Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba

Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd.

Morio Asahi

Masahiro Imai

Ryuuho Narita

Terutaka Aoshima

Masayuki Onishi

Kenzo Ito

Mitsuhiro Kojima

A circuit for controlling a rice cooker has at least one heater used for heating a cooking pot. This circuit comprises a temperature detection element capable of detecting the temperature of the pot; a converter, connected to receive a detection signal from the temperature detection element, for converting the received signal to a specified electrical signal; a selector, connected to receive an electrical signal from the converter, for producing a first or second selection signal based on whether the value of the electrical signal is or is not within a specified range; and a display capable of displaying a plurality of cooking operation states. This circuit further includes a first controller which receives the first selection signal and supplies to the heater specified turn-on control signals for dividing the cooking operation into a plurality of states and sequentially performing each cooking operation. The controller also supplies display control signals for dividing the cooking operation into a plurality of states corresponding to the turn-on control signals and sequentially indicating these states. A second controller receives the second selection signal and supplies to the display model display control signals which divides the cooking operation into a plurality of states and displays the states.

Circuit for controlling and displaying cooking states of a rice cooker

A timer for an electric rice cooker includes a switch for setting the current time and a switch for setting the cooking completion time. When the operation of the current time set switch precedes that of the cooking completion time set switch, the cooking operation is started after lapse of a predetermined time period in accordance with the difference time period between the current time set and the cooking completion time set. The cooking operation is completed at the cooking completion time set. When the cooking completion time set switch is operated without preceding operation of the current time set switch so that a cooking completion standby period of time is set, the cooking operation is started after lapse of a leftover period of time, the value of which is obtained by subtracting a cooking period of time from the cooking completion standby period of time set. The cooking operation is completed after lapse of the cooking completion standby time period. The setting of the timer can be done in two ways described above according to the situation.

Timer device for an electric rice cooker or like cooking apparatus

Disclosed is an electric rice cooker which includes a pot to hold rice and water, an inner case defining a heating space between the inner case and the outer peripheral and bottom surfaces of the pot, an outer case supporting the inner case, and at least one heater disposed in the heating space at a fixed distance from each of the pot and the inner case for heating air in the heating space to circulate the same by convection, thereby heating the pot and the rice and water in the pot from the upper portion.

Apparatus for cooking rice substantially under atmospheric pressure

Disclosed is an electric rice cooker which comprises a pot to hold rice and water, an inner case defining a heating space between the inner case and the outer peripheral and bottom surfaces of the pot, an outer case supporting the inner case, and at least one heater disposed in the heating space at a fixed distance from each of the pot and the inner case for heating air in the heating space to circulate the same by convection, thereby heating the pot and the rice and water in the pot from the upper portion.

Method for cooking rice

A circuit for controlling a rice cooker having at least one heater used for cooking rice comprises, a rice cooking mode setting section capable of selectively setting three or more different rice cooking modes having high, medium and low heater heating calories, respectively, a main control section for fetching preset mode data set by the rice cooking mode setting section, and for supplying a predetermined energize/deenergize control signal corresponding to the preset mode data to the heater, a power interrupt detecting section for detecting a state wherein supply of a drive power voltage to the main control section is temporarily interrupted after the preset mode data is fetched in the main control section, and for maintaining the detected state for a predetermined period of time, and a power interrupt recovering operation control section for fetching a detection signal from the power interrupt detecting section when supply of the drive voltage to the main control section is recovered, and for controlling the main control section in such a manner that the energize/deenergize control signal corresponding to a specific rice cooking mode at the medium heating calorie is supplied to the heater.

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Gifu, Japan

Morio Asahi