JP2005304673A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the installing property and user-friendliness of a rice cooker by reducing the amount of steam discharged during rice cooking. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker 1 is provided with: a pot 2 for housing rice and water; a pot heating means 3 for heating the pot 2; a pot temperature detection means 4 for detecting the temperature of the pot 2; a lid 5 with which the opening part of the pot 2 is covered; a heating panel 16 arranged on a surface opposing the pot 2 of the lid 5; a lid heating means 17 for heating the heating panel 16; and a steam cylinder 9 through which steam in the pot 2 is discharged. A space layer 18 is provided at the heating panel 16. A first steam hole 20 communicating with the steam cylinder 9 is provided at the upper part 21 of the heating panel 16. A second steam hole 22 communicating with the inside of the pot 2 is provided at the lower part 21 of the heating panel 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a domestic rice cooker that reduces the amount of steam discharged during rice cooking.

  Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 11, a general rice cooker for home use is mainly a rice cooker 1 main body, a pan heating means 3 (seeds heater or induction) at the bottom or side bottom of a pan 2 for storing rice or water. The pan 2 is heated by the pan heating means 3 to make rice from the rice and water in the pan 2, that is, to cook rice.

  As shown in FIG. 12 (a), the rice cooking process for cooking the rice mainly consists of a water immersion process A, a cooking process B, a boiling maintenance process C, and an unevenness process D. In the water immersion process A, The pot heating means 3 heats the pot 2 so that the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 becomes the first predetermined temperature T1 until one predetermined time t1.

  In the cooking process B, as shown in FIG. 12 (a), the pot heating means until the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 reaches the second predetermined temperature T2 (the boiling point of water (at 100 ° C. at atmospheric pressure)). 3 heats the pan 2.

  In the boiling maintenance process C, the pot heating means 3 is used in the pot so that the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 is maintained in the vicinity of the second predetermined temperature T2 (boiling point of water) as shown in FIG. 2 and the pan heating means 3 heats the pan 2 until the third predetermined temperature T3 is reached.

  Here, in the boiling maintenance step C, the reason why the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 rises to the third predetermined temperature T3 after maintaining the second predetermined temperature T2 is as follows.

  In a state where there is sufficient water in the pan 2, the amount of heat given to the pan 2 by the pan heating means 3 is utilized for water evaporation, so that the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 is the second predetermined temperature T2. Will be maintained.

  Then, as the boiling maintenance process C elapses, the water in the pot 2 evaporates and the water in the pot 2 disappears, so the amount of heat given to the pan 2 by the pot heating means 3 is the evaporation of water. It is used more for the temperature rise of the pan 2. Therefore, the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 rises to the third predetermined temperature T3 after maintaining the second predetermined temperature T2.

  In the unevenness process D, the pot heating means 3 heats the pot 2 so that the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 is maintained in the vicinity of the second predetermined temperature T2 until the second predetermined time t2.

  In this way, the temperature of the cooked rice Tb in the pan 2 is adjusted by adjusting the temperature so that the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting unit 4 becomes as shown in FIG. The temperature changes as shown in b).

  Moreover, the rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 11 includes a lid 5 that covers the opening of the pan 2, and a heating plate 7 that is heated by a lid heating means 6 (induction heating means, a heater, etc.) A steam hole 8 provided in the heating plate 7 through which the steam St passes, and a steam cylinder 9 provided in the lid 5 through which the steam St passes are provided.

  Therefore, in the cooking process B, the boiling maintenance process C, or the unevenness process D, the steam St generated by the evaporation of water in the pan 2 is discharged out of the rice cooker 1 through the steam hole 8 and the steam cylinder 9. Therefore, steam St is condensed on the walls and shelves of the kitchen or the like where the rice cooker 1 is installed and adheres as water droplets, causing problems such as decay of the walls and shelves or generation of mold. Yes.

  As a means for solving such a problem, there is a rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 13 (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

The rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 13 is provided with a steam recovery unit 10 for recovering the steam St discharged from the steam cylinder 9 on the lid 5, and the steam St once discharged out of the rice cooker 1 during the rice cooking process. Is recovered and returned to the pan 2. Therefore, the steam recovery unit 10 opens and closes the fan 11 for recovering the steam St, the motor 12 for driving the fan 11, the hood 13, and the path 10A of the steam recovery unit 10 for returning the recovered steam St to the pan 2. The configuration includes a valve 14 (see FIG. 14) and the like.
JP 2002-204748 A

  However, the configuration of the rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 13 has the following problems.

  The rice cooker 1 shown in FIG. 13 is configured to drive the motor 12 provided in the steam recovery unit 10 and rotate the fan 11 during the rice cooking process to recover the steam St discharged out of the rice cooker 1. Therefore, at least the steam recovery unit 10 requires the fan 11 and the motor 12, and the hood 13 is also required to improve the recovery efficiency of the steam St. Therefore, since the steam recovery unit 10 requires many parts and cannot be made into a compact configuration, the problem that the lid 5 for housing the steam recovery unit 10 cannot be made into a compact configuration and the number of parts increase, the rice cooker 1 Has a problem that it cannot be configured at low cost.

  At the same time, since the motor 12 is driven to rotate the fan 11, the driving sound of the motor 12 and the rotating sound of the fan 11 are generated, and the operation sound of the rice cooker 1 is increased.

  Further, although the operation of the valve 14 is not described in Patent Document 1, in order for the steam recovery unit 10 to recover the steam St into the pan 2, when the fan 11 operates, that is, the steam St When discharging from the pot 2 to the outside of the rice cooker 1, the valve 14 needs to open the path 10 </ b> A of the steam recovery unit 10.

  However, when the steam St is discharged from the pot 2 to the outside of the rice cooker 1, the state of the water in the pot 2 changes to the steam St, and when the water becomes the steam St, the volume expansion is 1600 times or more. Therefore, even if the inside of the pan 2 is communicated with the atmospheric pressure by the steam cylinder 9, pressure is generated on the heating plate 7.

  Therefore, a force Fa is applied to the valve 14 in the direction of closing the path 10A of the steam recovery unit 10 as shown in FIG.

  In order to prevent the valve 14 from closing the path 10 </ b> A of the steam recovery unit 10 when the steam St is discharged from the pot 2 to the outside of the rice cooker 1, the valve control unit 15 that controls the operation of the valve 14. Is newly added so that the opening / closing of the path 10A of the steam recovery unit 10 can be controlled, the rotational speed of the fan 11 is increased, or the diameter of the fan 11 is increased to increase the wind force more than the force Fa applied to the valve 14. It is necessary to apply Fb to the valve 14 so that the path 10A of the steam recovery unit 10 is opened.

  However, when the valve control unit 15 is newly added, the diameter of the fan 11 is increased, or the rotational speed of the fan 11 is increased, the steam recovery unit 10 becomes larger or becomes more expensive. Or Moreover, when the rotation speed of the fan 11 is increased, the operation sound of the rice cooker 1 is further increased.

  This invention solves the said conventional subject, and it aims at reducing the amount of steam discharged | emitted during a rice cooking process, and improving the installation property and usability of a rice cooker.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the rice cooker of the present invention is a pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a pan temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the pan, and a lid covering the opening of the pan, A heating plate disposed on the pan facing surface of the lid, a lid heating means for heating the heating plate, and a steam cylinder through which steam in the pan is discharged, and providing a space layer through which steam passes through the heating plate, The upper part of the heating plate is provided with a first steam hole that communicates the space layer and the steam cylinder, and the lower part of the heating plate is provided with a second steam hole that communicates the space layer and the inside of the pan. .

  Thereby, in cooking rice, at least the upper part of the heating plate does not face the pan, and is in a state lower than the temperature in the pan, that is, the boiling temperature of water (100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure). When the water of the water evaporates into steam, the steam that comes into contact with the upper part of the heating plate is about to go out of the rice cooker through the second steam hole, the space layer, the first steam hole, and the steam cylinder. It is cooled by the upper part of the heating plate.

  Therefore, the cooled steam becomes water again and accumulates in the lower part of the heating plate, and a part of the steam generated during rice cooking can be recovered in the heating plate, and the steam discharged outside the rice cooker The amount can be reduced.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of water droplets deposited on the walls and shelves of the kitchen etc. where the rice cooker is installed, and the steam can cause the walls and shelves to rot or mold. Since it can reduce, the troublesomeness which a user moves a rice cooker every time the place of a rice cooker is limited for the vapor | steam discharged | emitted or a rice cooking process is implemented can be reduced.

  At the same time, there is no need to provide a separate steam recovery unit consisting of fans, motors, valves, etc., so it is possible to prevent an increase in operating noise due to fans and motors. It is possible to reduce the increase in cost.

  The rice cooker of this invention can collect | recover some steam generated during rice cooking in a heating plate, and can reduce the amount of steam discharged | emitted out of a rice cooker.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of water droplets deposited on the walls and shelves of the kitchen etc. where the rice cooker is installed, and the steam can cause the walls and shelves to rot or mold. Can be reduced.

  1st invention is a pan, the pan heating means which heats a pan, the pan temperature detection means which detects the temperature of a pan, the lid which covers the opening part of a pan, and the heating plate arrange | positioned at the pan facing surface of a lid And a lid heating means for heating the heating plate and a steam cylinder through which the steam in the pan is discharged, a space layer through which the steam passes is provided in the heating plate, and a space layer and a steam cylinder are provided above the heating plate. In the cooking process, at least the upper part of the heating plate is at least a pan. The temperature in the pan, that is, lower than the boiling temperature of water (at 100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure), the water in the pan evaporates into steam and the second steam hole, When trying to go out of the rice cooker through the space layer, the first steam hole and the steam cylinder, Tactile steam will be cooled by the upper heating plate.

  Therefore, the cooled steam becomes water again and accumulates in the lower part of the heating plate, and a part of the steam generated during rice cooking can be recovered in the heating plate, and the steam discharged outside the rice cooker The amount can be reduced.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of water droplets deposited on the walls and shelves of the kitchen etc. where the rice cooker is installed, and the steam can cause the walls and shelves to rot or mold. Since it can reduce, the troublesomeness which a user moves a rice cooker every time the place of a rice cooker is limited for the vapor | steam discharged | emitted or a rice cooking process is implemented can be reduced.

  At the same time, there is no need to provide a separate steam recovery unit consisting of fans, motors, valves, etc., so it is possible to prevent an increase in operating noise due to fans and motors. It is possible to reduce the increase in cost.

  As mentioned above, the installation property and usability of the rice cooker can be improved.

  The second invention is the rice cooker according to the first invention, in particular, in the rice cooker of the first invention, by providing a steam recovery unit at the lower part of the heating plate, water droplets formed by steam condensation in the space layer of the heating plate during cooking It can be recovered in the steam recovery section.

  Therefore, during cooking, the steam recovered as water is prevented from entering the pan again from the second steam hole and sticking to the rice, causing the rice to stir up and lowering the cooking performance. be able to.

  According to a third invention, in particular, in the rice cooker of the first or second invention, by forming at least a lower portion of the heating plate and a flange portion facing the lid heating means on the upper portion of the heating plate with a good heat conductive material, Since the flange part which opposes the cover heating means is heated by the cover heating means, and the lower part of the heating plate can be heated by heat conduction by the heated flange part, the inside of the pan can be heated from above.

  Therefore, the upper part of the heating plate is not directly heated by the lid heating means, so that steam can be recovered, and in the unevenness process, the inside of the pot can be heated not only from below by the pot heating means but also from above. It can be done evenly in the pan.

  Therefore, rice that has not been gelatinized in the boiling maintenance process can be promoted to be completely gelatinized, and excess water attached to the rice can be removed. Performance can be improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in particular, in the rice cooker of any one of the first to third aspects, the lid heating means is constituted by induction heating means, and at least the lower part of the heating plate is formed of a magnetic material. Even if the upper part of the heating plate exists between the heating means and the lower part of the heating plate, the lower part of the heating plate is heated by the lid heating means, so that the inside of the pan can be heated from above.

  Therefore, in the unevenness process, the inside of the pan can be heated from above and the space layer of the heating plate can be made larger, so that more steam can be recovered and the rice cooker can be installed. And usability can be improved.

  In a fifth aspect of the present invention, in particular, in the rice cooker according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, the steam recovery section is formed of a good heat conductive material, and the heating plate is heated at least in the unevenness step. Since the steam recovery unit can be heated via the heating plate, the water recovered in the steam recovery unit is boiled again and supplied from the steam recovery unit into the pan as steam having a temperature substantially equal to the boiling point of water. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to maintain the inside of the pan in an atmospheric state at a temperature equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature while giving steam to the rice above the pan, that is, without drying the rice above the pan.

  Therefore, it is possible to remove excess water from the rice in the vicinity of the center of the pot without drying the rice above the pot, and unevenness in the pot (because the excess water cannot be completely removed There is no rice, or there is dry rice), and the rice cooking performance can be further improved.

  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. Also, components having the same configuration as the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

(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 2 a for storing the pot 2 in a detachable manner. A pot heating means 3 for heating the pot 2 is provided at the bottom or side bottom of the pot storage portion 2a. In this embodiment, the pot storing means 2 is composed of induction heating means for induction heating of the pot 2 (pot heating means 3 May be a sheathed heater, a mica heater, a cast heater, a halogen heater, a nichrome heater, etc., as long as it can heat the pan 2 to a predetermined temperature).

  The pan temperature detecting means 4 is configured to come into contact with the bottom surface of the pan 2 and detects the temperature of the pan 2.

  Moreover, the lid | cover 5 is pivotally supported by the hinge axis | shaft 15 of the rear part of the rice cooker 1, and has covered the opening part of the pan 2 so that opening and closing is possible. A heating plate 16 is provided on the surface of the lid 5 facing the pan 2, and the heating plate 16 is heated by the lid heating means 17 in the lid 5 (in FIG. 1, induction heating for induction heating of the heating plate 16). The lid heating means 17 may be a sheathed heater, a mica heater, a cast-in heater, a halogen heater, a nichrome heater, etc., as long as it can heat the heating plate 16 to a predetermined temperature).

  The heating plate 16 has a space layer 18 through which the steam St passes, and the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 has a first steam hole 20 that communicates the space layer 18 and the steam cylinder 9 that discharges the steam St. In the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16, second steam holes 22 that communicate the space layer 18 and the inside of the pan 2 are respectively provided.

  Therefore, the inside of the pan 2 communicates with the outside of the rice cooker 1 and is at atmospheric pressure, and the steam St generated by boiling the water in the pan 2 during rice cooking is the second steam hole 22, the space layer. 18, It goes out of the rice cooker 1 through the first steam hole 20 and the steam tube 9.

  The steam port packing 23 is sandwiched between the heating plate 16 and the steam cylinder 9, and the pot packing 24 is sandwiched between the heating plate 16 and the outer peripheral portion of the upper edge of the pan 2 when the lid 5 is closed.

  The control means 25 controls the operation of the rice cooker 1.

  Next, the operation in the above configuration will be described.

  First, the user puts rice to be cooked and water corresponding to the amount of the rice into the pan 2 and stores it in the rice cooker 1. And if the rice cooking start switch (not shown) is pushed, the control means 25 will receive the input from a rice cooking start switch, and will perform a rice cooking process.

  The pan temperature detection means 4 detects the temperature of the bottom surface of the pot 2 and sends a signal to the control means 25. Based on the signal from the pan temperature detection means 4, the control means 25 performs the rice cooking process mainly divided into four processes of water immersion, cooking, boiling maintenance, and unevenness.

  Here, each step will be described in detail. When the user presses the rice cooking start switch, as shown in FIG. 2A, first, the water immersion process A is performed until the first predetermined time t1. In the flooding step A, the control means 25 controls the amount of current supplied to the pot heating means 3 so that the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 becomes the first predetermined temperature T1.

  Next, when the first predetermined time t1 has elapsed, the cooking step B is performed. In this step, the control means 25 continuously energizes the pot heating means 3 until the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 reaches a second predetermined temperature T2 (the boiling point of water (100 ° C. at atmospheric pressure)). .

  In this process, when the detection temperature Ta of the pan temperature detection means 4 reaches the second predetermined temperature T2 (boiling point of water (100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure)) shown in FIG. Water boils and becomes steam St and is discharged out of the rice cooker 1 through the second steam hole 22, the space layer 18, the first steam hole 20, and the steam tube 9 of the heating plate 16. The liquid from which the starch is eluted from the rice, so-called rice cake becomes foam, and is cooked from the pan 2 through the second steam hole 22, the space layer 18, the first steam hole 20 and the steam cylinder 9 of the heating plate 16. A phenomenon of going out of the vessel 1, that is, a spilling phenomenon occurs.

  Then, the boiling maintenance process C shown to Fig.2 (a) is performed. In this step, the control means 25 performs boiling of water in the pot 2 or stops boiling by energizing or de-energizing the pot heating means 3 to reduce the energization amount to the pot heating means 3. Then, the bubble of the ingredients is prevented from spilling out of the rice cooker 1 from the pan 2 through the second steam hole 22, the space layer 18, the first steam hole 20 and the steam cylinder 9 of the heating plate 16. .

  This process is performed until the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 reaches the third predetermined temperature T3.

  When the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 reaches the third predetermined temperature T3, the unevenness process D is performed until the second predetermined time t2. In this step, the control means 25 controls the energization amount to the pot heating means 3 so that the detected temperature Ta of the pot temperature detecting means 4 is maintained in the vicinity of the second predetermined temperature T2 shown in FIG.

  When the second predetermined time t2 is reached, the unevenness process D and the rice cooking process are terminated, and the heat retaining process is subsequently performed.

  As described above, the temperature of cooked rice in the pan 2 is controlled by the control unit 25 so that the detection temperature Ta of the pan temperature detection unit 4 is as shown in FIG. Tb undergoes temperature transition as shown in FIG.

  That is, in the flooding process A, the cooked rice temperature Tb in the pan 2 rises to the first predetermined temperature T1, and in the cooking process B, it rises to the second predetermined temperature T2. The temperature in the vicinity of the second predetermined temperature T2 is maintained in the boiling maintenance step C, and further, the temperature in the vicinity of the second predetermined temperature T2 is maintained in the unevenness step D until the second predetermined time t2. .

  In addition, the water immersion process A described above is a process in which rice absorbs water, and the first predetermined temperature T1 is set to a temperature at which the gelatinization of the rice is not started. The higher the first predetermined temperature T1, the easier the rice absorbs water and the shorter the time for the rice to absorb a predetermined amount of water, so the time until the first predetermined time t1 ( The time of the immersion step A) can be shortened.

  At the same time, as the first predetermined temperature T1 is higher, in the next cooking step B, the temperature Tb in the pan 2 or the detected temperature Ta of the pan temperature detecting means 4 can be made to reach the second predetermined temperature T2 earlier. Therefore, the time (rice cooking process time) to 2nd predetermined time t2 can be shortened.

  Moreover, the control means 25 may heat the inside of the pan 2 by energizing the lid heating means 17 and heating the heating plate 16 in accordance with the rice cooking process. For example, in the unevenness process D, if heating is performed from above the pan 2 via the heating plate 16, the inside of the pan 2 can be maintained at a high temperature uniformly, so that the rice in the pan 2 is evenly uneven. be able to.

  Thus, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the space layer 18 through which the steam St passes through the heating plate 16, the first steam hole 20 in the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16, and the lower portion 21 of the heating plate 16. By providing the second steam hole 22 in the cooking process B, the boiling maintenance process C, and the unevenness process D, since at least the upper part 19 of the heating plate 16 does not face the pot 2, the temperature in the pot 2 That is, the temperature is lower than the boiling temperature of water (at 100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure). Therefore, the water in the pan 2 evaporates to become steam St, and tries to go out of the rice cooker 1 through the second steam hole 22, the space layer 18, the first steam hole 20, and the steam cylinder 9. Sometimes, the steam St that has come into contact with the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 is cooled by the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16.

  Therefore, the cooled steam St becomes water Wt again and accumulates in the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16, and a part of the steam St generated in the cooking process B and the boiling maintaining process C is stored in the heating plate 16. The amount of steam discharged to the outside of the rice cooker 1 can be reduced.

  Therefore, it is possible to reduce the amount of water droplets attached to the steam St by condensation on the walls or shelves of the kitchen or the like where the rice cooker 1 is installed, and the steam St causes the walls or shelves to rot or mold. Since the place where the rice cooker 1 is placed is limited or the rice cooking process is carried out, the user moves the rice cooker 1 (for example, the rice cooker 1 is ventilated during the rice cooking process). It is possible to reduce the annoyance of the rice cooker 1 and to improve the ease of installation and usability of the rice cooker 1.

  At the same time, it is not necessary to separately provide the steam recovery unit 10 composed of the fan 11, the motor 12, the valve 14, and the like, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in operation noise due to the fan 11 and the motor 12, and the rice cooker 1 It is possible to reduce the increase in the number of parts and the cost due to the increase in the number of parts.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second steam hole 22 is disposed in the lower portion 21 of the heating plate 16 at a position where the second steam hole 22 is farthest from the position of the first steam hole 20. For example, the steam St generated during the rice cooking process requires more time to reach the first steam hole 20 through the space layer 18 from the second steam hole 22 of the heating plate 16.

  Therefore, the steam St comes into contact with the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 having a temperature lower than the boiling point of water for a longer time, so that more steam St can be condensed to form water Wt. Since much steam St can be collect | recovered and the amount of steam discharged | emitted out of the rice cooker 1 can be reduced more, it is better.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the steam St that has entered the space layer 18 of the heating plate 16 from the second steam hole 22 takes a longer time to pass through the space layer 18. If the ribs 26 are provided in the space layer 18, the steam St comes into contact with the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 for a longer time, so that more steam St can be recovered and is better ( 3, the upper part 19 of the heating plate 16 is partially cut, and the arrow indicates the flow of the steam St).

  Then, as shown in FIG. 4, by providing a steam recovery unit 27 at the lower portion 21 of the heating plate 16, the cooking process B, the boiling maintenance process C, and the unevenness process D are performed in the space layer 18 of the heating plate 16. The water Wt formed by condensation of the steam St can be recovered in the steam recovery unit 27 through the recovery hole 28.

  Therefore, the steam St recovered as the water Wt during the cooking process B, the boiling maintenance process C, and the unevenness process D enters the pot 2 again from the second steam hole 22 during the heat retaining process. It is possible to prevent the rice cooking performance from deteriorating by adhering to the rice and causing the rice to stir up.

  The user can easily discard the collected steam St by removing the steam recovery unit 27 from the heating plate 16 and discarding the water Wt in the steam recovery unit 27 after the rice cooking process is completed. 27 can be maintained.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, if the recovery hole 28 is provided so as to be far from the hinge shaft 15, even if the lid 5 is opened with the water Wt in the steam recovery portion 27, the recovery hole 28 is not shown in FIG. As shown, it is needless to say that the water Wt remains in the steam recovery unit 27 and can be prevented from entering the pot 2 through the space layer 18 of the heating plate 16 and the second steam hole 22. .

  Then, the purpose of the unevenness process D is to promote the complete gelatinization of the rice that has not been gelatinized in the boiling maintenance process C, and the excess water that the rice contains too much or adheres to the rice. Is to remove. For that purpose, it is necessary to maintain the inside of the pot 2 in the atmosphere state of the second predetermined temperature T2, and the control means 25 energizes the pot heating means 3 to realize it. Since there is almost no water at the bottom of the pot, if only the pot heating means 3 is energized to maintain the temperature in the pot 2 at the second predetermined temperature T2, the rice near the bottom of the pot 2 or the side bottom will be There is a risk of burning.

  Therefore, if it heats also from the upper direction of the pan 2, the inside of the pan 2 can be maintained in the atmosphere state of the 2nd predetermined temperature T2, and the objective of the uneven process D can be achieved.

  However, when the heating plate 16 is heated, the temperature of the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 also rises, and the steam St generated in the unevenness process D cannot be condensed and recovered.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the lower portion 21 of the heating plate 16 and the flange portion 29 that opposes the lid heating means 17 of at least the upper portion 19 are formed of a good heat conductive material (a metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or copper). As a result, when the control means 25 energizes the lid heating means 17, the flange portion 29 that opposes the lid heating means 17 can be heated, and the heated flange portion 29 causes the lower portion 21 of the heating plate 16 to be heated by heat conduction. Since it can heat, in the unevenness process D, the inside of the pan 2 can be heated from upper direction.

  Therefore, since the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 is not directly heated by the lid heating means 17, the steam St can be recovered and the inside of the pot 2 is not only from below by the pot heating means 3 but also by the lid heating means 17. Therefore, the inside of the pan 2 can be evenly spread, and the purpose of the unevenness process D can be achieved.

  The heating of the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16 by the lid heating means 17 is not limited to the unevenness process D, but the end of the boiling maintenance process C in which the water in the pot 2 is almost exhausted and the discharge of the steam St is almost eliminated. It may be in the vicinity and may also be performed in the heat retaining process (the purpose of heating the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16 in the heat retaining process is to produce condensed water in the rice by the steam St remaining in the pan 2 To prevent adhesion).

  Further, if the upper part 21 of the heating plate 16 is formed of a resin material having poor thermal conductivity such as resin (polypropylene, ABS, polycarbonate, PPS, polyacetal, etc.), the upper part 21 of the heating plate 16 is heated by the lid. Even if heated by means 17 or steam St, it is difficult to reach the temperature at which water boils (at 100 ° C. under atmospheric pressure), so that more steam St can be recovered and better.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the lid heating means 17 is composed of induction heating means, and at least the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16 is formed of a magnetic material such as SUS, aluminum, copper, etc. Even if the upper part 19 of the heating plate 16 exists between the lower part 21 of the plate 16, the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16 is heated by the lid heating means 17, so that the inside of the pan 2 can be heated from above.

  Therefore, in the unevenness process D, the inside of the pan 2 can be heated from above, and the space layer 18 of the heating plate 16 can be made larger, so that more steam can be recovered, and rice cooking The installation property and usability of the device 1 can be further improved.

  Even if there is a gap between the upper part 19 of the heating plate 16 and the lid heating unit 17, the lid heating unit 17 can heat the lower part 21 of the heating plate 16. If the outside air flows by providing a gap with the upper portion 19, the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 is cooled by the outside air, so that the steam St contacting the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 can be more reliably and more reliably. The amount of water St can be increased, and the recovery efficiency of steam St is improved, which is better.

  Further, if the outside air is forced to flow in the gap between the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 and the lid heating plate 17 by a fan or the like, the upper portion 19 of the heating plate 16 is further cooled, so that the recovery efficiency of the steam St is improved. Better and better.

  Further, a fan for flowing outside air between the upper part 19 of the heating plate 16 and the lid heating plate 17 may be used as a fan for cooling the control means 25.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, if the space layer 30 is provided between the heating plate 16 and the steam cylinder 9 by the steam port packing 23 without providing the space layer 18 on the heating plate 16, the heating plate Since it is not necessary to provide the space layer 18 in 16, the structure of the heating plate 16 can be simplified, and the increase in cost and the number of parts can be reduced, which is better.

  Then, in the unevenness process D, maintaining the inside of the pan 2 in an atmosphere state at a temperature equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature T2 improves the rice cooking performance. However, the bottom of the pan 2, the side bottom, the pan 2 If you try to remove excess water from the rice in the vicinity of the center of the pan 2 by heating from above the rice, there is a risk that moisture will be removed too much from the rice above the pan 2, resulting in dry rice There is.

  Therefore, the steam recovery unit 27 is also made of a good heat conductive material (a metal material such as aluminum, stainless steel, or copper), and in the unevenness process D, the cover heating means 17 is energized to recover the steam via the heating plate 16. Since the part 27 can be heated, as shown in FIG. 9, in the cooking process B and the boiling maintenance process C, the water Wt recovered in the steam recovery part 27 is boiled again, and the temperature is approximately equal to the boiling point of water. The steam St can be supplied into the pot 2 from a steam injection hole 31 provided on the side surface of the steam recovery section 27. Therefore, while the steam St is given to the rice above the pot 2, that is, without drying the rice above the pot 2, the inside of the pot 2 is maintained in an atmosphere state at a temperature equal to or higher than the second predetermined temperature T <b> 2. can do.

  Therefore, it is possible to remove excess water from the rice in the vicinity of the center of the pot 2 without drying the rice in the upper part of the pot 2, and unevenness in the pot 2 (excess water cannot be removed). ) Can be eliminated, and rice cooking performance can be further improved.

  In the unevenness process D, since the temperature in the pan 2 is substantially equal to the boiling point of water, the temperature of rice is also approximately equal to the boiling point of water. Therefore, if the temperature of the steam St supplied into the pan 2 is lower than the boiling point of water, the temperature of the rice will be higher than the temperature of the steam St. It will stick. Then, not only the excess water contained in the rice in the uneven process D can not be removed, but also the rice becomes too sticky because it contains too much water, thereby achieving the purpose of the uneven process D. It cannot be done and rice cooking performance will fall. It is important that the temperature of the steam St supplied in the unevenness process D is approximately equal to or higher than the boiling point of water.

  As mentioned above, since the water in the pan 2 can be collect | recovered and it can supply in the pan 2 as the steam St in the unevenness process D, without providing the water tank etc. for supplying the steam St conventionally, Equivalent to a bowl, the user can cook rice using steam St just by putting rice and water in the pan 2, and can improve the rice cooking performance without reducing usability or increasing maintenance parts. it can.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the recovery hole 28 is provided with an opening / closing valve 32 for opening and closing the recovery hole 28. The opening / closing valve 32 normally opens the recovery hole 28, and when a force is applied from substantially vertically below. By configuring the recovery hole 28 to be closed, in the cooking process B and the boiling maintenance process C, no force is applied from substantially vertically below the on-off valve 32, so that the on-off valve 32 opens the recovery hole 28. can do.

  Therefore, the steam St recovered in the space layer 18 of the heating plate 16 becomes water Wt and can pass through the recovery hole 28 and move to the steam recovery unit 27.

  Further, in the unevenness process D, the water Wt in the steam recovery unit 27 is heated to become steam St, and a force is applied to the on-off valve 32 from substantially vertically below, so that the on-off valve 32 closes the recovery hole 28. .

  Therefore, the steam St generated from the steam recovery unit 27 passes through the recovery hole 28 and is not discharged from the steam cylinder 9 to the outside of the rice cooker 1 but is supplied from the steam injection hole 31 into the pot 2. The steam effect is better and better.

  As described above, the rice cooker according to the present invention can be applied not only for home use but also for uses such as a commercial rice cooker.

Sectional drawing of the rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention. (A) The figure which shows the temperature change which the pan temperature detection means in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker detects (b) The figure which shows the temperature change in the pan in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker The figure which shows another structure of the heating plate of the rice cooker Figure when the steam recovery unit is placed on the heating plate of the rice cooker The figure of the state which opened the lid at the time of arranging a steam recovery part on the heating plate of the rice cooker The figure which provided the flange part which opposes a lid heating means in the heating plate of the rice cooker Configuration diagram when the lid heating plate of the rice cooker is configured with induction heating means and the lower part of the heating plate is formed with a magnetic material Configuration diagram when the space layer is configured with the heating plate and steam port packing of the rice cooker The figure which shows the state at the time of heating a vapor | steam collection | recovery part by the uneven process of the rice cooker Configuration diagram when an on-off valve is provided in the steam recovery section of the rice cooker Cross section of conventional rice cooker (A) The figure which shows the temperature change which the pan temperature detection means in the rice cooking process of the conventional rice cooker detects (b) The figure which shows the temperature change in the pan in the rice cooking process of the rice cooker Sectional view when a steam recovery unit is installed on the lid of the rice cooker The figure which shows operation | movement of the valve provided in the steam recovery unit of the rice cooker

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker 2 Pan 3 Pan heating means 4 Pan temperature detection means 5 Lid 9 Steam pipe 16 Heating plate 17 Lid heating means 18, 30 Spatial layer 20 First steam hole 22 Second steam hole 27 Steam recovery part 29 Flange part

Claims (5)

A pan, a pan heating means for heating the pan, a pan temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature of the pan, a lid covering the opening of the pan, and a heating plate disposed on the pan facing surface of the lid A lid heating means for heating the heating plate and a steam cylinder through which the steam in the pan is discharged, a space layer through which steam passes is provided in the heating plate, and the space above the heating plate The rice cooker which provided the 1st steam hole which connects a layer and the said steam pipe | tube, and the 2nd steam hole which connected the said space layer and the inside of the said pan in the lower part of the said heating plate, respectively. The rice cooker of Claim 1 which provided the vapor | steam collection | recovery part in the lower part of the heating plate. The rice cooker of Claim 1 or 2 which formed the flange part which opposes the cover heating means of the upper part of the said heating plate and the upper part of the said heating plate with the good heat conductive material. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lid heating means is constituted by induction heating means, and at least a lower portion of the heating plate is formed of a magnetic material. The rice cooker according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the steam recovery part is formed of a good heat conductive material, and the heating plate is heated at least in the uneven process.

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