JP2007325681A - Rice cooker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice cooker in which a water storage container for steam generation of the rice cooker is arranged at a position for not receiving an inner pressure when cooking rice by mounting it on the inner lid side, loads for attachment/detachment are reduced, workability is excellent and a required steam amount is obtained. <P>SOLUTION: The rice cooker comprises an inner pot 2 freely attachably and detachably housed in a main body 1, a heating means 3 for heating the inner pot 2 and a lid 4 to which an inner lid 5 for covering the opening of the inner pot 2 is attached, and the lid 4 comprises a lid heating plate 11 for heating the inner pot 2 through the inner lid 5 and a lid heater 28 for heating the lid heating plate 11. In the rice cooker, the inner lid 5 is provided with an attaching part 30 for the water storage container 29 projecting to the side of the lid heating plate 11, the water storage container 29 is freely detachably attached to the side of the inner pot 2 of the attaching part 30, and the attaching part 30 is brought close to the lid heating plate 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rice cooker that uses steam to improve heat retention.

  A rice cooker with a water storage container installed in the rice cooker that can be freely attached and detached, boiled water in the water storage container for rice cooking and watering processes, etc., and steam is supplied into the inner pot to improve cooking unevenness is proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, steam generating means is provided on a lid heating plate that heats the upper part of the inner pot, and steam is generated by receiving heat radiation from the inner pot and heated rice.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-304673

  Since the water storage container of the rice cooker described in patent document 1 is made to be able to remove the part to which the internal pressure in an inner pot applies directly, so that the seal | sticker for airtightness of a cover and a water storage container can endure high pressure There is a problem that the load for detachment increases as the pressure in the inner pot increases, and the workability of the attachment / detachment deteriorates.

  In addition, since the steam generating means is indirectly heated to generate steam, there is a problem that sufficient steam cannot be obtained.

  In order to solve the problems, the rice cooker according to claim 1 is provided with an inner pot that is detachably stored in the main body, a heating means for heating the inner pot, and an inner lid that covers the opening of the inner pot. A rice cooker having a lid heating plate for heating the inner pot through the inner lid and a lid heating means for heating the lid heating plate. An attachment portion of the water storage container protruding to the plate side is provided, and the water storage container is detachably attached to the inner pot side of the attachment portion, and the attachment portion is brought close to the lid heating plate.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the inner lid has a plurality of pins for attaching the water storage container, and these pins have different diameters of the water storage container mounting portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a concave portion is provided in a portion fixed to the inner lid of the pin, and an O-ring is sandwiched and fixed in the concave portion.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the portion where the pin abuts against the inner lid is provided with a concave portion into which an O-ring enters and a seat portion on the inside thereof.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the water storage container has a holder for attaching to the inner lid, and a plurality of ribs are provided on the side surface of the holder in the thickness direction.

  Further, in claim 6, when the water storage container is rotated and attached to the inner lid, when the water injection port of the water storage container is attached to the inner lid from the position directly above when attached to the inner lid. It is provided at a position rotated in the rotating direction.

  According to the present invention, since the water storage container is attached to the inner lid within the same pressure, there is no need to seal the place where the water storage container is attached to the inner lid, and the assembly work requires less load for removal. It is easy to use and improves usability.

  Further, since the water storage container is heated using the heating means of the inner lid, it is possible to supply necessary steam with a simple configuration without providing a dedicated heating means.

  In addition, since the seat where the pin for attaching the water storage container comes into contact with the inner lid is provided and the O-ring is sandwiched and crimped, the O-ring can be attached without deformation of the inner lid, which may cause pressure leakage. There is no.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of the rice cooker according to the present invention as seen from the side, FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view thereof, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing a main part configuration of a water storage container mounting portion, and FIG. The perspective view explaining the attachment part of a water storage container, FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the state which opened the water storage container of the rice cooker, FIG. 6 is principal part sectional drawing of the water storage container of the rice cooker, FIG. 7 is the rice cooker. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the rice cooker with the water storage container attached thereto.

  An inner pan 2 is detachably inserted into the main body 1, and heating means 10 for heating the inner pan 2 is provided at the lower part and the side part of the main body 1. A lid 4 provided with an inner lid 5 covering the upper opening of the inner pot 2 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. The upper opening of the inner pot 2 is closed and sealed with the inner lid 5.

There is a lid heating plate 11 on the surface of the lid 4 facing the inner lid 5, and the inside of the inner pot 2 is heated via the inner lid 5. A lid heater 28 as a lid heating means is provided inside the lid heating plate 11 to heat the lid heating plate 11.

  A packing 6 for sealing the inner lid 5 and the inner pot 2 is integrally fixed to the inner lid 5. Further, a packing 6 b for sealing the inner lid 5 and the lid heating plate 11 is provided integrally with the lid heating plate 11.

  Since the inner lid 5 is always washed with water after cooking rice, the inner lid 5 can be easily detached from the lid 4 and can be easily attached.

  A panel 7 for operating and displaying is attached to the upper surface of the main body 1. Although not shown in the figure, the panel 7 starts and stops cooking (cutting) and (cooking) operation buttons, operation buttons for selecting a rice cooking menu, display contents for displaying the setting contents and the cooking status, etc. Parts are arranged.

  Further, the main body 1 is provided with a handle 52 that can be rotated back and forth, so that the main body 1 can be carried freely.

  The lid 4 is provided with a steam passage 23 serving as the only steam outlet from the sealed space in the inner pot 2 to the outside, and the steam passage 23 is provided with pressure regulating means 22.

The pressure adjusting means 22 includes a hole 24 formed by narrowing the steam passage 23 and a steel ball 25 that closes the hole 24. When the vapor pressure inside the inner pot 2 rises above a predetermined pressure, the steel ball 25 is lifted by the excessive vapor pressure and the pressure is released from the hole 24. When the pressure becomes lower than the predetermined pressure, the steel ball 25 is again inserted into the hole 24. By repeating this, the pressure in the inner pot 2 and the inner lid 5 is adjusted to a constant pressure.

  Moreover, in order to make the internal pressure of the inner pot 2 atmospheric pressure, a solenoid 26 is provided as an opening means. Normally, that is, when no pressure is applied, the steel ball 25 is displaced from the position of the hole 24 by the solenoid 26.

  Boiling detection means 27 is provided in the steam passage 23 and detects steam at a temperature heated by the steam passing through the steam passage 23. The main body 1 is provided with a control unit 20, and boiling detection information of the boiling detection unit 27 is input to the control unit 20, and operations of the heating unit 10 and the solenoid 26 are controlled.

  The inner lid 4 is provided with an attachment portion 30 for attaching the water storage container 29. The attachment portion 30 has a shape in which the inner pot 2 side is lowered by protruding toward the lid heating plate 11 side, and a water storage container 29 is attached to the inner pot 2 side of the attachment portion 30. A water storage container 29 and mounting pins 33 and 34 are fixed around the mounting portion 30 at a position that becomes vertical when the lid 4 is opened. The pins 33 and 34 and fitting grooves 35 a and 35 b provided in the holder 35 of the water storage container 29 are fitted to fix the water storage container 29 to the inner lid 5 in a detachable manner.

  The height of the attachment portion 30 is set to a height that substantially contacts the lid heating plate 11 when the inner lid 5 is attached to the lid 4. Thereby, the water storage container 29 is heated not only from the inner pot 2 but also by the lid heater 28.

  Further, the diameters of the portions where the pins 33 and 34 are fitted into the mounting grooves 35a and 35b of the holder 35 are set to different sizes. This is because when the water storage container 29 is attached to the inner lid 5, the reverse attachment is impossible so that the water storage container 29 is securely attached so as not to leak. The mounting grooves 35a and 35b have different groove sizes so as to correspond to the diameters of the pins 33 and 34.

The water storage container 29 includes an upper case 29a on the inner pot 2 side for storing water, a lower case 29b on the inner lid 5 side, and a holder 35 and a holder B36 for carrying them and attaching them to the inner lid 5. The upper case 29 a is fixed to the holder B 36 and the lower case 29 b is fixed to the holder 35. Further, the holder 35 and the holder B36 are fitted to constitute the water storage container 29.

An inner side of the side wall 35a of the holder 35 has an attachment groove 35b that fits with the holder B36, and an outer peripheral part of the holder B36 has a coupling convex part 36a corresponding to the attachment groove 35b of the holder 35. When the convex portion 36a of the holder B36 is aligned with the mounting groove 35b of the holder 35 and rotated, the convex portion 36a and the mounting groove 35a are fitted, and the packing 37 is sandwiched between the holder B36 and the flange of the lower case 29b and tightened. Thus, the water storage container 29 is configured in a state where no water leaks.

  At this time, since the flanges of the upper case 29a and the lower case 29b come into direct contact with each other, the lower case 29b in which water is stored when the lid 4 is closed is also passed from the lid heating plate 11 via the upper case 29a. Therefore, it is possible to generate steam efficiently.

  A part of the bottom surface of the lower case 29b is raised one step, and a water injection port 38 that serves as both a jet of steam and water injection is provided in this part. A necessary amount of water is introduced from the water inlet 38. The small hole 38a in the vicinity of the water injection port 38 makes it easy for water to enter by allowing the air in the water storage container 29 to escape when water is added.

Further, the water injection port 38 was rotated in a direction to rotate when it is attached to the inner lid 5 instead of a straight line connecting positions corresponding to the pins 33 and 34 of the attachment groove 35a and the attachment groove 35b of the holder 35. Provided in position. Accordingly, when the mounting grooves 35a and 35b of the water storage container 29 are fitted to the pins 33 and 34 for mounting, the water injection port 38 is inclined and the water in the water storage container 29 is prevented from spilling. be able to.

  Here, the structure of the fixing portion of the pins 33 and 34 for attaching the water storage container 29 to the inner lid 5 will be described with reference to FIG. The portion to which the pin 34 is fixed has the same structure, and the description is omitted.

  If the portion for attaching the water storage container 29 is put inside the packing 6b that seals the space between the inner lid 5 and the lid heating plate 11, the packing 6b may become too large to obtain sufficient sealing performance. There is. For this reason, since the part which attaches the water storage container 29 is provided in the outer side of the packing 6b, it is necessary to make the part of the pins 33 and 34 attached through the inner cover 5 into a structure without a pressure leak.

  In this embodiment, the pin 33 sandwiches the O-ring 41 and is swaged to the inner lid 5 for sealing. However, the concave portion 33b and the seat portion in which the O-ring 41 enters the portion where the pin 33 contacts the inner lid 5 are used. 33c, and an O-ring 41 is sandwiched between the recesses 33b so that the inner lid 5 is crimped.

Here, if the seat 33c is provided and crimped, if the seat 33c is not provided, the end portion 5a of the inner lid 5 is deformed when the pin 33 is crimped, and the O-ring 41 is This is because airtightness cannot be maintained even if it is sandwiched. When the seat portion 33c is present, the end portion 5a is supported by the seat portion 33c and is not deformed when crimped, and the O-ring 41 can exhibit a sufficient function as a seal member.

  Next, the operation will be described according to the actual use procedure.

  The user puts the required amount of polished rice and an appropriate amount of water into the inner pot 2 and inserts it into the main body 1. Further, a required amount of water is put into the water storage container 29, fitted to the pins 33 and 34 of the inner lid 5, and the lid 4 is closed.

  Next, when a (cooking) button (not shown) on the panel 7 is operated, rice cooking is started by the control unit 20, and the control unit 20 operates the heating means 3 to heat the inner pot 2.

  At this time, the solenoid 26 prevents the steel ball 25 of the pressure adjusting means 22 from blocking the hole 24 so that the pressure inside the inner pot 2 does not increase.

  Heating control for cooking deliciously is performed by the control unit 20, and when the inside of the inner pot 2 approaches the boiling point, steam is released from the hole 24 to the outside of the lid 4 through the steam passage 23.

  In this process, the boiling detection means 27 is warmed and the temperature rises. When the temperature exceeds 98 ° C. and reaches boiling, the amount of discharged steam increases. Therefore, the temperature of the boiling detection means 27 rises all at once, and the control unit 20 determines that the boiling is caused by this temperature, and the pressure regulating means 22 is activated for the solenoid 26. To the side. This is because the solenoid 26 is energized by the control unit 20 so that the steel ball 25 moves to a position where the hole 24 is closed, and the pressure adjusting means becomes effective.

  Inside the inner pot 2, the outlet of the generated steam is blocked, so the steam pressure increases and the boiling point rises. Eventually, when the vapor pressure reaches a level at which the steel ball 25 is lifted, the vapor is released from the gap between the hole 24 and the steel ball 25, and the pressure is adjusted to a constant pressure by repeating this in small steps.

If high pressure continues to be applied, the rice will boil due to its high permeability, so the solenoid 26 again pushes the steel ball 25 of the pressure regulating means 22 to return to the state where the hole 24 remains open, and the pressure regulating means 22 Make it invalid.

Since the controller 20 continues heating by the heating means 3, the inside of the inner pot 2 continues to boil at atmospheric pressure (100 ° C.) (boiling maintenance process), and eventually the rice sucks all the water in the inner pot 2. It ’s gone. If the control part 20 judges this, it will weaken a heating and will transfer to the process of unevenness. When it is steamed for a certain period of time, rice cooking is completed and the process moves to a heat insulation process.

  In the heat retaining step, the heating means 3 is controlled and the lid heater 28 is energized in order to maintain the temperature of the rice at 70 to 80 ° C. Since the lid heater 28 has a small amount of heat generation, it takes time for the temperature of the inner lid 5 to rise. Therefore, the lid heater 28 is energized at the stage of maintaining boiling to increase the temperature of the inner lid 5 so that dew condensation water is prevented.

  The water temperature of the water storage container 29 attached to the inner lid 5 is almost the same as the water temperature of the rice cooked immediately after the unevenness process, but in this embodiment, the attachment portion 30 of the water storage container 29 is connected to the lid heating plate 11. Therefore, in the heat retaining step, the heat can be maintained at 70 to 95 ° C. by the heat from the lid heater 28. Then, steam generated in the water storage container 29 is supplied from the water inlet 38 into the inner pot.

  At this time, the arrangement of the lid heaters 28 is not equalized in the lid 4 but is adjusted so as to obtain a necessary evaporation amount by adjusting the power density of the portion facing the water storage container 29 or the like. Is desirable.

  Thereby, while being able to prevent the water | moisture content of the rice in the heat retention process from being lost and becoming hard, it is possible to provide rice in a state close to freshly cooked for long-time heat retention. Moreover, it can improve similarly with respect to the water shortage in reheating.

  Since moisture is not required in the uneven process, the size of the water storage container 29 can be reduced by using a means for shutting off the steam supply at 95 ° C. or higher and supplying the steam at a temperature lower than 95 ° C.

  The water storage container 29 can be opened by rotating the holder B36, so that the inside can be easily cleaned. At this time, the side surfaces of the holder 35 and the holder B36 are provided with a plurality of ribs 35f, 36b in the thickness direction, so that they become non-slip, and the water storage container 29 is slightly wet immediately after using the rice cooker. Even at times, removal from the inner lid 5 and opening / closing of the water storage container 29 can be easily performed.

It is the external view seen from the side of the rice cooker of one Example of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the rice cooker. It is sectional drawing which shows the principal part structure of the water storage container attaching part of the rice cooker. It is a perspective view explaining the attaching part of the water storage container of the inner cover of the rice cooker. It is a schematic perspective view of the state which opened the water storage container of the rice cooker. It is principal part sectional drawing of the water storage container of the rice cooker. It is principal part sectional drawing of the fixing | fixed part of the pin of the rice cooker. It is principal part sectional drawing of the state which attached the water storage container of the rice cooker.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Main body, 2 ... Inner pan, 3,10 ... Heating means, 4 ... Cover, 5 ... Inner cover, 11 ... Cover heating plate, 20 ... Control part, 28 ... Cover heater, 29 ... Water storage container, 30 ... Mounting part, 33, 34 ... pin, 33c ... seat, 35 ... holder, 38 ... water inlet, 40 ... O-ring.

Claims (6)

  An inner pan that is detachably stored in the main body, a heating means that heats the inner pan, and a lid that is attached with an inner lid that covers the opening of the inner pan. The inner pan is attached to the lid via the inner lid. In a rice cooker having a lid heating plate for heating and a lid heating means for heating the lid heating plate, the inner lid is provided with a water storage container mounting portion protruding toward the lid heating plate side, A rice cooker characterized in that a water storage container is detachably attached to the inner pot side and the attachment portion is brought close to a lid heating plate.   2. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the inner lid has a plurality of pins for attaching the water storage container, and the pins have different diameters of the water storage container mounting portion.   The rice cooker according to claim 2, wherein a concave portion is provided in a portion of the pin fixed to the inner lid, and an O-ring is sandwiched and fixed in the concave portion.   The rice cooker according to claim 2 or 3, wherein a concave portion into which an O-ring enters and a seat portion inside the portion where the pin comes into contact with the inner lid are provided.   5. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the water storage container has a holder to be attached to the inner lid, and a plurality of ribs are provided in a thickness direction on a side surface of the holder. In the case where the water storage container is rotated and attached to the inner lid, the water inlet of the water storage container is rotated from the position directly above when attached to the inner lid to the direction of rotation when attaching to the inner lid. The rice cooker according to claim 1, wherein the rice cooker is provided at a position.

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