JP2011055934A - Electric agitator for cooking - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the operability of a handy electric agitator for cooking by allowing a user to adjust the operation and the rotation speed of a motor only by operating an operation switch disposed in a grip of an agitator body of the agitator. <P>SOLUTION: The electric agitator for cooking is composed of the agitator body to be held by the user, and an attachment changeably attached to the agitator body. The motor for rotationally driving the attachment is mounted inside the agitator body, and the operation switch for controlling the drive of the motor is disposed on the outer surface of the grip of the body. The operation switch turns on/off the motor by the pressing operation, and can adjust the rotation speed of the motor according to the change of pressure when the switch is operated. With this structure, the user can easily adjust the rotation speed of an agitating part as well while holding the agitator body with one hand and cooking. As a result, cooking with the agitator becomes much easier than cooking with a conventional agitator. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of an electric stirrer for cooking, in particular, a handy type electric stirrer that a user uses in his / her hand.

  Recently, as a cooking means for crushing, mixing, kneading, and lowering various ingredients, it is a stirring means instead of a conventional mixer that cooks food in a container equipped with a stirring means at the bottom. There is provided a handy type electric stirrer for cooking which is used by holding it in hand (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the electric stirrer for cooking includes a stirrer main body 1 held by a user and various attachments (for example, a blender and a foaming beater) attached to the stirrer main body 1 in a replaceable manner. A dough kneader, a chopper cutter, a grater cutter, etc.) 2, and the agitator body 1 contains a motor (not shown) as a drive source of the attachment 2 and agitator body 1 Are provided with an operation switch 3 for controlling driving of the motor and a rotational speed adjusting means 4.

  The operation switch 3 includes two sets of switches, that is, an operation switch 3a and an unlock switch 3b as shown in the figure. For example, while pressing the unlock switch 3b as shown in FIG. When the operation switch 3a is pressed as shown in (b), the internal electric circuit (motor drive circuit) is turned on, and the above-mentioned motor is driven to drive a predetermined attachment (a blender in the drawing is shown) on the front end side. The rotating part (in the example shown in the figure, a blend cutter provided in a hemispherical cover) rotates. Once the motor drive circuit is turned on in this way, when the operation switch 3a is kept pressed and the finger is released from the lock release switch 3b (stopping the pressing), the operation is continued, that is, the predetermined rotating portion described above. The cooking operation can be continued by rotating. On the other hand, when the finger is released from the operation switch 3a (stopping the pressing) as shown in FIG. 6C from the same state, the driving of the motor is stopped.

  On the other hand, the rotation speed adjusting means 4 is provided with an operation knob 4b at the upper end of the stirrer body 1 and capable of being rotated in the horizontal direction, and is rotated by the operation knob 4b. (Rotary switch) 4a and a speed scale portion (scales 1 to 5) 5 facing the outer peripheral surface of the slide member 4a in an arc shape and indicating the speed position indicated by the instruction portion 4c of the slide member 4a. .

  When the slide member 4a is rotated as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 7 by rotating the operation knob 4b, the rotation speed of the motor changes from low (1) to high ( It is adjusted in 5 steps up to 5).

JP 2006-325920 A

  However, in the conventional configuration, it is necessary to operate the three operation switches of the rotation speed adjusting means 4 in addition to the two sets of the operation switch 3a and the lock release switch 3b as described above. In order to change the rotation speed, the operation knob 4b of the rotation speed adjustment means 4 located at a remote location must be operated with the other hand while pressing the operation switch 3a with one hand. There was a problem that it was difficult to perform stable cooking work.

  In particular, when cooking with a container in the other hand, the cooking speed must be stopped and the rotation speed must be changed. When the speed was not optimal, it was necessary to adjust again in the same manner, which was very inconvenient.

  In addition, a large number of switch parts are required, which complicates the circuit configuration and inevitably increases the product cost.

  The present invention has been made based on such circumstances, and at least the switch provided on the grip portion of the agitator main body described above can be used to adjust the operation and the motor rotation speed, thereby enabling cooking work. It is an object of the present invention to provide a handy type electric stirrer for cooking that facilitates and reduces the product cost as much as possible.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured with the following problem solving means.

(1) Invention of Claim 1 The problem-solving means of this invention consists of the stirrer main body which a user hold | grips, and the attachment with which this stirrer main body is replaceably mounted, In the said stirrer main body, An electric stirrer for cooking comprising a motor for rotationally driving the attachment, and an operation switch for controlling the drive of the motor on the outer surface of the gripping portion of the main body. The motor is turned on and off by the operation, and the rotational speed of the motor can be adjusted according to the change of the pressing force during the pressing operation.

  Therefore, according to such a configuration, the operation and the rotation speed can be adjusted only with the switch provided on the grip portion of the stirrer main body, the cooking is started by gripping the stirrer main body with one hand and performing the cooking operation. Thus, the rotation speed of the stirring unit can be easily adjusted.

  Therefore, the work at the time of cooking becomes much easier than in the past.

(2) Invention of Claim 2 The problem-solving means of the present invention is the configuration of the problem-solving means of the invention of Claim 1, wherein the operation switch is constituted by a pressure-sensitive switch provided with a pressure-sensitive element. It is a feature.

  A pressure-sensitive switch is a switch that switches from a non-conductive state to a conductive state, from a conductive state to a non-conductive state, and depending on the magnitude of the pressing force during the pressing operation (pressing adjustment). The resistance value changes and the output value changes.

  Therefore, by inputting the presence / absence of the output to the motor opening / closing circuit, the motor can be turned ON / OFF. On the other hand, the output value that changes depending on the magnitude of the pressing force is input to the motor rotation speed control means. The rotation speed of the motor can be adjusted.

  That is, when the operation switch part of the stirrer body is lightly gripped, it rotates slowly, and when it is gripped strongly, it rotates quickly.

(3) Invention of Claim 3 The problem-solving means of the present invention is the construction of the problem-solving means of the invention of Claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation switch has a predetermined magnitude to the magnitude of the pressing force that acts. By providing the threshold value, the motor is turned on for the first time when a large pressing force equal to or greater than the threshold value is applied, and the rotation speed of the motor is adjusted in accordance with the change in the pressing force value equal to or greater than the threshold value. It is characterized by being composed.

  According to such a configuration, the motor is mistakenly caused by the action of some low pressing force other than the case where the user holds the agitator body and presses the operation switch, for example, the pressing force of a degree that hits its own weight or something. There is no danger of the ON being controlled.

  As a result, a substantial lock function is realized, and safety is reliably maintained.

  As a result of the above, according to the present invention, in a handy type electric stirrer for cooking similar to the conventional one, the operation and adjustment of the motor rotation speed, etc. can be performed only by operating the operation switch provided on the grip portion of the stirrer body that is easy to operate. It is possible to perform cooking, and the work at the time of cooking becomes extremely easy, the number of parts is reduced, and the product cost can be reduced.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the electric stirrer main body for cooking which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the operation switch part which is the principal part of the stirrer. It is an electric circuit diagram of the stirrer. It is a characteristic view which shows the operating characteristic of the operation switch of the stirrer. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the conventional electric stirrer main body for cooking. It is a perspective view which shows the several operation state (a) lock release switch ON of the operation switch which is the principal part of the stirrer, (b) operation switch ON, (c) operation switch OFF. It is a top view which shows the structure and operating method of the rotational speed adjustment means of the stirrer.

  1 to 3 show the configuration of the cooking electric stirrer according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows the operation and operational characteristics of the cooking electric stirrer.

  The electric stirrer for cooking according to this embodiment is capable of performing the cooking operation by enabling locking and unlocking, operation, adjustment of the motor rotation speed, and the like with only a single switch of the conventional operation switch portion. In addition to facilitating, the number of switch parts is reduced as much as possible to reduce the product cost as much as possible.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, the electric stirrer for cooking includes a stirrer body 1 that a user holds with one hand and various attachments 2 that are replaceably attached to the stirrer body 1. The stirrer body 1 has a built-in motor 14 as a drive source for the attachment 2 and a drive circuit for the motor 14 located on the lower side of the stirrer body 1. An operation switch 30 for performing drive control and rotational speed adjustment control of the motor 14 and a corresponding control circuit are provided inside.

  In the illustrated example, a blender is shown as an example of the attachment 2. However, in addition to the illustrated blender, a foaming beater, a dough kneader, a chopper cutter, a grated cutter, etc. are employed as the attachment 2. The In the illustrated blender 2, a blend cutter as a rotating member is provided in the lower hemispherical cover member 2 a, while the upper end of the blend cutter shaft at the upper end 2 b side is the lower end of the agitator body 1. It is mounted in a driveable state on the side motor output shaft.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the operation switch 30 is different from the conventional one (FIGS. 5 and 6) described above, and a pressure-sensitive element is formed by a single operation member (pressing member) 30a. 30b is pressed, and the power to the motor 14 is turned ON / OFF and the rotation speed of the motor 14 in the power ON state can be adjusted by the magnitude of the pressing force at the time of pressing (strength of gripping force). It is like that.

  That is, for example, as shown in detail in FIG. 2, the operation switch 30 includes an operation member 30 a having an elliptical shape that is long in the vertical direction and a pressure-sensitive element 30 b, and is a portion that is held by a user at the top of the agitator main body 1 by hand. An operating member fitting port 1b having an elliptical shape that is long in the vertical direction is formed in the housing wall 1a, and a pressure sensitive element 30b and an elliptical operating member 30a that is long in the vertical direction are sequentially fitted in the fitting port 1b. At the same time, it is supported and fixed by engaging the support member 1c with the engagement pieces 1d and 1d on the back side of the housing wall 1a from the inside of the housing.

  The operation member fitting port 1b has a gentle concave portion in the vertical direction and the right and left, and is provided at the center portion thereof, whereby the upper surface (pressing surface) of the operation member 30a is finally formed. In the state where it is fitted and installed, as shown in the figure, it is installed in a state where it is lower by a predetermined dimension than the outer peripheral surface position indicated by the phantom line of the casing wall 1a of the stirrer body 1 inside the casing. Thus, when the agitator main body 1 is laid on the cooking table, a countermeasure is taken so that the operation switch is not turned on by being pushed by its own weight.

  In this state, when the operation member 30a of the operation switch 30 is pressed by a user's finger holding the same portion, the pressing force acts on the pressure sensitive element 30b as it is, and the high pressure corresponding to the pressing force at that time is high. The voltage signal is input to the control unit 10 shown in the electric circuit of FIG.

  The control unit 10 is constituted by, for example, a microcomputer, and the attached memory (RAM or ROM) 11 drives the motor 14 only when the operation switch 30 is pressed with a pressing force of a predetermined value or more. To start, it acts on the pressure-sensitive element 30b via the operation member 30a when the pressure force acting on the pressure-sensitive element 30b via the operation member 30a and a pressure force exceeding the threshold are applied. A rotation speed adjustment value (current control value) corresponding to the value of the pressing force is set. These set values are read using the voltage signal from the pressure sensitive element 30b as a parameter, compared with the input value of the voltage signal, and when the pressure value indicated by the voltage signal exceeds the threshold value. When the value is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the motor 14 is driven by outputting a power ON control signal (circuit closing signal) to the ON / OFF means (power switching circuit) 12 of the motor driving circuit 33, while indicated by the voltage signal. When the pressed pressure value does not exceed the threshold value (when it is lower than the threshold value), a power OFF control signal (circuit open signal) is sent to the ON / OFF means (power switch circuit) 12 of the motor drive circuit 33. To output and maintain the motor 14 in a non-driven state.

  Further, the motor drive circuit 33 is provided with a rotation speed control means 13, which rotates the motor rotation speed from the control unit 10 in accordance with the voltage value from the pressure sensitive element 30 b. The rotational speed of the motor 14 is adjusted by variably adjusting the motor drive current flowing through the motor drive circuit 33 in response to the control signal.

  On the other hand, in the power supply line 34 between the power ON / OFF means 12 and the power supply terminal A (AC or DC), the rotational speed of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined allowable maximum rotational speed Vm (see FIG. 4). A rotation limit switch LS is provided to forcibly stop the supply of power at the time and ensure safety during cooking. The rotation limit switch LS is configured by, for example, a b-contact type relay contact, and the value of the motor drive current of the motor drive circuit 33 is input to the control unit 10 via the current transformer 15 and is input. When the current value becomes equal to or higher than the current value corresponding to the maximum allowable speed Vm, the limit switch LS is broken, for example, by exciting the relay coil.

  As a result, the actual motor rotation speed V is maintained within the maximum allowable speed Vm as indicated by the bold line in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the stirrer main body 1 gripped by the user and the attachment 2 that is replaceably attached to the stirrer main body 1 are provided. In the cooking electric stirrer which includes the operation switch 30 for controlling the drive of the motor 14 on the outer periphery of the stirrer body 1 while incorporating the motor 14 for rotationally driving the attachment 2, the operation switch No. 30 is characterized in that the motor 14 is turned on and off by a pressing operation, and the rotational speed of the motor 14 can be adjusted in accordance with a change in pressing force during the pressing operation.

  Therefore, according to such a configuration, it becomes possible to adjust the operation and the rotation speed only by operating the switch provided at least on the grip portion of the stirrer body, and the cooking operation is started by gripping the stirrer body with one hand. It is possible to easily adjust the rotation speed of the stirring unit while performing the above.

  In this case, the operation switch 30 is constituted by a pressure sensitive switch provided with a pressure sensitive element 30b.

  The pressure-sensitive switch changes from the non-conductive state to the conductive state and from the conductive state to the non-conductive state according to the application and release of the compressive force, and the resistance of the switch depending on the magnitude of the pressing force (pressing adjustment) during the pressing operation. The value changes and the output value changes.

  Accordingly, by inputting the presence / absence of the output to the opening / closing circuit of the motor 14, the motor 14 can be turned ON / OFF, while the output value that changes depending on the magnitude of the pressing force is input to the motor rotation speed control means 13. As a result, the rotation speed of the motor 14 can be adjusted.

  That is, when the operation switch 30 portion of the stirrer body 1 is lightly gripped, it rotates slowly, and when it is strongly gripped, it rotates quickly.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the operation switch 30 is provided with a predetermined threshold value (see the motor driving start point in FIG. 4) in the magnitude of the applied pressing force, so that the operation switch 30 exceeds the threshold value. The motor 14 is ON-controlled for the first time when a large pressing force is applied, and the rotational speed of the motor 14 is adjusted in accordance with a change in the pressing force having a magnitude equal to or greater than the threshold value.

  According to such a configuration, an error caused by a low pressing force other than when the user holds the agitator body 1 and presses the operation switch 30, for example, a pressing force of a degree that hits its own weight or something. Thus, there is no fear that the motor is ON-controlled.

  As a result, a substantial locking function is realized and safety is maintained.

  In the case of the above configuration, since the heavy motor 14 is provided on the lower side of the stirrer body 1, the center of gravity is located on the lower side, and the operability during cooking is improved.

  As a result of the above, according to the above configuration, in a handy type electric stirrer for cooking similar to the conventional one, only the operation of a single operation switch in the gripping part corresponding to the conventional operation switch can be used for locking and unlocking, and operation. In addition, the motor rotation speed can be adjusted, the work during cooking becomes extremely easy, the number of parts is reduced, and the product cost can be reduced.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described configuration, for example, the conventional lock release switch shown in FIG. 5 is placed at a back position 180 ° opposite to the operation switch 30 in the gripping portion of the agitator body 1 indicated by P in FIG. It is also possible to provide a lock release switch similar to 3b, and such a configuration is also adopted as necessary.

  According to such a configuration, the user can properly hold the grip portion of the agitator main body 1 and thereby make sure that the lock release switch is turned on at the back side position of the back of the palm. As long as 30 is not turned on, the motor 14 is not turned on, so the safety becomes higher.

  In this case, even if a lock release switch is provided separately from the operation switch 30 described above, the lock release switch is naturally turned on if the original gripping portion of the agitator body 1 is properly gripped. Therefore, unlike the conventional ones shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, there is no need to perform a complicated ON operation with a finger, so the operability itself is the same as that of the configuration without the above-described lock release switch. Nor.

  In the same configuration, the outer diameter of the gripping portion of the agitator body 1 is designed to match the size of an adult's hand, so that when a small child grips, the front side operation switch and the back side lock Since it becomes impossible to operate both of the release switches, safety is also improved in this respect.

(Modification 2)
In addition, when the rotational speed of the motor 14 is equal to or higher than a predetermined allowable maximum rotational speed Vm (see FIG. 4), the rotation forcibly stops the supply of power to the motor 14 to ensure safety during cooking. As in the configuration of the first embodiment, the limit switch LS is provided with a separate dedicated opening / closing switch LS in the power supply line 34, and this is changed to break using a relay, and the output of the current transformer 15 is changed. Depending on the value, the control unit 10 can directly open and close the power ON / OFF means 12.

  With such a configuration, a software configuration is sufficient, and the dedicated switch LS and the like as described above can be eliminated, and the circuit can be simplified.

  1 is an agitator main body, 1a is a housing wall, 1b is an operation member insertion port, 2 is an attachment, 10 is a control unit, 11 is a memory, 12 is a power ON / OFF means, 13 is a motor rotation speed control means, and 14 is A motor, 30 is an operation switch, 30a is an operation member, and 30b is a pressure sensitive element.

Claims (3)

  A stirrer body gripped by the user and an attachment that is replaceably attached to the stirrer body, and a motor that rotationally drives the attachment is built in the stirrer body. An electric stirrer for cooking provided with an operation switch for controlling the drive of the motor on the outer surface of the gripping portion, wherein the operation switch turns the motor on and off by a pressing operation and the pressing force at the time of the pressing operation An electric stirrer for cooking, wherein the rotational speed of the motor can be adjusted in accordance with the change of the motor.   2. The electric stirrer for cooking according to claim 1, wherein the operation switch comprises a pressure sensitive switch provided with a pressure sensitive element.   The operation switch provides a predetermined threshold value for the magnitude of the pressing force to be applied, and controls the motor for the first time when a large pressing force equal to or greater than the threshold value is applied. The electric stirrer for cooking according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotational speed of the motor is adjusted in accordance with a change in pressing force.

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