JP2005304522A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker which has a lid body covering a top opening of a rice cooker body so that it can freely open/close and is improved in user-friendliness as the lid body can be opened even though a hook lever is not touched. <P>SOLUTION: An inner pot 14 contained in a rice cooker body 13 so that it can be easily attached/detached is heated by a heating means 15, a top opening of the rice cooker body 13 is covered with a lid body 16, the lid body 16 is pivoted on a side of the rice cooker body 13 with a hinge stem 17 and the lid body 16 is pressured in the direction of opening by an elastic member 18, a hook lever 20 which locks the lid body 16 is attached to the rice cooker body 13 in the side almost opposite to the hinge section and a control section 26 controls it to release locking of the lid body 16. The control section 26 releases locking of the lid body 16 through an action section 27 which cancels locking of the hook lever 20 according to an output from a human body sensor 25 which detects access of a human. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker having a lid that covers an upper surface opening of a rice cooker body so as to be freely opened and closed.

  Conventionally, this type of rice cooker includes, as an opening / closing mechanism of a lid, for example, an elastic member that urges the lid in the opening / closing direction, and an engagement device that locks the engagement between the rice cooker body and the lid. There has been a configuration in which a lid is opened by pushing a hook lever to be released (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 8 shows a conventional rice cooker described in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the configuration will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rice cooker body 1 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and an inner pot 2 is detachably housed inside the rice cooker body 1, and the inner pot 2 is heated by the heating means 3. doing. A lid 4 is disposed at the upper surface opening of the rice cooker body 1, and the lid 4 is a hinge part pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body 1 and is pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body 1 by a hinge shaft 5. ing. Further, a hinge spring 6 that is an elastic member that is always urged in the direction of opening the lid body 4 in relation to the hinge shaft 5 is provided, and an arc shape that relieves shock when the lid body 4 is opened in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 5. The damper 7 is provided.

  On the other hand, on the inside of the rice cooker body 1 on the opposite side, which pivotally supports the lid 4, a hook lever 8 that engages the lid 4 in a closed state is used with a hook lever shaft 9 and a hook lever biasing spring 10. A part of the hook lever 8 is attached to the outside of the rice cooker main body 1 as a concave portion as an operation unit 11 for pressing operation.

A hook 12 is provided on the side of the lid 4 facing the hook lever 8, and the lower end of the hook lever 8 and the upper end of the hook 12 are engaged when the lid 4 is closed as shown in FIG. The hinge spring 6 is locked against the biasing force. When the lid 4 is opened, if the operating portion 11 is pressed, the hook lever 8 and the hook 12 are disengaged, and the lid 4 is automatically opened by the biasing force of the hinge spring 6. Further, at the final stage of this opening operation, the lid 4 can be quietly stopped by the action of the damper 7.
JP 59-232519 A

  However, in such a conventional configuration, when the hook lever 8 is close to the inner pot 3 heated by the heating means 3, the hook lever 8 is heated by the inner pot 3, and the temperature of the hook lever 8 is increased. Because it feels hot when the user touches it, there is a limit to making a compact rice cooker by shortening the distance between the inner pot 2 and the hook lever 8, and when the hand is closed, There was a problem that the lid 4 could not be easily opened and closed, for example, when the operating force of the lever 8 was strong.

  The first object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems and to improve the usability by enabling the lid to be opened without touching the hook lever.

  Also, there is no hook lever that locks the lid with magnetic force and unlocks the lid, so that the lid can be opened without the operating force of the hook lever, and the joint between the hook lever and the rice cooker body is eliminated. Therefore, the second purpose is to improve care and aesthetics.

  In order to achieve the first object, the present invention heats the inner pot detachably accommodated in the rice cooker body with heating means, covers the top opening of the rice cooker body with a lid, and covers the lid. A hinge lever is pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body by the hinge shaft, and the lid is urged in the opening direction by the elastic member, and a hook lever for locking the lid is provided on the rice cooker body on the substantially opposite side of the hinge part. The control unit is configured to control so as to unlock the lid body, and the control unit locks the lid body via an operation unit that unlocks the hook lever by an output from a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a person. Is to be released.

  Accordingly, the lid can be opened without touching the hook lever by the human body detection sensor and the control unit, and usability can be improved.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said 2nd objective, the inner pot detachably accommodated in the rice cooker main body is heated with a heating means, the upper surface opening part of a rice cooker main body is covered with a cover body, and this cover body is hinged. The shaft is pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body and the lid is biased in the opening direction by the elastic member, and a magnetic body is provided on either the rice cooker body or the lid body, and the rice cooker body or lid body An electromagnet is provided on either side, and the lock of the lid is controlled by the control unit. When the human body is not approaching due to the output from the human body detection sensor that detects the approach of the person, the electromagnet The lid is locked by a magnetic force and a magnetic force is applied, and when the human body approaches, the current is not passed and the lock is released.

  As a result, the lid can be locked by magnetic force, so the hook lever for unlocking the lid can be eliminated, the lid can be opened without being operated by the hook lever, and the hook lever and rice cooker can be opened. Since the seam with the main body can be eliminated, care and aesthetics can be improved.

  The rice cooker of this invention can open a cover body, without touching a hook lever, and can improve usability.

  1st invention is a rice cooker main body, the inner pot detachably accommodated in the said rice cooker main body, the heating means which heats the said inner pot, and the cover body which covers the upper surface opening part of the said rice cooker main body, A hinge shaft that pivotally supports the lid on one side of the rice cooker body, an elastic member that urges the lid in the opening direction, and a rice cooker body that is substantially opposite to the hinge portion. A hook lever that locks, a human body detection sensor that detects the approach of a person, a control unit that controls to unlock the lid, and an operation unit that unlocks the hook lever by a signal from the control unit; The controller is configured to release the lock of the lid by an output from the human body detection sensor, and detects the approach of a person when a person approaches to open the lid. The lid can be opened without touching the hook lever. There can be improved without permission.

  2nd invention is a rice cooker main body, the inner pot detachably accommodated in the said rice cooker main body, the heating means which heats the said inner pot, and the cover body which covers the upper surface opening part of the said rice cooker main body, A hinge shaft that pivotally supports the lid on one side of the rice cooker body, an elastic member that urges the lid in the opening direction, and a magnetic body provided on either the rice cooker body or the lid. , An electromagnet provided on the other of the rice cooker body or the lid, a human body detection sensor for detecting the approach of a person, and a control unit for controlling the locking of the lid, wherein the control unit includes the human body. According to the output from the detection sensor, when the human body is not approaching, the current is passed through the electromagnet to lock the lid with magnetic force, and when the human body approaches, the current is not passed and the lock is released. Since the lid can be locked by magnetic force, unlock the lid. The hook lever can be eliminated, the lid can be opened without the force of the hook lever being operated, and the seam between the hook lever and the rice cooker body can be eliminated, thus improving care and aesthetics. be able to.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the control unit controls the lid not to open even when the human body detection sensor detects the approach of the human body during rice cooking. Yes, even when a person approaches the rice cooker during cooking, the lid does not open and the rice cooking performance is not affected.

  In a fourth aspect of the invention, in any one of the first to third aspects of the invention, the control unit is configured to control the lid to open for a predetermined time after the completion of rice cooking, and extra in the rice cooker. It is possible to evaporate the accumulated water, to reduce the excessive heating that has been put in order to eliminate the water, to suppress partial drying on the surface portion of the rice, and to provide better rice.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the invention, the control unit controls the lid to close after a predetermined time. After the excess steam is released, the rice is dried without releasing the steam. Can be prevented.

  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 the sectional side view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the rice cooker body 13 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and an inner pot 14 is detachably housed inside the rice cooker body 13, and the inner pot 14 is heated by the heating means 15. doing. A lid 16 is disposed at the top opening of the rice cooker body 13 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lid 16 is a hinge part pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body 13 and is attached to one side of the rice cooker body 13 by a hinge shaft 17. It is pivotally supported. Further, a hinge spring 18 that is an elastic member that is always urged in the direction of opening the lid body 16 in relation to the hinge shaft 17 is provided, and a circle for relaxing a shock at the time of opening the lid body 16 is provided in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 17. An arc-shaped damper 19 is provided.

  On the other hand, a hook lever 20 that engages the lid 16 in a closed state is attached to the inside of the rice cooker body 13 on the opposite side of the lid 16 pivotally supported by using a hook lever shaft 21 and a hook lever biasing spring 22. A part of the hook lever 20 is outside the rice cooker main body 13 in a concave portion as the operation unit 23 for pressing operation.

  A hook 24 is provided on the side of the lid 16 facing the hook lever 20, and the lower end portion of the hook lever 20 and the upper end portion of the hook 24 in the closed state of the lid body 16 are engaged with each other. Locked against the biasing force.

  In addition, a human body detection sensor 25 that detects the approach of a person is provided on the front surface of the rice cooker body 13. The human body detection sensor 25 is configured to combine an infrared light emitting diode and a photodiode as an infrared sensor so that infrared rays reflected by the human body are received by the infrared sensor and output an electrical signal.

  When the human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person, the control unit 26 controls the rice cooker body 13 and the lid 16 to be unlocked, and the operation unit 27 receives a signal from the control unit 26. Thus, the hook lever 20 is unlocked, and when the approach of a person is detected, the hook lever 20 is pulled toward the rear of the rice cooker body 13 by a signal from the control unit 26.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described. The human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person and inputs the output to the control unit 26, and the control unit 26 inputs the output from the human body detection sensor 25, thereby locking the rice cooker body 13 and the lid body 16. A signal is sent to the operation unit 27 so as to cancel the operation, and the operation unit 27 pulls the hook lever 20 toward the rear of the rice cooker body 13. As a result, the lock between the hook lever 20 and the lid body 16 is released, the lid body 16 is biased in the opening direction by the hinge spring 18, and the lid body 16 can be opened without touching the hook lever 20.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the control unit 26 uses the operation unit 27 that unlocks the hook lever 20 by the output from the human body detection sensor 25 that detects the approach of a person. Since the lock is released, when the person approaches to open the lid body 16, the lid body 16 can be opened without detecting the approach of the person and touching the hook lever 20. Can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 27 may use a motor 28 and may include a transmission unit 29 that transmits the power of the motor 28 to the hook lever 20. With this configuration, the human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person, and the control unit 26 inputs the output from the human body detection sensor 25, so that the rice cooker body 13 and the lid 16 are unlocked. When the signal is sent to 28 and the motor 28 rotates clockwise, the transmission part 29 pulls the hook lever 20 to the rear part of the rice cooker body 13, the hook lever 20 and the lid 16 are unlocked, and the hinge spring 18. Thus, the lid body 16 is urged in the opening direction, and the lid body 16 can be opened without touching the hook lever 20.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the magnetic body 30 may be provided in a part of the hook lever 20, and the electromagnet 31 may be provided in the operation unit 27. With this configuration, the human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person, and the control unit 26 inputs an output from the human body detection sensor 25, and the control unit 26 has a magnetic body 30 provided on the electromagnet 31 at a part of the hook lever 20. And a current to generate a counter magnetic force is controlled to flow. When the current flows, the electromagnet 31 generates a magnetic force, pulls the magnetic body 30 provided in a part of the hook lever 20 to the rear part of the rice cooker body 13, the hook lever 20 and the lid body 16 are unlocked, and the hinge The lid 16 is biased in the opening direction by the spring 18, and the lid 16 can be opened without touching the hook lever 20.

  In FIG. 3, the hook body 20 is provided with the magnetic body 30, and the operating portion 27 is provided with the electromagnet 31. Moreover, although the magnetic body is provided in a part of the hook lever 20, the entire hook lever 20 may be a magnetic body.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 4 shows a side sectional view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rice cooker body 33 has a bottomed cylindrical shape, and an inner pot 34 is detachably housed inside the rice cooker body 33, and the inner pot 34 is heated by the heating means 35. doing. A lid 36 is disposed in the upper surface opening of the rice cooker body 33 so as to be freely opened and closed. The lid 36 is a hinge part pivotally supported on one side of the rice cooker body 33 and is attached to one side of the rice cooker body 33 by a hinge shaft 37. It is pivotally supported. In addition, a hinge spring 38, which is an elastic member that is always urged in the direction of opening the lid body 36 in relation to the hinge shaft 37, is provided, and a circle for relaxing a shock at the time of opening the lid body 36 is provided in the vicinity of the hinge shaft 37. An arc-shaped damper 39 is provided.

  On the other hand, a magnetic body 40 is provided on the upper side of the opposite side rice cooker body 33 that pivotally supports the lid body 36, and an electromagnet 41 is provided on the front portion of the lid body 36. In addition, a human body detection sensor 42 that detects the approach of a person is provided on the front surface of the rice cooker body 33. The human body detection sensor 42 is configured to combine an infrared light emitting diode and a photodiode as an infrared sensor so that infrared rays reflected by the human body are received by the infrared sensor and output an electrical signal.

  The control unit 43 controls the locking of the lid body 36. When the human body is not approaching due to the output from the human body detection sensor 42, a current is passed through the electromagnet 41 to lock the lid body 36 with a magnetic force. When the is approaching, the lock is released without passing an electric current.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described. In a state in which the human body detection sensor 42 does not detect the approach of a person, the control unit 43 causes an electric current to flow to the electromagnet 41 so as to attract the magnetic body 40 provided on the upper portion of the rice cooker body 33. When the current flows, the magnetic body 40 is attracted by the magnetic force of the electromagnet 41 and is locked against the biasing force of the hinge spring 38, and the lid body 36 is in a closed state.

  The human body detection sensor 42 detects the approach of a person and inputs the output from the human body detection sensor 42 to the control unit 43. The control unit 43 that has received the output from the human body detection sensor 42 performs control so that the current that has been flowing through the electromagnet 41 does not flow. Although it was in the closed state, since the suction force is lost, the lid body 36 is urged in the opening direction by the hinge spring 38, and the lid body 36 can be opened.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the human body is not approaching due to the output from the human body detection sensor 42, the current is passed through the electromagnet 41 and the lid body 36 is locked by the magnetic force. Since the lock is released without passing an electric current, the lid 36 can be locked by a magnetic force, so that the hook lever for releasing the lock of the lid 36 can be eliminated, and the lid 36 is not affected by the operating force of the hook lever. Since the seam between the hook lever and the rice cooker body can be eliminated, care and aesthetics can be improved.

  In addition, in embodiment, although the magnetic body 40 was provided in the upper part of the rice cooker main body 33, and the electromagnet 41 was provided in the front part of the cover body 36, you may provide in reverse.

  Moreover, in FIG. 4, although the area of the electromagnet 41 provided in the front part of the cover body 36 is larger than the magnetic body 40 provided in the rice cooker main body 33, whichever may be larger, and the same It may be an area.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 5: shows the sectional side view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 3 of this invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, during cooking, the control unit 44 performs control so that a signal is not sent to the operation unit 27 even if the human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person, and the lid body 16 does not open. I try to control it. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described. Even if the human body detection sensor 25 detects the approach of a person during rice cooking and outputs it to the control unit 44, it is controlled not to send a signal from the control unit 44 to the operation unit 27. Even if the human body detection sensor 25 detects through the front of the rice cooker, the lid body 16 does not open.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, during cooking, since the human body detection sensor 25 controls to prevent the lid 16 from opening even when the approach of the human body is detected, a person cooks the rice during cooking. Even when approaching the cooker, the lid body 16 does not open, and deterioration of the rice cooking performance due to a reduction in the amount of heat generated by opening the lid body 16 or a necessary steam outflow during rice cooking can be prevented.

  In the present embodiment, control is performed so that no signal is sent from the control unit 44 to the operation unit 27, but control may be performed so that no signal is sent from the human body detection sensor 25 to the control unit 44.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 6: shows the sectional side view in the state which the cover body of the rice cooker in Embodiment 4 of this invention closed, and FIG. 7 shows the sectional side view in the state where the cover body of the rice cooker opened. Is.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the control unit 45 controls to open the lid 36 for a predetermined time after the completion of rice cooking, and controls to close the lid 36 after a predetermined time has elapsed. . Here, the predetermined time is a time normally required for loosening rice, and is a time from about 30 seconds to about 2 minutes. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given and description thereof is omitted.

  The operation and action of the above configuration will be described. In a state where the human body detection sensor 42 does not detect the approach of a person, the control unit 45 causes a current to flow to attract the magnetic body 40 provided on the upper portion of the rice cooker body 33 to the electromagnet 41. When the current flows, the electromagnet 41 and the magnetic body 40 generate an attractive force, which is locked against the biasing force of the hinge spring 38, and the lid 36 is in a closed state.

  The human body detection sensor 42 detects the approach of a person and inputs the output from the human body detection sensor 42 to the control unit 45. The control unit 45 that has received the output from the human body detection sensor 42 performs control so that the current flowing through the electromagnet 41 does not flow, and the rice cooker main body 33 and the lid body 36 are separated by the attractive force between the magnetic body 40 and the electromagnet 41. Although it was in the closed state, since the suction force is lost, the lid body 36 is urged in the opening direction by the hinge spring 38, and the lid body 36 can be opened without touching the lid body 36.

  After the completion of cooking, the controller 45 controls the current flowing in the electromagnet 41 so as not to flow regardless of whether or not a person is approaching, so that the suction force that has caused the lid 36 to be closed is lost. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7, the cover 36 is opened by the urging force of the hinge spring 38. By the lid 36 being in an open state, excess water vapor present in the rice cooker body 33 evaporates to the outside of the rice cooker body 33, so far, excessive steam has been put in order to fly off. The amount of heat can be reduced, and partial drying of the rice surface can be suppressed.

  In addition, after a predetermined time required to blow off the excess steam, if the lid 36 is in an open state, the temperature of the rice is lowered, and the heat retention performance such as that the rice is likely to rot is adversely affected. The controller 45 controls the current to flow through the electromagnet 41, and the lid body 36 is biased to the closed state by the attractive force of the electromagnet 41 and the magnetic body 40, and the lid body 36 is closed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, since the lid 36 is controlled to be opened for a predetermined time after the completion of rice cooking, it is possible to evaporate excess water accumulated in the rice cooker, Excessive heating put in order to skip can be reduced, partial drying on the surface portion of the rice can be suppressed, and better rice can be provided.

  Further, since the lid 36 is controlled to be closed after a predetermined time, it is possible to prevent the rice from being dried without releasing the steam after the excess steam is released.

  As mentioned above, since the rice cooker concerning this invention can open a cover body, without touching a hook lever, and can improve the usability, the cover body which covers the upper surface opening part of a rice cooker main body freely so that opening and closing is possible It is useful as a rice cooker having

Side sectional view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Side sectional view of another example of the rice cooker Side sectional view of another example of the rice cooker Side sectional view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Side sectional view of the rice cooker in Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Side sectional view of the state where lid of the rice cooker in Embodiment 4 of the present invention is closed Side sectional view of the rice cooker with its lid open Side sectional view of a conventional rice cooker

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 Rice cooker main body 14 Inner pan 15 Heating means 16 Cover body 17 Hinge shaft 18 Elastic member 20 Hook lever 25 Human body detection sensor 26 Control part 27 Operation | movement part

Claims (5)

A rice cooker body, an inner pot that is detachably stored in the rice cooker body, a heating means that heats the inner pot, a lid that covers the upper surface opening of the rice cooker body, and rice cooking the lid A hinge shaft pivotally supported on one side of the cooker body, an elastic member that urges the lid body in the opening direction, a hook lever that is provided in the rice cooker body on the substantially opposite side of the hinge portion and locks the lid body, A human body detection sensor for detecting the approach of a person; a control unit that controls to unlock the lid; and an operation unit that unlocks a hook lever by a signal from the control unit. Is a rice cooker in which the lock of the lid is released by the output from the human body detection sensor. A rice cooker body, an inner pot that is detachably stored in the rice cooker body, a heating means that heats the inner pot, a lid that covers the upper surface opening of the rice cooker body, and rice cooking the lid A hinge shaft pivotally supported on one side of the cooker body, an elastic member for biasing the lid body in the opening direction, a magnetic body provided on either the rice cooker body or the lid body, and the rice cooker body or An electromagnet provided on either one of the lids, a human body detection sensor for detecting the approach of a person, and a control unit for controlling the locking of the lid body, wherein the control unit is based on an output from the human body detection sensor. The rice cooker is configured such that when the human body is not approaching, a current is passed through the electromagnet to lock the lid with a magnetic force, and when the human body is approaching, the current is not passed and the lock is released. 3. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls so that the lid does not open even when the human body detection sensor detects the approach of the human body during rice cooking. The control part is a rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the controller controls the lid to open for a predetermined time after the completion of rice cooking. The rice cooker according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the lid to close after a predetermined time.

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