JP2006288918A - Electric rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric rice cooker capable of keeping good taste for a long period of time by preventing deterioration in cooked rice while reducing a power consumption in cooking and warming to save energy. <P>SOLUTION: An inner pot 7 is freely removably stored in a rice cooker body 1. A protection frame 8 which meets the shape of the inner pot 7 is arranged on the outer side of the inner pot 7 with prescribed gap. Induction coils 12-14 for heating the inner pot 7 are arranged at the outer side of the protection frame 8. A vacuum heat insulating material 21 is disposed on the outer side of the protection frame 8 and the induction coils 12-14, so as to cover the bottom part and peripheral side part of the protection frame 8. A fan 29 for cooling the pot to supply air is provided in the gap s1 between the inner pot 7 and the protection frame 8. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric rice cooker, and more particularly to a technique for maintaining good taste of cooked rice while saving energy during rice cooking and heat retention.

  In the conventional electric rice cooker, the thing with the jar function which becomes a heat insulation state automatically when rice cooking is complete | finished is widely employ | adopted. And in this kind of electric rice cooker, the thing of the structure which covered the inner pot for rice cooking with the vacuum heat insulating material is provided in order to reduce the power consumption at the time of a heat retention (for example, refer patent document 1).

  By the way, when the cooked cooked rice is exposed to a high temperature (for example, 80 to 85 ° C.) for a long time, the fatty acid contained in the cooked rice undergoes a chemical reaction such as oxidation, and changes its color to brown. Prone to deterioration.

  Therefore, in the prior art, a rice cooker body is provided with a fan, and immediately after the rice cooking is finished, the fan is activated and forced cooling is performed until the temperature of the inner pot drops to about 80 ° C. or less (see FIG. For example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-078883 A JP-A-9-266854

  As described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the structure in which the inner pot for cooking rice is covered with a vacuum heat insulating material improves the heat retaining property of the inner pot. Although there is an advantage that heat dissipation from the pan can be reduced and power consumption can be reduced, the cooked rice is exposed to high temperature for a long time because the heat retention is good, and the cooked rice after cooking Tends to deteriorate.

  On the other hand, as described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, a configuration in which the fan is activated immediately after the completion of cooking and the temperature of the inner pot is forcibly cooled can keep the taste of cooked rice right after cooking well. Although it is possible, since the inner pot is not covered with a vacuum heat insulating material, the heat resistance of the inner pot is insufficient. For this reason, the amount of heat released from the inner pot increases during rice cooking and heat retention, resulting in an increase in power consumption, which is still insufficient for energy saving.

  The present invention was made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and while maintaining energy saving by reducing power consumption during cooking and keeping warm, it prevents deterioration of cooked cooked rice and keeps its deliciousness for a long time. An object of the present invention is to provide an electric rice cooker.

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention includes a rice cooker body in which an inner pot is detachably stored, and a protective frame is provided outside the inner pot along the shape of the inner pot. The following configuration is adopted in an electric rice cooker in which heating means for heating the inner pot is provided outside the protective frame.

  That is, in the electric rice cooker according to the invention described in claim 1, a vacuum heat insulating material is provided outside the protective frame and the heating means so as to cover a bottom portion and a peripheral side portion of the protective frame. A fan for cooling the pan that blows air into the gap between the inner pan and the protective frame is provided on the outside.

  An electric rice cooker according to a second aspect of the present invention is the configuration of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the rice cooker blows air to the gap formed between the protective frame and the vacuum heat insulating material at the time of rice cooking. It is characterized by having a ventilation switching means for switching the air from the fan so that the air is blown to the gap between the inner pot and the protective frame at the time of shifting to the appropriate temperature and heat retention.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric rice cooker according to the second aspect of the present invention, wherein the blower switching means has a blower passage communicating with the gaps, and the gaps are provided in the middle of the blower passages. The switching valve for switching the communication state is arranged and configured.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric rice cooker according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the upper end of the protective frame extends to a position close to the lid. A cylindrical reflector is provided, and the reflector is formed with an air outlet for sending the air from the fan to the gap between the inner pot and the protective frame.

  An electric rice cooker according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the configuration of the fourth aspect of the present invention, wherein the air passage includes an opening that leads to a gap formed between the protective frame and the vacuum heat insulating material. It communicates also with the said blower outlet, The said switching valve switches the ventilation with respect to the said opening part and a blower outlet according to the time of the transition from the time of rice cooking and the completion | finish of rice cooking to a suitable temperature heat retention.

  According to invention of Claim 1, since the protective frame provided in the outer side of the inner pot is covered with the vacuum heat insulating material, the heat retaining property of the inner pot is improved as a result. Even when cooking rice, the amount of heat released from the inner pot can be suppressed, and power consumption can be reduced to save energy. Moreover, since the fan is started immediately after cooking is completed and the temperature of the inner pot can be quickly lowered to a predetermined temperature, the taste of cooked rice immediately after cooking can be kept good.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, when the heating means is an induction coil, during rice cooking, the air blowing switching means is switched so that the cold air from the fan is protected by the protective frame and the vacuum heat insulating material. Since the induction coil can be cooled by blowing air to the gap formed between the inner pot and the induction heating efficiency of the inner pot by the induction coil. In addition, after cooking, by switching the air blowing switching means and sending cool air from the fan to the gap between the inner pot and the protective frame, the inner pot can be quickly cooled to a predetermined temperature, so it is cooked The cooked rice is not exposed to high temperatures for a long time, and the cooked rice can be prevented from deteriorating.

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 2, it is possible to switch between cooling of the heating means and cooling of the inner pot with a simple configuration.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention described in any one of claims 1 to 3, the wind from the fan is blown from the outlet of the reflector provided at the upper end of the protective frame to the inner pot. Since it is possible to blow between the protective frame and the protective frame, it is not necessary to provide a blow hole on the side surface of the vacuum heat insulating material. For this reason, manufacture and attachment work of a vacuum heat insulating material become easy. Moreover, if the heater for heat insulation is provided in the outer side of a reflecting plate, the heat of an inner pot can also be performed.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 4, since the configuration in the case of switching the air blowing to each gap is simple, it can be implemented relatively inexpensively. .

[Embodiment 1]
1 is an external perspective view showing the entire electric rice cooker according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the electric rice cooker, and FIG. 3 is a view of a fan and an air passage provided in the rice cooker body 1. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows a part.

  The electric rice cooker according to the first embodiment includes a rice cooker body 1 and a lid body 2 that opens and closes an upper opening of the rice cooker body 1, and the lid body 2 is attached to the rice cooker body 1 via a hinge unit 3. It is supported so that it can be opened and closed.

  The rice cooker main body 1 has an outer case 6 made of an integrally molded product made of synthetic resin, and an inner pot 7 for rice cooking is detachably stored in the outer case 6. For example, the inner pan 7 is made of a multilayer structure in which the outer wall is made of stainless steel, the inner wall is made of aluminum, and the inner wall is coated with fluorine.

  A protective frame 8 along the shape of the inner pot 7 is provided outside the inner pot 7. The protective frame 8 is made of a heat-resistant synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter abbreviated as PET), and has a sensor insertion hole 8a for allowing the temperature sensor 9 to face the inner pot 7 at the center of the bottom. Is formed.

  Outside the protective frame 8, induction coils 12, 13, and 14 for inductively heating the inner pot 7 are provided as heating means. These induction coils 12, 13, and 14 are concentrically disposed at respective positions of the bottom portion, the peripheral side portion, and the curved portion extending from the bottom portion to the peripheral side portion of the protective frame 8.

  At the upper end of the protective frame 8, a cylindrical reflecting plate 15 extending to a position close to the lid 2 is provided. A cord heater 16 is provided outside the reflector 15 to keep the cooked cooked rice warm. Further, the reflector 15 is formed with an air outlet 15a for sending wind from a fan 29 described later to the gap s1 between the inner pot 7 and the protective frame 8. The reflecting plate 15 is integrally coupled to the upper end of the outer case 6 via the shoulder member 18.

  On the outside of the induction coils 12, 13, and 14, a coil presser 19 is provided as a presser member that positions and fixes the induction coils 12, 13, and 14. The coil retainer 19 is made of the same material as the protective frame 8 and is locally formed, for example, in a cross shape. The coil retainer 19 is attached to the protective frame 8 with a screw or the like (not shown). Each induction coil 12, 13, 14 is fixed at a predetermined position.

  Further, a core member 26 made of ferrite or the like is provided outside the coil retainer 19, and a vacuum heat insulating material 21 is provided outside the coil holding member 19 so as to cover the bottom portion and the peripheral side portion of the protective frame 8. Is provided. A through hole 21 a for allowing the temperature sensor 9 to face the inner pot 7 is formed at the center of the bottom of the vacuum heat insulating material 21.

  Although the said vacuum heat insulating material 21 is not shown in figure, it consists of a core material and the laminate film which included this core material. In this example, the core material is made of polyester fiber having excellent flexibility and low thermal conductivity. Silica powder, glass wool, urethane and the like can also be used. In this example, the laminate film is formed by sequentially laminating a seal layer, a gas barrier layer, and a protective layer. The seal layer plays a role of maintaining the internal vacuum, and for example, a resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene is used. The gas barrier layer plays a role of blocking gas from passing easily through the resin, and in this example, an Al vapor deposition film is used. As described above, when an Al vapor deposition film is used as the gas barrier layer, even when electromagnetic induction is performed, the magnetic barrier is not easily transmitted and the gas barrier layer is not induction-heated, and can serve as a gas barrier for a long time. Therefore, it is convenient. The protective layer plays a role of protecting the seal layer and the gas barrier layer, and for example, a heat resistant resin such as nylon is used.

  As described above, an Al vapor deposition film is preferably used as the gas barrier layer of the vacuum heat insulating material 21 in order to prevent induction heating. However, in the first embodiment, since the vacuum heat insulating material 21 is provided outside the core member 26, the magnetic field generated by the induction coils 12 to 14 is almost blocked by the core member 26. Therefore, as the gas barrier layer of the vacuum heat insulating material 21, it is possible to use a relatively inexpensive Al foil instead of the Al vapor deposition film.

  On the other hand, a pan cooling fan 29 that blows air into the gap s <b> 1 between the inner pot 7 and the protective frame 8 is provided at an appropriate position of the space portion 28 located outside the vacuum heat insulating material 21 inside the outer case 6. Is provided. Further, a space 31 inside the outer case 6 is provided with an air passage 31 that guides air from the fan 29.

  The air passage 31 is provided with an opening 30 that is located above the upper end of the vacuum heat insulating material 21 and communicates with a gap s2 formed between the protective frame 8 and the coil retainer 19 and blows off the reflector 15. It also communicates with the outlet 15a. In addition, a switching valve 32 is provided in the middle of the air passage 31 as air blowing switching means for switching air blowing to the air outlet 15a and the opening 30 according to the time of rice cooking and the transition from rice cooking to heat insulation. That is, the switching valve 32 closes the outlet 15a during rice cooking so that air can be blown into the gap s2 between the protective frame 8 and the coil presser 19 via the opening 30, and immediately after cooking, the opening 30 is opened. Is switched so that air can be blown into the gap s <b> 1 between the inner pot 7 and the protective frame 8 through the air outlet 15 a.

  Further, in the space portion 28 in the outer case 6, an operation panel 35 having a liquid crystal display unit, a microcomputer board 36 on which a microcomputer for operation control is mounted, and energization control for the induction coils 12 to 13 are performed. A power supply board 37 on which a power supply circuit having an inverter or the like is mounted, and a board cooling fan 38 for cooling each of the boards 36 and 37 are provided.

  Reference numeral 39 denotes an inner lid made of aluminum or stainless steel constituting the lid body 2, and a similar vacuum heat insulating material 22 is provided on the upper portion of the inner lid 39 so as to enhance heat retention. 41 is a steam discharge valve, and 42 is a handle.

  As described above, the electric rice cooker according to the first embodiment has the protective frame 8 and the inner lid 39 provided on the outer side of the inner pot 7 covered with the vacuum heat insulating materials 21 and 22, respectively. The heat retention of the pan 7 is improved. For this reason, the amount of heat released from the inner pot 7 can be suppressed not only during heat insulation but also during rice cooking, and power consumption can be reduced to save energy.

  Moreover, in this Embodiment 1, since the wind from the fan 29 can be ventilated to the clearance gap s1 of the inner pot 7 and the protective frame 8 from the blower outlet 15a of the reflecting plate 15 provided above the protective frame 8, It is not necessary to provide a ventilation hole on the side surface of the vacuum heat insulating material 21. For this reason, manufacture and attachment work of the vacuum heat insulating material 21 become easy.

  And at the time of rice cooking, the induction coil 12-14 is cooled by switching the switching valve 32 and sending the cold wind from the fan 29 to the clearance gap s2 between the induction coils 12-14 and the coil holding | suppressing 19 through the opening part 30. Therefore, the induction heating efficiency of the inner pot 7 by the induction coils 12 to 14 can be increased.

  Furthermore, after cooking, by switching the switching valve 32 and sending the cool air from the fan 29 to the gap s1 between the inner pot 7 and the protective frame 8 through the outlet 15a of the reflector 15, the inner pot 7 is kept at a suitable temperature. It is possible to quickly cool to a temperature for keeping warm (for example, about 72 ° C.). For this reason, the cooked cooked rice is not exposed to high temperatures for a long time, and deterioration of cooked rice can be prevented.

  In addition, in said Embodiment 1, since the switching valve 32 is provided in the middle of the ventilation path 31 which guides the wind from the fan 29, cooling of the induction coils 12-14 at the time of rice cooking, and the inner pot after cooking However, the switching valve 32 and the opening 30 are omitted, the fan 29 is started only immediately after cooking, and the inner pan 7 and the protective frame 8 are connected to the reflector 15 from the outlet 15a. It is also possible to cool the inner pot 7 by sending air to the gap s1.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the pot cooling fan 29 is provided separately from the power supply board cooling fan 38, but the power supply board cooling fan 38 may also be used as the pot cooling fan 29. Is possible.

  Further, in the first embodiment, the vacuum heat insulating material 21 is provided outside the core member 26, but conversely, the core member 26 may be provided outside the vacuum heat insulating material 21.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of the electric rice cooker according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Components corresponding to or corresponding to those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. Attached.

  A feature of the second embodiment is that a core member 26 for confining a magnetic field is provided outside a coil retainer 19 for positioning and fixing the induction coils 12 to 14, and further, a vacuum is formed outside the coil retainer 19 and the core member 26. The heat insulating materials 23 and 24 are arranged so as to cover the inner pot 7. That is, one vacuum heat insulating material 23 is formed in a cylindrical shape along the peripheral wall of the outer case 6 of the rice cooker body 1, and the other vacuum heat insulating material 24 is formed in a flat plate shape that matches the bottom shape of the outer case 6. Has been. Further, the lid 2 is also provided with a vacuum heat insulating material 25 so as to enhance heat retention.

  Since other configurations and operational effects are the same as those in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  By the way, the vacuum heat insulating materials 21-25 used with the electric rice cooker of said Embodiment 1, 2 can be manufactured as follows.

  For example, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, a core material 51 (FIG. 5A) formed in a rectangular shape is used for one vacuum heat insulating material 23 arranged along the peripheral wall of the outer case 6. And a laminate film 52 (FIG. 5B) formed in a rectangular bag shape are prepared. In this case, one side of the laminate film 52 is an opening portion 52a, and the remaining three sides are welded in advance.

  Then, the core material 51 is inserted into the inside from the opening portion 52a of the laminate film 52 ((c) in the figure). Subsequently, the inside of the laminate film 52 is evacuated through the opening portion 52a, and then the opening portion 52a is inserted. It welds and is set as the vacuum heat insulating material 23 (the figure (d)). And this vacuum heat insulating material 23 is finally formed in a cylindrical shape.

  Moreover, about the other vacuum heat insulating material 24 arrange | positioned along the bottom part of the outer case 6, since it is necessary to form the through-hole 24a for making the temperature sensor 9 face the inner pot 7, as shown in FIG. In addition, a core material 54 (in the same figure (a)) formed in a substantially horseshoe shape and a laminate film 55 (in the same figure (b)) similarly formed in a substantially horseshoe-shaped bag shape are prepared. In this case, one side of the laminate film is an opening portion 55a, and the other peripheral portions are welded in advance.

  And after forming the hole 54a in the center of the core material 54 (FIG. (C)), this core material 54 is inserted into the inside from the opening part 55a of the laminate film 55 (FIG. (D)). Subsequently, a portion corresponding to the hole 54a of the core material 54 of the laminate film 55 is cut out to form a hole 55b, and the periphery of the hole 55b is welded ((e) in the figure). The hole 55b may be formed in advance at the stage of the laminate film 55 (FIG. 5B), and the periphery of the hole 55b after the core material 54 is inserted may be welded.

  Next, after the inside of the laminate film 55 is evacuated through the opening 55a on one side of the laminate film 55, the opening 55a is welded to form the vacuum heat insulating material 24 ((f) in the figure). Thereby, the vacuum heat insulating material 24 which has the through-hole 24a for insertion of the temperature sensor 9 in the center is obtained.

  Thus, since the bottom part of the outer case 6 is formed in a horseshoe shape, the other vacuum heat insulating material 24 can be formed in a flat plate shape that matches the horseshoe shape. It can be efficiently set on the bottom.

  In addition, although the case where the vacuum heat insulating materials 23 and 24 arrange | positioned in the outer case 6 of the electric rice cooker of Embodiment 2 was manufactured was demonstrated here, the vacuum heat insulating material 25 provided in the cover body 2 and implementation were carried out. The vacuum heat insulating materials 21 and 22 used in the electric rice cooker of Form 1 can be manufactured in the same manner.

It is an external appearance perspective view which shows the whole electric rice cooker in Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a longitudinal section of the electric rice cooker. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view which expands and shows the part of the fan provided in the rice cooker main body, and a ventilation path in the electric rice cooker. It is a longitudinal section which shows schematic structure of the electric rice cooker in Embodiment 2 of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacture process of the vacuum heat insulating material used for the electric rice cooker of this invention in order of a process. It is explanatory drawing which shows the manufacture process of the other vacuum heat insulating material used for the electric rice cooker of this invention in order of a process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Rice cooker main body 2 Cover body 7 Inner pan 8 Protective frame 9 Temperature sensor 12, 13, 14 Induction coil (heating means)
15 Reflector 15a Air outlet 19 Coil presser (presser member)
21, 22, 23, 24, 25 Vacuum heat insulating material 26 Core member 29 Fan 30 Opening portion 31 Air passage 32 Switching valve (air blowing switching means)
s1 Gap between the inner pot and the protective frame s2 Gap between the protective frame and the coil holder

Claims (5)

In the rice cooker body, the inner pot is detachably stored, and a protective frame is provided outside the inner pot along the shape of the inner pot with a predetermined gap. In the electric rice cooker provided with heating means for heating the inner pot on the outside,
A vacuum heat insulating material is provided outside the protective frame and the heating means so as to cover a bottom portion and a peripheral side portion of the protective frame, and further outside of the vacuum heat insulating material, between the inner pot and the protective frame. An electric rice cooker characterized in that a fan for cooling the pot that blows air through the gap is provided.   When rice is cooked, air is blown to the gap formed between the protective frame and the vacuum heat insulating material, and at the time of transition from the end of rice cooking to proper temperature insulation, the air is blown to the gap between the inner pot and the protective frame. The electric rice cooker according to claim 1, further comprising air blowing switching means for switching the wind from the fan.   3. The air blowing switching means includes an air passage that communicates with each of the gaps, and a switching valve that switches a communication state to each of the gaps is arranged in the middle of the air passage. The electric rice cooker described.   At the upper end of the protective frame, a cylindrical reflecting plate extending to a position close to the lid is provided, and the wind from the fan is sent to the gap between the inner pot and the protective frame on the reflecting plate. The electric rice cooker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an air outlet is formed. The air passage has an opening that leads to a gap formed between the protective frame and the vacuum heat insulating material and also communicates with the air outlet, and the switching valve is kept at an appropriate temperature from the time of rice cooking to the end of rice cooking. 5. The electric rice cooker according to claim 4, wherein the air blowing to the opening and the air outlet is switched in accordance with the transition to.

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