Heating Regulator

Abstract

To easily change a reservation time of day or a reservation time length during reserved cooking.SOLUTION: A cooker (101) comprises a reporting unit (50) for reporting that cooking of food ingredients is complete, after completion of cooking of the food ingredients in a cooking step, and before a reheating step, when the cooker executes the cooking step of cooking the food ingredients, a suitable temperature thermal insulation step of thermally insulating cooked food at a predetermined temperature, and the reheating step of reheating the thermally insulated food, in sequence during execution of reserved cooking.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooking device for cooking food contained in an inner pot. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Some cooking appliances, such as rice cookers, allow for reservation of cooking so that cooking is completed at a reserved time or at a reserved time (for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-223705 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, food is not ready to eat just because the ingredients have been cooked. In other words, after the ingredients have been cooked, finishing processes such as reheating are performed to allow the flavors to permeate the ingredients and make the food ready to eat. Therefore, with reservation cooking, the reservation time or reservation duration is generally set to the time or duration when the food will be ready to eat.

[0005] On the other hand, with reservation cooking, as mentioned above, once the ingredients are cooked, they are reheated to make the food ready to eat, so by moving up the reservation time or reservation duration, it is also possible to bring the food to a ready-to-eat state sooner.

[0006] However, whether it is normal cooking (cooking without reservation cooking) or reserved cooking, if the cooking menu is the same, the time required to complete cooking of the ingredients does not change, so changing the reservation time or reservation duration to be earlier can only be done after the cooking of the ingredients is completed. For this reason, changing the reservation time or reservation duration to make the food ready to eat earlier requires knowing in advance the time required to complete cooking of the ingredients, which is not easy to do.

[0007] One aspect of the present invention aims to provide a heating cooker that can easily change the reservation time or reservation duration during reserved cooking by notifying the user that cooking of ingredients is complete. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention is a heating cooker that is capable of scheduled cooking and includes a container for storing ingredients, a heating unit that heats the container, and a heating control unit that controls the heating by the heating unit, wherein the scheduled cooking sequentially includes a cooking step for cooking ingredients, a heat retention step for keeping the food that has been cooked by the cooking step warm at a predetermined temperature, and a reheating step for reheating the food that has been kept warm by the heat retention step, and further includes an alarm unit that, when the scheduled cooking is performed, notifies the user that the cooking of the ingredients has been completed after the cooking step is completed but before the reheating step, and a change unit that accepts a change to the scheduled time or the scheduled duration after the alarm unit notifies the user that the cooking is complete, and the change unit accepts a change to the scheduled time or the scheduled duration so that the transition to the reheating step will be immediately performed. In order to solve the above problems, a heating cooker according to one embodiment of the present invention is a heating cooker that is capable of pre-programmed cooking and includes a container for storing ingredients, a heating unit for heating the container, and a heating control unit for controlling the heating by the heating unit. The pre-programmed cooking sequentially involves a cooking step for cooking the ingredients, a heat retention step for keeping the food warm at a predetermined temperature after the cooking step has been completed, and a reheating step for reheating the food kept warm by the heat retention step. The cooking cooker further includes a notification unit that notifies the user that the ingredients have been cooked after the cooking step has been completed but before the reheating step, a lid that covers the container, and a detection unit that detects whether the lid is opened or closed. When the detection unit detects whether the lid is opened or closed, the heating control unit executes a sterilization step or a reheating step depending on the menu of the pre-programmed cooking being performed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, in reserved cooking, by notifying that cooking of ingredients has been completed, it is possible to easily change the reserved time or reserved duration. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cooking device according to a first embodiment of the present invention with a lid open. [Figure 2] 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 with the lid closed. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a perspective view of the cooking device shown in FIG. 1 with the lid body open and the inner lid removed from the outer lid. [Figure 4] 2 is a perspective view of the inner pot removed from the cooking device shown in FIG. 1, seen from above. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the cooking device shown in FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a graph showing the relationship between elapsed time and temperature during reserved cooking in the cooking device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of timing for switching from a warming process to a finishing process after completion of cooking in a reserved cooking mode. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a comparative example of the timing of switching from the keep-warm process to the finishing process after cooking is completed in the reservation mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0012] (Overview of cooking appliances) Fig. 1 shows a schematic internal configuration of a cooking device 101 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows the external appearance of the cooking device 101.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the cooking device 101 includes a cooking device main body (main body) 1 and a lid 2 attached to the cooking device main body 1 so as to be openable and closable.

[0014] (Cooking appliance body 1) As shown in Figure 1, the cooking device main body 1 includes an inner pot storage section 11 that stores an inner pot (container) 3 that contains the heated object to be cooked (food ingredients such as vegetables, meat, fish, seasonings, etc.), and a handle storage section 12 that stores a handle section 31 provided on the inner pot 3 when the inner pot 3 is stored in the inner pot storage section 11.

[0015] Furthermore, cooking appliance body 1 is provided with engagement claws 13 on the upper outside of inner pot storage section 11, which engage with claw receivers 23 provided on outer lid 21 of lid body 2, which will be described later. Engagement of engagement claws 13 with claw receivers 23 locks lid body 2 to cooking appliance body 1. The engagement between engagement claws 13 and claw receivers 23 can be released by an opening switch 24 provided on the surface of outer lid 21, as shown in FIG. 2 .

[0016] The inner pot storage compartment 11 stores the inner pot 3 and heats the inner pot 3. A heating unit 15 for heating the inner pot 3 is located in the inner pot storage compartment 11 in a position that comes into contact with the inner pot 3 when the inner pot 3 is stored in the inner pot storage compartment 11. Examples of the heating unit 15 include, but are not limited to, an induction heating coil. Here, the position that comes into contact with the inner pot 3 when the inner pot 3 is stored in the inner pot storage compartment 11 refers, for example, to a position in the inner pot storage compartment 11 that faces the bottom wall 3a of the inner pot 3 (see FIG. 4) or a position that faces both the bottom wall 3a and the peripheral wall 3b of the inner pot 3 (see FIG. 4).

[0017] Additionally, a temperature sensor 16 for detecting the temperature of the inner pot 3 and a weight sensor 18 for measuring the weight of the ingredients stored in the inner pot 3 are provided in the inner pot storage section 11 at a position that comes into contact with the inner pot 3 when the inner pot 3 is stored. The detection signals of the temperature sensor 16 and the weight sensor are sent to a control section (heating control section) 17, which will be described later. The use of the detection signals of the temperature sensor 16 and the weight sensor 18 will be described later.

[0018] Although not shown, the cooking device main body 1 is also provided with a power supply unit including a power supply circuit, an inverter circuit, and the like.

[0019] (lid 2) The lid body 2 comprises an outer lid 21 and an inner lid 22. The outer lid 21 is attached to the cooking device body 1 via a hinge spring 4. As a result, the lid body 2 is rotatably supported by the cooking device body 1 so as to open and close the opening of the inner pot 3 housed in the cooking device body 1.

[0020] Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cooking appliance 101 with the lid 2 open, and further shows the state in which the inner lid 22 has been removed from the outer lid 21. As shown in Fig. 3, the outer lid 21 is made up of a bottom part 211 having a recess into which the inner lid 22 is fitted, and an upper part 212 that covers the bottom part 211. A control board (not shown) is provided in the space between the bottom part 211 and the upper part 212 (inside the outer lid 21), and a control unit 17 that controls various operations of the cooking appliance 101 is arranged on this control board.

[0021] The control unit 17 is composed of a calculation unit, a memory unit, and other electronic components (not shown), and controls the heating unit 15 and other components based on programs and input data stored in the memory unit to perform a series of cooking operations. Details of the control unit 17 will be described later. In this embodiment, the control unit 17 is located inside the outer lid 21, but the location of the control unit 17 is not limited, and it may be located in the cooking device main body 1, for example.

[0022] As shown in Figure 2, the outer lid 21 is shaped to cover the handle storage section 12 of the cooking appliance main body 1, and an upper part 212 of the outer lid 21 is provided with an opening switch 24 for opening the lid body 2, a window section 21a which is an opening formed near the opening switch 24, and an operation section 25 which is provided with a plurality of operation buttons 25a and a display section 25b such as an indicator lamp.

[0023] Additionally, a steam duct unit 26 having a steam port 26b formed therein is removably installed on the outer lid 21 on the opposite side of the operating unit 25 from the window 21a. The steam duct unit 26 circulates steam by condensing steam generated in the inner pot 3 and returning it to the inner pot 3, while also controlling the amount of steam emitted. This allows the cooking appliance 101 to cook using only the moisture released from the ingredients, making it possible to make the most of the nutrients and flavors of the ingredients. The steam duct unit 26 is connected to a steam guide opening (vent hole) 40d in the inner lid 22, which will be described later, and takes in steam generated in the inner pot 3.

[0024] Steam duct unit 26 is provided so as to be removable from outer lid 21. As will be described in detail in embodiment 2, steam duct unit 26 can be further disassembled into two parts, an upper part and a lower part, a cover part and a water reservoir part. This makes it easy to clean the inside of steam duct unit 26 and keep it clean.

[0025] As shown in Figure 3, outer lid 21 is also provided with a water vapor sensor 27 that detects steam generated in inner pot 3. A detection signal from water vapor sensor 27 is also sent to control unit 17 of cooking appliance 101. The use of the detection signal from water vapor sensor 27 will be described later.

[0026] Note that Figure 2 shows an example in which the steam duct unit 26 is provided on the upper part 212 of the outer lid 21, on the opposite side of the window part 21a across the operating part 25, but the arrangement of the operating part 25, window part 21a, and steam duct unit 26 is just one example and is not particularly limited.

[0027] Meanwhile, the inner lid 22 has an inner lid main body 40 that is detachably attached to the bottom 211 of the outer lid 21 on the side of the bottom 211 facing the inner pot 3. A large-diameter gasket 41 is provided around the entire outer peripheral edge of the inner lid main body 40, surrounding the outer peripheral edge of the inner lid main body 40. When the lid body 2 is closed, the large-diameter gasket 41 comes into close contact with the upper surface of the flange 3c provided on the upper edge of the opening of the inner pot 3. This allows the large-diameter gasket 41 to seal the gap between the inner lid 22 and the inner pot 3, preventing ingredients from leaking out of the inner pot 3 and efficiently converting moisture from the ingredients into steam for circulating.

[0028] An opening 40a is formed in a portion of the inner lid body 40, and a heat-resistant transparent material 40e, such as heat-resistant glass or transparent resin, is fitted into it. This opening 40a is positioned to overlap the window 21a of the outer lid 21 described above when the inner lid 22 is attached to the outer lid 21. This allows the interior of the inner pot 3 to be seen through the window 21a of the outer lid 21 and the transparent material 40e. The transparent material 40e fitted into the opening 40a is exposed to the outside air due to the opening of the window 21a of the outer lid 21. Therefore, steam adhering to the surface of the transparent material 40e facing the inner pot 3 is returned to the inner pot 3 as water droplets when the opposite (exposed) surface of the transparent material 40e is cooled by the outside air. This allows efficient circulation of steam within the space formed by the inner lid body 40 and the inner pot 3. Note that cooling is more effective when the transparent material 40e is made of glass rather than resin.

[0029] In addition to the opening 40a, the inner lid body 40 has multiple small protrusions 40b on part of the surface of the inner lid body 40 facing the inner pot 3. The protrusions 40b return steam adhering to the inner lid body 40 to the inner pot 3 as water droplets. Providing the protrusions 40b on the inner lid body 40 allows steam to circulate efficiently within the space formed by the inner lid body 40 and the inner pot 3.

[0030] The material of the portion of the inner lid body 40 where the convex portion 40b is formed is not particularly limited, but it is desirable that the material be one that is prone to condensation, such as metal, so that steam adhering to the inner lid body 40 is returned to the inner pot 3 as water droplets.

[0031] Furthermore, the inner lid body 40 is formed with a sensor opening 40c for passing through the water vapor sensor 27 formed in the outer lid 21, and a steam guide opening 40d for guiding steam generated in the inner pot 3 to the steam duct unit 26 of the outer lid 21.

[0032] When the cooking device body 1 is in the closed state, the lid body 2 seals the inner pot 3 stored in the inner pot storage section 11 of the cooking device body 1 with the inner lid 22, and covers the handle storage section 12 with the outer lid 21. In other words, when the cooking device body 1 is in the closed state, the lid body 2 covers the inner pot storage section 11 and the handle storage section 12 of the cooking device body 1.

[0033] (Inner pot 3) Fig. 4 is a perspective view from above of inner pot 3, showing the state after it has been removed from cooking device body 1. As shown in Fig. 3, inner pot 3 is a concave-shaped heating container that has a bottom wall 3a and a peripheral wall 3b extending upward from bottom wall 3a, and is open at the top. The internal space of inner pot 3, surrounded by bottom wall 3a and peripheral wall 3b, is a cooking space, and functions as a heating chamber when heated by heating unit 15.

[0034] Additionally, a flange 3c is formed around the entire periphery of the upper end of the peripheral wall 3b of the inner pot 3, extending horizontally outward from the inner pot 3. By providing the flange 3c at the upper end of the peripheral wall 3b of the inner pot 3 in this manner, the area over which the large-diameter gasket 41 formed on the inner lid 22 of the lid body 2 comes into contact with the upper surface of the inner pot 3 is increased, improving the sealing ability of the inner lid 22 around the inner pot 3.

[0035] In the inner pot 3 shown in Figures 1 to 4, the opening that forms the internal space of the inner pot 3 is shown as being circular in plan view, but the shape of the opening of the inner pot 3 is not limited to this and can be any shape.

[0036] The inner pot 3 is made of a highly heat-conductive material such as aluminum. A magnetic material such as stainless steel may be attached to the outer surface of the inner pot 3 to improve heating efficiency, and the inner surface of the inner pot 3 may be coated with a fluororesin or the like to prevent food from adhering to it.

[0037] Furthermore, two handles 31 are provided facing each other on part of the outer periphery of the upper part of the inner pot 3. The handles 31 are made of a heat-resistant and electrically insulating material, such as plastic.

[0038] (cooking) The cooking device 101 has cooking modes (for example, curry mode, meat and potato stew mode, cake mode, etc.) that perform cooking by heating for each menu. Each cooking mode is accompanied by a normal mode in which cooking begins simultaneously with the start of the cooking mode, and a reservation mode in which reserved cooking is performed. Reserved cooking is cooking in which cooking of ingredients contained in the inner pot 3 is completed at a set time or after a set period of time, and the food is cooked until it is ready to eat. Each mode is configured to be selected by the user from the operation unit 25.

[0039] (Control unit 17) 5 is a control block diagram of the cooking device 101. The control unit 17 is connected to the heating unit 15, the operation unit (change unit) 25, the notification unit 50, the temperature sensor 16, the weight sensor 18, the water vapor sensor 27, and the lid opening / closing detection sensor (detection unit) 51.

[0040] Control unit 17 controls heating by heating unit 15 and notification by notification unit 50 according to the cooking mode selected by operation unit 25. Control unit 17 also controls heating by heating unit 15 based on the detection results (detection values) of temperature sensor 16, weight sensor 18, water vapor sensor 27, and lid open / close detection sensor 51.

[0041] Specifically, the control unit 17 controls heating by switching the power supply to the heating unit 15 ON and OFF. The control unit 17 controls the heating of the heating unit 15 based on the detection results of the temperature sensor 16, the weight sensor 18, and the water vapor sensor 27, allowing for more accurate control. By controlling the heating in this manner, the cooking device 101 performs cooking according to the selected cooking mode. Furthermore, the control unit 17 controls the heating of the heating unit 15 so that, after cooking is complete, the food is kept warm at a temperature higher than the temperature range at which the food is likely to spoil.

[0042] Furthermore, control unit 17 is equipped with a timer unit (not shown) that manages cooking time and allows for reservation of cooking. Control unit 17 also causes notification unit 50 to notify the user of cooking appliance 101 of various information as needed. The content and method of this notification will be described in detail later.

[0043] (Reservation cooking) Figure 6 is a graph showing the relationship between elapsed time and temperature during reserved cooking when the reservation mode is selected. This graph showing the relationship between elapsed time and temperature changes depending on the dish menu. Here, the temperature on the vertical axis of the graph indicates the temperature of the inner pot 3 (the temperature of the food in the inner pot 3) detected by the temperature sensor 16.

[0044] Furthermore, the reserved cooking process switches with each elapsed time on the horizontal axis of the graph shown in Figure 6. Specifically, reserved cooking switches from the start of reserved cooking (heating start) through (I) cooking process, (II) keeping-warm process (keeping-warm process), and (III) reheating process in that order. The reserved set time, which is the end time of reserved cooking, is set during the period during which the specified temperature is maintained in the final (III) reheating process. The reserved set time may be set by time or by hour. When the reserved set time is set by time, a specific time (for example, 6:00 p.m.) is set as the reserved set time. When the reserved set time is set by hour, a specific time (for example, 3 hours later) is set as the reserved set time.

[0045] (I) The cooking process is the process of heating ingredients until cooking is complete. Here, heating by the heating unit 15 is started, and when the temperature sensor 16 detects that the temperature of the inner pot 3 is 100°C, heating by the heating unit 15 is stopped after a predetermined time has passed. The process continues until the temperature of the inner pot 3 detected by the temperature sensor 16 reaches 55°C (X).

[0046] The (II) optimum temperature keeping process is a process in which the food cooked in the (I) cooking process is reheated by the heating unit 15 to raise the temperature of the inner pot 3 to the optimum temperature and maintain that temperature for a predetermined period of time. The optimum temperature is a temperature higher than the temperature range at which food is prone to spoilage. Here, the temperature of the inner pot 3 at 70°C at the elapsed time (1) on the graph is defined as the optimum temperature. The predetermined period of time for maintaining the optimum temperature is set taking into account the reservation time.

[0047] The (III) reheating step is a step of reheating the food that has been kept at the appropriate temperature in the (II) appropriate temperature keeping step, raising the temperature of the inner pot 3 to a predetermined temperature (here, 100°C), and maintaining it until the reservation set time (2). Note that the (III) reheating step may involve not only heating but also stirring the food at the same time.

[0048] The (I) cooking step, (II) appropriate temperature keeping step, and (III) reheating step are executed by control of heating unit 15 by control unit 17 in accordance with the temperature detected by temperature sensor 16 and the elapsed time measured by the timer unit. Specifically, control unit 17 stops heating unit 15 after the temperature detected by temperature sensor 16 indicates 100°C and a predetermined time has elapsed measured by the timer unit, and resumes heating by heating unit 15 at time (X) when the temperature detected by temperature sensor 16 indicates 55°C. Furthermore, if the temperature detected by temperature sensor 16 indicates 70°C, control unit 17 maintains the temperature at 70°C for a predetermined time, and controls heating unit 15 so that the temperature detected by temperature sensor 16 indicates 100°C after the predetermined time has elapsed measured by the timer unit.

[0049] (Cooking completion notification) Here, cooking of the ingredients is completed at time (X) when the cooking process (I) ends and the process transitions to the appropriate temperature keeping process (II). Specifically, control unit 17 determines that cooking of the ingredients is complete at time (X) when cooking process (I) ends, i.e., when temperature sensor 16 indicates 55°C. When control unit 17 determines that cooking of the ingredients is complete, it notifies the user by means of notification unit 50. The notification by notification unit 50 may be made by emitting a sound from a speaker provided in cooking appliance 101, by making display unit 25b of operation unit 25 provided in cooking appliance 101 light up like a lamp, by displaying a message on display unit 25b of operation unit 25 provided in cooking appliance 101, or by sending a notification to a device other than cooking appliance 101, for example, a mobile terminal used by the user, such as a smartphone.

[0050] Here, the timing for the notification unit 50 to notify that the cooking of the ingredients is complete is preferably (I) when the cooking process is completed (X), i.e., when the temperature sensor 16 indicates 55°C, but it may also be after (I) the time when the cooking of the ingredients in the cooking process is completed, i.e., after the temperature of the inner pot 3 has reached 100°C and heating by the heating unit 15 has first stopped, and before (III) the reheating process. Furthermore, it may also be after (I) the time when the cooking of the ingredients in the cooking process is completed and before (II) the appropriate temperature keeping process.

[0051] As described above, in scheduled cooking, the scheduled cooking is completed through the steps (I) to (III). Completion of scheduled cooking indicates that the food is ready to eat. In other words, the food is not ready to eat when the notification unit 50 notifies that cooking is complete. To make the food ready to eat, reheat cooking must be performed for a predetermined period of time. For this reason, in normal scheduled cooking, after the (I) cooking step is completed, the (II) keeping-at-optimum-temperature step and the (III) reheating step are performed until the scheduled time (2).

[0052] Here, notification unit 50 may be configured to notify multiple times that the ingredients have been cooked. By notifying the user multiple times that the ingredients have been cooked, even if the user misses the first notification, the second and subsequent notifications will let the user know that the ingredients have been cooked.

[0053] In a typical cooking appliance, when a scheduled cooking is performed, an error sound is emitted if the lid is opened before the scheduled time. (I) In the cooking process, if the temperature of the inner pot 3 reaches 100°C and the heating unit 15 stops heating after a predetermined time has elapsed, the heating of the ingredients is complete, and opening the lid 2 will have no effect. Therefore, (I) in the cooking process, if the heating unit 15 stops heating, an error sound is not emitted even if the lid 2 is opened. This allows the user to open the lid 2 at any time after the notification unit 50 has notified the user that cooking is complete.

[0054] Note that some users may not require notification of cooking completion during reserved cooking, so the notification unit 50 may be configured to notify of cooking completion as needed, rather than always.

[0055] Furthermore, the notification unit 50 may notify the user that the reheating step (III) is complete after notifying the user that the food is ready to eat.

[0056] After the notification unit 50 notifies that cooking is complete, the operation unit (change unit) 25 accepts a change to the reservation time or reservation duration in reservation mode. Therefore, once the notification unit 50 notifies that cooking is complete, the reservation time (reservation time or reservation duration) can be easily changed by operating the operation unit 25. This allows the user to prepare food at the perfect temperature when they want to eat it. Furthermore, groups (such as families) with different meal times can freely change the reservation time to suit their own timing and open and close the lid 2 of the cooking appliance 101.

[0057] A change in the reservation time means a change in the timing to start the reheating process (III). Therefore, when the reservation time is shortened, the control unit 17 controls the heating unit 15 so that the timing to start the reheating process (III) is also advanced.

[0058] Therefore, when the completion of the cooking is notified in the scheduled cooking, the user can have the food ready to eat at a time of their choice. For example, if the user wants to have the food ready to eat immediately when the completion of cooking is notified, the user can shorten the scheduled time that has already been set so that the process can proceed to the reheating step (III) immediately.

[0059] In the first embodiment, after the completion of the scheduled cooking is notified, the transition to the (III) reheating process is performed by changing the scheduled time, but this is not limited to this. In the second embodiment below, other examples of the timing of the transition to the (III) reheating process will be described.

[0060] [Embodiment 2] Another embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows: In this embodiment, the description of members having the same functions as those described in the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0061] (Timing for transition to reheating process) Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the timing of transition to the reheating step in this embodiment, and Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining the timing of transition to the reheating step in a comparative example.

[0062] In reserved cooking, depending on the cooking menu, it may be necessary to add ingredients, seasonings, etc. before the (III) reheating step. In this case, the lid 2 of the cooking device 101 is opened and the ingredients, seasonings, etc. are added during the (II) appropriate temperature keeping step, and the lid 2 is then closed again. Normally, as shown in FIG. 8, if the lid 2 of the cooking device 101 is opened and the ingredients, seasonings, etc. are added during the (II) appropriate temperature keeping step, and the lid 2 is then closed again, the food will not be reheated until the (III) reheating step is started. For this reason, the time (4) at which the food is ready to eat will not be changed from the preset reservation time (2).

[0063] However, in this embodiment, when the lid opening / closing detection sensor 51 detects the opening or closing of the lid 2 during the (II) appropriate temperature keeping process, the control unit 17 causes the heating unit 15 to reheat the inner pot 3, and transitions to the (III) reheating process. Therefore, as shown in Figure 7, when the lid 2 of the cooking device 101 is opened and ingredients, seasonings, etc. are added during the (II) appropriate temperature keeping process, and the lid 2 is then closed again, the (III) reheating process begins. Therefore, the time (4) at which the food is ready to eat can be made earlier than the preset reservation time (2).

[0064] In this way, by opening and closing the lid 2 during the (II) appropriate temperature keeping process, the process can be immediately transitioned to the (III) reheating process, so the user can simply open and close the lid 2 when they want to eat the food.

[0065] In addition, (II) if the lid 2 is accidentally opened during the temperature keeping process, the sterilization process (heating to 70°C for 1 minute) is started at the timing when the lid 2 is closed, and the inner pot 3 is reheated, thereby preventing the growth of bacteria.

[0066] As described above, in this embodiment, when the lid open / close detection sensor 51 detects the opening or closing of the lid 2, the control unit 17 controls the heating unit 15 to perform the sterilization process or the reheating process according to the menu of the scheduled cooking being performed. This allows the user to open and close the lid 2 at the desired timing, and even if the lid 2 is opened by mistake, the proliferation of bacteria can be prevented.

[0067] 〔summary〕 The heating cooker according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a heating cooker 101 that is capable of scheduled cooking and includes a container (inner pot 3) for storing ingredients, a heating unit 15 for heating the container (inner pot 3), and a heating control unit (control unit 17) for controlling the heating by the heating unit 15. The scheduled cooking sequentially includes a cooking step for cooking ingredients, a heat retention step for keeping the food warm at a predetermined temperature after the cooking step has been completed, and a reheating step for reheating the food kept warm by the heat retention step. The cooking cooker is equipped with an alarm unit 50 that, when the scheduled cooking is executed, notifies the user that the cooking of the ingredients has been completed after the cooking step has been completed but before the reheating step.

[0068] According to the above configuration, the notification unit notifies the user that the cooking of the ingredients is complete after the cooking process is completed and before the reheating process, so that the user does not need to know the time when the cooking of the ingredients will be completed in advance. Therefore, as long as the notification unit notifies the user, the user can easily change the reservation time or reservation duration at a time that suits them.

[0069] In the cooking device according to Aspect 2 of the present invention, in Aspect 1, the notification unit 50 may notify the user that cooking of the ingredients is complete before the keeping-warm step.

[0070] According to the above configuration, the user is notified that the food ingredients are ready to eat before the warming step begins, thereby enabling the user to have the food ready to eat more quickly.

[0071] A cooking device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the cooking device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the notification unit 50 may notify the user multiple times that cooking of the ingredients is complete.

[0072] According to the above configuration, by making multiple notifications, even if the user misses the first notification, the second and subsequent notifications will let the user know that the ingredients have been cooked.

[0073] A cooking device according to Aspect 4 of the present invention is any one of Aspects 1 to 3 above, wherein the notification unit 50 may notify that the reheating step has ended after notifying that the cooking of the ingredients has been completed.

[0074] According to the above configuration, by notifying the user that the reheating process that was executed after the notification that the ingredients were cooked is complete, it is possible to inform the user that the food is ready to eat.

[0075] The heating cooker according to aspect 5 of the present invention, in any one of aspects 1 to 4 above, may further include a change unit (operation unit 25) that accepts a change to the reservation time or reservation duration after the notification unit 50 notifies the user that the cooking is complete.

[0076] According to the above configuration, it is possible to make food ready to eat at the timing when the user wants to eat the food.

[0077] The heating cooker according to aspect 6 of the present invention is any one of aspects 1 to 5 above, further comprising a lid body 2 that covers the container (inner pot 3) and a detection unit (lid opening / closing detection sensor 51) that detects the opening and closing of the lid body 2, and when the detection unit (lid opening / closing detection sensor 51) detects the opening and closing of the lid body 2, the heating control unit (control unit 17) may perform a sterilization process or a reheating process depending on the menu of the scheduled cooking currently being performed.

[0078] According to the above configuration, by opening and closing the lid during the warming process, the product can be immediately transferred to the sterilization process or reheating process. This allows the user to open and close the lid at the desired timing, and even if the lid is opened by mistake, the growth of bacteria can be prevented.

[0079] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0080] 1 Cooking device body 2 Lid 3 Inner pot (container) 3a Bottom wall 3b Peripheral wall 3c Flange 4 Hinge spring 11 Inner pot storage area 12 Handle storage area 13 Engagement claw 15 Heating section 16 Temperature Sensor 17 Control unit (heating control unit) 18 Weight Sensor 21 Outer lid 21a Window section 22 Inner lid 23 Claw receiving part 24 Open switch 25 Operation section (change section) 25a Operation button 25b Display section 26 Steam duct unit 26b Steam vent 27 Water vapor sensor 31 Handle 40 Inner lid body 40a opening 40b Convex part 40c Sensor opening 40d Steam guide opening 40e transparent material 41 Large diameter packing 50 Information Department 51 Lid opening / closing detection sensor (detection unit) 101 Heating cooker 211 Bottom 212 Upper

Claims

1. The food processor includes a container for accommodating food materials, a heating unit for heating the container, and a heating control unit for controlling the heating by the heating unit. A cooking device that can be scheduled for cooking, The reserved cooking is performed by sequentially executing a cooking step of cooking ingredients, a heat-retaining step of keeping the food cooked in the cooking step warm at a predetermined temperature, and a reheating step of reheating the food kept warm in the heat-retaining step, a notification unit that notifies the user that cooking of the ingredients has been completed after the cooking step and before the reheating step when the reserved cooking is executed; a change unit that accepts a change to the reservation time or reservation duration after the notification unit notifies the completion of cooking, The change unit accepts a change to the reserved time or the reserved period at which the transition to the reheating step is immediately executed.

2. The food processor includes a container for accommodating food materials, a heating unit for heating the container, and a heating control unit for controlling the heating by the heating unit. A cooking device that can be scheduled for cooking, The reserved cooking is performed by sequentially executing a cooking step of cooking ingredients, a heat-retaining step of keeping the food cooked in the cooking step warm at a predetermined temperature, and a reheating step of reheating the food kept warm in the heat-retaining step, a notification unit that notifies the user that cooking of the ingredients has been completed after the cooking step and before the reheating step when the reserved cooking is executed; a lid for covering the container; a detection unit that detects whether the lid is open or closed, When the detection unit detects that the lid has been opened or closed, the heating control unit executes a sterilization process or a reheating process according to the menu of the scheduled cooking that is currently being performed.

3. The notification unit The cooking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooking completion notification is given a plurality of times.

4. The notification unit The cooking device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a notification that the reheating step has ended after the notification that the cooking of the ingredients has been completed.

Images