JP2004057687A - Steam temperature lowering structure for rice cooker or the like - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an accident from occurring even if the human body gets in contact by lowering temperature of steam emitted from a steam hole of a rice cooker. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker is provided with an air mixing chamber 31 provided in the end part of a steam passage 14, a steam passage nozzle 32 communicating with the above steam passage 14 in the air mixing chamber 31, the steam hole 34 provided just above the steam passage nozzle 32, and a suction inlet 35 of outside air placed at the side of the steam passage nozzle 32 so that air is mixed with steam by sucking air by negative pressure generated when steam passes. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a structure for lowering the temperature of steam when steam generated inside such as a rice cooker and an electric pot is discharged to the outside through a steam passage of a lid.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In an electric appliance that generates steam in accordance with rice cooking or boiling water, usually, a steam passage is provided in a lid that closes the inner container, and the inlet of the steam passage faces the upper end opening portion of the inner container, and the steam as the outlet is provided. The hole is open to the outside of the instrument. In some cases, a pressure adjusting device and a rice separating device are provided in the middle of the steam passage (for example, JP-A-2001-327396). The steam generated in the inner container with the progress of rice cooking flows in from the inlet of the steam passage, passes through a pressure adjusting device or a rice separating device on the way, and is discharged outside through the steam hole.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, in the conventional case, the steam generated in the inner container is discharged outside at a high temperature without any cooling in the steam passage, so that the steam does not hit the human body. In addition, special attention had to be paid to the user.
[0004]
As one means for solving such a problem, it is conceivable to provide a low-temperature chamber equipped with a cooling fan at the end of the steam passage. However, a fan, a fan motor and an installation space for them are required, and the cost of the product is reduced. There is a problem that causes up.
[0005]
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to reduce the temperature of steam without using special parts.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a steam cooling structure for a rice cooker or the like in which steam generated inside a container is discharged from a steam hole to the outside of the lid through a steam passage provided in the lid, An air mixing chamber provided at an end portion of the steam passage, a steam passage nozzle communicating with the steam passage in the air mixing chamber, the steam hole provided above the steam passage nozzle, and the steam passage nozzle A configuration in which an external air suction port is provided in the vicinity of is adopted.
[0007]
According to the above configuration, when the steam generated in the inner container enters the air mixing chamber from the steam passage nozzle through the steam passage and is discharged to the outside of the lid from the steam hole above the steam mixing nozzle, the steam moves rapidly. Accordingly, a negative pressure is generated inside the air mixing chamber. Therefore, the external air is sucked from the suction port and mixed with the steam, and the temperature of the steam discharged from the steam hole is reduced by the amount of the mixed air.
[0008]
Further, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the above-mentioned air mixing chamber is provided above a steam reservoir forming a part of a steam passage, and the above-mentioned steam passage nozzle is provided on a bottom surface of the air mixing chamber. According to this configuration, the pressure fluctuation is buffered by the steam that has passed through the steam passage temporarily staying in the steam pool. This stabilizes the discharge pressure of the steam discharged from the steam hole through the air mixing chamber.
[0009]
It should be noted that a configuration can be adopted in which the upper open end of the oil separating case forming a part of the steam passage is detachably fitted to the lower open end of the steam reservoir. According to this configuration, the upper open end of the separation case and the lower open end of the steam reservoir abut each other, so that the internal spaces thereof are in communication with each other. As a result, the internal space between the two becomes a steam pool and also a stagnant pool.
[0010]
Further, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which the bottom surface of the air mixing chamber provided with the steam passage nozzle is formed as an independent part fitted to the peripheral wall constituting the air mixing chamber. According to this configuration, there is the convenience that the air mixing chamber portion can be formed with the bottom surface of the air mixing chamber separated.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The rice cooker (rice cooker in this case) shown in FIG. 1 has a jar body 1 and a lid 3 attached to the jar body 1 so as to be freely opened and closed by a hinge shaft 2 (see FIG. 2). At the front end of the jar main body 1, there is provided an operation unit 4 that stands up at the same height as the front edge of the lid 3. Further, a lid panel 5, a steam hole set 6, and the like are attached to the lid 3.
[0012]
As shown in FIG. 2, a pressure adjusting device 7, a drainage separating device 8, and the like are provided inside the lid 3, and the steam hole set 6 is detachably mounted on the upper part of the drainage separating device 8. A radiator plate 11 of the lid heater 9 is attached to the lower end of the lid 3 (see FIG. 3), and a valve hole 13 of a valve seat 12 attached to the radiator plate 11 serves as an inlet of the steam passage 14.
[0013]
The pressure adjusting device 7 is provided in the case of a rice cooker that performs pressure rice cooking. The pressure adjusting device 7 has a weight of a metal pressure regulating ball 15 mounted on the valve seat 12 and a rice cooker 16 as an inner container. Rice is cooked at a pressure determined by the balance with the internal pressure. The pressure regulating ball 15 is placed on the valve hole 13 when the plunger 20 (see FIG. 3) retreats via the sealing member 10 and retreats, and is released from the valve hole 13 when the plunger 20 advances. It is in a non-pressurized state.
[0014]
When the internal pressure of the rice cooker 16 rises above a certain level, the steam pushes the pressure regulating ball 15 and the steam flows into the pressure adjusting device 7. The steam that has flowed in flows out of the device 7 and flows into the separation device 8 through a path indicated by an arrow in FIG.
[0015]
The rice separating apparatus 8 includes a rice separating case 17 having an open upper end. In the bottom case 17, a hole 18 is slightly recessed at the corner of the bottom surface, and an S-shaped guide wall 19 surrounding the hole 18 from one side is provided at the bottom surface. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5, the guide wall 19 has an end on the side surrounding the hole 18 integrated with the inner peripheral surface, and the other end gradually narrows to form an inner peripheral surface. Along the way, an outlet 21 is formed between the tip and the inner peripheral surface.
[0016]
A resin ball 22 is housed inside a guide wall 19 surrounding the hole 18. The ball 22 normally closes the hole 18, but is pushed up when the steam pressure acts to open the hole 18. As a restricting portion for holding the ball 22 near the hole 18, a small projection 23 is provided on the bottom surface, and a protruding piece 24 is provided on the inner peripheral surface (see FIG. 5). Further, a bending piece 25 is provided on a part of the guide wall 19 in order to insert the ball 22 into a portion surrounded by these restricting portions and the like. FIG. 5B shows a bending state by a solid line, and FIG. 5C shows a bending state by a two-dot chain line.
[0017]
The steam mixed with the rice flowing from the hole 18 is blown out from the outlet 21 along the inner peripheral surface, and the steam from the rice plant is generated by the difference between the centrifugal force acting on the rice and the centrifugal force acting on the steam. Are separated.
[0018]
The bayonet separation case 17 is provided with bayonet convex portions 26 for bayonet fitting at three locations on the outer peripheral surface of the opening end thereof in two upper and lower stages. The above-mentioned steam hole set 6 is fitted to the upper end opening of the separation case 17.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 6, the steam hole set 6 is provided with a cylindrical steam reservoir 28 integrally provided on the lower surface of a steam hole set panel 27. The upper end of the case 17 is fitted. For this fitting, bayonet concave portions 29 are provided at three places on the inner peripheral surface of the lower end portion of the steam reservoir 28 (see FIG. 4B), and the bayonet convex portions 26 of the above-mentioned separate case 17 are bayonet-fitted. You. As shown in FIG. 3, the internal space of the separation case 17 and the internal space of the steam reservoir 28 communicate vertically with each other, and communicate with the hole 18 to form a part of the steam passage 14.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the rear end of the steam hole set panel 27 is inclined downward according to the inclination of the rear end of the lid 3, and the air mixing protruding into the steam reservoir 28 at the inclined portion. A chamber 31 is provided. The bottom surface of the air mixing chamber 31 simultaneously forms a part of the upper end surface of the steam reservoir 28.
[0021]
The bottom surface of the air mixing chamber 31 (that is, the upper surface of the steam reservoir 28) is rectangular in plan view as shown in FIG. 7, and a steam passage nozzle 32 is provided at the center thereof. The steam reservoir 28 communicates with the air mixing chamber 31 by the steam passage nozzle 32. The upper surface of the air mixing chamber 31 is opened in a slightly enlarged square shape, and the open surface is closed by a panel sheet 33 attached to the upper surface of the steam hole set panel 27. The panel sheet 33 is provided with a plurality of slit steam holes 34 in a range including immediately above the steam passage nozzle 32.
[0022]
At the same height as the bottom surface of the air mixing chamber 31, a suction port 35 is opened on one side of the upper end of the steam passage nozzle 32 (on the inclined surface side of the steam hole set panel 27). As shown in FIG. 7, the suction port 35 expands toward the outside and opens in a rectangular shape on the inclined surface of the steam hole set panel 27. The square open portion is closed by the panel sheet 33, and the panel sheet 33 is provided with an air hole 36 including a plurality of slits. The reason why the steam holes 34 and the air holes 36 are provided in the panel sheet 33 in this way is that if the steam holes 34 and the air holes 36 are provided directly on the steam hole set panel 27 by resin molding, they cannot be die-cut.
[0023]
The air mixing chamber 31 is the terminal end of the steam passage 14, and when the steam is introduced into the air mixing chamber 31 through the steam passage nozzle 32 and is discharged from the steam hole 34 immediately above to the outside of the lid. Since the inside of the air mixing chamber 31 has a negative pressure due to the rapid movement of the steam, external air is sucked through the air hole 36 and the suction port 35. Since the air is mixed with the steam, the temperature of the steam decreases.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 6B, the steam hole set 6 and the oil separating case 17 fitted to the steam reservoir 28 are attached to and detached from the lid 3 in an integrated state. For convenience of attachment and detachment, a finger hanging recess 30 is provided at the rear end of the lid 3.
[0025]
In the modification shown in FIG. 8, the bottom portion 37 of the air mixing chamber 31 is formed as a separate component, and the bottom portion 37 is detachably engaged with the side wall 31a and the end walls 31b, 31b of the air mixing chamber 31. It has an integrated configuration. In this case, the bottom surface portion 37 is provided with the steam passage nozzle 32, and has an inner portion 38 fitted to the side wall 31a and left and right engagements with the engagement projections 39 formed on the opposed end walls 31b, 31b. A pair of engaging claws 41 are provided. By engaging each of the engagement claws 41 with each of the engagement protrusions 39, the bottom surface portion 37 is integrated with the side wall 31a and the end wall 31b, and the air mixing chamber 31 is formed. In this case, the steam hole 34 is formed by a plurality of slits provided in the steam hole set panel 27. The steam hole 34 can be provided in the steam hole set panel 27 because the resin molding of the portion of the steam hole 34 is performed without the bottom surface portion 37.
[0026]
The suction port 35 and the air hole 36 are formed in the same manner as described above, and the suction port 35 is opened to one side of the steam passage nozzle 32.
[0027]
The configuration according to the embodiment is as described above. Next, the operation thereof will be described. As the rice cooks, the steam that has reached the rice separating device 8 through the steam passage 14 pushes up the heat retaining ball 22 due to the pressure, moves along the guide wall 19, and flows out of the outlet 21 into the rice separating case 17. Is turned along the inner peripheral wall of the tongue to separate the ash from the steam in the manner described above. The steam from which the rice is separated temporarily stays in the steam pool 28 above the steam, and then enters the air mixing chamber 31 which is the end of the steam passage 14 through the steam passage nozzle 32. When passing through the air mixing chamber 31, a negative pressure is generated as described above, so that external air is sucked through the air hole 36, enters the air mixing chamber 31 through the suction port 35, and is mixed with steam. Steam that has been cooled by being mixed with air is discharged to the outside through the steam hole 34.
[0028]
The steam pool 28 has a function of suppressing the fluctuation of the steam pressure and temporarily stabilizing the pressure of the steam discharged from the steam hole 34 by temporarily retaining the steam therein. Since the steam reservoir 28 communicates with the interior of the separation case 17, the interior also functions as a vapor reservoir. Conversely, the internal space of the steam reservoir 28 may be a temporary reservoir.
[0029]
When the heating mode is set after the rice cooking, the heat retaining ball 22 closes the hole 18. This prevents air and moisture from moving through the steam passage 14 and prevents the temperature of the rice in the rice cooker 16 from dropping, drying, yellowing, and the like. In addition, at the time of care, the steam hole set 6 is removed from the lid 3 together with the rice separation case 17, and the rice separation case 17 is further removed from the steam hole set 6 to wash and remove the internal waste.
[0030]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, in an electric appliance such as a rice cooker, the temperature of steam released from a steam hole provided in a lid is reduced by mixing air, so that the steam is It is safe to touch any part of your body. Further, since the air suction port is provided close to one side of the steam port, the air mixing chamber is formed compact.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment; FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same; FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged sectional view of the same; FIG. FIG. 5A is a plan view of the rice separation case, FIG. 5B is a plan view of the rice separation case when a heat retaining ball is inserted, and FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of the rice separation case. a) Perspective view of a steam hole set part of the same. (b) Exploded perspective view of a steam hole set part of the same. [FIG. 7] Partial perspective view of the same. Exploded perspective views of parts (b) (a) Cross-sectional view of assembled state (c) (b) Cross-sectional view taken along line cc in FIG.
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Jar main body 2 Hinge shaft 3 Lid 4 Operation part 5 Lid panel 6 Steam hole set 7 Pressure adjusting device 8 Lone separation device 9 Lid heater 10 Seal member 11 Heat sink 12 Valve seat 13 Valve hole 14 Steam passage 15 Pressure regulating ball 16 Rice cooker 17 rice bowl separation case 18 hole 19 guide wall 20 plunger 21 outlet 22 heat retaining ball 23 small projection 24 projection 25 bending piece 26 bayonet projection 27 steam hole set panel 28 steam pool 29 bayonet recess 30 finger hook 31 air Mixing chamber 31a Side wall 31b End wall 32 Steam passage nozzle 33 Panel sheet 34 Steam hole 35 Suction port 36 Air hole 37 Bottom portion 38 Inner portion 39 Engagement protrusion 41 Engagement claw

Claims (4)

In a steam cooling structure such as a rice cooker in which steam generated inside the container is discharged to the outside of the lid through a steam passage provided in the lid, an air mixing chamber is provided at a terminal end of the steam passage, and the air is supplied to the air mixing chamber. A steam passage nozzle communicating with the steam passage in the mixing chamber, a steam hole provided above the steam passage nozzle, and a suction port for external air provided near the steam passage nozzle. Steam cooler structure for rice cookers. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the air mixing chamber is provided above a steam reservoir that forms a part of a steam passage, and the steam passage nozzle is provided on a bottom surface of the air mixing chamber. Etc. steam low temperature structure. The steam for a rice cooker or the like according to claim 2, wherein an upper open end of a steam separating case forming a part of a steam passage is detachably fitted to a lower open end of the steam reservoir. Low temperature structure. The bottom surface of the air mixing chamber provided with the steam passage nozzle is formed as an independent part fitted to a peripheral wall constituting the air mixing chamber. Steam low temperature structure of the described rice cooker and the like.

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