Cooktop system

Abstract

This stovetop system provides reliable automatic rice cooking that delivers results tailored to the user's preferences. [Solution] The stove system 1 includes a stove 10 capable of automatic rice cooking. The stove system 1 includes a notification processing unit 101a that notifies the user of their preference for the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking after the automatic rice cooking is completed and performs a process to obtain said input, and a rice cooking adjustment unit 101b that adjusts the control of the automatic rice cooking based on said input from the user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a stove system capable of performing automatic rice cooking.

Background Art

[0002] Currently, stoves equipped with automatic rice cooking are known. A user may set a pot filled with washed rice and water necessary for rice cooking in a predetermined cooking section (stove section) and have the stove perform automatic rice cooking. Thereby, the stove adjusts the heat intensity and performs rice cooking.

[0003] However, in automatic rice cooking, various pots such as a culture pot or a hot pot are used for rice cooking as cooking containers. Therefore, depending on the pot used by the user, the rice may not be in a standard cooked state, and it is difficult to perform rice cooking according to the user's preference.

[0004] In contrast, Patent Document 1 below describes a cooking appliance in which the hardness / softness of cooked rice can be changed by a user in multiple steps. When the user performs automatic rice cooking with a predetermined cooking appliance and the finish of the rice is not in a preferred state, the user changes the stage of the hardness / softness of the rice so as to approach their preference when cooking rice with the same cooking appliance next time. Thereby, the user can have the stove perform automatic rice cooking in a finished state according to their preference while using the desired cooking appliance.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, in the configuration described in Patent Document 1, if the result of the automatic rice cooking did not meet the user's preference, the user had to change the hardness / softness setting to match their preference the next time the automatic rice cooking was performed. Therefore, if the user had forgotten the result of the previous automatic rice cooking, the automatic rice cooking would be performed again with the same settings as the previous time, and there was a risk that the finished rice would not meet their preference.

[0007] In view of these challenges, the present invention aims to provide a stove system that can reliably perform automatic rice cooking to a degree that suits the user's preferences. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The main aspect of the present invention relates to a stove system equipped with a stove capable of automatic rice cooking. The stove system according to this aspect comprises a notification processing unit that, after the completion of the automatic rice cooking, notifies the user to input their preference regarding the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking and performs a process to obtain the input, and a rice cooking adjustment unit that adjusts the control of the automatic rice cooking based on the input from the user.

[0009] According to the stove system of this embodiment, after the automatic rice cooking is completed, the user is prompted to input their preference for the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking system. This ensures that the user can reliably input this information and reliably reflect their preference in the next automatic rice cooking. Furthermore, since the control of the automatic rice cooking system is adjusted based on this input, the next automatic rice cooking will be reliably performed to the user's preference. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] As described above, the present invention provides a stove system that can reliably perform automatic rice cooking to a finish that suits the user's preferences.

[0011] The effects and significance of the present invention will become even clearer from the description of the embodiments shown below. However, the embodiments shown below are merely examples of how to implement the present invention, and the present invention is not limited in any way to those described in the embodiments below. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a stove system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a stove according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows the circuit blocks of a stove and a portable terminal device that constitute a stove system according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4(a) shows the setting values ​​for automatic rice cooking according to the embodiment. Figure 4(b) shows the feedback adjustment values ​​according to the user's preference input regarding the finished state of the rice cooked by automatic rice cooking according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the adjustment process for the automatic rice cooking settings performed by the control unit of the stove according to the embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stove system 1 according to the embodiment. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the stove 10 according to the embodiment.

[0014] The stove system 1 comprises a stove 10 and a portable terminal device 30. When the portable terminal device 30 is located inside the house (H10), the stove 10 and the portable terminal device 30 can communicate via the router 20. Also, when the portable terminal device 30 is located inside the house (H10), the portable terminal device 30 can communicate with the server 50 via the router 20 and the external communication network 40. Furthermore, even when the portable terminal device 30 is outside the house, the portable terminal device 30 can communicate with the server 50 via the external communication network 40 and public communication systems (base stations or private routers) located outside the house.

[0015] The stove 10 is a gas stove that heats food by burning gas fuel. The stove 10 has a cooking section 11 on its top surface. In this case, three cooking sections 11 are arranged on the top surface of the stove 10. Each cooking section 11 includes a gas burner that burns gas as fuel and a trivet for placing pots and pans.

[0016] As shown in Figure 2, the three stovetop units 11 are equipped with movable elements 11a that are pushed down by the underside of a cookware such as a pot when it is placed on the trivet. The lowering of these movable elements 11a detects that a cookware has been placed on the trivet. In addition, a temperature sensor 11b (thermistor) is built into the movable element 11a, and this temperature sensor 11b detects the temperature of the underside of the cookware (the temperature of the food being cooked inside the cookware).

[0017] Furthermore, the cooktop 10 is equipped with a grill section 12 in the center of the main body. The grill section 12 has grill burners at the top and bottom, and grill cooking is performed by the combustion of the grill burners. The grill section 12 can be opened and closed by a door on the front of the cooktop 10.

[0018] The grill section 12 also has a movable element that is pushed down by the underside of the grill plate when the grill plate is placed on it, and this movable element has a temperature sensor (thermistor) built into it. However, the method of detecting the temperature of the food placed on the grill plate is not limited to this, and for example, the temperature of the food may be predicted from the temperature detected by a temperature sensor placed inside the grill chamber.

[0019] On the right and left sides of the grill section 12, there are provided three operation knobs 13a for the stove section 11 and an operation knob 14a for the grill section 12, respectively. The three operation knobs 13a on the right side are associated with the three stove sections 11 arranged on the top surface. The operation knobs 13a and 14a protrude from the front surface of the stove 10 when pushed in from a flush state with respect to the front surface of the stove 10, and are locked in a flush state with respect to the front surface of the stove 10 when pushed in again from this state.

[0020] When the operation knob 13a is pushed in and protrudes from a flush state with respect to the front surface of the stove 10, the corresponding stove section 11 is ignited at a predetermined heating power. Thereafter, when the operation knob 13a is rotated, the heating power of the stove section 11 is adjusted. When the operation knob 13a is pushed in from the protruding position, the stove section 11 is turned off. For the operation knob 14a, ignition, turning off, and heating power adjustment of the grill section 12 are also performed by the same operations.

[0021] Below the three operation knobs 13a, a kangaroo pocket type operation panel 13b is arranged. A plurality of operation keys for inputting predetermined settings regarding the stove section 11 are arranged on the operation panel 13b. Also, below the operation knob 14a, a kangaroo pocket type operation panel 14b is arranged. A plurality of operation keys for inputting predetermined settings regarding the grill section 12 are arranged on the operation panel 14b. [[ID=~]] [[ID=~]]

[0022] [[ID=~]] Above the three operation knobs 13a, a power switch 15 is arranged. The power switch 15 is a switch for turning on the power to the stove 10. The user can switch on and off the power to the stove 10 by operating the power switch 15.

[0023] Returning to Figure 1, the router 20 is a communication relay device that connects each device located within the building (in this case, the home H10) to the external communication network 40. When the mobile terminal device 30 is located in the home H10, the mobile terminal device 30 is connected to the router 20 via wireless communication and can communicate with the server 50. The mobile terminal device 30 is, for example, a mobile phone. Alternatively, the mobile terminal device 30 may be another portable terminal device such as a portable tablet. The external communication network 40 is, for example, the internet.

[0024] A server 50 that manages cooking information is connected to the external communication network 40. The server 50 stores cooking information for each dish, corresponding to the dish being prepared. The cooking information includes recipe information such as the ingredients and quantities needed to prepare the dish. The cooking information also includes information (operation information) such as the appropriate temperature range for the food being prepared and the heating time within that temperature range. In addition, for dishes that can be cooked automatically, the cooking information includes cooking control information for controlling the stove 10 for automatic cooking. This cooking control information includes information such as the temperature range, heating time, and heating level from the start to the end of cooking.

[0025] One of the automatic cooking features is automatic rice cooking. The user places a pot containing washed rice and the necessary water for cooking on the designated stovetop unit 11, and then operates the portable terminal device 30 to start the automatic rice cooking function on the stovetop 10. The stovetop 10 then adjusts the heat and performs the rice cooking.

[0026] In addition, the user can also use the control knob 13a and the control panel 13b to have the stove 10 perform automatic rice cooking. In this case, the user places a pot containing washed rice and the necessary water for cooking into the designated stove section 11, then operates the control knob 13a corresponding to this stove section 11 to the automatic rice cooking position, and then operates the automatic rice cooking button on the control panel 13b. As a result, the stove 10 adjusts the heat and performs rice cooking.

[0027] Figure 3 shows the circuit blocks of the stove 10 and portable terminal device 30 that make up the stove system 1. For convenience, the external communication network 40 and server 50 are also shown in Figure 3.

[0028] The stove 10 comprises a control unit 101, a storage unit 102, an operation unit 103, a drive unit 104, a detection unit 105, and a communication unit 106.

[0029] The control unit 101 is equipped with a microcomputer and controls each part of the stove 10 according to a program stored in the memory unit 102. The memory unit 102 is equipped with memory and stores predetermined control programs. The memory unit 102 stores a program for performing automatic cooking by communicating with the portable terminal device 30. In addition, the memory unit 102 also stores a program for performing automatic cooking by operating the operation knobs 13a and the operation panel 13b.

[0030] The control unit 103 includes the control knobs 13a and 14a shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the control keys located on the control panels 13b and 14b. The drive unit 104 includes an igniter for performing combustion operations in the three stovetop units 11 and the grill unit 12, a main gas solenoid valve, a flow control valve for adjusting the gas volume, a stepping motor for driving these solenoid valves, and a drive circuit. The detection unit 105 includes the temperature sensor 11b shown in Figure 2, and various sensors such as multiple thermocouples for detecting ignition in the three stovetop units 11 and the grill unit 12, respectively.

[0031] The communication unit 106 is a wireless communication module capable of wireless communication with the router 20. The communication unit 106 communicates with the communication unit 306 of the mobile terminal device 30 via the router 20. The communication unit 106 may also directly communicate wirelessly with the communication unit 306 of the mobile terminal device 30.

[0032] The mobile terminal device 30 comprises a control unit 301, a storage unit 302, a display input unit 303, an audio input unit 304, an audio output unit 305, and a communication unit 306.

[0033] The control unit 301 is equipped with an arithmetic processing circuit such as a CPU and controls each part according to the program stored in the memory unit 302. The memory unit 302 is equipped with storage means such as ROM and RAM and stores the program executed by the control unit 301. The memory unit 302 stores an application program for cooking control.

[0034] The display input unit 303 includes a display panel capable of displaying and inputting information. Alternatively, the display unit and input unit may be arranged separately. The audio input unit 304 includes a microphone, collects sound, generates audio data, and outputs it to the control unit 301. The audio output unit 305 includes a speaker and outputs predetermined audio under control from the control unit 301.

[0035] The communication unit 306 communicates with the server 50 via the external communication network 40 under control from the control unit 301. When the mobile terminal device 30 is inside the home H10, the communication unit 306 connects to the external communication network 40 via the router 20 and communicates with the server 50. When the mobile terminal device 30 is outside the home, the communication unit 306 connects to the external communication network 40 via an access point such as a base station and communicates with the server 50.

[0036] In this embodiment, the control unit 301 of the mobile terminal device 30 receives a specified dish from the user via the display input unit 303 when the cooking control application program described above is activated. When the user inputs a dish specification, the control unit 301 accesses the server 50 via the external communication network 40 and obtains cooking information related to the dish specified by the user. The control unit 301 stores the obtained cooking information in the storage unit 302.

[0037] If the specified dish is one that can be cooked automatically, the control unit 301 of the mobile terminal device 30 sets which cooking unit (cooker unit 11, grill unit 12) will be used for automatic cooking. If there are multiple cooking units that can be used, the control unit 301 asks the user via the display input unit 303 which cooking unit to use, and sets the cooking unit specified by the user as the cooking unit for automatic cooking.

[0038] The control unit 301 extracts cooking control information from the cooking information obtained from the server 50, and transmits the extracted cooking control information and the identification information of the cooking unit set as described above to the stove 10. Subsequently, the control unit 301 displays the recipe information included in the cooking information on the display input unit 303. The user prepares the contents in the cooking appliance based on the recipe information and sets the cooking appliance in the corresponding cooking unit.

[0039] When the control unit 101 of the stove 10 detects, via the movable element 11a, that food has been placed in the cooking section, it controls the cooking section according to the received cooking control information to cook the dish specified by the user.

[0040] By the way, in the automatic rice cooking function mentioned above, the stovetop 10 is configured so that the user can change the hardness / softness of the cooked rice in multiple stages. Therefore, if the user's preference is not met by the result of the automatic rice cooking, they can change the hardness / softness setting to suit their preference the next time they use the automatic rice cooking function. However, if the user forgets the result of the previous automatic rice cooking, the automatic rice cooking function will be run again with the settings from the previous time, and there is a risk that the finished rice will not be to their liking.

[0041] Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 101 of the stove 10 performs control to ensure that the rice is automatically cooked to the user's preference. For this control, the control unit 101 of the stove 10 is equipped with the functions of an notification processing unit 101a and a rice cooking adjustment unit 101b by a control program stored in the memory unit 102.

[0042] The notification processing unit 101a notifies the user after the automatic rice cooking process is complete that they should input their preference regarding the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking process, and then executes a process to obtain that input. The rice cooking adjustment unit adjusts the control of the automatic rice cooking process based on the input from the user.

[0043] The following describes the control performed by the control unit 101 of the stove 10 through the functions of the notification processing unit 101a and the rice cooking adjustment unit 101b.

[0044] Figure 4(a) shows the settings for automatic rice cooking.

[0045] The settings for automatic rice cooking are used to determine the desired texture of the rice. With "normal" being the intermediate value, the settings change in several steps towards "chewy" and "firm." Here, 11 setting values ​​from 0 to 10 are assigned to represent the desired texture of the rice. The control of the automatic rice cooking system changes according to each setting value.

[0046] For example, the water absorption process time for the rice, the cooking appliance temperature that determines the timing of switching the heat level, and the cooking appliance temperature that determines the timing of stopping the heating all change according to their respective set values. The cooking appliance temperature is detected by the temperature sensor 11b in Figure 2. Through cooking control using these parameters, the finished texture of the rice changes between "chewy," "normal," and "firm." Details of these parameters and the control of automatic rice cooking using these parameters are incorporated by reference to the description in Patent Document 1 mentioned above.

[0047] The control parameters for the automatic rice cooking process are pre-stored in the memory unit 102, linked to each of the setting values ​​in Figure 4(a). By default, the control unit 101 performs the automatic rice cooking process with a setting value of "5," which is "normal." The control unit 101 then changes the setting value according to the degree of doneness (cooking) of the rice input by the user, and performs the automatic rice cooking process with the changed setting value.

[0048] Note that the setting values ​​do not necessarily have to be divided into 11 levels as shown in Figure 4(a); for example, the setting values ​​may be further divided into finer categories.

[0049] Figure 4(b) shows the feedback adjustment values ​​according to the user's preferred input regarding the finished state of rice cooked using automatic rice cooking.

[0050] The feedback adjustment values ​​(table information) in Figure 4(b) are pre-stored in the memory unit 102 of the stove 10. Here, users can select from five preferences regarding the finished texture of rice cooked by automatic rice cooking: "More chewy," "Slightly chewy," "Just right," "Slightly firm," and "Even firmer." For each preference, a feedback adjustment value is set to adjust the current setting value in Figure 4(a). The feedback adjustment values ​​for each preference, except for "Just right," decrease according to the number of feedback adjustments made by the user, and the same feedback adjustment value is applied to feedback adjustments from the third time onward.

[0051] For example, if the current setting is "5" (normal), and the user selects "chewier" during the first feedback adjustment, the feedback adjustment value "-3" is added to the current setting of "5," and the automatic rice cooking setting is adjusted to "2." Then, during the second feedback adjustment, if the user selects "firmer," the feedback adjustment value "+2" is added to the setting of "2" adjusted in the first adjustment, and the automatic rice cooking setting is adjusted to "4." Finally, during the third feedback adjustment, if the user selects "just right," the automatic rice cooking setting is finalized to the setting of "4" adjusted during the second feedback adjustment.

[0052] Furthermore, if the setting value is "2" and the feedback adjustment value "-3" for "More Chewy" is selected, the setting value after feedback adjustment will be adjusted to "0" because "-1", which is obtained by adding "-3" to "2", is not present in the automatic rice cooking setting values ​​in Figure 4(a). In this way, if adding the feedback adjustment value to the current setting value exceeds the lower or upper limit of the automatic rice cooking setting value, the setting value will be adjusted to the lower or upper limit, respectively.

[0053] Note that the method for setting the feedback adjustment values ​​is not limited to the method shown in Figure 4(b). For example, the feedback adjustment value in the third row of Figure 4(b) may be set according to each individual's preference, regardless of the number of feedback adjustments. Also, if the settings in Figure 4(a) are divided into finer categories, the feedback adjustments in Figure 4(b) may also change according to a larger number of feedback adjustments.

[0054] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the adjustment process for the setting values ​​of the automatic rice cooking function performed by the control unit 101 of the stove 10.

[0055] In the flowchart of Figure 5, steps S101 to S104 are performed by the control unit 101 of the stove 10 using the function of the notification processing unit 101a, and step S105 is performed by the control unit 101 of the stove 10 using the function of the rice cooking adjustment unit 101b. In the following explanation, we will assume that the control unit 101 performs the processes shown in Figure 5.

[0056] The control unit 101 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed after the automatic rice cooking is completed (S101). Here, the predetermined time should be set to a time suitable for the user to evaluate their preference for the cooked rice, such as the time from the completion of cooking to shortly after eating. For example, the predetermined time may be set to the time it is assumed to take to eat the cooked rice for dinner, etc. (for example, 1 to 2 hours).

[0057] If the determination in step S101 is YES, the control unit 101 determines whether it has previously received feedback from the user that the rice was "just right" (S102). If it has received this feedback in the past (S102: NO), the control unit 101 determines that the adjustment of the setting value for the rice's finish for that user has already been finalized and terminates the process shown in Figure 5.

[0058] On the other hand, if this feedback has not been received in the past (S102: NO), the control unit 101 notifies the user to input their preference regarding the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking system this time, and executes a process to obtain that preference input (S103). More specifically, the control unit 101 sends a notification regarding this input request to the portable terminal device 30. Based on the receipt of this notification, the control unit 301 of the portable terminal device 30 displays an input request screen on the display input unit 303, which includes the five preference levels shown in Figure 4(b) as selection items. The user selects the selection item corresponding to their preference on this input request screen. In response, the portable terminal device 30 transmits information regarding the preference selected by the user to the control unit 101 of the stove 10.

[0059] In this way, when the user's preferences are received from the mobile terminal device 30, the control unit 101 obtains a feedback adjustment value corresponding to the received preference from the table information in Figure 4(b) (S104: YES). Then, the control unit 101 applies the obtained feedback adjustment value to the current automatic rice cooking setting value as described above and adjusts the setting value (S105). With this, the control unit 101 finishes the process in Figure 5. After that, the control unit 101 starts processing again from step S101.

[0060] In the process shown in Figure 5, if the user inputs a preference of "just right" during past feedback adjustments, that setting value is confirmed as the setting value corresponding to the user's preference. As a result, in subsequent processing, the judgment in step S102 becomes NO, and no adjustment of the setting value based on the feedback adjustment value is performed.

[0061] However, this is not the only option. Step S102 may be omitted from the flowchart in Figure 5, and even if the user inputs a preference of "just right," the system may accept the user's preference input after the automatic rice cooking is completed, and adjust the setting value using feedback adjustment values. Alternatively, after the user inputs a preference of "just right" and the setting value is initially confirmed, steps S103 to S105 may be executed after a predetermined number of automatic rice cooking cycles have been performed. This allows for flexible adaptation to changes in the user's preference regarding the finished state of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking system.

[0062] <Effects of the Embodiment> According to the embodiment, the following effects may be achieved.

[0063] As shown in Figures 3 and 5, the stove system 1 includes a notification processing unit 101a that, after the completion of automatic rice cooking (S101:YES), notifies the user to input their preference regarding the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking and performs processing (S103, S104) to acquire said input, and a rice cooking adjustment unit 101b (S105) that adjusts the control of the automatic rice cooking based on said input from the user.

[0064] With this configuration, after the automatic rice cooking process is complete, the user is prompted to input their preferred level of doneness for the cooked rice. This ensures that the user can reliably input their preferences and reflect them in the next automatic rice cooking process. Furthermore, the control of the automatic rice cooking process is adjusted based on this input, ensuring that the next automatic rice cooking process results in rice cooked to the user's preferred level of doneness.

[0065] As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 101 (notification processing unit 101a) executes steps S103 and S104 in response to a predetermined time elapsed since the completion of automatic rice cooking.

[0066] With this configuration, for example, after eating rice cooked by the automatic rice cooker, the user can input their preferred level of doneness for the rice at a time when their perception of the rice's texture is still clear. Therefore, the user can perform this input appropriately and smoothly.

[0067] As shown in Figure 5, the control unit 101 (rice cooking adjustment unit 101b) repeatedly performs the set cooking (adjustment of the control of automatic rice cooking) through the processing of steps S103 to S104 (processing of the notification processing unit 101a) until it receives input that the finished state of the rice matches its preference (S102: YES).

[0068] With this configuration, the user can adjust the rice's doneness until it meets their preference. Through multiple adjustments, the rice cooked automatically can be precisely matched to the user's taste.

[0069] As shown in Figure 1, the stove system 1 includes a portable terminal device 30 that can communicate with the stove 10. Notification of preferred input regarding the desired doneness of the rice cooked by automatic rice cooking and acceptance of such input are performed in the portable terminal device 30 in response to a notification regarding an input request sent from the control unit 101 of the stove 10 to the portable terminal device 30 in step S103 of Figure 5.

[0070] With this configuration, users can smoothly understand requests for input regarding the doneness of the rice via their mobile terminal device, and can also smoothly input their preferences in response to these requests.

[0071] <Example of changes> In the above embodiment, the notification processing unit 101a and the rice cooking adjustment unit 101b are located on the stove 10, but the invention is not limited to this, and the notification processing unit 101a and the rice cooking adjustment unit 101b may be located on the mobile terminal device 30 or the server 50.

[0072] For example, if the notification processing unit 101a is located in the portable terminal device 30, the table information in Figure 4(b) is stored in the storage unit 302 of the portable terminal device 30. The control unit 101 of the stove 10 sends a completion notification to the portable terminal device 30 when the automatic rice cooking is complete. The control unit 301 (notification processing unit) of the portable terminal device 30 receives this notification and executes the process shown in Figure 5 to correct the settings for the automatic rice cooking. The control unit 301 then sends the corrected settings to the stove 10. The control unit 101 of the stove 10 performs the next automatic rice cooking using the received corrected settings.

[0073] Even if the notification processing unit 101a is located on the server 50, the same processing should be performed between the stove 10 and the server 50. In this case, the server 50 is included in the stove system 1.

[0074] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the stove 10 was capable of automatic rice cooking based on automatic cooking control information from the portable terminal device 30. However, the stove 10 does not necessarily have to be capable of such automatic rice cooking. For example, it may be capable of automatic rice cooking only by operating the operation knob 13a and the operation panel 13b. In this case, the input of preferences regarding the doneness of the rice and notification thereof may be performed on the operation panel 13b of the stove 10 or on a display input unit separately located on the stove 10.

[0075] Furthermore, although the stove 10 was a gas stove in the above embodiment, the stove 10 may be configured to heat food using a method other than gas combustion. For example, the stove 10 may be an induction heating stove (IH stove) that generates heat in metal cooking utensils (pots, kettles, etc.) by an electric current flowing through a coil.

[0076] In addition, embodiments of the present invention can be modified in various ways as appropriate within the scope of the claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0077] 1 Cooktop System 10 stovetops 30 Mobile terminal devices 101 Control Unit 101a Notification Processing Unit 101b Rice Cooking Adjustment Unit

Claims

1. In a stovetop system equipped with a stovetop capable of automatic rice cooking, After the completion of the automatic rice cooking process, a notification processing unit is provided to notify the user of their preference for the doneness of the rice cooked by the automatic rice cooking process and to perform a process to obtain the input. The system includes a rice cooking adjustment unit that adjusts the control of the automatic rice cooking process based on the input from the user, A stovetop system characterized by the following features.

2. In the stove system according to claim 1, The notification processing unit executes the process when a predetermined time has elapsed since the completion of the automatic rice cooking process. A stovetop system characterized by the following features.

3. In the cooking system described in claim 1, The rice cooking adjustment unit repeatedly performs the control adjustments until it receives the input that the finished state of the rice matches its preference, via the processing of the notification processing unit. A stovetop system characterized by the following features.

4. In the stove system according to claim 1, The stove is equipped with a portable terminal device capable of communicating with the aforementioned stove, The notification and input reception are performed on the mobile terminal device. A stovetop system characterized by the following features.

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