JP2001224497A - Rice cooking jar - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adjust an internal pressure automatically by opening and closing a vapor pass in a rice cooking jar of a type that cooks under an applied pressure. SOLUTION: The rice cooking jar comprises the vapor pass 11, a releasing unit 32 that releases a valve hole 15 arranged in the vapor pass 11 and a control unit that operates the releasing unit 32. When the internal pressure is required to be decreased, the valve hole 15 is opened by the releasing unit 32 operated by a signal from the control unit.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker and, more particularly, to a pressure regulating structure thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A valve hole is provided in the middle of a steam hole provided in a lid of a rice cooker, and a pressure regulating ball is placed on the valve hole to close the valve hole and increase the internal pressure to cook rice. This has been done conventionally. Further, a lid locking device is conventionally provided to prevent the lid from being accidentally opened during cooking of rice (during application of pressure).

[0003]

However, with the above-described locking device, when the lid is opened, it is necessary to first unlock the locking device and then operate the lid hook to open the lid. There was a trouble that the two-stage operation was always required.

An object of the present invention is to automatically unlock a lid so that the lid can be opened only by operating a lid hook.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to the present invention, a pressure regulating ball is placed on a valve hole provided in the middle of a vapor passage of a lid, and the automatic opening device for the valve hole is provided. In the rice cooker in which the valve hole is closed by the pressure regulating ball when the pressure regulating ball is operated and the valve hole is opened by moving the pressure regulating ball when the opening device is not operated, the lid hook is engaged with the automatic opening device. By providing a lock piece that locks and controlling the automatic opening device by a signal from a control device, the lock piece is engaged with the lid hook during operation, making it impossible to open the lid. In operation, the lock piece is separated from the lid hook so that the lid can be opened.

The above-mentioned automatic opening device comprises a solenoid fixed to a lid, an operating member slidably mounted on the lid in an inward and outward direction, and a spring for returning the operating member. Is engaged with the operating member, the return spring is interposed between the rear end of the solenoid and the operating member, and a projection close to the pressure regulating ball is provided at the rear end of the operating member. The lock member may be provided at the front end of the operating member.

[0007] According to the above configuration, since the lock of the lid hook is automatically released, the user can open the lid only by operating the lid hook.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the whole of a rice cooker, in which a lid 3 is openably and closably attached by a hinge 2 provided at a rear end of a main body 1. A steam passage top plate 5 having a steam hole 4 is exposed at a central portion of the lid 3. Further, a front hook 6 is provided on the front surface of the lid 3, and the hook 3 of the internal hook 7 (see FIG. 3) is removed by pressing down the front hook 6 with a fingertip, and the lid 3 is opened.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the inside of the lid 3 is provided with an inner cylinder 12 constituting a steam passage 11 at the center of the hole at the center of the inner lid 9, and is integrally formed on the upper surface of the inner lid 9. An outer cylinder 14 surrounding the inner cylinder 12 is attached to the fixed lid intermediate member 13. The above-mentioned steam passage top plate 5 is integrally provided on the upper end surface of the outer cylinder 14.

A valve hole 15 is provided in the middle of the inner cylinder 12, a valve seat 16 is formed on the upper surface of the outer periphery of the valve hole 15, and a valve chamber 17 is provided on the valve seat 16, 1
The pressure adjusting ball 18 is stored in the housing 7.

A steam passage hole 19 formed in the upper end surface of the valve chamber 17 is opened toward the lower surface of the steam passage top plate 5 described above. The concentric ribs 21 and 21 ′ formed around the steam passage hole 19 (see FIG. 6) correspond to the steam passage top plate 5.
Concentric ribs 22, 22 'formed downward on the lower surface of
The ribs 21, 21 ', 22, 22' form a bent passage 23 between the ribs 21, 21 ', 22, 22'.

The bent passage 23 functions to lengthen the steam passage 11 and to condense the steam by bringing the steam into contact with the steam passage top plate 5 which is in contact with the outside air.

The outer cylinder inner chamber 24 between the inner cylinder 12 and the outer cylinder 14 communicates with the vapor hole 4 of the vapor passage top plate 5. The lower part of the outer cylinder inner chamber 24 is a storage pool 25, and a storage drain hole 26 is provided on the bottom surface of the storage pool 25. The drainage hole 26 is provided with a check valve 27 provided on the lower surface thereof.
Is closed by

The valve seat 16 is formed so as to rise up around the valve hole 15 with a predetermined inclination, and as shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. A ball escape portion 28 having an inclined surface lower than that of the valve seat 16 is provided. The portion of the valve seat 16 other than the ball escape portion 28 is set to have the highest possible rise so as to prevent the movement of the pressure regulating ball 18.

The valve seat 16 is formed by forming a ball escape portion 28 in a part of a mortar-shaped recess as shown in FIG. 8A, or as shown in FIG. The valve seat 16 may be formed by radially arranged ribs, and one of the ribs may be formed to have a lower inclination than the other ribs, and that portion may be used as the ball escape portion 28.

An inner cylinder hole 29 penetrating through the valve chamber 17 is formed on the front surface of the inner cylinder 12, and an outer cylinder hole 31 is also formed on the outer cylinder 14 on the same center line as the inner cylinder hole 29. .

An opening device 32 for moving the pressure regulating ball 18 from above the valve hole 15 is installed between the front surface of the outer cylinder 14 and the hook 7, and includes a solenoid 33 as a drive source and an operating member. 34 and a return spring 35.

The operating member 34 is formed in a frame shape as shown in FIG. 2, and slide ribs 36 provided on both sides thereof are fitted to a front-rear guide rail 36 'provided on the lid intermediate member 13 (see FIG. 2). (See FIG. 5), and is slidable in the front-rear direction.

A lock piece 37 protruding forward is integrally formed at the tip of the slide rib 36 of the operating member 34, and when the operating member 34 advances, the lock piece 37 enters the lower surface of the hook 7 (see FIG. 3). ), The hook 7 is locked. When the operating member 34 retreats, the lock piece 37 comes off the hook 7 and the lock is released (see FIG. 4).

The solenoid 33 is housed inside a frame of the operating member 34 and is fixed to the lid intermediate member 13 by a bracket 38. The solenoid 33 has an operation shaft 39 protruding from the front surface thereof, and the operation shaft 39 is inserted into a shaft insertion portion 40 provided on the front surface of the operation member 34.

The rear end face of the solenoid 33 and the operating member 3
A return spring 35 is interposed between the frame 4 and the inner surface of the rear end. A projection 42 is provided on the rear end surface of the operating member 34, and the projection 42 is covered with a cover by a seal member 43. The sealing member 43 is provided in the outer cylinder hole 3 of the outer cylinder 14.
1 to prevent steam from leaking to the outside of the outer cylinder 14.

The hook 7 is mounted so as to be able to swing up and down around a hook shaft 44, and by engaging a hook claw 8 provided on the lower surface of its front end with an engaging recess 46 of the main body 1, The lid 3 is kept closed (see FIG. 3).

An engaging piece 47 is provided on the front surface of the hook 7 as shown in FIG. 2, and the engaging piece 47 is engaged with the rear end of the front hook 6 attached to the front surface of the lid 3. . When the front hook 6 is pushed down as shown by an arrow a in FIG. 4, the front end of the hook 7 is lifted and the hook claw 8 is
6 and the lid 3 is opened (see a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4).

The rice cooker according to the embodiment is as described above. When rice cooking is started, the solenoid 33 is operated by a signal from a control device (for example, a microcomputer, not shown), and the operating shaft 39 protrudes forward. As a result, when the operating member 34 slides forward, the locking piece 37
Enters the lower surface of the hook 7 and locks the hook 7 (see FIG. 3). In this state, the projection 42 separates from the pressure adjusting ball 18, so that the pressure adjusting ball 18 rests on the valve seat 16 and the valve hole 1
5 is closed.

As described above, as rice cooking proceeds, the internal pressure gradually increases, and the internal pressure continues to increase because the valve hole 15 is closed by the pressure regulating ball 18. At this stage, the lid 3 cannot be opened because the hook 7 is locked. Further, even if the rice cooker itself tilts forward or left and right, the pressure regulating ball 18 closes the valve hole 15 until the rice cooker tilts more than a certain amount. When tilted backward, the pressure regulating ball 18 comes off from the valve hole 15 at a low tilt angle, but since the rice cooker has few chances to tilt backward,
Steam leakage is reduced as a whole.

When the rice cooking is completed or when it becomes necessary to release the internal pressure during the rice cooking, the solenoid 33 is de-energized by a signal from the control device. Then the operating shaft 3
9 is retracted, and the operating member 34 is retracted to the original position by the spring force of the return spring 35. At this time, the projection 42 pushes the pressure adjustment ball 18 backward, moves the pressure adjustment ball 18 to the ball escape portion 28, and opens the valve hole 15.

As a result, the internal steam flows from the steam passage 11 through the valve hole 15, the valve chamber 17, and the bent passage 23 to the outer cylinder inner chamber 2.
4 and the steam and the moisture contained in the steam are separated in the outer cylinder inner chamber 24, fall into the lower pool 25, and the steam is discharged from the steam hole 4 to the outside. At the same time, the locking piece 37 is disengaged from the hook 7 due to the retreat of the operating member 34, and the lock is released.

The tonnage stored in the tongue pool 25 falls into the interior when the check valve 27 is opened due to its own weight or a decrease in internal pressure.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the lid is automatically unlocked, the lid can be opened simply by operating the front hook when opening the lid. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a rice cooker according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partially omitted perspective view of a lid part of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a lid part of the above.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a lid part of the above.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view in the front-rear direction of the steam passage portion according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in the left-right direction of the same steam passage portion.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a valve seat portion of the above. (B) A perspective view of another example of the valve seat portion of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 2 Hinge 3 Lid 4 Steam hole 5 Steam passage top plate 6 Front hook 7 Hook 8 Hook claw 9 Inner lid 11 Steam passage 12 Inner cylinder 13 Cover intermediate member 14 Outer cylinder 15 Valve hole 16 Valve seat 17 Valve chamber 18 Pressure regulation Ball 19 Steam passage hole 21, 21 ′ Rib 22, 22 ′ Rib 23 Bent passage 24 Outer cylinder inner chamber 25 Rust reservoir 26 Rut discharge hole 27 Check valve 28 Ball escape portion 29 Inner cylinder hole 31 Outer cylinder hole 32 Opening device 33 Solenoid 34 Operating member 35 Return spring 36 Slide rib 36 'Guide rail 37 Lock piece 38 Bracket 39 Operating shaft 40 Shaft insertion part 42 Projection 43 Seal member 44 Hook shaft 46 Engagement recess 47 Engagement piece

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a rice cooker provided with a steam passage, an opening device for opening a valve hole provided in the steam passage, and a control device for operating the opening device, when it is necessary to release internal pressure, A rice cooker wherein the valve hole is opened by the opening device operated by a signal from the control device.