 of "Kanto and Koshinetsu" and a forward button display B145 including a text display D1145 of ">" side by side. The region display area A23 of "Hokuriku and Tokai" is formed by displaying a text display D146 of "Hokuriku and Tokai" and a forward button display B147 including a text display D147 of ">" side by side. The district display area A24 of "Kinki" is formed by displaying a text display D148 of "Kanto Koshinetsu" and a forward button display B149 including a text display D149 of ">" side by side. The district display area A25 of "Chugoku-Shikoku" is formed by displaying a text display D150 of "Chugoku-Shikoku" and a forward button display B151 including a text display D151 of ">" side by side. The district display area A26 of "Kyushu-Okinawa" is formed by displaying a text display D152 of "Kyushu-Okinawa" and a forward button display B153 including a text display D153 of ">" side by side. In this embodiment, the district divisions of the district division selection screen G5 of the rice cooker 1 and the district divisions of the district division selection screen G11 for the app of the smartphone 6-1 are the same, but this is just an example, and different district divisions may be used.

[0122] The forward button displays B143-B153 arranged in the six district display areas A21-A26 in the regional division selection display area A27 for the app are operated to select the regional division in which the prefecture is located when selecting a prefecture in the water hardness selection. When any of the forward button displays B143-B153 is touched, a request signal for water hardness information, such as the average hardness of tap water in the prefecture corresponding to the district display area A21-A26 in which the selected forward button display is arranged, is transmitted. When the server 5 receives this request signal for water hardness information, the water hardness information providing unit 90 extracts water hardness information for the prefecture corresponding to the district display area A21-A26 from the water hardness information storage unit 95 and controls the communication module 83 to transmit the extracted water hardness information to the smartphone 6-1. Thereafter, when the smartphone 6-1 receives this water hardness information, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to switch the display to the prefecture selection screen G12 for the app and display the prefecture display areas A31 to A38 reflecting the water hardness information from the water hardness information memory unit 95.

[0123] Fig. 19 shows the prefecture selection screen G12 for the application to which the screen is shifted when, for example, the forward button display B153 in the display area A26 of "Kyushu and Okinawa" is touched on the region division selection screen G11 for the application. Referring to Fig. 19, the prefecture selection screen G6 for the application is described. At the top of the screen, a back button display B101, a text display D121 of "Water Hardness Setting", and a support button display B105 are displayed side by side, and below these displays, an application water hardness screen display area A13 is formed. Below the application water hardness screen display area A13, a selected area display D161 that displays the area selected on the region division selection screen G11 for the application is displayed, and "Kyushu and Okinawa" is displayed in Fig. 19.

[0124] Also, below the selected district display D161, a prefecture selection display area A39 is formed in which the eight prefecture display areas A31-A38 are arranged front to back, left to right. Note that in the prefecture selection display area A39 in Fig. 19, the prefecture display area A37 for "Kagoshima" and the prefecture display area A38 for "Okinawa" are not displayed, but by scrolling the prefecture selection screen G12 for the application, the prefecture display area A37 for "Kagoshima" and the prefecture display area A38 for "Okinawa" are displayed.

[0125] At the bottom of the application prefecture selection screen G12, a "Cancel" button indicator B134 and a "Send" button indicator B135 are displayed side by side. In Fig. 19, none of the "◯" button indicators B162 to B176 in the prefecture selection display area A39 are "●" and none of the eight prefecture display areas A31 to A38 are selected, so the "Send" button indicator B135 is displayed grayed out, and even if the "Send" button indicator B135 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 6 so as not to move from the application prefecture selection screen G12, and the communication control unit 78 prevents the communication module 73 from operating.

[0126] The prefecture display areas A31-A38 in the prefecture selection display area A39 are operated to select water hardness from the average hardness of tap water in the prefecture, and in this embodiment, the number of prefecture display areas A31-A38 and the display of text indicators D163-D177 included in the prefecture display areas A31-A38 correspond to the regional division selected in the application regional division selection display area A27. Therefore, the application prefecture selection screen G12 has six screens corresponding to the district display areas A21-A26, and for example, as shown in Fig. 19, the application prefecture selection screen G12 to which the screen is moved when the forward button indicator B153 in the display area A26 for "Kyushu / Okinawa" is touched displays the number of prefecture display areas A31-A38 as eight in the prefecture selection display area A39.

[0127] Here, the prefecture display area A31 for "Fukuoka" is formed by displaying a forward button display B162 including a text display D162 of "o" and a text display D163 of "Fukuoka 52 mg / L" side by side. The prefecture display area A32 for "Saga" is formed by displaying a forward button display B164 including a text display D164 of "o" and a text display D165 of "Saga 44 mg / L" side by side. And the prefecture display area A33 for "Nagasaki" is formed by displaying a forward button display B166 including a text display D166 of "o" and a text display D167 of "Nagasaki 45 mg / L" side by side. The prefecture display area A34 for "Kumamoto Prefecture" is formed by displaying a forward button display B168 including a text display D168 of "◯" and a text display D169 of "Kumamoto Prefecture 69 mg / L" side by side. The prefecture display area A35 for "Oita Prefecture" is formed by displaying a forward button display B170 including a text display D170 of "◯" and a text display D171 of "Oita Prefecture 52 mg / L" side by side. The prefecture display area A36 for "Miyazaki Prefecture" is formed by displaying a forward button display B172 including a text display D172 of "◯" and a text display D173 of "Miyazaki Prefecture 40 mg / L" side by side. Although not shown in FIG. 19, prefecture display area A37 for "Kagoshima Prefecture" and prefecture display area A8 for "Okinawa Prefecture" are also formed by displaying forward button displays B174, B176, each containing a text display element D174, D176 indicating "◯", and text displays D175, D177 indicating "Kagoshima Prefecture 49 mg / L" and "Okinawa Prefecture 84 mg / L", side by side.

[0128] Here, the water hardness values ​​displayed in the text displays D163 to D177 included in the prefecture display areas A31 to A38 correspond to information about water hardness stored in the water hardness information storage unit 95 of the server 5. Therefore, by selecting a prefecture display area A31 to A38, it becomes possible to use the water hardness value stored in the water hardness information storage unit 95 and updated to the most recent average hardness value of tap water in that prefecture.

[0129] Here, when any of the "◯" button display parts B162-B177 in the prefecture display areas A31-A38, for example, the "◯" button display B169 in the prefecture display area A34 of "Kumamoto Prefecture" is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to change the display of the "◯" text display D169 from "◯" to "●" and to change the "Send" button display B135 from a grayed-out display to a colored display. Therefore, the user can recognize that the prefecture display area A34 of "Kumamoto Prefecture" marked with a "●" has been selected on the prefecture selection screen G12 for the application and that the information on water hardness can be sent. At this time, when the "Send" button display B135 is touched, the communication control unit 78 controls the communication module 73 to send the water hardness value displayed in the text display D169 of the prefecture display area A34 of the selected "Kumamoto Prefecture", for example, "69 mg / L" in the case of FIG. 19, to the server 5 as the information on the selected water hardness value. With this configuration, the prefecture selection screen G4 of the rice cooker 1 can be simplified and used on the information terminal 6. Furthermore, even if the user does not know the information on the tap water hardness used for cooking rice, the user can select the latest water hardness by selecting the regional classification and prefecture of the tap water to be used, and there is no need to test or investigate the tap water hardness, improving convenience.

[0130] By touching the "Send" button display B135 on the app water hardness value selection screen G10 or the app prefecture selection screen G12, information on the selected water hardness value or information on the water hardness value displayed in the selected prefecture display area is sent to the server 5. When the server 5 receives this water hardness value information, the water hardness information providing unit 90 stores this water hardness value information in the water hardness information storage unit 95 and also transmits this water hardness value information to the rice cooker 1.

[0131] When the water hardness value information is received from the server 5, the display control means 63 of the rice cooker 1 controls the LED display unit 27 to light up the Wi-Fi mark process LED display unit, and also controls the LCD 26 to display the rice cooking information reception screen G13. Referring to Fig. 20(A) to explain the rice cooking information reception screen G7, a text display D91 saying "Information from 'IoLIFE app' has been received" is displayed at the top. And below the text display D91, a button display B92 including a text display D92 saying "Cancel" and a button display B93 including a text display D93 saying "OK" are displayed side by side.

[0132] The "Cancel" button display B92 is operated to return to the previous screen, the top screen G1, without reflecting the water hardness numerical information sent from the server 5 on the top screen G1. When the "Cancel" button display B92 is touched, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to discard the rice cooking course information sent from the server 5 and return to the top screen G1 which displays the rice cooking course settings currently stored in the storage means 58.

[0133] The "OK" button display B93 is operated to reflect the water hardness numerical information sent from the server 5 on the top screen G1 and return to the previous screen, the top screen G1. When the "OK" button display B93 is touched, the display control unit 79 controls the display means 71 to transition to the top screen G1 in which the setting of the water hardness numerical information sent from the server 5, i.e., the water hardness numerical information sent from the smartphone 6-1, is displayed on the "Water Hardness" setting display D14. For example, as shown in FIG. 13(B), the display means 71 controls the display means 71 to transition to the top screen G1 in which the water hardness numerical value "50" selected on the app water hardness numerical value selection screen G10 is displayed on the "Water Hardness" setting display D14.

[0134] When the button display B17 of "Start Cooking" on the top screen G1 is touched, the condition setting means 64 stores the rice setting, cooking method setting, hardness setting, and water hardness setting currently displayed in the rice cooking information display area A2, i.e., the information on the numerical value of the water hardness transmitted from the smartphone 6-1, in the storage means 58 as the water hardness setting for the current rice cooking course, and transmits this setting to the heating control means 51. Upon receiving this setting of the rice cooking course, the rice cooking control means 61 of the heating control means 51 performs each of the cooking operations of the soaking cooking process, the boiling heating process, the boiling continued process, and the steaming process, which are the rice cooking processes for the food S in the pot 14, according to the heating pattern of the set rice cooking course. In this way, the information on the numerical value of the water hardness selected from the water hardness numerical value selection screen G10 for the application or the prefecture selection screen G12 for the application on the smartphone 6-1 is transmitted to the rice cooker 1 and can be used as the setting of the current rice cooking course.

[0135] As described above, the rice cooking system 100 of this embodiment comprises a rice cooker 1 and an information terminal 6 capable of communicating with the rice cooker 1. The rice cooker 1 has a rice cooking control means 61 as a control means for controlling rice cooking according to water hardness as water quality information when cooking food S containing water, and the information terminal 6 is configured to communicate with the rice cooker 1 via the server 5 and be able to set the water hardness.

[0136] With this configuration, the water hardness of the rice cooking course information can be set by communicating with the rice cooker 1 from the information terminal 6, which is an external device. Also, by sending the latest water hardness information to the rice cooker 1 from the information terminal 6, the rice cooking control means 61 can control rice cooking using the latest water hardness information.

[0137] In this embodiment, the information on water hardness includes prefecture display areas A31-A38 in which water hardness is classified by the names of regions as the first water hardness information, and drum display areas A14-A16 in which water hardness is classified by numerical values ​​as the second water hardness information, and a cursor display C11. The information terminal 6 includes a display means 71 for displaying the information on water hardness, and an operation means 75 for setting water hardness. The operation means 75 is configured to be able to change, by a single operation, between an application prefecture selection screen G12 as a screen in which the prefecture display areas A31-A38 are displayed, and an application water hardness selection screen G9 for selecting a numerical value on an application water hardness numerical value selection screen G10 as a screen in which the drum display areas A14-A16 and a cursor display C11 are displayed. Therefore, the user can select water hardness according to the purpose of the user, and can easily change the method of selecting water hardness.

[0138] In addition, in this embodiment, the prefecture display areas A31 to A38 are configured to classify water quality information by region name, so that even if the user does not know the hardness of the tap water used for cooking rice, the user can select the water hardness by selecting the prefecture of the tap water to be used, thereby improving convenience.

[0139] In addition, in this embodiment, the drum display areas A14 to A16 and the cursor display C11 are configured to classify water quality information by numerical values, allowing the user to directly select the numerical value of the tap water hardness to be used, improving convenience.

[0140] In addition, the information terminal 6 of this embodiment communicates with the rice cooker 1, and when it is able to obtain information on the water hardness setting stored in the storage means 58 and set in the rice cooker 1, it displays the set water hardness information on the display means 71, and when it is unable to obtain information on the water hardness setting in the rice cooker 1, it displays a display other than the water hardness setting information, for example, "---- mg / L" on the display means 71. This allows the user to know the current water hardness setting of the rice cooker 1 on the information terminal 6, improving convenience. Also, when the display on the water hardness indicator D116 is "---- mg / L", it is possible to know that the current state of the rice cooker 1 is "offline" and that the water hardness of the rice cooker 1 cannot be set by the information terminal 6.

[0141] In addition, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment can cook rice by selecting and setting rice cooking setting information on the information terminal 6 through selection operations on the rice cooking setting selection screen, the rice cooking history selection screen, or the favorites selection screen, and the rice cooking setting information selected on the rice cooking setting selection screen, the rice cooking history selection screen, or the favorites selection screen can be sent separately from the sending of water hardness information selected on the prefecture selection screen G12 for the app or the water hardness numerical selection screen G10 for the app.

[0142] By configuring in this manner, for example, since the water hardness setting in rice cooker 1 is not changed frequently, the rice cooking setting other than the water hardness is normally sent to rice cooker 1 to set the rice cooking setting of rice cooker 1, and when a water quality test is conducted and the water hardness is updated, the water hardness setting is sent to rice cooker 1 to set the rice cooking setting of rice cooker 1. In this way, the information to be sent to rice cooker 1 can be selected according to the user's needs.

[0143] In addition, the information terminal 6 of this embodiment is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving water hardness information from the water hardness information providing unit 90 as water quality information update data that updates the water hardness information, and even when the water hardness information stored in the memory means 58 of the rice cooker 1 has not been updated, the rice cooker 1 can cook rice using the latest water hardness information.

[0144] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the numerical values ​​exemplified in the embodiment are merely examples, and may be modified as appropriate according to the specifications of the rice cooker 1. [Explanation of symbols]

[0145] 1. Rice cooker 6 Information terminal 61 Rice cooking control means (control means) 71 Display means 75 Operating means 100 Rice Cooking System A14~A16 Drum display area (second water quality information) A31~A38 Prefecture display area (first water quality information) C11 Cursor display (second water quality information) G9 App water hardness selection screen (screen showing second water quality information) G12 Prefecture selection screen for the app (screen showing the first water quality information)

Claims

1. A rice cooking system in a communication system in which a rice cooker and an information terminal can communicate with each other, A control means for controlling the cooking of rice according to water quality information in cooking rice containing water; A rice cooking system comprising: an information setting means that communicates with the rice cooker and can set the water quality information.

2. A display means for displaying the water quality information; and an operation means for setting the water quality information, the water quality information includes first water quality information and second water quality information; The rice cooking system according to claim 1, characterized in that the operating means can change the screen displaying the first water quality information and the screen displaying the second water quality information with a single operation.

3. The rice cooking system according to claim 2, wherein the first water quality information is water quality information classified by the name of a region.

4. The rice cooking system according to claim 2, wherein the second water quality information is water quality information classified by numerical values.

5. The information setting means communicates with the rice cooker, When the water quality information set in the rice cooker can be acquired, the set water quality information is displayed on the display means; The rice cooker system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that if the water quality information set in the rice cooker cannot be obtained, another display is displayed on the display means.

6. The rice cooker can cook rice by selecting and setting rice cooking setting information using the information setting means, The rice cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the selected rice cooking setting information can be transmitted separately from the selected water quality information.

7. 5. The rice cooker system according to claim 1, wherein the information setting means is capable of transmitting and receiving water quality information update data for updating the water quality information.

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