JP2005160918A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker improving rice cooking performance while retaining the similar dimension and usability of the cooker to the conventional one. <P>SOLUTION: This rice cooker is provided with a pot 2, a pot heating means 3, a lid 7, a lid heating plate 8, and a lid heating means 9; also provided with a steam generation part 8a evaporating water supplied to the lid heating plate 8 and heated by the lid heating means 9; and supplies the heated high-temperature steam to the interior of the pot 2 without lowering the steam temperature. A thermal energy necessary for progressing gelatinization of rice starch is supplied to the rice by the pot heating means 3 and the high-temperature steam, accelerates the gelatinization and improves the cooking performance. The steam is generated by the lid heating means 9 in the steam generation part 8a of the lid heating plate 8, so that the dimension of the whole body of the rice cooker 1 is similar to the conventional one to prevent the lowering of the installation performance and retain the usability. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker using steam.

  Conventionally, in a general household rice cooker, heating by a pot heating means arranged at the bottom of the pot in order to heat the rice and water in the pot is mainly performed, and heating by the heating means in the lid is performed in the pot. It was auxiliary heating because it passed through the space above the rice and water. As a result, the rice in the upper layer in the pan was insufficient in heating amount, and the rice and water in the pan could not be heated uniformly.

  In addition, in rice cooking, the water in the pan is almost gone, and in the steaming process, which is the final process of cooking rice, the rice starch is gelatinized. , Essential for cooking delicious rice. However, if the heating is continued in this step, the rice near the bottom of the pan will burn, so the heating is often weakened.

  As a means to solve this, prevent insufficient gelatinization of rice due to weakening of heating, and improve rice cooking performance, an induction heating coil that is a high heat source is provided on the lid, and the rice from above the pan opening There are rice cookers that heat the rice (for example, Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  FIG. 15 shows the configuration of Patent Document 1. In FIG. 15, 51 is a main body case, and a bottom plate 53 having support legs 52 is fixed to the lower surface. Reference numeral 54 denotes a protective frame made of heat-resistant plastic, and a collar portion 55 provided on the upper peripheral edge is fixed to the upper surface of the main body case 51. 56 is a bottom surface heating induction coil mounted on the lower bottom portion of the protective frame 54, and 57 is a side surface heating induction coil installed on the lower side of the protective frame 54, which has a magnetic metal layer accommodated in the protective frame 54. The pan 58 is heated by the bottom heating coil 56, and the contents of rice and water in the pan 58 are cooked. 59 is a temperature sensor mounted in a through hole provided in the center of the bottom surface of the protective frame 54, and 60 is a lid having a knob 61, which is detachably mounted on the flange portion 55 at the upper end of the protective frame 54. The inner cover 62 made of heat-resistant plastic is fixed via a heat insulating material 63. An inner lid 64 is detachably attached to the inner cover 62 by a pin 70, and its peripheral portion is placed on the collar portion of the pan 58 to cover the pan 58. Reference numeral 65 denotes a main body-side upper induction coil installed on the inner surface of the flange portion 55 of the protective frame 54 and is connected to a power source (not shown) in the main body case 51.

  Reference numeral 66 denotes a lid-side induction coil that is excited by the main body-side upper induction coil 65 and is attached to a portion of the lid 60 that faces the main body-side induction coil 65. The current excited by the lid-side induction coil 66 flows to the induction coil 69, the heating plate 67 formed of a magnetic metal plate is induction-heated by the magnetic flux of the induction coil 69, and rice cooking heating or heat insulation from the upper part in the pan 58 is performed. It can be heated.

  Since the basic configuration of Patent Document 2 is the same as that of Patent Document 1, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  However, in the above conventional configuration, the rice in the upper layer in the pan is directly heated by convection heat transfer (heat transfer) and radiant heat transfer of the heating plate by the operation of the induction coil. The phenomenon that water of rice evaporates and dries occurs. In other words, if heating is continued from above the pan to a temperature at which the entire rice in the pan can ensure sufficient rice cooking performance, the upper layer of rice in the pan will dry and conversely lose its taste. For this reason, after all, sufficient heating could not be performed and the taste was not perfect in the whole rice in the pan.

  Moreover, in order to promote gelatinization of rice and improve rice cooking performance, the amount of heating must be increased as the amount of cooked rice increases. However, as the amount of cooked rice increases, the upper layer of rice gets closer to the heating plate and the rice becomes easier to dry. Therefore, there is a problem that a contradiction arises in that heating must be weakened.

  Therefore, as shown in Patent Document 3, in addition to a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, and a lid covering the opening of the pan, a steam generating means and a rice cooker provided with the steam heating means are disclosed. Yes. Thus, steam having a boiling point of water (100 ° C.) or higher at atmospheric pressure is supplied to the rice. Hereinafter, unless specifically limited, such steam at 100 ° C. or higher is referred to as high-temperature steam.

When the high temperature steam adheres to the rice having a temperature lower than 100 ° C., it condenses and generates heat to heat the rice. That is, the heat energy required to advance gelatinization of rice starch is supplied to the rice by a pan heating means and high-temperature steam to promote gelatinization. In addition, high-temperature steam condenses on the surface of rice having a temperature lower than 100 ° C. and becomes moisture, giving large heat energy, but the heat energy given to rice having a temperature of 100 ° C. or higher is small, so the rice is not dried.
Japanese Patent No. 2988050 Japanese Patent No. 2812086 JP 2003-144308 A

  However, in the said conventional structure (patent document 3), since it has an exclusive water tank and a water tank heating means as a steam generation means, it becomes large as the whole rice cooker, and an installation place is limited. Moreover, cleaning the water tank and related parts every day increases the number of parts to be cleaned, and it takes time to clean up. That is, it takes time and effort as compared with the prior art, and the usability is reduced.

  In addition to water tank heating means for generating steam, as well as for steam heating, for example, heating means for heating the steam passage for introducing steam into the pan is required, so extra heating means are required Including a safety device that prevents the temperature of each heating means from being increased, the number of parts is large and the manufacturing cost is high.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at providing the rice cooker which improved rice cooking performance, without deteriorating installation property and usability.

  In order to solve the conventional problems, a rice cooker of the present invention includes a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid for covering the opening of the pan, and a lid for heating the inside of the pan from above. A heating plate; lid heating means for heating the lid heating plate; and a steam cylinder for discharging steam in the pan. The lid heating plate heats water supplied in advance and generates steam from the water. A steam generating part to be generated and a steam inlet for introducing the steam generated by the steam generating part into the pan are provided.

  Thus, the water supplied to the lid heating plate is heated and evaporated by the lid heating means, and the heated hot steam is supplied to the inside of the pan without lowering the temperature of the steam by the lid heating means. In particular, if it is high-temperature steam at 100 ° C. or higher, it will condense when it adheres to rice at a temperature lower than 100 ° C., generating heat and heating the rice. That is, the heat energy required to advance gelatinization of rice starch is supplied to the rice by a pan heating means and high-temperature steam to promote gelatinization.

  Moreover, although high temperature steam gives large heat energy to rice at a temperature lower than 100 ° C., it condenses on the surface to become moisture, and since the heat energy given to rice at 100 ° C. or higher is small, the rice does not dry.

  Moreover, since a vapor | steam is produced | generated by a lid | cover heating means in the vapor | steam generation | occurrence | production part of a lid | cover heating plate, the magnitude | size of the whole rice cooker, especially installation area are comparable, and installation property does not fall. In addition, usability can be maintained. The number of parts can be manufactured at low cost with almost no increase.

  The rice cooker of this invention can improve rice cooking performance by accelerating gelatinization of rice without drying rice, maintaining the installation property, usability, and price of the equipment.

  1st invention is a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid for covering the opening of the pan, a lid heating plate for heating the inside of the pan from above, and a lid for heating the lid heating plate Heating means, and a steam cylinder for discharging steam in the pan, the lid heating plate heating water supplied in advance and generating steam from the water, and the steam generating unit By providing a steam inlet for introducing the generated steam into the pan, the lid heating plate is heated by the lid heating means, and the water supplied to the lid heating plate is heated and evaporated. The steam moves on the upper surface of the lid heating plate, gradually becomes a high temperature, is poured into the pan from the steam inlet, and gives heat energy to the rice in the pan. The rice cooking performance is improved by promoting the gelatinization of the rice without the drying of the rice by the heat energy of the steam.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the steam generation part of the first aspect of the invention, the provision of a water storage container for storing water and water supply control means for controlling water supply from the water storage container to the steam generation part The timing and amount of water supply to the generator can be ensured, the temperature and amount of steam of a predetermined high temperature steam can be obtained, and rice cooking performance can be stabilized.

  In the third invention, in particular, the water supply control means of the second invention is provided with an opening / closing valve for controlling the amount of water dropped from the water storage container to the steam generating section, so that the required amount of water is determined by the operation of the opening / closing valve. It is possible to supply water to the steam generation unit at this timing. Controlling the amount of steam and the temperature of the steam put into the pan, the necessary high-temperature steam can be introduced according to the type of rice, and the rice cooking performance is improved.

  According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, the water supply control means of the second or third aspect of the invention is provided with a pressure means for transferring the water in the water storage container to the steam generator, thereby operating the pressure means. The water is reliably transferred from the water storage container to the steam generating section, and steam is generated. Steam penetrates to every corner of the pot and supplies high-temperature energy uniformly to the rice, improving rice cooking performance.

  In the fifth invention, in particular, the water storage container of any one of the second to fourth inventions is provided integrally with the steam cylinder, so that the user can clean the water storage container at the same time as the steam cylinder, and can be cleaned up afterward. Convenient. That is, while improving the rice cooking performance, the number of parts to be cleaned and cleaned is almost the same as the conventional one, and the manufacturing cost is low without reducing usability.

  In the sixth aspect of the invention, in particular, the steam generation part of any one of the first to fifth aspects is heated by the steam in the pan, so that the water supplied to the steam generation part in the rice cooking process is generated in the pan. The water is preheated by the heat energy of the steam, and water becomes high temperature in a short time and evaporates. That is, the heating in the steam generating section generates steam in a short time, and the temperature of the lid heating plate does not become excessively high, so that a predetermined amount of steam can be put into the pan at the necessary timing, Rice cooking performance is improved. That is, the water in the steam generating portion is preliminarily high in temperature as the rice cooking process proceeds, and can be heated to high temperature in a short time by heating with the lid heating means. In the step of introducing steam, water can be evaporated in a short time, and the temperature can be raised to 100 ° C. or higher by the lid heating means, so that high rice cooking performance can be obtained, and energy saving and rice cooking time can be shortened.

  In particular, the seventh invention is provided with a pan side heating means for heating the side of the pan in addition to the pan heating means of any one of the first to sixth inventions, so that the lid heating means and the pan side heating means are provided. By using both of these, the upper space of the pan is maintained at a high temperature, the temperature of the high temperature steam is maintained, and high temperature energy can be supplied to the rice. That is, the temperature of the steam put into the pan is maintained, high-temperature steam is further generated in the upper space of the rice in the pan, and large heat energy is supplied to the rice, so that the rice cooking performance is improved.

  In the eighth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the steam inlet of any one of the first to seventh aspects, a steam valve that opens and closes is provided, so that the timing of charging the steam into the pan and the steam temperature can be controlled. , Use less steam. By reducing the amount of electric power for generating steam, energy saving is achieved and at the same time rice cooking performance is improved. Further, the steam generated by the steam generating hand portion stays in the closed space in the lid heating plate and its vicinity, and reaches a predetermined high temperature. The steam thrown into the pan is high temperature or uniform, and the heat energy given to the rice is stabilized, so that the rice cooking performance is improved and there is little variation.

  In the ninth aspect of the invention, in particular, by providing the steam inlet of any one of the first to eighth aspects of the invention to the steam cylinder, it rises from the pot in each step of cooking rice and adheres to the inside of the steam cylinder. The rice cooking water and the flavor of the rice can be returned to the pan by steam, and the rice cooking performance is improved. In addition, it is easy to clean the steam cylinder after cooking.

  In the tenth aspect of the invention, in particular, the lid heating plate or the steam generator is attached to or detached from the lid heating means of any one of the first to ninth aspects by heating the lid heating plate or the steam generator by induction heating. It is a free configuration and can be easily cared for. Moreover, rice cooking performance improves by controlling the temperature of steam. In addition, the steam generator and lid heating plate can be heated by a single heating means. Of course, since it is an induction heating method, the distance between the lid heating plate, the lid heating coil for induction heating, and the lid heating plate can be changed. Thus, for example, by providing irregularities on the lid heating plate, it is possible to control the amount of heating, that is, the temperature for each portion of the lid heating plate, and to maximize the effect of steam to be introduced in the rice cooking performance.

  The eleventh aspect of the invention is not limited to the cooking step for cooking rice, in particular, in the steam cylinder of any one of the first to tenth aspects, by providing a steam cylinder valve for controlling the discharge of steam from the steam cylinder. In the steaming process, by controlling the steam pressure and steam temperature in the pan and changing the pressurized state, temperature, and heat energy of the rice, it can be cooked into rice with various textures.

  According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, in particular, the lid heating means according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects further comprises a temperature control means for controlling the steam passage from the steam generating part of the lid heating plate to the steam inlet at 100 ° C. or higher. By providing, the temperature of the vapor | steam thrown in in a pan can be maintained at 100 degreeC or more, a steam gives a heat energy to rice lower than 100 degreeC as high temperature steam, and rice cooking performance is stabilized.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1: shows sectional drawing of the rice cooker in the 1st Embodiment of this invention.

  In FIG. 1, the rice cooker 1 has a bottomed cylindrical pot storage portion in order to detachably store the pot 2. A pan heating coil for inductively heating the pan 2 as a pan heating means 3 is provided at the bottom of the pan storage portion, and the bottom temperature sensor 4 is configured to come into contact with the bottom surface of the pan 2. As the pan side heating means 5, pan side heating coils for induction heating the side surface of the pan 2 are provided in multiple stages. The control means 6 controls the operation of the rice cooker 1.

  In addition, a lid 7 that is pivotally supported by a hinge shaft (not shown) provided at the hinge portion at the rear of the rice cooker 1 and opens and closes the upper portion of the pan 2 is provided. The lid 7 is provided with a lid heating plate 8, and a lid heating coil for inductively heating the lid heating plate 8 is provided as the lid heating means 9. The lid heating plate 8 has a lid heating plate steam port 10 for discharging steam inside the pan 2, and a lid steam port 11 for discharging steam to the outside of the machine is provided on the top surface of the lid 7. The interior communicates with the outside of the aircraft and is at atmospheric pressure. The steam opening packing 12 is sandwiched between the lid heating plate 8 and the lid 7, and the pan packing 13 is sandwiched between the lid heating plate 8 and the flange portion on the outer periphery of the upper edge of the pan 2 when the lid 7 is closed. ing.

  Further, the lid heating plate 8 is provided with a steam generator 8 a that heats the supplied water by the lid heating means 9 and generates steam. The steam generation part 8a is a convex part stepped from the lid heating plate 8 and has a structure in which water remains as it is and does not drip from the steam inlet 8b. The lid heating plate 8 has a steam inlet 8 b for introducing the generated steam into the pan 2, and a steam packing 8 c for holding the steam is provided between the lid 7 and the lid heating plate 8.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a water storage container 14 for storing water for generating steam and a water storage container lid 14a for opening and closing the upper portion of the water storage container 14 are provided above the lid heating plate 8, particularly the steam generating portion 8a. Has been placed.

  The water storage container 14 of Embodiment 1 is formed integrally with the lid 7, and can store water by removing the water storage container lid 14 a with the lid 7 closed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. it can. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, even when the lid 7 is rotated in the vertical direction and the lid 7 is opened, the water is stored in the water storage container by the seal of the water storage container cover 14a and the on-off valve 15 and the water storage container 14. 14 is not leaked to the outside.

  Of course, even if the lid 7 is opened when there is already dripped water in the steam generation part 8a during each process of cooking rice, the water moves from the steam generation part 8a to the hinge direction of the lid 7, but the steam It is sealed with the packing 8 c and does not flow out from the upper surface of the lid heating plate 8.

  Moreover, the water of the water storage container 14 is dripped at the steam generation part 8a by opening and closing the on-off valve 15 provided in the lower part of the water storage container 14 as shown in FIG. The valve opening / closing mechanism for moving the opening / closing valve 15 up and down is formed by an electric motor, a solenoid, or the like, but is also a general well-known technique and is not shown.

  In addition, if the time and frequency | count of operation | movement of the on-off valve 15 are controlled, since the water quantity dripped at the steam generation part 8a can be controlled, this is also called water supply control means. In addition, although the on-off valve 15 is provided outside the water storage container 14, the on-off valve 15 may be arranged inside with the spring outside, and the configuration is not limited to this.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the steam generated in the steam generating unit 8 a moves to the inside of the pot 2 by moving the surface of the lid heating plate 8 to the steam inlet 8 b by volume expansion from water to steam. It is thrown. The entire lid heating plate 8 is maintained at a predetermined high temperature by the lid heating means 9, and in particular, the steam temperature is maintained at 100 ° C. by setting the vapor passage portion to a high temperature, and further a high temperature of 100 ° C. or higher. Steam can be generated.

  The lid heating plate 8 is formed of a metal material. However, the lid heating plate 8 may be a multilayer metal plate, or may be partially thick, as long as the heat capacity of the steam passage portion is increased. There is a steam heating effect, and the present invention is not limited to this.

  About the rice cooker comprised as mentioned above, the operation | movement and an effect | action are demonstrated below.

  First, the operation in the above configuration will be described in terms of how to use the device and the generation of steam.

  Rice for cooking rice and water corresponding to the amount of the rice are put in the pan 2 and stored in the rice cooker 1. In addition, a predetermined amount of water is supplied to the water storage container 14. Furthermore, if a user operates the rice cooking start switch (not shown) of the operation part 1a, the control means 6 will receive the input from a rice cooking start switch, and will perform a rice cooking process.

  In the rice cooking process, the bottom temperature sensor 4 detects the temperature of the bottom surface of the pan 2 and sends a signal to the control means 6. Based on the signal from the bottom sensor 4, the control means 6 is a temperature at which the water and rice conditions in the pot 2 are set as appropriate values in each of the rice cooking processes roughly divided into the water immersion, cooking, and steaming processes. Or the energization amount to each heating coil of the pan heating means 3, the pan side heating means 5, and the lid heating means 9 is controlled so as to be maintained for a predetermined time.

  That is, the pot heating means 3 and the pot side surface heating means 5 generate heat at the bottom and side surfaces of the pot 2 by induction heating with the current supplied from the control means 6. Similarly, the lid heating means 9 also causes the lid heating plate 8 to generate heat by induction heating with the current supplied from the control means 6.

  In addition, the steam generation unit 8a opens and closes the on-off valve 15 as a water supply control unit according to a command from the control unit 6, and a predetermined amount of water drops. The lid heating means 9 heats the lid heating plate 8 by induction heating, boiles the water in the steam generation part 8a, and generates steam.

  The generated steam is gradually heated while moving on the surface of the lid heating plate 8, and is introduced into the pan 2 as high-temperature steam from the steam inlet 8b. Therefore, by controlling the operation of the on-off valve 15, the on-off time and the number of on-off times by the control means 6, it is possible to maintain an appropriate amount of dripped water and stably generate high-temperature steam.

  In the first embodiment, the steam is heated by the configuration in which the lid heating plate 8 generates heat. However, in the space communicating from the steam generation unit 8a to the steam inlet 8b, other heat sources are added in addition to the lid heating plate 8. The structure which makes it high temperature steam by arrange | positioning may be sufficient.

  2ndly, operation | movement of the rice cooker 1 in each process is demonstrated.

  First, in the soaking process, the pot heating coil which is the pot heating means 3 and the pot side heating coil which is the pot side heating means 5 are energized so that the temperature of the rice and water rises to a temperature at which the gelatinization of the rice does not start. The bottom and side surfaces of 2 are heated. In addition, heat is also applied to the upper space 2a of the pan 2 by generating steam in the steam generating portion 8a and charging it through the steam inlet 8b. Below, in the pan 2, the space between the rice and water or the rice and the lid heating plate 8 is referred to as the upper space 2a of the pan 2.

  In the inundation process, it is necessary to keep the whole rice in the pan 2 uniform at the target temperature and to keep the water absorption conditions of the rice in the pan 2 uniform in order to cook delicious rice. Since rice and water are heated from both sides and the upper space 2a of the pan 2, the temperature of the entire pan 2 can be increased uniformly in a shorter time than the conventional heating of the pan heating means 3 and the pan side heating means 5 alone. Can do. Further, by directly introducing steam into the upper space 2a of the pan 2, the temperature of the rice and water in the entire pan 2 can be increased efficiently in a shorter time than when the lid heating plate 8 is heated by the lid heating means 9. be able to.

  Next, in the cooking step, the bottom of the pan 2 is heated by the pan heating coil 4, and the lid heating plate 8 is heated by the lid heating coil as the lid heating means 9, and heated so as to wrap the entire pan 2. At the same time, the steam generation unit 8 a is heated, and high-temperature steam obtained by further heating the generated steam is sent into the internal space 2 b of the pan 2. The water in the pot 2 can reach the boiling point in a shorter time than conventional.

  Moreover, the temperature of the whole pan 2 can be uniformly raised by the high-temperature steam fed into the upper space 2a of the pan 2. Thus, regardless of the amount of cooked rice, that is, regardless of the distance between the lid heating plate 8 and the top surface of the rice, the rice in the entire pan 2 is heated quickly and uniformly, and the gelatinization of the rice starch is promoted uniformly.

  Finally, in the unevenness process, the pan heating means 3 heats the bottom of the pan 2 to such an extent that the rice on the bottom surface of the pan 2 does not dry or burn, and the side surface of the pan 2 is appropriately adjusted by the pan side heating means 5. Heat. The lid heating means 9 causes the lid heating plate 8 to generate heat so that dew does not adhere to the lid heating plate 8. Moreover, the part through which the steam produced | generated in the steam generation part 8a passes is heated to the temperature which is higher than 100 degreeC, and does not heat a rice too much.

  FIG. 7 shows a situation where the temperature of the lid heating plate 8 is maintained at about 140 ° C. in the steaming process. Of course, it goes without saying that the appropriate temperature varies depending on the amount of steam input, the amount of cooked rice, and the desired amount of cooking, in other words, the texture.

  That is, the high-temperature steam generated and further heated by the steam generator 8a is sent into the upper space 2a of the pan 2 from the steam inlet 8b. In the unevenness process, it is important to keep the whole pan 2, that is, the rice at a high temperature at a temperature at which the rice does not dry or burn so that the rice gelatinizes to the core.

  According to the first embodiment, by supplying high-temperature steam to the upper space 2a of the pan 2, the high-temperature steam adheres to and condenses on the rice of 100 ° C. or less, and heat is applied to the rice to increase the temperature. Promote At the same time, condensed moisture adheres to the surface. Further, the temperature difference between the high-temperature steam and the rice is 50 to 60 ° C. or less, the flow rate of the high-temperature steam is small, and the charging time is short. Therefore, the rice is not dried to the extent that excess moisture on the surface of the rice grains is dried. That is, without drying the rice, heat energy for promoting gelatinization of the rice starch is supplied, the gelatinization of the rice is promoted, and the rice cooking performance is improved.

  Further, the operation will be supplementarily described.

  Since the steam generation unit 8a is disposed on the lid 7 and receives heat radiation from the pan 2 and the heated rice in the cooking process, when the steam generation unit 8a generates steam in the subsequent steps, the steam generation unit 8a The water is preheated in advance. In each step, if the steam generating unit 8a is heated by the lid heating means 9, steam and high-temperature steam can be obtained in a short time. Since the heat energy required for cooking rice can be input at a predetermined timing, the responsiveness is good, and this also saves energy.

  In Embodiment 1, high-temperature steam is introduced in all steps, but depending on the operation method of the pan heating means, pan side heating means, and lid heating means, the type of rice, the degree of deterioration, and the hardness of the cooked rice Due to differences in the taste of rice, the rice cooking performance is improved even if it is added only in some steps. In this case, the amount of water used for generating steam is reduced, the size of the water storage container 14 can be reduced, and the overall size of the rice cooker 1 is also reduced.

  Further, in the first embodiment, rice and water are heated in the water immersion process. However, when the rice is cooked in water at room temperature for about 30 minutes to about 60 minutes in advance, this water immersion process may be omitted, Needless to say, the temperature may be lowered or the time may be shortened, and it is common that the control means 6 is provided with such an operation method.

  In addition, the pan side surface heating means 5 can heat the upper space 2a of the pan 2 from a side surface according to the amount of cooked rice by being multistage in the vertical direction. Of course, a single heating coil may be used.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The water supply control means is provided with an air pump 18 that pushes in air as a pressurizing means for transferring the water in the water storage container 16 to the steam generator 8a. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The operation and action of the air pump 18 will be mainly described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, FIG. 9, and FIG. 10, the water storage container lid 17 is removed to store water in the water storage container 16, and the water storage container cover 17 is attached, so that the water in the water storage container 16 is transferred to the steam generator 8a. A water supply path 19 to be transferred is formed. By operating the air pump 18, the water in the water storage container 16 is pressurized and pushed out and supplied from the water supply path 19 to the steam generator 8 a.

  In each step of cooking rice, the control means 6 operates the air pump 18 which is a pressurizing means, so that water is pushed out by air pressure and transferred to the steam generating unit 8a. When the lid heating plate 8 is heated by the lid heating means 9, the temperature of the water in the steam generating portion 8a rises and steam is generated at 100 ° C. Depending on the rice cooking process, the lid heating plate 8 may be heated in advance by the lid heating means 9 and then supplied with water.

  While being further heated by the lid heating plate 8, the steam is introduced as high temperature steam into the upper space 2 a of the pan 2 from the steam inlet 8 b. Since the high-temperature steam is a space in which the water storage container 16 and the water supply path 19 are closed, the volume expansion from water to steam penetrates into the upper space 2a of the pan 2 and every corner of the rice, and uniformly delivers high-temperature energy to the rice. Supply and improve rice cooking performance. Moreover, the relatively low temperature steam staying in the upper space 2 a of the pan 2 is discharged from the lid heating plate steam port 10 and the lid steam port 11.

  By controlling the operation of the air pump 18 that is a pressurizing means by the control means 6, it is possible to supply the necessary amount of water to the steam generating unit 8 a at an appropriate timing, and these can also be called water supply control means.

  In addition, the water can also be heated in advance during a rice cooking process by the heat | fever by the heat | fever conduction from the vapor | steam in the pot 2 in the rice cooking process, and the cover heating plate 8 to the water storage container 16. FIG. High-temperature steam can be generated in a shorter time, and can be introduced into the upper space 2a of the pan 2 at a predetermined timing, so that the rice cooking performance can be stably improved.

  Needless to say, the water supply control means is not limited to the air pressure pressurization means as in the second embodiment, and may be a pump for supplying water under pressure.

  In addition, it is not limited to the above-mentioned air pump 18 or a pump, The steam produced | generated by the steam generation part 8a is pumped into the inside of the pan 2, it is supplied without a firewood, and it is outside the machine, without giving a heat energy to rice. Any structure may be used as long as the direction and arrangement of the steam not discharged are arranged.

  Needless to say, the water storage container 16 may be formed of a material capable of induction heating, a metal material, or a composite material, and the water storage container 16, the lid heating plate 8, and the steam generation unit 8 a may be heated by the lid heating means 9.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 11: is sectional drawing of the rice cooker of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

  The water storage container 14 is provided integrally with a steam cylinder 20 that controls the discharge of steam generated in the pan 2 in the rice cooking process. Moreover, the steam cylinder valve 21 which controls discharge | emission of the steam from the steam cylinder 20 and the steam valve 23 which opens and closes the steam inlet 8b are provided. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  First, the operation and action by the integration of the steam cylinder 20 and the water storage container 14 will be mainly described.

  Before the rice cooking operation, the user holds the steam cylinder handle 20a, removes the steam cylinder 20 from the lid 7, removes the water container lid 14a of the water storage container 14, and stores water (see FIG. 12). Of course, with the steam cylinder 20 attached to the lid 7, the water storage container lid 14a can be opened to store water.

  In addition, after the rice cooking operation and heat insulation are completed, the user can remove the water storage container 14 at the same time by removing the steam cylinder 20, so that the trouble of cleaning and cleaning parts is the same as that of a conventional rice cooker, Except for checking the presence or absence of water at the start of rice cooking, there is no difference in usability with conventional rice cookers.

  Of course, even if forgetting to put water into the water storage container 14, the control means 6 has no water depending on the temperature detected by the lid heating plate 8 or the steam generation part 8 a and its rising speed by appropriately arranging the temperature detection means. It goes without saying that the operation method can be changed to an appropriate rice cooking program.

  Next, the operation and action of the steam cylinder valve 21 and the steam valve 23 will be described.

  By opening and closing the steam cylinder valve 21, the steam pressure and the steam temperature in the pan 2 by the steam generated in the pan 2 or the steam generator 8 a are controlled not only in the cooking process of rice cooking but in the steaming process, It can be cooked in rice with various textures.

  By opening and closing the steam valve 23, the steam generated by the steam generating unit 8 a can be kept at a high temperature in the upper space of the lid heating plate 8, and the timing of charging the steam into the pan 2 and the steam temperature can be controlled. The amount of steam used in the pan 2 is reduced. At the same time as improving the rice cooking performance, steam can be generated by the steam generation unit 8a to reduce the amount of electric power for making high-temperature steam, thereby saving energy.

  The valve opening / closing mechanism of the steam cylinder valve 21 and the steam valve 23 is not limited to the shape memory alloy that expands and contracts depending on the temperature, and can be formed by an electric motor, a solenoid, or the like that moves these valve bodies up and down. However, this is also a general well-known technique and is not shown.

  In addition, if the time and frequency | count of operation | movement of the steam cylinder valve 21 or the steam valve 23 are controlled, the heating conditions of the steam | steam produced | generated in the steam generation part 8a, the injection | throwing-in amount and discharge | emission amount of the steam to the pan 2 can be controlled, and various Realizes a good taste and improves rice cooking performance.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 13: is sectional drawing which shows the steam pipe | tube 33 of the rice cooker of the 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  The steam cylinder 33 and the water storage container 34 are integrally formed, and the entire steam cylinder 33 can be removed from the lid 7 by the steam cylinder handle 33a.

  The water storage container 34 includes an open / close valve 35 that controls the amount of water dripped and an open / close valve support plate 35 a that supports the open / close valve 35, and the upper part can be opened and closed by a water storage container lid 36. Further, a steam passage 37 communicating with the lid heating plate steam port 10 is disposed outside the water storage container 34, and a heat receiving plate 38 for transferring heat from the steam to the water storage container 34 is provided in the steam passage 37. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The operation of the steam cylinder 33 and the water storage container 34 will be mainly described.

  In the rice cooking process, the steam generated in the pan 2 is discharged from the lid heating plate steam port 10 and is discharged outside the apparatus while moving through the steam passage 37 and radiating heat with the heat receiving plate 38. The water in the water storage container 34 is heated by this heat. Therefore, in the steaming step, the water supplied to the steam generating unit 8a is preheated, and the water becomes high temperature and evaporates in a short time, so that the pan has a predetermined high temperature steam at a more appropriate timing. The rice cooking performance is improved.

  In addition, since the water is preheated, the steam generator 8a starts generating steam with a small amount of heat in a short time, so there is no need to set the temperature of the lid heating plate 8 to an excessively high temperature. From this point, the rice is not dried.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the heat receiving plate 38 has a ring shape, a screw shape, a combination thereof, and the like to improve the heat radiation effect, that is, the heat exchange performance when the steam generated in the pan 2 passes through the steam passage 37. Although it is possible, the technique is generally known as a heat radiating fin, and further detailed description is omitted.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 14: is sectional drawing which shows the rice cooker of the 5th Embodiment of this invention.

  This is different from the above embodiment in that the steam inlet 40 is disposed in a steam cylinder 41 that is detachable from the lid 7, and this point will be mainly described. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  The steam inlet 40 is arranged to communicate with the steam discharge path of the steam cylinder 41 and the lid heating plate steam port 10 of the lid heating plate 8. The steam cylinder 41 is provided with a steam cylinder valve 42 that controls the discharge of steam and a steam cylinder valve spring 43 that controls the position of the steam cylinder valve 42.

  The effect | action of the steam thrown in from the steam inlet 40 in a rice cooking process is demonstrated.

  In the cooking process of cooking rice, the steam cylinder 41 is filled with rice cooking water or steam, and an appropriate amount is maintained by opening and closing the steam cylinder valve 42. In the steaming process, steam is generated by the steam generation section 8a of the lid heating plate 8, and the cooked water and the flavor of the rice adhering to the inside of the steam cylinder 41 can be returned to the pan 2 with steam in each process of cooking rice. The rice cooking performance is improved. In addition, the steam cylinder 41 can be easily cleaned.

  The steam cylinder 41 and the water storage container 41a are integrally formed, and the whole can be removed from the lid 7 by a steam cylinder handle (not shown).

  In the above-described embodiment, the steam generator 8a is provided on the substantially flat lid heating plate 8 with substantially the same surface or a slight level difference, but a part of the lid heating plate 8 is convex. May be formed. Thus, the heating efficiency is improved by reducing the distance between the lid heating means 9 and the steam generating unit 8a, the steam generating unit 8a is set to a high temperature in a shorter time with a smaller amount of heating and electric power, Water evaporation can be promoted.

  In the above embodiment, the steam generator 8a may be formed by making a part of the lid heating plate 8 concave. As a result, the water dripped from the water storage container 14 is concentrated in one place, and not only any lid heating means 9 but also the steam generating portion 8a of the lid heating plate 8 is concentrated and heated, thereby efficiently evaporating water. Can be executed. Since steam can be generated in a short time according to the amount of dripped water, not only in the rice cooking process, but also in reheating with heat retention, the operation is completed in a short time and the usability is good.

  In the above embodiment, the lid heating means 9 is a lid heating plate heating coil for induction heating the lid heating plate 8, and the pan side heating means 5 is a pan side heating coil for induction heating the side surface of the pan 2. However, the heating means is not limited to induction heating. What is necessary is just a means which can supply the calorie | heat amount required by a rice cooking process with respect to each site | part. Needless to say, in addition to the conventionally known heaters, hot air, high temperature steam, gas combustion, and the like may be combined.

  In the above-described embodiment, the steam generating portion 8a of the lid heating plate 8 is formed of a single layer or a multilayer metal material. However, the lid heating plate 8 including the steam generating portion 8a may be partially or entirely formed. A heat storage unit may be provided. In this way, if water is dripped in a state where high temperature energy is held in the heat storage section, steam can be generated in a short time, and steam is put into the pan 2 at a necessary timing in the rice cooking process or the heat retaining process. can do.

  In the above embodiment, a means for heating the steam generator 8a may be provided exclusively. In this way, the steam generating unit 8a can be heated to a high temperature or a low temperature different from the heating temperature of the lid heating plate 8 by the lid heating means 9, and the rice is cooked and the heat retention is controlled more precisely. Can control the texture.

  In addition, in said embodiment, the vapor | steam thrown in is not limited to the temperature which exceeded 100 degreeC in the site | part thrown into the pan 2. FIG. Of course, if it is high-temperature steam immediately before the addition, the rice cooking performance will be dramatically improved. An effect is obtained.

  In addition, in said embodiment, although the water storage container 14 is not provided, you may provide the water supply means which injects a predetermined amount of water to the steam generation part 8a. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which a water injection port is provided in the lid 7 and a user inputs water directly into the steam generation unit 8a. This eliminates the need to care for the water storage container 14 and improves usability.

  As mentioned above, the rice cooker concerning this invention can improve rice cooking performance by accelerating the gelatinization of rice without drying rice, maintaining the installation nature of equipment, usability, and price. Therefore, it can be applied to uses such as commercial rice cookers and cookers that require space saving and easy operation.

Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the cover open state of Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing which shows the on-off valve (water supply control means) of Embodiment 1 Sectional drawing which shows the flow of the vapor | steam of Embodiment 1 External view showing the lid closed state of the first embodiment External view showing the lid open state of the first embodiment Temperature chart showing pan temperature during operation of the first embodiment Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows the usage method of the water storage container in the Embodiment 2 Sectional drawing which shows the water storage container at the time of the rice cooking driving | operation in Embodiment 2 Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 3 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the steam cylinder in Embodiment 3 Sectional drawing which shows the steam cylinder of the rice cooker in Embodiment 4 of this invention. Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 5 of this invention. Cross section of conventional rice cooker Temperature chart showing pan temperature during operation of the conventional rice cooker

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker 2 Pan 3 Pan heating means 4 Bottom temperature sensor 5 Pan side surface heating means 6 Control means 7 Lid 8 Lid heating plate 8a Steam generation part 8b, 40 Steam inlet 8c Steam packing 9 Lid heating means 10 Lid heating plate steam port 11 Lid Steam Port 12 Steam Port Packing 13 Pot Packing 14, 16, 34 Water Reservoir 15, 35 Open / Close Valve (Water Supply Control Unit)
17, 36 Water storage container lid 18 Air pump (pressurizing means)
19 Water supply passage 20, 33, 41 Steam cylinder 21 Steam cylinder valve 23 Steam valve 37 Steam passage 38 Heat receiving plate

Claims (12)

A pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a lid for covering the opening of the pan, a lid heating plate for heating the inside of the pan from above, a lid heating means for heating the lid heating plate, A steam cylinder for discharging steam in the pan, and the lid heating plate heats water supplied in advance and generates steam from the water, and steam generated by the steam generator Rice cooker with a steam inlet to be put into the pan. The rice cooker of Claim 1 provided with the water storage container which stores water, and the water supply control means which controls the water supply from the said water storage container to a steam generation part. The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein the water supply control means includes an on-off valve that controls the amount of water dropped from the water storage container to the steam generation unit. The rice cooker according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the water supply control means includes a pressurizing means for transferring the water in the water storage container to the steam generating section. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the water storage container is provided integrally with the steam cylinder. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the steam generating part is heated by steam in the pan. The cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the pot heating means has a pot side heating means for heating the side of the pot. The rice cooker of any one of Claims 1-7 provided with the steam valve which opens and closes a steam inlet. The rice cooker of any one of Claims 1-8 which provided the steam inlet in the steam cylinder. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the lid heating means heats the lid heating plate or the steam generator by induction heating. The rice cooker of any one of Claims 1-10 which provided the steam cylinder valve which controls discharge | emission of the steam from a steam cylinder. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the lid heating means is provided with a temperature control means for maintaining the steam passage from the steam generating portion of the lid heating plate to the steam inlet at a temperature higher than 100 ° C.

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