Rice cooker

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker capable of keeping the deliciousness of just cooked rice during warmth retention time.SOLUTION: A rice cooker includes a pot 14 for storing rice and a heating coil 21 for heating the pot 14. It is possible to select either a rice cooking course for normal warmth retention in which heating control of the heating coil 21 is executed so that the rice is kept at a warmth retention temperature or a rice cooking course for high temperature retention in which heating control of the heating coil 21 is executed so that the rice is kept at a high temperature retention temperature higher than the warmth retention temperature in a warmth retention process for retaining warmth of rice.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rice cooker capable of keeping cooked rice warm. [Background technology]

[0002] With regard to this type of rice cooker, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a device that detects the temperature of the bottom of the pot containing the cooked food after the food has been cooked, and adjusts the conduction rate of the rice cooker heater and body heater based on this temperature.In normal heat retention, the conduction rate of the rice cooker heater and body heater is adjusted so that the temperature of the bottom of the pot is maintained at 65-72°C, thereby suppressing the growth of putrefactive bacteria, and when switching to low temperature heat retention, the conduction rate of the rice cooker heater and body heater is adjusted so that the temperature of the bottom of the pot is maintained at approximately 57°C, thereby keeping the rice warm without yellowing and minimizing the growth of putrefactive bacteria. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-313354 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there are many cases where the timing of eating rice varies from family member to family member, or where the rhythm of life differs from weekdays on holidays, etc., so that even if rice cooking is completed at the same time as on weekdays, a certain amount of time has passed between cooking and eating, and there is a growing need for rice that maintains the deliciousness of freshly cooked rice for a certain period of time.However, the rice cooker in Patent Document 1 adjusts the power supply rate of the rice cooker heater and the body heater so that the temperature of the cooked rice is quickly lowered to the normal warming temperature after cooking, so it cannot meet the need to maintain the deliciousness of freshly cooked rice.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT An object of the present invention is to provide a rice cooker capable of maintaining cooked rice at a high temperature for a predetermined period of time during warming after cooking. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The rice cooker of the present invention comprises a pot for containing the food to be cooked and a heating means for heating the pot, and the warming process, which is the process of keeping the food to be cooked warm, includes an initial warming period in which the temperature of the food to be cooked is maintained at the temperature immediately after cooking, a warming decrease period in which the temperature of the food to be cooked is decreased to a temperature maintained in a warming stable period, and the warming stable period in which the temperature of the food to be cooked is maintained at a predetermined temperature, and is characterized in that it is possible to select between normal warming heating control in which the heating means is heated and controlled so that the predetermined temperature in the warming stable period is maintained at 70°C to 76°C, and high temperature warming heating control in which the heating means is heated and controlled so that the predetermined temperature in the warming stable period is maintained at 80°C to 86°C, with an upper limit of 90°C. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the rice cooker of the present invention, the temperature of the rice can be maintained at a temperature close to that of freshly cooked rice for a predetermined period of time after cooking, thereby maintaining a taste close to that of freshly cooked rice. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker showing a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner frame and the heating coil and a plan view from the bottom side of the same. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the rice cooker. [Diagram 5] 13 is a graph showing the change over time in the detected temperature of the pot temperature sensor, the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor, the output of the bottom coil, and the output of the side coil during the rice cooking process. [Figure 6]This is a graph showing the change over time in the temperature of rice in the normal rice cooking course with warm keeping and the temperature of rice in the high temperature rice cooking course during the warm keeping process. [Figure 7] This is a graph showing the changes over time in the detected temperatures of the pot temperature sensor, the lid temperature sensor, and the temperature of rice during the keep-warm rice cooking course. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the rice cooking system. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a top view of an LCD of the rice cooker showing a modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This is a graph showing the change over time in the temperature of rice in the normal rice cooking course with warm keeping during the warm keeping process and the temperature of rice in the rice cooking course with warm keeping for frozen rice. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of the rice cooking / keep warm screen display during the rice cooking process and the keep warm process. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the elapsed percentage of the temperature-retention decreasing period at the present time. [Figure 13] 11 is a graph showing changes in rice temperature over time in the rice cooking process and the warming process in each rice cooking course for brand rice in a rice cooker showing a further modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] 11 is a table showing the relationship between the degree of milling of rice used for cooking and the lower keeping temperature, the keeping temperature and the limit of the keeping time in the keeping temperature step in a rice cooker showing a further modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 11 is a table showing the relationship between the time elapsed since the rice used for cooking has been polished and the lower warming temperature, the warming temperature and the limit of the warming time in the warming process in a rice cooker showing a further modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] 13 is a table showing the relationship between the hardness of water used for cooking rice and the lower warming temperature, the warming temperature and the limit of the warming time in the warming process in the rice cooker showing a further modified example of the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 2 is a top view of an LCD of the rice cooker according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the setting of the second process display area and the change in the display of the top screen at that time. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of the display on the top screen during the rice cooking process and the rice keeping process of the same. [Figure 20] FIG. 2 is a top view of the display unit of the information terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a top view of an LCD of a rice cooker showing a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 22] FIG. 2 is a top view of the display unit of the information terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 11 is a top view of an LCD of a rice cooker showing a further modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is a top view of the display unit of the information terminal according to the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the rice cooker according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, common parts are designated by common reference numerals throughout the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0010] 1 to 8 show a first embodiment of a rice cooker 1 according to the present invention. First, the overall structure of the rice cooker 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Reference numeral 11 denotes a main body, which is generally rectangular in shape with a front surface, a rear surface, a left surface, and a right surface facing each other when viewed from above, and has an open top surface. Reference numeral 12 denotes a lid that freely opens and closes and covers the top opening of the main body 11, which, like the main body 11, is generally rectangular in shape with a front surface, a rear surface, a left surface, and a right surface facing each other when viewed from above, and has a generally flat top surface. The main body 11 has a pot housing section 13 with an open top surface, and when the lid 12 is opened, a bottomed pot 14 serving as a container for holding water and rice to be cooked is detachably housed in the pot housing section 13. The pot housing section 13 is formed by combining a bowl-shaped resin inner frame 15 and the like, and the whole is formed into a bottomed cylindrical shape.

[0011] The pot 14 has a main material 17 made of aluminum, which has good thermal conductivity, and a heating element 18 made of a magnetic metal plate such as ferritic stainless steel, which is joined to the outer surface of the main material 17 from the lower side to the bottom. The outer surface of the inner frame 15, which faces the lower side of the pot 14 to the bottom, is provided with a heating coil 21 as a heating means for electromagnetic induction heating the heating element 18 of the pot 14. When a high-frequency current is supplied to the heating coil 21, the heating element 18 of the pot 14 is heated by the alternating magnetic field generated by the heating coil 21, and the food to be cooked in the pot 14 is heated during cooking and keeping warm. The heating coil 21 will be described in detail later. A pot sensor 22 as a pot temperature detection means is disposed in the center of the bottom of the inner frame 15 so as to come into elastic contact with the outer bottom of the pot 14.

[0012] A hinge 23 is provided at the rear of the lid 12, which connects it to 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 the hinge axis of the hinge 23 as the rotation center.

[0013] A steam vent 25 is provided on the upper rear surface of the lid 12 to exhaust steam generated from the food in the pot 14 to the outside of the rice cooker. In addition to the steam vent 25 and the lid operation unit 24, the upper surface of the lid 12 is also 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 is provided on the lower surfaces of the display means 28 and the operation means 29.

[0014] The LED display unit 27 displays the actual state of the rice cooker. In this embodiment, when a reservation is set, the "reservation" LED display unit lights up, when the rice cooker is in a warm state, the "warm" step LED display unit lights up, when the inside of the pot 14 is reduced in pressure below atmospheric pressure by the pressure reducing means 48 described later, the "vacuum" step LED display unit lights up, and when the inside of the pot 14 is pressurized from when pressure begins to be applied inside the pot 14 during cooking until the rice is cooked, the "pressure" step LED display unit lights up. 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. Here, the color of light when each LED display unit of the LED display unit 27 is lit may be different from each other, and the current state of the rice cooker can be understood at a glance. In this embodiment, the LED display unit 27 is located immediately in front of the LCD 26, but it may be located away from the LCD 26. Also, the LED display unit 27 may be omitted, and the display contents of the LED display unit 27 may be displayed on the LCD 26.

[0015] The operating 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 21, 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.

[0016] In this way, taking into consideration the operability and safety of the user, the lid operating body 24 is arranged on the front of the top surface of the rice cooker, which is the side closer to the user, and the steam vent 25 is arranged on the rear of the top surface of the rice cooker, which is the side farther from the user. This allows a large space to be secured between the lid operating body 24 and the steam vent 25 on the top surface of the lid body 12 for providing the display means 28, and allows the display means 28 and the operating means 29 arranged above it to be provided in a large size, thereby improving the visibility of the display means 28 and the operability of the operating means 29. In addition, on the top surface of the lid body 12, there are no operating means such as physical keys and buttons, such as a rice cooking key or an off key, that were provided in conventional rice cookers, except for the operating means 29 above the LCD 26, and the rice cooker is operated only with the operating means 29, eliminating the need to search for buttons when operating the rice cooker, thereby improving operability. In addition, the rice cooker can be made to have a very smart appearance, and the space in which the display means 28 and operating means 29, which are precision parts, are arranged can be made compact. In addition, by removing the physical keys and buttons, the top surface of the cover 12 can be made substantially flat, making it easier to wipe and clean, improving cleanability.

[0017] 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 Fig. 2, to close the gap between the pot 14 and the inner lid 34 and seal in the steam generated from the pot 14.

[0018] 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.

[0019] Pressure adjustment section 36 is provided with pressure adjustment valve 44 which 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 so as to close steam exhaust path 43. When pressurizing, high-frequency current is passed through heating coil 21 to heat the food in pot 14, causing the food 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.

[0020] 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. After pot 14 is accommodated in pot container 3 and lid 12 is closed, pressure reducing means 48 reduces the internal pressure of sealed pot 14 when solenoid 45 is energized and pressure regulating valve 44 closes steam exhaust path 43. When the pressure inside pot 14 drops below atmospheric pressure by a certain value, pressure reducing pump 49, which is the operating source of pressure reducing means 48, is stopped to maintain the inside of pot 14 in a reduced pressure state. When the inside of pot 14 is to be returned from the reduced pressure state to the same pressure as the outside air, pressure reducing pump 49 is stopped to open a path (not shown) that connects between pressure reducing pump 49 and the inside of pot 14. 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.

[0021] Additionally, a unitized heating board assembly 52 including a control means 51 is disposed inside the main body 11. The control means 51 is configured to include a control IC 53 constituting a microcomputer to electrically control each part of the rice cooker, storage means 54 (see FIG. 4) such as a readable and writable memory that stores various information and data, and timing means 55 (see FIG. 4) such as a timer that can measure the time related to cooking rice. In particular, the control means 51 is configured to mainly control the heating coil 21 based on the temperature detected by the pot sensor 22 to manage the temperature of the bottom of the pot 14, and mainly control the lid heater 41 based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 to manage the temperature of the inner lid 34 that faces the food to be cooked.

[0022] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of inner frame 15 and heating coil 21 and a plan view seen from the bottom side. Referring to this figure, heating coil 21 in this embodiment is composed of side coil 21-1 as a first coil and bottom coil 21-2 as a second coil. Side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 are respectively provided on the outer surface of inner frame 15, i.e., the outer surface of pot accommodating section 13, facing pot 14. Specifically, when pot 14 is accommodated in pot accommodating section 13, bottom coil 21-2 is disposed as a bottom heater facing the outer surface of the bottom of pot 14, and side coil 21-1 is disposed as a lower-side heater, outside and above bottom coil 21-2, facing the outer surface of the lower side of pot 14. In the present embodiment, the maximum output of the heating coil 21 is, for example, 1400W for both the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2, but these values ​​are merely examples, and the output balance between the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 may be set as desired according to the heating characteristics of the rice cooker. In the present embodiment, the heating coil 21 is composed of two heating coils, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be composed of a greater number of heating coils, and in this case, each heating coil is arranged concentrically from the bottom of the pot 14 to the lower side surface, and multiple heating coils are arranged in a vertical line. In addition, the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 may each be formed in a spiral shape or a concentric circle shape, and there are no particular restrictions on the shape of each heating coil.

[0023] Here, the transfer of heat when the heating coil 21 is driven will be explained. When the side coil 21-1 is energized, the outer surface of the lower side of the pot 14, which is the part facing the side coil 21-1, first becomes hot, and this heat transfers to the water of the food to be cooked that is in contact with the lower side via the main material 17. The transfer of heat of the food to be cooked mainly occurs together with the transfer of water, but in places where rice is present, the transfer of the water is limited only to the narrow gaps between the rice grains of the food to be cooked, and the transfer of water and heat slows down. On the other hand, in places where rice is not present, the transfer of water and heat becomes active due to convection, so that the water in the upper part of the food where rice is not present because rice sinks downward becomes hot, next to the water in the food to be cooked that is in contact with the lower side. After that, in the center of the food to be cooked, the water and heat in the upper part of the food to be cooked that has become the high temperature part moves to the middle part of the food to be cooked that is the low temperature part, and then to the lower part of the food to be cooked. This phenomenon is known as thermal convection, and will be described as external convection in this embodiment.

[0024] When the bottom coil 21-2 is energized, the outer surface of the bottom of the pot 14, which faces the bottom coil 21-2, first becomes hot, and this heat is transferred to the water in the food that is in contact with the bottom via the main material 17. Here, in the lower part of the food, the rice is sunk downward, so the upper part of the lower part is covered with the rice and water, and the temperature and pressure of this water rise. Then, the water in the lower part, which has become hotter and more pressurized, passes through the gaps between the rice grains of the food and moves upward, and is blown upward, so that the water with the increased temperature in the lower part, i.e., the hot water, moves together with the heat to the middle part of the food, and then to the upper part. This phenomenon is called blowing up, and in this embodiment it will be described as internal convection.

[0025] Therefore, when electricity is alternately passed through the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2, external and internal convection of heat occurs alternately in the food being cooked in the pot 14, thereby promoting the stirring of the water in the food being cooked in the pot 14 and reducing uneven heating.

[0026] 4 shows the electrical configuration of the rice cooker in this embodiment. In the figure, the input port of the control means 51 is electrically connected to the pan sensor 22, the lid temperature sensor 42, the lid opening / closing detection means 37, the operation means 29, and the transmission / reception means 59. The output port of the control means 51 is electrically connected to the side coil driving means 56 connected to the side coil 21-1, the bottom coil driving means 57 connected to the bottom coil 21-2, the lid heater driving means 58 connected to the lid heater 41, and the transmission / reception means 59, in addition to the solenoid 45, the pressure reducing pump 49, and the display means 28.

[0027] The side coil driving means 56 receives a heating control signal from the control means 51 and supplies a high-frequency current to the side coil 21-1 to energize it, and the bottom coil driving means 57 receives a heating control signal from the control means 51 and supplies a high-frequency current to the bottom coil 21-2 to energize it. These side coil driving means 56 and bottom coil driving means 57 are configured to have, for example, a power supply circuit, an inverter, an IH driving circuit, a switch element, etc., and can increase or decrease the output from the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 to the pot 14 by changing the period of the high-frequency current supplied to the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 and the ratio of the ON time to one period (ON time ratio). The lid heater driving means 58 receives a heating control signal from the control means 51 and supplies a DC current or an AC current to the lid heater 41 to drive it. In this embodiment, a case in which the current supplied to the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 is selectively switched by a switch element is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and may include a period in which the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 are simultaneously current-supplied.

[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 control means 51 receives temperature detection signals from the pan sensor 22 and the lid temperature sensor 42, detection signals from the lid opening / closing detection means 37, operation signals from the operation means 29, and information received via the transmission / reception means 59, outputs a display control signal to the display means 28, outputs heating control signals to the side coil driving means 56 and the bottom coil driving means 57 which energize the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 of the heating coil 21, and the lid heater driving means 58 which drives the lid heater 41, outputs drive control signals to the solenoid 45 which operates the pressure regulating valve 44 and the pressure reducing pump 49 of the pressure reducing means 48, and transmits information from the transmission / reception means 59. This control means 51 has rice cooking control means 61, warming control means 62, and display control means 63 in the control IC 53 as functions in the control sequence of the program read from the storage means 54.

[0030] The rice cooking control means 61, upon receiving an instruction from the operating means 29 to start cooking rice, sequentially executes a soaking cooking process to promote the absorption of water by the rice put into the pot 14, a boiling heating process to raise the temperature of the food to boiling in a short time, a boiling continuing process to keep the food boiling, 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 in the pot 14 at a desired pressure. The warming control means 62 controls the rice in the pot 14 to be kept at a predetermined warming temperature. The display control means 49 generates various control signals based on the operating signal from the operating means 29, and controls the display operation of the display means 28.

[0031] The memory means 54 stores rice cooking courses corresponding to rice settings such as the brand of rice, the precision of the rice pounding, and the freshness of the rice, cooking method settings, hardness settings, water hardness settings, and warm keeping settings, and the rice settings, cooking method settings, hardness settings, water hardness settings, warm keeping settings, etc. of the rice cooking courses stored in the memory means 54 are displayed selectably on the display means 28, and the cooking course can be selected and set by selecting and setting these options using the operation means 29. The memory means 54 also stores a plurality of heating patterns, which are patterns for driving the heating coil 21, the lid heater 41, the pressure regulating valve 44 and the pressure reducing means 48, indicating at what timing and output the heating coil 21, the lid heater 41, the pressure regulating valve 44 and the pressure reducing means 48 are driven, and current patterns, which are patterns for passing current through the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2, indicating at what timing and output current is passed through the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 when the heating coil 21 is driven, and the rice cooking control means 61 and the keep-warm control means 62 control the heating coil 21, the lid heater 41, the pressure regulating valve 44 and the pressure reducing means 48 using these heating patterns and current patterns.

[0032] The current pattern in this embodiment is a pattern including the current application time and output of the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2, for example, the side coil 21-1 is current-applied with output W1 and current application time T1, then the coil is switched and the bottom coil 21-2 is current-applied with output W2 and current application time T2, and this is repeated for a predetermined period. Note that the current application pattern includes a pattern in which only one of the current application time and output of the coil is changed and the other is kept constant, for example, a case where the current application time is constant among multiple coils but the output is different for each coil, or a case where the output is constant among multiple coils but the current application time is different for each coil.

[0033] Here, "switching the current pattern" means switching the current pattern itself. For example, using the above example, this means switching from a current pattern in which the side coil 21-1 is currented with output W1 and current time T1, and then the bottom coil 21-2 is currented with output W2 and current time T2, to a current pattern in which, at a predetermined timing, the side coil 21-1 is currented with output W3 and current time T3, and then the bottom coil 21-2 is currented with output W4 and current time T4, and this is repeated.

[0034] The energization pattern may include a switching time during which the energization of all coils is turned off when the coils are switched. That is, the energization pattern may be such that one cycle is energized with a predetermined energization time and output → switching time 1 → energized with the other coil with a predetermined energization time and output → switching time 2, and this cycle is repeated. Here, switching time 1 and switching time 2 may be the same time or different times.

[0035] The energization time and output of the side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 in each energization pattern may be values ​​determined by the inventors of the present application through intensive experiments, etc. For example, it is preferable that the energization time of the side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 is several seconds or more, respectively, so that external and internal convection of heat is generated alternately in the food to be cooked in the pot 14 for a predetermined period of time or more, and uneven heating can be reduced by promoting the stirring of the water in the food to be cooked in the pot 14.

[0036] The inventors of the present application have also found that it is preferable that the time for generating external convection and internal convection is not the same in one current conduction pattern. That is, it is preferable that the current conduction times of the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 in one current conduction pattern are not the same, and that the current conduction times of the switched coils are different before and after switching of the coils during repetition.

[0037] These current patterns may be used not only in the rice cooking process but also in the warming process. On the other hand, in the warming process, a current pattern may be adopted in which one coil is energized while the other coil is not energized, and one coil is energized for a predetermined time and output, and then the coil is not energized for a predetermined time.

[0038] Next, the operation of the rice cooker in the rice cooking process will be described. Fig. 5 shows the relationship between the pot temperature t1 detected by the pot temperature sensor 12, the lid temperature t2 detected by the lid temperature sensor 31, and the output P of the bottom coil 21-2 in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker in this embodiment. B and the output P of the side coil 21-1 S The changes over time of and are shown in graphs.

[0039] 5, the operation of this embodiment during rice cooking will be described. First, rice is placed in pot 14 as the food to be cooked and water is placed as the liquid. Pot 14 is then placed in pot housing 13, and lid 12 is then closed. Around the same time, electricity is turned on to the rice cooker, and main body 11 and lid 12 enter the initial off state in which no rice cooking or warming is taking place.

[0040] When an instruction to start cooking rice is given using the operation means 29 after the cooking course has been set, the rice cooking control means 61 performs each of the cooking operations of the soaking cooking process, the boiling heating process, the continued boiling process, and the steaming process on the food in the pot 14 in accordance with the heating pattern of the current cooking course setting. When an instruction to start reserved cooking is given using the operation means 29 after the cooking course has been set, the main body 11 and the lid 12 go into a standby state where they wait until the time for the rice cooking process to start is reached as measured by the timing means, and when the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal from the timing means indicating that the time for the rice cooking process to start has arrived, it performs each of the cooking operations on the food in the pot 14 in accordance with the heating pattern of the current cooking course setting.

[0041] During the soaking process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the operation of the pressure adjusting unit 36 ​​and the pressure reducing means 48 so that the pressure inside the pot 14 is reduced below atmospheric pressure. Specifically, when the soaking process is started, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 so that the pressure adjusting 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 vacuum pump 39 continuously to perform a vacuum extraction in which the air inside the sealed pot 14 is removed by the vacuum pump 39. The display control means 63 also controls the LED display unit 27 so that the "vacuum" process LED display is turned on. After that, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the pressure reducing means 48 so that the pressure inside the pot 14 is maintained at a certain value or less in a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure. In this way, the inside of the pot 14 is kept in a reduced pressure state throughout the entire period of the soaking process.

[0042] When the soaking cooking process is started, the rice cooking control means 61 outputs a heating control signal to the side coil driving means 56 to control the side coil 21-1 to heat the pot 14 at a predetermined output for a predetermined time T1, and after the time T1 has elapsed, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the side coil 21-1 to stop heating the pot 14 for a predetermined time T2, and performs a capacity determination process to determine the cooking capacity, which is the amount of rice to be cooked, based on the pot temperature t1 after the time T2 has elapsed. The predetermined time T2 is set to a time that can cause a temperature drop that makes it possible to determine the capacity after the time T1 has elapsed when heating stops. In this embodiment, the bottom coil 21-2, which is the heating coil 21 closest to the pot sensor 22, is not used in the capacity determination process, and only the side coil 21-1, which is the heating coil 21 farthest from the pot sensor 22, is used to heat the pot 14. This prevents the pot sensor 22 from being affected by the heating of the heating coil 21, and prevents the accuracy of the temperature detection of the pot sensor 22 from deteriorating.

[0043] When the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal indicating that the time T2 has elapsed from the timing means 55, it transitions to the soaking step of the soaking cooking process, and based on the temperature detection of the bottom of the pot 14 by the pot temperature sensor 12, the rice cooking control means 61 outputs a heating control signal to the side coil driving means 56 and the bottom coil driving means 57, respectively, to control the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 to be alternately energized, thereby heating the pot 14 and performing the soaking step of increasing the water temperature in the pot 14 to a predetermined temperature, for example, 35 to 55°C, or up to 60°C, as shown in Fig. 5, to promote water absorption by the rice. The soaking step is configured to maintain the water temperature in the pot 14 at a predetermined temperature for a predetermined time, for example, about 15 minutes, but this time may be changed arbitrarily.

[0044] Specifically, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 to be alternately energized with the bottom coil 21-2 having a duty ratio of A% and the side coil 21-1 having a duty ratio of B%. In addition, when there is a switch between energizing the side coil 21-1 and energizing the bottom coil 21-2 throughout the entire period of the rice cooking process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 to be switched off during the switching period. The length of this switching period may be constant or may be changed depending on the rice cooking process. In addition, the control may not have a switching period. In this embodiment, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 with a constant current pattern during the soaking process regardless of the amount of food determined in the capacity determination process, but the duty ratio of the side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 may be changed depending on the amount of food determined in the capacity determination process to change the current pattern. After that, when the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal from the timing means 55 indicating that a predetermined time has passed since the soaking process, it ends the soaking cooking process and moves to the next boiling heating process.

[0045] When the process shifts to the boiling heating process, the rice cooking control means 61 outputs heating control signals to the side coil driving means 56 and the bottom coil driving means 57 respectively, and controls to alternately energize the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 so as to heat the rice to be cooked in the pot 14 stronger than in the simmering process, and performs a heating process of heating until the boiling of the rice to be cooked is detected.

[0046] Specifically, when the process shifts to the heating process, at the beginning of the heating process, the rice cooking control means 61 slightly increases the duty ratio C% of the bottom coil 21-2 compared to the duty ratio A% in the simmering process (C > A), and makes the duty ratio of the side coil 21-1 and the duty ratio of the bottom coil 21-2 substantially the same, and controls in an energization pattern of alternately energizing the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 with an output slightly stronger than in the simmering process. Here, the rice cooking control means 61 changes the energization time of the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 according to the amount of the rice to be cooked determined in the capacity determination process in the boiling heating process. For example, if the duty ratio of the bottom coil 21-2 is D% when the amount of the cooked rice is extra-large, E% when the amount of the cooked rice is large, F% when the amount of the cooked rice is medium, and G% when the amount of the cooked rice is small, the duty ratio is set to be larger in the order of D < E < F < G, and the duty ratio of the side coil 21-1 is set to D > E > F > G.

[0047] Also, when the process shifts to the boiling heating process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 to roll the pressure regulating valve 44 to open the steam discharge path 43, puts the inside of the pot 14 in a state of communicating with the outside of the main body 11, and discharges the steam from the rice to be cooked to the outside of the main body 11 through the steam discharge path 43 from the steam port 25. Then, the display control means 63 controls the LED display unit 27 to turn off the process LED display unit of "vacuum".

[0048] After that, when the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal from the timing means 55 indicating that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the boiling heating process, it controls the rice cooking control means 61 to energize the bottom coil 21-2 for a current-on time of J seconds and the side coil 21-1 for a current-on time of K seconds in one cycle for a time that is the same as or different from the current-on time of the bottom coil 21-2 for a current-on time of H seconds and the side coil 21-1 for a current-on time of I seconds in one cycle at the beginning of the heating process, and controls the rice cooking control means 61 to energize the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 for a predetermined time with a current-on pattern that is the same as or lower than the output at the beginning of the heating process, in the pattern of bottom coil 21-2 current-on → switching time → side coil 21-1 current-on → switching time. B and output P S In the subsequent boiling heating process, boiling continuing process and steaming process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the heating coil 21 with a current pattern that alternately energizes the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 in the following pattern: bottom coil 21-2 energized → switching time → side coil 21-1 energized → switching time. The current time of the bottom coil 21-2 is set longer in the order of extra large≦large≦medium≦small in the amount of rice cooked, while the current time of the side coil 21-1 is set longer in the order of small≦medium≦large≦extra large in the amount of rice cooked. The cycle of the current pattern, which is the pattern of current flow through the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 when the heating coil 21 is driven, is set longer in the order of small≦medium≦large≦extra large. Note that the present invention is not limited to these, and the cycle and setting of the current pattern are merely examples.

[0049] Then, when the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal indicating that a predetermined time has elapsed from the clocking means 55, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 to alternately energize the bottom coil 21-2 and the side coil 21-1 with a current pattern in which the total current-on time L+M seconds, which is the current-on time L seconds for the bottom coil 21-2 and the current-on time M seconds for the side coil 21-1 in one cycle, is equal to or lower than the total current-on time J+K seconds, which is the current-on time J seconds for the bottom coil 21-2 and the current-on time K seconds for the side coil 21-1 in the previous cycle, while maintaining a predetermined output (H+I≧J+K≧L+M). Here, the current-on time of the bottom coil 21-2 is set to be longer in the order of the amount of rice cooked being extra large≦large≦medium≦small, as in the previous example, while the current-on time of the side coil 21-1 is set to be longer in the order of the amount of rice cooked being small≦medium≦large≦extra large. By heating the food to be cooked inside pot 14 using side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 in this manner, the lid temperature t2 detected by lid temperature sensor 42 gradually increases along with the pot temperature t1 detected by pot sensor 22, as shown in Figure 5.

[0050] Thereafter, when the rice cooking control means 61 receives a temperature detection signal from the pot sensor 22 indicating that the pot temperature t1 has reached a predetermined temperature or higher, for example 90°C or higher, and / or receives a temperature detection signal from the lid temperature sensor 42 indicating that the lid temperature t2 has reached a predetermined temperature or higher, for example 90°C or higher, it starts the stabilization #1 process, which is a boiling detection process for detecting boiling of the food to be cooked under pressure.

[0051] In the steady state #1 process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 to roll the pressure regulating valve 44 to block the steam discharge path 43, sealing the inside of the pot 14. Since the rice to be cooked is strongly heated inside the pot 14 as described above, the inside of the pot 14 is pressurized until the rice to be cooked reaches above atmospheric pressure, for example, 1.2 atmospheres, and the water in the rice to be cooked can be boiled in this pressurized state. Thereby, by boiling the water in the rice to be cooked at the optimum gelatinization temperature of rice at 105 °C (in the case of 1.2 atmospheres) in the pressurized state, the balance between the hardness and stickiness of the rice can be ensured. Further, the display control means 63 controls the LED display unit 27 to turn on the process LED display unit of "pressure". The rice cooking control means 61 may control the solenoid 45 to adjust the pressure inside the pot 14, for example, according to the setting of the type of rice.

[0052] Also, the rice cooking control means 61 makes the total energization time N + O seconds of the energization time N seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 and the energization time O seconds of the side coil 21-1 in one cycle approximately equal to the total energization time L + M seconds in one cycle of the previous heating process. On the other hand, the energization time N seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 is made slightly shorter than the energization time L seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 in the previous heating process (N < L), and the energization time O seconds of the side coil 21-1 is made slightly longer than the energization time M seconds of the side coil 21-1 in the previous heating process (O > M), and it is controlled in an energization pattern in which the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2 are energized alternately. Therefore, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the bottom coil 21-2 and the side coil 21-1 in different energization patterns in the boiling heating process and the steady state #1 process. On the other hand, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the bottom coil 21-2 and the side coil 21-1 in different energization patterns according to the amount of the rice to be cooked, similar to the heating process.

[0053] The rice cooking control means 61 also calculates the slope of the detected temperature, which indicates how much the detected temperature of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 42 rise in a specified time. Specifically, when the rice cooking control means 61 calculates that the rise in the pot temperature t1, 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 less than a specified temperature rise rate, such as 3°C or less in 120 seconds, it determines that boiling due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the pot temperature t1 has been detected. When the rice cooking control means 61 calculates that the rise in the lid temperature t2, which is the temperature of the inner lid 34, from the detected temperature of the lid temperature sensor 42 has become equal to or less than a specified temperature rise rate, such as 1°C or less in 60 seconds, it determines that boiling due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the lid temperature t2 has been detected. Then, when the rice cooking control means 61 detects boiling due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the pot temperature t1 and boiling due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the lid temperature t2, it moves to the next boiling continuation process. The predetermined temperature rise rates of the pan temperature t1 and the lid temperature t2 for detecting boiling may be adjusted and set according to the amount of food determined in the volume determination step. The method of detecting boiling is one example, and the rice cooking control means 61 may be configured to move to the next boiling continuation step when it determines that boiling has been detected due to a change in the temperature rise rate of the pan temperature t1.

[0054] When the process moves to the continuing boiling process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the power on / off of the heating coil 21 until the pot temperature t1 reaches a predetermined temperature based on the temperature detection signal from the pot sensor 22, and controls the lid heater 33 to be continuously energized so that the lid temperature t2 is maintained at a predetermined temperature, such as 98°C or higher, based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42, and starts the stabilization #2 process, which is a process for continuing the boiling state of the food being cooked. In the stabilization #2 process, the power supply pattern of the side coil 21-1 and bottom coil 21-2 when the heating coil 21 is driven is set so that the length of one cycle is longer than that of the stabilization #1 process, i.e., the OFF time of the heating coil 21.

[0055] Furthermore, when the process transitions to the continuing boiling step, the rice cooking control means 61 periodically controls the solenoid 45 to be energized and deenergized, and the pressure regulating valve 44 periodically opens and closes the steam exhaust path 43, in order to repeatedly change the pressure inside the pot 14 between normal pressure and a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0056] When the rice cooking control means 61 calculates that the water inside the pot 14 starts to disappear during the stabilization #2 step and that the temperature at the bottom of the pot 14 has reached a predetermined temperature or higher from the temperature detected by the pot temperature sensor 15 or that the temperature has risen to a predetermined temperature rise rate, such as 0.5°C or more in 10 seconds, the rice cooking control means 61 starts the cooking process to detect whether the rice being cooked is done.

[0057] When the cooking process is started, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the solenoid 45 to close the steam exhaust path 43 with the pressure adjusting valve 44. The rice cooking control means 61 also increases the current conduction time Q seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 in one cycle to be longer than the current conduction time O seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 in one cycle of the stabilization #2 process (Q>O), while setting the current conduction time R seconds of the side coil 21-1 in one cycle to be less than the current conduction time P seconds of the side coil 21-1 in one cycle of the stabilization #2 process (R≦P), and controls the current conduction pattern to alternately conduct the side coil 21-1 and the bottom coil 21-2. Therefore, the current conduction time Q seconds of the bottom coil 21-2 in one cycle of the cooking process is set longer than the current conduction time R seconds of the side coil 21-1. During the cooking process, there is almost no water in the food inside pot 14, and no internal or external convection occurs, so by energizing bottom coil 21-2 for a longer time than side coil 21-1, the water remaining in the bottom of pot 14 can be heated more efficiently from the bottom side of the pot. As before, the energization time of bottom coil 21-2 is set longer in the order of extra large ≧ large ≧ medium ≧ small for the amount of food to be cooked, and the energization time of side coil 21-1 is also set longer in the order of extra large ≧ large ≧ medium ≧ small for the amount of food to be cooked.

[0058] When the rice cooking control means 61 receives a temperature detection signal from pot sensor 22 indicating that pot temperature t1 has reached a predetermined dry-up temperature, for example 120°C, or calculates from the temperature detection signal from pot sensor 22 that the pot temperature t1 has risen at a predetermined temperature rise rate or more, for example 0.5°C or more in 10 seconds, it determines that the water in pot 14 has run out and the rice to be cooked is done, and moves on to the next steaming process.

[0059] In the steaming process, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the lid heater 33 to be continuously energized so that the lid temperature t2 is maintained at a predetermined temperature based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42, and controls the temperature of the bottom of the pot 14 by continuously controlling the energization and disconnection of the heating coil 21 for a predetermined time to prevent dew from forming on the inner lid 34 and to maintain a high temperature so that the rice inside the pot 14 does not burn. In this steaming process, the heating coil 21 is turned on and off to some extent, so the rice cooking control means 61 controls the power supply pattern in a manner similar to that of the cooking process, in which the length of one cycle is short. The rice cooking control means 61 also controls the solenoid 45 to rotate the pressure adjustment valve 44 to open the steam exhaust path 43, so that the inside of the pot 14 is connected to the outside of the main body 11, and the steam from the food to be cooked is discharged from the steam outlet 25 to the outside of the main body 11 via the steam exhaust path 43. In addition, the display control means 63 controls the LED display unit 27 to turn off the "Pressure" process LED display unit. When the rice cooking control means 61 receives a timing signal indicating a predetermined time from the timing means 55, the rice cooking process is completed with the steaming process being over, and the rice is transferred to the warming process by the warming control means 62.

[0060] In this embodiment, even after the rice cooking control means 61 detects boiling due to a change in the rate of temperature rise of the pan temperature t1 and boiling due to a change in the rate of temperature rise of the lid temperature t2, the current supply pattern of the heating coil 21 is switched during the cooking process and also during the steaming process, so that the rice is cooked by continuing to boil the water for the food to be cooked, and even when the temperature is kept high enough not to burn the rice, the current supply pattern is finely changed to an appropriate level, thereby reducing the risk of uneven cooking of the rice. Note that the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the rice cooking control means 61 is configured to control the current supply pattern to be switched at least once even after the water for the food to be cooked boils, such as by switching the current supply pattern during the steaming process.

[0061] Next, the operation of the rice cooker 1 in the warm-keeping process will be described. Fig. 6 is a graph showing the change over time of temperature t3 in the normal warm-keeping rice cooking course, which is maintained at a predetermined holding temperature as the first warm-keeping heating control in the warm-keeping process of the rice cooker of this embodiment, and temperature t4 in the high-temperature warm-keeping rice cooking course, which is maintained at a high-temperature holding temperature as the second warm-keeping heating control, while Fig. 8 is a graph showing the change over time of pot temperature t1, which is the temperature detected by pot temperature sensor 12, lid temperature t2, which is the temperature detected by lid temperature sensor 31, and temperature t3 in the normal warm-keeping rice cooking course, in the warm-keeping process of the rice cooker of this embodiment.

[0062] The warming process of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 6. First, the graph t3 of the normal warming rice cooking course will be described. The graph is composed of an initial warming period T1 during which the temperature of the rice is at or above a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C or higher, after the initial warming period T1, a warming decrease period T2 during which the temperature of the rice is gradually decreased, which is a predetermined period, for example, within 60 minutes after the warming process is started, and a stable warming period T3 during which the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined warming temperature, for example, 70°C to 76°C, which is a warming temperature range that can suppress the Maillard reaction in the rice, and is kept warm for more than 60 minutes.

[0063] As also shown in FIG. 7, in this embodiment, in the warming process, the warming control means 62 outputs a heating control signal to the side coil driving means 56 and the bottom coil driving means 57 to control the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 so as to maintain the temperature of the rice at a predetermined temperature or a predetermined holding temperature.

[0064] Specifically, when the process shifts to the keeping-warm step in the normal keeping-warm rice cooking course, the keeping-warm control means 62 calculates the temperature of rice as the food to be cooked based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, and as shown in Fig. 7, the heating coil 21 is turned on and off to control the temperature of the pot 14 so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined temperature immediately after cooking, for example, 90°C or higher, to control the temperature of the pot 14, and the temperature of the inner lid 34 is controlled by turning on and off the lid heater 41 based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 to control the temperature of the inner lid 34. The keeping-warm control means 62 also controls the solenoid 45 to close the steam exhaust path 43 with the pressure regulating valve 44, opens the path of the pressure reducing means 48, and operates the vacuum pump 39 continuously to perform evacuation by using the vacuum pump 39 to remove the air from inside the sealed pot 14. In this embodiment, in order to prevent the phenomenon in which the moisture contained in the rice boils and evaporates extremely rapidly, the degree of pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach the boiling point during the warming process. For example, when the rice in pot 14 is at 90°C, the pressure reduction and degassing in pot 14 is set to a degree of pressure reduction that does not fall below 0.7 atm (boiling point of about 90°C), for example 0.8 atm (boiling point of about 94°C). This makes it possible to maintain the freshly cooked state and maintain a taste equivalent to that of freshly cooked rice. The display control means 63 controls the LED display unit 27 to light up the "warm" process LED display unit and the "vacuum" process LED display unit. In addition, the heat retention control means 62 may be configured not to operate the vacuum pump 39 during the initial heat retention period T1, and since the steam exhaust path 43 is blocked by the pressure regulating valve 44, with communication inside and outside the pot 14 blocked after degassing in the steaming step of the rice cooking process, the temperature of the rice to be cooked drops from near the boiling temperature, and the temperature of gases such as steam in the pot 14 also drops and turns into liquid such as water, and the inside of the pot 14 can be put into a reduced pressure degassed state.

[0065] When the heat retention control means 62 receives a timing signal from the timing means 55 indicating that a predetermined time, for example 30 minutes, preferably within 10 minutes, has elapsed from the start of the initial heat retention period T1, it transitions to the heat retention decreasing period T2.

[0066] During the heat retention lowering period T2, the heat retention control means 62 controls the temperature of the pot 14 by controlling the heating coil 21 based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, and controls the temperature of the inner lid 34 by controlling the power on / off of the lid heater 41 based on the temperature t2 detected by the lid temperature sensor 42, thereby lowering the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 to a predetermined heat retention temperature, for example, 70°C to 76°C, over a predetermined time period, for example, 60 minutes, after the start of the heat retention process. The heat retention control means 62 also opens the path of the pressure reduction means 48 and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain a reduced pressure degassed state inside the sealed pot 14. As described above, during the heat retention process, the degree of pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach the boiling point, preventing the phenomenon in which the moisture in the rice boils and evaporates extremely rapidly. As in the initial stage of heat retention T1, the heat retention control means 62 may be configured to block the steam exhaust path 43 with the pressure regulating valve 44 during the heat retention decreasing stage T2 so as not to operate the vacuum pump 39. With communication between the inside and outside of the pot 14 cut off, the temperature of the rice to be cooked is lowered from close to the boiling temperature to a predetermined heat retention temperature. As a result, the temperature of gases such as steam inside the pot 14 also drops and turns into liquid such as water, and the inside of the pot 14 can be put into a reduced pressure degassing state.

[0067] When the heat retention control means 62 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the heat retention process and that the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 has dropped to a predetermined heat retention temperature based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature t2 of the lid temperature sensor 42, it transitions to the next stable heat retention period T3.

[0068] In the stable warming period T3, the warming control means 62 controls the temperature of the pot 14 by controlling the heating coil 21 on and off based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22 so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined warming temperature, and also controls the temperature of the inner lid 34 by controlling the lid heater 41 on and off based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 so that the temperature of the surface of the inner lid 34 facing the pot 14 is also maintained at a predetermined temperature, thereby preventing deterioration of the warming state, such as the rice turning yellow or emitting a unique odor, inside the pot 14. The warming control means 62 also opens the path of the pressure reducing means 48 and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain a reduced pressure degassed state inside the sealed pot 14, and by blocking communication between the inside and outside of the pot 14, degassing and removing oxygen, suppresses oxidative deterioration due to fatty acids in the rice and browning due to the Maillard reaction, suppressing deterioration of the taste, prevents the intrusion of putrefactive bacteria and food poisoning bacteria through the steam holes 25, and also prevents the intrusion of cold air from the outside. As described above, in the warming process, the pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach its boiling point, thereby preventing the water contained in the rice from boiling and evaporating excessively.

[0069] Next, graph t4 of the high-temperature keep-warm rice cooking course will be described. When the high-temperature keep-warm rice cooking course transitions to the keep-warm step, it enters the initial keep-warm period T1' during which the same keep-warm control as the initial keep-warm period T1 of the normal keep-warm rice cooking course is performed, and the keep-warm control means 62 calculates the temperature of the rice as the food to be cooked based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, controls the heating coil 21 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined temperature, and controls the lid heater 41 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the surface of the inner lid 34 facing the pot 14 is maintained at a predetermined temperature. Then, the display control means 63 controls the LED display unit 27 to light up the "keep-warm" process LED display unit and the "vacuum" process LED display unit.

[0070] When the heat retention control means 62 receives a timing signal from the timing means 55 indicating that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the heat retention initial period T1', the means 62 transitions to the first heat retention decreasing period T2'.

[0071] In the first heat retention lowering period T2', heat retention control means 62 controls heating coil 21 based on temperature t1 detected by pot sensor 22 to control the temperature of pot 14, and controls the temperature of inner lid 34 by controlling the on / off of lid heater 41 based on temperature t2 detected by lid temperature sensor 42 to lower the temperature of the rice in pot 14 to a predetermined high-temperature holding temperature, for example, 80°C to 86°C, with 90°C as the upper limit. Heat retention control means 62 also opens the path of pressure reduction means 48 and operates vacuum pump 39 to maintain a reduced pressure degassed state inside sealed pot 14. As described above, in the heat retention process, the degree of pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach the boiling point, preventing the phenomenon in which the water contained in the rice boils and evaporates extremely rapidly.

[0072] When the heat retention control means 62 determines that the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 has dropped to a predetermined high-temperature retention temperature based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature t2 of the lid temperature sensor 42, it transitions to the next high-temperature heat retention stable period T3', which is the first heat retention stable period.

[0073] During the high-temperature stable period T3', the heat retention control means 62 controls the temperature of the pot 14 by controlling the heating coil 21 on and off based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22 so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined high-temperature retention temperature, and also controls the temperature of the inner lid 34 by controlling the lid heater 41 on and off based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 so that the temperature of the surface of the inner lid 34 facing the pot 14 is also maintained at a predetermined high-temperature retention temperature. The heat retention control means 62 also opens the path of the pressure reduction means 48 and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain a reduced pressure degassed state inside the sealed pot 14, and also blocks communication between the inside and outside of the pot 14 to prevent the intrusion of putrefactive bacteria and food poisoning bacteria through the steam hole 25 and to prevent the intrusion of cold air from the outside. As described above, in the heat retention process, the degree of pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach the boiling point, preventing the phenomenon in which the moisture in the rice boils and evaporates extremely rapidly.

[0074] Freshly cooked rice is at a high temperature of nearly 100°C, giving off steam and a volatile aerobic odor, and the moisture retained on the surface of the rice gives it a glossy and transparent appearance, as well as stickiness, sweetness, and umami, all of which make it delicious. The deliciousness of rice is also affected by its temperature when it is eaten, and it is said that the temperature at which rice tastes good when served in a bowl and put in the mouth is 60°C to 70°C (see "Kitaoji Rosanjin's Egg and Rice - An Objective Evaluation of Taste"). However, between serving the rice in a bowl and eating it, the temperature of the rice drops rapidly as it cools down due to the temperature of the bowl it was served in and the surrounding temperature. In order to make the temperature of rice after serving in a bowl 60°C to 70°C, it is necessary to consider the temperature drop of the rice when the lid 12 of the rice cooker 1 is opened, the rice to be cooked is served in a bowl, and the rice in the bowl is eaten. In this embodiment, the high-temperature keeping temperature is set to a temperature higher than the predetermined keeping temperature described above in the high-temperature keeping stable period T3'. Specifically, if the degree of temperature drop of the rice is 20°C, the high-temperature keeping temperature of about 80°C to about 90°C is the temperature at which rice can be eaten deliciously. Here, if the temperature at which rice can be eaten deliciously is 70°C to 76°C, the difference from the high-temperature keeping temperature of 80°C to 90°C is at least 4°C (80°C-76°C) and at most 20°C (90°C-70°C), so it is 12°C (85°C-73°C) based on the median value of each temperature. Therefore, in this embodiment, the temperature of the rice is maintained at a high temperature of, for example, 80°C to 86°C, which is set about 12°C higher than the predetermined warm temperature of 70°C to 76°C, with the upper limit of 90°C, to prevent overheating, and by maintaining a temperature higher than the warm temperature, the deliciousness of rice close to that of freshly cooked rice can be maintained for a longer period of time compared to the normal warm rice cooking course. Note that in this embodiment, the high temperature can be set arbitrarily.

[0075] In today's daily meal pattern, the whole family eats freshly cooked rice for breakfast and dinner, and eats the leftover rice cooked at breakfast for lunch. On the other hand, if the high-temperature insulation period T' is too long, the Maillard reaction will proceed in the rice even when the inside of the pot 14 is in a decompressed degassing state, resulting in a deterioration in taste. In this embodiment, in order to accommodate this meal pattern, the high-temperature insulation period T' consisting of the initial insulation period T1 + the first insulation drop period T2' + the high-temperature insulation stable period T3' is set to a predetermined time of 6 hours or less, and is configured to be shorter than the insulation period T. In addition, in this embodiment, this high-temperature insulation period T' is configured to be arbitrarily variable, for example, in 10-minute increments with an upper limit of 6 hours. The elapsed time from the end of the rice cooking process to the start of a meal and the elapsed time from the end of a meal to the end of a meal differ depending on the circumstances of each household, while the time during which the high-temperature insulation period T', during which the temperature of the rice is equal to or higher than the high-temperature retention temperature, is arbitrarily adjustable depending on the rice cooking situation of each household.

[0076] When the heat retention control means 62 receives a timing signal from the timing means 55 indicating that a predetermined time, that is, a high temperature heat retention period T' has elapsed from the start of the heat retention initial period T1', the means 62 transitions to a second heat retention decreasing period T2''.

[0077] During the second heat retention decreasing period T2", the heat retention control means 62 controls the temperature of the pot 14 by controlling the heating coil 21 based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22, and also controls the temperature of the inner lid 34 by controlling the on / off of the lid heater 41 based on the detected temperature t2 of the lid temperature sensor 42, thereby lowering the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 to a predetermined heat retention temperature, for example, 70°C to 76°C. The heat retention control means 62 also opens the path of the pressure reduction means 48 and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain a reduced pressure and degassed state inside the sealed pot 14. Here, as described above, in the heat retention process, the degree of pressure reduction is set so that the temperature of the rice does not reach the boiling point, preventing the water in the rice from boiling and evaporating extremely rapidly.

[0078] When the heat retention control means 62 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the heat retention process and that the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 has dropped to a predetermined heat retention temperature based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature t2 of the lid temperature sensor 42, it transitions to the second heat retention stable period T3 described above in the normal heat retention rice cooking course.

[0079] Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a rice cooker system 100 including a rice cooker 1 according to the present embodiment. In the figure, the rice cooker 1 installed in a house R is configured to be able to transmit and receive information to and from a server 5 on the cloud via communication means 3 such as the Internet, and is also configured to be able to remotely display information about the rice cooker 1 on the display unit of an information terminal 6. In the present embodiment, the transmitting and receiving means 59 of the rice cooker 1 is configured to transmit and receive various data to and from the server 5 connected to the transmitting and receiving means 59, in addition to the information terminal 6, via the communication means 3.

[0080] The server 5 stores information related to rice cooking, such as information on all rice cooking courses. In addition, the rice cooker 1 and the server 5 are configured to be able to transmit and receive information related to rice cooking via the communication means 3, such as rice settings such as the brand of rice, the pounding precision of the rice, and the freshness of the polished rice, as well as information on rice cooking courses corresponding to settings such as how to cook the rice, the hardness setting, the water hardness setting, and the keep warm setting.

[0081] Next, the operation of the rice cooker system 100 configured as described above will be described. When an application (not shown) serving as an information processing program is launched on the information terminal 6, a signal is sent to the transmission / reception means 59 of the rice cooker 1 via the communication means 3. When the transmission / reception means 59 of the rice cooker 1 receives this signal, the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 sends information on the current rice cooking course to the information terminal via the communication means 3. When the information terminal 6 receives this information, the information on the current rice cooking course of the rice cooker 1 is remotely displayed on the display means 6A of the information terminal 6.

[0082] Here, when the user selects and transmits information on rice settings such as the brand of rice, the milling precision of the rice, and the freshness of the polished rice, information on the settings of the rice cooking course such as the cooking method setting, the hardness setting, the water hardness setting, and the warming setting, and information on the settings of the reserved cooking, using the operation means 6B such as a touch panel of the information terminal 6, this information is sent to the server 5 via the communication means 3. When the server 5 receives this information, the server 5 sends information on the rice cooking course and reserved cooking information corresponding to this information to the rice cooker 1 via the communication means 3. When this information is received, the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 stores the received information on the rice cooking course and reserved cooking as the current rice cooking course in the storage means 54. If this information is reserved cooking, reserved cooking starts in the rice cooker 1, and if this information is a rice cooking course, the rice cooker 1 is set to a state in which cooking starts if an instruction to start cooking is given.

[0083] Furthermore, even if the rice cooker 1 is cooking rice, programming rice, or keeping rice warm, when a signal requesting information transmission is sent from the information terminal 6 to the transmission / reception means 59 of the rice cooker 1 via the communication means 3, the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 sends information on the current status of the rice cooker 1 to the information terminal via the communication means 3. When the information terminal 6 receives this information, the display means 6A of the information terminal 6 remotely displays information on the current status of the rice cooker 1. Therefore, information on programming rice cooker 1, cooking rice, and keeping rice warm, such as the programming time of the rice cooker 1, the current status of the rice cooking process, the time remaining until cooking is completed, the elapsed time of keeping rice warm, and the current temperature at which the rice is kept warm, can be confirmed on the information terminal 6.

[0084] As described above, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a pot 14 that contains rice as the food to be cooked, and a heating coil 21 as heating means for heating the pot 14, and is configured to be able to select a high-temperature warm-keeping rice cooking course in which heating control of the heating means is performed to sequentially carry out an initial warm-keeping period T1' in which the temperature of the rice is maintained at the temperature immediately after cooking, a first warm-keeping descending period T2' in which the temperature of the rice is lowered to a temperature maintained in the first warm-keeping stable period T3', a first warm-keeping stable period T3' in which the temperature of the rice is maintained at 80°C to 86°C, a second warm-keeping descending period T2" in which the temperature of the rice is lowered to a temperature maintained in the second warm-keeping stable period T3, and a second warm-keeping stable period T3 in which the temperature of the rice is maintained at 70°C to 76°C.

[0085] With this configuration, by selecting the high temperature keeping rice cooking course, the temperature of the rice can be kept close to that of freshly cooked rice during the specified high temperature keeping period T' after cooking, and a taste close to that of freshly cooked rice can be maintained.

[0086] In addition, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is equipped with pressure reduction means 48 as a degassing means for degassing the inside of the pot 14 by reducing the pressure inside the pot 14 to a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure, and is configured to maintain the inside of the pot 14 in a reduced pressure state during the warming process, which prevents the rice from reacting with the air and causing a deterioration in taste, prevents the entry of putrefactive bacteria or food poisoning bacteria through the steam vent 25, and also prevents the entry of cold air from the outside.

[0087] Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a transmission / reception means 59 as a communication means capable of communicating with the information terminal 6, and the transmission / reception means 59 is configured to be capable of transmitting information on the rice cooking process being executed by the control means 51, such as information on reserved rice cooking, rice cooking, and keeping warm, such as the reservation time of the rice cooker 1, the current status of the rice cooking process, the remaining time until the completion of cooking, the elapsed time of keeping warm, and the current temperature at which the rice is kept warm, to the information terminal 6. Therefore, the details of the rice cooking process being automatically performed by the rice cooker 1 can be grasped on the information terminal 6, and rice can be cooked in the rice cooker 1 without hassle and with peace of mind.

[0088] Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a transmitting / receiving means 59 as a communication means capable of communicating with the information terminal 6, and is configured to be able to remotely select a high-temperature keeping warm cooking course based on information from the information terminal 6. Therefore, even if you are unable to eat at the end of the rice cooking process, for example, when you are likely to get home later than the time the rice will be cooked, you can remotely select the high-temperature keeping warm cooking course so that you can eat rice that has been kept at a high-temperature keeping temperature close to that of freshly cooked rice.

[0089] 9 to 12 show a modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the period of the initial warm-keeping period T1 is set longer than that of the normal warm-keeping cooking course, and the warm-keeping time and warm-keeping temperature are also displayed on the LCD 26.

[0090] 9 shows a top view of the LCD 26, and the upper side of each drawing will be described as "top", the lower side as "bottom", the left side as "left", and the right side as "right". In the figure, the LCD 26 displays the rice cooking / keeping warm screen G1, and when the user operates the operation means 29 to start cooking the food to be cooked, the display control means 63 causes the LCD 26 to display the rice cooking / keeping warm screen G1 in the layout shown in Fig. 9 as the screen to be displayed on the LCD 26 during the rice cooking process and the keeping warm process.

[0091] 9, the rice cooking / keep-warm screen G1 has a process display area A1 in which five text display elements D1 to D7 are arranged vertically and horizontally at the top. More specifically, the text display element D1 for "cooking rice" and the text display element D2 for "keep-warm" are arranged horizontally, so that the user is reminded that the text display element D1 indicates the rice cooking process and the text display element D2 indicates the keep-warm process. In addition, below the text display element D2 for "keep-warm", the text display element D3 for "initial stage", the text display element D4 for "falling stage", and the text display element D5 for "stable stage" are arranged horizontally, so that the user is reminded that the text display elements D3 to D5 are "keep-warm", that is, one process in the keep-warm process. A gauge display D6 and a pointer display D7 are positioned below the text display D1 for "cooking rice", the text display D3 for "initial stage", the text display D4 for "descent stage", and the text display D5 for "stable stage". The pointer display D7, which indicates the progress of the process, is displayed below any of the text display D1 for "cooking rice", the text display D3 for "initial stage", the text display D4 for "descent stage", and the text display D5 for "stable stage", thereby reminding the user that the process currently being performed by the rice cooker 1 is the process located above the pointer display D7. As shown in Fig. 11(A), the widths of the text display D1 for "cooking rice", the text display D3 for "initial stage", the text display D4 for "descent stage", and the text display D5 for "stable stage" are formed to be approximately the same, and therefore the widths of the range R1 for "cooking rice", the range R2 for "initial stage", the range R3 for "descent stage", and the range R4 for "stable stage" in the gauge display D6 are also formed to be approximately the same. Note that this configuration is just an example, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0092] Below the process display area A1 is a frozen storage information display area A2 which has a freezing recommendation display D8, which shows the recommended period for which rice can be frozen, and a temperature display D9, which shows the current temperature of the food being cooked, arranged side by side.

[0093] At the bottom of the rice cooking / keep-warm screen G1, a clock display area A3 is formed in which three text displays D10-D12 are arranged vertically. To be more specific, on the left side of the clock display area A3, a text display D10 saying "Until it's done" is arranged vertically, suggesting that the number displayed on the clock display D12 is the remaining time until rice cooking is complete, and a text display D11 saying "Keep-warm time" is arranged vertically, suggesting that the number displayed on the clock display D12 is the elapsed time since the rice-keeping process has started, and to the right of these text displays D10 and D11, a clock display D12 is arranged, showing the remaining time until the rice cooking is actually completed, and the elapsed time since the rice-keeping process has started.

[0094] Next, we will explain the operation of the keep-warm process of the rice cooker 1 with the above configuration. Figure 10 shows a graph of the change over time in temperature t3 in the normal keep-warm cooking course as heating control for normal keep-warm in the keep-warm process of the rice cooker of this modified example, and temperature t5 in the keep-warm cooking course for frozen rice as heating control for keep-warm for frozen rice, and Figure 11 shows an explanatory diagram of the change in display of the rice cooking / keep-warm screen G1 during the rice cooking process and the keep-warm process of the rice cooker 1 of this modified example.

[0095] First, referring to Fig. 11(A), the display of the rice cooking / keep warm screen G1 during the rice cooking process will be described. The display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light up the text display D1 for "cooking rice" and the text display D10 for "until it's done" in white letters. The display control means 63 also calculates the time for the rice cooking process of the rice cooking course and the remaining time until the rice cooking is completed from the information on the rice cooking course currently being carried out stored in the storage means 54, and controls the LCD 26 to display the calculated remaining time on the clock display D12, and in Fig. 11(A) "43" minutes is displayed. The display control means 63 then compares the calculated cooking time with the remaining time to calculate the current completion percentage of the cooking process and controls the LCD 26 to display this completion percentage at the position of the pointer display D7 in the ``cooking'' range R1 on the gauge display D6. For example, in Figure 11(A), the pointer display D7 is displayed at approximately the halfway point in the ``cooking'' range R1, so that the user can intuitively know that the cooking process is currently half complete.

[0096] Next, graph t5 of the warm cooking course for frozen rice in Fig. 10 will be described. When the rice cooking process is completed and the process moves to the warm cooking process, the warm control means 62 calculates the temperature of the rice to be cooked based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, and manages the temperature of the pot 14 by controlling the heating coil 21 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the rice is maintained at a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C or higher, and manages the temperature of the inner lid 34 by controlling the lid heater 41 to be turned on and off based on the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 42 so that the temperature of the surface of the inner lid 34 facing the pot 14 is also maintained at a predetermined temperature. III In addition, heat retention control means 62 controls solenoid 45 to close steam exhaust path 43 with pressure regulating valve 44, opens the path of pressure reducing means 48, and operates vacuum pump 39 continuously to perform evacuation by using vacuum pump 39 to remove the air from inside sealed pot 14.

[0097] It is known that in order to freeze cooked rice in a delicious state, it is preferable to freeze the rice quickly while the temperature of the rice is as high as possible. Therefore, in this modified example, the initial warming period T1 of the warm cooking course for frozen rice of this embodiment is set to 1000° C. III is set to be longer than the initial T1 of the normal keep warm cooking course. III For example, if the initial warming time T1 of the normal warming rice cooking course is 0 minutes, the initial warming time T1 of the warming rice cooking course for frozen rice is 0 minutes. III is set to 10 to 20 minutes, and the temperature of the rice to be maintained is set to 95°C or higher. For example, if the initial warming time T1 is 10 minutes, the initial warming time T1 III is set to 20 to 30 minutes, and the rice temperature is set to 93°C or higher. For example, if the initial warming time T1 is 30 minutes, the initial warming time T1 is III The time is set to 40 to 50 minutes, and the temperature of the rice to be maintained is set to 90°C or higher. In the rice cooking course for keeping warm for frozen rice of this modified example, the initial temperature of keeping warm T1 III The freezing time is set to 50 minutes, and the temperature of the rice to be maintained is set to 90 degrees Celsius or higher. By configuring it in this way, the rice can be frozen for a longer period of time while remaining delicious.

[0098] Referring to FIG. 11(B), the initial stage T1 III11B-1. The display of the rice cooking / keep-warm screen G1 in FIG. 11B-1 will be described. The display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light up the text display D2 for "keep warm", the text display D3 for "initial", and the text display D11 for "keep warm time" in white text, and to light up the freezing recommendation display D8. The display control means 63 also calculates the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, and controls the LCD 26 to display the calculated temperature of the rice on the temperature display D9, and "98"°C is displayed in FIG. 11B-1. The display control means 63 also controls the LCD 26 to display the time elapsed since the start of the keep-warm process on the clock display D12 based on the timing signal of the clock means 55, and "10" minutes is displayed in FIG. 11B-1. This configuration allows the user to grasp information necessary for freezing rice, such as the elapsed time during keep-warm, the current temperature of the rice, and an indication of whether the rice is suitable for freezing.

[0099] The display control means 63 also displays the warming start time T1 of the currently executed rice cooking course stored in the storage means 54. III The information on the time elapsed since the start of the warming process is compared with the information on the time elapsed since the start of the warming process, and the current initial warming time T1 III The LCD 26 is controlled so that the progress rate of the warming process is calculated and displayed at the position of the pointer display D7 in the "initial" range R2 of the gauge display D6. For example, in FIG. 11(B-1), the pointer display D7 is displayed at the left end position of the "initial" range R2, so the user can see that the warming process is currently in the warming initial period T1. III You can intuitively tell that the transition to this system has only just begun.

[0100] The display control means 63 calculates the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22, and displays the elapsed time of the warming process based on the timing signal of the timing means 55, and displays the current warming initial time T1 IIIFor example, when 30 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, the temperature display D9 displays "95"°C, the clock display D12 displays "30" minutes, and the pointer display D7 is displayed approximately halfway in the "initial" range R2, as shown in Fig. 11(B-2). Also, when 30 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, the temperature display D9 displays "90"°C, the clock display D12 displays "50" minutes, and the pointer display D7 is displayed at the right end of the "initial" range R2, as shown in Fig. 11(B-3).

[0101] The heat retention control means 62 counts the time from the start of the heat retention process to the initial heat retention time T1 III When a timing signal indicating that the time set in has elapsed is received, the temperature is transferred to the temperature-retention decreasing period T2.

[0102] During the heat retention lowering phase T2, the heat retention control means 62 lowers the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 to a predetermined heat retention temperature over a predetermined period of time, for example 120 minutes, from the start of the heat retention process, as in the normal heat retention rice cooking course, and opens the path of the pressure reduction means 48 and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain the reduced pressure and degassing state inside the sealed pot 14.

[0103] Referring to FIG. 11(C), the display of the rice cooking / keeping-warm screen G1 during the keeping-warm descending period T2 of the keeping-warm process will be described. The display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light up the text display D2 for "keeping-warm", the text display D4 for "descending period", and the text display D11 for "keeping-warm time" in white letters, and to light up the freezing recommendation display D8. The display control means 63 also calculates the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22, and displays the elapsed time of the warming process based on the timing signal of the timing means 55. For example, when 58 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, as shown in Figure 11 (C-1), the temperature display D9 displays "84" ° C and the clock display D12 displays "58" minutes; when 90 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, as shown in Figure 11 (C-2), the temperature display D9 displays "79" ° C and the clock display D12 displays "1:30" minutes; and when 120 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, as shown in Figure 11 (C-3), the temperature display D9 displays "76" ° C and the clock display D12 displays "2:00" minutes.

[0104] 12 to explain the display position of the pointer display D7 in range R3 of the "descent period" of the gauge display D6, the display control means 63 calculates the amount of decrease in rice temperature per unit time from information about the rice temperature calculated based on the detected temperature t1 of the pan sensor 22 and the timing signal of the timing means 55. For example, when the temperature of the rice has decreased to Te°C in Ti seconds upon entering the heat retention decrease period T2, the amount of decrease in the rice temperature per second is calculated as Te°C / Ti seconds. The display control means 63 compares the information on the rice temperature calculated based on the temperature t1 detected by the pan sensor 22 with the warming temperature maintained in the warming stable period T3, calculates the time required for the temperature to drop to the warming temperature by applying the amount of drop in the rice temperature per second, compares this calculated time with the information on the time elapsed since the transition to the warming descending period T2, calculates the elapsed percentage of the warming descending period T2 at the current time, and controls the LCD 26 to display this elapsed percentage at the position of the pointer display D7 in the range R3 of the "descent period" on the gauge display D6. For example, in Fig. 11(C-1), the pointer display D7 is displayed at the left end position in the range R3 of the "descent period", so that the user can intuitively know that the transition to the warming descending period T2 of the warming process has not been long yet. Similarly, in FIG. 11(C-2), pointer display D7 is displayed approximately halfway within range R3 of the "descent period," allowing the user to intuitively know that approximately halfway has passed since the transition to the insulation-retention descending period T2 of the insulation process; and in FIG. 11(C-3), pointer display D7 is displayed at the rightmost position within range R3 of the "descent period," allowing the user to intuitively know that the insulation-retention descending period T2 of the insulation process is about to end.

[0105] When the heat retention control means 62 determines that a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the heat retention process and that the temperature of the rice inside the pot 14 has dropped to a predetermined heat retention temperature based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22 and the detected temperature t2 of the lid temperature sensor 42, it transitions to the next stable heat retention period T3.

[0106] During the stable warming period T3, the warming control means 62 controls the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 to maintain the temperature of the rice at a predetermined warming temperature, as in the normal warming rice cooking course, opens the path of the pressure reduction means 48, and operates the vacuum pump 39 to maintain the reduced pressure and degassing state inside the sealed pot 14.

[0107] 11(D), the display of the rice cooking / keep-warm screen G1 during the warm-keeping stable period T3 of the warm-keeping process will be described. The display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light up the text display D2 for "keep warm", the text display D5 for "stable period", and the text display D11 for "keep-warm time" in white letters, and to light up the freezing recommendation display D8. The display control means 63 also calculates the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 based on the temperature t1 detected by the pot sensor 22, and displays the elapsed time of the warm-keeping process based on the timing signal of the clock means 55. For example, when 150 minutes have elapsed since the start of the warm-keeping process, the temperature display D9 displays "73"°C, and the clock display D12 displays "2:30" minutes, as shown in FIG. 11(D-1).

[0108] As described above, in order to freeze cooked rice in a delicious state, it is preferable to freeze the rice quickly while the temperature of the rice is as high as possible, but on the other hand, a long warming time is not suitable for freezing rice deliciously. In this modification, when the display control means 63 receives a timing signal from the timing means indicating that a predetermined time, such as 30 minutes, has elapsed since the transition to the warming stable period T3, it controls the LCD 26 to turn off the freezing recommendation indicator D8 and the temperature indicator D9, as shown in Fig. 11 (D-2). Therefore, the user can intuitively know that the rice in the pot 14 is not suitable for freezing due to the elapsed warming time.

[0109] The display control means 63 calculates and displays the temperature of the rice in the pot 14 based on the detected temperature t1 of the pot sensor 22. For example, when 150 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, the clock display D12 displays "2:30" as shown in Figure 11 (D-1), when 210 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, the clock display D12 displays "3:30" as shown in Figure 11 (D-2), and when 600 minutes have passed since the start of the warming process, the clock display D12 displays "10:00" as shown in Figure 11 (D-3).

[0110] The display control means 63 also compares the information on the stable warming period T3 of the currently running rice cooking course stored in the memory means 54 with the information on the elapsed time since the start of the warming process to calculate the current elapsed percentage of the stable warming period T3 and controls the LCD 26 to display this elapsed percentage at the position of the pointer display D7 in the range R5 of the ``stable period'' on the gauge display D6. For example, in Figure 11 (D-1), the pointer display D7 is displayed at the left end position of the range R5 of the ``stable period'', so that the user can intuitively know that the rice has not yet entered the stable warming period T3 of the warming process. Similarly, in FIG. 11(D-2), pointer display D7 is displayed approximately halfway within range R5 of the "stable period," allowing the user to intuitively know that approximately halfway has passed since the transition to the stable insulation period T3 of the insulation process; and in FIG. 11(C-2), pointer display D7 is displayed at the rightmost position within range R5 of the "stable period," allowing the user to intuitively know that the stable insulation period T3 of the insulation process is about to end.

[0111] In this modified example, the warm cooking course for frozen rice is based on the premise that cooked rice is frozen, and the initial warming period T1 III The rice is heated to a high temperature of 90°C or higher and kept at this temperature for a longer period than the initial temperature T1 of the normal rice cooking course. IIIIn the case of keeping rice at high temperature for a long time, the Maillard reaction is accelerated in the rice, causing the rice to turn yellow (brown) and develop a warm odor (anaerobic odor) due to oxidation and deterioration at an early stage. In addition, the rice is more likely to dehydrate, which is a factor in the deterioration of the taste. For this reason, in this modified example, the warming time T III is configured to be set shorter than the warming time T of the normal warm cooking course. For example, when the warming time T of the normal warm cooking course is 12 hours or less, the warming time T of the warm cooking course for frozen rice is set shorter than the warming time T of the normal warm cooking course. III is set to 8 hours or less. For example, if the warming time T of the normal warm cooking course is 24 hours or less, the warming time T of the warm cooking course for frozen rice is set to 8 hours or less. III is set to 18 hours or less. For example, if the warming time T of the normal warming rice cooking course is 40 hours or less, the warming time T of the warming rice cooking course for frozen rice is set to 18 hours or less. III is set within 30 hours. Here, the warming time T III is the initial heat retention T1 III + Temperature drop period T2 + Temperature stable period T3, so the initial temperature T1 III is set to a longer time than the initial warming period T1 in the normal warm cooking course, the stable warming period T3 in the warm cooking course for frozen rice is set to a shorter time.

[0112] As described above, in the rice cooker 1 of this modified example, it is possible to select a warm rice cooking course for frozen rice as a rice cooking course that performs heating control in the warming process suitable for freezing rice as the food to be cooked. In the heating control in the warm rice cooking course for frozen rice, the temperature of the food to be cooked immediately after cooking is maintained at a predetermined temperature of, for example, 90° C. or higher during the initial warming period T1. III is longer than the initial warming period T1 in the normal warming rice cooking course and the initial warming period T1' in the high temperature warming rice cooking course.

[0113] By configuring it in this way, the time for which rice can be frozen while remaining delicious can be secured for a longer period of time.

[0114] Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 of this modified example is configured to include an LCD 26 of the display means 28 that can display the temperature of the rice during the keeping-warm process on the rice cooking / keeping-warm screen G1, allowing the user to know the current rice temperature as information necessary for freezing the rice.

[0115] 13 shows a further modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the heating control in the warming process is performed according to the brand of rice used for cooking.

[0116] For example, varieties of low amylose rice with an amylose content of about 3 to 17%, such as Milky Queen, Yumepirika, Pikamaru, Yumegokochi, Takitate, Awayuki Komachi, and Date Masayume, are characterized by being sticky and delicious even when cooled. In this modified example, when a rice cooking course is set, for example, when these branded rice varieties, which have a relatively high degree of gelatinization by cooking and are difficult to age, are selected and set, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to perform the heat retention process by setting the predetermined heat retention temperature to a "low temperature" as low as possible within a range of 65°C or more that suppresses the growth of putrefactive bacteria in rice and 80°C or less at which browning progresses early, for example, 65°C to 70°C. Therefore, the heat retention temperature is set low within a range of 65°C or more that suppresses the growth of putrefactive bacteria in rice and 80°C or less at which browning progresses early, for example, 70°C or less, and the deterioration of the taste of the rice due to heat retention in the heat retention process is suppressed.

[0117] Also, for example, varieties of high amylose rice, such as Hoshiyutaka, Yumejuiro, and Kitamizuho, ​​which have an amylose content of about 30%, have little stickiness, and when cooked normally, the rice becomes crumbly and has a dry or light texture, and is considered to be suitable for dishes that utilize this texture, such as curry rice, pilaf, butter rice, garlic rice, paella, risotto, dry curry, and fried rice. These varieties of high amylose rice have the characteristic that they age quickly and become hard quickly when cooled. Therefore, in this modified example, when these brand rices are selected and set when setting the rice cooking course, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to perform the heat retention process by setting the predetermined heat retention temperature to the highest possible temperature within the range of 65°C to 80°C, for example, 75°C to 80°C, as the "high temperature".

[0118] In the case of a variety between a low amylose rice variety and a high amylose rice variety, for example, when these branded rice varieties are selected and set when the rice cooking course is set, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to set the predetermined heat retention temperature to a temperature near the middle of the range of temperatures from 65°C to 80°C, for example, 70°C to 76°C as described above in the first embodiment, and perform the heat retention process. If the branded rice selected here is, for example, Koshihikari, which has an amylose content of around 17%, for example, when Koshihikari is selected and set when the rice cooking course is set, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to set the predetermined heat retention temperature to a low temperature within the range of temperatures from 70°C to 76°C as described above, for example, 70°C to 72°C, and perform the heat retention process. Furthermore, if the selected brand of rice is, for example, Sasanishiki, which has a higher amylose content of 20% to 23% than Koshihikari, then when Sasanishiki is selected and set when setting the rice cooking course, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to set the specified heat retention temperature to a high temperature within the aforementioned range of 70°C to 76°C, for example 73°C to 75°C, and perform the heat retention process.

[0119] As described above, if rice is kept at a high temperature for a long time, the Maillard reaction is promoted in the rice, causing the rice to turn yellow (brown) and to produce a warming odor (anaerobic odor) due to oxidation and deterioration at an early stage. In addition, the rice is more likely to be dehydrated, which causes the taste to deteriorate. Therefore, in this modification, when the predetermined warming temperature is set to a "low temperature" of, for example, 65°C to 70°C, the warming control means 63 sets the warming time T of the rice cooking course to 24 hours and carries out the warming process, when the predetermined warming temperature is set to a "high temperature" of, for example, 75°C to 80°C, the warming time T of the rice cooking course is set to 12 hours and the warming process is carried out, and when the predetermined warming temperature is set to, for example, 70°C to 76°C, the warming time T of the rice cooking course is set to 18 hours and the warming process is carried out. In this manner, in this modification, the warming time T of the rice cooking course, which is the suitable warming time, is variable according to the predetermined warming temperature. Note that the value of the warming time T is only an example, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0120] As described above, in the rice cooker 1 of this modified example, the warming control means 63 is configured to perform heating control of the warming process according to the brand of rice used for cooking, and the rice can be kept warm in an appropriate manner according to the origin, variety, brand, and rice quality characteristics of the rice being cooked.

[0121] 14 shows a further modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the heating control in the warming process is performed according to the milling precision of the rice used for cooking.

[0122] It is known that rice is available in a variety of types, such as brown rice, 30% polished rice, 50% polished rice, 70% polished rice, polished rice, and germ rice, depending on the polishing precision during polishing, and also known to have no-rinse rice. It is also known that the higher the polishing precision, such as 30% polished rice, 50% polished rice, 70% polished rice, and polished rice, based on brown rice as a standard, the better the water absorption during cooking, the easier it is to gelatinize, the more sticky it becomes, and the more popular the taste becomes for everyone, while it is known that a lower polishing precision allows for a richer intake of nutrients, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, in this modified example, when these polishing precisions of rice are selected and set when setting the rice cooking course, for example, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to carry out the heat retention process by setting a predetermined heat retention temperature corresponding to the selected polishing precision of rice.

[0123] In this modified example, when the warming time T of the rice cooking course, which is the suitable warming time, exceeds 12 hours, the warming temperature during the stable warming period T3 is changed. Specifically, within 12 hours from the start of the warming process, the warming temperature during the stable warming period T3 is temporarily set to a lower temperature to prevent spoilage of the rice in the pot 14 and the growth of food poisoning bacteria, and to prevent discoloration and odor generation due to the Maillard reaction, and when 12 hours have passed since the start of the warming process, the warming temperature during the stable warming period T3 is set to a higher predetermined warming temperature to maintain the taste.

[0124] Explaining with reference to FIG. 14, germinated brown rice and 30% milled rice, which have a low milling accuracy, have more bran than polished rice, and the taste of the rice deteriorates early, so the low temperature for 12 hours after the start of the warming process T is 62°C, and the specified temperature when the warming time T exceeds 12 hours is 70°C, which is set as low as possible within the range of the warming temperature from about 65°C, which suppresses the growth of spoilage bacteria in rice, to 80°C, which causes early browning. As the milling accuracy increases, the low temperature and the specified temperature are set higher, and for polished rice, premium white rice, and pre-washed rice, which have a high milling accuracy and can be cooked as is without washing, the low temperature is set to 68°C and the specified temperature is set to 73°C, which are almost the same as the settings for the normal warming cooking course. In addition, the same settings as for germinated brown rice and 30% milled rice are adopted for brown rice, and the same settings as for 30% milled rice are adopted for germinated rice. By configuring it in this way, when keeping warm rice made from rice with different milling precision during milling, it is possible to maintain the optimum warming temperature according to the milling precision of the rice. Note that these values ​​are merely examples, and the lower warming temperature, the specified warming temperature, and the warming time limit as the suitable warming time may be changed as appropriate according to the characteristics of the rice cooker 1 and the user's taste preferences.

[0125] If the rice to be kept warm is not polished rice, such as brown rice, enzyme brown rice, mixed grains, or wheat, the low warming temperature and the specified warming temperature are set low. For example, for brown rice, the low warming temperature is set to 62°C and the specified warming temperature is set to 70°C, for germ rice, the low warming temperature is set to 65°C and the specified warming temperature is set to 70°C, and for enzyme brown rice, the low warming temperature is set to 62°C and the specified warming temperature is set to 65°C. For mixed grains and wheat, the warming time T for the rice cooking course is limited to 12 hours, and the low warming temperature is set to 63°C. These values ​​are merely examples.

[0126] As described above, in the rice cooker 1 of this modified example, the warming control means 63 is configured to control the heating of the warming process according to the milling quality of the rice used for cooking, and the optimum warming temperature can be maintained according to the milling quality of the rice to be cooked.

[0127] 15 shows a further modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the heating control in the warming process is performed according to the freshness of the polished rice used for cooking.

[0128] Commercially available bags of polished rice are labeled with the "milling date" in "year, month, and season (early / mid / late)," so that buyers can easily know when the rice was polished. The longer the time has passed since polishing non-glutinous rice, the more the quality of the taste and flavor of the cooked rice deteriorates, i.e., the rice becomes old. Compared to rice cooked from new rice, rice cooked from polished rice that has become old is not shiny, is flaky, has no stickiness, and has a poor chewing taste. In addition, when polished rice that has become old is stored, the lipids in the rice are hydrolyzed and the free fatty acids increase, and these free fatty acids form amylose and helix, which inhibits the swelling of starch during cooking, resulting in less swelling of the rice grains and a hard, less sticky rice. The lipids and free fatty acids are then oxidized by oxygen in the air, and the characteristic old rice odor becomes an anaerobic odor, which causes the rice's taste and flavor to deteriorate even further. Therefore, in this modified example, for example, when the rice milling freshness of these rice is selected and set when setting the rice cooking course, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to carry out the heat retention process by setting a predetermined heat retention temperature corresponding to the selected rice milling freshness.

[0129] In this modified example, within 12 hours from the start of the insulation process, the insulation temperature during the insulation stable period T3 is temporarily set to a lower temperature to prevent spoilage of the rice in the pot 14 and the growth of food poisoning bacteria, and to prevent discoloration and odor generation due to the Maillard reaction, and if 12 hours have passed since the start of the insulation process, the insulation temperature during the insulation stable period T3 is set to a higher predetermined insulation temperature to maintain the flavor.

[0130] Explaining with reference to Fig. 15, for rice that has been polished for less than 10 days, i.e., so-called new rice, the low temperature is set to 68°C within 12 hours of the start of the heat retention process T, and the specified temperature is set to 74°C when the heat retention time T exceeds 12 hours, which are almost the same as the settings for the normal heat retention rice cooking course. As the time that has passed since polishing increases, the low temperature and the specified temperature are set lower. For rice that has been polished for more than three months, the low temperature is set to 64°C and the specified temperature is set to 71°C, which are set lower within the range of temperatures for heat retention from around 65°C, which suppresses the growth of putrefactive bacteria in rice, to 80°C, which causes early browning. For rice that has been polished for more than six months, the low temperature is set to 63°C and the specified temperature is set to 70°C, which is even lower, and the limit of the suitable heat retention time is reduced to within 24 hours. For rice that has been milled for more than a year, i.e., so-called old rice, the lower warming temperature is set to 62°C, and the warming time limit is reduced to 12 hours or less. With this configuration, when keeping warm rice made from rice with different milling freshness, it is possible to maintain the optimum warming temperature according to the milling freshness of the rice, and even when keeping warm rice made from rice with a lower milling freshness, deterioration in the taste of the rice can be suppressed. Note that these values ​​are merely examples, and the lower warming temperature, the specified warming temperature, and the warming time limit as the preferred warming time may be changed as appropriate according to the characteristics of the rice cooker 1 and the user's taste preferences.

[0131] As described above, in the rice cooker 1 of this modified example, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to control the heating of the heat retention process according to the freshness of the polished rice used for cooking, and the heat retention temperature can be maintained at an optimum level according to the freshness of the polished rice of the rice to be cooked.

[0132] 16 shows a further modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the first embodiment. In this modified example, the heating control in the warming process is performed according to the hardness of the water used for cooking the rice.

[0133] Regarding the hardness of the water used for the food to be cooked, the harder the water, the lower the water absorption characteristics, and the harder the cooked rice becomes, resulting in a dry taste. Rice cooked using hard water has a relatively low degree of gelatinization and tends to be prone to aging. Therefore, in this modified example, when the hardness of the water used for the food to be cooked is selected and set when setting the rice cooking course, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to carry out the heat retention process by setting a predetermined heat retention temperature corresponding to the selected hardness of the water.

[0134] 16, when the water hardness of the food used for cooking is between 0 mg / L and 20 mg / L, the low warming temperature is set to 68°C for 12 hours after the start of the warming process T, and the predetermined warming temperature when the warming time T exceeds 12 hours is set to 74°C, which are almost the same as the settings for the normal warming cooking course. Also, as the water hardness increases, the low warming temperature and the predetermined warming temperature are set lower, and when the water hardness of the food used for cooking is between 40 mg / L and 60 mg / L, which is the average water hardness, the low warming temperature is set to 68°C for 12 hours after the start of the warming process T, and the predetermined warming temperature when the warming time T exceeds 12 hours is set to 74°C. When the water hardness of the food to be cooked is 60 mg / L or more and less than 80 mg / L, the low warming temperature is set to 65°C, the predetermined warming temperature is set to 73°C, and the warming time limit as the suitable warming time is reduced to within 24 hours. When the water hardness of the food to be cooked is 60 mg / L or more and less than 80 mg / L, the low warming temperature is set to 65°C, the predetermined warming temperature is set even lower at 72°C, and the warming time limit is reduced to within 12 hours. By configuring in this way, when keeping rice cooked using water with different hardness of the water to be cooked warm, it is possible to maintain the optimal warming temperature according to the hardness of the water to be cooked, and to further suppress the deterioration of the taste of the rice. Note that these values ​​are only examples, and the low warming temperature, the predetermined warming temperature, and the warming time limit as the suitable warming time may be changed as appropriate depending on the characteristics of the rice cooker 1 and the user's taste preferences.

[0135] As described above, in the rice cooker 1 of this modified example, the heat retention control means 63 is configured to control the heating of the heat retention process according to the hardness of the water used for cooking the rice, and the optimum heat retention temperature can be maintained according to the hardness of the water used for the food being cooked. EXAMPLES

[0136] 17 to 20 show a second embodiment of the rice cooker 1 of the present invention. Conventionally, there are users who do not know that the soaking process and the steaming process are incorporated in the rice cooking process, and even if they know that they are incorporated, there are users who believe the tradition that in order to cook rice deliciously, it is better to let the rice in the pot 14 absorb water thoroughly from various information, and users who are worried that the rice will not be cooked deliciously unless the rice is sufficiently absorbed. These users soak the rice in the pot 14, which is the food to be cooked, in water for about 30 minutes in summer or about 2 hours in winter, before starting cooking rice with the rice cooker 1, and then start cooking. However, in these cases, there was dissatisfaction that the time of the rice cooking process is unnecessarily long because the soaking process, which is a process of initial rice absorption, is incorporated in the rice cooking process. Furthermore, these users were dissatisfied with the fact that while the soaking process was completed when the rice cooking process was finished, an additional 10 to 20 minutes of soaking was added after the rice cooking process was completed. As the soaking process, which is a process that takes place after cooking the rice, was incorporated, the rice cooking process time was unnecessarily long and the timing for loosening the rice in pot 14 after cooking was delayed. There was also a concern that this could be a factor in degrading the taste of the cooked rice.

[0137] On the other hand, there is also information shown on TV and the Internet that suggests, for example, "soak the rice in water and chill it in the refrigerator for at least six hours. The lower the temperature, the more slowly the water will penetrate and reach the inside of the rice," or "cook the rice using the quick cook setting. Rice that has been thoroughly soaked will taste crisper if cooked all at once." Since rice tastes better when it is cooked by allowing the rice to absorb water slowly and omitting the soaking process, there was also a demand from users to be able to cook rice using their own customized cooking process.

[0138] In this embodiment, the purpose is to provide a rice cooker that allows the user to cook rice in a cooking process that is tailored to the user's own taste, and the device is configured to include a process setting means that can set the contents of the soaking and steaming processes, and a process display means that displays the process being carried out in the rice cooking process.

[0139] FIG. 17 shows a top view of the LCD 26, and in each drawing, the upper side is referred to as "upper", the lower side as "lower", the left side as "left" and the right side as "right". In the drawing, 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. 17 as the normal 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.

[0140] The top screen G1 will be explained with reference to Fig. 17. At the top, a first process display area A5 is formed with three lamp indicators D21-D23 arranged side by side. To be more specific, the following lamp indicators are arranged side by side in order to display the process currently being performed by the rice cooker 1: the standby process lamp indicator D21, which lights up to indicate that the current process is a standby process before moving to the rice cooking process in the reserved rice cooking; the rice cooking process lamp indicator D22, which flashes to indicate that the current process is a soaking process in the rice cooking process and lights up to indicate that the current process is a boiling heating process or a continuous boiling process in the rice cooking process; and the steaming / keeping warm process lamp indicator D23, which flashes to indicate that the current process is a steaming process in the rice cooking process and lights up to indicate that the current process is a keeping warm process.

[0141] Below the first process display area A5, a second process display area A6 is formed in which process indicators D24 to D28 are arranged side by side. Here, the process indicator D24 for "standby" includes the text "standby". Similarly, the process indicator D25 for "soaking" includes the text "soaking", the process indicator D26 for "cooking rice" includes the text "cooking rice", the process indicator D27 for "steaming" includes the text "steaming", and the process indicator D28 for "keep warm" includes the text "keep warm".

[0142] The process indicators D24 to D28 display the processes that the rice cooker 1 will carry out or the process that is currently being carried out. In this embodiment, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 not to display the process indicators D24 to D28 corresponding to processes that the rice cooker 1 will not carry out or processes that have been carried out, but to place the cursor C (see Figure 20) on the process indicators D24 to D28 corresponding to the process that the rice cooker 1 is currently carrying out and display them in white letters, and to display the process indicators D24 to D28 corresponding to the processes that the rice cooker 1 is carrying out.

[0143] Below the second process display area A6, a time display area A7 is formed, which displays the current time and the remaining time in the rice cooking process. Specifically, on the left side of the time display area A7, a text display D31 called "Clock", which suggests that the numbers displayed on the time display D32 are the current time, and a time display D32 displaying the current time are arranged vertically. On the right side of the time display area A7, a text display D33 called "Cooked", which suggests that the numbers displayed on the remaining time display D34 are the time remaining until rice cooking is complete, and a remaining time display D34 displaying the remaining time, which is the time remaining until rice cooking is actually completed, are arranged vertically.

[0144] In this embodiment, the first step display area A5, the second step display area A6, and the time display area A7 function as display means for displaying various information related to rice cooking. The second step display area A6 and the time display area A7 are displayed within a rectangular frame 71, and the frame 71 functions as status display means for displaying the status of the rice cooker 1.

[0145] To the right of the frame 71, a time adjustment display area A8 is formed in which the display of the time display D32 and the remaining time display D34 can be adjusted. Specifically, in the time adjustment display area A8, a time adjustment button display B35, a numeric increase button display B36, and a numeric decrease button display B37 are arranged vertically. Here, the time adjustment button display B35 includes a clock mark display D35 displaying a clock mark. Similarly, the numeric increase button display B36 includes a mark display D36 that resembles "▲", and the numeric decrease button display B37 includes a mark display D37 that resembles "▼".

[0146] The time adjustment button display B35, the value increase button display B36, and the value decrease button display B37 are operated when adjusting the display of the time display D32 and the display of the remaining time display D34. When the time adjustment button display B35 is touched, the control means 51 receives an operation signal from the operation means 29 arranged on top of the time adjustment button display B35, and the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to, for example, blink the time display D32 to notify the user that the display of the time display D32 can be changed. When the time adjustment button display B35 is touched again in this state, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to, for example, return the time display D32 to a lit display and blink the remaining time display D34 to notify the user that the display of the remaining time display D34 can be changed. Here, when the numeric value increase button display B36 or the numeric value decrease button display B37 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to change the display of the blinking display, for example the remaining time display D34, to correspond to the touched button display. In this way, when the time adjustment button display B35 is touched again after adjusting the display of the time display D32 or the remaining time display D34, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to cancel the blinking display of the remaining time display D34 and turn it on. Therefore, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to switch the display of the time display D32 to the blinking display of the remaining time display D34 and turn it on each time the time adjustment button display B35 is touched.

[0147] At the bottom of the top screen G1, on the left side, a process adjustment display area A9 is formed, which allows the user to adjust whether or not a process is on, and on the right side of the process adjustment display area A9, an "OFF" button display B45 and a "cooking rice" button display B46 are arranged side by side. Here, the "OFF" button display B45 includes a text display D45 that reads "OFF", and the "cooking rice" button display B46 includes a text display D46 that reads "cooking rice".

[0148] At the top of the process adjustment display area A9, there is a text display D41 called "Process Selection" which reminds the user that the button displays B42-B44 are operated to select whether or not a process is included, and below the "Process Selection" text display D41, there are arranged a cursor left movement button display B42, a process determination button display B44, and a cursor left movement button display B43 side by side. Here, the cursor left movement button display B42 includes a left-facing triangular mark display D42, and similarly, the process determination button display B44 includes a "●" mark display D44, and the cursor right movement button display B43 includes a right-facing triangular mark display D43.

[0149] The cursor left movement button display B42, the step determination button display B44, and the cursor left movement button display B43 are operated when selecting whether or not to include a step in the rice cooking step or the warming step. With reference to FIG. 18, when the frame 71 is in the state of FIG. 18(A), the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to move the cursor C to any of the step displays D24 to D28 in the second step display area A6, for example, the last selected step, and to blink the cursor C, thereby informing the user that the step can be selected. In this state, when the cursor left movement button display B42 or the cursor left movement button display B43 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to move the cursor C to the left or right corresponding to the touched button display and to blink the cursor C, for example, to move the cursor C to the step display D25 of "soaking" and to blink the cursor C.

[0150] Here, when the process determination button indicator B44 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to turn off the process indicator where the cursor C is currently located if it is on, and to turn on the process indicator if it is off, for example, in this case, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to turn off the process indicator D25 for "soaking" if it is on, as shown in Fig. 18(B). The display control means 63 also controls the LCD 26 to extract information on the currently displayed process, for example, the waiting process, boiling heating process, continuing boiling process, steaming process, and keeping warm process, from the information on the rice cooking process stored in the storage means 54, calculate the expected end time of the rice cooking process when the current time is set as the start time, and display it on the remaining time indicator D34, for example, to display "18:00" on the remaining time indicator D34.

[0151] Also, for example, when the LCD26 is controlled to change the "standby" process indicator D24 to an off state as shown in FIG. 18(C), the display control means 63 extracts information on the soaking process, the boiling heating process, the continuing boiling process, the steaming process, and the keeping warm process, calculates the expected end time of the rice cooking process when the current time is set as the start time, and controls the LCD26 to display this on the remaining time indicator D34; in this case, the display control means 63 controls the LCD26 to display "17:45" on the remaining time indicator D34.

[0152] For example, when the LCD26 is controlled to change the "standby" process indicator D24 and the "soaking" process indicator D25 to an off state as shown in FIG. 18(D), the display control means 63 extracts information on the boiling and heating process, the continuing boiling process, the steaming process, and the keeping warm process, calculates the expected end time of the rice cooking process when the current time is set as the start time, and controls the LCD26 to display this on the remaining time indicator D34. In this case, the LCD26 is controlled to display "17:30" on the remaining time indicator D34. Similarly, the "standby" process indicator D24 is turned off as shown in FIG. 18(E). When the LCD26 is controlled to change the "soaking" process indicator D25 and the "steaming" process indicator D27 to an off state, the display control means 63 controls the LCD26 to display "17:15" in the remaining time indicator D34, and when the LCD26 is controlled to change the "standby" process indicator D24, the "soaking" process indicator D25, the "steaming" process indicator D27, and the "keep warm" process indicator D28 to an off state as shown in Figure 18 (E), the display control means 63 controls the LCD26 to display "17:15" in the remaining time indicator D34.

[0153] By configuring it in this way, for example, the user can omit the waiting process, soaking process, and steaming process, and perform a rice cooking process in which the rice to be cooked is soaked or steamed after the boiling continuation process is performed manually in his / her own way, or perform a rice cooking process in which the rice is promptly frozen after cooking without performing the warming process, etc. The user can set the rice cooking process by selecting whether or not to include any process at will. Therefore, for example, it is possible to prevent the user from excessively overlapping the soaking process or steaming process already incorporated in the rice cooking process by performing further "soaking" or "steaming" by himself / herself, which may result in extra cooking time being spent or the taste of the cooked rice being deteriorated.

[0154] The "OFF" button display section B45 is operated when stopping cooking or keeping rice warm. When the "OFF" button display section B45 is touched, the rice cooking control means 61 controls the heating of the food in the pot 14 and the scheduled cooking to be stopped and turned off, and the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to display the top screen G1 with the settings from the most recent time when rice was cooked, i.e., the settings stored in the memory means 48.

[0155] The "Cooking" button display section B46 is operated when starting cooking rice or scheduled cooking. When the "Cooking" button display section B46 is touched, the cooking control means 61 stores the process settings currently displayed on the top screen G1 in the memory means 54 as the settings for the current cooking course, and controls the start of cooking for the food to be cooked in the main body 11 using the settings for the current cooking course stored in the memory means 54.

[0156] Next, the operation of the rice cooker 1 configured as described above in the rice cooking process and the warming process will be described. Fig. 19 is an explanatory diagram showing the transition of the display of the first process display area A5, the second process display area A6, and the time display area A7 as display means in the rice cooking process and the warming process.

[0157] The operation of this embodiment during rice cooking will be described below. Rice and water are placed in the pot 14 as the food to be cooked, and the pot is then placed in the pot housing 13 of the main body 11, after which the lid 12 is closed. Around the same time, when the power plug of the rice cooker 1 is inserted into an outlet and power is applied, the rice cooker 1 goes into an initial off (standby) state in which neither cooking nor keeping rice warm is being performed, and the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to display the current process settings stored in the storage means 54 in the second process display area A6 of the top screen G1, and for example, as shown in Fig. 17, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to display process indicators D24 to D28 in the second process display area A6.

[0158] Here, the rice cooking course setting is changed each time the process is set using the button indicators B42-B44 in the process adjustment display area A9. Also, the setting of the completion time at which rice cooking will end is changed using the button indicators B35-B37 in the time adjustment display area A8. The changed process setting and cooking completion time setting are displayed on the LCD 26 by the display control means 63 each time, and the user can visually confirm them.

[0159] Then, after setting the process, when the "cooking rice" button display section B46 on the top screen G1 is touched, the rice cooking control means 61 determines that the process display units D24 to D28 displayed in the second process display area A6 on the top screen G1 are the selected process settings, stores them in the storage means 48 as the current rice cooking course settings, and performs the rice cooking operation on the food to be cooked in the pot 4 according to the heating pattern corresponding to the set rice cooking course. The rice cooking control means 61 also extracts information on the soaking process, boiling heating process, continuing boiling process, and steaming process, and calculates the start time of the rice cooking process when the set cooking completion time is the end time of the rice cooking process, i.e., the start time of the soaking cooking process.

[0160] When the rice cooking operation starts and the standby process starts, 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 becomes reduced below atmospheric pressure. Specifically, when the soaking process starts, the rice cooking control means 61 switches the solenoid 45 from a non-energized state to an energized state and closes the steam exhaust path 43 with the pressure regulating valve 44. 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 4 with the pressure reducing pump 39.

[0161] In addition, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light up the lamp indicator D21 of the waiting process in the first process display area A5, and to light up the cursor C on the "waiting" process indicator D24, as shown in FIG. 19(A), and to display the "waiting" process indicator D24 in white.

[0162] When the rice cooking control means 61 determines that the current time displayed on the time display unit D32 has reached the calculated start time of the rice cooking process, i.e., the start time of the soaking cooking process, it transitions to the next soaking cooking process.

[0163] In the soaking process, as shown in FIG. 19(B), the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to turn off the lamp indicator D21 for the waiting process in the first process display area A5, to blink the lamp indicator D22 for the rice cooking process, to turn off the "waiting" process indicator D24, to light up the cursor C on the "soaking" process indicator D25, and to display the "soaking" process indicator D25 in white.

[0164] When the soaking process is completed and the process moves to the boiling heating process, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light the lamp indicator D22 for the rice cooking process in the first process display area A5, turn off the "soaking" process indicator D25, and light up the cursor C on the "cooking rice" process indicator D26, as well as to display the "cooking rice" process indicator D26 in white, as shown in Figure 19 (C).

[0165] When the boiling heating process and the continuing boiling process are completed and the process moves to the soaking process, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to turn off the lamp indicator D22 for the rice cooking process in the first process display area A5, blink the lamp indicator D23 for the soaking / keeping warm process, turn off the lamp indicator D26 for the "cooking rice" process, light up the cursor C on the "steaming" process indicator D27, and display the "steaming" process indicator D27 in white, as shown in Figure 19 (D).

[0166] When the steaming process is over and the rice cooking process is completed and the process proceeds to the keep-warm process, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to light the steaming / keep-warm process lamp indicator D23, turn off the steaming process indicator D27, turn on the cursor C on the keep-warm process indicator D28, and display the keep-warm process indicator D28 in white, as shown in Fig. 19(E). The display control means 63 also controls the LCD 26 to turn off the text indicator D33 for "cooked" and the remaining time indicator D34. With this configuration, the user can see at a glance by checking the LCD 26 that the process that is turned off in the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker 1 has finished, the process where the cursor C is displayed is the process currently being carried out, and the process that is turned on is the process to be carried out, so that the user can intuitively know the progress of the rice cooking process and the keep-warm process. In addition, the current process is displayed with light by the lamp indicators D21-D23 in the first process display area A5, so that even if the user is away from the rice cooker 1 and cannot check the LCD 26, for example, the user can intuitively know the current progress of the rice cooker 1.

[0167] 20 shows a top view of the display means 6A of the information terminal 6, in which the display means 6A is displaying a top screen G1'. As in the first embodiment, when an application serving as an information processing program is launched on the information terminal 6, a signal is sent to the transmission / reception means 59 of the rice cooker 1 via the communication means 3. When the transmission / reception means 59 of the rice cooker 1 receives this signal, the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 sends information about the current rice cooking course to the information terminal via the communication means 3. When the information terminal 6 receives this information, the information about the current rice cooking course of the rice cooker 1 is remotely displayed on the display means 6A of the information terminal 6.

[0168] The top screen G1' is configured to allow the user to set the time for the soaking process and the steaming process in addition to the top screen G1 of the rice cooker 1. Referring to Fig. 20, the second process display area A6' has, in addition to the process indicators D24 to D28 arranged on the left and right, a standby time indicator D51 that displays the time for the standby process below the "standby" process indicator D24, a soaking time indicator D52 that displays the time for the soaking process below the "soaking" process indicator D25, and a steaming time indicator D53 that displays the time for the steaming process below the "steaming" process indicator D27.

[0169] Also, at the bottom of the top screen G1', a process time adjustment display area A11 is formed in which the display of the soaking cooking time display D52 and the soaking time display D53 can be adjusted. Specifically, in the process time adjustment display area A11, a "soaking" button display B54, a "soothing" button display B55, a value increase button display B56, and a value decrease button display B57 are arranged vertically. Here, the "soaking" button display B54 includes a text display D54 that reads "soaking". Similarly, the "soothing" button display B55 includes a text display D55 that reads "soothing", the value increase button display B56 includes a mark display D56 that reads "▲", and the value decrease button display B57 includes a mark display D57 that reads "▼".

[0170] The "soaking" button display B54, the "soaking" button display B55, the numerical value increase button display B56, and the numerical value decrease button display B57 are operated when adjusting the display of the soaking cooking time display D52 and the soaking time display D53. When the "soaking" button display B54 is touched, the soaking cooking time display D52 on the top screen G1' flashes, notifying the user that the display of the soaking cooking time display D52 can be changed. Similarly, when the "soaking" button display B55 is touched, the soaking time display D53 on the top screen G1' flashes, notifying the user that the display of the soaking time display D53 can be changed.

[0171] Here, when the numeric value increase button display B56 or the numeric value decrease button display B57 is touched, the display of the blinking display, for example the soaking cooking time display D52, changes to correspond to the touched button display. After adjusting the display of the soaking cooking time display D52 or the soaking time display D53 in this way, if the button display corresponding to the blinking display, for example the "soaking" button display B54 if the blinking display is the soaking cooking time display D52, or the "soaking" button display B55 if the blinking display is the soaking time display D53, is touched again, the blinking display of the soaking cooking time display D52 or the soaking time display D53 is released and it is displayed as a lit up display.

[0172] When the soaking cooking time display D52 and the soaking time display D53 stop flashing and become lit, the display on the standby time display D51 changes in accordance with the change in the display on the soaking cooking time display D52 and the soaking time display D53. For example, if the display on the soaking cooking time display D52 is changed from "20 minutes" to "30 minutes" in the state shown in Fig. 20, the display on the standby time display D51 is changed from "120 minutes" to "110 minutes", a decrease of 10 minutes. Similarly, if the display on the soaking time display D53 is changed from "15 minutes" to "7 minutes", the display on the standby time display D51 is changed from "120 minutes" to "112 minutes", a decrease of 8 minutes.

[0173] After setting on the top screen G1', for example, when the information is sent by the operation means 6B of the information terminal 6, this information is sent to the server 5 via the communication means 3. When the server 5 receives this information, it sends information on the rice cooking course and information on reserved cooking corresponding to this information to the rice cooker 1 via the communication means 3. On receiving this information, the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 stores the received information on the rice cooking course and reserved cooking as the current rice cooking course in the storage means 54. If this information is reserved cooking, reserved cooking will start in the rice cooker 1, and if this information is a rice cooking course, the rice cooker 1 will be in a state where it will start cooking rice if an instruction to start cooking is given.

[0174] As described above, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a pot 14 that contains rice and water as the food to be cooked, and a heating coil 21 as a heating means for heating the pot 14. The rice cooking process for cooking the food in the pot 14 includes a soaking process in which the pot 14 is heated from the start of cooking to promote water absorption by the rice, a temperature increasing process in which the food to be cooked is brought to a boil, a boiling continuing process in which the boiling state of the food to be cooked is continued, and a steaming process in which the cooked food is steamed. The rice cooker 1 is configured to include a process adjustment display area A9 as a process setting means that can set the contents of the soaking process and / or steaming process, and a first process display area A5 and a second process display area A6 as process display means that display the process being carried out in the rice cooking process.

[0175] By configuring in this way, for example, the waiting process and the soaking process can be omitted, and the rice cooking process can be performed manually by soaking the rice to be cooked and soaking the rice after the boiling continuation process in one's own way, and the user can set the rice cooking process by selecting whether or not to include a process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rice cooking process from overlapping excessively, which may result in extra cooking time being spent or the taste of the cooked rice being deteriorated.

[0176] Furthermore, the rice cooker 1 of this embodiment is provided with a transmitting / receiving means 59 as a communication means capable of communicating with the information terminal 6, and the transmitting / receiving means 59 is configured to be capable of transmitting information on the rice cooking process being executed by the control means 51 to the information terminal 6. Therefore, the details of the rice cooking process being automatically executed by the rice cooker 1 can be grasped on the information terminal 6, and rice can be cooked in the rice cooker 1 without hassle and with peace of mind.

[0177] 21 and 22 show a modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the second embodiment. In this modified example, the control means 51 is configured to display information on the process currently being executed and information on the results of processes executed in the past on the display means 28 of the rice cooker 1 and the display means 6A of the information terminal 6.

[0178] FIG. 21 shows a top view of the LCD 26, with the LCD 26 displaying a top screen G1". To explain the top screen G1" with reference to the figure, the second process display area A6" is formed by arranging a first process display body D61, a second process display body D62, a process time display body D63 and a temperature display body D9' vertically and horizontally.

[0179] The first process display D61 displays the process that the rice cooker 1 has performed or is currently performing, and in this modified example, the name of one process is displayed on the process display D61, for example, "soaking" is displayed in Fig. 21. The second process display D62 displays the progress of the process currently displayed on the first process display D61, for example, "enzyme activity" is displayed in Fig. 21. In the second process indicator D62 of this modified example, when the first process indicator D61 is in "standby", the "soaking" state is displayed; when the first process indicator D61 is in "soaking cooking", the "heating" or "enzyme activity" state is displayed; when the first process indicator D61 is in "cooking rice", the "heating", "boiling" or "cooking" state is displayed; when the first process indicator D61 is in "steaming", the "high temperature soaking" or "double cooking" state is displayed; and when the first process indicator D61 is in "keep warm", the "freshly cooked", "cooling" or "stable warming" state is displayed; but this is just one example.

[0180] The process time display D63 displays the time elapsed since the process displayed on the second process display D62 was started during cooking, and displays the time when the process displayed on the first process display D61 was started when the history was checked, which will be described later. The temperature display D9' displays the current temperature of the food being cooked during cooking, and displays the temperature when the food was cooked and displayed on the second process display D62 when the history was checked. In this modified example, the information on the process time display D63 and the information on the temperature display D9' are stored in the storage means 54, and when the history is checked, these pieces of information are displayed on the process time display D63 and the temperature display D9'. The storage means 54 may store the information on the process time display D63 and the information on the temperature display D9' in correspondence with each other, and may be configured to change the display of the process time display D63 when the history is checked, so that the temperature of the food being cooked at the time displayed on the process time display D63 can be displayed on the temperature display D9'.

[0181] On the right side of the frame 71, a history display area A12 capable of displaying information on a process that has passed, and a time adjustment display area A8 are arranged vertically. In the history display area A12, a "History" button display B65, a previous process revert button display B66, and a next process advance button display B67 are arranged vertically. Here, the "History" button display B65 includes a text display D65 that reads "History". Similarly, the previous process revert button display B66 includes a "▲" mark display D66, and the next process advance button display B67 includes a "▼" mark display D67.

[0182] The "History" button display B65, the button display B66 for going back to the previous process and the button display B67 for advancing to the next process are operated when displaying the status of the process that has been performed. When the "History" button display B65 is touched, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to, for example, blink the first process display D61, the second process display D62, the process time display D63 and the temperature display D9', thereby notifying the user that the history of the process that has been performed can be displayed. When the user touches the value increase button display B36 or the value decrease button display B37, the display control means 63 changes the display of the second process display D62 to correspond to the touched button display, and controls the LCD 26 to extract information on the process corresponding to the information displayed on the changed second process display D62, information on the time of the process, and information on the temperature of the food to be cooked at the time of the process, such as the start of the process, from the storage means 54 and display them on the first process display D61, the process time display D63, and the temperature display D9'. By configuring the device in this way so that the history of information on the processes performed by the rice cooker 1 can be confirmed, the contents of the soaking process and the steaming process that the rice cooker 1 automatically performs based on the heating pattern of the rice cooking course can be understood, and the user can, for example, confirm that sufficient "soaking" and "steaming" have been performed and perform the rice cooking process with peace of mind without any hassle. Even if the contents of the soaking process or steaming process cannot be confirmed during the rice cooking process, the history of process information can be confirmed by operating the button displays B65-B67 in the history display area A12, and it can be known, for example, whether the "soaking" or "steaming" was sufficient. Note that by touching the "history" button display B65 again, the display control means 63 may be configured to control the LCD 26 so that, for example, the first process display D61, the second process display D62, the process time display D63 and the temperature display D9' are turned back on and information on the current rice cooking process is displayed.

[0183] At the bottom of the top screen G1'', an "OFF" button display B45, a "Keep Warm" button display B68, and a "Cook Rice" button display B46 are arranged side by side. Here, the "Keep Warm" button display B68 includes a text display D68 that reads "Keep Warm".

[0184] The "keep warm" button display section B68 is operated when keeping food warm, and when the "keep warm" button display section B68 is touched, the keep warm control means 62 is configured to control the keeping warm and reheating of the food in the pot 14.

[0185] FIG. 22 shows a top view of the display means 6A of the information terminal 6, in which the display means 6A is displaying the top screen G1". By configuring it in this way, the details of the rice cooking process that is being automatically performed by the rice cooker 1 can be grasped on the information terminal 6, and rice can be cooked in the rice cooker 1 without hassle and with peace of mind.

[0186] As described above, the rice cooker 1 of this modification is equipped with the transmitting / receiving means 59 as a communication means capable of communicating with the information terminal 6, and the transmitting / receiving means 59 can transmit information on the rice cooking process being executed by the control means 51 to the information terminal 6, and this information on the rice cooking process is configured to be information on the process currently being executed by the control means 51 and information on the results of processes previously executed by the control means 51, such as the process and state executed by the rice cooker 1, the currently being executed process and state, the time elapsed and the time executed, the current temperature of the food being cooked, and the temperature at the time of transition to the process. Therefore, the contents of the rice cooking process being automatically executed by the rice cooker 1 can be grasped on the information terminal 6, and the contents of the soaking process and the steaming process that are automatically executed by the rice cooker 1 based on the heating pattern of the rice cooking course can be grasped on the information terminal 6, so that rice can be cooked in the rice cooker 1 without hassle and with peace of mind.

[0187] 23 and 24 show a further modified example of the rice cooker 1 of the second embodiment. This modified example is configured so that a normal keep-warm rice cooking course or a high-temperature keep-warm rice cooking course can be selected based on information from the information terminal 6.

[0188] FIG. 23 shows a top view of the LCD 26. The LCD 26 displays a top screen G1. III The top screen G1 is displayed as shown in the figure. III To explain, the first process display area A5' formed at the top has lamp indicator D21 for the standby process, lamp indicator D22 for the rice cooking process, lamp indicator D71 for the steaming process which turns on to indicate that the current process is the steaming process, and lamp indicator D72 for the keep warm process which turns on to indicate that the current process is the keep warm process, arranged in order from left to right, and display the process that the rice cooker 1 is currently performing.

[0189] Below the first step display area A5', a time display area A7 and a time adjustment display area A8' are formed side by side. The time adjustment button display B35' in the time adjustment display area A8' includes a "CLOCK" text display D35 instead of the clock mark display D35 in the first embodiment.

[0190] Below the time display area A7 and the time adjustment display area A8', a high-temperature warming time display area A15 capable of displaying setting information for the high-temperature warming period T' and a high-temperature warming time adjustment display area A16 capable of adjusting the time of the high-temperature warming period T' are formed side by side. In the high-temperature warming time display area A15, a text display D73 "Keep warm as fresh as possible" that suggests that the number displayed on the high-temperature warming time display D74 is the time of the high-temperature warming period T' and a high-temperature warming time display D74 that displays the setting of the time of the high-temperature warming period T' in the high-temperature warming cooking course are arranged vertically. In addition, in the high-temperature warming time adjustment display area A16, a value decrease button display B75 and a value increase button display B76 are arranged horizontally. Here, the value decrease button display B75 includes a left-facing triangular mark display D75, and the value increase button display B76 includes a right-facing triangular mark display D76.

[0191] The high temperature keep warm time display area A15 is displayed when the rice cooking setting or the rice reservation cooking setting is set to perform the keep warm process. When the "OFF" button indicator B45 is operated in the off state before the rice cooking process is performed, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 so that the high temperature keep warm time display area A15 is switched on and off. Then, the top screen G1 III When the "cook rice" button B45 is operated while the high temperature keeping time display area A15 is displayed on the top screen G1, the heat keeping control means 63 transitions to the heat keeping process after the rice cooking process is completed and performs the heat keeping operation. III When the "cook rice" button indicator B45 is operated when the high temperature keep warm time display area A15 is not displayed, the keep warm control means 63 will not transition to the keep warm process after the rice cooking process is completed, and the rice cooker 1 will be turned off. Note that this modified example is configured so that the keep warm process can be set in the high temperature keep warm time display area A15 even during the rice cooking process or the keep warm process, but this is just one example.

[0192] The value decrease button display B75 and the value increase button display B76 are operated when adjusting the display of the high-temperature keeping time display D74. When the value decrease button display B75 or the value increase button display B76 is touched while the high-temperature keeping time display D74 is displayed, the display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 to change the display of the high-temperature keeping time display D74 to correspond to the touched button display. When the high-temperature keeping time display area A15 is displayed and the process is shifted to the keeping-warm step, the keeping-warm control means 63 keeps the rice warm in the high-temperature keeping cooking course, and controls the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the rice to be cooked is maintained at a temperature equal to or higher than the predetermined high-temperature keeping temperature until the high-temperature keeping period T', which is the time displayed on the high-temperature keeping time display D74, has elapsed. When the high-temperature keeping time display D74 is "0 minutes", the keeping-warm control means 63 keeps the rice warm in the normal keeping-warm cooking course.

[0193] Here, in the case of keeping warm for a long time, for example, more than 6 to 12 hours, if the temperature of the rice as the food to be cooked is high, as described above, the rice's unique warm odor becomes stronger and browning (yellowing) progresses quickly. Therefore, in this modified example, when the lid opening / closing detection means 37 detects that the lid body 12 has been opened during the warming process, such as the initial warming stage T1, the warming control means 63 is configured to switch to the normal warming cooking course and keep the rice warm, even if the high-temperature warming cooking course had been used up until that point. In this way, by switching the temperature of the food to be cooked during warming from the high-temperature keeping temperature to a predetermined warming temperature, the warming odor and browning of the rice in the pot 14 during the warming process can be suppressed.

[0194] FIG. 24 shows a top view of the display unit 6A of the information terminal 6. In the figure, the display unit 6A displays the top screen G1. IV The top screen G1 is displayed as shown in the figure. IV To explain, a time display D32 is arranged above the time display D32, and a second process display area A6 is formed below the time display D32, in which a gauge display D6', a pointer display D7', and process display D24' to D28' are arranged. The gauge display D6' in this modification is configured by arranging multiple ">" shaped display objects on the left and right, and the process display objects D24' to D28' are arranged on the left and right below the gauge display D6'. The display control means 63 controls the LCD 26 so that the pointer display D7' displays the ">" shaped display object of the gauge display D6' in black in accordance with the progress of the rice cooking process and the warming process. For example, in FIG. 20, two ">" shaped display objects of the gauge display D6' are displayed in black, and the user can understand that the rice cooker 1 is currently in the standby process of the rice cooking process by corresponding to the display of the process display D24'.

[0195] Below the remaining time indicator D34, a high temperature keep warm time display area A15' is formed. In this modified example, a text indicator D73 of "keep warm as fresh as possible" is arranged at the top of the high temperature keep warm time display area A15', and below the text indicator D73 of "keep warm as fresh as possible" are arranged a "no" button indicator B81 and a "yes" button indicator B83 side by side. Here, the "no" button indicator B81 includes a "circle" mark indicator D81 and a text indicator D82 of "no", and the "yes" button indicator B81 includes a "circle" mark indicator D83 and a text indicator D84 of "yes".

[0196] The "No" button display B81 and the "Yes" button display B83 are operated when setting whether or not to perform the warming process. As shown in FIG. 24(A), IV In this state, when information is transmitted from the information terminal 6 to the rice cooker 1 and the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1 receives this information, the display control means 63 displays the top screen G1 III The LCD 26 is controlled so that the high temperature keep warm time display area A15 is not displayed during the rice cooking process, and the keep warm control means 63 is configured to not transition to the keep warm process after the rice cooking process is completed, and to turn off the rice cooker 1.

[0197] Also, as shown in FIG. 24(B), the top screen G1 IV When the "◯" mark indicator D83 is filled in and displayed as a "●", and the "Yes" button indicator B83 is selected, a text indicator D84 saying "Keep-warm time after cooking" and a high-temperature keep-warm time indicator D74 are displayed vertically below the "No" button indicator B81 and the "Yes" button indicator B83. In this state, the high-temperature keep-warm time indicator D74 may be configured to be touch-operated to adjust the display on the high-temperature keep-warm time indicator D74. When information is sent from the information terminal 6 to the rice cooker 1 in this state and this information is received by the control means 51 of the rice cooker 1, the display control means 63 displays the top screen G1 III The high temperature insulation time display area A15 is displayed on the high temperature insulation time display D74, and the top screen G1 of the information terminal 6 is displayed on the high temperature insulation time display D74.IV The LCD 26 is controlled so that the value of the high temperature keeping time display D74 displayed on the top screen of the information terminal 6 is displayed, and the heat keeping control means 63 performs heat keeping in the high temperature keeping cooking course, and controls the heating coil 21 and the lid heater 41 to be turned on and off so that the temperature of the food to be cooked is maintained at a temperature equal to or higher than the predetermined high temperature keeping temperature until the high temperature keeping period T', which is the time displayed on the high temperature keeping time display D74, has elapsed. IV When the value of the high temperature keep warm time indicator D74 displayed on the display unit D75 is "0 minutes", the keep warm control means 63 keeps the rice warm using the normal keep warm rice cooking course.

[0198] With this configuration, the temperature of the rice in pot 14 during the warming process can be switched from the warming temperature to the high-temperature holding temperature, or vice versa, by remote control using information terminal 6. For example, if the user sets rice cooker 1 to keep the rice warm using the normal warm cooking course and goes out, and returns home late for some reason, the temperature of the rice in pot 14 during the warming process can be temporarily switched from the warming temperature to the high-temperature holding temperature, for example, for 30 to 120 minutes, by remote control from the outside. Therefore, even if the user returns home late, for example, the rice can be eaten at a high-temperature holding temperature that is close to that of freshly cooked rice, and deterioration in the taste of the rice in pot 14 can be suppressed.

[0199] As described above, the rice cooker 1 of this modified example is equipped with the transmitting / receiving means 59 as a communication means capable of communicating with the information terminal 6, and is configured to be able to remotely select the high-temperature keeping warm cooking course based on information from the information terminal 6. Therefore, even if you are unable to eat at the end of the rice cooking process, for example, when you are likely to get home later than the time the rice will be cooked, you can remotely select the high-temperature keeping warm cooking course so that you can eat rice that has been kept at a high-temperature keeping temperature close to that of freshly cooked rice, and deterioration of the taste of the rice in the pot 14 can be suppressed.

[0200] The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the first embodiment and its modified example, and the second embodiment and its modified example may be combined. The numerical values ​​exemplified in the embodiments are merely examples, and may be modified as appropriate according to the specifications of the rice cooker. [Explanation of symbols]

[0201] 1. Rice cooker 6 Information terminal 14. Pot 21 Heating coil (heating means) 28 Display means 48 Pressure reducing means (degassing means) 59 Means of transmission and reception (means of communication) A5 First process display area (process display means) A6 Second process display area (process display means) A9 Process adjustment display area (process setting means) T1, T1' Initial stage of heat retention T2,T2' Temperature fall period T3,T3' Temperature stability period

Claims

1. A pot for containing food to be cooked; A heating means for heating the pan; This rice cooker is characterized in that, in the warming process, which is a process of keeping the cooked food warm, it is possible to select a high-temperature warm cooking course in which heating control of the heating means is performed to sequentially carry out the following: an initial warming period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at the temperature immediately after cooking, a first warming drop period in which the temperature of the cooked food is lowered to a temperature maintained in a first warming stable period, the first warming stable period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at 80°C to 86°C, a second warming drop period in which the temperature of the cooked food is lowered to a temperature maintained in a second warming stable period, and the second warming stable period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at 70°C to 76°C.

2. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein heating control in the warming step is performed according to the hardness of water used for cooking rice.

3. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein heating control in the warming step is performed according to the brand of rice used for cooking.

4. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein heating control in the warming step is performed according to the milling precision of the rice used for cooking.

5. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein heating control in the warming step is performed according to the freshness of the polished rice used for cooking.

6. A rice cooking course can be selected that performs heating control in the warming process suitable for freezing the rice to be cooked, 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein in the rice cooking course in which the heating control of the warming process suitable for freezing is performed, the length of the initial warming period is longer than the heating control of the high-temperature warming period.

7. 7. The rice cooker according to claim 6, further comprising a display means capable of displaying the temperature of the food during the warming process.

8. A degassing means is provided for degassing the inside of the pot by reducing the pressure therein to a pressure lower than atmospheric pressure, 8. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the pot is kept in a reduced pressure state during the warming step.

9. A pot for containing food to be cooked; A heating means for heating the pan; The rice cooking process for cooking the food in the pot includes a soaking process for heating the pot from the start of cooking to promote water absorption by the rice in the food, a temperature increasing process for boiling the food, a boiling continuing process for continuing the boiling state of the food, and a steaming process for steaming the cooked food. A process setting means for setting the contents of the soaking process and / or the steaming process; A rice cooker comprising: a process display means for displaying a process being executed in the rice cooking process.

10. A communication means capable of communicating with an information terminal is provided, 10. The rice cooker according to claim 9, wherein the communication means is capable of transmitting information about the rice cooking process being executed by the control means to the information terminal.

11. 11. The rice cooker according to claim 10, wherein the information on the rice cooking process is information on the process currently being executed by the control means and information on the results of processes previously executed by the control means.

12. A communication means capable of communicating with an information terminal is provided, In the warming process, which is a process of keeping the cooked food warm, a high-temperature warm cooking course can be selected in which the heating means is controlled to sequentially perform an initial warming period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at the temperature immediately after cooking, a first warming drop period in which the temperature of the cooked food is lowered to a temperature maintained in a first warming stable period, the first warming stable period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at 80°C to 86°C, a second warming drop period in which the temperature of the cooked food is lowered to a temperature maintained in a second warming stable period, and the second warming stable period in which the temperature of the cooked food is maintained at 70°C to 76°C, 10. The rice cooker according to claim 9, wherein a high-temperature keeping rice warm cooking course can be remotely selected based on information from the information terminal.

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