JP2005323933A - Stirring device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stirring device which is provided with a stirring member that can be installed inside an inner pot of a rice cooker around a rotational axis in the vertical direction in a rotatable manner and can rotate the stirring member by automatically correcting any misalignment of the stirring member from the position of the center of a rotating section which rotates the stirring member. <P>SOLUTION: The stirring member 27 is provided with a pair of supporting sections which extend to an orthogonal direction with the center of the rotational axis O and to the opposite directions from the center of the rotational axis O as well as a stirring member which extends from the supporting sections downwards. The rotating section 39 is provided with a driving shaft which rotary drives around the center of axis to the vertical direction and a power transmission member 43 which is engaged to the supporting section of the stirring member and transmits the rotating power to the stirring member. The power transmission member is equipped with a spindle section 48 which is supported in a rotatable manner around the axis in the orthogonal direction with the axis of the driving shaft at the bottom section of the driving shaft 42 and a pair of moving and pushing sections which extend downwards from this spindle section. When the driving shaft is rotated one of the moving and pushing sections pushes and moves one of the supporting sections and the other one of the moving and pushing section pushes and moves the other one of the supporting sections to rotate the stirring member. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an agitation apparatus employed in, for example, an automatic rice cooker or a rice cooker that supports no-wash rice.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a rice cooker, a mounting unit on which the rice cooker is mounted, and a support body having a device box standing on the mounting unit, and a rocker provided on the upper portion of the device box so as to be vertically swingable. There is an automatic rice cooker for washing-free rice in which a moving arm is provided and a lid of a rice cooker is attached to the swing arm (see Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-65400 A

In an automatic rice cooker for washing-free rice, for example, since dry washing-free rice and hydrated water are mixed, a lump of rice may be formed. After throwing unwashed rice and water into the kettle, it is necessary to stir the unwashed rice by hand, which is troublesome.
Therefore, a stirring member that is disposed in the inner pot of the rice cooker with the lid closed so as to be rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, and a rotating unit that is provided on the lid and rotates the stirring member. And an agitating device that stirs the unwashed rice in the inner pot by rotating the agitating member.

In the stirring device, when the stirring member is on the lid side, not only the stirring member should be considered so as not to interfere with the inner pot, but after cooking, when the lid is opened, the rice is bounced with the stirring member. The problem of raising it occurs.
Therefore, it is preferable that the rotating part and the stirring member are detachable, and the stirring member is supported in the inner hook so as to be rotatable about the vertical rotation axis. And a stirrer extending downward from the support part, the rotation part having a vertical axis. A drive shaft that is rotationally driven around, and a transmission member that engages with the support portion and transmits rotational power to the agitating member, the transmission member being orthogonal to the axis of the drive shaft at a lower portion of the drive shaft And a pair of pushing portions extending downward from both sides of the axial direction of the supporting shaft portion, one of the pushing portions being one of the supporting portions. Rotate the drive shaft by bringing it into contact with the rear side in the rotational direction and bringing the other of the pushing parts into contact with the rear side in the other rotational direction of the support part By moving, the agitating member support portion is pushed by the pressing portion is configured the stirrer is considered to rotate (see FIGS. 1 and 8).

  In the stirrer, if there is a degree of freedom in the position of the rice cooker, the position of the stirrer, etc., the relative position between the rotating part and the stirrer may deviate, and the shaft part of the transmission member is driven. When fixed to the shaft, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), one pushing portion 49 is positioned on the rear side in the rotation direction A of one support portion 35 of the pair of support portions 35, The transmission member 43 of the rotating part and the support part 35 of the stirring member are misaligned so that the other pushing part 49 is positioned on the front side in the rotation direction A of the other supporting part 35 of the pair of supporting parts 35. In this case, even if the transmission member rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 10A, as shown in FIG. 10B, only one pushing portion 49 contacts the support portion 35 of the stirring member. This causes a problem that the stirring member cannot be rotated around the rotation axis due to the twisting. Jill.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the stirring apparatus which solves the said problem.

  The technical means taken by the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object are as follows: a stirring member provided in an upwardly opened container so as to be rotatable about a vertical rotation axis; and an upper end opening of the container can be opened and closed. And a rotating part that rotates the stirring member, and the stirring member extends in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis and in a direction opposite to the rotation axis. And a stirring portion extending downward from the support portion, and the rotating portion engages with a drive shaft that is driven to rotate about a vertical axis and a support portion of the stirring member. A transmission member that transmits rotational power to the stirring member, and the transmission member is supported at a lower portion of the drive shaft so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the drive shaft. A pair of pushing portions extending downward from the support shaft portion, and when the drive shaft is rotated, the pushing portion Agitating member by one the other one was pushed and the pressing portion of the supporting portion of the part to push the other of said support portion is characterized in that it is configured to rotate.

Moreover, when the said container is an inner pot of a rice cooker, unwashed rice can be cooked favorably.
In addition, the stirring member may include one or a plurality of pairs of support portions that extend in opposite directions from the rotation axis.

  According to the present invention, since the contents in the container can be stirred by the stirring member, it is not necessary to scratch the contents by hand, and one of the pushing portions is in the opposite direction from the rotation axis. One of the extended support portions is positioned on the rear side in the rotation direction of one of the support portions, and the other of the pushing portions is positioned on the front side in the rotation direction of the other support portion of the pair of support portions. In addition, even if the rotating portion and the stirring member are misaligned, the rotating portion rotates so that both the pushing portions are automatically corrected so as to be positioned on the rear side in the rotation direction of the support portion. There is an effect that can be rotated.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes an automatic rice cooker compatible with washing-free rice, and the automatic rice cooker 1 mainly includes an apparatus main body 2 and a rice cooker 3.
The apparatus main body 2 includes an apparatus frame 4 and a swing arm 5, and the apparatus frame 4 includes a mounting table 6 and a device box 7 that is erected on one side of the mounting table 6 in the left-right direction.
Four opening positioning members 8 are provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 6.
The device box 7 is disposed on the right side of the mounting table 6. A power switch 9 and an operation panel 10 are provided on the front side of the device box 7. A pair of front and rear brackets 11 are provided on the upper surface of the device box 7. A support shaft 12 having an axial center in the front-rear direction is concentrically supported so as to be rotatable about the axis.

The swing arm 5 has a base portion 13 disposed above the device box 7 and an arm portion 14 extending leftward from the base portion 13.
The base 13 is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape whose upper, lower, left and right and front and rear are closed, and the front and rear wall portions 13a and 13b are extended downward, and this extended portion is provided on the upper surface side of the apparatus box 7. The bracket 11 is supported so as to be rotatable about the axis of the support shaft 12.
The arm portion 14 is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape whose upper, lower, front, rear, and left side surfaces are closed, and the right side portion of the arm portion 14 is fixed to a midway portion in the front-rear direction of the left side surface of the base portion 13.

Therefore, the swing arm 5 is supported by the device box 7 so as to be swingable up and down around the axis of the support shaft 12 (around the axis in the front-rear direction).
Further, a torsion coil spring 15 is fitted onto the support shaft 12, and one end side of the torsion coil spring 15 is hooked to the base 13 of the swing arm 5, and the other end side is hooked to the device box 7 side. Thus, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 15 acts in the direction of swinging the swing arm 5 upward.
The urging force of the torsion coil spring 15 is set so as to be substantially balanced with the force that causes the swing arm 5 to swing downward by its own weight.

The rice cooker 3 is disposed on the side of the device box 7 and is placed on the placing table 6, and an inner pot (container) 17 that is detachably attached to the outer pot 16 from above. And a lid 18 for closing the inner pot 17 so that it can be opened and closed.
On the lower surface of the outer pot 16, there is provided a foot portion 16a that is fitted from above to the positioning member 8 provided on the upper surface of the mounting table 6. The outer pot 16 heats the inner pot 17 such as a gas stove or IH heater. A heating means is provided.
The outer hook 16 has a degree of freedom to move slightly forward and backward and left and right.

The inner hook 17 is formed in an upward shape from a cylindrical body portion 19 having a vertical axis and a bottom wall 20 that closes the lower end of the body portion 19. A placement portion 17a on which 18 edges are placed is provided (see FIG. 1).
The lid 18 has a circular shape in plan view, is formed in a middle, high shape with a high center side, and is disposed below the protruding side (left side) of the arm portion 14 of the swing arm 5. It is detachably attached to the lower wall 14a, and is configured to open and close the inner hook 17 by swinging the swing arm 5 up and down.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the lower wall 14 a of the arm portion 14 is provided with a pair of front and rear nut members 21 positioned at the front and rear of the center portion of the lid body 18. A lid having a head portion 21a fixed to the upper surface side of the wall 14a and a cylindrical portion 21b projecting downward from the head portion 21a through the lower wall 14a of the arm portion 14. 18 is formed with an insertion hole 22 through which the cylindrical portion 21b is inserted, and a screw hole of the nut member 21 is screwed with a thumbscrew 23 from the lower side (inner surface side) of the lid 18. A lid 18 is attached to the swing arm 5 in a suspended state, and the lid 18 is movable up and down between the lower wall 14a of the arm portion 14 and the thumbscrew 23. When the inner pot 17 is closed with the lid 18 by swinging downward, the lid 18 is separated from the thumbscrews 23 upward, there is a state where the edge is placed on the placing portion 17a of the inner hook 17 of the lid 18.

Further, the insertion hole 22 formed in the lid 18 is formed to have a hole diameter that allows the lid 18 to be slightly tilted. Depending on the position of the rice cooker 3, the lid 18 has an upper end opening edge of the inner pot 17. Even if it touches the part, it is configured to escape.
Further, the apparatus main body 2 is provided with water supply means for guiding water from a water source such as tap water to the inner pot 17.
This water supply means has a first water supply path 24 disposed in the device box 7 and a second water supply path 25 disposed in the swing arm 5, and one end side of the first water supply path 24 is It is located on the lower back side of the device box 7 and is connected to a water supply or the like via a hose, a water pipe or the like, and one end side of the second water supply channel 25 is located below the lid body 18, In the state where the body 18 is closed, the water can be supplied downward, that is, to the inner pot 17.

Further, the other end side of the first water supply path 24 and the second water supply path 25 is between the bottom surface of the base 13 of the swing arm 5 and the upper surface of the device box 7, and the swing center (support shaft) of the swing arm 5. 12) It is connected via a connecting member 26 that is rotatable around.
The water supply means is provided with a flow meter that can stop and pass water by an electromagnetic valve or the like controlled by a control device and detects the flow rate, and has an amount corresponding to the amount of rice input by the operation panel 10. It is configured to automatically supply hydrated water.
In the inner pot 17, a stirring member 27 that stirs the rice put into the inner pot 17 is provided, and a rotation drive mechanism 28 that rotates the stirring member 27 is provided in the swing arm 5 (the lid 18 side). ing.

The agitating member 27 is supported by a holder 29 disposed in the inner hook 17 so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis (rotation axis) O.
The holding tool 29 is also used to hold a rice cooking net, and this rice cooking net is arranged along the entire inner surface of the inner pot 17, and the inner pot 17 in which the rice cooking net is arranged. The rice and hydrated water are added to the rice and cooked, and the cooked rice is wrapped and transported.
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the holding tool 29 is positioned at the upper portion of the inner pot 17 and has an annular outer loop portion 30 having a vertical axis, and the same height on the inner side of the outer loop portion 30. An annular inner loop portion 31 arranged concentrically at the position and a plurality of inner loop portions 31 and 30 that support these inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30 (in the example shown in the figure, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30) Eight (8) disposed leg portions 32 and an annular support guide portion 33 that rotatably supports the stirring member 27 are provided, and these are formed of bar material.

The leg portion 32 has an upper portion 32 a bent in a rectangular shape, disposed between the inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30, and fixed to the inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30. 20 is mounted.
The support guide portion 33 is slightly smaller in diameter than the inner loop portion 31 and is disposed above the inner loop portion 31 and concentrically with the inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30.
The support guide portion 33 is fixed to a bracket 34 extending upward from the upper portion of the leg portion 32 by welding or the like, and is supported by the bracket 34.

The holder 29 is arranged so that the shaft centers of the inner and outer loop portions 31 and 30 are located at the approximate center of the inner hook 17, but has a degree of freedom to move slightly forward and backward and left and right within the inner hook 17.
The stirring member 27 includes a support portion 35 that extends from the rotation axis O in a direction substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis O, and a stirring portion 36 that extends downward from the support portion 35. In the embodiment, it is formed of a bar material.
Further, in the present embodiment, the support portion 35 includes two pairs of support portions 35 extending in opposite directions from the rotation axis O, and one set of the support portions 35A and 35B and The other pair of support portions 35C and 35D are arranged in directions orthogonal to each other, and have a cross shape in plan view.

Further, the pair of support portions 35A and 35B in one set is continuous with each other at the rotation axis O and is constituted by one member, and the pair of support portions 35C and 35D in the other set. Are formed as separate bodies, and the end portions on the rotation axis O side are respectively fixed to one set of support portions 35A and 35B.
The stirring unit 27 only needs to include at least one pair of support portions 35 extending in the opposite directions from the rotation axis O, and extends in the opposite directions from the rotation axis O. Three or more pairs of support portions 35 may be provided.

End portions of the support portions 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D opposite to the rotation axis O are placed on the support guide portion 33 of the holder 29, and support portions are supported on the end portions. A bent portion 37 is formed which is bent outwardly on the outer side of the guide portion 33 and guided along the support guide portion 33, whereby the agitating portion 27 moves up and down on the support guide portion 33. It is supported so as to be rotatable about a direction axis O.
The stirring unit 27 can move a little in the radial direction of the support guide unit 33.
The stirring unit 36 is provided in each of the support units 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D, and each stirring unit 36 is disposed at a position where the distances from the rotation axis O are different from each other.

That is, in the present embodiment, one agitation unit 36 is provided for each of the support units 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D, and the first agitation unit 36A provided at a position close to the rotation axis O; A second agitator 36B provided at a position farther from the rotation axis O than the first agitator 36A, and a third agitator provided at a position farther from the rotation axis O than the second agitator 36B. The stirring unit 36C and a fourth stirring unit 36D provided at a position farther from the rotation axis O than the third stirring unit 36C.
Further, the lower end of each stirring portion 36 is spaced upward from the bottom wall 20 of the inner pot 17.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the rotation drive mechanism 28 rotates a drive unit 38, a rotation unit 39 that is rotationally driven by the drive unit 38 and rotates the stirring unit 27, and rotational power from the drive unit 38. Transmission means 40 for transmitting to the section 39.
The drive means 38 is constituted by an electric motor in the present embodiment, and the motor 38 has an output shaft 41 that is disposed in the middle of the front and rear in the base 13 of the swing arm 5 and protrudes forward.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the rotating unit 39 has a vertical shaft center and is driven to rotate around the shaft center by rotational power from the motor 38. A transmission member 43 that is provided on the lower end side, engages with the agitating portion 27 with the lid 18 closed, and transmits the rotational power from the drive shaft 42 to the agitating portion 27.

The drive shaft 42 is disposed on the projecting end side in the arm portion 14 of the swing arm 5 and substantially concentric with the center of the lid 18, and the upper and lower portions thereof are provided on the lower wall 14 a of the arm portion 14. The brackets 44 and 45 are supported by the brackets 44 and 45 so as to be rotatable about the axis thereof, and the lower part protrudes from the lower wall 14a of the arm part 14 and is inserted through an insertion hole 46 formed on the center side of the lid body 18. 18 to the inner surface side.
On the lower end side of the drive shaft 42, there are grooves formed in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the drive shaft 42, and open fitting grooves 47 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction and below.

The transmission member 43 is mainly composed of a support shaft portion 48 and a pair of pushing portions 49A and 49B provided on both sides of the support shaft portion 48 in the axial center direction.
The support shaft portion 48 is inserted into the fitting groove 47 provided on the lower end side of the drive shaft 42 and is prevented from coming down downward by a retaining member 56 screwed to the lower surface of the drive shaft 42. The lower portion of the drive shaft 42 is supported so as to be rotatable about an axis in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the drive shaft 42.
The support shaft portion 48 is provided with a pair of retaining rings 50 that can contact the drive shaft 42 so as to sandwich the drive shaft 42, and the retaining shaft 50 moves the support shaft portion 48 in the axial direction. Is regulated (the retaining from the fitting groove 47 in the longitudinal direction is prevented).

Each of the pushing portions 49A and 49B is made of a plate material, and an upper portion thereof is fixed to an end portion in the axial center direction of the support shaft portion 48, and extends downward from the support shaft portion 48.
The transmission means 40 has a bevel gear 51 fixed to the output shaft 41 of the motor 38 so as to be integrally rotatable, a bevel gear 52 meshing with the bevel gear 51, and one end side (right end side) fixed to the bevel gear 52 so as to be integrally rotatable. In addition, a transmission shaft 53 disposed in the left-right direction in the arm portion 14, a bevel gear 54 fixed to the other end side (left end side) of the transmission shaft 53 so as to be integrally rotatable, and meshed with the bevel gear 54. At the same time, it is composed of a bevel gear 55 and the like fixed to the upper portion of the drive shaft 42 so as to be integrally rotatable. The rotational power of the motor 38 is transmitted to the drive shaft 42 to rotate the drive shaft 42.

  In the stirring device including the stirring member 27 and the rotation drive mechanism 28, when the lid 18 is closed, one pushing portion 49A of the transmission member 43 is one set (or the other) of the stirring portion 27. One support portion 35A (35C) is located behind the drive shaft 42 in the rotational direction A, and the other pushing portion 49B is connected to the other support portion 35B (35D) of one (or the other) set of the stirring portion 27. When the drive shaft 42 is located in the rotational direction A rear side of the drive shaft 42 and rotates in this state, as shown in FIG. 8, one pushing portion 49A is driven by the drive shaft 42 of the one support portion 35A (35C). In contact with the rear side in the rotational direction A and push it, the other pushing portion 49B comes into contact with the rear side in the rotational direction A of the drive shaft 42 of the other support portion 35B (35D) and presses it. The stirring unit 27 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. Is constructed sea urchin.

  Further, due to the displacement of the relative position between the rice cooker 3 and / or the agitating unit 27 and the rotating unit 39, for example, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (f), one pushing portion 49A of the transmission member 43. Is positioned on the rear side in the rotation direction A of one support portion 35C of the other set of the agitating portion 27, and the other pushing portion 49B of the transmission member 43 is rotated by the other support portion 35D of the other set of the agitating portion 27. 9B, when the drive shaft 42 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow A and the one pushing portion 49A comes into contact with the one supporting portion 35C, As shown in g), (c), and (h), one pushing portion 49A (transmission member 43) swings upward around the axis of the support shaft portion 48 and escapes, and the pushing portion 49A It rides on the one support part 35C.

At this time, the transmission member 43 is formed in such a size that the other pushing portion 49B does not contact (do not catch) the other support portion 35B of one set of the stirring portion 27.
Further, as shown in FIGS. 9D and 9I, when the drive shaft 42 further rotates and the one pushing portion 49A passes (passes over) the one supporting portion 35C, the transmission member 43 is supported. It swings downward around the axis of the shaft 48 and returns to its original state.
Further, when the drive shaft 42 further rotates, as shown in FIG. 9E, one pushing portion 49A of the transmission member 43 rotates the drive shaft 42 of one support portion 35A of one set of the stirring portion 27. While contacting the rear side in the direction A, the other pushing portion 49B contacts the driving shaft 42 rotation direction A rear side of the other support portion 35B of one set of the stirring unit 27 and rotates the driving shaft 42. Thus, the stirring unit 27 can be rotated.

Further, as the drive shaft 42 rotates, the axis of the drive shaft 42 and the rotation axis O of the stirring unit 27 automatically coincide with each other.
The same applies to the case where there is only one pair of support portions 35 extending in the opposite directions from the rotation axis O or when there are three or more pairs.
In the automatic rice cooker having the above-described configuration, for example, when the lid 18 is closed after the non-washed rice is put into the inner pot 17, water is added / decreased into the inner pot 17, and the stirring unit 27 supplies rice for a predetermined time. The rice cooking operation is performed after stirring.

Note that the stirring operation may be performed after supplying the hydrated water, or the stirring operation may be performed while supplying the hydrated water. Moreover, you may make it throw in non-washed rice after supplying hydrated water.
According to the present embodiment, since the rice put into the inner pot 17 is stirred by the stirring member 27, the rice is cooked with the lump of rice generated by mixing dry unwashed rice and water added and subtracted. In addition, the rice that has been put into the inner pot 17 has a raised portion in part, but the rice can be leveled by stirring the rice with the stirring member 27, resulting in uneven cooking. Can be prevented.

  The present invention may be employed in a single rice cooker 3 for home use or business use.

It is front sectional drawing which shows the principal part of this invention. It is a front schematic block diagram of an automatic rice cooker. It is a side schematic structure figure of an automatic rice cooker. It is front sectional drawing of a rotation part. It is a lid attachment structure and a side view. It is front sectional drawing of an inner pot and a cover body. It is a top view of an inner hook. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a stirring part and a transmission member, (a) is a top view, (b) is a BB arrow directional cross-sectional view. It is the top view and front view which show operation | movement of a stirring apparatus. It is a top view which shows the relationship between the transmission member which concerns on a comparative example, and a stirring part.

Explanation of symbols

17 Inner pot (container)
18 Lid 27 Stirring member 39 Rotating part 35 Supporting part 36 Stirring part 42 Drive shaft 43 Transmission member 48 Supporting shaft part 49 Pushing part O Rotating shaft center

Claims (3)

  An agitating member that is rotatably provided around a rotation axis in the vertical direction in an upwardly open container, and a rotating part that is provided on the lid side that closes the upper end opening of the container so as to be opened and closed and rotates the agitating member The stirring member includes a pair of support portions extending in a direction orthogonal to the rotation axis and opposite to each other from the rotation axis, and a stirring portion extending downward from the support portion. And the rotating portion includes a drive shaft that is driven to rotate about a vertical axis, and a transmission member that engages with the support portion of the stirring member and transmits rotational power to the stirring member. Has a supporting shaft portion rotatably supported around an axis in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the driving shaft at a lower portion of the driving shaft, and a pair of pushing portions extending downward from the supporting shaft portion. And when the drive shaft is rotated, one of the pushing parts pushes one of the support parts and the pushing part Write stirrer, wherein a stirring member is configured to rotate by the pushing of the other of said support portion.   The stirring device according to claim 1, wherein the container is an inner pot of a rice cooker.   The stirrer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the stirrer includes one or a plurality of pairs of support portions extending in opposite directions from the rotation axis.

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