Cooking system

Abstract

To provide a rice cooker capable of further improving accuracy of determination of an amount of rice to be cooked.SOLUTION: A cooking system 1 includes a heating coil 31 for performing a warmth keeping operation for a material to be cooked as a heating part, a time measuring part 79 for measuring a continuation time of the warmth keeping operation, and a display part 101 as a notification part for notifying the excess of the warmth keeping time when the continuation time exceeds a predetermined notification time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking system. [Background technology]

[0002] The monitoring system includes an illuminance sensor that detects illuminance levels corresponding to the amount of ingredients stored in the refrigerator, an ingredient quantity data generation unit that generates ingredient quantity data values ​​indicating the amount of ingredients from the illuminance levels, a data storage unit that saves the ingredient quantity data values ​​as ingredient quantity data history, a pattern derivation unit that derives an ingredient quantity change pattern corresponding to changes over time in the ingredient quantity data values ​​from the ingredient quantity data history, a judgment unit that monitors whether the latest ingredient quantity data value is within an acceptable range based on the ingredient quantity change pattern and outputs judgment information based on the monitoring results, and a communication unit that transmits the judgment information to the watcher's communication terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 058590 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Conventional monitoring systems are installed in the residence of the person being monitored, and monitor the living conditions of the person being monitored based on the amount of food in the refrigerator, which is closely related to the person's daily eating habits, and determine whether the living conditions are abnormal.

[0005] Incidentally, one type of home electronic device that is expected to be installed in the residence of the person being monitored is a cooking appliance that has the function of keeping food warm, such as a rice cooker or an electric cooking pot. By monitoring the duration of the keep-warm function of such a cooking appliance, it may be possible to determine whether the living situation of the person being monitored is abnormal.

[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a cooking system that can present an environment to the watcher in which it is possible to easily determine whether the living situation of the person being watched is abnormal based on the duration of the keep-warm operation of the cooking appliance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the heating cooking system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a heating unit that performs a keep-warm operation for the food to be cooked, a timing unit that can measure the duration of the keep-warm operation, and an alarm unit that alarms that the keep-warm time has expired when the duration exceeds a predetermined alarm time. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a heating and cooking system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of an example of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an example of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the inner frame and heating coil of the rice cooker according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the inner frame and heating coil of the rice cooker according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the change in temperature in the pot over time and the change in output of the heating coil over time during the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker of this embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a first determination method as an example of a method for determining the amount of cooked rice in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second determination method as another example of a method for determining the amount of cooked rice in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of the first determination method for the rice cooker according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of a second determination method for a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] 1 is a front view of an example of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a smartphone as an example of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is an image diagram showing information update of the cooking system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first screen displayed on a display unit of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a second screen displayed on the display unit of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a third screen displayed on the display unit of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A cooking system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 17. Note that the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a cooking system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, a cooking system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention provides information transmitted by a cooker 2 to the outside in a state in which the information terminal 3 can receive the information. The cooking system 1 may provide information transmitted by the information terminal 3 to the outside in a state in which the cooker 2 in the home can receive the information. The information transmitted by the cooker 2 to the outside includes the current state and current settings of the cooker 2. In other words, the cooking system 1 provides an environment in which the current state and current settings of the cooker 2 in the home can be checked from the information terminal 3 while away from home, and an environment in which the cooker 2 in the home can be remotely controlled. A user of the cooking system 1 can, for example, check the current state and current settings of the cooker 2 while away from home, and operate the cooker 2 according to the current state and current settings.

[0012] The cooking system 1 includes a cooker 2 used to cook an object to be heated, and at least one information terminal 3 used to check the operating status, including the cooking operation, performed by the cooker 2 and to remotely control the cooker 2. The cooking system 1 only needs to include at least the cooker 2 and the information terminal 3. The cooker 2 and the information terminal 3 may establish a direct two-way communication environment using short-range wireless communication 5 such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth, or may establish a direct two-way communication environment via a home Wi-Fi network or the like.

[0013] The cooking system 1 may include a cooking appliance 2, at least one information terminal 3, a server 7 that establishes communication between the cooking appliance 2 and the information terminal 3, and a storage device 8 that stores information for establishing communication between the cooking appliance 2 and the information terminal 3.

[0014] The cooking appliance 2, the information terminal 3, the server 7, and the storage device 8 are each communicatively connected to the network NW via a telecommunications network 11. The network NW may be, for example, the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, a low power wide area network (LPWA), a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), or other public or dedicated lines, depending on the situation.

[0015] The telecommunications network 11 includes a short-range wireless communication network 5, an external communication network 12, an in-house communication network 13, and a relay device 15 that relays information between the external communication network 12 and the in-house communication network 13.

[0016] The external communication network 12 includes a network NW. The repeater 15, the server 7, and the information terminal 3 are connected to the network NW via a public telephone network, a mobile phone network, etc. The cooking system 1 provides the user with a simple communication environment between the cooker 2 and the information terminal 3 by using the Internet as an intermediary.

[0017] The local area network 13 is a wireless or wired telecommunications network including a repeater 15, and is a so-called intranet.

[0018] The repeater 15 is, for example, at least one of a wireless router and a modem.

[0019] The cooking appliance 2 is communicatively connected to an in-house communication network 13. The cooking appliance 2 can communicate with a server 7 via a relay device 15 installed in the user's residence. The cooking appliance 2 and the storage device 8 store a plurality of cooking menus used to cook an object to be heated by the cooking appliance 2. Each cooking menu has heating conditions for cooking the object to be heated. The cooking appliance 2 is, for example, at least one of a rice cooker and an electric pressure cooker that are mainly installed in the user's residence, and preferably has a function of keeping the object to be heated warm.

[0020] The server 7 manages the cooking appliance 2. The server 7 manages, for example, information relating to the device registration of the cooking appliance 2, and information relating to the current state and current settings of the cooking appliance 2, including the operating status of the cooking appliance 2.

[0021] The server 7 also establishes a communication line via the network NW that allows two-way communication of information between the cooking appliance 2 and the information terminal 3. The server 7 is, for example, a cloud server, and is composed of at least one server device. The server 7 may also include an information processing unit that performs edge computing or fog computing, such as an information processing unit included in a router in the network NW. The server 7 is not limited to a cloud server, and may also be a computer in the user's residence, or may be a home router such as a wireless router.

[0022] The server 7 communicates with a large number of cooking appliances 2 and a large number of information terminals 3 via the network NW. The server 7 assigns an identifier to each of the multiple cooking appliances 2. The cooking system 1 establishes two-way communication between the information terminals 3 and the cooking appliances 2 using the identifiers managed by the server 7.

[0023] For ease of explanation, "information relating to the cooking appliance 2, including the device registration of the cooking appliance 2, the current status including the operating status of the cooking appliance 2, the current settings of the cooking appliance 2, and commands to change the current settings of the cooking appliance 2, and which is transmitted and received via the telecommunications network 11" will be collectively referred to as "cooker information" below.

[0024] The storage device 8 stores various types of information. The server 7 can refer to the information stored in the storage device 8. That is, the server 7 can receive the desired information in response to a specific request sent to the storage device 8. The information stored in the storage device 8 includes, for example, information sent from the information terminal 3.

[0025] The information terminal 3 is communicatively connected to at least one of the external communication network 12 and the local communication network 13. The information terminal 3 is a terminal device used by a user of the cooking system 1 to check the current status and current settings of the cooker 2 and to remotely control the cooker 2. The information terminal 3 may be a mobile terminal device such as a smartphone or tablet, or a terminal device that is not suitable for portability and is permanently installed in the home, such as a personal computer or smart speaker. The information terminal 3 communicates directly and bidirectionally with the cooker 2 via short-range wireless communication 5 or via a repeater 15. The information terminal 3 is connected to the network NW via a public wireless line or a mobile phone line, and can also communicate bidirectionally with the server 7. The information terminal 3 obtains information regarding the current status and current settings of the cooker 2 from the server 7 and outputs the current status and current settings of the cooker 2 on the screen of the information terminal 3 or as audio from a speaker.

[0026] An information terminal 3 such as a smartphone or tablet terminal device acquires information with or without the intervention of a server 7 and outputs the status of the cooking appliance 2 on the screen of the information terminal 3. The information terminal 3 such as a smartphone or tablet terminal device also causes the linked cooking appliance 2 to execute processing in accordance with user operations. When the smart speaker detects that a speaker has uttered a specific word, it uses this as a trigger to identify the speaker's subsequent questions and requests using natural language processing, converts a reaction or response according to the identified content into voice and outputs it, or causes the linked cooking appliance 2 to execute processing in accordance with the identified content. A similar natural language processing function may be installed in a portable information terminal 3 such as a smartphone, or may be installed in the cooking appliance 2.

[0027] It is preferable that the information transmitted and received within the cooking system 1, including the cooker 2, information terminal 3, and server 7, is variable-length information with an amount of information appropriate to the needs. In other words, the information transmitted and received within the cooking system 1 may include all information related to the current state and current settings of the cooker 2, may include only a portion of the information related to the current state of the cooker 2, or may include only a portion of the information related to the current settings.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an example of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an example of a cooking device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] 2 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 2 according to this embodiment, viewed from diagonally above the front right of the cooking appliance 2. In other words, the front, right side, and top of the cooking appliance 2 are visible in FIG. 2, while the back, left side, and bottom of the cooking appliance 2 are hidden.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the cooking device 2 according to this embodiment is a rice cooker 21 that cooks food containing, for example, rice and water to cook rice. The food is one type of food. Rice cooker 21 includes a rectangular main body 23 having a pot housing section 22 that opens upward, a pot 25 housed in pot housing section 22, a lid 26 that fits over the top of main body 23 to open and close pot housing section 22, a hinge mechanism 27 that supports lid 26 on main body 23 so that it can be opened and closed, and a power line 28 that can be connected to an external power source, such as a commercial AC power outlet. When lid 26 is opened upward on main body 23, pot 25 can be removed from pot housing section 22.

[0032] Rice cooker 21 heats and cooks rice and water, which are the food to be cooked, contained in pot 25, using heating coil 31 as a heating unit, and keeps the cooked rice (cooked rice) warm by heating it using heating coil 31. Rice cooker 21 cooks the food to be cooked using a cooking course that is alternatively selected from a plurality of cooking courses.

[0033] Each cooking course has cooking conditions for cooking rice to rice. The cooking conditions include, for example, the type of rice, the cooking method for cooking the rice to rice, the hardness of the cooked rice, and the cooking time for cooking the rice to rice. Each cooking course includes at least two of these cooking conditions.

[0034] Each rice cooking course heats the food in pot 25 under a predetermined pressure. Each rice cooking course has processes that are set according to the brand of rice and the rice polishing ratio. Each process includes, for example, a soaking process that promotes the water absorption of rice placed in pot 25, a boiling and heating process that quickly raises the temperature of the food to the boiling point, a boiling continuation process that continues to boil the food, and a soaking process that maintains the temperature at a high enough temperature to prevent the rice from burning. Rice cooker 21 can also perform a warming process that keeps the rice in pot 25 at a predetermined warm temperature, either separately from the rice cooking course or consecutively to the rice cooking course.

[0035] Rice cooker 21 can also execute a cooking course that heats food other than the food contained in pot 25 using a predetermined heating pattern. Food includes the food to be cooked unless otherwise specified. Rice cooker 21 can also execute a maintenance course that boils water contained in pot 25 to use steam to lift dirt and remove odors from hard-to-clean parts inside rice cooker 21. For ease of explanation, the rice cooking course, cooking course, and maintenance course will hereinafter be collectively referred to simply as "courses."

[0036] Pot 25 is a container with a bottom and has a space for containing water and rice, which are the food to be cooked. Pot 25 has a main material 25a made of aluminum, which has high thermal conductivity, and a heating element 25b joined to the main material from the lower outer surface to cover the bottom. The heating element is made of a magnetic metal plate made of ferritic stainless steel, for example. Pot 25 has a flange portion 32 that protrudes radially outward and surrounds the entire outer periphery.

[0037] The planar shape of main body 23 is rectangular. Main body 23 defines the front, back, left side, right side, and bottom of rice cooker 21 below lid 26. Main body 23 includes a bottom plate 35 that defines the bottom surface of main body 23, an upper frame 36 that covers the top of bottom plate 35 and defines part of the top surface and the side surfaces of main body 23, a bowl-shaped inner frame 37 that is molded integrally with upper frame 36, and an outer frame 38 that defines the remainder of the top surface of main body 23.

[0038] The bottom plate 35, upper frame 36, and outer frame 38 form the outer shell of the main body 23. The bottom plate 35 and upper frame 36 are molded from synthetic resin, such as polypropylene (PP). The outer frame 38 is molded from a metal material, such as stainless steel.

[0039] Upper frame 36 and inner frame 37 define pot accommodating portion 22. Inner frame 37 corresponds to the bottom plate of pot accommodating portion 22. Inner frame 37 is a molded product made of synthetic resin, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0040] Main body 23 also has control unit housing chamber 39 defined between the outer casing and pot housing section 22. The outer casing of main body 23 has vent hole 41 that introduces outside air into control unit housing chamber 39. Vent hole 41 is preferably located on the bottom or side of main body 23.

[0041] Furthermore, the main body 23 is equipped with a heating control circuit board 42 housed in the control unit housing chamber 39. The heating control circuit board 42 is equipped with a microprocessor and a storage device that stores digital information such as various calculation programs executed by the microprocessor, parameters, etc. The storage device stores various settings (arguments) related to multiple preset courses.

[0042] The main body 23 also includes a heat sink 43 attached to the microprocessor of the heating control circuit board 42 and a cooling fan 45 for blowing air onto the heat sink 43 .

[0043] The heat sink 43 is made of a material with good thermal conductivity, such as aluminum. The cooling fan 45 is located below or to the side of the heat sink 43. The cooling performance of the combined heat sink 43 and cooling fan 45 is set to maintain the temperature of the microprocessor within the operating temperature range. The cooling fan 45 and the vent 41 of the main body 23 are preferably positioned so that they sandwich the pot 25. This positioning relationship contributes to the miniaturization of the product.

[0044] Furthermore, the main body 23 is provided with a heating coil 31 provided on the outer surface of the inner frame 37 and a pot temperature sensor 46 provided in the center of the bottom surface of the inner frame 37 to detect the temperature of the bottom of the pot 25.

[0045] Heating coil 31 is arranged to face the lower outer circumferential surface and bottom surface of pot 25 housed in pot housing section 22. Heating coil 31 generates an alternating magnetic field to heat heating element 25b of pot 25 by electromagnetic induction.

[0046] Pot temperature sensor 46 has a thermistor that detects the temperature of the bottom of pot 25. The temperature of the bottom of pot 25 will hereinafter be referred to as the "pot bottom temperature." Pot temperature sensor 46 is pressed against the bottom surface of pot 25 by spring force. The pot bottom temperature detected by pot temperature sensor 46 is used primarily to control the heating temperature of pot 25 by heating coil 31.

[0047] Hinge mechanism 27 includes hinge shaft 51 that swingably connects main body 23 and lid 26, and hinge spring 52 that applies a spring force to lid 26 so that lid 26, which closes pot housing section 22, opens upward on main body 23 around hinge shaft 51. Hinge shaft 51 is located near the upper part of the back surface of main body 23.

[0048] Lid 26 closes pot 25, which has a space for accommodating food to be cooked. Lid 26 has a rectangular planar shape that covers main body 23. Lid 26 defines the front, back, left side, right side, and top of rice cooker 21 above main body 23. Lid 26 includes an outer lid 55 placed on the top of rice cooker 21, an outer lid cover 56 placed between outer lid 55 and main body 23, a metal heat sink 57 attached to outer lid cover 56, a lid heater 58 attached to heat sink 57, and an inner lid unit 59 removably attached to outer lid cover 56 and removably mounted below heat sink 57.

[0049] The inner lid unit 59 comprises a metal inner lid 61 that is positioned below the heat sink 57 and in contact with the heat sink 57, a lid gasket 62 that is provided on the outer periphery of the inner lid 61, and a gasket base 63 that integrates the inner lid 61 and the lid gasket 62.

[0050] Heat sink 57 and inner lid 61 are formed from anodized aluminum or stainless steel plate material. Inner lid 61 corresponds to the bottom surface of lid body 26. Inner lid 61 has a disk shape with substantially the same diameter as the upper opening of pot 25.

[0051] Lid gasket 62 is, for example, a molded product made of silicone rubber or fluororubber. Lid gasket 62 is a sealing material that seals the gap between pot 25 and inner lid 61 when lid 26 is closed. Lid gasket 62 comes into contact with the upper surface of flange 32 of pot 25 when lid 26 is closed.

[0052] When the lid body 26 to which the inner lid unit 59 is attached is closed, the lid gasket 62 is pressed against the upper surface of the flange portion 32 of the pot 25, and the inner lid unit 59 tightly covers the upper opening of the pot 25, sealing it so that steam generated when the pot 25 is heated does not leak from between the pot 25 and the inner lid unit 59.

[0053] The lid heater 58 is, for example, a cord heater. The lid heater 58 heats the heat sink 57, thereby heating the inner lid 61 that is in contact with the heat sink 57.

[0054] The lid 26 also has a steam vent 65 that is removably attached to the rear half of the upper surface of the lid 26 and discharges steam generated from the food being cooked in the pot 25 to the outside of the rice cooker 21, a steam exhaust passage 66 that directs steam in the pot 25 to the steam vent 65, and a pressure regulating valve 67 that allows or blocks the flow of gas in the steam exhaust passage 66.

[0055] The steam discharge passage 66 connects the steam port 65 and the pressure adjusting valve 67 .

[0056] Pressure regulating valve 67 is, for example, a solenoid valve. When pressure regulating valve 67 is opened, the inside of pot 25 is connected to the outside of rice cooker 21. At this time, pressure regulating valve 67 opens the inside of pot 25 to the atmosphere. Steam generated in pot 25 is released to the outside of rice cooker 21. When pressure regulating valve 67 is closed, the connection between the inside of pot 25 and the outside of rice cooker 21 is severed, restricting the flow of gas in and out through steam exhaust passage 66. At this time, pressure regulating valve 67 seals the inside of pot 25. Steam generated in pot 25 increases the internal pressure of pot 25 above atmospheric pressure. The internal pressure of pot 25 can also be reduced below atmospheric pressure by sucking out the gas inside pot 25 with pressure regulating valve 67 closed.

[0057] Pressure regulating valve 67 includes ball-shaped valve element 67a that allows or blocks the flow of gas through steam exhaust passage 66, and solenoid 67b that opens and closes valve element 67a. When steam in pot 25 is to be released to the outside of rice cooker 21, solenoid 67b rotates valve element 67a in one direction to open steam exhaust passage 66. When the internal pressure of pot 25 is to be increased or decreased, solenoid 67b rotates valve element 67a in the other direction to close steam exhaust passage 66. When the food to be cooked in pot 25 boils, generating steam, and this steam fills pot 25, causing the internal pressure of pot 25 to exceed a predetermined value, valve element 67a is pushed up by the internal pressure of pot 25 to open steam exhaust passage 66. When the internal pressure of pot 25 falls below the predetermined value, valve element 67a closes steam exhaust passage 66 under its own weight. Such operation of valve body 67a maintains the pressure inside pot 25 at or above atmospheric pressure.

[0058] Furthermore, the lid 26 is provided with a vacuum pump 68 that reduces the pressure inside the pot 25 when the lid 26 is closed.

[0059] The suction side of vacuum pump 68 is connected to vacuum hole 69 in inner lid 61. Vacuum pump 68 discharges gas from inside pot 25 through vacuum hole 69 to the outside of rice cooker 21, thereby reducing the internal pressure of pot 25. To reduce the internal pressure of pot 25, pot 25 is placed in pot housing 22, lid 26 is closed, and pressure adjustment valve 67 is closed. To restore the internal pressure of pot 25 from a reduced pressure state to atmospheric pressure, vacuum pump 68 is stopped and pressure adjustment valve 67 is opened. This connects the inside of pot 25 to the outside of rice cooker 21, allowing outside air to flow into pot 25. The passage connecting vacuum pump 68 and vacuum hole 69 may be equipped with an on-off valve that allows or blocks the flow of gas.

[0060] In other words, the pressure reducing pump 68 and the pressure adjusting valve 67 function as a pressure reducing section that can reduce the internal pressure of the pot 25 to a reduced pressure state lower than atmospheric pressure, and the pressure adjusting valve 67 also functions as a pressurizing section that can pressurize the internal pressure of the pot 25 to a pressurized state higher than atmospheric pressure.

[0061] The lid body 26 also includes a lid opening operation button 71 provided on the front half of the top surface of the lid body 26, a lid locking mechanism 72 that locks the opening and closing of the lid body 26, an operation panel 73 as an input / output device, and an input / output control circuit board 75 that controls the operation of the operation panel 73.

[0062] When lid-opening operation button 71 is operated, the lock between lid body 26, which closes pot storage section 22, and main body 23 is released. When lid body 26 and main body 23 are unlocked, the spring force of hinge spring 52 opens lid body 26 around hinge shaft 51 as the rotation center.

[0063] The lid locking mechanism 72 locks the lid 26 when the main body 23 is closed. The lid locking mechanism 72 unlocks the lid 26 in response to the operation of the lid-opening button 71. The lid locking mechanism 72 restricts the opening of the lid 26 even if the lid-opening button 71 is operated once if the internal pressure of the pot 25 is increased or decreased. If the lid-opening button 71 is operated again within a predetermined period of time, the lid locking mechanism 72 operates the pressure regulator valve 67 and the vacuum pump 68 to restore the internal pressure of the pot 25 to atmospheric pressure, and then releases the restriction on the opening of the lid 26. The lid locking operation of the lid locking mechanism 72 is controlled by the heating control circuit board 42. The detailed structure and control content of the lid locking mechanism 72 may be known technology, such as that described in JP 2015-171545 A. The lid locking operation of the lid locking mechanism 72 is not always performed. When the lid locking operation is not being performed, the lid 26 can be opened by operating the lid opening operation button 71 once.

[0064] The operation panel 73 includes a display unit 76 that displays various information, and an operation unit 77 that accepts various operations.

[0065] Display unit 76 is an output device that visually displays the current state of rice cooker 21. Display unit 76 is, for example, a display and a light-emitting diode (LED). The display is a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel or an organic electroluminescence (organic light-emitting diode) panel.

[0066] The display unit 76 includes multiple light-emitting diodes, including an LED that lights up the word "RESERVED" (Fig. 2) when a rice cooking operation has been scheduled and is on standby; an LED that lights up the word "KEEP WARM" (Fig. 2) when the food in the pot 25 is being kept warm; an LED that lights up the word "VACUUM" (Fig. 2) when the internal pressure of the pot 25 is reduced below atmospheric pressure; and an LED that lights up the word "PRESSURIZED" (Fig. 2) when the internal pressure of the pot 25 is increased above atmospheric pressure after the rice cooking operation. Therefore, even when the display is dimmed, the user can easily recognize the current status of the rice cooker 21. The light-emitting diodes may be uniform or may be different from one another. The user can more easily recognize the current status of the rice cooker 21 based on the differences in light-emitting colors. The display and the light-emitting diodes may be installed close to each other or far apart. The indications provided by these light-emitting diodes may be displayed on the display.

[0067] The operation unit 77 is an input device, a so-called touch sensor. The operation unit 77 is arranged directly above the display unit 76 so as to cover the display unit 76. The touch sensor has a plurality of key elements arranged on a plane. Each key element has a transparent electrode portion, for example, made of a conductive polymer, a contact portion connected to the input / output control circuit board 75, and pattern wiring connecting the transparent electrode portion and the contact portion. By pressing, touching, or bringing a fingertip against any of the display elements displayed on the display unit 76, the key element arranged directly above that display element is operated. The operation received by this key element is output to the input / output control circuit board 75 as a selection of the display element of the display unit 76 displayed directly below it.

[0068] The input / output control circuit board 75 is housed in the lid 26 and is located directly below the operation panel 73. The input / output control circuit board 75 is equipped with a microprocessor, a memory device that stores digital information such as various calculation programs and parameters executed by the microprocessor, and a real-time clock (RTC) with a timekeeping function. The memory device stores various settings (arguments) related to multiple preset courses. The real-time clock functions as a clock that keeps track of the current time on the rice cooker 21 and as a timekeeping function. The real-time clock may be located on either the heating control circuit board 42 or the input / output control circuit board 75.

[0069] A user of rice cooker 21 can select and input rice cooking conditions such as the type of rice, cooking method, hardness, and cooking time using operation unit 77. Based on the course set by operating operation unit 77, rice cooker 21 performs operations such as waiting for rice cooking, heating rice and water, keeping rice warm, and setting a timer for rice cooking.

[0070] It is assumed that the user of rice cooker 21 operates operation panel 73 while standing in a position facing the front of rice cooker 21. Therefore, rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment is equipped with lid-opening operation button 71 located in the front half of the top surface, close to the user facing the front of rice cooker 21, and steam vent 65 located in the rear half of the top surface, far from the user facing the front of rice cooker 21. As a result, rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment easily secures a large space for arranging display unit 76 between lid-opening operation button 71 and steam vent 65, and the size of operation unit 77, located directly above display unit 76, can be set as large as possible. Therefore, rice cooker 21 can achieve high visibility of display unit 76, high operability of operation unit 77, and high safety against steam emitted from steam vent 65.

[0071] Furthermore, the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment does not have physical operation keys, such as a rice cooker key and an off key, as found in conventional rice cookers, and can be operated using only the operation unit 77. Therefore, the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment eliminates the need to search for operation keys and provides intuitive operability. Furthermore, the rice cooker 21 without physical operation keys integrates the display unit 76 and operation unit 77 together, improving space utilization efficiency and making it easier to design a much sleek exterior compared to conventional rice cookers in which the input and output devices are separated. Furthermore, the top surface of the rice cooker 21 without physical operation keys can be made flat with almost no irregularities or gently curved. The top surface shape of this rice cooker 21 allows for easy cleaning, such as wiping.

[0072] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the inner frame and heating coil of the rice cooker according to this embodiment.

[0073] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the inner frame and heating coil of the rice cooker according to this embodiment.

[0074] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the heating coil 31 of the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment includes a plurality of coils 11u and 11d.

[0075] First coil 31u is provided on the outer surface of inner frame 37, and second coil 31d is provided on the outer bottom surface of inner frame 37. First coil 31u faces the lower part of the outer surface of pot 25 across inner frame 37. Second coil 31d faces the outer bottom surface of pot 25 across inner frame 37.

[0076] The transfer of heat when the heating coil 31 is energized will be described.

[0077] When the first coil 31u is energized, the lower portion of the outer surface of the pot 25 first heats up, and the heat from this portion is conducted to the main material 25a of the pot 25 and transferred to the water contained in the food that is in contact with the lower portion of the inner surface of the pot 25. Heat transfer within the food occurs primarily through water movement, i.e., convection. Where rice is present in the food, water movement is limited to the narrow gaps between the rice grains, slowing the movement of water and heat. Where rice is not present, the movement of water and heat, i.e., convection, becomes active. Therefore, after the water in contact with the lower portion of the inner surface, the water in the upper portion of the food first heats up. Because the rice grains sink to the bottom of the pot 25 due to their own weight, the upper portion of the food contains almost no rice grains and essentially only water. Subsequently, in the center of the food, the water and heat from the upper portion, which has become hot, move to the middle portion of the food, which is still cooler, and then to the lower portion of the food. This phenomenon is so-called thermal convection, and is called "external convection" due to the first coil 31u.

[0078] Furthermore, when second coil 31d is energized, the outer surface of the bottom of pot 25 heats up first, and the heat from this area is conducted to main material 25a of pot 25 and transferred to the inner surface of the bottom of pot 25, i.e., the water contained in the lower portion of the food that is in contact with the bottom. Because the rice grains sink to the bottom of pot 25 due to their own weight, the bottom of the pot is covered with rice and water contained in the lower portion of the food. Therefore, the heat from the bottom of the pot increases the temperature and pressure of the water covering the bottom of the pot. Then, the water at the bottom of the pot, whose temperature and pressure have increased, moves upward through the gaps between the rice grains contained in the food. In other words, the water heated in the lower portion of the food, i.e., the hot water, moves together with the heat to the middle portion of the food, and then to the upper portion of the food. This phenomenon is known as "blowing up" and is called "internal convection" caused by second coil 31d.

[0079] When current is alternately applied to first coil 31u and second coil 31d, external convection and internal convection alternately occur in the food to be cooked in pot 25. In other words, when current is alternately applied to first coil 31u and second coil 31d, the alternating external and internal convection promotes stirring of the water contained in the food to be cooked in pot 25, thereby reducing uneven heating of the food to be cooked.

[0080] The heating control circuit board 42 of the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment operates the heating coil 31 in a plurality of current patterns that combine various current-carrying times of the first coil 31u, the second coil 31d, the output of the first coil 31u, and the output of the second coil 31d. These multiple current patterns are stored in the memory unit.

[0081] One type of energization pattern includes energizing the first coil 31u with a first output W1 and a first energization time T1, and then energizing the second coil 31d with a second output W2 and a second energization time T2. Each energization time T1 and T2 is preferably several seconds or longer. This allows external and internal convection to alternately occur in the food being cooked in the pot 25 for a predetermined period of time or longer. The alternating occurrence of external and internal convection promotes agitation of the water in the food being cooked in the pot 25 and reduces uneven heating.

[0082] It is preferable that the first current application time T1 and the second current application time T2 are different from each other. In other words, it is preferable that the time during which external convection occurs is different from the time during which internal convection occurs in a certain current application type.

[0083] The energization type may include one in which either the energization time or output of the heating coil 31 is varied while the other is kept constant. The energization time of each coil 31, 31d may be constant while the output of each coil 31, 31d may be different. Alternatively, the output of each coil 31, 31d may be constant while the energization time of each coil 31, 31d may be different.

[0084] The multiple energization patterns may include a de-energization period during which all of the heating coils 31 are de-energized. That is, the energization pattern is such that one of the two coils 31, 31d is energized for a predetermined energization time and with a predetermined output, and then, after a first de-energization period has elapsed, the other of the two coils 31, 31d is energized for a predetermined energization time and with a predetermined output, and then a second de-energization period is awaited. The first de-energization period and the second de-energization period may be the same or different.

[0085] The energization pattern may also include one in which current is intermittently applied to only one of the two coils 31, 31d, and no current is applied to the other of the two coils 31, 31d (no current is applied). Such an energization pattern applies current to one of the two coils 31, 31d for a predetermined current application time and at a predetermined current output, and does not apply current to both of the two coils 31, 31d for the predetermined current application time. Such an energization pattern is suitable for a heat retention process.

[0086] These current application patterns are repeatedly executed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times.

[0087] When the energization type is switched, the first energization type switches from energizing the first coil 31u with a first output W1 and a first energization time T1, and then energizing the second coil 31d with a second output W2 and a second energization time T2, to energizing the first coil 31u with a third output W3 and a third energization time T3, and then energizing the second coil 31d with a fourth output W4 and a fourth energization time T4. Each energization type is repeatedly executed for a predetermined time or a predetermined number of times before and after the switching.

[0088] The content of each energization type and the combination of multiple energization types are suitably set for each process included in the course.

[0089] In the energization type, the output of the first coil 31u and the output of the second coil 31d are adjusted by, for example, PWM control (Pulse Width Modulation).

[0090] FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0091] As shown in Figures 2 to 5 and Figure 6, rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment operates in cooperation with input / output control circuit board 75 and heating control circuit board 42. Input / output control circuit board 75 and heating control circuit board 42 input and output control signals bidirectionally. Input / output control circuit board 75 outputs a heating control signal to heating control circuit board 42, and heating control circuit board 42 outputs a display control signal to input / output control circuit board 75.

[0092] Each of the control circuit boards 42 and 75 includes a CPU, a memory serving as a storage unit 78, a timer serving as a timekeeping unit 79, and an input / output interface.

[0093] The rice cooker 21 also includes a coil drive circuit 81 that supplies current to the heating coil 31, a lid heater drive circuit 83 that supplies current to the lid heater 58, a lid temperature sensor 85 that detects the temperature of the inner lid 61, a lid opening / closing sensor 86 that is provided inside the lid body 26 and serves as an opening / closing detection unit that detects the opening and closing of the lid body 26, a pressure sensor 87 that detects the internal pressure of the pot 25, an alarm unit 88, and a communication module 89 that serves as a transmitter / receiver unit that establishes two-way communication between the rice cooker 21 and the information terminal 3.

[0094] The coil drive circuit 81 includes a first drive circuit 81u that applies a high-frequency current to the first coil 31u based on a first heating control signal output from the heating control circuit board 42, and a second drive circuit 81d that applies a high-frequency current to the second coil 31d based on a second heating control signal output from the heating control circuit board 42. The two coil drive circuits 81u and 81d are, for example, at least one of a power supply circuit, an inverter, an IH (Induction Heating) drive circuit, and a switching element. The coil drive circuit 81 increases or decreases the output of the two coils 11u and 11d by changing at least one of the period and the duty cycle of the high-frequency current applied to the two coils 11u and 11d.

[0095] For ease of explanation, rice cooker 21 is assumed to be equipped with a switching element that selectively selects whether to energize two coils 11u and 11d. Rice cooker 21 may be capable of energizing two coils 11u and 11d simultaneously. In other words, there may be a period during which both coils 11u and 11d are energized simultaneously.

[0096] The lid heater drive circuit 83 applies DC or AC current to the lid heater 58 based on the lid heating control signal output from the heating control circuit board 42 .

[0097] The lid temperature sensor 85 is a thermistor. The lid temperature sensor 85 detects the temperature of the heat sink 57. The temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 85, i.e., the temperature of the heat sink 57, correlates with the temperature of the inner lid 61. In other words, the temperature of the inner lid 61 can be inferred from the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 85. The temperature of the inner lid 61 inferred from the temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 85 will hereinafter be referred to as the "lid temperature." The lid temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 85 is used exclusively to manage the heating temperature of the inner lid 61 by the lid heater 58.

[0098] The lid opening / closing sensor 86 is preferably disposed near the hinge mechanism 27. The lid opening / closing sensor 86 may be a sensor of any detection type, such as an optical type, a mechanical type, or a magnetic type, as long as it can output a detection signal based on the opening or closing of the lid 26 to the input / output control circuit board 75. For example, when the lid 26 is open and tilted relative to the main body 23, the lid opening / closing sensor 86 detects the tilted position of the lid 26. Furthermore, for example, when the lid 26 is closed, the lid opening / closing sensor 86 detects the position of the lid 26.

[0099] Pressure sensor 87 is provided inside lid 26 and detects the pressure on the pot 25 side of pressure regulating valve 67 of steam exhaust passage 66, that is, the pressure equivalent to the internal pressure of pot 25, and outputs the result to heating control circuit board 42.

[0100] The alarm unit 88 is at least one of the following: a light source that lights up or flashes, such as a lamp or a light-emitting diode (LED), which appeals to the visual sense of the user of the rice cooker 21; a sound device that emits an electrically synthesized voice or buzzer sound, which appeals to the auditory sense of the user of the rice cooker 21; or a vibrator, which appeals to the tactile sense of the user of the rice cooker 21.

[0101] The communication module 89 is built into the lid 26. The communication module 89 is a transmitter that transmits information from the rice cooker 21 to the information terminal 3, and a receiver that receives information transmitted by the information terminal 3. The communication module 89 is preferably capable of bidirectional communication with multiple information terminals 3 individually. In other words, the communication module 89 is preferably a transmitter that can transmit information from the rice cooker 21 to multiple information terminals 3 individually, and a receiver that can receive information transmitted individually by multiple information terminals 3. In other words, it is preferable that a single rice cooker 21 and multiple information terminals 3 are capable of bidirectional communication individually. In other words, it is preferable that the rice cooker 21 and multiple information terminals 3 are capable of bidirectional communication in a one-to-many relationship.

[0102] The information received by the communication module 89 from the information terminal 3 includes the setting conditions for each course that can be executed by the rice cooker 21. The information sent by the communication module 89 to the information terminal 3 includes the current state and current settings of the rice cooker 21. Of the information stored in the memory device of the heating control circuit board 42, the communication module 89 preferably sends at least the current state and current settings of the rice cooker 21 to the information terminal 3 and the server 7 at predetermined intervals.

[0103] The inputs to the input / output control circuit board 75 are operation signals output by the respective key elements of the operation unit 77 and display control signals output by the heating control circuit board 42. Based on these inputs, the input / output control circuit board 75 controls the display operation of the display unit 76, controls the operation of the notification unit 88, and outputs a heating control signal to the heating control circuit board 42.

[0104] The microprocessor of the input / output control circuit board 75 executes a predetermined program to function as an input signal generation unit 92 that generates control signals corresponding to the operation signals output by each key element, a display control unit 93 that controls the display operation of the display unit 76, and a condition setting unit 95 that works in conjunction with the input signal generation unit 92 and the display control unit 93 to enable the presentation, selection, and setting of various conditions that can be selected by the key elements.

[0105] The condition setting unit 95 sequentially presents a plurality of courses including, for example, a cooking course, a rice cooking course, and a maintenance course, and allows the user to select and set a desired course.

[0106] The memory device of the input / output control circuit board 75 stores rice cooking courses corresponding to various conditions that can be selected using key elements, such as rice brand, cooking method, hardness, etc. The display unit 76 displays the various conditions of the courses stored in the memory device, and by accepting operations to select these conditions using the operation unit 77, the course can be selected and set appropriately.

[0107] The heating control circuit board 42 of the main body 23 controls the temperature of the pot 25 and the temperature of the inner lid 61 by adjusting the heating coil 31 and the lid heater 58 during cooking and keeping the rice warm, based on the pot bottom temperature detected by the pot temperature sensor 46 and the lid temperature detected by the lid temperature sensor 85.

[0108] The inputs to the heating control circuit board 42 are the temperature detection signal output by the pot temperature sensor 46, the temperature detection signal output by the lid temperature sensor 85, the internal pressure detection signal output by the pressure sensor 87, the lid open / close detection signal output by the lid open / close sensor 86, and the heating control signal output by the input / output control circuit board 75.

[0109] Based on these inputs, heating control circuit board 42 controls heating coil 31, which heats pot 25 during rice cooking and keeping warm, and lid heater 58, which heats inner lid 61. Heating control circuit board 42 controls the temperature of the bottom of pot 25 mainly by controlling heating coil 31 based on the temperature detection signal output by pot temperature sensor 46. Heating control circuit board 42 controls the temperature of inner lid 61 mainly by controlling lid heater 58 based on the temperature detection signal output by lid temperature sensor 85.

[0110] In addition, the heating control circuit board 42 controls the opening and closing operation of the pressure regulating valve 67 in the steam exhaust passage 66, the decompression operation of the decompression pump 68, and the lid locking operation of the lid locking mechanism 72 based on the internal pressure detection signal output by the pressure sensor 87.

[0111] The microprocessor of the heating control circuit board 42 functions as a rice cooking control unit 97 and a keep-warm control unit 98 by executing a predetermined program.

[0112] When a command to start cooking is input to the operation unit 77, the rice cooking control unit 97 performs the rice cooking operation by sequentially executing a soaking cooking process, a boiling heating process, a continuing boiling process, and a steaming process. Also, when a command to start cooking is input to the operation unit 77, the rice cooking control unit 97 sequentially executes the cooking processes.

[0113] The heat retention control unit 98 executes a heat retention process. The heat retention process includes a simple heat retention process in which the rice in the pot 25 is kept at a predetermined heat retention temperature, and a reheating heat retention process in which rice in the pot 25 that is at a temperature lower than the predetermined heat retention temperature is reheated to the predetermined heat retention temperature. The heat retention process may also be referred to as a heat retention operation.

[0114] The memory device of the heating control circuit board 42 stores pressurization / depressurization types that combine various drive timings for the pressure regulating valve 67 and the pressure reducing pump 68, as well as current supply types for the first coil 31u and the second coil 31d, and combinations of their execution timings for each course.

[0115] The states of rice cooker 21 include, for example, "standby," in which the rice is waiting without performing any process, "adding soaking," in which the rice is soaked in extra water, "cooking," in which the rice is cooked by boiling the rice and water, "keeping warm," in which the temperature of the rice is maintained, and "reserving," in which the rice is waiting to start cooking at a predetermined set time. Any of the states currently being executed by rice cooker 21, such as "standby," "adding soaking," "cooking," "keeping warm," and "reserving," are included in the current state of rice cooker 21.

[0116] Next, an example of the rice cooking course executed by the rice cooker 21, that is, the rice cooking operation, will be described.

[0117] The food to be cooked is placed in pot 25. Next, pot 25 containing the food to be cooked is placed in pot accommodating section 22 of main body 23, and lid 26 is closed.

[0118] When the rice cooker 21 is plugged into a commercial AC power outlet, it starts up in an initial state where it is not cooking rice or keeping it warm. This initial state is also called a standby state or a stopped state. After the rice cooker 21 starts up, the communication module 89 of the rice cooker 21 preferably establishes communication with the telecommunications network 11 and transmits and receives information indicating the current state and settings of the rice cooker 21 at predetermined intervals, for example, every five minutes.

[0119] In the initial state, each time a key element of operation unit 77 is operated, an operation signal corresponding to the operated key element is input to input signal generation unit 92. Condition setting unit 95 changes the rice cooking course setting in cooperation with input signal generation unit 92, and displays the changed setting on display unit 76 in cooperation with display control unit 93. Display unit 76 visually presents the current rice cooking course setting corresponding to the operated key element to the user of rice cooker 21.

[0120] When a key element corresponding to the selection of the rice cooking course is operated, an operation signal corresponding to the selection of the rice cooking course is input to the input signal generation unit 92. The condition setting unit 95 stores the rice cooking course displayed on the display unit 76 in a storage device, and outputs a heating pattern corresponding to the selected rice cooking course to the heating control circuit board 42.

[0121] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the change over time in the temperature inside the pot and the change over time in the output of the heating coil during the rice cooking operation of the rice cooker of this embodiment.

[0122] 7 shows the time variation of the pan temperature Ti and the time variation of the output P of heating coil 31. For ease of explanation, the output P of heating coil 31 is simplified by treating the two coils 11u and 11d as a single coil. For ease of explanation, the pan temperature Ti is assumed to be the pan bottom temperature detected by pan temperature sensor 46.

[0123] As shown in Figure 7, the rice cooking control unit 97 of the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment performs rice cooking operations including a soaking cooking process, a boiling heating process, a continued boiling process, and a steaming process according to the heating pattern corresponding to the selected rice cooking course, to cook the food to be cooked until it is cooked rice. The control that executes each process is called by the name of the process. For example, the control that executes the soaking cooking process is called soaking cooking control.

[0124] The soaking process includes a preheating process, a cooking amount determination process for determining the amount of cooked rice, and a soaking process for promoting water absorption by the rice contained in the food to be cooked. Note that the entire soaking process is sometimes called the soaking process in a broad sense, and the soaking process within the soaking process is sometimes called the soaking process in a narrow sense.

[0125] When the soaking process starts, the rice cooking control unit 97 temporarily reduces the internal pressure of the pot 25, restores it to atmospheric pressure, and then operates the pressure reducing pump 68 and pressure adjusting valve 67 to restore the reduced pressure again.

[0126] First, the rice cooking control unit 97 operates the solenoid 67b to close the steam exhaust passage 66 with the pressure regulating valve 67, allowing gas to flow through the path connecting the inside of the pot 25 and the vacuum pump 68, and operates the vacuum pump 68 to remove the gas from inside the pot 25.

[0127] Next, rice cooking control unit 97 operates solenoid 67b to cause pressure regulating valve 67 to open steam discharge passage 66, connecting the inside of pot 25 to the outside of rice cooker 21. Outside air then flows into pot 25, which is in a reduced pressure state, from steam vent 65 through steam discharge passage 66, and the internal pressure of pot 25 returns to atmospheric pressure. After that, rice cooking control unit 97 further operates solenoid 67b to cause pressure regulating valve 67 to close steam discharge passage 66, allowing gas to flow through the path connecting pot 25 and reduced pressure pump 68, and operates reduced pressure pump 68 to remove the gas from inside pot 25.

[0128] In other words, when the soaking process starts, the internal pressure of pot 25 fluctuates. The fluctuations in the internal pressure of pot 25 expel the air inside the rice and allow water to penetrate to the center of the rice in place of the expelled air.

[0129] The display control unit 93 lights up the light-emitting diode directly below the character string "vacuum" each time the internal pressure of the pot 25 is reduced below atmospheric pressure, and turns off the light-emitting diode directly below the character string "vacuum" each time the internal pressure of the pot 25 is restored to atmospheric pressure.

[0130] The start of the soaking process also marks the start of the preheating process, which involves heating pot 25 with heating coil 31 before the rice volume determination process, thereby raising the initial temperature of pot 25 and, ultimately, the initial temperature of the food being cooked.

[0131] The rice cooking control unit 97, which executes the preheating process, energizes the heating coil 31 at a predetermined output and for a predetermined preheating time to raise the temperature of the food to be cooked. The energization type applied to the preheating process does not depend on the amount of rice to be cooked, as it is executed before the rice cooking amount determination process. The energization type applied to the preheating process may be a specific energization type, or it may vary depending on the pan temperature Ti. The energization type applied to the preheating process may be a specific energization type corrected depending on the pan temperature Ti, or it may be selected from multiple energization types with different outputs and energization times for the heating coil 31 depending on the pan temperature Ti.

[0132] In other words, the preheating step may vary the amount of heat input from heating coil 31 to pot 25 and the food to be cooked based on the initial temperature of the food to be cooked in the preheating step. In the preheating step, if the initial temperature Tps of pot 25 in the preheating step is lower than a predetermined temperature, for example, 23 degrees Celsius, pot 25 is heated by heating coil 31, and if the initial temperature Tps of pot 25 in the preheating step is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, no current is applied to heating coil 31 and pot 25 is not heated. In other words, if the initial temperature Tps of pot 25 in the preheating step is equal to or higher than the predetermined temperature, the preheating step is not substantially performed.

[0133] Furthermore, in the preheating step, the lower the initial temperature of the food to be cooked in the preheating step, the longer the heating of pot 25 may be continued by heating coil 31. In the preheating step, if the initial temperature Tps of pot 25 in the preheating step is lower than a first predetermined temperature, for example, 13 degrees Celsius, heating coil 31 heats pot 25 continuously for a first predetermined time, for example, 5 minutes, whereas if the initial temperature Tps of pot 25 in the preheating step is equal to or higher than the first predetermined temperature and lower than a second predetermined temperature, for example, 23 degrees Celsius, heating coil 31 heats pot 25 continuously for a second predetermined time shorter than the first predetermined time, for example, 3 minutes.

[0134] The temperature of the pot 25 is affected by the temperature of the rice, the temperature of the water, and the temperature of the atmosphere around the rice cooker 21, but it usually represents the temperature of the food being cooked.

[0135] The preheating process is carried out for, for example, about 5 minutes so as not to unnecessarily extend the time required for the entire rice cooking operation and so as to be able to properly heat the low-temperature food to be cooked.

[0136] When the preheating process is completed, the rice cooking control unit 97 moves to the rice cooking amount determination process. The rice cooking control unit 97 heats the pot 25 with the heating coil 31 to change the pot temperature Ti detected by the lid temperature sensor 85, and determines the amount of rice to be cooked based on the change in the pot temperature Ti.

[0137] Lid temperature sensor 85 detects the temperature of the outer surface of pot 25, and heating coil 31 electromagnetically heats heating element 25b located on the outer surface of pot 25. Therefore, it is expected that the difference between pot temperature Ti detected when heating coil 31 is energized and the temperature of the food being cooked will be larger than the difference between pot temperature Ti detected when heating coil 31 is de-energized and the temperature of the food being cooked.

[0138] Therefore, it is preferable that the rice cooking control unit 97 has a non-heating period in which the heating coil 31 is stopped and the pot 25 is not heated after the preheating process and before the rice cooking amount determination process is started. In other words, it is preferable that the soaking process has a non-heating period in which the heating coil 31 is stopped after the preheating process and before the initial temperature of the pot 25 is detected in the rice cooking amount determination process. By doing so, the pot temperature sensor 46 can reduce the discrepancy between the pot temperature Ti and the temperature of the food to be cooked, and more accurately detect the initial temperature of the food to be cooked in the rice cooking amount determination process. More accurate detection of the initial temperature of the food to be cooked in the rice cooking amount determination process improves the accuracy of determining the amount of cooked rice.

[0139] Furthermore, if there are multiple heating coils 31, the rice cooking control unit 97 can use at least one of the heating coils 31 to heat the pot 25. By doing so, the rice cooking control unit 97 can increase the temperature of the food to be cooked in the rice cooking amount determination process, for example, the initial temperature, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the amount of cooked rice.

[0140] The non-heating period may be, for example, about 30 seconds so as not to unnecessarily extend the time required for the entire rice cooking operation and so that the pot temperature sensor 46 can properly detect the initial temperature of the food being cooked in the rice amount determination process.

[0141] The rice cooking control unit 97, which executes the rice cooking amount determination process, energizes the heating coil 31 at a predetermined output and for a predetermined energization time, and then stops the heating coil 31. The rice cooking control unit 97 determines the amount of rice cooked based on the change in the pot temperature Ti during the rice cooking amount determination process.

[0142] Here, we define the initial temperature Ts of the pot 25 in the rice cooking amount determination process, the maximum temperature Tmax of the pot 25 in the rice cooking amount determination process, the final temperature Te of the pot 25 in the rice cooking amount determination process, a first variable V1 obtained by subtracting the initial temperature Ts from the final temperature Te, and a second variable V2 obtained by subtracting the final temperature Te from the maximum temperature Tmax.

[0143] The rice cooking control unit 97, which executes the rice cooking amount determination process, energizes the heating coil 31 to heat the food from its initial temperature Ts to its maximum temperature Tmax. The rice cooking control unit 97 may predetermine the output and energization time of the heating coil 31 and allow the food to reach its maximum temperature Tmax, or it may control the output and energization time of the heating coil 31 so that the food reaches the predetermined maximum temperature Tmax. When the food reaches the maximum temperature Tmax, the rice cooking control unit 97 cuts off the power to the heating coil 31 for a predetermined temperature-reducing time, stopping the heating coil 31. This causes the temperature of the food to drop. The rice cooking control unit 97 may predetermine the time to allow the final temperature Te of the food to be determined, or it may wait until the food reaches the predetermined final temperature Te before completing the rice cooking amount determination process. The rice cooking control unit 97 determines the amount of rice cooked based on changes in the pot temperature Ti, i.e., the initial temperature Ts, the maximum temperature Tmax, and the final temperature Te.

[0144] The specified power-on time is set so that a temperature drop occurs that allows the amount of cooked rice to be determined after the food to be cooked has been heated by the heating coil 31. The heating coil 31 that is powered in the rice cooking amount determination step may be the second coil 31d that is closer to the pan temperature sensor 46, the first coil 31u that is farther from the pan temperature sensor 46, or all of the heating coils 31. By powering only the first coil 31u that is farther from the pan temperature sensor 46 in the rice cooking amount determination step, the influence of the heating coil 31 on the detection result of the pan temperature sensor 46 is reduced, and the accuracy of determining the amount of cooked rice can be improved.

[0145] When the temperature rising time is over, the rice cooking control unit 97 shifts to the soaking process.

[0146] The rice cooking control unit 97 that executes the soaking process energizes the heating coil 31 to heat the pot 25. The energization type applied to the soaking process may be a specific energization type that does not depend on the amount of rice cooked determined in the rice cooking amount determination process, or may be selected from a plurality of cooking types that differ in output and energization time of the heating coil 31 according to the amount of rice cooked, or may be a specific energization type corrected according to the amount of rice cooked.

[0147] Furthermore, the rice cooking control unit 97 energizes or cuts off the heating coil 31 throughout the entire soaking process so that the temperature Ti inside the pot does not exceed 60° C. In this way, the rice cooker 21 prevents the rice from gelatinizing during the soaking process, avoiding poorly cooked rice.

[0148] When the soaking time is over, the rice cooking control unit 97 shifts to the boiling heating process.

[0149] During the boiling heating process, the rice cooking control unit 97 energizes the heating coil 31 until it detects that the food has boiled. The rice cooking control unit 97 heats the food in the pot 25 more strongly than during the soaking cooking process, raising the temperature of the food to boiling temperature in a short period of time. The rice cooking control unit 97 stops the pressure reducing pump 68 and opens the pressure adjusting valve 67. This immediately restores the internal pressure of the pot 25 to atmospheric pressure. The display control unit 93 turns off the light-emitting diode located directly below the word "vacuum."

[0150] The power supply pattern used to boil the food preferably sequentially consists of energizing the first coil 31u, de-energizing a period, energizing the second coil 31d, and de-energizing a period. The rice cooking control unit 97 also preferably changes the power supply time of the heating coil 31 according to the amount of rice to be cooked. For example, the power supply time of the second coil 31d is changed inversely proportional to the amount of rice to be cooked, the power supply time of the first coil 31u is set to be directly proportional to the amount of rice to be cooked, and the repetition interval of the power supply pattern, i.e., the power supply pattern cycle, is set to be directly proportional to the amount of rice to be cooked.

[0151] Thereafter, when the temperature of the bottom of pot 25 reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C, and the temperature of inner lid 61 reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, for example, 90°C, the rice cooking control unit 97 opens the pressure regulating valve 67 and begins detecting the boiling of the food to be cooked under atmospheric pressure. The display control unit 93 lights up the light-emitting diode located directly below the word "Pressurize" based on the internal pressure of pot 25 detected by pressure sensor 87. The rice cooking control unit 97 monitors the rate of temperature rise per unit time of the bottom of pot 25 or the rate of temperature rise per unit time of the inner lid 61, and determines that the food to be cooked has boiled when these rates of temperature rise fall below a predetermined rate.

[0152] The type of current flow used in the process of determining whether the food has boiled is different from the type of current flow used to boil the food. Also, it is preferable that the rice cooking control unit 97 change the time of current flow to the heating coil 31 depending on the amount of rice to be cooked, even in the process of determining whether the food has boiled.

[0153] To determine whether the water contained in the food being cooked is boiling, the rice cooking control unit 97 calculates the rate of increase per unit time of the pan temperature Ti or the rate of increase per unit time of the lid temperature. If the rate of increase of the pan temperature Ti is equal to or less than a predetermined temperature increase rate, for example, 3 degrees Celsius or less in 120 seconds, the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the first boiling determination condition based on the pan temperature Ti is met. If the rate of increase of the lid temperature is equal to or less than a predetermined temperature increase rate, for example, 1 degree Celsius or less in 60 seconds, the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the second boiling determination condition based on the lid temperature is met. If either or both of the two boiling determination conditions are met, the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the food being cooked has boiled.

[0154] The judgment value for the rate of temperature rise of the pan temperature Ti and the judgment value for the rate of temperature rise of the lid temperature may differ depending on the amount of rice cooked. The rice cooking control unit 97 may determine that the food to be cooked has boiled when either the first boiling judgment condition or the second boiling judgment condition is met.

[0155] Incidentally, some rice cooking courses do not require the rice volume determination process during the soaking cooking process. For example, in a quick-cooking course designed to complete rice cooking as quickly as possible, it is not appropriate to perform the rice volume determination process during the soaking cooking process. Therefore, when a rice cooking course is being performed in which the rice volume determination process during the soaking cooking process is not required, the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment determines the rice volume during the boiling heating process. The rice volume determination process during the boiling heating process is conveniently referred to as the third determination method. The third determination method classifies the rice volume into multiple levels based on the time required for the pot temperature Ti of the pot 25, detected by the lid temperature sensor 85, to reach a predetermined determination temperature, for example, 70°C, and then boil. In other words, the third determination method determines the rice volume based on a time threshold.

[0156] The rice cooking control unit 97 in this embodiment energizes the heating coil 31 with multiple different energization patterns during the boiling heating process, and energizes the heating coil 31 with even different energization patterns during the process of determining whether the rice has boiled. In other words, the rice cooker 21 finely adjusts the energization pattern to suit the boiling of the water contained in the food, reducing uneven cooking of the rice.

[0157] Furthermore, the rice cooking control unit 97 can select, correct, or change the current supply type depending on the amount of rice to be cooked. In this way, the rice cooker 21 can precisely apply the current supply type that is best suited to the amount of rice to be cooked, reducing unevenness in the cooking of rice.

[0158] When the boiling heating process is completed, the rice cooking control unit 97 transitions to the boiling continuation process.

[0159] During the boiling continuation process, the rice cooking control unit 97 switches the power supply to the heating coil 31 to maintain the temperature of the bottom of the pot 25 at a predetermined temperature or higher, for example, 98 degrees Celsius or higher, and continuously powers the lid heater 58 to maintain the temperature of the inner lid 61 at a predetermined temperature or higher, for example, 98 degrees Celsius or higher.

[0160] If the pot temperature Ti reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, or if the temperature rises at a predetermined rate, for example, 0.5 degrees Celsius or more in 10 seconds, the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the water in the pot 25 is starting to run out. When the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the water in the pot 25 is starting to run out, it extends the power supply time for the heating coil 31.

[0161] When the rate of temperature rise at the bottom of the pot 25 reaches a predetermined rate or exceeds a predetermined temperature, or when the temperature reaches a dry-up temperature at which excess water in the pot 25 disappears, such as 120 degrees Celsius, the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the food is cooked and ends the boiling continuation process.

[0162] When the boiling continuation process is completed, the rice cooking control unit 97 transitions to the soaking process.

[0163] During the soaking process, the rice cooking control unit 97 switches the power supply to the lid heater 58 based on the lid temperature to prevent condensation from forming on the inner lid 61. The rice cooking control unit 97 also switches the power supply to the heating coil 31 based on the pot temperature Ti to manage the temperature of the food being cooked. The soaking process continues for a predetermined period of time.

[0164] When the soaking process is completed, the rice cooking control unit 97 completes the rice cooking operation, and the keep-warm control unit 98 starts the keep-warm process.

[0165] When the rice cooking operation is completed, the heating control circuit board 42 outputs a display control signal corresponding to the completion of the rice cooking operation. The input / output control circuit board 75 receives this display control signal and controls the display operation of the display unit 76 and the notification operation of the notification unit 88 to notify the user that the rice cooking operation is completed.

[0166] Keep-warm control unit 98 causes heating coil 31 to generate heat until the temperature of the rice drops from the freshly cooked temperature, essentially 100°C, to the keep-warm temperature, essentially 73°C, and continues to cause heating coil 31 to generate heat even after the keep-warm temperature has stabilized at 73°C. Keep-warm control unit 98 adjusts the output of heating coil 31 so that the temperature of the bottom of pot 25 remains constant.

[0167] The rice cooker 21 can also reheat the rice in the pot 25.

[0168] Next, the method for determining the amount of cooked rice by the rice cooker 21 will be described in more detail.

[0169] Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a first determination method as an example of a method for determining the amount of cooked rice in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 is a diagram showing a second determination method as another example of a method for determining the amount of cooked rice in a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0170] As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the rice cooking control unit 97 of the rice cooker 21 of this embodiment heats the pot 25 with the heating coil 31, changing the temperature at the bottom of the pot detected by the pot temperature sensor 46, and determines the amount of cooked rice using multiple determination methods based on the change in the temperature at the bottom of the pot.

[0171] First, a first variable V1 ((first variable V1) = (final temperature Te) - (initial temperature Ts)) is defined as the final temperature Te of pot 25 minus the initial temperature Ts of pot 25 in the rice cooking amount determination process, and a second variable V2 ((second variable V2) = (maximum temperature Tmax) - (final temperature Te)) is defined as the maximum temperature Tmax of pot 25 minus the final temperature Te of pot 25. Figures 8 and 9 are plotted with the first variable V1 on the horizontal axis and the second variable V2 on the vertical axis. Therefore, the first and second determination methods share the pot bottom temperature (pot temperature Ti) detected by pot temperature sensor 46. In other words, the first and second determination methods are implemented based on the detection results of pot temperature sensor 46 without adding a detector for detecting physical quantities to rice cooker 21. In other words, when the first and second determination methods are implemented as software executed by rice cooking control unit 97, changes to the hardware of rice cooker 21 are kept to a minimum.

[0172] 8 and 9 also show data D4 detected when cooking an item containing 4 cups of rice, data D3 detected when cooking an item containing 3 cups of rice, data D2 detected when cooking an item containing 2 cups of rice, data D1.5 detected when cooking an item containing 1.5 cups of rice, data D1 detected when cooking an item containing 1 cup of rice, and data D0.5 detected when cooking an item containing 0.5 cups of rice. For ease of explanation, "data detected when cooking an item" will be referred to simply as "determination data" below.

[0173] As shown in Figure 8, the first determination method determines the amount of cooked rice based on at least one first threshold A that is perpendicular to the horizontal axis and parallel to the vertical axis and takes a constant for the first variable V1, and at least one second threshold B that is parallel to the horizontal axis and perpendicular to the vertical axis and takes a constant for the second variable V2. In other words, the thresholds of the first determination method are depicted as a straight line with no slope when illustrated with the first variable V1 on the horizontal axis and the second variable V2 on the vertical axis.

[0174] For example, thresholds a1, a2, and a3 are set as first thresholds A, and threshold b1 is set as second threshold B. Threshold a1 is the smallest and threshold a3 is the largest. In other words, there is a relationship of (threshold a1)<(threshold a2)<(threshold a3).

[0175] The amount of cooked rice is determined into four classes based on thresholds A and B. For convenience, the four classes are called "extra large," "large," "medium," and "small" in order of the amount of cooked rice. An extra large class is determined to be 4 go or more according to the shakkan system, a large class is determined to be 3 go, a medium class is determined to be 2 go or 1.5 go, and a small class is determined to be 1 go or 0.5 go of rice.

[0176] A value below threshold a1 is determined to be extra large regardless of threshold B. A value above threshold a1 and below threshold a2 and above threshold b1 is determined to be extra large. A value above threshold a1 and below threshold a2 and below threshold b1 is determined to be large. A value above threshold a2 and below threshold a3 and above threshold b1 is determined to be large. A value above threshold a2 and below threshold a3 and below threshold b1 is determined to be medium. A value above threshold a3 and above threshold b1 is determined to be medium. A value above threshold a3 and below threshold b1 is determined to be small.

[0177] As shown in Figure 9, the second determination method determines the amount of cooked rice based on a threshold value α ((threshold value α) = (coefficient) × (first variable V1) + (second variable V2)), which is expressed by at least one linear function with a positive slope. The threshold value α has a positive slope that is not zero. In other words, the threshold value of the second determination method is described as a straight line sloping upward to the right when illustrated with the first variable V1 on the horizontal axis and the second variable V2 on the vertical axis. When there are multiple threshold values ​​α, the respective threshold values ​​α do not intersect with each other within the temperature conditions to which the cooked food is exposed in the cooked rice amount determination process, that is, the temperature range higher than the melting point and lower than the boiling point of the cooked food.

[0178] For example, thresholds α1, α2, α3, α4, and α5 are set from the side closest to the horizontal axis. The intercepts on the vertical axis are set such that threshold α1 is the smallest and threshold α5 is the largest. In other words, there is a relationship of (intercept of threshold α1)<(intercept of threshold α2)<(intercept of threshold α3)<(intercept of threshold α5)<(intercept of threshold α5). The intercepts correspond to the value of the second variable V2 when the first variable V1 is zero.

[0179] In the second determination method according to this embodiment, the linear function does not include a relationship in which the slope is zero.

[0180] The amount of cooked rice is determined into six classes based on these thresholds α1 to α5. The six classes are called "extra large determination," "large determination," "medium determination," "small / medium determination," "small determination," and "very small determination," in order of the largest amount of cooked rice. An extra large determination is for cooked rice containing 4 go or more according to the shakkanho system, a large determination is 3 go, a medium determination is 2 go, a small determination is 1.5 go, a small determination is 1 go, and a very small determination is for cooked rice containing 0.5 go. In other words, the definitions of the classes "extra large determination," "large determination," "medium determination," and "small determination" in the first determination method are the same as the definitions of the classes in the first determination method.

[0181] A value equal to or greater than the threshold α5 is determined to be extra large. A value equal to or greater than the threshold α4 but less than the threshold α5 is determined to be large. A value equal to or greater than the threshold α3 but less than the threshold α4 is determined to be medium. A value equal to or greater than the threshold α2 but less than the threshold α3 is determined to be small or medium. A value equal to or greater than the threshold α1 but less than the threshold α2 is determined to be small. A value less than the threshold α1 is determined to be extremely small.

[0182] The inventors discovered that the respective determination data shown in Figures 8 and 9 are affected by factors such as the level of the power supply voltage supplied to rice cooker 21, the ambient temperature around rice cooker 21, and the temperature of the food to be cooked in rice cooker 21. The temperature of the water contained in the food is dominant in determining the temperature of the food. Even for the same amount of food, the lower the power supply voltage, ambient temperature, and temperature of the food to be cooked, the more the determination data obtained in the cooked rice amount determination process tends to shift downward and to the left. The higher the power supply voltage, ambient temperature, and temperature of the food to be cooked, the more the determination data obtained in the cooked rice amount determination process tends to shift upward and to the right. Note that the subscript "d" is added to the data shown in Figures 8 and 9 to indicate a downward and to the left shift, and the subscript "u" is added to indicate a upward and to the right shift.

[0183] For ease of explanation, factors such as the level of the power supply voltage supplied to the rice cooker 21, the level of the ambient temperature of the rice cooker 21, and the level of the temperature of the food to be cooked contained in the rice cooker 21 are referred to as factors affecting the judgment accuracy.

[0184] Here, we focus on the judgment data for the cooked rice containing 2 cups of rice shown in Figure 8. It is preferable that this judgment data be judged as "medium." However, with the first judgment method shown in Figure 8, it was found that when at least one of the factors affecting the judgment accuracy is low, the judgment data may deviate into the "high judgment" range. In other words, the first judgment method may erroneously judge the amount of cooked rice as one level higher than the level that should actually be judged. However, the factors affecting the judgment accuracy may combine randomly, causing a large overlapping shift in the judgment data, or they may cancel each other out and suppress a shift in the judgment data.

[0185] The rice cooking volume determined in the rice cooking volume determination process is used in subsequent processes, and erroneously determining the rice cooking volume one level higher does not significantly affect the taste of the rice. However, in recent years, the rice cooking volume has been utilized in applications other than rice cooking, such as rice consumption management and monitoring functions for monitoring the lifestyles of users of rice cookers 21, i.e., those being monitored, based on rice consumption volume. In such applications, a more accurate rice cooking volume determination result may be required than for rice cooking operations. In other words, in rice consumption management, a difference in the determination result of one cup, equivalent to a difference in the level of erroneous determination, may significantly distort the cumulative consumption value. For example, if the rice cooking volume is repeatedly determined to be one cup higher than the actual value, the cumulative rice consumption value may be higher than the actual value, leading to the misconception that there is insufficient rice remaining, even when there is still rice in stock. Furthermore, when it comes to monitoring functions, considering the general consumption of the age group of the person being monitored, changes or fluctuations in the judgment results for one cup may cause unnecessary concern for the person being monitored.

[0186] Therefore, the second determination method in FIG. 9 has thresholds (threshold α1, threshold α2, threshold α3, threshold α4, and threshold α5) described by a linear function along the shift direction of data due to the determination accuracy influence factors.

[0187] For ease of explanation, the cooked rice amount determined by the first determination method will be referred to as the first determination amount, and the determined amount determined by the second determination method will be referred to as the second determination amount. In other words, the second determination method determines the second determination amount, which has better determination accuracy than the first determination amount.

[0188] Of the factors that affect the judgment accuracy, the factor that can be easily controlled by rice cooker 21 is the temperature of the food to be cooked placed in rice cooker 21. Rice cooker 21 can easily raise the temperature of the food to be cooked by heating pot 25 with heating coil 31.

[0189] Furthermore, the detection performance of the thermistor that serves as lid temperature sensor 85 at low temperatures is lower than that at high temperatures. The decline in the detection performance of lid temperature sensor 85 at low temperatures can also lead to an erroneous determination of the amount of cooked rice. Rice cooker 21 heats pot 25 with heating coil 31 to raise the temperature of the food being cooked, allowing lid temperature sensor 85 to obtain data for determination in the temperature range where its detection performance is high.

[0190] Therefore, the rice cooker 21 according to this embodiment executes a preheating process in which the heating coil 31 heats the pot 25 before the cooked rice amount determination process to raise the initial temperature of the pot 25 in the cooked rice amount determination process, i.e., the initial value of the temperature at the bottom of the pot. The preheating process improves the accuracy of any method of determining the cooked rice amount, including the first determination method, which is executed based on the change in the temperature at the bottom of the pot during the soaking process, and the second determination method. For example, when determining the cooked rice amount for food containing 2 cups of rice using the first determination method, the tendency for the determination data to shift downward and to the left due to a low temperature of the food is suppressed, improving the accuracy of determining the cooked rice amount using the first determination method.

[0191] The minimum time for the preheating process is preferably set depending on the accuracy of the rice cooking amount determination. The minimum time for the preheating process is preferably equal to or longer than the minimum amount of rice cooking that can be determined, for example, the shortest time required to determine between a minimum amount of rice cooking and a larger amount of rice cooking.

[0192] Furthermore, it is preferable that the amount of heat input in the preheating process be set according to the accuracy of the rice cooking amount determination. Raising the temperature of an object with a low initial temperature and shifting the determination data to the upper right improves the accuracy of determining the amount of cooked rice, while raising the temperature of an object with a high initial temperature and shifting the determination data to the upper right may worsen the accuracy of determining the amount of cooked rice. Therefore, it is preferable that the amount of heat input to the object in the preheating process be changed based on the initial temperature of the object in the preheating process. By doing so, the initial temperature of the object in the rice cooking amount determination process can be controlled to a temperature range that is more appropriate in terms of the accuracy of the determination.

[0193] The rice cooker 21 determines the amount of food to be cooked based on the change in the pan temperature Ti using multiple methods, namely, the first and second methods. The first and second methods classify the amount of rice to be cooked into multiple levels.

[0194] Here, let's assume that suitable rice cooking courses have already been set for each of the four classes ("extra large," "large," "medium," and "small") based on the first determination method. These preset rice cooking courses differ in one or more of the following settings: rice type, cooking method, cooked rice hardness, and cooking time. Rice types include, for example, over 60 different brands of rice, as well as rice with different degrees of polishing, such as brown rice, polished rice, and polished rice. The number of rice cooking courses is calculated by multiplying the number of selectable settings, such as the number of cooking method settings, the number of selectable hardness settings, and the number of selectable cooking time settings, by the number of rice types. The total number of rice cooking courses may exceed 2,000. In other words, rice cooker 21 may be capable of implementing a large number of rice cooking courses exceeding 2,000, and rice cooker 21 cooks rice by selectively selecting, adjusting, and correcting a cooking course from the numerous rice cooking courses according to the amount of rice to be cooked. The settings for these numerous rice cooking courses and the changes to the cooking courses depending on the amount of rice cooked are information that already has intangible asset value, and acquiring them would require a huge amount of work time. If we continue to make effective use of the existing rice cooking courses that have such value, it would be unrealistic to immediately abandon the first determination method and completely switch to the second determination method.

[0195] Therefore, rice cooker 21 mainly uses the first determination method to control the rice cooking operation based on the rice cooking amount, and the second determination method for purposes other than rice cooking. However, the first determination method and the second determination method may be combined and used to control the rice cooking operation. For example, for the "extra large determination," "large determination," "medium determination," and "small determination" results that overlap between the first determination method and the second determination method, the determination method applied to the rice cooking amount determination process may be switched to the second determination method sequentially, starting with the rice cooking courses for which operation verification based on the rice cooking amount determined by the second determination method has been completed. Furthermore, the determination method applied to the rice cooking amount determination process may be switched to the second determination method sequentially, starting with the rice cooking courses for which the settings corresponding to the "small / medium determination" and "extra small determination," which are not included in the first determination method but are only included in the second determination method, have been confirmed.

[0196] Furthermore, lifestyles have changed in recent years, leading to a trend toward individual meals. As a result, the average amount of rice cooked at one time by rice cooker 21 has tended to decrease compared to the past. Therefore, the number of classes for the second determination amount is greater than the number of classes for the first determination amount. The increments of the classes for the second determination amount are smaller on the side of smaller rice amounts than on the side of larger amounts. In other words, by making "small / medium determination" and "extremely small determination" as in the second determination method, it is possible to finely control rice cooking operations more optimally from various perspectives, such as power consumption and taste, even for cooking rice for relatively small amounts of rice, such as 1.5 cups and 0.5 cups. Furthermore, by accurately determining the amount of rice cooked for relatively small amounts, such as 1.5 cups to 0.5 cups, rice cooker 21 can better adapt its rice consumption management and monitoring functions, which are based on rice consumption, to modern lifestyles.

[0197] The first and second determination methods are performed in the soaking cooking process, while the third determination method, which is performed in a process after the soaking cooking process, for example, in the boiling heating process, determines the amount of cooked rice based on a threshold value related to time. In other words, the third determination method determines the amount of cooked rice based on a threshold value that cannot be shown in Figures 8 and 9.

[0198] In addition to the rice cooking course, the courses include a cooking course and a maintenance course, but the rice cooking control unit 97 does not determine the amount of rice to be cooked in the cooking course or maintenance course. In other words, the first, second, and third determination methods are not executed in the cooking course and maintenance course.

[0199] Furthermore, the rice cooking control unit 97 does not transmit the amount of rice cooked to the outside of the machine during the cooking course and maintenance course. In other words, during the cooking course and maintenance course, the first, second, and third determination methods are not executed, and the amount of rice cooked is not transmitted to the information terminal 3 and the server 7.

[0200] Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of the first determination method for a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a second example of the second determination method for a rice cooker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0201] The first determination method shown in Fig. 11 and the second determination method shown in Fig. 12 are applied to a rice cooking course for cooking porridge, i.e., a porridge cooking course, whereas the first determination method shown in Fig. 8 and the second determination method shown in Fig. 9 are applied to a course for cooking regular cooked rice.

[0202] 10 and 11 commonly illustrate data D1 detected when porridge is made with food containing 1 go of rice, data D0.5 detected when porridge is made with food containing 0.5 go of rice, and data D0.25 detected when porridge is made with food containing 0.25 go of rice. The threshold values ​​for the first determination method in Fig. 10 are shown in accordance with Fig. 8. The threshold values ​​for the second determination method in Fig. 11 are shown in accordance with Fig. 9. However, an oversized rice is determined to be 1 go or more according to the shakkanho system, a large rice is determined to be 0.5 go, and a small rice is determined to be 0.25 go of rice.

[0203] The ratio of rice to water in porridge is significantly different from that in regular cooked rice, with the proportion of water being extremely high, meaning that the heat capacity of the cooked rice is significantly different. Therefore, it can be seen that the factors affecting the accuracy of the determination have a stronger influence in the first determination method. On the other hand, the second determination method is not affected by the factors affecting the accuracy of the determination and can determine the amount of cooked rice with high accuracy.

[0204] In other words, the first and second determination methods classify the amount of rice to be cooked into multiple levels based on at least one threshold value set for each rice cooking course. This allows rice cooker 21 to determine the amount of rice to be cooked by applying a determination method suitable for multiple rice cooking courses.

[0205] The change in pan bottom temperature (change in pan temperature Ti) detected by pan temperature sensor 46 used in the first and second determination methods is not limited to a combination of at least one temperature increase and at least one temperature decrease, as shown in FIG. 7 , in which heating coil 31 is energized to increase pan temperature Ti from initial temperature Ts to maximum temperature Tmax, and then heating coil 31 is stopped to decrease pan temperature Ti from maximum temperature Tmax to final temperature Te. The change in pan temperature Ti need only include at least one increase in pan temperature Ti. For example, the change in pan temperature Ti may be a combination of a first increase in pan temperature Ti due to a high heat input and a rise or fall in pan temperature Ti due to a low heat input. The change in pan temperature Ti may also be a change due to only the first increase in pan temperature Ti. Furthermore, the change in pan temperature Ti may be a combination of at least one increase in pan temperature Ti followed by multiple increases in pan temperature Ti or multiple decreases in pan temperature Ti. In other words, rice cooker 2 may be able to implement a plurality of methods for determining the amount of cooked rice based on the change in the temperature at the bottom of the pot detected by pot temperature sensor 46.

[0206] FIG. 12 is a front view of an example of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0207] 12, an information terminal 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention is, for example, a smartphone. The information terminal 3 includes, for example, a display unit 101 as an output device, an input device 102 that accepts user input, a communication module 103 that can send and receive various information, and a terminal control unit 105.

[0208] The display unit 101 is a display capable of displaying various types of information.

[0209] The input device 102 is, for example, a touch panel 102a that is provided over the display unit 101. The input device 102 may be a voice input unit 102b that accepts voice input.

[0210] The communication module 103 is capable of communicating with the rice cooker 21 via short-range wireless communication 5. The communication module 103 is connected to the network NW either directly or via a repeater 15. The communication module 103 may be capable of communicating with the rice cooker 21 and the server 7 via the network NW.

[0211] FIG. 13 is a block diagram of a smartphone as an example of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0212] As shown in FIG. 13, the terminal control unit 105 of the information terminal 3 includes a CPU, a memory serving as a storage unit 107, a timer serving as a timekeeping unit, and an input / output interface.

[0213] An input port of the terminal control unit 105 is connected to the input device 102 and the communication module 103. An output port of the terminal control unit 105 is connected to the display unit 101 as an output device and the communication module 103.

[0214] The terminal control unit 105 receives, at an input port, an operation signal output by the input device 102. The terminal control unit 105 also receives, at an input port, information received by the communication module 103.

[0215] The terminal control unit 105 outputs a display control signal from the output port to the display unit 101. The terminal control unit 105 outputs information to be transmitted outside the information terminal 3 to the communication module 103 from the output port.

[0216] These functions of the terminal control unit 105 are realized by the CPU executing programs recorded in memory. The programs cause the terminal control unit 105 to realize, for example, a communication control function 108 and a display control function 109. The programs for realizing these functions in the information terminal 3 are hereinafter referred to as "management applications."

[0217] The communication control function 108 controls the communication operation of the communication module 103. The communication control function 108 operates the communication module 103 to transmit various information from the information terminal 3 to the rice cooker 21 directly without going through the server 7, or indirectly via the server 7, and to receive various information transmitted by the rice cooker 21.

[0218] It is preferable that the rice cooker 21, information terminal 3, and server 7 share the current state and settings of the rice cooker 21 without delay. Therefore, it is preferable that the rice cooker 21, information terminal 3, and server 7 exchange information indicating the current state and settings of the rice cooker 21 at predetermined intervals, for example, every five minutes. Therefore, the information terminal 3 and server 7 individually obtain information from the rice cooker 21 at predetermined intervals and send the information to the rice cooker 21. It is sufficient for at least the rice cooker 21 and information terminal 3 to share the current state and settings of the rice cooker 21 without delay. From the perspective of load balancing, the server 7 and storage device 8 do not need to continuously store or retain the current state and settings of the rice cooker 21. It is preferable that the communication module 89 of the rice cooker 21 transmit all or part of the information stored in the storage device of the heating control circuit board 42 to the information terminal 3 and server 7 at predetermined intervals. It is preferable that the communication module 103 of the information terminal 3 receives the information transmitted by the rice cooker 21 at predetermined time intervals.

[0219] The display control function 109 controls the display operation of the display unit 101. The display control function 109 causes the display unit 101 to display various screens.

[0220] The display control function 109 displays a plurality of elements, such as backgrounds and character strings, on the display unit 101, based on, for example, various information received by the communication module 103. The display control function 109 displays, for example, information received by the communication control function 108 on the display unit 101. For ease of explanation, "a plurality of elements, such as backgrounds, images, symbols, character strings, etc., that the display control function 109 displays on the display unit 101, based on, for example, various information received by the communication module 103" will be referred to as "display elements" hereinafter.

[0221] Incidentally, it is desirable for the cooking system 1 to have a function that allows the user to grasp the current state and current settings of the cooker 2 substantially in real time on the information terminal 3. Therefore, the cooking system 1 includes a cooker 2 that transmits information relating to the current state and current settings of the cooker 2 as periodic information at predetermined time intervals and also transmits information relating to the current state and current settings of the cooker 2 as irregular information at irregular intervals, and an information terminal 3 that receives the regular information and irregular information from the cooker 2 and updates the current state of the cooker 2.

[0222] Irregular information is information that is transmitted between two successive pieces of regular information that are transmitted at predetermined time intervals.

[0223] FIG. 14 is a conceptual diagram relating to information updating in the cooking system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0224] As shown in FIG. 14, the cooker 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention transmits periodic information (solid arrow Da) to the server 7 at predetermined time intervals, for example, every five minutes. The server 7 promptly transmits, i.e., transfers, the periodic information (solid arrow Db) received from the cooker 2 to the information terminal 3. The information terminal 3 running the management app promptly reflects the received periodic information in the management app. The operation in which the cooker 2 transmits periodic information and the information terminal 3 receives the periodic information and promptly reflects it in the management app is hereinafter referred to as the "periodic update function" of the cooking system 1. Furthermore, the operation in which the cooker 2 transmits irregular information (dashed arrow Dc) and the information terminal 3 receives irregular information (dashed arrow Dd) and promptly reflects it in the management app is hereinafter referred to as the "irregular update function" of the cooking system 1.

[0225] The current state and current settings of the cooker 2 include non-urgent state changes and setting changes, i.e., non-urgent state changes and non-urgent setting changes. For example, a state change such as the start of cooking corresponds to this. While these non-urgent items are transmitted from the cooker 2 to the information terminal 3 as periodic information, they do not necessarily have to be transmitted as non-periodic information. The cooking system 1 according to this embodiment can reflect even these non-urgent items in the management app of the information terminal 3 at predetermined time intervals using a periodic update function. The cooker 2 transmits periodic information at predetermined time intervals without any operation by the user, and the information terminal 3 promptly reflects the periodic information in the management app after receiving it.

[0226] The cooking appliance 2 and the information terminal 3 may directly exchange the periodic information (two-dot chain line arrow De) and the non-periodic information (two-dot chain line arrow Df) without going through the server 7.

[0227] Furthermore, the periodic information and irregular information are preferably variable-length information with an amount of information appropriate to the need. That is, the periodic information and irregular information may include all or part of information regarding the current state and current settings of the cooking appliance 2, may include all or part of information regarding the current state of the cooking appliance 2, or may include all or part of information regarding the current settings. For example, rice cooker 21 may describe in its periodic information every five minutes that its current state is "cooking rice," and may describe in its periodic information every hour that its current state is "keeping warm."

[0228] Furthermore, when all or part of the information regarding the current state and current settings of the cooking appliance 2 is changed, the cooking appliance 2 and the information terminal 3 may quickly reflect this in the management app by sending and receiving irregular information, without sending and receiving regular information.

[0229] Furthermore, the cooker 2 may transmit irregular information (dashed dotted arrows Dc, Df) in response to an information request (dashed dotted arrow Ra) transmitted from the information terminal 3 to the cooker 2, or an information request (dashed dotted arrow Rb) transmitted from the server 7 to the cooker 2. If the management app, for example, wants to immediately obtain the current status of the cooker 2, the information terminal 3 may transmit an information request (dashed dotted arrow Ra) to the cooker 2, and the cooker 2 may immediately transmit irregular information (dashed dotted arrow Df) in response to the information request (dashed dotted arrow Ra) transmitted to the cooker 2. The information request is one form of information transmitted by the information terminal 3 or the server 7.

[0230] As rice is a consumer product and is primarily a staple food, a cooking device 2 that can cook rice and keep it warm, such as a rice cooker 21 or an electric pressure cooker, is a suitable home electronic device for monitoring whether the user, i.e., the person being monitored, is healthy and eating regularly.

[0231] Therefore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment has a monitoring function. The monitoring function includes a rice cooking monitoring and notification function related to the rice cooking operation, and a keep-warm monitoring function related to the process of keeping the cooked rice warm.

[0232] In order to execute the rice cooking monitoring notification function, the cooking system 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a heating coil 31 as a heating unit that performs the rice cooking operation of the food to be cooked, a timing unit 79 that can measure the duration from the end of a rice cooking operation to the start of the next rice cooking operation, and an alarm unit that alarms that the time has expired without performing the rice cooking operation if the duration exceeds a predetermined alarm time.

[0233] For ease of explanation, the duration related to the rice cooking monitoring notification function will be referred to as the "rice cooking stop time," and the specified notification time related to the rice cooking monitoring notification function will be referred to as the "rice cooking monitoring notification time."

[0234] The storage unit 78 of the rice cooker 21 stores the execution history of the rice cooking operation. The execution history of the rice cooking operation preferably includes the execution date and time of the rice cooking operation and the amount of rice cooked.

[0235] Furthermore, in order to execute the keep-warm monitoring function, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a heating coil 31 as a heating unit that performs the keep-warm operation for the food to be cooked, a timer 79 that can measure the duration of the keep-warm operation, and an alarm that notifies the user that the keep-warm time has expired when the duration exceeds a predetermined alarm time. The alarm is embodied in a display 101 or an audio output unit (not shown) that is an output device of the information terminal 3.

[0236] For ease of explanation, the duration related to the warmth monitoring notification function will be referred to as the "warmth time," and the predetermined notification time related to the warmth monitoring notification function will be referred to as the "warmth monitoring notification time."

[0237] The storage unit 78 of the rice cooker 21 stores the history of the keep-warm time. The history of the keep-warm time is preferably associated with the history of the rice cooking operation.

[0238] The monitoring function executed by the cooking system 1 will be described below in accordance with a specific input / output interface.

[0239] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the first screen displayed on the display unit of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0240] The first screen WS1 shown in FIG. 15 is an example of a so-called top screen of the information terminal 3.

[0241] 15, when the management application is started, the display unit 101 of the information terminal 3 according to this embodiment displays a first screen WS1 as an initial screen. The display content of the display unit 101 is controlled by a display control function 109.

[0242] The first screen WS1 includes a plurality of first display elements 71.

[0243] The multiple first display elements 71 include, from the top of the first screen WS1, a model identification string 71a, a setting screen call icon 71b, a support screen call icon 71c, a model icon 71d, a status display string 71e, a brand send button 71f, a remaining rice amount adjustment button 71g, a rice cooking history call button 71h, a course introduction call button 71i, and a background 71j.

[0244] The model identification string 71a displays the model identification of the rice cooker 21 selected as the target for management by the management app as a string, for example, "rice cooker." The model identification may be, for example, the model name, the model number, or a string arbitrarily set by the user.

[0245] The setting screen call icon 71b displays, for example, a combination of an image of a “gear” and the character string “settings.” When the setting screen call icon 71b is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to the setting screen.

[0246] The support screen call icon 71c displays, for example, a combination of an image of a "speech bubble" and the character string "support." When the support screen call icon 71c is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to the support screen.

[0247] The model icon 71d displays a large image that evokes the rice cooker 21 selected as the object of management by the management application.

[0248] The status display string 71e displays the current status of the rice cooker 21 selected as the target for management by the management app as a string, for example, "Keeping warm." The current status of the rice cooker 21 includes "Keeping warm," which keeps cooked rice warm, "Cooking" or "In operation," which is performing the rice cooking operation to turn rice into cooked rice, "Stopped," which is not performing the rice cooking operation, and "Offline," which is not able to establish communication between the rice cooker 21 and the information terminal 3. If a status other than "Offline" is displayed, the rice cooker 21 is online.

[0249] The stock send button 71f includes a first title string 71fa that displays "Send stock" as a character string, and a stock send screen call icon 71fb that displays, for example, ">" as an image. The first title string 71fa is displayed left-justified on the stock send button 71f, and the stock send screen call icon 71fb is displayed right-justified on the stock send button 71f.

[0250] The rice remaining amount adjustment button 71g functions as an adjustment input unit that accepts adjustment operations related to the remaining amount of rice. The rice remaining amount adjustment button 71g includes a second title string 71ga that displays "Rice Stock" as a string of characters, an inventory amount string 71gb, and a rice remaining amount adjustment input unit call icon 71gc that displays, for example, an image of a ">". The second title string 71ga is displayed left-justified on the rice remaining amount adjustment button 71g, the rice remaining amount adjustment input unit call icon 71gc is displayed right-justified on the rice remaining amount adjustment button 71g, and the inventory amount string 71gb is displayed immediately to the left of the rice remaining amount adjustment input unit call icon 71gc.

[0251] 15 displays the amount of rice in stock by combining the word "approximately," a numerical value such as "10.00," and a unit such as "kg" representing kilograms. Inventory amount string 71gb corresponds to the display when the amount of rice in stock as determined by cooking system 1 is approximately 10.00 kilograms.

[0252] The inventory quantity string 71gb can display the rice inventory quantity in the SI unit of kilograms or in the unit "go" based on the shakkanho system. The unit applied to the rice inventory quantity can be switched and selected on the setting screen that is displayed by touching the setting screen call icon 71b. When the unit applied to the rice inventory quantity is switched to "go" on the setting screen, the inventory quantity string 71gb displays the rice inventory quantity by combining the string "approximately," a numerical value such as "66.6," and a unit such as "go." The cooking system 1 converts units based on 1 go of rice = approximately 150 grams (g).

[0253] In Japan, rice is generally traded in kilograms and grams at stores where consumers can easily obtain it, while rice is consumed in "go" units when cooking rice in rice cookers 21. The inventory quantity string 71gb, which can be displayed by switching between units, can easily present users with inventory quantities that flexibly correspond to both the distribution and consumption patterns of rice in Japan.

[0254] The rice cooking history call button 71h displays, for example, an image resembling a heart mark combined with the text "Favorite rice cooking history." When the rice cooking history call button 71h is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 changes to a screen presenting favorite rice cooking courses and the history of rice cooking courses used to date.

[0255] The course introduction call button 71i displays, for example, a small image resembling the rice cooker 21 in combination with the text "Course introduction." When the course introduction call button 71i is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to a screen introducing the rice cooking courses.

[0256] The background 71j uses a color (background color) to represent the current status of the rice cooker 21 selected as the object of management by the management app. For example, the color of the background 71j for "Running" or "Cooking rice" is a warm orange that evokes the image of heating. The color of the background 71j for "Keeping warm" is a warm pale orange that evokes the image of keeping warm. The color of the background 71j for "Stopped" is achromatic light gray that evokes the image of stopped. The color of the background 71j for "Offline" is achromatic dark gray that evokes the image of offline.

[0257] That is, the information terminal 3 is provided with a display unit 101 that changes both the color of the status display character string 71e and the color of the background 71j (background color) based on the received irregular information and regular information to display the current status of the cooker 2. In other words, the information terminal 3 changes both the color of the status display character string 71e and the color of the background 71j to constantly update and present the current status of the cooker 2 to the user without requiring any operation by the user. Therefore, the cooking system 1 allows the current status of the cooker 2 to be grasped by an image that is intuitive and easily grasped.

[0258] Here, it is assumed that the setting screen call icon 71b on the first screen WS1 is touched.

[0259] Fig. 16 is a diagram showing an example of a second screen displayed on the display unit of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. The second screen WS2 shown in Fig. 16 is an example of a screen of a management application executed on the information terminal 3, and is an example of a settings screen displayed by touching the settings screen call icon 71b on the first screen WS1.

[0260] 16, the display unit 101 of the information terminal 3 according to this embodiment displays the second screen WS2 in response to an operation received by the setting screen call icon 71b. The display content of the display unit 101 is controlled by a display control function 109.

[0261] The second screen WS2 includes a plurality of second display elements 73.

[0262] The multiple second display elements 73 include, for example, from the top of the second screen WS2, a previous screen return icon 73a that displays, for example, an image of "<", a first title string 73b that displays the word "Settings" as a string of characters, a notification setting screen call button 73c, a water hardness setting screen call button 73d, a monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e, and an inventory notification setting screen call button 73f.

[0263] When the return to previous screen icon 73a is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to return to the first screen WS1.

[0264] The notification settings screen call button 73c includes a second title string 73ca that displays "Notification Settings" as a character string, and a notification settings screen call icon 73cb that displays, for example, ">" as an image. The second title string 73ca is displayed left-justified on the notification settings screen call button 73c, and the notification settings screen call icon 73cb is displayed right-justified on the notification settings screen call button 73c. ​​When the notification settings screen call button 73c is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to a notification settings screen on which settings related to notifications can be made.

[0265] The water hardness setting screen call button 73d includes a third title character string 73da that displays "Water Hardness Setting" as a character string, a water hardness character string 73db that displays the current water hardness setting of the rice cooker 21, and a water hardness setting screen call icon 73dc that displays, for example, an image of ">". The third title character string 73da is displayed left-justified on the water hardness setting screen call button 73d, and the water hardness setting screen call icon 73dc is displayed right-justified on the water hardness setting screen call button 73d.

[0266] The water hardness string 73db is located between the third title string 73da and the water hardness setting screen call icon 73dc. The water hardness string 73db displays the water hardness setting value as a combination of a number, such as "120," and a unit, such as "mg / L" (milligrams per liter). The water hardness string 73db corresponds to the display when the water hardness setting value of the rice cooker 21 for the rice cooking course is 120 milligrams per liter. If the rice cooker 21 is currently "offline," the water hardness string 73db may display a different display than a number, such as "---" combined with a unit, such as "---mg / L." The water hardness string 73db allows the user to easily recognize the current water hardness setting of the rice cooker 21, while displaying another display, such as "---mg / L," allows the user to easily recognize that the rice cooker 21 is "offline" and cannot accept changes to the water hardness setting.

[0267] When the water hardness setting screen call button 73d is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to a water hardness setting screen for setting the water hardness.

[0268] The monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e includes a fourth title character string 73ea that displays "Monitoring notification setting" as a character string, and a monitoring notification setting screen call icon 73eb that displays, for example, ">" as an image. The fourth title character string 73ea is displayed left-justified on the monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e, and the monitoring notification setting screen call icon 73eb is displayed right-justified on the monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e. When the monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e is touched, the screen displayed by the display unit 101 transitions to a monitoring notification setting screen for configuring settings related to monitoring notifications.

[0269] The stock notification setting screen call button 73f includes a fifth title string 73fa that displays "Rice Stock Quantity Notification Settings" as a character string, and a stock notification setting screen call icon 73fb that displays, for example, an image of ">". The fifth title string 73fa is displayed left-justified on the stock notification setting screen call button 73f, and the stock notification setting screen call icon 73fb is displayed right-justified on the stock notification setting screen call button 73f. When the stock notification setting screen call button 73f is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to a stock notification setting screen that notifies the user about the rice stock quantity.

[0270] Next, it is assumed that the monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e on the second screen WS2 is touched with the aim of setting the monitoring function of the cooking system 1.

[0271] Fig. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a third screen displayed on the display unit of the information terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention. The third screen WS3 shown in Fig. 17 is an example of a screen of a management application executed on the information terminal 3, and is an example of a monitoring notification setting screen displayed by touching the monitoring notification setting screen call button 73e on the second screen WS2.

[0272] 17, the display unit 101 of the information terminal 3 according to this embodiment displays the third screen WS3 in response to an operation received by the watching notification setting screen call button 73e. The display content of the display unit 101 is controlled by the display control function 109.

[0273] The third screen WS3 includes a plurality of third display elements 75.

[0274] The plurality of third display elements 75 are, for example, a previous screen return icon 75a that displays, for example, "<" as an image, from the top of the third screen WS3, A first title character string 75b that displays "Monitoring Settings" as a character string; A rice cooking notification toggle 75c for switching between enabling and disabling the rice cooking monitoring notification function; A rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d that calls up a rice cooking monitoring setting screen for setting the rice cooking stop time; A warming notification toggle 75e for switching between enabling and disabling the warming monitoring notification function; A rice cooking history notification toggle 75f that switches between enabling and disabling the function of notifying the rice cooking operation execution history; A Keep Warm History Notification Toggle (75g) that enables or disables the Keep Warm operation execution history notification function. Contains:

[0275] The rice cooking notification toggle 75c includes a second title string 75ca, which displays the text "Notify if rice has not been cooked for a certain period of time," and an enable / disable switch toggle 75cb, which displays a toggle that can be switched on and off. The second title string 75ca is displayed left-justified on the rice cooking notification toggle 75c, and the enable / disable switch toggle 75cb is displayed right-justified on the rice cooking notification toggle 75c. The enable / disable switch toggle 75cb has an appearance that allows the user to visually and intuitively recognize whether it is on (enabled) or off (disabled).

[0276] The rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d includes a third title string 73da that displays "Period" as a string, a rice cooking monitoring setting content string 75db that displays the current setting for the rice cooking monitoring notification as a string, for example, "If no rice is cooked for 3 days," and a setting screen call icon 73dc that displays, for example, an image of ">." The third title string 73da is displayed left-justified on the rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d, the setting screen call icon 73dc is displayed right-justified on the rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d, and the rice cooking monitoring setting content string 75db is displayed left-justified between the third title string 73da and the setting screen call icon 73dc, adjacent to the left of the setting screen call icon 73dc.

[0277] The rice cooking monitoring setting content string 75db means that if the rice cooker 21 does not perform rice cooking for three consecutive days, a rice cooking monitoring notification will be executed on the information terminal 3. In other words, the rice cooking monitoring setting content string 75db expresses that the set value for the rice cooking stop time is three days (72 hours).

[0278] When the rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d is touched, the screen displayed on the display unit 101 transitions to the rice cooking monitoring setting screen.

[0279] The rice cooking monitoring setting screen is displayed as a pop-up, for example, overlapping with the third screen WS3. The rice cooking monitoring setting screen provides an interface for inputting the number of days for which rice cooker 21 will not cook rice, i.e., the rice cooking stop time. This interface may be, for example, a user interface known as a drum roll or picker, which allows intuitive input of numerical values, or a user interface that allows the user to select one option from multiple options presented, such as 1 day, 3 days, or 7 days.

[0280] The keep-warm notification toggle 75e includes a warming monitoring setting content string 75ea, which displays the text "Notify if kept warm for 3 days," and an enable / disable switch toggle 75eb, which displays a toggle that can be switched on and off. The keep-warm monitoring setting content string 75ea is displayed left-justified in the keep-warm notification toggle 75e, and the enable / disable switch toggle 75cb is displayed right-justified in the keep-warm notification toggle 75e. The enable / disable switch toggle 75eb has an appearance that allows the user to visually and intuitively recognize whether it is on (enabled) or off (disabled).

[0281] The keep-warm monitoring setting content string 75ea means that if the rice cooker 21 performs the keep-warm operation for three consecutive days, a keep-warm monitoring notification will be executed on the information terminal 3. In other words, the keep-warm monitoring setting content string 75ea expresses that the set value for the keep-warm monitoring alarm time is three days (72 hours).

[0282] Like the rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d, the keep warm notification toggle 75e may be a button that displays a pop-up screen that allows the user to directly input the number of days required for the information terminal 3 to execute the keep warm monitoring notification. In other words, like the rice cooking monitoring notification function, the keep warm monitoring notification function may also allow the user to directly input the number of days required for the information terminal 3 to execute the keep warm monitoring notification.

[0283] The rice cooking history notification toggle 75f includes a rice cooking history setting content string 75fa that displays the text "Notify rice cooking history" as a string, and an enable / disable switch toggle 75fb that displays a toggle that can be switched on and off. The rice cooking history setting content string 75fa is displayed left-justified on the rice cooking history notification toggle 75f, and the enable / disable switch toggle 75fb is displayed right-justified on the rice cooking history notification toggle 75f. The enable / disable switch toggle 75fb has an appearance that allows the user to visually and intuitively recognize whether it is on (enabled) or off (disabled).

[0284] The keep warm history notification toggle 75g includes a keep warm history setting content string 75fa that displays the text "Notify keep warm history" as a string, and an enable / disable switch toggle 75fb that displays a toggle that can be switched on and off. The keep warm history setting content string 75fa is displayed left-justified in the keep warm history notification toggle 75g, and the enable / disable switch toggle 75fb is displayed right-justified in the keep warm history notification toggle 75g. The enable / disable switch toggle 75fb has an appearance that allows the user to visually and intuitively recognize whether it is on (enabled) or off (disabled).

[0285] The rice cooking history notification toggle 75f and the keep warm history notification toggle 75g may be buttons that display a pop-up screen in which the user can directly input the frequency and time period at which the information terminal 3 will notify each history, similar to the rice cooking monitoring setting screen call button 75d.

[0286] The rice cooking history and the keep-warm history are notified, for example, on a daily basis at a predetermined time, by a sub-screen that pops up on the display unit 101 of the information terminal 3. In this case, it is preferable that the information terminal 3 pops up the rice cooking history and the keep-warm history regardless of whether or not all screens of the management app are displayed, including the first screen WS1, which corresponds to the top screen.

[0287] The monitoring notification settings set through the monitoring notification setting screen may be stored in the information terminal 3, the server 7, or the rice cooker 21. The monitoring notification settings are preferably stored in the information terminal 3, the rice cooker 21, or the server 7, whichever device functions as the decision unit that determines whether to issue a monitoring notification. This reduces the amount of communication required to determine whether to issue a monitoring notification. For ease of explanation, it is assumed that the rice cooker 21 stores the monitoring notification settings and makes the decision to issue a monitoring notification. Having the rice cooker 21 make the decision to issue a monitoring notification means that the same device is responsible for timing the keep-warm time and making the decision, which is expected to improve the reliability of the decision. Therefore, when the information terminal 3 displays the third screen WS3, it sends an information request to the rice cooker 21 to request that the monitoring notification settings be sent to the information terminal 3. In response to the information request, the rice cooker 21 immediately sends irregular information, including the monitoring notification settings, to the information terminal 3. When the storage of the monitoring notification settings and the determination of whether to execute the monitoring notification are performed by separate devices, appropriate communication transmission and reception may be performed.

[0288] The cooking system 1 according to this embodiment executes the monitoring function as follows, in accordance with the monitoring notification settings set through the monitoring notification setting screen.

[0289] First, the keep-warm monitoring function will be described. Cooking system 1 causes the notification unit to notify that the keep-warm time has expired when the keep-warm time measured by timing unit 79 of rice cooker 21 exceeds the keep-warm monitoring notification time.

[0290] The keep-warm control unit 98 and timing unit 79 of the rice cooker 21 start timing the keep-warm time when the rice cooker 21 starts the keep-warm operation. The keep-warm time is sent as periodic information to at least the information terminal 3, and preferably also to the server 7. The information terminal 3 stores the keep-warm time received as periodic information in the memory unit 107. The server 7 stores the keep-warm time received as periodic information in the storage device 8. The information terminal 3 and the storage device 8 store the history of the received keep-warm times, for example, for two to three weeks. Meanwhile, the rice cooker 21 stores the history of the measured keep-warm times, for example, for two to three weeks.

[0291] The keep-warm control unit 98 monitors the keep-warm time and determines that the keep-warm time has expired if the keep-warm time exceeds the keep-warm monitoring alarm time. When the keep-warm control unit 98 determines that the keep-warm time has expired, it sends irregular information including an expiration identifier to the information terminal 3 and the server 7. At this time, the communication module 89 of the rice cooker 21 functions as a transmitter that transmits the information including the expiration identifier. The management application AP of the information terminal 3 that receives the irregular information including the expiration identifier notifies the user that the keep-warm time has expired based on the irregular information including the expiration identifier. At this time, the communication module 103 of the information terminal 3 functions as a receiver that receives the information including the expiration identifier. The operation of notifying the user that the keep-warm time has expired is performed by the display unit 101 and an audio output unit (not shown), which are output devices of the information terminal 3. For example, the information terminal 3 may display a pop-up screen on the display unit 101 notifying the user that the keep-warm time has expired, or may output a sound from the audio output unit notifying the user that the keep-warm time has expired.

[0292] The overage identifier can be one-bit digital information that can express two values, i.e., whether the keep-warm time has exceeded the keep-warm monitoring alarm time. However, it is preferable to add information that can distinguish between the overage identifier for the rice cooking monitoring notification function and the overage identifier for the keep-warm monitoring notification function.

[0293] While the keep-warm operation is in progress, the person being watched over may open and close the lid 26 of the rice cooker 21 in order to eat the rice being kept warm or to freeze it. In such cases, it can be inferred that the living situation of the person being watched over is such that a monitoring notification to the watcher is not required. For ease of explanation, a living situation of the person being watched over that does not require a monitoring notification to the watcher will be referred to below as a "living situation that does not require a notification."

[0294] Therefore, the keep-warm control unit 98 determines whether to issue an alert that the keep-warm time has expired by combining the fact that the lid 26 has been opened with whether the keep-warm time has exceeded the keep-warm monitoring alert time. In other words, the keep-warm control unit 98 takes into account not only the keep-warm time, but also the open / closed state and opening / closing history of the lid 26 of the rice cooker 21, when issuing an alert that the keep-warm time has expired. This allows for more appropriate alerting.

[0295] Lid opening / closing sensor 86 detects that lid 26 has been opened. Therefore, for example, if lid 26 is opened while a keep-warm operation is being performed, heat retention control unit 98 will initialize the clock for the keep-warm time, lengthen the keep-warm monitoring alarm time, for example, add half the time from the start of the keep-warm operation to the time lid 26 is opened to the keep-warm monitoring alarm time, or suspend the keep-warm monitoring alarm until the currently performing keep-warm operation is completed.

[0296] On the other hand, if lid 26 remains closed and is never opened after the keep-warm operation has started, i.e., if lid 26 remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation by heating coil 31, keep-warm control unit 98 may change the predetermined alarm time (keep-warm monitoring alarm time). The predetermined alarm time is preferably changed by the device that stores the monitoring notification settings, i.e., rice cooker 21. In this case, keep-warm control unit 98 functions as an alarm time changer for the keep-warm monitoring notification function. If lid 26 remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation, it is inferred that the person being monitored has clearly cooked rice with a clear intention, but has forgotten about it or is in a living situation that makes it impossible for them to open lid 26. Therefore, keep-warm control unit 98 may execute the alarm operation earlier than the set keep-warm monitoring alarm time, for example, half the keep-warm monitoring alarm time.

[0297] There are cases where the rice cooker 21's reservation function is used to cook the food to be cooked until it is cooked to perfection. Therefore, when the lid 26 remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation after a reserved cooking session, the cooking system 1 may change the predetermined alarm time (keep-warm monitoring alarm time) so that it differs from when the lid 26 remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation after a non-reserved cooking session. The predetermined alarm time is preferably changed by the rice cooker 21 that stores the monitoring notification settings. In this case, the keep-warm control unit 98 functions as an alarm time changer for the keep-warm monitoring notification function.

[0298] For ease of explanation, the keep-warm operation that is performed after a rice cooking operation that uses the reservation function is called "reserved keep-warm," and the keep-warm operation that is performed after a rice cooking operation that does not use the reservation function is called "unreserved keep-warm." Also, the time spent waiting for a reservation, that is, the time from the start of the reservation to the start of the rice cooking operation, is called the "reserved wait time."

[0299] The time until warming after a reservation starts is longer than the time until warming without a reservation starts. Usually, the start of warming after a reservation is delayed by the reservation standby time compared to the start of warming without a reservation. Therefore, the warming control unit 98 during warming after a reservation may execute the alarm operation by advancing the warming monitoring alarm time by a time shorter than the set value for the warming monitoring alarm time in warming without a reservation, for example, by the reservation standby time.

[0300] Furthermore, cooking system 1 may change the alarm time in combination with whether the reservation function is used and whether lid 26 is open or closed. That is, when lid 26 has remained closed since the start of reserved keep-warm, keep-warm control unit 98 may change the predetermined alarm time (keep-warm monitoring alarm time) so that it differs from when lid 26 has remained closed since the start of unreserved keep-warm. For example, keep-warm control unit 98 may execute an alarm operation by setting the keep-warm monitoring alarm time when keep-warm after reservation and lid 26 remains closed to a time that is shorter than the keep-warm monitoring alarm time when keep-warm without reservation and lid 26 remains closed, for example, by half the reserved standby time.

[0301] When changing the keep-warm monitoring alarm time depending on whether lid 26 is open or closed, it is possible to only detect when lid 26 is open and not when it is closed, or to only detect when lid 26 is open and not transmit the information that lid 26 is closed to the outside of rice cooker 21. This is because when lid 26 is opened, it can be inferred that the person being monitored is in a living state where an alarm is not required. However, it is possible that the person being monitored forgets to close lid 26, or that the person being monitored falls into a situation where an alarm is required after opening lid 26. If lid 26 is left open, the temperature of the rice in pot 25 drops, and the temperature of the pot bottom detected by pot temperature sensor 46 drops.

[0302] Therefore, cooking system 1 may determine whether to issue a warning that the keep-warm time has expired by combining the opening of lid 26 with the temperature of the food being cooked. When keep-warm control unit 98 detects that lid 26 has been opened from the output of lid open / close sensor 86 and detects that the pot bottom temperature has dropped to a predetermined warning temperature from the output of pot temperature sensor 46, it may issue a warning immediately, regardless of the elapsed keep-warm time, or after a time significantly shorter than the keep-warm monitoring warning time, such as about 10 minutes, has elapsed. By transmitting irregular information indicating that lid 26 has been opened to the outside of rice cooker 21 and periodically transmitting the detection result of the pot bottom temperature to the outside of rice cooker 21, server 7 and information terminal 3 may issue a warning immediately, regardless of the elapsed keep-warm time, or after a time significantly shorter than the keep-warm monitoring warning time has elapsed.

[0303] Next, the rice cooking monitoring notification function will be described. When the rice cooking stop time measured by the timing unit 79 of the rice cooker 21 exceeds the rice cooking monitoring notification time, the cooking system 1 causes the notification unit to notify that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed.

[0304] The rice cooking control unit 97 and timing unit 79 of rice cooker 21 start timing the rice cooking stop time when rice cooker 21 finishes cooking rice. The rice cooking stop time is sent as periodic information to at least information terminal 3, and preferably also to server 7. Information terminal 3 stores the rice cooking stop time received as periodic information in memory unit 107. Server 7 stores the rice cooking stop time received as periodic information in storage device 8. Information terminal 3 and storage device 8 store the history of received rice cooking stop times, for example, for two to three weeks. Meanwhile, rice cooker 21 stores the history of measured rice cooking stop times, for example, for two to three weeks.

[0305] The rice cooking control unit 97 monitors the rice cooking stop time, and if the rice cooking stop time exceeds the rice cooking monitoring alarm time, it determines that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed. When the rice cooking control unit 97 determines that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed, it sends irregular information including an expiration identifier to the information terminal 3 and the server 7. The management application AP of the information terminal 3 that receives the irregular information notifies the user that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed based on the irregular information including the expiration identifier. The operation of notifying the user that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed is performed by the display unit 101, which is an output device of the information terminal 3, or an audio output unit (not shown). For example, the information terminal 3 may display a pop-up screen on the display unit 101 notifying the user that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed, or may output a sound from the audio output unit notifying the user that the time has passed since the rice cooking operation was not performed.

[0306] The cooking system 1 may change the keep-warm monitoring alarm time based on the history of the keep-warm time. The cooking system 1 may also change the rice cooking monitoring alarm time based on the history of the rice cooking stop time. In other words, the cooking system 1 may change the predetermined alarm time (keep-warm monitoring alarm time, rice cooking monitoring alarm time) based on the history of the duration (keep-warm time, rice cooking stop time). The predetermined alarm time is changed by at least one of the rice cooker 21, the information terminal 3, and the server 7. The predetermined alarm time is preferably changed by the rice cooker 21, which stores the monitoring notification settings. In this case, the keep-warm control unit 98 functions as the alarm time change unit for the keep-warm monitoring notification function, and the rice cooking control unit 97 functions as the alarm time change unit for the rice cooking monitoring notification function. The alarm time change unit changes the rice cooking monitoring alarm time by, for example, statistically processing the history of the duration. The alarm time change unit can change the predetermined alarm time based on a statistically processable value such as the maximum value, minimum value, median value, average value, or average value with variance taken into account in the duration history. Cooking system 1 preferably provides an input interface that allows the user to select the type of processing to use to change the predetermined alarm time.

[0307] In the first place, it may be difficult for the watcher to monitor the living conditions of the person being watched over repeatedly and directly in person over a short period of time, such as when the person being watched over lives far away. In such cases, it is difficult for the watcher to set the specified alarm time while taking into account the recent living conditions of the person being watched over. In such cases, cooking system 1 can more effectively monitor the living conditions of the person being watched over by changing the specified alarm time based on the history of keep-warm time and the history of rice cooking stop time.

[0308] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 preferably includes a notification unit that can notify at least one of the execution history of the keep-warm operation and the rice cooking operation stored in the memory unit 78. The notification of the execution history of the keep-warm operation can be expressed, for example, as a bar graph or line graph with the days of the week on the horizontal axis and the keep-warm time on the vertical axis. The notification of the execution history of rice cooking can be expressed, for example, as a bar graph or line graph with the days of the week on the horizontal axis and the amount of cooked rice on the vertical axis. Notifications spanning multiple weeks may be expressed using graphs with different colors or different line types for each week.

[0309] Cooking system 1 may distribute the monitoring function among cooker 2, server 7, and information terminal 3. For example, if lid 26 is opened while the keep-warm operation is being performed, rice cooker 21 transmits irregular information indicating that lid 26 has been opened to information terminal 3 and server 7. If rice cooker 21 later transmits irregular information including an excess identifier without taking into account the opening or closing of lid 26, information terminal 3 and server 7 may delay or limit the execution of the notification operation. In other words, cooking system 1 only needs to acquire at least physical quantities directly detected by cooker 2, such as the opening and closing of lid 26 and the temperature of the bottom of the pot, in rice cooker 21, and embody an alarm unit and a notification unit in information terminal 3 used by the watcher, while cooking system 1 may implement timing unit 79, alarm time change unit, and memory unit 78 in any of cooker 2, server 7, and information terminal 3, or may be implemented redundantly in cooker 2, server 7, and information terminal 3. The alarm unit and notification unit are embodied in display unit 101, which is an output device of information terminal 3, and in an audio output unit (not shown).

[0310] The cooking system 1 according to this embodiment, configured as described above, includes a heating coil 31 as a heating unit that performs the keep-warm operation for the food to be cooked, a timer 79 that can measure the keep-warm time, and an alarm that notifies the user that the keep-warm time has expired when the keep-warm time exceeds a predetermined alarm time. Therefore, by monitoring the keep-warm time of a cooker 2 that has the function of keeping the food to be cooked warm, such as a rice cooker 21 or an electric cooking pot, which are types of household electronic devices that are expected to be installed in the residence of the person being watched over, the cooking system 1 can provide the watcher with an alarm that allows them to determine whether the living conditions of the person being watched over are abnormal.

[0311] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes an alarm time changing unit that changes the predetermined alarm time based on the history of the keep-warm time. This allows the cooking system 1 to perform a monitoring function that suits the living situation of the person being watched over. In cases where it is difficult for the watcher to set the predetermined alarm time (keep-warm monitoring alarm time) in consideration of the recent living situation of the person being watched over, the cooking system 1 can provide the watcher with an environment in which the living situation of the person being watched over can be more appropriately monitored by changing the predetermined alarm time based on the history of the keep-warm time.

[0312] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a heating coil 31 capable of cooking food, a storage unit 78 that stores a cooking execution history, and a notification unit that can notify the cooking execution history stored in the storage unit 78. Therefore, the cooking system 1 can provide the watcher with information that enables the watcher to easily understand the eating habits and trends of the person being watched over.

[0313] Furthermore, cooking system 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with lid open / close sensor 86 that detects at least the opening of lid 26, and a notification unit that determines whether to notify the user that the keep-warm time has expired by combining the opening of lid 26 with whether the keep-warm time has exceeded a predetermined notification time. Therefore, cooking system 1 can provide a more appropriate notification that is not bothersome to the user when the person being watched is in a living situation where a notification is not necessary.

[0314] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes an alarm time change unit that changes the predetermined alarm time if the lid 26 remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation. Therefore, the cooking system 1 can provide a more appropriate alarm to the person being watched over when the person being watched over is in a living situation that requires an immediate alarm.

[0315] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a heating coil 31 that can cook food according to a reservation and continuously perform a keep-warm operation after cooking, and an alarm time change unit that changes the predetermined alarm time when the lid 26 has remained closed since the start of the keep-warm operation after cooking based on a reservation, so that the alarm time is different from when the lid 26 has remained closed since the start of the keep-warm operation after cooking that is not based on a reservation. Therefore, the cooking system 1 can provide the watcher with an appropriate alarm according to the usage status of the reservation function of the cooker 2.

[0316] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment is equipped with at least a lid opening / closing sensor 86 that detects that the lid 26 has been opened, a pot temperature sensor 46 that detects the temperature of the food being cooked, and a notification unit that determines whether to notify that the keep-warm time has expired by combining the opening of the lid 26 with the temperature of the food being cooked. Therefore, the cooking system 1 can provide the watcher with an appropriate notification that corresponds to the living situation of the person being watched over immediately after the lid 26 of the cooker 2 is opened.

[0317] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a communication module 89 of the cooker 2 that transmits information including an excess identifier when the keep-warm time exceeds a predetermined notification time, a communication module 103 of the information terminal 3 that receives the information including the excess identifier, and a notification unit that notifies the watcher that the keep-warm time has expired if the excess identifier is included in the information received by the communication module 103 of the information terminal 3. Therefore, the cooking system 1 can make a highly reliable judgment of the living situation of the person being watched over inside the cooker 2, regardless of the state of the telecommunications network 11, which is the information transmission path, and can communicate the judgment result to the watcher.

[0318] Furthermore, the cooking system 1 according to this embodiment includes a communication module 89 that transmits information including the current state of the heating coil 31, such as "operating" or "stopped," as periodic information at predetermined time intervals, and also transmits information including an overage identifier as irregular information at irregular intervals. Therefore, even if the cooker 2 describes its current state as "cooking rice" in periodic information every five minutes and its current state as "keeping warm" in periodic information every hour, the cooking system 1 can transmit irregular information including an overage identifier regardless of the transmission cycle (transmission timing) of the periodic information, thereby communicating the living situation of the person being watched over to the watcher at more appropriate timing.

[0319] Therefore, according to the cooking system 1 of the present invention, an environment can be presented to the watcher in which it is possible to easily determine whether the living situation of the person being watched is abnormal or not based on the duration of the keep-warm operation of the cooking appliance 2.

[0320] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be embodied in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as defined in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0321] 1...heating cooking system, 2...heating cooker, 3...information terminal, 5...short-range wireless communication, 7...server, 8...storage device, 11...telecommunications network, 12...external communication network, 13...in-house communication network, 15...repeater, 21...rice cooker, 22...pot housing, 23...main body, 25...pot, 25a...main material, 25b...heating element, 26...lid, 27...hinge mechanism, 28...power line, 31...heating coil, 31u...first coil, 31d...second coil, 32...flange portion, 35...bottom plate, 36...upper frame, 37...inner frame, 38...outer frame, 39...controller housing chamber, 41...vent, 42...heating control circuit board, 43...radiator, 45...cooling Cooling fan, 46...pot temperature sensor, 51...hinge shaft, 52...hinge spring, 55...outer lid, 56...outer lid cover, 57...heat sink, 58...lid heater, 59...inner lid unit, 61...inner lid, 62...lid gasket, 63...gasket base, 65...steam vent, 66...steam exhaust passage, 67...pressure regulating valve, 67a...valve body, 67b...solenoid, 68...vacuum pump, 69...vacuum hole, 71...lid opening operation button, 72...lid lock mechanism, 73...operation panel, 75...input / output control circuit board, 76...display unit, 77...operation unit, 78...memory unit, 79...timer unit, 81...coil drive circuit, 83...lid heater - Drive circuit, 85... lid temperature sensor, 86... lid opening / closing sensor, 87... pressure sensor, 88... alarm unit, 89... communication module, 81u... first drive circuit, 81d... second drive circuit, 92... input signal generation unit, 93... display control unit, 95... condition setting unit, 97... rice cooking control unit, 98... keep warm control unit, 101... display unit, 102... input device, 102a... touch panel, 102b... voice input unit, 103... communication module, 105... terminal control unit, 107... memory unit, 108... communication control function, 109... display control function, 121... first display element, 121a... model identification string, 121b... setting Screen call icon, 121c...support screen call icon, 121d...model icon, 121e...status display string, 121f...brand name send button, 121f...first title string, 121f...brand name send screen call icon, 121g...rice remaining amount adjustment button, 121g...second title string, 121g...inventory amount string, 121g...rice remaining amount adjustment input section call icon, 121h...rice cooking history call button, 121i...course introduction call button, 121j...background, 123...second display element, 123a...previous screen return icon, 123b...first title string, 123c...notification setting screen call button,123d...water hardness setting screen call button, 123e...monitoring notification setting screen call button, 123f...stock notification setting screen call button, 123ca...second title character string, 123cb...notification setting screen call icon, 123da...third title character string, 123db...water hardness character string, 123dc...water hardness setting screen call icon, 123ea...fourth title character string, 123eb...monitoring notification setting screen call icon, 123fa...fifth title character string, 123fb...stock notification setting screen call icon, 125...third display element, 125a...previous screen return icon icon, 125b...first title string, 125c...rice cooking notification toggle, 125d...settings screen call button, 125e...keep warm notification toggle, 125f...rice cooking history notification toggle, 125g...keep warm history notification toggle, 125ca...second title string, 125cb...enable / disable switch toggle, 125da...setting content string, 123db...settings screen call icon, 125ea...setting content string, 125eb...enable / disable switch toggle, 125fa...rice cooking history setting content string, 125fb...enable / disable switch toggle, 125fc...keep warm history setting content string.

Claims

1. A heating unit that performs a keeping-warm operation for the food to be cooked; a timer capable of measuring the duration of the heat retention operation; a notification unit that notifies that the warming time has expired when the duration exceeds a predetermined notification time.

2. a storage unit that stores a history of the duration; The heating and cooking system according to claim 1 , further comprising: an alarm time change unit that changes the predetermined alarm time based on a history of the duration.

3. The heating unit is capable of heating and cooking the food to be cooked, A storage unit that stores the execution history of the cooking process; The cooking system according to claim 1 , further comprising: a notification unit capable of notifying the execution history stored in the storage unit.

4. A lid body that closes the space that contains the food to be cooked; an open / close detection unit that detects at least that the lid is open, The heating and cooking system according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit determines whether to notify that the warming time has expired by combining the fact that the lid has been opened with whether the duration has exceeded the predetermined notification time.

5. The heating and cooking system according to claim 4, further comprising an alarm time change unit that changes the predetermined alarm time if the lid body remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation by the heating unit.

6. The heating unit heats and cooks the food to be cooked in accordance with a reservation, and can continuously perform the keep-warm operation after the heating and cooking. The heating and cooking system of claim 5, wherein the alarm time change unit changes the specified alarm time when the lid body remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation after a scheduled cooking operation so that the specified alarm time is different from when the lid body remains closed from the start of the keep-warm operation after a non-reserved cooking operation.

7. A lid body that closes the space that contains the food to be cooked; an open / close detection unit that detects that at least the lid body is opened; A temperature detection unit that detects the temperature of the food to be cooked, The heating and cooking system according to claim 1 , wherein the notification unit determines whether to notify the user that the keep-warm time has expired based on a combination of the fact that the lid has been opened and the temperature of the food to be cooked.

8. a transmitting unit that transmits information including an excess identifier when the duration exceeds the predetermined notification time; a receiving unit that receives the information, The heating and cooking system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the notification unit notifies that the keep-warm time has expired when the expiration identifier is included in the information received by the receiving unit.

9. The heating and cooking system of claim 8, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the information including the current status of the heating unit as periodic information at predetermined time intervals, and transmits the information including the excess identifier as irregular information at irregular intervals.

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