JP2003038342A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a pot from being put into a state unable to take out owing to a lid body that cannot be opened sufficiently due to the variance of products and to prevent the damage from occurring by bounding of the lid body that opens too actively by stabilizing the opening performance of the lid body in the rice cooker having the lid body supported rotatably at a rice cooker main body. SOLUTION: The lid body 5 is rotatably supported by a hinge shaft 4 at a hinge part 3 provided at the rice cooker main body, a hinge spring for opening the lid body 5 is provided at the hinge part 3, a hinge brake 8 to be rotated in synchronization with the rotating operation of the lid body 5 is arranged at the lid body 5, a brake board 10 is arranged at the inserting position of the hinge brake 8 into the hinge part 3, a protrusion part 9 is formed on the surface of the hinge brake 8, and this protrusion part 9 is pressed to the brake board 10 with nearly the opening angle of the lid body 5 where the lid body 5 never obstructs the pot 2 putting in and out, thereby braking force is generated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rice cooker having a lid body rotatably supported on a rice cooker body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of rice cooker has been constructed as shown in FIG. The configuration will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 5, the rice cooker main body 31 has a flanged pan 32 detachably housed therein, and one end can be freely opened at a hinge portion 33 provided at the rear of the rice cooker main body 31. A lid body 35 whose end is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft 34 is rotatably provided. Further, the hinge portion 33 is provided with a hinge spring 36 that urges the lid 35 in the opening direction, and the outer contour of the hinge portion 33 is covered with a hinge cover 37. A rib-shaped lid brake portion 38 is integrally provided at the rear end of the lid body 35, and a brake plate 39 made of a spring material is embedded in the corresponding hinge cover 37.

The width dimension of the brake plate 39 is smaller than the width dimension of the lid brake portion 38, and when the lid is opened, the hinge shaft 34 is urged by the urging force of the hinge spring 36.
The lid 35 performs an opening operation with the center of rotation as the center of rotation, but when the opening angle of the lid 35 reaches a certain angle or more, the lid brake portion 38 is engaged with the brake plate 39 and pressed to generate a braking force. However, the bounce is suppressed by attenuating the remaining force when the lid is opened.

[0005]

However, in such a rice cooker, while the structure is very simple and the brake structure is inexpensive, the lid brake portion 38 is formed on the end portion of the lid body 35 formed of synthetic resin. Since they are integrally provided, the braking force acting during the opening operation deforms the lid 35 itself that holds the lid braking portion 38, and the braking force becomes unstable.
It was difficult to exert a stable braking effect due to the restriction of the shape due to the draft angle and the draft direction required in the mold structure.

Further, since the lid brake section 38 is formed integrally with the lid 35, various performances such as gloss, chemical resistance, and moldability required for the lid 35 as an external component are prioritized.
It has not always been possible to select the most suitable resin material for the lid brake portion 38 in terms of strength and abrasion resistance.

Further, since the lid brake portion 38 is a molded product, the lid opening performance, which is normally not a problem, is caused by variations in parts,
It is difficult to make adjustments in consideration of the endurance life, and the lid 35 does not open sufficiently due to product variations, and the pan 32 cannot be taken out. Conversely, when the lid 35 opens too strongly, when opening the lid. In order to solve the problem that the lid 35 bounces and the quality is deteriorated, there is a problem that it is necessary to secure the opening performance of the lid 35 by selecting the hinge springs 36 so that the variation is small. Was.

The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems by stabilizing the opening performance of the lid, preventing the lid from being opened sufficiently due to product variations, and preventing the pot from being taken out. The purpose of this is to prevent the lid from bouncing when the lid is opened and degrading the quality because the opening of the lid is too strong.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a hinge spring that rotatably supports a lid by a hinge shaft on a hinge portion provided on a rice cooker body to open the lid. Provided on the hinge part, a hinge brake that rotates in synchronization with the rotation of the lid is installed on the lid, and a brake plate is installed at the position where the hinge brake is sandwiched between the hinges. Is provided, and the convex portion is configured to generate a braking force by being pressed against the brake plate from a position where the opening angle of the lid body does not hinder the putting in and out of the pot.

As a result, it is possible to stabilize the opening performance of the lid body, prevent the lid body from being sufficiently opened due to product variations, and preventing the pan from being taken out. On the contrary, the lid body is strongly opened. It is possible to prevent the lid from bouncing and deteriorating the quality when the lid is opened because it is too much.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is a rice cooker body, a lid body rotatably supported by a hinge shaft on a hinge portion provided on the rice cooker body, and the hinge portion. A hinge spring that opens the lid body, a hinge brake that is disposed on the lid body and rotates in synchronization with a rotating operation of the lid body, and a hinge brake that is disposed at a position where the hinge brake is sandwiched by the hinge portion. A brake plate is provided, and a convex portion is provided on the surface of the hinge brake, and the convex portion is pressed against the brake plate from around an angle where the opening angle of the lid body does not hinder loading and unloading of the pan, thereby controlling the brake plate. It is configured to generate power, and the hinge brake, brake plate, etc. that make up the brake part are parts independent of the outer lid, and it is possible to apply optimal materials such as strength and abrasion resistance. You can do it, and the shape is free Also, since the braking force generated when the lid is opened is stable, the opening performance of the lid can be stabilized, and it is possible to prevent the lid from opening sufficiently due to variations in products, and preventing the pan from being unable to be taken out. On the contrary, it is possible to prevent the lid from bouncing and degrading the quality when the lid is opened due to the opening of the lid being too strong.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the lid is constructed so that a braking force is generated from an opening angle of about 70 degrees, so that the pan can be reliably taken out. The angle can be secured.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, the braking force is increased as the opening angle of the lid is increased. Bounce can be suppressed, and product quality and operability can be improved.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned first aspect, at least one of the brake plate and the hinge brake has an adjusting function capable of arbitrarily adjusting a braking state. The allowable range of variation of component parts is widened, productivity can be improved, and the opening performance of the lid can be stabilized,
The quality of the product can be improved.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, in the invention according to the first aspect, at least one surface of the brake plate and the hinge brake is subjected to a surface treatment for enhancing abrasion resistance and slidability. It is possible to reduce the wear of the brake plates and hinge brakes that make up the brake part, to ensure stable opening performance of the lid for the life of the product, and to fit the hinge brakes and brake plates. It is possible to suppress an abnormal noise due to a match, and it is possible to secure operability and dignity of the product for a long time.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to the first aspect, the hinge brake is formed integrally with the hinge shaft, and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0017]

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

(Embodiment 1) As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a rice cooker main body 1 has a flanged pan 2 detachably housed therein, and a hinge portion 3 provided at the rear of the rice cooker main body 1.
In addition, a lid 5 having one end freely opened and the other end pivotally supported by a hinge shaft 4 is rotatably provided. Further, a hinge spring 6 for urging the lid 5 in the opening direction is provided in the hinge portion 3, and the outer contour of the hinge portion 3 is covered with a hinge cover 7.

A hinge brake 8 made of synthetic resin or the like having a sufficiently higher rigidity than the lid 5 is fixed to the hinge shaft 4 at the hinge portion of the lid 5, and the hinge portion 3 of the rice cooker body 1 is fixed. A brake plate 10 formed of a plate spring is provided at a position where the hinge brake 8 is sandwiched.

A wedge-shaped convex portion 9 is provided on the surface of the hinge brake 8, and the hinge brake 8 rotates in synchronization with the opening operation of the lid body 5, so that the opening angle of the lid body 5 is a predetermined angle. When it reaches 70 °, the hinge brake 8
The wedge-shaped convex portion 9 starts to be pressed against the brake plate 10,
As the braking force starts to be generated, the braking force to be generated increases as the opening angle further increases, and the remaining force at the time of opening the lid is surely damped.

With this structure, the lid 5 is always opened at a predetermined angle of 70 ° or more, and unlike the conventional case, the lid is not sufficiently opened and the pot cannot be taken out. Bound of the lid 5 can be surely suppressed at the time of opening operation of 5, and the quality at the time of operation can be remarkably improved.

Further, the hinge brake 8 is made of a self-lubricating material, and the hinge brake 8 can be used even when the lid 5 is opened and closed for the long-term use of the product.
Since abnormal noise due to friction between the brake plates 10 is eliminated, good opening performance can be secured for a long period of time.

Although the hinge brake 8 is fixed to the hinge shaft 4 in this embodiment, the hinge brake 8 is not fixed.
If the structure is fixed to the lid body 5 and is synchronized with the opening operation of the lid body 5, the same effect can be obtained.

Further, in this embodiment, the hinge brake 8 is made of a self-lubricating material. However, the surface of the hinge brake 8 is coated with a lubricant that improves wear resistance and slidability, or The same effect can be obtained by performing a surface treatment similar to this or a surface treatment similar to the other brake plate 10.

Further, although the hinge brake 8 is fixed to the hinge shaft 4 in this embodiment, the hinge brake 8 is
May be formed integrally with the hinge shaft 4, and this can reduce the number of parts.

(Embodiment 2) As shown in FIG. 3, in the brake plate 10a, the opening angle of the lid 5 is 70.
When the angle reaches 0 °, the wedge-shaped protrusions 9 of the hinge brake 8 start to be pressed into contact with each other, and a braking force begins to be generated, and as the opening angle further increases, the braking force generated also increases, so that the remaining capacity at the time of opening the lid is ensured. The adjusting screw 11 which is an adjusting device for adjusting the effectiveness of the brake is provided. The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment.

With this structure, by tightening the adjusting screw 11, the brake plate 10a moves in a direction away from the center of the hinge shaft 4, and the amount of meshing with the hinge brake 8 decreases, thereby reducing the braking force. be able to. Conversely, by loosening the adjusting screw 11, the brake plate 10 approaches the center of the hinge shaft 4 and the amount of meshing with the hinge brake 8 increases, so that the braking force can be adjusted to be large.

Further, since the positional relationship between the brake plate 10a and the hinge brake 8 does not change in the circumferential direction, the magnitude of the braking force can be adjusted without changing the position where the braking force starts to work. For example, it is possible to absorb the variation generated in the normal production process without selecting the hinge spring 4. Thereby, the productivity of the hinge spring 4 can be improved, and a rice cooker having stable lid opening performance can be obtained at all times.

In this embodiment, the brake plate 1
Although the example in which the adjusting device is provided in 0a is described, in the case of the hinge brake 8a configured as shown in FIG. 4, the braking force can be changed by adjusting the adjusting screw 11 provided in the hinge brake 8a. Therefore, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

[0030]

As described above, according to the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention, the rice cooker main body and the lid body rotatably supported by the hinge shaft on the hinge portion provided on the rice cooker main body. ,
A hinge spring provided on the hinge portion to open the lid,
A hinge brake disposed on the lid and rotating in synchronism with the pivotal movement of the lid; and a brake plate disposed at a position where the hinge brake is sandwiched by the hinge portion. Since a convex portion is provided, and the convex portion is configured to generate a braking force by being pressed against the brake plate from a position where the opening angle of the lid body does not hinder the putting in and out of the pot, the braking portion is formed. The hinge brakes, brake plates, etc. that comprise them are parts independent of the outer lid, and the most suitable material such as strength and abrasion resistance can be applied, and the flexibility of the shape increases, so the lid can be opened. The braking force that sometimes occurs is stable, the opening performance of the lid can be stabilized, the lid does not open sufficiently due to product variations,
You can prevent the pot from getting stuck, and vice versa.
It is possible to prevent the lid body from bouncing and deteriorating the quality when the lid is opened because the lid body opens too strongly.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the opening angle of the lid body is configured to generate a braking force of about 70 degrees, it is possible to ensure the opening angle at which the pan can be reliably taken out.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the braking force increases as the opening angle of the lid increases, it is possible to suppress the bound when the lid is opened, The product quality and operability can be improved.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, since at least one of the brake plate and the hinge brake has an adjusting function capable of arbitrarily adjusting the braking state, the allowable range of variation of each component is In addition to widening the area, the productivity can be improved, the opening performance of the lid can be stabilized, and the quality of the product can be improved.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since at least one surface of the brake plate and the hinge brake is surface-treated to enhance wear resistance and slidability, the brake portion is provided. Wear of the constituent brake plates and hinge brakes can be reduced, and stable lid opening performance can be secured over the life of the product.
It is possible to suppress abnormal noise due to fitting of the hinge brake and the brake plate, and it is possible to secure operability and dignity of the product for a long period of time.

According to the invention of claim 6, since the hinge brake is formed integrally with the hinge shaft, the number of parts can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a rice cooker according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part of the rice cooker.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of essential parts of a rice cooker according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a main part of another example of the rice cooker.

FIG. 5 (a) is a vertical sectional view of a conventional rice cooker. (B) View of the rice cooker in the direction A

[Explanation of symbols]

1 rice cooker body 2 pots 3 Hinge part 4 hinge shaft 5 Lid 6 Hinge spring 8 Hinge brake 9 convex 10 brake plate

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F term (reference) 4B055 AA03 BA14 BA29 BA37 CA36                       CB03 CC23 CC24 CC33 CC42                       CC43 FA20 FC20 FD06 FE10

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A rice cooker main body, and a lid body rotatably supported by a hinge shaft on a hinge portion provided on the rice cooker main body.
A hinge spring provided on the hinge portion to open the lid,
A hinge brake disposed on the lid and rotating in synchronism with the pivotal movement of the lid; and a brake plate disposed at a position where the hinge brake is sandwiched by the hinge portion. A rice cooker configured to generate a braking force by being pressed against the brake plate from the vicinity of an angle where the opening angle of the lid body does not hinder the putting in and out of the pan, the convex part being provided. 2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein a braking force is generated when the opening angle of the lid is about 70 degrees. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the braking force is increased as the opening angle of the lid is increased. 4. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the brake plate and the hinge brake has an adjusting function capable of arbitrarily adjusting a braking state. 5. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the surface of at least one of the brake plate and the hinge brake is surface-treated to enhance wear resistance and slidability. 6. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the hinge brake is formed integrally with the hinge shaft.